Awakening Her Racy Passion [Racy Nights 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (19 page)

“Did you hear about the fire on Lawnview Drive the other night?” asked Sean.

Wyatt and Trent nodded.

“Paul and I went out on the call, but no one was hurt.”

“No one was in the building, but Storm and Cameron found accelerant. Funny thing, though, is that someone called it in before the building was too involved. They wanted us to find it.” Sean glanced around the table. “This is going public, so I’m not telling you all anything you won’t hear eventually. The building was being constructed as part of Chase and Ellis’s project for turning the abandoned homes on Lawnview into upscale boutiques, like Tye Me Up. This particular home was supposed to be Pearl Goodman’s new shop.”

Wyatt raised his eyebrows. “Pearl Goodman is involved in this mess?”

Sean shook his head. “No. We don’t think she is. But the firm she hired to draw up the prints may be.”

“Why didn’t she hire someone local?”

“She was contacted last summer after the knives were stolen. The man claimed to be an importer for antique ceremonial weapons, and he mentioned a firm he’d used in Philly to build his shop there. Pearl hasn’t felt safe in her current location since the theft, and we had a lot of stuff going on down by the river last summer. So when Chase and Ellis got their project off the ground, she was one of the first people to apply for permits. She’d kept the man’s name who contacted her last summer, so she called the architectural firm he knew and hired them.”

“But what about the construction crew?” asked Wyatt. “They’re local, right? I thought they all were?”

“Nope. This firm brought in their own crew.”

“Did Pearl know they were going to do that?”

Sean smiled. “Pearl isn’t the kind of lady who would even think to ask about that. She simply placed the project in his hands.”

“Who is it?” asked Wyatt.

“I can’t tell you that yet. And I can’t tell you the names of anyone on the crew, or the people we have it narrowed down to that we think called in the fire. But I can tell you that we think we’ve uncovered the fact that Pearl’s shop is nothing more than a front for an interstate gang of high-end thieves, and that they probably have others like it set up in various states.”

“Please tell me Pearl didn’t know about that,” said Trent.

“Well, she does now. She showed us another contract that this guy gave her recently, but that she hasn’t signed yet. He’s trying to get her business as well, but that’s not how he presented it. She didn’t understand the contract, which is why she didn’t sign it. But she was reluctant to ask an attorney because this guy told her not to say anything to anyone about this. He gave her some bullshit story about this deal being so hot that anyone who looked at the contract would want in on it as well. He almost had her convinced this was all above board and legit. Now, because of the fire, she’s freaked out and wants out of everything, including the new shop.”

“How did they think they’d get away with something like this?”

Maddox shook his head. “Small towns mean overly trusting people. That’s what they’re banking on. The architectural firm is a newer one in Philly. Sean and Chad have the Pennsylvania police involved now, as a well as the Kentucky police. The group from Louisville is who Ned and Gerry were mixed up with, but it goes deeper than just them and this bunch from Philly.”

“That’s right,” said Sean. “We think Gerry was killed because he tried to take off with some money he owed Ned that he’d made from smaller thefts he took part in around Indiana. We’re trying to work with the cops in those communities to tie it together, so I can’t say much about that right now either.”

“This is so sad,” said Ria. “All of it. Pearl getting fooled like this, and the fact that Gerry was involved in it.”

Sean nodded. “I know. Everyone here took care of him. We expected that shit from Ned, not Gerry. But it does explain why you heard Ned say what he did that night.”

“Do we have to worry about these people from Philadelphia or Louisville showing up here?” asked Ria. “And what about Pearl, now that she’s told you all this? Is she in danger?”

Sean nodded. “We’re watching her house and her current shop. As for whether or not the people behind this will show up, who knows around here. We’ve had a serial killer, an arsonist, and ex-Doms looking for revenge. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone showed up.”

Ria swore she actually saw Julie shudder. “This used to be a nice, quiet, boring town. Half my clients tell me they’re afraid of any strangers they see now.”

Sean lifted Julie’s hand and kissed the back of it in a tender gesture that Ria never would have expected from him. “Don’t you worry. Maddox and I aren’t going to let anything happen to you.”

Maddox lifted her other one and kissed it as well. “Damn straight.” Then he winked at her, and Julie actually blushed as she gazed at each of them in turn.

A strong wave of jealousy coursed through Ria’s body, although she wasn’t sure why. Wyatt and Trent had done and said similar things to her this past week, but the look that Sean and Maddox each gave Julie, and that Julie gave both her Doms in return, touched Ria’s core. What was it like to be that much in love, and to have that much faith in another human being? Is this what Marisol had with her brother and Ellis? Is it what Alexa had with Luke and Chase? Was it possible that what she had with Wyatt and Trent would ever run that deeply? Did they want that with her?

“How do you like living with Peppi above the new bar?” Maddox’s question snapped her out of her reverie.

“I’m happy to be living with her again.”

“Why did you move out of your parents’ home?”

Either none of them knew, or Maddox was a good actor. She glanced toward Trent and Wyatt, wondering if talking about it would be considered gossiping. Trent nodded almost imperceptibly, and at nearly the exact same time, so did Wyatt. That twin thing they had freaked her out at times. How long would it take her to get used to it? “My parents kicked me out after I stuck up for Marisol and my brothers.”

Understanding dawned on Maddox’s face and he nodded. “I didn’t realize the two incidents were connected. When we helped move you that day, I just didn’t put it together. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

“I’m not. I should have made my feelings known to them long before now.” She glanced at Trent and Wyatt, who both had proud, encouraging looks on their faces. Ria took a deep breath, lowered her voice a bit, just in case, and spoke her mind. “I talked with Marisol as well, which I’m sure you three know by now. I asked her to forgive me and to give me another chance. I’m hoping all of you will do the same.”

Trent and Wyatt, who sat on either side of her, reached over and touched her at the same time. Wyatt caressed her left shoulder, and Trent gently rubbed her upper back. Shivers ran up and down Ria’s spine as she continued to speak. “In fact, I hope the entire community will do that. Forgive me, and give me another chance. I was so wrong last summer when I betrayed Marisol and Rafe. I have no excuse for what I did. I’ve never stood up to my parents, but that didn’t make it right. I’m so sorry for what I did, and I want to change.”

She glanced quickly to her right and left, and was nearly struck speechless by the pride in their eyes. “These two are going to help me do that, and they’re going to help me stop gossiping so much as well. I know we all do it, but mine is…it does damage. I need to learn to temper it.”

Julie smiled broadly. “I know Trent and Wyatt are both very proud of you right now, and as a psychologist, so am I. It takes a lot of soul searching and brutal honesty with yourself to reach the conclusions you have. I applaud you for that.” She glanced to her left and right quickly. “You have my support.”

“You have mine, too,” said Maddox.

“And mine,” said Sean.

Ria swallowed hard against the sudden lump in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered. “This means the world to me.”

“It’s going to take time,” said Julie. “Don’t expect miracles overnight. Just keep doing what you’re doing now, let others see this side of you, and it will be okay.”

When dinner was over and they’d said their good-byes in the parking lot, Ria was still smiling as Wyatt drove her and Trent back to their condo. As soon as they entered, Wyatt pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her hair. “I am so proud of you.”

“I was hoping it was okay that I said what I did at dinner. It seemed like the perfect opening.”

“It was on both counts. You did the right thing. You were very sincere.”

“I’m proud of you, too,” said Trent. “I thought I was going to bust the buttons off my shirt when you made that declaration to those three.”

“Did they mean it? That I have their support?”

“Yes, they meant it,” said Wyatt.

“Absolutely,” said Trent. “You won them over because it was obvious from your face and the tone of your voice that it was unrehearsed. They knew we hadn’t put you up to it.”

“That’s what I’ve been afraid of. That everyone thinks I’m only doing this because you two told me to.”

“They won’t after tonight. Maddox, Sean, and Julie will see to that.”

They shed their coats and gloves then Wyatt pulled the armchair in front of the sofa, and asked her to take a seat in it so that she could see both of them. “All right,” said Trent. “Are you ready to hear the plan that Wyatt and I came up with?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Wyatt grinned. “You remembered to address us that way.”

“I’m trying.”

“You’re doing great,” said Trent. “Okay. We’ve decided that the only way you’re going to stop gossiping is not to do it at all. When we’re with you, we’ll use the two-minute rule and the code word we discussed earlier. But when you’re not with us, unless you’re repeating a fact that anyone can find online, and we mean from a reputable source, or talking about the weather, you’re more than likely gossiping.”

“Answering a direct question at work about bar-related subjects is not gossiping,” said Wyatt. “But telling a story about something you heard in town from someone else is.”

“What you told Marisol the other night about your parents, when you started going off on tangents about Teresa, that is gossiping.”

She frowned at Trent. “I agree with you, but there are times when the lines seemed blurred between gossip and simply repeating facts.”

“That’s true, but until we help you stop and think about everything that comes out of your mouth, we’ve decided to make this rule very strict. Then, once we have you thinking first, we can all decide together what is or isn’t truly gossip.”

She nodded several times. “All right. I agree. That does make sense. So, if I do gossip, what is my punishment?”

Wyatt smiled. “That depends on how long you go on before realizing you’ve just gossiped. If we’re with you, it won’t be more than two minutes because we’ll stop you at that point. But if you’re not with us, it could go on much longer.”

“But if you’re not with me, how will you know that I’ve done that, or for what length of time?”

“Because you’ll tell us.”

Ria stared at him for a few seconds while she listened to the clock tick in the background. “That’s placing a lot of trust in me.”

Trent gave her a serious look. “Yes, it is. But you’ve already proven that we can trust you. This won’t work unless you’re behind it one hundred percent. If you don’t tell us about an incident, we may find out anyway, or we might not. But either way, you’ve broken our trust.”

Ria swallowed hard. “I don’t want to do that.”

Trent took her hands and gave them a squeeze. “Then don’t. Don’t do it. That is entirely within your control. If you find yourself gossiping, stop, and then use your best guestimate on the number of minutes you went on before stopping. Then tell us both as soon as possible.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“But what will you do to me?”

Wyatt squirmed like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas. “Oh, let me tell her.”

Trent waved a hand in his direction.

“For each minute you gossip, you get ten swats with an implement of our choosing, from each of us.”

“Ten? From each of you? That’s twenty for each minute. Does this apply even if you two are with me and stop me at the two-minute mark?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yes, it does. And if you’re alone and stop yourself before one minute, there’s still a one minute minimum.”

“So, even if it’s only two minutes and you stop me, that’s still forty swats.”

“That’s right.”

“And if you’re not with me, and I gossip for say…twenty minutes before stopping, that’s…” She did the math twice in her head because it couldn’t be right. “That’s four hundred swats, total. You can’t be serious about that.” The thought of it sent waves of desire coursing through her body, but surely they’d never expect her to take such a punishment.

“Oh, we are.” Wyatt’s face and tone of voice were now as serious as Trent’s had been. “So you’d better be careful. Because if you skimp on how much time went by before you stopped and we find out differently later on, again, that trust is broken.”

“So, what do you think?” asked Trent. “Can you agree to this? If we don’t make the consequences severe, you’ll have no real motivation to stop.”

He was right, and she knew that. She also realized that even two minutes of gossip would earn her enough swats to really hurt. But this would work, and she knew that, too. They really wanted to help her, and they’d come up with a plan that not only would make her think more than once before she started to repeat anything she’d heard, or offer up a story, but that also proved the huge amount of trust they had in her.

Ria tried to think of a time when anyone in her life had trusted her this much, but came up blank. These two were it, and she wasn’t about to let them down. “Thank you, Sir. For all of this. For the plan, and for the enormous trust. I agree to it.”

Ria was rewarded with Trent pulling her onto his lap and devouring her mouth in a smoking hot kiss. She tangled her fingers in his thick hair and pushed closer to him, rubbing her breasts against his shirt. Images of being forced to take endless swats from him and Wyatt ran through her mind as his lips and tongue worked their magic. It would be worth it to gossip, just to have that delicious feeling of floating away into pain and pleasure again.