Sapphire (26 page)

She tossed her head and said, “To this day.”

At that moment, the door opened and no fewer than six obviously armed men were stationed inside. Jase was pleased to see Grayson among them. They stood three on either side of the door, allowing Roberto Ventrilo to make his entrance. Striding in as though he’d entered a grand hall and not a sinister dungeon in the basement floor of his insidious club, Roberto moved from guest to guest, glad handing them like the accomplished politician that he was. When he saw Jase his smile widened, looked almost genuinely affectionate.

“Ah, just the man I want to see. The only way I know if I’m dressing au courant is to see if I can match this son of a bitch.” He glanced around the room clearly enjoying the fact that all eyes in the room were on him. Clapping a big arm around Jase’s shoulder he inquired rhetorically to the group, “Tell me, gentlemen, have you ever seen a better looking guy than this one? I presume you agree, Jase?”

Jase glanced pointedly at the men in the doorway and said with a pleasant grin, “Not a chance, Roberto. Given that you have at least six imposing men who would disagree, let me say that no one in this room comes close to you, Sir.”

Roberto laughed loudly as though Jase had said something hilarious rather than subtly implying that the only way Roberto gained his prominence was the amount of hired muscle he had.

At that moment, Ventrilo focused on Sapphire. His eyes widened and darkened. He shook his head as a look of wonder crossed his face. For the moment his approval almost seemed genuine. Watching the odious man appraise Sapphire, looking her over, his obsidian eyes flashing with greed, Jase knew they had fooled themselves. The plan that had seemed foolproof in the abstract became as dangerous as they all knew that it was. Roberto’s exclamation shook him out of his troubled reverie.

“Holy Christ, Jase, isn’t it bad enough that you are the most goddamn handsome son of a bitch in the room, do you have to be accompanied by the most beautiful woman?”

Jase kept his tone even allowing a slight smile to quirk his lips.

“I believe we’ve established the pecking order among the men in the room, Roberto, but I will agree with you. With apologies to the myriad other lovelies who are here tonight, I will agree. My paramour is indeed beautiful.”

He lowered his voice and spoke to Roberto in an aside, “If only she didn’t know it.”

Roberto flashed him a surprised glance, then turned back to Sapphire. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her close to him and ordered, “Turn around, my dear. Let me look at you, all of you.”

Sapphire frowned slightly then raised her chin as if she might refuse his request. Jase moved closer and said in a low voice, “You heard Mr. Ventrilo, Sapphire. Turn around so that he can admire your lovely…dress.”

Sapphire shrugged and turned in a circle. Or a better description, Jase thought, was that she
sauntered
in a circle, exaggerating the sway of her curvy hips from side to side. When she faced Roberto she gave him a sweet smile.

Jase reached for her arm and jerked her next to himself. Turning to Roberto, his voice was low, hard.

“I apologize for my paramour’s forward behavior, Roberto. She’s new to the scene and needs significant training.”

Ventrilo looked from one to the other of them and said carefully, “Yes, Jase, I can see that.”

He slid aggressively next to Sapphire and put a heavy hand on her shoulder. Reaching for her throat, he ran his finger around her collar. Sapphire frowned at him and tried to pull away, but his hand on her shoulder was firm.

“I see you are wearing your Master’s collar.”

Sapphire rolled her eyes and brushed his hand from her shoulder.

“I prefer to think of it as a necklace.”

Sidling up to Jase, she said, “Darling, do you mind if I find the bar? I could use some refreshment.” She flicked at an imaginary spot on his lapel and said with a tinkling laugh. “It’s a little hot in here, don’t you think?”

As she strolled across the floor, smiling coquettishly at the men who were watching her in amazement as she passed, Jase groaned.

“Don’t even say it, Roberto.”

He shook his head and blew out a frustrated sigh.

“This is the last time I’ll let the face of an angel and a gorgeous body convince me that all women are ultimately submissive. Christ, I’ve never run into anyone like her. On the one hand her behavior is amusing; on the other hand it is infuriating.”

Roberto stared at Sapphire’s retreating back, a greedy smile playing on his lips. However, when he met Jase’s gaze, his eyes were hard, devoid of humor.

“Maybe what she needs is a firmer hand, my friend.”

Jase snorted in agreement, “Or maybe what she needs is the hell beat out of her.”

Roberto waved a careless hand at the accoutrements around the room.

“Well, you don’t have to look hard in this room, Jase, to find instruments that could be useful in training her.”

Jase put up his hands in defeat.

“I don’t know, Roberto. I never thought I would say this about myself or about a woman, but I think she is untrainable—at least by me. She seems to have an indomitable spirit. She enjoys baiting me, taunting me more than she does pretending to obey me.”

Roberto narrowed his eyes watching Sapphire openly flirt with the men standing at the bar. He studied her for a long moment.

“Did you ever think that she simply isn’t the right woman for you, Jase? Yes, she is beautiful. But beautiful women can be trying. They’re spoiled. Essentially, they are like small children. They have been told so often that they are beautiful that they think that’s all it takes to get what they want. They’ve never been taught to obey. Like spoiled children, a harder hand is needed to teach them to obey.”

Not taking his eyes off Sapphire’s curvy bottom, Roberto added. “You might not believe this, Jase, but some men will pay dearly for an opportunity to teach a woman like Sapphire how to behave.”

Jase guffawed. “Where the hell are they? I’d love to see the guy who could train that ungrateful brat. Hell this week alone, I’ve bought her more than $10,000 worth of clothes and you can see how much she appreciates them. Look at her. Fuck, she’s practically begging John Phillips to fondle her ass.”

Roberto raised a brow and rubbed his hands together as if considering. His voice dropped to a low pitch.

“Interestingly enough, Jase, I’m planning a high level event. It is invitation only and carries a high price. But the women I’m making available are worth what they cost. For choosy men like you, finding the right woman, one who best suits your specific needs, can be trying. That’s where I can help.”

“What are you talking about, Roberto? A fucking car auction, only one where you buy and sell women?”

“I prefer to think of it as a marketplace. One for the connoisseur who insists on the finest commodities and has the wherewithal to acquire them. For example, certain men that I know would pay through the nose for the opportunity to bring a haughty bitch like yours to heel.”

At the sound of her tinkling laugh, Jase looked across the room and scowled, seeing Sapphire perched on a bar stool. A full glass of scotch in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other, she was gazing up at a beefy man who, in addition to being a sitting U.S. Senator, was known for his penchant for beating his subs so badly that he kept his personal physician on call when he spent long nights at the
Caligula Club
. Frowning thoughtfully, Jase turned back to Roberto.

“What’s in it for me?” He added with a snort, “Hell, man, it would be nice if I could recoup some of the thousands I’ve spent on her already.”

“To begin with you could find another woman who is more suited to your needs, more amenable to commands. The trick is to get them young enough so that they haven’t learned how to price their looks. I can tell you from my experience that once you’ve tasted genuine jail bait, it’s hard to go back to more seasoned meat.”

Jase shrugged. “I’ll admit it sounds interesting, Roberto. Of course, if I did let her go, I would expect some recompense.”

Ventrilo’s face lit in a salacious grin. “Tell you what, my friend. In exchange for your troublesome bitch, how about I give you, gratis, your choice of the lovelies we are featuring? Of course, I would expect you to purchase another at a later date at full price. Just so you understand, for the quality we are talking about the usual entrance fee is $1 million to have a seat at the table.”

Jase was thoughtful, looking across the room at Sapphire who now had five men offering to light her cigarette and pour her another drink. “Hmm, I’ll consider it. Meantime, I’m going to take the ungrateful wench home and practice a little bitch control.”

Roberto laughed. “If you’ll pardon my saying so, the look she gave you when you started toward her doesn’t bode well for your success, my friend.”

He murmured as Jase prepared to head toward Sapphire and her crowd of admirers. “Do know that if you are going to sell her, she needs to be unmarked. You understand?”

Jase grunted and said over his shoulder, “Unfortunately, I do. But don’t worry, she’ll be in USDA prime condition if I decide to take you up on your offer.”

Chapter 28

“I
don’t think I can do it, Gabriella.”

Jase wasn’t aware that he’d used her real name until Sapphire reproached him.

“Oh no, you don’t, Jase. I’m
Sapphire
. Agent Shaw, a member of your high level team.”

Jase looked at her in the mirror above the bar and groaned. Christ, no wonder Sapphire was glaring at him. It didn’t take a mind reader to see the anxiety below her frustration. He sighed again. Reaching for the bottle of
Glenmorangie
, he poured himself more than he needed. It was already his second glass and he’d quaffed the first in a few angry swallows. He stared into his brooding refection and shook his head. Dammit, how was he going to convince her, this beautiful woman, this talented agent, that her Commander didn’t think
he
could do the job. That they were going to have to call off the operation. Sighing again, he knew the least he owed her was an explanation. The reasons for the actions he was about to take.

“Gabriella, you need to listen to me.”

She shook her head fiercely from side to side.

“No, Jase, I won’t. Not when you call me that. I am not some innocent civilian. I am a trained operator. Let’s be honest, Jase, I’m a trained killer. Same as you and the rest of the agents on our team. That’s my job. It is the job I’ve spent my adult life learning. And, Jase, just to be clear, Agent Malone, I’m damned good at it.”

Jase’s tone was sharp as he glared at her.

“Fine,
Agent Shaw
.” He emphasized her name. “Let
me
be clear. This is not about your credentials or your skills. We agree. You are an exceptional agent. One of the best I’ve ever worked with. Fuck, you think you’re a killer? Well, baby, I concur. You are a killer with or without your weapons. One look from you tonight had hardened Doms eating out of your hand. Christ, I thought the assholes were going to topple the bar just to get next to you.”

Sapphire’s eyes widened and then she gave a tentative smile.

“Goodness, Jase. Don’t tell me that you’re jealous? Is that what this is about?”

Jase slammed his glass on the bar.

Don’t, Sapphire. Don’t minimize what I’m saying. And yes, to answer your question, I was jealous. It almost killed me when that fucker John Phillips was inches away from slobbering all over your breasts. Don’t look so surprised. But maybe I should explain that in addition to liking bodacious women, our illustrious U.S. Senator is a flagrant sadist. Noah and I have taken more than one of his subs to the hospital for emergency treatment.”

He glared at her and took a hearty swig of his drink willing the potent liquid to burn away his angst.

“Do you have any idea how hard this gig is for me? Even if you weren’t involved, these last six months, sucking up to Roberto Ventrilo, getting him to think that I am like him, one of them, matches any mission I’ve had in the worst hellholes in the Middle East. The guy is a sick bastard. Noah and Gray and I and the others have had to play along, acting as though we were like them. Watching them abuse women and perform hideous operations.”

Sapphire raised her hand. The expression on her face stopped his tirade in mid-sentence. Her voice was shaking. She looked pale, strained.

“You tell me these things, Jase? You tell me what you and the others have gone through to get to this place? The things that you’ve tolerated in order to get to the point where you are? Literally a day or two at the most from taking down this evil man and all the sick sycophants who surround him?”

She stood clinging to the back of her chair for support. Her voice rose. “And you want to call it off? Stop now? Now, Jase? When we’re on the verge of success?”

Glaring at him, he saw that the tears swimming in her eyes, but she continued, her voice thick with emotion.

“Because of
me
? Damn you. Damn you to hell, Jase. How could you even think of doing something like that to me?”

Jase slammed his eyes shut to block out the shattered expression on her face. He couldn’t look at her. Because he knew she was right. Against his better judgement, he took one more stab at trying to get her to understand, although he knew before he spoke that it was hopeless.