The Nightingale Trilogy: An Alpha Billionaire Romantic Suspense

by Cynthia Dane

  They reached the bottom floor and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The rain had let up, but crowds continued to swell in the dark. With so many cars passing by, they would have to wait a few minutes for Robin’s driver to make it around the block and reach them with the skin still on his back.

  “Hey! You ladies got any money?”

  Robin leaped out of her stilettos, instinctively hiding behind Nala even though the other woman was a good head and a half shorter. Nala, on the other hand, could hardly be bothered by the homeless man sauntering up to them and putting his hand out.

  “Sorry. No cash,” she said. Even if I had any money, I’m probably going to be asked five more times tonight. What do I tell those guys?

  “Baaah!” The man, who smelled like alcohol and an allergy to baths, tossed his hand into the air and sent Robin a stink-eye. “Look how rich you are,” he sneered, turning on his foot and marching away to harass someone else. “Can’t spare even a dollar…”

  Robin waited until he was at the end of the block before stepping out from behind Nala. “That was scary. I had heard the homeless problem was worse down here but… I don’t normally go shopping without a man in present company.”

  I bet. “They’re mostly harmless. Just tell them you don’t carry cash and they’ll be on their way. Be firm.” She shrugged. “Then again, I look poorer than you. That probably has a lot to do with it.”

  “You’re not poor, though,” Robin said, as the car pulled up. “You’ve got Mr. Lane.”

  Nala didn’t have the heart to tell her. Not that she would, anyway.

  Robin took them toward Burnside, to a restaurant sitting atop a historical building and boasting some of the “best seafood” around. What is it with rich people and seafood? Was it a Portland transplant thing? Even when Nala moved back from the desert, she had no desire to try the local fresh caught salmon. Or the factory farmed, for that matter.

  They had their own corner in the half-empty restaurant. Robin claimed a booth while Nala sat in a wooden chair across from her. The waitress hadn’t come by with water and taken away their orders when Robin opened her big, gossiping mouth.

  “So, Gale, tell me everything,” she said, teeth bared. “How big is Mr. Lane’s cock?”

  The glass Nala held dumped on the table. Water spilled everywhere, including in Robin’s lap.

  And that was how Nala responded to the least invasive question that night.

  Chapter 3

  “Sorry, so sorry,” Nala apologized, helping Robin and the waitress clean up the mess. “To be fair, though,” she muttered, once the waitress was gone, “that was a banger of a question.”

  Robin inhaled deeply, composing her long limbs and making sure her red dress went back into place. “Never mind. Just thought we would have a bit of girl talk. I can see, though, that you’re jitterier than I expected. Also, shy.”

  Shy? Was Nala shy? I’m the girl who had no problem with Vincent tearing my dress apart the first time we had sex. Nor did she have issues dropping his pants and putting her mouth all over him. She didn’t have a problem with a lot of things. “I wasn’t expecting a question like that, let alone so soon. Sorry.”

  Her mumbling did not go unheard. “Okay, so I was quick to jump into that, but come on! We know so little about you two. Lucian and I speculate about you and Mr. Lane all the time…”

  “You do?” Why in the world? Because business was happening now?

  “We are a couple of gossips. The man spends more time chatting on the phone than I do… but, that’s not the point. Hey, Gale, I think you’re a sweet girl. Bit quiet and understated, but a loudmouth like me needs that kind of foil in her life. I thought maybe you and I were pretty similar deep inside our brains.”

  The way she said brains made her sound like a hungry zombie. “Braaiiinnnss.” Nala hid her laughter with a new sip of water. “I’m not shy, but give a girl some warning next time.”

  “Will do! Should I start talking about Lucian’s? It’s pretty big, if I do say so myself…”

  What was with this woman? She started yapping about her boyfriend’s dick as if Nala would naturally want to know about it. I already know. I saw it. She would never admit she stopped and peered at the show Robin and Lucian put on back at the hotel. The one that turned me so on that I… started fantasizing about Vincent. That’s what happened. Which then led to the couple fucking each other dead at the sex club. And then at Vincent’s place. And then…

  These people were all about sex. Nala knew it, and yet she remained shocked at nearly every turn. Even in everyday life, Robin spent most of her time thinking about her Master Lucian. How often did they have sex? Were they always kinky? Were they real lifestylers like they presented to The Aviary? Robin didn’t act very submissive when she was out with another woman. Was that something she gave only to Lucian? Again, was it a lie? Or a falsehood at best?

  “That’s… congratulations.” Nala didn’t know what else to say. What did one say when a new friend started talking about her boyfriend’s big dick?

  “I suppose. You know, in this game, men of our boyfriends’ standing come in only two flavors. Big dicks or little dicks.” Robin giggled into her handkerchief. “Someone like you must have discerning tastes, Gale. I can guess what Mr. Lane is like.”

  “Er, well…” She had no idea how many inches Vincent sported. She wasn’t counting. Nala could only go by the difficulty he sometimes had entering her, but that could’ve easily been her as well. “I’m not complaining.”

  “Good! We deserve men who make us happy in all areas of life. Oh, Lucian is so doting. Even when he’s being strict with me and on the verge of punishing my ass, he feels so tender and loving when he does it. I could never ask for a better man. Let alone a richer one.”

  “That’s great.”

  “What about Mr. Lane? Is he the affectionate type? He’s hard for anyone to read. If you ask me,” Nala hadn’t, “he’s not interested in anyone but you.”

  Nala looked up from her elaborate napkin folding. I was once a champion at origami in second grade. “You think that?”

  “Why, yes. Would that be weird?”

  Idiot. She thinks we’re in love. Apparently, Vincent was doing a great job making people think that. When Nala thought about it, she realized he spent a lot of their club meetings lightly touching her, whispering whatever he had to say into her ear as if he said nothing but sweet affections. He’s a good actor. “Not weird at all. It’s just, well, Vincent is not very forthcoming with his feelings and emotions. He doesn’t tell me that he loves me.”

  “What? Really?”

  Robin looked as if Nala told her a cat was dead. “Well, no, but that’s okay. I know he cares about me.” He had to. Wait, what am I thinking? He only wants me for sex and to get to Xavier Crow. Nala snorted at her own absurdity.

  “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I don’t think I could live this lifestyle if my Master wasn’t openly affectionate. It would be really hard otherwise, you know?”

  Nala had to pretend she did. “I don’t like a lot of affection, anyway. So, you really do live the lifestyle?”

  Robin laughed in disbelief. “Of course I do? We all do. It’s a requirement to being in The Aviary, silly.”

  “Of course. I’d forgotten.”

  If Nala got any more head turns and tilts from the people around her, she would start wondering if she had magnets hanging off her chin and the populace had metal implants in their scalps. “You’re a funny gal, Gale. I like that about you, though. The other girls in the group… they’re nice, but not really my type.”

  “Oh?”

  “Uh huh.” Robin almost looked as if she didn’t want to gossip in that direction, but then explained, “Quail has been in the lifestyle for a long while, but Sebastian is a pretty new partner for her. Starling… well, she’s too new for me to know well, but she doesn’t seem interested in returning calls or getting to know us. Maggie, though… hells bells, nobody knows about her!”

  “
I’m flattered you think so highly of me, then.”

  “You’re so blissfully normal, Gale. You’re the kind of girl I want to spend fun days with, even if it means going to the movies or museums. Or shopping! I had a lot of fun today, and I wasn’t shopping for myself…”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Really, she was. Nala didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. “You seem nice, too. How did you and… your Master… get invited into The Aviary?”

  “Oh.” Robin looked away, blush touching her alabaster cheeks. “We’re one of the oldest couples in that club. One of the first to be invited when Master Crow started it a while ago. He and Lucian go back a good ways. Lucian is in trading. Not just stocks, but physical products like cars and the like. He’s helped Master Crow with marketing his medicinal stuff a lot. So, they’ve known each other a while.”

  “I see.”

  “I think it was knowing us that spurred him to start his club. It’s been interesting. Lucian and I always look forward to the meetings, although we can’t always make them.”

  “Naturally.”

  “Anyway…” Robin leaned across the table, lowering her voice. “I was asking those personal things earlier because Lucian is… well, he has a healthy appetite, I gotta tell you, Gale. I knew that getting involved with him, so it doesn’t bother me, but he’s one of the reasons the club has that swinging policy. The only woman Lucian hasn’t touched so far is Maggie, and I’m pretty sure it’s because Jay won’t have it. Worked something out with Master Crow so they don’t have to swing as often… anyway… I’m sure you can see where this is going.” Robin bit her lip and looked down into her lap, sheepishly.

  “Yes.” Nala pulled her napkin into her lap and began pounding it like dough. How about no? No to Lucian feeling her up and getting to stuff his cock in any of her orifices. Heeelllll no! One billionaire is all I can handle right now, and I’ve told him no as often as I’ve told him hell yes. “I get the gist.”

  “I don’t want to scare you or anything. He’s a really great lover, and, well… it’s only right for my Master to offer me in exchange… and…”

  Nala almost snickered at the thought of Vincent and Robin in bed together. I would actually pay to watch that. Big tits swinging and Vincent wondering what the fuck he was involved with. They’re both hot… but no chemistry at all. Robin would be a good one-night match for any of the other men in The Aviary, but not someone like Vincent. She doubted Robin was the type of woman Vincent would pick up at a bar and take home without knowing her name. I guess I’m more his type. That didn’t say much.

  “It’s okay if you don’t want to discuss this, but I thought I’d put it out there so it didn’t come as a huge surprise later on. We okay?”

  Nala nodded. “Absolutely fine.” She wasn’t bothered by the idea of Robin and Vincent in bed together, but she was bothered with being expected to sleep with Lucian. She would have to discuss this with Vincent. Can we get out of the swinging? Please? These other guys don’t understand what I’m doing here. I don’t get off on being bartered with other men. I don’t think I do anyway…

  Right now she only got off to Vincent’s brand of… whatever it was he did.

  Thankfully – blissfully – Robin changed topics. Choosing to talk at length about herself. This didn’t bother Nala, as she was glad to get the focus off her and on someone else for a while. She didn’t mind hearing about Robin’s upbringing, her siblings, her last Christmas party with her family – with Lucian in tow – and all that other stuff people talk about when talking about themselves. Sometimes she would ask Nala a question about her life, but she was able to eschew it by either playing dumb or telling a white lie. For example, she mentioned she had a sister, but didn’t mention that said sister was dead.

  By the time dinner was over, Nala had learned everything there was to know about Robin’s personal world – which wasn’t much at all. I wish I had learned something more about Crow. Robin probably didn’t know much to begin with. She was a pawn in The Aviary. A pawn who was happy to be overshadowed by Rooks and Kings.

  Robin gave Nala a ride to Vincent’s loft. She didn’t feel strange about this, since anyone, especially of Lucian’s standing, could look up Vincent’s address. What was the harm in showing Robin how to get there?

  Once Nala confirmed that Mr. Sugar Daddy was home, she grabbed her bags out of the trunk and waved goodbye to Robin and her driver, bags hanging from hands, shoulders, and elbows. The car pulled onto the nearest main road before something buzzed by the front door leading up to Vincent’s loft.

  “Get up here before the local wanderers figure out what you have in your bags,” came his tired voice over the intercom.

  The door unlocked. Nala finagled it open and began her ascent, hearing the door close and lock behind her.

  Vincent sat in his kitchen, bathed in warm light and going over a stack of files next to him. Wow, that is some boring work he brought home. Nala dumped her bags by the dining table and leaned against it, letting her hand brush against Vincent’s shoulder. The man wore a cotton T-shirt and jeans. Probably what he changed into the moment he arrived home.

  His eyes grew wide when he ascertained the amount of bags at his feet. “Did you turn into Crow when I wasn’t looking and buy out half of Portland?”

  “Haha, very funny. What did you want after I was put into the hands of a stylist who had access to your credit card?” She produced said card from her pocket and dropped it in front of Vincent. “Nice touch sending Robin. Didn’t know you two were friends.”

  “I’m not friends with her, but I called in a favor with Lucian.”

  Do I tell him now?

  “Speaking of him, this shit’s all for a project we’ve started working on together. He’s hired my company to create an app to manage the cars he oversees before they leave port. Could lead to some very nice international deals, especially with the Koreans and Japanese.”

  “They have all the money right now.” See? Nala read some news too.

  “Basically. Did you buy anything nice?”

  He opened the nearest bag – which was of course the lingerie bag.

  “Uh oh.” Vincent pulled out a lacey black thong and dangled it from his finger. Nala pretended to be unperturbed, but for some reason she couldn’t look him in the eye while he fondled her purchase. “What were you planning to do with these?”

  “Wear them, duh.”

  Vincent touched the bottom of her hair, letting his finger trail along the trimmed edge. “You look good.”

  “I’m not wearing new clothes. I already owned these.”

  “I know.”

  Nala stiffened. Did he have to get right to flirting? “Can I leave these here? I’ll take what I’m wearing tomorrow home, but I can’t bring these back to my house.” She left out the part where she had completely run out of room to store things in her closet. Er, her bedroom.

  “You can leave whatever you want here, but as for going home…” Vincent scooted his chair back, but did not get up. “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Um…”

  His hand grazed her hip. Oh no. She didn’t come here to have sex with him. Hell, she was feeling quite unaroused when she arrived. Now? Calm down, libido. If she didn’t rein in her sex drive, she would quickly find herself on her knees with her face buried in his lap. Why is my imagination going straight there? Shit, she was in trouble.

  “You can stay here tonight, if you want. I know you already had dinner, but…”

  “Let me guess,’ she brusquely said. “Sex for dessert?”

  “Only if you want. We don’t have to do that.”

  He kept complicating things. I get it. You get hard for me. Vincent had said more than once that she reawakened yearnings he hadn’t had since Desirée’s death. Yearnings like famished fucking. Yearnings like BDSM bullshit. He wants to tie me up and stick it in me, hard. Nala crossed one leg in front of the other to keep them closed. Maybe I want him fucking me on this table. Okay, that she
might have a really hard time saying no to.

  “You’re an okay guy, Vincent, but I’m not ready for sleepovers.”

  His hand curled around the front of her waist, touching her bare stomach beneath her blouse and tugging at her waistline. “Then don’t stay the night. I’ll give you a ride home later.”

  He stood. Even though Nala knew what was coming, she still was not prepared for Vincent to kick aside an expensive boutique bag and lower his lips to hers.

  I’m a fool. She let him kiss her, and in truth, she kissed him back. Maybe not as much as he was kissing her, but she was definitely into it, even if for a few seconds. Seconds that were long enough to let his tongue dip into her mouth and explore the near back of her throat.

  Nala’s hand went around his neck. She held him upon her lips long enough for Vincent’s hand to make its way up beneath her blouse and discover she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  “Naughty girl,” he purred into her ear. His whole body shuddered, threatening to take Nala down to the floor with him. When he pinched her nipple, Nala finally snapped out of her stupor and yanked his hand out of her blouse. “What is it?”

  She looked at him, taking in his muscular physique beneath that cotton T-shirt – taking in the bulge growing in his jeans. A quickie. We could have a quickie and then I would be on my way. No, no… that was a bad idea. “I spent the whole day with a member of The Aviary, talking about the other members and Crow himself… and your first inclination is to get into my pants?” She should have anticipated this. “I may have been playing for Robin, but I assure you that I’m not in the mood for your games right now.”

  “Fine.” Vincent sat back down. “What did you find out?”

  Nala didn’t expect that spotlight to be shone upon her so quickly. “Er… nothing, really. She told me a lot of junk, but it didn’t relate.”

  “You mean you spent the whole day with her, and didn’t learn a thing?”

  “And Lucian? You learning shit from him?”

  Vincent leaned an elbow against the table. “Touché.”