Jade

by Dark Hollows Press, LLC

  Looking up at Jade with sparkling eyes, she said, “Montana it is.”

  Smiling, Jade pulled her close for a hug. Reaching up, Stacey kissed her on the lips slipping her tongue into her mouth. Jade could not resist such an invitation. Before she knew it Stacey’s top was undone as she pushed her back on the bed then shoved her fingers down her pants.

  Stacey climaxed quickly under her expert fingers and they lay there for a while simply looking at each other.

  Jade moaned and kissed her collarbone. “Well, gorgeous, I guess we’d better get going if we’re going to make our eleven o’clock check out time.”

  Stacey smiled up at her. Happiness radiated from every inch of her face. “Yah, I guess so.”

  Jade moved off of her warmth and instantly felt bereft of her closeness. She was finding her authentic self and this young woman had a great deal to do with it. She hoped it wasn’t a dream she was having because if it were she never wanted to wake up.

  Picking up Stacey’s jacket, she gave her a crooked smile as she held it open for her. As she slipped her arms in to it, she placed her hands on her shoulders, bent down and gave Stacey a quick kiss on her neck.

  “Where did you want to go in Montana?”

  “I’d love to see Yellowstone National Park. Might not be the best time of the year but I still want to see it. I’ll check the road conditions because I don’t want to be caught in a blizzard. After Yellowstone I thought we could head up to Glacier National Park. It’s supposed to be really beautiful there as well.”

  “Do you think we could find a place where we could stay for a few days and hang out together?”

  Jade knew exactly what she meant. Time to relax, let loose and really get to know one another. That was hard to do on the move and in random hotel rooms.

  “That’s a great idea. We can make this trip longer than three weeks, you know. We’ll go to Yellowstone then head up to Glacier National Park and how about we stay there for at least a week.” She had a sudden inspiration. “Instead of a hotel I’ll try to find a vacation rental property.”

  The look of genuine happiness on Stacey’s face was all it took to know she’d hit the nail right on the head.

  “Thanks.” She could hear the genuine delight laced through Stacey’s simple response.

  Gazing at her, Jade again had that weird landslide of emotions. Slipping her jacket on, she said, “Let’s go.”

  * * * *

  Colin received a quick response back from his email requesting a contact number. It was a man who called himself Sal.

  Dialing it carefully he heard a man’s gruff voice answer the phone. “Gateway Inn Lodge.”

  “Is this Sal?” asked Colin.

  “Yup.”

  “I’m Colin Preuss from the Razor’s Edge magazine. Your tip caught my interest.” He paused for a moment. “So you’re saying that the wealthiest cosmetic tycoon in the world, Jade Tanner, was at your inn with an escort by the name of Twylla Star?”

  “Yah, that’s right.”

  “What makes you think it was Jade Tanner?”

  “She didn’t register as Jade Tanner, but one of the ladies that works here took them both out for a mule ride. She thought that Jade Taylor as she called herself could be Jade Tanner, the cosmetics tycoon.”

  “What did this Jade Taylor look like?”

  “Beautiful,” he admitted. “Shoulder length glossy black hair, green eyes – she almost looks exotic.”

  Collin felt himself getting excited. This did indeed sound like the elusive and reclusive Jade Tanner.

  “Why do you think she was with an escort that she’s paying for sex?”

  Colin heard a nervous throat-clearing down the phone. “I thought I recognized the young girl with her, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen her before. After they left it was like a light came on and I realized she was a porn star that I’ve watched before named Twylla Star. I wasn’t sure so I searched her online and when I saw the pictures, I definitely knew it was her.”

  “But how do you know they were having sex? Maybe she’s helping this young lady to get out of the porn industry.”

  “No, I don’t think so. I went up to their room to…er…to retrieve some DVDs they’d borrowed. When I went into the bedroom I saw that only one bed had been slept in.” Colin didn’t think for a second that was the reason Sal had gone to their room, not that he cared about the man’s motives. But he did care if he was being told the truth.

  “Also,” Colin heard Sal swallow audibly over the phone before he began again. “The sheets were definitely stained with body fluids from the two of them.”

  “Really? And you’re sure it wasn’t old stains on the bed sheets?”

  “Positive. The lady who does the bedding for us gets those sheets so clean and white every single time you don’t see nothin’ on them.”

  He felt himself getting excited, not from the story that Sal had told him about the chicks getting it on which may or may not be true, but because his gut was telling him there was a story here and it was huge. It could potentially be the biggest story of his career. He’d have to get on it right away.

  Men had been crucified in the court of public opinion for the same indiscretion of paying a whore for sexual favors or having a mistress on the side. Now here was a woman, a very powerful wealthy woman, doing the very same thing. It made his head spin.

  When his editor Matt Warnike came in Colin would fill him in on the details and ask for a week or so to flesh out the story. It was tight but hopefully he’d have something to show by then. He thanked the man and told him he’d be in touch. Laying back in his chair with his hands clasped behind his head and feet up on his desk, he felt that warm glow that only the scent of a really good story, or great sex, could give.

  Chapter Twelve

  Anthony had already tried calling Jade several times and had also left her several text messages. The ads had come in for a new fragrance called Nightshade using the singing sensation Amber Tate as the spokeswoman.

  In all the photos and in the television ad, she looked breathtakingly beautiful every single time - sexy yet elegant. Every woman was going to want to buy this perfume in hopes it would make them a little bit like Amber and every man would buy it for his girl for the very same reason.

  Still he wanted to send the ad campaign to Jade under the guise of wanting her final seal of approval. But he simply wanted to talk to her and make sure she was okay. This was not the Jade he knew. It worried him.

  He laid his cell phone down on the desk harder than necessary when his assistant knocked on the door. She informed him that his next appointment was here to see him. Thanking her he pulled the file out with the photos for the spring/summer campaign for Jade’s cosmetics. The models were wearing some of the clothes from the LeCq collection and they looked sensational. The photographer they had used was new and Anthony wanted to book him again for the next big campaign for the HH line of cosmetics before he got spirited away.

  Sighing he poured himself another glass of water as he flicked through the photographs waiting for his assistant to arrive with the photographer.

  ******

  Colin had a long discussion with his editor in chief, Matt Warnike, and had been given the green light to pursue the story for the next few days. If it yielded nothing by then he’d have to let it go. It was time to roll up his sleeves and get to work. First point of reference, the escort agency that Twylla Star booked her dates through. Hopefully someone there was willing to spill the goods. Wanting to keep their clientele they were pretty good at keeping their mouths shut.

  He wouldn’t be doing the digging though. He had a friend who was an ex-detective gone private investigator. He was just the type of guy who could get the information he needed. He had that fatherly you can tell me anything persona that seemed to get people to spill their guts every single time. Colin picked up his phone and gave him a call.

  “George, it’s Colin,” he said without preamble.

  “I kno
w. I’ve got call display.” George sounded irritated.

  Ignoring it, Colin said, “I have a job for you and if all goes well, we’ll have it made in the shade – at least for a while.

  “Do you know who Jade Tanner is?”

  “Yah, who doesn’t? But does she really exist? You hear of her but you never see her.”

  “I know,” he said impatiently. “She always has her lap dog Anthony doing the P.R. but she exists all right. A couple of years ago I attended a lecture she gave. She has a strict no camera policy. I thought I could sneak one in, but the search was so thorough they would have found a camera pen. I swear to God, talk about being picture paranoid.” He paused for a moment. “Come to think of it some of those fame whores out there could take a page from her book, but then I’d be out a job. Anyhow, I digress. She exists really and truly and she’s a stunning looking woman. Bit too high and mighty for my tastes. Looks like she’d be dead in the sack. But…” Colin paused for dramatic effect, “…she seems to have paid for the services of an escort.”

  Colin knew George didn’t like people who paid for sex. “Really?” That one word he uttered was weighted with meaning.

  Colin chuckled inside as he prepared to deliver the final coup de grace. “But not a man like you might think. She hired a woman. An extremely beautiful and a great deal younger than the high and mighty Jade Tanner. And you must have some idea of her stance on prostitution and pornography. She’s not keen on it. Buddy I’m telling you right now there’s a story here.”

  Dead silence on the other line ticked on for a few seconds. “You tell me what you want done and I’ll do it.”

  ******

  Jade had been worried about the roads as it was snowing in the mountain passes. She exchanged the Ford Escape for a Jeep 4x4 with great big knobby winter tires on it. She was actually surprised when they told her they had a vehicle with winter tires but then looking around at the surrounding mountain ranges she thought they’d be crazy not to.

  It took a little longer for them to get on the road because of the exchange. So while they waited for the Jeep they walked over to a nearby supermarket to pick up a few items. Jade who had never gone grocery shopping in her life was pleased and endeared when Stacey took over this task like a pro.

  Paying for their purchases they lugged it back to the car rental agency, pleased to see the Jeep ready and waiting for them with their luggage stowed neatly in the back.

  Soon they were on the road again. Reaching over, Jade took Stacey’s hand. For the next while they drove together in very comfortable silence. Jade, enjoying the warmth of Stacey’s hand in hers, was feeling ever so optimistic about the future.

  Once they got higher up into the mountain passes it began to snow in earnest. Reluctantly she took her hand from Stacey and switched the vehicle to four wheel drive. Putting both her hands firmly on the steering wheel, they drove into the swirling snow.

  ******

  Colin worked the whole weekend digging up information on Jade Tanner and Twylla Star. He was starting to sweat a little as his deadline drew near and he still hadn’t heard from George.

  His cell phone rang, picking it up he said, “Hello.”

  “Hey Colin old buddy, it’s me.”

  “George! Am I ever glad to hear from you! I was getting a little worried. I have to get back to my Editor with something soon.”

  “Well son, I am the answer to your prayers. I got one of the girls, Vanessa, who’s with the agency to talk to me about Twylla. Her real name is Stacey Jackson. They were pretty tight, shot some movies together and did some double dates. Anyhow, Stacey told her she had a date with a man that she’d been “chatting” with online for several weeks, and I think you know what I mean by chatting. Stacey said he’d decided to take the plunge and booked a date with her. They were meeting at some rental vacation property in Las Vegas. Vanessa couldn’t remember the name of it but I gave her my card in case it comes back to her. And after the weekend date, Stacey booked three weeks off – no reason given. It sounds like this mystery man might be our Jade Tanner.”

  Colin was silent on the line because that’s exactly what he thought. Stacey was with Jade and not some man. He began trembling – the philanthropist, intellectualist, god-like business woman was human after all and had gotten herself a pretty little whore to play with.

  Thoughts flew through his head – was Twylla Star her first one or was this one of many? Was she bi-sexual or lesbian but didn’t want to come out of the closet and this was how she satisfied her cravings? Or maybe she simply didn’t want the complications of a relationship impeding her lifestyle.

  “Buddy, you still there?”

  “Yah, I’m here.” He took a deep breath. “George you’ve made my day. If this pays off the way I think, it will be a big payday.”

  “Aw, I don’t need anything. You and me, we go back a long time that’s why I do it for you, it really wasn’t much.”

  “It really was much,” he emphasized. “George, I have to go because I have some work to do. I owe you buddy.”

  As soon as Colin ended the call he dialed his editor.

  “Matt, it’s Colin.”

  “I know. I have caller ID. Whaddya got?”

  “It looks like Jade Tanner did pay a woman escort for the pleasure of her company for the next three weeks.”

  “How do you know this slut’s with Jade Tanner.”

  Instinct my friend, Colin thought in his head. Out loud he said, “That’s why I called you. I need to go and talk to my source in the Grand Canyon because that’s where he saw them together. I mean, Matt, they’re both pretty hard to miss. They are both stunning, so if the description matches, I figure we have a story on our hands.”

  “He could have looked on the internet for their pictures.”

  “Yah, but why make something like this up. I’m telling you there’s a story here,” he insisted.

  After a moment’s hesitation, his boss said three words that were music to Colin’s ears. “Crucify the bitch,” before hanging up.

  With that he shoved everything he needed into his little car and drove off toward the Grand Canyon, hoping to fit together more pieces of the puzzle.

  ****

  Jade and Stacey travelled to Yellowstone Park and spent a couple of nights there enjoying the clean mountain air and pristine scenery.

  The experience had been wonderful. They had walked around holding hands acting like a couple. Many Europeans were vacationing there and they didn’t bat an eye at the two beautiful women who so obviously adored each other.

  Now in the picturesque town of Kalispell, they had spent the better part of the last two days in another hotel room making love to each other. After lovemaking they had laid in bed talking. Jade decided they would act like a couple here. Two days in Yellowstone had spoiled her and she didn’t want to go back to pretending they were just friends travelling to New York together. She felt they were far enough away from Las Vegas to be safe.

  Stacey expressed her concerns. “I don’t know. Even when you think it’s safe and the past is dead and buried it has a way of resurrecting itself. Especially when you’re hiding something.”

  “If it becomes an issue we’ll tell people I was helping you out of your former lifestyle and it developed into more than friendship.”

  “People are going to think I’m a gold digger.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I’m Jade Tanner and people will keep their thoughts to themselves. I’ll see to it.”

  So sure that her position and power made her bullet proof, Jade firmly tamped down Stacey’s objections.

  When they weren’t involved in lovemaking, Jade spent the balance of the time securing a rental property. They had decided to spend Christmas in this quaint community. Enchanted with the picture perfect postcard the town presented when they drove into town. With its pristine blanket of snow and gaily decorated homes, it seemed like it would be a magical place to spend their first Christmas together. At last she called Anthony as
now she planned to be away until after Christmas.

  His anger spilled over into the phone. “You’re going to have to give me a better explanation of why you need this additional time off Jade than ‘I’m burnt out.’ If I gave you the absolute lack of communication you’ve given me, I’d be looking for a new job. It’s not that I don’t enjoy handling this responsibility but come on, it was so sudden. It’s not like you planned this or we knew about it. This came out of the blue and you’ve been impossible to get a hold of.”

  “I have been taking phone calls,” she responded feebly.

  “Hardly.” he retorted. “Jade our shareholders, directors and business partners have no idea you’ve gone AWOL, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep them at bay unless you start to take my phone calls and confide in me what’s going on with you. I know it’s difficult for you because your personal space must be a hundred miles all around you, but you’re going to have to try.”

  She had retreated to the bathroom for this conversation and was now rubbing her temples with her free hand. The silence on the other end was ominous. It occurred to her that she could lose Anthony over this.

  “I’ve met someone.”

  “You drop off of the face of the earth because you met someone?” He was incredulous. “Who may I ask?”

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “JAAADE,” he said warningly.

  “I’ve met a woman, all right? A woman fifteen years my junior and I,” she paused for a moment to collect her scattered thoughts, “I am simply, hopelessly besotted with her.”

  Dead silence was on the other end. “Anthony, are you still there?”

  “I’m here.” His words were clipped.

  “Well you’re one to judge,” she said stung by his tone.

  “I’m not judging you as you can love anybody you want. But what do you know about her?”