Forbidden Reading (29 page)

Not troubling herself with the shift in attitude, accepting the change without needing to analyse its cause, Justine didn’t let herself worry about that or her newly found tolerance of her job’s day-to-day drudgery. It was easy to brush the smaller matters of boredom aside because the cataloguing was no longer the chore it had once been.

Her new assistant followed her warily into the room.

‘These books are so old,’ she gasped. Her heavy French accent made the declaration sound both innocent and grand. ‘Are they valuable?’

‘I’ve been told they’re priceless,’ Justine mumbled. She said the words as though she didn’t care. Guiding the penitent to the vault’s latest acquisition, urging her to take a seat so they could begin another day’s work on the translation, Justine brushed away her lover’s attempts to kiss and made her concentrate on the illicit task with which they were involved.

‘I don’t want to translate,’ the penitent complained. ‘I want to make love to you.’

Her mouth was a hungry pout. The simple dress she wore clung to the contours of her body with such loose ease that Justine instantly knew the woman wasn’t wearing underwear. The temptation to surrender to the penitent’s desire for intimacy was almost irresistible, but Justine told herself that she had to be strong willed.

‘You can kiss me when we get home this evening,’ Justine promised. ‘Right now I need you to translate this for me while I type. I want it finished by the weekend.’

Pouting, the penitent asked, ‘What is the hurry?’

Justine spoke as she set up her laptop and waited for the operating system to load. ‘Mrs Weiss informs me that Marais has been approached by another potential buyer. She thinks this one is acting on Sartine’s behalf. If the woman proves herself worthy, the manuscript could be in their hands by Monday morning.’

‘Do you think that is likely?’ the penitent gasped. She placed a protective hand over the yellowed pages of the manuscript as through trying to defend it from being taken by someone else. ‘Do you think this woman will prove herself worthy?’

Justine shrugged.

Being alone with the penitent always made her thoughts turn lurid. Rather than continuing with the illicit translation she was making, Justine now wanted to have the woman kneel on the floor, between her legs, and lick the broiling split of her pussy. They had an hour away from the library floor and were not going to be disturbed. The opportunity to enjoy each other was maddeningly tempting, but Justine found the will to resist.

She opened the text document they had started a week earlier and held her fingers over the keyboard ready to transcribe the penitent’s translation. As was always the case when the woman was near her, Justine saw that her hands were trembling with excitement.

‘You did not answer my question,’ the penitent complained. ‘This woman that Captain Sartine has found: is she likely to acquire
La Coste
?’

Justine shrugged again. ‘I’ve been told it’s unlikely,’ she admitted. With a sly grin she added, ‘But I guess we’ll find out for ourselves. We’re going to help Mrs Weiss prove this one’s worthiness.’ Not allowing the conversation to continue, determined that they would get the translation finished before
La Coste
ended up in the hands of another deserving recipient, she pointed sternly at the yellowed pages and said, ‘We need to begin now.’ Glancing down at her laptop, trying to locate the last point they had reached, she added, ‘The last words you read out to me were:
forbidden reading
.’