Out of Plans (The Mercenaries #2)

by Stylo Fantome

  Something clicked in her brain.

  “Holy shit!” she exclaimed, spinning around to face him. “We're in Africa!”

  “Yup. Maybe a day or so drive from Casablanca,” he nodded.

  She was stunned.

  “Let me get this straight – you bought 1,000 acres in the desert outside of Casablanca?”

  “Uh huh. I had a small air strip built, a couple hours from here. That's where we landed.”

  “Why Casablanca!?”

  “Because, that's where we became the people we are right now. But I fucked it all up last time we were here. Now I'm making it right.”

  Beyond stunned. Blown away.

  “You really thought of everything, didn't you?” she asked. He gave her a cocky smile.

  “Only the best for you, sweetheart.”

  It only took her a couple steps to reach him, and she felt him flinch when her arms wrapped around his shoulders, but she didn't care. Lily pressed her whole body against him as they kissed, causing him to stumble back into the glass doors.

  “I can't believe you did this for us,” she breathed as his hands ran up the back of her t-shirt.

  “You deserve a home. You deserve everything.”

  They fumbled around and she maneuvered them into the living room, all while fighting to shove his shirt up and over his head.

  “It's really ours? Like we don't have to check out tomorrow, or next week? I can come back the next night, and every night, even two months from now?” she double checked, working her lips along the side of his jaw.

  “Sweetheart, you don't ever have to leave if you don't want to, or you can blow it up tomorrow. Just give me a heads up so I can pack my shit,” he joked, then hissed when she bit into his chest.

  “We have a home, De Sant,” she sighed, finally looking him in the eye again. He wasn't as tan as he'd been a year ago, but his eyes were still just as blue. His hands just as strong.

  “Yes, we do.”

  They kept moving, shuffling down a hallway. She hopped on one foot, struggling with her boots at the same time Marc tried to undo her belt. They fell through a doorway and banged into a window. She pulled her shirt off while he shoved down his pants, then he moved them so her back was against the glass.

  “Thank you for doing this,” she sighed, running her fingers through his hair as he dropped low, dragging her pants down her legs.

  “Anything. I'd do anything for you,” he whispered, and she felt his lips against the inside of her knee.

  “You helped me. You saved me. You built me a home. You've done enough,” she assured him, then laughed as his five o'clock shadow scratched against her thigh.

  “Oh, I don't think so. I think there's lots more I can do.”

  Her panties were pushed to the side and quickly replaced by his mouth. Lily's eyes rolled back and she groaned, clenching her fingers in his hair. Her free hand moved over her head, pressing against the cool glass behind her.

  “See? Now we can do this and not worry about getting caught,” she gasped for air as his tongue worked magic. “Or worry about noise complaints. Or being in a rush. Or – oh my god.”

  Just as she thought she was about to explode, Marc pulled away. He licked his way up her body, then gave her a sloppy kiss with lots of tongue before turning her around, pressing her front to the window.

  “C'mon, it's always been fun,” he chuckled in her ear, his hands moving around to cup her breasts.

  “Always,” she agreed.

  He was in the act of removing her bra when Lily noticed something. She ignored his hands as they moved down to her ass, and she strained her eyes, looking out the window and into the distance.

  “Sweetheart, as fucking amazing as I am, some help is required,” Marc laughed, and she realized he was trying to pull her underwear off. She lifted her feet and the material came free.

  “Do you see that?” she asked, pointing through the glass.

  “See what?” he responded, then she felt him kissing along the back of her shoulder.

  “That. I think a car is coming. I thought you said this road isn't on any maps!” she snapped, gesturing to a dust cloud that was off in the distance, but slowly getting closer.

  “It's not. We have guests,” he explained, and then her hair was lifted off the back of her neck. He nibbled at the sensitive skin there and she fought to maintain her focus.

  “Guests!? What guests? Who do you know?” she demanded.

  He laughed loudly and she was pulled away from the window. She hadn't even noticed the rest of the room when they'd entered it, and as she was shoved onto a large bed, she took in dark gray walls and lots of white linens.

  “I know one person, at least. Someone who will be very happy to see his former pupil,” Marc whispered, his tongue tracing a circle around her nipple.

  “You invited Kingsley!?”

  “Yes. He's early.”

  “I can't believe it! It's been so long! Get off me, he's gonna be here in a couple minutes, we need to get dressed,” Lily urged, shoving at his shoulders.

  Suddenly, his hand came down hard over her mouth and her head was forced back into the mattress. She blinked up at Marc, watching as he glared at her.

  “Liliana,” he sighed. “I love you quite possibly more than life itself, and normally your wish is my command, but right now I'm going to need you to shut the fuck up. We have about five minutes before Kingsley pulls up in the driveway, and I'm not stopping till you come, so you better get your head in the game.”

  She couldn't help it, she started laughing. He finally laughed as well, and he moved his hand away so he could kiss her.

  “It's hard to threaten me when the punishment is so good,” she pointed out. He nodded and moved to kneel between her legs.

  “Good point. Four minutes left, sweetheart.”

  “Marcelle,” she breathed, then bit into her bottom lip as she felt him push inside of her. He groaned and she felt a shudder run through his body.

  “Yes. Yes, anything, yes,” he groaned.

  “I love you, too,” she managed to pant before he started moving against her. He chuckled again.

  “Every time I hear that, I thank god I got in your car that day. You, Lily, are by far the best thing I've ever stolen,” he told her. She smiled.

  “That was beautiful. Now be quiet and get to work – we only have three minutes left.”

  Would she do it all over again?

  If it meant she got to spend a perfect afternoon in the middle of nowhere, in her own home, in bed with a man who was her equal in every way, shape, and form; a man who loved her just as much as she loved him …

  In a heart beat.

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  This book was NOT easy. Not that any book is, but this book took the cake. Even Best Laid Plans, with its hours of in depth research, seems like a cakewalk in comparison.

  As I've stated before and as my mission statement says, I never publish the first book in a series unless the series is completed. This is the truth – I wrote Best Laid Plan at the end of May/beginning of June. I wrote Out of Plans over the month of July, then put it aside while I finished editing and releasing Best Laid Plans.

  But then something happened – I picked up Out of Plans, and I completely hated it. The plot had gotten completely lost, there were inconsistencies, and I'd grown to hate the characters, mainly because they weren't acting like themselves. It had been banged out, and it read like it. I thought oh well, a few rewrites here, spruce up some scenes there, it'll be good as new!

  Wrong. It just made it worse. Trying to fix something that was so heinously bad, just reinforced how bad it really was to me. I had just gotten back from a big overseas trip, and I was taking a week off in Oregon, figuring I could use the alone time to write. I didn't write at all. I sat and thought and wondered if it would be completely insane to scrap the entire story, 80,000+ words, and start completely from scratch, with only two months to get it done.

  I did just that. I didn't
literally scrap it; the original draft is still in tact on my computer – if all else failed, I would've endeavored with it and published it on schedule. As it was, there are several scenes from that draft that were knit into this version – in the original draft, the party at Damiano's house took place at the end of the story. Marc and Lily's fight in the tent was somewhere in the middle. Her and Kingsley's kiss was at the beginning.

  But that's it. For three weeks in October, I wrote 100,000 brand new words for this story, and I was finally happy with it. So many things changed, and there were good things that were lost – an amazing plane crash scene! I'm thinking of using it in Kingsley's book – but I'm so happy with the way this one turned out. Once I stopped trying to force it, it seemed to come together much better.

  This story belongs to Ratula Roy. Not only did she invest a lot of time and energy and emotions into this story, but for the first time, she had to deal with writer's block, albeit second-hand. Writer's block, and missed deadlines, and frustrations, and she handled it all beautifully, calming me down and encouraging me and inspiring me. These books would not exist with out her, that's just fact. So thank you, Ratula, for all your help. I couldn't have done it without you.

  To Angie D., with your phenomenal notes. So thorough, it's mind blowing, and so professional, you could honestly give lessons on beta reading.

  Thank you to Sunny for all your teasers and for always making me laugh. Thank you to Rebecca N., for your notes and for driving all the way to Seattle to eat in a mall – I had a blast, and I hope we can do it again soon. To Lheanne, and Letty, and Rebecca S., for reading and sending me your thoughts and ideas. Indie books wouldn't be possible without beta readers (well, at least not good books).

  A big thank you has to be said to Carol from Beauty & Her Beastly Books. That original Out of Plans draft I wrote back in July? A majority of the book took place in Brazil, and Carol spent quite a few hours answering my questions and looking up geography and explaining customs. Unfortunately, most of that hard work didn't make it into this version, but to honor that work, I made Damiano's home town the same as hers. Thanks for all your help.

  Thanks to Najla for my amazing covers, and to Stacey for the incredible interiors. This series is my favorite of all my paperbacks.

  To Christine at Shh Mom's Reading for taking such excellent care of me – from cover reveals, to Teaser Tuesdays, to sales, to tours, all of it. I truly think you are one of the best at what you do. I realized this publication marks one year that we've been working together, and I hope to continue that trend into the next year.

  Thanks to any and all bloggers for reading and supporting! Thank you Natasha is a Book Junkie, for loving Best Laid Plans so hard and for getting my “interesting” way of thinking and writing. To Schmexy Girls and Give Me Books and Cover to Cover Book Blog, to Book Loving Pixies and Heartsick Heroines and Beyond Boyfriend Reviews – too many to name them all, really, so thank you to ALL that have read and supported my work.

  To a very special group of ladies on Goodreads – a lot of authors shy away from that site, but for me, you make it feel like a fun, inviting, and encouraging place. The way you all help each other and help authors, it's really been amazing to witness. So thanks, Shhluts, for make GR safe for authors again.

  Thanks to the readers, new ones and those who have been there since the beginning. It never stops blowing my mind that someone out there has read the words I put down on paper. Thank you so much.

  And as always, to Mr. F. Lots has happened since Best Laid Plans was first written, a big thing being that I'm now a full time writer. This has proven to be less glamorous, and much more stressful, than one would've thought. But his support is unflinching, even when I've worn my yoga pants ALL week, and I fall asleep with the TV and lights on. He's been there since the beginning. Since before that – all the way back to a creative writing class in 1998. You are an amazing man, Mr. F, and I certainly don't say it enough. So thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

  SOUNDTRACK

  Songs that I listened to while writing, songs that made me think of the story, and a couple that inspired actual scenes.

  ● Bad Girls – M.I.A.

  ● Ready or Not – The Fugees

  ● Jump The Gun – Adore Delano

  ● Centuries – Fall Out Boy

  ● Bad Blood – Taylor Swift ft. Kendrick Lamar

  ● Electric Worry – Clutch

  ● Can't Hold Us – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton

  ● Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

  ● Play Hard – David Guetta ft. Ne-Yo & Akon

  ● Break Stuff – Limp Bizkit

  ● Heroes – Alesso ft. Tove Lo

  ● California Dreamin' - Sia

  ● Set Fire to the Third Bar – Snow Patrol ft. Martha Wainwright

  ● Walk The Line – Johnny Cash

  ● Chaiyya Chaiyya – Dil Se soundtrack

  The Kane Trilogy

  DEGRADATION

  Available Now

  If you haven't met Jameson Kane yet, read below for a sneak peek …

  ~excerpt~

  Tatum plucked at her shirt in a nervous manner. She had tucked it into a tight pencil skirt and even put on a pair of sling back stilettos. If someone had personally requested her, she wanted to make an effort to look nice. She had blown out her hair and put curls in the ends, and toned down her make up. Even she had to admit it, she looked presentable.

  For once.

  Men in expensive business suits began to file into the conference room and she stood still, giving a polite smile to everyone who entered. A team of lawyers was meeting with their client. Six chairs were lined up on one side of a long table, with just a single chair on the other side.

  Tate had been positioned at the back of the room, next to a sideboard filled with goodies and coffee and water. She fussed about, straightening napkins and setting up the glasses. When all six chairs were filled on the one side, she stared at their backs, wondering who the big shot was that got to stare them all down. The person who would be facing her. A door at the back of the room swung open and her breath caught in her threat.

  Holy. Shit.

  Jameson Kane strode into the room, only offering a curt smile to his lawyers. His eyes flashed to her for just a second, then he looked back. His smile became genuine and he tipped his head towards her, almost like a bow.

  She gaped back at him, positive that her mouth was hanging open. What was he doing there!? Had he known she would be there? Had he been the one to request her? Impossible, he didn't know what temp agency she worked for – but what would be the chances? She hadn't seen him in seven years, and now twice in two days.

  Tate felt like swallowing her tongue.

  “Gentlemen,” Jameson began, seating himself across from the lawyers. “Thanks for meeting with me today. Would anyone care for any coffee? Water? The lovely Ms. O'Shea will be helping us today.” He gestured towards Tate, but no one turned around. Several people asked for coffee. Jameson asked for water, his smile still in place. It was almost a smirk. Like he knew something she didn't.

  She began to grind her teeth.

  She delivered everyone's drinks, then carried around a tray of snacks. No one took anything. She moved to the back of the room, refilled the water pitcher. Tidied up. Felt Jameson staring at her.

  This is ridiculous. You're Tatum O'Shea. You eat boys for breakfast.

  But thinking that made her remember when he had said something very similar to her, and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

  She was pretty much ignored the whole time. They all argued back and forth about what business decisions Jameson should, or shouldn't, make. He was very keen on dismantling struggling companies and selling them off. They tried to curb his desires. His tax lawyer explained how his tax shelter in Hong Kong was doing. Another lawyer gave him a run down on property law in Switzerland. Tate tried to hide her yawns.

  They took a five minute break after an hour had passed. Tate had her b
ack to the room, rearranging some muffins on a tray, when she felt the hair on the back of her neck start to stand up. She turned around in slow motion, taking in Jameson as he walked up to her.

  “Surprised?” he asked, smiling down at her.

  “Very. Did you ask for me?” she questioned. He nodded.

  “Yes. You ran away so quickly the other night. I wanted to get reacquainted,” he explained. She laughed.

  “Maybe I didn't,” she responded. He shrugged.

  “That doesn't really matter to me. What are you doing tonight?” he asked. She was a little caught off guard.

  “Are you asking me out, Kane?” she blurted out. He threw back his head and laughed.

  “Oh god, still a little girl. No. I don't ask people out. I was asking what you were doing tonight,” Jameson replied.

  She willed away the blush she felt coming on. He still had the ability to make her feel so stupid. She had been through so much since him, come so far with her esteem and her life. It wasn't fair that he could still make her feel so small. She wanted to return the favor. She cleared her throat.

  “I'm working.”

  “Where?”

  “At a bar.”

  “What bar?”

  “A bar you don't know.”

  “And tomorrow night?”

  “Busy.”

  “And the night after that?”

  “Every night after that,” Tate informed him, crossing her arms. He narrowed his eyes, but continued smiling.

  “Surely you can find some time to meet up with an old friend,” he said. She shook her head.

  “We were never friends, Kane,” she pointed out. He laughed.

  “Then what is it? Are you scared of me? Scared I'll eat you alive?” he asked. She stepped closer to him, refusing to be intimidated.