As she strained to look out the window to catch a glimpse of the hotel below, she felt Castor’s hand touch her leg and gently snake up her inner thigh.  Before she had time to react, she was being pulled close and mauled feverishly, caught in a tempest of greedy hands.  He was too close to fight off effectively, and he had her pinned at an angle where she couldn’t reach around… he was rough with her, nearly tearing her apart, but she could feel herself slip away.  Heather tried to push him away, but there wasn’t enough room.  Without hesitation, he pushed up the hem of her dress, running his palms over her stockings and squeezing her ass.  There was very little room to move around, and she found her legs sprawled awkwardly on his lap, one of his arms tucked under her back, propping her up.  He leaned close to her, close enough where she could smell his cologne… spicy, warm.  She closed her eyes and tried to turn away but couldn’t… she was compelled to look at him, look deeply into his eyes.  Perhaps it was a form of control, but she didn’t dare let him think she was afraid… a part of her didn’t want him to know she wasn’t, either.    

He touched her chin gently, his eyes heavy and searching, a small smile threatening to become so much more.  “Are you going to behave yourself?”, he asked her softly.  “I don’t want to hurt you, Sinclaire.  I really don’t… but if you keep pushing me away, you might just break my heart.”, he continued.  “And I don’t like it when that happens.”.  The tone of his voice was chilling yet fragile, and for a fleeting moment Heather saw a sharp, painful sliver of Castor’s soul that everyone else had overlooked.

“I’m sorry…”, she stammered.  “I don’t want that to happen.  Please… “.

“You wanted this… you wanted to be with me ever since you read my files, didn’t you?”.  It wasn’t true, but Heather lied and said it was.  “You know deep down that I’m the kind of man that could make you happy.  Am I right, Sinclaire?”.  In a blinding flash of insight, she realized that he was still calling her by her code name, even though he surely must have known her real identity. 

“Yes… yes, it’s true…”, she replied.  Where was he going with this??

Castor seemed satisfied with her responses.  He leaned even closer to her, the tips of their noses touching lightly.  She couldn’t break eye contact even if she wanted to… he was mesmerizing.  Every word, every movement.  “So now that we’ve established how you feel about me, let me ask you this…”, he whispered.  “How bad do you want it?  Show me… prove to me how bad you want it.”  His tongue darted out from between his lips, coyly at first, then with a sinister flick over her parched lips.  Her head was swimming… it might have been adrenaline, it might have been the altitude, but at that moment she started to believe every word she had told Castor… she really did wonder if maybe, deep down, she craved what she knew he had to offer.    

   She took his tongue into her mouth, slowly and deeply.  It made her sick to admit it to herself, but he was a damn good kisser… assertive, passionate, calculating.  She didn’t need her years of education and training to know his skills extended to every conquest he faced.  He could have went on forever.

“Oh, lover man…”, Pollux intoned, leaning back and around from his seat.   At the sound of his brother’s voice, Castor jerked away and shot him a terrible look, but he paid no attention.  Heather felt the whole vibe change, so abruptly that it left her listless… a raw, sour numbing where he had caressed her just seconds ago, that couldn’t be rubbed away.  She shook off the feeling that needled her, as swiftly as it came, with the knowledge that he was an immeasurably manipulative man.  It was a key to his success, but realizing this didn’t stop her from being sucked in all the same.  “The airport is clear and ready.  Would you like the honor of making the call?”.  He waived the cell phone in Castor’s face, and nearly drew back a nub when he snatched it away. 

The night sky was nondescript, a blue-black blur unyielding to the city below.  They were far past the outskirts by now, and based on his side of the conversation, she guessed they were heading southwest to an airport in Rio de Janeiro.  From there, she had no clue what would happen.  After a couple of minutes, he hung up the phone and tossed it on his younger brother’s lap. 

“Would you say…”, Castor asked, not looking at her, “that my brother is a genius?”.

She was taken by surprise at this question, although she knew she shouldn’t be surprised by anything at this point.  “I really wouldn’t know… “.

He leaned forward to Pollux, gesturing for him to open his laptop.  To Heather, it was nothing but a mess of code whizzing across the screen.  “I’d say you’re a genius, bro.   A ****ing genius.”.  He turned to Heather.  “Do you know why I’d say that, Sinclaire?”.

“Why?”

“He was able to intercept the radio communication between you and the other agents.  Saved us a lot of trouble.  The wine charm was a good try, though.  It almost tripped us up, and if I weren’t so paranoid…”, he patted Pollux’s shoulder and leaned back in his seat again, “it would have screwed us over.”.  Abruptly, he reached out and pulled Heather close to him, jerking her down on her back and across his lap.  With his other hand, he reached deep into her cleavage and pulled out the microphone.  She stifled a yelp when he tore the tape from her skin roughly, and it was obvious that he got a kick out of it.  He studied it, held it delicately between his thumb and index finger, then brought it close to his nose.  For a moment, the expression on his face softened… he was  awakened.  “Chanel No. 5?”

She gulped nervously.  “Pure Instinct ….”.

With a flourish, he tucked it into the pocket of his jacket.  “Enchanting.  I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to keep it as… a souvenir.  For inspiration.”.  He was still gripping her wrist tightly, but when he looked down at her face she could feel him relax underneath her.  He caressed her cheek delicately, running his forefinger over her lips, and she jerked away uneasily… she instantly regretted her reaction but didn’t dare take it back.  If it was a blow to his ego, he brushed it off and pushed her back into her seat with a deliberate shove.  They were fast approaching the airport, its runway lit up in red and blue lights.  From her vantage point, she saw the empty field and parking lot and was crestfallen… she was anticipating an onslaught of agents to her rescue, but there was no one to be found.