by Tara Rose
“We’ll be over in an hour.”
She stared at the phone after disconnecting the call, wondering what the fuck had happened at the office this morning. She’d already showered after her walk on the beach, but she changed her clothes now because, although she knew Jagger wouldn’t care if she was in old cutoffs and a ratty T-shirt, she’d feel more comfortable in clothing without holes in front of Ian.
When they arrived, she let them in and asked them if they wanted anything to eat or drink.
Jagger shook his head. “No. Just sit down and listen to us, okay?”
She took a seat on the sofa. Jagger sat next to her, and Ian pulled an armchair over to face them both. “We talked at the office,” said Ian, “and then I ambushed Jagger out in his car and we talked some more.”
“And then I called Ian before I called you, and we talked on the phone.”
“You two are kind of scaring me. Just tell me what’s going on.”
Jagger reached for her hands. “I was all set to tell you this alone, but it’s right that Ian should be here, too. Kai…I know we’ve danced around this relationship of ours for months, and I know we’ve both pretended to be content with it being casual.”
She didn’t say anything. There was no need to. Just to hear him admit it out loud sent her heart soaring and her pulse racing. She squeezed his hands for encouragement and strength.
“But I’m not happy with that. I want more. I don’t know what will happen with that…I don’t know if I’m ready for happily-ever-after, but I do know that I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. I’m crazy about you. And it’s not only the sex and the play. You’re a good person. You’re kind and compassionate, and you should have dumped my sorry ass a long time ago with all the grief my family gives you.”
She shook her head, but when she tried to speak she had to clear her throat first. “Technically, they’re my family, too. And they give everyone grief.”
He smiled at that. “Touché. You have that right.”
“What did you two say to each other this morning?”
Jagger grinned. “There was a lot of Ian telling me to get my head out of my ass.”
“Oh…” She really was speechless.
“And Jagger reminded me how little I actually know you. I hope to change that.”
She glanced from Ian to Jagger. “What exactly are you saying?”
“That I want us to be more than part-time play partners and lovers. I want to do this full time. I want to be your Dom for real.” He cut his gaze toward Ian. “And I’m willing to let Ian top you in play again, and have sex with you, as long as that’s all right with you.”
“It’s all right with me. I’d enjoy that. Sir.”
Jagger’s expression grew tender. “I don’t feel as if I’ve earned that title lately, but thank you for using it.”
“You’ve earned it as far I’m concerned, but I won’t use it unless you say it’s okay.”
“It’s okay. Thank you.”
“I have a couple of questions.”
“Go ahead.”
She cut her gaze toward Ian. “What is your role in all this?”
“Jagger and I have decided it’s best for me to take things slowly.” He held up a hand. “And that’s not because I don’t care about you. I do. But we didn’t want to ask too many changes of you at once, and you and Jagger have been an item for several months now.”
“I understand.”
“What’s the other question?” asked Jagger.
“Is everything okay with you two now? I need to know that.”
He gave her hands a squeeze. “Yes. It really is. We understand where the other is coming from now, and we’re both committed to making this work. Now it’s my turn for a question.”
“All right.”
His expression grew tentative, which made her palms damp. “I need to know…so does Ian, actually…we’d like to know if you have feelings for Ian. I mean, beyond friendship.”
She nodded. “I do. How could I not?”
They exchanged a glance that made her wonder if that had been part of their discussion.
“Thank you for being honest.”
“I’ve never been dishonest with you, Sir.”
“I know. Wrong choice of words. But this is awkward, so thank you for telling both of us at the same time.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Kai, I care about you, too,” said Ian. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m really a bit overwhelmed right now.”
Ian leaned forward, his face full of concern. “But in a good way, right?”
“Yes. In a good way.” She glanced from one man to the other again. “You know, I hate to bring up her name, but I want to tell you this. I only kept things casual because of what Eden did to you. To both of you. I don’t want you hurt that way ever again, and I’d die before I’d let that person be me.”
“We know you’d never do that to us,” said Ian. “You’re not Eden. Not even close.”
“I agree,” said Jagger. “She has nothing to do with this. Neither one of us compares you to her. Not even close.”
She smiled. “Okay. Good. Thank you. So, what now? Where do we go from here?”
“Well, we’d like to take you out to dinner tonight,” said Jagger. “Both of us.”
She smiled. “In town?”
Jagger gave her a droll look. “Yes, of course in town. Where else would we go, Kai?”
She let go of his hands and slapped his arm playfully. “You know what I mean. Everyone will see us together. Are we ready for that?”
“Yes,” they both said at the same time.
Kai laughed again, and so did the men this time. Jagger stood and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Fuck what anyone says. We want to take you out. If they don’t like it, let them say something to me and Ian about it.”
“My heroes.”
He gazed into her eyes with intensity and nothing short of love. But she was afraid to let her mind go there. He’d been honest and told her he wasn’t ready for happily-ever-after. “Yes. We are your heroes. We’d never let anyone hurt you. I hope you know that.”
“I know it, Sir.”
He pulled her close again, and when she glanced to the left, Ian gazed at her with the same love in his eyes. But that was crazy. They barely knew each other. It was enough for now to know these two had talked, were okay, and both wanted to be with her. It was more than she’d ever hoped for. All that angst this morning on the beach had been for nothing. They’d taken the issue and made it their own, and solved it.
At least for now.
* * * *
Kai chose her sexiest dress and short boots to wear for her date. The nights were still warm, but not quite warm enough for a strapless dress, so instead she wore one with sleeves made of lace. She knew how to dress to show off her body, and she loved doing so because she knew it made Jagger happy. It felt odd to be dressing with Ian in mind as well, and she realized she had no idea what he liked.
What was his favorite color? Did he even like seeing a woman in a dress? Would he like her short boots, or did he prefer something else? Would he even care what she wore, or would he only be thinking about the next time they were naked together?
She stopped in the act of applying eye makeup and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Was this the biggest mistake she’d ever made, or the start of her greatest adventure? And what the hell had those two said to each other to change things that quickly? Or had they merely said the right things to unearth what was already there, even before last night?
To realize that all this time Jagger had wanted the same things she did was enough of a shock. But a good shock, just the same. She had no idea where this would take them, but she couldn’t wait to find out.
Once they arrived, she kissed Jagger in greeting and then gave Ian a hug. He bent his head to give her a quick kiss on the lips, and when Jagger didn’t seem to mind him doing that, Kai began to relax a bi
t.
They walked downtown from her apartment because it was close, and the night was pleasant. She curled her hand around the arm of each man, and ignored the curious glances they received.
They decided to have drinks and dinner at Lady of The Night, the bar that Justin and Laila Macey had owned since the sixties, even though it was always crowded on weekends. But they’d come early enough and found an empty table.
Giselle used to work in the bar for her parents, but once she became Kade and Elliot’s sub, she no longer did. Her two older sisters, however, still worked there, and time hadn’t softened either one. Kirstie and Neeva outdid each other on being snarky and rude. Kirstie took their order, and then Kai asked Jagger and Ian if they’d heard anything more about the club that Kade, Elliot, and Giselle planned on opening.
“According to Taj,” said Ian, “they’re still looking for a contractor. They were all set to hire Jesse and Davis, but then Wendy told them she was afraid if they did, the three might get targeted as well.”
Jagger frowned. “Why would she think anyone would target Kade, Elliot, and Giselle? Don’t Jesse and Wendy believe those fires were directed at their company?”
Ian shrugged. “I’m only passing on what Taj said. He thought it was odd, too, and now Kade and Elliot aren’t sure what to do. It’s not like there are that many construction companies on this island to choose from, and they’d all agreed they’d rather give the business to a local one than spend money to fly in a crew for the duration.”
“That’s a really strange thing for my aunt to say,” said Kai. She glanced around then lowered her voice. “It makes me think they know something about those fires that the rest of us don’t.”
The men nodded. “I agree,” said Jagger.
“Does Asa know she said that?”
“No. And I’m not telling him.” Jagger glanced toward Ian. “Not because I think Wendy knows something, but because I don’t know why she said it, and I don’t want to watch him go off half-cocked again about ferreting out moles. I had enough this morning.”
“I’m not saying anything to him, either. From what he said this morning, there’s already enough speculation going around. We don’t need to add fuel to the fire.”
Kirstie brought their drinks, and once she’d left the table again, Kai asked the men what had happened at work with Asa that morning.
“That’s right,” said Jagger. “We never had the chance to tell you. By the time I got there, Asa had summoned us all to come in anyway, and charged us with finding the person who leaked the story of Jesse and Dot to the media.”
Kai nearly choked on her drink. “Excuse me? How in the hell does he expect you to do that?”
“I have no clue.”
“What did you all tell him?”
They looked uncomfortable, so she put down her drink and took a hand from each man. It was nice to touch them this way, as if she were a sub to them both like Giselle was to Kade and Elliot, and Celina was to Arizona and Dallas. “Look, if we’re going to give this a fair shot, you two have to get past the fact that I’m Wendy’s niece. I can take it. Just tell me.”
“All right,” said Jagger. “We told him that it might very well be Jesse or the attorney he and Wendy hired leaking all this.”
“I agree. I mean, think about it. Why would anyone at Phoebe’s Playthings give a shit what Jesse and Wendy do? No one has a dog in this hunt.” She let go of their hands to take another sip of her drink. “I mean, let’s face it, guys. Let’s be totally honest here. The two people who stand to gain the most by all this bad publicity against Asa and Phoebe’s Playthings are my Uncle Jesse and Aunt Wendy.”
She took another sip. She had a feeling she was going to need it tonight. “And what better way to drum up a little media coverage than scandal, arson, and murder?”
Chapter Eleven
Ian lowered his voice, even though no one was paying attention to them. “Are you suggesting Jesse or Wendy set those fires?”
Kai shrugged. “Is that so out of the realm of possibility? Or maybe not them, specifically, but someone they know. Someone on their crew.” She took another sip. “Hell. For all I know, one of my cousins did it.”
“The man that hit Nando wasn’t old, according to him,” said Ian. “He told us all that it seemed more like a young man. More our age than Asa’s.”
“I honestly can’t see Asa doing this,” said Kai. “I don’t care how upset he is over the resort or over Dot and Jesse’s affair going public. He’s not an arsonist or a murderer.”
Jagger narrowed his eyes. “Okay, then. Who in your family might be?”
“Well, let’s examine the men, shall we?” She took another sip, and Ian frowned. She was drinking too fast. “There’s Malcolm, my father. Wendy’s dear, departed brother. If rumors are true, he and my Uncle Walt, their big brother, used to steal things for shits and giggles when they were younger, and made Wendy be the lookout. Great training for her adulthood, no?”
Ian and Jagger exchanged a glance as Kai drained her drink and glanced around. “Where the hell did Kirstie go?” Once she caught her eye and asked for a second drink, she turned her attention back to the guys. “And then there’s the accident that killed my parents. You’ve all heard it was a car accident, right?”
Ian’s blood ran cold. “That’s not true?”
“Oh, it’s true. But the reason they had the fatal accident in the first place is because my mother thought my father and his family business was pretty cool stuff, and went along on runs once in a while, even after I was born. The cops were chasing them with stolen merchandise in their car when they accidentally drove over a cliff. Uncle Walt was with them. All of them died at the scene.”
Jagger took her free hand before Ian could reach it. “I’m so sorry. I never knew that.”
“No one did. At least not until now. Didn’t you ever wonder why Asa hated Jesse even before his wife had an affair with him?”
Jagger shrugged. “Asa hates anyone descended from the natives.”
Kirstie brought the drink, and Ian was grateful that Kai waited until Kirstie was out of earshot to continue. This wasn’t gossip that the entire island needed to hear. “Well, I hate to break this to you and Asa, but you’re all descended, at least partly, from natives. Who do you think mothered William, Robert, Agapito, and Iago’s children?”
“Yeah,” said Ian. “We know. And so does Asa. But that’s easy to forget, you know?”
“Not for the rest of us. But we were talking about the infamous Thilenique branch, weren’t we?” She took a quick sip. “Then we move to the man Wendy married. Jesse Durante. A man with everything going for him. Or one would think, anyway. Descended from one of Iago’s sons and one of Robert’s daughters. What could go wrong?”
She reached for the drink again, but this time Jagger moved it away from her. “Slow down, sweetheart.”
“The only problem with being descended from parents like Javel and Anna is that there are expectations on your life. Certain things are assumed. But neither Jesse nor Davis were content to live in the shadows of Emilio Durante and Daniel Raleigh. Oh no. When those two started their company, they expected all of the men to work in it. But Uncle Jesse and Uncle Davis wanted to build things instead.”
“It’s honorable work,” said Jagger. “And they did build Phoebe’s Playthings. All of it.”
“For a price.”
A shiver ran down Ian’s spine as he exchanged another glance with Jagger, but it didn’t look as though Jagger knew what she meant either. “Explain.”
“You don’t know this? Really? Wow.” She cut her gaze toward the Hurricane, but Jagger shook his head. “Fine. I don’t need more alcohol to tell you this. When Jesse and Davis decided to open their construction business instead of working at the new company that Emilio and Daniel started, those two weren’t going to give my uncles the job. Did you know that?”
The men shook their heads.
“You think Asa is ruthless? You should hear
the stories Uncle Jesse told me about Asa’s father. Emilio makes Asa look like a kitten. They were ready to hire an outside crew until Jesse and Davis agreed to something in order to land the job.”
“What was that?” asked Jagger. Ian recognized that suspicious tone, and he imagined Kai did as well, but she kept going anyway.
“That their sons work in the company. Yep. That’s right. They promised their children to Emilio and Daniel in exchange for the very lucrative project of building the dream.”
“I was told they built the plant and offices for next to nothing,” said Jagger.
She laughed. “You’re kidding, right? Why would they do it for crappy money? They had mouths to feed. They had wives to take care of. They were paid quite well.”
“But Jesse’s children didn’t go to work for the company.”
“No, they didn’t. Jesse didn’t hold up his end of the bargain. He took the money and then turned his back on Emilio and Daniel. Jesse’s children work for him and Davis. Gary runs the office, Merrick is the lead project manager, and Owen keeps the books. But Davis…” She rested her hands in her chin and gazed at Jagger. “Davis kept his end of the bargain. You and Brett both work for Asa and Tim.”
“But Davis is still in business with Jesse,” said Ian.
“Bingo. And that sticks in Asa’s craw. He hates it. You have no idea the number of late-night conversations I heard while growing up in that house. I never slept well. Jesse and Wendy kept late hours, and there were always people at the house. So I would sneak out of my room, sit on the top step, and listen to the voices floating up from the kitchen or den.”
“So this feud goes back that far then?”
“Yes. They’ve hated each other a long time.” She reached for the Hurricane and took a long sip before Jagger could stop her. “I’m sure my uncle boinking Asa’s wife didn’t help matters any. But this fight goes back to way before they broke ground for Palace of Eris.”
When she placed the glass back on the table, Jagger moved it out of her reach. Kai looked like she was going to say something, but Kirstie brought over their food. Ian was grateful she hadn’t drunk enough to protest in front of Giselle’s sister.
