Samantha didn't wake up until late morning the next day. When she did she expected to see Sands beside her, but he was gone. Her head felt much better but the guilt she felt was overwhelming. She had let him seduce her and she didn't stop him. It had been so long since she had been with a man and she had let her loneliness over ride her better judgment. Why had she let that happen? Now how was she supposed to work with him? These thoughts plagued her mind as she took her morning shower.

She hesitated to call Sands, embarrassed at her weakness. He must think I am some kind of fool, she thought. She would have to sound confident today.

She braved herself and dialed his number. He answered on the first ring.

"Good Morning Sweetheart," he said brightly.

"Good Morning Sands. I….um….slept well, but we need to get together today so I can…"

"Already up for more?" he said laughter in his voice.

"No, that's…not…what I meant….we…I….need to be with you…..by you…covering…you." She sighed, exasperated. "You know what I mean, don't make this harder than it already is, OK?"

He laughed into the phone. "OK. I'll pick you up for lunch in an hour." He hung up.

She thought about him and his brown eyes and his passion and was overwhelmed again with the thought of him. She was falling for him. She knew it and she wasn't happy about it. He was all wrong for her. She knew that, too. She had wanted to maintain her distance, but she had made that impossible now, too. She sighed and got ready to meet Sands for lunch.

He drove his car to the hotel to pick Samantha up and take her to a restaurant across town. They made decent Pibil and he was ready for some. He didn't have much going on today. Everything was in motion. He just needed to confirm with El and Ramirez that they were moving forward with their plans and he would be home free. Nothing could go wrong from here. Today he could relax a bit and let Samantha think she was doing her job.

Samantha was waiting for him as he drove up. She hopped into his car and they took off down the road. He smiled over at her and put his hand on her leg in an intimate fashion. It made her uncomfortable.

"Look, Sands. I know things happened between us and all, but I really think we need to be professional in dealing with each other from now on." She bit her lip, not really meaning what she said but hoping she sounded strong and decisive.

"Oh, so you were just using me," he said and removed his hand from her leg and put it back onto the gear shift, clenching his jaw and looking forward away from her.

"No! No, it's not that. I'd never….no…..don't think that. I just mean that….well…..we have to work together and we're both CIA and we have to report back and I just thought…it would be better…if. Oh, never mind. I didn't mean it really. I just don't want anybody finding out," she said flustered.

"Oh, so I'm not good enough for anybody to find out about. I see." He shook his head looking even more annoyed.

"No!...no…Oh, gosh, this isn't coming out at all the way I wanted it to. I'm sorry. Forgive me. No, I want to be with you. I do…very much. It's just…oh, forget I said anything. Just forget it." She sat silently hoping she hadn't completely pushed him away.

He smiled to himself. She was just so easy to manipulate. It was almost too funny not to laugh out loud. Yup, he had found the way to keep her in check. She was falling for him big time and he held all the cards. Everything was going according to plan and she wasn't going to get in the way.

They sat in silence all the way to the restaurant where he parked the car.

"Sands, talk to me," she said, worriedly trying to see his eyes beneath his sunglasses.

"It's OK. I can take a hint," he said and started to reach for his door handle. She reached over and grabbed his arm to stop him from getting out and kissed him passionately.

"No. You don't understand. I do want you," she said looking longingly at him.

"Gosh, not now, Sugarbutt, control yourself, we have to eat sometime." He grinned at her and jumped out of the car.

She jumped out too. "I didn't mean now," she mumbled as she blushed and followed him into the restaurant.

They sat down at a small intimate table in the back of the restaurant.

"Do you forgive me?" She asked.

"Yes." He took his sunglasses off and smiled at her. "Forget it. I understand."

She smiled. "Good."

They ordered their lunch and she talked idly about how much she was enjoying Mexico as Sands thought about his plans and how everything would come together tomorrow. He nodded at her when it seemed like the right time, not really hearing a word she was saying.

"What do you think about that?" she asked and paused waiting for his answer. "Sands, did you hear me?"

"Hmmm? What did you say?" he replied his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to concentrate on her for a minute.

"I said do you want to go shopping today? There's so many neat little shops around here to look at. That is, of course, if you're not too busy," she looked searchingly in his eyes hoping he would say, yes.

That was the last thing he wanted to do, but she was looking at him like a lost puppy dog and he really didn't have any other plans at the moment so he said, "Sure."

They finished eating their lunch and Sands paid the check and they began to stroll down the street as Samantha darted in and out of different shops. She was in one shop a particularly long time so Sands made a phone call to El to make sure that he had his team in place. He did. That piece of the puzzle was complete.

She came out of the shop with a bag of clothing, gushing about the fantastic colors in the fabrics there. It was all Sands could do not to roll his eyes or sigh at her. Instead he gave her a tight smile and kept walking along with her arm hooked in his.

Slow torture, he thought. This should be a CIA technique. She ran into several more shops along the way as Sands wandered around outside smoking a cigarette. They spent the rest of the afternoon together.

Late in the day, his cellphone rang. It was Ramirez. He had taken the bait. Sands smiled to himself. It was all in place. Everything was perfect for tomorrow, the Day of the Dead. Now he just had to figure out how to lose this girl.

They ate dinner in an intimate café and headed back to her hotel for an intimate night. Sands waited until she was completely asleep before slipping out of her room and heading back to his apartment to prepare for the next day.