Chapter 23Marlene Matsky was no fool. Already in her forties, she had climbed the rungs of ASIS against all odds. Being a woman of Russian origin—and not British born or bred—her chances of reaching the top of the heap had been reduced to half from the start. However, her relentless efforts, and her down-to-earth, unflinching character had seen her tread water over this male territory more than once, with great success. She didn’t suffer s*x jokes and innuendos lightly. Even though English was her second language, her wit and retorts had never taken second place to the men’s lewd remarks wherever she went. Her statuesque body added to the image she had portrayed through her career. She was strong-willed, and budding heads—literally—with some of her colleagues was no seldom occurrence when
