Midnight Fantasy [The Doms of Sybaris Cove 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2

  Garrett met her gaze now, his eyes full of unmistakable lust. “I understand now what you meant. There’s no future for anyone on this island who isn’t a Durante or a Raleigh unless they leave, get a degree, and find a way to prove themselves.”

  She sighed out loud. “Wow. Just to hear you say that is remarkable. Thank you for acknowledging it.”

  “A lot of us do. You’d be surprised.”

  “I guess I have been away a long time, then.” When the conversation lagged, she took a deep breath, ready to ask, but he spoke first.

  “Do you want to come with us?”

  “What?”

  “To the meeting, I mean? At Asa’s house?”

  “But I’m not a Durante or a Raleigh.”

  He shrugged. “Plenty of people who aren’t will be there.”

  “Are you sure Asa won’t mind?”

  “I don’t see why he would. You work for him, so it’s not like you have no stake in this.”

  She grinned. “If the curse is indeed lifted, do you think he and Tim will start opening offices on the mainland?”

  Garrett laughed, showing perfect teeth. “That’s not a bad idea. Think we can sneak that in under the R&D umbrella?”

  “Sure. Why not? Why should sales get all the credit for the fabulous ideas? See how valuable I am?”

  His gaze was still filled with lust, and it was all Renata could do not to throw herself at him. She had missed him and Javier so much.

  “You are valuable. I wish you knew that. And I don’t just mean because of your work expertise. I’ve missed you.”

  Her heart stopped. Or at least, it felt that way for a few seconds. When she could breathe again, she found her voice. “I’ve missed you, too. And I’d love to go to the meeting with you. Do you think Javier would mind if I tagged along?” It wasn’t exactly what she’d planned, but why not? She’d be with both of them.

  His smile was instant and sincere. “Are you kidding? He’ll be thrilled.” Garrett rose. “I’ll go tell him now.”

  She watched him walk away, admiring his ass as he did, and then turned back toward the project she was working on. But it was impossible to concentrate. Memories of her fleeting time with both men rushed in, and it was hard not to let her fantasies get the better of her. But maybe it was no longer a fantasy? She had a date with them both, or at least an event she was going to attend with both. It was a start, and she hadn’t had to make the first move. Garrett had done that by inviting her to come along to the meeting with him and Javier.

  This was turning out to be a fabulous day.

  Chapter Two

  Javier Durante frowned as he listened to Garrett tell him that he’d invited Renata to come to the meeting at Asa’s house on Friday with them. He hadn’t spoken more than a word or two to her since she’d come home to work for Garrett in R&D, and he didn’t want to. She’d dumped him for Garrett once, at the tender age of sixteen. He wasn’t going to watch her fawn all over his best friend again, knowing this time she wasn’t going away to school. Not only was she home for good now, but she worked in Garrett’s department. A man could only take so much humiliation.

  “Did you hear me? She wants to come with us.”

  “Fine.”

  “That’s all you have to say?”

  “What do you want me to say?”

  “I thought you’d be a bit more enthusiastic about her tagging along. You haven’t said shit to her since she got back six weeks ago.”

  “Not true. I see her in the cafeteria once in a while and I say hello.”

  “Okay, smart-ass. I’ll pick you up at six-thirty on Friday, right after I pick up Renata.”

  “I know the way to Asa’s house.”

  “We’re all riding together, loser. You’re going to have to talk to her.”

  Javier stared at his phone after Garrett disconnected the call. How could he be so damn cool and collected about Renata? Then again, he always had been, even after she blew him off before leaving the island. She’d actually told him she wasn’t sticking around to end up serving drinks to everyone while she watched him climb the ladder at Phoebe’s Playthings, and Javier had known Garrett was crushed, but no one else had. Then Garrett had married the first girl who paid attention to him, and that had been a disaster. Rebound relationships always were.

  The fact that Renata’s parting words had nailed the ambitions of nearly every Raleigh and Durante on this island was beside the point. Javier still remembered standing on the tarmac at McMurphy Flight with Garrett as he’d watched Renata’s plane take off. Garrett had been devastated, and it hadn’t mattered how much he’d shrugged and tried to pretend he was happy for her. Javier had known the truth, and he’d felt the same way. She was the one who got away, for both of them.

  And now a woman who had just moved here claimed she could break this curse. If that were true, maybe one day Garrett would get on a plane with Renata instead of watching her leave.

  And maybe one day pigs will fly.

  Javier snorted and returned to the contract he was working on. He didn’t care one way or the other about the damn curse. He lived here, and it was part of who he was. It was as much his heritage as the family name and money. Robert, William, Iago, and Agapito had stolen this island from the natives and then turned them into servants and poorly paid employees. If the curse was real, Javier could understand why someone had placed it on them.

  But four of their descendants had recently defied it and lived, so the very real possibility that it had never been cast to begin with had taken front and center in everyone’s mind. As far as Javier was concerned, this meeting at Asa’s house was nothing more than an old-fashioned parlor trick, no different than using a Ouija board or holding a séance.

  But he’d go along anyway because he was curious to hear what Petra had to say, and he didn’t want to hear it secondhand. If only he could avoid having to face Renata again and still go, but he knew that was ridiculous. They lived on an island one hundred miles off the Louisiana coastline. There were less than twelve thousand residents. That he’d been able to get away with only nodding in her direction and saying hello a few times was a miracle. That, and a testament to how little he actually left this office and his home.

  He wasn’t avoiding her because he hated her. Far from it. He still had feelings for her, and in all these years, they hadn’t dimmed. He’d known that the second he heard she was coming back to work at Phoebe’s Playthings. And then he’d heard that Garrett had hired her on the spot, and any slim hope Javier had held in his heart all these years that he’d have one more chance with Renata was gone.

  * * * *

  Garrett had been so busy since asking Renata to accompany him and Javier two days earlier that he hadn’t had time to be nervous. But now, as he pulled up to her condo and then got out to open the passenger side door for her, he felt like he was in high school all over again.

  Did people really experience that at his age? Not that twenty-seven was old, but it was a far cry from the heartbroken eighteen-year-old who had watched her plane fly away until he could no longer see it. If Petra was right and she could finally lift this curse, he would get on a plane and fly somewhere as soon as possible, just to know what the fuss was all about.

  “Thank you.” She looked surprised that he was standing here, holding open the car door. As she slipped past him and slid into the passenger seat, he caught a whiff of perfume, and it sent him back ten years. She’d worn the same scent in school. Did she wear it at work? He didn’t remember smelling it before. Had she worn it for him or Javier tonight?

  Slow down there, dude. It’s only a meeting at Asa’s house.

  He got into the car and backed out of the driveway. “Javier lives about ten minutes away, but Asa lives close to him, so we’ll still be there in plenty of time.”

  “But that means you went out of your way to get me. I could have driven myself and met you two there.”

  He smiled. “Oh, right. ’Cause this island is so big that dri
ving across town takes forever.”

  She laughed. “Well, thank you again. I’m pretty excited about this even though I’m not one of your male family members.”

  He glanced over and let his gaze wander up and down her body. He’d always loved her hair, poker straight and black as night. But it was her big brown eyes that had drawn him in at the tender age of eleven. “No, you’re definitely not a male.”

  They’d never had sex in high school, but had done their fair share of making out. Did she remember those stolen moments in his room while his parents watched TV in another part of the house as fondly as he did? His damn dick sprang to attention as soon as the memories started playing inside his head.

  “But you certainly are.”

  Whoa. That was sexy…

  He hoped he’d heard right and that sultry tone in her voice hadn’t been his imagination. He dared to sneak another glance at her face, where her gaze was soft and a smile played at the corners of her mouth.

  “But I shouldn’t say that. You’re my boss now.”

  “Don’t worry about that. If there’s one thing that Asa and Tim look the other way on, it’s employees and bosses being involved outside of work.” Garrett nearly smacked himself in the forehead. She hadn’t exactly said she wanted to become involved again.

  “I suppose I should have figured that out by now. Let’s see…” She held up one hand and counted on her fingers. “Javier’s boss, for one. Alaina is a sub to Jeff Raleigh and Taj Durante, who run shipping.”

  “That’s one,” he said, pulling out onto the road that would lead them up the hill toward the neighborhood where Javier lived. She’d said nothing about his comment. Did that mean she wanted to date him again, or not? Had she been this mysterious in high school? Yes. She had been. That hadn’t changed a bit, and it unnerved him as much now as it had back than. It was also part of her charm.

  “Then there are the heirs apparent to the company,” she said. “The sons of the CEOs, Dallas Raleigh and Arizona Durante. Celina Vallee works for them in marketing, but used to work for Arizona’s sister, Lucie, in legal. Celina is Arizona’s and Dallas’s sub now.”

  “Right again. And, there’s a story behind that. It started off as a bet that Lucie made. She challenged them to share a submissive woman in and out of bed for a week without killing each other.”

  “No way.” Her eyes shone with amusement, and it was all Garrett could to do to keep his attention on the road.

  “Way. She even offered up Celina as bait because she knew they both had a thing for her but had never acted on it. When Celina found out, she offered to help them trick Lucie so they could win the bet, but things took an unexpected turn during the week.”

  “That’s a very romantic story.”

  He laughed, not because he found what she’d said funny, but because images of him and Javier sharing her in and out of bed for a week flashed through his mind.

  “Are you laughing at them or me?”

  “Neither.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll let you get away with a one-word answer for now.”

  “Thank you. So, who else do you know about?”

  “Your brother and Nando Durante from manufacturing are both Doms to Leta Da Costa, but that doesn’t count since she doesn’t work at Phoebe’s Playthings.”

  “No, but they’re both living with her. And Nando wasn’t a department head until Kade Durante and Elliot Raleigh quit, after Asa gave them an ultimatum about their sub, Giselle Macey.”

  “Giselle, as in Justin and Laila’s youngest daughter?”

  He nodded. “One and the same. She took a job in their department making custom floggers while she was still working in Lady of The Night for her parents on weekends. Asa made them choose, so all three quit.”

  “Wow. Why did he care so much about that triad but not about others?”

  “Ah, that’s a juicy secret.”

  “Spill it.”

  He grinned at her. “You’re kinda mouthy now. When did that happen?”

  She laughed. “I was always this way. I’ve really missed it here, and this is partly why. All these great stories.”

  “All right. I’ll let you get away with it only because you let me slide with that noncommittal answer a moment ago. Apparently, Tim and Laila went out before she married Justin, and Tim tried to get her into bed. When she refused, he called her island trash and other choice names. She went to Asa, and threatened to go public with how much of a pig Tim is.”

  “She should have done that anyway.”

  “You know how it is here. No one defies us. It was even worse before any of us were born. So to keep her quiet, Asa has been helping Justin and Laila all these years with expenses for the bar.”

  “You mean paying her off?”

  “Well, yes. That’s what it amounted to. When Giselle got involved with Kade and Elliot, Asa assumed that Laila would tell Giselle about Tim and would warn her daughter to keep her distance with Kade and Elliot, but Laila never told anyone. The truth only came out when Asa made Kade and Elliot choose between Giselle or their jobs.”

  “All because he was afraid of someone finding out what an ass Tim is?”

  “That, and because he didn’t want anyone knowing he’d basically been paying them all these years to keep it quiet, or that he’d covered up what Tim had tried to do.”

  She shook her head. “So he lost three employees instead. That seems silly.”

  “It is, but that’s who we are.”

  She gave him a thoughtful look. “You’re not all like that, playing with others’ lives. The company does a lot of good as well.”

  His heart gave an odd lurch at her words. “Thank you for saying so. Anyone else you know about?”

  “No. That’s about it. Are there more?”

  “A few more. You mentioned Nita Trudeaux. She’s a sub to Brett Durante and Mark now. Brett runs accounting with Ian Raleigh, who is a Dom to Kai Thilenique, along with Jagger, Brett’s brother.”

  She frowned. “Wendy and Jesse’s niece, Kai?”

  “One and the same. And two people who work in sales with Javier, Rey Raleigh and Felipe Durante, are Doms to the new veterinarian, Mattie Cayenne.”

  She laughed softly. “You weren’t kidding. And Asa is okay with all this?”

  “He tolerates it. I don’t think Asa will ever be totally okay with it, but as long as we all do our jobs, he looks the other way.” He pulled into Javier’s driveway. “Here we are.”

  As he watched Javier walk toward the car, Garrett wondered how this evening would turn out. But no matter what happened, he was glad Renata had come along. He only hoped Javier felt the same way, because all this talk of triads on the island reminded him how alone he and Javier each were.

  They’d both dated her in high school, but they weren’t kids any longer. Garrett wanted another chance with her, but he knew that Javier felt the same way. He might not ever say it, but it was there regardless. How on earth were they to get around that fact? And what if Renata didn’t want them to? What if she was content to see them both again, at the same time?

  Garrett realized he’d better get a grip on his feelings about sharing her with another man, and he’d better do it quickly. Because if the way Javier was looking at her right now was any indication, Garrett was spot-on about Javier’s feelings. He’d never gotten over her either.

  Chapter Three

  Renata felt the air in the car change as soon as Javier slid into the backseat. She waited until they were out on the street again, knowing she only had a few moments to break the ice with him. Once inside Asa’s house, there would be too many people there, and she’d be an outsider. Javier could easily get lost in the crowd, on his own turf with his relatives and friends, and she might not have a chance to speak to him again all night.

  She turned around in her seat. “It’s good to be back home. I’ve missed you both.” Might as well go for the direct approach and see what happened.

  His brows rose slightly,
and she took advantage of the ensuing silence to study his face. All the Durante men had the same unusual-colored gray eyes, but his had always seemed more full of light and humor than most. Now, they were dull and flat, and she wished she had the magic words to turn his expression to a more welcoming one.

  “I’m glad you’re happy to be back here,” he finally said.

  She resisted the urge to brush a stray lock of his dark hair off his forehead, the way she always had in school. Did he hate her that much now, or was his indifference related to something else? She’d dated Garrett longer than she’d dated Javier. But Garrett was talking to her again, despite the fact that she’d broken up with him, too. What was Javier’s problem? They’d only been kids, for heaven’s sake.

  “How is your job in sales? I remember it was something you talked about wanting to do when we were in school.”

  “I love it.”

  Renata caught Garrett’s frown and the way he cut his gaze toward the rearview mirror for a second or two. If he noticed the icy coldness, at least she knew it wasn’t her imagination. She swallowed hard. Six weeks of nothing more than a cursory nod or a one-word greeting was long enough. Either he really hated her and she hadn’t known it until now, or there was another reason he was acting like such an ass. Either way, she was sick of it. She’d admitted her mistake and asked for forgiveness from Garrett. If that’s what she had to do with Javier, then she’d do it. And if he still acted like a jerk, then obviously breaking up with him had been the right decision, after all.

  With a quick glance toward Garrett first, she moved closer to the space between the front seats. “Look, I’m sorry for the way I treated you in school. I’ve been waiting a lot of years to tell you that. It was shitty. And I know this has to be awkward for you both since I broke up with you to go out with Garrett. I was wrong to treat you that way. I was just a kid, but that’s not an excuse for bad behavior. However, we’re all adults now, so I’m hoping you’ll forgive me and…and give me another chance.”