A/N: As you wish Cee Gee7, here is the next chapter. ;) Enjoy.
Chapter III
She bit her lower lip and could only stare back into the blue eyes she once knew so well. He looked great in his well-tailored black suit and the blue tie perfectly complemented his eyes. The eyes she fell for years ago and which she could not tear hear glance away from now. When she could finally take in the rest of his appearance, she noticed his new haircut. It was a less military looking version of his trademark look and suited him well. Despite the haircut it was undoubtedly him and underneath the expensive cologne he smelled like coffee and home. She knew that she had to tame her emotions and for a moment she closed her eyes to regain her composure. She was sure that she would blow the whole thing because it would certainly attract the wrong attention if she just threw herself into his arms. While she tried to calm the storm of emotions raging inside her, she distantly heard him ask how she knew Maxim. For another moment she let herself feel overwhelmed by his presence. When she cleared her throat to answer, she wanted to sound friendly but she knew that she could not keep all of her emotions back. "Actually I don't know Maxim, Mr Sturgeon, I was invited by his son."
He pulled back slightly and furrowed a brow, his body tensing at her answer. She knew exactly what he was thinking and shook her head ever so slightly. Nobody except for him would notice their silent conversation and she marveled at the fact that they could still communicate like this as if no time had passed. Relief flickered over his face and he relaxed again, accepting his drink from the waiter and taking a sip. His eyes never leaving hers. She knew that he had to be after someone since he was here but she also knew that she could not ask him directly, they both had to maintain cover stories after all. "My bad. I hoped I'd get the chance to dance with you later."
She gave him a warm smile and took a sip of her wine. Taking her time to answer, she felt like she was finally getting a grip on her emotions again. "It's not his decision who I dance with. But I'll only consider your request when you're good company during dinner."
"At your service," he replied lightly and gave her a crooked smirk. She had missed him so much during the past year and flirting with him now would not make it any easier to leave again. It was tempting to just get lost in his well-known presence and forget about the reason why she was here. But at the same time meeting him here made her want to end this tonight. He deserved an explanation after all - all of them did. And maybe she deserved to get her life back too, maybe all of this was not worth what she had left behind. But she knew that she was already in too deep to just pull out and head back. She was pulled out of her thoughts when the doors of the ballroom were opened again and a line of waiters walked in with the main course, distracting her for the moment. During dinner they spoke to the others at their table again but their eyes found each other every now and then as if they had to make sure that the other one was still there. At one point the art collector's wife gave her an encouraging grin but she shook her head politely but dismissively. As much as she wanted to follow the gesture, she knew there would be consequences. For both of them.
After they had finished dinner, Leonid appeared behind her and placed a hand on her bare shoulder. She looked up at him and gave him a smile, although she wanted to shake off his hand and stay right where she was. "Do you want to dance, Emily?"
"Sure," she got up and left the table, giving the man next to her a longing look while she sauntered to the dancefloor with her companion. After two hours in the presence of someone she really knew, she felt tired and energized at the same time. On one hand his presence was helping her focus on the task at hand because it reminded her of what she had left behind and what she desperately wanted to return to. On the other hand she felt repelled by the intimate situation she had to act in with Leonid. Almost all women would consider him good-looking and he was a decent enough guy as long as one did not want to know what he did for a living. Being a rich bachelor in his mid-thirties helped a lot to overlook this, so he could spend every evening with another woman if he wanted to. And often enough he wanted to do just that.
"Are you enjoying the evening?" He gave her a smile and spun her around, continuing to talk when he pulled her close again. "I'm very sorry I couldn't sit with you."
"I know how to enjoy myself, don't worry," she said and batted her eyelashes at him. She head him chuckle while her eyes were already wandering through the room over his shoulder in search of her target. She had spotted Sergei talking to Maxim and she knew there would or rather had to be another chance to talk to him tonight. Now her eyes were searching for someone else and she found him casually leaning against the bar. Like her he was scanning the room with trained eyes and for a moment he watched Maxim and Sergei, before he let his eyes wander again. He finally looked at her and their eyes locked. His gaze was intense and comforting, giving her a warm feeling that spread from her gut throughout her body. Staying focused on the task at hand was going to be a tough task.