» ❝just pretending❞

[Cabarette]

xxxxxcurl your upper lip up and let me look a r o u n d

slide your t o n g u e along your bottom lip, then bite downxxxxx

xxxxxand bend your back and ask those h i p s if i can touch

'cause they're the p e r f e c t jumping off pointxxxxx

xxxxxgetting closer to your b u t t e r f l y

____________________________________________________________________

She was a good kisser, too. A very good kisser. Tony, of course, had no objection to the near-passionate kiss. He delighted in the blush that remained stubbornly on her cheeks. He didn't know what he had done to get this lucky, or perhaps who to thank for it, but it was a nice situation. He had looked forward to going under cover, sure, but there were parts he had been less-than-thrilled about. For instance, even though he loved getting to play a part, it was harder to play that part when there were other people involved. The time he had gone under cover with Ziva wasn't so bad; at least she had a very similar attitude towards the whole thing as he did. Ziva had, in general, held the same attitude towards a lot of things as Tony when you got right down to it. It was probably that secretly-shared outlook that led to the team's continued uncertainty over whether or not all the movement under the covers in their hotel room was staged. He didn't plan to divulge the truth any time soon, as it was much more fun to keep people guessing.

Then there was, of course, the time with Jeanne. Under cover for what felt like years, leading the double life of Tony DiNozzo and Tony DeNardo. NCIS agent or professor, take your choice. Everything had been fine (or as fine as things can be when you fall in love with the daughter of your target) until she had sprung a sudden meet-the-parents on him. Then things had unraveled. Her dad knew who he was, it ended up that she found out and wanted nothing to do with him. He couldn't blame her. He wouldn't have wanted anything to do with him, either. He had spent months going back over and over the whole situation, wondering 'what if'. What if he had told her earlier on, what if he had managed to convince her that not everything had been make believe? Would it have made a difference, would he be with her now?

He knew that the answer was 'no', but that didn't stop him from asking. Even if he had decided to settle down with her, someday everything would come to a boil. Her father was a criminal, Tony was a federal agent. There would have been some rather awkward family gatherings.

Well, it didn't matter now. Nadya was a CIA agent, not a civilian who was unlucky enough to be his way to someone else. She was in this for all the same reasons as him. No one could get hurt this time. This time there wouldn't be a Jeanne who had to find out who he really was, or a Jeffrey White whom Tony had no choice but to shoot. God, there was another unpleasant memory. Overall, the case had been pretty clean. All he had to do was keep an eye on Jeffrey until he could meet up with the other guy, Lane, and then report back to NCIS with both of them so they could all retrieve the missing artifacts. Even if Jeffrey had been sort of, y'know, psycho, he had still been nice. He had been a likable guy. If he hadn't held that goddamn knife to Tony's throat, he probably would have lived. Another case of 'what if'. What if he had waited just another minute or two to tell him? Gibbs would have gotten there in time to catch White and they wouldn't have had to deal with a dead body.

After he kissed her, she had let her hand linger on his jaw. That brought him back to the present. The ever-charming grin crossed his face, and he most definitely noticed the sway in her hips as she walked away. She was definitely something.

When she came out and got in the car, Tony smiled again at her greeting. He started up the car, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the street. “We do not have long to rest, Nadya. Dinner is already approaching.” He glanced over at her. She looked tired. Well, not just tired; she looked like she was about to fall asleep right there in the passenger seat. “Are you alright? Have you been sleeping well? If not, I can perhaps find someone to remedy that. I will get you the best doctor there is.” Hopefully she hadn't been having too much trouble sleeping. He could squeeze a lot of perks out of this mission, but he wasn't so sure that a doctor's visit for his not-wife would be one of them. Even if she turned down his offer for a doctor, he didn't really want to depend on someone who was completely sleep-deprived. That just didn't sound very safe at all.

Soon he pulled into the front of the hotel, stepping out of his side of the car and walking around to open Nadya's door. He saw a valet move to open it first, but the warning look on Tony's face was enough to make the young man back away. He handed the valet the keys and opened her door, offering a hand to help her out. Tony looked around, eyes finally settling on a few men that were standing idly by the hotel doors. They were wearing uniforms, but not standing near the valet station. He wasn't sure if they were there to help with baggage or not, but if they weren't, well...They were about to be. “Young men, a little help, please?” Their reaction was close to the valet's: an initial amount of pause and irritation, then a quick glance at his face, and soon completely cooperation. Before he knew it, they were at the trunk of the car, pulling out luggage and loading it on to a cart.

Maybe there was something to this whole 'mafia' thing. If all he had to do was look vaguely threatening to get anything he wanted, it could have its advantages.

“A beautiful hotel, and I have not even seen the inside of it. I feel hopeful that our room will be just as attractive.” She had already seen the inside, of course, so maybe she could confirm his hopes that the government had shelled out for a pretty nice room.

xxxxxxxxxx

[Cabarette]

i gotta get your p r e s e n c exxxxx

l e t ' s make it knownxxxxx

i think you're just so p l e a s a n txxxxx

i would l i k e you for my ownxxxxx

____________________________________________________________________

Cammy hadn't thought much about going back to the real world. She hadn't considered any awkwardness or even closeness that could result from this particular job. Had she thought about it, though, she likely would have come to the conclusion that it would give her more confidence, both in herself and her co-workers. Not just Tim, no, as she had a feeling they would probably run into Tony at some point, and if they did, then it would probably end up that he would be doing a stunningly spectacular job as well. She would know that, no matter what, she could play off of them and keep a convincingly good front going. That was an important thing to know when you are routinely trusting your life in someone's hands.

At his ridiculously cheesy comment, she grinned in much the same way as he had earlier. To someone else, she likely would have come off as a doting wife who thought that he was being incredibly sweet and adorable, but to him, it would hopefully come off as a secretive smile, a suppressed laugh that he had come up with something so absolutely corny. She followed his eyes to the balcony and the same thought occurred to her. It seemed unlikely that anyone would have bothered bugging the balcony. If they talked quietly, it was possible that they could go out there maybe once a day and be Tim and Cammy instead of Leo and Bianca. The only problem was that she didn't know if dropping character would be such a good idea. What if it just made it weirder to switch back in? She wasn't sure. Either way, they would need to check to see if it was bugged before they even considered actually using it.

He kissed her, and Cammy was pleased to find that it was beginning to become more natural for the both of them, it seemed. There was less hesitance behind the kiss this time, and he didn't seem to have too much of a problem with her curling up against him. For a moment, she just enjoyed the warmth. She bet that he was really cuddly in real life, too. She kind of wondered if he actually enjoyed the sheer romantic, lovey part of relationships, rather than purely the sexual. The thought made her grin again. Thinking of anything to do with him and 'sexual' in the same sentence just didn't make sense. Not because she couldn't imagine him ever having sex or anything, but because he just wasn't like that. He was sweet, gentle, and, well, she had to think that he probably thought of it more as “making love”.

That made her grin even more. Hopefully he didn't. Really, really hopefully. She would have to join Tony in teasing him mercilessly if he ever dared to refer to it as 'making love' in front of her.

“The most adorable manner? Well, Leo, I am glad you approve.” She chuckled softly, still playing with and tugging at his shirt. Then he shifted and got up, and there was a moment of uncertainty in Cammy's mind. Had she made him uncomfortable? Were things going to be weird? Her fears were calmed when he just said that he had overestimated the time between her arrival and dinner. Well, that had been a rather pointless minute of worrying. She yawned, sitting up and stretching her arms as far above her head as she possibly could. Her mother had always said that she was worse than any cat when it came to stretching; she had a bad habit of making sure every joint had been popped and every muscle had been awakened before actually moving. Right now, she was kind enough to spare her partner the noise that came with the noises that resulted from popping said joints.

She stood up, walking over to one of her suitcases and opening it, pulling the right dress directly off the top. It had already been decided which dresses she would wear when, and they were laid in her luggage in perfect chronological order, all arranged so that they didn't wrinkle. She felt like a celebrity; she actually got to have 'wardrobe people'. She pulled the dress out and held it up, staring intensely at it for a long moment. Did she want to change in here, or should she go into the bathroom? It didn't seem like the kind of issue that really mattered one way or another; it probably just depended on the couple. In the end, she opted for walking into the bathroom but leaving the doors open. A happy medium. Cammy had planned on changing quickly, if only so that she could enjoy the room a little longer before having to leave it, but she had overestimated her ability to both zip and unzip her own dresses. Cammy normally opted for a nice blouse with slacks or a skirt, so she didn't usually have to deal with these sorts of problems. She fumbled with the zipper of her dress for a minute, finally managing to get it all the way unzipped and allowing it to fall to the floor. The next dress wasn't so going to be so easy.

She stepped into it, sliding the single sleeve up onto her arm and reaching back to try and get the zipper up on this one. Sure enough, this dress was proving to be much more difficult. She sighed in frustration, though it sounded more like a huff, before stepping out of the bathroom and turning her back to her pretend husband. “Bello, this dress is being stubborn. Would you mind...?” Cammy glanced over her shoulder at him, gathering her hair into one hand and pulling it over her shoulder to make it a little easier for him.

xxxxxxxxxx

[x__beteNOIRE]

xxx

╭____________________________________________________╮
you are the ∂ α y ∂ ʀ ε α m in my eyes___
there whenever I ω α к ε up,___
but the colors never c ʀ y s т α ℓ ℓ ι z ε___
&& i can never get ε ɴ σ υ ɢ н___
&& while you к ι s s everybody butм ε ___
i just sit в α c к && ω α т c н___
but on day s σ σ ɴ, i'm gonna ɢ σ ɴ ɴ α grab you___
by the c σ ℓ ℓ α ʀ && к ι s s you all i want!
╰____________________________________________________╯

Snuggling into the comfortable fabric of the seat, Lulu allowed her eyes to rest behind the covering of both her eyelids and aviators until Felicks' voice sent a tremble of pleasure down her spine. Shifting in her seat and then finally turning her head to look at him, she offered a sleepy smile then shook her head to wake herself up. "I just haven't been sleeping well in your absence Felicks," she murmured soothingly and even placed her hand on his leg to reassure him, but made sure that it was closer to his knee so that it wouldn't be considered too naughty. "No matter how cozy that bed may be; it's not as easy to sleep without your warmth beside me." With that, she leaned over to press a kiss to cheek as if to thank him for his concern while also reassure him that it wasn't needed.

Resettling back into her seat, she toyed with the end of the silky dress she had thrown on and moved to grab her bag from the floor as they finally settled at a full stop. Only arching a brow as her husband shot a glare at the valet meant to open her door, she couldn't help the smile that replaced her perplexed expression a few seconds later. Sliding her hand into his grasp, she got to her feet and hooked her arm through his while allowing her head to rest against his shoulder like any adoring wife would do. Several of the males already knew her and now that her absent husband had suddenly arrived they seemed interested, which now she knew that either of the Mafia bosses were paying off many of the employees for extra information on whoever they found suspicious. As soon as they came over, she flashed them a bright smile in thanks and then turned to press herself against her husband.

"Of course, I got the best room with your money," she teased and wrapped both of her arms about his neck before pressing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "There is no time to waste though, we best get inside since you know how being late does always make me very irritated; we won't need to be fashionably late with how we look," she hummed out and took his hand before wrapping her smaller hand around his and promptly tugged him after her while just assuming that the bellhops would end up following them with the bags in tow to the elevator. Ignoring all of the people glancing their way into the lobby, she touched the button that would signal the elevator and looked at the dial, which stated clearly that it was all the way on the top floor.

Realizing that this would be a good opportunity to solidify their relationship to any of the people around that might be looking at them and possibly spying so she decided to show some PDA for their voyeurs. She paused to push her sunglasses on the top of her head, which mussed her hair but she didn't care, and actually pressed her front against his and placed her chin on his shoulder while her arms wrapped about his waist. "You're so comfy and you smell the same," she breathed out against the side of his neck, "I've been sleeping with your shirt on since I've missed your scent so much." Nuzzling at the side side of his neck with the tip of her nose, she paused to take an inhale of his cologne and sighed in contentment.

The announcement of the elevator's arrival caught her attention and she pressed a soft kiss directly beneath his earlobe before pulling back completely just as the doors opened. With a wink, she turned around and began into the empty space then leaned back against the wall of the elevator while her heart immediately began to speed up at the thought of being in this enclosed space. She did a quick run of a prayer in her head, which only happened when there was a possibility she would be stuck in an enclosed space for a while. Scratching the back of her head and playing it off as just attempting to relax, she reopened her eyes and cocked her head to the side as she stared at Felicks in a manner that could be considered lovingly.

"You best make sure not to drink too much; you get too touchy-feely," she stated with a wink and noticed out of the corner of her eye how the bellhop flushed to the roots of his hair. A seductive smile moved across her lips though her eyes were twinkling in amusement and she moved to his side though the magic was broken just as the elevator arrived at the proper floor. "Here we are," she hummed out and sashayed out of the small confined space that made her head spin insanely though she'd been grateful to at least have her husband in there to distract her. Digging out the plastic card from the pocket of her jacket, she swiped it quickly and pushed open the door long enough that her husband would be able to catch it along with the following bellhop.

She'd be in the room enough times, and rooms similar to it since she was often sent on cases like that, that it no longer had that awe inspiring effect on her that might take her husband. "Sladaste I'm going to change," she stated while stripping herself of her cropped leather jacket and began to the where her items had been hung neatly within the wardrobe until she dug out the gorgeous Versace dress that was certain to make her look like a bombshell for the night. With that, she moved into the bathroom though left the door open before stripping down to her undergarments and took the time dress herself, lucky enough that the zipper happened to be on the side. Using several bobby pins that matched her hair color, she pulled her bangs away from her face and formed a sort of hair pump on the top of her head and waited a few seconds to stalk out of the bathroom before finding her shoes and the necklace she figured would be best about her neck. Sliding into her shoes, she easily fastened them, but frowned at the thought of having to clasp it about her neck. "Felicks, I need help with my necklace please."

[x__beteNOIRE]

“YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT FOR TRYING
NEVER DID FEEL THIS WAY BEFORE
NEVER DID GET UP AND WALK THE FLOOR
IF THIS IS LOVE THEN GIVE ME MORE
AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE AND MORE”

There was no doubt that McGee had always been very good at the romancing, sweet aspect of relationships and he knew Tony would call him girly if he ever admitted that he enjoyed it. First kisses, cuddling beneath the sheets, and just holding a pretty girl in his arms that he was crushing on was most certainly on the top of his list though, of course, he did enjoy the other more intimate aspects of relationships as well as any hot blooded person would. Right now though he was just enjoying the way she felt curled against his body and it was definitely relaxing enough for him to just fall asleep, but that would have ruined the whole reason that they were there and that would mean Gibbs chewing out both of their asses.

"Of course I approve, you are the most perfect woman at times I am still surprised that you agreed to marry me," he commented as he shuffled around the room and threw her a smile while his brain kept thinking of how she'd toyed with the front of his shirt. For some reason it'd caused images of an unbidden nature to pop into his mind no matter how endearing and innocent the action had really been though he had hoped he'd made sure not to show that he was a bit uncomfortable. He knew he would have to get over it and he would especially after having to spend time with her at a party where they would have to be in contact with each other during the whole time while being as loving as possible.

Pausing his movements, he turned his head about and watched her stretch with an arched brow and a quirk of a smile upon his lips. Her habit of stretching was an act he could only peg as adorable and he couldn't tear his gaze away until she finally slunk off the bed to change. With a shake of his head and a rumble of quiet laughter within his chest, he laid his tux out on the bed and sighed in relief at finding that there weren't any wrinkles in the expensive fabric. Lifting his head up, he realized that Cammy had left the room and he began to unbutton the cotton of his shirt, which started the process of stripping down.

Moments later, he had stumbled into his pants and had finished buttoning up his new pressed shirt when Cammy stepped out of the bathroom though he didn't bother looking up as he was just beginning to fix his tie. At the sound of her voice, his head snapped up and he blinked in clear shock at how the dress hung on her body without the zipper even finished. His mouth had suddenly run dry and all he could do was nod his head in reply to the question she'd asked as his fingers reached out to grab at the pesky zipper she was speaking of. "I see what you are saying carissima," he murmured and his voice had fallen to a huskier level as his eyes moved over the creamy color of his skin though he mentally slapped himself for behaving in such a way and promptly zipped it up while making sure that no injury came to her skin if it happened to get too close to it.

After he was sure that it was in place, he turned her about and pressed a kiss to her temple while keeping her cradled against himself. "Your dress is ravishing I will not be able to let you out of my sight tonight in fear of you getting kidnapped by another interested male," he teased and pulled back to brush some of her hair behind her ear before winking at her in an encouraging manner. "Now I need to finish getting dressed so I can look up to your standards."

With that, he moved to the full length mirror that happened to be next to the huge wardrobe and began the process of tying his tie in a Windsor knot, which he remembered being told when he was younger that was the best for formal occasions. It only took him a couple of tries to do it since it had been a while since he'd bothered changing using that method of tying and breathed in relief when he finally mastered it again. Throwing on his blazer, he straightened it all out and made sure that no wrinkles were in any part of his clothing before moving over to slide into the same shoes he had worn into the hotel since they matched his tuxedo very well and happened to have just been polished.

Turning back to Cammy, he offered her his hand and a huge smile came over his features. "Should we start going downstairs? I figure we will be a bit early, but that would give us a little bit of time to mingle," he stated and cocked his head to the side. At least if they got down there they'd be able to stake out all of the people if they didn't end up socializing and he thought he'd be interesting if they managed to talk to Tony and his date with their hidden identities. He also kind of hoped that the woman that his friend was with was either a) unattractive or b) a total b***h just so he'd get kicked in the a**, but he doubted either of those things because DiNozzo always got lucky undercover.

After all, he'd gotten to go undercover with Ziva and he figured that must have been pretty easy, but then again there was that time with Jeanne and he knew that had screwed up his sorta friend badly. He was extremely happy that he had at least ended up with Cammy who he knew, at least a bit, and trusted since he had seen what she'd been able to handle herself when they were out on the field along with how she handled herself. He knew that if he had been with someone from CIA, he would have been much more flustered and he did feel more of a sense of relief with her around.

[Cabarette]

xxxxxcurl your upper lip up and let me look a r o u n d

slide your t o n g u e along your bottom lip, then bite downxxxxx

xxxxxand bend your back and ask those h i p s if i can touch

'cause they're the p e r f e c t jumping off pointxxxxx

xxxxxgetting closer to your b u t t e r f l y

____________________________________________________________________

Well, even if Tony somewhat doubted her exact reason for being so tired, there was something believable underneath. Though he himself would not have been worried, many people would have slept more than a little but uneasily when going undercover as part of the Russian mafia. Especially when they were undercover alone. Now that he was here, she had someone for backup, even if it was someone that she didn't know outside of whatever character he chose to play. She placed her hand on his leg and Tony dropped one hand to rest on top of hers, smiling when she kissed him on the cheek. He liked her a little more every time she did something like that; he didn't know how some girls managed it, but the astounding combination of sexy and innocent was always attractive to him, and she was doing it well. A peck on the cheek with a blush followed by an intense, passionate kiss. Shyly crossing her legs and then walking away with her hips swinging dramatically from side to side. He didn't know what whatever-her-real-name-was was like, but he knew that Nadya was his kind of girl.

He wasn't going to let that be on his mind, though. Yes, it was nice to have someone that was attractive or whatever as his partner, but the fact was that he was not here to pick up a girl. He wasn't here to try and charm anyone, especially someone that didn't technically exist. He was here to infiltrate the Russian mob, and it just so happened that the CIA was involved in this mission as well. Although it did seem to be a nice little plus that he didn't actually have to do anything to try to pick her up. He could kiss and touch all he wanted. In fact, the only thing he couldn't do would be actually having sex with her. That was pretty much off-limits. Not that he was so good with the limits thing. Of course, he wasn't planning on bedding her or anything, he was just saying that if she decided she was up for some no-commitments sex, so was he. She was definitely hot enough to warrant a little bit of attention from Tony DiNozzo.

Then again, some people would argue that, by his standards, most females warranted at least a little bit of attention. Or, you know, all females. He was more than willing to flirt with almost anyone, it was the follow-through that he got picky on. That was when it mattered if they were hot or not.

Though he had given stern, almost threatening looks to the valets and young men handling their bags, soon he was smiling and chuckling at her comment. Yes, of course it had been his money that bought the room. Just like it was his money that bought this amazing suit, or the car of his dreams that some valet was about to drive away. God help the poor guy if anything happened to that car. Tony didn't even own it and he would still see that some sort of physical harm came to anyone that even barely scratched the paint on that beautiful automobile. He allowed himself to be tugged inside, watching her with interest. There it was again. She was wrapped all the way around him, smiling and teasing, and then she was pulling him along to the elevator like a little kid at Christmas. He didn't mind so much.

They stood by the elevator and soon she was all over him again. He did not hesitate to reciprocate. When her arms went around his waist, he wrapped his arms all the way around her, though he slid her sunglasses off of her head first. He buried his face in her hair, sighing softly. “Coincidentally, I slept in your shirt as well. It was a little bit tight, though.” He kept a straight face. He always kept a straight face. Hopefully, even though she didn't know him very well, she would know that he was joking. He moved on as though he had never said anything “Likewise, though, I have missed the smell of your hair, and the way it feels to have you in my arms, Nadya.” He leaned in a little further, lowering his voice to that alluring growl that had caught so many unsuspecting ladies. There was just something about that perfect rasp that brought them on in droves. “Though I am enjoying holding you even now, I look forward to being able to hold you tonight, just the two of us, yes?”

He had decided in the past few seconds that, especially since she was exceptionally blush-y at times, he was going to have fun with this. She was his wife, and therefore could offer little objection to whatever he chose to say. If she was really committed to being Nadya, she wouldn't resort to physical violence as so many of his female partners had in the past. He was pretty sure there was a callus on his upper arm where they always decided to slap him for his “playful” comments.

He noticed her discomfort in the elevator, but did not comment on it. Clearly, she did not want him to. Tony was a good study of character, so it wasn't hard for him to figure out the difference between trying to relax and trying to not panic due to being in an enclosed space. He leaned against the back of the elevator next to her, though he was careful to give her space. If she wanted to get closer, she could. If not, she could have her space. He definitely understood the importance of that. He smiled a little bit. “You know me well. I will be sure to keep my drinking to a minimum, dorogoi.” He noted the bellhop in the corner and just grinned. Too many people that didn't understand how unimportant touching was.

That was something that had always been odd about Tony. People seemed to think that touching or flirting was a big deal. Over time, it had sort of started to seem that way to him, only because it was to everyone else, but even when he was a teenager, he was very touch-y. That had led to plenty of female “just friends” getting the wrong idea and blaming it on him, but hey, it wasn't his fault if they routinely read too much into his every action. They thought that just because he would tap them on the shoulder, the thigh if they were sitting down, to get their attention, or just because he would let them snuggle up against his chest, that he had feelings for them, when in reality, they were some of the few girls that he had no desire to go further with at all. Too many friendships had ended this way back then, so he tried to make sure that he only got touch-y when he actually wanted things to go somewhere. Or, y'know, when there was a reason for him to make it seem like things were going to go somewhere.

When they entered the hotel room, a slow grin spread over Tony's face. He nodded absently when she said she was going to change; he was far too busy admiring the room. Though he was careful to keep much of his excitement on the inside, he still looked something like a little kid in a candy shop. They had a mini-bar. A mini-bar. This was going to be the most amazing undercover assignment ever. He was thankful that he didn't have to change clothes, as he was soon far too busy pouring himself a drink and enjoying it thoroughly. Soon, though, she reentered the room, and his mind was yet again focused on one thing and one thing only. That thing was her. Specifically, her dress and the leg that was oh-so-alluringly poking out of it. God, he loved undercover assignments. He loved them so hard. She asked for help with her necklace and he grinned. It wasn't the calm, confident grin of Feliks Petrov. It was the off-center, overly-excited grin of Tony DiNozzo. He didn't care that it was a little hard to disguise that one.

He walked up behind her, taking his sweet time fastening the necklace and allowing his fingers to graze her skin as much as he liked before letting the necklace settle. He turned her around gently, kissing her and wasting no time advancing it to the level of passion she had gone to earlier at the coffee shop. He soon pulled back, though, a small grin on his lips as he hooked his arm around hers and led her out of the room. “To dinner, then, my love.” The elevator ride felt short to him, but he was careful to keep an eye on her for the whole duration. If she needed space or help, he was ready.

They stepped into the dining room, and the smile that had remained on his face got bigger. This was his kind of place.

xxxxxxxxxx

[Cabarette]

i gotta get your p r e s e n c exxxxx

l e t ' s make it knownxxxxx

i think you're just so p l e a s a n txxxxx

i would l i k e you for my ownxxxxx

____________________________________________________________________

Cammy, of course, had not meant anything by toying with the front of his shirt. She certainly hadn't planned to leave some sort of lasting image in his mind. She had simply wanted to appear to be a doting wife, a comfortable couple. It never even entered her mind that it could be thought of in a different way. Then again, she was the one with the images of an unbidden nature flowing through her head as he moved behind her to help with her dress. Had he not said anything, she likely would have been fine and dandy, but the tone of his voice when he spoke to her was enough to make her feel that familiar jolt of, well, unfamiliarity. The husky sound of his voice managed to make her painfully aware of his hand's close proximity to her back, and she felt a strange combination of wanting to kiss him passionately and wanting to change into the most conservative clothing she could find before hiding in a corner. She did not like feeling exposed in any way, shape, or form, and this moment definitely counted as a form of exposure.

As soon as the zipper was at the top of the dress and she was being held, Cammy felt alright again. She smiled when he pressed the kiss to her temple and responded by letting herself lean against him. There. This was much better. She was not wearing heels now, and it suddenly occurred to her just how much taller he was. She usually didn't notice, whether it was because of her footwear or just because she never really got close enough in the first place. It was nice. Him being tall, that is. Her head fit under his chin and his arms could go all the way around her. She felt safe, and that was a good feeling. Especially when she was about to go down to have dinner with a bunch of murderers and crooks. “I would not even let them lay a hand on me, bello.” The wink made her giggle just a little bit, and she sat down on the bed while she watched him fix his tie. “And you always look up to my standards, regardless of what you are wearing.”

When he put on his blazer, she walked over to her shoes and slid them back on. There had been a time in her life when she hated high heels; now they felt like nothing at all. It probably wasn't good that the majority of women in America's feet had adjusted to horrific pain, all just so that their owners' calves and asses could look a little bit nicer. But it was so, so worth it. She glided over to Tim and took his hand and led him out the door. In the elevator, since it was just the two of them, Cammy desperately wanted to take even just one moment to talk to Tim, not Leo. It wasn't worth the risk, though, so she settled for just looking at him with a sort of “well, here goes nothing” expression on her face.

The dining room was, to say the least, exquisite. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and each table was covered with flawless white linen. It was hard for Cammy not to react to this room the way she had the suite, but she knew that to treat every new thing like, well, a new thing would be a bad idea. You could never know who was watching. She moved a little bit closer to Tim, sighing. “It is an impressive room. Imposing, even.” She spoke quietly, fighting the urge to bite her lip while she admired the sparkling china that was arranged on each table. She was just starting to relax and wonder where they were supposed to sit when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She half expected it to be Tony, so a smile was immediately fixed on her face. Things might feel more familiar with both of her teammates around.

Unfortunately, it did not take her long to realize that the hand did not belong to the Super Special Senior Agent. The hand was heavy, hairy, and was gripping her shoulder in a way that made her feel rather uncomfortable. She glanced back to see who it was and felt her stomach jump when she saw. She knew this guy. He was one of the people she had been reviewing for the past few weeks. It was important that she knew who he was; if she didn't, there would be definite suspicion. It was Andre Augelli, one of the top men in charge. She had been a good girl and studied hard. Right now he was smiling in a way that was a little too fake for her liking. He walked around to the front of her, effectively blocking Tim and herself from the rest of the room. Jeez, this guy was huge. And his huge hand was still on her shoulder. “You must be...Hmm...The Giulianos, yes? Leo and...” He did not bother to hide his elevator eyes when he turned to Cammy. “Bianca.” She nodded with a fake smile plastered on her face. His accent was thick, and very obviously authentic. She was glad that she had practiced her accent as much as she had. “Welcome to our convention! We are glad to have you.”

“We are glad to be here. It is an honor, Mr. Augelli.” His hand finally slid off of her shoulder, lingering on her upper arm. As soon as he was no longer touching her, Cammy instinctively leaned against McGee, sliding one arm around his back so she was practically glued to him. She did not like this man, and would rather him not touch her again. Hopefully, if she was wrapped tight in the arms of her husband, he wouldn't. Augelli didn't seem to notice her discomfort, instead he turned to Tim with a wide grin on his face.

“Well, Mr. Giuliano, or may I call you Leo?” He did not wait for a yes or no answer. “Leo, I hope you have a wonderful time at dinner, and I hope just as much to see you more over the next few days!” He let out a loud laugh. Cammy didn't understand why that was funny. With that, Augelli was gone, off greeting and feeling up some other couple. Cammy did not move away from Tim at all; she wasn't clamped on so tight that it looked awkward or prevented movement, just tight enough to hopefully discourage any other handsy old men.

It was only a few more moments before she spotted Tony. She held in a smile, remembering that they were not supposed to know each other. They soon made eye contact and he offered a small nod, making his way over to her with no trace of recognition in his eyes. When he spoke, Cammy had to admit she was impressed with his accent; she had never even heard him practice. “Feliks Petrov. Do I know you?” Cammy shook her head, raising an eyebrow as she did. “Well, that is a shame, and I feel that we should remedy the situation immediately.” A grin she had seen many times before spread over his face, and she soon reciprocated.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Petrov. I am Bianca Giuliano, and this is my husband Leo. You are Russian, no?” He nodded. “And the lovely woman at your side is your wife, no?” She smirked, the eyebrow still raised.

Tony slipped his arm around Lulu's waist, pulling her closer to him. “You have a good eye, Mrs. Giuliano. This is Nadya; she is my pride and joy.” He looked down, and though there had been a flirtatious edge to his interaction with Cammy, his affection seemed genuine when he looked at his partner. Again, Cammy was impressed. He pressed a kiss onto Nadya's lips. While he was doing this, Cammy looked the blonde girl over, smiling a little bit. She was gorgeous; that was fitting.

xxxxxxxxxx

[x__beteNOIRE]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

i don't believe in anything but myself
but then you opened up a door
you opened up a door
now i start to believe in something else
but how do i know if i'll make it through?
how do i know? where's the proof in you?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




Despite her best efforts to remain strictly professional, Lulu was a full blooded woman and couldn't resist sneaking a few glances at her ever so handsome partner. One side of her was extremely grateful for the eye candy she'd be working with, but a smaller part of her was cursing her luck because he was proving as a wonderful distraction. It'd been a couple of months since she'd actually had the chance to be in contact with a ravishing creature of the male species that happened to not be someone she worked with and she'd have to control her urges to allow her hands to wander where her eyes happened to like to examine. The heat that suddenly flooded into her skin broke her from her train of thought combined with the low rumble of her partner's voice against the shell of her ear, but she only nestled closer so he wouldn't notice the evident flush that had come over her flesh.

As what he had said sunk in, she tittered into the side of the neck, which helped to muffle the sound and not bring as much attention to them. "Felicks you're such a liar, she mumbled with clear amusement in her voice. Shifting against the firm plane of his chest, she paused in her movement at hearing the sensual timbre of his voice caused a tremble to go through her frame and her fingers unconsciously clenched against his sides as her frame only leaned more heavily into his. "O-of course you will," she had stammered at the beginning of her sentence, but by the end she had recovered by leaning up to coo into the shell of his ear. She'd even ran her fingernails down his side for good measure before pulling back and knew she'd have to try to keep her guard around him to win the game that they'd started from the moment they'd laid eyes on each other.

The lack of inquiries on her tense state in the elevator certainly made her feel appreciative toward her faux husband since she had no doubt that he'd noticed her immediate change in expression and stance. She had had a hard time not bringing her thumb to her mouth to chew harshly on the side of it as was her dithery habit. Luckily she'd decided to continue with their game and embarrass the hell out of the bellhop, which had made the ride go that much faster and minutes later they were stepping out of the elevator with a girlishly fake giggle falling from her lips in reply to Tony's comment that had made the bellhop almost faint.

The game of cat and mouse that they seemed to be playing was of great entertainment to her and the way her partner was keeping up on her heels made it all the more fun. Flirty was the main adjective her friends used to describe her though it only happened around very attractive males or when it was to her advantage, yet anyway you cut it she was one of the contenders within the system to gain the gold medal for the personification of the adjective flirtatious. Yes, she might have gotten thrown off track when someone threw a comment that floored her, but her ability to rally was quite impressive. This attribute had gotten her into quite a lot of trouble and it was the main reason that most of the friends she had consisted of males rather then females who would automatically assume that her playful habit meant she wanted to steal their possessions more commonly called by their assumed title of "boyfriends". Games were games to her though and she felt that stealing wasn't the same as winning thus she would never seduce a man that was taken.

Fiddling with the skirt of her dress, Lulu frowned at this and briefly pondered if the agent moving to clasp her necklace about her neck happened to have a significant other, but the brush of his callused fingertips against the nape of her neck caused her to quiver just enough to bury those contrite thoughts to the depths of her mind. Offering him a smile of thanks as he finished (though it was slightly exasperated at his prolonged touching), she suddenly felt a bit off-kilter as his lips descended upon her own, but she wasted no time in providing a suitable and certainly pleasurable response by cupping his jaw and leaning against him. Shaking her head at his comment, she hooked her own arm through his and followed him out the door and this time didn't even time to register the fact they'd taken the ride in an elevator since her mind was preoccupied with running possible scenarios of what might happen at the dinner.

As soon as they entered the lavish room, she was at attention and had a pleasant smile plastered on her lips for any who happened to be looking in their direction. Just as she was about to make a comment to Tony, she realized she was being lead to a couple she didn't quite recognize. Her head immediately cocked to the side as her keen slate gray irises to rake over the two of them, but noticed that their posture appeared friendly so figured as of yet they were not a threat, but the main fact that she didn't know who they were despite having been around for a couple of days meant that the couple was more then likely the other members from NCIS.

The female was gorgeous and one could tell just by looking at her that she was very sweet while her partner had an adorable quality that she could only pinpoint as relatable to a teddy bear, which automatically made her deem them as a suitable couple even though they were acting just as herself and Tony was as well. Beaming at the both of them, she leaned her head against her husband's shoulder and acted as any woman in love would by just staring at him as though he was the sweetest person in the world for introducing her in such a way. "Felicks, you must not say that you'll make me blush," she teased and took the time to kiss his cheek after his display of affection was finished.

Turning back, she smiled yet again at Cammy and Tim with genuine pleasure at meeting the both of them. "It is such a pleasure to meet the both of you and I have to say your dress is gorgeous Bianca," she complimented before leaning forward as if to whisper to her, but she made sure that they weren't too close so it would appear as obvious to anyone else, "parla Italiano?" The question was directed at the both of them and her accent had fluidly changed from perfect Russian to that of a perfect Italian. She figured the question was needed because if not they'd have to be recording and she'd be spending tons of time translating later on.

[x__beteNOIRE]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

oh how you laughed at my complete lack of grace.
but I could not recall a more perfect fall
cause when I looked up into your eyes; it didn't hurt at all.
and I thought, be still my heart --
this could be a brand new start, with you.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




As soon as the creamy flesh of Cammy's back was covered, which he was having a hard time attempting to keep out of his mind, he'd skittered back in a somewhat dignified manner to continue suiting up for the long evening. The unbidden image wanted to stay in the forefront though despite his best efforts and it caused him to fumble with his tie more then once until he exhaled heavily to recompose himself. Timothy McGee was nothing if not a gentlemen and would not react like a slobbering dog over meat, over even worse like Anthony DiNozzo, over seeing a flash of flesh. He was a respectful male and even though his peer was attractive; it did not give him the right to think of her on any level other then professional. Staring himself down firmly in the mirror as if reenforcing this thought within his head, he finally turned about to gather his blazer and his faux spouse.

A grin spread across her lips at the sweet words falling from her lips and felt for a moment that they were more true then false despite the fact that they were undercover. "Well thank you carissima," he commented and then allowed her to clasp his hand within her own before they both begin down toward the party that would be bustling with various people that he wasn't really itching to meet. At least he'd be able to have Cammy beside him and there was no doubt that they'd run into Tony as well especially if the agent he was assigned with happened to be attractive because there was no doubt that the senior field agent would be intent on bragging to him.

Glancing over toward the ebony haired female close to his side, he smiled briefly to himself before turning his attention back toward the room that they had just entered after leaving the confines of the elevator. With a quick sweep of his fern hued irises, he took in the elaborate embellishments of the room and couldn't help feeling just as awed as he had felt when he walked into their bedroom, but somehow managed to ensure his jaw was not about to hit the floor since he was supposed to already be used to such refinery. "I completely agree with you on that note," he murmured into the shell of her ear and pulled back to give her a smile meant to be soothing and friendly at the same time though he almost felt that it was more for him then her since she was always so composed. Rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, he moved to lead her into the room more, but was stopped by the sight of a hand on Cammy's dainty shoulder.

A flare of protectiveness that came from the sight of his partner tensing at his side surged through him and he couldn't help how his jaw clenched in reply. Threading his fingers through hers just to let her know he was there for her and wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, he turned his head to the side and stared down the man who had dared to make her uncomfortable, but managed to somehow soften his glare upon realizing that it was none other then Andre Augelli. Getting on his bad side would prove for bad luck and thus he'd have to resist the urge to play the knight in shining armor to the uncomfortable maiden at his side, but he made sure to offer an apologetic yet comforting squeeze to her hand.

Once again he tensed at the boss's wandering gaze and as soon as his grubby hand was off of her shoulder, Tim reeled her in to curl up against his side. "It is a pleasure to be meeting you Mr. Augelli," he stated rather gruffly and idly hoped that the boss wouldn't realize that his voice was lower because he was pissed, but he had a feeling the man was a bit of an idiot and wouldn't be able too. "I look forward to getting to know the great Andre Augelli better," he responded before watching the man leave with his eyes narrowed into a glare, but managed to turn his gaze away once he was a foot or so away as not to be caught by the man himself or onlookers.

"Sorry that you had to deal with that," he murmured and turned to offer her an apologetic half smile. There was no doubt that he had a bit of a hero complex and he did feel that the female folded against his side deserved to be protected despite the fact she could more then clearly look out for herself. He certainly didn't find her helpless since he had seen various times how well she could handle most any situation thrown at her with only minimal help, which was an attribute that he highly respected and thus he didn't want to offend her by offering his protection from a greasy mob boss.

Seconds later, he had noticed that Cammy was out looking off somewhere and lifted his eyes to find that she was staring down none other then the bane of his existence. Frowning briefly, he composed his face into that of vague curiosity as if trying to place the people coming were. He was pleasantly surprised at how well Tony's accent was and before he could resister what the senior field agent was saying; he moved his gaze over the CIA agent beside his frienemy and just blinked in surprise. There was no doubt that she was a knockout especially in that dress, but he felt much the emotion he would upon looking at any painting that was glorified in a museum; it was not the same feeling he got from when he had looked at his partner that night, but he wasn't going to think too hard on that.

"A pleasure to meet you as well," he commented and offered up his own smile before chuckling at Tony's public display of affection, which of course he wasn't surprised about. After reexamining it in his head later he might find it odd that the other male had actually seemed a bit gentle when it came to kissing her rather then just exuding an air of perverse eagerness that he usually did, but right now he was in the present and it was too hard to think of anything besides what was currently going on. "See Bianca? I told you it is perfectly normal to refer to your wife as a husband's pride and joy when it is true," he followed his corny statement with a kiss to her temple that helped to hide his smile at how goofy he had just sounded.

Turning his gaze about when he heard Nadya speak up, he arched his brow in slight shock at how her accent seamlessly morphed from Russian to Italian without even a stutter and he instantly knew she was qualified, which reassured him. He knew that Tony could move quickly on his feet, but it seemed that she had the language area down pat, which meant she also probably knew all of the details when it came to the culture or enough that they would be sailing smoothly. "...Barely," he stated just loud enough for her to hear, "but we will be able to record whenever needed."

[Cabarette]

i just want to take you out and get you drunk
so i can have my wicked way with you
i'm just being honest 'cause i know the other
guys are thinking just the same thing too

____________________________________________________________________

Tony loved women. He loved them a lot, and sometimes he thought that he really just loved everything about them. Then he reminded himself that he did not, in fact, love everything about them, he mostly just loved their physical appearance and the way some of them seemed to happily go to impossible lengths to please him. Right now, there was little else on Tony's mind than the way his two female companions looked, and he wished very deeply that they were one of his pretty young things who would so happily fall into bed with him at his command. Sadly, though, tonight was not going to be one of those nights. No, upon further thought, he likely would not have one of those nights for quite a while, depending on the length of this particular undercover mission. He had considered the possibility of wooing his partner, Nadya, whose real name he did not know, but he knew that it would be a bad idea. Despite the loophole of Nadya and himself not being real coworkers, he knew that rule 12 would definitely still apply to the situation. Sure, there would be a lot of touching that was very, very real, but as far as the act itself, he was out of luck.

Truthfully, though, of the two females with him, Nadya was probably the only one he would sleep with, anyway. It wasn't that Cammy wasn't attractive or anything; Tony thought she was cute enough, and tonight...Well, he had to admit that he never would have imagined she could look that sexy. Normally she was just “cute” or “sweet”. She was like a little sister, which was a relationship he normally did not have with his female partners. With Kate and Ziva both, there had been a certain sexual tension that had always thrilled Tony. With Cammy, that wasn't really there. Sure, he still made all the requisite dirty jokes in her direction and he still harassed her more than enough to make up for the lack of true attraction he felt towards her, but he would have been more likely to give her a noogie and wrestle her for the remote than to actually ever try to make a move on her.

Come to think of it, that was probably why Gibbs had assigned the couples the way he had. Granted, there were other reasons that Tony had already figured out. He was much better with assuming the role of “husband” to a complete stranger, his personality was very compatible with Nadya's (though whether it was Nadya or the pretty blonde playing her that he got along with so well, Tony did not know), he was half-decent at accents, regardless of the nationality...Oh yes, there were reasons. But the number one reason, now that Tony really thought about it, was that Cammy and himself would not be terribly convincing as a couple. They could act the part all they wanted, but even if they were absolutely Oscar-worthy, the chemistry wasn't there. Looking at Cammy and McGee, Tony noted that the chemistry was most definitely present between the two of them, though he had not really noticed it before. Sure, he teased, but he teased about everything. Oh yes, he could see the spark between Cammy and McGee that would provide even more material for teasing as soon as the assignment was over. He might not tease her all that much, but McGee...the way he had reacted to Augelli was material enough. Tony was going to have fun with this.

But alas, that was fodder for another night. Tonight, Tony had other things on his mind. Things that needed to be brought back to the forefront, as he had completely stopped paying attention to the conversation going on around him while he was thinking about his relationship with various partners and pretend-spouses. He tried to remember where he had left off, screwing his face up in a thoughtful expression for a moment before the kiss to his cheek reminded him. Oh yeah; he was meeting the Guilianos and complimenting Nadya. Awesome. He could do this, as long as he managed to pay attention, though sometimes paying attention to conversation was more trouble than it was worth. He chuckled at both Nadya's blush and McGee's, sorry, Mr. Giuliano's subsequent statement to Cammy (sorry again, Mrs. Guiliano.) “Mrs. Giuliano, you deny your husband the opportunity to brag about you? For shame. A man must be able to both show off his wife to those around him when in public and enjoy her thoroughly when it is just the two of them, yes?” There was more than a little bit of suggestion in his tone towards the end of his question, and he noted that Cammy raised a somewhat disapproving eyebrow at him after he said it. She seemed amused as well, though, which was good. That was always the reaction Tony hoped for when he made little comments like that: one part disgust, one part amusement, and one part some emotion that he just couldn't identify. To suggest it might have been “turned on” would be saying too much, but he knew for a fact that the third emotion was somewhere in that particular ballpark. Well...Maybe not “for a fact”, but he hoped so, anyway.

Nadya had leaned in and begun to very quietly discuss language capabilities with his two fellow agents, so Tony leaned in just a little bit as well, only enough to be even with her. He also was a little rusty on his Russian, though he knew enough to get by. Well, he knew enough to perhaps have a simple conversation, but if the person with whom he was speaking got a little too complicated, Tony was completely out of luck. And writing anything at all was just completely out of the question; he had been so busy studying the accent and basic words that he had not thought until this instant about writing anything at all. They used a different alphabet, right? It wasn't a good sign that he didn't even know something that simple. After all, to recognize the alphabet was a certain step towards understanding the written word. Tony grinned. That sentence was pretty fancy; he was proud of it.

He looked up and around the room, studying the people, the seating, and the general attitude of the room. Lots of chatting, though a good amount of it seemed fairly hostile. Already the Russians were taking their seats on one side of the room and the Italians on the other. He frowned briefly, as he had for some reason had it in his head that he would be able to sit with Cammy and McGee. Oh well. This was a minor setback, and one that didn't matter much in the long run. He turned to Nadya, the smile right back on his face. “So sorry to interrupt, my love, but I do believe it is time to take our seats and enjoy the meal, yes?” He turned to McGee and Cammy, offering his hand to McGee. “Such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Giuliano.” He shook his real-life partner's hand, then turned to Cammy. He bent down and laid a rather gentlemanly kiss on her hand, grinning like the cat with the canary when he pulled back. She still had that look on her face that managed to be disgusted, amused, and....damn it, what was that other emotion on her face? “You as well, Mrs. Guiliano.” He turned his head back to Nadya, motioning towards the table he had found with their names on the placecards. “Shall we sit?”

xxxxxxxxxx

[Cabarette]

and i ask him how did he get to be
so sweet and so kind?
"i don't know," he says, "i'm nothing special,
i'm just some guy."

____________________________________________________________________

In another world, Timothy McGee would have completely and totally been Cammy’s type. He was sweet, genuine, funny, smart, and she knew for a fact that he liked both Harry Potter and Doctor Who. Not to mention, she had to say that he was pretty adorable. Then again, she had noticed that he had been losing more and more weight lately, which made him look a little bit less like an adorable teddy bear and a little bit more like…Well, she didn’t know what. But certainly more deserving of adjectives like “hot” and “sexy”. Not that she would ever use those words to describe him. After all, he was her coworker. He was strictly forbidden by rule twelve. She had not been on the team as long as either of her teammates and she did not look at Gibbs’s codes with the same seriousness as McGee and Tony, but she still knew that rule twelve was a fantastic idea. She had a bit of previous experience with inter-office romance, and it did not end well. Interestingly enough, despite the fact that women are expected to be the ones that throw a fit and mess up a perfectly good situation with their bitterness, with Cammy, that had not been the case. She had been very mature and composed about the break up; he had not. In fact, she had walked into her office the day after and found everything that had formally been on her desk was now on the floor and one of her chairs was doused with lighter fluid. Luckily, she had walked in just before he approached her office with a matchbook in hand. Not one of the higher points of her previous job experience, not at all.

Anyway, the point was that in this world, in the world where they were coworkers, McGee was not Cammy’s type. He was as far from her type as humanly possible, and that was what she reminded herself of every time she had another moment where her heart jumped into her throat and her cheeks wanted to flush because of the way they were touching. She just thought over and over about how she, of course, did not have any feelings for him, that he did not have any for her, and that they were playing parts that required them to touch and she needed to be a grown-up about it. This was the first thing on her mind when he threaded his fingers with hers when Augelli was making her feel so uncomfortable, as well as the first thing on her mind when Augelli walked away and he reeled her in to be right up next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling somewhat safer just knowing that she was right up against him. Because he was her coworker, and a damn good agent. That was why she felt safer, of course.

She smiled up at him, shrugging lightly as he apologized for her having to deal with Augelli. She appreciated the sentiment, but she knew that there really wasn’t much he could do to protect her with someone that high up. Hell, if it hadn’t been a situation where she really didn’t have a choice, Cammy would have happily shoved his hand off of her and made some little side comment when he looked at her the way he did. “Don’t worry about it.” She thought briefly about making some gesture of affection, but decided against it considering that moment had really been more Cammy-and-Tim than Bianca-and-Leo.

When Tony and…Well, Cammy figured that she would just be calling her Nadya for the time being. So when Tony and Nadya were standing there again, Cammy felt much more relaxed. She held back a laugh at McGee’s comment, though when she spoke, it was obvious in her voice that she was amused. “Bello, you are…too sweet.” She grinned up at him, raising an eyebrow as though to question his cheesy comment. If he thought he was being sickeningly sweet right now, he had not yet begun to understand Cammy’s powers of pure cheese. This thought was interrupted, however, by Tony adding in a sentiment of his own. Cammy turned to him with her raised eyebrow now, a rather interesting mixture of disgust and amusement on her face. Well, if he wanted to play like that, then she could most certainly play like that. “Mr. Petrov, I can wholeheartedly assure you that dear Leo is able to enjoy me as thoroughly as he would like when it is indeed just the two of us.” Now it was Tony’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Is that so, Mrs. Giuliano?”

Cammy’s feelings towards Tony were not dissimilar to his towards her. Sure, when she started at NCIS, she had been attracted to him. He was an attractive guy. She had even gotten a little bit flustered when he would make his little comments to her or do that thing where he touches pretty young things in just the right way that it’s not suggestive, but still makes their stomach do flips. That had lasted all of about two months. Then she started to view him more as a big brother, someone who she could count on and tease and nothing was really between them. Now she could find it terribly amusing when there was some new girl (read as: all of them) who thought he was all that and a bag of chips. Part of her always wanted to warn them, but she never did. It was much more fun to wait and either a)receive the benefits such as free coffee for the team from a pretty young barista or b)watch as Tony’s life slowly spiraled into mayhem because he had dumped the wrong chick. There had been a few Fatal Attraction-esque cases since Cammy started, and she loved each and every one of them in their own special way.

Though she had been somewhat preoccupied with her brief exchange with Tony, Cammy turned an ear to the conversation between Nadya and Tim. His answer counted for the both of them; she was barely even a little, tiny bit fluent in the language. She could drop words here and there, but for the most part, if someone decided to start speaking in what was supposed to be her native tongue, she was out of luck. Before she was really able to join in, though, Tony had interrupted and was ready to whisk his pretend-wife out of the conversation. It was probably a good idea; to talk too long would draw suspicion. The Russians and Italians acted friendly enough on the surface, but really none of them liked each other much at all. When Tony bent down and kissed her hand, Cammy rolled her eyes, deciding to not even really acknowledge it. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Petrov. Mrs. Petrov, thank you for your earlier compliment. Your dress is a beauty as well.” She turned to McGee, smiling at him in a pleasant way. She felt…calm. That probably wasn’t a good thing. She needed to stay on her toes, to make sure that she didn’t miss anything going on around her. Yet…It was rather nice to allow herself to fall into a false sense of security. For right now, just right now, maybe she really could be Bianca Giuliano instead of Cammy Beckett. “We should find our seats, bello. Unless you have other people to speak with, of course.”

xxxxxxxxxx

[x__beteNOIRE]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

i don't believe in anything but myself
but then you opened up a door
you opened up a door
now i start to believe in something else
but how do i know if i'll make it through?
how do i know? where's the proof in you?
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Felicks seemed very well at completely crushing her composure once she had gotten it back into place and Lulu couldn't help feeling a little impressed despite the fact her stomach was twisting into knots. The sexual comment he made had blood rushing to the surface of her naturally tanned cheeks and she only peered up at him through the lush shield of her eyelashes. As soon as her wits returned mere nanoseconds later, her lips upturned in such a coquettish manner that any onlooker would believe it spoke of promises for when they were later alone. "You'll have to forgive my husband," she announced and leaned into the nook of his body where she seemed to fit perfectly, "he's been away from me and you can easily see what goes around in his head without me there, but he'll have to wait to see if he can gets what he wants." A choked chuckle came from McGee and she could only hide her smile behind her hand as if attempting to appear completely innocent. Shooting her twinkling gaze in his direction, she arched one of her brows and moved to twine their fingers together seamlessly before returning her attention back toward business.

Acting as if she was couple with Felicks was not as difficult as it would have proved to be with Boris and honestly she would have doubted anyone would have thought them a believable couple in the first place. Yes, Boris happened to be nice and gentlemanly, but he was overweight and probably wasn't even that much more attractive before he had put it on during his midlife crisis. There most certainly would have been tons of comments going around that he had either purchased her as one would a mail order bride or he'd gotten her in return for some service to Mikhaylov. More then likely she would have been labeled as a calculating gold digger or a mistress that had happened to taken on his name once the first wife had passed, which neither would have put her in a good light with the crowd of women and horny men would try to seduce her into their beds. Of course, she would have worked through the situation despite the road bumps, but she was much more grateful that NCIS had to intervene.

Just by the way that Leo handled the situation and Bianca's intent eyes, Lulu knew she wouldn't have too many problems with getting information on both sides and it did take considerable stress off her shoulders. It was impossible to be two places at once and thus why the two of them were so valuable to her. Her job depended on finding out who was selling the drugs that were killing people and if the mission didn't go according to plan, no matter who screwed it up, she would end up being at fault. Right now she was only the one here representing the CIA and thus she needed to be on the tips of her toes. Despite that thought running through her mind, she flashed both of them a smile that conveyed the trust she was giving them and then turned her gaze up toward Felicks as he interjected into the conversation.

"Oh I do believe you are right Felicks," she murmured with her neck craned toward the tables and allowed herself to watch the elegantly dressed members of the crime syndicates take their seats. Turning back, an amiable smile stretched across her lips and she leaned forward toward Leo, clasped his hand with her own, and allowed him to press a kiss to either of her cheeks, which she had no doubt was his best attempt to upstage Felicks. Winking at the male, she pulled back and then gently touched Bianca's arm before flashing a smile of farewell. Seconds later, she allowed her faux husband to sweep her away toward their sitting area.

Various eyes turned to rest upon them and without any thought, Lulu stepped close enough that they were face to face with only a sliver of air between them. Dominance needed to be showed toward the hungering females that he was hers and the men would take it to be that she was completely devoted to her husband so that would shoo them off as well. Slender fingers reached up and she gently fixed his tie that had become crooked before she tugged at the end just enough that it wouldn't choke him, but that the movement would cause them to be nose to nose. "I'll have to keep fixing your tie all night," she breathed against his lips before closing the last few centimeters to lay a chaste yet lingering kiss upon his lips before pulling back completely. There was no doubt from the palpable chemistry, which wasn't faked in the least, that she had accomplished the two tasks she'd set out to do with her display. "Now we may sit," she purred and smoothed her skirt though it wouldn't do much as her leg was revealed through the well placed slit.

As soon as they were both seated, a waiter descended upon them asking for their drink orders while another placed the first course in front of them, which consisted of a beautifully made salad that possessed walnuts and dried cranberries. "I'll just have some water," she requested softly and the man nodded before taking Tony's request then skittered off to get both of them. Shooting smiles to those seated directly beside the both of them, she received the same sort of treatment before they turned away without much interest, which worked in her favor perfectly. Leaning forward, she placed her hand gently on Felicks' thigh and pressed her lips against his ear as if to deliver some decadent secret that would make the rest of the room blush.

"Dmitri Mikhaylov is sitting at the head of the table and glaring directly at Augelli. That redhead with the scrunched face? That's his wife and his mistress isn't the room tonight; I'm not sure if Arina knows of her yet." Perhaps Felicks already knew of all of this, but it was best to relate it again to put herself at ease and refresh it within his mind. "Vera shouldn't be that much of a problem to us though so don't worry about her; I doubt she knows much besides what Dmitri likes to do in bed." At that moment, she pulled away just as the waiter returned and flashed her best smile before just allowing her chin to rest on Felicks' shoulder adoringly. All they would have to do was sit through the meal and try to get close to Dmitri before the night was over; she was already on relatively good terms with Arina so it shouldn't be too hard.

[x__beteNOIRE]

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oh how you laughed at my complete lack of grace.
but I could not recall a more perfect fall
cause when I looked up into your eyes; it didn't hurt at all.
and I thought, be still my heart --
this could be a brand new start, with you.
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To be written tomorrow, I'm tired dude. D;