Chapter Two
Steve joined his wife and their boss a half-hour later, with a very un-Steve-like knock at the office door. He'd been expecting to see the tail end of the Storm of the Century, but breathed a deep sigh of relief when he saw smiles instead.
"Steve, your wife is a remarkable woman," Oscar told him, handing him a cup of coffee.
"I know," Steve agreed, leaning down to kiss Jaime before taking a seat beside her.
"Remarkably persuasive," Oscar continued.
"Remarkably stubborn," Steve added, grinning.
"Jaime, you've recovered far beyond anyone's expectations," Oscar told her, "and marriage definitely agrees with you - with both of you." Oscar gave them both one more smile, then paced slowly to the window. When he turned around, he was suddenly deathly serious. "That's a very good thing, because we've got an extremely serious international situation on our hands. Both of you will be tested in ways you've never experienced before, and I'll tell you at the outset that neither one of you are going to like this assignment. I need you to do it anyway."
"An offer we can't refuse, huh?" Steve joked.
"Precisely." Oscar was not joking. "We've received reliable intel reports of an impending plan to assassinate the leaders of four nations: China, Japan, the Soviet Union...and the United States - simultaneously."
Steve whistled under his breath. "International chaos and world domination. So who's behind it?"
"It appears to be a multi-national terrorist group, currently based at - of all places - a singles' resort on a small island southeast of Maui."
"And you want Steve and me to crash a singles' club?" Jaime asked.
"Not exactly. You'll both be working the case - at the resort - but not together. This is where it gets tough. Steve, you'll be posing as a rogue assassin, getting pulled into their circle if we're lucky, but if not, your status as a single, wealthy, available man should make you privy to some useful informa -"
"Single and available?" Jaime protested. "Do you realize how many women -"
"Yes," Oscar said quietly, "and I need him to encourage that."
"Now, wait a minute!" Jaime was not pleased.
Steve realized they'd only heard half of the plan. "Oscar...what will my wife be doing at this singles' haven?"
Oscar opened the file on his desk and pulled out an 8 X 10 head-shot of a man in his late thirties, with very dark hair and extremely light blue eyes. "Alexander Marcos," he told them. "Believed to be from Greece, and apparently one of the instigators of this group. It's also been said that he collects women the way some people collect stamps. Jaime, he's your target. Once you get close to him -"
"No. I can't do that," Jaime said firmly. "I won't do that. I mean, I'll do almost anything for the good of this country, but to seduce a total stranger - to use my body as some kind of weapon - no."
"Babe, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to imply that you should sleep with him," Oscar clarified. "Absolutely not."
"Just exactly what are you telling her to do?" Steve asked with barely contained anger.
"Get close to him," Oscar repeated. "Jaime, you're going in as a young, single woman. I guarantee you'll have his attention."
"Not to mention every other man on the island who'll be drooling," Steve pointed out, most unhappily.
"We need for him to believe you're his girlfriend," Oscar continued, but you don't need to let it go further than the occasional kiss."
"Forget it; she's not going," Steve said adamantly.
"Steve, we're not just talking about this country's welfare," Jaime said softly.
"She's right, Pal. The two of you have a rock-solid relationship, and your abilities give you a far better chance than anyone else would have of getting out if things go bad."
"No," Steve insisted. "That's just too much. You're asking too much of her. And since I'll be on that island, too, I'd have to see it - that's asking too much of me."
Jaime turned to her husband and took his hand. "Steve, you're gonna be a little busy with the women swarming all over you. Believe me, I'm not overjoyed about that, but if that's as far as it goes, we have to do this. The alternative is...unthinkable."
"I don't like it."
"Well, neither do I, but..." Jaime looked at Steve with the same determined - stubborn - gaze she'd used on him the night before and on Oscar that morning. "I love you."
Steve knew he'd been outvoted. "Ok. But if that...Alexander creep goes too far, so help me...!"
Jaime smiled. "If he tries to go too far, I will personally make sure he ends up singing first soprano in the Boys Town Choir."
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Oscar had given them three hours to go home and pack before they had to catch the separate planes that would whisk them off to "Paradise." Jaime and Steve spent less than twenty minutes neatly throwing their belongings into suitcases, then fell into each other's arms with an urgency greater than they'd ever known before - a need to fully connect while they still could.
When the time came, they reluctantly got into the separate cars that Oscar had sent for them and drove away, having just done the hardest thing they'd ever had to do. They'd removed their wedding rings, locked them both in a tiny metal box and left them behind on the bedroom dresser.
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