Fashion Is Our Name

Fashion is Our Name - Part 14 - The Road to Prague

Chapter 35 - An Anxious Journey

After a restless sleep on one of the mats with a blanket, my alarm woke me at three-thirty and I put the coffee on as others used the bathroom and dressed in travel clothes. It was a quiet group with thoughts directed inward.

Jeremy and Al and Ben came up the stairs, waving and saying the vans were ready whenever we were. The women struggled into their body armor and jackets. Jeremy got me to one side and said in a low voice, "They found the PA last night. Someone tossed her off the Albert Bridge. Hands and feet tied. A walker fished her out, barely alive. She is in ICU and not able to talk."

The nastiness of what we were about hit me hard. Tom and Anne's father really did have us into something dangerous. A little voice said, "It's time to man up, Adrian. Not a schoolboy frolic anymore."

I chewed on that as we closed the apartment and took our carryout coffee cups down the stairs to the lorries. Leadership stories from textbooks ran through my head. Keep your fears to yourself. Look out for the others. Be positive.

Jeremy and Sharon were taking Nicole and Sally in the first lorry, with Al as the driver. Sing and Anne were with me and Helen in the second lorry, with Ben driving. We had a short brief on the dark curb, rehearsing communications protocol and emergency actions. Stiff, formal and almost military. No smiles and no fashion.

For all of our collective tension, the run down to Folkestone on M20 was routine, as was loading for the train through the tunnel. By the time we exited the tunnel and unloaded, the sun was bright. Ben followed Al out of the Calais terminal and onto A26. We were truly launched on our journey to Prague. The motorway stretched for miles through rolling farmland to the north of Paris. It was hard not to relax and enjoy the ride.

After an hour or so, Al pulled into a rest stop and we parked next to him. Everyone used the facilities and when I came out, Jeremy handed me a piece of paper. "Just arrived from our escort. They have already driven off."

It was directions to a country inn near Heidelberg, about six hours away. Frau Schmidt would be expecting nine guests for dinner and overnight. Just that, no extraneous information for the FION entourage.

Everyone leaned against a bench and sipped thermos coffee nervously. Sally took pictures. Sing and Sharon made a point of jostling me, their hips in play. The other women snickered.

"Adrian, it is a wonderful day and the chances of trouble on this leg of the trip are low. We have good people looking out for us. There is a park ahead that will provide a place for a picnic lunch. We should relax a bit." They carefully applied a kiss, and then all the men were being kissed, with murmurs of appreciation for our protective services.

I said to Anne, with a squeeze of her behind, "Under other circumstances, we could organize a nice party."

She nibbled on my ear and whispered, "Don't think it hasn't gone through our mind. Four men and six women." Sing watched and hissed. Anne pushed her young handsome lover away with a street expletive.

In another hour, we were pulling into an extended parking area, with a large meadow beyond. As I lugged a cooler with lunch toward a shady spot, Sing said quietly, "It has been checked within the last hour." And gave me an elbow in the ribs, "Just to keep you alert."

How was any self-respecting male supposed to deal with flirty women when spooks and demons were about?

Except for the strange garb, which was warm in the sun, we could have been any family group enjoying the beautiful day. Helen sat next to me and massaged the top of my thigh, which had the predictable result.

I took a long drink of my fruit juice, "You will be tortured for that."

"I hope so. If Sing is right, you will have opportunity tonight, in a German country inn, to take care of your women."

"What about the other men?"

"They don't need to know. Your girlfriends can be discreet."

The contradictions on the trip were killing me. Why did we agree to MI5's crazy scheme? If the motivation of our opponents was to scare us off, when would they strike? Or was there a deeper, more convoluted goal involved? I glanced darkly at Sing on the other side of Helen, who returned my gaze with her own fierce look.

I whispered to Helen, "She is going over my knee."

"We all are..."

I lay back with closed eyes, totally frustrated. Then smiled to myself, thinking, as I had previously that the recent graduate needed to be grateful for the attentions of several smart sexy women.

Anne sat on the grass next to me and leaned on my chest. "Adrian, this is complicated."

"Your Nanny is making it worse."

"Your CFO has improper designs on your body."

"Well, either way, the morale of FION is suffering. A little voice is asking me why we agreed to go along with this scheme."

Nicole was now sitting on the far side of Anne and said, "Because you and I dearly want to get to the bottom of all the mystery around Philip."

"You are right, but I wish the effort didn't have to involve our friends in a dangerous mission."

I was now surrounded by six women sitting on the grass, their faces looking at me with everything from frowns to smiles. The other men were at the picnic table, glancing my way occasionally, their looks asking what the kid was up to now. I climbed to my feet and ordered, "Ladies, let's get the party on the road. Dinner in the Black Forest!"

The afternoon, past the historic Alsatian fortress city of Metz and into Germany, was uneventful except for deteriorating weather. The forecast was for rain by evening.

Chapter 36 - An Evening Surprise

The Landgasthof Schneider was actually near the village of Walldorf, south of Heidelberg but close to the motorway. Set back from the road, the expansive grounds provided a buffer from unwelcome attention. Frau Schmidt came out to greet us. Nothing was said, but the warmth of the welcome suggested a familiarity with visits such as ours. The rooms looked out on an interior courtyard filled with greenery. Several young men took charge of the luggage, and we were ushered into a timbered great hall, where tea and stronger beverages were served. Jeremy was conversing rapidly in German with a tall aristocratic gentleman who radiated authority.

After several minutes, he turned to the group, "This is Herr Schneider, great grandson of the founder. He has good news, Amelia has decided to join us here, and travel the rest of the way to Prague in our van. She is expected to arrive soon. Dinner will be at seven-thirty, so you have time to explore and shower."

Anne stood and said, "In honor of the occasion, I think the FION models should properly dress for dinner! We can see what Amelia thinks of our work." As we clapped, I noticed Sally and Sharon looking disappointed and walked over to Anne, saying quietly, "For tonight, don't you think all the women should have a FION dress to wear?"

She looked around and said immediately, "Of course, thank you for telling me." The kiss was on my lips and drew low noises. She took them aside and I watched the three walk toward the vans.

Sing was at my shoulder. "Come along with me, Adrian. Take my arm like a proper escort." We strolled through a pair of tall French doors to a large patio with umbrella tables and a discreet bar. Her hip was warm against mine and I concentrated on pushing male attention toward our high strung and still mysterious Asian martial arts expert. My fingers grazed the curve of her hip and reached through a gap in her blouse. I inquired, "Is this a work encounter, or a bit of play by my teacher?"

"Please show some respect for your elders, young one." There was laughter in her voice as we found a large tree to harbor behind. Before she made a move, my lips were caressing hers, my tongue searching for company.

"I've already said my hand would find your cheeks, are you inciting more violence?"

The kiss went on, my thumb tweaking a protrusion from her breast. She drew in a sharp breath and said, "You are undermining my agent training. I will probably be thrown out when we return. Is there a job for me at FION?"

I pressed her more firmly against the tree and responded, "You already know the answer to that."

"You will kiss me once more and then we will be all work."

I was hard and she could feel it as we held each other tightly. After a long moment, we moved on and she said, "Amelia is coming to brief us. The situation has worsened because of the PA problem, so the calendar is being moved up. The extraction is planned for three days from now."

"We still do not get any details?"

"Anne and Sharon are working on that. Against opposition in MI5, of course."

"Amelia must have a secure phone if we are moving to the end game?"

"Yes. Listen to me. You are smart and tough with all that rugby. Be prepared for anything."

We walked back, sharing a moment with hands together. If I was tough, she was tougher. I'd already told her I was on her team.

When we came down to dinner in the private room, Anne and Amelia were there, standing together, smiling and doing introductions. Helen was on my arm, looking glamorous in her FION cocktail dress, with hair in a bun and makeup to match. Anne got a laugh from introducing Helen as a former Nanny, saying that FION had kidnapped her. Amelia held her hands to both of us, "You make a very handsome couple. I understand Helen is now your CFO? That sounds like a step up from Nanny."

In the laughter, I said, "Both of us would take care of the twins for no pay. They are terrific boys and will be worse and worse trouble."

That got smiles all around. Amelia was taller than Anne, but shared her English good looks. The elegantly tailored suit had diplomat written all over it, and the sharp eyes missed nothing. She stepped closer and said quietly, "Adrian, thank you for looking out for these women and helping with our mission. After dinner, I will have information for everyone. This is a government facility and we can talk freely."

I nodded and she moved gracefully to speak to others. Helen squeezed my hand and whispered, "A spy with style, you think?"

I kissed her ear by way of response and heard a noise behind us. "Caught you!" It was Sally with her smartphone camera. I said to Helen, "She is going to be so red when we finish..."

The carefully enunciated low voice said, "Adrian, do not make idle threats."

Helen and I glanced at each other and quickly caught the photographer's body between ours, fingers searching for tender spots. "Oh, you devils, I am getting so..."

Nicole interrupted, "Stop this nonsense in public!" and poked me hard in the ribs.

It was time to sit down. I noticed a tough looking man in a dark suit speaking to Amelia and then retiring to the back of the room. Anne gestured to me to take the seat next to Amelia, and I held her chair for her.

We were served champagne with a fish appetizer, and after a sip, she said, "Adrian, you are devilishly handsome and I think I understand why FION women have a thing for you. Tell me, are there any openings for new staff?"

On the far side, Anne was openly giggling and I did my best not to blush while finding an appropriate rejoinder to her flirting.

"Your ladyship, we would be honored to have you join us as Director of Foreign Affairs."

Others had heard and it broke up the table. Now Amelia, with her warm English complexion, was blushing. She turned to her niece and said, "Anne, he is everything you said!" To me, she responded, "My assignment in Prague is up in the spring. Will the offer still be good then?"

This time, my voice was very low, "Of course, provided you and your superiors have brought us home safely." Her hand reached for mine under the table, "We have that in mind." The squeeze was warm and we smiled.

The rest of the meal was consumed with talk of the showing at Atelier Irene, one of the favored fashion houses in Prague. Amelia had details and gossip, which Anne was absorbing like a sponge. I realized I was listening to the remarkable synchrony of the British upper classes. Conversations resumed after long interruption without missing a beat. Completing sentences for each other. The discreet enthusiasm was so builtin, it did not seem affected.

A dessert parfait was served, along with a remarkable brandy made from local pear orchards. The staff retired and the doors were closed. There were now two men in dark suits along the wall.

"Friends, I've come this evening to meet you, to thank you, and to provide information about the next part of your trip." Amelia did not need to speak to her position. The crisp tone of voice coming from the impressive body was more than enough. We listened intently.

"Unfortunately, I must return to Prague this evening for an urgent appointment in the morning, so my remarks will be brief. If needed, we will talk again after the show tomorrow."

"I must tell you how impressed I am by FION. Your clothes will have a warm reception from the Czechs. You all look wonderful. I am fearful that Sharon and Sing will shortly be lost to my agency."

I thought to myself that this woman could charm any roomful.

"Now to business. The incident in London with the PA has raised the urgency of our effort to assist in the release of a woman who has been instrumental in aiding our government in the past. Her family and political connections have kept her alive, but she remains under house arrest.

"You may wonder how a government with whom we have good relations could be involved in this way. I can only say that in this part of the world, things are not always what they seem. There are remnants of fascism and communism everywhere in the Balkans. I am not going to mention her real name, but let's call her Galina among ourselves. She has spoken publicly about the need to leave old ways behind and concentrate on an open society with jobs and security for everyone. Those who control money and power consider her a threat.

"She has evaded assassination twice, but was accused in a false lawsuit that placed her on probation provided she retired from public life and submitted to constant surveillance. Our best information is that she is confined to an historic palace building on the outskirts of Zagreb. Occasionally, she is permitted to shop with escorts, who are armed and instructed to kill her at any sign of an escape attempt."

There was total silence in the room. Eyes avoided each other. Bodies shifted about nervously.

"I can see you agree this is a miserable existence for our friend. We have permission from the government to take extreme measures to remove her to safety. Your role is to create a distraction that allows our trained people to immobilize the guards and liberate her. We have arranged a fashion show in one of the restored historic buildings. She will request leave to attend."

We were absorbing that in silence when she closed with, "That is all for this evening. Please concentrate on enjoying your show tomorrow. The vans will leave Prague immediately afterwards, and I will accompany you with more information and details."

Before we recovered, Amelia and the two guards had left the room. Anne rose and said, "My goodness, that was a shock."

She paused and continued, "We've known this might be dangerous, and it certainly sounds that way. But it also sounds like an effort we need to join."

She finished with, "Let's get a good sleep and get on the road early tomorrow."

I was at the doors to the dining room when Sing's voice said in my ear, "Anne and I need to talk to you."

I lagged behind as others climbed an elegant stair to the sleeping floor. A hand in my back guided us down the hall towards the rear of the building. Around the corner, there was a leather sofa facing tall windows through which the moon was shining.

The first thing I thought as I settled down with two deliciously warm bodies pressing next to me was that this was a perfect spot for some romance. The familiar hissing voice said, "Get your mind out of the gutter." I took that as a challenge and bent the firm body over my lap.

"I'm kidnapping you both to my chalet in the forest, where you can be properly entertained."

That earned me two hot kisses. "Adrian, we need to get through this and then the chalet."

I relaxed into the cushion and asked, "We need our own plan B?"

In the dim light, their eyes widened. "Yes. Smart of you to see that."

"We assume the guards allow her to attend?" I asked.

"Yes. But MI5 is probably not giving us the full story. If their plan fails at the critical moment, we need to be able to grab the target and get her into one of the vans and away."

I thought quickly. This was a very free form approach. And very risky. Crazy, in fact.

"You are sure we want to hazard our party? There will be gunfire."

Anne's voice was low and strained. "If things go wrong with MI5, there will be gunfire anyway. We will fill in our plan as we go, and be ready to act if needed."

"The two of you really meant it when you said FION might need to have its own plan, didn't you?"

Low humming. Anne whispered, "We are tough, and we have a several tough guys with us."

Upstairs, I was in my briefs, brushing my teeth, when a parade of bodies joined me, fingers at their lips. Nicole whispered in my ear, "You remember about FION's line of accessories? We are modeling the nighties. Very modern nighties. No touching!"

I turned around. What a sight. Modern meant the hems were no more than six inches below the crotch. Worse, it was obvious that modern meant nothing beneath the silky fabric in pink, yellow, fuchsia and other colors. They were smirking and gazing at the growing bulge in my crotch.

I reached for the lightswitch, and instantly grabbed as many bodies as possible in the darkness. Smothered screams and oaths accompanied our path to the very large bed in the next room. In moments the bodies were beneath sheets, and the flimsy nighties around their necks.

"Stop! You are not to touch!" The giggles were nonstop and releasing tension from the evening's tense moments. I had my teeth on an impressive breast when Sharon sat up and said, "We need to behave. These rooms are all wired. Maybe cameras too."

A hand shot up and pulled her down. "We don't care. Everyone knows he has several girlfriends."

I shushed them and whispered, "I hope you know what this means?"

They stopped wiggling and giggling. "You are FION. I may be the resident male, but we are a team, and teamwork is going to be required before we get home safely. We all need a goodnight kiss and a good sleep."

All the kisses took a while, especially since several bodies did not want to leave my caressing hands on their bare skin. I told them, "The nighties are terrific. Once husbands see them we will be out of stock in minutes."

Voices asked, "Are you really sleeping alone?"

There was only one permissible answer. "Yes, I am not allowing any temptation."

I was sleeping well when a womanly smell reached my nose. And another. Several, in fact. It was pitch black, but a voice said, "This is your wakeup call. Coffee in ten minutes."

I tried to get up, but more than one hand was holding my stiff cock. "We are missing this."

I kissed up the arm of the holder until I reached warm, pouty lips. It was Helen. I might have known. I found a stiff nipple on her front and pinched. "Yes. More. Please."

I dragged us out of the bed and swatted her rear. "Wench!"

"They said I could shower with you, but no sex."

Hot German water beat down on us, but we actually restrained ourselves. She whispered in my ear, "That was nice. What you said last night. We love you."

Drying off, she got a quick, tender kiss. "Yes."

The vans were driving away in just under an hour, which seemed a record for six women and four men. Last night's talk with Amelia had underlined attention to business that was needed. Over the standup breakfast, Anne reminded everyone that the arrangements for Prague had been shortened to just the showing at Atelier Irene. Jeremy explained that there was an alley just behind the Atelier's building, with a dressing room a few yards inside. Both ends of the alley would be protected by armed personnel. There also would be protection inside the building.