Ellena [Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 4

  Ellena

  Seeking some alone time to gather new recipes for Aubert's and enjoy some stress-free days, Ellena Aubert takes a weeklong vacation in New Orleans. There she meets a mysterious stranger on the streets of the French Quarter. He seems well respected, but when he shows up again when she’s shopping, Ellena becomes suspicious. After all, she may live in the Bayou, but she knows men, and they can’t all be trusted. She follows her gut and ignores his attempt to draw her into his seduction, and she focuses on the reason for her trip.

  While dining with an old friend and sampling delicious Cajun foods, she bumps into Mack Rue, a man she had lusted for in the past. She finally breaks down and accepts Mack, Leon, Troy, and Roy Rue’s advances on her after years of fighting them tooth and nail. All seems great until the suspicious stranger comes back to haunt her and she finds herself submerged in a federal investigation that ultimately risks her own life and the lives of her lovers.

  Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.

  Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre

  Length: 54,405 words

  ELLENA

  Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 4

  Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  MENAGE EVERLASTING

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting

  ELLENA

  Copyright © 2013 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer

  E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-709-3

  First E-book Publication: March 2013

  Cover design by Les Byerley

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 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 Ellena 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 Ms. Dwyer’s right to earn a living from her work.

  Amanda Hilton, Publisher

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  www.BookStrand.com

  ELLENA

  Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 4

  DIXIE LYNN DWYER

  Copyright © 2013

  Chapter 1

  “That there’s the best spread of food dis side of New Orleans,” Eloi stated in a thick Cajun accent as everyone filled the back patio at Aubert’s Restaurant.

  “We been cooking for days for this, Eloi. Glad you enjoying the food,” Ellena said as she wiped her hands on her apron. She felt the arm go over her shoulder then Illeanna hug her close.

  “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Ellena, and I think the Rue men got eyes for you,” Illeanna teased, and Ellena gave her a smack with the dish towel.

  “You get them thoughts outta your head, girl. Go focus on your men.” She growled at her and Illeanna laughed.

  Ellena turned to see her sisters gathering around their men and enjoying the band that was playing good old Cajun music. Family and friends filled Aubert’s in celebration of the birth of Jessie and Ashlin Lafont. Angelique, Armand, Remi, Eloi, and Marcel were thrilled. They had their twin babies two months ago and just in time for the grand opening of Secret Pleasures Lingerie as well as the new, expanded Aubert’s Restaurant run by Ellena, Angelina, and Illeanna. Both establishments were hopping with activity.

  “Hey, good looking, why don’t you go sit over there with your sisters so I can take a few more pictures of you together,” Louis suggested as he held his top-of-the-line camera in hand and ushered her toward the others.

  “Come on over, sista. They playing our song!” Angelina yelled as the sound of trumpets, tubas, and tambourines echoed around the restaurant.

  Angelina pulled Ellena next to her as Deputy Leon Rue winked at her.

  Ellena couldn’t help but blush. Leon, Mack, Troy, and Roy Rue had been flirting very publically all day. She thought that Leon got the message months ago when Illeanna was in trouble and they met by Illeanna’s home. These men didn’t know shit about relationships, and she wasn’t biting on what they were tempting her with.

  She crossed her arms in front of her almost feeling the piss and vinegar travel through her veins. She was tired. Tired of working hard, tired of taking care of everyone, and tired of fighting her attraction to the Rue men. She shook her head and reminded herself that in three days she would be in the French Quarter, enjoying the soulful sounds of street bands while engrossing herself in downtown New Orleans cooking. She was in search of a few more unique meals to add to the menu at Aubert’s, and what better place to find one but right in the center of all the action.

  * * * *

  Leon sat next to his brother Mack. A glance toward Mack and he could see that he was in a dead stare at Ellena.

  “It’s like torture of the worst kind, ain’t it?” Leon whispered to Mack as Ellena swallowed down another Sazerac. She looked like she was beginning to loosen up.

  “Oh, I remember this one. Hey, Ellena, sing it for us,” Angelina said as she giggled and touched her glass to Mikayla’s. Ellena shook her head, but then her sisters began to harass her and carry on.

  “Okay, okay,” Ellena slurred, and they laughed then told the band to begin again. They were all gathered around the main outside porch area. The temperature was warm, so warm that Ellena wore an off-the-shoulder dress in green that showed off her light green eyes. Her onyx hair tapped against her neck
as she began to slowly tap her hand against her hip. Her eyes were closed as if she were concentrating on the sounds of the instruments, waiting for her cue to begin.

  The moment she started singing, Leon felt his jaw drop in shock. Their woman had a hell of a voice. The song was slow and sexy and then began to pick up a bit as the beat sped up. Leon looked at his other brothers, Roy and Troy. He could see the desire in their eyes and the way they stared at Ellena in awe. What were they going to do? How could they get that damn stubborn woman to loosen up and admit to her feelings for them?

  She continued to sing, and it made him desire her even more. By the time she finished the song, the entire place was clapping, and the leader of the band was bowing before her.

  “Ellena, how about one from years ago? I remember seeing you that night, out on the corner of Puvoe’s and Dudley, wearing that pretty little dress and smiling as if times were good. You rocked out your chords and the band that was playing got their biggest tips that night. Ya remember that night, Ellena?” Chuck, the leader of the band asked and she shook her head and blushed. Instantly, Leon was jealous. What the fuck was Chuck talking about?

  “That was many years ago. I was only twenty, if that,” Ellena said as she took another sip from her drink.

  “You look just as beautiful now, woman. Come on up here and sing that sexy number you did that night.”

  “No. No, I couldn’t.” She began to say, and then her sisters and their men began to cheer and root her on. Finally, she gave up fighting it and made her way up to the front of the room and closer to where he and his brother Mack sat.

  Leon swallowed hard as she turned to look at him, and he held her gaze. He knew his expression was hard. Ellena gave a slightly annoyed sound and then pressed her hands down over her dress as if smoothing out the wrinkles. All Leon could imagine were his hands caressing her like that. The woman had a body like a fantasy and a face like an angel. She was twenty-seven years old and a total knockout.

  The music began to play and once again, the sound of her amazing voice filled the room. It was a song about a man doing a woman wrong and her waking up alone in her bed filled with regrets. Ellena swayed her hips and danced, slow and sexy as she told the story of the woman and how that woman got burned and feared opening up her heart again. She danced, slow and sexy, like one of those old-time seductresses on the streets of the French Quarter. Some bands had women dance and sing to the jazz music they played, as crowds gathered around awestruck by the woman. Ellena had them all beat.

  She had everyone’s complete attention and just as he thought the song was going to end with the woman in despair, the beat picked up, Ellena’s voice hardened and picked up pace as she sang about finding love and never letting a man rule her heart and soul.

  Leon felt his entire body hum with an awareness of Ellena. Staring at her beautiful face and sexy curves as she showed off her abundant cleavage and wiggled and swayed made his cock hard and his mind think of nothing but her.

  You don’t realize it yet, Ellena, but one day real soon, you’re going to face your destiny. You belong to us. We’re going to destroy that wall you built up around your heart, and next time you dance sexy, it will be in front of me and my brothers, in our bedroom.

  Chapter 2

  “Are ya sure ’bout taking this trip alone, Ellena?” Illeanna asked as she diced and chopped veggies and Angelina spoke with their customers out front.

  “I’m sure, sista. I’m kind of looking forward to it really. I hate to admit it, but I’m feeling tired and also kind of bland about my cooking and what Aubert’s is offering. I want to snaz it up a bit on my end.” Ellena pulled out a new tray of homemade biscuits to go along with the crawfish bisque.

  “Ohh, are ya telling me my fancy-smancy style of cooking is rubbin’ off on ya?” Illeanna teased, and Ellena threw a dish towel at her. Illeanna laughed.

  “No way. I just think with all the different types of customers we’ve been getting, we should offer some specialty items like they do in the city. They know about catering to the visitors and have some tricks about fast cooking but good cooking. We can keep making those family recipes we’ve had for generations while also offering some quick meals. I noticed a lot of theses tourists want to come and go real quick like.”

  “I hear ya about that. The different po’boys, bowls of gumbo to go and jambalaya definitely fly outta here really fast. People just can’t get enough.”

  Ellena agreed as she began to pull together more ingredients to cook today’s lunch special, jerked tenderloin.

  As evening set in, Ellena walked out back to take a call from Frederick Owen, the owner and cook of Lustre Restaurant near the French Quarter. Ellena was staying at the Barisque which was three blocks from the restaurant and away from the crowds of tourists. She was hoping to rejuvenate her recipe ideas and catch a little break from all the chaos in opening the new restaurant with her sisters. Having Angelina and Illeanna as partners was fantastic and allowed each of them a bit of personal time when needed. Ellena wondered when Mike and Tye would push for a date with Angelina. Angelina flirted with them often enough, but Mike and Tye seemed cautious. Ellena wondered if it had something to do with the age difference between the men and Angelina. Angelina was twenty-six. Mike and Tye were in their late thirties, and so were their brothers, Terrance and Lucifer. Those two were very intimidating. They also had a lot of money and owned numerous estates and hotels. Lucifer and Terrance were big men and stood over six feet tall. Angelina was a petite little thing.

  Ellena sighed as she went about preparing to leave for the night. Who was she to be thinking about pushing Angelina into a relationship with Tye and his brothers when she was running clear of the four men she desired so much herself. Ellena thought about Leon, Roy, Mack, and Troy. Last night, they each took every opportunity to touch her, brush close by her with their big, muscular bodies, and Roy even caressed her lower lip as he asked her if she was too tipsy to walk home. Like she would have allowed those men to escort her home? She would have wound up in bed with one of them, she just knew it.

  Shaking her head, she tried to focus on her little getaway. Tomorrow, she would have a few days to herself.

  * * * *

  “Well, what y’all think we should do now?” Leon Rue asked his brothers as they gathered around the porch after supper.

  “Ya know what I think, Leon? I say we confront Ellena and just lay down the law. I see how she looks at you guys when you ain’t looking and I hear her quick breaths when I’m close to her. She’s attracted to us,” Roy stated.

  “Well shit, Roy, we know she’s attracted to us and we to her. The problem is, she ain’t biting on the hooks we leaving ’round her,” Troy said.

  “She’s young. Maybe she thinks we’re too old for her. Or maybe, there’s someone else,” Mack added and Leon shook his head. Out of all his brothers, Mack was the most insecure when it came to Ellena. He was an accountant and businessman in town. He was conservative to say the least, and getting him to take charge was a struggle. He was the least confrontational. Now, Troy and Roy were just like Leon. They were tough, outgoing and confident. Roy, being a firefighter was a badass. The man had ladies throwing themselves at him, but he just wasn’t interested.

  “There can’t be someone else,” Troy said and sounded shocked that Mack could even say that.

  “Well, I kind of heard Ellena talking to Illeanna about taking a little trip somewhere around the French Quarter and meeting an old friend,” Mack said.

  “What? When did you hear this information and when were you gonna tell us?” Leon asked in a thick Cajun accent, feeling annoyed. He took great care in keeping an eye on Ellena as well as Angelina since they were the last two single Aubert sisters. Angelique had personally asked Leon to keep an eye on her sisters since the new restaurant opened.

  “She was just talking with Angelina and Illeanna and said something about taking a few days off to find herself and meeting some guy friend. A chef, I think,” Mack t
old Leon.

  “Finding herself?” Roy asked.

  “Yeah. I guess she’s been under a bit of stress the last six months with the expansion of Aubert’s,” Troy said.

  “Sure has been. She’d been working long hours and even when I met with her, Illeanna, and Angelina two weeks ago for their taxes, she was looking tired. She’s had a hard life,” Mack said.

  Leon ran his fingers through his crew-cut black hair. He was worried about her.

  “She going all alone to meet this guy chef?” he asked. Mack shrugged his shoulders.

  “We can call Eloi and ask him. He’ll give us the low down, cause he knows we interested in Ellena,” Roy suggested.

  “She’d better not be going alone or I’m gonna give her a piece of my mind,” Troy stated firmly, and Leon felt the same way.

  “It is what it is. We can’t force ourselves into her life. I’ll call Eloi and see if I can at least find out if Ellena is traveling alone,” Leon said

  “Well, now onto some other business. As you guys know, I’ve been working round the French Quarter more, patrolling the Eighth District. There’s been a bunch of crimes lately,” Leon told them.

  “Tell me ’bout it, brah, there have been numerous fires, all suspicious around them parts, too,” Roy added.

  “Well, what the hell is going on down there? It’s a big tourist area and whomever is causing the chaos gonna make people go elsewhere to spend their money,” Troy said.