Diane [The Town of Pearl 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “Last week? Why are you talking to her? What about Diane? What about our plan?”

  “Drake, calm down. There’s nothing going on between Brenda and myself. I told her about Diane. Nothing has changed.”

  “Then why were you talking to her?”

  “She was asking about that old case from Wyoming. She said that she was working a similar case, something to do with embezzling money, when she came across one of the suspects we never located from that bust. The guy had disappeared right before the raid happened. Brenda, the team, and I knew that they had to have been tipped off. It was never proven, and since the operation was shut down and over a dozen big shots went down for the crimes, the government closed the investigation.”

  “Do you think that case, the guy that got away, may have something to do with Brenda’s disappearance?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s definitely suspicious. But it doesn’t make sense. That case was two years ago. There have been so many others since then. Hell, this is why I want out of this.”

  “Shit. What are you going to do?”

  Mark looked at Drake.

  “Whatever I can do. She was a good friend.”

  “Mark, maybe it’s time to fully retire? You know, hang up that agent badge and tell the government that you’re done? Lucas and I don’t want to keep worrying about you out there in the midst of danger. It wouldn’t be right to ask Diane to do the same if she were to accept a relationship and us.”

  “Drake, I’m a highly trained professional. I’ve gotten this far.”

  “Mark, things are different. Lucas and I left the service and our military gig for the government. It’s time you let it go, too, and start focusing on the things we discussed. You were there at the fair. You saw those other men hitting on Diane. She’s our woman and we need to make a move sooner than later.”

  Just then Mark’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID as Lucas walked into the kitchen.

  “I need to take this call. I’ll be right back.” Mark walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  “What’s going on?” Lucas asked, and Drake explained. “Sounds serious. How close was he to Brenda?”

  Drake raised his eyebrows at him and gave him a “what do you think” expression.

  “Shit, really? Damn, and now she’s missing?”

  “It sounds suspicious, so of course he’s upset. Mark said she’s been dating some guy from the bureau. But I guess he and Brenda have stayed in touch.”

  Lucas stared at Drake, his expression now angry.

  “Don’t even go there, Lucas. You know he has his eyes set on Diane. The three of us do, and this doesn’t change the plan.”

  Lucas looked away from Drake and stared out toward the window. His brother was in deep thought. As usual, he was feeling as if he wasn’t good enough, was too fucked up from the war to handle a relationship, and not confident enough to express his feelings. He held a lot inside, but when it came to discussions about Diane, about keeping an eye on her, about how beautiful she was and how attracted they were to her, he opened up a little more. It wasn’t going to be easy to try and make Diane see that they wanted a relationship with her. But she was a lot like Lucas. She was quiet, soft spoken, a thinker, and she was compassionate. They all saw that side of her firsthand, numerous times in the community.

  Plus, Diane rarely went out partying or to the dance hall. Matt discovering her on the side of the road with a flat tire after hanging out with friends forced them to take action, even if it were mild.

  “I think maybe you two should go on with the plan of talking to her, without me.”

  Drake was shocked by Lucas’s words.

  “Without you? Why the hell would we do that?” Drake asked.

  “Okay, that was Blaze Weathers, from the bureau,” Mark said as he interrupted the conversation. “I may have to head out to Arizona for a meeting with the staff. It seems like Brenda’s disappearance definitely has to do with that case we worked on. Weathers is bringing in the entire team.”

  “What about our plan to talk with Diane?” Drake asked.

  “It may have to wait until I clear this up.” Mark replied.

  “How long will you be gone?” Lucas asked.

  Mark released an annoyed breath. “I don’t think very long. From what Weathers explained, it seems they want to go over the case and some updated information of some loose ends none of us were aware of. To be honest with you, Weathers thinks that Brenda’s commander is suspicious. I don’t know how I can be of help with loose ends when I was only involved as support for her team after I did what I needed to do.”

  “Loose ends?” Drake asked.

  “Yeah, I know. I don’t like the sound of that either,” Lucas added.

  “I agree. Sounds like someone fucked up somewhere. I know I did my part. It was a pretty simple extrication of one individual from a security facility. Everything else that was going on had to do with Brenda and the rest of the team.”

  “Listen, I don’t have to leave until tonight. Let’s head into town to have lunch. I’ll feel better if I can see Diane before I go. If you two get an opportunity to talk with her, start letting her know how we feel. I’m tired of waiting. If it’s not this case, it’s another, or some other operation we’re working on. No more excuses. Let’s just let her know how we feel.” Mark told them. Drake agreed, but Lucas tried to make an excuse to stay behind.

  “I’ve got a lot of work to do and orders to fill,” Lucas stated.

  “We’re ahead and doing well. You can take a lunch break,” Drake added as Mark grabbed his keys.

  “I have stuff in the fridge. I didn’t need to go into town,” Lucas added.

  “We need to go in anyway so we can get the orders from the hardware store. You and I will head out in your truck, and Mark can go before us.”

  “Perfect. You guys grab a table for us and I’ll just stop in the boutique to get my Diane fix,” Mark said, smiling. But Drake could tell that his brother was still concerned about the situation. He hoped that this wasn’t something more serious and dangerous. Not now. Not when they planned to settle down and leave the dangers of military life behind them. Drake couldn’t help but feel concerned and on edge. He was worried, and he hoped that Mark knew what he was doing.

  * * * *

  “Hey, sis, ya wanna wipe the drool off your chin and get over here to help your pregnant sister organize this rack of dresses?” Melissa asked Diane as Diane stared out the window.

  “I’m not drooling,” Diane said with an attitude, but she did swipe her arm against her lips in case she was. Agent Mark Santos was the sexiest man alive, and his brothers were just as good looking. But they were a hard bunch to read. They were tough, rough around the edges, and whenever she saw them in town at one of the events, she would catch them staring and then looking away. It made her feel confused, and yet completely aroused. Lucas made her most nervous, which was strange. He was the quietest, had the darkest, most lost look in his eyes, yet Drake was the one with the scars.

  Mark had been all over her about the damn tire again at the town festival. Did he really think she wasn’t capable of changing a flat tire? Then to know that he called Willie and she got another round of reprimanding pissed her off. She needed to be more assertive. But she couldn’t be with Mark. He was too in control and bossy. He intimidated her.

  Diane walked over and reached into the box to hang some of the new dresses that came in from the catalogues.

  “You know Mark comes in here once a week just to see you?” her sister asked, as she hung another dress on the rack. It was red, with sequins along the collar, and sleeveless. Perfect for the summer which was halfway over.

  “He does not,” Diane replied and felt her cheeks warm. Mark came in here to buy another woman some sexy undergarments. With how many pieces he’d bought, the man could open up his own lingerie store.

  She hung the next dress rather abruptly as the anger and jealousy hit her belly. It really piss
ed her off, but what could she do about it? She was shy, quiet, and a virgin with exquisite taste in fine lingerie. Those three brothers were out of her league, a hell of a lot older and more experienced, and they hadn’t made any concrete efforts, just subtle ones. She didn’t want subtle, she wanted downright full throttle.

  “I know you like him, and I know that he and his brothers like you,” Melissa stated.

  “Bologna! Just stop trying to play matchmaker. Those men are too experienced, too old, too angry all the time to even be considered dating material,” Diane said, but just thinking about dating one of them, never mind three of them, made her nipples harden and other parts react. She’d read enough love stories, erotic romance novels, hell, even saw some videos to know what potential a bedroom, her sexy lingerie, and the right men could have. But she didn’t want to just give up her virginity to anyone. She wanted to feel loved, cherished, and appreciated for her body, her mind, and her personality. She didn’t want to vie for their attention. Or worry about her body and how she looked in comparison to other women with perfect figures. If they liked her, they would have come straight out and told her by now. No, they were into one-night stands. One-night stands with women who got to wear the lingerie she sold Mark. She practically felt the fire run through her veins.

  “Maybe they’re angry because you don’t flirt back when they flirt with you?” Melissa asked.

  Diane swung her head toward her pregnant sister. She had the perfect life. Three sexy men who adored her, a baby boy, and another on the way due to arrive this fall.

  “How the hell can I flirt with Mark when he comes in looking to buy lingerie and sexy things for some woman he’s having sex with? That’s just asking to be another flavor of the week, a sex partner, and a meaningless screw. I don’t want that. I could get that by hanging out at the dance halls every Friday and Saturday night. You asked me to move out here with you, and it seems to me that all the good men are being snatched up left and right. I need to expand my horizons. Maybe take the girls up on the weekend trips to Dallas, Houston, or even San Antonio.”

  “That’s not true. The Santos men like you. They have their eyes on you. Why the hell do you think they all moved out here last year after the whole Sage incident? Mark loved the place, and you caught his eye. He told his brothers, who just got out of the service and were looking for a calmer place to settle down and work on their craft. Going out with the girls looking for some fling or exciting adventure will only lead to trouble. You know what they say? The grass always looks greener on the other side. Besides, didn’t going out with them the other night cause some aggravation for you?” Melissa asked.

  “Only because of the flat tire. The groping hands and flirty men were easy to handle. I left. I could have changed that tire myself. I was halfway done when Mark showed up.”

  “He was so pissed off. He reprimanded Will, Paul, and even Hank, for not ensuring your safety. He told Willie that you were his responsibility because he and his brothers were married to me and that if they couldn’t handle it, then he and his brothers were taking over.”

  “What? He said that to Willie?” Diane was shocked and angry. How dare he. “Who does he think he is?”

  “Sounds to me like he’s slowly staking a claim.”

  “Great, just what I need, an arranged agreement between my brothers-in-law and three strange men. Thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Like you would decline them if they offered to take care of you?”

  “What am I, a piece of property to barter for? That’s such bullshit. I want to decide who I sleep with and who I engage in any sexual activity with. I won’t be an arrangement.”

  “No one is saying that.”

  Diane raised her eyebrow up at Melissa.

  Melissa chuckled. “I know you like them.” She sang her words, dragging them out in a tune. “Hell, you have a picture of them hidden in that daily journal of yours.”

  Melissa stated as she folded one of the shirts making use of her round belly as a folding table.

  “Easy for you to say. You’re all set. I’m also not the kind of woman to initiate conversation, or throw myself at a man. I’m shy. I know that. It takes me a while to warm up to people. But don’t lie to me or assume that the Santos men moved out here because of me. If that was true, then why haven’t they said a word? They’ve been here a year. I’ve heard the rumors about them bringing women onto the ranch or hooking up with women in Croton.”

  “You’re jealous. See, I knew you liked them. Hell, you need to go for it.”

  “Absolutely not.”

  Before Melissa could continue to badger Diane, the phone rang. Melissa waddled over toward the counter and Diane smiled. Her sister looked gorgeous pregnant. She was simply glowing, and any minute one of her men, Hank, Paul, or Willie would arrive with lunch and baby Johnny. Diane was so happy for her sister. She was in love, she was married to three fantastic men, and her family was growing.

  Although Diane was only twenty-six and Melissa was now twenty-eight, she felt her own biological clock ticking, and wondered if she would ever meet the right man. One that could love her, one that could want a large family like she did, and one that could be trusted.

  Back in Oregon, she and Melissa lost their parents at a young age and were forced to live with their eighty-year-old grandmother. She was uptight, very strict, and expected them to work for their food and board. She even had them work for other people, the worst job being dance partners for dirty men with groping hands. To this day Diane hated dancing slow. If she went out to the dance halls, she only danced fast and with friends. That time had been terrible.

  She especially remembered the men who would try to make her walk with them outside or in the back rooms of the dance halls. At first she thought it was part of what she was supposed to do and that if her grandmother found out, she and Melissa would be in trouble. But then the men would want them to perform oral sex on them, and that was not happening. One man tried to make her do it, but Melissa saved her, by shoving the guy away from Diane and then smacking his face. Diane would never forget that night.

  “Hey, it’s Elvira. She said she got a huge shipment in of those special pieces you love as well as the new fall line.”

  “Oh fantastic. I was hoping that she wouldn’t forget about us this time. She doesn’t keep her inventory long at all.”

  “Exactly. She needs you to come out there tomorrow. But she also mentioned that there’s going to be a fashion show at the Sheraton in Dallas. She wants to talk to you about it.”

  “Talk to me about it? That’s a huge fashion show. It’s going to be publically broadcasted, too, with lots of big shots. Why would she want to talk to me about it?” Diane asked, looking at her smiling sister peculiarly. She walked over and took the phone. “Hi, Elvira, what’s going on?”

  “I need to ask a huge favor. You see, I’m supposed to be one of the sponsors for that national fashion show I mentioned to you, in Dallas this weekend. I need help. Someone who knows their stuff about the lingerie line. I’ll pay you for your time and assistance. Would you be able to spend the weekend in Dallas? I’ll even get a car service to bring you to and from so you won’t have to worry about driving the long distance?”

  “Oh gosh, I don’t know, Elvira,” Diane said and looked at her sister who was nearly jumping up and down mouthing “yes.” She looked so funny doing it being pregnant and all. The door by the front door rang and Diane looked that way. She saw Willie carrying Johnny, and she also saw Mark Santos. Her heart started beating fast.

  “Please say yes. I’ll totally make it worth your while. I’ll have a car in Pearl to pick you up at the boutique by 8:00 a.m. tomorrow.”

  “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  Diane heard her sister Melissa cheer and then start telling her husband Willie as well as Mark about her trip.

  Diane listened to Elvira and then disconnected the call.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to Dallas to help out in a huge, televised fas
hion show. They’ll have all those high-end lingerie you love so much, too. You’ll probably get samples of things for free. Hell, with your body, they’ll probably ask you to model them.” Melissa carried on as she took Johnny from Willie’s arms and danced the baby in a circle.

  Both Willie and Mark had their arms crossed in front of their chests, but Mark looked angry.

  “Dallas? Alone?” Mark asked.

  She shyly looked away and started to place the last few dresses onto the hangers as Mark walked closer.

  “I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’ve never been out of Pearl before,” she replied.

  “Well, technically, aside from living in Oregon, you’ve only been out to Keanter, Croton, and Turbank with friends. Dallas is bigger,” Melissa stated.

  “What is this all about? Who are you going with?” Willie asked.

  “Yeah, I’d like to know a little more about this trip. Things are different out of Pearl, Diane,” Mark added in a rather fatherly tone. It aggravated her. When Willie asked, she knew it was because he and his brother took over a protective role since she was their woman’s sister, and she was single. It was how things worked in Pearl. But Mark? What was his interest? Maybe some new lingerie for his next sexual partner? She swallowed hard. Immediately she imagined herself being that woman, and wearing something unique, one of a kind from this Dallas show. I’m such a moron.

  She felt like she was being interrogated, he was that authoritative. She knew that Mark helped out the government still, and worked a lot from the home he shared with his brothers, but he was big, he was assertive, and he was older.

  “Diane, can you keep an eye on things up front while Willie, me, and Johnny go have lunch out back by the patio?”

  “Sure, take your time.”

  “Oh. And maybe call up Amanda and see if she could cover for you while you’re away. You’re leaving tomorrow morning, so tell her we’ll pay her for the full week.”