"And what do you want in return?"

Miss Parker glanced almost derisively at the file in Jarod's hand. He looked at her, slightly amused, fueling her anger. Once again he gave her the feeling that she was acting according to the plan that he'd worked out beforehand. It made her mad - he made her mad.

"Jarod...", she growled angrily.

"A... kiss", he responded after what seemed an eternity to her. His answer was the last push she'd needed to venture her anger.

"What?!" she snapped incredulously. "Have you lost your mind?" Only her last bit of self control kept her from shouting at him, though she definitely felt like it. She'd had a terrible day. In fact the whole past week could be described as terrible. And now this. Who the hell did he think he was?

Jarod's smile deepened.

"No need to get angry. I'm not asking much, am I? In every case a lot less than you'd demand if you were in my place."

The pent up emotions of a long, miserable week threatened to break down over Jarod. Somehow Miss Parker managed to keep them contained. The Centre wants him alive - preferably. The words resounded in her memory, and suddenly she realized that Jarod was right. If she'd got any information about his parents she'd use them to lure him back to the Centre. From his point of view he really wasn't asking for much. But from her personal point of view he was asking for more than he could possibly know.

"And if I refuse your... generous offer? What will happen then?" she managed to utter astonishingly calm. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing. Then I'll take this with me again and think about another adequate form of payment."

His choice of words infuriated her. Payment. A sharp retort formed in her mind. I won't sell my body for some piece of information. Especially not to you. But she didn't voice her thoughts. It would have been too hurtful - for him as well as for her.

"Where?" she asked in a voice that didn't seem to be her own. Was she really thinking about accepting his conditions?

For a split second he seemed to be confused.

"What do you mean?"

"The kiss", she explained icily.

"Oh." His grin returned, even more smug than before. "A spot of my choice."

Her pressed lips formed a thin line. Damn, she couldn't let herself get blackmailed! But she couldn't risk losing this information on her mother either.

"So you want me to kiss you?" she reassured herself, buying herself some time to come to a decision.

"No, not really", he responded. "I am going to kiss you."

A slight panic petrofied her for a moment. He wanted - was going to - kiss her. That way she'd lose the last bit of control over the situation. Bastard.

"So, what d'you say?" He made a few steps in her direction. She desperately wished she could refuse him - though she knew that she couldn't. A tiny part of herself knew that the information on her mother wasn't the only reason for her hesitating. During her hunt for Jarod she'd always suppressed that part of herself, but sometimes, for brief instants, it had taken control of her and made her wonder, made her doubt. It let her see how it had been between them and how it could be again.

"You know that this means absolutely nothing", she said in preparation of her defeat. Instead of the triumph she'd expected to see in his dark eyes there was a short flash of relief. What kind of game was he playing with her today? "I'll only do this to get that information." With her words she tried to build the distance between them that she couldn't obtain physically without retreating from him. And she couldn't retreat, not from him. Just like the rabbit in front of the snake, she thought. But who is the snake? The answer to her question was sobering. Up to now she'd always been sure not to have underestimated Jarod, but now she realized her mistake. There were things between them that she'd always refused to see, to recognize. Jarod hadn't, and that was why he was going to win.

"Sure", he answered slowly. The amusement had vanished from his expression. Instead he was watching her closely now, carefully pondering his next move. "So you agree?"

It took a long time until she answered.

"Yes", she finally said, lowly, challengingly.

He nodded. "Good."

Slowly he moved closer to her. Again she fought her feeling of panic. What was she actually worrying about? It was exactly like she had said. This meant absolutely nothing. At most it meant that Jarod had finally lost his mind.

He got closer and closer to her. Her glance drilled into his dark eyes, trying to recognize his motivation. She tried to use her anger as a kind of barrier, keeping any other feeling outside. It didn't work.

"What are you afraid of?" Jarod whispered, suddenly very close to her - much too close.

"I'm not afraid", she contradicted faintly. He didn't buy it.

"You don't have to be afraid", he said ever so gently. "I'd never hurt you."

His words and his dark, soothing voice wrapped her in. But he still made no move to kiss her. Then, suddenly, she felt him taking her hand in his, raising it to his lips. Incredulously she watched him brushing his lips over the back of her hand, so gently that she could hardly feel his touch. For a moment they stayed like that, then he let go of her hand and made two steps back. She saw an amused expression in his eyes but only for an instant then it was replaced by something else, something she'd seen there a long time ago. Something that told her she could trust him and that filled her with a long missed warmth.

Jarod handed her the file, smiling slightly.

"I've got more of this", he let her know. "Just let me know when you're interested in another exchange."

Before she could get over her surprise, he turned and escaped. Just as usual - and yet completely different.


The end?

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© 2001 by Miss Bit