CHAPTER 2

When Jasmine got home that afternoon, she met her adoptive parents, Timothy and Gloria Yates, sitting on the couch, engaged in what seemed like a deep conversation.

She wiped the tears from her eyes and cleared her throat, so it wouldn’t seem like she had been crying. “Good evening, Father. Mother,” she greeted, drawing their attention to her.

Timothy gave her a curt nod in response while Gloria’s lips pressed into a thin, disapproving line as she eyed Jasmine from head to toe.

Ever since they had discovered Jasmine wasn’t their daughter, and reunited with their real daughter, Charlotte, they had developed a sort of coldness for her and basically discarded her.

“Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Gloria demanded in a scolding tone. “Do you think you can just do whatever you want?”

Jasmine's brows furrowed, and she quickly pulled out her phone to check if she had a missed call.

Sure enough, a notification of 5 missed calls stared back at her and her eyes widened in surprise.

She had been so caught up in her thoughts about Jacob’s betrayal that she hadn’t noticed her phone was on silent mode.

“I’m sorry mom,” she bowed, her voice apologetic. “I didn’t mean to ignore your calls. My phone was—”

Gloria raised a slender hand to silence her. “You don’t have to give flimsy excuses,” she cut her off. “Just come here. We have something to discuss with you.”

Jasmine nodded before walking over to the couch across from them. She took her seat and crossed her legs in the graceful manner Gloria had taught her.

Timothy and Gloria exchanged a look that Jasmine couldn’t decipher before they both turned back to her.

“We have a task for you,” Timothy began, his expression stoic as he leaned forward and entwined his hands together.

“If you do it, we’ll give you the information you need about your real parents.”

Jasmine’s eyes widened at Timothy’s offer. She had been pleading with them to give her the information about her parents ever since she found out she was adopted, but they had refused.

Why had they suddenly changed their minds?

A flicker of skepticism flashed through her eyes, but she did her best to hide it as she stared at them with wariness. “W-what would you like me to do?”

Gloria’s lips downturned as she tried her best to look defeated. “We’ve been having a bit of difficulty with convincing an investor of ours. We need you to seduce him into agreeing to our demands.”

“Yes,” Timothy cleared his throat as he added. “That’s our only option right now. If you succeed, you’ll get to know all about your birth parents. Do you accept?”

Jasmine's stomach churned at the absurdity of their request. Were they actually just trying to make her a pawn in their plan?

Her first instinct was to refuse, but Timothy’s words replayed in her head like a broken record.

‘You’ll get to know all about your birth parents.’

This made her hesitate and she chewed on her lips as she considered her options.

Finding her birth parents was something she wanted more than anything in the world.

“It’s just one night,” she convinced herself. “I can do this.”

“I’ll do it,” she finally conceded, determination flickering in her eyes.

Gloria’s feigned sadness vanished, and was replaced by a smug smile. “You’ve made the right decision. After all, it’s the least you can do to thank us after all we’ve done for you.”

Jasmine inwardly flinched at Gloria’s indirect jab, but she held her tongue.

Timothy glanced at Jasmine, his expression still cold.

“You’ll meet Samuel Wilson at the Ash Seasons Hotel by 9pm sharp. Don’t be late.” He instructed in a clipped tone as he rose from his seat, and left the living room without another word.

Gloria smoothed out the bodice of her gown as she equally stood up. “Ensure to make his experience…worthwhile,” she smirked slyly before strutting away, her stiletto heels clicking against the tiled floor.

>>>>>>>>>

Jasmine clutched her handbag tightly as she walked down the narrow hallway of the hotel, her heart pounding with each step she took.

She glanced at the gold plated numbers on the doors until she reached the one she was looking for. “Room 98,” she whispered as the numbers stared back at her.

Her hands trembled as she brought out a silk tie from her bag and tied it around her eyes. She didn’t want to see the face of the old man she was going to sleep with.

Taking a deep breath, she willed herself to calm down as she repeated, “It’s just one night.”

After stalling for a few more seconds, she finally reached for the doorknob. Gloria had told her to enter the room without knocking, so she pressed down on the knob, and her sweaty palms momentarily fumbled with it before she pushed it open.

The blindfold on her face restricted her vision, so she couldn’t see anything, but she could sense a presence in the room.

She hesitated at the entrance, unsure if she should speak, and for a second nothing happened, but then she gasped in surprise when she heard the door closing behind her.

A warm, calloused hand gripped her jaw and tilted her head upward before she had a chance to regain her composure.

“Long time no see, princess,” a husky, rich timbre voice with a slur echoed in her ears, sending a tingling sensation down her spine.

Her brows furrowed behind the blindfold. The voice sounded nothing like that of an old man. It was smooth, almost…pleasurable.

Was she in the right room?

She didn’t have the time to dwell on the thought as his hot minty breath suddenly fanned against her face. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

She stiffened as she realized how very close he now was.

What did he mean by what he said, and why was she not repulsed by it?

“I…I don’t…” she began, but he pressed a finger to her lips, interrupting her. “No words, princess. Just feel.”

Before she could respond, his soft lips travelled up her collarbone, and a breathy moan escaped her mouth.

“You have no idea how much I’ve dreamt of this,” he murmured as he gently sucked on the base of her neck and soothed the spot with a flick of his tongue.

The sensuous action sent a zap straight to Jasmine’s toes, and she clung to his shirt, her head tilting instinctively to give him better access to her neck.

“Fuck,” he breathed, his voice now thick with desire. “You taste better than I imagined.”

Jasmine let out a surprised yelp as he swept her off her feet and placed her on a soft mattress.

He hovered over her and trailed a long finger from her chin, to her collarbone and down to her cleavage.

Her mind screamed at her to stop him…to demand answers as to why he seemed to already know her. But her body melted under his touch as he whispered these words in her ear.

“I’m going to ravish you,” he nibbled on her earlobe, and slipped her gown off before giving her what she would term the best experience of her life.

>>>>

The next morning, Jasmine was awoken by the sound of her phone buzzing from inside her bag. Her blindfold was nowhere to be found, and it took her a moment to adjust to her surroundings.

The cotton sheets pooling around her bare skin made her realize she was naked under the covers, and her eyes widened as the events of last night came flooding back.

Her gaze darted to the man beside her, his tattooed, muscled back rising and falling as he slept soundly.

The ache between her legs reminded her of how intense yet gentle he had been with her last night, and a blush stained her cheeks.

Before she could daydream further, her phone rang again, and she slipped out of bed, grabbed her bag, and fished it out.

She glanced at the caller Id to see it was her adoptive mother. With a deep breath, she answered the call. “Hello—”

“You good for nothing slut!” Gloria’s voice screeched from the other end. “How dare you bail on Samuel Wilson? Get home in ten minutes or so help me God!”

Jasmine's blood ran cold and her gaze snapped back to the sleeping man.

If he wasn’t Samuel Wilson, then who was he?