For a moment, the office became silent. Even the faint glow from Baltimore's harbour seemed distant compared to the woman pressed against him, her fingers twisted in his coat, her lips parted as she waited for his answer.
Asmodeus stared down at Gretel.
"You understand what you just asked for?"
Gretel's smile trembled with a seductive shimmer.
"I have understood and waited for years."
Her words triggered something deep within him.
His hand caught the back of her neck and pulled her into a kiss, rough enough to steal the breath from her lungs. Gretel moaned into his mouth, her elegant mask breaking as her fingers crept down his chest.
The tray on the desk rattled when her hip struck the edge, and several reports slid to the floor.
