7. Jasmin
Jasmin
What in the ever-loving fuck was I doing?
Why didn’t I kick him in his balls when I first saw him on the porch this morning with that smug ass look on his face?
Why? Because Mr. DDG cast a fucking spell on me every single time I was around him.
How apt. A ‘fucking spell.” That is what it was.
I turned into a bitch in heat whenever he was less than ten feet from me.
All it took was me walking out my front door and I could smell his clean soap smell, reminding me of his shower, and I blushed like a silly schoolgirl virgin.
Maybe that is what I am, minus the schoolgirl.
Does a woman turn back into a virgin if she has not had sex in ten years?
Ten long years! The last time I had actual sex was with some Army Specialist my first year in the Army.
After I found out it was on a bet to see if someone from his platoon could fuck the ‘ice bitch’, I beat his ass and found other ways to satisfy myself, alone. I am nobody’s joke.
Maybe I just needed to get laid. That is exactly what I should do; go out to a bar with the guys tonight and pick up some random guy to take home and fuck.
The last guy I thought about going home with asked if he could call me ‘Momma’ during sex.
Yeah, that was a turn off. I patted him on his head and was on my way.
I had options and offers every time I went out with the team; my only problem was that I didn’t like weak men and I found fault in every man.
The guys told me it is because I gave off a Domme vibe. Whatever the hell that meant.
I took a second to regain my composure before I entered the public reception of Z Corps. Donna, the receptionist, was at her desk looking like a five dollar hooker. She had fucked most of the guys in this building, though no man on my team would touch her.
“Good Morning, Jasmin,” Donna sneered. Yeah, this bitch hated me for reasons only known to her.
“Yup. Is Z in?” I inquired.
I did it just to piss her off because she was always such a bitch to me. Donna tried to call Zane, ‘Z’ once and she was corrected and told to call him “Mr. Lewis”.
“Mr. Lewis has arrived, yes. ”
I didn’t respond. Bitch.
Not even bothering to stop at my office, I walked straight up the stairs to Z’s office.
All of this jackassery with Mr. DDG had almost made me forget how pissed I am at Z for keeping shit from me.
I hate to be lied to and I knew deep in my gut something was being hidden from me.
I knocked twice before I heard a “come in”.
I opened the door and found Z sitting behind his desk in a sharp looking suit.
I was always taken aback when I saw him dressed nicely.
It was a far stretch from the cargo pants and tight tee shirts I was used to seeing him in.
“Morning, Jas,” he greeted as he looked up at me.
He looked wary, like he was unsure what my mood would be. Good, the asshole should be worried.
“Is it?” I asked as I sat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk.
“Impatient as ever.”
“Well, let’s see, Z, I have been trying to remember what happened back in Russia for the last two fucking years!
Two fucking years! You know I have nightmares, you know I cannot remember everything that happened, YOU KNOW what it has done to me!
Two God damn years, I think that is the very definition of patient! ” I jumped right in.
“Jasmin, all I want to do is protect you; that is all I have ever wanted to do is protect you.”
“Fuck your protection, Z. You are the only person in this world I fully trust. The only person I have told about my nightmares, you, Zane, just you. And now I find out you have lied to me, you have been lying to me for two fucking years.”
“I have never God damn lied to you! I have never told you one untruth.”
I thought my head was about to pop off and explode. I was reaching thermonuclear levels here and Zane was acting like a fucking politician.
“Untruths, let’s talk about untruths! Omitting facts is a lie! We will start with something easy, something I have waited damn near six years for you to tell me on your own. Let’s talk about your brother.”
Zane looked like I hit him with a two by four; his face went white and his eyes grew wide. It’s nice to know I can keep him on his toes.
“What…how?”
“Is it important how? Now what I am really interested in, friend, is why you felt the need to hide it from me?” I continued to question him.
“What about my brother? Why is he important? ”
“I don’t know, Zane, that is what I am asking. Why all the secrecy? Why is it so important to keep ‘Ghost’ hidden away?”
Before Zane could answer, Lincoln was standing in the doorway, he, too, looked like someone had knocked the wind out of him. Had Zane lied to him, too?
“Jasmin, let’s…” Zane was trying to backpedal.
“Oh, fuck no, you don’t, we are finishing this now!”
I was done waiting, I wanted answers. Zane shot a look over at Lincoln. Lincoln’s eyes looked like they were pleading with Zane. What in the hell was going on?
I got to my feet to pace, I was missing something here. When I got my work up on Zane, it said he had a younger brother. His mother had remarried after Zane’s father was killed in action while his mother was still pregnant with him.
His mother, Janis Parker, and her new husband had a son. The son’s name was retracted. Wait, Janis Parker. Parker…Holy mother fuck!
“Janis Parker.” I let the name hang in the air.
Both men moved at the same time, coming toward me. I quickly shot my arms in front of me to stop them.
“Lincoln Parker is Ghost, your brother,” I said as I looked at Zane. It was a statement, not a question.
My head was pounding; I was getting one of those headaches.
I felt like I was going to pass out, all of the blood was rushing out of my head.
Ghost, I know that name. I felt like I should know why.
The answer was just in the outskirts of my memory, just out of my reach.
I started to sway, fuck, I need to sit down.
What was wrong with me? Everything was going black and I was hot.
I felt myself starting to fall. Then nothing.
I could hear a faint sound like a whisper, a faraway breeze saying, “ Sweet Jasmin, wakeup, baby, you’re safe. I got you, it’s okay now.”
I felt warm and safe. I never wanted to leave this place.
I slowly started to come awake. My head was on something hard and a hand was near my face, brushing my hair away from my eyes.
I cracked my eyes open and found Lincoln inches from my face.
I was taken aback by the look on his face; no man had ever looked at me like that before.
I could not place the emotion and it was gone before I could study it further.
It was like I had been here before, this exact place in these arms. I came fully awake and realization hit I was sitting on Linc’s lap.
How in the ever-loving hell did I get here ?
“What happened?” I asked him.
“You passed out.” I tried to jump off his lap. “No, stay still.” Linc’s grip on me tightened.
“What the hell? You don’t order me like a dog. Let me go.”
“Stay still, Jasmin. I am not fucking around with you.”
“Where’s Zane?”
“Why? Do you think my brother is going to save you?” Linc’s face was like stone. I had never seen Lincoln Parker pissed off, but I think it was safe to say this was his pissed off face.
“Save me? What the hell are you talking about?” I was so confused.
Linc’s face started to soften, all the anger dissipating.
He began to smooth my hair once again, placing a few loose strands behind my ear.
His touch was gentle and reverent. I leaned into his hand, allowing him to take care of me, just this once, just for a moment.
What the hell was I doing? Why did his touch feel familiar?
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“For what, lying to me? It is Zane that should be apologizing. He is the one who lied. Why the secrecy? Why are you hiding behind the call name Ghost?” I still wanted answers, even in my weak state.
I tried to sit up again but Linc held firm .
“It was for the safety of everyone involved. In the beginning of my Navy career, it was not an issue, not many people knew about Zane but only because I am a private person.” He stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment.
I could relate. I was a very private, too; I played my cards close to the vest.
“When I got called in by the CIA on an operation that involved the president, my records were sealed and my family’s names were retracted.
That went for Zane as well, though his records had been changed so many times over the years by different handlers from his time in the CIA.
I would have been surprised if there was any truth left in them.
If our mother’s name was left in Zane’s records, then someone wanted you to know that name. That was no mistake.”
“Why would someone do that? What does your mother do?” I was still confused. What is the big deal about Linc and Zane’s mother?
“My mother is a housewife; this has nothing to do with my mother,” Zane said from the doorway, walking back in the room with a Diet Coke and a Snickers bar.
Damn, this man knew me. He handed me the candy bar and soda and sat across from me. He shot Linc a look and shook his head. I tried yet again to move but Linc’s grip was unbreakable .
“Then what?” I questioned.
“To cause a rift between you and I. Whoever sent you that work up knew what they were doing. I was under strict orders not to speak about my brother for the safety of the mission. At some point, I was going to have to lie to you about my family. As soon as I lied to you, trust is broken; if the bond we share is broken, then we can be divided. The once perdurable loyalty can now be brought into question. You can be turned against me.” Zane stopped, searching my eyes.
“I have never lied to you, Jasmin, or broken any confidence. Lincoln is my brother, my only sibling. Every other part of my life that you know is true,” Zane finished.
Deep down inside, I knew he was telling me the truth about Lincoln, or Ghost, or Red Wing, or whoever the fuck he was known as around the world. Lincoln Parker had so many names I wondered if he also just had a symbol for his name like Prince.
That still didn’t clear up my biggest issue. Russia. That was a conversation I was not willing to have in front of Linc. I was already showing more weakness than I was willing to show any man, including Zane.
I pushed off Linc’s lap and this time he let me go.
I popped the top of my soda and took a long drink.
I desperately needed more caffeine, especially after I spilt most of it this morning thinking about sexy Linc.
That’s right; I could just blame every bad thing that was happening on Linc.
My perfect world started slowly crumbling the moment he walked in the room.
“We will be finishing our original conversation later today. Thanks for the pick me up.” I held my candy bar out to him.
“But you’re not off the hook, asshole!” I walked to the door, debating whether or not to say anything to Linc for helping me.
In the end, I decided anything I said would just embarrass me further.
I settled on a chin lift; he would understand.