Secret Lover

Secret Lover

by

Fiona McGier

Copyright 2020 by Fiona McGier

Author's Newly-Revised Version

Formerly Published as Secret Love

Smashwords Edition, License Note

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

Reviews from previous published versions of this book:

Action packed, secret lovers Sheena and Hickory steal moments of love-making in-between their separate assignments as a government agent, and action packed movie idol. Both live secret lives, yet lust after one another. This is an excellent story of lovers trying to satisfy their lust for one another while also keeping their working commitments on-line. There is no room for a lasting romance.

Jo-Ellyn, Conger Reviews

Ms. McGier’s characters are realistically drawn, including a few secondary players who figure into the plot. Her location descriptions provide enough atmosphere without going overboard on details. The same can be noted about her sex scenes, which get the point across without being overly explicit. The plot is a puzzle, but all the pieces fall neatly into place by the satisfying finale If you’re in the mood for a breezy spy romp with a tender love story, check out Secret Love.

Tim, Two-Lips Reviews

Secret Love has a fast pace, believable characters and an interesting storyline. There are equal amounts of romance and suspense mixed in with frequent, spicy love scenes.

Keitha Hart, Romnce Times Book Reviews

The heroine in this book is just awesome. So strong and yet womanly at the same time-it's great to see her mold into a lovely woman. The scene where she shows compassion for the brothers made a little teary eyed.

Now Cory is just down right freaking sexy. Oh man! I have not read a whole lot of books with Native American ancestry or characters in it, but he's just smoking. I am intrigued by the whole commune lifestyle. I have never really heard anything about it before, but Fiona did a great job describing it.

I love Malcolm. I mean, come on sexy guy with an Irish accent. Swoon. 

All and all this was a really great book filled with action, passion, and the two characters that are truly soul mates!

Drea Beacraft, JBP Reviews

From Fiona--Why I wrote this book. Do you enjoy secret agent books, movies, and TV shows? I'm a huge fan, but one thing always irritates me. The agents are almost always men, and the females they have affairs with usually needed to be protected or rescued. I don't want to identify with a damsel in distress. I want to identify with the agent--the one with the training and the skills to make a difference in the world. This is my first book about female spies. The second book has some of the characters from this book, playing their roles in the plot. It is called Undercover Lovers.

Blurb: Sheena has spent the last twelve years working for a government agency so secret that she didn't even learn what it was called for a year. She enjoys the work, but is getting bored. She tries her usual cure: a new man. But something about this one is different--and she develops feelings. In her world, even having feelings is dangerous. Indulging them by falling in love can be deadly.

PART ONE

Chapter One

Even in a room filled with as many attractive people as this one was, the tall redhead still turned heads when she walked in. The establishment was one of those quaint old-fashioned pubs that could be found anywhere within the European Union, but this one happened to be in Berlin. The bar itself was massive, made of wood that had aged as well as the wines being served by the attentive wait-staff. There were small tables scattered around the bar, with two-to-four comfortable plush chairs at each one. This was definitely a place designed for relaxing, and there were many very good-looking people taking advantage of that.

The ages of the customers ranged from barely old enough to be drinking legally, to white-haired men and women whose aged countenances held eyes that belied their wisdom. All of the people, including those who worked there, were in good shape and healthy-looking. t almost looked like the set for a commercial advertising how happy you would be if you took your next vacation in Europe. There were so many attractive people here that whether you were looking for men or women, or both, you were sure to find what you were seeking in this place.

The only problem was the bouncer at the front door, who was busy carefully checking out each prospective customer. His scrutiny was more intense than usual, but once you were allowed entry, he had to answer for your behavior. So he was as thorough as he needed to be, and he was very good at his job. The regulars knew that and trusted his judgment. New people were regarded with passing interest, then most were quickly ignored.

But the redhead was obviously not a new customer. In fact, she didn't even enter the bar through the front door. Instead, she strode purposefully in from the back hallway, where regulars knew they could find the bathrooms. Only a very few knew that there was also an elevator back there that led up to elaborately-furnished apartments meant for short-term stays. The fact that she had entered the bar from that hallway meant that the very few knew to look away after an initial appraisal of her stunning attributes. The others spent longer admiring her without being aware of any inherent danger. For there was much to admire.

The woman was taller than most, close to six-feet tall, wearing a simple black sheath, a little black dress, that showed off her shapely build that was the envy of other women around the world. She knew this because she had traveled to many places over the years, and felt comfortable no matter where she found herself. But she always got the same reaction from people when she entered a new place, and she was used to it. She was slightly irritated that even here, she had to deal with it. She glanced around the pub with sage-green eyes that were not quite as wise as those of the white-haired folks she made eye-contact with. But her eyes none-the-less held a warning implicit in them: You leave me alone--I'll leave you alone. We'll all be happy and sleep well tonight.

As she approached the bar, she tossed her long auburn hair with a slight jerk of her head, that caused one of the bartenders to intercept another who was heading in her directing, indicating that he was going to wait on her.

Hi Harry, she said once he was close to her. She sat on one of the few empty bar stools and turned it slightly so that she was facing the door, with her back to the hallway that she had come from.

Harry put a cocktail napkin in front of her. The usual?

She nodded.

He turned, made her drink, then slid it in front of her.

Add it to the room tab.

He picked up a glass to wash and dry, as he spoke to her. Got in last night?

She gave him a wry smile. Yeah, late--very late. You know, time changes and all--wreaks hell on your system.

He nodded. I remember. Staying long?

She shrugged elaborately. "Who knows? Certainly not me. Ours not to reason why, ours but to do or die."

They exchanged a smile filled with mutual understanding.

Interesting mix of customers tonight, she opined. Anyone I should know about?

Harry shook his head. Nah--just the usual. Some active, some not. Some oblivious.

They smiled at each other for another instant. Then Harry got a signal from one of the other drinkers seated at the bar, and with a curt nod to the woman, he walked away to do his job.

She looked around with interest, studying the other customers carefully. Some of the men looked up then quickly back down, when they realized she was examining them. Others smiled broadly and seemed to be getting ready to rise, when she almost imperceptibly shook her head, and disappointed, they settled back in their chairs knowing they had been judged and found lacking. A few of the women boldly returned her glance and she also shook her head at them.

With a sigh, Sheena took a sip from her drink, and looked around the bar again quickly, searching for--what? A way out of my bad mood? How about a man? A new one, to take my mind off of what's becoming an increasingly hard life to live. I very rarely got any time off from work, and having at least a few days now with no new assignment yet, gives me the opportunity to indulge my own desires. So what do I really want?

Truth be told, she wanted out, but that wasn't possible. No one was allowed out until they had fulfilled the term length of their contract. Too much training involved. Once agents were considered useful, they were thrown out into the field, and what they didn't know, they learned by the seat of their pants, or they died--only to be replaced by another just as green as they had been. Since the risk factor was so high, any agent that had been useful for as long as she had been, twelve years now, was much more valuable than any new recruit. So since her original contract was for fifteen years, she had another couple of years to go, before she could petition for a release from the lifestyle that she was viewing as increasingly tedious and restrictive.

She hadn't always felt this way. When she was twenty-two and a new college graduate, with a double major in History and International Relations, and a double minor in Spanish and Russian, the idea of becoming an agent for the United States government was a very attractive offer. She was recruited by a scout from an agency so secret that she wasn't even been told the name until she had been active with them for more than a year. Her graduating with honors indicating her intelligence, along with her majors and her facility for languages, were the reasons she was such an attractive candidate.

That they had sent a man so breath-takingly, drop-dead gorgeous to check out her interest, was a stroke of genius. Her double majors and minors had left very little time for boyfriends, so little Miss Sheena had been putty in this sophisticated man's hands. While she knew, rationally, that he was interested in her for her abilities and as a new recruit, her body had been ignored for so long that she would have followed him anywhere, to the ends of the earth, just to keep him in her bed. Their love affair had sizzled hot, then burned out quickly, lasting only until she signed the paperwork binding her to the unknown agency for the next fifteen years. But instead of feeling bereft once he was gone, she reveled in the new power she felt over her own abilities, and welcomed the new challenges in her life.

Along with a keen interest in international affairs, Sheena also possessed intelligence beyond her years. But what had been a liability in her younger days, was now a gift that she was thankful for everyday. So the offer to join a tiny, elite group of people who had influence on global events because the things they did, while secret, affected what happened all over the planet, was a dream come true for her. And the innate arrogance of the man who had recruited her was not a turn-off for her. Truth be told, she was just as arrogant back then.

A sudden intake of breath from the woman to her right interrupted her reverie, and Sheena focused on the present, listening to what her neighbor was saying to her friend.

"Mon dieu, can it really be him?"

"Oui, the friend answered. I read that he is in Berlin for a film, doing some scenes that have required street closings around some parts of the city. Hadn't you noticed?"

Non, but I am noticing him now. Ooh-la-la!

Wondering just who it was that had walked in, causing such open drooling from the somewhat jaded, yet sophisticated crowd that frequented the local safe-house bar, Sheena turned to see if it was a celebrity that she had already managed to have a liaison with, or a new one. She didn't get much time off, but she made it a priority to be sure that there were many attractive men around wherever she chose to spend her off-time. Since she had become a master at disguising, she could change her appearance so completely there was no danger that anyone would recognize her, unless she wanted them to be able to. So she had felt free to sample interesting men the world over, and she still saw her ability to only have a short-term, quickie relationship with anyone she wanted, as a perk and not a liability. To quote from an old pop song, she worked hard for her money, and she allowed herself to play just as hard, in-between assignments.

It didn't take long to see just who it was that the women were talking about. He was much more attractive in real life, than he was in movies. Not that Sheena had much time or use for movies. But he had been in a couple of big releases that had made him internationally famous. He was tall and dark, his skin a reddish-brown color due to his Native American ancestry. He filled out his clothing well; the rolled up sleeves on his casual jacket showed muscular forearms that hinted at even more toned muscles hidden by his shirt. His broad shoulders made Sheena's breathing speed up, as she imagined herself held down by those strong arms. He had fairly long straight black hair, that shimmered like black silk whenever he turned his head. His eyes were dark and inquisitive as he scanned the place for a seat.

She could feel lower regions growing warm and moist, as she watched him walking over to the bar. She knew he was having that same effect on most of the women, and on quite a few of the men as well. Well now, if you aren't the answer to my current dilemma? Getting you into my bed tonight would be a real coup. You don’t have the reputation of being a player, and there will be lots of competition, trying to get to you first. I just love a challenge.

At that moment he finished ordering his drink, and looked around the bar. He met her eyes and there was a glint of interest, then what appeared to be a challenge from him.

Sheena was even more interested. Okay, then, the game is afoot!

It seemed odd for someone so famous to be unaccompanied by security of any kind. A quick glance at the door revealed that his guards were there, just at the door. The bouncer was detaining them because of the number of weapons they were trying to enter the place with. After all, what's the point of a safe-house for agents, neutral ground for everyone to feel secure on, if anyone, especially amateur muscle, could just stroll in with major weaponry? And of course since his security men were not agents, just hired guards, they had no idea what some of the people in the bar might be capable of. Sheena chuckled to herself, thinking about what the few that she recognized, and she herself, were able to do to someone with their bare hands--no weapons required.

In the meantime, the adorable American actor was being set upon by would-be suitors, almost like jackals on a dead thing. They circled him, then made their moves with all of the subtlety of a sledge hammer. For his part