Loving Selene [The Clay Parish Boys 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)
Page 1
The Clay Parish Boys 1
Loving Selene
Selene Maynard was born on the wrong side of the tracks. Remy St. Clair and Jacques Dumont come into her young life when she least expects it and watch out for her into her teen years. The young men from the infamous neighboring town of Clay Parish protect her, watch over her, and drive her absolutely nuts. During the summer of her eighteenth birthday everything changes with a kiss. When the opportunity arises for her to leave her desolate beginnings, she takes it and leaves behind all she’s hated but also all she loves.
Ten years later tragedy brings her back to the small town she’s vowed to never return to and the past she’d swore to forget. Jac and Remy have waited a long time for their Selene to come back home and they are determined to show her exactly what she’s missed.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre
Length: 75,224 words
LOVING SELENE
The Clay Parish Boys 1
Layle Black
MENAGE AMOUR
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Amour
LOVING SELENE
Copyright © 2015 by Layle Black
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-691-8
First E-book Publication: September 2015
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2015 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,
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Regarding E-book Piracy
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This is Layle Black’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Layle Black’s right to earn a living from her work.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
Thank you to my fantastic circle of friends that keep me honest and dedicated to my writing. To my awesome beta reading dynamo, Lorie. Last but not least, thanks Mom for all you do and Dad, I hope you’re proud of me.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
About the Author
LOVING SELENE
The Clay Parish Boys 1
LAYLE BLACK
Copyright © 2015
Chapter 1
Selene Maynard stared out of the airplane window, the murky darkness of the clouds an exact mirror image of her grim mood. Aunt Felicity was dead. She had been one of the few people that had encouraged Selene to look beyond the swampy boarders of Sparks Parish, Louisiana. Selene remembered whiling away the hours sitting on her aunt’s porch day dreaming about a far easier life. A life without food stamps and public assistance programs that demeaned more than provided any sense of security. That front porch had been Selene’s little paradise. A place where she didn’t have to feel self-conscience of the too small hand me downs she’d gotten from the church basement second-hand clothing sale or try to ignore the sniggering comments of kids her own age on that long walk home from school.
That little enclosed sanctuary had been a magic place, a safe place. Far different from the musty cramped trailer that always smelled of stale fried food and liquor, the latter being her stepfather’s one and only love. That love should have been for Selene’s mother but Denny Dupree only cared about getting loaded and reminiscing over better times. A shudder went through her at the ugly memories of arguing with him or hearing his vicious remarks about her mother. Even when she could hide away in her room, she would hear him stomping about the place, mumbling about broken promises and bitter resentments.
Running to Aunt Felicity’s house had been an almost nightly ritual because she never found peace in her own bed. Her dreams haunted by watchful eyes in the dark that would have her sitting up in bed with her heart racing. Selene would climb through the broken screen of her Aunt’s porch door and sit on an old metal swing chair. Sometimes her Aunt Felicity would come out to sit with her, a gentle knowing smile on her face. They spoke little and that had suited Selene just fine. Her nightly visits became such a ritual her aunt often left food or small gifts. There had never been anything really expensive but precious enough to ease the pain of one lonely little girl.
The luxury of a private jet and attentive stewardesses would have been a dream come true for Selene ten years ago, but now? A lump of emotion formed in her throat as another urge to weep made her eyes sting. As a little girl she’d always imagined herself a princess mistakenly born into poverty. In her dreams her real father was in fact a king who searched desperately for her instead of the drunken stepfather she’d been saddled with. It wasn’t until Selene became a teenager that the dreams of a better life disintegrated and she realized the world she’d been born into was no mistake and unless
she did something about it, she’d die in it as her mother, Mignon, did. Alone and broken hearted.
Out of habit Selene’s hand reached up to clasp the gold filigreed locket around her neck. Aunt Felicity had given it to her on her twelfth birthday, simply saying in her French Creole flavored accent, “You’re just like your mother, mon petite. She would have wanted you to have a little piece of her so you won‘ forget love.” Forget love? What a joke, Selene mused darkly. When her mother had died suddenly there had been very little love to go around. The tips of her fingers traced the smooth edges of the locket, the familiar feel of the warmed metal usually calmed her but it seemed to only magnify the heavy grief filling her chest. Aunt Felicity had been more of a mother to her than her own mother had an opportunity to be.
“All is well?”
Selene turned from the window to meet the dark compelling gaze of her boss, Rafael bin Rashid. Her sweet, wonderful, handsome and ruthless boss. For most people he was a force to be reckoned with and inspired fear every time he walked into a boardroom but for her, right now he was a dear friend. His well-muscled six foot three frame was devastating in Seville Rowe suits and coupled with a devastating smile he was the center of many of her co-workers’ fantasies.
Smiling tremulously, she gave a slight nod, her fingers rubbing the locket more fervently. When she had gotten the news she’d been dreading for the last year, Rafael had been with her at the time and had remained by her side stubbornly ever since.
Was it only two days ago the assisted living facility where her aunt had been moved to called Selene at her job and informed her of Felicity’s death? It seemed like a lifetime had gone by since.
Selene barely functioned during the ensuing hours that followed the devastating news. She supposed it was a good thing Rafael had been there. He’d immediately taken charge, making arrangements for Selene to fly home on his private jet. The power of money never ceased to amaze her. With only a few calls and a wave of his hand they’d had arrangements to fly out to go home.
Home? Had Sparks Parish ever been her home? She turned to look out of the window. Felicity had made it more of a home than Selene’s step-father ever had, and now she was gone. The feeling of loss left Selene feeling utterly bereft and more alone than she’d ever felt before.
Suddenly a cool glass of water was pressed into her hand. As if on auto pilot Selene raised the glass to her lips to take a deep swallow of the refreshing liquid. She turned back to Rafael, a smile of gratitude froze on her lips as she caught a glimpse of something in the darkness of his eyes. Something deeper than concern, almost intimate but it faded so quickly for a moment she thought she’d imagined it.
It wasn’t the first time she’d glimpsed something more intense than businesslike or just friendly in his eyes. She’d worked for Rashid Industries straight out of college for five years and as Rafael’s PA for the last three. For her part, Selene had always seen him as her boss and a task master with exacting tastes. When she’d completed her degree from the night school she’d attended, jobs had not been exactly thick on the ground. It had taken months to get a highly coveted interview with the company. Rashid Industries was a Fortune 500 company and known to pay well. People more qualified and sophisticated than she had been in the running for it.
Selene would never forget the long awkward wait outside Rafael’s mega office. Two other women were interviewing that same day and their chic suits and elegant upswept hairdos made Selene feel like the lonely little girl from Sparks Parish sporting the church bazaar hand- me-downs all over again despite her efforts to wipe away any trace of her past. Twenty minutes into her wait she’d partly already made her mind up to slip quietly out the back door before she was noticed but before she could make a bolt for the door her window of opportunity closed with the appearance of Rafael in all of his million dollar elegance.
Rafael had taken one cold-eyed glance around the lobby, his eyes moving over the other women dismissively until they landed on her. He merely nodded and gestured for her to follow him back into his office. She cast a quick look at the other two women, who looked as shocked as Selene felt. Selene stood and straightened her only “office-worthy,” black, pencil skirt and followed quickly behind Rafael. In moments she was seated before his massive desk, trying to breathe through the sudden attack of nerves that made her hands clammy.
Rafael didn’t bother to sit at his desk but chose instead to sit on the edge of the desk, his dark eyes moving over her in a frankly assessing manner. A little spark of anger began to grow at his silent once over. What the hell was she? A cow at the market? The brief silence was broken when he started a quick fire of questions, everything from her education to where she was from. The spark of anger she felt began to grow into some real irritation and she stiffened her spine in silent indignation. She’d seen less intense questioning in crime dramas. The probing questions made her want to grind her back teeth. Her temper got the best of her for a split second, a testy comment rolling off her tongue before her brain caught up with her mouth.
“What does where I come from have to do with whether I can do the job?” As soon as the words left her mouth, Selene imagined a giant hole opening in the floor and swallowing her up. There, she’d thought disgustedly. She’d finally written a check her ass could not afford to cash because she had just lost the best chance at a job of a lifetime. She’d sat tensely in her chair, waiting for Rafael to show her the door, but he merely kept talking as if she hadn’t said a word. The only indication he’d heard was the slight lifting of his eyebrows.
Rafael finally paused in his barrage of questions, a smile tipping the corner of his well-shaped lips. “What I am looking for is someone quick on their feet and a fast learner. Education is important but I need someone with some real life experience. Not some rich girl who spent her life living off her daddy’s goodwill.” Selene gave an unladylike snort before she could stop herself and felt her face flush hot with embarrassment.
Something about the man made her forget her manners. Rafael laughed, genuine amusement lightening the ebony pitch of his eyes. “I take it that as answer enough. Look, Selene… is it? I am willing to give you a chance because Ivy League doesn’t impress me. I never went to any big name college and had to fight my way to the top and appreciate anyone who knows what real work is.” Selene met his gaze head on and for the first time since she walked in the room, felt the beginnings of respect for the man. She never would have taken him for the hard living type but there was a tired worldliness in his eyes that told her they had more in common than she could have ever imagined. The temporary feeling of good will went poof at his next words. “Just remember that I don’t date my employees and I can be a real task master. Are you up for the challenge?” Selene felt her own smile begin despite herself. “You just watch me,” she said, sensing he would respect an honest answer.
Over the next six years she proved herself to be a model employee and then an exemplary PA for the last three. She swore that he would never regret giving her the chance of a lifetime and she proved that with many late nights working right alongside him. Only after many extensive business trips together and more of those of late nights, a friendship began to develop over empty Chinese takeout containers and finance reports. She told him about her sketchy childhood in Sparks and he told her about his life as the bastard son of an oil heiress. They’d come to the conclusion that they had one thing in common and that was the terrible loneliness of their childhoods.
The office gossip kept Selene well informed on her boss’s sex life, which was varied and usually involving a model or an actress. She swore after sending the third “dear Jane” diamond bracelet and farewell notecard for Rafael that she would never entertain the thought of becoming one of his bed ornaments. Well…that wasn’t exactly true, she mused. There had been a time when she’d hoped that she would grow to feel more for the dynamic man but it just didn’t seemed to want to happen for her.
The reason for that was actually two reasons. Remy St.
Clair and Jacque Dumond. A familiar feeling of longing coursed through her body at the thought of the two men who had pestered her childhood and set fire to the first spark of womanhood. An odd combination of agitation and arousal that made her want to grit her teeth. Jac and Remy had come from the infamous nearby town of Clay Parish but they’d always seemed to find their way over to Sparks to pester Selene. In a strange way she had grown to think of them as brothers but that had all changed the summer she’d turned eighteen. The memory still burned into her mind and body even ten years later.
* * * *
“Selene! You come down from that ladder, girl, or I’ll tan that sweet little ass of yours.”
Selene was so startled at the sudden interruption she almost lost her footing on the narrow rickety ladder. Her hand reached out to steady her hold on the roof of the run down trailer she’d called home for the first eighteen years of her life. A storm from two nights ago had left large branches and debris on the tin roof and she knew if she didn’t clean it off the leaky roof would turn into an indoor flood by the next heavy rain.
“You hear him, baby girl?” Selene grimaced at the second voice to join the “tell me what to do” party. She turned to peek down at the two young men who stood at the bottom of the ladder, both their hands holding the wobbly thing steady.
“Mind your own business, Remy St Clair. Isn’t there some girl you should be chasing? The same for you too, Jac Dumond.” Selene gritted her teeth when her show of temper only brought amused chuckles from the bottom of the ladder.