Model in Disguise

28. Room 416

       Suddenly Alex leans back, away from the laptop. “Found it,” he says. “Room 416.”

       I try to think faster. We might be walking into an ambush. Either way, that jamming field needs to be disabled.

       But how? There’s bound to be someone guarding all that technology.

       Then I remember the flash drive. “Alex, hand me that,” I order, pointing to the USB drive.

       “What are you thinking?” he asks, standing to give me the heel part of my shoe.

       I take it from him and plug it back into my right heel. Then I put on the red pumps and straighten out the red V-neck dress I’m wearing. “I think I might have a plan.”

      In search of a mirror, my feet take me to the bathroom. I watch myself in the mirror, fix my hair, and smile at my reflection. “Jez,” I call. “Do you happen to have any red lipstick on you?”

       She steps in behind me. “Yeah, here.”

       I apply the lipstick, then smile at myself again. After a few seconds, I drop the smile and follow Jez out of the bathroom.

       The smile could use some work, I decide.

       But it’ll have to do.

          .          .          .

“Alex,” I whisper, giggling girlishly as I stagger along with him towards room 416. “We're going to get caught.” I make sure to do everything extra loudly so that whoever is inside the room can hear.

      Alex grins. “Oh, I hope so.”

      We come to a stop in front of the room door, and I nod slightly at him, silently telling him to swipe the key card I tried to reprogram. I hold my breath and watch him do it. When he does, and it works, I barely get a chance to breathe again before the two of us purposely stumble inside.

      The lights are off.

      We don't turn them on when we get into the room. Instead, Alex closes the door behind us, and he turns us around so that my back is pressed against the door and his body is pressed against mine.

      Immediately I find it hard to breathe. Somehow my hands end up in the soft short locks of his hair, and my heart pounds quickly against my chest as he leans in closer to me. His lips reach my neck, gently and slowly, and I hold my breath.

       Time stops, and suddenly I can't remember what Alex and I are actually doing in the room.

      Two strong arms cage me in, placed on either side of me, one of his hands toying with a strand of my hair as the other rests flat against the door behind me. Alex lifts his face to look at me. Soon his face is not even an inch away from mine, his nose nudging mine as we breathe together in synch.

      I feel his warmth and the intensity of his gaze even though I can't see him clearly.

      And then the lights come on.

      Alex jumps away from me, and we both squint at the person standing next to the light switch. I take a second to adjust to the light, and then the real meaning of Alex's actions comes rushing back to me. I glance at Alex, remembering, and then I pretend to look embarrassed like he does.

      "Excuse me," says a large, burly man in a suit. His dark eyes look at Alex, then at me, and then they find their way down to the slit in my dress before they go back up to our faces. Alex narrows his eyes at the man. "I'm afraid you have the wrong room."