The Virgin Madam (Dark Star Doms Book 5)

by Ivy Barrett

  Paul knelt in front of her and grinned. “Always happy to do my part.” He hooked his hands under her knees and pushed up and out, draping her legs over the armrests. Cool air wafted over her slit as he exposed her pussy to his hungry gaze. She grasped her knees, keeping her legs from sliding forward as he lowered his face between her thighs.

  Despite her naked pussy, Jericho barely glanced her way. She’d always been vain, and his indifference would have insulted her if Paul hadn’t been driving her crazy with his mouth. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the sweet stroke of Paul’s tongue and the low, growling noises he made whenever he went down on her.

  Something brushed against her head. Blue shivered and turned her face away from the sensation, but the tingling was inside her head not against it.

  Relax. I won’t hurt you.

  Even recognizing Lily’s voice didn’t help Blue accept the fact that the words had sounded inside her mind. This was happening. A mystic was scanning her!

  Paul thrust two fingers into her core in an obvious effort to pull her back into the moment. “Yes. Do that. Fuck me hard.” She wiggled to the edge of the chair and leaned back, giving him a better angle. His fingers slid in and out while his other thumb worked her clit. It felt good, but she was nowhere near coming. Which was probably a blessing in disguise.

  Someone touched her shoulder, but the hand felt too large to be Lily. She only had an instant to wonder and then a familiar pleasure coursed through her entire being. Energy swirled and tumbled as it was drawn toward the hand. Her pussy fluttered and her clit twitched. Paul took full advantage of the unexpected assistance and caught the tender nub with his lips. She cried out, her pleasure suddenly rocketing precariously close to climax.

  Not yet, Lily warned. Don’t let her come.

  Jericho backed off and Blue’s arousal ebbed.

  Bitch! Blue panted. She’d been so damn close.

  Concentrate on Paul’s mouth. I haven’t found what I’m looking for.

  “What are you looking for?”

  The source of your power. The answer came without hesitation, but Blue wasn’t convinced. Didn’t mystics all have the same power source?

  Suddenly images flickered through her mind. Like an ancient silent movie, each frame was an individual image, unique and ever-changing. Face after face, an endless parade of people from her past and present. Lily was looking for someone.

  “Who are you looking for?” She tried to twist away, but Jericho pulled her back against the seat and held her there. Paul raised his head and lowered her legs, but made no other move. “Make her stop.”

  With aggressive determination Lily pushed deeper. It burned through Blue like fire and she screamed, arching away from the chair.

  “Enough!” Paul shouted. “Let her go.” He flew around the chair and jerked one of Jericho’s arms away from Blue’s shoulder.

  “Wait. I have it.” Lily gasped then rested both hands on top of the chair. “Who is this?”

  A demon from Blue’s past appeared within her mind and her entire body went cold. “A ghost,” she whispered. “He’s dead.”

  “No, he’s alive and he…” Lily bit off whatever she was going to say and went on with more caution. “Who is he? What’s his name?”

  “What are you talking about?” Paul’s tone was clipped and cold. “What did you do to her?”

  Jericho shook off Paul’s hold as Lily moved to Blue’s side.

  “Are you all right?” Lily asked. “It wasn’t my intention to harm you.”

  “I’m fine, but how did you do that?”

  Lily gazed down at Blue with calm expectation. “Tell me who he is.”

  “Tell us why you want to know,” Paul countered.

  Jericho ignored him. He walked around the chair and turned Lily to face him, his forehead creased with concern. “You’re white as a sheet. Did you glean enough from her memory to figure this out on our own?”

  “Probably.” She licked her lips and blew out a shaky breath. “If not, we know where to find her.”

  “Who the fuck are you? What’s this really about? Did Blue even get what she needed from you?” Paul’s gaze narrowed and his fists clenched.

  Blue was too stunned to appreciate his concern. She’d felt the energy drain. If anything, Jericho had taken more than she needed him to take. The burning had quickly receded, but she couldn’t get the demon’s image out of her mind. “He’s dead. He has to be dead.”

  Paul pulled her up out of the chair and gathered her into his arms. “Did she hurt you?”

  “Not really.” Without another word, Jericho and Lily rushed from the room. Paul started to call security, but Blue stopped him. “If that bastard is really alive, we have much bigger problems on our hands.”

  Chapter Nine

  Trembling with fatigue and fear, Tamara sat beside Jericho and tried to stop shaking. The shuttle sped through evening traffic with graceful agility, guided by Jericho’s confident skill. Her head throbbed and the murderer’s image was indelibly emblazoned on her memory.

  “Blue honestly believes he’s dead,” she said. “She wasn’t just saying that. At some point, he must have staged his own death, maybe taken on a different identity.”

  “It’s a clue. We can factor it into our search criteria.”

  She blew out a long, slow breath and rested her head against the seat back. “I kept waiting for security to run us down. Why did Paul just let us go?”

  “Why would he have stopped us? We didn’t do anything wrong. Well, we freaked out his domestic companion, but that’s not a crime.” He adjusted their heading before he went on. “You know you’re wanted by the Enforcers, but Zettalli saw what he expected to see. Just as you said he would. You make an adorable slave, by the way. I might not let you take off that collar.”

  “I’m a little more concerned about Enforcer wristcuffs right now than I am about thrall collars.”

  “Understandably so.”

  She closed her eyes and allowed the images she’d uploaded from Blue to flow back through her mind. Freeze-frames of another person’s life without any context or emotional relevance. Were those tears sorrow or joy? Many expressions were remarkably hard to interpret.

  “All the other people appear over and over.” She sighed and opened her eyes. “It’s almost as if Blue suppressed this man’s image, as if she’s tried to convince herself he never existed.”

  “We both know he did, and he does. But her fear hints at a very evil man.”

  “We already knew that.”

  With amazing precision, Jericho piloted the over-sized shuttle into the bay under the safe house. Tamara held her breath until he closed the doors behind them, barely leaving them enough room to offload.

  The overhead lights failed to trigger automatically, so he took her by the hand and led her to the door. “This place is so old, sensors wear out as fast as I can replace them,” he muttered as they felt their way along the dark wall. The stairwell leading to the house above was dark as well, and Jericho tensed. “Now, I know I left this on.” He leaned down and pulled a small pistol out of an ankle hostler she hadn’t realized he was wearing. “Stay behind me.”

  “What if they’d sent us through a munitions scanner?” She wasn’t sure why she was whispering.

  “Then they would have taken it away, or at least tried to.”

  She could hear the grin in his tone. He was nothing if not confident.

  Jericho stepped into the main hallway and someone catapulted him against the opposite wall. She gasped and stepped back, but a second person grabbed her arm. She screamed and jerked against the hand, but she was dragged out into the corridor.

  Jericho was still wrestling with the first man, so the second kept her well back from the fray.

  “You fucking son of a bitch!” Jericho landed an especially vicious punch to his opponent’s face. “I’ll kill you for this!” He charged, head lowered, arms spread, but the other man neatly sidestepped the lunge, and Jericho crashed i
nto the wall.

  “Give it up, James. That move never works.” With lethal agility and strength, the stranger threw Jericho over his shoulder and slammed him down on the floor.

  The man holding her arm laughed and she jerked against his grip. “That’s rude.”

  “No, that’s sibling rivalry.” He shrugged. “No matter. My business is with you.”

  Her heart collided with her ribs as he led her into the kitchen. Jericho and Drake were shouting about loyalty verses responsibility, frequently accenting their positions with their fists. There was nothing she could do to defuse that tempest, so she focused on the man holding her arm.

  The kitchen light came on as they entered and her steps faltered. She was still dressed like a sex slave. Shit! This should be fun.

  The Enforcer’s dark eyes widened when he looked at her. “Professor Owens?”

  She reached up and unfastened the black wig, dragging it off her head. “And you are?” She tried to sound calm without being argumentative. He was in Jericho’s house without permission after all.

  He held out his hand and showed her the badge tattooed on the back of his palm. “I’m Officer Mercer. Would you like to see my ID card?”

  “If you’re with Drake, I presume you’re legit. What is this about?” As if she didn’t know.

  Reaching up, he tapped his audiocom. “For the record, would you state your full name?”

  “Professor Tamara Ellen Owens.”

  Jericho rushed into the kitchen, Drake half a step behind. Blood was smeared across the corner of Jericho’s mouth and Drake’s left eye was rapidly swelling. Brotherly love at its finest. “Don’t say a word. I can have my lawyer here in fifteen minutes.”

  “Only the guilty lawyer up,” Drake snarled. “I thought you said she didn’t do it.”

  “I didn’t do it,” Tamara stressed. “And I know who did, or at least I know someone who can tell you who did.”

  “Visions aren’t admissible in court,” Jericho reminded her. “Keep your mouth shut.”

  “She had a vision of the real killer?” Mercer rolled his eyes, but Drake’s reaction surprised her.

  Drake approached slowly, his expression cautious. “Has Jericho told you about Miranda? I have an unusual attitude about visions. Tell us what you know and let us do our job. If you’re innocent, we’ll prove it.”

  Mercer looked at him as if he’d started speaking in tongues. “That’s sweet, O’Bannon. She’s still under arrest.” Mercer motioned toward the nearest wall. “Hands on the wall and spread ’em.”

  Drake blocked Jericho’s lunge as he said, “You better let me do that or my brother will stop being nice.”

  “This is nice?” Mercer jeered.

  “Yeah, this is nice.” Under Jericho’s watchful eye, Drake carefully patted Tamara down.

  “She could have a machinegun under that coat. You’re barely touching her.”

  “She’ll go through the munitions scanner same as everyone else. There’s no reason for me to feel her up.”

  Mercer snorted. “If that getup is any indication, I don’t think she’d mind.”

  Drake wasn’t quite fast enough to catch Jericho this time, so Tamara had to intercept him herself. “Stop it. The last thing we need is an assault charge.”

  “Smart lady,” Drake reinforced.

  “Lady?” Mercer snickered.

  Drake grabbed him by the throat and squeezed. “Stop antagonizing them or get the hell out and let me handle the situation. Got it?”

  Mercer nodded as his eyes began to water, so Drake released his throat. Mercer coughed and rubbed his bruised larynx. “I could bring you up on charges for that.”

  “You could, but you won’t. You’re being an asshole and you know it.”

  Mercer didn’t argue, but he was all business from that point on. “Professor Owens you are a person of interest in the murder investigation of Morton Tulain. Are you willing to voluntarily accompany us to Detention Center Three for questioning?”

  If she didn’t accompany them voluntarily, they would simply arrest her and take her in under duress. Protocol required them to ask nicely first. She looked at Jericho, but his tormented expression was no help, so she shifted her gaze to Drake. “Despite tonight, Jericho trusts you. Do you trust him?” She pointed at Mercer.

  “I do, but you don’t need to. As soon as this became a murder case it fell within my jurisdiction. All you have to do is trust me.”

  “And I do.” She looked back at Jericho and said, “Com my aunt. She needs to know what’s going on. If she can find her contact on d’Arrest, that might be my best chance.”

  Jericho rushed forward and kissed her before Mercer could stop him. “Don’t let Drake leave your side,” he whispered against her lips. “I don’t trust that prick.”

  “Go.” She smiled as tears blurred her vision. “I’ll be fine.”

  * * * * *

  “You have to calm down.”

  Jericho knew Elaine was right, but his body wasn’t cooperating with his mind. Hell, his mind wasn’t being very cooperative either. He’d been damn lucky to find Mrs. VinDerley at home and willing to see him. The least he could do was act civilized.

  Fuck that! He didn’t feel civilized at the moment. He wanted to stomp that pompous ass into the dirt and grind his head—

  “You’re turning red again.”

  He took a deep breath and looked at Elaine’s serene face. “If Mercer touches her, I’ll kill him.”

  “Is there some reason you doubt Drake’s ability to protect Tamara?”

  “No, but he’s bound by the law.”

  “As are you,” Elaine stressed. “As are we all. We are not barbarians, young man. We fight within the system. And when the system requires it, we make changes. We do not abandon the very thing that makes us great.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “‘Ma’am’ from Jericho James?” She laughed. “You are distraught.”

  “I’m going out of my mind!”

  With a light, maternal touch, she guided him to a nearby sofa and they sat. He was only vaguely aware of the elegant salon and the expensive furniture. All he could think about was helping Tamara. All he could see was the fear in her eyes. She’d put on a brave front, tried to minimize the crisis for his benefit, but he’d sensed her panic, her helplessness.

  “We have to do something.” His tone was softer yet just as passionate.

  “Your explanation was rather rambling. Let me see if I have everything.” Her hand rested on his shoulder, the contact oddly calming. “Tamara is being questioned by the Enforcers. Drake is involved, but he is not the lead investigator on the case. Tamara saw the real killer in a vision, but it’s unlikely the Enforcers will abandon their tangible evidence against her to pursue a phantom suspect. Does that about sum it up?”

  “Blue knows who the real murderer is, but we weren’t able to pressure her without revealing Tamara’s identity.”

  “Is blue her name or her skin tone?”

  Jericho smiled. She doubtlessly knew Blue was a name, but her humor was a welcome reprieve. “Her name is Misty Blue and she works at the Dark Star.”

  “Of course she does. Where else would Misty Blue work?”

  He forgave her snobbery. Fanciful monikers were rampant in the pleasure industry. “If Tamara is smart, and I know she is, she won’t mention Blue until she determines if the Enforcers will accept her information.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “If they won’t take her vision seriously, there’s no reason to tip our hand,” he explained. “We’ll have to motivate Blue to cooperate once we’ve worked through this mess with the Enforcers.”

  “If Tamara is unable to offer an alternate suspect, then she must have an airtight alibi.”

  He nodded. “That’s why I’m here. Were you able to track down your contact on d’Arrest?”

  “I sent one of my personal security teams to collect him shortly after I spoke with Tamara in your shuttle. I suspected he
was avoiding me, but I wasn’t sure why.”

  “Did your team succeed?”

  “They did. Petro had left d’Arrest, but my boys easily found him on Wirtanen. Ms. Beatrice Conroy is head of security and she runs such a tight ship nothing gets past her.”

  Jericho smiled. He’d known Blaze for years and she was one of the few people he trusted implicitly. “I know Blaze. She does a great job.”

  “Blaze. Jericho. Blue. Does anyone in your acquaintance have a real name?” She softened the question with a smile then abandoned the tangent. “Anyway, Petro was running scared. He knew Tamara was the prime suspect in Morton Tulain’s death and he wanted nothing to do with a murder trial.”

  “Can he verify Tamara’s location?”

  “Yes and no. His log documents her location and some of it can be verified with security records and such, but there are still gaps. He didn’t feel that the alibi he could provide was strong enough to warrant his involvement in a well-publicized murder trial.”

  “Fucking coward,” Jericho muttered then saw Elaine’s disapproving look and added, “Sorry.”

  “No, I agree with your assessment. A man of honor wouldn’t have hesitated to assist a lady in need. I instructed my boys to escort Petro to the detention center. You likely passed them on your way here.”

  Jericho pushed his hand through his hair as he released a heavy sigh. “Then I better get back there.”

  “Nonsense. There is nothing you can do for her there. Take a minute and fill me in on the rest. It was obvious from the start that there is an attraction between you and Tamara. Does she return your feelings?”

  He wasn’t sure what to tell her. He wasn’t sure how to describe how he felt, much less how Tamara was feeling. “Stressful situations tend to heighten emotion. I’m afraid that once the drama subsides, we’ll both remember that we’re from entirely different worlds.”

  Elaine’s laugh was bright and bubbly, and for some reason it grated on Jericho’s nerves. “Is that an exit strategy or are you preparing yourself for the inevitable end?” She put dramatic emphasis on the last phrase.