”Simon didn’t answer because they were entering the lobby of the Loft. He expected Svetlana to release his arm then, but she didn’t until they w...re at the desk and she was asked to sign in. She gave Simon a meaningful look before doing so and it reminded him that she was undercover for the duration of the current mission. Security would treat her like a visitor, not a colleague.If she’d meant to say more, she decided not to until they were in the elevator. As the car rose, she leaned into him. It was no good though. He was unable to arouse any interest.He held various parties in return and found those more fun because he was not paired off with someone. None of the women he met at these parties appealed to him. Sure, some of them were physically very attractive but they bored him quite quickly. They did not have Rachel's spontaneity or quick sense of humour nor, he sensed, her wisdom. Furthermore, he reckoned that most of them had an ulterior motive: land a moneyed widower.On the. "All right, that'senough," he said calmly, striding over to the machine. "Come overhere and get up on the table." Shana hesitated, her eyes wide."Now!" the Understudy barked. She padded quickly over to the table,and slid up onto its cold, shiny surface, keeping her legs and thighs firmlytogether in an attempt to preserve her modesty. The Usher seemed to be checking the gauges on the machine andconferred momentarily with the Understudy, the two talking in quiet tones.Shana stared at the piston.. “Get your dishes and put them up.” she instructed, pushing me towards the table while letting go of my hair.“This is guard brutality!” I protested, but got my plate and cup anyway.I took it over to the counter and asked the one guard left in the place, “Did you see that shit?”“Shut the fuck up.” she replied, looking up from her phone, “You brought that on yourself.” adding a grin, “Besides, you liked it; I could tell.” and walked away.Ok, maybe I did push her a little. Alright, I might have.