by Tara Rose
Estevan laughed easily. He had the same gray eyes as Nando, and similar Taino tats decorated his arms and legs. But that’s where the similarities to most of his family members ended. Unfortunately for him, like so many artists, he didn’t make a decent living with his canvases or sand art. Instead he painted homes and businesses, and did the occasional mural for one of his family members in their homes.
“Are you done painting the offices at the plant?”
“Yes. I finished a few days ago. And I’m done at the police station, too.”
“I didn’t realize you were painting that place as well.”
“It gave me a chance to spend more time with Jade.”
Her heart went out to him. He was such an interesting person, at least in her eyes, but she doubted most of his family saw him that way. They probably thought of him as a failure and a disappointment. She’d heard through the grapevine that Asa had given him and Liam a hard time about being Doms to Jade, and asked him now if all that was finally settled.
“Oh yeah. Asa came to terms with it before the collaring ceremony. The fact that Liam threatened to quit helped.”
“That’s what Kade and Elliot did when he called their bluff.”
“Exactly. And he felt guilty over not doing more for Jade when her parents were killed. I also think he was impressed that Liam and I went into the water to save Jade’s brother.”
“What was that like?”
“Scary as hell. I won’t lie about that. I kept expecting something to rise up and drag us under or something along those lines. The currents were crazy. I mean, we weren’t even that far under, but we both could feel them trying to suck us down.”
“The entire island is still talking about it. And about the curse.”
“The curse, yeah.” He shook his head. “Sure wish we could all pool our resources and figure that one out.”
“Well, why don’t you? Nando, Graham and I were talking about it this weekend. You all have clues. Why not get them together and try to find some real answers?”
Estevan raised his brows. “I didn’t realize you knew about the clue Nando has.”
“Well, I do.” Memories of what they’d done in Nando’s office after he showed her the clue surfaced, but she didn’t want anything to show on her face and have Estevan start asking questions. The three of them hadn’t yet discussed how much they’d tell others about what they were doing. She stood. “Thanks again for letting me use some of your things.”
He rose. “It’s not a problem at all. I’m glad to hear you’ll be painting again.”
“Maybe one day we’ll even have that gallery.”
“I wish you’d reconsider it. It wouldn’t matter if it made no money. Nando only wants to see you happy.”
She swallowed hard. “I know that. Thank you. And I will think about it again. I promise.”
* * * *
Nando found it difficult to concentrate at work all week. He only wanted to be home with Leta and Graham. Monday after work, they’d moved most of Graham’s things into the house. He insisted on having his own room for now, just in case, but he’d spent every night since Saturday in the same bed with him and Leta.
They were both delighted to find that Leta was painting again. She was working on a beach scene, and while Nando knew it wasn’t her best work, he was simply thrilled that inspiration had struck her. He liked to think he and Graham had something to do with that, as much as finally telling him the entire story of what those assholes had done to her.
He and Liam were working on a special project this week, revamping the shifts as well as how the products they made here in the plant were grouped. It wasn’t that Kade and Elliot hadn’t run this department well. They had. But Nando had an accounting degree and had worked in that department before being promoted to running this one with Liam. The first thing he’d done is crunch the numbers, and he quickly realized they were barely keeping up with demand.
Liam had been a line manager in the manufacturing department before being promoted to help Nando run it, so that fact wasn’t news to him. But now with Nando’s help, they had decided to work on a plan that Asa couldn’t ignore, and would help them ramp up production at the same time.
They were knee deep in their plan, not paying attention to much else, when Carmen Santoro came bursting into Nando’s office and grabbed the TV remote off his desk. “You two need to see this.”
Carmen was a line manager currently overseeing the shift supervisors for employees who make floggers. Up until Giselle had quit to help Kade and Elliot build and run their club, she’d been over the shift supervisor who Giselle reported to. She was a loyal employee and deserved a lot more respect than Asa or Tim gave her.
She turned on the TV and tuned to a local news station in New Orleans, where a man they all knew as the attorney representing Jesse and Wendy was talking to a group of reporters. The island didn’t have a TV station of its own, but they were able to get channels along most of the Gulf coast from satellite dishes.
“What is this?” asked Liam.
“Asa actually got the Louisiana Supreme Court to consider hearing his case, and Mr. Mouth here made sure that tidbit was leaked to the media.”
Mr. Mouth was their nickname for Morton Stewart, a hotshot young attorney that Jesse and Wendy had hired as soon as Asa began giving them grief about building the resort. He had an annoying nasal voice that told anyone who listened long enough he had not been born in Louisiana, but that didn’t seem to stop him from ingratiating himself with the local media in New Orleans.
He was also one of those people who punctuated his speech with unnecessary gestures and dramatic clichés. Nando hated him within five seconds of listening to him, every single time. “Is this live?”
“Yes. They actually broke into local programming.”
“Shit. Does Asa know?”
“He’s in a meeting with legal that I can’t interrupt.”
“You know he’s going to lose the case,” said Liam. “He can’t stop someone from building here. They have the proper permits and they own the land.”
“I know,” said Carmen. “It’s a miracle he even persuaded the court to hear it.”
Nando snorted. “Asa has every judge and cop on this island in his back pocket. I’m sure he has more influence even in New Orleans than most people here know about.”
“They’ve already got the roofs on most of the buildings,” said Liam. “The setback from the hurricane is only temporary.”
Carmen nodded. “They didn’t lose that much, from what I heard.”
“The site got banged up quite a bit,” said Nando, “But insurance covered it.”
As they listened, Morton mentioned Phoebe’s Playthings so many times it was obvious he’d done it on purpose. Nando cringed each time he did. “Asa is going to shit his pants ten times over when he sees this on playback.”
Carmen eyed them both, her face a mask of worry. “What do you think we should do?”
“Does PR know yet?” Nando picked up his desk phone. “I’m calling Graham and Jagger. They’ll need to start damage control right away.”
“What about Tim?” asked Liam. “Has anyone told him?”
Carmen rolled her eyes. “What’s the point? He’ll only wring his hands and tell us to wait for Asa to make a decision.”
“True. Thanks for letting us know, Carmen.”
“I knew you two would do something about it.”
Nando finished his call, then asked Carmen to hang around for a moment. “Would you mind looking over this plan with us? We could really use your advice.” She’d been a line manager longer than any of their current ones, and certainly had more experience running this department than he or Liam did. Just because she wasn’t a Durante or a Raleigh didn’t mean her input wasn’t needed or valued.
Her smile was bright. “Sure. I’d be happy to.”
Chapter Fourteen
Leta felt like she was living in a dream by the time Saturday morning rolled
around again. Graham had basically moved into the house with her and Nando, and even though he had his own room, he hadn’t spent one night in it yet. She knelt in front of them both each morning now, pledging her submission, and they pledged their protection in return. It felt like she’d been doing it all along for each man.
How was that possible? But she didn’t want to analyze it. She only wanted to enjoy it.
The three did things together just as they’d been doing as friends. They watched TV, played games, and sat out on the deck every evening to watch the waves. The same closeness they’d always enjoyed was there, but now everything was enhanced. It was better. She felt closer to both men because of this change in their dynamic.
The only thing that bothered her was that several times she’d caught them in the middle of what at first she’d thought was an argument, but their quick smiles reassured her. If they were fighting about anything, they didn’t show it in front of her.
While she’d prefer they keep the communication open and include her in whatever the heated discussions had been about, she trusted them both. There were bound to be little things to work out, but they’d been friends a long time. They were both committed to making this work, and she knew they wouldn’t let things get out of hand. And for all she knew, they’d been discussing something unrelated to the three of them, such as Asa’s latest stunt, and they simply hadn’t wanted to burden her with it.
Both men had to go into the office this morning even though it was Saturday, so Leta decided to take Giselle up on her offer to come out to the homes she now shared with Kade and Elliot, and see the progress on their club.
Earlier in the week, Jesse and Wendy’s attorney had gone on air live in New Orleans to blast Asa and Phoebe’s Playthings. Even though Nando didn’t work in PR, he’d offered to come in and help Graham, Jagger, and the rest of the staff work on damage control.
Leta thought that was a wonderful gesture on his part in that it showed not only his support for the company, but for his friendship with Graham. Plus, it gave her time to get out and take some pictures. Kade and Elliot were busy with their contractor this morning, so that would give Leta and Giselle some girlfriend time together.
Giselle looked happier than Leta had ever seen her. She actually glowed. Prior to Giselle taking the job she’d recently quit at Phoebe’s Playthings, Leta and Nando would sit in Lady of The Night and watch her work her ass off while those two ridiculous sisters of hers would lounge around, lazily wiping the counter or tables to make it look like they were actually doing something productive.
When she’d been hired to make custom floggers, they’d been surprised that she kept working at the bar on weekends. But that was who she was. Devoted to her family. But she’d quit both jobs now to help Kade and Elliot make their club a reality.
Now, watching her putter around Elliot’s house, it was clear she was devoted to him and Kade. “We decided to move in here because it has the pool, and Kade’s house is closer to where the club will be. We’re going to convert most of his house into offices, but we’re keeping his music studio intact.”
“Do you need that much room for offices?”
“No, not really. We’re thinking of what else we could do with the house, but haven’t come up with anything yet.”
Leta smiled. “You wouldn’t consider an art gallery, would you?”
Giselle eyes widened. “Are you finally going to show your work?”
“Well, I don’t know yet.” She told Giselle about Estevan bringing over spare paint and brushes, as well as other supplies, and how she’d come here today to take pictures as well as talk about making a ménage work. Graham and Nando had both given her their blessing to tell anyone she wanted about the three of them.
Giselle jumped up and hugged Leta tightly, giving a war whoop at the same time. “I’m so happy for you! Oh my God and I’m so happy for Graham. He’s been through so much.”
“Thank you for the support. And yes, Graham has been through a lot. Nando and I are both committed to helping him work through all that as well.” They took their seats again. “So tell me what I can do. Obviously communication is key, right? But is there anything else? Do you try and spend time alone with each man? How do you deal with their jealousy?” She told Giselle about the few times she suspected she’d walked in on what she thought was an argument.
“They’re going to do that. Try not to take it personally if they don’t let you know what’s going on between them. You know how guys are. But it sounds like they’re committed to this. They’ll come to you with the important stuff, just like Kade and Elliot come to me with it. I’m sure because of your history with Nando he won’t let anything really big fester behind the scenes.”
“I agree. He wouldn’t do that. Those two have been friends forever, and they have a history together during the time I was living on the mainland. I tend to forget that at times.”
“Exactly. For all you know, you walked in on them discussing sports or work-related stuff. It might have had nothing to do with you.”
Leta smiled as she recalled thinking the same thing. “So, I’m doing everything right then?”
“Sounds like you are to me. So, what do you want to take pictures of? We haven’t broken ground yet on the club but the trees are cleared out. Want to take a look?”
“I’d love to.”
“And we can walk to the resort construction site as well. Maybe you can find inspiration there?”
Leta agreed to see both sites because she was very curious about the resort now. From what she and Giselle had both heard this past week, most of the residents of the island had either seen the news story or heard about it, and a surprising number of people had taken Asa’s side, only because they felt it hadn’t been necessary for Morton to cast such a bad light on the entire company. Without Phoebe’s Playthings, the island wouldn’t exist.
“I mean, I know Asa is a pain in the ass. He gave Kade and Elliot such a hard time they quit. But he did try and patch things up with us, and no one on this island can say he doesn’t do all he can to make sure his employees are treated well.”
Leta stopped walking and faced her friend. “Are things better with you and your mother now?”
“They’re getting there. Thanks.”
It was no secret to Leta, Nando, or Graham that Justin and Laila had been accepting help in the form of money from Asa for years, but it was only recently the real reason behind that had come out. Tim had once tried to force himself on Laila, before she married Justin. She’d refused his advances, and he’d reacted by calling her island trash and a few other choice names. Laila had gone to Asa and threatened to take Tim’s rape attempt public.
When Kade and Elliot started seeing Giselle, both Tim and Asa assumed that Laila had told her daughter what Tim had done, but she never had. Both men didn’t want Kade and Elliot seeing her for different reasons, but the two had refused to back down. When Asa called their bluff, they quit. Giselle had finally forced the truth out of her mother, and their relationship hadn’t been the same since.
Leta took a few pictures of the cleared trees and orange flags in the ground, marking the perimeter of their future club. They were going to call it Gisella, which meant pledge. Giselle was so excited about the plans, and talked non-stop while Leta snapped pictures. She didn’t have the heart to tell her nothing really fired her imagination about freshly-cut trees or little flags, but at least they’d have these to chronicle the progress.
When they were done, they walked toward the beach and the house she shared with Nando and Graham. The construction site was close enough to their home that sometimes Leta heard the equipment moving, and she already knew some of the things they tossed into the ocean ended up on the beach behind their house.
“Wow. They’re pretty far along already.” Not only had the space been cleared, but the buildings had been framed and roofing trusses were being placed as they watched.
“They were further along on the roofs,” said Gise
lle, pointing toward a crane lifting trusses into the air. “They lost most of them in the storm, but the frames stayed in place around the main buildings. Now, they’re almost back to where they were before the hurricane.”
Leta snapped pictures, especially of the workers. She’d always found the human body in motion a fascinating subject to try and paint. These would prove a fun challenge for her. “The way they’re going, this will be done by Christmas. No wonder Asa is ready to have a kitten.”
Giselle laughed. “You have no idea. He’s called Kade and Elliot every day, begging them to join the fight.”
Leta lowered her camera. “You’re kidding.”
“I wish I was. He reminds them that they’re still family, and they both tell him they don’t give a shit that the resort is going up. They remind him how good it will be for business on the island, but he seems blind to that prospect.”
“I know. What’s up with that? Nando and Graham said the same thing. Doesn’t he realize how much business Phoebe’s Playthings would have with tourist trade here?”
“He doesn’t want tourist trade. He likes being able to control everyone who lives here year round.”
She shook her head and returned to snapping pictures.
“Celina told me that Arizona and Dallas even put together a mini marketing study, showing Asa how much the resort would likely boost all the businesses here, but he didn’t give a shit.”
“What a sad, lonely man.”
“Well, his girlfriend is gone. You heard Melinda left the island, right?”
Melinda Summers had been Asa’s last girlfriend, and had worked in word processing at the company. “Yep. She left about a month ago, right?”
Giselle nodded. “Kade said he hopes he finds another one soon so he can get laid regularly. Then he’ll be less of an asshole.”
The women laughed, and then Leta pointed toward a smaller building made of concrete blocks at the far end of the complex. “What’s that going to be?”