I was glad of the stroll back to the hotel, the slight breeze in my hair. I needed a coffee more than I needed oxygen right now. Tonight was my meal with Jayden and I decided that tonight needed to be the night I really ramped things up.
After my coffee and a shower I hit the office and at eight am I placed a call to my boss in New York.
“Hey, Morgan. It’s your star reporter checking in.”
Her laugh tinkled down the phone. “Serena! I was wondering how you were getting on. We miss you here.”
“Well, I don’t think it will be long now before I’m home.”
There was a beat of silence. “Really? You have the story already?”
“I’ve formed a relationship with three of the four. The story is incredible. They want one woman between them. They are so close that anything different to that threatens to tear their close friendship apart. It’s why Leonie got dumped so unceremoniously. One of the guys didn’t click with her.”
“They sound awful.”
“That’s just the thing though. In real life they seem like really nice guys. I’ve yet to get to the core of them, the selfishness that makes the woman a commodity, not a person. But I’m close, I can feel it.”
“What if it doesn’t come? What if they have fallen for you?”
“I’m seeing Jayden tonight. He’s the final piece of the puzzle and then I need to get our quintet going, see where it leads us.”
“Well, keep me informed.”
“I will. Oh, and also, I’m working on another story alongside this. Something that came up.”
“Oh yes?”
“Yeah, Smith’s mom, the surrogate. I reckon she could be Linda Cannon. I need to gather more evidence. At the moment it’s no more than a hunch.”
“Well, be careful. We need a lot more than a feeling you're having.”
“I know.”
I ended the call and got on with my day’s work. I was eager to get to the evening and my meal with Jayden.
Morgan
I put the phone down and smiled. Serena was my star journalist, and I liked her immensely. However I knew the cravings Serena had for her career—for the story that would secure her a promotion—would never satisfy her fully. You see I had known Serena’s mother. Unlike what Serena believed, her mother hadn’t been a whore in the usual sense of the word. She’d been a succubus—seducing men for her life source. That blood ran diluted in Serena’s veins. It made her crave. But what I wanted to know was which was the strongest—the craving of the expose of the Filthy Rich Playboys, or the craving for love and sex within a polyamorous relationship?
I hoped I’d chosen well, but the next few days would reveal if instead I’d made a huge mistake.
Serena
I dressed in a simple slip dress with no underwear. The day was hot and so was I. Jayden had decided to cook for me at his home, rather than us dine out. This suited me because I hoped before long he’d be feasting on me.
What had gotten into me? I was becoming addicted to sex. Don't get me wrong, I’d always enjoyed it, but the thought of all of them at once had me creaming my panties in seconds. I had questions to ask first though. Yesterday, I’d let my sexual side overrule me and hadn’t managed to ask Flynn about Leonie. I needed to make sure I didn’t make the same mistake again.
Jayden had set out a table on his patio right in front of the beach. It looked beautiful and far better than any restaurant table he could have booked for us.
With his hand in the small of my back, he guided me over to the table, pulled out my seat and gestured for me to sit down.
“Would you like some wine?”
I smiled at him. “Yes, that would be lovely.”
We dined on steak, and he served a chocolate mousse for dessert. Conversation had flowed, and he’d told me about growing up with television cameras following him and about the affair that had brought everything to a stop.
“How did your mother take to the fact you screwed her best friend?” I dabbed at my mouth with a napkin.