The Reluctant Submissive: Courage to Change [The Men of Treasure Cove 14] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5

  “Found who, little bird?”

  “Our missing sister,” Alex added.

  “That’s wonderful,” Gabriel replied without inflection. “And just where is the missing Sexton?”

  It was at that moment that Alex and Antoinette looked at each other. “Oh, wow, you really didn’t tell him anything, did you?” Annie whispered to Alex.

  “I told you I didn’t,” he softly said back.

  “Then he doesn’t know anything. So you actually just stood there, waiting for him to acknowledge you?”

  “Woman, I just said a minute ago I did,” Alex shouted.

  “Don’t you yell at me!” Annie argued right back. “I’m not the one who’s gonna have to tell him. For your sake, I hope you wore a cup today.”

  “Amusing, love,” Alex replied. “He worships you. Why don’t you tell him?”

  “Because when he finds out, he might whip the messenger and I fancy my hiney the way it is.” Annie smiled.

  “Wimp,” Alex muttered.

  “Would someone tell me what it is that you both think I won’t like? So I can get back to doing what I deplore. I do have a business to run,” Gabriel interjected.

  “Um…” Annie whispered softly, moving back toward the door. “I hear the baby crying, gotta go!” And just like that, his beautiful naked wife skedaddled from his office as if the fires of hell were nipping at her heels. Turning his attention to Alexander, Gabriel noticed his brother, too, had backed away from his desk, and had taken on a paleness to him. Just as Alex was about to open his mouth, there was a soft knock on the door.

  “Enter,” Gabriel ordered and said nothing as Violet Peters walked in and stood before his desk. With her head bowed and her hands gently clasped in front of her, she said nothing, waiting for him to speak first. Violet was a beautiful woman, with shiny raven hair, pale skin, and body that would make any Dom happy. The only problem was that Violet refused to allow anyone to claim her. When Gabriel found Violet over five years ago, she had been beaten and at the end of her rope. If it weren’t for Gabriel, Violet Peters wouldn’t be standing before him. After rescuing her from her watery grave, Gabriel kept his promise and made sure Violet got the medical attention she needed. It wasn’t until later that he learned of her past. But like all his promises to her before, he vowed to hunt down the man who tortured her and he did. The authorities found the Dom who tortured her, and as such, he was spending time in Montana’s Maximum Security Prison. Though he was behind bars, Violet refused to leave the Pleasure Cave.

  Until now.

  “Good morning, Violet. What a pleasure to see you. What can I help you with?” Gabriel asked sincerely. He really liked Violet. She had come a long ways since her arrival at the Pleasure Cave. There wasn’t a Dom in residence that didn’t know of Violet, and over time, each of them looked at her as a little sister and treated her as such. Even several of the townsfolk knew of Violet. As a member of the Pleasure Cave, she was given respect and courtesy at all times. If she felt afraid or uncertain, she turned to Gabriel or Matthias and they would take care of everything.

  “Good morning, Gabriel. It’s nice to see you, too. I came to give you this,” she said, producing a piece of paper from her back pocket. She placed it on his desk and stepped back, resuming her pose.

  Gabriel picked up the paper, unfolded it, and read the contents. Not giving anything away, he folded it back up and placed it in his top drawer, and then asked, “Is this what you want, Violet?”

  “Yes, Gabriel,” she clearly replied.

  “Your requested is granted.”

  “Thank you, Gabriel. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome.” Gabriel grinned and said nothing as she smiled and quietly left his office as if she was never there. Turning his attention to his brother, who was slack-jawed and staring blatantly at the fleeing woman, Gabriel groaned and threw a pencil at his brother. “Pick up your jaw, brother. You better be thanking the stars that our wife didn’t see you drooling at Violet.”

  “I…I wasn’t drooling,” Alex sputtered. “That’s her?”

  “Yes, Alexander. That was Violet Peters, the club’s ex-receptionist, as of one second ago.”

  “Ex?”

  Sighing, Gabriel leaned back in his chair and said, “Generally, when a person resigns and the boss accepts said resignation, that means they no longer are employed and henceforth an ex-employee.”

  “But you can’t let her!”

  “I most certainly can, and did.”

  “Go stop her!”

  “I will not,” Gabriel shouted back, unsure why Alex was being so unreasonable.

  “You have to. She’s one of us…I mean, she’s our sister!”

  “What?” Gabriel asked, slowly getting up from his chair.

  “That’s why I came to you. She’s our missing sister. Violet Peters is actually Violet Victoria Sexton, the daughter of Andres Sebastian William Sexton and Bianca Adelaide Renault.”

  Gabriel tried to comprehend what his brother Alexander was telling him, but all he could think of were the many, many times he had seen Violet naked, running through the club. Before, the memories of how far she had come never bothered him, but now, he wished he had looked the other way or at least had some bleach to wipe his memory clean. It was one thing to help a woman who needed help, it was something altogether different when that woman was your sister and she was promiscuous with the help!

  Shaking the memories from his mind, he plopped back down into his chair and sighed. “Why didn’t you say so before I let her hand in her resignation?”

  “Because as usual, you were all lord of the manor. Seriously, Gabriel, the world doesn’t revolve around you all the time,” Alex chided. Gabriel huffed and tried to ignore his brother. He didn’t have time for this same old conversation. He needed to find Violet and bring her back. Gabriel knew her history, more than he wanted to know, and she didn’t need to be out in the world without his protection. The world was a big scary place and Violet had dealt with her fair share of scary people in her lifetime. No, Gabriel wanted her safe and secure in the club, where he knew no one would ever harm her again.

  “You fix this now. I didn’t spend all these months looking for her so you could just let her slip through our fingers. I have to go meet Tristan out at his work site, so you do whatever it is that you do and go get her. I mean it, Gabriel. She better be back here when I get back, or so help me, I will tell Annie what you did and then you can deal with our wife.” With that, Alexander left his office, slamming the door behind him.

  Picking up his desk phone, he quickly punched in the code for the dungeon and waited for his Dungeon Master to pick it up. He didn’t have long to wait before he heard, “Gabriel, I’m busy. Whatever it is you need me to do, do it yourself.”

  “Matthias, this is important.”

  “It always is and my answer is still no.”

  “I need you to stop Violet from leaving the premises.”

  “Why? Doc Jenkins cleared her months ago and Kelly said she was mentally okay. Both agreed she is healthy and could leave whenever she was ready.”

  “That was before,” Gabriel replied sternly.

  “Before what?” Matthias asked.

  “Before Alexander told me she was my sister.”

  Matthias laughed and laughed.

  Chapter Four

  “You’re fired!”

  Tristan Wallace Summerfield had seen some crazy shit in his thirty-five years of life. However, watching his foreman literally jack off was the last straw. He wasn’t paying the man to play with himself. He was paying the man to finish the construction on his new multimillion-dollar office building that was going to be the headquarters for his Northwest operations.

  Deciding to move his main headquarters to Montana wasn’t an easy decision. But when his New York building received another bomb threat, and it just happened to be a real live bomb in his building, well, he decided it was time to move.

  Running one of the world’s la
rgest mining companies had been bred into his bones since birth. His great-grandfather started the business from scratch, and well, through the years, he had listened to every story, incident, acquisition, and merger his family ever participated in. His life was strenuous, monotonous, and downright tedious at times, but he loved every minute of it.

  Working in the mining field was appealing for Tristan. He loved going to different countries and finding oil, gasses, and minerals that his company could harvest and make money. He was skilled at his job. His grandfather told him that he had the Midas touch when it came to finding money, and when he was old enough to travel he spent his life hopping from country to country with his father and grandfather.

  Tristan had seen it all, from the Great Wall of China to the Niagara Falls. The world was his oyster, and he refused to give up, but when it came to the health and welfare of his employees, well, that was another story. Those people were the bread and butter of the company. They were the ones that kept him in the lifestyle he was accustomed to, and Tristan considered them family. No one messed with his family.

  For this reason, to protect what belonged to him, he made the hard decision to move to Montana. For those who chose not to make a move, he offered them a generous severance package and a glowing recommendation. For the others, who were eager to start fresh in the wilds of Montana, well, he made sure they were taken care of, too.

  When he found the large acreage of land just on the outskirts of a town called Celestial, he was thrilled. Not only was the land large enough for his base of operations, but it was also large enough for a small community to house all of his employees. To make sure his employees still had all the amenities, Tristan worked tirelessly with different corporations to bring in some of the smaller business, like a decent gas station, grocery store, and a small shopping center. He also found out that the nearest town, Treasure Cove, was in desperate need of funding for a new library. So, not wanting to ruffle any feathers over there, he just wrote the city a small check.

  Tristan had done his research well. He needed the residents of both communities to like him. If he had to throw around some money to accomplish that, then so be it. He was happy to do so, just as long as no one interfered when it came time to start drilling.

  Money was never an object to Tristan, just a means to an end to get what he wanted. Why would the towns of Celestial and Treasure Cove be any different? For the last two decades, both towns had gone stagnant. Caught up in the political drought, the two towns had seen some rough times, but what they lacked in funds and entertainment, they made up for in character. Dear Lord, did both towns have that in abundance. Tristan was shocked when he found out that both towns delved into ménage relationships and catered to the BDSM lifestyle. He didn’t judge anyone, hell, he enjoyed the fact that both towns were with the times and free, so to speak. It was going to make his business and personal life better. However, none of his dreams were going to come to fruition if he couldn’t find a foreman who could pick up a hammer instead of his dick!

  He needed his office building done, like yesterday. He was already two months behind on the homes for his employees. Time was running out, and if he didn’t get control of this situation, he was going to lose millions, and losing money wasn’t an option.

  “You can’t fire me, there ain’t no one else around to do this big of a job,” the overweight, balding man sneered as he zipped up his pants. “Besides, no one is gonna want to work for a fancy like you. You ain’t local and never will be.”

  “Oh, I can assure you that I can fire you, and don’t you worry about me, I will find someone else to finish this job. Now, get off my property,” Tristan ordered firmly, standing his ground. Tristan had been around bullies like Mr. Perkins his whole life. It was men like him who gave real men a bad name. The sly comments and evil snickers at one time set his blood boiling, but not anymore. Now, he ignored them, moved on, and forgot men like Mr. Perkins ever existed.

  Tristan knew he wasn’t a typical heterosexual man late in college when he started having darker urges. Urges that bordered on the dominant side of lust. Shocked the hell out of him, too, but what could he do about it? His heart wanted what it wanted and he made no excuses. His friend, Alexander Ellis, was decent about the whole thing, too, as he realized his real feelings. Though Alexander wasn’t surprised, Alex helped him discover who he was truly meant to be. It was that friendship and the cheap land prices that brought him to Celestial and Treasure Cove.

  Working long hours and not giving himself time off was starting to take its toll on him. He needed rest and relaxation. Well, at least that’s what his latest doctor said, but since he never listened to the three before, he wasn’t going to start now. Nope, he had an idea, and if he were right, he could take all the time off after he watched millions pour into his bank account.

  Standing there as he watched his former foreman pack all his belongings, Tristan mentally ran down the list of contractors that previously bid on his construction. The list was small, and Mr. Perkins was the lowest bid. However, that didn’t matter now. He needed another contractor to finish the job and come in on budget. Taking out his cell phone, he was about to call Alex when the man showed up out of the blue.

  “Alex, it’s a good thing you came. I need a new contractor,” Tristan stated, getting right to the point. Tristan didn’t believe in beating around the bush and he knew Alexander was a busy man. Besides, the sooner he finished the main corporate building, the quicker he could get his employees out here and back to work. As it was now, he only had a skeleton crew, and those who hadn’t already found other jobs were taking a paid sabbatical until the construction was finished in Montana. Either way he was losing money fast and that was something he didn’t like doing.

  “What happened to Mr. Perkins?”

  “He was jacking off,” Tristan replied.

  “That doesn’t sound like him. Are you sure?”

  “Alex, he was literally wanking his little stick as I walked on site. I fired the man and now I’m screwed unless you can help me locate another contractor fast. Any ideas?”

  “Well, there’s Trinity Construction, but they got the bid on the new library in Treasure Cove, and last I heard they’re busy making repairs to the local church. You really screwed yourself, Tristan, by firing Mr. Perkins.”

  “Just make the call and have Trinity Construction on the site by morning. Offer them a twenty percent raise if they can deliver on time and under budget.”

  “Uh, Tristan, I don’t think you’re going to want…”

  “I don’t care, Alex! Offer them money and get their ass out at my site by morning.”

  “When are you leaving town?”

  “My plane leaves in three days. I want to see the new contractor here by then.”

  “I’ll call and make the arrangements. Oh, and before I forget, there was a woman looking for you.” Tristan didn’t bat an eyelash, though he stopped breathing for a second. There was only one woman on the planet who would go out of her way to find him, and Tristan wouldn’t put it past her to do so. There was a lot to be said for the personal drive and conviction of women. Admirable traits, but when they belonged to a certifiable lunatic with a penchant for creating havoc and destruction, well, Tristan chose to give those women a wide berth.

  Looking out over the horizon, Tristan knew he wanted a fresh start. This was the place for him. He was on a deadline. The construction must get done, or else. “What did she want?”

  “No clue, and she didn’t leave her name.”

  Damn! Of course she didn’t leave her name. Why would she do that? That was beneath her. According to her, everyone should know who she was. She believed she was God’s gift to men. She believed that her mere presence alone was enough, and those who didn’t know her were nothing but fodder at her feet. God, he really hated that cunt. Then again, he preferred “heartless, cold-hearted bitch,” but not everyone knew her by that name. How she found him so quickly was a credit to her unsavory surplus of res
ources. If she was here, then she knew what he was up to, which meant he was going to have to move up his timetable. Time was of the essence now, and he was quickly running out of it. If he didn’t finish what he started soon, then he wasn’t going to be able to keep his promise, and that was something that didn’t sit well with him.

  “Then it mustn’t have been important,” he lied. “Look, Alexander, I have an appointment I can’t miss. Give Antoinette my apologies. I won’t be able to make it to dinner tonight.”

  “Tristan…we need to talk. That’s why I came out here.”

  “About what?”

  “About what you’re doing here,” Alex stated. “Why are you really here? This is a nobody town. There aren’t fancy shops, five-star restaurants, hell, we don’t even have a state-of-the-art gym or a Starbucks. The only things you are going to find here are horses and cows, and lots of them.”

  “I like it here.” Tristan smirked. “It suits my needs.”

  “Bullshit. You’re better suited in a big city and you know it. You pitch a fucking fit if you don’t have the best damn toilet paper. Are you actually telling me that living in the wilds of Montana is what you really want? Because if you say yes, I’ll know you’re lying. I know you remember.”

  “People change, Alexander.”

  “Yes, they do, but you don’t.”

  “I’m sorry you think that way, but my needs have changed and Montana has what I need.”

  “Then why all the drilling equipment? Don’t tell me they are to brighten up the scenic landscape.”

  “Not that it’s any of your business what I do, but there is a wealth of natural minerals right below my feet, ranging from natural gas to copper and silver. It’s what I do, Alexander. You know this. I want to move my company away from New York. I need the fresh air, and Montana offers plenty of that.”

  “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the death threats and bomb scares you’ve been getting lately, would it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.