Just This Once Page 2

  One drink with an incredibly handsome man would be a fair reward for today’s success. Nothing else would come of it, of course, but for the most part, whatever part she was playing, whatever name she was using, Sienna enjoyed living in the moment.

  Two

  The man led her across a walkway toward the row of restaurants and bars, still holding her arm. “Do you have a preference?” he asked as they reached the other side of the road.

  Sienna looked along the row, trying to figure out which establishment would be the most crowded and noisy. She wanted to keep their conversation as limited as possible.

  “How about that one?” Sienna gestured at a well-known and popular chain restaurant that specialized in exotic cocktails and finger foods.

  A frown flashed over her companion’s face, but he quickly wiped it away and replaced it with the smooth smile he had been wearing earlier. He nodded and then, still holding her arm, he guided her to the entrance of the restaurant.

  As Sienna had hoped, the dark room was full of noise, flashing lights and bodies. An artificial smoke machine pumped out noxious clouds that replicated the smoke filled rooms of old. Smoking of any kind had been banned since 2050, but for some reason some people still liked to spend their evenings surrounded by blue gray haze. As her new friend tried to catch a staff member’s eye to inquire about a table, Sienna studied the clientele.

  They were all young, probably younger than her, or at least they appeared to be. For the most part they all seemed to working hard at getting drunk. Sienna checked her watch. It was only seven in the evening. Most of these people wouldn’t be capable of standing by ten.

  Her companion caught her eye and shrugged. It seemed that he couldn’t get anyone’s attention. Neither of them was sure whether they should simply fight their way through the crowd to try to find a table or if they were supposed to wait for a member of the staff to seat them. After a moment, Sienna decided to take pity on her handsome new friend and she pulled him back outside.

  “Let’s try that one,” he pointed to a restaurant further down the street, in a darkened area of the strip. A garish neon sign flashed an unfamiliar name. For some reason, small and locally owned establishments were never as busy as the large chain places. They walked into a very dimly lit bar area where only a tiny handful of regulars were seated. The man behind the bar looked away from the video screen, where teams of men were chasing a ball around, and shouted a greeting.

  “You after food?” he asked.

  “Are we?” the dark-haired man asked Sienna.

  Sienna suddenly realized that she was starving. She had missed her typical lunch bar because of the briefing and traveling. She looked around again at the dark and dingy interior and reluctantly nodded yes.

  “Tables in the back for food.” The bartender shouted over his shoulder, his attention once again directed toward the screen.

  Sienna and her companion walked through a door marked “Restaurant” and found themselves in a small, dark and slightly grubby room containing no more than ten tables. It was completely empty and Sienna nearly laughed at the sudden strangeness of the situation.

  She forced herself to relax. If her companion was anything other than what he appeared, she could have backup here with the push of single button. This was a straightforward and simple mission. She wasn’t deep undercover. Besides, the conclusion to this mission was a foregone one, even if the exact means to the necessary end were still being worked out. This was probably one of the easiest jobs she’d undertaken in years. She knew she could afford to relax and enjoy an evening out without jeopardizing her mission.

  She looked over at her companion and smiled. The man made a performance out of studying the tiny room. He looked around and then back at Sienna.

  “Hmm, table for two, did you say?” he teased, looking around again as if struggling to find something appropriate. “Well,” he said finally, “how about that one over there?” he indicated a small table for two in the corner.

  Sienna grinned. “Yes, we’d better sit at a table for two in case it gets busy later.”

  They both laughed as they walked to the table. Sienna was quick to sit with her back to the wall, facing into the room. It was habit more than necessity in this instance.

  “I’m Alexander Knight, by the way.” Her companion introduced himself, offering a hand. “Everyone calls me Alex.”

  Sienna took it and released it quickly, his casual touch reminding her of the powerful attraction she felt toward him. “Sienna Madison.”

  “Sienna? That’s a lovely name. Were you named after the actress that won the Academy Award in 2037 for Meredith’s People and Places?”

  “Wow, you know your old movies,” Sienna grinned. “Mom was an old movie fan,” she added, lying as she easily fell into the backstory that she had created for herself.

  “I love that stuff. I spend hours watching films from the old days. Marilyn Monroe is my favorite. She was a big film star in the 1950s.”

  Sienna smiled and changed the subject. “Do you suppose they have menus?” It had been a while since she had been in a restaurant. Proper food took time and effort, she preferring to use food and drink supplement bars (FADS) as the quick and convenient way to get the necessary nutrition.

  “They probably could dig one out from somewhere if you really want to see it, but if you like pizza, this is some of the best in Pennsylvania.”

  “So you’ve been here before?”

  “Oh, once or twice.”

  Sienna tilted her head and smiled at him. “Are you from Erie, then?”

  “No.”

  The short answer amused her, and she wondered idly whether it was worth bothering to try to find out more.

  “Where are you from? And what do you do?” She tried to keep her questions casual.

  “I travel a lot and I do any number of things,” he answered, grinning at her.

  Sienna studied him. He was trying to act mysterious, she decided, which charmed her. People who really had things to hide rarely acted as if they did. Sienna had an entire life story ready to share if she needed one. None of it would be true, but that scarcely mattered. She would never be seeing Alexander Knight again after tonight. She smiled and brushed a stray hair from her cheek.

  “Order us some pizza, then,” she told him.

  She couldn’t remember if she had ever had pizza before or not. A dim memory of a late night meal in some small town in Wyoming niggled at her. It didn’t matter. Sienna could eat just about anything if circumstances dictated.

  As Alex walked back into the bar area to place their order, Sienna sat back in her chair. Her mind was busy again with plans for the meeting tomorrow. She thought briefly about pulling out her multi-purpose electronic device (M-ped) to check out exactly who Alexander Knight was, but she couldn’t be sure that she would be finished before he returned. If he caught her at it, she would look rude. It didn’t matter, she reminded herself. They were having a meal and then going their separate ways. If he had been even fractionally less attractive she wouldn’t even have agreed to that much.

  He did return very quickly, with a bubbling pitcher of some yellow liquid and two glasses that didn’t look terribly clean.

  “I got us a pitcher of beer,” he told Sienna. “It’s the good old-fashioned kind like they made before the wars. The owner brews it himself in the basement.”

  Sienna raised one perfectly plucked eyebrow but said nothing. Her new friend poured out a glass for each of them. “Cheers.”

  He tapped their glasses together and took a big drink out of his. Sienna slowly lifted her own glass to her lips and took a sip. The bubbles tickled her nose but the taste was only faintly unpleasant. As she put her glass down she felt a bit of a kick as the alcohol made itself known.

  “It is a little strong,” Alex warned. “Since he brews it himself, he makes it with a fairly high alcohol content, much stronger than most commercial alcoholic drinks.”

  As Sienna only drank alcohol when s
he had to for a mission. Now she could already feel the warm sensation of the drug entering her system. She immediately reached into her bag for a tablet to counteract the effects.

  Alex watched silently as she swallowed the normalizing agent. “There goes my chance to get you drunk and take advantage of you,” he teased her with a wicked grin and an exaggerated wink.

  He shook his head as she offered him a tablet. “I don’t get many chances to get drunk with a beautiful woman. I can always spoil it later if I need to,” he told her.

  She dropped the tablets back into her bag.

  “Right, so, beautiful Sienna Madison, tell me all about yourself,” he suggested as he took another sip.

  “What would you like to know?” she asked back, determined to make him work at extracting her fictional life story from her. She was completely in character now and Sienna wouldn’t talk about herself without the right sort of prompting.

  “What were you talking about all that time with Reverend Snow?” Alex’s question was so blunt that it surprised Sienna.

  She paused for a beat and then shook her head in mock sadness. “And here I was thinking you were attracted to my good looks and sparkling personality. Now I find out that you only asked me for a drink so you could ask about my connection with Reverend Snow. I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am.”

  Alex grinned, clearly recognizing her teasing tone. “Believe me when I say that I’m wildly attracted to you.” Sienna could hear nothing but honesty in his words. “I’m just curious what brought you to St. Mary’s and what you found to discuss with the good Reverend.”

  Now Sienna could detect something slightly dishonest in his words and tone. He was more than a little curious about her conversation with Reverend Snow. That curiosity worried Sienna. She sat back in her seat and studied him, wishing now that she had done the computer run on him. It was possible that he was part of the Eco Crimes Task Force, which would complicate things. Likewise, he could work for any number of foreign governments, here on a mission similar to her own.

  He could even be a bounty hunter, seeking a large cash prize. Or he could just be a little bit nosy, asking questions without realizing their importance. She frowned as her mind worked through the possibilities, toying with her drink and sipping slowly to try to mask the pregnant pause. She knew that, when in doubt, it was best to stick to the lie you’d already given.

  “I wanted to talk to him about the church, about the Christian religion,” she spoke softly now, casting her eyes down as if she was embarrassed. “I really would rather not go into it, if you don’t mind.”

  The last bit was almost a challenge, drawing a line that she expected him to avoid crossing. Whether he did or not would tell her how invested he was in Reverend Snow.

  She watched him struggle with what he wanted to say next.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” He looked uncomfortable. Fortunately, the awkwardness was suddenly broken by the arrival of their pizza.

  Sienna looked in amazement as a huge plate was dropped into the middle of their table. The pizza itself was larger than the plate, its thick golden brown crust hanging temptingly over the edges. Rich tomato sauce was barely visible under a generous covering of melted cheese. On half of the pizza, the cheese was further covered in a variety of toppings. Sienna spotted peppers, onions, some sort of meat, mushrooms and a handful of other items that she couldn’t identify.

  “But this is all the real stuff.” Sienna spoke in a hushed tone, wondering if their feast was strictly legal, as she’d already wondered about the beer.

  “Yep,” Alex said around his first bite. “I told you the owner is a twentieth-century nut. He grows a lot of his own stuff and makes everything himself. You won’t believe how much this pizza costs, but it is worth every penny.”

  Sienna carefully removed a slice from the side that was simply cheese and took a cautious bite. The flavors and textures burst into her mouth in a totally unfamiliar way. It had been a long time since she’d eaten anything other than FADS bars, and even longer since she’d eaten real and fresh food. Bars were quick and easy and offered exactly what she needed nutritionally, so she didn’t really understand the point of actual food.

  Now she wasn’t sure that she’d ever eaten anything so full of flavor, and she started to wonder if she’d been missing out. The last pizza she had eaten sprung back into her mind. The flat cardboard-like base had been topped with artificial tomato substitute, cheese-flavored soy protein, and reconstituted peppers. This was a totally different experience altogether.

  “How does he do it and how does he stay in business with so few customers?” Sienna was curious now about the man that was making such amazing and unusual food in this small town.

  “He had a loyal base of customers who come in regularly for the beer. That helps to fund his hobby, which is the food. His parents were the fifth generation to own a pizza restaurant in Erie, and he’s determined to carry on the family tradition in the traditional ways. His grandfather taught him how to grow things and make better things from what he’s grown. Now he is teaching his own children so that they can carry on with it when he is gone.”

  “But why isn’t it packed in here? This is the most amazing food I’ve ever eaten.” Sienna took a second slice and nearly moaned with pleasure at the first bite.

  “It does get busy sometimes, and he sells enough to keep in business, but I guess the people around here prefer the big chains that do instant meals or bars and fancy drinks.”

  Sienna nodded. Alex was probably right. People were always in a hurry and bars and instant food were quick, easy, and nutritionally balanced. Sienna could already feel herself getting full, as her stomach was unaccustomed to real food. She probably wasn’t getting the recommended amounts of all the right nutrients that she needed from this meal, either. She chewed slowly on the thick tender crust from the edge, determined to savor every bite.

  Alex had now finished the half of the pizza with toppings and was eyeing the remaining cheese covered slices hungrily.

  “Go on, have as much as you like.” Sienna laughed at him. “I’m completely full. I’m only finishing this piece because it is so gorgeous.”

  The man took another piece and smiled at her. “I guess that you don’t eat real food very often, if only two slices have filled you up.”

  “I don’t, really,” Sienna agreed easily, wiping her fingers on a napkin.

  “You should try it more often.” Alex teased. “No FADS bar in the world tastes this good.”

  Sienna smiled as she washed the pizza down with another sip of beer. “If I could get this pizza where I live, I would definitely have it once in a while.”

  Alex was quick to use follow up on her remark. “Where do you live, then? I’m something of a real food obsessive. I probably know where you could get something similar near your home.”

  Sienna smiled while her mind raced. Her cover story was simple enough. Sienna lived and worked in nearby Meadville but had traveled to Erie to see Reverend Snow so that her parents wouldn’t hear about her visiting a church. She was worried, however, that her companion might know Meadville well and be able to trip her up. There hadn’t been enough time for her to do the total research package for this job. It hadn’t seemed necessary, but now she was regretting the lack of time spent in preparation. On this job, time was a luxury she hadn’t had, though. She sipped her drink, and when she spoke it was with total confidence.

  “I just moved to Meadville a short time ago,” she told the man. “My parents chose to retire there and then I was offered a job just outside the city. I don’t know if there are any real food places there or not, but then I can barely find the transport stations at the moment.”

  “I don’t know Meadville at all,” he told her. “I can check with some contacts in that area and let you know, though. You will have to give me your number and I’ll call or message you when I find out what Meadville has to offer.”

  Sienna grinned. He had
worked that into the conversation very smoothly. She, or rather Sienna Madison, was really starting to like this guy.

  “Great,” she agreed easily. Of course Sienna had a number that she could give to the man. He’d never know that it belonged to her agency, rather than to her.

  Alex finished the pizza off completely while Sienna sipped the rest of her glass of beer. He managed to drink the rest of the pitcher of beer as well and Sienna worried briefly that he might be too drunk to get himself home safely. He didn’t seem drunk, however. He seemed exactly the same as he’d been all night.

  “That was delicious,” she remarked as she pushed herself back from her empty plate and glass. “I should be getting home, I suppose.” She rose slowly, and reached into a pocket. “How much for my share?” she asked, pulling out a handful of international credits.

  Her companion looked shocked. “You’re my date tonight,” he insisted. “Dinner is my treat, of course.”

  “What an old-fashioned idea,” Sienna chided him. “You said yourself that the pizza was expensive. You must let me contribute.”

  “I can afford it.” Alex pulled out his wallet. “Really, I insist that you let me pay.” He headed quickly to the bar to pay the bill while Sienna sat back down.

  It wasn’t worth causing a scene by fighting with the man. She didn’t want anyone in Erie to have anything other than the most vague of recollections of her. He could spend all of his money if he wanted to, as long as he didn’t think that he was buying any more of her time. He was back quickly, pocketing his M-ped that had verified the transaction. As he entered the room, Sienna stood up again quickly.

  “Time for me to be off, then,” she told him. “Thank you for a lovely meal, but I have a very busy day tomorrow.”

  Alex looked surprised. “The night is still young. Come on, let’s go somewhere and get better acquainted.”

  Sienna frowned at him as he stepped closer to her and tried to take her arm. “Sorry, but I really do have to go,” she told him firmly, stepping sideways to avoid his touch.