“They’re both felons, long criminal records and organized crime.”
“Organized crime? You mean like Al Capone organized crime?” Charlie asked.
“More like John Gotti. Yes. They’re connected to the Burgolino family, which, from the detective’s perspective, is pretty well organized. They’re on the FBI watchlist and are involved in everything from drug dealing, bribes, weapons, prostitution, and…and illegal sex slave business.”
“Fuck!” Ben yelled.
“I know. I don’t even want to think about what could have happened to Anna. Thank God she’s as tough as she is.”
“I want her here now. Go fucking grab her out of that restaurant and bring her here, Wyatt, or Charlie and I will do it ourselves.”
“Calm down, Ben. How is that supposed to make Anna feel? I don’t even know how she’ll react to the news about her father’s murder. Don’t you think that’s going to be enough for her to deal with? If I, or you, go into the restaurant making demands and forcing her to leave, she could panic and run clear out of town the first chance she gets.”
“She wouldn’t do that. You don’t think she would do that, do you?” Charlie asked.
They were all silent.
Wyatt finally spoke. “Anna should be finished by three this afternoon or so. Let’s just plan on making everyone aware of the situation, break the news about her dad to Anna, then find out more about what happened in New York. Initially, the detective thought she was involved with the murder.”
“What?” both Charlie and Ben asked in unison.
“I explained her side as we know it, and he wants her to confirm the story and identify the suspects as the ones that threatened her and tried to abduct her.”
“Her nightmares are going to get worse,” Charlie whispered.
“We’ll make her take the meds, and we’ll help her get through how they make her feel. We’ll talk more later tonight once Anna settles down for the night.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. I want her in my arms, with us, right now,” Ben stated.
“Me, too.”
“I wish I could get her out of there, but it will make matters worse. Let’s just spread the word. It’s a small town, and the people of Pearl are family. They’ll pull together. They already like Anna a lot. You should see how crowded the restaurant is. I’ll touch base later.”
Wyatt leaned back and watched the restaurant from afar. Everything the detective told Wyatt played out in his head. He didn’t want his Anna to suffer any more. He wanted her future to be with them, married, raising a family and expanding the ranch and the Cantrell name. No fucking mobsters from New York were going to take those dreams away from them.
* * * *
While Anna finished cleaning up the kitchen and preparing for the following day, Wyatt explained things to Jack.
“We’ll keep our eyes opened, Wyatt. Ain’t no fucking assholes going to come into Pearl and mess with one of our own. I can’t believe they tried to take her and…” Jack shook his head.
Wyatt was happy with the response from Jack and the fact that the town’s people thought of Anna as part of Pearl.
“I know, Jack. My brothers and I try not to think about what could have happened to her. She needs our protection. I know I can count on you, just like when you told me about Stew.”
“Don’t you worry about Stew. Ben met up with him this morning at the lumberyard. Set him straight, if you know what I mean. I swear, that brother of yours is one tough son of a bitch. Between him, Charlie, and you, only a man with a death wish would want to mess with any of ya.”
“I’ll have to find out what my brother did.”
“Okay, Sheriff, I’m all set,” Anna stated as she interrupted their conversation and headed straight toward them.
The sheriff nodded toward Jack, and they said good-bye.
As soon as Wyatt had Anna near the sheriff’s patrol truck, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He rubbed his hands over her body possessively and to ensure she was in one piece. It was a foolish reaction, but he loved her. Fuck! Where the hell did those words come from?
He released her lips and swallowed the lump in his throat.
Anna appeared breathless but still in his arms.
“I missed you, darling,” he whispered.
“I think I like being missed,” she replied, then smiled. She was innocent and beautiful in every way. His heart pounded against his chest. He would wait until later to tell her about her father. Ben and Charlie would want to be there, as well as Stacy.
“Let’s go, honey. I’m sure Ben and Charlie missed you, too.”
Chapter 15
As Wyatt pulled the sheriff’s truck in front of the house, Anna saw Ben standing by the barn talking to a few workers. He turned towards Anna and Wyatt and waved.
“I’ll get out here and go see Ben before I take a shower.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll be back in a little while,” Wyatt replied then leaned across the seat to kiss her. Anna placed her hand against Wyatt’s cheek, loving the feel of his light whiskers.
He released her lips, and they smiled before she exited the truck.
Waving good-bye to Wyatt, she hurried over to meet Ben.
She missed him just like she missed Charlie. It was crazy how concerned she was originally about being in a ménage relationship. She didn’t think she had enough in her to be with three men at once. It was different than anything she had ever heard of before, and she was glad she had held on to her virginity. She could have made a mistake and just had sex just to have it.
She slowed her pace as Ben continued to talk to the men. She didn’t want to interrupt, and he held his hand up, indicating to give him a minute. She froze in place then slowly walked to the right of them and the horse corral. She noticed the cowboys glance her way as they folded up pieces of paper, placing them in their pockets.
Anna looked out at the horses. It was beautiful here, and she loved everything about Pearl. She didn’t want to think about her past anymore. She didn’t want the nightmares and the bad memories to rule her life and weaken her. There was a sense of newfound strength inside her growing stronger every day. She knew where that stemmed from. Between arriving on the Triple C, and having the initial support from Stacy, Max, and Eric she was beginning her healing process. When she met Charlie that first night on the ranch, with his concerned facial expression and ability to care for her, she knew he was special she just had to release her fear and trust again. She had immediately trusted him. Why else would she have allowed a complete stranger to see her wounds and hold her in his arms while she processed through another bout of nightmares?
Then there was Ben. Initially, she wasn’t certain about his personality. He had that wild, confident look about him. Like he could be narcissistic without coming across narcissistic, but instead, he was just confident and sexy. He made her laugh now, but she recalled his explicit language initially made her nervous and embarrassed. Boy, had he changed her. Now, she loved it when he talked dirty to her, and she was beginning to give him some of his own naughty verbal medicine.
She smiled. Boy, did she get them all good last night. The look on Wyatt’s face was enough to make her blush right now. Why she started the game of making them come before her she had no idea. It was how they made her feel. She wasn’t so shy and unwilling to experiment with them. She loved them.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
“Hey, darling!” Ben exclaimed, catching her off guard. She turned to him with a huge smile on her face and practically jumped into his arms.
“Whoa! I am liking this kind of welcome,” he exclaimed, chuckling.
She held him tight, with her arms around his neck before she squeezed him to her.
“I missed you, Ben.”
“I missed you, too.”
He squeezed her back then let her feet back on the ground before he held her from behind, and they looked out at the scenery together.
She loved the
feel of his strong arms. He was built trimmer than Wyatt and similar to Charlie. The three Cantrells were in great physical condition.
Ben kissed her neck as he held her around the waist.
“You smell good.”
“You must be hungry,” she retorted, teasing him. She reeked of fries, burgers, and onions. Her specialty burgers were a huge hit at Francine’s.
He chuckled.
“I’m hungry all right.” He licked her neck, and she rolled her head back until he claimed her lips in a sensual kiss.
“Mmmm…honey, I could eat you up,” Ben replied after releasing her lips.
“I smell like burgers, that’s why.”
“You always smell good to me and ready to nibble on.”
She began to laugh and pull away from Ben as he nibbled her neck a little harder and tickled her.
She laughed as he held her hands at a distance, keeping her from running off.
“Let me go take a shower before Wyatt and Charlie get here. Then I can make some dinner.”
He pulled her against his chest and kissed her again.
When he released her lips, he smiled.
“You might just get you some company in that shower, darling!” he exclaimed as he released her. She glanced down towards the crotch of his jeans, and her heart hammered in her chest.
“You want some of that, baby? Go on up, and get started. I’ll be up in a few,” he retorted, all sexy and confident as usual. She felt all giddy inside as she shook her head and ran towards the house, lighthearted and happy as could be.
Anna was upstairs taking a shower when she heard Ben and Charlie call her name.
“I’m in the shower!” she exclaimed as she let the warm water caress her muscles. It had been another crazy busy day at the restaurant. Considering she was around so much food, she felt kind of hungry. Or maybe it was a different kind of hunger she felt once Ben got a hold of her outside by the horse corral. Boy, was that man a piece of work.
She wondered what the guys had planned for dinner. Maybe she would cook for them tonight. She had wanted to mention it this morning, but things got a little out of hand. She smiled as she remembered the way they made love to her and the spanking. Damn, there was something seriously wrong with her. She should be afraid of that type of control, but there was definitely a difference between the way they spanked her and the way she had been abused. It wasn’t like her father had hit her all the time. Sometimes his insults and hurtful comments about her looks or the way she did something hurt worse than getting hit. She swallowed hard, then turned off the shower.
When she looked up, both Ben and Charlie stood there waiting for her. Ben held a large towel open, and she went right to him.
He wrapped the warm, fluffy towel around her body and hugged her close. She closed her eyes and absorbed the love he gave.
Ben immediately held her from behind and nuzzled her neck after pushing aside the wet strands of hair.
“We missed you,” Charlie stated, but Ben just squeezed her tight.
She got a little funny feeling in her belly but dismissed it. It was probably from the thoughts in the shower.
Anna stepped away and smiled.
“I missed you, too.”
“Let me get dressed then I can start cooking dinner. Are you guys almost finished with work?”
They eyed one another, and Anna got that funny feeling again.
“We took out some chicken this morning. We can just throw it on the grill with some barbeque sauce and have it on rolls with lettuce and tomatoes. Is that good?” Charlie asked.
“I guess so, if that’s what you want.”
Anna felt like they didn’t want her in their kitchen. Was that too intimate? Had she read their feelings and intentions wrong? Maybe they did just want to share her for a while then move on? Her head began to ache at the thoughts.
As she walked toward the bedroom, Ben grabbed her arm.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t give me a ‘nothing’. Didn’t you learn anything after your punishment this morning?” Ben teased, squeezing her arm a little tighter.
She lowered her eyes. She didn’t want to admit her fears, and she didn’t want to hear him say that they weren’t serious about her. It would hurt so much.
She felt his fingertips under her chin as he tilted her face up toward him. Charlie stood beside Ben with his hands on his waist, and his eyebrows crinkled. She began nibbling her bottom lip.
A gentle brush of the lips from Ben’s thumb stopped the nibbling.
“What’s wrong?”
“I understand, it’s okay, Ben, I just assumed too much. Relationships are new to me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I understand that you don’t want me in your kitchen. That’s too personal, and we’ve just started…seeing one another.”
“What makes you say that?” Charlie asked.
“You don’t want me to cook for you. You don’t want me in your kitchen and making myself at home. I understand.”
“No, Anna, you don’t. You got it all wrong. We didn’t want you to feel you had to cook for us after cooking all day at the restaurant. And where the hell did you get some ridiculous idea that this relationship isn’t serious?” Ben demanded to know.
“We want you here. We want you everywhere,” Charlie added as he moved closer to her.
His eyes looked darker suddenly, and it warmed her inside.
“We’re looking forward to fucking you in every room in this house. In the kitchen, on the table, against the door…fucking everywhere.” Ben pulled her close and kissed her before she could respond.
A second later, she felt the towel loosen around her body.
“I say we show her how much we want her in our home,” Charlie whispered against her ear as he caressed her shoulders and nibbled on her collarbone.
Anna rolled her head back against Charlie’s shoulder as Ben knelt down in front of her. He placed her foot on his thigh and spread her legs before blowing warm air against her folds.
“Just a little appetizer before dinner, baby,” Ben whispered as he licked her folds and began to feast on her.
It was merely a matter of minutes before Anna moaned her release while holding Ben against her with his mouth still latched on.
The sound of their cell phones ringing, then beeping, put an end to the feast.
They each hugged her, patted and caressed her bottom, and told her to come downstairs for supper because Wyatt was on his way.
Slowly, and still feeling a bit dazed, Anna began to dress.
* * * *
“We’ve been watching this place for twenty-four hours. What the fuck are we waiting for?” Vinny whispered, agitated that they were stuck out in the middle of a field with binoculars.
“You have to have patience. Am I the only one who saw over a dozen big ass cowboys and the fucking town sheriff? He don’t look like no hillbilly to me,” Jake replied as he lifted the binoculars again.
“Fuck this shit! As soon as she’s alone and we get a chance to grab her, let’s do it and get the fuck out of here. I’m all congested from the fields, and these fucking hick clothes are putting a damper on my style. How do they wear this fucking thermal plaid shit?”
Jake laughed.
“You’re congested because your nose is used to city air not fresh country air. It’s probably better for your health to live out here.”
“With the smell of cow shit? I don’t fucking think so.”
“Those men are always around her. We should wait until night when the workers are in their bunk houses or grab her at the restaurant.”
“The restaurant is too risky unless we enter through the back, light up the place with some gunfire, grab her, then speed out of town. There’re only three deputies. We could take out the tires on their vehicles first.”
“That’s a fucking stupid idea. The town has people everywhere. It’s like fucking Mayberry and shit. N
o. We take her here.”
“Those three men, including the sheriff, are fucking her, I just know it.”
“This is definitely a fucked-up town. We’ve seen a few women with more than one man. It’s a twist on polygamy.”
“It’s twisted, period. I wouldn’t let another man fuck my wife.”
“You’re so full of shit. You just offered Marcus Anna, and me, if I wanted.”
“She’s not my fucking wife. I was going to use her body to get back the money.”
“Bull fucking shit! As soon as you have the chance, you’re fucking her and keeping her for yourself. I’ve known you since fucking grade school. Now shut the fuck up, and use those two hundred fucking dollar binoculars you insisted on getting and hope tonight is the night. I want to get back to New York.”
Chapter 16
It was after seven in the evening. They had finished dinner and were sitting on the porch.
Stacy, Eric, and Ben had joined at Wyatt’s request. The sun had set, and the darkness filled the yard except for the soft glow of the lampposts that stood on the corners of Eric and Max’s house.
Stacy talked about plans for the nursery, and Anna made suggestions for colors and themes. They were giggling and enjoying the moment, and Wyatt felt sick to his stomach being the bearer of bad news.
As the conversation quieted down, Wyatt took the moment to speak. Everyone was silent.
“Anna, I received a call today at work.”
Anna and her beautiful, big, brown eyes focused on his every word. He loved her, damn it, and this sucked.
“It was from a detective in New York.”
“What?”
He watched her glance around at everyone’s faces, and instantly, she knew something was up. She clasped her hands on her lap and swallowed hard.
“It’s about your father.”
Anna sat frozen in place as Wyatt explained everything the detective had told him. She only widened her eyes once when he explained that she initially was a suspect in his murder, but then he was quick to explain how he made the detectives understand the true story. When he was finished overloading her with the information, she still showed no emotion or response.
Dwyer, Dixie Lynn - For the Love of Anna (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 16