Elemental Pleasure (22 page)

While he didn’t need to explain himself, the Grand Master decided it might drive home the importance of Price’s task if he did. “She is meeting her life partners in the introduction ceremony this afternoon.”

Price frowned. “We don’t usually escort members to that ceremony. Is she resistant?”

The Grand Master shook his head. “No. She is special.”

Price didn’t appear satisfied with that response, but he would soon learn for himself why Denise Parker required the escort. “Very well.”

Price turned to leave, but the Grand Master issued one last order.

“Don’t leave the facility without Denise, Price. Escort her here. And…for your troubles, you’ll find a small reward in box twenty-seven. Make sure you retrieve it as soon as you return.”

~~~~

Chapter One

Denise Parker lifted her head from the microscope and rubbed her eyes wearily. She’d risen well before dawn after a restless night spent sleeping on the lumpy couch in her office. Her mother would read her the riot act if she knew how often she stayed at the lab.

Most nights, she worked so late she couldn’t be bothered driving across town to her tiny apartment. She wasn’t married, didn’t own pets, hell, she didn’t even have plants, so there was very little reason for her to return home. Ever.

She turned to her computer to input the figures. Her life seemed to be one long stream of experiments and data analysis. Mom despaired over her long hours and disinterest in a social life, but Deni couldn’t tell her mother there was no reason to worry. She would definitely get married…someday. She’d found a way to ensure that, while also managing to dodge the awkwardness of dating.

She’d been introduced to the Trinity Masters just as she was finishing up her doctoral degree. Her professor asked her to remain after class one day and he opened her eyes to a world she’d never imagined existed. One of secret societies, symbols, ceremonies, power.

As a child prodigy, she’d never fit in anywhere, always years younger than her peers. The Trinity Masters had included her in their membership, accepted her despite—no, because of—her eccentricities. They supported her endeavors in science, helping her land a job at one of the most respected research labs in the country right after graduation and by ensuring the continual flow of the grant money necessary to allow her to continue her experiments.

She’d overheard some of the single members of the Trinity Masters jokingly refer to their successes as “selling their souls to the devil,” but Deni didn’t see it that way. She intended to revolutionize modern medicine, use her research to find the cure for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS and any other neurological disease that crept up. She wouldn’t rest until she did.

In exchange, the Trinity Masters offered her the promise of companionship, partners who would bind their lives to hers in the ultimate sharing of power and ideas. It was a heady prospect to be part of such an old and elite group. Deni simply needed to bide her time until the Grand Master called her to the altar. Their concept of an arranged marriage appealed to her because she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her research for romance. There was no room in her life for that kind of emotion.

Unfortunately, the Trinity Masters society was indeed a secret. Deni wished there was some way she could tell her mother she needn’t worry about her only child spending the rest of her life alone as a spinster. Revealing her life plan would save her countless hours of nagging phone calls and attempts on her mother’s part to set her up with some friend’s son or the hairdresser’s recently divorced nephew.

Oh well. Until the Grand Master found her suitable partners, she would have to fend off her mother’s matchmaking for a few more years. She was only twenty-eight. She’d paid close attention to the recently paired triads. Members of new threesomes ranged between the ages of thirty-two and thirty-seven. Mercifully that bought Deni at least four more unencumbered years to focus on her research.

She put on a pair of safety goggles and began running the next set of experiments. She wasn’t sure how long she’d worked—her research assistant, Curtis, teased her about disappearing into the Twilight Zone during experiments—when the sound of the lab door closing captured her attention.

Glancing up, she found herself face to face with a very large, imposing, stern-looking man. The majority of her colleagues had slight builds and pale complexions from too many hours spent inside under the fluorescent lighting. This man with his dark skin, coal black hair and Mr. Universe-sized muscles was the polar opposite of nearly every man she’d ever met.

With the exception of Gunner. The thought of her only friend made her smile, which produced a deeper scowl on the stranger’s face.

Damn. She had a bad habit of living inside her head and forgetting to communicate. Time to employ a social convention. “Hello. Can I help you?”

“Are you Denise Parker?”

She nodded. “Deni.”

“Excuse me?”

She wasn’t sure why she bothered to correct the man, but she persevered anyway. “Everyone calls me Deni. Never Denise.”

The man’s expression didn’t change. Instead, he extended his hand, offering her a letter. “This is for you, Denise.”

She couldn’t miss the way he stressed her formal name. Something about the man rubbed her the wrong way. He seemed angry with her, but she couldn’t understand why. She’d never met him before.

Deni glanced at the envelope, immediately recognizing the seal of the Trinity Masters. Her heart began to race. There must be a mistake. It was too soon. She was still too young, too busy for this.

She looked at the man again and her hands actually went numb. Surely he wasn’t…

No. He couldn’t be. She glanced behind him. He was alone. Even so, she felt compelled to make sure. “Shouldn’t there be two of you?”

The man’s eyes narrowed. “I’m here as the messenger only. Open the letter.”

She released a long sigh of relief. “Thank God.”

The man scowled and she realized she’d spoken aloud. “Um. Sorry.”

She tore open the envelope, trying hard to keep him from noticing her suddenly shaking hands. The letter confirmed her fears. She was being summoned.

“Today?” She shook her head. “I can’t go today. I have too much to do.”

The stranger didn’t appear to care if she’d scheduled tea with the Queen of England. With his arms crossed and his legs spread, he reminded her of a bouncer at a nightclub. His stance made it clear that she was going, whether she wanted to or not. “I’m to escort you.”

Then, he took the letter from her hand, skimming it quickly. He glanced at his watch. “You’re to be there in fifty-five minutes. With traffic, it will take us twenty-five to get to the library. How long will it take you to shut things down here?”

Deni felt a wave of lightheadedness. What the hell was happening?

“I need at least fifteen minutes.”

He nodded. “Then I suggest you begin.”

~~~~

About the Authors

Lila Dubois is a tech writer by day and a romance writer by night. She's living her own version of a romance novel with her Irish Farm Boy, whom she imported to Los Angeles. Having spent extensive time in France, Egypt, Turkey, Ireland and England, Lila speaks fiv
e languages, none of them—including English—fl
uently.

You can visit her on t
he web at
http://liladubois.net
.

*****

Writing a book was number one on Mari Carr’s bucket list and on her thirty-fourth birthday, she set out to see that goal achieved. Now her computer is jammed full of stories—novels, novellas, short stories and dead-ends. A
New York Times
and
USA TODAY
bestseller as well as winner of the Passionate Plume, Mari found time for writing by squeezing it into the hours between 3 a.m. and daybreak when her family is asleep and the house is quiet.

You can visit Mari’s website at
www.maricarr.com
.

She is also on
Facebook
and
Twitter as @MariCarr
. She blogs at
International Heat
and hangs out on the Heat Wave Readers
Yahoo group
.

~~~~

More titles from Lila Dubois

Undone Lovers – Rockabilly BDSM

Undone Rebel

Undone Dom

Undone Diva

*****

Glenncailty Castle – Sexy Contemporary Romance

The Harp and the Fiddle

The Fire and the Earth (May 28, 2013)

*****

Monsters in Hollywood – Erotic Paranormal Romance

Lights, Camera…Monsters

My Fair Monster

Gone with the Monster

Have Monster, Will Travel

A Monster and a Gentleman (March 19, 2013)

*****

Other Titles

Red Ribbon

Betrayed by Love (Coming Soon)

Calling the Wild

Kitsune

Forbidden

Savage

Bound

~~~~

More titles from Mari Carr

Just Because

Because of You

Because You Love Me

Because It’s True

*****

Second Chances

Fix You

Full Moon

*****

Black and White Collection

Erotic Research

Tequila Truth

Rough Cut

Happy Hour

Power Play

Slam Dunk

Naughty I
s Nice

In the Running

*****

Compass Brothers

Northern Exposure

Southern Comfort

Eastern Ambitions

Western Ties

*****

Compass Girls

Winter’s Thaw

*****

Wild Irish

Come Monday

Ruby Tuesday

Waiting for Wednesday

Sweet Thursday

Friday I’m in Love

Saturday Night Special

Any Given Sunday

Wild Irish Christmas

*****

Foreign Affairs

Misplaced Princess

Misplaced Cowboy

Misplaced Lessons

Misplaced Hands

*****

Cocktales

Party Naked

Screwdriver

Bachelor’s Bait

Screaming Orgasm

*****

Other Titles

Sugar and Spice

Everything Nice

Do Over

Kiss Me, Kate

Three Reasons Why

Black Jack

White Knight

Spitfire

Rekindled

Inflamed

Retreat

Covert Lessons

Mad About Meg

Assume the Positions

~~~~

Undone Rebel
by Lila Dubois

When amateur fetish model and rockabilly princess Adelita “Addie” Sanchez is asked to model for an instructional BDSM book she turns them down, adamant that she’s not a porn star. That changes when she meets the three male dominants behind the project, particularly Lane Therres, who convinces her that the project is more art than porn, and she’d be safe in his hands.

The rules of the photo sessions are clear—there’s no sex, and Addie can call a halt to anything she’s uncomfortable with. What self reliant, strong-willed Addie hadn’t counted on was enjoying giving herself over to the powerful Doms and their ropes, chains and toys. When she falls for Lane, while enjoying Emory's touch, Addie turns away from both men, scared of what they're doing to her. Can a relationship built on a BDSM contract ever be anything but whips and chains? Lane changes his Dom leather for shining armor to prove to his rockabilly princess that even the most gallant knights sometimes prefer dungeons.