“Don’t forget that everything you record while undercover can be useful.” Joseph said. “Everything.”
“Right. Some porn coming right up. I’d love to see that in the courtroom.”
“You and twelve bored jurists.” Jim presented her with her earrings. One was a simple diamond stud that went in her left ear. Her microphone. The other? Also a stud, but with an extended piece that elaborately wound around the back of her ear and sparkled over stretches of cartilage Joseph wasn’t sure there were words for. The piece ended right in her ear. “This is how we will talk to you when necessary. This look is really trendy in France right now, did you know? Hope you speak French.”
“Oui. Enough.”
Joseph regarded her with surprise. “You speak French?”
She scoffed. “You speak Spanish?” That tone was definitely meant to mock his.
“And I speak Russian. Let’s not get too carried away with our talents,” Cindy said from the front seat.
“Anyway,” Jim continued, “this part of the earring can be detached from the stud. We’ll be signaled if that occurs.”
“You guys are going to be watching and listening in on everything I do tonight. And telling me what to do. Wow. It’s like working at the Château again.”
There was one last briefing to go over. Where would Cindy be during the night? After the introductions, she’ll be at the bar, keeping an eye on things. What would cause her to use her gun and blow their covers? Hopefully it won’t come to that. What should Sylvia do in certain situations? Do whatever you would normally do, short of anything dangerous. How to get him to talk? Oh, wait, Sylvia was already a master at that. Did everyone know that she once got a man to reveal that he had three illegitimate children by three different women around Europe? All because she blew him so good he was compelled to spill his secrets like he spilled his seed.
Could’ve gone my whole life without imagining that. Because what did Joseph want more right now than to imagine Sylvia pleasuring another man? He didn’t care who it was. It could’ve been the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and Joseph would still be overcome with jealousy.
First guilt, now jealousy? He couldn’t decide how he really felt about her, now could he?
“He’ll be at the party soon,” Cindy confirmed. “Sylvia and I should get in there and be waiting for him. Come on. We can’t be seen coming out of this van after he gets here.”
Sylvia spared Joseph one last, lingering look before hopping out of the back. “I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “You wouldn’t have picked me if you didn’t think I could do this.”
I think you can do a lot of things. A lot… of… things. Joseph was the first to break eye contact. “We’ll be here if anything happens. Act like you normally would with a date like this. Just, you know, focus on getting certain things out of him.”
“Trust me.” Her hand landed on his shoulder with a clap! loud enough to send him out of his seat. “I know what I’m doing. I can get anything out of a guy. Secrets, money…” She eyed Joseph slyly. “Genetic materials.”
That van had never been so quiet. “All right. Enough of that. You two get going before Sheen shows up and we blow our cover.”
Cindy continued to give him a quizzical look even after she stepped onto the street, her black wig hilariously fake next to Sylvia’s real curls. Why the fuck does she have to be so pretty? Joseph didn’t want to look at either woman, but especially not Sylvia. Every time he even glanced at her, he imagined her beneath him again, her chest releasing those little breaths whenever he squeezed her breasts…
That was the best sex I had since long before Angelica and I broke up a final time. Better than whatever Stella contributed to his rebound relationship. Way better than what the two one-night-stands he picked up after Stella offered. Granted, half of that was him, but…
“So,” Jim said, leaning back in his seat and ignoring the electronics buzzing in front of him. Two fans worked overtime already. Joseph was going to have to lose his jacket pretty soon. Or maybe that was because he kept having inappropriate thoughts about a certain someone. “You and Sylvia. Don’t even lie, man.”
Joseph shrugged, as if he could be so nonchalant right now. “What is there to lie about? She and I go back to when I went undercover in Crow’s den of depravity.”
“Right. I read all about that.” Jim took a swig of water, but still did not stop staring at Joseph. “Didn’t recall reading anything about you and her, though.”
“Should be a given. Couldn’t blow my cover by refusing to sleep with someone who wasn’t my girlfriend.”
“Riiiiight. Stella.” Was Jim rolling his eyes? Joseph couldn’t tell. He was too busy ignoring Jim. “Well, far be it from me to tell you what you should have done back then, man, but this is now. You’re not undercover. She is.”
Joseph gestured to the van around them. “The fuck do you call this?”
“We’re in a van advertising a shell company ran by law enforcement. That’s not undercover. What Sylvia is doing is undercover.”
“If you want to make that distinction.”
“It matters in this case. Sylvia and Kline are on the line right now. You’re not.”
“You’re right. I’m not. Because I’m too recognizable now.”
“So, about Sylvia…”
“No, I’m not giving you any gross details about our history. We have a history. It’s in the past. That’s all you get to know.”
“Doesn’t sound so in the past to me.” Jim turned on the nearest monitor. “And we’re live on Channel Sylvia.”
Joseph leaned forward. The camera bounced up and down as Sylvia walked into the hotel lobby and followed Cindy toward the ballroom. Men in tuxedos and women in summery cocktail dresses already had the run of the place. Joseph flicked on Sylvia’s earpiece and spoke directly into his mic. “Beautiful, Sylv.”
She stopped in the middle of the lobby. Cindy glanced back at her. “Why, thank you,” Sylvia quietly said. “You’re pretty handsome too, stud.”
“Yeah. In the past. Uh huh,” Jim chided. He then gestured to the black limo pulling up alongside the curb. “Sheen’s here, Agent Kline. Get ready to party.”
“Oh, goodie.” Sylvia pulled out a compact and touched up her nose. The mirror reflected her cleavage right back at the men staring through her necklace camera. Jim looked away. Joseph, however, found himself unable to be polite. “I can’t wait to see the man you’re competing with.” That had to be directed at him. It had to be. “Don’t worry. You’re the one I’ll be thinking of when he fucks me.”
Both Cindy and Jim whistled in disbelief. Joseph, on the other hand, cursed himself for being such a predictable loser.
Chapter 12
Sylvia
“Mr. Sheen,” Cindy said with a slight Russian accent. “Such a pleasure to finally meet you face to face. Allow me to introduce you to Sylvia.”
Alexander Sheen was the kind of man who needed no real introduction. From the moment he sauntered into the ballroom, every pair of eyes was on him – and Sylvia instinctively knew who he was, even without having seen his photos in the dossier. It wasn’t just the bespoke suit or the sharp, angular jaw that cut through the air with every step. It wasn’t just his darks eyes drinking in everything around him as if it were rich wine. Nope. It was the simple fact that his gait, his carriage, his posture screamed “fucking rich billionaire with a cock as thick as his fist.”
Sylvia knew the type well. Devilishly handsome, outrageously intelligent, and able to get any woman he wanted. But the women he wanted were of a certain breed.
Her breed.
She may have been young, but she understood the psyche of a brilliant man looking for female validation. Except instead of receiving validation from her, he gained it from his jealous male peers. He wanted a girlfriend for the night that other men coveted – and maybe even had. Some men were like that. They got off on pollinating flowers already picked by other men.
Good. That m
eant they had a mutual interest. Alexander wanted a date that made other men jealous. Sylvia wanted a date that made her rich. No love. No meaningful attraction. Alexander would use her as arm candy and then probably fuck her in his hotel room.
Until the day before, the idea hadn’t bothered Sylvia. Alexander wouldn’t be the first reprehensible man (that she knew about) to purchase her services. Money was money, particularly when a woman had to eat and pay her debts.
Until the day before, the idea hadn’t bothered her. Then she woke up that morning, alone in her bed, instantly thinking of what had happened between her and Joseph the night before.
She was still bitter. Not angry. Bitter. The man had taken his lay and sent her packing. Unfortunately, Sylvia was used to it. She was used to men using her for her body and then forgetting there was a soul in there. Wasn’t that what Maxwell had done? Countless others? Except they hadn’t bothered her nearly half as much as Joseph had.
Because she had freely given him access to her body. For fun. For the joy of it. For the needs that demanded to be expressed. Sylvia wasn’t expecting pillow talk and post-coitus canoodling. She was expecting certain levels of, oh, she didn’t know… humanity?
She was only made more frustrated by the constant memories of how good it felt to have sex with him. Even when he was growing more distant through the course of their encounter, he was still there with her. That was more than any man over the past few years could say.
Bastard.
I hope he chokes on Alexander’s dick with me.
“Sylvia.” Alexander Sheen’s voice was deep and untroubled. He extended his hand, his smooth, unblemished skin waiting to touch hers. “It’s a pleasure. I look forward to spending the rest of the night with you.”
Damn. How easy was that? Sylvia’s smile was more than a little genuine as she readily shook his hand, taking in the sheer amount of power coursing through his skin. Damn. Damn! Why couldn’t this have been real work? The man was more than fine. He was walking sex in a suit. The kind of guy who could get any woman he wanted. Including Sylvia. Maybe for free.
Nah. There was no fun in that.
“The feeling is mutual, Mr. Sheen.” She was already sidling up to him, letting her hip graze his.
He did not move. “Please. Alex.”
“Alex.” It may have seemed weird to some, but Sylvia knew that as soon as money exchanged hands – and it had, according to Cindy – a woman was free to start touching her client. So she flicked the underside of his chin, marveling at how smooth he was. Hope my camera is pointed right at his tie. Joseph better be shitting himself tonight. Sylvia had already decided that if she slept with Alexander, she was going to be as loud and boisterous as possible. Serve that ungrateful agent right. “That’s a nice name. Don’t hear it as much anymore.”
“That so? I would think Sylvia is much older.”
“It’s because I’m a traditional girl.”
“Yes. I’ve done some reading up on you. My associates had heard of you.”
“Hope they only had nice things to say. Healthy reviews, as it were.”
He merely smiled. “I didn’t hear any complaints about what you offer.”
Cindy stepped up. “If everything is satisfactory, Mr. Sheen, I will take my leave.” She put a protective hand on Sylvia’s arm.
“Oh, I think everything is quite satisfactory.” If Sylvia could flick Alex’s chin, then he was welcomed to touch hers. What Sylvia didn’t quite expect were chills coursing through her chest. Hope that got caught on camera. “I’ll make sure our darling Sylvia reports back to you with nothing but good news tomorrow, Madam.”
Cindy slightly bowed her head before stepping away. She didn’t look back as she wandered off toward the bar. If anyone asked, she would insist that she was networking with other millionaires for her business. Alex would definitely understand that.
“May I?” He crooked his arm. “I have some associates to meet up with before we sit down for dinner. I insist on showing you off to them.”
Sylvia hooked her hand around his elbow. “I love being shown off. With any luck, I’ll make fast friends with your associates.”
“Not tonight, I hope. I paid good money to have you here with me.”
“Oh? Me?”
They slowly walked toward the main ballroom. Already more than one man in a tuxedo tried to get Alexander’s attention. I wonder how many of these men do “business” with him around here. Sylvia had to keep her smile collected. “Yes. As it turns out, we have met before, but I doubt you remember.” He caught Sylvia’s genuine look of surprise. “About a year ago. You were so in love with Maxwell Carlisle, though, that I doubt you would have felt an earthquake the moment we met. So you may not remember me, Sylvia, but you certainly left an impression on me. I was quite jealous that Carlisle was keeping you all to himself.”
There was no part of the universe where that didn’t stab Sylvia in the chest. They had met before? When she was with Maxwell? He had wanted her, but couldn’t have her? He was going to evoke Maxwell now? Did he know about their shitty breakup? Did he know how shitty he was now making her feel? If he did, then it was on purpose.
Fuck this guy.
***
The entire evening was exactly what Sylvia expected from her date with Alexander Sheen. He was only interested in her for one thing: status. More than one person she shook hands with expressed surprise to find her out there in Portland. “Didn’t I see you back east? I swear we have met before,” one older gentleman insisted. Of course they had. He was a regular at Sylvia’s old place of business. While they had never exchanged money and services before, they had been at many of the same hedonistic parties Sylvia worked for generous tips.
Most of the men there were the same. Sylvia even had the honor of running into some old clients who asked her how she was doing before shooting Alexander a possessive look. Sylvia didn’t really have a problem with this malarkey. She knew when she accepted a proposal to attend this party – undercover or not – that she would be signing up for seeing some old and sorta-familiar faces. With any luck, they would be cordial and not allude to those times. Thankfully, most of them are here with wives and girlfriends. The last thing they want to do is mention how we know each other.
But they made it clear to Alexander that they were jealous through cloaked words and gestures. A sneer here. A flippant hand in Sylvia’s direction there. Alexander absorbed them all with a growing power that was quickly taking over the room. This was a man who got more off on status than actual accomplishments. Although those helped too.
All of this was fine. Annoying, but nothing Sylvia wasn’t used to dealing with. No, what made it nearly unbearable was the voice that occasionally slipped into her ear. A voice that grew increasingly irate as the evening progressed.
“Make sure you face every person he converses with,” Joseph muttered in Sylvia’s earpiece. “We need to get clear shots of them on your camera.”
That camera was hilariously low on Sylvia’s short stature. Having it rest atop her chest made it worse. Sylvia had to get creative. Sometimes she enticed her old clients to bend low so she could whisper something funny into their ears – this had the bonus of making Alexander jealous. Enough so that he wrapped his arm around Sylvia and held her closer for the remainder of the mixer. While she was not excited about touching him so intimately, it did make it easier to record his conversations and get a feel for his mannerisms. That was one thing Sylvia was a pro at. Men didn’t always convey how they felt with their voices. All right, so they almost never did that, especially if they thought they were Alpha McAlphason. Sound familiar, Joseph? That man would never in a million years explain what was going through his head the night before. You know, when he kicked me out of his bed five seconds after popping his nut in me. Hmph.
What men did do, however, was exude a certain masculine body language that almost any woman could interpret with enough practice. Sylvia was only twenty-four, but she was fluent in Guy Language.
The way Alexander tensed around certain men and squeezed his hand on her arm? Possession. Jealousy. These men he conversed with in quiet, polite tones were his rivals. Or they had pissed him off at some point. Or maybe he simply did not like them. That was as likely as anything else. Men had their gut feelings like women had theirs.
Sometimes, though, he relaxed around people that Sylvia did not anticipate. One particularly curious gentleman was around the same age as Alexander and made Mr. Sheen so relaxed that he almost lapsed into colloquialisms. Sylvia made sure to record every second of this conversation and linger her camera on the man’s face. Meanwhile, Sylvia kept her placid smile on at all times, all the way until Alexander accompanied her to their assigned table for dinner and fine Willamette Valley wine.
“What would you like, Sylvia?” he asked with a flourish of his hand toward the menu. “Looks like you have your pick of fresh salmon or steak.”
“When in Oregon, Mr. Sheen, I simply must insist you try the salmon. There’s nothing like it elsewhere in the world.” At least Sylvia could say that about the northwest. It knew how to do seafood. Boston cuisine is way better, of course. But Portland was a good, distant second. Certainly better than anything else she had around the fair world.
“Two salmon dishes, please,” Alexander said to the waiter. “And we’ll take the greatest Willamette red you have. Spare no expense.” He turned to Sylvia, his demeanor both sexually inviting and so cold that she had to suppress a shiver. His hand on her knee also did the trick. “How is that? I admit I don’t have much of the local cuisine when I come here.”
Ah, here was Sylvia’s chance to get some information out of the man. “But don’t you do a lot of business around here?” she asked. The bottle of wine appeared next to her. Years of training to please businessmen like Sheen kicked in, and before he could ask, she poured him a full glass of wine. I’ll cut up his food too, if that’s what he wants. Maxwell loved it when she cut his food for him. The baby. “Seems like a shame to come here so often and not have much in the way of the food. Or are you jaded by it now?”
Damaged Goods Page 11
