Beasts & Bourbon

by Alta Hensley

  “It’s not just the wedding planning,” she said softly. “I’m sad.”

  “Because we left the manor?” I still couldn’t believe her fascination with the place and the desire to remain.

  “Everything just felt right there.”

  “And it will feel right again.” I pulled her into my arms and kissed the top of her head. She snuggled herself into me as if her life depended on it. Her delicate hands clung to my back as if she were never going to let me go.

  “Promise me,” she said. “Promise me we won’t lose ourselves in the madness still to come.”

  “I promise.”

  Roman

  * * *

  “It’s about time you graced us with your presence,” Kenneth teased as all the managing members of Spiked Roses took their seats around the table. “We were about to send a search party after you.”

  “Good to be back,” I said. “Thank you all for holding down the fort while I was away. What I did needed to be done.”

  “And is everything fine now?” Harley asked, no doubt curious if he needed to step in to help matters his way.

  “Everything’s fine now. Cheri handled the situation far better than I ever could have imagined. Because of her, I seriously doubt I’m going to have to deal with The Iron Colt Brotherhood again.”

  “We can always hope,” Alec added. “Best to lay low with those fuckers.”

  “Can we all try to not have any dealings with them in the future?” Matthew asked. “I’m getting sick of their shit.”

  “Agreed,” Lennon added. “I’ve never been a member or had any interaction. Well unless you count the wealthy as fuck men I have stolen from. Guilty as charged in that regards.”

  “I’ve had my fill of them as well,” Victor added. “Let’s move on and not bring up that archaic group again.”

  Kenneth began the meeting by going over our numbers. We all brainstormed for different themes for the next Tasting. He discussed some future repairs that needed to be done, and informed us that we had passed all the inspections that had come in. I tried to focus on the business, but my mind kept going back to Cheri. It had been a day since I dropped her off, and it felt like a lifetime. I was so used to seeing her every single day and having her body at my beck and call. I fucking missed it. I fucking missed her.

  After the meeting was over, I was the first to leave the room, anxious to see my fiancée. We had been apart for long enough.

  “Roman,” I heard being called out from behind me.

  I turned to see Tennessee approaching. “You better get your royal butt over to that house of crazy. I agreed to help with the wedding planning when Cheri’s mother asked, but I did not agree to be the psychologist and babysitter. That girl hasn’t gotten out of bed since she returned, and her mother is about to lose her damn mind.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked. “Is she sick?”

  “Who the fuck knows. But I can’t get her out of bed, and we have a shit load of wedding planning to do. I need her help. Oh and while I have you,” Tennessee reached into his man bag he was carrying and pulled out a manila folder, “I need to know what style of tux you want. What picture calls to you?” He opened the folder to a stack of photos.

  I wanted to say I couldn’t care less, but I had learned a long time ago that me acting like I didn’t care, minimized the feelings of the person asking. So scanning through the photos, I pointed to one and said, “This one unless Cheri wants something else. She’s the boss.”

  “Cheri can’t even brush her own damn teeth let alone be a boss. You better get over there and knock some sense into her. Give her mother an elephant tranquilizer while you’re at it.”

  Tennessee didn’t have to ask me twice. I expected Cheri to have an odd transition back into her normal day life, but I hadn’t expected it to hit her so hard. She was not one to wallow or be depressed, so to hear this troubling news had me rushing out of Spiked Roses without even saying goodbye.

  It didn’t take me long to reach Cheri’s mother’s house. I was going to just enter the house and charge up to her room, but decided to give her mother the courtesy of asking permission to enter. I was surprised when it was her mother answering the door.

  “Oh thank goodness you are here, Roman. I am beside myself.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “Ever since you dropped her off from your vacation, she hasn’t gotten out of bed or eaten a thing. I understand that jet lag can be awful sometimes, but I’ve explained to her that we have her dress fitting tomorrow, and we have nail appointments and hair before that. There is no time for her to be sleeping. I even offered to have a nurse come to the house with an IV if she felt dehydrated or thought it would help fight the lag.”

  I knew there was no jet lag since we hadn’t even left Louisiana, but it was best to have her mother think what she did.

  “I’ll go check on her and see what I can do,” I said calmly while giving her mother a reassuring pat on the upper arm. “Keep the appointments tomorrow. I’m sure she will be fine by then.”

  “Thank you. Maybe she’ll listen to you.”

  Oh, she’ll listen to me.

  “Go ahead and do whatever you had planned for the afternoon. I’ll stay with her and make sure she gets something to eat.”

  Her face lit up with glee as if I had just freed her of a jail sentence. “You are going to be such a wonderful son-in-law. I couldn’t ask for a better one.” She turned on her heels and left me quickly. Maybe she was afraid I would change my mind.

  I hated hearing that there was something wrong with Cheri, and I would do anything for her. But first, I needed to go see what was going on.

  19

  Cheri

  A thundering storm by the name of Roman Cassian swooshed into my bedroom. There was no polite knock, no asking if he could be let in, not even my mother standing by his side allowing his entrance. He marched over to where I lay in my bed feeling sorry for myself and sat on the edge with concern washed all over his face.

  Placing his hand softly on my cheek, and then my forehead, he asked, “What’s going on? Are you sick?”

  I shook my head. I wasn’t sick, though I was pretty sure I looked it.

  “Tired?” he asked.

  I shook my head again.

  His brow furrowed. “Then what? Why haven’t you eaten or gotten out of bed. You have your mother and Tennessee in a real tizzy. They both are two seconds from strokes.”

  He smirked, and normally hearing his words teasing my mom and my dear friend would have made me smile in return, but I felt nothing but a thick blanket of darkness.

  The smile left his face when I didn’t show any emotion at all to his comment. “Cheri, what’s wrong? Tell me?”

  I took a deep breath and fought the urge to just pull my blankets over my head and hide from his questions. “I just need time.”

  “Time for what? To sleep?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I just feel sad.”

  “Because we left the manor?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  I expected Roman to be angry that I still hadn’t let that notion go, but instead he crawled into bed with me and pulled me into his arms. I rested my head on his chest and snuggled close. It was the first time since returning home that I felt a sense of security. His simple hold of me was washing my demons away little by little. I inhaled his scent as if the aroma was the very air I needed to breathe to survive.

  “I know the initiation was hard on you, but—”

  “That’s just it,” I interrupted. “It’s harder being back. I feel lost. At least there, I had a purpose. I had a mission. My life was about the initiation. I was told what to do every second I was there, and I grew accustomed to it. You were my everything there. There was not a part of my existence that didn’t involve you. I guess it was a dark bubble. A fucked up bubble. But a bubble that I am sad to see pop.”

  “But I told you—”

  “Yes, yes. That it wouldn’t change,
but it already has. I’m here in my bed alone, you are off doing whatever it is you do, and things have changed.”

  Roman kissed me on the top of my head. “It’s temporary. I told you that.”

  “But is it?” I asked as I looked up so I could see his eyes looking down upon me. “Or am I destined to live the life of my mother? Galas, charity events, hair and nail appointments, tea with other women who live as boring lives as I do? Is this the life I am to live as Princess Cherise Cassian?”

  “Not if you don’t want to. You… we can do whatever we want. If you don’t want that proper, perfectly groomed, and clean life, I assure you we can definitely dirty it up. What happened at the manor was just a small taste of what’s to come. I plan to treat you like a lady in public but treat you like the dirty kitty you are in the bedroom.”

  My heart skipped at his words. “You do?”

  “Why do you look so shocked? Did you really peg me for a man who would all of a sudden turn vanilla just because we got married?”

  “Well… our lives are just so formal and structured.”

  “So you assumed that our sex life would be as well?”

  My face heated. I couldn’t believe that I was damn near slipping into a pit of depression because I was afraid the man wouldn’t dominate me like he did at the manor.

  “Trust me, dirty girl. I will be your Master from this day forth. Nothing has changed. Nothing.”

  “God, I feel so needy,” I admitted, hating my weakness but at the same time loving the fact that I could be vulnerable and honest with the man I was about to marry. “And it’s not just the sex. Though I had no idea until the manor how important that was to me. It’s our life. I don’t want to become my mother. I don’t want you to become your father.”

  Roman laughed loudly, causing his chest to bounce my head around as he did so. “I could never be anything like my father. You saw Spiked Roses. Could you even picture my father, or even my brothers stepping foot in that place? And as much as you are afraid of becoming your mother… I just don’t see that happening. I agree with you. I want adventure, spice, and an excitement in our life that is laced with some dark tinges of taboo. Nothing will whiten our soiled souls. I love you, Cheri. I love how you are just as twisted and debauched as me. I love knowing that our lives will be anything but boring. I promise you this. I promise you a life that will take you to the edge of lunacy.”

  “I love you. And I love that you want this too.” God, I craved this man. There was no doubt about it. It was a deep type of love that caused an undercurrent of madness.

  Roman adjusted his body so he could bring his lips down upon mine. With a perfect blend of force and gentleness, he mastered my mouth as only he could do. My body lit with excitement and any sadness or depression I had had was drowned by my need to have him buried deep inside of me again.

  He pulled from the kiss and looked at me with darkened eyes. “You are about to marry into royalty.”

  “I know,” I said as I lowered my hand to his hardened cock that unfortunately for me was restricted by the fabric of his pants. My body, mind and soul were hungry for my king. He would be my king in every single way.

  “Which means that crown jewels are very important.”

  I arched an eyebrow as I unzipped his pants and took his cock into my hands. “Is that so?”

  “I collect diamonds. Very, very expensive and priceless diamonds.”

  I laughed as I began to pump his dick with my fisted hand.

  “I expect my princess bride to help me acquire these diamonds.”

  I nodded as I licked my lips, preparing to place his cock inside my mouth. “I will consider it my royal duty… Master.”

  * * *

  The End

  Have you taken a sip of the entire

  Top Shelf series yet?

  * * *

  Bastards & Whiskey

  I sit amongst the Presidents, Royalty, the Captains of Industry, and the wealthiest fucks in the world.

  We own Spiked Roses—an exclusive, membership only establishment in New Orleans where money or lineage is the only way in. It is for the gentlemen who own everything and never hear the word no.

  Sipping on whiskey, smoking cigars, and conducting multi-million dollar deals in our own personal playground of indulgence, there isn’t anything I can’t have… and that includes HER. I can also have HER if I want.

  * * *

  And I want.

  Villains & Vodka

  My life is one long fevered dream, balancing between being killed or killing.

  The name Harley Crow is one to be feared.

  I am an assassin.

  A killer.

  The villain.

  I own it. I choose this life. Hell, I crave it. I hunger for it. The smell of fear makes me hard and is the very reason the blood runs through my veins.

  Until I meet her…

  Marlowe Masters.

  Her darkness matches my own.

  In my twisted world of dancing along the jagged edge of the blade…

  She changes everything.

  No weapon can protect me from the kind of death she will ultimately deliver.

  Scoundrels & Scotch

  I’ll stop at nothing to own her.

  I’m a collector of dolls.

  All kinds of dolls.

  So beautiful and sexy, they become my art.

  So perfect and flawless, my art galleries are flooded by the wealthy to gaze upon my possessions with envy.

  So fragile and delicate, I keep them tucked away for safety.

  The dark and torrid tales of Drayton’s Dolls run rampant through the rich and famous, and all but a few are true.

  Normally I share my dolls for others to play with or watch

  on display.

  * * *

  But not my special doll.

  No, not her.

  Ivy is the most precious doll of all.

  She’s mine. All mine.

  Devils & Rye

  Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.

  It had been years since I had seen her.

  Years since I last saw those eyes with pure, raw innocence.

  So much time had passed since I lusted after what I knew I should resist.

  But she was so right.

  And I was so wrong.

  To claim her as mine was breaking the rules. Boundaries should not be broken. But temptation weakens my resolve.

  With the pull of my dark desires…

  I know that I can’t hide from my sinful thoughts—and actions—forever.

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  About the Author

  Alta Hensley is a USA TODAY bestselling author of hot, dark and dirty romance. She is also an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author. Being a multi-published author in the romance genre, Alta is known for her dark, gritty alpha heroes, sometimes sweet love stories, hot eroticism, and engaging tales of the constant struggle between dominance and submission.

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  Also by Alta Hensley

  Top Shelf Series:

  Bastards & Whiskey

  Villains & Vodka

  Scoundrels & Scotch

  Devils & Rye

  Beasts & Bourbon

  Delicate Disaster Duet:

  Delicate Scars

  Delicate Wounds

  Dark Fantasy Series:

  Snow & the Seven Huntsmen

  Red & the Wolves

  Queen & the Kingsmen

  Kings & Sinners Series:

&
nbsp; Maddox

  Anson

  Stryder

  Captive Vow

  Bad Bad Girl

  Bride to Keep

  His Caged Kitty

  Bared

  Caged

  ALTA HENSLEY’S HOT, DARK & DIRTY NEWS

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