by Tara Rose
The Doms of Sybaris Cove 6
Night Moves
Nita Trudeaux had her heart broken by Keith Durante and Billy Raleigh years ago, and since then, she’d written off the self-proclaimed princes of Sybaris Cove. Until she agrees to have lunch with Brett Durante and Mark Raleigh, that is. Nita has just helped them make major inroads into discovering the origin of the curse on all male Durante and Raleigh descendants, and the men are smitten.
The voodoo priestess in training fascinates Brett and Mark, and it doesn’t take long before they fall for her. When Nita discovers the names of several demons who may have cast the curse on their great-grandfathers, the men will stop at nothing to have her for their own.
But can she overcome her past hurt and learn to trust a Durante and Raleigh man again? And even if she does, what will this discovery mean for everyone on the island?
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 52,395 words
NIGHT MOVES
The Doms of Sybaris Cove 6
Tara Rose
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
NIGHT MOVES
Copyright © 2014 by Tara Rose
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63258-672-8
First E-book Publication: November 2014
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2014 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
To real life friends Peggy and Sandy from junior high school, and Bev and Annette from college. By the miracle of the Internet, we can still talk and laugh about those crazy times.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
About the Author
NIGHT MOVES
The Doms of Sybaris Cove 6
TARA ROSE
Copyright © 2014
Chapter One
Benita Trudeaux had never been inside the sprawling complex that housed the offices, manufacturing plant, and warehouses of Phoebe’s Playthings, even though she’d lived on Sybaris Cove her entire life. As far as she was concerned, she could go the rest of her life without stepping foot inside it and be just fine.
“Come on, Nita. Nothin’ to be afraid of, after all. They’s only folks like the rest of us.”
Nita gave her grandmother, Phyllis, a quick smile as they made their way up the flagstone walkway to the visitor’s entrance, hoping for once the woman didn’t sense the fake emotion behind her gesture.
She’d exhausted every plausible excuse imaginable not to come along today, until she realized that if she pushed it further, she’d have to tell her grandmother the truth. And Nita wouldn’t do that to her. Not for the sake of the company, however. Nita didn’t give a shit about Phoebe’s Playthings. But without the company, the island wouldn’t exist. Or at least it wouldn’t be inhabited by Raleighs and Durantes. And that would be all right with Nita, as well.
They were expected by Alaina Pembrooke, one of the assistant vice presidents of sales, or something along those lines. Nita had no interest in keeping their titles straight. Alaina wasn’t a Raleigh or a Durante, but she was a submissive to one of each. As far as Nita was concerned, that put her in the same class as them.
“I wonder if Asa or Tim will be at this meeting?” asked Phyllis.
“If they are, do I have to speak to them?”
“Mayhap you will. Asa, at any rate. Tim got no interest in breaking this curse.”
Asa Durante and Tim Raleigh were the current CEOs of the conglomerate. Their fathers, Emilio Durante and Daniel Raleigh, had started the company as a mail-order fetish and novelty store in 1979. Now, Phoebe’s Playthings boasted a large percentage of the USA’s market share in fetish toys, clothing, and bondage equipment. They shipped worldwide and still made most of the products right here on this island in the Gulf of Mexico.
But the families’ reputation for being ruthless was something Nita knew firsthand. It was no great shock to her that Emilio’s and Daniel’s fathers had been cursed. No male descendant of the original four men who had settled and then stolen this island from the natives could leave it, or they died before they reached the mainland, approximately one hundred miles away.
Her only dealings with Tim or Asa to date hadn’t been in-perso
n encounters, and she hoped it stayed that way. About two years ago, Nita had had her eye on a beaded bag that Rosa Santoro, the owner of The Green Parrot shop downtown, had unofficially stashed away for her until she could pay for it completely. Until Asa came in one day and insisted on buying it for his current girlfriend, that is. Rosa hadn’t stood up to him, and Nita had been crushed. It had been handmade and one of a kind, and she’d never seen another one like it again.
Her grandmother told her it was a silly thing to get upset about. “Rosa shoulda’ put it up in the back where Asa couldn’t see it. If you hafta blame someone, blame Rosa, not Asa for throwin’ around his weight. It’s what they do.”
You have no idea.
Nita agreed with her that Rosa should have hidden it, but it was the principle of the thing. The Durantes and Raleighs were hailed as royalty on this island, but they treated the descendants of the natives like dirt on their shoes. They took what they wanted, from whom they wanted it, and never thought twice about it. Asa buying that bag even though Rosa had explained she was holding it for someone was just one more way he had exerted his dominance and control over everyone and everything on this island.
But they weren’t here today about beaded bags. They’d come to help Alaina interpret the information she’d received from her colleague at Pepperdine University about pictures of documents Alaina had sent. Most of the Durante men had what they believed were clues to the origin of the curse, and those included medallions with inscriptions on them in a language no one could read or identity, as well as parchments containing text in a similar language.
Nita’s palms grew damp as they made their way into the lobby. There was still time to get out of this, if only she could come up with an ironclad reason her grandmother wouldn’t question.
If this meeting hadn’t been about something near and dear to Nita’s heart, she’d have fought harder not to attend. But she’d been studying the culture and religions of the natives, as well as demon lore, from the time she could read. She wanted to find out the origin of the curse as much as the Raleighs and Durantes did. But her curiosity was for an entirely different reason than theirs.
Up until now, they’d had no leads on the language in the documents or on the medallions. Several of them had flown in experts, but no one could identify it. Alaina had told them all that was about to change, and had asked her grandmother to come to Phoebe’s Playthings and help her interpret what she’d received.
There had been no question in Phyllis’s mind of Nita coming along. They ran their shop together now. Phyllis was a Louisiana voodoo priestess, but they also sold Haitian vodou, African Vodun, and Hoodoo supplies and books. Nita didn’t have half her grandmother’s gifts, but she was still learning.
Phyllis constantly told her she never would reach her full potential until she let go of the resentment she felt for the Durantes and Raleighs. Nita found it hypocrisy of the worst sort that the same men who shunned them as “natives” sought her grandmother’s help in everything from business to love. Phyllis didn’t see it that way, and Nita understood why. But she knew if her grandmother ever found out the truth, she might have an entirely different opinion of the Raleighs and Durantes.
She always told Nita to remember that the original settlers of this island were escaped convicts, hiding from their just punishment. Brothers William and Robert Raleigh, along with cousins Agapito and Iago Durante, may have taken advantage of that when they found this island, but that didn’t justify the fact that the natives had broken the law.
The four men hadn’t acquired their wealth by legitimate means either. They’d come here in 1945 with money from rum-running and other illegal activities. So their descendants were hardly purer than the original natives of this island.
Nita understood all that in theory. But as the memories from fourteen years ago swept over her, as vivid now as they’d been then, she struggled to keep breathing. One foot in front of the other. Just walk.
It was a big place with thousands of employees. Seventy percent of the residents on this island worked for Asa and Tim. The likelihood of running into Keith Durante or Billy Raleigh was slim. And even if she did, her grandmother was with her. Everyone on this island was a little afraid of her. Those two wouldn’t dare say anything in front of Phyllis.
They were given visitor badges by security, and then shown to a richly appointed waiting room off the lobby. Artistic photographs of their various products adorned the walls, and Nita found herself drawn to one depicting a black flogger with delicate deep-blue flowers at the end.
No doubt, those “flowers” were made of hard leather just as the falls were, and getting struck with them would hurt like crazy. A shiver ran down her spine as erotic images danced through her head. How she could have such fantasies was beyond her understanding, but they had included kinky play since she’d been old enough to understand what it was. Each time she allowed the images to race through her mind for more than a few minutes, however, they became all mixed up with the memories of Keith, and she pushed them back down into the dark hole where she wished they’d stay.
As if sensing her discomfort, her grandmother turned toward her and stroked her arm. “Relax, child. All is well.”
As long as she kept a check on her emotions, she’d get through this.
Phyllis stood as Alaina came into the room, dressed in a pair of dark slacks, flats, and a silky top that would look more suitable for an evening out than work. She was so pretty, with her dark hair and stunning blue eyes. She smiled warmly and extended her hand. “Thank you so much for coming. And you must be Benita. I’m happy to finally meet you.”
Nita stood and shook Alaina’s hand, surprised by her contented aura. “Please call me Nita. It’s nice to meet you, too.” This was a happy woman, and very much in love. How could she love those men? Was it possible there were Raleighs and Durantes who weren’t like Keith or Billy? Nita had never met any.
“We’re meeting in the conference room in the sales department. I’ve invited some of the Durante and Raleigh men to join us, since they have a stake in this, as well.”
Oh shit. Her palms became damp again, and her heart raced.
“That be just fine,” said Phyllis. “Lead the way.”
Nita was stuck now. She couldn’t very well protest, so she followed the two as they chatted away like old friends. As far as Nita knew, Alaina had never stepped foot inside the shop. But that was her grandmother. She’d chat anyone up simply for the sake of doing so. She was fearless that way.
As they made their way to the sales department, Nita listened to the sound of Alaina’s voice, searching for a clue that all was not paradise in her life. She had nothing against the woman, but she didn’t understand her happiness. Why hadn’t things turned out that well for her, as well? How much time would have to pass before she could put what those two had done to her to rest for good? And would that ever happen? Would she ever be able to put it out of her mind?
Alaina asked her a question, which she completely missed. Her grandmother gave her a curious stare as Nita asked Alaina to repeat her question.
“I asked if you plan to follow in your grandmother’s footsteps and become a priestess as well.”
“Yes. I plan to.”
“How fascinating.” As Alaina chattered on, Nita focused once more on her surroundings, trying to control her breathing as they walked. She had expected the hallowed halls of Phoebe’s Playthings to be stuffy and quiet. They were anything but. Everyone was dressed more casually than Alaina, and they all smiled or stopped to talk to her. She introduced the two to each of them, but Nita didn’t care if she remembered anyone’s name. They all ran together in her mind as part of the Raleigh and Durante clans.
It took them nearly fifteen minutes to reach their destination, where Alaina led them to a conference room. “Sallyanne Raleigh runs our department, but she isn’t here today. Hopefully you can meet her another time.”
They were coming back a second time? She didn’t want to
return, and she didn’t give a shit whether or not she met Sallyanne Raleigh.
Inside the room, the vibrant colors momentarily distracted her, as did the smell of fresh paint. “Was this room recently redecorated?”
“Yes. This entire department will be eventually. Estevan Durante is repainting the whole complex, inside and out.”
Nita knew who he was because of the colored sand art he made and sold along the beaches. He and Liam Raleigh were Doms now to Jade Augustine, who worked as a dispatcher in the police station. She also knew Estevan was one of the few Durante or Raleigh descendants whose main goal in life was not to run Phoebe’s Playthings one day. But that didn’t necessarily make him a saint.
“Have a seat. I’ll let the others know you’re here.” She indicated a cart against one wall. “If you’d like something to drink or a snack, please help yourselves.”
Once Alaina left, Nita asked her grandmother if she wanted anything, but Phyllis shook her head. Nita took a bottle of water, and her hands were still shaking when she took her seat. If her grandmother noticed, she gave no indication of it.
Voices floated in the hallway, and then Alaina returned with several men in tow. Phyllis stood, so Nita did as well, even though now her legs shook, too.
“You all know who Phyllis is, I believe,” said Alaina. “This is her granddaughter, Nita.” She indicated each man. “Taj Durante. He heads up shipping with Jeff Raleigh. Nando Durante and Liam Raleigh, who head up manufacturing. Jagger Durante, who heads up PR with Graham Raleigh. Brett Durante, who heads up accounting with Ian Raleigh. And this is Mark Raleigh. He’s also an AVP in charge of the northeast territory. Mark is Elliot Raleigh’s brother. Elliot and Kade Durante no longer work here, but they have a clue in their possession, so Mark is going to pass on any info you can give us to them.”
