‘‘I was with Bill Donovan,’’ he said. ‘‘The President sent an airplane for him. He gave me a ride.’’

‘‘How nice,’’ Cynthia said.

‘‘He wants me to work for him,’’ Chesty said.

She turned to look at him.

‘‘Are you?’’ she asked, and he nodded. ‘‘They really hate Colonel Donovan at the State Department,’’ she said. ‘‘He’s trying to take over the whole intelligence setup.’’

‘‘If he hasn’t taken over yet,’’ Chesty said, ‘‘he will. He wants me to be one of what they call the Twelve Disciples.’’

‘‘Oh, then they hate you, too,’’ she said. ‘‘Will that bother you?’’

‘‘With one notable exception, I have never cared what diplomats think of me.’’

‘‘And I’m not even a diplomat,’’ she said. ‘‘More on the order of an uppity female.’’

‘‘Jimmy,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m worried about him.’’

‘‘Oh my God, I didn’t even think about him!’’

‘‘You should have,’’ he said. ‘‘When he gets back, Barbara intends to pair you off with him. If he gets back.’’

‘‘He’ll get back,’’ Cynthia said. ‘‘The pairing off is something else, of course.’’

‘‘Jimmy has excellent taste in women,’’ Chesty said. ‘‘He would really appreciate you.’’

‘‘Are you trying to send me some sort of message?’’

‘‘Every time I see how young and beautiful you are,’’ Chesty said, ‘‘it takes me some time to adjust to our situation. ’’

‘‘Every time I see how handsome and distinguished you are,’’ she said, ‘‘it takes me some time to believe how lucky I am.’’

‘‘Having a dead-end affair with a man old enough to be your father can hardly be called lucky,’’ he said. ‘‘Odd, maybe. Interesting.’’

‘‘Not satisfying?’’ she asked. ‘‘I’m satisfied.’’

‘‘I feel guilty,’’ he said. ‘‘Your father was my friend.’’

‘‘Don’t start that again,’’ she said.

‘‘I love you,’’ he said.

‘‘That you can say,’’ she said. ‘‘And I love you.’’

She turned away again and brushed her hair while he propped himself against the headboard, sipped his cognac, and watched her. On top of the headache he had some kind of damned indigestion again. He tried to belch and could not.

She finished brushing her hair, walked to the side of the bed, and looked down at him. Then she shrugged out of the robe.

‘‘My God, how beautiful you are!’’ he said.

He started to get off the bed. She pushed him back.

‘‘Let me undress you,’’ she said. ‘‘It makes you horny when I undress you, and I like it when you’re horny.’’

‘‘Before you’re so nice to me, I had better tell you that you’re going to be evicted.’’

‘‘I don’t understand that,’’ she said as she untied his shoes and pulled them off.

Tags: W.E.B. Griffin Men at War Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net