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Marty turned on her heel and walked quickly to the door, desperate to get away fro frooing to be a probleency was history At thecourted by more than one private protection fir one very lucrative offer

Closing the door behind her, Marty strode quickly fro offices and into the heated warmth of a DC summer day

The first day of her vacation A es because she hadn’t ainst Mustafa

If the man only knew exactly who Khalid was to the bureau His code name was Desert Lion and the missions he had successfully completed for the bureau had been imperative, both nationally and in the Middle East

But why didn’t Deerfield have the inforents? Why had she been told but he hadn’t been? That was inforiven her, but she had her own suspicions

Deerfield was likely on his way out, if she knew her godfather Otherwise Vince Deerfield would have been given the information that would have exonerated Khalid of the suspicions Deerfield had against hi the sidewalk, a s Khalid and she knew more about hi, dangerous reflection of the man that hid behind calm, often amused black eyes She knew him for the male sexual animal he was, and as the aloof "other" lover he played in his relationships

And often she wondered ould happen if she wasn’t an agent, if she wasn’t shadowing hihter of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and a woman who he kneasn’t content to merely "play"?

Would he be in her bed or simply demand to be a third, should she choose a lover within the circle of his friends who shared their lovers?

It sounded depraved Perverted Marty knew the protective and loving lifestyle environment her parents had created for her instead Her father, herinto the parking lot behind the FBI offices, she ed the auto lock, and pulled the door open before sliding inside

Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she stared along the ay in front of her, the profusion of flowers and shrubbery holding her gaze with their splashes of color She had one month to attempt the seduction of a man who seemed determined to remain as aloof as possible

She had four weeks to steal his heart If he had one to steal

THE CLUB, SINCLAIR ESTATE

VIRGINIA

Khalid watched as US Senator Joe Mathews and the third he had chosen s, walked into the bar of the club, glancing around until they spotted Khalid

Lifting his glass of whiskey, Khalid took a sip of the dark liquid as he tracked their progress through the roo area where he sat If their expressions were anything to go by, then the neas good Perhaps The sohtened their faces for the past two years had eased, and with it, hopefully, their tempers as well

The two es The senator was nearing sixty, the director was only a few years behind, but both er They swore it was due to a peaceful, stress-free home life

There were days Khalid sincerely doubted that He kneho they claihter

"Khalid" Zach sat down in the settee across fro in The senator took a seat in the chair beside the director, leaned back, and allowed a self-satisfied smile to tip his lips

"Consider your probleed with amusement as Khalid’s brow lifted in curiousity

"Really?" he drawled "All of them?"

"The majority, perhaps," Zach chuckled "The FBI has dropped their investigation of you Deerfield was forced to pull the assignment this afternoon Marty’s on her way ho nation within the next month"

"Before Marty returns to the office, I assule with the need to curl into a fist at the thought of the hell Deerfield had been putting her through

There were agents in the club, s, and who had revealed infor Marty to Khalid Those men had kept them both apprised of the insults Deerfield had heaped upon her concerning her inability to find evidence against Khalid and his supposed terrorist activities

"Before Marty returns to the office" Zach nodded, his expression tensing with anger "The bastard has stepped over the line one tihter refuses to file a report against him," Khalid murmured

Zach nodded heavily "Marty’s not a snitch I can get his resignation without her, but it would have helped"

"And have you asked her for her help?" Khalid sipped at the whiskey as he glanced at the two men

Zach shook his head emphatically "If she finds out we know about her problein to question our sources I don’t want that Keeping an eye on that girl isn’t always easy I don’t want her to know just hoell I keep tabs on her"

Khalid refrained fro inforent woodfather’s attempts to ensure that she was protected She would only be hurt and angry if it appeared that her father had no faith in her abilities