Captivating Her Racy Heroes [Racy Nights 13] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  She gazed at each of them with so much love in her eyes that Ryder’s heart melted. It would be so easy to just blurt it out, right here and now. But if he did that, he risked a lot. What if he was wrong about what he saw in hers? And what if Hugh wasn’t ready for a step like that? Why was he so afraid of everything good and right in his life?

  Hugh picked her up and carried her over to the bed, and then they took turns kissing every square inch of her body. His dick and his balls ached, but he didn’t give a shit. He couldn’t get enough of this gorgeous, amazing woman.

  He couldn’t get his clothes off fast enough and neither could Hugh. She watched, grinning, her hands behind her head, and he thought his heart would burst with love. When he finally slipped his dick into her pussy, he fucked her like he’d never fuck her again, and clung to her as she wrapped her arms and legs around his body.

  Feeling her climax while he was inside of her was like crossing the threshold into Nirvana. It had to be the same experience, because there was no way anything on this earth or any other world felt this complete or perfect. He forced himself to withdraw so that Hugh could have a turn, and didn’t even mind watching them. In fact, it was a huge turn-on.

  She enjoyed them both so much that there was nothing he wouldn’t try at least once. All they had to do was ask. Hugh came inside her, and then he moved aside so Ryder could fuck her pussy again, and this time he came as well. The look in her eyes took his breath away. He knew that he’d do anything and everything to protect this girl from Eddie, and from anyone else in her past or present that threatened her.

  He pulled her close and held her, kissing her hair and her neck until he drifted off to sleep. He’d never been this happy, and he knew he never would be again with anyone else. She was the woman he’d waited for, and no one else would ever do.

  * * * *

  The next week was so busy for Brynn that she didn’t have much time to think about Eddie Van Buren. Busler’s was due to open on May 31, and they still had one third of their sales positions to fill. Claude told her to re-interview everyone she’d rejected the past week. Brynn told him that was a very bad idea because he’d end up telling her to fire most of them within a month, and then he asked where the hell he was supposed to find qualified help.

  She called Ava Harmony and had a long talk with her about that very subject. Ava said that she’d received names from Jake, who had compiled them by advertising for help in the high school, with the permission of Mary Connor, the principal. Brynn thanked Ava, and after she got off the phone, she called Mary and got permission to put up a flyer in the office at the high school, like Jake had done for Ava.

  They had a specific bulletin board in there for local jobs so that students had a centralized place to look. Since they had less than a month of school left before summer vacation, she needed to jump on this now.

  Brynn ran over to the school to take care of that, and then she called Kari and asked for any other suggestions. She knew Kari and Alexa couldn’t put up a flyer in the high school, but thought they might have other avenues for finding help. Surely there were people in Racy who needed a job.

  “We ended up advertising in the Lafayette papers. We thought about Craigslist or another online venue, but after talking with Annalise and Harper, we decided that might open us up to crazies.”

  Brynn nodded. “I agree. Smart move.” After Kari gave her the contact info for two local papers in Lafayette, Brynn called them and placed ads. That was all she could do at this point, other than take a second look at some of the people she hadn’t offered jobs to last week.

  Her instincts hadn’t been much use in evaluating computer test results, but this was different. She’d met these people in person. She’d looked into their eyes and she’d listened to the way they expressed themselves. Claude had hired her to do a specific job, and she owed him that, even if he was impatient to fill the positions before the store opened. She didn’t want to let him down, but she also didn’t want to hire a bunch of people who would do a poor job for him.

  The guys still took her back to Notus every day to eat lunch, but she made up for that by coming in an hour early, and leaving later than she had to. Claude never left her alone in the trailer, and she wasn’t sure if that was because he worked long hours normally, or if Hugh and Ryder had asked him not to.

  In the evenings, she made dinner at home with Hugh and Ryder, and twice that week they took her to Gino’s Ristoranti, which she absolutely loved. She told them she’d never tasted better food, even at the restaurants in Chicago. The second time they were there, she sought out Vito and told him that herself.

  Vito beamed as if she’d just claimed him best restaurant owner in the world. “Thank you. My ancestors would be proud right now.”

  “Do you ever share your recipes?”

  He shook his head. “Never. Gina and I keep them in the family.”

  After dinner, the three sat outside on the back porch which overlooked the woods, and talked about their day. Now that the evenings were growing warmer, they took advantage of that to spend as much time outdoors as possible when they were all home. Brynn loved thinking of Hugh’s house as her home now. She was growing used to the size and the splendor of it, and she no longer felt as if she needed a map to find her way around.

  She hadn’t slept in her room all week, however, and neither had Ryder. Hugh’s bed was a king that he’d had custom made, so it was a foot wider than most king beds were. The three of them were quite comfortable sleeping together in it, so that’s where they ended up, even if they didn’t make love to Brynn that night. And that was fine with her. She never wanted to be alone again.

  As the week wore on, she couldn’t help but notice the police cruisers everywhere, including driving up and down Dogwood Trail. She noticed a lot more of them downtown than she’d been used to seeing, and while they made her feel safer, they also brought home the reality of what was going on behind the scenes.

  No one knew where Eddie was. She’d asked Hugh and Ryder more than once during the week whether they’d heard if the cops had found him hiding out in a motel outside of town, and both men had assured her that if Sean or another cop found Eddie, they would tell them. That meant he was still out there, hiding, perhaps waiting for the right chance. But to do what?

  He couldn’t get to her. She was never alone. But she still hated the thought of him holed up somewhere, watching…waiting. She’d always known he was dangerous, and now she had proof. Three arrest warrants in two states. That meant he’d probably committed other crimes as well and simply hadn’t been caught, or the situations had been similar to what he’d gotten away with ten years ago.

  Brynn didn’t like any of it. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. It gave her no measure of satisfaction to know she’d been right about him all along. That kind of gloating wouldn’t help keep her, Hugh, and Ryder safe, nor would it bring back Zakia. Rather, she wished there was some way to open the case again, but she knew it wouldn’t matter. Eddie would never confess to having raped and killed Zakia, and she was sure that Sean was right. The physical evidence simply hadn’t been there.

  But didn’t the outstanding warrants prove he had it in him to commit these kinds of crimes? Surely now that the Chicago police knew about this, they might consider taking a second look at the ten-year-old case. She made a mental note to ask Hugh and Ryder if they thought it would be appropriate for her to speak to Sean about that.

  But for the time being, she was content to spend her time with Hugh and Ryder. Every day she felt closer to them, and if the longing looks they each gave her were any indication, they felt the same way about her. How she longed to say the words, but she also felt that until this issue with Eddie was resolved, she couldn’t pile that on top of their worries.

  Everything still felt uncertain, as if they were all waiting for the conclusion. She didn’t like it, but she tried to make the most of her time with them so they’d have no regrets about having moved her into
the house with them. She was so in love with both of them, and tried each day to show that in every possible way.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Friday morning, Brynn walked across the street to the bakery to pick up coffee and donuts for herself and Claude, and when she passed Decorus, the new salon, she ducked inside. A pretty woman with jet-black hair smiled broadly and came out from behind the counter to greet her. “Hi there. Welcome to my shop. Oh please tell me you want me to do something with that gorgeous hair of yours. With your face, I have the perfect cut in mind.”

  Brynn glanced around. “Where is everyone? This is the only salon here in Racy. I thought this place would be packed by now.”

  The woman frowned. “I’ve had to limit my hours for now. I thought moving to a small town was perfect after the noise and crime in Indianapolis drove me out, but I’ve had trouble finding help. I can’t do it all by myself.”

  Brynn nodded. “I hear you.” She glanced down at her nails. “I have to run back across the street to work right now, but can you fit me in for a mani and pedi about six o’clock? That’s not too late, is it?”

  She smiled. “Not at all. I kept my shop in Indy open until ten some nights. Consider it done.” The woman stuck out her hand. “Felicia Summerville.”

  Brynn shook her hand. “Brynn Winston. I’m the HR rep for Busler’s Department Store.”

  “Oh, good. Maybe we can talk shop later? You must have some great leads for me.”

  “I don’t know anyone who does hair and nails, but I know people I can ask for help on finding them.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll see you later then.”

  Brynn took a business card from Felicia before she went across the street, and then she texted Hugh and Ryder to ask them if it was all right for her to get her nails done after work. She knew they were teaching classes that evening at Maddox’s house, but she also knew they’d want to know where she was.

  Several Doms who frequented the club taught classes on everything from bondage to general knowledge of the lifestyle. Maddox and Sean had worked on the project for months before finally having everything in place.

  She had intended to come with them and watch them teach that evening, so she hoped they didn’t mind that she’d made these alternate plans instead. She explained that Felicia needed help in finding cosmetologists for her shop, and that Brynn had felt sorry for her seeing no patrons inside it.

  The guys both texted her back, teasing her about being a softie, and told her that was fine with them if she got her nails done. They asked if she’d be able to wait at the shop until they finished with the classes, and she said she didn’t think that would be a problem. Since Hugh had driven her to work she didn’t have much of a choice, at any rate, except to wait for one of them.

  After she took care of a few things for Claude, she called Felicia and gave her the contact info for the newspapers in Lafayette. Then she called Kari and asked if she knew anyone in town who was a cosmetologist, or who knew where to find one.

  “I don’t know any in Racy, but Carma Mandanici might know where to find them. She’s Annalise’s cousin and she lives in Colorado, where she works as one. Hang on…I have her number here somewhere.”

  Brynn wasn’t able to reach Carma but she left a message, along with Felicia’s number, and then she returned to her work for Claude. It was nearly six when she finally left the trailer, and Claude was still at work. The rain had started earlier that afternoon, and now it was a steady downpour. There was a bit of thunder and lightning as well, but no severe weather was coming, thank goodness. She told Claude she’d see him Monday morning, but he barely glanced up. Brynn didn’t think the man had a life outside this trailer.

  As she sprinted across the street, she glanced west toward Riverfront and frowned as she watched the traffic. There were cops everywhere, but how could they watch every single car, every second of the day and night? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Eddie wasn’t here, and Felicia was waiting for her.

  Once she walked inside the shop, Felicia was all excited to tell Brynn that she’d already placed ads in the papers in Lafayette, and that Carma had called her back and given her several leads on cosmetologists looking for work in Indiana.

  “That’s great,” said Brynn. “Now I need someone to work a miracle for Claude and find him enough help to open the store on time.”

  “Has he considered placing ads in Indianapolis? I’m sure people would love to live here once they saw the town.”

  “You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll have to mention that to him on Monday.” There was plenty of housing available in Racy, and targeting a large city would yield a lot more prospective candidates.

  As Felicia gave Brynn a manicure and pedicure, they talked about Racy, and how different the town was from the places they’d each grown up, but also how much they both liked it. Brynn learned that Felicia, though not quite forty-five yet, was already a widow. Her husband had been a cop in Indy, and was killed in a drug bust gone bad the previous year.

  “That’s one of many reasons I decided to move,” she explained. “I wanted to live in a quiet place where nothing happens.”

  Brynn bit her lip. How was it that no one had told this dear woman everything that Racy had gone through in the past year? “Your shop used to be a printing place from what I was told.”

  Felicia nodded. “Yes. That’s what I was told as well. It was damaged in the tornado last year, and the woman who’d been leasing it decided to work from her home instead. I was lucky to find it. The new shops going up on Lawnview are way too expensive for me to buy, and all the other buildings on this street had already been spoken for by former tenants or new ones.”

  “All this new construction is so exciting for the town. Where are you living?”

  She pointed to the ceiling. “Up there right now. It was part of the deal I got for leasing this place. I’ll probably just stay. No sense in spending extra money on housing if I don’t have to. It’s a huge apartment, and I like being right here with the shop at all times.”

  “I hope once Busler’s reopens across the street it won’t be too much noise for you.”

  Felicia chuckled. “We lived a half mile from downtown Indy. Between the air traffic and the raceway, I had more noise than I ever grew used to. But this place is as quiet as a tomb compared to that. I love it here.”

  Brynn wondered if she’d still feel that way if she knew everything that had gone on. She glanced outside to find it was already dark, and was still raining quite hard. She shivered, but then mentally chided herself for being so silly. They were on Market Street, in full view of everyone walking past. It was Friday night, and even the rain hadn’t kept people from the shops downtown. Not as many people seemed to be out and about as she was used to seeing in the daytime, but they certainly weren’t alone here.

  The guys were due here in less than an hour, but she realized that Felicia would be done long before that. Still, she had no other customers tonight and that made Brynn sad for her all over again. Surely she couldn’t be the only woman in this town who’d been desperate for a salon right in the same town. She hoped business picked up soon, now that everyone realized she was open. Brynn vowed to help spread the word as soon as possible.

  “I want to thank you again for all you did today,” said Felicia. “It means a lot to me. This is what I love about small towns. Everyone is so friendly and helpful.”

  “It really is a gem. I’m lucky to have found it.”

  Felicia finished cleaning up while Brynn admired the pretty fuchsia color they’d chosen for her fingernails and toenails all over again. She hoped the guys liked it. When Felicia walked over to the windows and pulled down the shades so only the bottom foot or so of the front windows weren’t covered, Brynn swallowed hard at the sudden fear coursing through her body.

  “I can’t stand to look out at dark streets when it’s raining. I don’t know what it is. I think it reminds me of the night Rob was killed.”

  Bryn
n frowned at Felicia’s words while she tried to stay calm inside, but she didn’t like the shades being down, even partway. Now no one could see them in here unless they peeked underneath the blinds. All they’d likely see as they walked past would be shadows because the lights were still on. But what could she say without having to explain to Felicia why she was freaking out right now? And especially since the woman clearly needed to talk about her deceased husband?

  Felicia sat in the chair next to Brynn and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. “I still remember the exact moment I knew he was dead. That was before his sergeant came to the house to tell me that Rob had been shot.” She opened her eyes and glanced toward Brynn. “Have you ever experienced that? A feeling so strong that someone you knew had been hurt, and then you found out you were right?”

  Brynn nodded. “Yes. Yes I have.” She certainly had. But she didn’t think this was the right time to tell Felicia about Zakia, and talking about that night would only make her more nervous. The rain and wind had picked up outside, and thunder rumbled in the distance. Brynn resisted the urge to check her phone for weather updates as Felicia continued speaking.

  “When you live with a cop, you know that every time they walk out that door, you may never see them alive again. But you get used to that, you know? No. That’s not right either. You never actually get used to it. What you learn to deal with is the constant uncertainty of their line of work. You learn to keep busy and not think about it.”

  “How long were you married?” She had to keep talking just a while longer. The guys would be here then, and she could leave. She wanted to see them both in the worst way. She missed them so much suddenly. She should have made this appointment for tomorrow morning and gone with them tonight as planned. What had she been thinking?

  “Twenty-five years. We were married right out of high school. He went to the police academy in Plainfield and I went to cosmetology school in Indy. We both worked, too, at crappy jobs, but they paid the bills. We lived in a shitty apartment for three years until both of us had earned our degrees, and then we bought the home where we lived until last month. I sold it to a very nice young couple with kids, and now here I am.”