The reception was in full swing by the time Lee and Amanda arrived. The mood was festive, the dance floor crowded, the champagne flowing freely. Lee kept one hand loosely around Amanda's waist as they navigated their way through the throng.
"At least this time I'm not the only one out of costume," she murmured as a waitress walked by, dressed in a chicken outfit. "I'm glad I didn't wear a yellow dress tonight. It could have been rather embarrassing."
He laughed. "If I'd known about the costumes, I would have arranged for you to work the party undercover. You'd make a cute chicken." He slipped his hand into hers as he continued to scan the crowd of people attending the reception.
"So, are we allowed to dance while you look for your contact? I do a pretty mean cha-cha."
Lee gently squeezed her fingers as he smiled into her eyes. "Normally, there's nothing I'd like better. Unfortunately, I have to head to the men's room. Harry said if he couldn't find me in the main ballroom, he'd be there around 10:15. I'll be back as soon as I can, but this may take a while."
"Be careful," Amanda whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She watched as he walked away and quickly disappeared into the crowd. With a small sigh, she headed over to the bar and ordered a drink. At least if she had a glass in her hand, she wouldn't feel so conspicuous waiting there all alone.
She recognized James Delano standing at the front of the room. He was holding a microphone as he waited for the band to finish their song. She observed him closely for a few moments - he really was handsome; that surveillance picture didn't do him justice. Apparently looks were deceiving in his case, since Lee had intimated that Delano was deeply involved with the East Germans. She wondered what could drive a person to turn against his country like that. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Maybe ...
With a start, she realized that Delano was looking right at her. Oh my gosh, now she'd done it. Spies were supposed to be discreet, and he'd caught her staring right at him. She turned back to the bar and took a quick sip of her drink. Only after the music ended and Delano addressed the gathering did she dare turn around again.
The crowd responded enthusiastically to his announcement about the expansion of Quickie Chickie Snack Shacks into the East German market. Amanda wondered exactly how he'd managed to arrange the deal. A fast food company in a communist country? They certainly wouldn't have much competition. A settlement like that would be worth a great deal of money.
She hoped it was only her imagination, but she thought Delano glanced in her direction several times during his speech. As soon as it was over, she turned her back to the room again and stood at the bar, pretending to be absorbed in her drink. Perhaps she should head out onto the terrace and try to inconspicuously listen in on a few conversations. Or she could check if Lee needed her. No, he had said he was meeting Harry in the men's room. She'd hardly be inconspicuous in there.
"Excuse me, is this place taken?"
She jumped as someone came up beside her. With a start, she realized it was James Delano. "I was just wondering why such a lovely lady was standing here looking so ... abandoned," he asked, leaning against the bar and smiling at her.
"I ... um ... I'm actually only temporarily abandoned," she said. "I'm with someone."
He smiled at her again, a wonderfully warm smile that made her wonder once more how this man could possibly be involved in anything illegal. "If I were that someone, I wouldn't leave you alone for a minute," he said in a velvety tone. "I'm James Delano," he introduced himself and held out his hand.
"Yes, I know," she replied, putting her hand in his for a moment.
He looked amused. "And you are ..."
"Me?" she croaked, suddenly feeling caught out. What should she do? This was her first field assignment and she hadn't a clue what the standard procedure was. Should she refuse to give him a name? No, that would be way too suspicious.
"You do have a name, don't you?"
"Yes, of course," she bantered, trying to buy some time. Should she tell him her real name? If only Lee would reappear right about now. She peered over Delano's shoulder, seeking in vain for her date.
"And it would be ..." Somehow he seemed to have taken possession of her hand again.
"Um ... I'm ..." Amanda frantically tried to come up with a name to give him. "I'm ... I'm Victoria Greenwich."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Victoria." He kept her hand in his as he stepped away from the bar. "Would you care to dance?"
"Dance?" she echoed. Would it be better if she accepted or not? Well, she couldn't find a much better vantage point for keeping an eye on him than if she was right beside him on the dance floor. "That would be nice," she finally replied, allowing him to lead her out into the middle of the room.
***
Lee gave Harry a few minutes head start, then followed him out of the men's room. His expression was grim as he thought back over the information his contact had provided. This assignment was starting to get dangerous. Haunai Saito's cover as a gardener was almost certainly blown, and if he wasn't dead already, he soon would be.
And if people were starting to get killed, it was time to get Amanda out of there. She'd only been working at the Agency for a little over a month and had no field experience. They'd have to find some other way to get someone on the inside. Maybe Harry could help set up something.
Lee walked back into the ballroom and searched the bar area for his date but Amanda was nowhere to be found. He quickly walked around the periphery of the room, checking each small group of people. Where could she be? Surely nothing could have happened to her in such a public place. He glanced out on the dance floor and stopped in his tracks. There she was, in James Delano's arms, the two of them swaying in time to the music. Amanda was glancing down and seemed to be a bit nervous. Delano said something to her, and she smiled shyly and looked up at him. Damn! She probably had no idea how devastating she looked when she did that.
Lee quickly turned to the closest group of people. A rather large matronly woman wearing a dress that resembled nothing so much as a pair of drapes was standing a bit to the side. He scanned the area, but there was no other unattached woman close by.
Walking up to her, he asked, "Excuse me, would you care to dance?"
"With you? Honey, it would be my pleasure." Her eyes lit up as she raked them over him from head to toe.
"I'm Phoebe Hanstable," she introduced herself as they moved out onto the dance floor. She hurriedly put her arms around him, her large handbag swinging around and catching him in the middle of his back.
"Lee Stedman."
"Well, Lee, honey, you're a sight for sore eyes. I thought this entire evening was going to be a complete washout." She licked her raspberry-hued lips and smiled broadly.
As she pulled him even closer, Lee found himself overwhelmed by a cloud of perfume. His eyes began to water, and his nose twitched as he fought back a sneeze. It occurred to him that he should ask her for the name of her scent; the Agency could use it as a substitute for tear gas.
"Lee, honey, are you okay?" Phoebe asked anxiously, catching sight of his face.
"I'm fine," he choked out. "I'm just ... ah ... ah ... achoo!"
"Bless you!" she said. Looking up into his eyes, she cooed, "You know, you really are a wonderful dancer."
"Thanks," he replied, suppressing another sneeze. His discomfort was instantly forgotten as he saw Amanda and her partner only a few yards away. Carefully, he manoeuvred Phoebe closer, trying to narrow the gap between them and the other couple without it appearing that he was doing so.
As they moved in, he overheard Delano saying to Amanda in a low voice, "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?"
Anxious to hear Amanda's reply, Lee swung Phoebe around in an awkward attempt to get even closer. Her foot came down solidly on his instep, and he yelped involuntarily.
"I'm sorry, sugar, did I step on your foot? Are you okay?" Phoebe asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Lee gritted out, watching Delano leading Amanda away.
He just managed to make out the other man's words, "Why don't we get a drink, Victoria? The dance floor seems to be a bit crowded at the moment."
Victoria? Who the hell was Victoria?
***
"Victoria Greenwich," Amanda explained as they drove out of the parking garage. "She's the heroine of a romance novel I'm reading. It's set during the War of the Roses and she's a noblewoman living on this large estate in England and her husband is awaiting execution in the Tower of London and ..." Catching sight of Lee's incredulous look, she let her words trail off. After a few moments she continued, "Look, I panicked, okay? He came up to me and asked me my name. I didn't know what to tell him."
"What else did he say? Did he mention the deal with the East Germans?"
Amanda shook her head. "He only said that tonight was a turning point for his company. We really didn't talk much about business."
"I see," Lee said crisply.
They drove on through the darkened streets of Arlington, both of them absorbed in their own thoughts. As they got closer to her house, Amanda added, "He, uh, he did ask me for my number."
Lee glanced at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "So, what did you do?" he finally asked.
"I made one up. 555-4247. I mean, I couldn't exactly give him my home number, could I?"
"No, I guess not." Lee seemed particularly intent on checking the traffic on the cross street before making a right hand turn onto Maplewood Drive.
"Lee, I didn't mess things up, did I?" Amanda asked anxiously. "I was just standing there, minding my own business, when he came up to me."
"Amanda, relax, it's okay. You did fine. I just didn't expect anything like this to happen tonight. Listen, I know tomorrow's Saturday, but would you mind coming into the office? I'd like Billy to hear about this too."
"But what if he tries to call me?" she persisted.
"Well, I can arrange to have that number ring one of the IFF lines. If you're not in, the operator can pretend to be your social secretary. But I wouldn't worry about it." Lee gave a short laugh. "I mean, he's used to meeting women at these kinds of things all the time. He probably won't even remember you, and you can forget all about this."
"Oh," she said shortly as they pulled up in front of her house.
"Look, don't take it personally. This guy runs in a different kind of crowd, that's all. He's used to meeting beautiful, exotic women," he said in a rush. "Women who you read about on the society page. Women who travel all over the world. Women who ..."
"... women who aren't anything like me." Even in the dim light of the street lamps, he could see a spark flash in her eyes.
"No, I mean, he's used to wealthy, sophisticated women who ..." He let his words trail off. "Amanda, you know what I mean."
"Maybe I should go in before you dig yourself any deeper into this hole." She looked at him with a level gaze. "I did have a wonderful time at supper. You remember, back when you were saying that you thought every man in the room wanted to be with me. No, I'll see myself in." She put out her hand as he reached for the door handle.
Lee smacked the steering wheel in frustration as he watched Amanda get out of the car, quickly stride down her walkway and disappear into her house. Damn it! This wasn't the way the evening was supposed to end at all.
***
TBC
"At least this time I'm not the only one out of costume," she murmured as a waitress walked by, dressed in a chicken outfit. "I'm glad I didn't wear a yellow dress tonight. It could have been rather embarrassing."
He laughed. "If I'd known about the costumes, I would have arranged for you to work the party undercover. You'd make a cute chicken." He slipped his hand into hers as he continued to scan the crowd of people attending the reception.
"So, are we allowed to dance while you look for your contact? I do a pretty mean cha-cha."
Lee gently squeezed her fingers as he smiled into her eyes. "Normally, there's nothing I'd like better. Unfortunately, I have to head to the men's room. Harry said if he couldn't find me in the main ballroom, he'd be there around 10:15. I'll be back as soon as I can, but this may take a while."
"Be careful," Amanda whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. She watched as he walked away and quickly disappeared into the crowd. With a small sigh, she headed over to the bar and ordered a drink. At least if she had a glass in her hand, she wouldn't feel so conspicuous waiting there all alone.
She recognized James Delano standing at the front of the room. He was holding a microphone as he waited for the band to finish their song. She observed him closely for a few moments - he really was handsome; that surveillance picture didn't do him justice. Apparently looks were deceiving in his case, since Lee had intimated that Delano was deeply involved with the East Germans. She wondered what could drive a person to turn against his country like that. Maybe it wasn't as bad as it looked. Maybe ...
With a start, she realized that Delano was looking right at her. Oh my gosh, now she'd done it. Spies were supposed to be discreet, and he'd caught her staring right at him. She turned back to the bar and took a quick sip of her drink. Only after the music ended and Delano addressed the gathering did she dare turn around again.
The crowd responded enthusiastically to his announcement about the expansion of Quickie Chickie Snack Shacks into the East German market. Amanda wondered exactly how he'd managed to arrange the deal. A fast food company in a communist country? They certainly wouldn't have much competition. A settlement like that would be worth a great deal of money.
She hoped it was only her imagination, but she thought Delano glanced in her direction several times during his speech. As soon as it was over, she turned her back to the room again and stood at the bar, pretending to be absorbed in her drink. Perhaps she should head out onto the terrace and try to inconspicuously listen in on a few conversations. Or she could check if Lee needed her. No, he had said he was meeting Harry in the men's room. She'd hardly be inconspicuous in there.
"Excuse me, is this place taken?"
She jumped as someone came up beside her. With a start, she realized it was James Delano. "I was just wondering why such a lovely lady was standing here looking so ... abandoned," he asked, leaning against the bar and smiling at her.
"I ... um ... I'm actually only temporarily abandoned," she said. "I'm with someone."
He smiled at her again, a wonderfully warm smile that made her wonder once more how this man could possibly be involved in anything illegal. "If I were that someone, I wouldn't leave you alone for a minute," he said in a velvety tone. "I'm James Delano," he introduced himself and held out his hand.
"Yes, I know," she replied, putting her hand in his for a moment.
He looked amused. "And you are ..."
"Me?" she croaked, suddenly feeling caught out. What should she do? This was her first field assignment and she hadn't a clue what the standard procedure was. Should she refuse to give him a name? No, that would be way too suspicious.
"You do have a name, don't you?"
"Yes, of course," she bantered, trying to buy some time. Should she tell him her real name? If only Lee would reappear right about now. She peered over Delano's shoulder, seeking in vain for her date.
"And it would be ..." Somehow he seemed to have taken possession of her hand again.
"Um ... I'm ..." Amanda frantically tried to come up with a name to give him. "I'm ... I'm Victoria Greenwich."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Victoria." He kept her hand in his as he stepped away from the bar. "Would you care to dance?"
"Dance?" she echoed. Would it be better if she accepted or not? Well, she couldn't find a much better vantage point for keeping an eye on him than if she was right beside him on the dance floor. "That would be nice," she finally replied, allowing him to lead her out into the middle of the room.
***
Lee gave Harry a few minutes head start, then followed him out of the men's room. His expression was grim as he thought back over the information his contact had provided. This assignment was starting to get dangerous. Haunai Saito's cover as a gardener was almost certainly blown, and if he wasn't dead already, he soon would be.
And if people were starting to get killed, it was time to get Amanda out of there. She'd only been working at the Agency for a little over a month and had no field experience. They'd have to find some other way to get someone on the inside. Maybe Harry could help set up something.
Lee walked back into the ballroom and searched the bar area for his date but Amanda was nowhere to be found. He quickly walked around the periphery of the room, checking each small group of people. Where could she be? Surely nothing could have happened to her in such a public place. He glanced out on the dance floor and stopped in his tracks. There she was, in James Delano's arms, the two of them swaying in time to the music. Amanda was glancing down and seemed to be a bit nervous. Delano said something to her, and she smiled shyly and looked up at him. Damn! She probably had no idea how devastating she looked when she did that.
Lee quickly turned to the closest group of people. A rather large matronly woman wearing a dress that resembled nothing so much as a pair of drapes was standing a bit to the side. He scanned the area, but there was no other unattached woman close by.
Walking up to her, he asked, "Excuse me, would you care to dance?"
"With you? Honey, it would be my pleasure." Her eyes lit up as she raked them over him from head to toe.
"I'm Phoebe Hanstable," she introduced herself as they moved out onto the dance floor. She hurriedly put her arms around him, her large handbag swinging around and catching him in the middle of his back.
"Lee Stedman."
"Well, Lee, honey, you're a sight for sore eyes. I thought this entire evening was going to be a complete washout." She licked her raspberry-hued lips and smiled broadly.
As she pulled him even closer, Lee found himself overwhelmed by a cloud of perfume. His eyes began to water, and his nose twitched as he fought back a sneeze. It occurred to him that he should ask her for the name of her scent; the Agency could use it as a substitute for tear gas.
"Lee, honey, are you okay?" Phoebe asked anxiously, catching sight of his face.
"I'm fine," he choked out. "I'm just ... ah ... ah ... achoo!"
"Bless you!" she said. Looking up into his eyes, she cooed, "You know, you really are a wonderful dancer."
"Thanks," he replied, suppressing another sneeze. His discomfort was instantly forgotten as he saw Amanda and her partner only a few yards away. Carefully, he manoeuvred Phoebe closer, trying to narrow the gap between them and the other couple without it appearing that he was doing so.
As they moved in, he overheard Delano saying to Amanda in a low voice, "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?"
Anxious to hear Amanda's reply, Lee swung Phoebe around in an awkward attempt to get even closer. Her foot came down solidly on his instep, and he yelped involuntarily.
"I'm sorry, sugar, did I step on your foot? Are you okay?" Phoebe asked anxiously.
"I'm fine," Lee gritted out, watching Delano leading Amanda away.
He just managed to make out the other man's words, "Why don't we get a drink, Victoria? The dance floor seems to be a bit crowded at the moment."
Victoria? Who the hell was Victoria?
***
"Victoria Greenwich," Amanda explained as they drove out of the parking garage. "She's the heroine of a romance novel I'm reading. It's set during the War of the Roses and she's a noblewoman living on this large estate in England and her husband is awaiting execution in the Tower of London and ..." Catching sight of Lee's incredulous look, she let her words trail off. After a few moments she continued, "Look, I panicked, okay? He came up to me and asked me my name. I didn't know what to tell him."
"What else did he say? Did he mention the deal with the East Germans?"
Amanda shook her head. "He only said that tonight was a turning point for his company. We really didn't talk much about business."
"I see," Lee said crisply.
They drove on through the darkened streets of Arlington, both of them absorbed in their own thoughts. As they got closer to her house, Amanda added, "He, uh, he did ask me for my number."
Lee glanced at her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "So, what did you do?" he finally asked.
"I made one up. 555-4247. I mean, I couldn't exactly give him my home number, could I?"
"No, I guess not." Lee seemed particularly intent on checking the traffic on the cross street before making a right hand turn onto Maplewood Drive.
"Lee, I didn't mess things up, did I?" Amanda asked anxiously. "I was just standing there, minding my own business, when he came up to me."
"Amanda, relax, it's okay. You did fine. I just didn't expect anything like this to happen tonight. Listen, I know tomorrow's Saturday, but would you mind coming into the office? I'd like Billy to hear about this too."
"But what if he tries to call me?" she persisted.
"Well, I can arrange to have that number ring one of the IFF lines. If you're not in, the operator can pretend to be your social secretary. But I wouldn't worry about it." Lee gave a short laugh. "I mean, he's used to meeting women at these kinds of things all the time. He probably won't even remember you, and you can forget all about this."
"Oh," she said shortly as they pulled up in front of her house.
"Look, don't take it personally. This guy runs in a different kind of crowd, that's all. He's used to meeting beautiful, exotic women," he said in a rush. "Women who you read about on the society page. Women who travel all over the world. Women who ..."
"... women who aren't anything like me." Even in the dim light of the street lamps, he could see a spark flash in her eyes.
"No, I mean, he's used to wealthy, sophisticated women who ..." He let his words trail off. "Amanda, you know what I mean."
"Maybe I should go in before you dig yourself any deeper into this hole." She looked at him with a level gaze. "I did have a wonderful time at supper. You remember, back when you were saying that you thought every man in the room wanted to be with me. No, I'll see myself in." She put out her hand as he reached for the door handle.
Lee smacked the steering wheel in frustration as he watched Amanda get out of the car, quickly stride down her walkway and disappear into her house. Damn it! This wasn't the way the evening was supposed to end at all.
***
TBC