by Tara Rose
One of you? Is that how she saw him? Just another Durante or Raleigh? He couldn’t really blame her. Especially not after what Nadine had done. “Well, let’s face it. Most of us do live pretty high up.” God. He sounded like an idiot.
“Yes, you do. Why is that?”
He shrugged. “Afraid of the water, I guess.”
“Yeah. Actually, that makes perfect sense.” She sighed, then glanced toward the hills. She stared at them for so long that Merrick wondered if she’d forgotten he was there. Finally, she gazed at him again, and a sliver of hope began to build. “You know what? I would love the company. Thank you.”
When she curled her gloved hand around his coat sleeve, he smiled for the first time in months.
Chapter Three
Tom Raleigh would feel confident betting he wasn’t Taj’s favorite third cousin, but the men had once shared a love of climbing the rocks on the western edge of the island. Of course, they each were ten years old at the time. They’d stood on top of those monoliths and imagined jumping into the ocean to defy the curse. It was probably a good thing they’d never tested it.
These days, their carefree past was about all they shared, unless Taj had an IT issue at work. Tom lived an odd hermit-like life in his little corner of the sprawling complex, where computers whirred and spun twenty-four-seven, and where he could be called in at any time of the day or night, seven days a week.
Asa had promised him six months ago to promote someone to help run the department, but that had yet to happen. Asa wasn’t exactly his favorite person either, but he did respect the man for many reasons. However, as far as Asa was concerned, IT wasn’t as important as sales, shipping, or manufacturing, so he wasn’t as eager to make sure the department had enough help. And he didn’t care that Tom was working his ass off trying to run it alone, or that he was also trying to have some kind of a life outside Phoebe’s Playthings.
So tonight’s invitation was a rarity that he’d been happy not to pass up. Taj had asked him to have dinner with him, Jeff, and Alaina. When Tom had wondered aloud at the occasion, Taj chuckled and reminded Tom of his birthday last week.
“I’m betting you didn’t even celebrate it,” said Taj.
“Celebrate it? I didn’t remember it until just now.” And that was Tom’s life in a nutshell. So he was happy to make the drive up the hill to one of the two houses he knew Alaina shared with Jeff and Taj. Neither man was ready to sell his home, so the three divided their time between them, which Tom thought was odd beyond belief. He also would never admit this to anyone, but he was a bit jealous that Taj and Jeff had a sub to share anything, including their homes.
Tom had been in the BDSM lifestyle since college, but he’d never found a sub he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. To say he was jaded because of his family’s views on people in general was an understatement. Nadine’s latest stunt had him so angry there were days he could barely look her in the eyes, let alone talk to her.
Unfortunately, she was always fucking up her computer so his staff had to deal with her constantly. She was over the Eastern territory in sales, which included Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. It wasn’t a very busy territory, so Tom had long suspected that Nadine was visiting sites she shouldn’t be accessing at work, and that’s why she kept having issues. But he didn’t have the time to analyze her online activity. It was all he could manage, listening to her call Ivy Balloux a bitch.
Ivy had been the object of his unrelenting fantasies for most of his life, but when her father refused to give Tom’s drunkard father a job—a decision Tom believed was a sound one—Ivy and her entire family became his parents’ sworn enemies. Nadine was only one year younger than him and Tom thought she really ought to have enough sense by now to make up her own mind about a person.
As far as he was concerned, she and Scott deserved each other. He’d always wondered what Ivy saw in him. Nadine taking him away was the best thing for Ivy, and Tom hoped she now realized that. But it also put him in an awkward position. Now that she was free once again, he was still reluctant to approach her. His sister was engaged to her ex-fiancé, after all. Why would she go out with him?
Even though Taj had told him not to bring anything, he stopped on the way to buy a bottle of rum and a liter of Coke. He never showed up at someone’s house empty-handed. He passed a couple walking, talking, and laughing as he drove up the hill, and nearly crashed into a palm tree as he glanced in the rearview mirror. There was a curve he had to navigate so he didn’t have time to give them a second glance, but he could have sworn it was Merrick and Ivy.
Were they dating? And worse than that, were they on their way to the same house? Merrick didn’t live on this street, and he knew that Ivy sure didn’t. It was possible they were on their way to another house, but whose? And why? And when the hell had they gotten together? And why hadn’t Merrick told him?
Taj and Jeff already had plenty of booze and mixer on the table with the food, but Taj accepted the rum and Coke, clapping Tom on the back. “Happy belated birthday.”
“Whatever. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I have an ulterior motive.”
Tom raised his eyebrows. “Why am I not surprised?”
Taj gave him a sheepish grin. “I have a huge favor to ask you. It concerns computers.”
“A work issue? You invited me to your house for dinner to talk about work?”
Taj shook his head. “Not work-related. Alaina, Jeff, and I want to build a database where others who don’t live on this island, and who are outside of our families can contribute to information about curses like ours. There have to be others. Why shouldn’t we all share the information we get?”
“Bad idea. You’re going to get a lot of freaks and geeks who have nothing better to do than bombard you with everything from conspiracy theories to bullshit firsthand accounts of interactions with supernatural beings.”
“We’re not talking about a message board where just anyone can post. I’m talking about a database where they can submit material, but which we first have the chance to vet before posting it.”
“All right. That’s better. But how to you propose to verify it’s not total crap?”
Taj frowned. “We haven’t figured out that part yet.”
Tom laughed. “Okay. Let me think about it for a few days. I’ll kick around some ideas and get back to you. That’s not something I can slap together in one evening.”
“Okay.” His tone of voice didn’t match the word.
“You were hoping to do this tonight, weren’t you?”
“Kind of.”
“It’s not an easy project, but I think it’s a worthwhile one. Especially if whatever you have that Pepperdine professor working on doesn’t pan out.”
“It will.” Alaina sidled up next to Taj. “Jan is very close. And now she has Shona’s diary, which should really help. But Jeff, Taj and I want to do more. We want to help others who might be looking for the same kinds of answers.”
“Like I said, I think it’s a great project. But I need time to think about how to set it up for you. And what did you mean when you said Jan has Shona’s diary? Graham actually let that thing out of his sight?”
Alaina nodded, her smile triumphant.
“Wow. What did you promise him?”
She laughed. “I think Leta had more to do with it than anything I said. She convinced him that nothing would happen to it, and if it proved as useful as Jan believes it is, the three of them might get off this island to take a real vacation one day.”
“Why is everyone so anxious to leave the island?” asked Tom.
“You’re not?” Alaina sounded surprised.
“Not really.” He shrugged. “It’s home. I’m fine here.”
“We felt that way, too,” said Taj. “But now that the possibility exists that the curse could be lifted one day, there are places we want to see.”
“Merrick and Ivy are here,” called Jeff.
>
Tom whirled around. He’d been right. It was Ivy and Merrick he’d seen walking. Perfect. So much for a birthday celebration. Taj had really only wanted his IT expertise, and now he’d get to watch Merrick with Ivy. Why the hell hadn’t he known they were dating?
Taj glanced toward Alaina and whispered, “Did you invite Merrick, too?”
She shook her head.
Interesting. So why were they here together?
Ivy looked prettier than ever. She greeted Taj, Jeff, and Alaina, then pulled a manila folder out of her bag and handed it to Alaina. The two stood off to one side, talking, their heads bent close together.
“What’s that all about?” Tom asked Merrick.
“Some papers Alaina’s friend Jan sent back with Ivy. She took Shona’s diary to New Orleans today.”
“So I heard. Wait… did you say she took it to New Orleans? I thought this professor lived in California?”
“She does, but she flew to New Orleans to get the diary. Graham didn’t want it mailed, and neither he nor Asa apparently wanted to trust a commercial carrier with it, so Asa asked Ivy’s parents to send someone to New Orleans. Apparently Jan hates to fly in small planes, and New Orleans was as close as she could get to here on a big jet.”
“I’m sure he paid Ivy’s parents quite well for that little side trip.”
Merrick gave him an odd look. “Does that matter? It’s what they do. They ship cargo.”
Tom decided to ignore his remark and instead find out whether any chance he might have now had with Ivy was gone yet again. “I didn’t realize you were seeing her.”
“I’m not. I ran into her downtown and when she told me where she was going, I offered to walk with her. You got a problem with that?”
Tom smiled. “Not even close.”
He left Merrick standing there and walked over to where Ivy and Alaina still stood, talking in hushed tones. “Am I interrupting girl talk?”
Alaina gave him a droll look but Ivy smiled warmly. “No, not at all. We were talking about all the stuff that Jan found on the curse.”
“Like what?”
“Well, the names of four demons, not only one. And the names on Estevan’s and Jagger’s medallions aren’t demons. They’re loa, but she isn’t sure if they’re associated with any of the demons whose names she found.”
Tom raised his brows. “She actually found demon names?”
“Yes. She was able to use the diary to translate what’s written on the medallions, and in some of the documents, but she’s stuck and wanted to have the actual diary itself for a while.”
“So, who are these demons?” He glanced around, grinning. “Dare we speak their names out loud? Or will that rain down fire and brimstone on Taj’s pretty house?”
“You shouldn’t joke about it.” Alaina’s tone chided him. “The curse is real.”
“Then why were Estevan and Liam able to swim into the ocean and save Santos from drowning in that drain pipe?”
“No one knows.”
“If you think it’s been lifted, why don’t you take a boat out tonight?” asked Merrick. Tom hadn’t seen him approach the group, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Call us when you reach the mainland.”
Neither woman laughed, for which Tom was grateful. “I didn’t say I believe it’s been lifted. Only curious about how those two were able to do what they did.”
“Hopefully, Jan’s research will be able to answer that question for you,” said Ivy. “And others. I imagine everyone in both your families has a lot of them. Questions, I mean.”
Tom didn’t miss the way she eyed him and Merrick with trepidation, as if she expected them to start swinging punches at each other.
Merrick smiled at her. “We do, but let’s talk about more pleasant things. It’s a party, after all. And you don’t have a drink.” He placed an arm around Ivy’s shoulder. “Come with me. We’ll fix that.”
Tom watched them walked toward the table where the food and drink were set out, wishing like hell he’d never come here tonight. Merrick was finally making a move on Ivy.
The irony of this wasn’t lost on Tom. He’d waited years to do something about his never-ending crush on her, but Nadine had fucked that up for him. Apparently Merrick had been waiting in the wings as well, but of course Nadine stealing Ivy’s fiancé wouldn’t have as much bearing on him as it did on Tom.
But what did Ivy think about all this? She didn’t look comfortable right now as she accepted a plastic cup from Merrick. Her smile looked forced, and twice Tom caught her glance toward where he stood, that same look of uncertainty in her beautiful eyes. That was good, right? At least she wasn’t all starry-eyed over Merrick. Not yet, anyway.
“Why don’t you talk to her?”
Alaina’s voice startled him out of his self-pity. “What?”
“Oh for heaven’s sake. You look like a lovesick puppy. Go over and talk to her. Merrick has no claims on her.”
“Good to know. But are you aware my sister recently stole her fiancé, and now wears the diamond ring that used to grace Ivy’s hand?”
“So what? Scott McMurphy is an asshole and your sister makes me want to drink at work every single day.”
Tom suddenly remembered that Alaina now ran the sales department with Mark Raleigh. Both had been recently promoted after Sallyanne, Jeff’s sister, abruptly decided to leave her position as head of the department.
“So stop being such a damn wuss and go over there and talk to her.”
Jeff walked over in time to hear Alaina tell Tom that, and put an arm around her shoulder. “Not very subbie of you, is that?”
“No, Sir. It’s not. But I can’t watch this and not say something.”
He squeezed her shoulder, and hot pinpricks of jealousy raced through Tom’s body. Not because he wanted Alaina. Because he wanted what Jeff and Taj had. He wanted a sub that he could love as much as they both obviously adored her. “And that’s only one of the reasons I love you so much.”
Jeff gave her a quick kiss, and then he turned his attention toward Tom. “He only walked her up the hill, from what I hear. And considering she has just as much reason to be wary of a Durante as she does of a Raleigh, I’d say you have a fifty-fifty chance. Those are pretty good odds.”
“Not sure I want to compete.”
“I get that. Taj and I both felt the same way at first. But if we’d each decided not to give it a shot, you wouldn’t be here right now. What have you got to lose?”
“Oh, I don’t know. My pride, for starters. And you and Taj never had to compete. You started out as friends and coworkers. Merrick and I have an odd, convoluted history.”
Jeff chuckled. “Every Raleigh and Durante on this island has an odd, convoluted history. If that’s the best excuse you can come up with, I’m not sure you really like her enough to give it a fair shot.”
Tom bit his tongue because the retort he nearly fired back at Jeff wasn’t fit for Alaina’s ears. “Point taken.” He walked over to where Ivy and Merrick stood, determined not to give anyone in this room the impression he was a chump.
Chapter Four
Ivy felt like she was watching a tennis match as she listened to Merrick and Tom trade thinly-veiled barbs, all while trying to keep her attention focused on each of them at the same time. It was surreal, since neither man had ever paid her much attention separately. In recent years, she’d only thought of them as business acquaintances that she happened to think were hot.
Once upon a time, she’d fantasized endlessly about each man, but those musings were long-buried now. She’d been engaged, for heaven’s sake. To a rat bastard, sure, but she hadn’t known that at the time she’d said yes.
Was it actually possible Tom and Merrick were both interested in her? But why now, after all this time? Because Scott was no longer in the picture? She’d only been with Scott a couple of years. Where had all this attention been before that?
“So, what’s it like to actually leave this island?” asked Merrick.
“Um, that’s difficult to explain. I’m on and off it several times a week. It’s routine for me.”
“Do you always fly to the same cities?” asked Tom.
“The same three, yes. And I almost always fly with Elaine.”
“Which cities?”
“New Orleans, Birmingham, and Biloxi.”
“Do you have the chance to explore them at all?” asked Merrick.
Ivy nodded, then took a sip of her drink. “Yes, all the time. We usually have a layover of a few hours before we have to load up the plane and fly back.”
“I’d love to hear about them one day.”
“Oh. Sure. Okay.” Ivy took another sip so she’d have something to do as she watched Merrick’s face for any hint of bullshit. It was the closest he’d ever come to asking her out, and she didn’t know what to say.
“Are they very different from here?” asked Tom. “The cities, I mean.”
“They’re each unique in their own way, but the climate is similar. Seeing that they’re all southern cities.” Good lord. She sounded like a moron, but that was because the aura coming off both of them was so uncomfortable. This had never happened in her fantasies.
Now that she was this close to them, she realized all over again how smoking hot they each were. If she were brave or bold, she’d be flirting her ass off right now. Instead, she desperately tried to think of something clever to say.
“Yeah, I guess it’s really hard to describe another place to someone who knows they can never leave their home,” said Merrick.
“Do you really think it’s so different anywhere else?” asked Tom.
“Depends. I imagine a place like New York is very different from a tropical island.” The sarcasm in Merrick’s voice was impossible to miss.
“New Orleans is very different,” said Ivy. “The only things similar are the trees and plants. But the city itself is old and haunted. Not to mention dirty and tight. No light, airy streets like we have, or a view of the ocean, for that matter. Of course, you do have a water view there, but it’s not the Gulf of Mexico…” Her voice trailed off as she realized the men were eyeing each other, not her.