Read Bared by the Billionaire Online
Authors: Kallista Dane
Bared by the Billionaire (21 page)
Harmon took her hand and walked her down a little fern-lined pathway between the gumbo limbo trees to the northern tip of the island. The path ended at a clearing in front of a tiny shell-pink wooden house on stilts. It had a metal roof and freshly painted bright blue shutters at every window. Behind the house, she caught a glimpse of waves breaking on a small sandy beach dotted with coconut palms. She was charmed before she even set foot inside.
“I thought we’d take this place for now,” Harmon said. “It’s tiny, but private.”
She threw her arms around him. “I love it. I absolutely love it.”
* * *
Yesterday Marcus was finally well enough to be released from rehab. He joined them in the conference room at the new facility on Marathon and Slade sat everyone down to bring them up to speed on his investigations.
“The two guys from that extremist group are in custody. They haven’t admitted anything and they got one of those media-loving attorneys to defend them. I heard if they go to trial he’s planning to claim that they were led by the voice of God. But we have them dead to rights, caught on surveillance cameras buying the materials to build the three bombs they used.”
Slade went on. “I’m sorry, boss. We let you down. Turns out they had an insider plant the devices—Tony Reynolds from the marketing division. Despite all our security checks, we never picked up the fact that Tony’s mother lived with Brother Abraham, one of the leaders of their group, for a few years when he was just a kid. He married her in one of their private ceremonies so there was no legal record of it. She got tired of being in a cult, managed to get away a few years later. But Abraham had been a father figure to Tony as a child and when he found out Tony worked for you, he apparently still had enough influence over him to turn him.
“Your building sustained massive damage. It’s going to have to be torn down. Fortunately it was a Friday night so there were only about half a dozen techies in the office. They were injured, but they’re all okay. Engineers say it’s a miracle anyone survived.” He turned to Sam. “Tell ‘em the rest.”
“This concerns you, ma’am,” Sam said, turning to Kyra. “With the tapes from your meeting with Patterson, I got the D.A. to drop the idea of bringing any charges against you regarding the collapse of ITC. But that got me to thinking. Why was Patterson so desperate to pin the theft on Harmon that he’d try and get you to plant false evidence?
“We still have some friends here and there from the old days in agencies that only use initials.” Sam waved a hand at the other men around the table. “We got them to give us a hand tracing what were supposed to be untraceable transfers and recreating destroyed hard drives. Your buddy Special Agent in Charge D.L. Patterson’s name cropped up. I knew he’d been working behind the scenes, still trying to pin everything on Harmon. I guess he figured when he couldn’t get you to turn on the boss here, he’d use the explosion to claim that any records of Harmon’s involvement had been destroyed. Then he could mark the case as one where the bureau knew who’d done it but didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute. As it happens, he already put in his papers for early retirement. He was planning to join the millions he socked away in the Caymans right after the first of the year. I’m told he was arrested yesterday. Quietly. The bureau doesn’t like being made to look bad by one of their own.”
“He always bragged that he had several Federal prison wardens who owe him favors,” Kyra said. “Maybe he’ll get lucky and be assigned to one of their facilities.”
When they got back on the company’s new helicopter after the meeting yesterday and headed home, Kyra was happy. It was so peaceful on DreamQuest Key, so far removed from the world. To her surprise, Jake had settled comfortably into their little house. It wasn’t much more than a beach shack, but they loved it. She was surprised last night after dinner when she found him sketching the floor plan for a larger house.
“You know, you should be drawing up blueprints to renovate Slade’s cottage instead. He’ll need the extra room. He’s going to ask Natalie to move in with him before Christmas. Besides, I love this little place,” she told him, waving an arm around the cozy living room decorated with casual rattan furniture that could withstand sun and sand. “Can’t we just live here?”
“I love it too, babe. But we’ll want something bigger once the kids come along,” he said, sweeping her into his arms and giving her bottom a playful smack. “We need a private master suite… one that’s soundproof. After all, there’s nowhere in here where I can spank you any time I want and not have everyone in the house hear you screaming when you come in my arms afterwards. You get really loud, you know.”
She stared at him. “Kids?”
“I know we’ve never really talked about it. I’d love to have kids. Ideally three. But if you want more—or only two—that’s fine with me. I hate the idea of raising an only child here on the island. I want Jake Junior to have someone to swim and fish and play in the sand with. You know, I never had a brother or sister but I always wished I did.”
“Jake, having kids—that’s quite a commitment.”
He smiled. “Yeah, but so is this.” Jake Harmon did it right—he got down on one knee and brought out a little square box from the pocket of his jeans.
“Kyra Thornton, will you marry me? Will you promise to love and cherish me for the rest of our lives?” His eyes danced as he went on. “…and obey my every command when we’re alone in the bedroom? And in the kitchen. And maybe the laundry room. And definitely when we’re playing pirate out in the boat.”
“Yes.” She threw her arms around his neck then, punctuating her words with wild kisses. “And yes… and yes… and definitely yes.”
The End
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More Stormy Night Books by Kallista Dane
Her Darkest Desires
Claire’s world has been turned upside down. She’s suddenly single again, alone for the first time in years, with no idea of what to do with her life. When she finds a series of intriguing ads promising to make every wicked, secret fantasy she’s ever imagined come true, she signs up for a weekend at the X-rated mountain resort The Dark Side of the Moon.
Run by the mysterious Lady Gwen, an ageless Amazon of a woman, and her partner Mistress Jade, a six foot tall domme with an army of devoted subs to do her bidding, The Dark Side of the Moon proves to be everything it promised. Claire finds herself paired with a hot, young dom named Kyle who is more than willing to introduce her to a whole new lifestyle—one that includes plenty of stern, over-the-knee spankings on her bare bottom, mixed with the hottest, steamiest sex she’s ever had.
Now that her darkest, most savage hungers have been awakened, can Claire bring herself to say goodbye to Kyle and go back to her old life?
Captured by the Sultan
Shortly after Dr. Shayla Dennison uncovers a trove of sexually explicit statues in a long-buried temple deep in the desert, she is knocked unconscious during a ferocious storm. When she awakens in what seems to be the distant past, being hailed by those around her as the great Queen of Sheba, the shy scholar finds herself expected to play the lead role in a highly erotic ceremony witnessed by the entire kingdom the night before she travels to meet the man chosen as her husband.
When her caravan is attacked during the journey, Shay is rescued by Tahraz, the arrogant sultan of a hidden oasis, who promptly announces that she will submit to his every command or face punishment like all the other women of his harem. Shay discovers all too soon that Tahraz is as good as his word and she quickly ends up across his lap, her royal robes pulled up and his rough palm reddening her bare bottom.
Hatching a plan to win her freedom, Shay proposes a contest—a series of chess matches—with herself as the prize. If she is the winner, the sultan will grant her freedom, but if he triumphs, Shay will kneel before him as he administers pain—or pleasure—at his whim. But when Shay realizes that she is in love with Tahraz, will she continue to resist or will she give in to the savage hunger he has ignited in her and surrender her body and her heart to him fully?
Bared and Tamed
When she is unfairly blamed for the loss of a key contract, Rylie Duncan’s hot temper—along with a few too many drinks and a handy cellphone—may destroy her entire career. The inebriated messages sent to her bosses cost Rylie her job, but it is the foul-mouthed voicemail left for Neill Sullivan, CEO of her company’s biggest rival, which turns out to be her undoing.
In the years since he lost his wife, Neill devoted his energy to his work. Women were a distraction he did not need… until Rylie and her fiery temper awoke desires he had not felt in a long time. Her slanderous voicemail presents the opportunity to satisfy both his own needs and hers as well—needs she doesn’t yet know she has.
Ordered to appear in Neill’s office or risk the voicemail becoming public, Rylie obeys but is totally unprepared for what follows. Before the evening is over she is stripped naked and bent over his desk for a paddling and then, to her dismay, she cannot help but beg for Neill to take her right there in his office with her cheeks blushing and her bottom still hot and sore.
Neill’s plans for Rylie don’t end that evening, though, and for the next six months she will work two jobs. During the day she will be a well-paid executive at Neill’s company, but at night she will serve in his home at his whim. To her surprise, Rylie soon discovers that both roles have their rewards, and she begins to enjoy the evenings she spends naked, awaiting her master’s instructions. But as the end of her six months approaches, can Rylie and Neill turn their newfound romance into more than just a temporary arrangement?
The Devil’s Cowboy
After receiving a desperate plea from a childhood friend, Ellen Jacobs boards the next plane to Dallas. The message warns of a dark and malevolent presence which shrouds her friend’s home, but perhaps even more disturbing for Ellen is the fact that she will not be working alone. Her friend has enlisted the help of Rafe Cummings, the tall, brash, sexy demon-hunter better known as The Devil's Cowboy.
From the moment they meet, Rafe knows Ellen will be trouble. Though she agrees to work with him, it is abundantly clear that she is far from ready to trust him, let alone follow his lead. But when her prideful defiance nearly results in disaster, Rafe takes Ellen over his knee, bares her bottom, and gives her a long, hard spanking—the first of her life—to impress upon her that as long as they are working together, she will do as she is told or face the consequences.
Despite his arrogance and his willingness punish disobedience in such an uncivilized fashion, not only does Ellen’s body cry out for Rafe’s firm hand, her soul itself seems bound to his in some way. His skillful, dominant lovemaking leaves her breathless and begging for more, but even as their passion grows they still must concentrate on the task at hand. Can they stand as one to overcome the evil they came to confront, even if that means a date with the Devil himself?
Kallista Dane Links
You can keep up with Kallista Dane via her blog, her Facebook page, and her Amazon and Goodreads profiles, using the following links:
http://kallistadane.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/kallista.dane.5
http://www.amazon.com/Kallista-Dane/e/B00D54IW6M/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7125645.Kallista_Dane
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