Diplomacy

wasn’t in this line of work.” Jack brushed a curl away from Lucas’s brow and placed a kiss on the young man’s forehead. “I don’t intend to keep this charade up forever, Luke. I want you to know that.”
    “I know.” Lucas smiled at Jack. “Now you’d better get dressed and go home.”
    “Sick of me already, hey?” Jack teased.
    “Yeah, old man. Go back to your wife. Before she catches on.” Just for a moment, Jack wondered if there was any truth in the statement, but Lucas couldn’t hold the serious look for long and burst out laughing. Then his face turned serious again, but this time it was a softer look. “We’ll be all right, Jack. Something will turn up, some opportunity that will put us somewhere away from the public eye, where it’s okay if you don’t have the perfect wife.”
    Jack nodded, knowing full well they were deluding themselves. At least now they had a little more time.
    And Lucas had said he loved him.

    108 | Z a h r a O w e n s

Chapter Fourteen
    AT the height of the European resistance against the war, Lucas was in Jack’s office preparing for their Paris meeting with the German, Belgian and French ministers. They had just finished a conference call with the American Ambassadors to France and Germany and they agreed they were ready for the tough negotiations.
    Lucas gathered their papers as Jack packed his briefcase full of
    ‘homework’.
    “So how late did you tell Maria we would be working tonight?” Lucas asked, not entirely without an ulterior motive.
    “Eight-ish,” Jack answered, a smile curling his lips.
    “That gives us…” Lucas checked his watch, “about two hours.”
    “Yeah,” Jack answered, eyeing his lover’s lean frame. “Two hours.”
    Both men were startled out of their reverie when a Secret Service man burst into the office.
    “Mr. Ambassador? The Embassy is in lock-down,” the man glanced at Lucas. “Mr. Carlton? I’m afraid we can’t let you leave either, you’d best call anyone who needs to know. We might be here for a while.”
    “What happened, Mark?” Jack asked, genuinely concerned.
    “Bomb threat, sir. The tunnels have been cleared for about a kilometer on either side of the suspect vehicle. No traffic is allowed in a two kilometer radius.”
    “They’ve blocked all the roads, too?”

    D i p l o m a c y | 109

    “Yes, sir. Could I ask you and Mr. Carlton to remain in your office for the time being? It would make the head count easier, sir. And please stay away from the windows.”
    Jack looked over at Lucas and sighed. “Very well, there isn’t much else we can do anyway, I suppose? How close is this car?”
    “You can probably see it from here, sir, at the exit of the tunnel.” It was the first time Lucas could recall hearing a less than professional tone in the Secret Service man’s voice. Clearly the threat was a serious one.
    “I’ll leave you now, sir. I have the rest of the floor to cover as well.
    If there is anything you need, you know where to find me.” With that, the Secret Service man left the office.
    Jack and Lucas looked at each other from across the room, unsure of what to do next. Lucas walked over to the window to look at the car.
    “Lucas! Mark said stay away from the windows. If that thing detonates, there won’t be a pane of glass left whole in the building.” The tension in the room was palpable and Lucas laughed nervously as he walked away from the windows and over to Jack. “I must say you sure pick your Secret Service men. So what do I need to do around here to be manhandled by Mark?”
    Jack was a little startled by Lucas’s question, but quickly recovered and grabbed the young Brit by the wrist, spinning him around instantly.
    While Lucas was getting over his surprise, Jack used his body to push him face first into the intricately carved door.
    Lucas realized he couldn’t move, not even when Jack freed one of his hands so he could lock the door. “Hey, some self defense training they give you ambassadors!”
    “Well, you wanted to be manhandled,” Jack whispered in his ear.
    “I just don’t think Mark should have the pleasure.”
    “Oooh, Jack,” Lucas teased in a high-pitched voice, a little unsure of what was happening as he was still rather tightly pushed against the door, but willing to go along. This was quite a difference from Jack’s usual gentle and more passive nature, but Lucas’s body was reacting to his situation.
    Suddenly Lucas felt his jacket being pulled