Chapter 3

"I'm a police officer. I supervise the Crime Scene Investigation Unit for the Miami Dade Police Department," he answered her readily. "We're the first ones to arrive at a crime scene, gather the evidence, and find out who the bad guys are." He was surprised how easily the words had tumbled out of his mouth. He was rarely one to spout off or talk much about himself, but somehow it was different with her. He had just met her, but he already felt a strong connection to her. And he was absolutely captivated by those emerald green eyes. They glowed and sparkled at him in the pale moonlight like they had a life of their own.

Jade smiled warmly. "You must see some very interesting things," she answered, her voice velvety smooth. "I would enjoy hearing some of your stories. Perhaps over dinner sometime?"

Horatio smiled. "I'd like that."

Again, those eyes… He found himself staring, falling into them… He blinked, and mentally shook himself. Get a grip... He chided himself. Get yourself under control…

She flashed a rather amused smile. It was delicious fun toying with him, but she decided to back off just a bit and let him have his own thoughts…

He seemed to recover, and shifted his position slightly. "And what about you? What do you do Jade?"

"I own an import-export company. Artwork and antiques. I've been fortunate, business has been good to me. I handle mainly the Asian and overseas markets, so my work schedule is a bit bizarre due to the time difference. I am somewhat flexible thanks to computers and technology, however I still mainly work nights. But that doesn't mean that I don't get the chance to enjoy the Miami sunshine once in a while."

Horatio nodded. "You must see some pretty interesting things too," he said pleasantly.

She smiled. "Indeed I do," she answered.

They stood there in the warm, sultry moonlight and chatted for some time, and Horatio never noticed the low murmurs from the sizable crowd beyond the French doors gradually diminishing. Quite a while later, he happened to casually check his watch, and was stunned to see how late it was.

"Mmmm, we should probably go back inside," she said softly. Before he could answer, she was suddenly right in front of him, her eyes locked onto his. She broke the gaze, and looked down at his chest as she slowly slid a business card into his jacket pocket. She let her hand trail down his lapel, then down the edge of his jacket, stopping and pulling her hand away before she got to his belt.

She had made that simple act so seductive, it nearly made him catch his breath.

She looked back up at him. "That's my number," she cooed. "Call me. I would enjoy seeing you again."

"You will," he replied, his voice deep and rich.

"I look forward to it," she whispered. Then she glided past him, and was gone. In an instant. It actually startled him. She was right here one second, and now she was just… gone.

He turned around, expecting to see her near the French doors, but she wasn't there. Instinctively, he walked over and opened the doors, quickly scanning the dwindling crowd for any sign of her. But there was nothing. She had simply vanished. Oddly enough, he could feel it. He knew she wasn't here.

He suddenly felt incredibly tired.

Judge Reimer approached him. "Lieutenant Caine. I'm surprised to see you still here."

"Actually, I was just leaving," Horatio answered graciously. "It was good to see you again Your Honor."

The judge nodded. "You too Lieutenant. Have a good night. Drive safe."

A polite 'thank you, you too,' and Horatio headed for the door.

VVVVV

Miami Dade Crime Lab, the next morning…

Horatio usually never minded pulling extra shifts. Sure, it was the weekend, and he was supposed to have today off. But the bad guys had been rather busy in the last 24 hours, and he had been called in. Just to help out for a few hours overseeing the processing of a sizable mountain of evidence that had been collected, pertaining to several current cases. Normally, he wouldn't mind a bit.

But today was different. He found the intrusion annoying. Actually, it wasn't the intrusion specifically; he was more annoyed with himself. It didn't help that he had stayed out way too late, and was suffering a mild sleep deficit. But the real problem was that he couldn't seem to keep his focus. And that was really irritating him. He always prided himself on being able to mentally multi-task, and at blazing speed. To be able to focus not only on the details, but to also see the bigger picture. His mental sharpness and discipline always allowed him to think rapidly, and in 3-D, and put all the pieces together quickly and efficiently.

But it just wasn't happening today. He was struggling to just be able to hold his attention long enough to listen to the information being delivered. Juggling it all around in his head was nearly impossible. His thoughts kept getting derailed, interrupted. By her. He kept seeing images of Jade in his head.

His usual team would have probably picked up on the fact that their boss was woefully distracted. They knew him very well, and they would definitely have noticed that something was not right.

But the team working today was not as familiar with him, and the reputation of the great Horatio Caine had everyone working diligently and keeping their eyes on their work, not casting any suspicious glances towards him. So he was able to maintain some semblance of authority throughout the morning.

But no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to shake the thoughts of Jade that kept pushing their way into his head, unbidden.

You're just tired… He thought to himself. Just get through this. Focus. You can get some sleep this afternoon. Right now you have got to pull it together and focus…

He headed for the break room to grab another cup of coffee and a couple aspirin. He sat down heavily at one of the small tables, thankful that no one else was in the room at the moment. He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers, trying to rub away the mild headache and fatigue.

He moved the same hand over to absently rub his tired shoulder, and felt his arm brush against the business card in his jacket pocket. He reached in and pulled the card out. For some reason, just holding the card in his hand and reading the name 'Jade Deverau' made him feel a buzzing rush of excitement. Without thinking about it, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. She picked up on the 3rd ring…

VVVVV

She had been sleeping deeply.

After coming home from the party, and intentionally leaving Horatio so abruptly, Jade had lain naked, sprawled on her silken bed, replaying the entire night's events in her head and reveling in every delightful moment. It was all so exciting… She considered pleasuring herself, but decided not to. It would be better to let the tension build. For now, anyway. She hummed to herself, thinking deliciously naughty thoughts.

Oh, Horatio… She had fallen asleep thinking about him. Horatio…

She awoke to the melodic tune of her cell phone ringing, and quickly grabbed it. Seeing the number she had already programmed in, she smiled slyly before pressing the answer button.

"Hello Horatio," she said seductively.

VVVVV

Hearing her dark smooth voice in his ear nearly took his breath away. But he suddenly felt energized.

"Hello Jade," his voice replied, rich and deep.

Her voice brought more images flooding into his head. He closed his eyes, trying to regain control of his thoughts once again.

"I hope I didn't wake you," he said sincerely, suddenly remembering that she worked nights, which meant she slept during the day. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that before.

"Horatio," she purred. "You can wake me anytime you want."

He felt a rush go through his body, and was surprised to feel his manhood responding. He was actually getting a hard-on.

"So what can I do for you?" She asked, her voice low and sultry.

He quietly cleared his throat. "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

He could almost feel her smile through the phone. It sent bolts of energy through him.

"I would love to," she replied.

"OK, I'll pick you up at 6, if that's alright," he said, feeling more and more energized by the moment. "Give me your address."

She gave him the street and house number of her Victorian-era mansion, and told him that the guard gate and house staff would be expecting him and would allow him in.

They finalized their plans.

He heard her hang up, then snapped his phone shut, now feeling a surge of raw energy. He dumped out the cup of coffee he had just poured for himself earlier, not feeling the need for it any longer.

He strode quickly out of the break room and headed for the labs, feeling strong and confident, and no longer tired.

VVVVV

Jade laid quietly in the pitch black bedroom after hanging up her phone and setting it aside on the nightstand. With a satisfied smile, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, and exhaled it slowly. Then she began to laugh. Slowly, deeply, almost wickedly.

This is going to be so much better than I could have hoped for… she thought.

She fell back to sleep with a delightedly contented smile on her face…