Balance (31 page)

Rena, turning her head and opening her eyes,
watches
Michael
wade
into the shallow water
. 
M
uscular and
toned
,
h
is
physique
is a testament to the
months of
rigorous
physical training
he’s endured
. 
His w
avy blonde hair, normally
messy,
now
combed back, gives
him a manicured
power
playboy appearance, looking every inch privileged and Elite.
Although he’
s two-
years
her junior
,
Michael’s
demeanor
is
beyond his
age
. 
He exhibits strength and confidence that makes her feel
protected
.
G
az
ing
at her with his reassuring steel blue eyes,
he
let
s her know all is safe. 
She knows the decision she made this morning, while she watched him sleep
,
was the right one,
“I may have to drop her
a line
myself.
F
eeling a little hedonistic
,
are
we?
  Where
have you been? T
hat could not
have taken this long to put on.”
Grinning impishly, she
point
s
at his rather insufficient trunks

“Oh, this little thing,
it was nothing … quite literally, it’s nothing.
”
He
replies with a laugh.
 
“Breakfast arrived.
It appears
our entire
dining
arrangements have been taken care of in advance.” 
Setting
the serving tray down on the
table between
their lounges,
Michael
sits down facing her.

R
oll
ing
to her side,
Rena props
herself up on her
elbow
,
“Doesn’t surprise me.  I suspect
we
will be introduced to many exotic delights while we are here.  Call it mild shock treatment, Takada and
Ms. Smith
want to expose us
to as many elements of the
Elite
lifestyle as possible, not wanting us to look out of place
; foods, fashions, decadences
.  Dinner last night and this stay are all training exercises.”

“I’m inclined
to
agree with you. 
Alt
hough my participation is not
really
required, you’re the one who’
ll be immersed.”

“
Not necessarily.  According the Takada last night, he wants you more
directly
involved
. 
Michael, when breakfast came, what did you do
?
  I
bet you shook down the waiter for weapons.”
Rena half smiles
, knowing she’s right.

Michael
squints, pursing his lips,
impressed with
her
insight. 
He p
oint
s
to his mouth and ear, implying bugs “You got me, but the last couple days has me thinking.”
   
  

“About?”
She
replies,
distracted,
using
chopsticks
to pick up a chunk of pink fruit, dipping it in a white cream,
seductively placing
it in her mouth.

“The exercise …
Takada’s exp
lanation … last night … this room … t
he interest in our relationship.”

Rena,
plucking
another piece of
fruit, replies
,
“You have been busy
.
”

“As I’m sure you have … probably more so.”

“Hum.  You know
,
I should probably put some
oil
on you.  Why don’t you li
e down
so I can rub some
on your
back?
”

C
ompletely confused with the
sudden change in the
direction of the conversation
,
Michael
looks at Rena as if she’s losing focus
.  Then it hits him
,
the realization
.  “You’re probably right, n
ot everyone has your complexion.
W
hich reminds me
,
how does a redh
ead have light olive skin anyway?
”

Softly, she
replies
,
“Greek – Irish.”

“
Well
,
t
hat exp
lains
your
‘
fierce’
.
”
He wheedles
.

She
gives him a quick playful jab in the side for the remark.

Michael roll
s
over onto his stomach.
Rena
sits
down
on his lounge chair
,
next to him
.  Putting
oil
on her hands
,
she rubs it into his back and shoulders.
 
“Your muscles are knotted up like a cargo net, when’s the last
time you’ve had a ma
ssage?  Y
ou
need to relax.”

“Uh, like never
… When
,
my dear
,
was the last time you had a m
a
ssage?”

Laughing softly
,
she leans
over pla
cing her lips on his shoulder, then w
h
ispers
, “I couldn’t find any bugs, but a room like this
is
intended for gathering information
and
compromising intelligence, so I would expect pretty good surveillance.
”

Michael listens
intently, not moving, knowing exactly what Rena
had
in mind
when she suggested the
oil
and m
a
ssage
.

“
I
believe the interest in our relationship is
to make sure we‘ve
bonded
.  So
we can be used effectively as leverage against each other.
”  She hesitates, her body trembling slightly
with fear and excitement,
“
I think they’ve accomplished that goal …
but I’m not sorry.”

Michael feels
her
shudder
, knowing
she’s
starving for his response.  “They knew
I was in love with you long ago …
I wouldn’t change that for anything.
  I believe Takada left out one more reason for the exercise … I think it, the dinner last night and this room were intended to make sure we took our relationship to the next level … that we’d declare our feeling for each other.
”

“And … how do you feel about that?” She asks, worried that he’d feel manipulated.

“Disappointed … a li
ttle
.”

“Why
!
” He
r fears taking root.

“It’s not that … just bad timing.” He offers, knowing she doesn’t understand.

Rena bit her lip anxiously.
“How so?”

“It should never have come to that.  I’ve loved you for a long time.  I should have told
you
sooner.  I was just afraid it would put too much pressure on you, on our working with each other.  My feelings for you, they’d been there regardless, it wouldn’t have changed
a thing
.”

She k
isses him again on the shoulder, “Michael, I love you and thank you
.”

“I’m just glad we’re here now.”

“Me too.” She reciprocates, then hesitates,
“Michael, I think
Takada is
going to use you to test me at some point in the near future.”

“I know.
Don’t worry,
I’ll be alright.”

“Michael, Takada had his own soldiers
terminated
to test
me
, to manipulate us
.  I don’t think there is anything he or
Ms. Smith
would
n’
t
do to get you and I completely under their control.
  I d
o believe they see in
us
a very deadly team.  They don’t want to lose either of us, but they
need
us
leashe
d
.”

“
Speaking of Ms. Smith, and the others for that
matter
…
Have you noticed how nice everyone is to us, almost like
saccharin
, f
ake sugar?”

Rena
ruminates on his comment
,
“
I
t makes sense.  T
he more bonds we
forge
,
the more trusting
they’ll expect us to be.  There’
s alwa
ys a risk
repeatedly leveraging
us against each
other.  I
t could
damage
our
relationship
or make us more
defiant
.
”
 
Rena rests her
chin
on Mic
hael’s shoulder, rubbing oil down
his arms, entwining her fingers in his, her
ear next to his face.

“
I agree, with
one
exception
…
changing my feelings for you.  Won’t happen, ever.
” He
states confidently.

She smiles, knowing her feelings for him would never wane either.

“
What’s your tak
e on
the entire
cro
ss-
training and these new lessons?”

T
urn
ing
her face
to his
,
Rena
kisses Michael’s
neck
and whispers
,
“I
b
elieve Takada for the most part.
I
do
think he
’s
trying to turn us in
to the perfect
Infiltration Team
…
his team
.”

“What do you think he has planned for us?”

Rena
rises
, letting Michael roll on
to his back
.
L
ying
down across his chest, their lips inches apart, looking into each other’s eyes, she whispers
,
“
I’m not sure right now, but t
he thing that
worries me
the most
,
Takada
himself.  He’s
coordinating all of
our training,
knows exactly what he wants us to learn.  Michael, he understands all
of these disciplines.
H
e can do everything he’s exposing us to
.  W
ho knows what he isn’t intending to show us.  You
’
r
e
with him
the most
, please
,
for me, be careful.”
 
Rena
pleads
, gazing
intensely
into
his
eyes
,
her own glossy
.