Free England's Assassin by Samantha Saxon

dark deeds which she now contemplated that he found himself walking to the counter to have a look. “That’s wonderful.”
    She was still grinning when Daniel approached and the sight caused him to miscalculate the distance and he bumped the counter with the tip of his atrocious shoe. The top began to wobble and she scooped it up and stared at him, her violet eyes lit with pleasure.
    “Observe what happens to the blue and red lines when the top begins to rotate,” she said, excited to share her new discovery.
    Crossing his forearms on the polished counter, Daniel hunched over prepared to be amazed. But at the moment it was her smile, the contrast between white teeth and raspberry red lips that tempted him to lick the juice from every recess of her luscious little mouth.
    “Uh, spin away,” Daniel said, a bit strained.
    She mimicked the shop keeper’s quick movements, but it took several attempts before she could set the top to spinning.
    “Look,” the lady said delighted, forcing him to quail his basal instincts.
    He dutifully bent his head and smiled genuinely as the colorful swirls appeared to expand then contract to the outer edges of the top, only to do it all over again.
    “Brilliant,” he chuckled, joined by the shop keeper and the beautiful woman to his left.
    Still smiling, Daniel glanced up but as he bent his head to view the top once more he noticed that the striking woman had also placed her forearms on the oak counter. This had the delicious effect of pushing her rather large breasts to the point of bursting from her bodice. And while he preferred a woman’s rounded backside to her rounded bosom, no man could help but admire the lady’s all too feminine curves.
    Including, he realized, the elderly shop keeper.
    With a menacing glare at the lecherous old man, Daniel snatched up the top, causing Mademoiselle Beauvoire to scowl as she uncoiled from her provocative position.
    “I’ll take it, Monsieur Gaulet, and if you would please be so kind as to wrap the top with this.” She passed the shopkeeper a sealed correspondence, her canary yellow reticule dangling from her delicate wrist. “I would be most appreciative.”
    “Of course, Mademoiselle Beauvoire. I assume you would like this gift sent to Honfluer?”
    “ Oui .”
    The man bowed and then went off to wrap the top, leaving Daniel to wonder as to whom would be the recipient of the interesting toy but more importantly… the letter.
    “Mademoiselle Beauvoire?” Daniel raised his brows. “You must come here often.”
    He watched her stiffened slightly and confirmed with a nod. “Oui, quite often.”
    The woman turned away and examined the toy soldiers with such scrutiny that Daniel was sure her lovely violet eyes would cross. She obviously had no intention of revealing the information he had been fishing for, so he reached into his pocket and pulled out his money.
    “How much is the cost?” he asked as the shop keeper emerged from the back.
    The man glanced at Nicole Beauvoire who took the small package and smiled graciously, saying, “Just add the purchase to my account, Monsieur Gaulet. Au revoir.”
    Stepping onto the street, the alluring spy yanked at her gloves and turned on him in anger.
    “We!” she snarled through a charming smile. “Unless, you intend all of Paris to think you my protector, I would prefer you not toss money about as if we were somehow aligned.”
    “My apologies, I suppose it was merely a matter of habit.”
    The lady swept a speculative gaze over the length of him and apparently found him wanting. “I suppose paying for a woman would be habitual with you. However, it is difficult enough working with you tagging along at my heels. I could do without your attracting unnecessary attention.”
    Mademoiselle Beauvoire turned her head to the right, her black hair glistening in the morning sun. Her eyes fixed in the distance and he could see from her pristine profile that she was thinking.
    “As a matter of