Diplomacy

with Lucas, but it was only polite to address the young woman as well. “Miss Marsh, you are American, I believe?”
    Lucy smiled at him, clearly ill at ease. “Yes, from Boston.”
    “And you decided only a Brit was good enough?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Jack wished he could take them back. That was awfully forward as a conversation starter.
    Lucy smiled, a little unsure of how exactly she was to respond, but Lucas rescued her. “We met at Stanford, where I was studying International Relations. She made a foreigner feel very welcome.” He smiled at her reassuringly.

    D i p l o m a c y | 9

    “Was it you I spoke to last night?” Jack asked Lucas, relieving Lucy of being the center of attention.
    Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Ah, yes, we were expecting a call, so I stayed to co-ordinate. His Excellency was…‘ill’ already when he was dropped off, but he was determined to attend. I could only hope that you or your wife would save him from embarrassment, as you so kindly did.” The understanding glances between Lucas and Jack were totally lost on Lucy, who clearly didn’t have a clue that the U.K. ambassador was not really sick.
    “Well, we won’t keep you much longer, your Excellency. I simply wanted to introduce myself, since the U.S. and the U.K. have always been close allies, and I expect we will be meeting again very soon. My boss has informed me I will become his liaison officer with your Embassy since I have strong interests in that area anyway.” Jack expected Lucas to look at his girlfriend to acknowledge exactly where those interests were situated, but he did not, instead captivating Jack with his gaze for what seemed like forever.
    Lucas finally nodded as he took a step back and guided Lucy further into the room.
    Jack sighed, releasing a breath he’d apparently been holding. He then took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down his racing heart.

    IT wasn’t until later that night, when he was alone in the bathroom of his private quarters in the Embassy, that he had a chance to think it over. What was it that made Lucas so special? Why had this young man awakened feelings he had buried long ago? He let his head fall into his hands and tried to ban the thoughts that kept creeping into his mind when he thought of the young Brit, of his chocolate brown eyes and his radiant smile, of his firm handshake that went straight to his groin.
    He got up and threw some cold water on his face while he looked at himself in the mirror. Forget it Jack, he’s got a girlfriend and you have a wife. You’re both successful heterosexual men. It’s pointless to let your pecker take over.
    After drying his face, he walked into the dark bedroom, trying not to wake up Maria.

    10 | Z a h r a O w e n s

    “You don’t have to sneak around,” he heard her say, just before he slid under the blankets. She wrapped herself around him as he lay down on his back and rested her head on his shoulder. “Well, you seem to be happy to see me.”

    D i p l o m a c y | 11

Chapter Two
    ONE of Jack‘s functions was to coordinate his staff and make them work to their full potential so they could be of service to the Americans that lived in Belgium, but an Embassy was more than that. Jack and his staff were considered ‘legitimate spies’, since it was also their task to be informed of the policies and politics of their host country and be specifically alert to what that meant for America as a country and for the Americans living under their wing.
    As with every new Ambassador, Jack had a lot to learn, and he knew by now that every country was different. His staff briefed him extensively about the communities and regions of this small country and the sensitivities that lay in the fact that not only the North and South spoke a different language, but that their culture was also quite disparate. Jack knew that speaking French would not be a problem for him, but when he was told in no uncertain terms and by his secretary, no less, that almost sixty percent of Belgians spoke Flemish, he asked her to arrange for him to learn the language. She was a no-nonsense Belgian woman in her early fifties, and the fact that he answered her rant with this request almost made her blush. Jack realized this had gained him her undying respect and he made a mental note never to assume everyone spoke French around there.
    Home life had by now returned to normal and the Christensens were no longer required to live at the Embassy. A