The last seduction?

Elana and Thom’s rehearsal dinner should be a night to celebrate romance. Instead, Mariella is missing in action, a surprise guest is slipping through the crowd, Luc is fending off blatant requests for a ring from Rachel...and the Fixer is scrambling to keep all Marshalls on message! Seductive distractions loom large for everyone tonight—but are any of them dangerous enough (or sexy enough!) to derail the wedding?

Super Rich. Super Sexy. Super Addictive.

Secrets of the A-List—read all 12 episodes!

Secrets of the A-List (Episode 7 of 12)

Yahrah St. John

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Praise for Yahrah St. John

“The themes of healing and starting anew will inspire readers in this unpredictable, unique novel.”

—RT Book Reviews on A Chance with You

About the Author

YAHRAH ST. JOHN is the author of twenty-two books. St. John is the recipient of the 2013 RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Kimani Romance for her title A Chance with You. When she’s not at home crafting one of her sexy romances, she can be found in the kitchen cooking one of her gourmet meals discovered on the Food Network for her husband. Or this thrill junkie can be found traveling the globe seeking out her next adventure.

A graduate of Hyde Park Career Academy, she earned a bachelor of arts degree in English from Northwestern University. St. John is a member of Romance Writers of America but is an avid reader of all genres. She lives in sunny Orlando, the City Beautiful, where there’s great weather all year round. For more information, please visit www.yahrahstjohn.com.

Dedication

To my agent, Christine Witthohn, for encouraging me to write this serial. You’re the best!

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Title Page

Praise

About the Author

Dedication

Episode Seven

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Copyright

Episode Seven

The hits keep coming for Mariella Santiago-Marshall. She’s gotten a call from Harrison’s mistress—his pregnant mistress! No wonder she’s looking for comfort in Joe’s arms. But is she ready to break her marriage vows—and trade her secret (or so she thinks) midnight trysts for a true affair of the heart?

Chapter One

“Make love to me.” Mariella threw herself at Joe, not caring how wanton she seemed. They’d walked a short distance along the shoreline from the parking lot at Arroyo Burro Beach to a cavernous area under the tall mountain bluffs. The beach was a popular favorite for Santa Barbara locals, and Mariella had come because she’d known it would be secluded at this time of night and give them the privacy she craved.

And it was.

Mariella knew she was risking everything asking Joe to make love to her, but in that moment she didn’t care. The phone call she’d received tonight was the last straw—she wouldn’t play the good wife any longer, standing by her philandering husband’s side. The phone call had come from Harrison’s mistress in France during a family dinner at Casa Cat claiming he’d sired a child. Was she the first? God only knew. Since Harrison had been in a coma for nearly a month, Mariella was beginning to learn all sorts of secrets he’d kept hidden from her during their thirty-two-year marriage. First the Fixer. And now this.

Well, no more.

For once in her life, she was going to be selfish and live for herself. Not for Harrison. Not for her children. She was going to live in the moment.

And Mariella wanted to be with Joe. Joe Reynolds. The man who’d stood on the sidelines for over three decades. She’d always thought of Joe as nothing more than a friend until Harrison’s accident had her looking at him as a man. The attraction between them had been simmering underneath the surface for weeks. She’d tried her best to deny it, but the other day at the mansion, she’d given in to it. Why had it taken Joe so long to make a move? Had he been waiting for her to see the truth about her husband—that he was a liar and couldn’t be trusted? Thanks to the constant bombshells, Mariella was learning just that. Perhaps she’d put her trust in the wrong man.

Tonight she would rectify that mistake.

* * *

Joe stared back at Mariella. She was so damn beautiful. She was wearing a black wrap dress that might look simple on another woman but showed off her svelte curves. Her long dark hair hung in wave after luxurious wave down her back, and her brown eyes were so expressive. They showed the desire lurking in their fiery depths. Like a fine wine, Mariella had only gotten more stunning as the years had gone by. Nary a wrinkle could be seen on her tawny skin. And the words she’d just whispered to Joe were the words he’d longed to hear since he and Harrison first saw her. Back then, he’d been too shy to approach Mariella and Harrison had swooped in.

And right now, he was just as hesitant as he’d been back then. There was the possibility that his investigation into Harrison could have caused his accident and put all of them in this quagmire. But more than that, Mariella’s marriage was crumbling and fate was giving him a window to have the woman he’d always wanted. Here. Tonight. Should he take it?

He finally spoke his thoughts aloud. “Mariella, I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret later.”

It would kill him if they made love tonight and Mariella shunned him tomorrow because she regretted her hasty decision. Were the night air and crashing surf bewitching her senses and beguiling her as they were doing to him? It certainly made him want to throw caution to the wind. They’d almost made love at the estate the other day, but Mariella had pulled back at the last second. Would she again?

“Joe, please,” Mariella implored, grasping his biceps. “I need you.”

There was a hunger in her eyes that she didn’t even try to hide. And the urgency and longing in Mariella’s voice were his undoing. He would take all she could give him, even if it was only for one night. If that was true, he’d make certain it would last all night.

He glanced around. They were alone on the beach. When he’d arrived, only his Aston Martin and her Mercedes had been in the beach’s parking lot. There had been a few people milling around during the sunset, but they were now gone. It was just the two of them, and no one would ever have to know. They’d share a secret that would bind them together forever.

Joe reacted on instinct and reached for Mariella, slamming her against his hard chest. He wanted to devour her and indulge in the passion he’d long held back—for her. He heard the air whoosh out of her lungs seconds before his lips descended on hers. The second his lips touched hers, Joe thought he’d died and gone to heaven. His kiss was soft at first as he tested her resolve to be sure she was ready to take this next step. She didn’t pull away from him. So he rained soft kisses at the corners of her mouth. Then his tongue teased at the seam of her lips until she parted them, allowing him entry into the sweet haven that he sought.

How could Harrison have looked elsewhere? Joe sure wouldn’t have. His tongue grew bolder as he began exploring her mouth; Mariella was a willing participant. Her tongue engaged his in a mating dance as old as time itself. They continued kissing until Joe pulled away long enough to catch his breath.

Wow! That was even better than when they’d kissed at Casa Cat. He’d gone over and over it in his mind and come to the conclusion that it was a fluke. Some sort of grief-filled need that had spurred Mariella to kiss him back and almost make love to him.

But now he knew otherwise.

Mariella wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

“Be right back,” Joe said and quickly rushed to his car. He popped the trunk and pulled out a couple of blankets he kept in case of emergency. Then he strode back to where Mariella waited for him. As he approached, he had to stop for a minute and stare at her. She’d never looked lovelier than she did standing barefoot with the breeze blowing through her long black hair.

And tonight...she would be his.

* * *

Mariella smiled when Joe returned with a blanket. Of course, they’d need provisions. In her haste to be with him, she’d failed to think of the obvious, but he had. Because that was Joe. He was always thoughtful, putting others’ needs, comforts and desires above his own. Same as she had. She shook her head. There would be a time for contemplation. Tonight, however, she wanted to be held. Tonight she wanted to be kissed. Tonight she wanted to be made love to.

She held out her hand to Joe, and he came willingly to her. She watched as he laid out one blanket, threw down another and then knelt before her. She joined him, but he retreated slightly and sat back on his haunches.

“Mariella, you have no idea how much I want this, want you.”

She smiled. “I think I do. But there will be time for talking later.” She was impatient to feel his naked body on hers and began tugging his button-down shirt out of the waistband of his jeans.

As each button revealed a little bit more of Joe’s broad chest, Mariella lowered her head and placed a light kiss on his warm skin. She continued to do so until every button was undone and she could lower the shirt down his muscular forearms. He was big and powerful. He didn’t have six-pack abs at his age, but Mariella appreciated his flat stomach. She bent her head and licked one of his nipples, once then twice, circling it over and over with her tongue. She could tell he liked what she was doing, because Joe groaned and his hands immediately went into her hair, keeping her in place. But she didn’t stay at one nipple. She toyed with the other as she acquainted herself with his unique taste and flavor.

When she finally lifted her head, he cupped both sides of her face and kissed her. They fell backward onto the blanket, a mass of tangled limbs. Then Mariella felt Joe’s hands caressing every part of her body with soft strokes. Each brush was lighting a fire inside Mariella, and she began writhing underneath him, eager for more. Joe’s hands came between them, and with a big tug on the tie of her wrap dress, her dress came apart.

She was wearing a bra and panties and didn’t try to cover herself up. She wanted to see herself through Joe’s eyes, and the appreciative look in his blue eyes was nothing short of magical. When he emitted a low growl of hunger, it made Mariella feel sexy. More than that, it made her feel alive. She drew upward and shrugged off the sleeves of the dress and flung it away from them. She didn’t want any barriers between them, so she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. Joe’s eyes darkened at her actions, but he made no move to stop her. He seemed content to allow her to set the pace. They could go as fast or as slow as Mariella wanted, and she knew Joe would be happy with whichever path she chose. The bra fell to the blanket.

When she reached for the band of her bikini panties, Joe stopped her. “Let me,” he rasped. She lowered herself onto the blanket, and he hooked his fingers under the band. Then Mariella lifted her hips and watched as he slid her panties down her legs and tossed them aside. “I can’t wait to please you,” Joe murmured with a wicked grin.

Reaching for her, he took her breasts in his large hands and began to palm and knead her as if her breasts were the most beautiful things he’d ever seen, ever felt. He whispered a litany of praises as he worshipped her bosom. “You’re so beautiful.”

A blush crept up Mariella’s cheeks, which was embarrassing at her age. Joe made her feel like it was her first time all over again. His eyes were closed as he buried his face in her bosom, inhaling her. He lavished her with his teeth and tongue, licking and sucking in equal amounts. Mariella’s mind was spinning and swirling with each nip and probe of his tongue. She was clamoring for more, and as if reading her mind, Joe rose and began unbuckling and unzipping his jeans. They, along with his briefs, came off in one easy movement until Joe was just as naked as she was.

Mariella leaned backward and opened her arms. Joe slid down, his entire body covering hers, and Mariella gasped in relief, drawing him to her. She’d never wanted anyone this much before—not even Harrison. Sex with her husband had been exciting in the beginning but after thirty-two years had turned perfunctory.

She kissed Joe long and deep, allowing herself this indulgence, and Joe devoured her, causing an avalanche of emotions to course through Mariella. Her heart beat erratically as his bulky frame settled over her heated body. He seemed set on a course of her ultimate surrender. And she would give it. She arched against him for more. It was as if he’d lit a fuse and she was about to combust. His mouth left hers, trailing a path of fire and heat to her neck, and returned to her breasts, where he settled to suck and nibble at his leisure.

But he didn’t stop there.

He pressed kisses on her stomach and thighs, and Mariella threaded her fingers through his wavy brown hair.

“I didn’t think I’d ever have you like this...” Joe murmured when his hands came to the spot between her thighs that ached for his touch, all while his mouth continued to torment her nipples. And when his hand snaked downward and he slid one finger inside her, Mariella arched off the blanket. A low moan of pleasure escaped as her sex tightened and throbbed around him. She wasn’t sure if she could take it, if she could ride out the storm.

“Oh, God, you’re so wet, Mariella.”

“Yes...” She could only croak out the word as his fingers became more demanding. Her sex spasmed as he teased her, and Mariella not only rode out the maelstrom of emotions that Joe was causing, but gloried in it.

He seemed to want her completely bare to him, and Mariella wanted to hold on to some semblance of control, but it was a losing battle. She couldn’t breathe, but Joe didn’t give her a chance to recover. She arched off the blanket as he pressed his mouth to her core.

Tears sprang to Mariella’s eyes as he tormented her with his tongue. She began moaning. “Please... Joe...”

He didn’t seem to hear her. She was afire, writhing against his mouth, but he didn’t give her the possession she needed. She bucked and a gasp escaped her as he savored every inch of her until a violent quake erupted inside her body. Mariella sobbed out her release.

“I’m now addicted to your taste,” Joe murmured. Raw lust and hunger were etched across his features.

But before she could recover her senses, Joe was sheathing himself with a condom. Then his tip was probing her with shallow thrusts.

Mariella groaned in pleasure as he sank deep within her, settling perfectly between her thighs. “You feel amazing,” she said. Her body drew him in, bathing him with her readiness. The moans and keens she made as Joe took her higher and higher were her own. It felt good to be brazen and carefree with Joe.

And when Joe hit a particular sensitive spot, she uttered a loud cry.

He lifted up from her slightly and began to withdraw. “I’m not hurting you, am I? I would never want to hurt you, Mariella. If I am, I’ll stop.”

Mariella shook her head, and instead of speaking, she locked her ankles around him and thrust her hips upward as every cell in her body begged for more, more of Joe and all the pleasure that only he could offer her. “Don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

* * *

Joe was overcome as Mariella pulsed around him. If he could, he’d make their coupling last forever. The reality, the carnality of being with Mariella was all he’d ever wanted since the first moment he’d laid eyes on her. And now, he had her. He withdrew again slightly, and she cried out in protest. Joe struggled to hold back, to not show Mariella the depth of his emotion, but when she opened her legs wider and kissed him so deeply, he lost his mind and buried himself inside her yet again.

God help him...but she was everything he’d imagined and more. And her perfume was filling his nostrils, overloading his senses. It was like some sort of aphrodisiac that Joe knew he would never get tired of. Mariella melted into his chest, blasting away any thoughts that what he could be doing was wrong—that he was betraying his long-standing friendship with Harrison. Right now, Joe could only feel and see. He watched Mariella, gauging her reaction.

And when she wound her legs around him, his pleasure intensified, and Joe admitted defeat, growled and plunged inside her with one final thrust. The entire world detonated around him as pure and profound pleasure coursed through him. He roared aloud and fell atop her. Mariella clung to him, pressing soothing kisses on his jaw and closed eyes, until he finally eased away from her onto his side. The last thought he remembered as he drifted off to sleep was the feel of Mariella wrapped in his arms.

* * *

“I’m getting worried,” Luc said as he, Rafe, Elana, Gabe and his tía Ana sat on the plush leather sofa at the family estate the next morning. Meanwhile, his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Thom, sat in an adjacent high-backed chair nearby if Elana needed him. They were all wearing the same clothes they had last night, because the entire family had been up all night hoping to hear from Mariella. “We’ve called everyone, and no one has heard from Mom.”

Luc was racked with worry and ran his hands through his hair as he paced the palatial room. He hated this room the most, with its ornately decorated walls, crystal chandelier, gilt molding, Persian rugs and rare Ming Dynasty vases. In his opinion, it was overdecorated, but he would never tell his mother that. She’d had it redecorated countless times already. Ah, his mother—where in the hell could she be?

As the oldest of three children, he felt it was his responsibility to take care of everyone after his father’s accident. And he was failing miserably at the job. Was Gabe better suited for the task? He knew how close his cousin was to his parents and that they leaned on him. Luc envied that, even resented Gabe for it. He knew the family had been disappointed when he’d chosen medicine over the family business, but he’d always felt he had a higher calling.

His parents were proud of him and had supported his decision because he’d achieved a successful career as a plastic surgeon, but he’d give it all up in a heartbeat if it meant his father would open his eyes and his mother would return home.

* * *

“Are you sure we’ve exhausted every avenue?” Gabe inquired as he sat in a nearby chair across from Luc. His constant pacing was driving Gabe insane. Although there was cause for concern, he wasn’t jumping to conclusions like the Marshall children. It wasn’t as if she’d been gone even twenty-four hours yet. He always thought logically, and it had served him well working with Harrison and Mariella all these years. As the Fixer, his job was to ensure no detail was overlooked when it came to cleaning up rich folks’ messes. And this situation was no different. All the family needed was the press to get wind of his tía’s disappearance and it would be front-page news. And he couldn’t allow that. His aunt meant the world to him, and she’d suffered enough lately with the hungry paparazzi watching her every move, waiting for her to crumble. He refused to let Mariella be the topic of their next news cycle.

Luc’s stormy blue eyes trained on his cousin. Gabe sensed he didn’t appreciate being second-guessed, but then again, they’d never seen eye to eye, so why should now be any different? “Of course we have. I think it’s time we called the police.”

“We should have called them sooner, but you and Gabe said no,” Elana sniped from the couch, wringing her hands in her lap. “What if Mom’s been kidnapped or held for ransom or something?”

“You mustn’t let your overactive imagination run away with you,” Gabe said calmly, “Tía Mariella was here in the house. It’s doubtful kidnappers just walked in and took her with all of us present. Her keys and car are both gone. So it’s likely she left of her own accord.”

“You don’t know that!” Rafe shouted from the other side of the room, raking his hands through his hair. “Look what’s happened to Dad. He could have been run off the road. Someone could be after the entire family. Maybe it’s the Fixer. No one knows who he is. He could have it out for everyone in this family. First Dad, now Mom.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Gabe stated. “We’ve been over this. Aren’t the Fixer and Harrison business partners? Why would he want to get rid of him?”

“So he could have the business for himself,” Luc responded. “What’s it to you, anyway? It’s not like you’re the Fixer.”

Gabe glared at Luc, but didn’t respond. Why is it that everyone in the family other than Mariella and Harrison doubted his abilities? He’d always done everything he could to fit in, but he would always be on the outside.

“Who cares about the Fixer?” Elana jumped out of her seat, nearly tripping on her four-inch Jimmy Choo stilettos. Her long wavy brown hair swung from her shoulders as she began pacing the room. She was still wearing yesterday’s outfit—a strapless jumpsuit with a cutout back and choker neck band—which had been as inappropriate for a family dinner as it was this morning. She looked like she was going out to the club—maybe the same one his mother was headed to in her flashy bandage dress—and the clicking of her heels on the marble floor was grating on Gabe’s nerves.

“Our mother is missing, and all you boys can do is fight. Well, I’m sick of it, all right? We need to take action.”

“I think you all are blowing this way out of proportion,” Ana said with a snort as she sipped a glass of wine. “Mariella is a grown woman and quite capable of taking care of herself.”

Gabe regarded Ana from where she perched on one of the leather sofas. As she sat drinking her pinot noir; she seemed cool and unfazed that her sister had gone missing. How could she drink at a time like this? And at this hour? It was only a little past 8:00 a.m. If anyone had a bone to pick with Mariella, it would be Ana. He wouldn’t put it past her to try something underhanded like steal her money and jewels, but even he didn’t think Ana capable of harming Mariella.

“You couldn’t care less about your sister,” Luc responded. “The only thing you care about is your next glass of wine. Don’t think I haven’t noticed you polished off the entire bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti as if it were a can of Diet Coke.”

“That’s Mom’s favorite wine!” Rafe huffed. “And it’s a rare vintage!”

Ana tossed her highlighted hair over her shoulder. “What are you going to do? Go run and tattle to Mommy? Oh, wait—” her index finger flew to her ruby lips “—you can’t, because she’s not here.”

“How could you be so spiteful?” Elana lunged for her aunt.

* * *

Thom rose from his seat and caught his fiancée before she reached her tía. He hoped his usually calm, gentle demeanor would be enough to help keep her from panicking, but Elana was agitated. He understood. They’d all stayed up all night searching for her mother and calling everyone they knew while trying not to raise suspicions.

Elana shrugged him off. “Thom, don’t try to handle me.”

“I wasn’t trying to handle you,” Thom said softly. “I was just trying to help.” He stepped away from her, forlorn. When he glanced up, he found Rafe’s eyes staring at him, watching him. It wasn’t the first time he’d caught his soon-to-be brother-in-law staring at him, and it made Thom uncomfortable, so he looked away. Ever since that night together, Thom had tried to keep his distance and not send Rafe mixed messages. They were back to being friends now, even playing tennis from time to time. Thom had made his choice, and he’d chosen Elana.

“How about some coffee and scones?” Joy, their live-in chef, asked cheerfully as she entered the room, wearing a white chef’s coat and khakis.

“We can’t think of food at a time like this,” Elana huffed as Joy passed by her with a carafe of coffee, mugs and a tray of her famous scones. “My God, it’s almost a week before my wedding, and I could very well be an orphan if this keeps up.”

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