AU: Port au Prince, Haiti

[onlyneed1shot]

Haiti is...hot. This is not something that is new to her; born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and raised in Columbia, she is well used to the heat. But sometimes, it is just hot and the only thing to do is to retire in the shade and turn on the air-conditioning.

Only...the air-conditioner at the hotel isn't working.

The water in the taps is almost the same temperature as the air, so there goes her normal fall-back plan of sitting on the edge of the bath with her feet in cold water. And, besides, she is working and needs a wall.

The only remaining realistic option is just to say hell with it, and strip.

So it is that on this day, Camille is standing in front of a wall-turned-workboard, taping a marker against her leg as she studies information and maps, dressed in nothing but an ivory bra and yellow knickers with her hair pinned up.







Okay, fine.

Yellow with purple flowers, if you must know.

Comments

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

Dominic generally handles temperature by a) adjustment of sleeve length, b) presence/absence of a jacket, and c) presence/absence of a tie.

When he comes into the room, his kneejerk instinct is to turn and walk straight back out, but he manages to keep his place a few yards or so into the room. There's a half-amused, half-bemused expression on his face, and he tucks both hands into his pockets.

"Going well?"

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"No."

Beat, and then she looks over at him. "And you," she says, pointing the marker at him, "you can stay."

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"Yes, ma'am."

Coming a little further into the room, he finds a chair to sit in, expression still virtually the same.

"Are all of your problems climate-related?"

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"No."

Camille is, for the record, perfectly capable of making standing in her underwear sexy; more than perfectly capable, in fact. A little bit harder is making it not.

She's managing.

Mostly.

"I also need your assistance. What did you offer the Bolivian government?"

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"Enough that they agreed to my terms," Dominic drawls, eyes roving over her body without shame.

"What else is giving you trouble?"

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"Even though they refused you before?"

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"Times change."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

She puts her hands back on her hips.

"You could have told me."

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

He shrugs, somewhat nonchalantly.

"That's why I'm here. But you, ah, beat me to the punch."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"And you never heard of the phone," she says with a sigh.

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

The thought of saying 'no' in response crosses Dominic's mind, but he doesn't go through with it.

"It's nicer to get news in person, my dear."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"Of course," Camille replies, just a little bit sarcastically. Still, if he's sorted that out, he is unlikely to get into trouble with...whoever it is that he actually works with. Which is a relief.

So she walks over and kisses him.

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

Not that he's complaining.

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

She would not impressed should he start to. And it really is too hot to keep kissing, and really too hot to hug him, but she has - in her way - been worried.

So she kneels (and the tiltes are cool under her knees) and hugs him. Just for a moment, with her head against his neck and eyes closed.

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

He presses a quick kiss to the side of her head, one hand on the nape of her neck.

And - very quietly: "Je t'aime."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

Just as softly, "Te quiero." Then, reluctantly, she moves away until she's sitting on her feet, looking up at him.

"I'll it down in a bit," she says, gesturing with her head towards the wall. The movement dislodges her hair, and it tumbles down with the faint tinkling of pins on the tiles.

(She resists rolling her eyes. Just.)

"Good day?"

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"Not a bad one," he responds, draping one arm over the back of his chair.

"Better than yours, or so I'd assume."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"The loss of air-conditioning was the icing on the cake, so to speak."

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"They're working on it."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"I know." Then, with a smile, "you're not too hot?"

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

He shakes his head.

"No. Not too much so."

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"That is patently unfair."

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"I haven't been working as hard as you."

Which does nothing to disprove her point.

[onlyneed1shot.livejournal.com]

"Apparently not."

Beat.

"Is that all sorted, then?" She asks, gesturing to the wall and meaning Bolivia.

[ofgreatinterest.livejournal.com]

"For now."

One can never tell these things.