Sapphire (7 page)

Her voice shaking as hard as her body was, she spit out, “You, Colonel Malone,
are
an arrogant asshole. You are the epitome of every chauvinistic man I’ve ever worked with. The kind of man I promised myself I’d never work with again.”

Knowing that she had nothing more to lose, Sapphire decided to go for broke. At least she could leave with her pride intact, if not the job she’d craved.

Raising her chin, her voice dripped with scorn. “As for
controlling
me, you, Sir, can take your control and shove it far up your ass. Use it to intimidate all the pitiful women who swallow their pride and pretend that they are less than they are for the privilege of standing beside the man who is convinced that he is God’s gift to women…”

Underscoring her contempt, she snatched her glass from the bar, briefly considered splashing it all over Malone’s smug face, then instead threw back the contents in one hearty swallow.

Seeing the frown that darkened his eyes at her blatant disrespect, and knowing that she likely would soon dissolve in tears, Sapphire took a deep breath. She was determined that when she did break down it would be as far away from this odious man as she could get. Completely mortified at what she had said, and knowing that she had ruined her chances of working in any of the elite security companies, much less LOTN, Sapphire reached for her purse and headed for the door. Before she could stalk by him, Jase reached for her arm and yanked her back next to him.

Keeping a tight grip on her arm, Jase leaned up against her, pressing his lips close to her ear. His low voice was soft, commanding. Dangerous.

“Sit down, Agent Shaw. Now.”

Chapter 7

V
irtually heaving her onto her stool, Jase grabbed his stool and shoved it within inches of hers. Pressing his knee against her thigh, he leaned down his face touching hers. His beard shadow scraped against her cheek sending flurries of unwanted sensations racing across her frazzled nerve endings. Anger contorted with fear and now fiery sensations had her clinging to the edge of the bar. Sapphire needn’t have worried about falling. Jase was holding her arm so tightly she was sure his fingerprints would be visible on her soft flesh in the morning. Apparently not caring that he was virtually imprisoning her, Jase tightened his grip further.

At her slight moan, confirming how strongly he was holding her and as if recognizing that other patrons may have witnessed their scuffle, Jase lightened his grip and wrapped a seemingly careless arm around her shoulders. To observers, it may have been seen as a comforting if intimate gesture. But sensing the rigid muscles in his arm and his strong knee pressing against her, Sapphire knew she had angered a powerful and dangerous man.

Glancing up at the approaching bartender who must have seen Sapphire quaff her drink, Jase nodded, signaling for a refill. Waiting for the amiable bartender to replenish their glasses, Sapphire felt Jase’s fierce grip soften. To her own surprise, Sapphire resisted his move and leaned against him. Stunned at her unexpected need for his support, she tried to back away. But, if her confused gestures surprised him Jase didn’t let on. Rather, he tightened his hold slightly and pulled her stool next to his, erasing the scant inches between them. Undone by the rush of emotions swirling over her, Sapphire fought against the tears that were threatening to fall. As angry as she was, she was stunned that, more than anything, she wanted the overwhelming man to hold her, if for only a moment. Give her time to compose herself before she left. Which she would need to do if she were going to keep from breaking down completely.

The next moments seemed to last a lifetime. Knowing that she wasn’t able to make sense of what was happening, she was relieved when Jase broke the silence. Indicating that, like her, he was struggling with a mix of emotions, his voice was rougher, not as casually insinuating, as it had been before. Certain that anger with her was his primary emotion, Sapphire breathed easier when he softened his tone.

Keeping his lips disconcertingly close to her ear, he drawled, “Hmm, I’m impressed, Agent Shaw.”

At her startled gasp, he continued. “You are as fiery as I predicted.”

Certain that he was taunting her, Sapphire tried to jerk away but his grip was firm.

“That kind of anger, if shrewdly leashed, can be a potent force in a dangerous crunch. You see, Sapphire, men who don’t see your remarkable talents, your fierce skills, mistake the value of your temperament. Properly controlled, your righteous fury makes you deadly. Lesser men dismiss it as a tantrum and write you off as a temperamental, uncontrollable female. To put it succinctly: a bitch.”

Trying to control her trembling body, Sapphire struggled to understand. She forced herself to meet Jase’s gaze, frustrated that she couldn’t keep from stammering.

“I…don’t know what you are saying. I…I don’t understand.”

Gaining confidence, she attempted to move from under his arm but he shook his head and if anything tightened his hold. Tossing her head, she did her best to glare at him.

“What you trying to prove, Colonel? You know how much this mission means to me. What it would do for my career at LOTN. Why did you insist on meeting me tonight? Did you want to embarrass me further? Make me plead, beg you to let me join your mission?”

Now thoroughly angry, Sapphire managed to push away from him.

“Why don’t you be honorable, Jase? Stop pretending, testing me, lying to me. Just come out and tell me that when you first saw that video you knew that you would never work with me.”

Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she scoffed, “Suck it up, Colonel. Grow a pair. Have the guts and decency to tell me that you never intended to put me on your precious mission.”

Rather than responding in kind, Jase huffed a soft sigh. Turning on the barstool so that he was facing her directly, he reached for her chin. Holding it between his fingers and his thumb, he lifted her chin forcing her to meet his eyes. His expression was surprisingly serious.

“Ah, Gabriella, you couldn’t be more wrong. It was the video that did it for me. From the moment I saw you snatch that com out of your ear and saunter back to the computer as if you had all the time in the world to download the documents, I knew that I could never find an agent I wanted more on this mission.”

Smiling at Gabriella’s shocked expression, Jase didn’t add that he’d never seen an agent he wanted more,
period
. Fortunately they were sitting down and the bar top obscured the tell-tale bulge in his jeans. He assured himself that he’d deal with his randy dick later. A prick hard enough to pound nails was an asset in most circumstances but not on a mission as dangerous as the one he was bringing Sapphire into the center of. Knowing the depth of evil that lived in Roberto Ventrilo’s soul, Jase almost wished he hadn’t seen the beautiful Sapphire. But he had; and he’d known instantly that she was the perfect fit for the op.

But, even as he congratulated himself for finding the agent to help him take down Ventrilo, Jase was man enough to admit that holding Sapphire at bay might be one of the more difficult things he’d done. Stunned by the erotic feelings strafing his body, Jase acknowledged how challenging it was going to be to maintain a professional relationship with this woman.

For a fleeting moment he questioned if he was crazy to think that he could ignore what was clearly between them. It didn’t take his lifetime of experience reading women to know that Gabriella was as rocked by him as he was by her. Her tremulous body-shaking shiver when he pressed his lips against the soft skin beneath her ear was a dead giveaway. No, Jase wasn’t crazy. He knew the azure-eyed bombshell was attracted to him. Her flushed cheeks and stormy eyes signaled her desire. But she was also determined not to give in to him in any way. A fact that Jase admitted only made her more interesting. Strong, confident women were a turn on. Even if they didn’t look like Megan Fox in the flesh—or, Jase decided, looking at the stunning woman gaping at him, if she put Ms. Fox to shame.

Jase almost laughed as he watched her struggle to deal with his assertion that he wanted her on the mission. It wasn’t surprising that she didn’t trust him. The primary need driving Sapphire was her passionate desire to be a member of the LOTN team. And he was the key to whether she would be hired. He literally controlled her future and they both knew it. It was no wonder she wanted to be part of the “
Ladies.
” In the short time that Riley Davis had been operating her company, the cheeky female agents had become the gold standard among women special agents. Not only did membership in the elite organization mean prestige, it also was the highest paying agency available. Riley had decided before she opened the doors, that anyone who wanted an agent of her caliber would need to pay and pay well. To date, the women she’d hired had never failed to exceed the high standards their imposing boss had established.

Disbelief filled Sapphire’s voice when she tried to respond to his shocking assertion.

“You...you really are hiring me? You aren’t taunting me, Jase. Are you?”

Jase allowed himself to chuckle. “Look, Gabriella, I may be an arrogant son of a bitch, but I know how important this mission is to you both personally and professionally. I would never tease you about something this critical. Besides, this mission is too important for me and a helluva lot of other people to settle for anything but the best.”

Obviously still not believing him, Sapphire persisted.

“And you…you think I’m the best?”

Jase nodded. “Suffice it to say that I know quality when I see it. I know you’ve had a hard time with Riley Davis. She’s not an easy person to impress or to tangle with. That said, both she and Ian Ross had serious questions about your temperament, whether you could handle an op as highly charged as this one.”

Sapphire frowned. “That surprises me, Jase, and frankly annoys me. I know they were frustrated with me when I ignored a couple of their orders, but, for God’s sake, I killed one of the leaders of the gang we were after. Not to mention that I found the documents that will send the rest of the sorry bastards to prison for life. Neither of which would have happened if I had left the room like Riley ordered me too.” She shook her head in disgust. “You would think that kind of success would be acknowledged, appreciated, not dismissed as unimportant.”

Jase arched a brow at her obvious misrepresentation of Riley and Ian’s concerns.

“Let’s be honest, Gabriella. You are correct. Almost single-handedly, you pulled off a virtual coup. There isn’t an agency that was involved in the op that isn’t raving about your success. It’s the talk of the insiders who are now all eager to hire you. Given the buzz and the magnitude of the op I’m running, and my need for the best, I approached Ian and asked about you specifically.” Jase paused for effect enjoying the frown that crossed her face no doubt wondering what kind of a recommendation Ian had given her.

“Ian was as effusive about your skills as everyone else, but he insisted that I watch that damn video before deciding if I could work with you.”

Sapphire visibly tensed. She hesitated then blurted, “Why did he want you to see the video? So that you would know that I’m…I’m not…” She hesitated then tossed her head and said, “That I’m not your
usual
agent?”

Jase laughed. “Hell, Sapphire, I already knew that. I’d seen your picture and talked to a few of my agency confidants. Your physical characteristics were so on target with our needs that you should have been a shoe in. However, as you well know, the reason Ian was concerned was your propensity to go off the reservation, insist on running the op as you think it should be run rather than how it was designed.”

A flush of heat flared on Sapphire’s cheeks. Obviously annoyed, she leaned forward pressing her forearms on the bar. The move put her closer to him while pushing up her lush breasts. In a lesser woman, a more coquettish woman, Jase would have thought she had done it on purpose. But the anger turning her eyes a stormy dark blue, confirmed that the last thing she was doing was using her feminine assets to make a point. Doing his best to ignore the luscious flesh escaping from the top of her silky shirt, Jase mused that if she ever did want to use those assets, a man, any man, would be hard pressed to ignore them. Her fervent retort drew his attention to her face and her words.

“Jase, that is so unfair. Look at you. You are an excellent agent. I researched you after we met this morning. I can’t believe the operations you’ve been involved in. My former general said you were one of the most creative and courageous agents he’s known. To me that means you understand that it is the rare mission that goes exactly as planned. Good agents
always
have to innovate. For God’s sake, who wants a ‘yes man’ or ‘yes woman’ who can’t think outside the box when the mission begins to unravel?”

Jase held up his hand to stop her impassioned tirade.

“You’re right, Gabriella. There is no place for sycophants on any mission I lead,
yes men
or
yes women
as you call them. However, the time to raise questions and pose alternatives is before shit happens. Working through all the options, knowing what each person is to do when everything starts going to hell, as it always does, is what make a team effective. “

Jase paused for a moment studying her, deciding how hard he wanted to come down. Knowing how prickly she was and her well-earned “lone ranger” reputation, he concluded he had nothing to lose by being as blunt as possible.