The Russian Seduction Read Online Free PDF Page A

about Kostenko’s eighteen years of naval service. No explanation for why he rocketed through the ranks, despite his Ukrainian ancestry, and despite an apparent relish for bending the rules.”
    “Obviously, he’s a loose cannon whose peccadilloes were overlooked for his father’s sake.” Geoff lent a hand as she struggled into the heavy fur-lined coat.
    In the early days of their relationship, his Old World gentleman’s manners had charmed her. For a moment she was lost, swimming in a sea of painful memories. All those years she’d thought she loved him…
    “And that’s not all,” he continued, clearly unaware of her reaction as usual. “There’s next to nothing in his dossier about the year Kostenko just spent at the Russian Embassy in D.C., did you notice? The boys upstairs can’t get a handle on this chap. And we both know what that means.”
    “He seems a bit flamboyant to be an agent,” she murmured, moving away. A memory seared through her of the captain’s powerhouse build beneath that uniform—not to mention that toe-curling whiff of Beckham. Suddenly, her office felt way too warm.
    “James Bond and Mission Impossible to the contrary,” she finished, “you know yourself that agents tend to be the blandest, most colorless, most blend-in-the-crowd kind of people. But this one—he’s into extreme sports: ice-diving, high-altitude climbing, you name it. A real adventure junkie.”
    “Alexis,” Geoff sighed, with that air of elaborate patience she despised. “Our comrades at Lubyanka have figured out what turns you on, can’t you see that? They’ve created a legend for this fellow, and you’re buying it. Clearly, this so-called date is a clumsy attempt to compromise my new Political Counselor, just the way we compromised their gal last month. You’re playing right into their hands, and I won’t have it.”
    “Don’t be paranoid, Geoff. It’s not a date—and it’s my call to make.” She slipped off her pumps and wiggled into the sexy boots that complemented her conservative pinstriped skirt and jacket. “Look, you said yourself that I need to nail this demarche. As you’ve reminded me so pointedly, the clock is ticking, and this is my chance to prove that I’m worth my salt. I can’t cancel this meeting.”
    When he said nothing, she stifled a sigh. “I’m writing a reporting cable on it tomorrow, for God’s sake. You’ll know every word he says to me.”
    “Oh, come on, Alexis,” he groaned. “Kostenko was their golden boy until his father’s mishap on the V.I. Lenin . Your new boyfriend was the youngest Captain First Rank in their entire navy! And surely you’ve noticed that the man’s wife left him? What does that tell you about his character?”
    “She was the daughter of a former KGB chief, who left him the moment his father’s actions brought Kostenko under scrutiny.” And his wife’s abandonment must have been devastating for him—an event whose outcome, for once, he couldn’t control. In fact, Alexis was beginning to wonder whether the captain’s boundless arrogance might hide a few vulnerabilities of his own. “Our analysts think she left him because the match was no longer politically expedient. They promptly divorced, and now she dances in St. Pete with the Mariinsky Ballet. No kids, a clean break.”
    “That seems rather tidy and convenient, doesn’t it?” he said dryly. “They’ve even gift-wrapped it for you. Merry Christmas.”
    Alexis knew she shouldn’t, but the old bitterness coated her mouth like too-strong coffee. “Maybe she left him for the same reason I left you.”
    “I made a mistake, Alexis. How long are you going to punish me for it?” His remorse sounded genuine, until he brought up the next old grievance. “It’s called being human! You may walk on water, but the rest of us mere mortals slip up from time to time. Barbara never meant a thing to me, not like—”
    “Not like the one before, or the one after?” As she dug out