Welcome to my World (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 1

The ticking of the clock behind her was beginning to irritate. Not that she would let on, her facial expression remaining one of supreme confidence, bordering on arrogance, belying the fact she had no idea whether she would get out alive from the tiny room in which she now found herself.

An agent in the Secret Intelligence Service, aka MI6, Nicole Haught's job description was fairly straightforward. Get the bad guy, or girl, and in doing so stop said bad person from doing something the British government would rather they didn't. Assigned the code name 00H, she was a new breed of officer, tall, good looking, extremely intelligent and deadly. Excelling at everything from an early age, twice winning the annual race against Cambridge University as captain of the Oxford boat, achieving a first in physics, she was both athletic and academic, enjoying the company of those who found her charm irresistible.

Her sharp mind and wit, plus her distinctive flame-coloured hair, ensured she was noticed, putting her on the radar of those who wanted someone to lead their elite team of female officers. She knew how to handle herself under pressure, knew how to use everything she possessed to complete her missions, she even knew how to stare down the barrel of a gun and not flinch.

That was precisely what she was doing right now. Tied to a chair, her shirt ripped exposing a racy red bra, she would be the first to admit the odds of surviving the situation were not in her favour. Not that that would stop her from trying. Far from it. She relished the challenge, pitting herself against a known enemy, finding pleasure in outwitting their crazy plans of world domination, or world annihilation, or whatever was in their messed up minds.

Her latest enemy was wanted internationally, a terrorist by any other name, seeking to manipulate money markets by releasing deadly toxins into the water supply of large cities unless a ransom was paid. With no way of stopping the Black Widow's crime spree, with several male agents having met a grizzly end, MI6 opted for a different approach, knowing the Widow had a preference for females, particularly those who looked like Haught.

"I want to be clear," the Widow said, pulling up another chair to face her adversary, the gun still pointing at Haught's heart. "Had you not been a British agent I might have kept you as my pet."

"Not partial to wearing a collar," Nicole replied, noticing the Widow's eyes widen ever so slightly. "But, if that's your kink."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall."

"My hands tied to this chair will be my downfall. Another of your kinks no doubt."

The widow lowered her gun. "You are my type, there's no denying. That air of confidence in the face of death titillates me. Maybe I will keep you after all. Let you serve me."

"What if I bite?"

Nicole spotted the micro movement in the Widow's bare shoulders, confirming she was interested in her captive, believing she could tame Haught. She couldn't, no one could except one. Another student at Oxford, equally bright, stunningly attractive, youngest daughter of a newspaper magnate, family descended from dukes and marquesses, growing up in a fifteenth century manor house. Waverly Earp, the love of Nicole's life, the one person she would die for, the one person she lived for.

Both knew Nicole's chosen career path was risky, Waverly begging her to reconsider when MI6 approached, Nicole almost turning down the position, her fierce loyalty to Queen and country eventually swaying all other arguments. It caused the rift between her and the one she loved, Waverly unwilling to accept the possibility Nicole might actually die in the line of duty. "No one is worth that sacrifice," she said, the night they parted. "No one. Not even me."

"I have to," Nicole replied. "I can't walk away and let someone else do this."

"What about me?" Waverly asked. "What about us? Do we not matter?"