Master Bits & Mercenary Bites (Masters and Mercenaries)

by Lexi Blake

  Sean took her hand in his. “We’re thrilled to host you, Serena. And it’s a great cause.”

  She was hosting a luncheon for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, a cause close to her heart. And her husbands’, since they were about to build a business dedicated to finding the missing persons of the world, to giving families peace and the answers they needed to find solace. Adam had been working for years on a software program that would help identify the missing. It was almost ready, almost time for him and Jake to start their own company.

  They weren’t going far from McKay-Taggart. Jake had spoken to the building manager last week about taking out the floor below McKay-Taggart in the next few months when the lease on the thirteenth floor came up. They were moving on and she hoped Dean and Miles, Missing Persons Specialists, moved in.

  The only problem was telling Ian they were leaving. She knew her husbands didn’t want to hurt Ian or anyone on the team. They’d loved their years at McKay-Taggart, but they wanted their own company, wanted to specialize.

  And they might be taking a few team members with them. The trouble was McKay-Taggart had been too successful. They all had enough money, and now the corporate cases were getting to feel a bit hollow. They were moving into a phase of life where they needed to be closer to home and wanted work that was meaningful to them.

  Dodging bullets was a young man’s job, and only so many of McKay-Taggart’s operatives could work from the office. With two young children and the hope for maybe one more, her husbands wanted to spend as much time at home as they could.

  Adam and Jake were a little worried, but Serena had kind of figured out Ian Taggart. She knew her characters and Ian was one of her favorites. Ian was the big bad wolf with a heart of gold. Ian would bluster and moan in order to get a discount on their services, and then he would be happy for the men he’d trained. He would be proud to send them out into the world on their own. In so many ways, Ian had never left the Army. He trained men and sent them out into battle with the best tools he could possibly give them. They would never really leave his family.

  For all his insanity, Ian Taggart was an amazing man. It was why she’d written a whole book about him.

  Sean gave her a wink. “Well, you know I thank you for all the inspiration. You kind of brought me and Grace together. Your books taught her what she wanted in a man, what she needed. And quite frankly, they taught me how to love her better, so you are always, always welcome here. Grace, can you help me plate the cupcakes?” He slid a look Serena’s way. “That’s my way of getting her alone so I can convince her to make out with me.”

  Grace slid her hand into her husband’s. “Somehow, I think that won’t be too hard. Let us know if you need anything, Serena. And break a leg.”

  Serena glanced over to where her books were stacked. Ian was hovering, flipping open copies of Love After Death. It was the book she’d been inspired to write about Ian and his wife, Charlotte. She loved to pull stories from the people around her.

  But her real hero was walking in the front door of Top. Well, one of them anyway. She felt her whole soul smile as Jacob Dean strode through Top’s doors. Husband number one was a stunning vision of masculinity. He was wearing jeans that molded to his muscular thighs and a dark T-shirt that made her drool. His eyes immediately scanned the room and she had no doubt who he was looking for.

  Her.

  His lips curled up the minute he saw her, and there was no way she couldn’t feel beautiful when he looked at her like that. Despite the fact that she still hadn’t lost all her baby weight from the birth of their daughter, Brianna, she felt sexy because Jacob’s eyes had heated.

  That was when she felt husband number two’s hands on her hips. “Hey, baby, you ready for this?” Adam asked from behind her.

  He’d driven her here and then immediately offered his services to make the day go as quickly and efficiently as possible. That was her Adam.

  Jake was the daring protector and Adam the gallant lover.

  She leaned back against him, but never took her eyes off Jake. Loving two men meant never choosing between them, meant always letting them know how much she adored them both.

  She let her hands run over his. “I’m good. This is kind of the fun part. I’m excited but I’m also ready to take some time off. I want a few weeks where I do nothing but play with the babies and help out you two.”

  Adam kissed her ear, squeezing her. “Are you sure? You don’t have to do a thing. None of this needs to affect your career. You want to spend more time with the kids, you can, but this company we’re building is going to be flexible. It’s going to give Jake and me time to take some of the burden off you if you need it.”

  Jake was suddenly in front of her, taking up all the available space. He put those big, masculine hands on her hips and his lips hovered above hers. “She’s fine, Adam. Stop playing her nanny. She knows what she wants and she’s not going to regret taking a few weeks off to help us.”

  The truth was she’d been so busy and they’d been so busy that this felt like a good way to spend time with her husbands. After Bri’s birth, she’d concentrated on the kids and then on getting back into the swing of her career. It felt like time to slow down a little.

  Jake looked over her shoulder, still talking to Adam. “Let’s all enjoy today, okay? We’ve all been stressed and working too hard. Bri and Tristan are happily playing with Cooper. Well, Tris is playing with Coop, Bri is sleeping, and Alex and Eve are being mindful sitters. Let’s enjoy how amazing our wife is.”

  She was caught between them, and that was the perfect place to be.

  “I wasn’t trying to stop her,” Adam insisted. “I’m just worried. She’s been tired.”

  But she’d been feeling so much better for the last few days. Since she’d made the decision to take a little vacation, she’d found an energy she thought she’d lost. She was enjoying simply being still and watching her kids play, loving sitting with Adam and Jake and listening to them talk about the future. It was a future she needed to be a part of and that meant helping them the way they’d helped her. In the beginning, Adam had damn near run her entire business and Jake had taken care of the heavy lifting. They’d done it all so she could concentrate on writing. She was well established and it was time to give back to them. It was time to take care of her men.

  She was so happy things were about to normalize. Bri was starting to sleep longer periods at night and Serena was beginning to feel like her old self again.

  “I’m not tired at all now.” She looked over at the table where she would sign books and Ian was still playing around. He loved to read about Pierce Craig, his alter ego. Oh, he would say he didn’t see himself in there, but she knew when that man was lying.

  Well, most of the time.

  Jake looked down at her. “You’re going to be tired after all this is over. A luncheon with seventy-five readers is going to wear you out. After this, you’re going home and you’re going to rest.”

  There was the Dom. Jake would put his foot down when it came to her safety and comfort. Even when there wasn’t anything to worry about. She really was feeling fine. More than fine.

  She went up on her toes, her mouth almost touching his. “I can think of ways to relax, Jacob Dean. Can you guess what I’m thinking?”

  She felt his whole body go stiff and knew it wasn’t with shock. That man was aroused and all she’d had to do was use a suggestive voice on him.

  For months since Bri had been born, sex had been something they’d had to put on the back burner. Their baby girl had been plagued with bouts of colic, and they’d all been tired from working so hard.

  That was going to change. It was time to stop writing about amazing sex lives and get back to her own.

  “I can guess.” Adam’s voice was hot against her ear. “Are you thinking about cutting out of here right after the luncheon is over? We could head back home and have a little fun before the kids need to be picked up.”

 
She shivered as he licked her earlobe. “I think that might be just what we need.”

  Jake put his hands on her hips, letting her feel exactly what she was doing to him. “Don’t listen to him about taking some time off. He’s worried you’ll resent it if you miss a deadline. I happen to know that you are in the same boat we’re in. You want to spend as much time with us as you can. Between the kids and Adam’s project and your work, we sometimes feel like we’re drifting apart.”

  She brought her hands up to cup his face. “Never, Jake. We’re not drifting apart, but if you feel that way, I’m going to do everything I can to make you understand how much I love you. I love you more today than the day we got married.”

  He leaned over and brushed his lips over hers. “That’s all I need.”

  Had she forgotten to say it every day? Had she gotten so tied up in work and being a mother that she’d neglected the most important job of a wife? To let her husbands know she loved them, was there for them, that they were in this together.

  “I love you, Adam.” She reached behind her so she could put a hand on Adam as well, getting a hand on both her men. They fueled her fantasies and made her life possible. They surrounded her with love and lust and joy. They’d given her two beautiful children.

  She owed them everything.

  “I love you, Serena,” Adam said, his arms coming around her to hold her close. “I love our family. Sometimes we just need to say it.”

  “I love our family,” Jake said. “And damn, I love our wife.”

  “Good, because your wife wants to remind you both tonight of just how much she loves you.” She brushed her lips against Jake’s. Jake, her protector, her Dom, her overwhelming lover.

  He kissed her gently and then stepped back, allowing her to turn and kiss Adam. Adam, her playmate, her sneaky top, the man who took such tender care of her.

  “Ian? What are you doing?” Avery’s voice contained a note of horror that Serena couldn’t ignore.

  Adam straightened up. “Ian, why do you have a pen in your hand?”

  Pure panic threatened. She turned, completely forgetting all the sexiness in a flurry of worry over the chaos that man could cause with a single pen and a bunch of books that should have been left in pristine condition.

  Serena rushed over to her signing table where Ian was sitting with a pen in his hand and about ten books to one side. “What have you done?”

  Ian grinned, but it was that shit-eating, hell’s-coming-and-I-think-it’s-funny grin that always scared the crap out of her. “I thought I would help you out. I looked up what an author typically does at a book signing. Some of them just say boring things like ‘hope you like the book,’ but the cool ones give out advice and sometimes they do it in their character’s voices.”

  Avery had turned a nice shade of pale. “Dear god.”

  “Well, Pierce Craig is your most popular character and he’s a Dom who owns a BDSM club.” Ian patted the books he’d signed. “I happen to be a Dom who owns a BDSM club, so I think I have some insight.”

  “Pierce Craig is not her most popular character,” Adam insisted. “That’s obviously Axel, the super hot hacker from The Doms with the Golden Whips.”

  Jake rolled his eyes. “Nope, it’s definitely Jack, the bodyguard from that book. Women love him. Axel is the beta hero.”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not a fucking beta hero, asshole. And we’re certainly more popular than that meathead Craig. Axel can think circles around him. Axel is always one step ahead of Craig, even if he doesn’t know it.”

  Serena opened one of the books. The publisher had been kind to send enough so every fan who’d bought a ticket could have one. But there weren’t extras. Ian had written in ten books, helpful hints for subs.

  No Dom wants a stubbly sub. Get that kitty lasered!

  Love,

  Pierce Craig

  She had to bite back a laugh. Dear god. She looked to the second one while the boys continued to argue.

  If your Dom tells you his cock is a gift,

  Remind him that gifts can be returned when damaged in transit…

  Love,

  Pierce Craig

  Avery chuckled beside her. “You have to admit some of the readers will find it funny. I’ll hold these back for some of our more familiar readers.”

  There were a few readers she’d grown to know quite well and they would love the idea of Pierce Craig signing their books. She would make sure she held some back for Devon and Tammy, two local readers who would laugh and love the books. And likely drool over Ian Taggart.

  Ian stood, frowning. “I thought it was good advice. Very Pierce Craig advice. I was trying to be funny, not wreck the day.”

  She saw opportunity in that guilty gaze. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to help out with the service then. I think my readers would love it if you served the lemon cupcakes. After all, they are Pierce Craig’s favorites.”

  Ian appeared to think it over. “Can I pretend to be him?”

  She had to bite back a grin. He was Pierce Craig. There was no pretending to be done. “Go for it.”

  Ian stood taller. “All right, I think I can entertain the ladies.”

  He practically peacock strutted back to the kitchen. It wasn’t at all that he wanted female attention. It was all about his character being admired by thousands of readers.

  Jake shook his head. “Well, if he’s playing his character, I’m playing mine. I think I’ll take my shirt off. You know, that’s what Jack would do.”

  He followed Ian back.

  Avery couldn’t stop smiling. “I’ll call Li. He won’t want to miss this. And the ladies are going to have the best time.”

  Adam put an arm around her. “You remember what I said about Axel outsmarting Pierce?”

  “It’s fine, babe.” Some of the women would get a kick out of it. “Avery and I have a plan.”

  He picked up one of the books Ian had signed. He showed her how he’d carefully inserted a removable page.

  “I only did the first twenty,” he admitted. “I knew he wouldn’t work fast enough to get past that. I might have overheard him planning this little prank. He’s been thinking up his advice for weeks. I say we start a fun page on your website. Advice from the Doms of Sanctuary. The fans will love it.”

  She had to admit, it was pretty hot that he’d worked his way around Big Tag. She loved that amazing brain of his. “You know, I’ve heard there’s a pretty big broom closet here.”

  It was never too early to get started on a really good plan.

  Adam smiled and shook his head, pulling a shiny key out of his pocket. “Absolutely not. I already stole the keys to Sean’s office. Jake’s going to work his way around from the kitchen back there to throw Ian off. We planned everything, baby. You’ve got thirty minutes before the guests arrive, and Jake and I are going to make sure their favorite author is relaxed and in a damn good mood.”

  He took her hand and started to lead her away.

  Sometimes life was way better than fiction.

  Lemon Pound Cake

  1 pound (4 sticks) butter, softened

  3 cups sugar

  6 large eggs

  4 cups all-purpose flour

  ¾ cup milk

  4 tablespoons lemon juice

  1 cup powdered sugar

  Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time. Add flour to creamed mixture, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour. Beat on low speed until blended after each addition. Stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  While the cake is baking, mix together the remaining 3 tablespoons of lemon juice with the powdered sugar until smooth. Remove the cake from the oven. Cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan and place on a cooling rack with a cookie sheet underneath. Us
ing a fork, poke holes in the top surface of the cake. Pour the lemon icing over the top and let cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving.

  Lemon Squares

  2 cups all-purpose flour

  2 cups sugar

  16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened

  4 eggs

  ½ cup lemon juice

  ½ cup powdered sugar

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, add the flour, ½ cup of the sugar and the softened butter. Pulse 2-3 times and press into a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and cool.

  Beat together the eggs, remaining 1 ½ cups sugar and lemon juice and pour over the baked crust. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes, then top with powdered sugar and cut into 3-inch squares.

  Ian and Charlotte - Make Lemonade

  “I smell something good.”

  Ian looked over from the stove as his gorgeous wife waddled in. There was no other way to describe it. Charlie waddled like a cute penguin, if said penguin had swallowed what looked like a ten-pound basketball. Not that he would tell her that. He was a man who had learned how to handle his woman. If she asked, he could barely tell she was pregnant. He had to remind himself sometimes, he would tell her.

  Of course, he could tell her the truth. She was stunningly beautiful when she was pregnant. He loved her every curve and the way her breasts looked when she was carrying his child.

  But he’d discovered that depending on the amount of hormones flowing through her, that could go either way, so he stuck with the “can’t even tell” plan.

  “I thought you might like breakfast in bed,” he said before flipping the pancake over the way Sean had taught him.