G-Men: The Series

by ANDREA SMITH

  As he saw me approach, he held his finger up as if to signal me to hang on, he’d be right with me. His demeanor seemed no different than usual.

  “So, how’d you shoot?” he asked whoever was on the other end.

  “That good, huh? I thought you might be a little rusty being as you haven’t been on the range for a while.”

  He paused, waiting for a response at the other end. “Yeah, yeah, don’t give me that shit. You only did as well as you did because you were trying to impress ‘Dirty Diana,’ you horny bastard.”

  Slate was chuckling over some private joke. “What do you mean, how did I know she was even at the range? It’s called Intel, Taz. I have the pulse of everything that goes on at Quantico, no matter what or where.”

  Slate looked over at me winking. He was totally enjoying fucking with Taz. I was totally starting a slow burn.

  “Naw, I talked to Hatfield earlier. He told me you did a double stint at the range this afternoon after Dee Dee got there. He figured you were working on some best laid plans before we take off for Baltimore. Hey, enjoy brother. I gotta run.”

  All thoughts of being embarrassed in front of Slate evaporated. Who the hell was ‘Dirty Diana’ or ‘D.D’ for short? Obviously, she was the reason I hadn’t heard from Taz all afternoon.

  Slate looked over at me. “Sorry about that. Did you want to speak to me?”

  “Oh, yeah,” I stammered, trying to focus on the purpose of my visit. “Darcy called and a great band is playing at Dazzle tonight. She’s going to pick me up at seven. The thing is that Darcy’s planning on partying and lives really close to Dazzle, so she said she could run me back here in the morning. Can you handle Bryce until I get home?”

  “Are you really going to be with Darcy?” Slate teased. I was in no mood for this crap.

  “Slate,” I said, my voice not masking my irritation, “stop treating me as if I’m a teenager. I’m not asking your permission to stay out all night. I’m simply trying to ascertain if this will create a problem for you…handling Bryce until I get home. That’s why I dropped out of school and came home, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah, I was just teasing. Sure, it’s all good. Have a good time and be careful.”

  “Good,” I said turning to leave. I stopped then and turned back to look at him.

  “Oh, there’s one more thing—”

  “Sure, what is it?”

  “Start locking the bathroom door on the nursery side when you’re in there.”

  I turned back around and left the room.

  Once I got back upstairs, I was fuming. I switched my television on and got my nail polish out. I put a towel down on my bed and started painting my toenails.

  When I was sure they weren’t tacky any longer, I got up and went through my closet to find an appropriate dress for this evening. I decided on a short, form fitting red dress that had a matching red bolero jacket trimmed with black embroidered scrollwork. I would accessorize with black four-inch heels, and black jewelry.

  I’d hung my dress out on the door of the closet when my phone rang. It was Taz.

  Go figure. I mean, it’s only a quarter till six!

  “Hello,” I answered, frostily.

  “Hey, baby girl,” he greeted as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to diss me all day long then give me a last minute shout out.

  “Taz,” I said.

  “Are you busy?” he asked.

  I could picture his brows arching up the way they do when he is puzzled.

  “Just getting ready,” I replied, going into the bathroom to plug in my flat iron.

  “For what?”

  “Darcy’s picking me up around seven. We’re going clubbing.”

  That was met with a moment of silence. “I see,” he replied, tersely. “I thought we had plans.”

  “Yeah, I thought so too, but when I didn’t hear from you for the better part of the day, I figured that we didn’t. I made some of my own.”

  “So, we’re playing games now?”

  “I’m not interested in playing games, Taz.”

  “What do you call this?”

  “I call this having a life of my own. Yes, I would have preferred spending time with you today or this evening, but I didn’t presume that it was going to happen when I didn’t hear from you until just now.”

  “Shit, you could have called me if you need that much fucking lead time to plan your daily social activities. I had things to do in Quantico today. I explained that to you yesterday.”

  I was now thoroughly steamed. Was he clueless? “You never mentioned it was going to take you all day to drop a key off at the forensic lab.”

  “I had other things I needed to take care of while I was there. I needed to get some shooting practice done. It’s been a while.”

  “I’ll bet,” I said in my menstrual, snotty tone.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What it means, is that common courtesy would’ve been to touch base before it got this late if we were to have plans for this afternoon!”

  “Hey,” he snapped back, “I never said a thing about this afternoon being when we’d get together.”

  “True, but you did say you’d get in touch with me this afternoon. Here’s a bulletin: Afternoon. Has. Ended.”

  “Jesus Christ! You see? That’s exactly why I avoid cultivating anything other than sexual relationships. It’s too fucking complicated.”

  His words stung me like a thousand bees. I’d had friends over the years, both in high school and now college that had been in their fair share of relationships. I’d watched on the sidelines, witnessing how some of them had been very high-maintenance. That wasn’t my style, yet somehow Taz was making me feel like it was.

  “Look, this isn’t worth arguing about. You committed to something and you didn’t follow through. It wasn’t my responsibility to hunt you down to confirm our plans.”

  “Oh, I see,” he said. “It’s the man’s job to perform to your expectations, to understand the rules of female-protocol with high-maintenance chicks. Well, that’s not my style. I’m nobody’s lap dog. So, if you think I’m going to be out there chasing your ass all over D.C. tonight like some freaking, alpha control freak, think again.”

  “Why don’t you go fuck yourself? Or better yet, go fuck Dirty Diana,” I hissed. “That’s probably more your style.”

  I ended the call, tossing my phone on the bed and went to finish my hair and make-up.

  chapter 31

  I was sitting at our ringside table at Dazzle, sucking down my third (possibly fourth) ‘Big Titty Ho on a Motorcycle.’ Darcy insisted that I’d love it. It was tequila, Pepsi, amaretto, and whiskey-sour mix. I had to admit, they were growing on me.

  I was decked out, feeling the fuzzy effect of the alcohol and watching Darcy dancing with different guys on the floor. I’d been asked to dance about a half dozen times, politely declining. I was content to sit back and watch while getting hammered.

  The band took a break and Darcy returned to the table, fanning her face to cool off. She was dressed in a tiny little tight purple skirt with a black sparkly top that was drawing a lot of attention.

  She flopped down in the chair across from me, taking a big swallow of her Orgasm #8: tequila and Bailey’s Irish Cream. I didn’t do drinks with Bailey’s.

  “Hey,” she said, “I literally bumped into Sonya on the dance floor. She’s going to stop over in a bit to join us for the evening.”

  “That’s cool,” I replied.

  “So,” she said, brushing the damp hair off of her forehead. “Are you going to stay in that freaking ‘buzz kill’ mood all evening, Lindsey?”

  “I’m fine,” I lied, taking another long sip of my drink.

  “Look,” she said, waving her index finger back and forth in front of me. “Dude’s obviously clueless as to how to be a boyfriend, so teach him.”

  “Yeah, right,” I laughed. �
��After all, I have so much experience with being a girlfriend, don’t I? Besides, I’m not even sure I could classify him as a boyfriend.”

  I’d shared with Darcy over our first drink the phone conversation I’d heard between Slate and Taz, and the fact that Taz had called me afterwards, presuming we would make plans for the evening and our ensuing argument. I hadn’t mentioned ‘Dirty Diana.’

  “You did the right thing. The last thing you want to do is be too available. He needs to understand you won’t be taken for granted.”

  “I’m not trying to play games here. I did want to see him, but I’d already made plans with you. I’m not going to blow off friends like that. I just felt like Taz should’ve understood.”

  “Honey, he’s out of his comfort zone here. Darin told me that Taz doesn’t do relationships. He does women once or twice and then moves on. You may have to accept the fact that you guys aren’t boyfriend/girlfriend material. Maybe being fuck buddies is the best he can do.”

  I shrugged. I’d considered that possibility as well.

  “Hey, did you know Taz is a like an 8th degree black belt in Taekwondo?”

  “No, it’s never come up,” I replied.

  “Yeah, Darin is testing for his red belt at the academy next month. He sparred with Taz once—for about six seconds,” she said, laughing.

  “Has Darin ever mentioned a female recruit called either Dee Dee or ‘Dirty Diana’?”

  “Huh?”

  “Never mind.”

  “Oh no, not on your perky ass. Spill what you know about this Dirty Diana.”

  I rolled my eyes at her. I knew she wouldn’t let it go. I filled her in on the rest of the conversation I’d overheard.

  “So, do you think Taz spent extra time at the range just to hang with her?”

  I shrugged my shoulders, downing the rest of my cocktail.

  “Do you want me to ask Darin if he knows the skank?”

  “No,” I replied, quickly. “Don’t say a word.”

  “Okay, okay.”

  “How about we change the subject?” I suggested, waving the server over for another round.

  “Fine by me.”

  This was followed by a few moments of silence as I racked my brain, trying to come up with something not involving Taz. Darcy was sipping the last of her drink before the next one arrived.

  “Oh, guess what? I saw Slate’s junk today when I walked in on him peeing.”

  Darcy spit out her drink, splattering me in the process.

  “Damn,” I said, grabbing a cocktail napkin to pat my neck and chin dry of the droplets.

  “You’re just now telling me this?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “I just remembered it,” I replied, snickering.

  “So?”

  “So what?” I asked. “I accidently walked into the bathroom from the nursery. He was taking a whiz. It was all out there for me to see.”

  “Oh, my God,” she said, chuckling. “Well, was it impressive?”

  “Impressive?”

  “Stop playing dumb. Are you jealous of your mom?”

  “To be perfectly honest, I’d say my mother’s blessed.”

  “Yeah?” she replied, giggling like a teenager.

  “Yep, however, I’m not jealous. I’ve been blessed more,” I replied, laughing with her. “At least I was,” I added, frowning.

  “Oh, stop,” she chided. “I bet he’ll be stalking your ass before the night is over.”

  “I don’t think so,” I replied, taking my fresh drink from the server. “Taz made it perfectly clear he doesn’t do the ‘alpha male’ thing. He doesn’t waste his time chasing high-maintenance chicks around,” I replied, trying my best to imitate Taz’s voice.

  “He did not refer to you as high-maintenance for Chrissake, did he?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Damn, if he thinks you’re high-maintenance, I guess he’d find me off the fucking charts.”

  “No lie there,” I replied with a smile.

  “Cheers.”

  We toasted each other as the band started warming up for their next set. I was not hammered yet and I wanted to be. My mood was somehow affecting my ability to get drunk. I was considering ordering a shot of Patron, when I felt Darcy kick me underneath the table.

  “Don’t look now,” she whispered loudly. “It seems your non-alpha man has had a change of heart about chasing your high-maintenance ass, after all.”

  She started giggling, then turned her attention to the stage.

  I felt him come up behind me. I felt his hand on my shoulder. I turned and looked up to see his green eyes on me. I couldn’t read his mood.

  “Taz?”

  That’s all I could manage.

  “Come on, time to leave.”

  “I’m here with Darcy. I’m sleeping over at her house tonight so I don’t need a ride home, thank you very much.”

  “I’m not here to give you a ride home. I’m here to take you to my place. Your sleepover plans have changed. You’re sleeping with me tonight.”

  There was that familiar surge of butterflies in my stomach again. They were roused from their dormancy by that simple statement. Darcy looked around as if she’d been unaware of Taz being here.

  “Hey, Taz,” she greeted him with a smile.

  “Darcy,” he nodded. “Lindsey’s coming home with me. Will you be alright?”

  “Oh sure, no problem. Sonya’s joining me in a minute. You two have a nice evening.”

  I threw her a look, but she was oblivious to it, turning her attention once again to the band.

  I felt Taz’s arm around my shoulders as he walked me from the bar to the street, where his Corvette was parked. He opened the car door and I climbed in. The alcohol was finally kicking in, giving me the urge to giggle at his fucking denial that he was alpha.

  He got in and we took off in silence.

  “Taz,” I said sweetly, “I thought you didn’t do the whole ‘alpha control freak’ thing?”

  He glanced over me with a half-smile. “Hush, okay? I’m trying to figure it out myself.”

  “So then, what are we doing?”

  “We’re going to my place. We’re sleeping together. I thought I explained that to you in the club.”

  “I’m still on my period.”

  “I didn’t say we were going to fuck. I said we were going to sleep together. I want you next to me tonight. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “I guess not.”

  “Good.”

  “Taz?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Have you ever done Dirty Diana?”

  “Fuck no! Why would you ask me a question like that and how is it you came up with her name at all?”

  “I was there when Slate was talking to you on the phone earlier.”

  “He was just fucking with me. It’s what we do.”

  “Why did you spend so much time at the range then?”

  He looked over at me, rolling his eyes. “Trust me, it had nothing to do with Dee Dee. I had to line some things up for Baltimore. I stuck around longer than I planned in order to do that. I do apologize for not getting in touch with you sooner. I’ll try and work on that, okay? Just be patient with me.”

  “So, you haven’t been involved with Dirty Diana or any other woman since we’ve, uh, since…”

  “I have not touched another woman since you and I made love for the first time.”

  OMG! He didn’t call it fucking.

  My heart was in a true flutter now. I relaxed and sighed. Taz mistook it for me doubting him.

  “I have no reason to lie to you about that. You must realize that it was a first for me, as well.”

  Huh?

  “A first?” I questioned, clearly puzzled.

  “I’ve never had sex without using a condom. I’ve never insisted anyone that I’m physically involved with get on the pill so that I could continue riding bareback.”


  “Are you saying we’re exclusive?”

  “How long does it take for you to get with the program, girl?”

  “So then, are you saying we’re boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  “Lindsey, can we not dissect all of this right now?”

  We rode in silence for a few minutes, while I not only dissected it in my “slow-in-getting-with-the-program mind,” but digested it as well.

  “Taz?”

  “Yeah, baby girl?”

  “I’m really in the mood to suck you off.”

  chapter 32

  ~ TAZ ~

  I woke up before Lindsey. I marveled at how well we fit together. She was molded perfectly against me, my arms wrapped around her petite frame. Her back was to my chest, her rump to my groin.

  Damn!

  She was only 5 feet 4 inches, but we fit together like puzzle pieces when we snuggled together. I lightly brushed her unruly bed head hair. Hell, I was to blame for her new ‘do.’ My hands had done a job on it.

  She’d knelt at my feet last night, unzipping my jeans and wasting no time in pulling me out and making my toes curl with her sexy mouth. She knew what she was doing and read my signals perfectly. The girl could swallow, too.

  I smiled behind her, thinking how about much I liked the way she could hold her own with me. That was new. Most of the chicks I’d ‘dated’ and I used that word loosely because our ‘dates’ were invariably held either between the four walls of my bedroom or the four walls of theirs, were all about doing things my way. I decided when, where, how, and how many. They were only too happy to oblige.

  Lindsey was her own person. I respected her for that, even though she fucking drove me to distraction most of the time. It was a good distraction though. It kept me coming back for more.

  She was sleeping in my FBI-issued hoodie. She’d looked so sexy last night coming out of the bathroom in her panties with my hoodie on. It had been hanging on the hook of the bathroom door. She’d caught my look of surprise.

  “I don’t have anything to sleep in. Is this okay?”

  “No problem, baby girl,” I’d told her, moving towards her.

  I’d captured her hair in my hands, cupping her face and bringing my lips down on her sweet ones. I could taste them now. We’d quickly made a beeline for the bedroom, where I’d enjoyed two mind-boggling blow jobs within a two-hour period.