Chapter One – Friday
Lee rushed into the room bursting with excitement. "Amanda, get your swimsuit on; Valerie Tucker is heading to the hot tub!"
Amanda unconsciously pushed her bottom lip out into a pout. Pretending to be newlyweds was bad enough, but in a hot tub? In swimsuits? She sighed.
"And who is Valerie Tucker?"
"She's the wife of Dr. Tuck Tucker; I have him at the top of my list of potential targets. This is a perfect opportunity to chat her up without being suspicious."
"But she's not going to say anything useful if we're there," Amanda protested, looking for any excuse to avoid this particular surveillance duty. She was still miffed that he'd waited until after they'd arrived at the Cumberland that afternoon to spring the married couple cover and the one-bed situation on her. Then he had the gall to be mad that she'd told Mrs Craddock they were recently married. At least he'd shaken off his irritation quickly.
"That's the best part! We just need to find out what Dr. Tucker is doing next; Valerie won't think it's a secret," Lee paused to look at Amanda and frowned. "But if you aren't up for it, I'm sure we can find her again later," he continued in a conciliatory tone.
Amanda could see the disappointment on Lee's face, and shook off her discomfort in an effort to be professional.
"No, no, it's fine. If the hot tub is where we need to be, let's go to the hot tub."
Lee's face split into a dazzling smile and he reached out to put his hands gently on her upper arms.
"Great, that's great, Amanda! Get changed and we'll head down there."
Oh god, that smile was a killer. How was she going to stay professional pretending to be newly married to a co-worker this attractive? Amanda went to her suitcase, pulled out the classic black bikini she'd thrown in during her hurried packing, and shut herself into the bathroom to change.
And how had Lee found Valerie so quickly anyway? He'd only gone to scope out the dining room in order to figure out a plan for tonight. He seemed to be in an especially good mood; he was in his element here at a fancy resort. If things went well he could probably get a eucalyptus steam, whatever that was. Amanda adjusted her swimsuit, eyeing herself critically in the mirror. Well, she may not be the most beautiful woman here, but she did look good in a bikini. Even if Lee was unlikely to notice. She put on the hotel robe and slippers and went out to join him.
They were next to each other in the hot tub, Lee's arm draped around her shoulders. Amanda was trying to talk herself into not reacting to his bare chest and close proximity. It was a large hot tub, and there were a few other couples, a single middle aged man, plus the absolutely gorgeous Valerie all talking amongst themselves and occasionally chatting with each other. A couple of kids were playing down at the far end.
Of course Lee would immediately find the most beautiful woman here, she reflected, that was just they way he was. She focused on how to do what Lee needed her to do, putting herself into the role of wife. Amanda thought she was starting to get a handle on things, but she wasn't prepared when Lee leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and she unintentionally flinched.
Lee smiled, leaned close and whispered in her ear, "we've got to make this look convincing; can you pretend to like me, just for this weekend?"
Amanda suddenly realized she needed to stop fighting the attraction, and instead use the feeling to her advantage. It would be like a free pass to give Lee a test drive! She took drama in college; plus her ability to improvise was partly why Billy kept asking her to work with Lee. She knew how to do this.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, I'm a little worse for wear after last night," she apologized with a warm, low voice and a suggestive smile. "The hot tub is just what I need to recover, though," and with a sly grin, she shifted her legs over his so that she was sitting on his lap. "The water feels great," she murmured as she leaned forward and captured his lips in a slow but scorching hot kiss. She dropped her head to rest against his and smiled contentedly as she felt Lee's body react. Gotcha! Served him right for not giving her a heads-up on their cover.
Lee recovered himself enough to turn his outward attention completely to Amanda; he nuzzled her cheek both to keep up the show and to somewhat hide the blush that had risen on his cheeks. Amanda was certainly full of surprises. To make their story play he needed to have eyes only for her, after that kiss. He was aware that Valerie had momentarily stopped chatting with the couple next to her to watch the Lee and Amanda show, and he needed time to find a more natural opportunity to engage her in conversation. He put his hand on Amanda's bare waist and gently brushed his fingers along her skin; two could play at this game.
Amanda protested, "Lee! That tickles!" and squirmed on his lap, grabbing his hand away with one hand and playfully pushing his chest with the other. Lee's eyes widened slightly at the effect she was having on him, but kept a grin on his face as he put his hand more firmly on her waist.
"Okay, okay!" he promised in an intimate voice. "No more tickling, I promise."
Amanda smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay, sweetheart, I'm just going to dip in the pool and I'll be back in a minute." With that she winked at him and hopped out, leaving Lee grateful that he was sitting near the bubbles. He watched her traverse the short path to the pool, admiring the bikini as she went. She then dove elegantly into the deep end and Lee leaned back and closed his eyes.
Well, she certainly turned that around! He always forgot that Amanda wasn't trained for this, and she had clearly been jumpy earlier about the newlywed thing. His internal voice blasted him once again for springing the married cover on her so abruptly; if he'd given her enough time to get used to the idea they could've come up with a better story than newlyweds, and she'd have had time to get into the role. But obviously she'd worked it out. He wondered how the rest of this weekend was going to go. Which reminded him, Amanda had given him the perfect setup to chat with Valerie. He opened his eyes and gazed around at the tub occupants. The kids had left, but otherwise it was the same group as before Amanda kissed him.
Valerie caught his eye and commented, "it looks like you two are still in the fun stage of your marriage."
"Oh, absolutely," Lee couldn't help the big smile on his face. "We're having a blast." He looked at her with concern. "But are you saying marriage doesn't stay fun? You must still enjoy coming to places like this with your husband."
"Oh, yes," she answered with a blasé hair flip. "But you know, sometimes you miss those exciting early days of a relationship."
"Ah," Lee mused. "Well maybe we could all have dinner together one night, the four of us?"
"Oh, Tuck hasn't arrived yet. Who knows when he might get here! You know how these genius types can be."
"What will you do until he arrives?" Lee inquired.
"Oh, the usual – tennis, massage, lounging by the pool. I know how to enjoy myself," she assured him with a wink.
Amanda swam a few lazy laps as best she could in the small pool. Fortunately it wasn't crowded; most folks preferred laying out on the chaise lounges to actually swimming. She was glad they'd arrived at the resort early enough to get a swim in before dinner; after all Lee's rushing her the drive up had been surprisingly quick.
She stopped at the far end and looked back at Lee. He was talking to Valerie, as she had hoped. Amanda brushed her fingers against her lips, recalling the fantastic kiss they'd just had. It might get a little confusing, but as long as she remembered they were just playing a cover, she could manage to get through whatever intimate moments with Lee were needed before the weekend was over. Practice made perfect, after all! She swam back to the other side of the pool, and it looked like Valerie's attention had moved on so she got out and headed back to the hot tub. Slipping in next to Lee, she kissed his cheek.
"Miss me?"
"Of course, I did," he smiled. "I don't know how you do that," he nodded towards the pool, "I'm happy to stay in the hot tub the whole time."
Amanda smiled at him and lovingly brushed his hair back on his forehead. "Oh, you know me, I have a hard time staying in one place for too long."
Lee laughed at that. "Should we head up to get dressed soon? I think we should have an early dinner tonight," he paused, then dropped his voice, "and I want us to have plenty of alone time first." He winked playfully and she smiled back hesitantly, momentarily concerned that they might be role-playing too well. Then her smile brightened as she decided not to worry about it. She leaned towards him and put a hand on his chest.
"Sounds like a plan." She looked into his eyes and he looked back; and somehow they shifted from their playful newlywed personas to Lee and Amanda, just being together. Lee's hand had come up to cover her hand on his chest, and they started leaning towards each other. Amanda licked her lips and Lee inhaled sharply and touched his forehead to hers.
"I think we should probably head upstairs," he breathed out.
"Yeah, probably," Amanda murmured, but neither of them moved. Certainly nobody watching would think the sparks flying between them were faked. Finally Amanda broke the connection and pulled her forehead and her hand back. She bit her lip.
"So... upstairs?" she prompted.
Lee smiled gratefully. "Yeah, let's go." This time he actually got up and out of the tub, and extended his hand to Amanda to help her out. He grabbed a towel and handed it to her before picking up his own. He kept looking back at Amanda with appreciation in his eyes, and once they'd dried enough that they weren't dripping, handed her robe to her.
"Amanda, that was fantastic! Your timing was great, too, Valerie started talking to me right after you left." He sobered for a moment. "Unfortunately her information wasn't very helpful, but at least we know Tuck isn't here yet. But that performance, Amanda, you really got her to open up!"
"Well, thanks. I'm glad I could help." She smiled uneasily.
Me too, Lee reflected. He thought the weekend was going to be a bust. "What changed? I was worried for a while there that we weren't going to be able to pull it off."
"Oh, I don't know, Lee. I think I just decided to ignore the fact that you didn't trust me enough to tell me our cover before we got here, and to think of it like acting." Amanda challenged him with a direct gaze.
Lee's face fell at the implied reprimand, and he paused to consider her words.
"Amanda, I'm sorry about that. It's not that I don't trust you! I just thought it might be easier if you didn't have a lot of time to think about it."
"And why exactly didn't you want me to think about it?" Amanda felt herself stiffening and tried to relax; she wasn't going to let him get to her.
"Uhhh... well, I guess sometimes I feel like I make you nervous." He looked down and then flicked his eyes back up to gauge her reaction. She looked fairly stoic and he decided to just spit it out.
"I know you aren't trained at all, and you have good instincts when you don't overthink things, so..." he let his voice trail off.
Amanda frowned as she considered this. She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.
"Now look, I'm tougher than I might seem, and I can deal with a lot of unusual situations if you'd just give me a heads-up and a little time to process things. Don't you think we'll work better as partners if we can talk through the scenario and give me time to get comfortable?" She huffed out her breath and turned away from him in frustration.
We're not partners, Lee thought automatically even as he realized the inanity of the sentiment. They certainly were partners at the moment, and he still needed her for his cover, at least for tonight.
"I'm going to rinse off," Amanda informed him, and she hastily gathered a change of clothes and locked herself into the bathroom.
"Amanda, wait!" Lee called out belatedly, but the shower had already turned on and she probably couldn't hear him. Or at least she had plausible deniability.
Lee sat on the bed, disregarding his damp trunks, and considered the situation. It was Friday night, and they still weren't certain who the target was so they had to get downstairs to watch for any high-profile figures who may be arriving. Their intel said the target would check in at six o'clock. As an added bonus, with Mrs Craddock gossiping and having made contact with Valerie, they'd have to keep up the chemistry they'd put on display at the hot tub.
A smile crossed his face as he recalled Amanda's saucy performance, and his breath quickened when his thoughts went to the feel of her on his lap, and the intimate looks they had exchanged. Lee was no stranger to using his charm to create a sense of connection, but he wasn't as used to it being used on him. He had once again underestimated Amanda's ability to throw herself into a role. He owed her a proper apology.
Lost in thought, he was frowning down at his hands when the bathroom door opened. He didn't even hear Amanda walk up to him.
"Everything alright? You look worried," Amanda wondered.
Lee gathered his wits. "Sorry, I was miles away. Everything's fine." He glanced at her attire. "I don't know why you were concerned about what to wear, your outfit will fit in perfectly." he smiled reassuringly before summoning the courage to continue.
"And I owe you an apology; I should have told you our cover from the start, so that we could get our stories coordinated. Forgive me?" He stood up and grasped her hands in his and looked at her beseechingly.
"Okay, Lee, but can we get things straight for the rest of the weekend?" She squeezed his hands and then dropped them and put a little distance between them while she waited for his reply.
"Absolutely, we'll talk through it as soon as I shower and change, okay?" He flashed her a smile and retreated to the bathroom.
Lee picked up Amanda's hand and kissed her long fingers, and then dropped a series of sensuous kisses up her arm. Lee had managed to get the list of guests who checked in at six o'clock, and after checking in with Billy, had two names under consideration – Ballantine and Bosca. Now they were in the dining room for dinner, hoping to gather more information while playing up their newlywed cover.
Amanda smiled and leaned towards him, allowing the warm stirrings of arousal move through her and guide her actions. They had shifted their chairs close together upon being seated for dinner, and Amanda decided to place a hand lightly on his thigh.
"Careful, dear, we're in polite company," Lee murmured as he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He dropped his voice even quieter and continued, "I see Ballantine and Bosca, but no Tucker yet." He scanned the elegant dining room discreetly while continuing to stroke her arm.
"Maybe we should wait on the champagne until later then," Amanda offered flirtatiously, dragging her hand just slightly higher on his thigh before removing it. She placed her other hand on his chest, and could feel his heart beating faster. She kissed him then, gently sucking his top lip between hers for just a moment before sitting back.
"This weekend was a lovely idea, sweetheart. So far I love it here."
Lee smiled warmly at her, but Amanda detected the smallest hint of fear about what she might do next. Good. She was determined to have fun in her role as arm candy this weekend. And if she felt a small tickle from her conscience about it, well, she'd just think about what Lee would advise and use that as her guide.