Prologue
“She can’t get very far. We will find her.”
The deep male voice sounded like that of my father-in-law. But given the denseness of the forest, the humidity in the air, and the number of hunters, I couldn’t be certain. I tried to control my breathing because they could detect anything.
They.
The neighborhood mob.
I’d been told leaving the fold wasn’t possible. I’d tried my best to live and thrive in a cutesy world where my parents still lived. They weren’t part of the tribe though. They were long-term residents, buying their home a couple of years before the cult wrapped their icy claws around the dozens of acres of property.
The neighborhood was pristine, every house perfectly painted to remind you of a gingerbread community where everyone was friendly, and every lawn was manicured. Oh, you didn’t dare have a single thing out of place. If you did, the council was like a community association on steroids. And the punishment? I’d heard rumors, stories but hadn’t wanted to believe them.
I knew now.
People disappeared. Some say banished. I say killed.
I’d thought my husband was different, a man who’d showered me with adoration. We’d talked. We’d been on the same page, but I’d been a fool. No longer. Joseph was just as much of a monster as the rest, perhaps worse.
Joseph and I had argued constantly, his overbearing ways destructive. So much so I hadn’t been able to take it any longer. So I’d packed up and left, but I’d quickly learned the entrances to the neighborhood were blocked, reports I was being hunted coming quickly. Every person I’d passed, outside of the workers treated like slaves, had stared at me. It was horrific.
I’d hidden the best I could, trying to make a plan.
Now it was dark. I’d abandoned my little car, one of the few personal items I’d kept after my marriage to a devil. And I’d run. Run into the darkened forest sitting in the middle of the property almost like Central Park. The area was serene with a lake and picnic tables, but I knew bad things happened here. I’d tried to ignore the mind-boggling rumors, stories that no one would confirm.
Joseph had laughed at me, telling me I had a fabulous imagination.
Now I knew better. Why hadn’t I followed my instincts? Why hadn’t I run far away from home?
Because my parents were here.
My best friends.
And my… husband.
All my money was tied up with his money, my access limited.
Now this.
I shifted in the dark, trying my best to keep from stepping on a twig. Every sound brought them closer. If I dared whimper, the mob would know they’d won.
My nerves completely rattled, I bit back the paralyzing terror, trying to make my way through the maze of trees. There was a single way out, a connection to another neighborhood. If I could make it, maybe I’d have a chance.
But I stepped on a twig.
“I think we have her. This way!”
The roar of men rumbling in my direction was horrifying, their heavy feet pounding on the ground. How could anyone hunt down a human, especially a member of their own community? I knew if I stopped now, consumed by fear, there would never be another opportunity. So I ignored the chants and tribal cries and the constant scratches, limbs hitting my face. Nothing mattered but getting out of here.
Suddenly, thoughts about my parents rushed into my mind. Would they be hurt if I managed to disappear? Would they be banished? Oh, God. I couldn’t think about that. I had my own life and safety to be concerned with. I’d warned my parents. I’d tried to get them to move away but my father had adamantly refused.
I was all alone.
My parents were a part of this. I had to accept that.
Go, girl. Run. Run!
“We need to corner her up here.” This time, I knew it was Joseph’s voice. He was leading the hunt, gleeful about doing so. He was gaining stripes with the core group of old men who ran the place with prison guards. No one could do anything. It was the Stepford Wives all over again.
I bolted, forced to head through an open passageway.
“There she is!” At least two men were so gleeful I was sick inside from hearing their voices.
“Corner her. Block her.”
“Do not allow her to leave this community.”
I continued running, but they were closing in.
Closing in.
Closing…
“My beautiful wife,” Joseph said as he jumped in front of me. “Now, where do you think you’re going? You already know there is no way out. You were chosen for me.”
“You know what to do, son.” One of the elders placed his hand on my husband’s shoulder. Given they were all in war paint, I wasn’t entirely certain which one was providing Joseph with suggestions. “That will keep her in your life.”
Whatever that meant, I wanted no part of, but the moment I tried to take off running again, Joseph was right there on me.
“Tsk. Tsk. Darling. I guess I’m going to need to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”
[divider]Chapter One
Almost five years later
Gage
Life was good.
Busy as fuck but good.
Right now, I was sitting in a gorgeous office overlooking my empire with my feet up on my desk, a drink in my hand. Okay, so the two private islands in the Caribbean catering to the rich, famous, and kinky weren’t technically all mine.
My two brothers were equal partners in this business and two others. We were wealthy beyond our means, enjoying the spoils of life.
Valerio, Braxton, and I had an equal share in the make it or break it business operation. We were extremely wealthy men, the resorts more than paying for themselves after a few years of operation. We’d discovered the islands after receiving a tip. Both were remote yet sought after by billionaires and recluses alike. We’d won the bid and managed to hire the best contractors and designers and after a lengthy period of time, our dreams had been born.
Granted, given our father and his worth, our wealth management firm that had been our moneymaker for years, the three of us had amassed billions. We had been called the most eligible bachelors in the city and perfect catches by People Magazine a few years before.
I took a sip of my whiskey and rolled my eyes. Of course, our notoriety had changed when both brothers had found the loves of their lives. Me? Not a snowball’s chance in hell. Once burned, you learned.
Or face additional misery.
A hell of a lot of women were simply gold-diggers who’d say anything to have access to my funds. It wasn’t going to happen.
Now I spent the lion’s share of time shifting from one island to the other. With crystalline beaches, soft rolling waves of turquoise blue water, and the paradise-like environment, what was not to love?
Except that traveling and always being on call was exhausting. I was ready to get back to San Diego, my beautiful beach house calling my name. Not much longer and I could get the fuck out of here. We’d hired great people, which helped in being able to leave the facilities for an extended period of time. Zoom video calls were a powerful tool.
The knock on the door of my office brought me out of fantasyland. “Come.”
One of the incredible recent hires now running the entire facility was Raleigh Powers. She’d come from resort royalty, her father and grandfather running some of the poshest locations in the world. With no husband and no children—yet—she was the perfect candidate to run the show.
As Raleigh walked in, an iPad in her hand, I knew it was her every other day reminder of the upcoming activities. The resort was no longer just about catering to rich men and women; we’d branched out into providing a more limited membership for family gatherings, holiday events, and other celebrations.
On a trial and limited basis.
It was just another source of income, not that we really needed it.
“Miss Raleigh,” as I liked to call her. “I see you have our upcoming schedule for the week.”
She moved closer, taking one of the two seats on the other side of my desk. “Yes, we have a busy upcoming few days. From what Travis has told me, we are fully booked, more of our guests highly… secretive than usual. I’ve had more requests for dominant men and submissive women this week than I think I’ve had since I started working here.”
“Oh, my dear manager, you will learn most of our guests have very dark proclivities, many of them stretching their boundaries with every trip. It doesn’t bother you, does it?”
She blushed. “I’ll have you know I have a kinky side.”
I didn’t doubt that. Sometimes those you’d never consider longed to be tied and flogged were the ones participating in private or group activities.
I chuckled. “It’s late. You should take some time off. What else do we have, anything unusual?”
She flipped from one screen to another, groaning after a few seconds. “We have a bachelorette group in. Not huge but they managed to hire and have brought in male strippers for a party tomorrow night.”
“Male strippers?” Somehow, I doubted our wealthy clients would appreciate that. Then again, maybe I was wrong.
“Yeah. I can try and have Travis toss them off the island.”
Travis Sinclair had been promoted to vice president, the man in charge of guest relations for both islands. He could easily make or break your getaway. That’s one reason I liked him. The man was a bulldog.
“No, leave it. We’ll just ensure there are no issues. They’re in the ballroom that can be closed off?”
“They are.”
“Then we’ll see how it goes.”
“That’s it. You should have an easy week.” She grinned and rose to her feet.
Easy.
Life hadn’t been easy since I could remember, especially after our father had died. My mother, my brothers’ stepmother had taken his death very hard. All three of us had rallied around her in addition to our heavy workload.
“You know. Take a couple days off. Lie on the beach. Drink a tropical drink. Enjoy the spoils in life.” She was instructing me?
Now she was dreaming. I hadn’t been to one of the beaches in a long time.
My phone rang seconds later. My chief of security had been another incredible hire. “Charlie. What’s up?”
“I think you need to get out by the pool, Mr. Royal. There’s been an incident.”
An incident.
It wouldn’t be a normal week if there wasn’t some incident that occurred. “I’ll be right there.”
Raleigh looked at me, shaking her head. “No rest for the weary.”
“None.”
I didn’t bother grabbing my jacket before heading out of my office. Thankfully, there was a private elevator. All I’d wanted was to enjoy a stiff drink and maybe get a good night’s sleep. Now this. What could be going on now?
[divider]
Evangeline
The resort was perhaps the most spectacular place I’d been to in my entire life. I’d uploaded several pictures to my social media sites, the photographs barely doing the place justice.
I was standing near the tiki bar, facing the ocean. The sky was crisscrossed with colors, stars already bright in the skies. It had taken weeks to convince myself I could take a few days off from life. Now I was so glad I’d come. Maybe the time away was only for a few days, but for the first time in my life, I could afford the location and enjoy some time with my friends.
Even if the four of them were drinking way too much.
We were here to have a good time, but the girls had been drinking since noon, sunning themselves to the point I’d hidden under the umbrella in response. Now they were frolicking in the pool. I was certain management was happy about it. Said with tongue in cheek. The girls were being rowdy enough, they’d run off a good portion of the guests.
Well, this wasn’t necessarily the kind of resort regulars frequented for the island life and pool time.
By now, everyone was either dressing to the nines for a night at one of the casinos or the real reason for the creation of the Royal Players Club.
Kink.
I’d heard rumors about it but nothing concrete. There were no pictures, no details anywhere, including on the resort website, unless you’d been given access to the private area.
Maybe I had more of a sense of despair, the last brutal conversation with my fucking ex keeping me on edge. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t risk his threats of destroying my life coming to pass.
But this was all about Heidi, helping her incredible upcoming event be everything she’d dreamt of. What young girl didn’t fantasize about the perfect wedding? I had, inventing the perfect man, a stunning dress, and the most beautiful, tropical location where the wedding and reception would be held. Too bad I’d learned that pretty much all men were pigs. Exhaling, I turned around and took a last picture of the pool with the girls in the background.
I’d become determined to snag a few photographs of the dungeon floors, something that had never occurred before. Our guest passes didn’t include admittance to a single event or room. Damn it.
It would seem the owner was very cautious about who was allowed to see and experience any group or private event. Not that I blamed the man. Or men. I wasn’t quite certain how many people owned the place. That wasn’t a part of my media blitz hype.
What better way to send one of Connecticut’s wealthiest debutants off as the big new social climber?
Her husband was up and coming in the world of politics and a corporate mogul. Their combined wealth was already tremendous. Plus, they were both good looking so their kids would be incredible creations.
Now who was jealous?
I wasn’t certain how I could be since I knew what the marriage would be made of. But Heidi didn’t seem bothered in the least.
As soon as I took my eye off the pool for a blip of a second, everything changed. I placed the phone on the table where I had my towel. Something caught my eye right after that and I would forever be grateful it had.
One of the girls was floating face down in the water, the other three not paying any attention. Neither was anyone else in close proximity. Plus, given the time of night there was only one lifeguard and currently, the guy was too busy chatting on his phone, likely planning on whatever fabulous moment he would be engaging in.
A slight adrenaline rush kicked in and I sprang into action, not even bothering to remove my flipflops. There was no time. As I flew into the air, I yelled for one of the girls to get hotel security.
The hard splash was startling but necessary. I struggled to swim across the pool, the yells of people around me finally kicking in. Thank God for small things.
The moment I reached her, I accepted all the stories about those drowning being dead weight. The moment I tugged and pulled on her, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her to the side by myself.
“Help me!” I yelled, hoping someone standing around would jump in.
A brief moment of panic rushed in. Until it was like a flying dragon leapt high in the sky, coming down into the water like a beautiful swan.
When all else failed, you asked for a hero. Thankfully, Heidi had one.
In the form of one huge, gorgeous man with arms the size of tree limbs.
And there wasn’t a single woman who wasn’t in awe at his heroics.
[divider]Chapter Two
Evangeline
Who was this guy?
It took no effort for him to lift her from the water, placing her gently on the side of the pool. The entire rescue seemed to happen in slow motion, which allowed everyone to slide into shock and awe. The other girls’ mouths were hanging wide open, for God’s sake.
I almost told them to be careful or bugs would fly in.
Yeah, I was irritated as hell with them. No one was doing anything now, just like before.
“Jeff,” Mr. Hero yelled. “Get the resort doctor. Now.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeff told him with ease of respect.
Who was this guy?
On top of the heroic moment, he’d also flown into action fully clothed.
While I raced up the close stairs, he hoisted his massive body up to the edge, taking two seconds tops to jump back onto the pool deck. At least I was still in a good reactionary mode, pushing my friends aside so I could try to help.
“What can I do?” I asked nervously.
Whoever he was didn’t bother looking at me, instead checking Heidi’s pulse.
“Fuck,” he hissed. “I hope to hell you know how to give a decent mouth to mouth while I do chest compressions.”
His voice was deep, rough.
And full of anger.
Not that I blamed him.
When he lifted his head, I was almost driven into utter shock by his good looks. Thick, wavy hair that every woman would want to run their fingers through. Shimmering eyes the color of whiskey or hot buttered rum. A sharply chiseled jaw that could easily cut glass.
And the kind of killer body that would stop both women and men in the street.
“Yeah, of course.” It was one of those courses my father had insisted I take, and my limited medical knowledge had come into play more than once.
“My God. I can’t believe you jumped in and saved her,” Kristen said, back to hovering over us.
“He’s a spectacular male specimen,” Ashley cooed and both Mr. Hottie and I gave her a nasty look.
I believe I was mumbling under my breath as I lifted her head.
Meanwhile, Hotness had already placed his hands on her chest, prepared to do chest compressions. Over the course of the next couple of seconds, he instructed me how we should work together. It seemed like in no time Heidi was coughing up water and starting to flail.
“Keep her head tilted to the side,” he instructed.
Which I did.
I wasn’t entirely certain I liked his bossy attitude, but I reminded myself he was just nervous, which all of us should feel.
After a full minute, he pulled back, wiping water from his face. Another man’s appearance drew my attention and Mystery Hottie’s immediately as well.
“Doctor. She went into slight cardiac arrest for a few seconds.”
“You reacted quickly, both of you, and her life will be forever changed because of it. I’ve got it from here.”
The older man was dressed just as sophisticatedly, his attire a bit more formal. Both Mr. Hottie and I got to our feet, pulling away from the scene as the crowd started applauding, issuing supportive words.
“Way to go!”
“Both heroes.”
I was dripping wet; the sundress I’d selected for the beautiful evening was soaked, maybe ruined given the material. I couldn’t even think about that. At this point, I was far too mesmerized by the man’s stunning good looks. He was also taller than me by what seemed like two solid feet. An exaggeration but still, the dude was six and a half feet tall or something, his shoulders broader than most doorways.
“Can someone get the man a towel?” I barked. That amused him.
“What’s wrong? You don’t like me wet?”
His question was both on the rhetorical side as well as being overtly sexual.
At least in my opinion.
“Water is dripping in your face. I thought you might like to get the chlorine out of your eyes.” Just by my nature, the words were said a little tartly.
He swaggered closer and I heard my other friends swooning audibly. Now they reacted to something. Even though he could be considered a drowned rat, his scent was all masculine and sensual, the combination of cigars, citrus, and some exotic wood suiting him perfectly.
The towel suddenly appeared and he grabbed it without looking at the person, wiping his face roughly like a man would do. When he chivalrously offered me the towel, he hesitated, not letting go until our fingers touched.
To say there was a wild current of electricity shooting through me was an understatement. He kept his eyes piercing mine, his entire face slightly contorted.
There was that moment when all time stood still again, the wind knocked out of me and not from exertion. “I guess I should say thank you for coming to the rescue of my friend’s life. I don’t think I could have pulled her to the side.” I held out my hand, trying to be polite.
He studied me as if I’d been the problem but accepted the gesture and hot damn, the crackle between us was off the charts. “Are you included in this… bachelorette party?”
The man made it sound like a bad thing. The tone was also accusatory.
“I’m a member of the group, yes. Why? And who are you?” I folded my arms across my chest, cocking my hip and giving what my friends called an ‘eat shit and die’ look.
He was more amused than ever, lifting his eyebrows as he gazed down the length of me. “Well, my name is Gage Royal, which makes me one third owner of this luxurious resort.”
I knew the Royal name, his photograph not doing him the right kind of justice in my mind
“Well, good for you.”
“Your friends are drunk. Mixing drunken idiots and bodies of water never ends well.”
Wow. The man went for the jugular. Well, he did have a valid reason but that was beside the point. “Don’t worry. We can take care of ourselves.”
“Gage. She’ll be fine,” the doctor said. “But she needs some rest. She’ll have one helluva headache in the morning.”
I glanced at the doctor and nodded. “Thank you for taking care of her.”
Heidi was moaning.
“Of course.”
“Just do me and the other guests a favor. Try and keep down the noise factor while you’re here. I don’t want to have to toss you guys off the island because you’re too… Rambunctious.”
For a bunch of reasons, that pissed me off. I planted my hands on my hips, glaring at him. “Look, buddy. We weren’t causing any trouble, just trying to have a good time. I highly doubt Heidi wanted to end her evening almost dying. Okay?”
“Buddy?” he repeated, his chest puffing up.
“You heard me. And don’t worry, my friend will have an entourage following and waiting on her. Just because you’re such a nice guy, I’ll see what I can do about keeping them cool as cucumbers like a good girl should.” I turned on my heel, barking orders to help Heidi get to her suite safely. I waited until two of them were carrying her away, remaining where I was for a few seconds.
Owner or not, he wasn’t going to ruin the entire event for Heidi or any of the girls.
He chuckled and it was all I could do not to take a swing at him. What an arrogant prick.
I swung back to him abruptly, getting even closer. “Look, I’m no fool in that my besties were drinking too much, but this is a celebration. Surely you’ve had them before.”
He was far too smug, but I’d roll with it. “I’ve had many a lovely celebration here, Ms.…”
The man hadn’t earned the right to learn my last name. “Just Evangeline.”
“Well, just Evangeline, as owner, if destructive behavior continues, I’ll need to shut down all the fun. It would be such a shame if you didn’t get to spend time with male strippers.”
“Why do you make that sound so dirty? Women have been doing this for decades.”
“Yes, but not usually on an exclusive island. You were provided with a privilege, Evangeline. I wouldn’t take it lightly.”
My God. The man had the nerve to walk away from me. Damn him.
I watched, just like I had a feeling he knew I would. “What a piece of work,” I muttered under my breath. It was time to get out of the wet clothes.
I stormed around the other end of the pool to grab my things, wanting nothing more than to shove the gawkers aside. But I was that good girl, keeping some manners. I snatched my phone and my purse, shoving my iPhone inside as I grumbled. Why had he been so fucking arrogant? Why? Because he owned the place? Yeah, wealth and power could do that to you.
Another one of those ‘men’ tales I had so many of.
As I headed for the doors to the resort, I realized my nipples were rock hard. Shit. No wonder he’d been staring at me. I was already embarrassing myself.
“Ugh!”
[divider]
Gage
There were people you met where there was an instant dislike, personalities clashing after only saying a few words. That was the case with Evangeline.
Only there was a flipside to that, our chemistry something else entirely.
I was snickering as I walked through the lobby, noticing Travis was jogging in my direction. Even he had a towel in his hand. Why were so many people worried I’d gotten wet?
“Boss. I heard. Are you okay?” he asked.
I took the towel anyway, rolling it around my neck. “I’m fine. Another couple of minutes and the girl would have lost her life. Tourists.”
“The bachelorette party?”
“You bet.” He was walking with me as I headed toward the private elevators. “Do me a favor. I need to know what I’m dealing with regarding the group. Check on Evangeline and her friends.”
“O-kay. What do you want to know?”
“Everything you can find.”
Travis chuckled. “You like one of them, huh?”
“Not in this lifetime.” She’d grated on my nerves like fingernails being raked down a chalkboard.
“Let me see what I can find. You should change before you catch cold.”
“Why is everyone doing that? I’m a big boy.” I pressed my keycard into the slot, grumbling under my breath as I hadn’t done in a long time. Why her? Why now? The doors opened and I immediately stepped inside, Travis remaining on the outskirts. I turned around, crossing my legs at the ankles and shoving my hands in the pockets of my linen trousers. He had an amused look on his face.
But the soaked girl watching as I entered the private space only twenty feet out had a different expression altogether. If I didn’t know better, I’d call it lust.
I laughed the entire incident off as the steel box headed for the top floor. That took no time, the pinging sound causing me to push off the wall.
The main part of the resorts had been designed and established in three wings, several restaurants and casinos, and a dance club located in the cathedral-style bell tower. The suites were placed on two sides, two suites each. That allowed for maximum privacy.
In addition, there were bungalows in and surrounding the water, more private settings for our guests. In addition, in the private rooms located in the section of the more commercial space, my guests could enjoy their sadistic or masochistic tastes in private, being watched or in a group setting.
We took pride in hiring the most qualified and well-trained people in the business of satisfying, nurturing, and educating those interested. The men and women were masters at technique, which had added to our solid reputation. Using the same keycard, I let myself into the main body of the rooms. Once inside, I realized I was freezing given the wet clothes. I quickly headed for the bathroom, turning on the shower before discarding my clothes.
I still couldn’t believe the other women had stood there, not bothering to help their friend. Some friends they were. I chuckled and tossed the damp towels toward the hamper, grabbing a clean one.
Given we also had a family empire bungalow held in reserve for the family members, I’d always stayed there, but something had told me to switch it up for this trip.
Now I was glad.
As I stepped into the shower, I thought about the woman, sweet and caustic Evangeline, laughing at the fact my cock was twitching. Even my balls were tight. What the hell was up with that? Yet as I washed off quickly, my thoughts turned completely lurid.
And utterly forbidden.
I rolled my hand down my chest, fighting the urge to provide myself with a little relief. I failed miserably, slamming my hand against the marble tile.
Why had this woman pushed my buttons all while looking so damn gorgeous? It just wasn’t fair. The thought gave me a wicked grin as I cupped and squeezed my balls until the pressure turned painful. That wasn’t enough to stop my filthy urges. I rubbed the palm of my other hand down my chest very slowly, teasing my cockhead.
I even jutted my hips forward, closing my eyes as I allowed the heavy sensations to roll. I hadn’t pleasured myself in one hell of a long time. I also hadn’t been with a woman in a long time; maybe that’s why I’d gawked at her like she was a teenager.
At least darkness was rolling in, maybe capable of hiding my thoughts. What had disturbed me even more than our confrontation was my reaction. And that of a couple of members of my staff.
There was one main rule we brothers had decided together, even writing it down in the corporate employee handbook. No relations allowed with guests.
That had kept our butts out of hot water more often than not. With the other two being seriously involved, that left all eyes on me. Someone knew at some point I’d crack. Hell, the others had.
I shoved the thought aside, telling myself this was why I was getting relief now. So I wouldn’t be tempted. I slammed my hands against the tile for a second time before concentrating on twisting my hand around the base of my shaft. Creating painful friction was the only way to keep my libido in check.
I was sweating both from the round of pleasure and the building steam, my entire mind turning dirty as could be. I could only imagine what her sweet pussy looked like. Damn it. If I wasn’t careful, I’d go off half-cocked.
I stroked savagely, abusing my cock since it had been so long. My testicles were still fresh contenders, pushing the desire to the point I ignored every aspect of pain. God, the pressure was building to a precipice that I wouldn’t be able to control.
With her luscious body in the forefront of my mind, I finally allowed the relief to come, gyrating my hips as cum erupted from my slit. I continued pumping as additional strings flowed, the pleasure spilling over into everything. With my body still shaking, my muscles remaining tight as they could be.
I began to rub my cum all over my stomach and chest and all I could envision was covering her voluptuous body in my seed.
“Fuck.”
That was the only word that covered everything. I certainly hadn’t expected a night like this.
Laughing, a few seconds later, I finally slipped back under the water. It was time to become presentable again.
[button color=”red” size=”small” link=”https://wp.me/p2JWDl-c3n” ]Read More Info and Buy![/button]