A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry it's been more than a month since I last updated. Law school is serious man : ) it's been kicking my ass all semester long, but at least I've been seeing some of the fruits of my labour. I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter. I apologise that I haven't introduced more ass-kicking moments, but they will come in time, I promise. I'm finally on vacation, so I'm busy working on a Moliver story for the HM fanfic as well as a possible High School Musical story which is supposed to be a cross-over of sorts (I won't say with what till I have something concrete). Enjoy!
"Alright London, enough of this. It's been a week already." Maddie urged in a slightly more impatient tone. "You can't hide out in your suite forever," she added on a more serious note.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied coolly, knowing full well that I was lying yet again.
Had it only been a week since my walk of shame out the doors of Des Champs? I hadn't left my suite in all that time, not even to attend Chelsea's weekly brunches. I'd even bought clothes online to substitute for my trips to Trés Bliss. But I didn't even have feel like bragging to Maddie about my new Capri pants that had been delivered to my door. Maddie was the first person to see me all week; I didn't even let Muriel in to clean my suite. Not that it would've helped. I couldn't bring myself to leave the suite, to take the lift 25 floors down to the lobby and run the risk of bumping into Lance. I guess swimming on the roof is a no-no then…
"You can't avoid Lance forever, nor should you have to. You have nothing to be ashamed of." Maddie stated fervently, coming to sit next to me on my bed.
I had told Maddie what had happened at Des Champs with Lance, but omitted anything pertaining to espionage, drug syndicates or to double lives. I probably made Lance more of a gold-digging womanizer than I ought to though.
"You're kidding right?" I asked bluntly before resuming my bland expression once more.
"I'm not avoiding Lance, Maddie. Did it ever occur to you that I prefer the ambulance of my own suite?" I asked defensively.
"You mean ambience." Maddie corrected without thinking.
"Whatever. I just like it up here better. I can leave anytime that I want." I replied, feigning nonchalance.
"Oh really? Then why are you cuddling with Ivana?" Maddie demanded shrewdly.
She had me there. Since I hadn't slept since last week, I had taken to cuddling up with Ivana in my bed these past few nights. Ivana was lucky she was such a snob; no dog would ever measure up.
"Ivana and I are spending quality time together. I felt guilty about having to leave her at home every time I go out of town." I explained while stroking Ivana's head while it lolled in my lap.
"Don't you think Ivana's tired of hearing you talk about how much smarterer you are than Fish-Boy?" Maddie asked teasingly.
"Nonsense, she can't get enough of that story." I retorted defensively while pouting.
"Oh really? Come here sweetie," Maddie implored to Ivana, her arms open invitingly.
Ivana's ears pricked up and she bounded into Maddie's lap without a second's hesitation, her tongue wagging excitedly. Traitor.
"Now that your reason for avoiding Lance is in my lap, would you consider taking a shower?" Maddie inquired knowingly while rubbing Ivana's stomach.
I sighed aloud as I got to my feet. The jig was up.
"Killjoys," I muttered to both Maddie and Ivana as I walked to the bathroom.
There were three things I did before re-entering the lobby: I took a deep breath, shook out my shoulders and cracked my neck bones from side to side. The lobby was full of guests as usual, none of them paying the slightest bit of attention to me. That suited me just fine; the last thing I needed was an audience. Moseby wasn't at his desk, which annoyed me immensely. I needed to ask him what Chef Paulo would be serving for dinner tonight. As I scanned the lobby, I noticed that many of the Tipton staff weren't in their usual positions. Maybe Moseby was yelling at one of them in the staff locker room. I tentatively made my way down there. I sighed in relief; the locker room was empty. I had half expected to bump into Lance down here. I was just about to go back upstairs when I heard footsteps behind me.
"London?"
Son of a bitch. I have the worst luck possible. I turned to face Lance, whose surprised expression turned to one of resolution and determination.
"London, I really think we should talk about this."
"And I really think you're full of it." I retorted flippantly before stalking past him to the exit.
"Look, I didn't have a choice in the matter. It was part of the job."
"Well boo-hoo for you. Did you dry your tears off with your pay check?"
"London…"
"How dare you compare my emotional turmoil to your guilty conscience? As if it's on the same level."
"London!"
"What?"
"We're in the lobby."
"Shit."
"What's the meaning of all this ruckus?" Moseby asked impatiently.
Trust Moseby to be at his desk now to witness to my future humiliation. Come to think of it, the lobby was still overpopulated not to mention that Maddie and the Martin twins were now crowding around her candy counter. Could this day get any worse?
"London?" Lance asked once more, trying to get my attention.
"Yeah, well. You can forget about getting an invite to my 'Yay Me!' party." I began haphazardly, trying to think on my feet.
"Huh?" Maddie asked quizzically.
"Why? Is there going to be a pool there?" Lance inquired enthusiastically, finally cottoning on.
"Is that all you can think about? God Lance, you're two cans short of an 8-pack." I stated facetiously.
"She means 6-pack, Lance." Cody put in helpfully while everyone continued eavesdropping on our fight.
"Hey, you can't insult me like that. You're not the boss of me." Lance returned defensively.
"Are you questioning my sorority?" I asked loudly with hands on my hips.
"That's authority London!" Maddie exclaimed frustratedly. "It hurts me, it physically hurts me," I heard her add to a sympathetic Cody, who shook his head solemnly.
"Well yeah, I am like questioning your soro-authority. You may be a rich and beautiful heiress. But you can't treat me like dirt. For I am Aqua-Thor, Supreme Overlord of the sea. At least that's what my Mermen Council tells me." Lance finished with finesse, which made me want to laugh for a split second.
"Dude, the only time you should advertise that is on a never-to-know basis." Zack quipped exasperatedly while rubbing his temples.
"That and the fact that my brother Spencer once shaved 'Dork' into my head." Moseby murmured conspiratorially.
"Good to know. Now if you don't mind, Aqua-Thor. You are hereby disinvited from my 'Yay Me!' Party! You can take your scuba equipment and shove them in the sun!" I barked angrily, turning red in the face.
"You're right Maddie, it is a painful thing to witness." Cody murmured painstakingly.
"Good, 'cause I don't want to even go to your stupid non-pool party. Besides, I have a Mermen Council meeting that night anyway." Lance interjected heatedly.
With a final exasperated groan, I cut through the crowd of eavesdroppers and stomped off dramatically towards the elevator. I made it back up to my suite within 10 minutes and was just about to let the door swing close when a hand reached out from the hallway to stop it. I allowed myself to roll my eyes momentarily at the ceiling as Lance let himself in.
"Hey, really great performance out there, fellow thespian. I really think we fooled them." Lance congratulated cheerily.
"Yeah, good times." I muttered dryly.
"Now we could talk more freely now that we're alone–"
"Let me make this perfectly clear, Aqua-Thor. Just because we both gave a stellar performance of two dumbasses down there does not make us even in any way. I'm still pissed off at you."
"But, London-"
"Let the door hit you on the ass on the way out." I snapped, my hands on my hips once more.
With a reluctant sigh, Lance looked at me one last time before letting himself quietly out of my suite. With an audible sigh, I sunk back against the door and closed my eyes, hoping for sleep and peace of mind in the future.
The chilled vacuum air of the oval room struck me the minute I entered. Usually, my body didn't need to adjust to the conference room since I spent every waking day in this infernal place. But since 'The Walk of Shame', I hadn't made an appearance at work in a week. I told Eleanor I had a cold, but something in her ready acceptance of my lie made me think she already knew what transpired at Des Champs with Lance. There really was no such thing as a private life when you're a secret agent, especially when you're a rich heiress to boot.
I ignored the looks of all my fellow agents as I took a seat next to Alec. His mouth twitched in a peculiar way which made me think he was trying hard not to laugh.
"How's your cold?" he asked me tentatively, emphasizing the word 'cold'.
"Better thanks. I just needed some bed rest." I responded quickly.
"Good. For what it's worth, I'm sorry about your 'cold'." Alec stated in a different tone which caught me off guard.
I looked intently at his eyes and realized what he was trying to communicate without words.
"It's okay, it happens." I responded glumly.
"Well if it persists, I find that a great remedy is a pint of Haagen-Dazs, Strawberry & Cream flavour." Alec remarked kindly.
"Thanks, I think I'll try that." I replied, giving Alec a smile which he returned readily.
Everyone immediately stopped talking the minute Omar and Eleanor entered the room wearing grim expressions. I was pretty used to their expressions of woe whenever we were working on a particularly difficult case. But to say that I was surprised when Lynette Beltran, Salvador Arcadio entered the oval conference room with Lance in tow, wearing equal expressions of woe, was an understatement. I exchanged a brief look of bewilderment with Alec before turning my eyes to my superiors.
"Welcome fellow agents. We received a direct communication from Optimum Pharmaceuticals at 07:00. The new CEO, Laurent Savoy, is requesting a meeting." Omar began ominously, while gazing around the room.
"With DEMON?" one of my fellow agents piped up curiously across the room from me.
"With one of our agents." Eleanor responded softly.
I got a strange sensation in my stomach when Eleanor, Omar, Lynette and Salvador's eyes flitted in my direction. And then I understood.
"He's requesting a meeting with me." I stated quietly, looking Eleanor in the eye.
"That's correct Agent L." Lynette answered solemnly.
"In what capacity? As London Tipton, the hotel heiress or London Tipton, the secret agent?" I asked quickly.
"We're not sure." Salvador answered curtly.
"When does he want to see me?" I inquired.
"This afternoon at Des Champs at 14:00." Eleanor answered, not meeting my eye this time.
"Well then I guess I have to go meet him then." I stated calmly.
"No! London, you can't meet with him! I mean uh, Agent L. I think it would be extremely unwise to keep that appointment." Lance interjected heatedly, which surprised me to no end.
"Ignoring Agent Oz's brash and tactless interruption for the moment, I'm afraid I have to agree with him. I cannot allow you to attend that meeting Agent L." Omar stated solemnly while looking at me intently.
"Why not? Laurent Savoy wants to see me, no one else." I stated impatiently.
"Exactly. It could be a trap." Lance persisted angrily.
"A trap? Laurent Savoy purposely invites me to a meeting out in the open and you all think he's got something underhanded planned?" I demanded quizzically.
"It's not that implausible Agent L. Either way, we can't know what for sure what his real intentions are for requesting this meeting." Lynette answered calmly.
"Well then, all the more reason to send me in. We never gonna know what OPIUM's next move is if we all sit around here twiddling our thumbs." I quipped sardonically.
"It's too risky Agent L." Eleanor interjected crisply.
"I like a little risk." I responded confidently, despite the sinking despair that was gradually creeping into my chest.
"Here's what we'll do, with your consensus of course," I began calmly, gesturing towards my superiors and those of HALO before continuing. "I'll go and keep the meeting with Savoy as planned while DEMON and HALO agents form a safe perimeter outside the restaurant and neighbouring streets. In case OPIUM tries anything." I suggested quickly.
"We could position field agents in the surrounding area and put a wire on Agent L." Salvador agreed readily.
"Uh-uh, no wire. Way too conspicuous. Whatever capacity Laurent Savoy's expecting to see me, it has to be a meeting of the minds in every sense of the word." I interjected abruptly.
The heads of DEMON and HALO conversed apart from the other agents in the room for a minute or two. When they finally turned to face me once more, their expressions betrayed nothing.
"Alright, Agent L. We're all in agreement: You will go and meet with Laurent Savoy at the appointed time with HALO and DEMON agents situated in the immediate area. Agent L, I must implore you to exercise restraint and caution at all times with Savoy." Omar urged me briskly.
"Aw shucks, you know me sir. I'll be as smooth as butter." I replied cheerily, batting my eyelids at him.
"Then it's settled. I suggest you change before the meeting and meet back here at headquarters at noon, Agent L." Eleanor stated crisply.
"Agents, you are dismissed." Omar stated curtly and grabbed his folder.
Eleanor, Lynette and Salvador followed Omar out of the room along with the other agents. I was one of the last left in the room or so I thought. I ignored Lance and made my way towards the door. But before I could leave, I felt him grab my wrist and wheel me around. Before I could react, he pushed me gently against the back wall. I became aware of his hands on my shoulders, our bodies painfully close together.
"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed impatiently, turning my face away so that my cheek was now facing him.
"London, please don't do this. Don't go to the meeting." Lance pleaded earnestly.
"It's too late for that Lance. Besides, if I can't do my job, then I might as well quit now." I responded curtly.
"You're being reckless. If you're doing this because of me–"
"Don't flatter yourself. This has nothing to do with you, so put that thought right out of your mind. If you think you have any effect on me whatsoever, then you're imagining things."
"Am I? So your current accelerated heart rate has nothing to do with me?" Lance asked softly.
My heart caught in my throat when his hand left my shoulder and gently began caressing my exposed cheek.
"You're shivering London. Are you sure that's not because of me? I wish you could feel my chest. My heart is pounding right now. Face it, London, you want me and I still want you. I may have led you on in the past because of my job. But that doesn't mean that my feelings for you were never real. I'm trying to protect you because I care about you." Lance whispered tantalisingly in my ear.
If only Lance knew what he was doing to me right now. But then again, the little stinker had been with me at my most private moments. He knew exactly what to do to make me go weak in the knees. His mouth was excruciatingly close to my face, his aromatic cologne wafting enticingly into my nostrils. All I had to do was tilt my face towards his and envelop my lips with his…
"Nice try, Romeo. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to prepare for. Try not to miss me too much." I purred, slapping Lance's check playfully before slipping out of his grasp and exiting the frigid conference room.
It was 11am and I was back in my suite at the Tipton. I stood looking at my appearance in the mirror in my bathroom. I had just taken a shower before changing into my clothes. Now I stood in front of the mirror, stark naked and twirling a strand of my wet hair around my finger. I found that I did this quite often right before I got dressed. Not because I liked looking at myself exactly. It was a reminder: no matter what London Tipton, the secret agent or heiress, did or said, this was who I really was underneath the clothing. And there was just no faking myself or anyone else when I saw my own reflection. This was me at my most honest, the real me. And no one would ever know the difference. With an audible sigh, I exited the bathroom and changed for my meeting.
I got out of my convertible and took off my sunglasses. It was 14:05. I glanced casually at the black SUV's parked a few feet away from my car and at several of the field agents dressed in casual attire standing in close proximity to me. And then I made my way slowly to the front entrance of Des Champs, my high heels clicking loudly against the concrete pavement. The maître'd smiled in recognition at me as I approached his counter.
"Ah, Ms. Tipton, how may I be of service?" he inquired smoothly.
"I have a lunch appointment with a Mr. Laurent Savoy. Has he reserved a table?" I inquired politely.
"Why, yes he has, Ms. Tipton. His table is located on the balcony. Please allow me to escort you to him." The maître'd suggested and led the way.
I followed the maître'd out to the terrace overlooking the street down below. I myself preferred to sit inside the restaurant, even on its busy nights. I'd learnt first hand from Maddie exactly what can happen when you sit outside a Boston restaurant on a humid night. As I approached my destination, a man rose from the table to greet me. He was tall and lean (possibly in his late twenties or early thirties) with russet coloured skin and hazel eyes. He was dressed in a tailored light grey suit with a black tie and matching loafers. So this was the infamous Laurent Savoy. I was disappointed; he was better looking than I initially anticipated. Quite surprising, considering he was the new head of a notorious crime syndicate that I was trying to destroy. I could've really enjoyed myself with this gorgeous man under different circumstances.
"Mr. Savoy, we finally meet." I greeted, extending my hand towards his and he approached me.
"Please call me Laurent. Ms. Tipton, it is truly an honour to finally meet you in person." Laurent greeted silkily while pressing his lips to my outstretched hand.
"And you may call me Ms. Tipton." I retorted sweetly, which made him laugh uproariously.
"Where are my manners? Please sit." He instructed gently while pulling out my chair for me.
Laurent sat back in his chair and smiled genially at me once I was settled. I decided for the mean time to play it coy until I needed to get to the crux of the situation. The waiter swooped and asked what we would like to drink.
"I'll have a peach schnapps." I replied gaily.
"Club soda for me. And bring a bottle of your finest wine my good man." Laurent stated hurriedly with a smile.
"So Laurent, I was very surprised to receive a message at my place of work that you wanted to meet with me. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked politely, staring at him intently.
"Ms. Tipton, may I call you London? It's no secret that I am an admirer of your father's sheer business sense. And I have been very anxious to meet you for the longest time." Laurent began cheerfully.
"And why is that?" I asked slowly.
"Because you're London Tipton, the rich hotel heiress. Everyone in Boston and around the world desires a meeting with you. You are a young woman of many faces." Laurent answered smoothly, emphasizing the last sentence.
"Alright, cut the crap. Why did you really arrange this meeting?" I demanded harshly, dropping the coy act after only a few seconds.
"I beg your pardon?" Laurent asked quizzically, a smile curling on his lips all the while.
"Don't play games with me. What do you want, Savoy?" I demanded quietly.
Laurent's smile dropped just as the waiter appeared with our drinks. Both of us continued staring at each other while the waiter uncorked the bottle of wine. After the waiter had departed, Laurent poured himself a glass of wine and sipped it slowly before speaking once more.
"So we get to it finally. You're absolutely right, I did invite you to lunch for a specific purpose. I have a favour to ask of you London." Laurent began quietly.
"And you couldn't do it over the phone? Why invite me to a place out in the open with witnesses?" I asked suspiciously.
"It serves a dual purpose. I wanted to meet you. And I know you've wanted to meet me for a while. There have been many rumours going around since my - promotion." He stated solemnly.
"Let me guess: none of them are true?" I asked flippantly with a sly smile, which he returned willingly.
"You and I are a lot alike London. I think we could help each other."
"That would be impossible since any help from you would require some form of criminal activity. And I don't do crime. What do you want from me?"
"I need you to speak to your father about a business proposition."
"And what business proposition is that?"
"I'd like to buy one of your father's hotels."
"And which hotel might that be?"
"Why the Boston Tipton of course."
Now it was my turn to stare incredulously back at him. Since his little announcement, Laurent had not blinked in all that time. He was serious.
"Why the Boston Tipton?" I asked slowly, feeling like my blood was boiling, threatening to cause internal combustion.
"Well Boston is where OPTIMUM's headquarters are so to speak. We need a place where we can entertain our guests and important clientele. And the Boston Tipton has impeccable facilities. It makes logical business sense to create a merger of sorts." Laurent answered succinctly.
"Over my dead body. That hotel is rightfully mine by birth. If you think I'm going to sit back and watch you turn my home into a criminal lair you've got another thing coming. My father would never allow it." I spat angrily, losing my composure for the first time since the beginning of lunch.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that. If nothing else, your father is an exceptional businessman. And he has never been shy of business ventures where there's a lot of money to be made. I only asked for this lunch out of common courtesy. But you should know that as a multi-billion dollar corporation, OPTIMUM is used to the best. And OPIUM is used to getting its way. You do recall the merger we made with GM Motors a year ago?" Laurent asked carefully, watching my expression.
"You son of a bitch!"
"All I'm asking is for you to consider your options very carefully, London. I'd hate for you to make a rash decision in the heat of the moment." Laurent added quietly, pursing his hands together in front of his face.
"This meeting is over." By now I had risen to my feet and grabbed my purse.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I hoped we could come to a profitable agreement." Laurent replied remorsefully.
"I'll say it once more for your benefit. The only way you're getting your hands on my hotel is over my dead body. Good day, Mr. Savoy."
"Good day, Ms. Tipton. I hope we'll be seeing each other again very soon." Laurent greeted cordially with a smile on his face.
All I could muster was a withering glance in his direction before stalking off back downstairs. Laurent Savoy could thank his lucky stars that I didn't reach over the table and punch him in the jaw. God, I hate criminals…
"God, I can't believe how smug that bastard was over lunch. Letting me know exactly what his intentions were with my hotel. God, I wanted to kick his ass right off the balcony." I muttered mutinously while sipping my Smirnoff.
It was the same day a few hours later and I was still in the downtown vicinity. Alec and a couple of other DEMON agents such as Mark and Jade had invited me out to a bar and I really needed a drink after that luncheon with Laurent Savoy. A few of the HALO agents, Lance included, had been invited too. So by the time the bartender served my drink, I was talkative and pissed off.
"Forget about that jerk, London. He was obviously trying to get a reaction out of you. That's why he arranged the meeting." Jade responded soothingly.
"You really think that's why he set up the meeting? Just to piss London off?" Alec inquired cryptically of Jade.
"You think there was more to it than that?" I asked quizzically.
"Absolutely. Just because we haven't figured it out yet, doesn't mean that Savoy didn't have an agenda for setting up that meeting." Alec responded softly.
"I agree with Alec. Whether OPIUM's got a personal vendetta against you or not, they're out for blood this time." Mark added ominously.
"I can think of someone else who would agree with Mark." Alec added mischievously with a chuckle.
I turned in the direction Alec was looking and grimaced. Of course he was talking about Lance, who was standing near a pool table with a beer in his hand and glancing intently in my direction. Just then a guy came sauntering towards me with a leering towards me.
"Hey babe, wanna dance?" he asked seedily of me.
I looked him over for a while before answering. He wasn't too bad on the eye, but I knew his type: thought he was being terribly smooth and treated women like objects. Normally, I wouldn't give this guy the time of the day, especially as a rich heiress. But seeing Lance laughing out of the corner of my eye with none other than Arianna, the mermaid whore, made my decision for me.
"Sure, lead the way." I responded demurely, batting my eyelashes at him and following him out onto the doorway.
The stereo started pumping out Just Dance by Lady GaGa from somewhere behind the bar. And for the next 4 minutes, I put on quite a show with this random, knowing full well that Lance was watching my every move. I got some satisfaction from Lance's glare while he watched this guy put his hands on me in every inappropriate way as I grinded up against his body on the tiny dance floor. By the time the dance was over, much of my enthusiasm had ebbed away. All I wanted right now was to go home.
"So, can I get your number?" my dance partner asked me in a husky voice.
"No." I retorted and made my way back to the bar.
"Guys, thanks for the drinks. I'm gonna head out now." I stated hurriedly while grabbing my purse.
"I'll walk you out," Alec offered genially, but I cut him off.
"It's okay, Alec, I'll be okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow." I said with a smile before departing. I didn't look back, especially not towards the corner where I knew Lance would be, his eyes burning into my back.
I brought my jacket closer around my neck in response to the chilly night air. I was looking forward to going back to my suite and settling in for bed. It had been a long day. I was too wrapped up in thoughts about the past to even notice the van speeding up behind me. Without warning, I heard tires screech alongside me and two men hopped out of a van and advanced on me. Before I could react, I felt hands grabbing me and pinning my hands behind my back. While I struggled pathetically against my attackers, I felt a cool cloth across my mouth. My last thought was how much I hate the smell of chloroform before I lapsed into involuntary unconsciousness…
Shoo, it took me forever to write this since I decided to compose while I typed. Hope you all liked the London and Lance saucy-ness ; ) I'll try to get the 6th chapter out sooner and with less words. Seriously, who am I kidding with that promise? More beefing and ass-kicking to come!