Mark winced when the needle pierced his skin and opened an eye to look down at his arm.
“Ew,” he hissed out, his face draining of colour and Janet was about to go to his side but Quinton noticed the change and reached out to tilt Mark’s chin so he was looking up at the ceiling.
“Just keep looking up,” Quinton told him as he pulled the needle out and put it on the table, pressing a cotton ball against Mark’s arm. “There we go, all done.”
“That’s it?” Mark asked, still looking up at the ceiling.
“Yep.” Quinton put the bandaid on his arm, “And you did a great job. Very brave.”
Mark smiled as he admired his bandage while Matthew looked over at her. “Mom, can we go back to the garden now?”
“Okay but take your sister with you,” Janet said, “And behave there. I’ll be along to check on you soon.”
The twins didn’t hesitate, each of them grabbing one of Ruthie’s hands and the three of them ran out of the exam room.
“Do they like working on the garden?” Quinton asked.
“Oh yeah, the boys have been trying to outdo each other by finding the biggest worm to gross out the girls.”
“Sounds like fun,” he said and then patted the exam table. “Hop up, it’s your turn.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I was hoping I could avoid the needle.”
“Not under my watch,” he said, patting the exam table again. She sighed and crossed the room to settle on the exam table. He rolled his stool over to the table and grabbed the blood pressure cuff. “Don’t worry, I’ll take your vitals first so you’ve got a couple minutes reprieve.”
The velcro crunched as he wrapped the cuff around her arm and he started to pump it, the band tightening around her arm. He noted the read out in his chart and released the pressure with a hiss. After he had removed the cuff, he rolled over between her legs and smiled.
“Unbutton your shirt,” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. “Don’t worry, it’s all medically legit, I’m just going to check your heart and lungs.”
“That’s what your mouth says, but your eyes tell a different story,” she teased him as she unbuttoned her shirt.
He blew on the stethoscope to warm it up before he pressed it against her chest and told her to take a couple deep breaths. He pressed the stethoscope just above the tiny bow that held the cups of her bra together and listened intently before making another note on his chart.
“Everything sounds good,” he said. “You aren’t feeling any aches or pains?”
She shook her head. “Not really. Bit sore in my lower back but I’m pretty sure that’s from stooping over in the garden today.”
He nodded and grabbed the rubber tie off and put it around her arm and put his thumb in the palm of her hand. “Squeeze a few times.”
She did as he asked and he watched the veins in the crook of her elbow expand and push against her dark skin. He cleaned her skin before he got the blood vial and pressed the needle against her vein.
She gritted her teeth through the pain as he drew her blood and she let out a sigh when he finally pulled the needle out. He pressed a cotton ball against the dot of blood that beaded up and bent her elbow to hold it in place. He dropped the vial in the slotted stand on the table and grabbed a bandaid for her. After he had placed it on her, he leaned down and pressed a kiss on top of it.
“Sorry I hurt you,” he murmured against her skin as he kissed up her arm. He didn’t stop when he reached her shoulder, kissing over her exposed collarbone and up her neck and then pressed an open mouth kiss to her pulse point. Her skin warmed under his ministrations and the pain from before was quickly forgotten. He kissed along her jaw until he captured her lips with his own.
“You know, you’re my last patient of the day,” he said when they broke the kiss to come up for air, “And the kids are down at the garden with the others.”
“Whatever will we do with our free time,” she said coyly before leaning over to nip his bottom lip. He responded to the challenge and took her in a kiss so powerful, she was left breathless and clinging to him.
His hand pushed her shirt open wider, palming her breast and despite the sensible cotton cup between her skin and his, she could still feel his heat and her nipple tightened in response. He groaned deep in his throat, plunging his tongue into her mouth.
She let her hands glide over his back, relishing the feel of his muscles beneath his t-shirt, her fingers teasing the curls at the nape of his neck. When he slipped his fingers beneath her bra to pinch her nipple, her fingers tightened in his hair and tugged, earning her a moan from him. He pushed up from his stool, still keeping his lips on her as his other hand dropped to her hip and pulled her towards the edge of the table. He shifted his grip to her thigh and lifted it up so he could nestle his hips between her spread legs and she could feel his erection press against her.
She wrapped her legs around him and tugged him closer, grinding against him and they both moaned.
“Uh, excuse me.”
They broke apart, Janet scrambling to pull her shirt back together as Quinton turned around in the circle of her legs to shield her from the intruder. She hastily buttoned her shirt and then leaned around to see Harold standing in the open doorway, his face pink and his eyes on the ceiling.
“I apologize for interrupting you. I did not know that you would be...together...up here. I was simply coming up to gather the blood samples you wanted me to test. You said you would be done at four pm and it’s that time now.”
Quinton grabbed the tray of vials and handed it to him. “There you go. No rush on them.”
Harold made a quick beeline back to the lab door without looking at them and slammed the door behind him.
Janet buried her face in her hands, embarrassed at being caught making out like a couple of teenagers but then she heard Quinton snort, trying to cover up his laughter.
She lifted her head and glared at him. “It’s not funny, it’s embarrassing.”
“Oh come on, it’s not like he saw anything,” Quinton said, a giant grin on his face. “Besides, did you see the look on his face? He was more embarrassed than you could ever be.”
She had to admit Harold had looked like his face was only a couple seconds away from spontaneously combusting.
“We shouldn’t be laughing at his embarrassment,” she said, though she couldn’t quite suppress her own smile. “It’s uncomfortable for him. How would you feel if you walked in on Malcolm and Kim going at it like that?”
“I’d give him a high five,” he replied with a cheeky grin. “Well, not during it, that’s just rude, but later I would.”
She shook her head and finished buttoning her shirt. “Well, I’ll leave you to that then.”
“Come on, I’m just teasing,” he said, wrapping his arms around her. “Now that I handed off the samples, I’m officially off duty. We could go back to my cabin. Claudia’s on watch, we’ll have no interruptions or audience. And no high fiving anybody, I promise.”
He pulled those puppy dogs eyes on her and she instantly melted. “Alright, but I need to pass by the garden and check on the kids.”
He nodded and kissed her one final time, sucking on her bottom lip as payback for her earlier nip. “I’ve got to clean up here anyway. I’ll meet you at the cabin in ten minutes.”
She jumped down from the table, finding herself forgetting about the twinge in her back from gardening and completely energized.
“Make it five minutes,” she said, smacking his ass as she left the room.
That was the one good thing about sneaking around like a couple of teenagers; it made you feel like you were young again.
Subject File # 745
Administrator: I’ve watched you around her. One moment you seem comfortable like old friends and the next, awkward like a teenage boy around his first crush. Why is that?
Subject: I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout. I ain’t any way ‘round Veronica. Wait, whatcha laughin’ at?
Administrator: Oh nothing, just that I never specified the ‘her’ I was talking about. Why did you think I was talking about Veronica?
Subject: I ain’t sure I like this therapy shit anymore.
The mood in the lodge was celebratory tonight. Craig had declared them finished with the north point platform, moving so far ahead of schedule that they were able to put the roof and the rest of the finishing touches on it. They’d start on the boathouse tomorrow but for tonight, they would celebrate what they’d accomplished.
Elaine had baked a chocolate cake and as soon as dinner was over, the kids were lining up at the service window for a slice. Someone had found a CD player and a stack of CDs and Malcolm had given the go ahead to turn it on. Whoever had owned the CDs was clearly a fan of classic rock but it seemed like the others were fans, bopping along to Van Halen.
Even Jackson found his head nodding along with it. He was feeling like celebrating too. With Mendez’s help, they’d managed to not only clean all the parts of the ATV, they’d gotten most of it put back together. A couple of the parts were too badly damaged by rust but the parts they’d poached from the lawnmower would work as replacements. They’d have to weld a couple of them tomorrow but he was hopeful they would work.
So yeah, he felt like celebrating along with the others. He noticed that Banks was rooting around behind the bar, Mendez perched on one of the stools in front. He walked over just as Banks popped up with a bottle of scotch in hand.
“My people believe you can’t celebrate without a proper toast,” Banks said as he set the bottle on the bar. “Especially when we’ve got high quality booze like this.”
“That’s my uncle’s favourite,” Angela said as she sat on the stool next to Mendez.
“Is it okay for us to drink it?” Mendez asked her.
“Being his favourite, he stockpiled a bunch of it. I don’t think he’ll miss a bottle,” she said, taking the bottle from Banks and cracking it open. “Grab us some glasses, Banks.”
He set out glasses on the bar and Angela poured a healthy splash in each of them and passed them out.
“Jackson, you want in on this?” Mendez asked and then blanched. “Shit, my bad. I forgot.”
“Booze was never my problem,” Jackson said and grabbed a glass. “Still able to appreciate a good scotch.”
Banks held up his glass and everyone joined him. “To kicking ass today.”
The scotch was smooth as it went down, spreading a pleasant warmth through his belly. Yeah, he could get used to this.
“Your uncle had great taste,” Mendez told Angela.
“Has,” she said. “He has great taste.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Mendez apologized.
Angela smiled sadly. “I know that it sounds crazy.”
“No, I don’t--” Angela shot up a hand to stop her.
“If I thought this about anyone else, I would agree that I was in denial but it’s my uncle. He spent almost thirty years working for the Agency. He’s still alive out there, either in a bunker or some other government facility. When he can get out of it, he’ll come here.”
Jackson had to admit he kinda believed her. He didn’t know this Director but his niece’s faith in him had him believing in the guy.
“Well then, let’s have another toast to your uncle,” Banks said, gesturing for them to put down their glasses so he could refill them. As they set their glasses down, Malcolm came up to join them.
“Malcolm, you want in on this?” Banks asked.
Malcolm leaned against the bar and looked at the label. “The Director’s favourite? Absolutely.”
Banks got a glass for Malcolm and topped the rest of them up and then held up his own. “To the Director! May he have safe travels!”
They all raised a glass and took a drink, Malcolm letting out a happy sigh as he savoured the taste.
“We always shared scotch and cigars after a successful mission. It reminds me of sitting in those leather chairs in his office, just talking about the world. I think those times are what I miss the most about the job.”
Angela smiled, reaching out to squeeze his arm. “Thank you. He always spoke so highly of you. He always hated that some amateur leak compromised so many agents but he always said losing you was the biggest hit.”
“That’s high praise,” Malcolm said. Jackson heard the tightness in the man’s voice. He must have cared a lot for his old boss and Jackson wondered what that was like. Most of his bosses had been dicks.
“So wait, you got fired?” Mendez said. “I thought you said you retired.”
“I did retire but it was forced on me. Years ago a bunch of agent names were leaked to the press. Once our cover was compromised, we couldn’t be operatives anymore. They offered us desk jobs or early retirement. I was never meant to ride a desk so I took the package and left.”
“Well now that’s one hell of a dramatic exit with all the political intrigue.” Mendez held up her glass. “Cheers to that.”
Everyone clinked glasses again and took a drink.
Banks reached under the bar and pulled out a bottle of tequila and a bottle of vodka. “Now, you’ve gotta appreciate a bar stocked with top shelf booze. I was not looking forward to drinking whatever pruno swill we were going to cook up in the bachelor cabin.”
“You were already planning on that?” Malcolm asked, rolling his glass in his hand as he gave the man a look.
“Just a side project Craig and I were working on,” Banks said as he twisted the cap off the tequila and took a sniff. “With this stuff we can take our time to build a quality still.”
Malcolm rubbed his chin, trying to hide his smile. “Not so sure you should be putting your efforts into something like that.”
“Hey man, if we cook up something good, it can double as alcohol for sterilization.” He winked before pouring out a shot of tequila. “That’s how we convinced Harold to lend us some supplies.”
“If you can get that guy on board then who am I to say anything?” Malcolm took a sip of his drink before he turned to face Jackson. “So, how did things work out with that ATV?”
“Think I can get it up and runnin’,” he told him. “Might take some time. Gonna hafta jerry rig some parts. Mendez has some ideas of what we can rig up.”
Mendez spun on her stool. “Did I hear my name?”
“Just tellin’ him ‘bout fixin’ up the machine.”
“Yeah, it shouldn’t be that hard. We can definitely rig up the parts from the old lawnmower to work. Should have it up and running by tomorrow.”
“You can do that?” he asked, considerably impressed.
“Oh I’ve got talents,” she replied with a wink and then turned back to Angela. “Speaking of talents, Angela, now I assume you joined the CIA since it was the family business but what made you want to be a psychologist in the first place?”
“I’ve always had a fascination with how the human mind works,” she said. “I considered being a neurosurgeon but I hate the sight of blood. Psychology was the next best thing.”
Mendez smiled and leaned into Angela. “Well, I know that you and I aren’t scheduled to meet until tomorrow but I was thinking we could take our drinks out on the deck and do some pre-emptive head shrinking.”
Angela nodded and the two women stood up and headed towards the door but not before Mendez paused beside him and leaned in.
“Definitely getting a vibe,” she whispered in his ear and then pressed a kiss on the top of his head before ruffling his hair. “Looks like you’re in the clear with Veronica.”
Before he could shake her off and glare at her, she was already strutting outside with Angela. He reached up and smoothed down his hair as Malcolm looked down the bar at him.
“What was that about?” he asked.
“Mendez is fucking with him,” Banks said before he downed another shot of tequila. “She loves to fuck with straight guys.”
“What, she made you think she was into you?” Malcolm asked.
“Nah, she was just buggin’ me ‘bout somethin’ we talked ‘bout earlier,” he told them. “Ain’t a big deal.”
He couldn’t help but let his eyes stray over to Veronica who was sitting with Hannah and Claudia, finishing up the last of their cake. Trey came up to the table, his arms full of board games and he pointed back to the twins and then at floor space in front of the fireplace. Claudia and Hannah stood up and followed him over to the fireplace while Veronica gathered up their dirty plates and utensils. As she took them to the kitchen, one of the forks fell and she bent over to pick it up.
He thought about what Mendez had said earlier about Veronica having a great ass. The woman was right, not only about her having a great ass but about him stealing looks. Usually he was more covert about it but the scotch was getting to him and he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
“Easy there, you’re gonna scorch a hole in that denim,” Malcolm said and Jackson felt his face warm. At least he could pretend it was from the booze.
He took a long drink as he turned on his stool to face Malcolm. “Ain’t no harm in lookin’.”
Malcolm lifted his glass in salute. “Definitely not. I find it always makes your woman happy to know you’re still checking her out.”
He didn’t bother correcting Malcolm that Veronica wasn’t his woman. It didn’t really matter. Malcolm knew the way things were and besides, hearing it didn’t seem really bug him. In fact, he kinda liked it. It was probably the booze working but he was willing to take that for now.
Tonight was supposed to be about celebrating their successes and feeling good about themselves. If this worked for him, who was he to argue?
Subject File # 750
Subject: You remember what it was like when you had your first crush that had no hope of working out?
Administrator: In every horribly embarrassing detail. I was in seventh grade and her name was Melissa. It took a couple more unrequited crushes before I learned to steer clear of straight girls.
Sanctuary Page 42