Risky Secrets

  Evernight Publishing

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2013 Xondra Day

  ISBN: 978-1-77130-518-1

  Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

  Editor: Marie Medina

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  To the love of my life, thank you so much for your continuing support.

  RISKY SECRETS

  Xondra Day

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter One

  Jayne Royale was a sucker for routine yet for the first time, she felt different about it and everything else in her otherwise near perfect life. After thirty-seven years on this earth, she desired change in a big way.

  Success hadn’t come easy for her, and her dream of being a bestselling author hadn’t happened overnight.

  After a brief affair with college, Jayne quit knowing it wasn’t for her and subsequently went to work at a coffee house in hopes of starting her writing career during her off time. She found her niche soon after writing romance with an extra bit of spice tossed in. Her first manuscript ended up being rejected by every agent she submitted it to, but the next garnered her some well needed attention. With three offers of representation on her plate, she accepted the one she thought suited her best. And after a whirlwind of activity and mega interest from four major publishing houses, her novel went up on auction. She did extremely well, and the sum she got was enough to allow her to quit her day job. Those memories were good, but unfortunately there were others she preferred to banish to the dark recesses of her mind. Some things couldn’t be relegated to the past no matter how hard she tried to keep them there.

  Jayne sat at the small breakfast nook in her large kitchen with her laptop in front of her. She glanced out through the window, which overlooked the backyard. This house was her nest and sanctuary from the outside world. She loved living here, and it was a bonus that it was located in a great area of the city. Everything she needed was located within a reasonable distance. She considered herself fortunate, but it had all come with a price attached to it.

  Relationships never worked out. Men in general remained a mystery to her. She didn’t have the penchant for smiling and saying all the right things when in mixed company. She’d been with Brice the longest, but that ended when she discovered that he had been cheating on her with some lingerie model he’d met through work. And wasn’t that a freaking kick in the pants. She practically took care of him throughout their two years together. She paid his way while he contributed nothing to the household, preferring to spend his entire paycheck on only things that he wanted and deemed necessary. How could she have been so stupid and blind to everything? Other than his good looks, Brice had nothing. The sex hadn’t even been good between them.

  Jayne rolled her eyes as she thought more about Brice and their time together. If only he’d been more like the men she wrote about in her books. If only men like them existed in real life. Perhaps that’s why her books sold so well. They fed the female fantasy of the ideal man. She wrote about handsome alpha heroes who took care of their women in every way. Escapism was a wonderful thing. She often took refuge in books herself for that very same reason. Like them, she dreamt of the perfect man, but for most, he didn’t exist.

  Jayne’s heroine in the current book she was writing was a headstrong woman much like herself who eventually finds change in her life along with sexual liberation at the hands of two spectacular heroes who treat her with both love and respect. This was a big selling point with readers. Ménage romance was extremely popular, and it was fun to write about the many possibilities of a three-way romance.

  Jayne was over halfway done and the day after tomorrow she planned on driving upstate to her lake house to finish it off. She estimated it would take another two weeks of writing along with some minor revising to get it completed. She would then forward the finished book to her agent to take a look at it. After that it would go out on submission. She loved the writing and publishing process. To have people reading and loving her stories was fulfilling in a way that couldn’t be described with words. She truly appreciated every fan. If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t have had a writing career to start with.

  “Hello?” called a voice coming from the front of the house. “Jayne, are you there?”

  It was Jayne’s friend and neighbor from next door. She closed the laptop and walked out of the kitchen headed in the direction of the voice. No doubt Debbie was here to get the details on when she was leaving to go upstate. “I’m here,” she called back as she walked.

  “And working on some sensuous love scene I bet,” Debbie kidded. She winked and smiled. “Do tell, will this book be as hot as the last?”

  “Of course, I wouldn’t write anything less.” Jayne pointed towards the kitchen. “The coffee’s fresh.”

  “I’m dying for a cup.” She followed Jayne into the kitchen. “Did I mention that I adore this house? I should have bought it when it was put up on the market.”

  “Why didn’t you? After all, you were the one who sold it to me. But I’m glad you didn’t. I can’t imagine calling another place home.” Not that Debbie’s house was shabby by any stretch of the imagination. The successful realtor, wife, and mother of three gorgeous children lived in a superb house next door.

  “I wanted the commission,” Debbie replied. She smirked and winked once again. “And you shouldn’t leave your front door open like that. This is still the city. We’re in a nice neighborhood, but you never know what crazies are out there lurking.”

  Jayne pondered Debbie’s comment and agreed with her as she poured two cups of coffee. “Point taken.” Debbie had agreed to keep an eye to the house while she was away. Even with a first rate security system, she felt much better knowing that an actual human being was nearby to see to the place.

  “I have to ask you a question,” Debbie said, sitting at the kitchen table. “Please keep an open mind.”

  “Dare I even ask what that’s about?” Jayne sat across from her friend and nursed her cup of coffee.

  “Brad has a friend,” Debbie began. “And he’s going to be in town next month on extended stay for work.” She paused and fiddled with the handle of her cup. “I was thinking that I could set you up with him. We could all go out somewhere fun for dinner. I know you’re going to say no, but I figured there was no harm in asking you.”

  “A blind date?” Jayne shook her head. “That’s not my thing.”

  “He’s rich,” Debbie replied quickly, as if that revelation would sweeten the pot. “And very handsome.”

  “If this is true then why is he still single?”

  “I don’t need an answer now. Take some time to think about it. It mightn’t be so bad.”

  Jayne coughed and cleared her throat. She knew that Debbie only wanted the best for her and happiness was included in that package. She was a good friend. “I’ll give it some thought while I’m away at the lake. But I’m not saying anything one way or the other. Blind dates tend to be disastrous.” Jayne cringed at the thought of being on a date with some stranger. Nothing about it intrigued her or sparked her interest.

  ****

  Keith Barrington liked his job, and living in Pine Bluff was a little slice of heaven in itself. He’d lived all of his life in the small town that basically supported the residents of ne
arby Somerset Lake. Some lived their year round while others only opened up their houses during the summer months.

  The lake wasn’t far from town and growing up the land around it for the most part was vastly untamed. That had changed during the past twenty or so years as developers moved in. Now it was a popular spot for rich people looking to take a break from city life. It wasn’t a bad thing. These people helped drive the economy in Pine Bluff. With them came a lot of money and it kept him in a job. They needed someone local to provide maintenance to their homes and the grounds would always need keeping. Without a job he would have moved away long ago, but it was the allure of being self-employed that cinched the deal for him. He punched his own hours. What more could a man ask for?

  Work slowed down during the winter months. It was his job to close up his clients’ homes and reopen when they decided to come back. For this they paid him a flat yearly rate plus any other expenses he incurred outside the norm of his usual duties. With close to forty properties under his care, Barrington Property Management had become an extremely lucrative business. This made him proud.

  Earlier that week he’d received a call from one of his clients, Jayne Royale. He didn’t know much about her other than she was some big name author who wrote what most in these parts called dirty books. He recognized her name on a couple book covers while getting checked out at the local grocery store. The shirtless men on the covers looked silly to him, but he had to admit that he was a little curious to read what was written on the pages within. He’d never have the nerve to buy them in person. He’d become the talk of Pine Bluff if he did, but online shopping was an amazing thing. He often relied on it to get things that he couldn’t purchase directly in person. Ms. Royale’s books did spark something inside of him he imagined. They had to because two days later after he placed his online order for two of her books they arrived at his doorstep packaged discreetly, much to his relief. The books were hidden under his bed still in their box and had been since their delivery. Keith finished the rest of his coffee while he thought about what he had on his agenda for today. There wasn’t much. It was mid-afternoon and heading into his bedroom, he knelt down at the edge of the bed and fished the box out from under it. He pulled the books out one at a time and smirked at their suggestive titles. He opened one book and started reading pages at random.

  Midway through the book he spotted a few words that immediately grabbed his attention and pulled him in. The scene involved a woman named Kayla and two men who were dominating her. He wasn’t that hick that he didn’t know what BDSM was. As he read, he envisioned in his mind what was taking place. The imagery painted with Ms. Royale’s words took him there. He was in the room with the characters watching them. When the scene finished, he closed the book and chucked it back in the box with the other. He reached down and readjusted his swollen crotch. He couldn’t wait to meet the woman behind the naught words.

  ****

  Blind dates were not Jayne’s thing, and there was no way in hell that Debbie was going to convince her to go out with this guy. Jayne pushed the icky thought from her mind and placed her focus back on her writing. She looked through the last few pages she’d already written and smiled as she read through the previous scene. Her skin tingled as she thought about the hot three-way action. It was a sticky situation for each character all around.

  Jayne typed fast as she finished off the chapter before she closed her laptop. The phone rang, and she jumped slightly. She clicked talk as she answered the cordless. “Hello.”

  “And how are you today?” asked the pleasant voice on the other end of the connection. It was her agent, Marilla Davis. This was the woman who had helped take her to the top of her career. She’d always be eternally grateful to Marilla for that.

  “I’m good,” Jayne replied. She sat back in the chair behind her desk and wondered what had prompted this unwanted call from Marilla. Considering that Marilla did most of her correspondence through email, it had to be important and pressing.

  Jayne listened as Marilla made small talk. She pictured the older woman sitting at her desk in her big New York office no doubt impeccably dressed in Chanel or some other big name designer as she closed huge deals for her clients. Marilla was a gem and well respected within the publishing industry. She was a powerhouse all on her own.

  “I do have a reason for this call,” Marilla said. “I already have an offer for your latest book. It’s the biggest yet, and the damned thing isn’t even finished. Imagine that!”

  “Are you serious? It’s only half written,” Jayne explained, exasperated at the idea.

  “That’s nothing to be concerned about. You have a track record that’s unprecedented. Your reputation is like gold. How’s it coming along?”

  “It’s nearing the end. I’m heading up to the lake to finish it.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Marilla replied. She sounded relieved and pleased.

  “How much is the offer?” Jayne had to ask, and she nearly fell out of her chair when Marilla revealed the figure to her. “That can’t be,” she exclaimed. That was one hell of a huge amount of money for one book.

  “Why is this surprising to you? Your books always make every bestseller list in the genre. You’re a hot commodity.” This was Marilla’s simple explanation. “Think about it and when the book is finished, get it to me ASAP.”

  The phone call finished shortly thereafter. There was always a ton of pressure on her shoulders whenever she turned in a book to Marilla, but now Jayne felt it more so than ever before. She felt confident about her writing, and having a huge readership made every book a complete success. But in the back of her mind there was always the fear of failing. Jayne guessed that was part of being human. Being humble was a good trait to have. It was an asset. It kept her grounded. This part of her would never change.

  Chapter Two

  Friday nights in small towns rarely changed, and Pine Bluff was not an exception to the rule. Keith looked around at the other patrons surrounding him in Lucky’s Bar. This was one of two bars in town that catered mostly to the locals. There wasn’t much on the go. A couple of guys played pool in one corner while other patrons sat around as music blasted from the 1950s retro jukebox spinning one oldie after another.

  Keith sipped his beer as he sat at the bar. He glanced up at the bartender who had served him a couple minutes before. The guy was new. He couldn’t remember seeing him around town or in Lucky’s before tonight. He tried to place the stranger, but this was indeed the first time they’d met. He would have remembered this guy’s face. Dude was handsome in a rugged kind of way. Not that he’d ever admit to finding another guy attractive.

  Nobody knew about his attraction to other men. That was a secret that Keith had managed to keep hidden. Small towns were like that—full of secrets. The people in Pine Bluff wouldn’t understand. Hell, sometimes he didn’t. And for some reason, every single time he knocked back a couple of beers that side of him always rose dangerously to the surface. It lurked inside him waiting to be awakened from a long supressed slumber. Here it was again tonight rearing its ugly head.

  Keith’s earliest memory knowing that he was different from other boys traced back to when he was eight years old. He liked being around boys more than girls. At that age this wasn’t uncommon, but his feelings went a little deeper than the norm. By the time he was thirteen, he’d thought that he was gay. But it was his attraction for some girls that confused the hell out of him and threw a wrench into the mix. From everything he’d seen on television and heard just from paying close attention to the world around him, gay guys didn’t like girls sexually. He did. He found them attractive in a different way than he did boys.

  Brent Peters had been his first boy crush. Keith was seventeen at the time. He’s been best friends with Brent for three years. It happened the summer before their senior year. It had been fucking hell hiding his true feelings for his friend. At times they seemed closer than friends. That’s how it had felt to him. Maybe it had been
wishful thinking on his part. After weeks of trying to muster up the courage to tell Brent how he truly felt for him, he got the courage and tried to kiss him one night when they were alone at Brent’s house playing video games. It didn’t go well. Brent freaked and kicked him out of the house. In less than two minutes their friendship had ended.

  “Another?”

  Keith looked up from his half full bottle. Brent and that shitty incident still played heavily on his mind. Almost eighteen years had passed, yet it seemed like yesterday. Time has a funny way of playing with a person’s mind like that. He eyed the bartender. “Sure.” He lifted his bottle and titled his head just a little. “Another, it isn’t like I have anywhere else to go.”

  The bartender nodded in agreement. “It’s quiet around here. It’s going to take me time to get used to that.” He retrieved a bottle of beer from the cooler behind the bar. He twisted the cap off and handed it to Keith. “Name’s Tom.”

  He extended his hand to Tom. “You’re not from Pine Bluff. I’d remember you if you were.” The beers he’d drunk were definitely working their magic on him. He felt slightly naughty as he caught Tom’s gaze. Keith held it for a moment before turning away. He smiled. “This is Pine Bluff. Nothing exciting ever happens around here.”

  Tom raised one brow. “Sometimes a person has to make their own fun.” A sexy, wicked grin curled across his lips that exposed a deep dimple embedded in each cheek. “I assume that you too have a name?”

  “A name?” Keith’s mind pulled a blank. Was this guy flirting with him? Was this for real? “It’s Keith.”

  “One of my favorite names,” Tom replied. A customer came to the bar and after Tom served him, he returned to where Keith sat. “You should hang around till closing.”