Foul Play [Merricks, Montana] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Page 1
Merricks, Montana
Foul Play
Merricks is a small town in Montana, filled with big beautiful women and the men that love them.
Sarah Harding is a shy, curvy librarian, who has always had trouble in the love department. Submissive at heart, she longs for a dominant man to sweep her off her bookish feet. Forced into hiding after seeing her best friend murdered, she never expected to find two hot men willing to fill that role.
US Marshall Blake Hammond and his brother, James, who runs the family ranch, have been hiding witnesses for years. Both feel an instant connection to Sarah that neither can ignore. They are Doms and are more than willing to show Sarah what it means to be under the protection of two men from Merricks.
Can she overcome her shyness and give her heart a chance or will the killer hot on her tail catch up to her?
Genre: BDSM, Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Western/Cowboys
Length: 52,605 words
FOUL PLAY
Merricks, Montana
McKinlay Thomson
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
FOUL PLAY
Copyright © 2013 by McKinlay Thomson
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-924-7
First E-book Publication: December 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
Dear Readers,
If you have purchased this copy of Foul Play by McKinlay Thomson from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
Regarding E-book Piracy
This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.
The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.
This is McKinlay Thomson’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Thomson’s right to earn a living from her work.
Amanda Hilton, Publisher
www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com
DEDICATION
To my best friend, Brooke, and my big brother, Cameron. For all your love and support and always believing I could do it.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
About the Author
FOUL PLAY
Merricks, Montana
MCKINLAY THOMSON
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“Hey, Jenny! Sorry I’m late. Public transport.” Sarah Jenkins placed a peck on her friend’s cheek and then sat down at the table. “The trains are never on time anymore.”
“I know what you mean,” replied Jenny. “I have to catch an earlier train than the one I normally would, just to get to work on time.”
“Have you ordered?” Sarah asked as she looked around the café. Jenny and Sarah had been meeting for lunch at this café every Wednesday for the last two years. They always ordered the same thing and always washed it down with a small glass of chardonnay.
“Yes, I ordered for you as well. Should be here any minute.” Jenny took a sip of her wine and smiled. “It feels like I haven’t seen you in ages. So much has happened in a week.”
Sarah studied her friend over the top of her glass. Jenny always had somewhere to be. She was always at the latest events and openings. She wore the latest fashions and always knew the latest gossip. Sarah never went anywhere. She preferred to stay at home with her latest book. She loved to have long baths and just relax after a hard day’s work.
“What famous person have you met now?” Sarah asked, smiling at her friend who seemed to be literally bouncing in her seat with excitement.
“Well, I thought you’d never ask,” Jenny shot back. “You know how I was at this party on Friday night with the editor of that fashion magazine I told you about? Well, she introduced me to this guy, who introduced me to this other guy, who works for a man called Angelo Russo. Anyway, Angelo is having this big party and we’re invited. Isn’t that great?”
“Not really, Jenny. I’m happy for you, I really am. But I hate parties and I’ll just cramp your style. Just go without me. You’ll have more fun that way.”
Jenny pouted at Sarah, and she wondered why Jenny still insisted on inviting her along. She had even caved and gone along a few times, just to be ridiculed by Jenny’s more stylish friends. One even went so far as to ask why Jenny hung out with such a strange fatty. It had hurt Sarah, and now she refused to go to anymore. Jenny had insisted that the woman was just a bitch, but Sarah still felt awkward around Jenny’s socialite group.
Sarah wasn’t by any means what someone would call skinny, but neither was she fat. Chubby or curvaceous was how she liked to think of it. Being a short five four with mousy brown hair and green eyes, Sarah was never going to be a great beauty, and she didn’t normally mind the curviness of her figure. Only when she went out next to Jenny did she really notice the difference in their body types. Jenny was a tall, willowy blonde, with bright blue eyes. The woman always ate whatever she wanted and didn�
��t put on an ounce of weight. All Sarah had to do was look at food and her ass grew.
“Please!” Jenny pleaded. “You never go anywhere with me anymore. It will just be you and me. None of the others are going, I promise.” Sarah took a moment to think it over. Maybe if she went this once, it would get Jenny off her back for another couple of months. It wouldn’t hurt her to get dressed up and have a night out. Maybe she would even meet someone. That would make it worthwhile. She hadn’t had a boyfriend in ages, and though her battery-operated boyfriend did the trick it wasn’t as good as the real thing.
“Fine,” she said. “Just this one more time. When is it?”
“Excellent. It’s tonight. It’s going to be great. You’ll have a blast,” Jenny replied with a smug smile. It was going to be horrible, Sarah just knew it. Well, it was too late now. She would simply have to grit her teeth and bear it, and then she could go back to being the homebody she so loved.
Sarah and Jenny’s food arrived and they tucked in. Whilst they ate they talked about other things. Sarah talked about her work and the latest film she had seen, whilst Jenny filled her in on her latest sexual conquest and who was doing who among the rich and famous. Sarah always thought Jenny gossiped worse than the local magazines, but she didn’t mind listening, knowing that’s what her friend loved to talk about. It seemed to be Jenny’s entire world. Sarah didn’t think it made Jenny shallow, they just had different interests.
With lunch finished, the friends kissed each other good-bye with the promise to meet at Sarah’s later for the party. Sarah figured that Jenny didn’t trust her to go if she didn’t come and get her, so she reluctantly agreed.
As she walked back to the train station, heading home, Sarah thought back to the day she meet Jenny for the very first time. They had both attended the same high school, but it wasn’t until Jenny had come to Sarah’s rescue that they even spoke two words to each other.
Sarah was never one for sports. Uncoordinated and shy wasn’t a good combination when forced to play team sports. When a couple of the other girls decided to pick on her for losing the winning goal and therefore the game, Jenny had come to Sarah’s rescue before any real damage was done. They had both walked away with some bruises, and Sarah’s glasses were crushed, but from that day on they were inseparable. She was twenty-seven now, and the friendship was still as strong today as it had been when they were teenagers.
To this day she still wondered how they managed to stay such good friends. Even back then they were so very different. Jenny still managed to stay the popular girl in school, whilst Sarah followed her around and tried to blend into the background and hope no one noticed her.
Sarah smiled to herself as she boarded the train and then took a seat. They may have been completely different, but boy did they have some fun back then. Sarah almost wished she could go back, as it was a lot more simple, but with a loud sigh, she shook off the thought and sat back to watch the scenery as it sped by.
* * * *
Sarah was applying the last of her lipstick when the doorbell rang. She knew she was running late, but Jenny must have been real keen to be this early. It was only half past six and they had decided to meet at seven. She placed her lipstick down and went to open the door for her friend.
“What time do you call this, woman?” she asked as she flung open the door. Jenny bustled past her in a flurry of perfume and dramatically twirled around her small living room.
“What do you think?” Jenny asked. “I bought it after lunch today. Isn’t it magnificent?” Sarah eyed Jenny’s dress carefully. It was a deep purple, skin-tight number, with a scooped neckline and an extremely high hem that left little to the imagination. Her long, tanned legs looked great, and Sarah felt a momentary jealous pang. She had finished it off with matching heels and some flashy gold jewelry. She looked hot and she knew it.
“You look fantastic, Jenny. Very sexy,” Sarah replied. “I’ll just grab my purse and we can go.” She turned back toward her bedroom but stopped when she heard Jenny’s voice.
“You’re not wearing that, are you?”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Sarah looked down at her black top and slacks.
“Nothing, it’s just a bit casual. That’s all. Don’t you have a nice skirt or dress you can put on?”
“Okay fine, but I’m not wearing heels.” Sarah went into her room and changed out her black slacks into a black skirt. It fell to just below her knees, but it would have to do. She wasn’t going to run around showing that much leg.
Jenny was looking through her jewelry box and pulled out a large, dangly necklace. “Put this on. It will dress up the top a little more. Why don’t you wear your hair down? You have such beautiful wavy hair.”
“No, I draw the line at you playing with my hair. It annoys me when it’s down. It frizzes and then I just go and put it up again.”
“All right, keep your panties on. Let’s go.”
Sarah and Jenny made their way out front and hailed a cab. It was just a short ride across town, so they didn’t bother with the train. They soon pulled up in front of a large converted warehouse. As Sarah got out of the cab she could hear the music pumping inside. She looked up at the big building and then at the people milling around out front and wished she could just jump back into the cab and go home. Why was she putting herself through this?
“Let’s go,” Jenny said and gave her a little push toward the door.
Once they were inside Sarah scanned the crowded room. It looked more like a nightclub than someone’s house. There was a large dance floor in the middle and a long bar that wrapped around two walls in an S shape. Small circle tables dotted the room, and over in one corner sat large, red, leather couches. The only thing that separated it from any other nightclub she had been to was the large staircase that lead to what she could only assume was the private part of the house.
“Let’s get a drink. Try to relax and have some fun tonight,” Jenny said. “After we get a drink we’ll go for a dance. Yeah?”
“Sure, sounds good.” They made their way to the bar and elbowed a few people out the way. With her wine in hand Sarah made her way over to one of the small tables.
Looking around at the people, Sarah noticed what a mixed bunch they were. She had expected the room to be filled with the usual crowd of fashion-fanatic socialites that Jenny hung around with. However, even though she could spot a few that fit the description, there was also a wide variety of other types. There seemed to be a strange number of men in business suits as well as some muscle-bound-thug types. They didn’t look like security, drinking and talking like they were. The women were the same. Some wore skimpy little outfits like Jenny, and then there were a bunch of older ladies who looked like they were the local mothers’ club. It was strange to say the least, but it made Sarah more relaxed now that she didn’t have to worry whether she was going to fit in.
After Sarah and Jenny finished their drinks they hit the dance floor and boogied to the latest hits, before more drinks and then more dancing. The longer they stayed and the more alcohol Sarah consumed, the more fun she had. But it wasn’t long before the men started to approach Jenny and her attention switched from having fun with a friend to picking up guys.
Sarah sighed as she looked at her watch. Maybe it was time for her to head home. The guy that had invited Jenny had found her, and now they were off in a corner getting to know each other better. Sarah was standing at her little table by herself, so she quickly polished off her last drink. She would hit the toilet, tell Jenny she was going, and then catch a cab. She had a great night so far and didn’t want to ruin it by standing around like a loner. None of the men that had approached Jenny had given her a second look, so she figured meeting someone for herself wasn’t going to happen either.
The line for the toilets took forever. When she finally got out and went to where she last saw Jenny, she was gone. She quickly scanned the dance floor but couldn’t see her, so she decided to check the bar. She couldn
’t see her there. Sarah scanned the interior, trying to spot her.
A flash of purple caught Sarah’s eye and she looked up. Jenny was at the top of the stairs, arm in arm with the guy from before. She was making her way down the corridor. Sarah pushed her way through the crowd to follow. She wanted to let Jenny know she was leaving, but she also didn’t want to interrupt anything private.
Sarah took the stairs two at a time and quickly made her way down the corridor. She had once again lost sight of Jenny. The corridor was long and lined with door after door, so Sarah did the only thing she could and started poking her head in each room.
The first three rooms were empty, and she quickly moved on to the fourth. That room was filled with couples making out. It looked like an orgy. Taking note that Jenny wasn’t in that room, either, she quickly slammed that door closed, too. The next was a bathroom followed by a couple more empty rooms, which left only one.
It was right at the end of the corridor and had large double doors. Sarah paused to take a big breath before entering. This was the only room left. Jenny had to be here. She felt like she was trespassing being up here, and was scared to find out what was on the other side of the door.
As Sarah quietly pushed open the door, her eyes couldn’t take in the scene in front of her. There were three men standing in the room, all dressed in business suits. Two of the men appeared to be in their early thirties and were of European appearance, whilst the third was a balding, middle-aged man. He, too, looked to be of European origin, and they reminded Sarah of those mob shows she was fond of watching.