Samuel Edwards - Neptune

‘A small refill, please. Keep it on the light side. I want to know what I’m doing. And why.’

He remained silent until he handed her the glass again. ‘How do I figure in all this?’

‘Because you and I are in the same boat. We’re trapped. As completely as the dead Russians in that submarine are trapped. I’d give anything to get out, and I’ve seen the same signs in you. But what good would it do to resign? My skirts will never be clean.’

‘You’ve to live one day at a time,’ Porter told her.

Adrienne became indignant. ‘Rubbish. And you know it!’

‘Have you found a better way?’

‘I’m searching.’ She hesitated. I’m not strong enough to make the break alone. Neither are you—-’

‘Who says I’m not?’

‘I do. If you had the courage you’d have done it long ago.’ Adrienne cocked her head and looked him up and down. ‘It’s far too soon to say we could leave together. And make it stick. But the possibility is worth exploring.’

Porter hooked his thumbs in his belt. ‘Why me?’

Laughter appeared in her eyes, together with something he couldn’t define.

He liked to believe he understood women, and became annoyed.

‘You’re very bright,’ Adrienne said. ‘But less clever than I thought. I’m glad.’

‘I’m just stupid enough not to know what in hell you’re talking about!’

‘You asked about us.’ Her voice dropped to a husky whisper. ‘Well, I’m ready to deliver,’ she said, and began to open a long row of tiny buttons.

Porter had always claimed he preferred sex without sentiment, but her approach was so matter of fact that he was startled. ‘Not so fast,’

‘If you’ve changed your mind, say so.’ She continued to undo the buttons.

‘You know damned well I haven’t!’

‘Okay, you want me. I’ve decided I want you, too. So we do something about it.’

He could not fathom her mood, much less her direct approach, and he hesitated.

Adrienne stepped out of the negligee and stood before him in the nude.

Her figure was perfect and she was his for the taking, but the mocking expression in her eyes halted him.

‘Well?’ she demanded. ‘Put up or shut up.’

Porter realized she was challenging him, precisely as she had been doing vocationally from the moment they had first seen each other. He grinned at her and undressed slowly. ‘No karate, no judo, and no broken bones, okay?’

‘Agreed.’ She drifted to the nearer bed, stretched out on it and, using her own brand of necromancy, managed to look very fragile, very feminine.

The element of surprise was of paramount importance in hand-to-hand combat, and Porter expected her to struggle violently, but Adrienne surprised him by remaining totally passive as he took her in his arms.

Her lips parted for his kiss, and she was unmoving as he caressed her. Only the hardening of her nipples as he played with her firm, high breasts told him she was responsive to his touch. Her eyes were closed and her face was impassive as she allowed him to do as he pleased.

Gradually he became aware of her purpose: this was the ultimate challenge. Obviously she had used sex as a weapon too often to be aroused by casual lovemaking, and she was daring him to excite her. She was forcing him to accept her battleground, and he was pitting his masculinity against her far more subtle femininity.

Porter deliberately slowed his pace. Now that he understood the rules he would play the game accordingly, and his caresses became gentle, less demanding.

He could tell that Adrienne sensed the change in him, even though she was still seemingly indifferent.

Taking his time, he kissed her neck and breasts, gradually moving down the length of her body to her feet, then starting upwards again and burying his face between her legs.

All at once she came to life, flipping him on to his back and mounting him. Her eyes were feverish, her lips were parted and she was determined to take command.

It would have been easy to allow her to dominate, but that would be an admission of defeat, so he rolled her over and assumed the superior position.

They struggled in earnest now, their erotic desire soaring, and finally, without saying a word, they achieved a compromise, slipping into a position on their sides. Unable to hold off any longer, they reached a climax together.

They rested in silence for a long time, and Porter was astonished to discover that, although he could not claim to have mastered this extraordinary girl, he felt a tenderness towards her that was unique. He reached out to stroke her, opened his eyes and discovered that she was looking at him.

Adrienne’s eyes were shining.

Porter searched for words that would express his feelings. ‘You’re okay,’ he said lamely.

‘You’re more than that,’ Adrienne said. ‘You’re stronger than I am, and you know the same wrestling tricks, so you could have pinned me down. But you thought of my pleasure ahead of your own, and frankly, Porter – you astonish me.’

He was too flustered to reply, and at the same time felt something remarkably akin to sentiment, which was all the more disconcerting in a man who was proud of his ability to handle any situation.

Adrienne snuggled close to him, her body pressing against his. ‘Next time,’ she murmured, ‘it will be even better.’

He made an attempt to collect his thoughts before he replied. ‘I hope you realize,’ he said, ‘there’s no place for love in my life. I’ve ruled it out.’

‘Of course, darling.’ She was demure, almost innocent. ‘So have I. So there’s no chance that complications will develop for either of us.’

Porter and Richards flew to San Diego in one of the industrialist’s small jets, with Richards himself at the controls. They landed on the grounds of the Naval Base, and a waiting limousine took them to an isolated corner where Porter saw a large, three-storey building of red brick. The place was surrounded by an electrified fence of steel mesh, topped by a deep roll of barbed wire, Marine guards armed with automatic rifles patrolled the outside of the perimeter and others manned watch-towers at each of the four corners.

They left the car outside the gate, and a lieutenant-commander, a pistol on his hip, examined the credentials of the pair at length before making a telephone call to confirm their identities. Then two Marines were assigned to escort the visitors to the building, and there the elaborate security check was repeated.

Porter noted with approval that closed-circuit television cameras were trained on them, too.

A captain from the Office of Naval Intelligence finally appeared and granted the pair permission to enter. The entire procedure had lasted more than a half-hour.

‘Well?’ Richards asked as the captain conducted them down a broad, sound-proof corridor,

‘The best security I’ve ever seen,’ Porter said, ‘although an enemy could land a helicopter on the roof.’

‘I think not, sir,’ the captain said. ‘We have anti-aircraft gunners stationed there at all times.’

After walking the better part of the way around the interior of the building they came to a steel door, where still another officer turned a set of combination tumblers. The captain opened one lock with a key, and Richards produced a key for another. At last the heavy door could be opened.

‘I’ll take charge inside,’ Franklin Richards said. ‘Come for us in an hour.’

The steel door closed.

Porter followed the industrialist down a narrow hall, and then they climbed a steep flight of steps, coming at last to an observation platform overlooking a water tank with glass sides that was at least thirty feet deep, eighty feet long and perhaps fifty feet wide. At first glance it resembled a mammoth fish tank.