Finally after multiple technical difficulties not to mention 2 crazy weeks, I finally managed to finish this chapter. Hope it was worth the wait :)
It was late, or rather extremely early when M and James arrived at his flat. They slowly climbed the stairs and James unlocked the door. As M was about to enter, James gently put his hand on her arm and stopped her.
"What is it James?" she asked quietly as she gazed up at him with a tired expression on her face
"I know this marriage is anything but normal, but could I at least have this one tradition?" he asked as he leaned down and gently picked her up before crossing the threshold.
"Alright James, put me down" she said noticing that he was wincing in pain "This can't be good for your ribs"
"Maybe not, but it was worth it" he replied with a grin as he put her down and wrapped his arms around her pulling her into a gentle kiss "Welcome home Mrs. Bond"
"Yes, well we will talk about this Mrs. Bond thing later" she said as she playfully swatted his arm "Right now, all I am interested in is getting a reasonable amount of sleep before our meeting with the PM" she said thru a yawn
"Really? That's all you are interested in?" he asked as he gingerly backed her up, trapping her against the door "I would think, given the last few days, we have at least earned the right to fool around just a little"
"As entertaining and intriguing as that sounds Darling, You seem to forget that legally I am not your wife, but I am still your boss"
"Technically" he said as he moved closer, using his entire body to pin her against the door "We are not in the office nor are we on an official mission. We are just two people, and as far as I am concerned, you are Mrs. Bond in every sense of the word"
"James, is this really the way you wish to start married life?" She said as she arched her eyebrow "with me in the bedroom and you on the sofa?"
"No, not really" he muttered as he took a step back
"I didn't think so," she said as she stepped around him and headed toward the bedroom, leaving him staring at his feet
"Are you coming?" she asked as she extended her hand to him
"But you just said..."
"Just because I am not in favor of consummating this marriage at this particular moment does not mean that I don't want you nearby"
James crossed the room and took her hand, bringing it to his lips
"I do love you, you know that," he said quietly
"I know"
XXXXXXXXXX
Tanner, seeing no benefit to going home for an hour headed to the office to wait for James and M to arrive. As he was waiting for his coffee to finish brewing, a noise caught his attention startling him.
"Sir" he said nervously "I didn't hear you"
"Relax Tanner; they should not be arriving for a least two or three hours yet"
"All due respect, but you do not know M like I do. When she feels backed into a corner, she tends to do rather unusual things like showing up unexpectedly hours early for meetings so she can ponder, fume and in general make our lives miserable" he replied in a slightly irritated tone.
"I am sure that 007 will find a way to keep her occupied for the next few hours, after all they have just been married"
"Thank you once again for planting that vivid mental image in my brain" snapped Tanner as he filled his cup and headed back down the hall to M's office "So was there something you needed, or were you just missing the pleasure of my company?" asked Tanner sarcastically
"Watch it Mr. Tanner, don't forget that I will eventually be your boss" warned Mallory
"Right sir"
"Actually, I was wondering if you had apprehended our suspect yet."
"As a matter of fact, Charlotte Martin was apprehended a few hours ago and is being interrogated as we speak. Apparently, she used her mother's maiden name on her employment application so as not to draw attention to the fact that she is the niece of committee member Clare Dower. It is still unclear as to how much, if any of this Ms. Dower is aware of, but it should not take our agents long to "connect the dots" so to speak,"
"Good, well not good if it leads back to my own committee, but you know what I mean. One-step closer to ending this whole bloody fiasco for once and for all. I still cannot believe that Clare Dower could be responsible for this. I know there is no love lost between her and M, but this...this is just so..." replied Mallory in an optimistic and yet disappointed tone.
"I guess you never really know someone do you sir?" replied Tanner with a hint of sympathy in his voice
"Who is conducting the interrogation, what with M and 007 indisposed at the moment?"
"Eve...Eve Moneypenny. It was decided that Ms. Martin may be a bit more cooperative if she were being interrogated by a female agent, and given the delicate nature of the situation, the fewer people involved, the better"
"Wise move Tanner. I can see why M has so much faith in you. Keep up the good work, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance," replied Mallory as he turned on his heel and disappeared down the dark hall.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
M made her way into the bedroom and was slightly shocked by the starkness of the furnishings. Aside from the bed, there was a simple chest of drawers, matching bedside tables and a lamp. There was not as much as a change dish on the chest or tables. The bed was most intriguing. Although it had a simple wooden yet elegant headboard, the bed itself was much taller than a standard bed, leaving M wondering how on earth she would ever be able to climb in. James stood back and grinned to himself as he watched her reaction. It was as if he could read her mind as he watched the perplexed expression form across her face.
"Something wrong?" he asked as he stood behind her with his hands gently resting on her shoulders
"No…no, it's just that it is so tall. You must have to get a running start to get in" she said with a nervous laugh
"It is really not as difficult as it looks" he replied as he gently picked her up and placed her on the bed.
The mattress was incredibly soft and as soon as James let go, M began to sink causing her to panic.
"Relax Darling" he said as he pushed the mattress down on either side of her "It's only a feather bed"
"Thank God" she replied as she attempted to sit up "I thought it was trying to suck me into some kind of black hole"
"I had it custom made with twice as many feathers as a standard feather bed. It is like sleeping on a cloud"
"Well as long as we don't float away, then we should be safe" she replied with a wink as she situated herself into an almost sitting position
"I can take it off if you really don't like it" he said as he sat on the edge of the bed, placing one hand on either side of her so that he was hovering a mere inches above her.
"No, it will be fine" she said as she reached up to cup his cheek "You really do take very good care of me"
"Yes…yes I do and to be honest, it can be rather exhausting" he said as he kissed her forehead.
"Be careful there, you don't want to break your arm patting yourself on the back" she quipped
"True" he replied as he climbed in beside her and pulled her close, cradling her in his arms "A broken arm would definitely get in the way" he said as he leaned down and captured her lips.
M attempted to pull away, but gravity was not on her side and the bed itself caused her to lean unintentionally into the kiss. As she began to relax she found herself responding to the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. James began to smile as he gently peppered her face with soft kisses.
"I thought you said you wanted to wait" he whispered as he left a trail of kisses down her neck
"I changed my mind" she said breathlessly as she pulled his lips back to hers.
"But what if you decide you don't like being married to me" he asked as he fumbled with the buttons on her blouse
"We will cross that bridge if and when we get to it" she replied as she tugged at his shirt until it was nearly up to his neck.
James stopped momentarily to pull his shirt the rest of the way off before he masterfully discarded his remaining clothing as well as hers.
"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked again as he hovered above her
"007, have you ever know me not to be absolutely sure of anything?" she replied as she as she ran her index finger down his chest sending shivers up his spine.
"I love it when you exercise your authority darling, nothing is a bigger turn on, but could we not use our titles when we are in bed" he said has he kissed her again while he used his knee to gently maneuver himself between her legs
"What? You find it somehow emasculating?" she asked with an impish grin
"No. It's just that I hear you prattling on in my ear when I'm on a mission, using my title, and this is most certainly not a mission. You are my WIFE when we are in bed, not my boss"
"Prattling on!" she snapped playfully as she adjusted herself "I can assure you it is no picnic being on the other end of this part of your missions"
"Well thankfully, you will not have to hear that anymore" he said as he held her close while he let his hands explore his new wife's body
"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked as her breath caught a little as his hands roamed.
"Let's just say that, if necessary, I will use seduction to gain information, but I will NOT sleep with them."
"Oh James you say the sweetest and yet most foolish things sometimes" she whispered in his ear
James was about to respond when they heard a loud bang and suddenly the bedroom was full of armed men with MI6 badges pointing weapons at them.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" screamed M as James has literally torn from the bed and thrown on the floor, leaving M scrambling to cover herself with a blanket.
"Well Ma'am, it doesn't get much more inappropriate than this now does it?" replied one of the guards as he snapped a picture of M, nearly nude, in bed and James, naked on the floor "Now we have undeniable proof of the inappropriateness of your relationship with your agent"
"I beg your pardon!" she said as she wrapped herself in the blanket and got out of bed to stand toe to toe with the moron who had led the charge into THEIR bedroom
"We shall see what Mr. Mallory and the PM have to say about this. Until now all we had were suspicions, deep suspicions, but no real proof, but now we have photos and these photos do not lie."
"True, however, they also do not tell the entire story" she said coolly as she stepped around him and handed James his dressing gown. "As luck would have it, we have a meeting with Mr. Mallory and the PM in a few hours. We would be deeply honored if you and your co-conspirators could join us" she concluded
"We would be delighted" replied the guard as he motioned for the men to leave the room "Well done 007, bedding the boss, however did you manage it?" he said sarcastically
James took a step forward and was about to connect his fist with the smug guards face when M put her hand on his arm and shot him an angry glare causing him to stop mid stride.
"Good to know she keeps you on a short leash, even in the bedroom" he quipped as he left the room.
Once James had made sure that they had ALL left, he angrily stomped back into the bedroom, to find M heading for a shower.
"Why the hell wouldn't you let me have just one shot at him?" he asked angrily
"All in good time darling" she said with a wink as she disappeared into the bathroom "All in good time"
TO BE CONTINUED...