Sensing movement, Lauren quickly turned her head toward her driver’s-side window. Standing in the open doorway was the most attractive man she had ever laid eyes on. He was at least six feet tall, dressed in a pair of black dress pants with a matching button-down shirt. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, showing his forearms sprinkled with black hair, his hands comfortably resting inside his front pockets. Her eyes went lower, and she noticed how his black-tipped shoes shined without a smudge. Forcing herself to look up, Lauren finally took in his facial features. Whether tanned from the Florida sun or his obvious Mediterranean heritage, his golden skin was flawless, and he had high cheekbones. Full lips were pressed together, giving no hint on whether he was a man who smiled often or one who didn’t bother. Would they have laugh lines around them? His dark-brown eyes seemed to take in every facial expression she was trying to suppress. His short black hair was scissor cut to precision, not one strand out of place. He had not moved since the minute she laid eyes on him, his still stance showing his fortitude.
It took a while for Lauren to realize she hadn’t drawn in air for a while, so she parted her lips to inhale some much-needed oxygen. Tearing her gaze from his, she forced herself to place her right hand on the keys and shut the engine off. Silence hung in the air, the immediate August heat fighting its way into the car now that the air had been shut off. Taking a quick glance down to ensure that her white pants were still stain free, she patted herself on the back for choosing to dress professionally rather than in her normal staple of shorts or jeans. Being a consultant certainly gave her leeway on her wardrobe, but shorts would have given this man an edge she didn’t want him to have. For some reason, her body responded physically to just seeing him, and that was something she couldn’t allow.
Grabbing the file, but leaving her purse, Lauren put her hand on the door handle to find that the car door was already opening. Glancing up, she saw that he stood there watching her with hooded eyes, his long black eyelashes concealing whatever he might be thinking. Not wanting to reveal that he affected her on an intimate level, Lauren averted her gaze and swung her legs out from underneath the steering wheel. Finally coming to a standing position, she realized that her head came to just under his chin. Her five-foot-five height was certainly to her disadvantage, but Lauren was used to looking up at other people, men in particular. Stepping aside, she watched as he softly closed the car door, his hands as beautiful as the rest of him.
“Mr. Luca, I assume?” Lauren was proud that her voice didn’t shake and that her hand didn’t tremble when she held out her right arm to greet him. “Lauren Suval.”
His hand enveloped hers, the heat surrounding her skin and working its way up her arm. Lauren instinctively went to pull away, only to have him tighten his hold, causing her stomach to flutter at the authority. Her eyes shot straight to his, shocked that their touch created this wanton hunger. Again, she pushed aside all of these unwanted feelings and breathed a sigh of relief when he released her hand.
“Thank you for driving all this way, Lauren. And please, as I said on the phone last night, call me Caden. My brother and I would have been more than happy to come to you.” His voice was as deep as she remembered from their conversation the previous night, but seeing his lips move as the words seemed to slide over them was very sensual. Everything about this man personified sexual stimulation.
“According to the file Detective Troves has compiled, your sister would stay with you often. I thought it best I come to you in case any item you brought me held no trace of her energy. Sometimes certain items can lose energy faster than others. Worst-case scenario, I would like to drive to her apartment in Tampa.”
“Very well. Please,” he said, gesturing to the front door, “come in. I’m sure whatever information Detective Troves supplied does not cover every aspect of what truly transpired.”
Lauren nodded her acceptance at his invitation and turned to walk toward the door when she came to an abrupt halt. She blinked her eyes for a brief moment, thinking the person standing in front of her really wasn’t there. But he was. This man was a close duplicate of Caden Luca, but with slightly longer hair and a radiant smile on his face. Mr. Luca had a twin brother.
Lauren vaguely heard Caden introduce her to Trent Luca, as she took in his casual jeans and blue T-shirt that fit him perfectly. The second she felt the trickle of wetness slip from her folds onto her white panties, Lauren knew she needed to close this case quickly. Her body was reacting in a way she had sworn would never happen, and that was unacceptable.
* * * *
Caden was taken aback at Lauren’s beauty. She wasn’t pretty so much as she was sensually unique. Her beautiful black hair was pulled smoothly away from her face into a knot at the base of her neck. Her pale skin was immaculate, the contrast against her hair stunning. She had the most intriguing set of eyes where the color was grey, but so light they appeared silver. They almost seemed translucent. Her lips were the palest pink, and he found himself wondering what she would taste like.
The woman standing before him was not what he had expected when Joseph Davies described her, and certainly not as old as he had expected. She appeared to be around thirty, five years younger than he and his twin brother. The way Joe had explained Lauren was that of a young girl who had a special power, but she seemed a confident woman who went out of her way to ignore the instant attraction that sparked between them. He had felt her immediately go to pull her hand away from his, when that touch of chemistry had sparked between them. Why was that?
He was a modest man, but he was well aware his looks attracted his fair share of women. But yet, she still shied away. His dominant side immediately sprang to attention, wanting to find out why she chose to ignore him. But now was not the time. Right this minute, he and Trent needed to locate their sister. He spared a glance toward his brother. Judging by the way Trent was looking at her, his brother had other ideas. Trent wasn’t as worried about Victoria as he was, saying she probably did want to have time to herself considering they both hovered over her all the time. But Caden wasn’t so sure.
He felt her come to a stop a few steps shy of Trent, and he immediately placed his left hand on her lower back. She wore white pants with a pink blouse that hugged her body, but the sleeves seemed to flow around her upper arms. Lauren Suval was a very elegant lady, which spoke to his inner dominant self that she would look beautiful over their spanking bench. There was something about seeing a woman lose her composure to passion, especially under his hand. Caden felt the arch of her back underneath his palm and knew immediately she wasn’t breathing. He almost cracked a smile, thinking she could try to hide her reactions all she liked, but she couldn’t hide the physical ones.
Lauren was staring at Trent the way she had stared at him earlier. He felt her slowly release the air in her lungs and realized she was doing everything she could to control her response. She casually took a step forward, away from his hand on her back, and he was confident she did it on purpose. Did his touch affect her? Her reaction to him certainly left an immediate mark on his body, as he felt himself begin to harden. He couldn’t remember the last time a woman’s reaction stirred his blood from something as simple as a gasp.
Caden noticed that she didn’t extend her hand to Trent, although she nodded her greeting. Lauren had his curiosity piqued, and he would eventually figure out why. But for now, they needed to find Victoria. Placing his hand at her elbow, Caden ignored the small jolt she gave and held firmly as he led her past Trent and through the house. He knew she was trying to take in everything and wondered exactly what she thought of the place.
First and foremost, he and Trent called this home and were very proud of the modifications that had been done to the old plantation house. They had been able to keep most of the ambience as well as place their own personal twist on the décor. The main level, which Lauren was viewing, held a lot of white colors with splashes of green to keep the original vibe of the house. The second level was used for their pr
ivate club, Plantation X. The higher the stairs went, the more the color schemes began to change from white and green, to white and black. As a person made their way to the top landing, the white transformed to beige, so that only browns and blacks swirled around the open area upstairs. The darker colors made for a more intimate setting, which was exactly what a BDSM club strived for. Each of the eight bedrooms down the hallway had their own unique design, dependent upon its theme.
Leading her through their office door, Caden only released her elbow once she was in front of his desk. He liked the feel of her soft skin and loved her reaction to his touch, and felt himself not wanting to lose that contact. This made him want to find Victoria all the faster. He walked around his desk, motioning for Trent to take the other guest chair. Lauren had yet to take a seat, but once she saw Trent sit down, she joined him. She held her back straight, as if afraid to get too comfortable. It wasn’t his intention to make her uneasy, but a part of him was thrilled at the possibility she didn’t know how to handle herself around them. Trent cleared his throat, bringing Caden’s attention back to the matter at hand.
“It’s our understanding that you need items Victoria touched, so we made sure to collect several for you.” Caden indicated the pieces on his desk with a sweep of his hand. “If you would explain how this works, that would be helpful. Will you know exactly where she is, or is it more of a general vicinity?”
“Mr. Luca—”
“Caden.” Why was she so insistent to use his surname? Was it to maintain her distance? Was she like this with everyone, or just them? The more he spoke with her, the more questions arose, and he found his curiosity growing.
“Before I try to find her, I want to go over what Detective Troves told me this morning. Did your sister call you two weeks ago to tell you she was taking an extended vacation and that she would contact you within a month?”
Caden watched as she opened the folder on her lap, seeing her pink nails skate along the papers inside. He also saw Trent’s smile disappear, his black eyebrows coming together to visualize their displeasure. Detective Troves had an attitude that Caden and Trent did not appreciate. If he made everyone feel like they were overreacting when a relative went missing, Detective Troves should definitely be placed in another division. He would have to discuss that with Joe the next time he stopped in. Having someone doubt what they said went against his honor. It went against who they were, and it went against their lifestyle.
“Lauren, our sister might have left a message, but this isn’t like her. Victoria is not a spontaneous type of person,” Trent explained, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “Look, I’ll be honest with you. I’m not as concerned as Caden, but what we’ve told the police is true. If she needed time to herself, Victoria would have literally spoken to one of us and not left a voicemail. She’s not answering her phone, and we have no idea how to get a hold of her. That isn’t like her.”
Caden was glad that his brother was backing him up. Yes, Trent thought Caden was being a little too overprotective and that they should give her more time, but the fact that Trent supported him made Caden feel secure in his family.
“Does she have a boyfriend? I see her surname is the same as yours, so I’m assuming she isn’t married. What about your parents? Have they heard from her?” Caden saw Lauren’s body posture slightly relax, now that they were strictly talking about business. He hadn’t missed how she still refused to say his name, though. She was an enigma that he wanted to figure out—couldn’t wait to figure out. She was also a distraction from what needed to occur today.
“No, our parents have been deceased for a number of years,” Caden said, taking over answering her questions. “They were older when they had us, so we have been watching over Victoria for quite some time. And she is not currently involved with a man. She was seeing someone, but they mutually broke it off a couple months prior.”
“I’m assuming this is who you think has something to do with her taking a vacation from her job?”
Caden felt himself becoming a little frustrated with Lauren’s questions. He wasn’t prone to dramatize situations, but her tone was indicating that there was nothing out of the ordinary for a woman to just up and take a month out of her life. For two weeks, he and Trent had used every contact imaginable to try and find Victoria when they realized she wasn’t answering her phone or returning their calls. And they had plenty of contacts, considering their clientele list associated with Plantation X. What better way to live a fetish lifestyle than to have it someplace remote and discreet in order to enjoy one’s pleasure? And since they offered that modest membership to their patrons, the majority of them were high-profile figures. And as with any such tight-knit community, their clients tried to help them as much as they could, but they had yet to yield any new information.
The president of the local bank was keeping an eye on her bank accounts, but Victoria had not used any of her bank cards. Their contacts in the police department were keeping their eyes open and ears to the ground for anything to do with their sister. They were also keeping close tabs on Paul Compton, Victoria’s ex-boyfriend.
“We think he could have something to do with it, yes.” Trent leaned back in his chair, using both hands to rub his face. “Look, she was the one to break it off, and Paul wasn’t too keen on the idea. He left the club and hasn’t been back since. But the consultant we hired has said Paul leaves in the morning for work, and then returns straight home. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
“Club?”
Caden shared a look with Trent, making sure his brother understood he wasn’t happy with the direction of this conversation. All he wanted was for Lauren to use her power to find his sister, and then maybe explore this chemistry that was between them after they found Vic. Delving into their lifestyle was not how he would have wanted to start that discussion with her. Now Trent had given them no choice. Caden stood up and walked around the desk, coming to stand in front of her. He leaned back against the wooden structure, while Trent continued his side of the conversation. He was the one that got them into this so quickly, so he was the one who should explain.
“We own Plantation X. It’s located upstairs and is used for people in the BDSM community. We are into the lifestyle and wanted to provide others with a safe environment.”
Caden paid close attention to Lauren’s facial features as Trent explained what their club was used for. He went into a few details on the equipment that was kept upstairs, along with each bedroom having a specific theme. Since they typically shared their women, it was good to know that his brother also had an interest in Lauren. Caden noticed how her silver eyes became darker as Trent spoke of Plantation X. Her cheeks flushed slightly to match her lipstick, and he watched as her lips parted in astonishment. He gave her credit, though, as Lauren didn’t blink an eye, but rather continued speaking as if Trent hadn’t just announced they were owners of a BDSM club. The only thing Trent hadn’t mentioned was their penchant for sharing.
“The bottom line is this. If she doesn’t want to be found and wants time to herself, I’m interfering with her wishes. That is not what my intention is, nor what I do.”
“Lauren, please believe us when we say we know our sister,” Caden said, reaching behind him for one of Vic’s hairbrushes. They really needed to get their sister back. “She’s in trouble. The longer she’s out there, the more we fear we won’t bring her back. We need your help.”
Holding out the brush, Caden waited for Lauren to take it from him. He wasn’t sure what to expect, and gathering from the way Trent leaned forward in his chair, neither did his brother. Her delicate hand, with her nails perfectly painted pink, reached out and took Victoria’s wooden hairbrush from his fingers. The vision of Lauren’s derriere laced with the same color as her nails made him harden to the point he knew she would notice if she happened to glance down.
“Is there a possibility she met someone outside of your…club? Honestly, it sounds like her old boyfriend has nothing to
do with this. If nothing were wrong at her job, then one would assume it would have to do with a man. Which can only mean she’s met someone in the past few months. And no offense, but maybe she just wants time to get to know him without two overprotecting brothers.”
“You misunderstood me,” Trent explained. “Vic has never been part of our club. She’s not into our lifestyle. She met Paul when he happened to come in early one evening. They dated on and off, but it was nothing serious. And since she hasn’t mentioned anyone else, our first thought was that Paul wanted something more and she didn’t.”
“It’s not like we try to run her life, Lauren.” Caden shifted his stance and crossed one ankle over the other. Not even this discussion was enough to make his dick soften. Every time she poked her tongue out to moisten her lips, he imagined what it would feel like on his cock. Using one hand to rub his eyes and help him concentrate, he crossed his arms and continued. “I promise you, if you find her and we see that she is one-hundred-percent safe and verifies that it was her own decision to take a month off from work, we will let her have the time she needs. We just want to be sure.”
“I will hold you to that,” Lauren vowed.
She had taken the brush and was now lightly stroking her fingertips over the wood. She closed her eyes, her lashes falling to land on her cheeks. Caden looked over at Trent, who raised an eyebrow at the bulge in his pants. He pointedly ignored his brother and went back to watching Lauren. Her face remained free of anything alarming, but Caden wasn’t sure she just wasn’t good at remaining emotionless when dealing with family members of missing people. Refusing to relax until Lauren stated firmly she felt Victoria’s energy, Caden felt his tension continue to rise. After what felt like an eternity and multiple shared looks with Trent, Lauren finally opened her eyes. He didn’t like what he saw.
Noble Release [Nature's Nobles 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2
