John waited at the bar, reading the labels on all the bottles across from him, and ignored the impatient glances from the bartender. His fingers drummed as quietly as he could on the counter, studying the way the bartender took a rag vigorously to the glass he cleaned, and only jumped slightly when a hand settled on his shoulder. "Space for one?"

"Always." John motioned to the stool next to him, finally signaling the bartender as Anna slid easily onto the seat in a conspicuous raincoat. "It's not exactly the weather for that."

"What?" Anna pointed at her coat, "Think it's a little too Cold War spy-meet?"

"It's something." John looked her up and down, noting the stilettoed heels. "Unless this is another kind of movie where the woman wears a raincoat."

"Fan of those?" Anna gave him a smile before turning to the bartender. "I'd like a bottle of Sassenach Spirits and a bottle of Jameson please."

The bartender looked Anna over, her brow furrowing, but shrugged and went to get the requested drinks. John gave a momentary frown of his own before facing Anna. "I'll not question your alcohol tolerance, but I'm pretty sure you'll need a new liver if you drink both of those yourself."

"They're not for me." Anna smiled at the man, paying for the bottles before taking them by the neck and moving off the stool. "They're for my mothers. Gifts to take back to Nigeria with them when they leave."

John sighed, "You're sending Henry away then?"

Anna nodded, "He's going back with my in-laws and my parents are acting as chaperones. It'll keep them all safe."

"And I thought Yorkshire was too far away." John paused, "But if you came all the way to the hotel bar to buy two bottles of whiskey, then I'll remind you there are shops for that."

"It's not about the location." Anna nodded her head toward the exit. "These are the excuse for why I'm out today."

"Will Henry understand that?"

"He's enjoying a day of being spoiled by both sets of his grandparents. He doesn't care where I am today."

"That can't possibly be true." John grabbed his coat, noting as he did, that Anna's shoes were actually boots. "I'm sure he cares a lot."

"He's six and I'm about to ship him off to another country to keep him safe from a job I should've quit when I came back from Shanghai." Anna hit the button for the lift with her elbow and faced John. "I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of planning today's events."

"I don't mind at all." John took a breath, "And I think you're wrong."

"About?"

"Henry not caring."

Anna sucked the insides of her cheeks before speaking. "I do hope you're about to try and support me with some kind of parental advice you read out of a manual and not based on the experience you had admitting to your daughter what we do for a living."

"No, I wasn't." John followed Anna into the lift and waved off a group of teenagers trying to join them. "Adults only."

"Piss off."

John got the doors closed, turning to Anna. "This isn't new, Anna."

"What, you keeping a group of teenagers out of the lifts?"

"Your worries about Henry."

Anna leaned back on the wall of the lift, her attempt to cross her arms ruined by the bottles of whiskey in both hands. "I was hoping this wasn't going to turn into a therapy session."

"It doesn't have to be." John took a breath, stalled on a word, and then sighed. "I care about you, Anna. I care about Henry and your family. They're wonderful and lovely and welcome my family into a circle that I don't think either of us've had in a long time. That's nothing to spit on."

"I never suggested it was."

John went to speak again but turned and hit the emergency stop button, shaking the lift. "I hope maintenance feels a little slow."

"Now that we're being dramatic." Anna put the bottles on the floor so she could cross her arms. "What do you want to say but you keep stopping yourself from actually saying?"

"I'm saying that this isn't the first time you've questioned yourself as a mother. As a competent one, specifically."

"Aren't all good parents questioning themselves constantly?"

"Maybe they are but…" John shook his head, "This shouldn't be every minute of your life, Anna. It's a thought for the edges of your thoughts, not one that's supposed to consume your every waking thought."

"He's my whole world, John, and I've put him in danger." Anna closed her eyes, her head thudding slightly on the lift wall. "I already almost lost him and… I won't lose him again. I can't."

"Almost lost him?" John frowned, "When Green confronted you at the pool?"

"As a baby." Anna bit at her lip, wiping at her eyes as she opened them. "I was in an accident, rushing to one of Jeff's appointments and not paying attention and I wrapped my car around a pole."

"What?"

Anna nodded, "Next thing I knew I was waking up in the same hospital I was in such a hurry to get to, nurses and doctors trying to see if I was alright, if Henry was alright… It was a madhouse and there was Jeff, holding onto the wall as his legs shook trying to get to me, and…" She shut her eyes, shaking her head as the brushes of her fingers against her eyes did nothing to stop the track of tears. "That was the day Mary offered me the job. Said they'd cover all the bills and make it easier on me to take care of the two men in my life."

"They poached you when you were in hospital?"

"It wasn't a bad way to do it, speaking from experience." Anna's breath shuddered as she dragged it in. "And it worked. They covered everything and I had almost a whole year with Jeff and he had six months with the son those doctors saved. Six months to tell me all the dreams he had for Henry and the wishes and hopes he had for us when he got well."

"But he never got well."

"No." Anna dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve, swallowing hard. "That's why it's different for me. You told your wife to get away from your child. Protected her by divesting yourself of your viper. Me… I'm the viper."

"You're not."

"I am, John." Anna let out a breath. "I'm the reason my son's not safe. I can't blame anyone but myself and a chronic need for expediency. One that almost killed him in vitro and might kill him again now. That's on me."

"It's not." John put his hands on Anna's arms, holding her still until she met his eyes. "None of this is your fault."

"But it is, John." Anna tried to smile but it failed before she even mustered the strength to get her lips to twitch. "At least it's out in the open. I'm glad of that at least. Keeps me from having to worry about being found out."

"Found out?"

"About what keeps me up at night." Anna shook her head, looking to the corner instead of meeting John's eyes. "The shame of my existence."

"Why are you talking about shame?" John shook his head, as if trying to clear it, and resisted the urge to shake Anna to her senses. "I don't see any shame in this."

"I've spoiled my son's life, John. And I can't unspoil it."

"You've not spoiled anything. Him least of all." John's hands slid from Anna's arms to her face, holding her gently. "You're… You're made holier and higher because of the suffering you've been put through. Because of what you've done to try and make a life for your son. Because you even feel guilt at all. That's the sign of a mother who's not shamed or spoiled or failed."

"Truly?"

"Truly." John nodded, his smile translating to Anna's face for a moment. "You're one of the best people I've met in my entire life. I can't imagine your son doesn't feel the same."

"How could I ever explain this to him?"

"As someone who recently had to explain this to someone," John snorted, "You can't and it'll be terrible but you'll find your way through it."

"Promise?"

"Promise." John's thumbs stroked along Anna's cheekbones and he mt her gaze for a moment before dipping down to kiss her.

It began as a simple communication of affection. All of John's higher instincts swore to his noble intentions. His baser instincts, on the other hand, found himself immediately seduced by Anna's fingers curling in his shirt and dragging him closer.

Then it was almost a race. One where John's hands landed on the slippery material of the raincoat and hoisted Anna against the wall of the lift. It took his hips jammed against hers to provide the friction her choice of overcoat failed to provide. But when his hands slipped as her coat opened slightly, John groaned into Anna's mouth at the smooth skin of her bare thighs.

Risking a look down, the warble from the emergency radio in the lift ignored, John noted the boots moved over Anna's knees and snapped to straps that formed a garter belt. One lacking knickers but holding just below a leather bustier. His eyes met Anna's as he pulled away from their kiss, breathing hard.

The glint in Anna's eyes, almost urging him to renew his attack on her slightly kiss-bruised lips, had John grinding against him. "There's a catsuit in the room… For later. If you're still interested in that."

"I'd take you in a gunny sack." John's fingers moved over Anna's legs, running between them as she shivered at the rasp of his skin against her already dewed folds. "But this is working for me."

"I can tell." One of Anna's hands firmed around John's bicep while the other snapped his belt out of her way. "But we've not got the time for this."

John hurried to check for cameras before shifting closer to help Anna's attempts to fully expose him. "No, we've not."

"It shouldn't take much." Anna angled her hips and her breath hitched when John paused, his lips running over her cheeks. "What?"

"You don't need to worry." John kissed over the traces of Anna's earlier tears. "You're going to protect him. He'll be safe. No one'll get to him. And you'll get out of this life so you can be his mother."

Anna's nails dug through the material of his coat to try and pierce his skin as her other hand clutched at his hip. Her head tilted back and John continued replacing the evidence of her tears with kisses down her neck. "You're going to be fine Anna. Everything'll be fine."

"Now, John." She urged him toward her and her nails almost ripped through the material of his coat when he thrust forward. "Please move."

With the slide of her coat against the wall and the precarious position of a functional lift stopped mid-ride, John obeyed Anna's wishes. But the speed of his movements, angled and managed to leave Anna sighing, contrasted with the tenor of his voice. Whispering comforts and adoration against her skin, John pumped into Anna while her fingers took care of the finer details so she cried out into the material of his coat. With a final kiss to her collarbone, the hold of her hands eased slightly as she came off her high, John finished and held still a moment as they both quivered in the aftermath.

The soft click of Anna's heels hitting the floor had John digging in a pocket for a handkerchief that he ran between them before restoring a semblance of order to their appearance. Anna retied the straps on her coat, concealing her risqué wear before she dipped to pick up the undisturbed whiskey bottles. With an exchange of smiles, John hit the button and allowed the lift to continue its ascent.

At their floor they encountered the confused maintenance crew that John pacified with assurances they were not at all bothered by the 'accidental' stall of the lift. Anna kept her face away, for which John was grateful, as it aided him in procuring a discount to their room and complementary room service from a flustered manager. But once they settled the matter, Anna led John to a room and opened the door with a keycard.

"That man was practically apoplectic."

"Then it's a good thing the lift doesn't have cameras." John closed the door behind him. "Can you imagine what he might've done if he knew I stopped the lift?"

"I think he'd faint dead away if he saw what we did because you stopped the lift." Anna walked into the room, removing her coat and draping it over her arm. "But that's not our problem."

"No it's not." John worked awkwardly out of his coat as Anna paced the room to the wardrobe, opening it to show an overnight bag already there. "You came prepared for this."

"I thought I should." Anna hung up her coat and paused, turning over her shoulder to watch John. "See something you like?"

"Without reservation, yes." John slipped out of his shoes, hopping for a second when one of his socks proved more difficult to remove than the other.

"Having a bit of trouble there?"

"Not all of us arrived at this scene with salacious thoughts in mind." John motioned to himself. "So I'm a bit behind."

"I can help with that." Anna crossed the room toward him, her fingers curling in his belt to bring him closer to her. "And what else did you think I was planning on us doing with a hotel room for a whole day?"

"I thought we would debrief about our investigation."

"There'll be debriefing." Anna undid John's belt and shoved his trousers down. "We're just not going to talk about the investigation."

"Then," John pulled his shirt over his head and stepped out of his trousers with slightly more finesse than his socks. "What'd you have in mind?"

"To talk about?" Anna ran her hands over John's chest, her fingers dipping under the elastic of his pants before working back up.

"Yes."

"I don't think I planned much talking." She paused, the mood shifting for a second. "I'm grateful, though, for what you said in the lift."

"I assumed that, based on how you responded." John's hands settled on Anna's hips, his fingers trailing over her skin. "But you don't need to thank me for that. Not now, not ever."

"Why not?"

"Because I'll always tell you the truth."

"All the same." One of Anna's hands snuck under the band of his pants and grabbed at John's ass. "I'm still grateful."

"And you're welcome." John's fingers firmed on Anna's skin and he held her still. "Did you have any specific plans?"

"I thought I'd let you have some ideas."

"I've got one." John glanced at the bed and then at the height of Anna's boots. "How much do you trust me?"

"This outfit is about as kinky as it gets."

"Then it's a good thing with won't be any kinkier than this outfit already allows." John turned Anna in place, moving behind her as his chin settled on her shoulder to whisper in her ear. "Because I want you to put your hands on that bed while I take you from behind."

Anna shivered, "Use the height advantage while you have it?"

"I'd hate for any part of this ensemble to go to waste before the inevitable costume change." John's arm wrapped around Anna's abdomen to hold her close as he ground against the crease of her ass from behind. "And since it's already working for me, I'd really like to express my appreciation."

"I'll take it."

Anna's fingers caressed over John's skin and pried his hand away slowly before she sauntered to the bed. Flipping her hair back as she leaned over the bed, Anna positioned herself and settled into her stance. The moment she did, her body losing a degree of hesitation, she looked over her shoulder at John and winked. "Ready for your close up?"

John forced himself to take a few deep breaths for pushing his pants off. A second of thought had him considering the implications if he moved too quickly in the process. An image of him tripping forward and either breaking his face on the floor or landing ass over eyeballs almost killed the moment. But once his pants joined the trail of abandonment that was his wardrobe, John focused on Anna. And with the view she provided, all fears of losing the moment evaporated in direct proportion to the rush of blood to his erection.

Temptation had John teasing at first. Running his fingers over Anna's bare legs, stroking her sides, and even cupping her breasts through the stiff leather of the bustier. But the urge to kneel on the hotel carpet, the rough brush of it threatening burns to his skin, had John holding tightly to Anna's thighs as he dragged his tongue over her. She shuddered and keened over him, thrusting herself back toward him to meet the greedy searches of his mouth until John tasted nothing but her.

Licking over the results of Anna's climax, John sighed into her skin and traced damp kisses up her legs as he stood. Stood behind her and caressed the flushed skin of her ass before holding tightly to her hips as he drove forward to bury himself to the hilt in a single thrust. If Anna had not been in heels, he might have seen her go onto her toes, but given the height of her boots there was no more toe to go to.

They held still for a moment before John set the punishing pace of their motions. The bed, even with only Anna's weight technically on it, squeaked slightly and John almost uttered aloud his gratitude that they were there in the middle of the day. Unless the other guests of the hotel were suffering extreme jetlag or taking a day trip, then the only other people to hear them were the housekeeping services or others who, like them, were enjoying their daytime trysts. Given the position John found himself in, he could not fault any of them for wanting the exact same thing.

His hands slipped on the leather of Anna's bustier and they struggled together for a minute to free her from it. The leather caught slightly on Anna's skin, sticking as the sweat beaded between them, but John tossed it aside to join the other abandoned clothing. With it out of the way, John turned his whole focus to Anna's skin. Stroking, caressing, and kneading over it as he changed his angle slightly to leave them both groaning as he finished.

It took a moment of concentrated effort, more of a struggle than it should have been, for John to bring Anna with him. But once she trembled around him, he maneuvered them to land on the bed. They bounced for a moment, the duvet rumpling and folding around them, but settled and both surrendered to the necessity of breathing more steadily.

"Did it meet your fantasies?"

"What?" John lifted himself sideways, balancing on one arm as Anna forced herself to sit up so she could remove the boots still attached to her garter belt.

"How'd you like the leather?"

"If you've got to ask then I didn't do a very good job."

"I'm just curious." Anna sighed as she released herself from the different pieces before laying back on the bed, as nude as he was. "I've, occasionally, got to use my feminine wiles on men in my job and I want to make sure I'm investing in the right kinds of equipment."

"I do hope you're not going to tell you rented out these pieces and you'll have to return them when we're finished."

"Don't be ridiculous. That's disgusting and completely unsanitary." Anna shuddered, pulling a face. "We don't run a sex dungeon or anything."

"So these are yours?"

"Of course." Anna winked at him, the sly smile giving John reason to copy it. "I do get to write it off as a work expense and, occasionally, use them on the job, but for the most part these are for personal use."

"I can't imagine the accountant at your company who's providing the reimbursement forms for then reports to the auditor why you've got 'leather goods and sex toys' on your receipts."

"I've never had to purchase a sex toy for this job." Anna moved off the bed and John watched as she went to the wardrobe, admiring the view as she bent over to retrieve her bag. "Only the costumes."

"You've got a nurse's one in there?" John nodded at the bag, laying back and putting both hands behind his head as Anna moved to the bathroom. "I can't say I'm partial to the medical role-play but this was your plan so I'm willing to try anything at least once."

"Anything?" Her voice echoed slightly from the bathroom.

"Well… Maybe not anything." John pushed himself to sit up so he could sweep the room. "I do draw the line, as you said, at the kinkier side of things."

"Then we're in agreement." Anna stuck her head out of the bathroom, her hair now up on top of her head. "No need for safe words?"

"I don't play those games." John forced himself off the bed, gathering the scattered clothing to try and organize it a bit and, maybe, prevent significant wrinkles that would give him away. "They're not really my measure of fun."

"Mine either." John stopped, his jaw dropping almost to the floor as Anna exited the bathroom in the hinted-at catsuit. "But this one did come with zippers in some interesting places so that'll be fun."

"Bugger me."

"I don't plan to." Anna pointed to the bed, "If you've finished cleaning up, I think there's somewhere else I'd like you to be."

"I'm not sure if I'm supposed to respond with 'yes, mistress' or if we're really not going with the role-playing scheme."

"Get your ass on the bed and don't call me 'mistress'."

"Yes ma'am." John moved to the bed and got into position as Anna brought her bag out of the bathroom, leaving it on the sofa to rifle through it. "Got something else to go with that get-up?"

"I was considering using these," Anna held up a few silk scarves and John shivered. "But I don't think I'll need them if your promise to behave."

"Again, I'm wondering if I should've signed a release form or something before I walked into this."

"Shut up." Anna came over to the bed, rolling her shoulders. "This is not the most comfortable of costumes and I'm looking forward to trying it out this once before retiring it to be made into shoes."

"So you'll not be keeping the dominatrix costume for Halloween?"

"If anyone, outside of the two of us, even knew I owned this get-up, I'd kill myself by suffocation under the weight of the embarrassment alone." Anna leaned over the bed, "Do you promise to behave?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Then don't move." Anna maneuvered onto the bed. "And enjoy this, because I'm never wearing this again."

"I'm good with the one-time only special." John folded his hands on his chest, watching as Anna crawled over him, her hands on either side of his head as she looked down at him. "It's like Christmas."

"Then enjoy your present." Anna shifted, "Because this suit, as I mentioned, has some convenient zippers."

"I do hope so because I'm not sure I could peel you out of it."

In the end, the suit proved more a hassle and hinderance than an aphrodisiac. But they managed long enough for Anna to coax John back to full hardness. Which, as he freely admitted, was not difficult when she used her mouth on him. A fact he took into account when fair proved fair as he returned the favor with the convenient zippers granting him unfettered access to her center.

But Anna, moving out of the suit with far more grace than John could imagine ever replicating, crawled over him and mounted him before he could finish her with his tongue. He tasted her on his lips as Anna rolled her hips and sank down to take him fully. The view of her back held him enthralled and John brought up his legs to give himself more leverage as he thrust in counterpoint to Anna's movements. And it was not long before they both succumbed to the tantalizing pull of a finish.

They lay together afterward, occasionally speaking but mostly just basking in the quiet. A quiet that Anna broke when she checked the time and moved to the bathroom to 'freshen up' for her family. But John interrupted her process when he joined her in the shower.

Despite all previous experience, and most average statistics for his gender and age, John proved more than capable of providing another satisfying experience. It was helped, wonderfully to the point of pain, by Anna providing the service of her mouth on him again, but John dragged her up before she could finish him with a blowjob. Instead he kissed her against the wall of the shower before turning her away from the spray.

With his chest to her back, and his hands on her breasts and hips to follow the flow of water, John tried to mimic their earlier efforts on the bed. The height difference necessitated changes in their positions but the sight of Anna's ass cradled in John's hips gave him the incentive to drive them both over the point of insanity and toward release. One they shared almost quietly as they rinsed off and dressed themselves like they had not spent the day engaging in sexcapades.

John checked his pockets and himself in the mirror before turning to where Anna zipped up her bag. "Ready?"

"Ready."

He extended his hand to her and Anna took it, leaving the room. They stayed close in the lift, John giving a little smile as he remembered their actions just hours before, and caught a similar expression on Anna's face. But they did not speak and John waited to the side as Anna checked out of the room.

"So, now that we're…"

"Don't." Anna held up her hand, stopping John's train of thought. "I don't want to talk about the future until we've solved our current problem."

"I almost feel like we're having an affair and struggling to break it off with our real-life partners."

"That would almost be simpler than what we're being called to do here." Anna forced a smile, "When it's over, and the world is a tad safer, we'll find each other again and see where we stand then."

"Yes we will." John dipped, kissing Anna for a moment before drawing back. "Good luck on your end, Anna."

"And you on yours." Anna held up her arm for a taxi and John opened the door for her to climb in. "And, for the record, if we were having an affair, I would've used those scarves."

"I hope to see them again." John shut the door and waved Anna off as his phone rang. "John Bates."

He waited a moment, holding up his own arm for another taxi. "Right, I'll report there right away ma'am."