Feb. 16, 2025

The Perfect Match (Part 3 of 4) - "Last Match" - A Valentine's Special

The Perfect Match (Part 3 of 4) - "Last Match" - A Valentine's Special

Sophie and James deepen their dangerous alliance through staged therapy sessions and intimate encounters designed to draw out their hidden watchers. When a second client is found dead, arranged like a tableau from Sophie's past, James learns the truth...

Sophie and James deepen their dangerous alliance through staged therapy sessions and intimate encounters designed to draw out their hidden watchers. When a second client is found dead, arranged like a tableau from Sophie's past, James learns the truth about his former partner Sarah's disappearance in Paris. Their investigation leads to passionate revelations and deadly consequences, culminating in an armed confrontation that forces them to flee together, leaving questions about trust and betrayal in their wake.

Unlock an ad-free podcast experience with Caloroga Shark Media! Get all our shows on any player you love, hassle free! For Apple users, hit the banner on your Apple podcasts app. For Spotify or other players, visit caloroga.com/plus. No plug-ins needed!

Subscribe now for exclusive shows like 'Palace Intrigue,' and get bonus content from Deep Crown (our exclusive Palace Insider!) Or get 'Daily Comedy News,' and '5 Good News Stories’ with no commercials! Plans start at $4.99 per month, or save 20% with a yearly plan at $49.99. Join today and help support the show!


We now have Merch! FREE SHIPPING! Check out all the products like T-shirts, mugs, bags, jackets and more with logos and slogans from your favorite shows! Did we mention there’s free shipping? Get 10% off with code NewMerch10 Go to Caloroga.com


Get more info from Caloroga Shark Media and if you have any comments, suggestions, or just want to get in touch our email is info@caloroga.com

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.160 --> 00:00:12.080
Calarogu Shark Media, Hello and welcome to Romance Weekly. This

2
00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:17.039
episode is titled Perfect Match, Part three. Last Match.

3
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:29.719
Intimacy reveals everything that's the first rule of matchmaking. Watch

4
00:00:29.800 --> 00:00:33.719
how someone undresses rushed or methodical, how they take their

5
00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:37.640
coffee sweet or bitter, how they lie by a mission

6
00:00:37.840 --> 00:00:42.920
or commission. Right now, watching James unbutton his shirt in

7
00:00:43.000 --> 00:00:48.240
my office, I'm learning all sorts of things. Couple's therapy

8
00:00:48.320 --> 00:00:54.200
requires couples, he says, hanging his jacket precisely, always the professional,

9
00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:59.560
even half dressed, and a therapist. I am a therapist.

10
00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:04.120
I cross my legs, letting my skirt ride up. Our

11
00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:10.200
unseen audience loves these little shows, among other things, licensed

12
00:01:11.560 --> 00:01:16.000
in several areas. I pat the couch beside me. Shall

13
00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:20.560
we begin? Tell me about trust issues? He sits close

14
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:24.319
enough that our thighs touch, and why successful women have

15
00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:31.120
trouble maintaining relationships. Deflecting agent Bishop, my hand finds his knee.

16
00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:35.799
This session is about you, about us. There is no us,

17
00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:40.120
but his voice roughens as my hand slides higher. This

18
00:01:40.359 --> 00:01:46.120
is an operation, is it? I turned to face him.

19
00:01:46.400 --> 00:01:50.640
Is that what London was? What last night was? His kiss?

20
00:01:50.719 --> 00:01:54.079
Is the answer, hard and hungry and nothing like the

21
00:01:54.120 --> 00:01:57.400
show we're putting on for the cameras his hands find

22
00:01:57.480 --> 00:02:00.519
skin under my silk blouse as mine work on his

23
00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:05.120
remaining buttons. Tell me about your mother, I gasp as

24
00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:11.639
his mouth finds my throat. Really now, research shows childhood relationships.

25
00:02:12.080 --> 00:02:14.280
I lose my train of thought as his fingers find

26
00:02:14.360 --> 00:02:20.759
lace impact adult attachment patterns. Stop profiling me. He pushes

27
00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:23.080
me back on the couch, covering my body with his

28
00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:28.560
Unless you want me to profile you back profile me.

29
00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:33.919
I arch into his touch. Please share your professional insights,

30
00:02:35.599 --> 00:02:40.319
daddy issues. His teeth graze my collar bone. Hence the

31
00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:45.879
older clients the need to fix powerful men amateur analysis.

32
00:02:46.879 --> 00:02:49.080
But my nails dig into his shoulders as his hand

33
00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:55.360
slides under my skirt. What else control freak? His fingers

34
00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:58.680
find the edge of my stockings. Everything in your life

35
00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:05.520
precisely arranged? Accept, accept, except when you let go. He

36
00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:09.560
pins my wrists above my head with one hand, Like now,

37
00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:14.960
very good. I wrap my legs around his waist. Now

38
00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:18.319
tell me about your savior complex, your need to rescue

39
00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:23.879
pretty criminals. His laugh vibrates against my skin. Is that

40
00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:29.159
what this is a rescue. No, I use my thighs

41
00:03:29.159 --> 00:03:32.680
to flip our position, straddling him on the couch. This

42
00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:36.960
is a consultation about I roll my hips, making him

43
00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:40.400
groan about why the great agent Bishop can't stop thinking

44
00:03:40.400 --> 00:03:44.879
about the one that got away? Can't I his hands

45
00:03:44.919 --> 00:03:49.759
find my zipper. Maybe I just like the chase. Chase

46
00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:54.000
implies pursuit. I let my dress fall. Yet here you

47
00:03:54.080 --> 00:04:00.000
are lying back, letting me. A knock at the door

48
00:04:00.080 --> 00:04:06.000
freezes us both. Sophie. Elena's voice carries urgency. We have

49
00:04:06.039 --> 00:04:10.680
a problem, a big one. James and I exchange looks.

50
00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:14.919
The session isn't just interrupted, it's about to change completely.

51
00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:21.279
Two minutes, I call out, already moving, James's shirt lands

52
00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:24.360
on my desk as I retrieve my dress. One minute,

53
00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:29.199
Elena counters they found another body. James catches my wrist

54
00:04:29.279 --> 00:04:32.199
as I pass pulls me in for one more searing kiss.

55
00:04:33.120 --> 00:04:39.279
To be continued. Promises, promises, But I'm already back in

56
00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:44.800
professional mode. Dress zipped, hair smoothed. Only my swollen lips

57
00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:49.519
betray what almost happened. Elena doesn't blink at our dishevelment

58
00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:54.279
when she enters. She's seen worse this week Rebecca Windsor

59
00:04:54.720 --> 00:04:58.839
found in her Central Park penthouse thirty minutes ago. My

60
00:04:58.920 --> 00:05:03.920
blood runs cold. Rebecca was here yesterday for a match meeting.

61
00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:09.399
I know. Elena hands me her tablet, but that's not

62
00:05:09.480 --> 00:05:15.079
the worst part. The crime scene photos show Rebecca pose

63
00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:20.439
like Victoria, too perfect, too arranged. But this time there's

64
00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:24.639
a new detail. A jewelry box on her nightstand open

65
00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:30.000
to reveal a diamond choker. Is that James moves behind me,

66
00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:35.240
his chest pressed against my back. The Dorchester diamonds. I

67
00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:39.360
zoom in on the distinctive setting, the ones that disappeared

68
00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.279
the night we the night you stole them. He finishes

69
00:05:44.240 --> 00:05:47.839
his hands settle on my hips, possessive rather than threatening,

70
00:05:48.839 --> 00:05:54.120
along with the Rembrandt. Allegedly, I lean back into him.

71
00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:57.800
Professional distance forgotten in the face of this new threat.

72
00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:02.279
But those diamonds were secured in a Swiss vault, one

73
00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:07.720
that hasn't been opened since since last week. Elena pulls

74
00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:13.279
up another screen. Someone accessed it using your biometrics. James

75
00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:20.000
tenses against me. Impossible, not impossible. I turn in his arms.

76
00:06:20.839 --> 00:06:24.680
Just expensive, and it explains how they got into my office,

77
00:06:25.279 --> 00:06:30.000
my hotel room. They have your DNA. His eyes darken

78
00:06:30.079 --> 00:06:36.279
with understanding from London. From the shower. I remember leaving

79
00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:40.839
evidence deliberately, a hair, a fingerprint, proof i'd been there.

80
00:06:41.800 --> 00:06:43.839
I wanted you to be able to confirm who you'd

81
00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.199
slept with, and now someone's using it to frame you.

82
00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:54.040
His grip tightens. The diamonds, the murders, the matchmaking, It's

83
00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:59.040
all connected. Elena interrupts our moment, and it gets worse.

84
00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:03.439
Becka's last match request was for a Valentine's Day dinner

85
00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:10.839
with you, James with me. James's hands slide from my hips,

86
00:07:11.199 --> 00:07:16.920
professional masks slipping back into place. When request came in yesterday,

87
00:07:17.920 --> 00:07:21.800
I moved to my desk, pulling up Rebecca's file after hours.

88
00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:27.079
I hadn't processed it yet. Show me the request form

89
00:07:27.120 --> 00:07:30.040
is standard, but the notes section makes my skin crawl.

90
00:07:30.680 --> 00:07:37.079
Seeking FBI agent James Bishop preference classic romance location, the

91
00:07:37.120 --> 00:07:42.399
Dorchester Hotel, London. They're not just watching us. I look

92
00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:46.199
up at James. They're orchestrating us, leading us back to

93
00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.800
where it started. He runs a hand through his hair,

94
00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:58.920
already disheveled from our earlier activities. The question is why money?

95
00:08:00.480 --> 00:08:04.720
Elena pulls up more records each victim transferred funds to

96
00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:08.160
the same offshore account before they died. But it's not

97
00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:13.399
just the match guarantee. They're moving millions the trafficking operation,

98
00:08:14.079 --> 00:08:17.120
James says, coming to look over my shoulder at the screen.

99
00:08:18.199 --> 00:08:22.000
His proximity sends heat down my spine despite the gravity

100
00:08:22.040 --> 00:08:27.560
of the situation. No, I shake my head. This is personal.

101
00:08:28.319 --> 00:08:34.559
The diamonds, London, the specific poses. Someone's recreating my greatest hits,

102
00:08:35.240 --> 00:08:40.600
my perfect matches, perfect crimes, you mean. But his hand

103
00:08:40.679 --> 00:08:45.080
finds the small of my back, grounding me. Same thing

104
00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.559
in my line of work. I lean into his touch.

105
00:08:49.639 --> 00:08:53.639
Every match is a perfect crime, two people perfectly suited

106
00:08:54.240 --> 00:08:58.679
coming together at exactly the right moment to steal exactly

107
00:08:58.720 --> 00:09:04.480
the right things. His mouth brushes my ear, among other activities.

108
00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:08.440
I turn to face him. The problem is someone knows

109
00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:12.720
my methods too well, knows how I think, how I work,

110
00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:20.799
how you seduce His eyes darken like you seduced me

111
00:09:20.840 --> 00:09:27.480
in London. Please I press closer, professional boundaries crumbling again,

112
00:09:28.679 --> 00:09:34.480
you weren't exactly resistant. Neither were you. His hand slides

113
00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:40.080
into my hair. Still aren't Ellena clears her throat as

114
00:09:40.120 --> 00:09:43.519
fascinating as your foreplay is, we have another problem. The

115
00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.840
Valentine's de gala at the Carlisle. Rebecca was on the

116
00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:49.799
guest list, so are three more of your active clients.

117
00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:55.519
Perfect hunting ground. James doesn't let me go. Public enough

118
00:09:55.559 --> 00:10:00.519
for cover, private enough for murder, perfect match opportunity. I

119
00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:04.120
correct him. Everyone there will be looking for love, looking

120
00:10:04.200 --> 00:10:08.720
to be matched, looking to die. If we don't stop it.

121
00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:14.519
His grip tightens. We need to be there, We need

122
00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:19.360
to be matched there. I smile against his mouth, publicly

123
00:10:19.919 --> 00:10:25.600
officially give our audience what they want, a Valentine's date.

124
00:10:26.159 --> 00:10:29.279
His laugh is dark, bit on the nose. Don't you

125
00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:33.120
think sometimes the best cover is no cover at all.

126
00:10:34.240 --> 00:10:38.399
I kiss him quick and fierce. Besides, you still owe

127
00:10:38.399 --> 00:10:42.279
me a proper date after London, If I remember correctly,

128
00:10:42.519 --> 00:10:45.519
his teeth grazed my bottom lip. Our date in London

129
00:10:45.639 --> 00:10:51.440
was very proper until it wasn't children please. Elena starts

130
00:10:51.440 --> 00:10:55.440
gathering her tablets, save something for the cameras, speaking of

131
00:10:55.480 --> 00:10:59.919
which she points to the painting concealing our latest discovered device.

132
00:11:00.919 --> 00:11:02.639
Want to give them a good show before we go.

133
00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:11.759
James's smile turns dangerous always once Elena leaves. James stalks

134
00:11:11.799 --> 00:11:15.159
toward me like a predator for the camera's benefit, of course,

135
00:11:16.039 --> 00:11:20.320
mostly where were we? His hands find my zipper again.

136
00:11:21.360 --> 00:11:26.559
Something about trust issues, commitment issues. I let my dress

137
00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:31.840
fall for the second time. Your inability to maintain lasting relationships,

138
00:11:33.159 --> 00:11:36.559
says the woman who left me handcuffed in London. He

139
00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:40.600
backs me against my desk. Tell me, doctor, what does

140
00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:44.879
that say about your attachment style? That I have excellent

141
00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:49.600
survival instincts. I start on his shirt buttons and questionable

142
00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:54.200
judgment when it comes to federal agents. Your judgment seems

143
00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:58.720
perfectly sound to me. His mouth finds my throat as

144
00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:03.360
his hands slide under black place, especially your choice in lingerie,

145
00:12:04.919 --> 00:12:09.799
professional necessity. I arch into his touch. Never know when

146
00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:14.720
you'll need to seduce a mark? Is that what I am?

147
00:12:14.799 --> 00:12:17.679
His fingers find exactly the right spot to make me gasp?

148
00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:24.519
A mark? You tell me? I work his belt free?

149
00:12:24.679 --> 00:12:28.720
Am I a suspect or a partner? Right now? He

150
00:12:28.799 --> 00:12:29.840
lifts me onto the desk.

151
00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:30.799
Right now?

152
00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.759
You're whatever I need you to be. What follows is

153
00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:38.399
pure performance art, a show for our unseen audience that

154
00:12:38.480 --> 00:12:45.799
quickly becomes something else, entirely something real, raw, dangerous. He

155
00:12:45.879 --> 00:12:48.759
takes me on my desk, then against my office windows.

156
00:12:49.559 --> 00:12:53.759
Each touch a question, each kiss an answer, each moment

157
00:12:53.799 --> 00:13:12.879
of pleasure a truth we can't take back. Later, catching

158
00:13:12.879 --> 00:13:18.200
our breath, I check my phone. A new message. Excellent rehearsal.

159
00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:24.519
Can't wait for the Valentine's performance. They're getting bolder, James says,

160
00:13:24.919 --> 00:13:29.360
reading over my shoulder. Good. I start gathering my clothes.

161
00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:33.559
Let them the closer they get, the closer we get.

162
00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:37.279
He catches my hand. You know this is a trap.

163
00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:43.320
Of course it is. I kiss him, tasting possibility and danger.

164
00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:48.720
That's what makes it fun fun. His laugh is dark

165
00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:52.840
against my mouth. Is that what we're calling this? What

166
00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:57.200
would you call it? His answer is interrupted by another text.

167
00:13:57.600 --> 00:14:02.639
This one makes us both freeze. Roses are red, violets

168
00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:06.639
are blue. The Dorchester diamonds look lovely on you. But

169
00:14:06.679 --> 00:14:09.919
will they still shine when your blood turns cold, when

170
00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:14.759
your perfect match learns what you haven't told. Attached is

171
00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:19.759
a photo me in the Dorchester shower with James. But

172
00:14:19.840 --> 00:14:23.200
there's something else in the frame, something we didn't notice

173
00:14:23.240 --> 00:14:27.879
that night. The mirror. James takes my phone zooms in

174
00:14:27.919 --> 00:14:35.039
on the reflection behind us in the steamy glass, barely visible.

175
00:14:35.440 --> 00:14:39.320
A figure watches from the bathroom doorway. The angle is perfect,

176
00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:44.240
capturing both the passion of the moment and the safe.

177
00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:47.840
My blood runs cold. They saw me crack the safe

178
00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:52.320
while you were sleeping, not quite sleeping. His hand finds

179
00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:55.240
my lower back, not after what you gave me in

180
00:14:55.279 --> 00:15:02.000
that champagne light sedative. I lean into his touch. Courtesy

181
00:15:02.039 --> 00:15:05.440
of the CIA's own cookbook. I found your credentials while

182
00:15:05.480 --> 00:15:09.320
you were in the shower. Of course you did. His

183
00:15:09.399 --> 00:15:13.039
fingers trace patterns on my skin, just like I found

184
00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:17.639
your lock picks in your garter belt. You knew. I

185
00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:22.639
knew everything. He turns me to face him, except why

186
00:15:22.679 --> 00:15:28.200
you left the trace evidence, the hair, the fingerprints, insurance.

187
00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:32.080
I meet his eyes in case you caught me later,

188
00:15:32.960 --> 00:15:36.759
proof that whatever else I was, whatever else I did

189
00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:42.320
that night, was real. His mouth finds mine, gentle this time,

190
00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:44.120
like this is real?

191
00:15:45.399 --> 00:15:45.679
Is it?

192
00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:51.320
I pull back slightly? Or are we still performing? He

193
00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:54.480
gestures to the hidden camera. They can't see us now

194
00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:59.320
wrong angle. Then tell me the truth. I press closer.

195
00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:03.840
Why did you really let me go in London? His

196
00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:09.480
silence speaks volumes. Finally, because you weren't just stealing diamonds.

197
00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:13.200
That night you were collecting evidence on the trafficking ring,

198
00:16:13.639 --> 00:16:18.399
on the corrupt agents involved, on on you. I traced

199
00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:21.039
the scar on his chest. Is that why you were

200
00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:26.440
really there? Undercover? Deep cover? His hands slide into my

201
00:16:26.519 --> 00:16:31.000
hair until I met you, until I watched you systematically

202
00:16:31.039 --> 00:16:36.360
dismantle their operation while making me fall. He stops. My

203
00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:41.799
heart stutters while making you what. Instead of answering, he

204
00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:46.360
kisses me deep, desperate, full of things we can't say

205
00:16:46.360 --> 00:16:51.159
with cameras watching and killers waiting. My phone buzz is

206
00:16:51.200 --> 00:16:57.799
again another message, sweet scene, But does he know about Paris?

207
00:16:58.639 --> 00:17:03.000
About what really happened to Agent Sarah Collins? This time

208
00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:09.680
James goes completely still, Sophie. His voice is dangerous. What

209
00:17:09.759 --> 00:17:15.079
did you do in Paris? Sarah Collins? I stepped back,

210
00:17:15.519 --> 00:17:20.359
feeling the desk behind me. Your partner in Paris, the

211
00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:26.160
one who disappeared investigating the trafficking ring. My partner. His

212
00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:29.359
eyes are unreadable now, the one who got too close,

213
00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:34.119
who found evidence linking certain matchmaking services to missing women.

214
00:17:35.240 --> 00:17:40.279
She didn't disappear. I hold his gaze. She's alive in Geneva.

215
00:17:41.039 --> 00:17:47.880
What I got her out? The truth spills like expensive wine, rich, dark, dangerous.

216
00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.440
When they discovered she was FBI, when they sent a

217
00:17:51.480 --> 00:17:55.640
cleaner to handle her. You, His hands gripped the desk

218
00:17:55.720 --> 00:17:58.799
on either side of me, caging me in. You were

219
00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:03.519
in Paris that night. I was the cleaner. I press

220
00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:07.799
my palms against his chest, feeling his heart race until

221
00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:10.799
I saw her evidence, until I realized she was right

222
00:18:11.720 --> 00:18:17.880
about everything. So you helped her. His voice Roughens then

223
00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:22.400
came to London to to find you, to get close

224
00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.880
enough to pass you her evidence. I curl my fingers

225
00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:30.039
into his shirt. The diamonds were just a bonus, And

226
00:18:30.119 --> 00:18:34.880
now his mouth hovers over mine. Is this just another

227
00:18:34.920 --> 00:18:39.680
way to get close to work, another angle? No, I

228
00:18:39.799 --> 00:18:43.039
slide my hands up to his face. This is something else,

229
00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:48.640
something real, something. The office lights cut out, suddenly, plunging

230
00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:54.920
us into darkness. Emergency systems kick in, bathing everything in red.

231
00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:01.319
Sophie Elena's voice comes through the intercom. We've got company

232
00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:05.720
armed coming up the elevator. James moves instantly, reaching for

233
00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:11.680
his weapon. How many four? No five? The sound of

234
00:19:11.759 --> 00:19:18.000
rapid typing. They've cut external communications, disabled security protocols, not

235
00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:21.160
all of them. I press the hidden panel under my desk,

236
00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:26.640
A section of wall slides open, ready for another escape route.

237
00:19:26.839 --> 00:19:29.359
His laugh is dark as he follows me into the passage,

238
00:19:30.200 --> 00:19:36.480
running again strategic retreat. I pull him into a fierce kiss. Besides,

239
00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:40.519
we've got a Valentine's gale a to plan behind us.

240
00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:44.720
The office door bursts open ahead. The passage leads to

241
00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:48.640
questions we still haven't answered. But his hand finds mine

242
00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:53.079
in the darkness, and for now that's enough. The game

243
00:19:53.160 --> 00:19:59.160
is changing, deepening, and this time we're both playing for keeps.

244
00:20:08.000 --> 00:20:12.160
Romance Weekly is a production of Calaroga Shark Media executive

245
00:20:12.200 --> 00:20:16.200
producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. Portions of this podcast

246
00:20:16.279 --> 00:20:18.599
may have been created with the assistance of AI

247
00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:27.039
Calaroga Shark Media