The cold caused her to shiver. Despite the lit fire in the fireplace warming the room, a chill seemed to have settled itself throughout her body. Folding her arms across her chest she stared into the flames, trying to calm herself. To stop her mind from racing, her heart from pounding and the lump that seemed to have formed in her throat from rising.

Madeline was in the Tower, waiting for Paul. Had been ordered there by him once again. The game that they were playing for George's benefit had been going on now for nearly two years. And they were close to winning, so close. Both her and Paul had a role to play, she was aware of that. But it seemed that lately Paul was enjoying the role a little too much. Was delighting in having her at his sexual beck and call, relished in using her without any regard for her feelings or her wishes. And usually Madeline was able to disengage her feelings and play the role as she was cast. Except for tonight.

Both Paul and Madeline had come up with the plan to destroy George and gain control of the Key file when they had discovered that George had fitted Section with cameras and listening devices. The events that transpired after Madeline's capture and the unsuccessful assassination attempt on Paul's life had obviously alerted George to the fact that the relationship between them had continued. Though they had tried to hide it, the bond between Madeline and Paul was too strong. That had been obvious after a virus had infected Section. So they had decided to use it to their advantage, to exaggerate the relationship. Make it appear that Paul was turning into a sex-mad, power hungry megalomaniac and Madeline the dissatisfied object of his lust.

And it was working. George had recently contacted Madeline covertly to ascertain whether she was prepared to help him betray and destroy Paul. George was not quite ready to believe that Madeline was on his side, but he was close. Endgame was almost achievable. Just a few more weeks and they would win. They had decided to move forward more quickly with their plan and the arguments between them had escalated. Paul, as Operations, was now blaming all faults on his Second-in-Command. And as his Second-in-Command, Madeline was forced to defend her actions. Something that she hated, but found necessary to continue in the play.

But tonight Madeline was surprisingly unprepared to play her role. It had been far too long since Paul had touched her with anything close to resembling tenderness. Since they could just be themselves. And it had been weeks since they last had a conversation that wasn't monitored, a moment that wasn't observed or taped. And tonight, for some reason, that hurt more than she was prepared to admit.

Shaking herself from her reverie, Madeline glanced at her watch. He was late. What was it he had said to her? "I'd like to see you in the Tower." Something about the look in his eyes made her feel like an object for his whims and not a person. So much so that she couldn't help but ask, "What is it you want me to be, your whipping post or your whore?" It was his look and his short response; "I'll see you tonight. At 11.00." that had for some reason created a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that she was unable to loose. That was unacceptable. Emotions were a weakness that could be exploited and Madeline abhorred weakness.

Taking another small sip of the wine she was holding, she continued to stare into the fire, her mind replaying the events of the day. Analysing every word that Paul had uttered to her. Dissecting her replies. But no matter how hard she tried, she found that she was unable to eliminate her emotional response. It was...unsettling. Disgusted with her thoughts, she drained the rest of her wine and moved towards the bedroom, deciding to wait for Paul in the comfort of the bed. Removing her clothes, she slipped between the satin sheets and lay back against the pillows. Settling her body into a comfortable position, she yawned, acknowledging that she was tired. The events of the last couple of days had exhausted her emotionally, and they took their toll as Madeline drifted into sleep.

************

Bringing the cigarette to his lips Paul took another drag, drawing the smoke deep into his lungs and expelling it in a shaky breath. He was in his usual position at the Perch, standing in front of the glass, watching over his domain. To any casual observer he appeared to be completely relaxed and at ease with all that he commanded. But the picture he presented was far from the truth. His mind refused to quiet, his thoughts causing him nothing but grief.

He didn't want to do it anymore. It was getting harder and harder to continue in the role he had been cast. He knew that George was close to revealing all to Madeline and that their plan was working. But he hated himself more and more for what he was forced to do to her. Hated having to belittle her with words, to evade tenderness when he touched her, to use violence with her. He knew that both of them were playing a role, but more and more he could feel them losing themselves. Could feel their relationship disintegrating, and it was tearing him apart.

Closing his eyes, he once again saw Madeline's face as they had their altercation in the corridor this afternoon. The look in her eyes as she asked him "What is it you want me to be, your whipping post or your whore?" The wounded expression when he answered. It was that hurt look that was embedded in his mind, causing his stomach to churn and the bile to rise in his throat.

They hadn't had a conversation or a moment alone surveillance free for so long that Paul was unsure of the truth anymore. He could no longer read Madeline's reactions properly, and it worried him. He could feel her distancing herself from him, building emotional walls for her own self-preservation and the pain it created was almost more than he could bear. For the hundredth time that night, he damned the circumstances that had led to this scenario, even as he admitted that it was proving successful.

He took note of the time, grimacing slightly as he realised that it was after midnight. Madeline would be displeased that he was late. He had no doubt that she would still be in the Tower, patiently awaiting his arrival. He also had no doubt that she was not looking forward to it, her reluctance matching his own. Sighing deeply, Paul pressed the intercom button, informing Birkoff that he was leaving for the night and was not to be disturbed. Ending the conversation, Paul made his way to the Tower.

************

He entered the Tower silently and was surprised to find no sign of Madeline. Observing the empty wine glass on the table near the fireplace, he made his way slowly to the bedroom. Standing in the doorway, a soft glow from the small bedside lamp enabled him to see that Madeline was in the bed and fast asleep. He quietly made his way to the side of the bed, content to just stand and watch her. She was lying on her side, her hands resting under her face and looked so beautiful, so peaceful, that he was reluctant to wake her. As he continued to gaze at her, he became aware of the faint shadows under her eyes, and the small lines of strain surrounding her lips, indicating how exhausted she was. The pit in his stomach opened up again as guilt added another layer. His lips firmed as he came to a decision. As quietly as he entered the bedroom, Paul exited just as quietly as he made his way to the computer panel in the other room.

'George be damned', he thought as he quickly entered a sequence of commands that would temporarily disable the surveillance cameras in the Tower. Although he was no expert, Paul had enough computer knowledge to make the loss of signal appear to be a technical fault. The cameras would be disabled for at least 6 hours. Not much time, but long enough he hoped. Tonight he wanted to try and have a moment with Madeline without the prying eyes of Section and of George, observing them. He knew that in order to continue they needed to be able to remember their true selves, if just for one night.

Once again, he silently made his way back to the bedroom. As quietly as possible he removed his clothes, leaving them in a pile upon the floor. Lifting the bed covers he got into bed, all the while keeping his eyes on Madeline. Easing his body slowly towards her, he reached out and gently caressed her back. Madeline made a small murmur of contentment in her sleep and rolled over towards him, snuggling herself into his side. Looking down at her, Paul was surprised to note that she hadn't awoken, but was in fact deeply asleep, a small smile crossing her lips. Pulling her tightly against him, Paul was happy to just hold her in his arms. It had been too long, far too long. Placing a light kiss upon the top of Madeline's head, he breathed in her scent. Sighing softly in his own contentment, Paul drifted off to sleep cradling her in his arms.

************

Madeline was dreaming. In her mind, she was lying in Paul's arms. The warmth of his body giving her a sense of security, and she felt loved and cherished. She yearned for the tenderness of his touch, wanted him to see the love she had for him and know that it was returned. The dream was so real that she could smell his aftershave. It was tantalising her senses, awakening her desires. Lifting her hand, she imagined running her fingers down his chest...

Startled, Madeline awoke to find she was staring into Paul's brilliant blue eyes. For a brief moment she continued to just gaze at him, a small smile almost crossing her lips until she remembered where she was. She pulled back quickly, jerking herself out of the warmth and comfort of his arms, all the while staring at him. Paul reached out his hand to tenderly stroke her face, his eyes reflecting the pain her movements caused him.

Gazing at her, he quietly whispered, "It's alright, I've temporarily deactivated the security system in this room. We have at least another 2 and a half hours until the problem is corrected and it returns."

Madeline continued to stare at him, as she frostily replied, "Was that wise? It wouldn't do for George to get suspicious at this stage. Too much is at stake."

Sighing deeply, Paul continued, " Madeline, I need this tonight. I need it to be just us. I don't think I can continue with this profile. It hurts too much. Both of us are becoming what we are playing, we're tearing each other apart. And I can't stand it. I don't want to keep hurting you this way. I don't want to lose you, and I feel like I am."

"Paul, we knew the risks when we started this. We knew it would be hard and that it may possibly put a strain on us, but we both agreed that this was the only course of action." Despite her own growing need to return to his arms, she forced her body to remain rigid, " We need to focus on the end result. Once this is over, George will no longer be a threat. And we will control Section."

Paul pushed himself into a sitting position, running his hands through his hair in frustration, "I know what the end result will be, and how close we are. It's been weeks since we've been able to talk unobserved. Can you honestly lie there and tell me that what we've been doing since then hasn't affected you? That you don't feel the same as I do? That it doesn't hurt when I treat you like a whore?"

He turned towards her, sorrow evident on his face as he continued, "I love you Madeline. I just wanted a few hours to show you how much. To remind us both of who we really are. Is that so hard to understand? Why can't you just accept it?" Paul reached out his hand to gently caress her face once again, "But you can't accept it, can you? That's why we work so well together. I always act emotionally, while you are the voice of reason. Keeping your emotions tightly inside, where nothing can hurt you. I guess I just wanted to make sure that we are going to be alright." He bitterly added, "My emotions got the better of me again."

Madeline gazed at him, trying to keep her own emotions from being reflected in her eyes. The desire to reach out to him so strong that denying it was causing a physical ache throughout her body. She swallowed convulsively before replying, "Paul I assure you that while I may not show my emotions as easily as you, I feel some things quite deeply. I don't like this any more than you do. It hurts. Believe me it hurts. But I will not let that interfere with this mission."

Looking away from him, she raised her arm up to cover her eyes as she softly added, " And I don't like being treated like a whore. Not by you. It does hurt, so much. It's bringing back too many memories and I don't want to feel this way." She turned back to look at him once again and Paul's breath caught in his throat. Madeline's eyes reflected all the pain and heartache that she was experiencing. Emotions normally well hidden had pushed past her barricade and she was unable to hide them from him.

He could see that she was waging a battle within herself, trying to decide her next course of action.

Madeline continued to watch him, the desire to throw herself in his arms growing with every passing minute. He was right. They were tearing each other apart. The realisation that she was just as worried about their relationship as Paul suddenly occurred. That's why she was having so much trouble continuing. She was at a loss to explain why this had happened, why now, but in the end it didn't really matter. The point was that it had. They needed to reassure themselves that they would survive intact when endgame was achieved. And she was wasting precious time analysing.

"It seems that you may be right. Perhaps we should take a little time to be ourselves. I..." she swallowed again, "I'm finding this scenario a little disturbing myself." A small laugh escaped, "A lot disturbing actually."

Paul reached out and pulled Madeline into his embrace, wrapping his arms tightly around her. She clung to him just as tightly, relishing the fact that he was holding her so tenderly. For the moment both were content, cherishing each other's touch. It felt so good to hold each other, it had been far too long and who knew when they would be able to do so again.

Eventually their bodies' proximity caused other desires to return. Paul found himself hungry for more as he lightly caressed Madeline's back. He ran his fingers softly down her spine and she shuddered slightly in reaction to his touch, his warmth creating anticipation in her own body. Pushing herself up slightly, Madeline raised her head to once again look at Paul's face as she moved closer to plant a light kiss upon his lips. She smiled at him and was pleased to see it answered as she began to kiss his face lightly, moving to his lips, his cheeks, his eyelids, coming back to his mouth to continue with a series of kisses. Each one growing longer and with increasing pressure as her desire grew. Her tongue eased out to slowly lick around his lips, darting into his mouth to tease.

Wrapping his arms tightly around her body once again, Paul growled roughly in his throat as he rolled them over until she was resting underneath him. He lowered his head to capture her mouth in a ferocious kiss, his tongue slipping between her parted lips to rub against hers. He continued to plunder her mouth as he felt her hands lightly rubbing his back, stopping to pull him closer and deepen their kiss. Breathless, he pulled his mouth from hers to gaze down into her eyes, panting softly "I love you". He smiled at her response, "I should hope so".

Lowering his head once more, Paul nuzzled his way along her throat to lightly nip her ear lobe, and then sucked it softly. Madeline threw back her head, giving him greater access. Releasing her lobe, he returned to her throat, alternatively nipping and sucking back towards her lips. Once there, he planted one more ferocious kiss upon her mouth and then started to lick and nuzzle his way down her chest. He brought his hands into play, rubbing his palms across her taut nipples as he slowly made his way towards her right breast. Her body quivered in anticipation as her passion quickly escalated. It had been too long since she'd had this much tenderness from him.

Groaning softly, Madeline tangled her fingers in his hair in a vain attempt to guide him, her body demanding his mouth upon her to ease her torment. Smiling softly, Paul refused to be rushed and lifted his head to look into her eyes as he continued to softly caress her breasts, his thumbs lightly teasing her nipples. His own eyes twinkled as he watched hers darken as her desire grew. She stifled another groan, her voice husky, "Paul..." He continued to watch her face as he once again lowered his head and clamped his mouth around her breast, sucking hard. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as he continued to suckle, his tongue flicking rapidly across her nipple. Releasing his mouth, Paul moved to her other breast, giving it the same undivided attention. He trailed his hand down her body to gently stroke the outer lips of her sex, his thumb massaging her bud.

Madeline's hips rose from the bed, in an endeavour to push his hand harder against her. She was unable to stop herself from moaning with pleasure as he increased the pressure of his thumb. Paul also increased the pressure of his mouth upon her breast as he gently slipped two fingers into her, all the while continuing to massage her bud. The combination of his mouth and hands upon her body finally pushed Madeline over the edge. Her body became rigid them started to tremble and convulse as she found her release. He continued to gently suckle her breast and stroke her sex until the trembling ceased and she lay spent, panting softly.

With shaking hands, Madeline stroked Paul's face gently, then pulled him from her chest to softly kiss his lips. Her eyes gazed into his, and she was unable to hide the love that she felt. She moved her hands down to his shoulders, and with a quick movement rolled him on his back to lean over him. Lowering her head, she once again captured his lips in a ferocious kiss, her tongue thrusting into his mouth to rub and stroke against his. Reaching down with her right hand, she ran her fingers slowly down his hardened erection. She continued to kiss him fiercely as she straddled his hips and lowered herself upon his length. Releasing his lips, Madeline groaned and rested her head in the crook of Paul's neck when she had taken as much of his erection as possible.

Pushing slightly with his hands, Paul raised himself into a sitting position, wrapping his arms tightly around her body to hold her close. She wrapped her own arms around his shoulders for support as she slowly started to move herself up and down his length, her internal muscles clenching as waves of pleasure assaulted her body. He moved his hands down to her hips to hold her steady as his own hips rose to meet her powerful downward thrusts. Moving his head slightly he kissed the side of her neck, as he brought a hand down between them to roughly massage her bud. The speed of her thrusts increased as Madeline once more found release, her internal muscles spasming around his erection. Paul's cry was muffled against her neck as he thrust deeply three more times and then found his own release sending his seed deep into her body. He tenderly nibbled at her throat as a feeling of complete peace settled upon him.

Completely spent, they continued to hold each other tightly as they both struggled to regain their breath, neither one willing to let the other one go. Eventually, Paul lowered himself back down to rest on the pillows, bringing Madeline with him. He reached down with his hand and grabbed the sheet and pulled it over them. Madeline half-draped herself over his body as she settled herself in his arms, wanting to be as close as possible, and Paul wrapped his arms around her to hold her just as closely. But time was running out, and the surveillance cameras would soon be back online.

Running her fingers across his chest, Madeline softly asked "How much longer until the cameras are back?" Shifting his head slightly to the left, he glanced quickly at the clock, regret evident in his voice as he replied "45 minutes". He sighed softly. "I suppose that we should start preparing ourselves." She raised herself slightly, to lightly kiss his lips, her hand continuing to softly rub his chest.

"Thank you Paul." She smiled down at him as he raised his hand to gently stroke her face, his fingers trailing down to rub softly against a faint bruise at her throat. " I've managed to leave a mark on you, Madeline. I'm sorry." Settling down in his arms again for the last few tender moments, she replied, "Don't be sorry. I'm sure we can use it"

They continued to hold each other tightly, each alone with their own thoughts, knowing that the final act of their play was minutes away from resuming. Reality was about to intrude. It always did. But they were ready for it.

END!

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