Page 27 of Undercover Hearts
"I worry sometimes that what attracted you to me initially will eventually drive you away," she said. "My enthusiasm, my openness—qualities you valued in an assistant—might become liabilities in a partner. That what you see as refreshing now might eventually seem naive."
She watched surprise flicker across Michelle's face, quickly masked but unmistakable. The vulnerability in Jenna's statement—the genuine insecurity beneath the performance—hadn't been planned. Kendall's watchful presence faded from her awareness as she continued.
"You've lived in a world of strategic calculation much longer than I have. I fear someday you'll outgrow me…or realize I was only ever meant to be temporary."
The words landed between them, carrying more weight than their cover required. Jenna felt oddly exposed, as if she'd revealed more about herself—heractualself—than she'd intended.
Michelle's hand found hers, fingers intertwining with gentle pressure. The gesture seemed automatic, comfort offered without conscious decision.
"Your turn," Jenna whispered when the silence stretched between them.
Michelle's eyes never left hers, something shifting in their depths as she gathered her response. When she spoke, her voice held a quality Jenna hadn't heard before—softer, without the protective layers of authority she typically maintained.
"I worry that I don't know how to give you what you deserve," Michelle began, the words measured but not rehearsed. "That I've spent so long protecting myself and maintaining control that I don't remember how to truly let someone in."
Jenna's breath caught. This wasn't the response she'd expected, something that felt drawn from Michelle herself.
"My fear isn't that you'll leave," Michelle continued, her voice dropping further so that Jenna had to lean closer to hear. "It's that you'll stay, hoping for parts of me I've locked away so long I'm not sure I can find the key."
The confession hung between them, intimate and startling in its honesty. Jenna searched Michelle's face, trying to determinehow much was performance and how much might be genuine revelation. The distinction blurred as Michelle's thumb traced small circles against Jenna's palm, a gesture too subtle to be for observers' benefits.
Around them, other couples shared similarly vulnerable exchanges, but Jenna remained acutely aware of Kendall Buchanan's focused attention. The head of security observed them with clinical assessment, her expression revealing nothing of her conclusions.
"Beautiful work, everyone," Dr. Novak called finally, drawing attention back to the center of the room. "Notice the connection that forms when we speak truth instead of convenient fictions."
The irony wasn't lost on Jenna, whose mind still processed the unexpected depth of Michelle's response. Convenient fictions were supposed to be their specialty, yet somehow truth had slipped through the cracks of their performance.
Dr. Novak guided them through two more exercises—less emotionally demanding but still requiring authentic engagement. Throughout each, Jenna noted how Michelle maintained physical connection between them—a hand on Jenna's knee, shoulders touching, fingers brushing hair from Jenna's face with casual intimacy that seemed too natural to be entirely feigned.
By the workshop's conclusion, a palpable shift had occurred in the room's atmosphere. The initial professional distance had given way to genuine connection among participants—exactly as Dr. Novak had intended, and precisely the environment where people might reveal more than they planned.
"Your dynamic is fascinating," Dr. Novak commented as she approached their loveseat during the post-workshop mingling. "The protector and the illuminator—complementary energies balancing each other."
"An accurate assessment," Michelle replied with a warm smile that transformed her usually reserved features. "Jenna brings light to places I didn't realize had grown dark."
Jenna felt the statement land like a physical touch, uncertain whether Michelle's words were chosen for their audience or contained fragments of genuine sentiment.
"Sienna was right about you both," Dr. Novak said with an approving nod before moving on to the next couple.
Before Jenna could process the comment, Sienna herself appeared beside them, Kendall a silent shadow at her shoulder.
"I've been watching your interaction with great interest," Sienna said without preamble. "You communicate with remarkable fluency for a relatively new relationship."
"When it's right, it's right," Jenna replied with a smile, leaning slightly into Michelle's side. "Though the workshop certainly helped us share things we might not have otherwise."
Sienna's penetrating gaze assessed them both. "I'd like you to join a smaller discussion group in my office. We're exploring relationship dynamics in leadership contexts. I think you'd both contribute valuable perspectives."
The invitation—clearly exclusive based on the reactions of other participants watching with poorly disguised envy—represented exactly the deeper access they'd been working toward.
"We'd be honored," Michelle said, her arm slipping around Jenna's waist with natural possessiveness.
As they followed Sienna toward the staircase leading to her private office, Jenna caught Kendall's measuring gaze still fixed on them. Whatever test they'd just passed, Kendall remained unconvinced, her military-trained observation missing nothing.
Jenna maintained her smile, but a whisper of warning traveled down her spine. Their performance had been convincing enough to earn increased access, but at whatcost? The vulnerability they'd just shared, under the guise of an exercise, had revealed currents beneath their professional partnership that neither had fully acknowledged.
And Kendall Buchanan had witnessed every moment.
Sienna's office occupied the entire corner of the Victorian mansion's second floor, offering commanding views of Phoenix Ridge through tall windows. Unlike the warm spaces downstairs, her domain projected power—modern furniture contrasting with historic architecture, walls lined with framed recognitions and strategic photographs of Sienna with political figures.