Max lay in the hotel bed, feeling smooth against the cold sheets. She would normally wear her shorts and tank top to sleep, but after the long mission tonight and the long bubble bath that followed, she had slipped on the terry-cloth robe and pinned her hair up, padding around the room in search of something to do. I'm not tired, she thought.

She thought about the mission: Logan had asked her to attend the conference held at the Pearl Hotel and infiltrate the hotel room of the guest speaker, Dr. Brett Bartholomew. She would copy the information from his hard drive and deliver it to Logan the next morning. The hotel stay would be on him. She could have a proper bath and a good night's sleep, he had said.

At the mixer, Max had worn a sexy mid-thigh, off-the shoulder dress with stilettos, her silken hair loosely pinned back, falling down past her shoulders. If this guy had a pulse, she would turn on the witty charm, attempt to attract him, and while he was distracted, slip her hand into his pocket and lift his hotel key. It would have worked if the speaker was attracted to women. Unfortunately for her, he did not find her womanly wiles enticing.

She had called in back-up. No power on this earth, Alec had said. But he showed up just as she had asked, in the tuxedo, looking like a young James Bond. He downed a couple of flutes of champagne before speaking with the doctor in muted suggestion. Max would bump into him suddenly and lift the hotel key from Alec, run up to the doctor's room and copy the hard drive.

Except when she bumped into Alec, he spun her out onto the dance floor and held her intoxicatingly close, pulling her hand up to his chest, where it appeared he wanted it to stay, as he made no motions or hesitations to move it. His hand was warm over hers, and his breath tickled at her neck, and he smelled so good. She closed her eyes for just a moment, relishing in this moment.

He stopped leading and they came to a still. Something new occurred to Alec, his eyebrows twisted up as he focused his stare into her eyes. There was a carnal danger in his eyes. At that moment, anywhere his eyes landed immediately filled with heat and fire. He had cupped her cheek and leaned in, his breath hot on her lips.

He had almost kissed her. "Go. Complete the mission," he had whispered.

And she had.

Now, she lay in the enveloping bed, stark naked, trying to figure out why the sheets were not his lips.