Hurriedly tying the strap of her silk gown, Roxanne rushed barefoot to answer the door. "Bonjour Eva. You look délicieux as always. And this dress, Mon Dieu! Absolument Magnifique!" Roxanne caressed the fabric of Eva Hadley's dress between her fingers tenderly before she greeted the young doctor with a peck on each cheek and ushered her into the cottage she had rented outside Detroit. "Excusez mon ébouriffé appearance and the poor state of the cabine, I wasn't expecting you to arrive until I got your téléphone call a little while ago."

As the woman offered a polite response and an apology, Roxanne waved her off and gestured towards a sofa place opposite the bed. Manoeuvring over to what passed for a kitchen area in this tiny cottage, Roxanne reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. "Tell me, Mon Cher, did you confront your Boss with your sentiments refoulés as I advised you to the last time we conversed?" She inquired out of genuine curiosity as she uncorked the wine and let it breathe.

Eva embarrassed, responded in the negative and Roxanne shook her head in disapproval. Nudging a stray strand of hair out of her guest's eyes, she pushed it back behind her ear in a delicate, comforting gesture even as the woman averted her gaze. "You must never let your emotions stay hidden for too long Eva, or they manifeste in the most méchant manières." She said as she reached underneath the sink for a pair of glasses. 

As she wiped away the glass utensils with a washcloth, she half listened to Eva talk about her patients and her time in Detroit, while her mind wandered elsewhere. Roxanne's eyes stared hungrily at the woman while she spoke. Her heart scoffed as she herself could not take her own advice, for she was unable to act on her own emotional impulses and enjoy the beautiful woman in front of her in that most taboo of ways. Unfortunately for Roxanne, Eva's connections with the mob would make matters rather complicated, drawing more attention on her than she could sustain if she wished to stay hidden from persecution. Her entanglements with the Interpol in Europe had made her acutely aware of just how dangerous her desires could be if she let them overwhelm her. 

Pouring the Pinot Grigio into the two glasses with practised ease, she let her mind slowly drift back to the present. Offering a glass to Eva, she clasped the woman's palm in her own warm embrace and eagerly dragged her to the couch overlooking the setting sun through a window. Tucking her legs under her hips, Roxanne deliberately let the hem of her gown ride up her thigh, briefly drawing Eva's eyes before she turned her attention to the wine and the toast. "Aux délicieux étrangers. À votre santé!" Roxanne said just before the clinking of glasses echoed through the room.

As time progressed, Roxanne ensured the woman got more comfortable with her host's proximity with every passing drink. For her part, she was barely intoxicated though she pretended as if she was just as inebriated as her guest. All while she continued to peek behind the wall around Eva's heart that had come crumbling down under the constant pressure from her subtle, deliberate, yet consistent probes. Before long, she had utilised her guest's insecurities and their newfound camaraderie coupled with the influence of alcohol to gleam out every business and personal secret she wanted to. Upon her return to Philadelphia, the information would prove rather profitable, regardless of whether she used it for a business venture or for good old fashioned blackmail. 

With the business aspect dealt with, Roxanne gazed at the woman again hungrily, wondering if she would be capable of resisting if Roxanne gave in to her temptations now. Her eyebrow arched in amusement as she tucked her finger under Eva's chin and brushed her cheek affectionately while she wondered if the woman, vulnerable and intoxicated as she was, would even want to resist. Roxanne's mind began to consider the possibilities, but every eventuality led to complications brought on by Eva's connection to the Detroit mob.

Reluctantly sighing, she stood up and travelled over to the sink to refill their glasses just as the phone rang. Glancing at a clock that hung from the wall next to which the telephone was attached, Roxanne wondered just who could be calling at such an odd hour. The number had only been shared with a handful of business associates, legitimate and criminal combined.

Placing down the glasses, she picked up the receiver and pressed it against her ear. Her face betrayed no emotion as she stood facing the curious young doctor. "Bonsoir Madame Byrne." She greeted once she recognized the voice of Isabella-Luciano. Her employer seemed tensed as she informed her that Detroit was no longer safe. The two cities were in conflict and it would only end in blood. "Merci pour reaching out to me Madame. " Pausing to let a sly smile appear on her face as she glanced at Eva, Roxanne continued. "No I wasn't planning on heading out tonight, I have ....company. I'll be sure to get in touch once I return to Philadelphia next week. Au revoir Madame."

Replacing the receiver on the hook, she watched as Eva stood up and stumbled over to her inquisitively wanting to know what had transpired. Roxanne peered at her over her shoulder. The hunger in her eyes had returned anew now that Isabella had made it clear that by the morning Eva's connections with the Detroit mob would no longer matter. "Just making sure I have you all to myself tonight mon cher." She answered and placed her hands on her guest's hips possessively. 

Their eyes stayed locked on each other as Roxanne bit her lip in anticipation and stepped in close. Eva's hard seemed to pound aloud, threatening to beat right out of her chest as she acknowledged her host's advances and tilted her head upwards towards the taller woman. No longer able to restrain herself Roxanne leaned in to meet Eva's expectant lips with her own anxious ones. 

Moonlight bathed their faces in an unearthly glow as their hands clutched and caressed while their tongues danced with each other. Breaking the kiss to catch a breath of air, Roxanne mischievously grinned and took a step back towards the bed. Untying her dress, she slipped it off her shoulders and stepped out of the fabric pooled at the bottom as she curled a finger and invited Eva to join her in her wicked embrace.

As the clock struck midnight, Roxanne opened her eyes and turned her gaze upon the naked form of the young doctor cuddled up next to her, probably tired from the events that had transpired. Slipping out from under her arm without waking her, Roxanne placed a gentle kiss on her forehead almost as if to thank the woman for comforting her on this lonely night. 

She turned to her bedside drawer and pulled out a small vial of yellowish liquid and a white rag. Pouring the liquid onto the rag generously, she ensured the fabric properly soaked the chloroform before turning her attention towards the woman. Placing the rag against her guest's nose and mouth, Roxanne counted mentally till she was certain the woman had slipped into a deep state of unconsciousness.

Once assured, she was no longer worried about causing any noise. She replaced the chloroform and the rag in the drawer and stood up. Wrapping a robe around her lithe form, she moved towards the kitchen. Reaching underneath the sink, she pulled out a medical kit and placed it on the counter. Next, she spread a wide plastic sheet in the hall with practised ease. 

Returning to her bed, she cast the bed covers aside and half dragged, half lifted, Eva's body on to the plastic sheet to avoid any stains to the floor below. Huffing with exhaustion, she turned the woman onto her stomach and walked over towards the medical kit. Pulling out a steel scalpel, she kneeled beside Eva and smiled seemingly reassuringly as the cold steel pierced her skin.

As the first rays of dawn rushed in through the window, Eva began to awaken. "Bonjour mon cher." Roxanne whispered and gave her guest a quick kiss. "Pardonne-moi, I wanted to delay breakfast till you woke up but you made me build up quite an appetite last night." She said and sat down on the couch beside Eva with a plate of food and a glass of the previous night's wine. "I'd offer you some Pinot, but with how much you drank last night, Mon Dieu! I don't think you'd recover for a month." She teased and took a bite of the food before taking a refreshing sip of the alcohol.

Roxanne was right, Eva's head was still spinning and her surroundings seemed to be overwhelming the poor woman. But as she slowly began to regain her senses something felt extremely strange. A dull throbbing ache seemed to envelop her lower back and no matter how she sat against the cushions on the couch, the pain did not disappear. She wanted to stay in the moment and focus on the conversation her seemingly blissful lover was trying to engage her in. She wanted to enjoy the post-coital glow but something continued to prick at her psyche. 

Roxanne stood up and walked towards the sink to place her empty plate and glass. With her back turned towards Eva she pulled out a cigarette and placed it in her mouth just as her guest finally gave into her paranoid impulse and opened up the buttons of her dress. Roxanne lit the cigarette and felt the familiar burn in the back of her throat just as Eva glanced in shock at the bloodstained bandage wrapped around her waist. Letting the smoke cascade out of her mouth, Roxanne said. "I made devilled kidneys for breakfast. Wanted to offer you some British cuisine, goût de votre maison dans ce pays lointain, how you say..a taste of your home, in this far away land." 

As she turned she saw Eva clutching at the bandage in disbelief. Once Roxanne's words entered her ears, realization dawned on Eva's face and she stumbled backwards, tripping over herself in horror. A smile, truer than one Roxanne had ever offered the woman, appeared on her face as she continued. "But I can see you and I do not share the same sense of humour. I must, however, confess surprise that a surgeon is so appaled at the sight of some bandages." 

The smile that had comforted, teased, intrigued and seduced Eva, now visible in its complete form, terrified the woman. Weak from her hangover and the blood loss, she could do little else but crawl towards the exit. When Roxanne saw her retreating, she lowered her head in disappointment. "I had hoped to enjoy your company for at least another week Médecin Hadley. You'd intrigued me you see, and I enjoyed our conversation. I had hoped you would not be afraid, that you would be different than the rest."

With a tired sigh, she began walking slowly towards Eva's collapsed form on the floor. Taking another puff from the cigarette that was still delicately clasped between her fingers, Roxanne elaborated. "You see once fear enters the blood, it spoils the meat, ruine la saveur. You mon cher are no good to me anymore." Reaching up into her hair, Roxanne pulled out an ivory hairpin. Gazing into Eva's eyes with saudade she used the hairpin to perforate her jugular vein. Pulling it out from an angle she expertly dodged the blood spray, wiped the pin on Eva's dress and redid her hair with it as the woman lay dying at her feet. "With the majority of Detroit's mob now dead, I suppose I don't have to worry about getting rid of you anymore. The police will just assume you were another casualty of the gang war."

Eva clutched at her throat helplessly as Roxanne gathered her things and prepared to leave. Sparing a parting glance towards the now lifeless young doctor she whispered. "Au revoir Eva Hadley. You truly were délicieux mon cher."