Jasmine (3 page)

Jazzie only listened to her
publisher with half an ear. She was still in the middle of the book she’d had
to leave when she’d been summoned to this luncheon with Chastity Midland. She
wouldn’t have come, but the woman said she had something big to share.

“I know. My last royalty check was
big enough that I could pay for my house. Next I want a new car, so I hope
you’re right.” Jazzie had put the house in her pen name and they all thought
she was renting the house she’d moved into six months ago. “I have to get
something more reliable before winter.”

Chastity didn’t say anything, for
which Jazzie was glad. Chastity couldn’t understand why her bestselling author
didn’t just go and apply for a loan to get what she wanted and Jazzie couldn’t
make her understand that she was too afraid to get into debt. If she couldn’t
pay for it when she wanted it, then she simply saved until she could. It was
that simple.

Even with the success of her books
she was afraid that people would suddenly figure out who she was and stop
buying them. Then she would be in hock to her ass. No, her way was better for
her. Every time she got a check she was amazed. It blew her away to see that
people were actually putting out money to buy her books.

“You said you had some good news. Please
tell me that that guy at the office has finally asked you out? That’s wonderful
news.” Jazzie frowned when Chastity laughed and said no. “Then what? I really
need to get back. I left Devin tied up on the bed and his girlfriend trying out
some nipple clamps on him.”

“Oh my, I can’t wait to read that
one. No, this is about the Montgomery Series you wrote. I have someone who
wants to make it into a movie.” Chastity handed her a thick contract as she
continued. “They said they want to start putting out the feelers for actors
right away. There was talk from him that that Bacon woman has already agreed to
do the…are you all right, love?”

No, she wasn’t. A movie deal? She
was just getting used to people buying her books. How was she supposed to deal
with people watching it on the big screen? Jazzie picked up her glass of water
and drained it. Then reached for her tea to do the same. She was dizzy and
scared and nervous all at the same time. She felt the air in the room smother
her. She knew that at any moment she was going to pass out when, suddenly, she
was looking at the floor and someone was pressing her head down.

“Stay there, damn it. What the
hell is wrong with you anyway?” She tried to sit up, but Nathan pressed her
back. “I said to stay there.”

“You can’t expect me to answer
your stupid question if my head is between my legs. Let me up, damn it, I’m
fine.” He let her up slowly, but didn’t move away when she was upright. “I’m
fine. Now go back to whatever you were doing and leave me be.”

“I was leaving when I heard this
woman”—he nodded toward Chastity—“shout your name. And there you were wilting
like a hot-house flower. What did you do, skip breakfast?”

“No, I did not skip breakfast. She
and I were talking about something and I had a slight…fright. But I’m better
now so go away.” She looked over at her publisher when she cleared her throat.

“I’m Chastity Midland. I’m a very
close friend of Jazzie’s. And you would be?” Jazzie was suddenly glad she’d
asked her publisher to never ever, ever tell anyone who she was.

“Leaving,” Jazzie said as she
turned her back on Nathan. “I’m sure you have plenty of things to do outside of
this building.”

She wasn’t really surprised when
he took Chastity’s hand and kissed it before telling her his name, but nothing
could have prepared her for him pulling out a chair and sitting at their table.
She looked at him shocked, and he simply winked at Chastity.

“She doesn’t like me even though I
just saved her from falling on her face in a very busy restaurant.” He started
to pick up the contract she’d laid on the table when she’d gotten scared.

Jazzie snatched it from him with a
glare. “Do you mind? I am in the middle of something here and it doesn’t
involve you.”

He took the contract back and had
it open before she could get it. She tried to get it back, but he must have
read some of it before he looked at her. His face might have been funny if she
wasn’t sure he’d read enough to figure out just what the contract was about. He
flipped through a few more pages before he set it back down on the table.

“I thought it was a job offer or
something. I had…how long?” She didn’t answer so he turned to Chastity. “How
long have you been working for her?”

Jazzie had to hand it to Chastity,
she didn’t say anything. She did, however, gather up her things to go. She had
her jacket on and the check in her hand before she looked at both of them.

“You two work this out. Jazz, I
told you this would happen sooner or later.” She picked up the contract and
handed it to her. “Read this over and let me know by Monday. I have an
appointment with the head of HBO on Wednesday. That way, if there are things
you want to change, we still have time to do so. Mr. Howard, it was very nice
meeting you.” Then she breezed out of the restaurant.

Jazzie leaned over to pick up her
purse. She still had the contract in her hand and was just about ready to stand
when he put his hand on her arm and held her there. Before she could tell him
to back the fuck off he spoke.

“You obviously don’t want anyone
to know what you’re doing in your spare time, so either sit down and tell me or
I’ll call your family and tell them. Though why you don’t want them to know is
beyond me.”

“They wouldn’t care.” He snorted
at her answer. “Well, they wouldn’t. I don’t most of the time. What do you
want? Money? I assure you, I don’t have any. And besides, blackmail is against
the law.”

“I’m well aware of the law. And
I’m sure you’re wrong about your family.” He nodded toward the contract again. “Are
you going to tell them about that? It seems like a huge deal.”

She shoved the contract in her bag
before turning back to him. “No. You didn’t answer me. What do you want?”

He smiled at the waitress when she
came by. He ordered them both some pie. She loved cherry pie and didn’t know
what to think when he ordered himself a slice of apple too. When she was gone,
he looked at her.

“I don’t want anything. I’m just a
little…are you aware that Alyssa and Quinn read your books? I’m assuming
they’re your books and that you’re Jasmine Blackwell. Just last week I
overheard them talking about the newest… You were there too. Yet you didn’t
tell them. Why?”

She squirmed in her seat. She felt
her face heat with embarrassment. She looked around the other tables, wondering
if anyone could hear them. This was why she had a strict policy about anyone
knowing who she was. It embarrassed her. “I like my private life. And besides,
they wouldn’t believe me anyway. I don’t most of the time.” She glanced down at
her bag. “I
really
don’t believe that.”

He laughed and she was surprised
by it. He rarely laughed around her and she thought he had such a great laugh,
too. Their pie arrived, as did coffee for him. She got a refill on her tea and
they ate their dessert in silence.

“I take it you don’t do book
signings either.” She shook her head at his observation. “So, who besides your
lovely publisher knows besides me now?”

She tried to ignore the hurt of
him thinking Chastity was lovely. “No one. Not even the people in her office
know. Chastity and I talk almost every day so if you want her phone number I’m
sure I can give it to you.”

He didn’t say anything and she
made a mental note to ask Chastity if she could. She’d have to find a way to
avoid letting her talk about any dates the two of them have or she might have
to find another publisher.

“How long have you been published?
I’m assuming at least a little while. The last book Alyssa had in her office
was number…eight, I think.”

“It was seven. Number eight of
that series comes out next month. And about four years now as a writer, I guess.
My first book came out the spring I turned twenty. I have about twenty-eight
out right now.” His low whistle made her blush. “It’s not all that hard. I have
a lot of them finished yet to be given to her.”

His laughter made her look around
the busy restaurant. She didn’t like attention centered on her and this was
much more than she could handle. Gathering up her things she started to tell
him that she was going to go. So when he stood too, she assumed he was finally
going as well.

But he followed her to her car.
When he took the keys from her and opened her door she looked up at him. It was
then that she could see the humor on his face. She thought if he was going to
make fun of her she’d rather he do it here than inside. “Look, why don’t you go
home? I’ll make sure I get Chastity’s number, but I’ll need to—”

His mouth covered hers. Heat and
need slammed into her. Before she could really begin to enjoy him, he pulled away.
He leaned his forehead onto hers and held her with just his hand gripped
tightly on her arm. “I don’t want her number.” He kissed her briefly again. “Get
in the car, Jasmine. Right now before I get us both arrested right here.”

“Arrested?” She moaned when he
rocked into her. His cock was hard and she almost begged him to fuck the police
and take her please, right now.

She fumbled with the door until he
handed her her keys and opened the door for her. She was trembling so hard she
couldn’t make the key slide into the ignition once she got inside. She knew she
couldn’t drive. Hell, she could barely breathe. When the passenger door opened
and he got inside she dropped the keys on the floor when he pulled her to him.

~~~

Nathan pulled her over the seat
toward him, thankful for the bench seat. Her fingers wrapped in his hair even
as he shifted in the seat to pull her to him and took her mouth again. Settling
her across his lap Nathan cupped her ass and brought her to his groin as his
tongue slid along hers. Nathan felt her moan as her breasts pressed against his
chest and his fingers dug into her ass.

He only wanted a taste. A quick
taste of her and he’d take her home. Lifting her blouse up he buried his face
between her breasts. Warm and soft, he lifted them up and laved his tongue over
the tops of her bra. When her fingers tightened more in his hair, he slid his
thumb up under the cup and brushed it over her pert nipple. Her thighs gripped
his hips and she rocked over him.

 “Baby. Open your bra. I want to
suckle at your nipples, please?” She jerked at the tiny clasp and spilled her
full breasts into his palms. “Christ, they’re beautiful.” Nathan took the pink
tip into his mouth and nipped. Her desperate moaning of his name had him open
his mouth over her flesh and take as much into his mouth as he could. Even that
wasn’t enough. He had to have her. Right now. He was trying to roll her to her
back on the seat when a loud horn startled them both.

A car right next to them was only
about a foot from them. The passengers were getting inside and someone
apparently hit the horn. None of the people looked over at them. Had they, there
probably would have been a great deal more than horns blaring.

Nathan slowly pulled her blouse
down so as not to draw undue attention to them. Her face was buried into his
shoulder and he could feel her heavy breathing down his neck. When the car
pulled away Nathan sat Jazzie on the seat next to him.

“Are you all right?” She nodded.
“Jasmine, look at me. Please?” She continued to look down and not speak.
Finally, he lifted her chin up and made her look at him.

“I want to go home. Please. I
just…I want to go home.”

“All right,” he told her gently. “But
we need to talk about this. We need to…this isn’t what I meant to happen.”

Chapter 4

Ginny looked over the report she’d
just gotten. It had a great deal of useless information in it and even what she
could use was not what she wanted. She knew most of it, like the fact that
Jasmine lived alone. That she had no job and that she was pretty much a waste
of human flesh.

There were things in it like she
owned a twenty-year-old car that burned oil, her dry cleaner said she owned one
dress that was worn to shine in places, and her shoes were also in ill repair. She
had no bank account that they could find and most of the time she ate at fast
food restaurants.

She was either poorer than she and
Guinevere were, or she was keeping her money under her mattress and she didn’t
spend a dime on anything. Ginny thought she didn’t have a dime to spend and,
because of it or in spite of it, she used everything until it was dust. The
girl didn’t even live off her brother’s money, but worked enough to pay her
rent to some broad named Blackwell.

Ginny saw Guinevere out of the
corner of her eye. She’d been not speaking to her for days, but needed her
right now. So instead of saying she was sorry, though Ginny still didn’t
believe she’d done anything wrong, she simply launched into what she’d gotten
from the cheap PI.

“Your daughter, the middle one,
sure doesn’t make it easy for us to get her. The girl doesn’t do anything but
once before moving on to something else.” They’d given up on trying to kill the
men and decided to simply kill the children. They were much stronger than the
girls were and they didn’t react the way they’d hoped. Stupid pricks.

“Jasmine Zinnia has always been
the stupid one. I doubt anyone would miss her if we were to right-out kill
her.” Guinevere moved around and Ginny wanted to yell at her to stop, but she
spoke before she could. “Lilliane Iris still won’t talk to me and now Cain is
mad at me. I don’t know what she has to be mad about. I was only trying to
help.”

Ginny had told Guinevere to keep
her mouth shut at the very least a dozen times about Lilliane marrying the cop.
Just let it go
, she’d told her.
Don’t bring attention to yourself.
But had she listened? No, and now look. Even if they were to get Lilliane now,
everyone would suspect her and then they would find Ginny. Not something she
was willing and ready for people to know.