A Sip of Pleasure [Love on the Rocks 7] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) Read online

  Love on the Rocks 7

  A Sip of Pleasure

  Cherie is tired of waiting on the men she really wants and decides to give in to the need to feel a man’s attention. She doesn’t plan on being attracted to two other men she just met. Nor does she foresee the problems this could cause, especially in the business world that she has just embarked upon. So, when her client begins to hit on her and asks her to spy on two men she has feelings for, the end result is like nothing she could have ever expected.

  Cherie sure didn’t know she would wind up in the middle of a criminal investigation involving terrorist activities and manipulative conspirators. And when she gives into desire, it sends her deeper into trouble, but also reveals why the five men she falls in love with keep pushing her away. They have secrets of their own, and revealing those secrets sooner could be the difference between Cherie surviving or becoming collateral damage.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense

  Length: 46,927 words

  A SIP OF PLEASURE

  Love on the Rocks 7

  Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  LOVEXTREME FOREVER

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever

  A SIP OF PLEASURE

  Copyright © 2016 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-68295-725-7

  First E-book Publication: December 2016

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2016 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 A Sip of Pleasure by Dixie Lynn Dwyer 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 Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Dixie Lynn Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  DEDICATION

  Dear readers,

  Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of A Sip of Pleasure. Cherie is a very special woman. She has had her heart broken, has failed in different aspects of her life, but her determination to not let the indiscretions of a man she once loved rule her life and her decisions has brought her to a new world. Living in New York is a change from South Carolina. Succeeding in business beyond any expectations makes her feel proud. The only thing she wishes for is the love and attention of three men.

  Fate has a way of working things out. When the circumstances arise, she isn’t the only one who can’t deny the attraction, the need, the love that fate has in store.

  May you enjoy Cherie’s journey. It’s going to be a whirlwind of a ride, but well worth the fight to have what her heart longs for.

  Happy reading.

  Hugs!

  Dixie

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Landmarks

  Cover

  A SIP OF PLEASURE

  Love on the Rocks 7

  DIXIE LYNN DWYER

  Copyright © 2016

  Prologue

  Cherie Combs smoothed her hands down the slim-fitting pencil skirt she wore. She had dressed to kill as usual, now that she was working for Grover Mills. His international marketing firm was one of the top five in the world, and here she was attending another board meeting. She couldn’t believe her luck. Going to that party two months ago and meeting an old friend from her college days was the best thing to happen to her lately. Suzette Mencer was gorgeous, assertive, professional, and knew the ins and outs of this business. She had taught Cherie so much in a short period of time.

  Her new life was one to be proud of. She wished she could share it with her friends like Venetia, Rose, Gianna, Louisa, and Pina, but when she thought about them, and about her life back home, it made her feel like that was the old her. A woman suppressed, unable to break free and feel accomplished, only comfortable. Besides that, it reminded her of Randy, and of course Venetia’s brothers, Vincent, Salvatore, and Dante. Who never called her for a date. They lived in the same damn city now, and still nothing from them. She really thought they had made a connection in Hawaii. Guess she still was a bad judge of character.

  She hadn’t seen any of them in months, and it had turned out to be better that way. When she never got a call from Vincent for the lunch date he suggested, she moved on and went to another party and wound up meeting Suzette. Her life had changed dramatically for the better because of that decision.

  She swallowed hard and forced thoughts of Vincent and his brothers from her head. She lusted for them. Could see herself giving up her body, her heart, and soul to them, which scared the living hell out of her. Thank God, Vincent had never called her, or she would have done something stupid, like slept with him. Hell, with the three of them. It obviously wasn’t meant to be.

  As she entered the board room, many male eyes fell upon her and a confidence grew within her.

  She looke
d good. She had struggled at first, but pointers from Suzette, and the woman taking her under her wing, were lifesavers in this crazy cutthroat business world Cherie was now a part of. She was more professional, had begun to establish a positive and respectful reputation in the advertising and promoting business, and she was living a dream. In fact, this weekend she was contemplating going car shopping, and not at just any dealership. She was looking at Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW. She felt proud.

  “Good morning, Cherie. You look amazing as usual,” Hal said to her, standing up and offering a chair beside him.

  “Thank you, Hal. I appreciate the compliment. So what is this meeting about, do you know?” she asked and looked at Hal. He was handsome and wore dark black glasses that made him appear intelligent, but he was doing the whole non-commitment thing, and she needed to stay clear of men like that. He was attractive, though, and she really should stop fantasizing about having one of those ménage relationships like her friends had. The thought of more than one man catering to her every need, paying full attention to her, committing to her and only her was just that, a fantasy. Her luck with men was shit. Lately, she wondered if she should just go with the flow like Suzette. Maybe base a relationship on the sex.

  She shivered. She had been a virgin when she’d met Randy, fallen for his charms and even his proposal of marriage. What a fool she had been. Never again. Then she had struck out with Vincent, Salvatore, and Dane, and that was the only opportunity at a ménage she had ever even come close to. She supposed it wasn’t in the cards for her.

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure. I’m getting a text from someone now. Let me read it,” he said. She watched him thumbing at the phone.

  Hal had worked with her on one of the first projects Suzette had hooked them up with. It had led to the latest campaign, one promoting a new top-of-the-line laser technology that could be used in various industries including laser skin repair, precision detonation, and weaponry just among a few things. It was a multimillion-dollar opportunity, and she was right there in the middle and about to begin initiating the largest campaign of her life. Never mind an obscene bonus and paycheck when all was said and done.

  He leaned closer as he organized his files in front of him.

  “I hear it’s someone of great importance who wants to sit in on our discussions about each aspect of advertising from skin repair to advanced laser technology. Should be interesting,” Hal said and winked.

  She felt a little nervous but Suzette entered, smiled at everyone, and then took the seat next to her. Suzette would be lead on this anyway, and Cherie would work alongside her. When the doors opened and their boss appeared along with a man Cherie didn’t know, the rest of the room seemed to erupt in quiet surprise. She heard mumbled “Oh shit” and “Bevgo.” Instantly, as her eyes absorbed the dark, mysterious look of the man, his gorgeous blue eyes, and Middle Eastern complexion, she realized who it was. Bevgo Vittone, a multimillionaire, entrepreneur, financial tycoon, who was the monetary backer of the laser as well as the company of scientists who had invented it.

  Suddenly she was overwhelmed and feeling out of her league.

  He glanced around the room, not really smiling, but looking as serious as could be and sizing up the small group of eight in the room, including her. She couldn’t hold eye contact with the man. He was good-looking, wealthy, and she found herself shyly lowering her eyes. Looking more assertive, especially in front of someone so powerful and wealthy was something she needed to work on.

  As her boss, Grover Mills, made the introductions, she looked up to find Bevgo Vittone watching her. When her boss introduced Suzette, Bevgo gave her a smile. “Good seeing you again, Suzette. Looking forward to your progress.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “This lovely young lady next to Suzette is her partner, Cherie Combs. You’ll be speaking with them one on one in a little while as you requested,” Grover Mills stated. Mr. Vittone gave Cherie a nod and she nodded back, trying to appear confident although she was shaking and her belly quivered.

  Her boss led the meeting with Mr. Vittone sitting beside him and directly across from Cherie. When Mr. Vittone began to speak, she looked up and took the opportunity to check the man out. She was impressed with the ease with which he spoke, the confidence in his tone, and his body language.

  When he wasn’t talking he was looking around the room. She had to force herself not to fidget with her blouse or smooth her hands along her skirt. Instead, she stared at his dress shirt, the tie he wore, and the suit jacket. Were they custom made? Distinguishing players for the real thing, as Suzette liked to describe men in this business, was something she was trying to work on. Either they really had money and the power to back up their mouths, or they spewed bullshit on a regular basis. She was learning. This guy was not full of shit. He was the real deal.

  When he looked up and caught her staring, he squinted slightly and she glanced away quickly, then back at him a few seconds later to find him watching her. Shit. She had drawn attention to herself and the man had seen her staring. Shit, shit, shit.

  “So I look forward to communicating with each of you on the various aspects of my client’s product. Starting with you, Suzette, and your partner, Cherie,” he said to them.

  Suzette smiled.

  “It will be our pleasure, Mr. Vittone, to go over the details and to mold this campaign into exactly what your client is hoping for.”

  “Wonderful. Why don’t the two of you show Mr. Vittone what you have gathered so far and answer any questions or concerns he may have?” their boss directed toward them.

  “Everyone else, let’s organize your aspects of this campaign and be ready for Mr. Vittone to stop in and see what you all have thus far,” he said to the others.

  She could sense their anxiety and excitement. She wasn’t certain that this was typical behavior for a client to pop in and be brought up to date mid-process, but considering the amount of money involved with this campaign, she would do exactly what he was doing. Check up on how his money was being used and ensuring his client was getting full productivity and attention.

  Suzette stood up first, grabbing her file, and then Cherie quickly rose, following her lead. Mr. Vittone stood as well. As she headed around the table, Mr. Vittone motioned for Suzette to go first and then Cherie. When their gazes locked, she saw a sparkle in his eyes before they grazed over her body. She felt a slight spark. Nothing like when Vincent or his brothers looked at her, and she gave herself a mental kick. The Lockatelli brothers were never going to make a move or ask her out. They didn’t have feelings for her, and Vincent never called. She gave a smile and then followed Suzette. Mr. Vittone and another man who had been sitting outside the meeting room joined them. When they got into the office, Meredith, one of the receptionists, offered the men coffee but they declined.

  “Suzette, how are you really?” Mr. Vittone asked as he took a seat by the meeting table. Suzette smiled wide while Cherie gathered the folder they had organized, listing the meetings they had lined up with some top medical corporations.

  “I’m doing well, and I am very excited about this project. I can’t believe that we get the opportunity to work together again,” she said to him.

  Cherie was surprised. Suzette hadn’t mentioned that she’d worked for Vittone before. When she walked back over to the table and sat down, she noticed the man who accompanied Mr. Vittone stood by the door.

  “You know I wouldn’t trust anyone else with a project this big. I have some other questions before we discuss the product and your direction for promotion.”

  “Sure thing, Bevgo. What would you like to know?” Suzette asked.

  Cherie folded her hands on her lap after setting up the files and some prospective ads created in the ad department. When she looked up, she found Mr. Vittone watching her.

  “I’d like to know more about Cherie,” he said, sweeping his eyes along her face and chest.

  Suzette smiled and turned to Cherie.

 
“Well, ask away. Cherie is a very hard worker, and has a way with people. She can handle even the most difficult of clients.”

  “Really? She seems rather shy to me, and quiet.”

  Cheri saw it as a challenge.

  “I like to observe people and what’s going on before I pass judgment or come to any assumptions,” Cherie said to him. He raised one of his eyebrows as Suzette’s phone rang.

  She looked at the caller ID.

  “It’s Romaro,” she said to him and he gave her a wink. Suzette looked at Cherie and then back at Bevgo, and shook her head.

  “If you’ll excuse me, please. I must take this.”

  “No worries, Suzette. I’ll take the time to get to know Cherie.”

  When Suzette walked out of the office, the other man followed and now she was alone in the room with this Mr. Vittone.

  “How long have you known Suzette?” he asked.

  “I went to college with her and we had some classes together. We hadn’t seen one another in a few years.”

  “I see, and how long have you worked for Grover Mills?”

  “Four months.”

  He scrunched his eyes at her.

  “Well, actually I worked for one of the sister companies as a temp after a job here had fallen through last minute.”

  “You have a bit of an accent. Where down south are you from?”

  “South Carolina.”

  “Why New York?”

  “Better opportunities,” she said.