I let my sentence drop off as I just stood there, in the middle of the room, staring down at her. Her hair fanned out on the pillow under her head. Those soft brown eyes looked back up at me, putting me into a trance. I couldn’t shake the feeling that coursed through me and it was freaking me out because it was something I had never felt before.
“Because, why, Nick?” her gentle voice snapped me back to reality. My brain fumbled for a cover.
“Uh…well…I have…just gotten used to living a normal life,” I stammered, “Yeah, I guess, I have gotten used to it.”
“Riiiight,” she blinked, looking at me as if I were crazy. “Care to share the REAL reason, Carter?”
“It’s Lawrence. How could you forget your own last name, Sarah?” I asked sitting on the edge of the bed, grinning.
“Oh good grief, talk about changing the subject,” she rolled her eyes and sat up. Her face was now only a few inches away from mine. “We’re going back to being Blake and Sarah, are we?”
“Hey, this could be our last night as a married couple. The least we could do is call each other by the right names,” I smirked at her. My eyes kept drifting down to her lips. She was always putting on this liquid Blistex chap stick stuff and it made her lips look so soft with just a slight shimmer. I shook the thought from my head…since when do I pay attention to that kind of stuff?!?!
“Alright Blake,” she giggled. “I am getting ready for bed. It’s really late.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and rolled her eyes at me before heading into the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and a gasp come from her as she, evidently, stepped under the water. I stripped down to my boxers and flipped on the TV, to distract my thoughts away from her showering.
“Get a grip, Carter,” I scolded myself as I stretched out on the blanket that I had spread out on the floor. This was potentially the last night that I would be spending with her and I didn’t want anything to end on a bad note. So, I best think of little old grandmas and baseball rather than her being in the shower with the hot water cascading over her soft ski…little old grandmas…baseball…video games…basketball…
“Hey…Nick…wake up…” a soft gentle whisper woke me. I looked up to see her squatting next to me with her hand gently shaking my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, my eyes wandered over her. Sure, I had always thought she was attractive but with the soft glow from the lamp, her dripping wet hair that hung limply over her shoulders, the cute little tank top and short set that she was wearing…deep breaths Carter…deep breaths.
“Hmm?” I couldn’t even trust my voice at this point. She took a hold of my hand, stood up, and started pulling on me.
“Come on…it’s been a crazy day, you can’t sleep on the floor. You’re probably going to wake up sore, as it is, the floor won’t help,” she helped me stand to my feet.
“Well, there isn’t a couch…” I noted, tilting my head.
“I think that, that big king sized bed, can hold the both of us,” she chuckled and started walking towards the bed, still holding onto my hand. My jaw dropped as my brain tried to process what she was saying…us…sleeping in the same bed?!?
“I, uh…are you…I mean…are you sure?” Work brain, work! Damn it, I hate it when I make myself look like a moron.
“Well, if you hog the bed too much, I’ll just kick you off,” she giggled, climbing under the covers. I drew in a deep breath as I climbed in on the other side.
“I’ll…uh…try not to…you know, hog the bed,” boy didn’t I sound like a blubbering fool. Still, I was going to push my limits and take my chances. Taking a deep breath, I scooted up behind her and pulled her to me. To my pleasant surprise, she snuggled her back right up to my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I breathed in her scent and smiled widely when she placed a hand over mine.
“Good night…Nick,” she whispered.
“Good night, Jordan,” I closed my eyes with the wide smile still spread over my face. Planting a light kiss on the top of her head, I savored the moment before drifting off to sleep. I think that resulted in the best night sleep I have had in a long while.
When morning came, my eyes drifted open to find Jordan standing in front of the TV. She was already dressed and set for the day. I couldn’t believe how good she looked in the office suit that she had on. The gray pinstriped skirt landed just above her knees, she had on a matching gray suit jacket, gray stockings…nylons…tights…whatever they’re called, and gray high heals. I lay in bed, not moving, just staring at her as she watched the news.
“Stupid cock suckers,” she whispered towards the TV, shaking her head.
She wasn’t kidding when she said there would be clothes delivered for us. Across the room, on the chair, lay a pair of nice jeans and a t-shirt for me, along with fresh socks, boxers and new sneakers. My eyes drifted back to Jordan as she tucked a stray strand, of hair, behind her ear. Her black locks were tied up in some sort of twist. She was, in a word, stunning.
“Morning, gorgeous,” I smiled, finally sitting up. She was so intensely watching the news, I don’t think she really heard what I said but the sound of my voice made her jump a bit.
“Oh…” she chuckled, “good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Better than ever,” I got up from the bed and walked up behind her. She had her attention back on the TV, so I snuck up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist.
“You better get yourself ready,” she instructed as she pulled away from me.
“Five more minutes,” I pleaded as I pulled her back to me, “just…five…more minutes.” I nuzzled my nose into her neck and held her close.
“Nick, stop, what are you doing?” she cocked an eyebrow at me as she pulled away once more. I wasn’t surprised by her action, disappointed, but not surprised.
“Hey, can’t a man enjoy holding his wife?”
“Oh stop,” she rolled her eyes, “we aren’t REALLY married. Besides, you’ll be cut free in a matter of a few hours.”
“Yippie,” I retorted sarcastically. “I’m sooo looking forward to it.” I rolled my eyes and let out a long sigh.
“You confuse me,” she let out a short laugh. “Anyways, you get ready and I am going to make sure the other two are awake then get us all breakfast.” She twisted the knob and casually walked out the door. I trudged into the bathroom and took a long hot shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, in just my boxers, I spotted AJ sitting on the bed and watching TV.
“What are you doing in here?” I asked grabbing the jeans to pull them on. AJ laughed heartily and leaned back on the bed, putting his hands behind his head.
“Oh, I just came to harass the fuck outta you,” he smirked and cocked an eyebrow.
“Harass me?” I turned to face him as I buttoned up the jeans. They were quite comfortable, too…a perfect fit.
“Yeah,” he sat back up and walked towards me. “The fans are going to be awfully disappointed when they find out that their favorite cute, blonde Backstreet Boy is off the market.” With the biggest smirk and the dorkiest sing-song voice he teased, “Nickolas Gene Carter’s in looooooooove! Nicky’s in love! Nicky’s iiiiiiiiiiiin LOOOOVE!”
“Shut up, AJ! She’ll hear you!” I scolded, slapping my hand over his mouth. I saw a flicker of satisfaction and amusement in his eyes as he pulled away from me.
“I KNEW it! When I first saw you look at her…I knew it,” AJ crossed his arms and smirked at me.
“Well, I’m glad it’s that obvious because I just figured it out last night,” I sighed, pulling on my shirt.
“You always were a bit on the slow side, man, but I could tell from our Nickalex conversations, before, that you liked her. THEN when she came in, last night, and USED Nickalex…that was a bit of a clue. You’ve had it bad for a while, Nicky, I can’t believe it took so long for you to realize it. I’m proud of ya, though.” He tossed his head back and laughed loudly.
“Proud of me?” My question went unanswered because, at that moment, the door swung open.
“Hey, guys,” Jordan walked through the door, carrying bags of food, with Brian right behind her, carrying the drinks. I blushed slightly, wondering if she had heard us talking but dismissed it quickly as everyone started digging into the food.
“So what’s with the outfit, Sarah?” Brian asked from the floor where he sat eating his bagel.
“We are going to the office today to take care of stuff. I need to be dressed accordingly,” she answered with a shrug. “Come on, we need to get going.” No one else really said much as we got ourselves ready to go. We all piled into a van that was sitting in the parking lot for us. The ride was fairly quiet and also pretty short.
“Um, why are we at the airport?” AJ was the first to speak back up.
“I told you we were going to the office,” she looked at him like he should have known the answer to his own question.
“And, where, exactly IS headquarters?” I questioned as we all boarded the private jet that was waiting for us. I quickly bumped AJ out of the way and took the seat next to Jordan.
“Well, the actual main CIA headquarters is in Virginia. But, we are going to the headquarter offices that are in Washington.”
“D.C. or the state?” Brian looked over from across the isle.
“D.C.” she chuckled.
“So what, exactly, is your position?” AJ came back in the conversation as he pulled open a bag of peanuts.
“I am a National Clandestine Service Officer. A Staff Operations Officer, to be exact. Well, that’s what I will be going back to, anyways. I temporarily took a position as a field based Operations Officer, when I took this assignment.”
“A what, and a what?” Brian raised an eyebrow as the plane finally headed down the runway.
“To put it in simple terms…The Staff Operations Officers work closely with the field based Operations Officers which are, basically, the James Bonds of the CIA.”
“NICE! Do you guys have super wicked spy gadgets?!?” AJ’s eyes widened with interest as the plane lifted off the ground. I sat back watching her and listening, closely, to each of her answers. Quite frankly, I was intrigued.
“Um, well, the field based Operations Officers do use some things that could go under the ‘super wicked spy gadget’ category. But, we aren’t spies, we recruit and monitor spies.”
“Sweet! I want to be in the CIA!” AJ’s grin got wider by the minute. I was watching him closely as he interacted with her.
“Wait,” I interrupted, “I thought you said that the CIA doesn’t normally get involved in this kind of thing and that you are usually at a desk doing paperwork.”
“I was referring to working so closely with the FBI and WPP, performing rescue operations like that, dealing with gangs, that kind of stuff. This was, truly, a unique case. As for me and paperwork…that IS what the Staff Operation Officers do. We provide the field Operations Officers with useful guidance to ensure that things operate safely and smoothly, as well as providing them with advice and counsel. I have to take what the Operations Officers find, review it, sort it, decipher it, and use it to give briefings to the senior officers at headquarters. So, yes, I am usually a paperwork girl.”
“Damn girl! How long have you been in the CIA?” AJ leaned forward as he continues to interrogate her. I, myself, couldn’t tear my eyes off of her and hung on her every word.
“Let’s see, I joined at 21 so that means I am going on 7 years there,” she smiled sweetly.
“So you live in Washington D.C.?” Brian jumped back into the conversation. He had been listening closely the whole time, just like I was.
“Yes. I have an apartment there,” she nodded, “I have actually been in the same apartment since I moved to D.C. when I joined the CIA.”
“Where did you live before that?” It was my turn to ask the question. She laughed softly and bowed her head.
“Michigan,” her voice was soft and barely audible.
“Michi…where in Michigan?” I pushed for a more detailed answer.
“Marquette.”
“You’re shitting me?!?” I looked at her with a shocked expression “That explains a lot.”
“I think that…uh…I’m gonna read this interesting magazine, now,” AJ reached for a Home and Gardens magazine. Brian, all of the sudden, became engulfed in some book he found. The plane was silent as it began its descent. Once the plane landed, on a private airstrip, we all quickly piled off the plane.
“DANE! MY BABY!!!” Jordan squealed as she started rushing towards the small parking lot. I closely watched her and found that she was headed right for some guy, standing by a truck. I swallowed a large lump in my throat but continued, with the other guys, towards them. The thought, that she might already have a boyfriend, had never occurred to me. Why didn’t I think about that?
Chapter End Notes:
The information on the CIA is compiled from thier website www.cia.gov
I spent a fair bit of time researching the positions and thier duties and stuff. Nothing I wrote was plagerized but the information itself came from thier site. It was all actually quite interesting!
I spent a fair bit of time researching the positions and thier duties and stuff. Nothing I wrote was plagerized but the information itself came from thier site. It was all actually quite interesting!
