Tossing and turning on her bed all night, Jasmine couldn't bring herself to sleep. So bad it started annoying her little sister with whom she shared a room. The little Jenna had to escape up to her mother's bed; who was working a night shift.
By the early cold hours of the morning, she was already up and in the kitchen. Cooking was one of her passions and also it helped her relief stress. And she was so stressed. She barely had an hour of sleep in six, and still hadn't been able to kick the thought of the Italian 'guappo' out of her head.
The clock read 06:14 and Jasmine had already made a tray full of pancakes and was still making more. She knew in the back of her mind that her mother would skin her alive if all of it wasn't eaten but she was too preoccupied to care. Sounds of kitchen utensils hitting against each other could be heard all through the house.
A visibly very annoyed Jessie enter the kitchen looking all drowsy. She walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water without even given her sister a look. As she marched back out of the kitchen, she threw a glare in Jasmine's direction,
"I don't know who had sex with you and didn't appreciate but please, don't transfer aggression. Some people can't do without their beauty rest."
Jasmine, glaring back at her, hissed,
"People who need beauty rest go to bed early instead of clubbing all night and bitching all morning." Jessie froze in her steps, turned around to face her sister,
"Bitch please! You know you wish you had my life. You're just to stuck up to have it."
"Heh heh!" Jasmine exclaimed laughing and clapping both hands simultaneously over each other, "See who is calling me stuck up. So because mummy wasn't home tonight and you didn't need my help sneaking back into the house, you think you can run your mouth eh? No problem 'nanga-boko', tomorrow's another."
"Guy a beg, I'm not in the mood. I have a terrible hangover and I need I need to sleep. Do you still have any Advil left?"
"Even if I did, you hungover ass is not getting any. Just go and sleep away the pain."
"Wickedness will never leave you rest in peace even in your grave." Jessie shot at her and left. Someone who didn't know this two will think they were like cats and dogs but it was just their sisterly way of showing affection.
Two trays of pancakes later, Jenna came into the kitchen, and the Jessie again. They both settled on the breakfast bar and started helping themselves with pancakes,
"I still don't know what or who it is that got you in this mood this morning but I'm loving this cakes," Jessie said chewing heavily on a mouthful of pancakes.
Jasmine thought of telling her older sister about Marcelo and his plans for today but she knew better. They called their younger sister 'blabber mouth' because she could never keep anything they did or said a secret from their mother. Jessie noticed the worried look on Jasmine's face as she continued cleaning the dishes.
"Jas! What is it?" She asked,
"It's the after effect of frying too much pancake and mummy coming home soon to freak." Jenna answered no lifting her head from her plate of pancakes.
Jasmine gave Jessie a visual signal that Jenna's presence was a threat to whatever she had to say. The latter quickly understood and took big sister action.
"Guy leave those dishes! Jenna will wash them after eating. You cannot be the one to cook and clean."
"Noooo!" Jenna cried, carrying her plate out of the kitchen, "I didn't ask anyone to make food to us till Christmas. I'm going me back to mummy's room." And with that said she left.
"Lazy Lucy!" Jessie murmured after Jenna's disappearing figure, "Oya, tell me!". Jasmine inhaled deeply before rushing through her explanation,
"I met this white guy at Micah's party and now he wants me to tour him around town." Very not bothered, Jessie continued chewing on her food,
"Is it and old white dude?"
"Early thirties,"
"Mmmm" Jessie hummed, still chewing in a very unladylike manner, "So just a plain normal white guy,"
"With accent." Jasmine said and Jessie paused, her attention had been caught,
"Which?"
"It's either Italian or Spanish,"
"What do you mean either? Can you differentiate? And how cute is he?" Jessie, now more focused, wiped her hands on the sides of her pyjama shorts,
"He's like Liam Hemsworth cute!" Jasmine bit the inner flesh of her lower lip,
"Aaahh!!!" Jessie beamed, "So what is the problem?"
"I don't know this guy. What if he's a bad person?"
"Did he look like a bad person to you?" Jessie carried her plate to the sink and dumped it,
"See! See, see! Diman I am not your help! I cannot cook for you to eat and have me again wash your plate."
"I don't think you should go." Jessie said completely ignoring the annoyance and her sister's face. Jasmine made a hissing sound while glaring at her sister,
"Why?"
"Stand him up today, then show up tomorrow and give him a lame excuse."
"That is by far the dumbest thing you ever said."
"Maybe," she gulped down a glass of water, "but it's his reaction that is going to count. If he's mad; not worth it. If he's annoyed; he cares and was really looking forward. If he is neutral, nice and understanding; he just wants to get inside your pants." She drops the glass inside the sink and starts making her way out.
"Jessica see, me I don't like this thing eh! Come and wash this glass yourself." Jasmine grumbled slightly pulling her own ear in warning,
"Oh oh!" Jessi stopped at the door, "Does he have a name? Because those also count a lot,"
"It's Marcelo, now come and do your dishes,"
"Because? What are you my little sister for. I'm going back to bed."
If eyes could killed, Jessie would be six feet under from Jasmine's eyes.
"And you're the one calling people lazy Lucy! Just wait and see if I'll be the one to clean your husband's house for you." She finished and started back on doing the dishes. For a brief moment, memories of Marcelo floated across her mind, she remembered the name he had called her hen he said thank you for the cake,
Tesoro!
She quickly dried her hand and ran her fingers on her phone through Google translate, she read the meaning:
Sweetheart!
Her heart started to pounce rapidly in her chest. She couldn't stand him up. As much as she wanted to take her sister's advice, she just couldn't miss the opportunity to see Marcelo again. With an unbelievable speed and a lot of excitement, she did her chores. Nothing was going to stop her from seeing el guapo again.
For the past thirty minutes they just sat at the table, trying to avoid each other's eyes. Jasmine fumbled with her phone. Marcelo had two but couldn't focus on anything other than the beauty in front of his eyes. And when she'll look back, he'd turn his eyes away. He got frustrated with the silence and decided to force up a conversation,"So, tell me a little about yourself chicca?""Uhm! What?" She wasn't expecting he would start up a conversation."Dios!" He rolled his eyes, "Just tell me about you. This silence is uncomfortable and I hate it." Marcelo grumbled,"You! It's like you don't know how to tolerate people. You're so grumpy.""I am just not a tolerant person and this..." He scowls and scans the ice cream shop where they sat, "this place is not my setting.""You said I should take you to my favourite place; well, here we are.""
For the past thirty minutes they just sat at the table, trying to avoid each other's eyes. Jasmine fumbled with her phone. Marcelo had two but couldn't focus on anything other than the beauty in front of his eyes. And when she'll look back, he'd turn his eyes away. He got frustrated with the silence and decided to force up a conversation,"So, tell me a little about yourself chicca?""Uhm! What?" She wasn't expecting he would start up a conversation."Dios!" He rolled his eyes, "Just tell me about you. This silence is uncomfortable and I hate it." Marcelo grumbled,"You! It's like you don't know how to tolerate people. You're so grumpy.""I am just not a tolerant person and this..." He scowls and scans the ice cream shop where they sat, "this place is not my setting.""You said I should take you to my favourite place; well, here we are."
Nothing ever scared Jasmine as what she felt in that moment, when Marcelo kissed the life out of her lips. As she laid there on her bed, in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, her mind knotted hard on the memory: his touch; how his hands moved over her body, across her skin, gently caressing every spot he touched in the most erotic manner ever. The possessiveness of his lips against hers; never leaving her a second of control. It was all him. Even when she'd been so weak in her knees that she couldn't stand, he'd been her pillar: taking her small frame up to meet his movements, his demands. God! If not for the fact that she could still hear herself think, she would have been helpless in stopping him from taking her right there.Now she wondered: "what will he be thinking of me?" What will he be thinking of her? Because she'd discarded him horribly when she'd felt his hands slipping under her shirt. It felt good! Really
"Hello to you too Marcelo. Could you move your car? I'm trying to get a taxi." Jasmine faked a smile. It wasn't entirely fake. She was thrilled to see him again but she didn't have to make it obvious, did she?"but I am offering you a ride, aren't I?" Marcelo brought off his eyes a pair of dark sunshades."Thank you but no thank you.""Oh andiamo Jasmine! Don't be like that. I'll just take you home. If you say no, I'll follow you to your house anyway.""what? You're crazy! Get out of my way Mars;""Mars? Look at that! You already found me a cute nickname too. adoro.""Not amused! Get out of my way Marcelo, my mother's waiting for me at home." Jasmine grumbled. She already felt super embarrassed about her appearance and now he wasn't really given her breathing space."I'm serious. You can be stubborn about but it won't change a single thing."
The best things about Jasmine's mother's job was her night shifts seemed to always fall when she needed them to fall. Like tonight when she was having her very first romantic date with Marcelo. It was also very favourable that her big sister had no plans on going out: then the little devilish little sister was definitely rattling them both out. But now with one person around, they could cover for the other.Jasmine was more worried about her outfit. She'd gone through her suitcases like a million times since she got home from the market. She'd finally settled for a white dress borrowed from her sister, paired with her favourite blue jacket to keep out the chill of the night.She didn't exactly tell Jessie where she was off to but did tell her it was a date. She left the house about fifteen minutes after her mother, hop into a taxi and left.She arrived the resort a few minutes later than the set time. He was alrea
The things she had been told as a kid, the things she had been trained and taught were wrong, Jasmine laid naked in Marcello's arm, snoring softly, sleeping soundly; she'd just lost her virginity and it still hadn't kicked into her brain that it wasn't what she'd been taught. She was still living the fantasy of being in the arms of a man like Marcello.But Marcello laid awake, wondering, pondering; what the hell had just happened? It was like he was in a trans and could only hear and, obey a single voice. She said 'take me to your room' and he couldn't find any reason to deny her. He really did want her but for some reason, he thought it'd have been better if he'd said no; if he had just denied her. He never had this problem and gutly feeling with his other gazillion women. His guts were telling him that what he'd let happen should never have happened. But it already had happened and Marcelo knew he couldn't go back.
Only two things ran through Marcelo's mind after he'd dropped Jasmine off and talked to Serena. As soon as possible had to get as far away from the area as possible; for his life and hers. He wasn't quite sure if he really had been traced already but he knew he couldn't take any chances. He had to leave and no one had to know: not even Jasmine..................Two days had gone by since Marcelo dropped her off and never texted or called her back. Jasmine focused her eyes on the message that had alerted on her phone. A bank alert of twenty-five thousand dollars deposited into her account that same night she'd seen him last. There was a grand total of fourteen million, eight hundred and four thousand, nine hundred and two (14,804,902) CFA in her account including the five hundred thousand francs she had received from her brother to process her documents for a passpo
Inside a full packed clubhouse, still trying to go undercover, Marcelo forced himself through the crowd, limping, his entire lefthand locked in a cask, a mask and his over grown hair covering his face, space left only for his eyes to see. He followed the familiar corridors of the back setting of the club, now his club. Inside his final destination, he limped himself over to a seat, behind which stood a girl in a black hoodie and ripped skinny jeans. Everyone else just watched in utter silence as he descended onto his throne.He made it! Under rough circumstances but still; he was now the leader of a mob; not just any; the biggest, baddest and most dangerous.For everything he'd been through as a fugitive, Marcelo swore to be soulless during his reign. He would strike fear into the souls of his enemies just by the mention of his name. He would become their nightmare: starting with the two people who had contributed in his hell experience.