Twice Bitten Not Shy [Vampires of Eternity] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

Vampires of Eternity

Twice Bitten Not Shy

Gwendolyn Harris has no idea what she is getting involved in when Sebastian Ashford and Christian St. John hire her event planning company, An Affair to Remember, for the grand opening of their new club.

For the last few years Gwen has done nothing but work to make her business a success. But when she looks into the haunting eyes of Christian and Sebastian, she wonders if her fantasies are about to become reality. Her ex-husband decides they are a danger to her and is determined to keep her away from them.

Sebastian and Christian had been searching for the key to their curse for hundreds of years. When they realize that danger has followed them to town, they know they don’t have a lot of time. Their hearts tell them that Gwen is their one, but can they convince her before it’s too late?

Genre:
Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves
Length:
38,970 words

Vampires of Eternity

Lynne St. James

MENAGE AMOUR

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Ménage Amour

TWICE BITTEN NOT SHY

E-book ISBN:
978-1-62241-579-3

First E-book Publication: October 2012

Cover design by Christine Kirchoff

All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of 
Twice Bitten Not Shy
 by Lynne St. James from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Lynne St. James’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. St. James’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

www.SirenPublishing.com

www.BookStrand.com

For my children, Jackie, Sarah, and Andy, who have put up with endless hours of me sitting at the computer. And then hearing, “Just a few more minutes, okay?” I love you!

Thank you to the Florida STaRs. I couldn’t have done it without all of your support. Very special thanks to Laura and Carolyn.

Last but definitely not least, thank you to Shira, Ann, and Tom. They were there every day to remind me I needed to keep going no matter what.

TWICE BITTEN NOT SHY

Vampires of Eternity

LYNNE ST. JAMES

Copyright © 2012

Gwen stood naked…waiting. The heat radiating from the spotlight illuminated the doorway and warmed her fair skin. The portal loomed massive and black before her. She tasted the anticipation on her tongue as she tried to remain calm with her eyes lowered, her black shoulder-length hair falling forward and shadowing her face as she tilted her head down. A frisson of yearning raced through her, and dampness pooled between her legs. How much longer would she be required to stand here?

The door slowly sighed open. Still, she stood rooted to the ground. Gwen raised her violet eyes and peered into the doorway, hoping to see why she was brought to this place. Anticipation weaved its way up from the pit of her stomach until she could barely breathe. Blackness caressed her, enfolded her into its depth, and thrilled and taunted her with its whispered promises.

A soft mist floated from the open threshold. Rooted to the ground, she stood there and allowed the haze to enfold her softly rounded body. At once, she felt hands everywhere, touching, caressing, and titillating her senses. Cool fingers stroked her nipples, gently pulling, pinching, and playing with them until they were tight peaks. Other hands trailed down her back to her ass, kneading and cupping her soft cheeks. Gwen had never been as aroused as she was at that moment. Every touch and breath left her wanting more. She yearned to feel as she was being felt, yet she still could not move.

The hands that had been playing with her nipples continued slowly down her voluptuous body, leaving a trail of heat in their wake. She moaned as fingertips slid between her lower lips. Gwen strained to push into the fingers, only to be frustrated by her inability to move. She vibrated with need as slippery wetness ran down her thighs.

“Please…please…”

The buzz of the alarm clock pulled her back to reality. Gwen sighed. She realized it was the same dream she’d been having for the last few months, except this time the door opened. Heat rose in her cheeks as the memories of the dream flooded through her brain.

* * * *

Gwen pulled up to the address Brianna had given her.
What the hell? No freakin’ way.
Momentarily stunned, she stared out of the car window at the imposing threshold of the old brownstone. Could it really be the same doorway she had visited in her dreams for the last few months?
This must be some kind of a sick cosmic joke
. She dug her phone out of her purse and called Brianna, her assistant and best friend.

“Hey, Bree, are you sure that you gave me the right address for this meeting?”

“Um, let me check. 4969 Raven Street?”

“Yeah, but I don’t recall ever seeing this building here before. It’s weird.”

“Is something wrong? You don’t sound like yourself?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Just a little off this morning. I wonder what the hell Roger has gotten me into this time. Anyway, I’ll call you when I’m done here. Thanks as always.”

“Sure, no problem, boss lady. Talk to you later.”

“This can’t be,” she whispered to herself while stepping out of her cherry-red Mustang.
You have entered the Twilight Zone
. Gwen almost giggled at the thought of her favorite old TV show. She could hear Rod Serling’s voice in her head as she approached the doorway, her steps not quite as steady as usual.
It’s just a coincidence. You really need to get over yourself already.

As Gwen reached out to knock on the ornately carved door, it swung open. Her fingers hadn’t even touched the surface.
Holy shit.
The most gorgeous man she’d ever seen was standing in front of her. Tall, dark, and handsome did not do him justice. Her gaze wandered from his black leather slip-ons to his strong chiseled face. She took in every gorgeous inch of him.

He regarded her intently with eyes the color of brilliant blue sapphires. The tight fit of his black T-shirt accentuated his broad chest. It was tucked into black jeans, which hugged his body like they were painted on and left very little to the imagination. She felt her cheeks color when she realized she was staring.

“Gwendolyn Harris?

“Yes.”

“Welcome to Eternity. I’m Sebastian Ashford.”

Snapping out of her reverie at the sound of her name, Gwen was back in business mode.

“Good morning. Umm…eternity?” She held out her hand in greeting. Instead of shaking it as she had expected, Sebastian lifted it to his mouth. His lips gently grazed the back of her hand. Heat spread throughout her body while an eerie sense of déjà vu caused her to shiver slightly.
Eternity? What the fuck?

“Yes, it’s the name of our club. Won’t you come in?”

“Of course.”

“My business partner, Christian St. John, is waiting for us in the office. And please, call me Sebastian. No need to be formal.”

“I agree. You can call me Gwen.” With a deep breath, Gwen put one navy pump in front of the other and stepped across the entry. She looked around and released the breath she had been holding.
It looks like every other brownstone. Why did I get myself so worked up? Damn dreams.

Sebastian led her over to the elevator and pushed the button. The doors glided open, and they stepped in. Gwen almost snorted when the first strains of Aerosmith’s “Love in an Elevator” seeped into her consciousness.

“Christian and I have been best friends for longer than we can remember. It made perfect sense to go into business together as well,” Sebastian explained as he led her down the emerald-green carpeted hallway. The walls were painted a light taupe color and decorated with what looked like Monet paintings.
These are some great reproductions.
She wanted to take a closer look, but she was already struggling to keep up with Sebastian’s long strides. They passed several doors along the hallway, but all of them were closed.
This could be any office building in the city, and yet I’ve still got that weird feeling.

As he continued to speak, Gwen wondered where he was from. She could detect the hint of an accent, but it wasn’t pronounced enough to determine the origin. His English was just too precise to be his first language.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why we didn’t give your assistant much information prior to this meeting.”

It took Gwen a few seconds to realize that he had asked her a question. She had been too busy absorbing her surroundings.