Sapphire (15 page)

Now as he guided her through club and headed toward the stairway to the lower level that housed Roberto Ventrilo’s private lair, Jase tugged her closer to him. Bending over he brushed his lips against her ear eliciting a shiver that Sapphire couldn’t hide. Murmuring softly, he ignored her surprised yelp, when he pinched her curvy bottom.

“Just so you know, Agent Shaw, your naughty antics at the
Finery
did not go unnoticed. By me
or
my cock. We both will show you later what happens to a saucy little minx who thinks she can taunt the tiger without repercussions.”

Sapphire couldn’t fight the blistering sensations that surged between her legs in response to his elicit threat that had excited her as much as it appalled her.

Chapter 15

W
alking down the curving staircase to Roberto Ventrilo’s private sanctuary, Sapphire felt a chill snake up her spine. Her involuntary shudder raised the hairs on the back of her neck. She respected the reflexive warning signaling that danger was near. She wasn’t surprised when Jase tightened his grip on her arm. Over the years working with men and women on hazardous missions, she’d learned that she wasn’t the only operative whose body picked up peril at an instinctive level. Meeting Jase’s gaze, she appreciated his comforting smile but didn’t miss the fact that the smile didn’t reach his hard emerald eyes.

At the bottom of the staircase, Jase pointed to heavy double doors on their left. Nodding to the burly men on either side of the doors, Jase murmured, “That is the ‘play room’ as it is appropriately called. I’ll take you there sometime. It’s definitely worth the price of admission if you appreciate watching public sex of every known variety. Although they don’t allow animals...at least not yet. ” He added with a wry chuckle, “I don’t know about you but I can only handle so many pale wrinkled white men who apparently haven’t looked in the mirror lately or they would have chosen to keep their clothes on.” His grin widened and he winked at her. “On the other hand, in my humble, chauvinistic opinion, the women with them should never wear clothes.”

Clasping her elbow, Jase turned to the right and led her down a long hallway. Sapphire noted that there were several evenly spaced doors lining the hall, indicating a series of private rooms. Knowing that the
Caligula
was known for its kink and outright BDSM, the private rooms weren’t a surprise. In his briefing Jase had confirmed that for a hefty annual fee, that reached into the high six figures, a man could have a chamber dedicated to his private use. For lesser, but still exorbitant amounts of money, the rooms were available for monthly, weekly or even nightly use.

Music drifted from behind some of the doors. Sapphire noted, with an amused sniff, that the chamber music that had made the open room upstairs seem almost sophisticated was noticeably absent. Instead she heard everything from Nelly’s
Hot in Herre
to Ginuwine’s
Pony
and Ludacris’s
Fantasy
. Sapphire snorted. Someone was even playing Chris Isaak’s
Wicked Game,
that, compared to the others, sounded like a nursery rhyme. Regardless of the choice of artist, all of the music had a driving rhythm and sexually amped beat that left nothing to the imagination as to the activity behind the locked doors. Sapphire grimaced, hearing sounds other than down and dirty music. Several screams brought her to a halt as did the giveaway crack of a whip followed by what sounded to Sapphire like cries of genuine pain.

She turned to Jase frowning and started to speak.

Before she could tell him that they needed to check it out, Jase pressed a finger against her lips and shook his head. Murmuring softly, he said, “Uh uh, Warrior Woman. These walls have ears
and
eyes. Remember, it’s taken me six months to establish my cover here. To prove that I’m one of them. Let me assure you it’s also taken a stronger stomach than I ever expected to need outside of a prisoner of war camp in the heart of Africa.”

The unease racking her body and tightening her breath increased when Jase stopped in front of another set of double doors at the end of the hallway. Sapphire didn’t have to ask whose room it was. The four steely eyed men, two on either side of the entrance, confirmed that she and Jase had reached the throne room. Sapphire counted a minimum of three weapons per guard, and those were only the ones visible to her practiced gaze. She was confident that at least a knife, and probably a razor or two, were secreted in places even her trained eyes didn’t pick up on.

Jase stopped in front of the doorway and motioned to one of the guards.

“Please inform Mr. Ventrilo that I’ve arrived.”

The largest of the muscle bound men glared at Jase and then said caustically, “He already knows you are here, Mr. Malone. You ought to know by now that no one makes it this far down the hallway unless he’s permitted it.”

Jase smiled. “Yes, I do know that, Manuel, which is why I’m surprised that you still haven’t opened the goddamned door.”

Purplish splotches sprang up on the burly man’s face at the rebuke. As he met Jase’s hard glare, his open hostility morphed into exaggerated politeness underscored by a sneer.

“We will, Sir, as soon as we’ve confirmed that Mr. Ventrilo gave permission to admit your pus—”

His ugly slur died in his throat when Jase stepped forward. His jaw was rigid. Palpable anger rolled off of him in waves. Grabbing the unlucky man’s shoulder he dug his thumb into the sensitive trigger point at the base of Manuel’s neck. Ignoring Manuel’s agonized shriek, Jase’s soft voice vibrated with danger.

“Before you open the door to escort us into Mr. Ventrilo’s chambers, Manuel, please apologize to my guest. You and I will meet later to ensure that you have learned the proper way to address a woman. Clearly a refresher course is in order.”

Manuel’s face was a sickly gray. Beads of sweat gleamed on his forehead and thick upper lip. Ducking his head, he tried to free himself from Jase’s excruciating grip. His swagger noticeably absent, he appealed to Sapphire, his voice was raspy with pain.

“Look…Miss, I…didn’t mean anything. I would never insult one of Mr. Malone’s women. I ain’t crazy.”

Manuel screamed when Jase tightened the pressure on the trigger point.

“I didn’t ask for an excuse, Manuel. For the last time. Apologize.”

Unable to free himself from Jase’s tortuous hold, Manuel bleated, “I’m…I’m sorry, Miss.”

Sapphire gave a disdainful shrug.

“I accept your apology, Manuel.” Turning to Jase, she tossed her head. “Let him go, Jase.”

Jase nodded and bowed slightly to Sapphire.

“But of course, my dear. I believe Manuel and his cohorts now understand the importance of properly addressing a lady.”

He turned back to the teary eyed man who was rubbing his neck and blubbering. He said crisply, “Now, Manuel. The door.”

If she had any doubts about what to expect when she walked into Roberto Ventrilo’s private lair, her expectations were confirmed.

If leather was your thing, and it was clearly Roberto’s, the room was luxurious to a fault. Overstuffed, gleaming leather arm chairs, and a massive curved sofa with raised foot lifts at either end centered the room. Mirrors covered three of the four walls. Sapphire did her best to ignore the various angles of her reflection to concentrate on the rest of stunning chamber. A long bar topped with dozens of bottle of liquor spoke to at least one of the passions of the owner. The occasional tables sprinkled round the room covered with drug paraphernalia spoke to another. There was a goodly supply of coke on several of the tables, along with pills of every size and color.

A cadre of swarthy men, not bothering to hide their rigs holding a plethora of weapons, glanced up when she and Jase entered. None of them rose, or in any way verbally acknowledged Jase. While words weren’t spoken, Sapphire didn’t miss the increased tension in the room at their entrance. More interesting than the burly guards, a couple of whom Sapphire bet were part of Ian’s team, were the women in various stages of undress lounging throughout the room. Several were hunched over the drug laden tables, their glassy-eyed gazes and languorous postures confirmed that the mountains of blow were not going to waste. Each of the guards had a woman on his lap or one kneeling at his feet—or both. To a woman, even those who were stoned, gorgeous was the only way to describe them.

Having seen pictures of Roberto Ventrilo, Sapphire immediately identified him. He was sitting in one of the large armchairs, a stark naked woman on his lap, another standing behind him apparently giving him a neck massage. What might have been an expected picture of the man of the hour was made even more compelling by the woman kneeling in front of him, his engorged cock deep in her throat.

Sapphire tried not to give away her surprise; rather, she met the man’s impudent gaze. Clearly enjoying the scene he was the center of, Roberto waved them in.

“Come in, Jase. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Nodding to the woman who was sucking on him, he nodded impatiently.

“Hurry it up, Sweet Tits. I asked you to suck me off, not swallow the whole dammed thing.”

His hearty sigh of approval and grunt of satisfaction confirmed that the kneeling wench had done as she was told. Rising impatiently to his feet, tucking his spent cock in his trousers as he stood, Roberto knocked one naked woman to the floor and stepped over the kneeling one who had finished servicing him. As she crawled away, Roberto aimed a sharp kick of his boot at her bare ass and laughed aloud when she screamed and landed on her face. Several of the men in the room joined in the disparaging laughter.

As all the women who’d been pleasuring him in one way or another, slunk off to their corners to sulk or to find another man to service, Roberto advanced on Jase and Sapphire.

Stretching out his hand, he grabbed Jase’s and pulled him toward him, slapping a muscular arm over Jase’s shoulder.

A hearty grin spread across his face.

“I wondered where the fuck you were, brother. I even wondered if you’d decided that you would keep your latest acquisition to yourself.”

Turning to Sapphire, Roberto raked his gaze over her. Starting at her hair, he moved down her body, his salaciousness growing the more he studied her. As his eyes focused on various parts of her body, her breasts, her hips and ass, he traced her long legs with a widening grin. Sapphire forced herself not to respond, to be impassive, not give him the satisfaction of knowing that he was upsetting her. It wasn’t easy. She’d met men like Roberto before in her line of work. One of the traits these powerful men had was their presumption that beautiful women were like any other fine item they were considering buying—or taking. Their disdain for the actual thinking and feeling women was patently apparent. She was an object, like a fine horse, or an expensive painting. An object he could possess or dismiss. The power to do either was his.

The lust-filled gleam in Roberto’s eyes as he surveyed her should have been disquieting. The primary reason it wasn’t was because Jase was standing beside her. His presence was as potent as Roberto’s and for Sapphire, more so. Even though Jase wasn’t touching her or in any way discouraging Ventrilo’s lecherous appraisal, it was as though he was shielding her, making it clear that Roberto was able to look at her the way that he was because Jase allowed him to. It was a privilege that Jase could give or take away. This silent accord between the two men was surprisingly comforting to Sapphire.

The other reason that she tolerated Roberto’s lewd assessment of her body was that his salacious attention to her various body parts allowed her to study him. From the copious materials the various agencies had gathered on the miscreant, Sapphire had seen Roberto in many different settings. She knew he was a handsome, imposing man. But nothing in the still photos or even the videos she’d seen did justice to his overwhelming presence. The chill warning that had traced her spine while she’d studied him in the abstract now sent waves of icy sensations coursing over her. She swore the hairs on the back her neck stood straight up in dismay as the man closed in on her.

Striving for equilibrium, Sapphire turned her attention to Jase. Her partner was equally if not more handsome than Roberto. Like Ventrilo, Jase commanded a room the moment he entered. But Jase had the grace of a powerful panther moving slowly to his prey, élan in every step. Roberto had a daunting aura all his own—but no one would choose the word graceful to describe him. Sapphire assured herself that it wasn’t because she knew his devastating record that made her see the malevolence emanating from him. She didn’t have to remember the tortured bodies of his victims or how tragically young most of them were. As she met his eyes, she knew her assessment was accurate. His distinct aura filled the room. If Sapphire had to describe it succinctly, evil was the single best word to define him. He literally oozed evil.

As if he wanted to confirm her chilling assessment, Roberto reached over and pulled her toward him. Tossing Jase a sneering glance, he intoned.

“Well, well, my handsome friend. You have outdone yourself. I can see how this lovely creature has captured you. I now understand why you have been reluctant to bring her here. I’m surprised that you made it through the gathering room without having a horde of those hairy jackals attack her.”

Jase laughed. If it wasn’t for the way that he’d maneuvered Roberto’s hand off her arm, Sapphire might have thought he was conceding to the man, except that his nonchalant response contained a warning.