Sofie had firmly rejected Philip's olive branch. She did not need to build trust, all she needed was leverage. It's better to be feared than loved; it yields more consistent results. And with the hidden cameras placed in Philip's suite, coming across the right leverage was only a matter of time. That is, if they worked.
As soon as Sofie arrived back at her car she pulled out her mobile phone to dial up the cameras. Anxiously she stared at the screen, watching the white dial spinning. It was all for nothing if the connection could not be established. She would lose her access to Philip for good. A thought that made her heart flutter nervously, for more than professional reasons. Though she would have never admitted this; as a cold-blooded journalist, she relied on her instincts, facts and technology and would never get side-tracked by emotions. As if to confirm her credibility, the screen came to live.
Music filled the inside of her car. Her phone, the window into Philip's room, relayed Damien Rice's voice singing 'No love, no glory. No hero in her skies'.
Philip was sitting in his armchair; absentmindedly swirling a brandy in his hand. He stared at the couch on which Sofie had just moments ago experienced pure ecstasy.
Log out now and drive home. You've got work to do.
Her thumb hovered over the disconnect button as she tried to push back on the distracting thoughts of his hands weaving their magic across her body.
The cameras are working, god dammit. No need to dwell.
The song continued, 'I can't take my eyes off you', as Sofie watched Philip take a sip of brandy and lean back. He rolled his head to the side; there was a tension in him that Sofie could feel all the way out to the parking lot. He was contemplating something.
Don't go there. Whatever he is thinking is not your problem.
With a sigh Sofie pressed the dial-out button, just as the string instruments in the song started their solo. She had to leave now if she was to make it home in time for Philip's evening engagement.
She was indeed cutting it fine. Slamming the front door shut and kicking off her shoes she logged into the hallway camera, just in time to see Philip walking in. He had changed into a more formal attire. A Black suit, buttoned up to the top, sharp and dashing. He looked exquisite, dressed for the opera or a gala dinner.
Yet all of this splendor was only for the beautiful woman at her side. She was in her forties. An elegant white silk dress flowed over her long legs, and a low cut back revealed her toned body. Philip touched the small of her back, lightly stroking her bare skin as soft piano music played from the bedroom. This scene could not have been more perfect if it was straight out of a romance movie.
Sofie's lips turned into a thin line. She had to concede that they looked absolutely stunning together. And even worse, she recognized the women. It was Ms Hunt, the youngest CEOs to run a $30 billion insurance company. That woman was rich, successful and … not married.
So he plays music for her? He never did that for you! A sore little voice whined in her mind.
So what? With a light shake of her head she reminded herself that this was a job and that Philip's only value to her was being her informant.
Sofie switched over to the second camera in the bedroom.
"How was your…" Philip stopped mid-sentence, looking up to the stereo system. His eyes glared straight at Sofie through the hidden camera. Her heart stopped. Had he spotted the camera? Walking straight towards the camera he reached out.
Oh, No, No, No, No.
But instead of grabbing the camera, his hand reached for the volume dial.
"Sorry, the music was a bit loud... So, how was your royal commission hearing today. Did it go well?" Philip asked, as he poured her a glass of red wine.
"How sweet of you to remember. Yes, very well actually. They came prepared with some hard questions. They were good, I give them that. But I was better." With a triumphant smile she sank onto one end of the couch, while Philip took the other end. "You know we had to bend a rule or two doing business. No one outwits the banks and becomes a fortune 500 company without having a few skeletons in their closet. But they found none of them," she laughed.
Sofie could feel the hook of a new story. The CEO of one of the largest insurance companies in the world just confessed to illegal practices. Philip was a treasure trove, if he only talked to her. Once he talked, she corrected herself.
"We've been doing this for 25 years and our official books are solid. So the only way they would get their hands on evidence is through internal informants. But I tied everyone down good," she grinned as she slipped out of her shoes and placed a beautifully manicured foot on Philip's thigh. "Including you."
He took her foot and started massaging her sole.
"That you have, Ms Hunt," he said, adding in a lower tone, "in more ways than one."
Ms Hunt who had just braved a royal commission, blushed and let out a giggle. How is this possible? What kind of witchcraft is he practicing?
"Let's say we move this along," she breathed, reaching for him.
"You had a hard day today," he said standing up, "how about, I give you a bit of a show."
"Oh, I like the sound of that." She leaned back and took a sip of her wine.
"And I like having the eyes of the woman I desire on me," he smiled while slipping out of his jacket.
Sofie had an even better view than Ms Hut, zooming the camera in on Philip. He unfastened the buttons of his white shirt. One by one. Revealing his muscular torso, as the smooth fabric slipped off his shoulders.
Sofie wanted to run her fingers over his perfectly groomed chest hair. It looked silken, just enough to accentuate his sculpted pecs and form a hint of a line running down to his navel and dropping out of sight at his pants.
Sofie's breath caught. Even hours later, she could smell his scent and feel the ghost of his fingers pleasure her. How could he still have such a command over her body, miles away and while being with another woman.
Suddenly, the monitor cut to white and the speakers emitted a loud rustling noise. Philip was covering the lens with his shirt and ripping the camera off its powersource.
The screen cut to black and Sofie found herself back in her room. Sitting alone in the dark. Still wearing her jacket. In stunned silence, she let sink in what just happened.
He obviously had spotted the camera when he adjusted the volume. The rest had all been an act. For her. But what was his message?
I like having the eyes of the woman I desire on me.
With slightly trembling fingers Sofie logged into the hallway camera, secretly hoping he would evict Ms Hunt.
The woman I desire. Sofie wanted that to be her.
But as the minutes stretched without activity she scolded herself for having even gone there. This was a job, for both of them. Perhaps it turned into a game of equals at some point. But neither of them would let this interfere with what had to be done. Jeopardize their success at work.
Sofie got up from the chair and finally took off her jacket. With one eye on the screen she fixed herself dinner.
She got half way through her cauliflower gratin when Philip re-appeared on the screen. He walked halfway to the door before stopping dead in his track and letting his eyes suspiciously swipe over the hallway furniture.
Not the second camera as well.
"What's wrong?" Ms Hunt's soft voice came from off-screen.
Philip focused back on her, smiling his warm honeydew smile, "Something feels different here," he said almost absentmindedly.
"I'll tell you what's different." Stepping into the scene, she placed her slender hand on his cheek. "You were spectacular tonight." She reached up to him and to pull him into a long kiss.
Sofie's stomach tightened, pushing her dinner away. She had lost all her appetite.
"I didn't think sex with you could get any better," Ms Hunt breathed, "but seeing you lost in ecstasy too adds a whole new dimension. And I really like it. Let's add it to our repertoire. That way you can practice calling me by my name." she laughed, adding with a wink, "though I could get used to being called Sofie, if you make it up to me afterwards like that every time."
Excuse me what was that?. Did she hear that right?
"We'll see about that, Ms Hunt." Philip guided her out the door while placing a small kiss on her shoulder. "For now, I am looking forward to our date in 2 weeks. I've booked Elandra's restaurant for our regular time."
"Actually, Philip, I'm feeling adventurous. I think I want to be seen with you on my arm. After all the bad press, I deserve a bit of self-adulation. You know, having some envious eyes on me. So how about we go to the city instead. There is this new restaurant everyone talks about. At West End out of all places and absolutely ..."
The rest of their conversation was cut off by the door closing behind them.
Sofie disconnected the camera. While it had been enlightening, the whole thing was a bust overall. Ms Hunt was clearly not the leverage she needed to get him talking. But she still had one camera left and a whole register of clients for Philip to go through. Time to call it a night and go to bed.
In the dark of the room, pictures of Philip and Ms Hunt crowded her head. But as she drifted off to sleep, she heard him call her own name as he found his release and a smile crept onto her face.
A persistent buzzing brought her reluctantly back. Her phone on the side table was brightly illuminated. Someone was calling. She groaned annoyed as she groggily reached for the device. But reading the number on the display she was suddenly wide awake. It was the camera's SIM card.
Was Philip calling her?