Sapphire (22 page)

Resuming his tortured pacing Jase dragged his hands through his tousled hair then stopped and took a deep breath. Forcing his voice to be calm, he tried to explain the issues that were tearing him apart.

“The long and short of it, Ian, is that I truly don’t know if I can let Sapphire do this. Not because she isn’t capable. Hell, we couldn’t have found a tougher more accomplished warrior. Add to that, she is the prototype of the woman Roberto craves. But, dammit, it isn’t her I’m worried about. It’s me! Frankly I don’t know if I can do everything I need to do to make this mission work. My job is to put her in Ventrilo’s path. Taunt him with the fact that she’s mine and encourage him to make a play for her. And when he does, as he surely will, I’m supposed to concede and let him take her off somewhere and do God knows what. Meantime we’ve just learned that there’s going to be an international white slave auction run by Caligula’s damn doppelganger. And you and I know without a doubt, that Sapphire will become the prize filly at that hideous auction.”

Ian put his elbows on the table and rested his cheek against his fist. After a long moment he looked up and nodded as if coming to an important conclusion.

“I’ve got it, Jase. First, man, let’s deep-six any idea either of us might have about taking Sapphire off the team. We both know that isn’t going to happen. One, she doesn’t deserve to be pulled. She’s worked hard to achieve this level of work. Besides, Diamond would have my balls in a vise if we even suggested it.”

When Jase hesitated then nodded in agreement, Ian continued.

“Two, in a crazy way, this
agitation
of yours can be productive. We can take advantage of it. If anything, we can amp it up!”

Ignoring Jase’s disbelieving snort, Ian persisted.

“Don’t you get it, Jase? Your role has always been to act like a besotted lover who has found the woman of his dreams. Given what a competitive prick he is, you knew that your
infatuation
would only heighten Roberto’s need to go after her. Forgive me if I sound callous, but your angst can only add to the role that you
planned
to play. Not to be cynical, but you can use all this romantic fervor to your advantage. And frankly to Sapphire’s advantage. She will be able to point to your overwrought behavior as the reason that she is willing to go with Roberto. To get away from your overbearing possessiveness, if nothing else. Follow?”

Jase stopped pacing and leaned against the bar, forcing himself to consider Ian’s insight. After a moment he walked back to the table, pulled out his chair, and, with an audible sigh, sat down. He reached for the now half empty bottle of Scotch and refilled his glass and Ian’s. For several moments he sipped quietly on the powerful libation and forced himself to think like the accomplished commander that he was. Finally, he met Ian’s gaze.

“Of course, Col. Ross, you are correct. If anything I’m likely to be more convincing in my role than I usually am. The fact that I’m in love with Sapphire, and close to crazy with possessive fear, should serve to make the mission more likely to succeed.”

When Ian frowned as if questioning his seeming agreement, Jase added, “Of course, that presumes that I don’t cut off the son of a bitch’s dick with my k-bar and shove it up his ass the first time that he so much as smiles at Sapphire.”

Ian startled and then allowed a slow smile to spread across his face. In an amused understatement, he agreed.

“Well, yes, Commander Malone, a successful mission does, at the very least, assume that.”

Chapter 23

S
apphire yanked off her leather sparring gloves and tossed them to the floor. She didn’t have to look in the mirrored wall of her full-sized workout room to know that she was flushed and drenched with sweat. No mystery why: she’d been pounding the bag with her fists and feet for over an hour. Her brief breaks from attacking the leather target had been filled with a series of challenging isokinetic moves. Her challenging regimen was based on velocity. In her world it was a given that if you wanted to be fast you needed to train fast. Sapphire tested that dictum every time she entered her gym. She was accustomed to driving herself physically at a pace that often amazed even her, but today she had outdone herself. Grabbing a towel she scrubbed at the back of her neck then swirled the rough cloth across her dripping forehead. She knew she would require at least thirty minutes in a hot shower to blast the exhaustion from her frazzled body.

Pulling her sweat-soaked halter over her head, she tossed it on the floor beside her gloves. Next to go were the boy shorts that cupped her ass and made her smile every time she looked in the mirror. She considered those abbreviated shorts one of her best weapons when fighting an unsuspecting male opponent. A couple of carefully choreographed warm up stretches ensured that any wide-eyed warrior got a teasing glimpse of her curvy bottom. The intentionally revealing shorts gave her at least a three move advantage. By the time the leering guy got his tongue back in his mouth, she usually had him on the floor—at least twice. If she was extra fast, she’d driven her knee into his unsuspecting and unlucky groin, leaving him bent over, clutching his jewels, and screaming at her for taking advantage of him. Sapphire would toss her head and smile. Hey, a girl needed to use every weapon she had.

Stripping off her sports bra and lacy thong, she strode naked to the shower, yanking the hair tie out of her hair sending a mass of golden waves tumbling over her shoulders. She couldn’t help glancing in the mirror as she reached for a towel and prepared to enter the sanctity of her elaborate shower. Her slim legs, curvy hips and full breasts triggered the unwelcome memory of the night before. She hadn’t run fifteen miles and spent two and a half hours in the gym for no reason. She’d learned over the years that grueling physical exercise was the one way that she could regain and maintain her equilibrium. And if she’d ever needed a stress reducer, and a way to dispel the torrid memories from last night, it was now. She groaned with frustration at the shivers that swept across her bare skin. It wasn’t fair that just a glimpse of her naked body filled her exhausted brain with panoply of unsettling images. Sapphire shook her head and ducked into the shower and turned the foot wide shower head to full blast hoping to literally wash the erotic memories out of her hair.

She’d spent the day riding a roller coaster of emotions. She tried to focus on her anger at Jase’s overbearing arrogance, to hang on to her anger. It wasn’t hard to do when she remembered Jase threatening to take her off the mission. But just when she’d worked herself up to outrage, she would remember the touch of his lips as he kissed her, softly, almost gently at first and then with a passion that demanded she respond. That was just it. How could she not respond, give in to him, when his roving hands found every erogenous zone on her body, including several she didn’t know she had? The memory of his expert fingers kneading her ass, then slipping inside her swollen folds elicited a flood of moisture that nearly brought her to her knees.

Pressing her forehead against the shower wall she tried to keep the images from further stimulating her overwrought body but it didn’t work. Unbidden she reached for her breasts, cupping the lush overflowing mounds in her hands. Shocked at the way her nipples tightened and swelled, she gave into her need to stroke them. She began tugging on the distended tips, mimicking the way Jase had played with them. Unfortunately, rather than fulfilling her desire, her tentative tugs only made her long for his expert tongue and teeth. She moaned in frustration, remembering how Jase suckled her taut nipples until she was begging for release.

Like the master manipulator that Jase was, he’d ignored her heated pleas and continued to torment her with his hands, his mouth and his outrageous words, holding her on the edge of an erotic precipice for what seemed like hours. When he finally allowed her to ride the crest to the top, the orgasm that swept over her was a wildfire of sensation burning through every last bit of resistance to him she’d had. Even now, the memory made her knees buckle. She leaned helplessly against the shower wall, not sure she could stand without support.

Discouraged that not even the blazing heat of the shower dampened her erotic memories Sapphire grabbed for a towel and fled to her dressing room. Scrubbing at her overheated body, she did her best to rub the troubling thoughts from her consciousness. She heard the ping from her cell phone signaling that she’d received a text. Grabbing her cell phone, she told herself she shouldn’t look at it in case the message was from him. She realized, with a frustrated pang, that she’d actually be more upset if it wasn’t. Punching up her messages, she saw the words and closed her eyes at the unbidden rush of sensation that charged her senses. She sank to the floor and rested against the cool wall. Good God, if just the sight of a message from him was enough to bring her to her knees, she was lost before she’d begun.

The message was all business. Not so much as a ‘hello’ or ‘good afternoon’ distracted from the clearly professional tone. It took her a minute to absorb the fact that in less than three hours Jase would pick her up and they would head for the
Caligula Club
. The rest of the message described what she was to wear—and not wear. The costume he specified was the gold sequined halter dress he’d bought for her at the
Finery.
Sapphire groaned, remembering how the scanty fabric had barely covered her ass. Apparently wanting to ensure that every inch of her long legs would be on display, he ordered her to add the matching five-inch, high-heeled, gold slippers and that she should wear her hair long and loose about her shoulders. Jase’s attention to detail went so far as to indicate the shade of eye shadow she was to wear. He finished by telling her not to worry about jewelry, that he would bring the required baubles. All of that would have been acceptable, if overbearing, if it were not for his order of what she was
not
to wear. Sapphire gasped and then flushed with anger at his concluding order:
Underwear of any kind is forbidden
.

When she finished dressing Sapphire stood in front of the mirror studying her reflection. Once again she admitted that Jase clearly understood fashion and had an unerring sense of what a particular outfit could do for a woman’s body. Or, she thought with an annoyed huff, he was an expert at women’s bodies—likely having dressed and undressed countless hundreds of them. Staring at her long legs and bodacious breasts unhampered by a bra, Sapphire made a decision. Yes, Jase did have the right to
suggest
a costume for the evening. After all, he knew Roberto Ventrilo and the kind of clothing that would pique his interest. But, dammit, she also knew men and what they liked women to wear. For God’s sake, she’d been front and center in at least a hundred missions in which her assignment was to “seduce” the target. And, dammit to hell, she’d been successful every time.

Chafing at his order that she was not to wear underwear, Sapphire tossed her head and began rummaging in her lingerie drawer. She knew what sexy lingerie did to men. It was why she had several thousand dollars of gorgeous lace, silk and satin frivolities guaranteed to arouse a man. Jase was just going to have to defer to her on this. Besides, she intended to keep her dress on, and in the horrible event that she was forced to take it off she did
not
intend to be naked. Besides, not wearing anything under the skin-tight dress made her feel more vulnerable, less in control. She snorted, thinking that no doubt that was precisely what her arrogant commander intended.

As she waited for him to arrive, Sapphire decided she needed a glass of wine, or, better yet, a heady dose of her precious
Glenmorangie
if she was to hold her own against the domineering Commander Malone. Just the thought of his flashing eyes filled with lust confirmed that the Scotch was her best bet. Throughout the day she’d done her best to forget Jase’s strange confession. No matter how many times she replayed his remarkable claim, she still didn’t know why he had said it. Or why he looked so frighteningly serious when he did. The idea that the stud of all studs was falling in love with her was patently absurd.

Sapphire knew it at the time and dismissed his ridiculous claim as one more transparent ploy to get in her pants. She admitted that the problem with that theory was that he’d already been in more than her pants. He’d insinuated himself into her very psyche. But at the same time that he was telling her he was falling in love with her he seemed to be telling her that he needed to leave before they went any further. Damn, it was so confusing. As if she wasn’t already at a serious disadvantage with the overwhelming man.

She forced herself to focus on the horrifying news that Noah and Grayson had brought. Sapphire knew all about white slave auctions; they were yet another hideous component of the global human trafficking horror. She knew that some of the wealthiest men in the world participated in the debauchery, buying and selling young women as if they were prized horses or paintings. She’d also heard what happened to the women who were sold. Not that anyone had to tell her. She’d been part of too many missions in which she and the rest of the good guys had arrived too late. It was bad enough seeing how the women had been abused before they were left for dead. It was worse trying to deal with the ones who survived.

Knowing that her mission was to ensure that the women Roberto Ventrilo intended to auction off were somehow saved, it was a chilling thought that in order to do so, she needed to become a key part of the auction. At least that is what she, Jase, Noah and Grayson had agreed last night would be her role. First, she needed to find the women Roberto had sequestered, apparently preparing them for sale. Once she confirmed the details she needed to get that information to Jase and the team. And then she needed to allow herself to be part of the merchandise for sale. No, make that
ensure
that she was part of the human commodities that wealthy, soulless men intended to purchase at a modern day slave auction. Finally she had to pray that her team, under the leadership of the commander who had turned her life upside down, would somehow be able to crash the auction. Their goal? To do what countless numbers of other high level teams of hardened warriors had been unable to do. Take down the hideous Roberto Ventrilo while surrounded by the best security teams that money could buy—unscrupulous combatants who would give their lives rather than allow their wealthy patrons to fail.