by Susan Stoker
Ty hesitated. She knew he wasn’t unaffected by her, knew he was battling his own lust, and prayed he’d lose.
“I don’t live here, Pais. I’m in Eden’s Ridge.”
At four hours, that wasn’t too far to drive from time to time. It might not be what she wanted, deep down, but she could work with that. “Perfect. Then we aren’t in each other’s back pockets worried about expectations. Just fun, when it works for both of us.” She’d had this conversation, this arrangement, before and it had never left her feeling hollow. But it had never been with Ty.
He turned her to face him, skimming his hands down her arms before pulling her in and lowering his mouth to hers. Without a word, she recognized his goodbye in the lingering play of his lips. The heartbreaking taste of it flooded her, making her want to weep. But she didn’t hold on and didn’t say anything as he pulled back.
“Last night was amazing. I’m glad we ran into each other.”
She understood that this was all she was going to get. Even as her foolish, nostalgic heart cracked again, she forced a smile. “Me, too.”
“I’ve gotta get on. I’m already late checking out of my AirBnB.”
“Sure. Of course.” She wanted to ask for his number. His email. Something that wouldn’t mean the absolute closing of the door between them. But she walked him to the door, with Duke prancing as escort.
Ty scrubbed Duke’s ears and lifted his hand in a wave as he trotted down the front steps.
Despite the cold, Paisley stood on the porch, watching him stride to his truck. She’d known this was the likely outcome, even when she’d invited him home last night. It wasn’t fair to be upset with him for sticking to the script.
He paused, one hand on the truck door. Paisley held her breath.
Look back. Look back at me.
Without turning, he called, “You remember that time our junior year, what you said when you were trying to talk me into breaking into the city pool for a midnight swim?”
Her heart began to trip. “If I remember correctly, it was something to the effect that you should lighten up, and you needed more fun in your life.”
“You were right.” Pivoting, he closed the distance between them, taking her mouth again in a frustrated kiss as his arms wrapped tight around her, like maybe he didn’t want to let her go any more than she did.
Hope broke open inside her like the dawn, and this time, Paisley held on. Maybe this wasn’t goodbye after all.
As Duke began to bark—in approval or annoyance—Ty broke the kiss, resting his temple to hers. “Let’s keep in touch.”
They weren’t quite the words she’d wanted to hear, but they were more than she’d expected. “I’d like that.” She gave him her number, peering over his shoulder to make sure he entered it correctly into his phone.
Typing out a quick text, he pocketed the phone and offered an apologetic smile. “I really do have to go now.”
Feeling buoyant, Paisley waved him away. “Go, do the thing. We’ll talk soon.” It was easier to watch him slide into his truck now, knowing it was true.
She stood on the porch in her flimsy robe, not feeling the cold at all as he backed out and drove away. There was no way to know how this would turn out. It might just lead to a few weeks or months of stupendous sex. Or it might be the opportunity she’d been waiting for since she was eighteen years old to show him their story wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Ty and Paisley! Their story continues in MADE FOR LOVING YOU, the final book in the Rescue My Heart trilogy, releasing March 19, 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of its release or preorder your copy right here. Meanwhile, you can go back to the beginning to check out Ivy and Harrison’s story in BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE (Rescue My Heart Book 1) and Laurel and Sebastian in WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (Rescue My Heart Book 2). Or you can hop on over to read about Emerson and Caleb in LET IT BE ME (Men of the Misfit Inn Book 1), or Maggie and Porter in BRING IT ON HOME (The Misfit Inn Book 4).
A Note From The Author
I hope you enjoyed meeting Ty and Paisley! Their story continues in MADE FOR LOVING YOU, the final book in the Rescue My Heart trilogy, releasing March 19, 2021. Sign up for my newsletter to be notified of its release or preorder your copy right here. Meanwhile, you can go back to the beginning to check out Ivy and Harrison’s story in BABY, IT’S COLD OUTSIDE (Rescue My Heart Book 1) and Laurel and Sebastian in WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU (Rescue My Heart Book 2). Or you can hop on over to read about Emerson and Caleb in LET IT BE ME (Men of the Misfit Inn Book 1), or Maggie and Porter in BRING IT ON HOME (The Misfit Inn Book 4).
Rotanev
A Dark Poseidon Tale
Lexi C. Foss
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Rotanev
Copyright © 2021 Lexi C. Foss
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book may not be redistributed to others for commercial or noncommercial purposes.
Editing by: Outthink Editing, LLC
Proofreading by: Katie Schmahl
Cover Design: Joolz & Jarling Book Covers
Published by: Ninja Newt Publishing, LLC
Digital Edition
ISBN: TBD
About Rotanev
Kailiani Mikos
My life is a mess.
One minute, I’m on way to graduating, and the next, I find out my mother handed me over as collateral to a loan shark.
Now I’m standing inside a fancy hotel suite in a tiny little dress, auditioning to become an escort for Jasmine Black Incorporated.
That’s when I see him. God in a suit. Ocean blue eyes. Dark wavy hair. All sensual lines and hard masculinity.
Nero Rotanev.
He sets my blood on fire with a single glance. So when he asks if I kneel for him, I eagerly agree.
Only something isn’t right here.
I feel as though I’ve known him for eternity.
Except that’s impossible, right?
Who are you really, Mister Rotanev?
And why have you chosen me?
Nero Rotanev
Mortals call me Poseidon. Neptune. God.
Kailiani was meant to call me her soulmate. Ah, but my darling little siren disappeared before I could claim her. And I’ve been hunting her ever since.
However, my scouts have finally found her in the Human Realm.
Hiding among the mortals.
How quaint.
That won’t stop me from destroying her. My sweet siren is going to crawl and beg for my mercy. Oh, but I can’t wait to watch her bleed.
Kailiani will pay for her sins.
And the wrath of the seas will drown her for eternity.
Prepare to kneel, little one.
For no one can outswim me.
Not even a sweet little siren created by the stars.
* * *
Author’s Note: Rotanev is a dark paranormal romance featuring a furious Poseidon and his runaway siren. This version ends on a cliffhanger.
Introduction
Once upon a time, the stars created an alluring siren.
Her fate was etched into the waves of the universe, her soul forever destined to belong to the King of the Seas.
But on the evening before their nuptials, she fled. Never to be heard from again.
Until today.
Part I
“We exist in a world of realms where every myth and legend you’ve ever heard is based on something real.”
—Nero Rotanev
Prologue
Nero
“Am I not a fair god?” I asked, yanking on the seaweed restraints securing my prisoner to the beach. “Do I not give my people everything they desire and more?”
Because this miscreant seemed to feel otherwise, what with trying to disturb the maidens protected beneath my waves. They were not to be touched unless they desired it, and this scum of the realm tried to taste the forbidden without permission.
“I… I…”
“You… you…,” I mocked, tsking. “I’m bored.” Power whirled behind me in the form of two dangerous cyclones, both intent on ripping this poor excuse of a man to shreds.
“My lord,” Maheer’s voice came from the edge of the tree line. His golden head reflected the moon in his long, braided strands as he stepped out from beneath the shadow of leaves. “Forgive the interruption, but the Telchines have brought news of the other realms.”
I paused the stirring of water energy, allowing it to hang forebodingly over my shoulders, and focused on my second-in-command. “What news?”
He swallowed, his fear poignant and palpable. “It’s her. They’ve found her.”
“Where?” A single word, underlined with authority.
“Earth.”
The cyclones crashed into the shore, taking the prisoner I’d been torturing with it and snapping his neck with an unsatisfying crunch.
Maheer winced at the gruesome display while I sighed, “That was a waste.” I could have had so much more fun with him. Alas, it seemed my attentions were required elsewhere. “Are they certain?” Because the last time word of Kailiani’s presence reached me, it’d been a false lead. And I was not happy.
“Yes,” he replied as I joined him on the dry sand. “I’ve seen the photos myself, my lord. It’s definitely her.”
“Photos?” I repeated, intrigued. “And how does my former betrothed look?”
“Beautiful, my lord.”
I snorted. “Of course she does. I’ll want to review the evidence. If it proves true, reward the Telchines appropriately and tell no one.”
He bowed. “Yes, my lord.”
“And, Maheer?” I waited until he finally looked at me. “Find me a Realm Dweller. I’ll be going after her myself this time.”
It’d been a long time since I ventured to the Human Realm.
Poseidon, God of the Sea.
Ah, that’d been a fun era.
Maybe they still worshiped me.
If not, I’d have fun stirring up new trouble while finding the vixen who escaped my grasp all those centuries ago.
Swim fast, little one. For I’m coming for you, my darling Kailiani. And I’m bringing the wrath of the seas with me.
1
Liani
The invitation sat heavy in my hand. Well, technically it was a business card. But it read like a summons.
An audition, Jasmine Black had called it.
Just showing up guaranteed me one thousand dollars. If I stayed until the end, another thousand. And that was just the reward for mingling. If I was given a job with Jasmine Black Incorporated, also known as JBI, I could make upwards of ten thousand dollars a week.
By becoming a whore.
I flinched at the thought. True, yes. But this was temporary. Once I paid off Corban, I could quit and run far away from New York City.
Just a few weeks.
I could handle that.
It was only my body. I’d endured far worse. Not all pain was physical.
The driver navigated Manhattan, his bodyguard-like presence daunting. JBI had sent him to retrieve me, and aside from an initial greeting, he’d remained stoic and silent. It unsettled my insides, made me question my decision to proceed with tonight. But Veronica—the one who recruited me into this mess—promised this agency was legit. Well, as legit as a high-class escort service could get.
I saw through the terminology.
I knew what would be expected of me.
No one paid a grand for a date without expecting something in return. And, according to the contract I’d reviewed, some dates required an overnight experience.
Didn’t take a genius to figure out what that meant.
“We’re here, ma’am,” the driver announced, pulling up to a stop outside a fancy hotel overlooking Central Park. My invitation would grant me access to the top floor—where the party was located.
“Thank you.” I touched the handle just as the door opened for me, another man in a suit with an earpiece standing outside.
“Miss Mikos,” he greeted me, holding out his hand. “I’ll be escorting you upstairs.”
“Oh. Okay.” I accepted his help from the car even though I didn’t need it. One of tonight’s requirements was to leave all personal items at home. As such, I had a key tucked into my thong because my backless dress didn’t allow for a bra. And the business card in my hand.
The cool early spring air touched my exposed arms, sending a chill down my spine as the unnamed man beside me accompanied me up the stairs and into the building. He nodded at the doorman and the couples lingering inside, leading us directly to a bank of elevators at the back of the ornately decorated lobby.
“How was the drive?” he asked, his voice warmer than I expected, almost friendly.
“Uneventful,” I replied, my throat dry.
The doors opened and he ushered me inside with a palm against my lower back. As soon as we were alone, he pressed a button and faced me. “Card, please.”
I handed it to him.
“This is going to go around your wrist,” he said as he produced a cuff-like gold bracelet. He held it out for me. “Hold for a moment.”
I did and examined the initials carved into the top—JBI.
“The code on your card is tied to your account,” he added while keying it into a handheld device. “If someone wishes to purchase time with you, they’ll do so by touching their watch to that.” He gestured to the cuff. “Clients, including our new ones in attendance tonight, are all trained on the process.” He finished typing, then took the bracelet back and scanned it with his phone-sized gadget. “Pretty straightforward.”
Sure. For him. I, however, was overwhelmed.
A client can purchase me tonight? That hadn’t been explained as part of the audition process. I thought I was just supposed to show up and see how the party went. Then be paid for attending. Not potentially entertain someone.
I shivered at the prospect, suddenly very uncertain of my decision to come tonight.
There’s no other choice. If you don’t get Corban the money…
I shook off the thought, unwilling to think of him tonight. It would only make all of this worse. He already owned my soul. Nothing could hurt more than that. Including selling my body.
“Wrist,” the man beside me requested after he finished.
I held it up mutely, uncertain of what to say while he fastened the cuff around my skin. It clicked with a finality that seemed to seal my fate.
“See this button here?” He gestured to the tiny indent on the side of the metal. “Press it if someone steps over the line. Miss Black believes in consensual arrangements, not forced ones.” His gray eyes peered down into mine with those words, a kindness lurking in the depths of his irises. “You’ll be fine.”
Easy for him to say, but I appreciated the vote of confidence anyway. “Thank you.”
He nodded and pressed another button on the elevator, sending us upward. “Any final questions?” he asked.
About a million. But “No” was all I said in reply.
“Just mingle, have a good time, and if someone propositions you, negotiate.” He winked at that last bit of advice.
The doors opened before I could reply, and his palm found my lower back again, urging me forward into another lobby of sorts. “Liani is here,” he said to the petite blonde behind the desk.
“Just in time.” She gave me a once-over, her nod signifying she approved of my dress. Considering the agency had sent it for me to wear, she should approve.
“Enjoy,” my bodyguard
-like companion murmured before leaving me in the lobby with the pristinely dressed woman.
She stood with a clipboard and walked around the white desk. “Oliver explained the cuff?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Perfect. Then all you need to do is enter and socialize. The party ends at two, but you’re free to leave anytime—on your own, or with a client. Just make sure to check out with me before you go.” She smiled. “Miss Black will be in touch early next week with results. Just be advised there are twenty of you auditioning and only two available positions on our staff.”
My stomach churned. Twenty candidates? All competing beyond those smoked glass doors? Damn…
“If you’ll just sign this final waiver, I can grant your entry, and the evening may begin.”
Another waiver? I thought, accepting the clipboard and pen. I’d already signed my life away to this agency without even being hired. What could this one possibly say?
“It explains how booking works. Feel free to read it over,” she said as if hearing my thoughts.
I didn’t reply, my eyes too busy absorbing the words.
Rules.
It wasn’t an explanation, like she claimed, but a list of what I was allowed to do with the clients. Many would want to talk to me, something I wasn’t allowed to charge for. They may even indulge in a few touches—also allowed without payment. But if anyone requested alone time in one of the bedrooms or elsewhere, then a negotiation could occur.