A Spy vs. Spook Novella Prequel to Houseboat on the Nile It’s 1996, and Mark Vincent, senior special agent of the Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security, has been assigned the task of assassinating the head of a terrorist organization in Europe. When the mission goes south and he’s ordered to take a vacation, he reluctantly goes to Paris, where, in a little bar called Le Petit Homme, he sees a man who intrigues him. However, like ships passing in the night, they go their separate ways, only to meet again the following morning, and over breakfast, the man introduces himself as Louis. Is it too much of a coincidence? Perhaps, perhaps not, but Mark is intrigued and, unable to resist, he gives his name as Rick. A comment of Louis’s leads Mark to assume Louis hustles for a living, so Mark decides to “rent” him for the week. Unbeknownst to Mark, Louis has his own reasons for going along with the charade, which leads to… the start of a beautiful friendship.

Mark Vincent is WBIS—Washington Bureau of Intelligence and Security. Quinton Mann is staunchly CIA. Mark thinks the CIA is full of dilettantes who leave him and the rest of the WBIS to clean up their messes. Quinn thinks most WBIS agents are sociopathic loose cannons. So they don’t exactly get along. Of course, just because they don’t like each other doesn’t mean they can’t play mind games on each other. Or sleep together. But when an explosion at Mark’s apartment sends Quinn to the morgue to ID a body, he has to reevaluate his position on denial.

Highly ranked CIA officer Quinton Mann finds himself in a relationship with Mark Vincent-for exactly five days. At that point, Mark uses the excuse of going to Massachusetts for his mother's funeral to end it. But Quinn's a spook, and you can't fake a faker. Mark fears he's getting in too deep with Quinn, hence the disappearing act. Then Quinn does something unexpected, something nobody has ever done before: he comes after Mark. Maybe being in a relationship with Quinn isn't such a bad idea. In the meantime, something strange is going on in the intelligence community worldwide. When Quinn disappears while investigating a rogue antiterrorist organization, Mark makes up his mind. Quinn might be a spook, but he's Mark's spook, damn it-and once he gets Quinn home, he intends to keep him. He just has to find him first.

Lately, life is both sweet and sour for intelligence operatives Mark Vincent and Quinton Mann. The sweet is they’re settling into a relationship; Mark has found a condo in Alexandria with the help of Quinn’s mother, Portia; and Mark and Quinn are looking forward to spending the holidays in the Caribbean. As for the sour, something shadier than usual is going on at Langley. Useless missions and sleepless nights are leaving Quinn exhausted, and then Portia’s life is threatened. When Quinn discovers the accident was no accident and the egomaniacal Senator Wexler is involved, he’s out for blood. To this point, Mark has stayed out of Quinn’s CIA business. But hurting Quinn and those he loves isn’t on the table, so at Mark’s instigation, they set out together to deal with Wexler. The only catch: it’s the first time Quinn will see Mark at his deadly best, and Mark isn’t sure how his lover will react.

This is about Mark and Quinn's second anniversary, which makes it 2004. \\\\\\\\\\ Status: complete Word count: 1,842

This title is part of the [2011 Advent Calendar: I'll Be Home for Christmas](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13036906.2011AdventCalendarIllBeHomeforChristmas "2011 Advent Calendar: I'll Be Home for Christmas")_ Mark Vincent has had enough. After his old cover ops organization is disbanded, he’s relegated to the CIA, where his career is slowly being strangled to death by conspiracy and apathy. Come New Year’s Day, he plans to be out of there, only… the one partner he ever wanted to keep is having a drink with him in a smoky bar, and something about Quinton Mann is suggesting he’s not as straight as Vincent first thought. Quinn has been hiding his attraction to Mark for some time now, sure that exposing his feelings to his partner would only get him a laugh and a load of trouble. But a quiet showdown on a snowy street might change the intel they have on each other—for the better. Alternate reality of [Mann of My Dreams](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8456761.MannofMyDreams "Mann of My Dreams")_