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[Charlotte]Two identical couples entered the plane and two identical couples exited the plane when we reached Dallas. Micah and I kept our "seat" for the transfer, and then slowly and discretely disentangled to take seats near the front of the plane in an exclusive first class."Laissez les bons temps rouler," Micah tips a glass of champagne in my direction as he hands me a glass of sparkling apple juice for us to clink, while still being mindful of the baby. He is jubilant, as effervescent as the drink in his hand "Let the good times roll." Curious, I raise an eyebrow at the phrase. It sounds familiar, but where have I heard it before? "Is that a clue?""Oui, Cher. It is a clue. Our next stop will be our last one for this adventure." He promises, kissing my fingertips. "And because of our little 'dance', McAllister won't know where to look." Micah paid to send all the other couples on dream vacations all over the world. The only catch is that they have to stay in character the entir
[Charlotte]Walking the streets of New Orleans with Micah was like having my own sexy tour guide who knows all the best places to eat, drink, and make out. Apparently, it is legal in New Orleans to drink in public as long as the drink is in a plastic cup, so the first thing we did was stop in a cute little bar in the French Quarter for their famous Iced Irish Coffee. I couldn't have any, now that I know about the little one, so Micah had one for the both of us and then hobbled next door to a little dive of a place that called to our noses and satisfied our bellies with the finest gumbo either one of us had ever tasted. Well almost. "Maman's gumbo is better," Micah swears as he finishes off his third bowl. There is a street fair near the waterfront and I can't help but smile listening to Micah slip into Louisiana Creole as he bargains for a few trinkets from a vendor selling items made of crocodile hide. He is so much more himself here, relaxed and in his element.I try to imagine wh
[Charlotte]Micah leads me past the back door and deeper into the house. It is dark and quiet, with a warm clean smell of life and love. The aroma of freshly baked bread and old spices lingers in each room, a part of the walls, a sign that this is a real family home, and not some hotel or rental. This is where Micah grew from a teen into a man. This is home, where he grew up. Micah McKaine is a very private man to most, and my heart warms even more knowing that he is sharing this part of himself with me. And that is how I know this is real, that he isn't trying to trick me or play me. He would never risk revealing this secret side of himself for a game. If he didn't love me, he'd have just taken me to Fiji, or Paris, or had a grand wedding at the Grace Cathedral in San Francisco like all the other wealthy families in the city. Instead, he's marrying me in his mama's house in his own magical secret garden. Taking my hand, we walk together up a flight of narrow stairs to a second f
The nap has me feeling refreshed and the sound of my children below has me energized. I missed them so much!Rushing down the stairs my daughters squeal when they see me and rush to my side, both of them chattering non-stop about their last two weeks of adventures. It is more than I can process all at once, but I don't care, I let them talk themselves out as we sit on Rosalie's couch. "Girls," Rosalie looks at the twins, "You need to go off with Ms. Lacey and eat your dinner.""Awwww," they moan in adorable unison. "But we were just telling Mama about the pony rides.""You'll have to tell her later," she scolds gently, "Now run along, Mes Petite Poupettes and let your Mama et Papa have some time alone before their big date."As soon as the girls leave, she whispers to me. "Mickey tells me you have some very special news," she smiles.Nodding I smile just as big and she claps her hands in excitement. "I will need to measure you, to make sure the breast area is still big enough. That is
[Charlotte] I turned around to give a signal to the driver that we might need help. His body shaking, he gives me a sad look full of regret before closing his eyes, looking away, and hopping out of the car to run toward the French Quarter.Using what strength I have, and the training I had gotten in martial arts by Micah himself, I lower my weight, dropping to the floor and shifting my center of gravity. The man wasn't expecting it, but we were soon outnumbered. Juni scooted across the back seat only to be blocked on that side by another man in a suit. Backed up against the car, Angelique, Juni and I had nowhere to go. "Not so fast, Mistress Kane," the man yanks me up from the ground, pulling me away from the car. Angelique screams and claws at the man grabbing her arm. He tenses, raising his hand to strike her.A feminine hand reaches forward, grabbing her attacker by the wrist and flipping him onto his back. The other men react, reaching for hidden weapons only to find themselves
[Charlotte]After the raucous start to our evening, the rest of our riverboat cruise seemed almost anticlimactic and ordinary. While I'm glad not to be in mortal physical danger anymore, after the adrenaline rush of nearly being killed, it was hard to get my body to settle into Micah's warm embrace."This is not unusual," Micah explains as he holds me in his arms, my back to his chest. We are standing on the deck of the boat gathered with all the other guests watching fireworks over the water."Your body went into survival mode and now you are telling it not to worry. Wrapped in his coat, I pull his collar up to my face and inhale his masculine scent. I will never get tired of how this man smells. I would roll myself in his aroma if I could so that even when we are not together, I can feel his arms wrapped around me like they are right now. Maybe I should start collecting his jackets the way he connects my panties. Hmm. It's not fair that he is the only one who gets to take trophies.
[Micah]My beautiful angel. I want nothing more than to grant her every wish.However, I am a proper gentleman and my maman raised me better than that. Besides, anticipation makes it all the more sweeter. "I am sorry, Cher, but tonight we need to sleep apart," I gently move a strand of hair back from her ear and kiss her beautiful cheek, glistening tonight with glitter like a bright array of stars. "Just one last night before we are wed. It is tradition." Her pretty pout makes my knees weak as she complains about how it is not the 1820s anymore and how the sky will not fall if a husband spends the night with his wife. When she looks up at me with those large, gray eyes, full of passion and desire, I smile knowing that she craves as desperately as I hunger for her. "We will have our feast of each other soon enough, besides," I lean down close to her ear and whisper, "Just because we can't be together tonight doesn't mean we can't have fun. Keep your phone close to your bed and wear
[Charlotte]"Send me a picture," my lover demands as I settle into sleep.I gave up on him calling me over an hour ago and decided to put my sexy lingerie aside. Maybe, if he is a very good boy, I will let him see it someday. But for costing me a good hour of sleep on my wedding day, I will make him suffer. "I am asleep now." I send a snoring emoji. "Bother one of your other lovers."A few moments later there is a beep. "They are all busy." He sends me a picture of him unzipping his pants and I almost faint when I notice he is already quite erect. My mouth starts to water as I think of his hard dick inside of my mouth. "Now be a good girl." "I am not a good girl." I send him a photo of me sticking out my tongue. " :)) Sexy ;)"Jerk.Bending over in bed, I send a selfie of my ass in the air with my face pressed into the pillows. "Too bad you aren't here to spank me."He sends me a picture of his belt on the floor and everything in me tenses. "Later, Love. Now show me your glorious
[Charlotte]I don't remember much after that moment when I first attacked McAllister. I was lost in the moment, avenging my fallen friend, making sure that he didn't get up ever again. And then I felt a sting on my back and a rush of heat. I fell to the ground and the rest faded into nothing. When I woke up in the hospital two days later and Juni was by my side, I thought I must be dead. But I wasn't. She isn't dead, and neither am I. An hour or so later, Micah arrives in the room smelling clean and looking tidy, his arms full of dozens of chrysanthemums in shades of gold and white. "A gift, from the Masumotos, " he explains as he sets them down next to my bed. Juni kisses me on the cheek and says she'll see me later as she leaves Micah and me alone. "The girls are fine," he says as he takes a seat, "And as you can see, so is Juni. Everyone is safe."I nod. It's all starting to feel like a bad dream. A nightmare I didn't think I'd wake from. "Was it ever Juni in that room?" I ask
[Micah][Earlier that evening]Stepping out of my car, I am flanked by my crew as together we walk straight into the dragon's den. Our enemy, McAllister, is going down tonight. We aren't alone as we approach the landing. It seems that McAllister called in all of the faction heads to attend his VIP event. Even the current head of the Skeleton Crew is here, Bones LeRoux bringing full Louisiana flair, from his checkered suit to his ivory-topped cane. Mobs bosses and gang leaders from across the country all gathered in one place. McAllister is planning something. Something big. Maybe this wasn't just about MMK Industries. Does McAllister have plans for a global expansion? "Nah," I say to myself, realizing the truth. "He's just trying to show off." Roger, standing next to me, nods in agreement. For a man who is outwardly plain and prefers to remain unnoticed, he does have a way of making himself showy when he needs to. As soon as we pass the threshold to his mansion, the drab exterior
[Charlotte]The flight over was grim. We are not going to Portland on holiday--it is a rescue mission. Micah and I stayed next to one another, but I couldn't cuddle in his arms the way I'd prefer. We both had to be generals of this little rag-tag army of ours. I have my girls, my Blue Diamonds, and he has his Angels and his soldiers, his troops on the ground. There would be time for snuggling later. If we all survive this. And if we don't, I guess we'll have to find each other in the next life. As soon as we land we'll be going our separate ways. He'll be taking his people to the Tattooed Walls. We'd be McAllister's guests in one of his hotels.Our time went by much too quickly. It felt like a blink Holding my hand, we disembarked together, Micah refusing to let go of me until he had no other choice. Waiting on the tarmac were two cars heading in different directions. If all goes well, we'll be back here tonight, on our way home.And if it doesn't...Using our intertwined hands as
[Micah]I do not like this plan of Charlotte's. It is too dangerous. She is putting too much at risk, even surrounded by her Blue Diamonds. As part of the plan she made with McAllister, she and her girls will be providing "entertainment" for him and a few choice guests. "A private, intimate party for only the very best customers." Just the thought of her in a room with his kind of people makes my heart race and my vision blur with fear and anger."I'm counting on you to make the most of the time we give you," Charlotte demands, holding my face between her hands as she looks me dead in the eyes. "My girls and I can take whatever he dishes out, don't you worry about us. He isn't going to expect that a bunch of strippers are also cold-blooded assassins. But we are only the distraction. We need you and your boys to get us out of there safe."I think she is underestimating him, which is why I need to make sure my part of the plan goes flawlessly. As soon as we touch down, I kiss my beau
[Charlotte]My blood is still boiling after seeing what that bastard did to his own daughter. It is ten times worse than any humiliation that I ever faced by Andy's hand, and it is her father pulling the strings. Did he make her watch Kenji suffer too? Was she in the room when her father's men cut off his ear? We're going to save Sasha and Kenji. And then we're going to burn it all down. But how do we slay this sick dragon? Micah wants to go in full guns blazing, the Masumoto clan at his back. Grandma Masumoto is down for this plan, angry that her favorite grandson has been captured and so thoroughly disrespected. She's already called the cousins in Yokohama. They'll be flying directly to Portland and arriving tomorrow morning. I have another, more subtle plan, one that I hope will distract McAllister enough for Micah to be successful in our little coup.Pitching my idea to him, he tenses. "I don't like this, Mon Ange. I don't want to put you in that demon's grasp." "You'll be ju
[Charlotte]"Can you sign for this?" A smiling young man approached the main desk. I was passing through and our receptionist, Claire, handed it to me. Sasha was out today, so I took the package. Weirdly, she didn't call in, but knowing Kenji's plans for her last night, I'm sure they're still busy "resting" in bed this morning. I can already imagine the wedding. She'll be such a beautiful bride. After thanking Claire, I see that it is made out to Mr. and Mrs. McKaine. Rubbing my finger across the postmark, I can't help but glow. We're really married. It's still so hard to believe, even though I wake up next to him every morning snuggled into his warmth after a night of endless lovemaking. You'd think learning I am pregnant with his twins would cool his ardor--mission accomplished! He's so virile he succeeded in knocking me up twice over. But no, if anything he's even more passionate, even more determined to show me his love every day. "You are so beautiful," he likes to tell me eac
[Sasha]My father has never been a gentle man. Nor has he ever shown compassion to anyone, not true compassion. Not even to his daughter. I grew up knowing that I am not blood-related, that he picked me from a selection of surrogates pregnant with children they didn't want. He didn't want to leave his physical legacy in the world. I was just something for him to control and mold. Love wasn't part of the deal.To be honest, I don't know if he's capable of such a complex emotion. Or any true emotions. He wears masks that people find believable to convince him that he is interested in them and that he cares about anything they have to say, but it is all an act. Just another part of his carefully curated self-image. Just like me--just another prop to make him more "likable" and "relatable." Most children turn to their parents when they need comfort. I never had that instinct, or more precisely, I was never allowed to develop that kind of attachment. The only people who were with me cons
[Charlotte]Humming to myself, I walk to the break room, take a slice of some "welcome home cake," that the office had presented to us this morning, and grab a nice cup of coffee. The cake tastes amazing. I've hardly been able to keep anything down lately and my body needs the calories. Apparently, this baby likes sugar because I am able to eat the entire piece without even the smallest touch of indigestion. Taking a sip of my coffee to cut the sweetness, I start to choke. Fighting back the urge to vomit, I force myself to keep it all down. Fine, no coffee. My girls gave me similar trouble. They didn't like any caffeinated beverages. I couldn't even drink a cup of green tea. "Babies suck," I look at my coffee sadly as I text Micah to let him know our appointment is in 45 minutes. "Meet me in the garage in 10 minutes," I text as a follow-up. Tossing my coffee, I groan. I could have used that jolt of energy.I don't even make it to the elevator before Micah has his hand around my wa
[Charlotte]Things are different when I come into the office the next day. My morning starts normally enough. Micah is already off for his day, gone in early to take care of some "urgent business," and I'm to come in a bit later after dropping off the girls at their new school. My new driver, Agnes, is the latest addition to the Blue Diamonds, and like Roger is to Micah, she will be my constant companion and driver. "Ma'am, we're here," she announces in a tight, southern drawl. "Are you ready, or do you need me to make another circuit?""I'm ready," I give her my sunniest smile even though on the inside my stomach is churning--although I'm not sure if it's about this or something else, something more important. Thankfully Sasha is already in my new office, typing a report when I enter. I know she's McAllister's daughter and I shouldn't trust her, but Kenji loves her, and that's good enough for me. I trust his judgment and his family's legendary ability to judge a person's inner cha