A Perfect Storm Read online




  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedications & Acknowledgments

  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

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  THANK YOU

  Other Books by LaShawn Vasser

  A PERFECT STORM

  By

  LaShawn Vasser

  A PERFECT STORM © 2015 LaShawn Vasser

  All Rights Reserved

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved.

  *EXPLICIT ADULT CONTENT*

  WARNING

  This novel is considered romantic fiction with erotic elements or erotica. This is for mature audiences only. This book contains adult profane language, mild violence, and strong sexual content.

  Dedications & Acknowledgments

  There are so many individuals who have helped me along the way, and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your patience, encouragement, and advice. My beta readers and editor – how awesome are you? Words cannot express. You guys keep me laughing and inspired on this journey – Thank you. Lastly, I’d like to send a special thanks to my Mr. for loving me so deeply and giving me such great inspiration. You’ve always told me I could fly, and I believed you. You hold me down always, and I can never thank you enough.

  Prologue

  It was almost six o’clock and Alex would be arriving any minute. Braylee was in their bedroom putting the final touches together for her private welcome home party.

  The candles were lit around the room, the wine was chilling, and the music was playing softly in the background.

  Fresh out of a bath, Braylee smiled at her reflection as she stood naked in front of the mirror. She reached over and picked up her red babydoll slip and thigh high stockings from off the bed and wondered how long it would take Alex to take them off. Anticipation made Braylee want to rush, but she was forced to take her time as she put the thigh highs on one leg at a time just to make sure she didn’t ruin them. Once that task was complete, she shimmied into her slip that barely covered her behind. Perfect. Now, the only thing missing was Alex.

  Would he want dinner before or after they made love? She couldn’t help hoping for after her special plans. Braylee didn’t mean to behave like a dog in heat, but it was his fault that she craved him. She’d become so accustomed to making love almost every night that him being gone for seven long days took its toll.

  Fabi and Cecily were going to be out at least until ten o’clock, so they only had a precious few hours, and she planned to put them to good use.

  That reminded her to thank Fabi for being so thoughtful. He was a lot like his brother, Alex in many ways. He was a genuinely good guy and was working hard to make amends for the loss of lives from all of those accidents. He’d also been seeing a therapist to help him deal with the guilt.

  What was that noise? Was it Alex? Braylee stood still as she listened intently. Then, the sound of the garage door closing became clear. She whispered to herself excitedly. “Yes…it’s him.”

  Quickly Braylee ran out of the bedroom and into the hallway. She started walking down the winding staircase then stopped midway before an idea hit her. Braylee sat down on the steps in what she hoped was a provocative and alluring position. She leaned back on her elbows with her legs slightly parted. Alex would have an unobstructed view of what he’d been missing for the past week.

  The house was in semi-darkness with only a small amount of light by the stairs. Sitting underneath it, the illumination would act almost like a spotlight focused directly on her. He would see her as soon as he turned the corner from the kitchen.

  She heard him call out, “Braylee…Cecily…Fabi….is anybody home?” She held her breath as she waited. She was so anxious her heart was pounding.

  After what felt like forever, but was only a matter of seconds, he appeared. His words were caught in his throat the moment he saw her.

  Her voice thick, she said, “Hey handsome.” Braylee let her knees fall apart just a bit.

  Alex was mesmerized. His mouth felt like cotton. It would have been impossible to pull his eyes away from the sight in front of him. He dropped his suitcase and jacket on the floor as he stood at the bottom of the stairs, greedily taking in every inch of her. Huskily, he spoke, “Maybe I should go out of town more often.” His lazy smile appeared as his eyes locked on hers.

  Braylee purred, “Hmmm…seven days is a long time.”

  He agreed. “Almost an eternity.” Alex took the stairs two at a time as he undid his tie. Once he reached her, Braylee opened her legs just a little more so that he could stand in-between them. He kneeled down and captured her mouth in a hungry kiss. Braylee wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly kissed him back.

  The flight from China had been long, and she didn’t want to be too selfish. Even though every nerve ending in her body tingled with anticipation, she pulled away. “I missed you, Mr. Manchetti.”

  “Not as much as I missed you.”

  “Are you tired—hungry?”

  “I’m famished, but food can wait.” He kissed that favorite spot behind her ear. Whispering he asked, “Where’s Fabi and Cecily?”

  Braylee moaned as she unbuttoned his shirt. “At the movies.”

  A little growl escaped him. “Then, what are we doing out here?” Alex picked Braylee up as if she weighed nothing. He was focused entirely on taking her into their bedroom when the doorbell rang. He halted mid-stride while gazing into her face. Curiously, he raised an eyebrow. “Are you expecting anyone?”

  She shook her head no. “Everybody knows you’re coming home tonight so they wouldn’t dare call me or show up unannounced.”

  He let her soft body slide slowly down his chest until her feet touched the floor. “You go on to the bedroom and wait for me. I’ll get rid of whoever is at the door.”

  Never breaking eye contact, she parted her lips slightly before responding. “Okay, you do that.” As Braylee started up the stairs, she stopped, then slowly turned. Gently, she bit the corner of her bottom lip. “And Alex hurry up.” With an extra wiggle in her walk, Braylee continued up to their room.

  Irritated that he had been interrupted Alex barked at whoever was at the door. “I’m coming.” Snatching the door open, Alex looked as if he’d seen a ghost. There in all her glory stood Gina Lee Xiou.

  Smugly, she spoke. “It’s been a long time Alex, but I heard you went all the way to China just to find little old me. Well…here I am.”
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  Chapter 1

  “What the hell are you doing here?” Alex roared then looked back over his shoulder to make sure Braylee hadn’t heard and wasn’t still on the stairs. Immediately, he attempted to turn the volume down on his voice and reign in his anger.

  Gina whipped her all black glasses off and stood with sparkling black eyes in a matching raincoat and thigh-high stiletto boots. She leaned up against the door, mocking him. “Tsk Tsk Alex. Why so angry? I would think you’d be happy to see me. Considering…” She shrugged as she reached her hand out into his opened shirt and dragged a long manicured finger down his chest. He flinched at her touch. That pissed her off. Looking at him through narrowed eyes, she snapped. “That’s not the welcome I expected considering all that time you spent flying over to China looking for me.” Like flipping a switch the hardness in her voice changed as she cooed, “Are you really not going to invite me into your home?”

  Instead of letting her inside, Alex stepped out into the darkness and closed the door behind him. Angry couldn’t begin to describe how he was feeling. Even in anger, he wasn’t able to ignore that Gina was, even more, beautiful than she had been the last time he’d seen her.

  Distant, and not so distant, memories sprung to mind, and so did the all familiar fury that always accompanied it. His nostril’s flared as he spoke through clenched teeth. His gaze was hard. “I know it was you and your family.” He yanked her arm pulling her just a breath away and held it tightly. They stood almost nose to nose and lip to lip. “I should snap your neck right here and now. You take one of mine, and I promise I’ll take one of yours.”

  Gina snatched her arm away and stepped back. She spat at him. “But you won’t. At least not tonight because I’m sure your little girlfriend is upstairs.”

  His eyes were burning with anger, “Braylee has nothing to do with this.” They continued to stand toe to toe glaring at each other. The contest only lasted for another few moments when Gina glanced away. When she returned her eyes to his, hers had softened a little.

  “If I would have had Luciano killed you would have known it was me. I don’t do anything half-assed. That’s how I know you don’t really believe I killed him. Otherwise, I’d already be dead.” Her eyes hardened again. “And, if she is upstairs in your bed, she has everything to do with us and how all of this can play out.”

  Afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep his emotions in check, Alex clenched his jaw as he struggled to maintain his composure. “There is no us, Gina. I made that clear a long time ago.” Braylee’s face flashed through his mind. He needed to get back to her before she came looking for him. He’d already dragged her too far into this quagmire, and would move mountains if it meant he could keep her out of it any further and away from Gina. “We can’t have this discussion now. I’ll meet you tomorrow.”

  Gina swiped at her wavy dark-brown hair as it partially fell over her eyes and shoulder. “You act like I wronged you! And, why should I meet you? Why should I have anything to do with you at all?”

  “There’s no need to revisit the past. We’ve played enough games, Gina. You’ll meet me. Your heart might be made of stone, but there’s one place where I know there’s still a pocket of life.”

  She swallowed deeply and broke eye contact again. She would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right. Gina started to turn away then stopped. “My plane leaves for China in two days. I’ll meet you, but it’ll be on my terms, and you will do something for me too, Alex.” The purr of his name wasn’t lost on him. She didn’t mean for it to be and for added emphasis, she openly undressed him with her eyes.

  His voice was like steel when he spoke. “This isn’t a negotiation Gina. Where are you staying and I’ll meet you there?”

  She put her dark glasses back on. “You don’t control me. No one does. You should know that by now. Like I said, I’ll tell you tomorrow when I call to set up our meeting.” With all the drama she could muster, Gina turned on her heels to walk back toward the running car that had been waiting for her.

  Alex stood and watched as the luxury sedan drove away. He waited until the brake lights of the car passed through the gates and he was sure she was no longer on his property. It was only then that he pulled his cell phone out of his pants pocket and hit the speed dial number. On the first ring, someone picked up.

  “Sooner than I anticipated, but just as I expected. She’s here. Close the front gate and beef up security here at the house, as well as on Braylee, Fabi, and Cecily.”

  *****

  More than a little drained from dealing with Gina, Alex dragged himself up the stairs. While walking down the hallway toward his bedroom, he attempted to get himself together. Once he arrived at the door, Alex stood in front of it with his arms outstretched and bracketing each side. His head was bowed, and his eyes were closed. Gina had thoroughly soured his mood from earlier. After inhaling deeply, he took another moment to gather himself before going inside.

  This disaster wasn’t Braylee’s fault. Somehow Alex was going to have to figure out a way to navigate through treacherous waters to keep her safe. Their relationship was still so new, yet they had already been through a lifetime’s worth of drama. Frustrated, he took a hand and ran it over his face. He would manage this, but it wasn’t going to be figured out tonight. After taking another calming breath and feeling more in control, Alex turned the knob and opened the door.

  It was obvious when he walked inside that Braylee had gone through a considerable amount of effort. She wouldn’t do this for just anybody. This was for him, and he knew it. Something about that stirred the caveman inside. Feelings he thought had dissipated returned the moment he was in her presence. Alex continued to scan the room. It was bathed in the soft glow of candlelight as the flicker of the flames bounced off of the walls. What made his heart stop was the sight of Braylee lying sexily across his bed wearing a silky pair of panties, thigh-high stockings and nothing else. His entire body stiffened. His voice was husky. “Sorry, that took much longer than it should have.”

  Braylee crawled to the edge of the bed and stood up on her knees before reaching out to him. “I was almost ready to send out a search party. Who was at the door?”

  Looking at the soft swell of her breast and the way her nipples had pebbled, Gina was the last person he wanted to think about. “Nobody important and even less so now that I know what has been waiting for me.” A slow smile crept across his face as he focused entirely on her smooth as caramel body. He couldn’t wait to run his tongue over skin that appeared as if it had been feather dusted with flecks of gold. “You went through a lot of trouble.”

  Seductively, she responded, “Just a bit.” Something was off. She felt it. Braylee couldn’t help but wonder who was really at the door. But for now, she would let it go. Something in the set of his shoulders was tense. Maybe once he relaxed, he would tell her. He obviously didn’t want to ruin the mood and neither did she. She hooked her fingers through the loops of his slacks and pulled him closer.

  Alex wrapped his hands around the back of her neck and drew her lips to his in a hungry kiss. He moved to erase the remaining space between them. His kiss not only made her heart beat faster but warmed her all over.

  Seven long days of not having her in his arms was too much. Alex would have to put his worries to the back of his mind. All he could do at this moment was focus on Braylee—on them.

  Whispering against the softness of her lips, he asked, “How much time do we have?”

  She whispered back, “Just a couple of hours.”

  With a gentle touch, he pushed her back against the mattress. “That’s all the time I need to make you lose your voice screaming my name.”

  Chapter 2

  After just a few short hours of sleep, Braylee and Alex walked into the kitchen the next morning seemingly more refreshed than they should have been. Cecily and Fabi were already having breakfast and were laughing about something. Cecily sat at the table in her school uniform eating a bowl of cereal and
Fabi was standing at the counter pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

  It was Fabi who noticed Braylee and Alex first. “I didn’t think I’d see you two before I left for work.”

  Cecily’s big brown eyes matched her smile. “Morning Braylee. Hey, Uncle Alex. How was your trip?”

  Happiness radiated through Braylee as she returned her greeting with a smile that matched her mood. “Good morning Cecily…Fabi.” When she walked over by Fabi, Braylee mouthed the words thank you while reaching into the cabinet for a glass. “That looks refreshing. I think I’ll have some before I head off to work.” Fabi smiled a conspiratorial smile while he took her glass and poured orange juice into it.

  “My trip was good, but there’s nothing like being home.” Alex took a seat at the table next to Cecily. “Sorry, we didn’t get to talk for very long last night. I was pretty exhausted by the time you and Fabi got in from the movies.” He gave a knowing wink to Braylee. She almost choked on her orange juice. Luckily, Cecily was looking down into her cereal bowl and missed it. Braylee breathed a sigh of relief while shaking her head in mock irritation for him shamelessly alluding to their incredible night together. Braylee was so used to being on her own that it took some getting used to living with Alex and his impressionable teenage niece.

  Alex took a quick look around the kitchen. He couldn’t have asked for anything more than being surrounded by the people he loved. The only part that kept life from being absolutely perfect was not having Luciano and his mother around…and Gina. She was going to give him hell. He could see it in her eyes last night. It was those same eyes reflected back at him when he looked at Cecily.

  “Uncle Alex don’t forget you’re on schedule at my school for career day speaker this Thursday.”

  His face fell. “This Thursday? I thought it was Friday?”