“Yes Sir,” she said in a sugary voice. She accompanied her excuse with a subtle, but effective, fluttering of eye lashes and a twirl of hair. Discreetly looking down, she bit her lip and glanced up at the man hovering over her. She watched as his watery gaze flicked from her face to her fingers, which fiddled with a loose curl on the swell of the exposed expanse of chest her low cut top revealed. Just a little bit more, she thought to herself. With the ease of a well practiced actress, she dipped her head in what she knew was a prettily contrite fashion. She accompanied her action with a string of murmured apologies that she knew by his glazed eyes never reached comprehension.

The bumbling fool didn’t stand a chance against her well used charms and she knew it. Whatever protest or punishment he had been contemplating died on his lips as she patted his hand and moved for the door. He stammered a near unintelligible sentence as she walked away from him. A triumphant smirk graced her perfectly pouted lips as she turned into a seemingly deserted hallway. Her heels clacked on the marble inlays of the floor and the sounds bounced of the stone walls. Her gaze wandered, taking in even the slightest movement.

She hadn’t taken three steps down a second corridor when from the corner of her eye she saw a tapestry shift back into place; the fabric making a dull thud as it once again shielded the secret from view.
“What did he want?” The query floated out of the shadows that gathered outside the rings of flickering torchlight that lined the halls.
She knew he would follow. She kept walking as she responded. “The usual.” The smirk returned once more as she recalled the previous conversation. “I took care of it.”

A low chuckle came from the gloom behind her. He knew how she was able to take care of things. He followed her still, keeping himself shrouded in darkness as they weaved further through the twisting hallways. He moved swiftly and silently alongside her. Always out of sight but she could feel his presence in spite of it. He was silent after their brief exchange. Not even his boots made a sound. Only the whisper of air as he moved alerted her of his whereabouts, the sound so faint that she only heard because she was listening for it.

She began to hurry as she neared her destination, no longer wanting to wait for the sweet release to come. Finally the end of the hallway came into view. She glanced around, making sure that no one was in view. She pushed aside a hanging depicting a bloody battle in some long forgotten time, to reveal yet another door. This one was locked. Quickly she reached into the pouch she wore around her neck and withdrew a silver key. Fitting it into the lock the door swung inward.
She hurried up the circular flight of stairs, cut into the stone. She didn’t wait for the thus of the closing door or the click of the silver lock behind him. Abandoning caution she flew up the stairs breathing hard by the time she reached the top. There she stopped. The circular room she stood in was small, sparsely furnished with only a rectangular window, punched through the stone facing the west. The setting sun was the only light in the room.
She faced that window now, still breathing heavily, although now with the thrill of anticipation. The dying light lent a golden hue to her creamy skin and deepened her hair to a mass of mahogany curls. Large warm hands gripped her hips and spun her around. Before she could let out a gasp his lips covered hers. She knotted her fingers in his curls as he lifted her by the waist and spun her across the room. Laughing she broke their sweet reunion and gazed into his dancing green eyes. Two sparkling emeralds that had haunted her dreams from the start. Their lips crashed together once more and she melted into him. Only here, in this secret room where no one could find them, could they be together. Only here, could they show their true passion.