A/N: My sincerest apologies for the long delays in updates lately… warmest thanks to all my awesome readers out there for your patience!

Chapter 8

After yet another earth-shattering sexual escapade, both Jade and Horatio fell back asleep once again, their arms and legs comfortably wrapped around each other. Neither one stirred for quite some time.

Eventually, Horatio slowly awoke from his deep slumber, finding himself wrapped in the warm embrace of his exotic lover. He couldn't remember the last time he had ever felt so relaxed and completely satisfied. His whole body felt sated and warm, but every nerve path still tingled and hummed from the heights of ecstasy he had experienced. He had never felt anything like it. Such a warm, comfortable, wonderful place... And he found himself rather reluctant to leave it…

Jade responded to his slight movement and moaned softly,

"Mmmmm," she moaned deeply. "Horatio…"

She relished the feel of the warm mortal body beside her, entwined with hers. It had been so long… so very, very long since she had felt such true warmth…

Jade nibbled on his fingertips. Fresh lust flashed through her veins. And despite the marathon sessions of lovemaking they had already performed, Horatio also found himself beginning to lustfully long for more…

But just as his arousal was beginning to rapidly rekindle, the ethereal mood was rudely interrupted by the muffled but unmistakable shrill ring of his cell phone. He halted his movements and froze in place, listening intently. A harsh dose of reality crashed through his consciousness and his logical brain clicked into gear.

"My phone…" he said, blinking at Jade with a worried expression. "That's… my phone… I have to find it…"

He sat up abruptly, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, feeling the fuzzy fur of the huge animal skin rug between his bare toes as he began to hurriedly toss through the various items on the floor, searching for the ringing device. He finally saw a familiar clothing pattern, and reached down to retrieve it. What he held up startled him. In his hands was what used to be a pair of expensive tailored trousers. However, they were now in ribbons. The same went for his designer dress shirt. It was in shreds, nearly unrecognizable. His jacket… where the hell was his jacket? No, forget the jacket. He remembered it was dropped somewhere out in the hallway. He paused, knowing he only had a few more rings before it went to voice mail, and homed in on the shrill sound. His began feeling quickly and methodically around the floor, before his fingers finally found what he was searching for. He snatched up the phone and hurriedly answered it.

Jade rolled onto her side and watched silently as her wondrous lover devoted his entire consciousness to finding his cell phone. She did not interfere. Although mildly annoyed at the interruption of the continued blissful indulgence of her carnal desires, she also understood that this was a very big part of what made this mortal man tick. It was what motivated him. It was what empowered him.

"Caine," Horatio spoke forcefully and evenly into the phone, trying not to sound out of breath.

He listened for a moment, then responded.

"Understood. No, it's not a problem," he said firmly. "I'm on my way. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He hung up his phone and turned to look a Jade. She was lying there, sensuously draped in the deep silken sheets, looking at him with those sparkling deep emerald eyes. He suddenly realized that he was standing there stark naked.

"Um, Jade," he said sadly. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but… I have to go."

He looked down at the floor, and the realization hit him that he had no viable clothing to speak of.

"I understand, my love," Jade purred smoothly. "Duty calls."

Horatio picked up his shredded trousers once again, examined them briefly, then dropped them dismissively back to the floor. He stood there and put his hands on his hips, his fingers lightly thrumming against his own bare skin, thinking.

Jade gasped and sat up.

"Oh, my, Horatio," she said, stifling an embarrassed giggle at the tatters she had made of his clothing. "I'm afraid I did that… Oh, I'm so sorry… I didn't realize my own strength…"

She shrugged out from under the covers and sidled across the bed and sat before him seductively. She traced a manicured nail down the center of his chest.

"Well now, you certainly can't go anywhere like this," she said playfully. "I can check Donovan's closet for you if you wish…"

Horatio reached down and gathered her up into his arms, briefly euphoric in the feel of her silken skin pressed against his own. But honor and duty were calling louder than his libido.

"It's alright," he said confidently. "Crime scenes can be quite messy sometimes. So I always keep a spare suit in my trunk. I just need a robe or something to get to my car."

"Hmmm," Jade replied with appreciative wonder. "Well aren't you just the well-prepared boy-scout."

She gazed into his glacial blue eyes and knew she could make him stay if she wanted to. She could push her own will into his thoughts and he would be a mere puppet, completely submissive and compliant to her every whim. But that is not what she wanted.

True, she had skillfully plucked away all the heavy bonds of his stalwart self-control. And had arranged things so that the absence of that self-control could be fully taken advantage of. And it had been such a erotically delectable escapade. The first of what she believed would be many, many more.

So she didn't want to control him. No. That would quench his own fiery passions, quell his voracious inner drive, and completely ruin the rush she felt at both taking him and having him. And there was no way she would ever want to do that.

She kissed him tenderly, and held his gaze softly for a moment, before pulling away.

"You just wait right here, my dear Horatio. I'll get you something."

She jumped off the bed and sauntered across the room, feeling the lingering hungry gaze of her lover's eyes on her lithe body as she moved. She disappeared quickly into her enormous closet, then emerged with a floor length soft white terry-cloth robe.

She walked over behind him and held the robe open as Horatio pushed his arms in and shrugged the luxuriously soft garment up onto his shoulders.

"Thank you," he said, smiling warmly. "I'll make sure you get this back."

"Mmmmm, no need. It looks wonderful on you. Keep it. Take it home. It's yours," she said with a sultry voice.

Horatio nodded, then reached back down and retrieved his cell phone. He took a few more moments to grab his shoes and find his car keys and his flat badge, which he always carried when he was off-duty. He knew his weapon and regular gold duty-shield were secured down in the trunk of his car.

He started to say something else to Jade, but she quickly walked up in front of him and put a finger over his lips.

"Stop stalling, Lieutenant," she said pleasantly chiding. "You need to get going. I understand. Now go…"

Horatio gave her a quick peck on the lips before rushing down the sweeping staircase and out the massive front doors.

He stopped for a brief moment, shocked at the realization that it was night outside. His brain grappled with the fact that he had just spent an entire day in bed with an exotically beautiful woman… He couldn't believe it…

But those thoughts were quickly pushed aside as he strode to his car and popped the trunk. He pulled out a dry cleaners bag with a Hugo Boss tailored suit inside, and made quick work of slipping into it. He popped into the driver's seat, fired the engine, and pulled away from the gracious mansion.

Duty was indeed calling. There was a crime scene waiting for him…

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