Raven’s Seduction
By
Yvonne Nicolas
Also by Yvonne Nicolas
Interracial Erotic Romance
Designing Love
Rock Star Lover (Carnal Diaries)
Masked Desires (Carnal Diaries)
Seducing an Assassin (Carnal Diaries)
Simone (The Crush Files)
M/M/F Interracial Romance, Holiday Romance
Christmas Delights
Urban Fantasy, Erotic Romance, Paranormal Romance
Silent Screams (Book 1 ~ The Dragon Queen Series)
Shadows & Dust (Book 1.5 ~ The Dragon Queen Series)
Scarlet Moon (Book 2 ~ The Dragon Queen Series)
Shifting Darkness (Book 2.5 ~ The Dragon Queen Series)
Scattered Flames (Book 3 ~ The Dragon Queen Series)
Rock Star Romance, Mystery/Suspense
Scorpion Tail ~ Debut Album: Fade to Black
Steampunk /CyberPunk
Crimson Memories
Alexis Moonlight (Book 1 ~ The Cross Knight Chronicles)
Copyright © 2019 by Yvonne Nicolas
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, scanned or distributed in any printed or digital form, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission from Yvonne Nicolas.
Cover Artist:
Bookin’ It Designs
Editor:
Ice Dragon Press
Published by:
Ice Dragon Press
This book is a work of fiction. Any reference made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidently.
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Thank you for purchasing The Crush Files ~ Simone by Yvonne Nicolas!!
Dedication
To the readers who continuously support me.
Yvonne’s Acknowledgements
I want to thank my fellow author and partner in crime, Renee Michaels. She has been by my side for years, giving me honest feedback and cracking the whip when I get lazy. God bless her for tolerating my crazy personality.
I’d also like to thank fellow authors, Reana Malori and KR Bankston for their never-ending support.
Lastly, but certainly not least, a huge THANK YOU goes out to you amazing readers!
You are the reason I continue to write.
I LOVE YOU ALL!
**Warning**
This book contains sexually explicit scenes, graphic descriptions and strong language.
Raven’s Seduction
By
Yvonne Nicolas
Chapter 1
Seeing His Face Again
Naturi drew in a deep breath. “Okay, here we go,” she sighed out on exhale. She stepped inside the building and paused.
The heavy scent of booze, smoke, and poorly cooked food assailed her senses. A wry smile curved her lips. Upon getting a whiff of that jarring odor, anyone else would turn around and walk out. But not her. It was the smell of home, the smell of freedom, the smell of Nelly’s, her favorite sport’s bar in Forsyth County.
Nothing had changed.
Nelly’s was still the same hole in the wall dump that served the best drinks and offered a front row view of the sexiest bikers in Georgia. The place was crowded and loud, per usual during happy hour. A game was on, so it was extra noisy.
Naturi made her way through the crowd, nodding to strangers as she always did. As she scanned the throng of people packed in the bar, a tightness coiled in her gut. It was followed by a spell of flutters. She was terrified, anxious even, to see his face again. After eyeing each patron, she realized something that made her heart sink. He wasn’t there. Yet. If he was, he would be right in front of her, staring her down with that bewitching gaze.
A shudder raced down her spine. Ugh, why am I like this? Not like it had been years since she saw him. It’d only been three weeks. Three long weeks. She slid onto the stool at the corner of the bar.
Connie sashayed down the bar, collecting the bills off the countertop. A pair of short-shorts hugged her narrow hips, barely covering her ass. Her large breasts struggled to remain tucked safely away in her tank top. Hair parted down the middle, two cute, blonde pigtails protruded from the sides of her head. “Welcome to Nelly’s,” she drawled in her southern accent. “How can I—?” She lifted her head and stumbled to a halt. “Well holy hell, look who it is.”
“What’s good, Connie-gurl?”
Grinning, she leaned over the counter and threw her arms out. “C’mere, honey.” She waved her hands inward. “Bring it in, so I can smash my big boobies against yours.”
Naturi laughed as Connie enfolded her in an over-the-counter embrace. She didn’t have to cast her gaze toward the gathering to know they’d garnered some male attention.
“What’re y’all looking at? If you wanna turn this into a show, you could at least toss some money this way,” Connie jested. “Cheap ass bastards!”
The ones who dared to look burst out in laughter.
Shaking her head, Naturi smiled. “I missed you, lady.”
“Not more than I missed you. I was sorry to hear about your papa. I imagine that was a hard hit being that you were a daddy’s girl.”
Why did everyone think that? That she was attached to her father. Couldn’t be further from the truth. For the most part, she couldn’t stand the man, for all the mental agony and pain he put her mother through. She still loved him though, enough to put her life on hold and spend three months being his caretaker. Given the strain in their relationship, she thought it wouldn’t hurt as badly as it did when she had to bury him. In hindsight, it hurt worse to watch him wither away.
“May sound a bit crude, but I’m just glad it’s over,” she huffed, fluffy her curly afro with her fingers. “Couldn’t stand another moment around my family.”
“I hear that.” Connie lowered behind the bar and reappeared with two rock crystal glasses. She placed them on the countertop and dropped a few ice cubes in one. “The usual?”
“Ya know it.”
Connie retrieved a large bottle of Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut from the glass shelf behind her.
As she poured, Naturi watched the brown nectar flow over the cubes and submerge them. Her mouth watered. She hadn’t enjoyed a good drink since her father had a stroke, even though she desperately needed one. Two even. Add her crazy, drama-filled family to the mix and she could down a whole damn bottle.
Connie lifted her shot in a toast. “May your ole’ man rest in peace.”
“Or not,” she muttered under breath, tapping her glass against Connie’s.
Her old friend snorted. “Either way, he’s better off than us. We’re still stuck on this shit-mound with an orange idiot in charge.”
“Maybe not for long.”
“Honey, he’s a rich white man in America. Don’t hold your breath.”
Now it was Naturi’s turn to say, “I hear that.”
“Are you gonna come by for the watch-party of that show with the dragons?”
“Dragons? You talking about Game of Thrones?”
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Yeah, that one. We’re showcasing the first season.”
“When did y’all start having watch parties for shows?”
“Since the bearded one got into all things weird and f
antasy. Let’s not even get into his obsession with the Walking Dead. I liked him better when he was just a sport’s fanatic.”
“Yeah? If he’s into TWD, me and him gotta get together and have a chat session. I love me some Michonne.”
“Not you too!” she groaned. “I have to associate myself with normal people and get away from you nerdy folks.”
“You know you love me,” Naturi teased.
“Speaking of which… Have you had a talk with your rowdy mens about their behavior yet?”
Confused, Naturi cocked her head and quirked a brow. “My mens? Care to elaborate?”
A couple more patrons made their way to the bar, thirsty for booze.
“Be right with you.” Connie winked at her, then sashayed toward her new client. “Don’t go anywhere,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I got stuff to tell you.”
Settled in, Naturi spun around on the stool and did her favorite thing to do while enjoying a drink. People watch. Most of the guys were locked in on the game presented on the large flat screen protruding from the wall. While that was going on, there was a crew around the pool table. They pretended to be focused on their game when they were really just scoping out the ladies. The guys around the dartboard were making bets on who could hit the bullseye when neither one of them were sober enough to even hit the damn board.
Naturi chuckled inwardly. As silly as it was, she missed this atmosphere. Her phone buzzed, snatching her attention from the numerous scenarios.
The text message read, ‘OMW’
She responded with, ‘You better bring my bike.’
A winking emoji with its tongue out accompanied his flirty response, ‘Dinner first. Ride later.’
‘Ride FIRST. Sleep later.’
‘As long as I can sleep with you.’
Briefly closing her eyes, she nibbled on her lower lip. Sleep with me? Ugh, why’d he have to go there? Her body hardened and her heart rate increased. His body against mine… She brushed her fingertips over her lips. They quivered under her touch at the memory of kissing him. That was the moment their friendship died a sweet and tragic death. Maybe she was being dramatic about how that moment went down. Nah, it was definitely tragic. They should’ve never crossed that line, at least not at that time. Truth was, there was always something intimate dangling between their friendship, taunting her in erotic ways. She chose to ignore it, or more so, push it aside, because at the time she was in a relationship with Luca, but the thought… The thought of being with him, her dangerously seductive friend—tasting him, fuckin’ him while their bodies were entangled in a web ecstasy—always haunted her dreams.
“Damn,” she muttered under her breath. “He got me all messed up.”
Through the commotion, a burst of familiar, husky laughter jarred her senses. Her head jerked up and her eyes swung toward the entrance. They clashed with a pair of exotic grey eyes.
The smile he was sporting leeched from his handsome face.
“Aw hell, ya gotta be kiddin’ me,” she hissed.
There he was. The one person she’d hoped to evade while passing through this side of Georgia, the one person she prayed she wouldn’t run into.
Her ex-boyfriend. Luca.
Chapter 2
God Must Be Bored
Luca stood at the doorway, staring at her, his gaze unwavering through the throng of bodies passing by. A shapely blonde chick with a wicked tan clung to his arm.
Rolling her eyes, Naturi broke the eye contact and sucked her teeth. Why, of all the days he could stroll through Nelly’s, did it have to be today?
Should I just get up and leave? That was an option, a cowardly one, but still an option. Hol’up, I was here first! If anyone should go, it should be him. That was a fat chance. Luca was too stubborn to turn around and walk away.
She ran her middle finger along the rim of the glass, shuffling through the thoughts dashing across her mind. She didn’t want to talk to him. Not yet. She needed a few more days to process what she would say to him, to let him know why she left him without a word. She shook her head and flicked her hand. Not today, Luca. Hopefully, her gesture would be enough to deter him from making this moment any more awkward than it already was.
Dragging his companion with him, he approached her, slowly clearing the needed space between them. There was a slight hitch in his gait. Looked like he was nursing an injury.
“Aw hell, here we go,” she grumbled on a sigh.
Seconds later, he stood before her with Becky in tow. He looked good, like really good. His curly slick hair sat atop his head, the rest faded into a shaped-up haircut. Per usual, he sported a pair of jeans and a snug t-shirt that hugged his muscles. So simple, yet so sexy. Luca was a beautiful combination of black and Latino. His normally tawny complexion was a shade darker, showing he’d spent some time out in the sun. His deep grey eyes glimmered under the artificial lights.
For the longest, he just stared at her, his lips parted, a look of stunned surprise on his face. “Naturi? You—you’re back.”
Offering a small smile, she brought the glass to her lips. “Things are not always as they seem.”
“So, what, you’re just passing through?”
She shrugged. “Maybe.”
Luca’s brow knitted as his gaze turned into a glare. “You roll through without a call? Without a head’s up? As if the last three years of our relationship meant nothing. That’s amazingly fucked up, Nat.”
His escort whipped her eyes from him to Naturi. “Um, hello?”
“Hi.” The situation was already uncomfortable. She didn’t want to add to that discomfort by ignoring the woman on his arm. “Luca, you’re being rude. Are you gonna introduce your lady friend?”
“Fay, can you give me a minute?” Not once, did he take his eyes off Naturi.
Fay cocked her head, clear attitude in her stance, and hit him with those bright blue eye daggers. “You must be joking.”
“Just a minute,” he pleaded, his eyes still fixed on Naturi. “Okay?”
Fay yanked her arm from around his and spun on her heels, flipping her long hair, which slapped him in the face. “What-the-fuck-eva.” Then she stormed off.
Naturi chuckled. “I like her. She ain’t about your bullshit. I should’ve been more like her.”
He clucked his tongue as he waved Connie down. “I see you still got jokes.”
“Such as my life,” she murmured.
While serving a customer, Connie glanced over to their end of the bar. She paused. A scowl claimed her pretty face. “Luca Morgan, I know damn well you are not sitting at my bar!” She marched their way.
“Ooo, someone’s in trouble,” Naturi teased, giggles in her voice.
As she went, Connie grabbed a bat from under the counter. Written along the length of the bat were the words, ’Smile for Mommy.’
Naturi dropped her smile. “Someone’s really in trouble. What did you do?”
Connie tapped the countertop with the head of the bat, then pointed it toward the door. “Get out.”
Pressing his palms together, he lowered his head. “Please, Connie. Just one drink so I can talk to Nat—”
“Uh-uhh, negro!” Naturi sidled her stool over, distancing herself from him. “She got a bat. Don’t bring me into wha’eva the hell this is.”
“…I won’t do anything crazy,” he continued. “Promise.”
With her glare pinned on him, Connie huffed out a groan. “One drink. And you pay double.”
“Deal.” He slapped three twenties on the counter. “Another one for Naturi too.”
Still glaring at him, Connie snatched the money off the bar and started pouring his vodka tonic.
“No sir, I’m good.” Naturi lifted her glass and swirled the ice at the bottom. “I can pay for my own.”
“You don’t think I know that?” Brows bunched, he cut those grey heat seekers at her. “You don’t think I know that you can afford your own shit, something you made very clear through the course of our relati
onship?”
“Careful, sweetie.” She took a casual sip, eyeing him over the rim of the glass. “Your insecurities are showing.”
“My… what?”
“Your insecurities,” she voiced a little louder. “Tuck them back in.”
Connie slid his drink over to him. “Whatever’s going on between you two better not get out of hand. Luca, after you finish your drink, you can leave.” That said, she spun around, still slicing him with her hooded glower over her shoulder, and sashayed away.
“Ya gonna tell me what that was about?”
He picked up his drink and took a long swig. Quietly, he activated the screen on his phone and went to his text messages. He held it up and read the words. “I think this is long overdue, but I’m done, like really done. You take care of yourself. Deuces.”
Naturi fell silent and watched the anger and confusion grew in his gaze. “Sorry. Wasn’t my finest hour.”
“I think I’m in my rights to politely ask you, what the actual fuck, Nat? You ghosted me hard, and I still don’t know why.”
Yeah, she did him dirty. She’d be the first to admit that. She should’ve faced him when she broke up with him. But, at that time, there was so much going on in her life. Her dad’s stroke resulted in him losing function of the left side of his body. Then her family started climbing up her ass about money that didn’t belong to them. Later, a fight ensued, and now they’re estranged. And the icing on the shit-covered cake was some unexpected news she’d gotten about Luca. He wasn’t aware, which was why he was so upset about the way she let him go. Little did he know, he scored an easy out.
“There’s a time and a place when we’ll have that conversation, Luca, but that time and place isn’t now. Don’t blow my high.”
His jaw clenched and his glower hardened. “You’re dodging.”
“I’m not dodging. I’m just putting it aside for later.”
“Save that shit for someone who doesn’t know you, Nat,” he grumbled. “If I didn’t come in today, I wouldn’t have even known you were in town.”
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