Chapter 3
There you are, Dubois. I was wondering when you and Magnus were going to make an appearance.” Waving a puffy hand at the frivolity surrounding them, Sherman bellowed, “As you can see, the party is underway.”
Jax nodded, then pointedly gazed at the youngsters romping around the pool. If it weren’t for their glassy eyes and thickened speech, one might not have known that most of them were inebriated either from alcohol or, more likely, the plentiful drugs decorating the tables. “You weren’t exaggerating, Sherman. You truly do have every kind of poison available. Both to imbibe and observe.”
Sherman chortled. “Don’t forget to add ‘partake,’ Lucas. As I indicated when we corresponded, I’m confident that I can meet all your needs, no matter how exacting . . . or unusual.”
Jax let the implication lie for a moment, then said with a caustic grin, “Or dissolute?”
Sherman roared. “You Frenchmen. Yes, my genteel pervert. As I hope I have made clear, whatever your debauchery requires, I can provide it. You simply have to lay out your requirements, and my colleagues will work overtime to fulfill your every depraved desire. Be they young girls or boys or a combination, my stable is full. And it goes without saying that any props or tools you require to achieve sublime levels of ecstasy will be readily available. Whether your desire is to exact pleasure . . . or pain.”
“So I gathered from the videos you were good enough to send me. But for the moment, Sherman, I have more basic needs to satisfy. For example, a draught of your finest scotch would be a welcome treat. As would the opportunity to spend time getting to know you and Gus on a personal level. Though we have thoroughly investigated one another, there is no substitute for meeting one’s purveyor face-to-face before consummating a transaction. I trust you agree. Particularly given, shall we say, the potentially illicit nature of our intended exchange?”
A frown tightened Sherman’s expression. “Hell, Dubois, if I didn’t know your reputation better, I might think you’re getting cold feet.”
Jax put up his hand, stopping him. “No, Sherman, trust me. I fully intend to fulfill my end of the bargain, to the nth degree. It’s just that I have learned, from a lifetime of transactional agreements, one should never enter into an arrangement as dicey as the one we envision without getting a full measure of the man on the other side of the equation.” Before Sherman could answer, Jax added with a grin, “And certainly not before I sample some of your best scotch.”
Apparently mollified, Sherman waved at the fully stocked bar. “You are right of course, Lucas. Forgive me. I’ve been so looking forward to meeting a fellow aficionado of the exotic—make that the forbidden—that I forgot my manners. Please name your poison, and Gus here will see that your wishes are fulfilled, no matter how esoteric.” He gestured to a table on the edge of the patio. “Meanwhile, please have a seat.”
Gus returned with the bottle of Bowman’s that Jax had requested. He was followed by a middle-aged server carrying a tray of appetizers. Jax was gratified that the solemn Asian man was clothed, as were most of the adults—at least the ones who weren’t occupying the partially curtained cabanas notable for the squeals and occasional cries coming from the cloistered havens.
Jax and Serge shared a knowing look when a naked, gray-haired man sporting a pendulous gut and shriveled-up cock stumbled out of one of the cabanas, leaving three glassy-eyed young girls in his wake.
At that moment, a statuesque, tawny-haired woman traipsed down the stairs. Her unsteady gait confirmed that like the majority of the revelers—both adults and children—she was high on God knows what. Several of the men by the bar hollered out, inviting her to join them. Weaving from side to side, she made her way to the leering men. Jax narrowed his gaze, feeling as though he knew her. He searched through the files in his brain to no avail. Serge’s frown confirmed that he was also trying to place her.
Before he could question his host, Sherman gestured to the woman, who was now surrounded by a coterie of smirking men. “It appears you’ll have the opportunity to meet Jasmine, my wife.” He added with a sarcastic grunt, “Lucky you.”
Jax raised an inquiring brow. “You’re married, Sherman? That surprises me.”
Sherman shrugged. “Let’s just say it’s a marriage of convenience . . . for us both. I was kinda married to her older sister. When she died, I hooked up with her.”
“Your ‘kinda wife’ died? I’m sorry. Was it an accident?”
Sherman guffawed. “I guess you could call it that. She OD’d after shooting up a shitload of Super 8. Not a good thing to do on top of a liter of vodka. So it wasn’t exactly an accident. But hell, knowing Courtney, who was a drama queen to end all drama queens, she likely did it to get attention.”
Seeing Jax taking stock of the voluble woman across the terrace, hanging on the arm of the closest man while accepting a proffered glass from the one pressing up against her backside, Sherman snorted. “Believe it or not, she used to be a killer babe.”
Jax asked dryly, “What happened?”
Sneering at his wife, Sherman shrugged. “In a word, age. She didn’t handle it well. Face it, there’s only so much the scalpel-wielders can do.” He grimaced. “Hard to believe that franken-cougar once had men begging to get into her pants. I’m telling you, Lucas, you should have seen her. The only woman who was more beautiful was her older sister. But it was wasted beauty. They may have been the crème de la crème of society, but at base, both were high-class lot lizards.”
Jax gave a slight cough and said blandly, “I must say, that’s an interesting way to describe not one, but two of the women you married.”
Sherman was dismissive. “Don’t misunderstand. Courtney was as beautiful a woman who ever lived. And before she went to the dogs, Jasmine was almost as beautiful. But no matter how skilled the surgeons are at recali-boob-sizing, it’s a slippery slope for women. Especially if the bitch is trying to capture the elusiveness of youth and a debauched youth at that. Eventually, she ends up a scalpel slut like my wife.” He tossed back the rest of the booze in his glass and poured himself another. He gave a disdainful snort. “Courtney was lucky. She died young.”
Sherman looked thoughtful as he took a large draft of the potent scotch. “But without question, the best looking one of the whole goddamned family was my daughter.”
“You have a daughter?”
Sherm shook his head. “Had one. Past tense. Courtney’s kid. She was the reason I ended up with Jasmine. After her mother OD’d, the big question was what to do with the girl. Given that she was Courtney’s only heir, I needed to figure out a way to make her mine. Not easy to do, in that Courtney and I were common law partners, if that. Rather than fight over the money, Jasmine and I decided to marry and adopt the kid. It was the best way to put aside the question of who would inherit the money and ensure I’d have access to the girl.”
Apparently seeing Jax’s raised brow, Sherman quickly explained. “I’m telling you, Lucas, if you’d seen her, you’d understand. She—the girl—was . . . perfect. And unlike her mother and aunt, she was pure as the driven snow.” He added defensively, “It wasn’t like it was incest. Hell, she was eleven before I met her. Courtney kept her on the down low. Guess she didn’t want anyone to know she had an eleven-year-old kid.”
Sherm paused for a long moment, then licked his lips, a disgustingly salacious gesture that had Jax struggling to keep from shoving his fist through the loathsome man’s fat gut. Apparently not seeing Jax’s agitation, Sherm said almost reverently, “Without question, that little piece of ass, my demanding friend, was as close to perfect as I have ever seen or had. Before or since. Knowing how selective you are, Lucas, I can only tell you, initiating that nubile, untouched princess into the ‘lifestyle’ was an erotic pleasure I’ve never forgotten. Indeed, my relationship with her helped me become a wealthy man, equal to the Coronado Club highfliers. Offering her to my friends helped me understand how many men and women share our perverted sexual appetites. And how dearly they will pay to satisfy their deviant desires.”
Jax asked carefully, “Where is your ‘daughter’ now?”
Sherman was flippant. “Unfortunately, we had to dispense with her.”
“Hmm, that’s an interesting verb.” Forcing a mirthless chuckle, Jax asked, “How and why does one do that?”
If Sherman was put off by Jax’s ironic query, he didn’t show it. Rather, he seemed eager to talk about his “daughter.” Seeing his wife working her way toward them, Sherman blew out a disgusted sigh. “I assumed the skanky bitch would smell fresh meat. Gird your loins, Lucas, and you too, Magnus. My wife thinks no man can resist her, even if he has a penchant for flesh years younger and infinitely fresher than her fetid honeypot.” His expression darkened. “In answer to your question about my daughter, Jasmine was the reason we had to get rid of her. Green-eyed jealousy, pure and simple. No bitch likes to be outclassed by a pre-pubescent kid. But given that Jasmine controlled the money, I made the only decision a thinking man could. Hell, when it came to a fortune or a nubile pussy, I chose the money.”
He frowned at his approaching wife and muttered, “At least she came with a dowry and despises me as much as I do her. It kills her that as much money as the bitch inherited, my partners and I have grown it exponentially. Which is where investors like you come in, Lucas.”
Jax was relieved from responding to the repugnant man by the presence of the tall woman advancing on them. As he rose to greet her, Jax acknowledged with a shock of recognition the bloodline Viviana shared with her debauched aunt. While the resemblance was there, the stunning disparity between the two women dramatically underscored what twenty years of alcohol, drugs, and lascivious living could do to a once beautiful woman. It was cruel confirmation of the toll Jasmine’s dissolute lifestyle had taken on her. Knowing Jasmine had not only abandoned her niece to the vagaries of Child Protective Services and stolen her fortune but had also allowed the hideous man lounging beside him to repeatedly rape her preteen niece called on every bit of forbearance Jax had. Even so, it took Serge’s firm hand on his arm to hold him back.
Shoving at the bile threatening to choke him, he bowed slightly and managed to speak in a controlled tone. “Good evening, Mrs. Davis. I understand that you share this quite remarkable abode with our host. Thank you for inviting us.”
Jasmine’s voice spoke to years of alcohol, tobacco, and whatever drugs she could lay her hands on. What once might have been a throaty invitation was now a rough, grating attempt at a sexy solicitation. Reaching out to run a bright-red fingernail across his lapel, the brazen woman suggestively scrutinized his body. Smirking at Jax, she cooed, “Let’s hope, Hollywood Handsome, you don’t waste all that sexy beefcake on the pitiful kiddie sluts my husband screws.”
Sherman reached out and slapped her ass with a resounding smack. “Down, bitch. Sorry to tell you, but Mr. Dubois is my guest, and the last thing he’s interested in is an over-the-hill silicone Sally.”
Jasmine glowered at him, then glancing from one to the other of them, pinned a salacious gaze on Jax’s crotch and said with a dismissive sniff, “What a waste.”