AN: Can you believe it? The super spy isn't dead at all, just returning from a brief hiatus (ahem, two months). I won't bother to say anything else, but thank you for sticking around and waiting for his return. Hope you enjoy what unfolds below:

Chapter 7 – An Unexpected Turn of Events

I awoke slowly; a pleasure I did not often allow myself. I smiled to myself before my eyes opened, fully aware of the weight of the body strewn across my own, the tickle of hair that lay across my chest. The owner of said hair let out a small sigh in her sleep, nuzzling her face against my shoulder. She let out a breath in a whoosh of air, which danced across my chest and caused my abdomen to tighten in anticipation.

I slowly opened my eyes, looking down at the woman draped across me, able to arouse me even in her sleep.

Red.

I had known that it would be good between us again. Sex didn't spark hot only once; no, something just clicked with the two of us. And, speaking as a man of experience, I could genuinely say that Red was incomparable, in or out of the bedroom.

We'd fallen asleep as the sun peeked over the horizon, unable to stop our exploration of each other until our muscles could move no more. Though even in sleep, she'd wrapped herself around me, encompassing my body with her skin and scent.

A boat's horn sounded off the coast, a distant disturbance to the otherwise quiet morning, or rather afternoon. I chuckled when I saw the clock read one-thirty. Yes, we'd certainly managed to catch up on our sleep.

Sookie made a sound, a sort of whimper, and lifted her head up to look at me.

"What time is it?" she asked, her voice scratchy with sleep and the remnants of the evening's champagne.

"One-thirty," I answered, smiling when she balled her fists beneath her chin and shook her head.

"I don't think I've slept that late since I was in college!" she exclaimed. "I suppose I should feel very guilty about being so lazy." She made no move to leave her position on top of me; apparently she didn't feel guilty enough to move.

"You needed your rest," I replied with a smirk. "I imagine you felt pretty worn out after last night's –"

"Sextravaganza?" she asked with a laugh. "Yes, I'd say I feel deliciously worn out. I feel like every muscle in my body has been liquefied."

"Mmm," I groaned, running my hand down her hair and trailing lower until my hand rested on her bare behind. "Even this one?" I asked, squeezing the flesh beneath my fingers.

She giggled, nodding as she sat up and dislodged my hand. "Even that one," she nodded. She sat back on her heels, the afternoon light spilling through the windows and covering her golden skin. She sat naked in front of me, unselfconscious of her body displayed before me. My eyes swept down the length of her neck, stopping at the slope of her breasts.

I opened my mouth to suggest we test our strength one more time when Sookie jumped out of bed, looking alert.

"What's that?" she asked, walking towards the door and stooping down to pick up a white envelope.

"Don't open-" I said, sitting up suddenly. In this day and age, one never knew what was going to be waiting inside an otherwise innocuous looking white envelope.

She laughed, waving her hand dismissively at me as she ripped it open and made her way back to the bed. She sat down rather unceremoniously on the foot of the bed and pulled out a plain white card.

"Oh my," she said, placing a hand on her naked chest. She lifted her eyes to meet mine, a triumphant smile on her face. "We're in."

I caught the card as it came flying through the air towards me, shaking my head at Sookie as my eyes read the simple black script. It did not say what it was, though I suppose we both knew without being told. There was a date – three days away – and an address in one of London's posh neighborhoods.

We'd been officially invited to one of Felipe de Castro's adult parties.

London - 51° 31' 53'' N 0° 9' 37'' W

The woman who sat next to me in the neat black cab was a woman I knew well – intimately even. Yet, in her stark white trench coat, with her hair twisted in intricate knots, she looked like a complete stranger. The rounded curves of her figure had been restrained by the corset I knew she wore underneath – and I knew better than anyone that she was wearing little else but the corset underneath. This wasn't your typical soiree; no, this was the entry to the underworld of Leclerq's making. You did not come to this party to see and be seen; you came to do and, in most cases, be done.

Sookie smiled across the cab at me, lifting the lacy black mask she'd found as her disguise. "Shall I put this on now?" she asked.

I looked out the window at the row of familiar townhouses. "Yes, we are almost there."

"Help me?" she asked, holding the mask out towards me. I took it from her hands, the brush of her fingers sending a shock through my body. You would think that after a solid four days of exploring each other's bodies, something as simple as a brush of her fingers wouldn't arouse me, but it did.

She turned in the seat away from me, looking over her shoulder briefly before turning straight ahead. I looked down at the mask that lay limply in my fingers, the almost sheer lace a stark contrast to the rough edges of my finger tips.

Leaning forward, I brushed my lips along the back of her exposed ear. I felt her body shudder against mine, leaning back ever so briefly. "Not now Northman," she said breathily.

"We're on our way to an orgy," I whispered. "Now seems like the perfect time."

"We're on a job," she pointed out.

"At an orgy," I quipped. "One should expect to be feeling turned on at the prospect, shouldn't they?"

She shook her head, though didn't turn around. "I do not need an invitation only orgy to want to have sex with you Northman. I should have thought my visit to your shower would have proved that."

"That it did, Red." I smiled against her hair as I recalled the rather welcome interruption to my shower, the way the soap suds had clung to her body, dripping off the tips of her breasts enticingly. The water had gone cold by the time we were done, which was quite a feat considering the size of the water tank in our hotel room. But even the sudden cold of the water hadn't deterred us.

"As much as I'd like nothing more than to have you ravish me all night," she continued, "we have to be alert."

"I am well aware of my duties, Red," I said.

"As am I," she responded.

"And," I whispered, pressing a kiss against her ear. "Sometimes I get paid to do things I always wanted to do, like tonight for instance." I sat back, draping the lace mask across her eyes and tying it in a neat, efficient bow. "Tonight, I get to walk into an exclusive adult party with you; get to touch you as much as I want, and no one will say a god damned thing about it."

She stilled as my hands came to rest on her shoulders, the car pulling to a stop.

"Eric," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Yes?" I asked.

She shook her head, turning to face me. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing." She reached into the inside pocket of my tuxedo, pulling out the plain black mask and offering it to me.

"Time to go to work."

.

We were greeted at the door by a woman wearing a revealing dress. Even so, I was sure that it had more fabric than most of the party-goers were wearing combined.

Sookie reached into the small bag she was carrying and gave the woman the white invitation.

"Mr. Smythe," the woman said, a brilliant smile on her face as she surveyed me. "Ms. Fitzsimmons," she nodded in Red's direction. "I am Claudine. Welcome to the Seven Sins." She inclined her head to a pair of dark, heavy curtains behind her.

"Allow me to take your coat Ms. Fitzsimmons," she continued, walking around to tug Red's trench off her shoulders. When it was fully removed, Claudine's eyes trailed over Sookie's scantily clad form appreciatively.

Claudine turned to face me. "No phones or cameras are allowed inside, naturally."

"Naturally," I repeated with a nod, reaching into my pocket and offering the blackberry R had provided for this exact purpose.

"Ms. Fitzsimmons?" Claudine asked, turning back to Red.

Sookie looked down at the purse in her hands and shrugged, extending her arm to Claudine and letting go of the small clutch that held her phone and a tube of lipstick.

"Excellent," Claudine said with a nod, placing our belongings in a bin marked with the same number that had been on our invitation. "We did provide you with the emergency number on the invitation, should anything arise. Likewise, you are free to return here if you need to make contact with the outside, though it is our fondest desire that you should be otherwise occupied."

Sookie nodded, taking a step closer to me. "Rasul will take you inside," she said, the man appearing at her side as if by magic. "From here in, you may determine your identity. No one need know who you truly are."

That was, indeed, what we were hoping for.

Rasul stepped in front of us, parting the curtains and instructing us to pass before him. The world beyond the curtains lay in stark contrast to what we had just left. Gone was the friendly, efficient foyer with its organized coat check and smiling hostess. The world we stepped into was dominated by a large staircase, illuminated by hundreds of candles on every step.

"Follow me," Rasul instructed, approaching the stairs. A sensual thump filled the air, music pouring out of hidden speakers that increased in volume as we ascended to the party itself. Red reached back and clasped my hand in hers, squeezing it tightly as we proceeded to the second set of curtains above us.

Rasul paused at the top of the landing, turning to smile at both of us before parting the curtain and ushering us inside.

He did not follow this time, the curtain falling silently behind us. A glass of champagne was immediately thrust into my hand by a woman wearing high heels and little else, but even she too disappeared before much could be said.

I looked over at Sookie and watched as her eyes surveyed the landscape before us. A sparkling chandelier fell from the ceiling, casting a dim light over the large room. There were people everywhere, in every state of dress and undress, though no one was doing anything inappropriate for a drawing room; at least not in this room.

"It's really no different than any other party," Red said, whispering in my ear.

"How so?" I asked with a smirk.

"There are women gossiping," she inclined her head towards a couch filled with six ladies deep in conversation. "Men boasting," her head moved in the other direction, towards two men that were obviously trying to one up each other. "And of course the people desperate for attention." She looked forward, my eyes following hers towards two women and a men who were wearing absolutely nothing but various shades of body paint.

"I suppose that's true," I said with a chuckle.

"Orgy or not," she continued. "It's all the same people."

She reached down, reclaiming my hand in hers. "Shall we?" she asked, tossing the champagne back.

I nodded, allowing her to lead us through the maze of people to the outlying rooms. Every room we walked into was done up to show one of the deadly sins, and every room had active and willing participants doing their best to illustrate the sins for any passersby.

I heard Sookie's breath speed up at the sight of the naked bodies before us, my body responding to her reaction almost instantaneously. She had proved herself adventurous in these past few days, but I wouldn't have thought this was exactly her cup of tea.

In the room identified as 'greed', she pushed me against the wall, running her hands over the length of my body as her lips sought mine. I felt her smile against my lips, unable to see much in the near darkness of the room.

"What?" I groaned as her hands neared the waistband of my pants.

"Just thinking how fitting it is to be in this particular room with you."

"Is that so?" I asked, trailing my lips down to her neck.

"Mmm, yes," she nodded. "Quite fitting."

My fingers danced across the top of her corset, teasing the flesh that it pressed high and eliciting a groan from the lips that had been on mine seconds ago. I was about to dip them lower when a deep voice behind me interrupted us.

"I say," the accented voice said, "is that you Rachel?"

I groaned, slowly righting myself and turning to see the one man who I never cared to see again.

"Yes," Red said lowly, though I could see her eyes burning behind the mask. "What are you doing here…?"

"Michael." I quirked my eyebrow, slowly shaking my head in Agent Herveaux's direction. What in the hell was he doing here? Why would R send a second team in, and more importantly, how did they manage to garner an invitation when we had worked so hard to get one?

"Oh yes, Michael," Red said, mouthing the name to herself. He leaned down and brushed a lingering kiss on her cheek, his eyes daring me to do something when he righted himself. It was apparent that he hadn't enjoyed the show we'd put on nearly as much as I had.

"You remember James?" she asked, turning her head towards me.

"Of course," Alcide said, giving me a curt nod. "How could I forget?" He turned back to face Red. "I must say, you are looking entirely delectable this evening."

I saw the flush rise above the edge of Sookie's corset, balling my hands in fists to keep from doing what I wanted to do. I didn't like that he could get that reaction from her. Yes, he had been with her as well, and no, I wasn't the type that normally cared about things like that; but he was taunting me, and he knew it.

"Thank you," she said, biting her lower lip.

"Allow me to introduce my guest for the evening," Alcide said, taking a step back. My eyes shifted to the small brunette behind him, and I found myself cursing under my breath. I had allowed myself to get so caught up in Sookie that I hadn't even noticed the woman who had been watching the entire show. "Jessica," he said, holding his hand out to the familiar woman next to him.

My eyes widened as I took in the fabric covering Amelia Carmichael's body. She had never been much on modesty, and what better place to show it than at one of Felipe de Castro's famed parties?

We feigned introductions, all acting the part of casual acquaintances with ease. It was only when Alcide – excuse me, Michael – requested Sookie to accompany him to another room, that anything felt strained.

"You don't mind, do you old chum?" Alcide asked, his accent grating on my every last nerve. "There's something I need to show her."

"Of course not," I replied through clenched teeth. We would have to split up at some point, it was inevitable. We would never find anything if we stayed with each other, and parties like this weren't for staying with your partner, they were for exploring foreign territory. I shouldn't have any problem letting Red wander off with another man, but then again Alcide wasn't just any other man. He had been her fiancé, he had been her partner.

"I believe Jessica here will be more than happy to keep you company."

"Quite happy. Ecstatic even," Amelia purred, slinking up next to me. Her arm snaked around my waist, trailing down to give my backside a firm squeeze.

Sookie looked over her shoulder at me as Alcide led her away, and even through the lace of the mask I saw her eyes squint in Amelia's direction.

"James, is it?" Amelia asked, pulling my attention down to her.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Would you care to escort me into Lust?"

I blinked down at her, setting my lips firmly and giving her a slight nod. She didn't wait for a verbal response, grabbing my hand and pulling me almost roughly along with her. She was on a mission, though what the end game was, I could only guess.

Lust was dark, a red light casting shadows across every corner of the room. Like the other rooms before, there were couples doing every sexual act imaginable on the beds that had been laid out for that exact use. Women, men, groups, their bodies entwined in an unending knot. It was a scene that I would have enjoyed, and even joined, on any other day, but not tonight. There was too much at stake, what with the possibility of Leclerq in the same building, and Red being off God knows where. At least I knew that Alcide would look out for her.

Amelia stopped at a bed occupied by two women, tugging my hand until I sat on the edge. She looked over her shoulder at me with a bawdy smile before leaning down to join them. I watched silently as their hands roamed over each other, wondering what Amelia had brought me here for. It wasn't like her to leave me out, and she was never one to do something without a purpose. I scanned the faces of the two women, or at least what I could see as they moved against one another.

Amelia's brunette hair was nearly an exact match to one of the women, the one who was smaller in frame. I had yet to see her face, though I knew that time would fix that. The third woman came up and smiled at me, her blond hair falling over her eyes. She was no one of importance, that much I knew. It was only when the faceless woman sat up and faced me that I realized our purpose.

She crawled across the bed towards me, her breasts swaying with each movement. "Are you not going to join us?" she asked in accented English. She was beautiful, though coldly so, and a woman whose picture I had seen more times than I could count.

She stopped when her knees touched mine, leaning forward until our breath intermingled. "Did no one tell you it was rude to watch?"

I shook my head, swallowing visibly. "It is." She leaned closer, until her lips were practically touching mine, and reached down to grab my hand. "You cannot come to Felipe's parties and not participate." She took my hand in hers and placed it on her bare breast, rubbing her body against mine and smiling with pleasure. "Do I not please you?" she whispered when my hand remained still.

I forced my fingers to do what she wanted, forced myself to respond when her lips met mine. I had been with many women, too many to count, but never one with the reputation of the brunette in my hands. Sophie-Anne had been the elusive piece to the puzzle that I had been trying to solve for years, and now that she was here with me, I felt frozen, even if only momentarily.

I allowed her to climb onto my lap, straddling me as she rubbed herself against me. My body responded, though how it could not, I did not know. "You know," she whispered, as she nibbled on my ear. "I do not normally go for men."

"No?" I grunted, my hands flying up of their own volition to play with the soft skin of her back. I knew, of course I knew, that Sophie-Anne liked women. It was her calling card, and how she managed to recruit so many of the beauties of Leclerq's army.

"No," she said. "With the exception of one man, you are the only man who I have let touch me in five years."

I forced myself to continue my exploration of her body, using my years of training to hide the excitement I felt over her mention of Leclerq.

"Why?" I asked, watching as she pulled at the edge of my bowtie.

"I do not know," she said, working her fingers furiously as they undid the buttons on my shirt. "There is something about you. You are handsome," she pressed her lips to my throat, "though what man tonight isn't? There's something mysterious about you. Something I want to find out."

I groaned when her hands reached the buckle of my pants. How far did I want to take this? There were things one had to do on this job, things that I normally wouldn't bat an eyelash at. But this was Leclerq's right hand, the woman he sent out to do his dirty work. She had spilled blood before; not for business, or the greater good, but for pleasure. Despite my body's response at her touch, I did not think even I could pretend to enjoy what she was asking for.

I felt the weight of the bed sink next to me and turned my head, my eyes meeting the familiar blue orbs of the woman I had arrived with. It would have been like a fantasy come true, if Alcide's lips weren't attached to her throat.

She raised her eyebrow at me sardonically, daring me to say something. When I did not, her eyes shifted to Sophie-Anne, who had successfully undone my pants and was pushing at the edge furiously.

"Do you mind if we join?" Alcide asked in Sophie-Anne's direction, though his hands and lips never left Sookie's body.

Sophie-Anne sat up on my lap, her eyes gleaming as she took in Red and shook her head. "The more the merrier." She scooted off my lap, leaving my pants flapping open as she turned her attention to the new couple.

"Who are you?" she asked, moving in between Alcide and Sookie. I had never thought I would want to thank Sophie-Anne, but it took everything in me to keep my mouth shut.

"Rachel," Sookie said, smiling innocently at the naked woman who was practically on her lap. "Who are you?"

"Sophie-Anne," she responded, tugging at Sookie's hand until she was firmly dislodged from Alcide's lap and sprawled on top of her own.

I sat back and watched as Sophie-Anne trailed her hand down Sookie's shoulder, toying with the flesh I had touched before. I would have thought that seeing this would make me feel anything but the desire to get out of there, but that's exactly what I felt. I did not want to see Sophie-Anne touch Sookie. I didn't want to see anyone touch Sookie. I closed my eyes, attempting to re-center myself. My personal life would not play a role in tonight's mission. If Sookie had to sleep with Sophie-Anne to get the information we needed, then so be it.

"Sophie-Anne," a feminine voice said, with a pout. I opened my eyes to see the blonde that had been occupying Amelia looking at Sophie-Anne with a frown. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't touch another woman without me."

Sophie-Anne's eyes closed, her hands stilling on Sookie's breasts. "Hadley," she said, then dropped her hands. "You were otherwise occupied."

"I do not want to be 'otherwise occupied'," Hadley spat. "You promised. You said that without Andre here, you'd pay attention to me."

"Hadley!" Sophie-Anne barked. "I told you not to mention him." Her eyes were icy, glittering orbs as she looked at the blonde woman and then back to Sookie and myself. "You'll have to excuse me," she said, dislodging herself from the mass of bodies around her. "It appears my guest has forgotten her place. Rachel," she said, leaning forward and brushing a kiss across her lips, "I do so hope we meet again." And with that, they were gone, leaving Amelia, Sookie, Alcide and myself in a rather precarious state on the bed.

"Well," Sookie said under her breath, "I wasn't expecting that."

"No one was," I said, shaking my head. We had learned that Leclerq wasn't here, which would have been disappointing if one of the messengers hadn't returned a minute later with a hand scribbled note for Sookie. It appeared that Sophie-Anne wasn't ready to give up quite so easily. On the paper was an address, and an appointed time in two days for Sookie to meet her there.

Sookie looked up from the paper triumphantly before tucking it into the front of her corset.

"I say, James," she said. "I am feeling quite exhausted. Care to take me home?"

Claudine efficiently gathered our belongings, giving me a disappointed look of longing as she told us a car would be waiting outside for us. It appeared that not many of the guests had decided to call it an early night as we had, but we had garnered all of the information we would be getting that evening. It was best to get out as quickly as possible, less room for error that way.

I opened the door of the waiting car, following Sookie inside and sitting next to her.

The ride back to our hotel was in silence. The things I had to say, the things I had to ask, weren't appropriate for a ride in a car not hired by us.

We walked across the lobby of the hotel hand in hand, partially because it would be expected of a couple returning from an evening out, but mainly because I needed to touch her.

We stepped into the elevator, Sookie leaning down to push the button for our floor. The doors slid closed in front of us.

"What were Alcide and Amelia doing there?" I asked, looking ahead. I felt her shift beside me, and when I looked over, saw that she was pulling the pins from her hair.

"Do you really care?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied tersely, "I really do."

"Sam thought it would be good to have another team there. Two more sets of eyes."

"So he sent Amelia Carmichael?"

Sookie shrugged, running her fingers through her hair as the door opened on our floor. "She had an invitation. Beggars can't be choosers."

She walked down the hall to our door in front of me, the only sound the slight swish of her trench coat. She pushed the door to our room open and stepped inside.

"What did Alcide want with you?" I asked, trying to disguise the emotion in my voice as I shut the door behind me.

"Why?" she asked, turning to face me. "Jealous?"

I stared at her silently, scouring her face in the light cast from the living room behind her. "Yes," I said, barely above a whisper.

She was on top of me before I could move, her mouth pressed hot against my face and neck in a frenzied pace. "How," she panted, "do you think I felt…" Her hands were everywhere, tugging at the buttons of my shirt until it fell behind me. "When I saw that woman's hands on you? When I saw her lips on yours?"

I fumbled with the buttons on her trench coat, grunting in satisfaction when the last button was released and I had pushed it down her shoulders.

"Duty called," I said, returning my lips to hers as my hands intertwined in her hair. "And," I said, moving my lips to her ear, "you kissed her yourself."

She groaned, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, offering me an expanse of her long neck.

"Make me forget," she whimpered. "For tonight. Make me forget about her lips on you."

And I set about doing just that.

.

The next morning, sitting up in bed with Sookie draped over my body, the light streaming in through the window, I opened up the paper to see a familiar face looking back at me. It hadn't been familiar before the night before, and it was a face I would never see again. In fact, no one would ever see that face again.

I sat up, jolting Sookie from her lazy exploration of my chest with her fingers.

"What is it?" she asked.

I didn't say a word, instead pointing to the headline and the picture below.

American Student's Body Found in the Thames

"That's…" Sookie gasped.

I nodded.

The picture wasn't of the corpse, no paper would print something like that, but the photograph accompanying the headline was of a smiling young woman. A smiling blonde young woman, who had last been seen leaving with Sophie-Anne.

AN: *ducks* Don't kill me. I'm going to try to be better about updating.