Southampton, August 2010
Boris sometimes wondered if Hank's influence on him was for the best. He was starting to place too much faith in those who didn't deserve it. Christina was a fine case in point.
Boris had had reservations about dragging Hank deeper into his world. He'd thought the meeting with Dimitry would be an ideal test case. Dima had been dragging his feet about the Shadow Pond summit and his health was flagging. Boris had seen an opportunity not only to help his brother, but also to forward his geo-political agendas. The results had been mixed. Hank had excelled professionally, as per usual. Personally, however, he'd fallen into an unforeseen entanglement.
The situation wasn't Hank's fault. He had no experience dealing with women like Christina. The doctor's former fiancée, Nikki, was an amateurs' social climber by comparison. It had never occurred to Boris to be concerned on Hank's behalf, because he'd never dreamed the interpreter would work her wiles on him.
Boris' sporadic dalliances with Christina had been satisfying distractions in the years he'd been parted from Marisa. She was highly intelligent and professional. Christina understood the delicate game he played. They hadn't only been lovers, they'd been friendly. After his return from Cuba, Boris had explained his change in circumstances. She'd taken the news in stride and congratulated him.
Boris had seen no need to end their professional relationship. He understood she had ambitions of eventually marrying well. Working as his interpreter provided access to eligible candidates. As long as it didn't interfere with her work for him, Boris had wished Christina well. He was not so sanguine about her pursuit of Hank.
In New York, Hank's comments regarding Christina had made Boris uneasy. He'd tried not to read into it. He'd thought perhaps she truly was concerned for his well being, but was no longer comfortable asking him directly. When the guards had reported the interpreter's brief visit to Hank's room, unease had grown to foreboding.
Boris had wanted to give Christina the benefit of the doubt. Hank was handsome and he'd just performed an act of medical heroism. It was possible she was setting aside her long term agenda for a night. Having been refused, Boris had hoped she would not try again. That had been wishful thinking on his part.
Prior to the flight back to Shadow Pond, he'd witnessed Christina's continued flirtation with Hank. The scene removed any doubt about whether or not her seduction attempt would be repeated. Boris had been left with three scenarios to consider. The first was that Christina was taken with Hank and desired a fling. The second was that she was attempting to arouse jealousy in Boris. The third was that she intended to pry information out of Hank on behalf of another party.
His solution had been simple: Facilitate a romantic rendezvous. If Christina's intentions were straight forward, she and Hank would enjoy a lovely night together. If she was attempting to stir jealousy, his sponsorship of the evening would signal that it hadn't worked. If she lingered after their interlude, he'd vowed to speak to Hank. The interpreter had stayed in the Hamptons, leading to a very tense conversation.
It was possible he hadn't expressed his concerns to Hank as delicately as he could have. The doctor had certainly seemed put out with him. Later, however, Hank had returned with a changed attitude. It had been gratifying that the doctor's loyalty remained with Boris, but a part of him had grieved. It wasn't simply that Christina had disappointed and potentially betrayed him. Hank had been used as a direct result of his closeness with Boris. The disillusionment in Hank's eyes made him more than a little angry.
A brisk knock on the door announced Udo's arrival.
"Enter." Udo ushered in Christina, then backed out the room, closing the doors behind him. His new manservant seemed like a good man, but Dieter had left Boris a bit skittish. He now made certain types of conversations private. "How did you know about Dimitri's liver transplant?"
Christina, raised a sardonic eyebrow at Boris' directness. She seemed remarkably unperturbed by his summoning her.
"Hello Boris. Nice to see you too. A drink? I'd love one. Thank you." She strode over to his liquor cabinet, opened it, and began to peruse the shelves. Her casually presumptive attitude was stunning.
"I asked you a question."
Christina pulled a scotch bottle and two glasses from the cabinet. She carried the items over to his glass desk and began to pour.
"Dimitry told me. After my contract with you expired, he made me an offer to work for him during the Istanbul trip. You can hardly complain about that, since it wasn't as if you had asked me first."
Of course he hadn't asked. He planned to bring Hank and didn't want his association with Christina to extend any longer than it had. Even if her intentions were sincere, they were not a compatible pair. The interpreter would eventually grow restless and by that time who knew how attached Hank would have become. Better to keep it a fleeting encounter and spare the doctor future heartache.
Christina held the first glass out to him. When Boris didn't take it, she shrugged, set it in front of him, and poured another.
"What are you doing with Dr. Lawson?"
Christina paused with the drink nearly to her lips.
"I'm not certain that's any of your business." Despite her words, her tone was coy, and her smile hitched up to one side.
"It is when you're interrogating him for information about me." Christina rolled her eyes and took a sip. When she finished, she set the glass down and leaned forward over his desk.
"He was never going to tell me anything. You've trained your medical lapdog too well. He ran back to his master, just like I knew he would. If anything you should be pleased. I know how much you love your little loyalty tests."
Her eyes danced with smug amusement. Boris knew her well enough to recognize this look. This was the face Christina made sliding a numerous of poker chips into her pile. This had been her plan all along.
"If you knew he'd tell me, then why ask the question in the first place?"
Boris had an uncomfortable feeling he knew the answer, but he would need the words to be certain.
"It got us alone in a room together didn't it?"
Boris very much wished he could reach for the drink she'd poured him. Unfortunately that would make it seem he was condoning her behavior, which he most certainly was not.
"Why would you want that?"
Boris had made himself clear. He told her he was having a child with another woman. She had accepted it. Why risk upsetting him now and losing her position?
"I missed you. And you must have missed me, otherwise you wouldn't have been so agitated by my flirting with your doctor."
Boris closed his eyes in frustration. This had been partly his fault after all. Christina was a master at reading people. In New York she must have sensed his discomfort with her attitude toward Hank. She was like a shark who'd tasted blood in the water. Christina had thought he was jealous, and that despite his connection with Marisa, he still had feelings for her.
"I'm 'agitated' as you call it, because Dr. Lawson is a good man. He doesn't deserve to be a pawn in your machinations."
Christina might not know Hank well, but anyone who spent time in the doctor's presence should be able to detect his genuine nature. Before this incident Boris would have presumed Christina had more conscience than to toy with a man of his caliber.
"Just yours?"
That was an unfair comparison. Boris had deceived Hank, but that was a necessity of his business. The doctor was aware he was being utilized to serve Boris' interests. Christina had manipulated Hank for her own gain while exploiting his emotions.
"Dr. Lawson is a valued asset whom I employ. You pursued a personal relationship under false pretenses."
The anger in Boris' tone had become unmistakable. Christina narrowed her eyes and straightened. She was finally reading the room.
"If you were so against it, perhaps you shouldn't be arranging intimate dinners for the two of us."
Perhaps she was right. Boris had hoped the dinner would send the message that he had truly moved on. Apparently she'd instead assumed he'd been engaging her in a game of romantic chicken.
"I had hoped I was mistaken in your character. That you'd learned to appreciate men for qualities beyond how they could serve your ambitions."
Christina crossed her arms over her chest. He must have hit a nerve there. Her chin rose a fraction of an inch.
"I do appreciate Hank's qualities. He is handsome, chivalrous, and intelligent. Loyal too, though apparently not to the woman he is sleeping with. You're not the only one who can have more than one motive."
Boris thought he'd detected a hint of bitterness there. Was Christina upset that Hank had turned her in? That had been her game plan all along. She'd expected Hank to expose her, and yet she was also a little hurt by it. Christina was nothing if not complicated.
"And your other motive?"
A playful smile returned to Christina's face.
"I wanted to get your attention."
She tilted her head slightly, waiting for his reaction. She reminded him of a cat pushing a vase off a table, just to see what its owner would do.
"You have it. Was there something in particular you'd like to say?"
Christina rounded the corner of his desk until they were standing face to face with less than three feet of space between them.
"I wanted to remind you that I am here for you in whatever capacity you desire."
Her voice was soft and suggestive, no doubt intended to rouse intimate memories. Indeed some of those times had been shared in this very room. Now though, all Boris could feel about those interludes was regret.
"You are aware my son was born less than a year ago, no?"
Did she think Boris was so fickle he'd be unfaithful to Marisa less than twelve months after the birth of their child?
"I'm aware that the mother of your child is not your wife, and that she is gone from Shadow Pond more than she is here. I see no reason our previous arrangement can't continue."
That was how Christina was excusing her behavior? The fact that he and Marisa weren't married? That she spent time away from Shadow Pond?
More often than not Marisa had fled at his request when he felt the threat level to Shadow Pond was untenable. As for marriage, the fact it hadn't taken place had nothing to do with his commitment to Marisa.
It seemed every time he'd geared up to propose, some crisis would occur. Each time he would start to doubt it was for the best. Would Marisa be more or less safe if she were his legal spouse? Wife or not, Marisa had all of his heart and always would. Christina had chosen to ignore his word that he was committed elsewhere. Now he was forced to put it in terms she would understand.
"Christina, I regret to inform you that our association has reached its conclusion. I will not be contracting your services again."
Christina took a step back, surprise and dismay on her face.
"What do you mean?"
Boris couldn't muster any sympathy. Not only had Christina disrespected his relationship with Marisa, but she had hurt Hank. That crime needed to be answered.
"Your conflict of interest is something I can ill afford at this juncture. I wish you the best of luck with Dimitry."
Having stated his peace, he sat back down at his desk and turned his attention to his papers. Using his peripheral vision, he could see Christina hadn't moved.
After thirty seconds of silence she spoke up, "If I overstepped, I apologize, but this is an overreaction. I can call Dimitry and tell him I've changed my mind."
Boris refused to look up from his work. Backpedaling wouldn't save her now. Christina should have known better.
"I won't recommend it. Dimitry is even less forgiving of disloyalty than I am."
"I wasn't disloyal to you!"
Boris raised his eyes to meet Christina, his face no doubt reflecting his cold fury.
"No, but you were disloyal to Hank, and that is unacceptable to me."
The interpreter's eyes widened as understanding finally dawned in them.
"That's what this is really about isn't it? It's Hank. You're punishing me because of Hank."
"You have played this hand and lost. Now is the time to walk away."
He could do much worse to Christina than refuse to hire in the future, and she knew it well. If she kept pressing him, she would not like what followed. It was only in respect of their long standing association that he was being as lenient as he was.
Boris pressed the silent buzzer on his desk, and Udo appeared.
"Sir?"
"Ms. DuMond was just leaving. Please escort her to her vehicle."
Christina's striking twisted into a sneer as waved an impatient hand at Udo.
"Don't bother. I know the way."
Boris waited until he could no longer hear the click of her heels on the wooden floor before releasing a sigh. He supposed this was the price he paid for engaging in relationships with those in his employ. Lines blurred. Unfortunately he was almost always working. The only people he spent real time with were his business associates. At least he no longer needed to concern himself with romantic liaisons.
Hank was another example of a relationship that was both personal and professional. Boris wondered if he was taking too great a risk, bringing Hank into his business. It might create a strain that was never between them as doctor and patient. He was also reluctant to expose Hank to the ugliness, subterfuge, and danger that came with the territory. This incident with Christina was just a small taste of what could be in store for the doctor if he continued down this path.
Hank had asked to share in this part of Boris' life. If he was being honest with himself it was about more than just Dima or his summit plans. It was the opportunity to deepen their bond that had been too great a temptation to resist.
Boris wanted to be known by Hank, and have the trust he placed in the doctor returned in full measure. Showing Hank his world was the only way to achieve that. Boris also wanted someone with him during his travels that he didn't have to watch himself with. One person to confide in without being afraid of it being used against him. He wanted…a friend. Boris smiled to himself. Marisa was right, as always.
No, involving Hank wasn't a mistake. He just needed to be more vigilant about the doctor's safety, emotional and otherwise. Going forward he would be. After all, that's was what friends were for.
