"Thank you." She uttered the overused line to the Chauffeur who held the door, as she stood with the help of Moriarty taking her hand. But Katherine was forced to stop when he didn't move but stayed beside the driver, taking a bank note from his pocket and holding it between his finger.
"Take the night off Roger, with discretion." He spoke in a hushed manner, under his breath. "Tomorrow 7am." She was forced to watch on as the podgy driver took the note and climbed back into the car without anything more than a polite 'Certainly sir'. Then when Jim turned, he simply took her hand and started to lead her into the building.
"You're not leaving?" It was probably an obvious thing to ask, but she didn't understand. However, Moriarty didn't speak until they were in the privacy of the lift.
First, James pulled her in front of him so they stood facing each other. Then he unfastened her coat for her, allowing his hands to run up the sides of her body until they encircled Katherine's waist and pulled her chest hard against his.
"Do you still want everything?" Looking down his nose at her, she tried to keep her breathing under control. "I'll give you one last chance to opt out." There wasn't a second left for her to answer between, because as soon as her head made the faintest of movements towards a nod, his lips were on hers and she was being pushed back into the mirrored wall. "You'll regret it." Maybe she would, maybe she wouldn't. But like she said before every risk was worth living for now. And as a shiver rattled down her spine ever so slowly it made her back arch, she couldn't think of any better place to be.
"So what?" She chuckled darkly as Moriarty's mouth moved down her neck, nibbling and kissing a path down to her collar bone. "I still get to dance with the devil." The feeling of his loud chuckle vibrating against her throat was indescribable but nothing compared to how hard he grasped her hand and pulled her towards the apartment once they arrived at her floor.
Once inside, layers were soon peeled off...of her. Her cost was left lying on the marble floor of the hallway and her heels were unzipped and kicked off before they even made it to the door for the master bedroom. She was fully bare within minutes, on the bed with Moriarty hovering over her, worshipping her. For a moment she wondered if this is what he'd been hinting towards all along, but no, he was more complicated than that. Besides, she didn't have much time for thinking anything else as Moriarty slowly trailed his mouth down her body and began removing that oh so lovely thousand pound suit.
There wasn't any rush, anything to exist for outside the bedroom. Katherine couldn't even make a guess at what time it was when she finally fell asleep, tucked under the covers in the king size bed while Moriaty half redressed and headed upstairs to return the call he'd missed during dinner. She didn't even know if he'd returned to the bed at any point throughout the night. If he did then she didn't hear him or feel any part of him, and when she awoke the next morning he was already gone.
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Her bare feet padded through the apartment and into the kitchen, silently. She already knew Jim was gone. But there was still something...eerily disturbing her from being herself..or at least comfortable in the apartment. Maybe it was the new addition of filth and the smell of sweat she'd awoken too. Memories of last night, the biting and scratching and the cripplingly rough way his voice seemed to run through her, they all came flooding back the moment she opened her eyes.
Even now as she sought after a glass of something to drink, Katherine couldn't quite get the sly smile from her bruised lips. He hadn't treated her like a delicate daisy or anything close to that, when she was under him she felt like a woman for the first time. And not just some stupid woman in her late twenties having a good time. A real...woman. A one made of elegance and beauty. His hands caressed her like she was art, he was her private gentleman for a few hours. Although his mouth did some things that were very ungentlemanly.
A small laugh sounded at her thoughts as Katherine finally made it to the kitchen, but something unfamiliar made her stop. On the surface of the island unit lay a small pile of things. A small box, a packet, and an envelope with her name on it. She noticed one thing before the others and frowned while picking the long cardboard carton up in her hand. Cigarettes. A carton of twelve packets wrapped in crisp cellophane. Her craving had subdued, it had been four month since her last cigarette. But strangely the second they were in her hand she could wait to rip them open. Katherine resisted the urge however and waited, taking the time to see what else she'd been left. There was a lighter, for obvious reasons, and a small plastic box. With curiosity filling her, Katherine picked up the bock and flipped the lid revealing the contents to be...A pill. That cheeky bastard. She couldn't even laugh at it, her mouth opened and closed involuntarily as she tried to make sense of it. Followed quickly by embarrassment as she realised someone would have most likely been sent out to retrieve it for Jim to 'gift' to her. He really was something else.
The morning after pill wasn't something she'd had to take before but she knew what it looked like after going through university and overhearing girls in her first year accommodation. At the time she'd squirmed her face in judgment and discuss but now here she was...doing the exact same thing. Without trying to give it too much thought, she swallowed it down with a glass of much needed water before she forgot and moved on to the envelope. A note fell out. Written on very smooth Ivory paper and in real black ink with a fancy pen, not your normal biro pen.
'Katherine,
Sebastian will pick you up at 11pm. There is a job for you.
You need to look your best. Expect a call at the door around 6-8pm.
Jim.
P.S. Try not to dream about me too much. It does make for a boring relationship.'
Relationship. Her eyes widened and she gasped so hard she almost coughed up the pill. There was no doubt he'd said it to wind her up. Jim would have wrote the words with a smirk and a devilish laugh, knowing how it would effect her head. Before, 'Lucy' probably would have melted at the thought of a relationship but cried because of it being with Moriarty, she would have been scared and small. But Katherine...Katherine chuckled and dropped the hand written letter onto the counter top with a roll of her eyes. She could practically see the sarcasm in his messy scroll and she wouldn't fall for it. Instead she would make very good use of his other gift and try not to think of how he'd knew she smoked.
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Hours, and a couple of cartons, later at 6:10pm there was a small knock at the door. Katherine only just managed to hear it from where she was sat learning her languages again but as she crept towards the door she grew weary. She already knew it wasn't Moriarty, he didn't knock like that, and neither did Sebastian. Her feet were soft on the stairs, but she stopped when she reached the bottom of the staircase and stared at the door. The knock sounded again, even more hesitantly than before and Katherine was forced to call out.
"May I ask who it is?" There was a long pause, a few moments passing before a surprisingly feminine voice sounded.
"Miss Reine? My name is Kelly. Your-Mr Moriarty sent me." The woman's voice was so small, the door which separated them made the words scrambled and barely recognisable. But with a lot of focus, Katherine just managed to hear them and marched towards the door. As it was pulled oped, the woman on the other side jumped at the suddenness and stared at Katherine like a baby dear. She was older, mid forties? Dark hair ending her shoulders and style in a very sharp bob, dressed in all black with a silver metal trolley suitcase at her feet.
"Sent you for what reason?" Katherine kept her head held high as her eyes took in every inch of the woman who seemed to cower under the inspection. She couldn't explain it but a feeling washed over her, something superior, causing her to smirk as Kelly answered.
"I'm a make up artist and a nail technician, I'm suppose to..." She trailed off, hands beginning to shake by her sides. But she could work it out, she was only wearing a silk dressing gown which she had bought herself from Carine Gilson. Hardly anything intimidating. "Sorry, your boss booked you an appointment with me." Kelly chuckled nervously as she stuttered and rubbed her hands together.
"Oh right..." Katherine trailed off, her worry of it being someone unwanted finally falling. She backed away from the door ever so slightly and softened her eyes. "Sorry, can't be too careful." Smiling herself, she opened the door further. "Please, come in."
"Thank you." Kelly nodded once, grabbed her bag and entered the apartment. Eyes darted around the whole space in awe before Katherine walked ahead of her, up the stairs.
"Will upstairs be alright? It's more open and the light is more natural." Having had many mishaps with foundation colouring over the years, Katherine knew to trust sunlight more than a snappy little lamp in a dark room. That may not have been her bedroom now but still...plus she didn't want a stranger in her bedroom.
"Yes. Yes of course." She was still shy, but ever since Katherine had smiled she had loosened up slightly. Her back straightening and her initial nerves disappearing. Something told her that she hadn't gotten here on her own and she could blame Kelly for feeling how she was if Moriarty's men had bundled her into the car. But the more she thought about it, the more curious she grew and she knew she would get answers out of this woman easier than she did out of Moriarty or his men.
"He sent you himself did he?" Adopting the dominant role came easy as they reached the second floor and Katherine led Kelly to the dining area. "I hope he didn't cause too much distress." But her smirk told the older woman otherwise.
"No, no...not at all." It was spoke out of fear, Katherine could tell by the way her eyes grew again. Never the less, she thought it cruel to tease a woman who hadn't done anything wrong yet and gestured for her to set her things down on the large table. "They...he asked what you would be wearing. And I do your make up to compliment it." Thankfully she'd already thought about it and started to list off her outfit plan.
"It's an Alexander McQueen skirt suit. Dark grey, almost black. I have a red and grey sort of tartan blouse to go under it, but I plan to keep the jacket fastened. It looks better than way." Another purchase from her day of shopping with Sebastian. She had been told to buy clothes suitable for work so she'd splashed out on a couple of very nice suits.
"Okay that's perfect, and will your hairdresser be styling it up or down?" Silence fretted the woman just as she was beginning to settle.
"Hairdresser?" Katherine repeated, eyebrows raised.
"Mr Moriarty said...I've said something wrong." Kelly took a heavy deep breath in and stopped what she was doing. But Katherine shook her head sharply and stared at the woman until she got the hint to continue with her explanation. "Your boss said that someone else would be arriving to do your hair."
"Well, maybe there is." For some reason she felt a need to calm the woman instead of enjoy her shaking form. There was fear in her eyes, she looked almost near tears at points. There was something off. "He didn't even tell me you were coming so maybe I have another surprise coming." Katherine took a seat in one of the dining chair slowly, crossing one leg over the other, and watched Kelly unload her cosmetic equipment. "Why do you look so scared Kelly? I'm nothing to fear."
"I'm not, I assure you Miss Reine." She spoke breathlessly while chewing on her bottom lip hard. "Would you like to start with nails or make up?"
"I...what would you suggest?" Katherine was having flashbacks to herself, on the phone after ringing Moriarty herself for the first time. A figure ready to crumple into a ball on the floor. It made her sad...seeing someone innocent like that in her presence. A snooty shopping assistant, that was gleeful. But an older woman who had just been dropped at her door and told to make her look good? She either had to figure out what was wrong or calm her down.
"Erm...nails...miss." She added with a startled expression. "Then your make up will look fresher when your ready to go." Katherine would have said the same thing but she was grateful for the opportunity to smile at Kelly and agree.
"We'll go with that then." The woman didn't reply, instead turning to remove a box from the case. Placing it delicately on the table, she then opened it to reveal every colour of gel nail polish under the sun. There were blood reds, Sky blue, sea greens and caramel browns. All of them beautiful but she wasn't really feeling a colour. She thought they looked cheap and tacky. "Do you do normal manicures?"
"Yes! Of course sorry. I just thought you want a colour. I'm sorry."
"Don't be so silly. I think the colours are lovely." Katherine spoke easily. "But if they're lasting I'd like them to go with everything I wear." She forced a light laugh and then placed her hand on the fluffy towel Kelly rolled out for her. This was her first time having this done, but she tried not to let it show. She still wanted to look superior, no matter how nice she was being.
"I understand."
An hour passed before than inevitable second knock on the door sounded and in crept a second woman, this one not as shaken but there was definitely something keeping her on edge. They both did their job, making small and at some point faltering chit chat with her as the hours past.
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She was fully dressed in her suit, a pair of matte black four and a half inch heels on her feet. Hair twisted into a perfected up-do and her makeup impeccably done with nails to match. Ready, this time a few minutes early, for when Sebastian knocked on the door. The two women had already left around half an hour to go, all she had to do was pick up her bag, shrug on her coat and she could leave.
"Ready? Good, we can't be late." Katherine had already been alarmed by Moriarty's gift of a hairdresser and make up artist, as well as him saying she 'needed' to look her best, but now she saw the true seriousness on Sebastian's face, she was starting to get a little scared.
"Where are we going?" She felt ready to go to bed, never mind to be heading out to a job. Midnight was fast approaching but instead of feeling like Cinderella, despite all the pampering, she felt more like a criminal.
"You know I can't tell you Miss Reine." Why was he being so formal around her? He hadn't even smiled like he normally did, or joked with her even a little. But he had gone back to how he'd been when they'd first met. Maybe it was nothing. Nah, she was being paranoid after an evening with two nervous women, they'd put her on edge. This was just his business mood.
"How long will I be in the car?" She tried again once they had been through a silent trip in the lift together and were walking out of the building.
"Katherine. It's not the time for questions." He speedily opened the back door to the Jaguar and kept his eyes strangely forward as she slid into the seat. The sight of another occupant was a big surprise to her, so was the blush that up onto her cheek upon the fist sight of his face.
"Good evening Katherine." Moriarty hummed her name with a knowing smirk. As Sebastian got into the front passenger seat, a Chauffeur already behind the wheel, Jim leant over and kissed her cheek before moving his lips to her ear. "Best behaviour tonight, is that clear?" Her initial shock was hidden well, but Katherine looked out the corner of her eyes at him and nodded slowly.
"Yes." His face turned back into harsh stone the second her leant away from her. Phone in hand, he checked it once and then tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket.
"I have an important job for you...and you very much match the part." Moriarty flashed her a look but it made her want to sink into the expensive seats. He wasn't watching her like a man who wanted her anymore, he was looking at her like a predator eyeing a piece of meat. He did want her, but in a much more sinister way. "Doesn't she, Mr Moran?" He spoke louder to be heard and smiled wide at the reply he got.
"Yes, boss." Oh he was loving it, milking every last drop of this professional state of mind everyone seemed to be in because he told them too. Sebastian had donned a black suit, instead of combat trousers too now she really looked at him but if only she knew on the gun resting in a sling across his chest.
"You probably have a lot of questions." Moriarty winked at her, watching her now through narrowed eyes. "Don't ask them. Don't talk unless I tell you to. Don't stare. Don't whimper. Don't even breathe out of turn." His breathing picked up so much she thought she was about to see a side of him she had only experienced many months ago. "If you so much as make a noise without my appraisal, so help me." Katherine nodded again, this time slightly more stiff in the neck. "Don't look so scared, you'll get the the hang of it." Jim chuckled again and then looked out the front window of the car.
They sat in silence for the next hour, no one moving a muscle never mind breathing too loudly. Until they arrived at Heathrow airport. They drove through the gates leading straight to the runway and although Katherine tried to hide her shock, her eyebrows raising and sitting up in her seat gave it away. Once through the gates, the car made a short drive around the runway. Planes abandoned for the night since it was past 12am and the dimmed lights of Terminal 5 could only just be seen in the distance they rounded a Virgin airlines jumbo jet and just further down the road a helicopter sat on the tarmac. It's lights were on, but the propellers weren't spinning. Three man stood outside of the open side door, hands crossed in front of themselves smartly.
The Jaguar slowed to a stop a few meters from the aircraft and Jim turned his head, studying the men now staring at the car. "Sebastian. Check them over." Within seconds, Sebastian had climbed from the car and slammed the door behind him. "Katherine." She received a fond look from him when she obeyed quickly. "Where we are going...I want you to stay close to me. The man you're about to meet? Meet his eyes, smile. Be a pretty face without a voice. Don't be stupid. Make me look good." Nodding her head, she looked past him to see Moran patting the men down.
"James." The word left her mouth before she could stop it but thankfully he didn't look mad, just rose an eyebrow telling her to go on. In his mind, he'd give her simple little mind one yellow card and told himself not to jump at her the first time she slipped. Too bad she used it so soon. Breathless and feeling like her heart was going to burst from her chest, Katherine nodded at the chopper. "Are we going in that thing?" He didn't answer. He didn't need to. Sebastian walked to the car and opened Jim's door first, then hers.
"This way Miss Reine."