“Where are we going?” Sean asked when Noel escorted him out of Medical and down the hallway.
“You’re well enough now to leave Medical, but I want you nearby to keep an eye on you. You’ll be staying in a room of your own and I’ll be checking in to make sure you have everything you need.”
They started up the ramp and Sean noticed the railing and the vast open area beyond.
“Where are we?” He walked over to the railing and looked around at the massive complex both above and below the level they were on.
“It’s where I’m currently working and living. That’s all the information I can give you at the moment.” Noel continued on and Sean followed.
They walked through the door into Sean’s quarters and he stopped dead in his tracks in front of the desk. “This is my desk!” he said.
“That’s right. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Would you rather sit at your desk or at the table?”
“My desk.” Sean slid into his leather chair and leaned back. His hands caressed the polished surface of the top and he picked up the little photograph of Evie.
“Who is Evie and how do I know her?” he asked, more of himself than Noel.
“It’ll all come back. You’re getting closer all the time. Would you like to try another focusing session now?”
“Yes, I would,” Sean answered.
“All right.” Noel walked over and sat on the corner of Sean’s desk. “Ready?”
“Yes. Let’s do it.” He turned towards Noel and closed his eyes.
Noel reached out and touched his forehead. “Okay.
Where are you?” He asked.
“In my quarters,” Sean answered.
“Describe them to me,” Noel said.
“Couch against the left wall as you come in; desk and two chairs across the room on the right. A table and two chairs; counter space and small kitchenette; a doorway into my bedroom; bed on the left, blue coverlet; closet and chest of drawers on the right; a door through to the bathroom; tub on the left, sink in the middle and toilet on the right,” Sean answered.
“Very good,” Noel said then asked, “What were you doing the last time you were sitting at this desk?”
“I don’t know. Something with the papers, the file folder.” Sean tried to remember.
“What would that be?” Noel prodded.
“The rules. I was looking something up in the rules,” Sean answered, happy that he had remembered something.
“Okay. What’s this?” He handed Sean the framed photograph.
“A picture of Evie,” Sean said after fingering it.
“Where did you get it?” Noel asked.
“She gave it to me. It was wrapped in blue paper. It was a gift.” He smiled at the memory.
Noel took the photograph back and handed him the double deck of cards. “What are these?”
“Cards. Playing cards. It’s a double deck,” Sean answered as he fingered the cards.
“Why a double deck?”
“Because you need two decks to play Shanghai Rummy,” Sean explained.
“And who do you play Shanghai Rummy with?”
Noel asked, pleased that they were actually getting somewhere.
“I… I don’t know. But we play at the table, game after game after game.”
“And do you win?” Noel asked.
“Sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. We’re pretty well matched,” Sean grinned.
“That’s good,” Noel went on. “What else do you do here?”
“We eat here sometimes. I make a pretty mean omelet,” Sean admitted proudly.
“Anything else?”
“Sure. We use the video screen and keep up with things down below, the news and all,” Sean answered.
“We?” Noel asked.
“Huh?”
“You keep saying ‘we’. You and who else?”
“Me and… I don’t know. Someone else is usually here… I don’t know. I don’t know. I can’t see him.”
Frustration edged his voice.
Noel backed off. “Okay. I think we’ve gone about as far as we can for this time. Why don’t you open your eyes now and we’ll call it an evening.”
Sean opened his eyes. “I remembered more this time.”
“Yes, you did. I think being in this room is going to help. I want you to make yourself at home, relax, and don’t push too hard. Let it come to you a little bit at a time. I will ask one thing, please don’t leave the room and go walking around alone. This is a huge complex and you could very easily get lost.” He pointed over Sean’s shoulder. “See the com link here on the wall behind your desk?”
Sean angled his head around. “Uh huh.”
“If you want anything or have any questions, just call. Either I or someone else will answer. The important thing now is for you to relax and get some rest.”
“Thank you. I appreciate all that you’re doing for me.” He gave a grateful smile.
“You’re welcome. Get some sleep.” Noel said as he left.
Alone in his room, Sean marveled about how it felt completely foreign yet something about the place seemed vaguely familiar. He made his way to the desk and picked up the photograph.
He smiled. Something about that little face just warmed him. He put the photo back down and grabbed the cards. He walked over to the table, sat down and began shuffling. The feel of the cards in his hands was familiar but he couldn’t remember playing since college; yet he clearly recalled looking through the rules to check out some point or other. He noticed a tablet on the table where score was kept. The two columns were titled ‘You’ and ‘Me’. No help at all. It did tell him two things. His writing marked the pages, so he’d been the one keeping score, and he’d been ahead with two more hands left to play.
He put the cards down by the pad and walked back into the bedroom. Bed on the left, blue coverlet, just as he knew it would be. He decided to take a shower and lie down for a while. After his shower, he went to brush his teeth and noticed two toothbrushes in the holder; a green one and a red one. He wondered about it but knew without question the green one belonged to him. He brushed his teeth and climbed into bed.
He managed doze off but woke up a short time later with the same old problem only not quite as urgent this time. He got up and walked around, determined to keep control and not ejaculate. He went into the outer room and glanced around. There had to be something, something else that would trigger a memory. The place was strange to him, yet he got flickers of images here and there, like remembrances from long ago. He wished Noel could help him focus again.
A light knock on the door startled him. He opened it to find Yates standing there.
“I saw your light under the door. Are you okay?”
Worry marred his face. “Do you need me to call Noel for you?”
Yates’s concern unsettled Sean. “No. I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep.” He thought he might be able to get a little information, so he invited Yates in. “Come on in, as long as you’re here. Maybe you can answer some questions for me.”
“We can talk, but Noel doesn’t want me to say much.” Yana came into the room.
“What can you tell me about all this, Yates?” Sean asked as he motioned Yates toward the couch.
“Not much, I’m afraid,” Yana said with an apologetic smile.
Sean leaned back against his desk. “Then tell me about yourself. How long have you been working with Noel?”
“I’ve been working with him since I turned eighteen.
That’d be a little over twenty years now,” Yana explained.
“Does Noel know about your history; some of the dirty deals you’ve been involved in?” Sean asked. “And he still let you work for him?”
“Yes. But I’m here about you. Are you getting a little more comfortable?” Yana tried to steer the conversation back to Sean.
Sean thought a moment, recognizing the diversion tactic. “I’m not as uncomfortable as I was. But I’m not totally comf
ortable either.”
“At least that’s something. Does it help being here—in this room?” Yana asked.
“Yes it does. It all seems vaguely familiar,” Sean said.
“Good. And you trust Noel?” Yana asked.
“I do. You’re the one I don’t trust. I’ve known you too long. I know what you’re capable of.”
“You know some of what I’m capable of. The rest of it you’ve forgotten,” Yana said with a weak smile.
Sean stared at him, sitting on his couch, leaning back like he’d been there many times before. “Are you trying to tell me you and I are… what… friends?”
“I’m not telling you any such thing. That’s for you to remember or not; as you choose,” Yana grinned.
The grin did nothing to help Sean’s awkward ‘condition’ and he had to move around. Turning his back on his guest, he adjusted himself, willing his erection to go down. He felt an immediate attraction to Yates and it startled him. Mitchell Yates? How could he be attracted to a common thug? But this Yana, as everyone called him, didn’t seem anything at all like the Mitchell Yates he knew.
Or thought he knew. This guy… this Yana… cared about people… cared about him. He couldn’t remember ever finding Yates attractive before, but Sean did now, with the man sitting so close, his green eyes smiling up at him.
“I choose to remember everything, Yates, all of it.
Everything you did in the past as well as whatever involvement you had in my latest misfortune.” Sean filled his mind with suspicion, hoping it would allay his growing attraction to this man he knew he couldn’t trust.
“Good. I hope you do. It’s all important, every bit of it. No one will be happier than I am when you get your memory back completely,” Yana assured him.
“So I take it, we weren’t exactly enemies in the recent past?” Sean asked.
Yana just smiled. “You know I can’t answer that.”
Sean noticed a small book sitting in a shelving unit.
He picked it up to find ‘Uncle Sean’ written on top in a child’s writing. He flipped through it and discovered it held pictures—a photo album. There were several snaps of him with Evie and several of him with Yates.
He turned to Yates, holding up the album. “Do you know about this?”
“I do. I have one similar in my room across the hall,” Yana explained fondly.
“Evie made this? She calls me uncle, yet I know she isn’t my niece. Are you her father?” Sean asked.
“No, no. I’m not Evie’s father. As a matter of fact, she calls me her fiancée.” Yana gave an indulgent little grin.
“Her what?” Sean was stunned.
“She keeps saying when she grows up, she wants to marry me. It’s an old family joke,” Yana explained.
“She’s a beautiful child.” Sean gazed at the photograph.
“She is that. I spoke with her this afternoon and she’s anxious to see you,” Yana said.
“She’s here? At this facility?” Sean couldn’t believe it.
“She’s is,” Yana confirmed. “She’s being well looked after by her parents. Everyone here knows her and loves her to pieces.”
“And she thinks I’m her uncle?” Sean asked.
“In a way. I think she just gave you that tag because she likes you so much.” Yana favored him with another fond smile.
Sean looked at the photo of him pushing her in a swing and his heart swelled for the little girl. A precious child and he knew it. He had only vague memories of being with her but they were there, hovering back around the edges of the darkness.
He closed the album and put it back on the shelf.
“Apparently I’ve spent some time here. I have memories, vague memories.”
“That’s a start. It’s more than you had a few days ago,” Yana said.
“Uh huh.” Sean agreed and took a seat across from Yana. “I just need to figure out where you fit in to all of this.”
“It’ll come.” Yana smiled and again it made a rush of heat warm Sean in places he wanted to ignore.
Sean sat staring for several moments straight into Yana’s eyes; Yana made no effort to avoid him and gazed back. Something dark and fearful lifted and seemed to float away. No longer in the presence of an enemy, he felt no danger present. As his guard slipped away, his desire rose and it unsettled him. He got up, walked over to the little kitchenette and got a bottle of water from the refrigerator.
“Would you like something; water, juice, a drink?”
He called out.
“I’ll take a water please.” Yana answered, following Sean into the space.
Sean handed him one, opened his own, and drank it half down. He didn’t take his eyes off Yana who stood with the tiniest of smiles touching the corners of his mouth.
Yana drank, then recapped his bottle and ran his tongue over his lips. The movement was not lost on Sean and he capped his bottle as well, set it down on the counter, and reached for Yana. He pulled Yana’s shirt up off over his head and tossed it. Yana came into his arms eagerly and pressed tightly up against him.
Sean felt a roaring in his ears as blood surged through his veins and moments later he had Yana on the couch, yanked his jeans down, and entered him. It felt wild and uncontrollable… and devastatingly satisfying when Sean collapsed on top of Yana. He didn’t know if the sex lasted a minute or an hour. He realized he didn’t care. Why question the perfection of mutual completion?
When Sean regained his senses he got up quickly and headed for the bathroom. “I need a shower.” He stopped at the doorway and turned back. “Would you care to join me?”
To Sean’s amazement they walked silently to the shower and began soaping one another up as if they showered together all the time. How could he forget something this good? He wondered as he turned Yana around and washed his back. When he got down to the lower part he couldn’t help but notice the firm round butt and caressed it with both hands. He couldn’t deny the thrill it gave him when Yana’s head went back and he let out a little moan.
Sean took his time, savoring every moment, every sensation; the heat, the tightness, the eager reception and vocal appreciation of his efforts. Just the feeling of his fingertips roving over Yana’s muscled back, shoulders, and arms set his mind ablaze with desire. His lips skimmed the damp neck while his hands held the hips tightly in place as he slowly entered him. He nearly passed out with pleasure.
His tongue tasted the droplets of water from Yana’s earlobe and found sheer perfection. Yana’s moans of urgency signaled how close he was to coming. Sean ended it then, taking them both over the edge sky-rocketing into darkness then free-falling into bliss.
Once the euphoria passed, Sean couldn’t understand his feelings as he rinsed and dried off. He’d just had the best sex of is life with someone he’d considered an enemy.
Yana gave him his space, saying nothing while they dressed.
Back in the outer room, Yana got ready to leave and Sean mumbled. “I’m not sure about this, I still don’t trust you.”
Yana paused in front of him. “I know. It’s going to take time. I waited for years before; I can wait again. If you need me… for anything; I’m right across the hall.”
Sean watched Yana walk across the corridor.
He turned and nodded toward his room. “You’ve been here before. Maybe you should come over just to see if anything triggers a memory.”
“Maybe later.” Sean closed his door.
He went to bed and tried hard not to think any further about Mitchell Yates… no, Yana, with the penetrating green eyes and the firm, round butt. He slept better than he could ever remember sleeping in his life.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sean woke up, eager to get over to Noel’s office and begin his next treatment. He paced the floor and thought about what had happened the night before with Yates and chastised himself. How could he have let that happen? And how could it have been so good? He finally decided it must have been the drugs he’d been given.
They made him horny as hell and it probably would have been that good with anyone. Yates just happened to be in the room when Sean could no longer deny the need. One thing he knew with certainty; it would never happen again.
He stopped pacing long enough to pour himself a glass of orange juice. He’d taken his first sip when someone knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he called.
Yates walked in. “Good morning. I thought maybe you might like to grab some breakfast before heading over to Medical.”
“No!” Sean’s frustration got the better of him.
The sight of a smiling Mitchell Yates unnerved him.
He shouldn’t trust Yates, and after last night he didn’t trust himself around him.
“All I want to do is find out what the hell is going on here!” Sean slammed his glass down on the counter;
angry with himself when his body stiffened with need the moment he laid eyes on Yates.
“I just thought you might like some breakfast first,”
Yana said, a little stunned by Sean’s anger.
“No, I don’t want to have breakfast with you. I don’t want to have sex with you. I don’t want to have anything to do with you. I don’t trust you. If you really are the Mitchell Yates that I know; then the only thing you can do for me is disappear.” Sean seethed over his lack of control over the situation.
“I’m going to go through with this focusing thing, and I’m going to find out what happened to me and who’s responsible. Then I’m going to make them pay. So if you had anything to do with this, anything at all, I suggest you start packing your bags. Because I’ll find you, wherever you go, and I’ll make you regret the day you were born!”
He angrily shook a finger in Yates’s face.
Noel arrived and with a short rap on the open door, walked in. “Everything all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Sean scowled. “Just getting rid of the trash.”
Yana winced and went across the hall and into his room.
“Was that really necessary?” Noel asked.
“What’s the matter? You think I was too hard on him?” Sean wondered they headed down the ramp towards Medical.
“He did save your life, Sean.”
The Missions Page 9