Love at Carlyle's [Love on the Rocks 8: Special Edition] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  “I’m not going to hurt you. Jesus, you look freaked out.”

  “Well, wouldn’t you be if some guy you just met shows up as if following you and he’s pissed off, raising his voice and looks ready to attack?” she countered and took two additional steps back.

  He went to speak and then he put his hands up in surrender.

  “I’m sorry. I had no right to raise my voice, and my intention wasn’t to scare you. We don’t get anyone up this street ever, not even to turn around because they usually abide by the large private property no trespassing sign at the bottom of the road.”

  “I live here, though,” she replied softly.

  “Now I know. I’m sorry. Listen, let’s start over.” He stuck his hand out. “Magnum Mather,” he introduced himself.

  She hesitated. She really didn’t want to shake his hand or feel that attraction she felt instantly in the dojo. She couldn’t be rude, though, and especially as he raised one of his eyebrows at her.

  She reached out and they shook hands. The instant his much larger hand took hers, she nearly gasped. He stepped closer.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” he said and gazed over her body as he released her hand.

  “So, how do you like the cottage? Anything you need help with?” he asked.

  She crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave him a sideways glance.

  He cleared his throat. “I mean that with the utmost respect. We haven’t had a tenant in there for quite some time. If anything acts up, you can call anytime and one of us will come help you out,” he added.

  “I appreciate that. I have Cavanaugh’s cell number, I believe, but if not then I’ll call Caspian or Darius.”

  He nodded but seemed disappointed or maybe curious of her relationship with Darius and Caspian.

  “Well, I need to get going.” She started to go past him.

  “Are you going to give the other programs a try at the dojo?” he asked her.

  “Maybe. I’ll see which one looks more challenging and give it a try. Have a nice day,” she said and waved at him. He watched her and damn did her body react. This was so different that it scared her. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, entertain any sort of attraction to any man. She knew, for the most part, people were out for what they wanted for themselves. The only one to count on was herself. Counting on others came with disappointment, betrayal, and hurt. She didn’t want to feel those feelings anymore, and the best medicine was to remain alone.

  * * * *

  Magnum got into the house and immediately sought out Cavanaugh. He found him in the home office, working on the computer and looking angry and disgusted—his normal expression. His brother wasn’t happy. Nothing brightened his days anymore.

  “What’s going on?” he asked him and Cavanaugh didn’t even look up.

  “What does it look like?” he snapped.

  Magnum narrowed his eyes at Cavanaugh.

  “So when did we get a new tenant in the cottage?” he asked. Cavanaugh didn’t move his eyes from the computer but he did stop what he was doing. Perhaps a woman as gorgeous and sexy as Precious would be the one to make his brother come out of hiding and live again.

  “It’s been two weeks. She’s a friend of Darius and Caspian’s.”

  “Yes, so I heard. She was at the dojo today. She ran there and ran back,” he told him. Cavanaugh looked up, a scowl on his face.

  “Caspian and Darius approved that?” he asked, which Magnum thought sounded odd. He squinted at him.

  “Are they her keepers? Is there something I should know?”

  “No. Just don’t bother her. She wants to be left alone.”

  “You know this how?”

  “I was told.”

  “She’s a stunning woman. Can box really well, too.”

  Cavanaugh raised one of his eyes up at him.

  “Really? Did she take your class?”

  “Tomorrow I think. She definitely has a lot of training and experience. She seems on edge, though, like she’s hiding something.”

  “Well, don’t push for answers. It’s good to have the income from a new tenant.”

  “Like we need the fucking income. Come on man, talk to me. What do you think? Because there’s something about her, even her attitude, that makes me question who she is and why she’s here. We don’t rent that cottage, haven’t in years, and when we did, we always had someone in the military or someone hiding out. What gives?”

  Cavanaugh closed up the file on his desk and leaned back. “What’s with all the questions?”

  Magnum couldn’t help his gut instincts, and now add in Cavanaugh’s responses to simple questions and something was up. But what exactly?

  He stared at Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh stared back and then sighed.

  “All I know is that she may or may not be in some sort of trouble.” Magnum stood up straight and squinted at Cavanaugh. Cavanaugh held up his hand. “It’s just some things Caspian and Darius said and how they called me looking specifically to rent that cottage. They know we have security and the surveillance cameras, too, although they haven’t asked for me to run them, yet. When she arrived and I met her, she was holding a wig in her hands, wore sunglasses and baggy clothes.”

  “A disguise?” he asked.

  Cavanaugh nodded. “They’re working on getting her a car. It’s taking time, which makes me think they’re trying to register it under a false name or something or maybe get it as legit as possible without causing her to be tracked down here. They said she’s self-sufficient, so maybe they meant about her self-defense skills you caught a glimpse of.”

  “What do you think happened? Who could she be running from, an ex or something?”

  “I don’t know, Magnum. With Darius and Caspian’s backgrounds and connections, it could be anything.”

  Magnum was quiet a moment as he thought about her. “She’s gorgeous, and those blue eyes are so amazing.”

  “Don’t, Magnum. Women are trouble and can’t be trusted for shit. This one has all the warning signs of worse. Leave it be and don’t set your eyes on her.”

  “Set my eyes on her? When was the last time you saw me with any woman?” he asked.

  Cavanaugh exhaled. “Just leave it be. She’s trouble and nothing more. Now I have to get back to work.”

  Magnum walked out of the room feeling all sorts of things. His curiosity was definitely getting the better of him. Well, and her body. The other guys in the dojo were all checking her out, hell, even the instructors. He felt protective then, and now with this little information from Cavanaugh, he felt even more protective and didn’t know why. She wasn’t his responsibility, but he also was attracted to her and wanted to know more. If she were in hiding or trying to run from her past, then having a friend, someone to trust, could help her not feel so alone.

  With that thought, he headed to the bedroom to shower and get ready to go to Carlyle’s to help out his brother for the night.

  Chapter 3

  “There’s no sign of her anywhere. Not even our inside guy knows where she has been moved to,” Mark Vollo told Dominick Duvou.

  Dominick leaned back on the couch, looking out at the beach and beautiful water. The Dominican Republic was exceptional, and the island he was on one of the best small, private pieces of property overlooking the water. He had a private heliport, a pool, tennis courts, a spa, and everything he could ever want. He couldn’t believe that the Feds had been watching him. That Precious was even tricked by that agent working undercover. Benson was going to be killed soon enough, but first Duvou needed him alive in order to track down Precious.

  “Keep working the streets and don’t let up on Benson. He knows where she is. If I hadn’t been sneaking out of the country and putting the full security in effect, plus lacking in communications with you, then I would have planted trackers on Benson sooner. He knows where she is.”

  “Or she took off on him. He did betray her, nearly got her killed, and knew her sister was working her over.”

  �
�But you said she shot Javier and Conan.”

  “They were trying to kill her,” Mark added.

  “She’s tough and well trained. Javier underestimated her capabilities.”

  “What about Swan? He wants his money. He wants you dead and her dead. He hasn’t been successful in finding her and killing her.”

  “He’ll leave her alone now. I called him earlier and assured him that his guy wasn’t seen or identified that night at the warehouse. He remained in the dark, and the only witnesses to that exchange are dead except for Precious. Obviously, she didn’t get a good look at his guy or the Feds would be all over him. He isn’t an issue.”

  “He wants that money, though.”

  “When we get our hands on Precious, she’ll do her magic and transfer more. She’ll do a special job for me and for Swan, and then she and I can move on from there.”

  “What’s this obsession with her now?”

  “Now? It was always in the plan to make her mine. She’s gorgeous, sexy, intelligent, and has the abilities to be a super crook. She doesn’t belong on the right side of the streets. She belongs with me where I can nurture her talents, profit from them, and gain power among the big tycoons. You saw her body. How could you ask me why? Let’s just do what we can to find her. Put men on Benson, track his phones, everything you can.”

  “Okay. We’ll find her,” he stated and then walked out of the room.

  Duvou knew he was calling Sean Koran, his other guy who remained in Connecticut. He was good at tracking and looking for clues in places someone who lived on the streets knew to look. Precious would help pull off this job and then he would make her his woman.

  * * * *

  “Damn girl, you have got the moves. We’re impressed,” Bobby Noel told Precious after they finished Magnum’s class at the dojo. He and three other guys, the only other ones in the class, all sat next to her on the mats. Magnum stood to the side, drinking water and giving her the evil eye.

  “Thank you. It’s a great class.”

  “Where did you learn your techniques? I can see both military and traditional martial arts,” another guy, Ronin, asked.

  “I worked out at a lot of places over the years, and my instructors came from different backgrounds. Mostly military, government agents, and lovers of mixed martial arts.”

  They continued to talk and then she stood. “Well, I need to get a move on it.”

  “Hey, got any plans tomorrow night? We’re all going out for some drinks. Want to join us?” Bobby asked her.

  She swallowed hard. “No thank you. I appreciate the offer, but I don’t drink.”

  “Not even a girlie drink?” Ronin teased her and winked.

  She chuckled. “Nope. You guys have fun, though,” she said, and they all made noises of disappointment as she grabbed her bag. She felt her cheeks warm but hurried from the room.

  Magnum caught her eyes. “You need a ride?” he asked.

  “No,” she snapped at him and didn’t know why. It bothered her that he asked in front of the guys. It was like he was trying to make them think there was something going on between him and her, or he was letting them know to back off. He had seemed annoyed during the class when one of the guys knocked her on her ass, but it was part of the training and techniques. She didn’t care, but he appeared angry they did that. She actually appreciated that these guys didn’t pussyfoot around her. She showed them from the start how good she was and this was the third class with them.

  She walked right past him and out the door. She saw Caspian, who waved and then held a finger up for her to wait as he finished talking to a customer. When he was done, he approached.

  “Hey, I haven’t gotten to talk to you in a few days. How is everything going?” he asked.

  She smiled. “It’s going well. I’m going to go home and shower and then check out a few places for work,” she told him.

  He crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Got any specific places in mind? I know a lot of the restaurant owners.”

  “I’ve noticed that a few places get pretty crowded. I heard from Essie, who is in the other class, that Carlyle’s is looking for a bartender and that Steak-N-Shine is looking for waitresses.”

  “Both super busy places. I know the owners of both.”

  “I’ll check them out and apply if either sounds right.”

  He smiled. “You really don’t like accepting help from anyone, do you?”

  “No. I’m used to dealing with things on my own, but I appreciate the offer.”

  “Anytime. And the good news I have for you is that the jeep should be here by the end of the week.”

  “Awesome. That will help a great deal. I could wait and then venture out further for work, but I only need a few hours. It’s more to keep busy.”

  “I understand. I would feel better if you were close and remained in town. Let me know how things go.”

  “Okay, thanks,” she said and then she headed for the door. When she stepped outside it was super-hot. There was no need for the windbreaker, so she took another sip of water, placed the bottle in her backpack along with the windbreaker and then ventured onto the street to start her jog home.

  When she got to her driveway, she heard the diesel engine and saw Magnum speeding up the street. He didn’t slow down, and with the tinted windows, she couldn’t tell if he waved or not. Maybe he was angry with her. She didn’t care. It was better this way, to not make any connections, nor really make friends, just acquaintances because no one could be trusted.

  * * * *

  Carlyle was standing by the end of the bar going over an order sheet. Jake was interviewing a young woman for the bartending position, but she was chewing gum like a cow and twirling her hair with her finger as she spoke. One glance from Jake and Carlyle chuckled. He was finding her tactics entertaining. This was what the last two weeks had been like. One clueless guy or girl after another coming in wanting to bartend but knowing nothing about bartending. They just wanted to work at the busiest, hottest bar and restaurant on the strip. They needed someone with experience who would look good behind the bar, knew how to handle rowdy patrons, and was ready to work hard. Forget about looking good. He would settle for capable and hard working. The one guy they had for three days seemed okay until Friday night. He totally lost his cool and wound up tossing a drink at a patron. That wasn’t acceptable no matter what they did. There was security in order and even protocol to follow.

  “That was the fifth clueless person who came in here looking for the bartending job. We need to find someone and fast. This weekend is going to be extra busy with the boat races going on,” Jake said to Carlyle.

  “I know. I wish someone would walk through that door who fit exactly what we are looking for and need.” He saw Jake look past him and his eyes widen. Carlyle immediately turned to the left and caught sight of the gorgeous woman who just entered. She started talking to Chester, the host. He was all smiles as Carlyle gazed over the woman’s body. She wore slim-fitting black capri dress pants, tennis sneakers, and a sleeveless blouse in blue that not only showed off her muscular arms but her abundant breasts. When Chester pointed to the bar and right to Jake and him, he stood up straighter. As she got closer, her gorgeous smile and bright blue eyes attacked his body instantly.

  “Hi, I’m looking for the man in charge of interviews for the bartending position,” she said.

  “That would be—”

  “I’m the owner, Carlyle, and you are?” Carlyle immediately interrupted and Jake chuckled but remained there.

  “Precious Hoyt,” she said and smiled then shook his hand. He felt the spark, and holy God was it intense. She obviously felt it, too, because she pulled back and looked at Jake.

  “I’m Jake. I bartend here and usually do the interviews,” he told her and she nodded.

  “Nice to meet both of you. I understand that you’re looking to hire a new bartender. Could you tell me about the position? The hours you’re looking to fill and maybe about this place? I’
m new to town and I’m just looking for a few nights,” she told them.

  Carlyle offered her a seat at the bar and Jake asked if she wanted anything to drink.

  “No thank you,” she said and both of them just stared at her. She raised one of her eyebrows up at Jake. He cleared his throat.

  “Well, the position is for Friday and Saturday nights. We pay partial on the books but the tips are shared here between the bartenders.”

  “Are we responsible for making any of the drinks from the waiters and waitresses at the dining tables?” she asked.

  “We have one bartender who solely makes the drinks for the table orders so that won’t be your responsibility.”

  “Okay.”

  “What experience do you have bartending?” Carlyle asked her.

  “I worked as a bartender in some major, busy clubs throughout college and then after in Boston.”

  “Name one of them,” he said to her and she rambled off the names of three. Carlyle was impressed. They were busy places and way bigger than his place.

  “Why did you move here?” he asked.

  She looked uneasy and then gazed at Jake. “I needed a change, and some friends suggested here. So what are the hours needed?” she asked, avoiding his questions but holy shit was he curious about her. She looked classy, and he didn’t really see her as a bartender.

  “What did you get your college degree in?” he pushed.

  “Business,” she said and stared at him.

  “You’d be working with me, Precious, from six to closing, usually around three.”

  “Okay. Do you have some sort of test for me to take? Maybe a trial run or something if you’d like to give me a shot?” she asked Jake. Jake looked at Carlyle with a huge smile on his face.

  Carlyle waited for her to turn and look at him but she seemed like she didn’t want to. It both bothered and excited him. Was she shy? She didn’t seem shy.

  “I think that’s a great idea. What do you say, boss?” Jake asked.

  Carlyle nodded. “See how she is and then she and I will talk,” he said.