A/N: I'm Back!!! Feeling better than I've ever been, thankful and grateful. But please everyone, I pray that all of you stay vigilant regarding this pandemic. Take Care, and Stay Safe, All of You!

Photo above - The beautiful Villa Merlo Nero, Firenze, Italy

When last we left Damien, he was being assigned to a special new project, named Dante Andreas ( the male lead in my story, 'Stripped Bare') 

Damien POV

I had just gotten off the plane, feeling slightly jet-lagged and irritated that Randy had opted to sit right next to me in the car that picked us up at the airport. It was a sticky hot day and I was just glad to be assigned to this case for a change.

My colleagues at Eden were doing a great job without my supervision, since they had been trained well. In fact, Dr. Akachi was very, very happy with the results. I had another check-up and a private discussion with Akachi as to the possibility of having the position of my ball sac adjusted, but he did tell me that it was going to be a tricky procedure since my vagina was still intact and there was a big possibility that I would eventually have my vagina stitched up permanently.

Oh God...my vagina...what was I thinking, keeping it, when I so wanted my maleness to take hold of the dominant side of me. What resulted in my dabbling was one-night hookups that led to quick sexual encounters, usually in the dark zone of a gay bar, or subtle encounters back at the person's apartment. These were encounters which I'd sooner prefer to forget.

I was horrified of turning into my father!!! This was something that I did NOT want. I wanted a lasting, meaningful relationship and I thought that I had it with Randy, but that was not the case. STOP IT!!! I found myself telling myself off for dwelling on the supposedly forbidden subject.

When we did finally have sex, it was simply amazing, which made it all the more difficult for me to accept the fact that Randy was a father, and that he had cheated on me. I had eventually forgiven him. Well, I knew I had to if we were going to be working together. Imagine my surprise when dad told me about this case. My mind was still reeling from the wonderful experience of handling Project Eden, that I was actually reluctant to return. When I did, I was ready to take on further responsibilities such as looking after Randy's child.

At least I was careful during my hot and sometimes heavy sexual escapades, and well-prepared not like some idiot I know.

Shall I be a bit of a bitch and tell him off again? Randy still seemed to think that we could have a chance at things...yeah, right...as if I'd want to have anything to do with him ever again. I simply rolled my eyes when he even tried to get close to me.

As we were driven to the hotel, Randy tried to slip his hand into mine, but I instinctively shoved it away, opting to place both my hands between my thighs so that he could do nothing.

As soon as we stopped, I got out hastily, grabbing my suitcase and proceeding to the concierge desk to get my key, with a lethargic Randy lagging behind. He had been so taken with the area that his mouth was literally agog with the beauty of the place and the people. Everyone looked like super models around us, including the men, which caused him to drool.

I shook my head, wondering what was in my father's mind when he made Randy accompany me on this journey. The sole reason was due to the fact that no one else could be spared, and that Bron was still going through the intermediate processes alongside Mick and that both had other assignments given to them, far across the world to Asia, somewhere in Hong Kong.

I would have preferred the company of my sibling as opposed to this bumbling idiot, but now I had no choice but to concede and make the most of my time here. The plan was to secure contact, but also to infiltrate and observe.

Tonight, was the full scope of the assignment, which was, to establish contact with this young detective at a high-profile event, taking place at the royal couple's private villa, one of many around the world, in Florence, Italy.

I would make my way to the residence of the royals, posing as one of the models she had invited for the evening. Apparently, the Princess Elena loved the company of beautiful people surrounding her, especially man candy, and luckily, I seemed to fit the bill.

I would provide enough of a distraction should she come near me, while Randy would move through the crowd without detection. This would be the perfect moment to plant a few sleeping gas canisters within the air ducts, and set the timer for them to flow throughout the area, rendering the royals and their guests hapless and sleepy, while we donned on our masks.

Once the mixture was in place, the only thing left to do was to find the young detective and his bodyguard and get them out of there for a brief but meaningful meeting with my father, Bryant and Marcus on board one of our stealth jets.

I was intrigued by the young detective after reading his file. There were photos secretly taken of him in action as a stripper at the club, and also in private, giving very personal lap dances and more to female clientele behind the closed doors of the private rooms upstairs.

Dante's boss was under surveillance since his club was a veritable den of druggies, dealers, prostitutes and porn stars, which seemed as no surprise since the man had a reputation of having the hottest strip joint on the circuit, and that Dante was one of his prized studs.

Now the scenario made sense. The prince had somehow convinced Dante to accompany them, as the man was dying from a rare form of cancer and had little time. According to the ledger, he had wanted a child with his wife but could give her none. After several unsuccessful attempts, including in-vitro, he thought, why not give her the pleasure as well as hopefully having someone as good-looking as Dante to give her the child they wanted.

But everything sounded too good to be true, and as the Commander and Chief delved into things, they involved the rest of The Organization, especially my father. At the mere mention of Officer Madsen, having adopted Dante as his own son, my father immediately spoke with Marcus, who shed more light on the matter, and that Dante had already been under the umbrella of the Organization without even knowing about it due to Thorpe's involvement.

Since then, Marcus had the man watched, but from a distance. The then Senator Thorpe was still in command at the time, and Marcus' hands were tied. But now, since my father had taken over, it was the perfect opportunity to make the vital move to get to Dante.

I took my place, leaning against one of the columns, decked out in an Armani suit, sipping on a Prosecco. The Prince and his wife, Elena made their way down to the center balcony, overlooking the huge garden and lawns, where huge tables had been erected. Guests were seated, surrounding an elaborate dance floor, with a pathway leading from it towards the gardens.

Models mixed and mingled with the crowd, as did I. There were celebrities amongst the guests. I had the Prince and his wife, including their entourage checked, and found some strange circumstances that followed them wherever they went. There always seemed to be a bevy of young male models with them.

I knew of Elena's thirst for good-looking young men. Her husband wanted them to have a child so badly, he even paid these young men to bed her in the hopes of siring a child. But one after another, the male models mysteriously disappeared...into thin air.

This was what intrigued me more, which prompted me to delve even further. Part of the entourage consisted of some gypsies, and a shaman. What on earth would a prince and his wife be doing with such people?

The lights dimmed, and a sole spotlight focused upon a huge silhouette, entering the garden path. The silhouette grew larger, and behold, a large, beautifully-decorated elephant led by a mahout came into view.

Another spotlight was directly beamed onto a bejewelled young man, riding atop it, dressed in a shimmering gold brocade robe, which barely covered his nakedness. Dressed as a royal prince of Persia, Dante gleamed, swaying rhythmically to the animal's walk, in time to the exotic music played.

The photos in his file certainly did him justice. I was floored by the man's beauty. His composure oozed self-confidence and a powerful, almost animalistic sexuality. The strength of his aura, had the audience simply intoxicated by his presence.

His eyes, encircled in black kohl seemed dull, as if he was under the influence of some substance. I quickly made my way around the side, just to get a better view. As I watched, I spied out of the corner of my eye, a big man tailing Randy around the back.

I alerted both Fahey and Mason, who immediately set off in hot pursuit. But Randy was seemingly aware of the man following him, and deliberately led him upstairs. I prayed to God that Randy would know exactly what to do and not get caught, or worse yet, injured.

Meanwhile this beautiful man, gently alighted off the huge animal with such grace and ease. He then made his way to the podium, jumping onto the dais where there stood two poles. He unclasped the brooch which held the robe in place, rendering him totally exposed, adorned with only a glittering loin cloth, much to the delight of the guests.

The prince eyed the young man with a sinister air about him, perhaps plotting the worst to come during or after this event. I continued to observe from the shadows the seductive stance of the man as he approached the two poles, leaping from one to the other with great dexterity. I was floored by the quick manipulation of his audience, leaving them gasping and clapping for more.

Cool, calm and collected, immediately after his dazzling performance, the patrons crowded around him, touching him, stroking his perfect physique. They bestowed kisses all over his body, as he was handed drink...after drink...after drink...while pleasantly donating free dances to willing guests. His entire body swayed, flitting from guest to guest, and it came to me that he was clearly not himself.

The man suddenly wavered, nearly stumbling until I caught his arm. He flashed a look of vexation at me as I quickly asked for a bottle of water from the bartender. I ordered him to drink from it.

I needed to whisk him away, while checking up on Randy's progress. Soon, the guests were dancing, until they slid upon one another, falling into a deep sleep. This was the signal of Randy's success in administering the powerful knock-out potion which would render everyone asleep for 56 precious hours – enough time to get Dante and the bodyguard, Walid out of here.

Randy found us, at a quiet section of the vast garden, as I continued to give Dante more bottled water, forcing him to shake himself sober before making a move. The coy boy sauntered over to us, and much to my shock, planted a kiss upon my lips which I was totally repulsed by, as my face contorted in utter displeasure.

Dante observed silently, his eyes darting between our faces as I continued to explain our purpose for being here. He exuded an air of confidence even though it was clear to me that he was mildly inebriated. He even reprimanded me for getting in the way of his objective to keep distracting both royals from their original plans.

I admired the man's gusto, as Randy informed us of his managing to deter his stalker and 'hog-tie' him to the bed in one of the rooms upstairs. I had given Dante a mask to wear so that he too, would not be affected by the powerful sleeping potion. We entered by the back, via the kitchens, and proceeded to ascend the staircase, leading to the first level of stately rooms within the lavish residence. After carefully inspecting the floor for any signs of movement, we slipped into the room, where the large, irate man was muttering expletives behind his mouth gag.

Walid, as Dante called him, was clearly incensed at being trussed up like a spring chicken, ready for the roast. As soon as the gag was off, Walid almost gave our presence away, had Randy not threatened to conk him over the head to keep him quiet.

I could not help but chuckle at the comic relief. Time was of the essence, as I had to hustle Dante into putting some clothes on. A wary Walid was still unsure of who we were, but agreed to keep quiet. Dante seemed accepting of our explanation, managing to goad Walid into accompanying him. Dante seemed to trust Walid with his life, so we had no choice but to take the big man along.

While waiting for the two men to pack a set of clothing for a very brief stay, Mason and Fahey drove up at the precise moment. We quickly bundled into the unmarked vehicle, which turned off into a dirt road in direction of the airport.

All the while, I kept noticing Dante sneak a glimpse at me via the front mirror. I tried to avoid that heat-seeking glance and failed miserably as his subtle action made a blush find its way into my cheeks. I could not help but wonder about this man and who he really was...