Double seven oh doffed his hat and tossed it towards the coat tree in the corner of the office. It banked to the right and knocked a picture on the wall slightly askew.

“Ah, Moneypenny, you look lovely today. Tell me when are you going to break down and have dinner with me?”

“It’s against regulations for staff to fraternize with field agents.” She said with an icy look that could frost a boiling cup of earl grey.

He sat on the edge of her desk and leaned over with his hand resting on her phone. “I know this great little Chinese restaurant..” he began.

“Double seven oh, even if it weren’t against regulations, I wouldn’t eat Chinese. You know what happened to me in Shang-Hai.”

He recalled the incident in the No. 4 Boldly Marching Our Way From Socialism To Compassionate Capitalism Noodle Factory. He would have rescued her, but James burst in and swept her to safety just before it blew. James. Always James.

“Moneypenny” the phone crackled, “stop pressing the damned button”

“M will see you now” she cooed.