Chapter 2
VVVVV
After the initial uneasy feeling of being intently watched when he first arrived on scene, once things were under control, the feeling faded. Horatio dismissed it completely. Chalking it up to being called out to a scene so late and so far out of his norm. I'm just tired, and being paranoid… he chided himself.
VVVVV
She sat naked in the middle of her large four-poster bed, the blueish glow from her computer screen casting odd shadows on the wall and illuminating her features. She typed away on the small laptop, sat back, and smiled at the images displayed on the screen.
"Gotcha," she said quietly to herself. "Horatio Caine. Hello Lieutenant Horatio Caine."
She typed in a few more searches, and read everything she could find about the man. Finally satisfied that she had all the information she needed, she clicked her laptop closed, plunging the room into total darkness.
The sun would be coming up soon, but she wouldn't be bothered by it. The heavy rich draperies covering the windows were exceptionally efficient at keeping out any intruding rays of light. She sprawled out across the layers of the expensive silk sheets, sighed and yawned.
She felt a tingle of excitement at the thought of her upcoming pursuit, the pursuit of Horatio Caine. It would begin tomorrow. She would begin to set the events in motion, her overall plan of action forming in her head.
But first, I need to sleep. She thought.
She fell asleep with a contented smile on her face.
VVVVV
One week later…
Horatio strode from the elevator and headed for his office, passing all the empty labs and picking up his mail along the way. He always enjoyed coming in early. It was a nice, quiet and uninterrupted block of time that he had all to himself. It gave him time to think and get geared up for the onslaught of the day.
He sat down at his desk and began going through his mail. One envelope in particular caught his attention, so he opened it first. It was a letter from the Chief. The Mayor was hosting another 'Meet & Greet' style dinner this weekend, gearing up for the upcoming election, and his presence was formally requested.
He groaned inwardly. He was never a big fan of the political agendas of the Mayor or anyone else, but he also realized that it was a positive PR opportunity for the media to showcase, and anything along those lines helped improve the image of the Police Department in the eyes of the general public. And overall, that helped make every cop's job perhaps just a little easier.
He sighed, turned, and quickly tapped out his RSVP email on his computer, and clicked send. He put the date in his phone, and went back to his normal routine, not giving the dinner another thought until two days later, when the reminder popped up on his phone.
'Mayor Dinner, Tonight, 6PM' showed on the small screen. He groaned again, but resigned himself to the task. At least he would enjoy a nice dinner.
VVVVV
The food was excellent. And he did make his cursory rounds, politely shaking hands and making small talk with the political types. There were a lot of familiar faces here that he knew fairly well; reporters, attorneys, judges, the usuals.
But he also noted a lot of other people as well, clearly the upper echelon of Miami's social register, and obviously some of the Mayor's biggest campaign contributors.
He had just finished a brief conversation with Judge Malvern, checked his watch, and began to think about making a courteous exit from the event and go home.
And then he saw her…
The most elegant, exotically beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was absolutely gorgeous. She moved gracefully, effortlessly, like she was gliding on a cushion of air. Her tall slender frame had a lean, powerfully athletic look to it, but without being too harsh or muscular. She was wearing an elegantblack designer dress that accentuated the luscious curves of her body, and sipping a glass of champagne.
And while some of the other women in the room were draped in large decadent jewelry, gaudily proclaiming their wealth, she was the picture of understated class. Adorning her was a pair of small, tastefully exquisite diamond earrings, and a matching diamond pendant on a delicate gold chain, that draped sensuously around her neck and suspended itself just above her ample cleavage.
Her long, straight, raven-black hair accentuated her exotic beauty. Her skin was smooth and flawless, the color of a lightly sun-kissed cinnamon.
He found it impossible to tear his eyes away, watching her was absolutely captivating.
She suddenly turned towards him, her eyes searching, like she could feel him watching her, and her eyes locked onto his.
His breath caught in his throat, and he felt a light rush of color come to his cheeks at being caught staring at her so openly. But then he saw a warm curve come to her lips, which turned into a lovely smile.
But what riveted him were her eyes. They were a brilliant emerald green, almost luminous, like a cat. He realized that she was coming towards him. Her gaze was locked onto his as she approached him. He was frozen in place. Then, she was standing right in front of him, and the rest of the world didn't exist.
"I don't believe I've had the pleasure," she said to him, extending her hand.
Her voice was velvety smooth, with a vague hint of an accent that he couldn't quite place. But just hearing it sent a slight chill over him, and raised little goose bumps.
"I'm Jade," she said, her eyes never leaving his. "Jade Deverau."
He reached out and took her delicate hand. "Horatio Caine," he said, kissing the back of her hand lightly.
She was impressed by his chivalrous gesture.
"Hmmm... Horatio," she said, pronouncing his name slowly. "What a noble name."
"Thank you," he replied. He suddenly felt a bit light-headed, and immediately struggled to dismiss it. He found himself entranced by this woman, captivated. And for someone who was accustomed to always being in complete control, it was rather unsettling. But he managed to keep his inner struggles to himself. Or so he thought…
"I am very pleased to meet you, Horatio," she said, and flashed him another captivating smile. He smiled back, and he swore he felt the temperature in the room suddenly jump 10 degrees. Was it getting hot in here?
She could feel his reaction to her presence. It was such a rush to have a mortal so responsive, it was thrilling. She knew if she suggested that he come home with her right now, she could exert enough control over him that he would be powerless to say no. And she was already hungry to have her way with him...
But, no. That wasn't the plan. Not with him.
"You know, these political things can be so… stuffy," she said, leaning closer to him. "I was thinking about going out on the balcony for a few minutes and enjoying some fresh air. Would you care to join me?"
"I would be delighted," he answered, glad to be heading out of this suddenly stifling room.
She smiled at him, then turned and expertly threaded her way through the crowd. Following close behind her, he caught the intoxicating scents of Lavender and Jasmine coming from her.
Reaching their destination, she pushed the French double doors open and the two of them stepped out onto the balcony as she slipped the doors back shut.
They were alone. There was nobody else out on the balcony.
She walked to the railing and leaned on it, and looked out over the Miami skyline. Horatio walked over and stood beside her, he also managed to tear his eyes away from her and appreciate the glowing lights of the city.
She closed her eyes, leaned her head back slightly, and inhaled the night air deeply. That seemingly innocent act immediately drew his full attention back to her. He felt his pulse rate pick up, and actually felt himself getting aroused. Erotic thoughts began to flood through his mind as he gazed at her, beautifully illuminated by the pale moonlight… How wonderful her smooth, naked skin would feel against his… the delicious sounds she would make as he sought out all the pleasure spots of her amazing body… how incredible her writhing body would feel beneath him as he took her...
That train of thought set off alarm bells in his head, and with some measure of effort, he forced himself to look away from her, and back at the city lights. He was breathing rapidly, and he struggled to get that slowed down, lest this lovely woman think he was having an asthma attack or something.
Jesus, get a hold of yourself damn it, his thoughts racing. Holy shit. What the hell's wrong with you? Yes, she's gorgeous, but Christ, you just met her. Relax. Just slow down. Slow the hell down…
She kept her gaze fixed out on the glowing lights of Miami, but she definitely felt every single delicious vibration radiating from him. She smiled inwardly to herself. Oh, this was going to be so incredibly enjoyable and exciting…
She felt him struggle to reclaim control, which she allowed him to do. Once she felt he was able to have a conversation, she turned to him.
She smiled and turned around, leaning her back against the railing, and asked, "So, Horatio. What do you do for a living?"
Horatio turned back to her, glad to have some measure of conversation that would save him from his wayward, rampant thoughts…