Polar Quest

14

After Eames and Sutton departed, Lafitte whipped off his tie and stormed back to the master suite. He was furious. He entered the bedroom and found Martineau curled up on a chaise in the corner of the bedroom, reading.

‘Things finished up rather quickly,’ Martineau commented.

‘The bastard insulted me in my own home.’

‘Eames?’

Lafitte nodded. ‘He called your research immoral. He accused me of killing babies!’

‘Charles, you already knew how squeamish Eames was about certain avenues of research.’

‘Yes, but I didn’t call him an idealistic idiot.’

‘At least not to his face.’

Martineau pressed up against Lafitte’s back, her hands encircling his waist to unfasten his belt and trousers. ‘Other than this little incident, I thought tonight was a success. How did Eames and Sutton respond when you told them of your interest in acquiring UGene?’

‘Sutton was willing to hear me out, but Eames — there will be no dealing with him.’

‘Which is what you expected, is it not?’ Martineau’s hands were working the buttons on his shirt.

‘True, but I always hope for a surprise.’

‘If it’s a surprise you want…’

Martineau took Lafitte’s hand and placed it on her thigh, his fingers touching the bare skin of her leg below the hem of her dress. She pressed her hand firmly over his, then guided his hand slowly upward. Eyes closed, Lafitte’s excitement grew as his hand progressed across the smooth warm surface. Thigh gave way to hip, then round to abdomen, each transition an uninterrupted exploration of flesh. She drew his hand around the region she knew he most wanted to touch, playfully bringing him closer but savoring the anticipation. Martineau breathed hotly on his neck then slid his hand down from her navel.

‘I’ve been waiting all night to finally get you alone,’ Martineau explained.

‘Had I known, dinner would have ended much sooner.’

‘Had you known, you would have made passionate love to me on the table in front of your guests.’ Martineau smiled devilishly. ‘Not that I wouldn’t mind being served between courses — a feast of love, so to speak.’

Martineau turned Lafitte around to face her, then backed him into the bed. His loosened trousers slid down to his knees. She pushed him back onto the mattress and unzipped the back of her dress. It slipped off her shoulders and flowed down the contours of her body like a black waterfall. She then pulled his boxers down and straddled his supine body.

Martineau and Lafitte made love for nearly an hour, pacing themselves by alternating between tender caresses and vigorous passion. Though in his early fifties, Lafitte enjoyed testing his limits with the sexually demanding Martineau, and both preferred the physical challenge of marathons to short sprints.

‘Enough,’ Lafitte said with a labored sigh, pulling away from Martineau and collapsing onto the bed.

Martineau rolled onto her side and draped her arm across his chest. Lafitte’s heart hammered as he gulped air like a drowning man.

‘Are you all right?’ she asked.

‘Fine, just tired. And you?’

‘I am flushed like a virgin.’

Lafitte ran his hand along the curve of her back. Her skin felt smooth and hot. ‘I spoke with my physician today.’

‘And did he tell you what a fine specimen you are?’

‘For a man my age, but the effects of time are beginning to show.’

‘Anything of concern?’

‘A few bits of chemistry are a little off, but mostly I’m afflicted with gradual erosion. I am getting old, Dominique, and I don’t want the physical decay that comes with longevity.’

‘I know, Charles, and I’m just as concerned as you are — possibly more so. Aging is far less kind to women.’

‘You are showing no ill effects thus far.’

‘Merci, but a woman can detect the subtle changes and I am no longer twenty-five. We’re getting closer to understanding how to reset the cellular clock, but this work takes time.’

‘How much time? Years? Decades? I cannot wait that long. Eames and Sutton have the means to accelerate your research. I will have UGene.’