The Bad Boys of Eden (124 page)
Read The Bad Boys of Eden Online
Authors: Avery Aster,Opal Carew,Mari Carr,Cathryn Fox,Eliza Gayle,Steena Holmes,Adriana Hunter,Roni Loren,Sharon Page,Daire St. Denis
Curiosity reared its ugly head, and once again she wondered what he’d do with her once he had her alone. He seemed insistent on her becoming his for the duration of his job. What then? The professional image of Murphy tying her for a shoot dissipated into something entirely different. Her mind wandered, and she let the feeling overtake her. It was Daegan’s big body pressed against her back as he worked the intricate knots.
“There ya go, babe. All secured.” The voice drifting through her senses had a sharp undertone, a gravelly sound of arousal in it.
“Ready for the paint?”
“Yes,” she panted. Anything as long as it meant he’d touch her.
“Lift your arms and be perfectly still.”
Jennifer eagerly obeyed despite the pain of the rope now digging sharply into her hip. Somehow that bite transferred straight to her nipples and clit, hardening them. A soft chuckle sounded from him moments before the cold, wet brush lapped at her belly. She sucked in a breath and gritted her teeth as he began to trail the liquid over her exposed skin.
The ache between her legs nearly exploded on impact. She swore her pulse thundered through her blood and pounded through her cunt.
“Legs apart.” Her overimaginative brain heard Daegan speak the order. She complied. Wet stripes were painted down one side and up the other of each of her legs only inches away from her clenching opening. The rough texture of the brush excited all of her nerve endings, setting her on a course she feared. Her muscles coiled in the beginning stages of an explosive release.
“Please,” she whispered in her head.
All too soon the paint was applied and her hands were cuffed to the chains dangling from the ceiling. Her arms were pulled until she stood on the tips of her toes and her cold muscles cramped in protest at the sudden movements. Her eyes flew open.
“I’ll be right back. Need to check on the crowd and make sure we’re all set. I’ll be in hearing range if you need anything.”
Jennifer licked her lips and nodded. When the door closed behind Murphy, she retreated back to the fantasy she’d begun. This time Daegan pushed a thigh between her legs and brushed against her hot spot for a brief second, her keening cry of need slipping from her lips. He took a knee and placed his face at pussy level where he teased her with hot puffs of air directed across her quaking flesh before dragging a thick finger through her sopping folds.
In the distance she heard someone say something, and then her legs were lifted and bent behind her so they could be attached to the rigging at her wrists. Daegan disappeared from between her thighs, and her pussy squeezed in protest. Reality and fantasy swirled in her head while Murphy lifted her in place. She wasn’t in a scene with Daegan. This was her job. She was about to be on display in front of every single person of influence in the industry. She’d already overheard Chase talking about how many organizations and media outlets were represented tonight.
“Last piece, Jennifer. Are you ready?”
“Yes.” She pushed the word through her lips. Anything to take her mind away from its insane direction.
Murphy wrapped his hand with the long, single braid of her blonde hair and pulled. “You know the drill. The more you move, the more it will hurt. Although this crowd will appreciate any pain you experience from your predicament bondage. So let’s give them a show…”
“Go ahead,” she urged. She no sooner said the words than pain exploded in the tender skin under her hair. Tears sprang to her eyes and threatened to fall. Jennifer relaxed, letting the painful sensation wash over her. This was what she wanted. This distraction. The reminder of who and what she was. Daegan wanted a submissive to shape and bend to his will, and she was simply a pain slut looking for a fix.
“Open your eyes, Jennifer.”
The words were whispered at her ear, Murphy’s hot breath bathing her skin. She lifted her lids and blinked at the eerie glow of the black light filling the room. The Dark Room had been transformed into the sensational play space it was meant to be. People mingled in nearly every inch of the small area, and the energy and excitement rushed over her, leaving her light-headed and thrumming for more. Her pulse pounded in her ears.
And then she saw him.
The crowd parted, and there along the black wall stood her sexy Irishman. Dark hair hung loose around his broad shoulders, which framed his strong jaw perfectly. The tailored shirt and slacks he wore fit in all the right places, reminding her just how hard he felt standing against her. Despite the many men and women standing around him, his gaze was all over her, drinking in every inch of her glowing skin. All the emotion and aching need from the last hour came crashing down on her. All she could picture was him taking her. Pushing his cock between her legs where she was wet and more than ready to take him.
Instead his hot stare said it all. He wanted her, and he would have her. She didn’t have a doubt in her mind it was what he thought. And for the first time in several years, a paralyzing fear seized her. What if she never survived?
# # #
Steena Holmes
All Lauren wants is a weekend to say goodbye to the love of her life, but what she gets is the chance to say hello again.
Lauren Summers is the stable sister, the one who runs the family company while her sisters take off and travel the world. One weekend a year she hides herself away and mourns a love she lost six years ago. That weekend is now, except she’s being whisked away to a mysterious island despite her protests. After being pampered with luxury, massages and the best chocolate a girl could taste, she starts to realize that its time she left the past behind and moved forward with life, and maybe with love. What she doesn’t know, is that someone from her past has other ideas…
Copyright 2015 Steena Holmes
Table of Contents
A delicious box of handmade chocolates from one of the best chocolatiers in the world sat on her desk. They were his latest creation and he wanted her to taste test them for him. Damn that man. Paul Ormand, her friend from her college days and now a world—renowned chocolatier, knew she was trying to lose weight. She could have sworn he did this on purpose.
“A sweet thank-you for all you do, my foot,” she muttered to herself. He’d called in a favor a few months ago and she’d been able to help him. When he’d asked what he could do to repay the favor, she’d jokingly suggested chocolate but then told him she was still on her diet and if he sent any she’d make him pay.
She should have known better.
The tantalizing aroma from the opened box tempted her and it was all she could do not to try one. The smart thing would be to close the box, put it away in a drawer and attempt to forget about them.
“Oh, what do you have there?” Melanie, her sister, peered over her shoulder and went to reach for one of the decadent pieces of heaven.
“Hands off.” She slapped the offending hand away and glared up at her sister, who smirked and stuck her tongue out at her.
“I do just as much for the man and he doesn’t send me chocolates.” Melanie pulled a chair up to Lauren’s desk.
“He loves me more,” Lauren teased.
“That’s only because he met you first.”
“Or maybe he still remembers you trying to fool him into thinking you were me?”
Lauren was the oldest of triplets and despite having the same facial features of both her sisters, Melanie was the only one who had the same body type, or close to it. Jessica, the youngest of the three, could pass for a model.
Melanie shrugged before she reached over and snagged a chocolate despite Lauren’s glare.
“Are you or are you not a diet?”
“I am,” Lauren grumbled.
“Well then,” she popped the chocolate into her mouth, “conshider jist my way of helfing,” Melanie said with a full mouth.
Lauren shook her head before she inhaled the decadent smell that came from the box. Somehow she managed to replace the lid and move the box out of reach...but it was difficult. One chocolate normally wouldn’t hurt, but she’d been so good lately and was down twelve pounds. Just another twenty or so to go and she’d maybe go swimsuit shopping. Maybe.
“Have you heard from Jess today?” Melanie licked the chocolate off her fingers before she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.
“Not yet.” Lauren checked the time. “She said she’ll call when she gets to her room tonight.”
“What venue was she checking out today?”
Lauren grabbed a notebook from the side of her desk and thumbed through the pages until she found the itinerary she’d written out.
“Today was that surprise day Lexi and Paul asked to have free.” She had some ideas where they were headed, hints Paul had given her on the phone.
“And she comes home when, again?” Melanie pulled out her phone.
“Two more days. Haven’t you booked her return flight yet?”
Melanie’s lips pursed. “No and I’m starting to get a little worried. Not only is the flight more expensive now but she hasn’t responded to any of my emails or texts in the past few days.”
Lauren’s chest tightened for a brief moment until she remembered something. “She’s using a credit, right? She’ll probably just book the return flight at the airport. You got that email when I gave her the return options, right?” When Melanie nodded, Lauren smiled. “Nothing to worry about then.”
“We’re talking about Jess, right? Our baby sister who tends to leave things to the last minute? The one who misses flights all the time? Who only thinks of herself at the best of times?”
“The same one who is the most adventurous, who can sweet-talk her way out of any situation and always finds the most amazing deals for us. Yes, that one.” Lauren preferred to give Jess the benefit of the doubt. It was easier on her nerves.
Melanie leaned forward. “Do you know for sure she’s with Lexi and Paul? For sure sure? Remember that time she ditched the tour guide, paid him to lie to us and took off for a week, suntanning on some beach?”
Lauren winced. “Yeah, but the Jennings loved that trip afterwards, didn’t they? If it hadn’t been for her doing that, we never would have found that secluded beach.”
Melanie shook her head in disgust but Lauren attempted to ignore it.
“At least this chocolate tour will be what our happy bride is looking for.” Melanie reached for a stack of mail Lauren had dropped into a basket and flipped through it.
Lauren almost groaned. In the five years of operating Bella Dia as an exclusive travel concierge, they’d seen a lot. Their clientele were the elite, the rich, and extremely privileged for the most part. Lauren and her sisters were known for performing miracles for those with high demands.
They currently worked with a bride and her soon-to-be husband: a wedding in Banff, Canada, nestled among the mountains, and then a honeymoon in Europe, where they wanted to take an exclusive and private chocolate tour. But not just any tour, one that was tailored exclusively to them.
That’s where Paul and Lexi came in. Paul and Lexi had connections to the best chocolatiers and pastry chefs in Europe and despite Lexi leaving Paris due to a broken heart, Lauren had worked her magic to bring the two lovers back together.
Lexi was one of her best friends and she would move heaven and earth to see her back together with Paul, another good friend of hers.
It was a win-win situation. The two were back together and Lauren had a tour guide for her bride. Now, if she could only ensure the wedding went off without a hitch.
That’s where Melanie and Tessa came in.
“Have you heard back from Tessa regarding the guest list issues?”
Melanie tossed some fliers into the garbage. “I have a call scheduled in an hour.”
“How many guests are we over?”
“We managed to get Ellen to narrow down her guest list by five. We’re still ten over our limit and the hotel isn’t budging.”
“So we go to Plan B?” Ellen, the bride, wasn’t too accommodating when it came to paring down her guest list. Everyone was crucial to her happiness, it seemed. Which meant if they couldn’t get the hotel to overlook the five guests who may not arrive despite being invited, they had to either find a different venue or plan an outdoor wedding on the grounds of the Banff Springs Hotel.
“Plan B it is. You know, when I finally get married, I want a very quiet wedding in Mom and Dad’s backyard. No fuss. No drama.” Melanie leaned forward and Lauren noticed an envelope she held in her hands.
“You say that now, but when your big day comes, you can’t tell me you won’t want to say your vows on the beach of your favorite resort?” She glanced over at Melanie’s office, where she had a wall plastered with all the locations they used for their company that she was determined to vacation at. The ones she’d visited all had postcards attached to them.
“For the honeymoon, sure. I know Jess would rather elope but you want the intimate wedding too, right?”
Lauren shrugged. She’d never really thought much about her own wedding. Six years ago, she’d met her soul mate while on a life-changing trip to Europe, only to come home brokenhearted. If there was one thing Lauren believed in with her whole heart, it was soul mates. Her parents were the perfect examples of this to her, and she wasn’t willing to settle for anything less. Even if it meant she remained single for the rest of her long and lonely life.
“In Mom and Dad’s backyard and have to compete with you? Not on your life,” Lauren teased. “We had another inquiry today, did you see it?” Lauren tried to get Melanie off the topic of their own weddings. The anniversary of when she first met Marc was coming up in a few days and like every other year, she was feeling a tad bit emotional. Normally she went away for a few days around this time, to reflect, to remember but this year with Jess gone, she didn’t want to leave Melanie all alone to deal with Ellen.
The thought of Marc and when she’d first met him hit her hard and she bent down in a pretence to pick up her purse but in reality blinked her eyes to stop the tears from being noticeable. She hated how much it hit her, still, after all this time. The ache in her heart, the memory of his smile and the way she felt when she’d been in his arms...she only allowed herself to dwell on the memories of that intense love once a year.
“A new one? Can we handle it? I thought we’d discussed taking a month off after Ellen’s wedding?” Melanie toyed with the envelope in her hand before she handed it to Lauren.
“If I was to tell you it was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, would you say no?”
With the envelope in her hands, she fingered the linen paper and knew it was of high quality. There was no return information, just LS embossed in gold lettering. She turned it over in her hands and looked at Melanie.
“Who is this from?”
Melanie shrugged. “You got me. It’s your initials though, I think. That L could be a J too...open it up and check.”
Lauren set the envelope back down. If it was for Jess, she didn’t want to intrude. But there was something familiar about the envelope, something she’d seen somewhere. She filtered through the various magazines she’d read, online sites she visited on a regular basis and that’s when it hit her.
On one site’s private email group she was in, a travel agent had mentioned a client receiving an envelope similar to what she held in her hand.
“Oh sweet...” She reached for Melanie’s hand and held tight. “This is an invite to Eden,” she said.
Melanie sat up straight. Eden was a destination they’d talked about in the quiet morning hours as the place they would go to if they could, as the one location they wouldn’t ever share with their clients...it was their nirvana, their heaven...their genie in a bottle. Invitations to the island were rarely issued, so the fact Lauren held one in her hands was a miracle in itself.
“What did Jess do to get this?” Lauren mumbled. Part of her was amazed that her sister would get the hallowed invite but then there was another part of her that was jealous...when would it be her turn? While her sisters traveled the world and fell in and out of love, Lauren was here, in this office, behind this desk, and worked to ensure everyone else’s dreams came true but her own.
She reached for the box of chocolates she’d resisted earlier.
Life sucked sometimes.