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**Silktie** · 21-04-2011, 01:40 PM

Warning: Contains suggestive language and situations

Get a room, you two

Ruth woke early the next morning. She got up and made herself a cup of tea, all the while thinking about the day ahead. And about Harry. She was so tired of going around in circles, trying to overcome the guilt she felt at loving him despite what had happened to George. She’d been angry at herself for coping so well with it for a long time now. Other people, when losing a loved one, struggled to go on, grieved for them for years. She, on the other hand, had been able to get on with her life pretty quickly. What did that say about her, she wondered? She had become increasingly aware that she was no longer sure what she was really feeling guilty about. Was it truly because she had managed to cope so well with losing George and Nico, or was it because she had not loved George with the same intensity that she loved Harry? Or was it survivor’s guilt?

All she knew was that the events of the Albany case had made her realise just how much she did love Harry, and perhaps even more importantly, how much he loved her. It also made her think quite hard about herself, and she had come to the realisation that she had always been able to cope better than most with loss. Perhaps it had been the experience of losing her father at such an early age that had made her realise that life went on, whether you wanted it to or not. It was time to let it go. She missed Harry, missed having a special and close relationship with him, and she wanted it back. That was the main reason she’d agreed to this operation; in the hope that it would allow them to spend time together and perhaps overcome all the barriers they had built up between them.

* * *

When she stepped onto the Grid, Harry and Tariq were already there. Harry looked up as she entered and faltered slightly. It made Ruth smile. She had dressed carefully that morning, mindful that she had to look like someone a powerful man would lose all reason over. Harry’s eyes travelled over her, taking in the business suit that hugged all her curves, the short skirt that ended above the knee, and above all, the teasing amount of cleavage she was showing. His gaze finally lifted to hers and she smiled at him, pleased by his reaction. He smiled back and nodded to his office.
“Let’s go over our legends one more time before we go to the conference.”

Once inside the office, Tariq handed them their wallets and other paraphernalia.
“Ruth?” Harry queried.
She looked him in the eye. “I’m Ruth Emmerson. Married to an Insurance salesman, no children. I’ve been your PA for the last five years. I fancied you almost right from the start, seduced by your aura of power, but I truly fell for you once I realised that you were really a softie under that gruff exterior.”
Tariq frowned and scanned the legend file. None of these details were in there.
Ruth continued, never taking her eyes off Harry. “So when you came onto me at the office Christmas party two years ago, I didn’t think twice and we ended up shagging each other in the loos.”
Harry could feel the temperature rise and sweat began to form on his upper lip, but Ruth was apparently not finished yet.
“We’ve been having a passionate affair ever since, and the sex is really, really good. Our main problem is to see each other often enough to satisfy our needs.”

Tariq nodded approvingly. “Great. Harry?”
He got no reaction whatsoever. Harry was staring at Ruth with a rather glazed expression. Tariq noticed that he was sweating.
“Harry?” he prompted again.
“Hmmm?”
“Your legend?”
“Oh, right. Er,” his voice cracked slightly as he struggled to get his brain to move on from the things Ruth had said. He took a deep breath and gave Ruth a smouldering look.
“Harold Palmer is the Director responsible for new defence contracts at UK Defence Electronics. He’s married with one grown up son that he’s not close to, and experiencing a bit of a mid-life crisis. After thirty years of marriage he is bored with his wife in bed, and began desiring his PA almost as soon as she began working for him. It’s those tight skirts that started it, really. After drinking too much and finally having her at that Christmas party, he can’t stop thinking about her. Being an electronics expert he is aware that it’s impossible to use hotels to have an affair and not be caught, because of CCTV, credit card records and so on. So he rented a flat to keep as a shag pad where they could meet. Unfortunately his son needed a place to stay for the last few months and he was forced to give the flat to him. He hasn’t had sex with Ruth for two months now, and he’s slowly going crazy.”

“Wow,” said Tariq admiringly after a long pregnant silence, “you guys have really thought about your legends.”
Ruth tore her eyes away from Harry and cleared her throat.
“We better get going. We don’t want to be late.”
Tariq followed them out of the office and watched them leave as Alec came up.
“Are they prepared for the operation?”
“I’ll say,” muttered Tariq. “I’m beginning to wonder whether we’ll need that soundtrack after all.”
Alec laughed and clapped his colleague on the shoulder. “Better get it done, just in case.”

* * *

As the car drew up before the conference venue, Harry turned to Ruth and smiled softly.
“Ready?”
She nodded and smiled back. “Ready.”
“Tariq, comms test,” Harry said, checking that the little transmitter under his suit lapel was secure.
“Loud and clear,” Tariq responded.
“Right.” Harry took a deep breath. He was uncharacteristically nervous about this operation, but was well aware that it had nothing to do with the operation itself, and everything with the person he was doing it with. He desperately hoped that he could hang onto his self control for its duration, but if she kept smiling at him like that, he thought gloomily, he had little chance of doing so.
He nodded at Ruth. “Let’s go to work.”

Ruth knew that he had deliberately used those words to subtly remind them both why they were here. She got out of the car obediently and tried not to think about his sexy voice saying things like ‘having her’ and ‘sex with Ruth’, and the images those words evoked. Drawing her shoulders back, she reminded herself sternly that they were both professionals, and followed him up the steps.

Over the next few hours they played their roles to perfection. They made sure to ‘inadvertently’ touch each other when handing papers back and forth, or in Harry’s case, ogling Ruth’s behind in the tight skirt when she walked away from him. When the after-conference drinks started, Fedorov began to circle the UK Defence Electronics delegation watchfully and he didn’t miss the way Harold Palmer looked at the woman he’d arrived with. He noticed that both of them wore wedding rings and wondered whether they were married. If not, he may have found his target.

As Fedorov slowly began to work his way through the crowd towards them, Harry murmured quietly to Ruth, “Heads up, he’s coming.”
Conveniently, someone chose that moment to bump into him and he took the opportunity to stumble a little and grab hold of Ruth. They both laughed and he leaned in closer to whisper something into her ear, at the same time staring eagerly down her cleavage. He felt her hand caress down his back before it slipped under his jacket and squeezed his bum surreptitiously.

Fedorov watched all this with interest before he reached them and introduced himself.
“What? Oh.” Harry reluctantly dragged his eyes away from Ruth’s bosom and offered his hand to the Russian.
“Harold Palmer, and this is Ruth Emmerson, my PA.”
Fedorov smiled, delighted to find out that these two weren’t married. He made small talk with them for a while before excusing himself and moving off again.

As the evening progressed, Ruth noted how Harry created the impression of drinking a lot more than was really the case, and touched her more frequently as time went on. She marvelled at just how good he was in the field, and was at the same time thankful that this made her own task much easier. She noticed Fedorov going through the doors that led to the rest rooms and nudged Harry.
“We’re up.”
They moved swiftly into the corridor outside the Men’s room and into position. Harry pinned her to the wall and she put her arms around him.
“Okay, Tariq,” Harry said softly, “say when.”
As Tariq watched the camera positioned in the Men’s room in order to warn them when Fedorov was about to leave, the two of them stood in each other’s arms, pressed close together. Harry made the mistake of looking into her eyes, and felt his self-control slip a notch. Her breathing was becoming heavier with every second that passed and he could feel her chest pressing against his every time she breathed in. Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and before he’d realised what he was doing, his hands were in her hair and he was kissing her fervently.

“Okay, he’s about to come out,” Tariq reported and looked over to the monitor showing Harry and Ruth, only to find them already engaged in a passionate embrace. Harry was brought back to reality by Tariq’s voice in his ear and reluctantly tore his mouth from Ruth’s and dropped it to her neck. He slid a hand under her skirt and up the back of her thigh, making her gasp as she turned her head and licked his earlobe.
“I’m going crazy, Ruth,” Harry moaned against her neck. “If I don’t see you naked soon I’m going to take you on my desk…” He sucked on her skin hungrily.
“Oh, Harold, me too, darling. Is your son still in the flat?”
“Yes, sod him.”
“Can’t we just go to a hotel?”
“You know we can’t. I’ve told you, we’ll be caught on CCTV.”

Fedorov stood in the door of the Men’s room, watching and listening. He saw Palmer lift his head and kiss his PA very indecently, and used that moment to walk past quietly. He looked back at them once, and found Palmer staring at him over the woman’s shoulder.

“Okay, he’s gone,” Harry said and unwillingly stepped back from Ruth. They avoided eye contact as both began to straighten their attire.
“I just, er, need to…” Harry gestured over his shoulder before disappearing quickly into the Men’s room. He definitely needed a few moments away from her to get himself back under control.
Ruth watched him go, before taking herself off to the Ladies to fix her hair. When she looked at herself in the mirror, her face was flushed and her eyes sparkled. She replayed the way he’d kissed her, and smiled slowly at her own reflection.

A bit later Harry sought out Fedorov.
“Er, Sergei, right?”
The Russian regarded the man in front of him, who seemed to be a little drunk.
“That’s right, Mr Palmer.”
“Please, call me Harold.”
Sergei nodded in agreement.
Harry looked around uncomfortably before continuing. “Er, this is a little awkward… About what you saw earlier, you know, with me and Ruth.”
“You mean when you had your hand up her skirt and your tongue down her throat?” the man stated bluntly.
Harry blanched, then nodded. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep that to yourself,” he mumbled. “We’re both married…”

Fedorov watched the man in front of him squirm with some amusement, before finally taking pity on him. He threw an arm around Harry’s shoulders in an expansive gesture.
“Harold. Friend. We are both men of the world, no? I enjoy a little something on the side myself. Don’t give it a second thought.”
Harry looked immensely relieved. “Okay, good then.”
Fedorov made a show of looking around before leaning in and speaking softly.
“You know, Harold, I couldn’t help but overhear that you have a problem in finding somewhere private. I am in a position to help.”
“Really?” Harry managed to infuse his voice with a hint of hope.
“I own a hotel. There is an underground parking garage, a private elevator and a floor with no CCTV. No-one would know you’d been there together. It’s yours if you want it.”
Harry licked his lips, wavering. “How will I pay for it?”
Sergei looked affronted. “Please. We are friends! There is no charge for friends in need,” and he winked at Harry suggestively.
“That’s, uh, that’s awfully generous of you.” His next words came out in a rush. “When can I have it?”
Fedorov laughed at the eager expression on the other man’s face. “Why, tomorrow night, my friend. You can have the room, and her, tomorrow night.”

Shortly after that Harry and Ruth left. Once they were back in the car both sank back into the seat and tried to relax. But they were very aware of each other, and conversation was rather stilted. It was with some relief that Ruth opened the door once they drew up in front of her flat.
“Ruth,” Harry reached out and fleetingly touched the back of her hand. “Good work today.”
She smiled, pleased at the praise.
“Thank you.” She added, more softly, “See you tomorrow.”
“Yes. Sleep well.”

That evening she took a long, cold shower before going to bed, suspecting that Harry was doing the same. Despite that, her dreams were vivid and detailed, and all about Harry.

tbc