Captivating Nights (Boston Nights Book 1)

by Anise Storm

  Her phone began to ring and she pulled it out of her pocket, hoping that it wasn’t either Xavier or Zane. When she glanced at the caller ID, she noticed it was one of her best friends instead.

  “Sorry, Natalie. I can’t do this right now.” Turning the ringer to off, she tossed the phone on her bed and headed to the bathroom. Cali still had no idea what she was going to tell them about her trip. Just thinking about their barrage of questions made her head throb even more.

  Wanting to get everything unpacked, she put her personal items back in their places and was only left with finding a spot for the souvenirs that she had picked up during the few excursions. Tracing her fingers over each memento, all she had to do was close her eyes to be transported back there. Cali didn’t dwell on those memories for long, however, because most of those memories included one, if not both, men. The sooner she could forget about Xavier and Zane, the sooner she could move on with her life. Putting the last of the items away, she started the next load of clothes and returned to her room.

  With the laundry in process, Cali looked at her bed. This would be the first time in weeks that she’d sleep in her own room. Rest was exactly what she needed. Finally, she stripped out of her clothes and caught herself just as she’d started to fold up the items much like she did when presenting herself to the Dominants. It’d become a force of habit. Needing to renounce that part of herself, she purposely wadded up the garments and pitched them against the wall. They could sit in a wad on the floor for all she gave a damn.

  The two weeks spent with Zane and Xavier had confirmed one important thing. Cali now knew that she was submissive. “It was the only truthful thing that either of you ever told me.”

  Sitting down on her bed, she still couldn’t believe that she was like the characters in her books. Maybe that was why she’d written so many BDSM novels. It had to have been her subconscious trying to point out something to her that she was too blind to see for herself. By accepting the truth, maybe she’d eventually be able to find someone worthy of her gift of submission, who could mold her into whatever type of woman she was destined to be.

  She scrunched her nose up at that. Now that she was back home, she’d revert back to the same person she was before she left. Cali wanted to be more outgoing…confident…but the truth was she didn’t feel that way about herself. It was so much easier to live vicariously through her friends, real and imaginary, than it was to put herself out there. She’d tried to do that back in Virgin Gorda and had gotten burned, literally, by Xavier and Zane.

  Elena and Raquel. The names sounded so exotic and she was sure they were beautiful women, and ones who didn’t deserve to be cheated on. “I’d been the other woman and never even knew it.”

  Burying her face in her hands, Cali shook her head vehemently. No, she would’ve only been the mistress if she’d continued to see Xavier and Zane after finding out about them. Knowing that didn’t make it hurt any less.

  Sitting down on her bed, she tried to think about these women, imagining what they looked like. Elena. The name alone made her think of a Greek goddess. It made perfect sense the more she thought about it. It wasn’t hard to picture a female, one with high cheekbones and a flawless complexion. She’d also have long, flowing blond hair, maybe even the same hue as her boyfriend’s. And Raquel. She’d have to be a Spanish beauty, tall with olive-toned skin and hair the color of rich chocolate. She’d be the perfect companion for the other Dominant. Both women would be submissive, and perhaps the men would even share the women with each other.

  Shaking her head, Cali knew the possibility of that was slim. Maybe that was why they’d approached her. Tears formed once more in her eyes as she wondered what their true first impression of her really was. They must have seen her and assumed she’d be so grateful for their attention that she’d do anything they wanted of her, even things their own girlfriends wouldn’t do. And she had. Their presences alone overwhelmed her, and when they both set out to seduce her, she’d been only too willing to allow them to do so. And afterward, she should’ve run as far and as fast as she could away from them.

  “We want to give you the type of fantasy you’ve only ever dreamed about,” Zane had told her.

  “Fantasy,” she scoffed aloud, and then realized that she couldn’t deny the fact that they’d fulfilled that promise. Granted, they didn’t give her every one that she’d ever dreamed of, but they’d given her enough. Unfortunately, it was the one they didn’t fulfill that she’d wanted the most.

  Glancing at the clock beside her bed, she wondered whether they’d found the note she’d hastily scribbled on the way out of her room the night before. She wouldn’t have been surprised if they had, and after a good laugh at her expense, dismissed her altogether.

  Cali then remembered Zane and Xavier telling her that they wanted to talk to her about something important. While she was curious as to what it could’ve been, it wasn’t hard to form a conclusion. They’d enjoyed her doing everything they wanted, when they wanted, so it was a natural assumption that they’d want her to make herself available to their depraved sexual needs whenever they wanted. While Elena and Raquel would get to walk side by side with them, she’d be their dirty little secret.

  Wiping away the tears, she felt even better about leaving. There was no way she’d ever agree to that, but then again, they’d managed to talk her into other things she would’ve never thought about doing either. Cali might’ve left the island with a broken heart, but at least she had her dignity intact. Her self-respect was all that mattered at this point. Right?

  She heard the beeping sound coming from the washing machine and stood back up. She threw a long shirt on and then walked back out into the hallway. After transferring that load to the dryer, she put the last of the clothes and restarted the machine. It’d be a while before either one was finished, so she walked back out into her living room. A twinge of nausea rose up inside her at the sight of the wine bottle, so she put it back in the refrigerator and then grabbed one of her novels off the bookcase in the corner. All of her books had a happily ever after, which only reconfirmed the differences between real life and fiction. Right now, her world sucked in the worst way, so she’d lose herself in another. As she opened to the first page, the words “in the beginning” were formatted in such an elegant design.

  She traced them with her fingers and started to read. By the time the next load of laundry was finished, she’d gotten halfway through the book. She decided to let the clothes sit as she finished the rest of the book, sighing as she read her heroine’s happily ever after.

  Chapter 34

  XAVIER TURNED OVER CALISTA’S note for what seemed like the hundredth time. It’d only been a few days since either of the men had last seen her, yet it felt like an eternity. Cali’s words didn’t make a lot of sense to him or to Zane, but it didn’t mean they didn’t sting like hell anyway. He looked down at the paper, his eyes scanning the feminine handwriting once more. He’d read the words so many times, he had the fucking thing memorized.

  Sirs, I’ve decided to make this goodbye a lot easier on the three of us. Since you’re reading this note, you now know that I’m on my way back home. While you trusted me to show up at breakfast this morning, it sucks being played for a fool, doesn’t it? After talking about the importance of trust and communication, those two things were never returned to me by either of you. You’ve both deceived me. All’s well that ends well, though! I just hope the next woman you seduce is smart enough to cut through the bullshit. Have a nice life! ~ Calista

  Turning toward Zane, Xavier watched his friend staring off into space with a bottle of vodka, lodged firmly in his hand. The man was completely devastated and this time it was even worse than the period following Elena’s death. He’d never forget the look on the other man’s face when he’d read Cali’s note. Rage, grief, despair, and most of all, loss. How much could one human being possibly endure?

  Zane must have finally reached his limit because after searching the ent
ire resort and realizing that Cali was indeed gone, he’d shut down and retreated back within himself. In fact, Xavier had not even heard the man speak in two days, except for a growl here and there.

  “Have you ever considered that maybe this was for the best, man?”

  Zane turned in his direction, leveling Xavier with a glare. He watched the muscle in the side of the man’s jaw tick as he processed Xavier’s words. “Fuck you, Rivera.”

  “I’m serious,” Xavier replied carefully. ”What did we honestly expect to happen? Did you actually think that she’d just drop everything in her life to stay with us? She has a career and friends outside of whatever the fuck this was. There’s the off chance she would’ve left anyway.”

  Zane continued to shoot daggers at him until a myriad of emotions crossed the man’s face, and Xavier knew he was finally considering what he’d said.

  “We could’ve…I mean, we…I don’t fucking know. There! Is that what the hell you wanted to hear? All I wanted was to tell her how I felt. I would’ve worked everything else out with her. No decisions had to be made that day or even the next. You might be fine with pretending she didn’t exist, but I…”

  Xavier knew Zane thought he was relieved with her disappearance because it meant he didn’t need to deal with what his feelings for her actually meant. What his friend failed to realize was that because of his past, this was even more difficult to deal with. Only the second woman he’d ever cared about in his godforsaken life had walked out on him, just as the first one did. It was déjà vu, but this time it hurt even more.

  “No one is pretending anything, Rhodes. You know damn well what she meant to me,” Xavier said before he growled. Maybe it was better for Zane to give him the silent treatment after all.

  Both Dominants had beaten themselves up in the hours and days since Calista had left. Even now, as he looked out over the Washington DC skyline, he couldn’t erase the image of her standing on the beach, hair blowing in the breeze, wearing a smile that could light up an entire city block. Even more torturous were the visions of his girl straddling him between her toned thighs, with a look of completion and pure joy on her face as she orgasmed for him.

  “I miss her too,” he said evenly. “Sometimes the damage cannot be so easily undone, though. All I’m trying to say is that we’re here torturing ourselves with a bunch of what-ifs. There was no guarantee that we would’ve gotten our desired outcome regardless of whether she knew the truth about how we felt or not.”

  Zane raked a hand through his long hair.” I would’ve convinced her somehow, Xavier. All I needed was a fucking chance. She was ours.”

  He was right. Cali had been so fucking perfect for them. Besides the happiness they’d brought her, she’d done even more for them, especially for Zane. Xavier felt as if he’d finally got his best friend back. After Elena’s death, the man’s heart had turned so cold. Zane needed Cali more than she even needed him. Both men had shared dozens of women over the last few years. As Dominants, they cared about their submissives, but neither had ever fallen in love with one until her. Without even trying, the naïve beauty had eased her way inside their hearts with her innocence and charm. And now, her desertion left them empty and broken.

  It was very reminiscent of how his own father had been when Raquel had left them. The one thing that Xavier had vowed to never become was happening. He needed to either devise a way to find Calista or move on with his life. Either way, he had too much on the line to self-destruct. Zane might’ve wanted to go down that path, but he refused to.

  “We should’ve told her everything before waiting until the last minute to do so. We did what we thought was right and it backfired,” Xavier continued, bridging the silence. “I’m not saying that we forget about her and move on. I’m just saying that we can’t self-destruct.”

  Zane growled before taking another swig of liquor from the bottle. “Speak for yourself. This,” he said as he waved the bottle in the air, “is exactly what I need right now. Well, that and for you to fuck off.”

  Xavier knew there was no reasoning with Zane when he was in this state. Were he being completely honest, they might not have been able to reason with Calista, either. Sooner or later, his friend would need to face reality. Their little submissive would need to as well. She was back home where she could control every aspect of her life. Somewhere down the line, though, she’d crave the sense of fulfillment that could only be found through submission.

  One day, she’d realize that no matter how many books she wrote about it, she couldn’t hide or deny her inner nature. He and Zane had recognized the potential in her right away, and he just hoped that some wannabe Dominant didn’t see the same things they had and take advantage of her trusting nature.

  Just the thought of Calista presenting herself at the feet of another man had rage building inside of him. Tightening the grip on his own glass, Xavier heard it crack moments before he pitched it across the room. Zane didn’t even flinch as it hit the floor, breaking into a dozen pieces.

  The fact of the matter was that Zane was already too far gone to give a damn about anything right now, and Xavier had to admit that he was starting to feel the same way himself. Grabbing his coat and wallet, he walked to the front door of the penthouse. “I’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  The only response he’d gotten was a blank stare. Shrugging his shoulders, he exited the apartment and headed to the elevator. Misery loved company and the lobby bar would provide him with all that he needed. Xavier smacked the call button and when the doors opened, stepped inside. It was only when they closed that an idea struck him. Smirking, he opened the door once more and went back to the penthouse.

  Zane was in the exact same spot he’d been in when he left minutes earlier. Xavier ignored him and walked over to his computer instead. He logged onto the guest registry for the Paradise Resort and started to scroll down the names of all the recent guests. When he found her name, he clicked on the hyperlink and saw her address. If anything would help his friend, this would be it.

  “I have an idea, Zane,” he said cautiously, waiting for the man to tell him to fuck off once again. “I say we pay Calista Grant a visit.”

  That got the blond’s attention and when he turned around, Xavier motioned him over. “I have her address and I think we should figure out what the hell sent her running away and finally get to tell her how we feel.”

  “I’m in,” Zane said, finally tossing the bottle of vodka in the trash.

  “This is what I’m thinking,” Xavier said and spent the next half hour devising a plan with his friend. They’d leave tomorrow after both had sobered up. For now, they’d allow her to think she’d gotten away from them. Tomorrow, she’d see there was no escaping the truth of what they felt, and what they knew she felt in return.

  Chapter 35

  CALI SPENT THE NEXT few days trying to get re-acclimated to her normal routine, leaning heavily on her old habits to help her put the last two weeks behind her. At least, that was what she kept telling herself. While she was growing accustomed to being back home, Cali had been ignoring the calls from her best friends, not wanting to hash out everything that had happened while in Virgin Gorda.

  As much as she tried to, however, Cali couldn’t stop craving their touch on her body. She’d never responded to anyone as completely and as easily as she did to the two Dominants. Zane and Xavier had awakened parts of her she never knew were dormant. Now it was pure hell trying to leave those memories in the past.

  As she sat there in her living room, the sound of loud banging jolted her out of her daydreams. There was only one guess as to who it was. Sighing, Cali debated on whether she should even answer the door. The loud voices accompanied by even more knocking finally had her rising from the couch.

  “We know you’re in there, Cali. We’ll knock all day and night. Let us in!”

  Turning the lock, she opened the door and stepped aside to let the two women in. Natalie and Emily made their way into her place and
were already helping themselves to a bottle of wine before Cali had made it out of the foyer.

  She already had a glass on the coffee table in the living room, so she grabbed two more from the kitchen. Natalie brought the bottle of wine into the room, and seconds later, Emily had it uncorked and began to fill the three glasses.

  Before sitting down, Cali embraced the two women tightly. She hoped she didn’t look as horrible as she still felt. That hope was squashed as Emily took a long look at her.

  “You look like hell, Calista! I thought the time away would rejuvenate you.”

  Leave it to Emily to get straight to the point. The brunette didn’t know the definition of subtle and was one of the things Cali respected most about her. Until now.

  “I agree. You don’t look so good, Cali. Didn’t you have any fun on your trip?” Natalie’s eyes were filled with concern as she sipped the wine.

  Cali knew she wouldn’t get out of telling them about her vacation but could at least delay it for a few seconds longer. Grabbing her own glass of wine, she killed time by slowly sipping her drink. Blue and brown eyes remained fixated on her, the impatience beginning to show.

  “It was okay. I’m still trying to get used to the temperature difference, is all.”

  “Uh huh. I’ve known you forever, Cal. I can tell there is more to it than that. What happened in paradise? We want all the details.”

  Cali thought for a minute about leaving out everything regarding the two men, but Emily was right. She and Cali had been roommates and friends for years. If anyone knew her inside and out, then her best friend would be the one.

  Cali had also known Natalie for several years too and even she wasn’t buying any of what she was selling. Taking another sip of wine, this time it was more like a large swallow. In fact, she finished the rest of her glass and quickly poured another one. She’d need the confidence boost the alcohol would hopefully provide.