Big Easy Temptation

  THE NOVELS OF SHAYLA BLACK ARE . . .

  “Sizzling, romantic, and edgy!”

  —Sylvia Day, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Scorching, wrenching, suspenseful . . . A must-read.”

  —Lora Leigh, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Wickedly seductive from start to finish.”

  —Jaci Burton, New York Times bestselling author

  “The perfect combination of excitement, adventure, romance, and really hot sex.”

  —Smexy Books

  THE NOVELS OF LEXI BLAKE ARE . . .

  “A book to enjoy again and again . . . Captivating.”

  —Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

  “A satisfying snack of love, romance, and hot, steamy sex.”

  —Sizzling Hot Books

  “Hot and emotional.”

  —Two Lips Reviews

  PRAISE FOR THE MASTERS OF MÉNAGE SERIES BY SHAYLA BLACK AND LEXI BLAKE

  “Smoking hot! Blake and Black know just when to turn up the burner to scorching.”

  —Under the Covers Book Blog

  “Well done . . . full of spicy sex, and a quick read.”

  —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

  “Steamy, poignant, and captivating . . . A funny, touching, lively story that will capture the reader from page one and have them wishing for more when it ends.”

  —Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews

  “Very well written. With just the right amount of love, sex, danger, and adventure . . . A fun, sexy, exciting, hot read.”

  —Girly Girl Book Reviews

  Titles by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake

  The Perfect Gentlemen

  SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS

  SEDUCTION IN SESSION

  BIG EASY TEMPTATION

  Titles by Shayla Black

  The Wicked Lovers Novels

  WICKED TIES

  DECADENT

  DELICIOUS

  SURRENDER TO ME

  BELONG TO ME

  MINE TO HOLD

  OURS TO LOVE

  THEIRS TO CHERISH

  HIS TO TAKE

  WICKED FOR YOU

  Anthologies

  FOUR PLAY

  (with Maya Banks)

  HOT IN HANDCUFFS

  (with Sylvia Day and Shiloh Walker)

  WICKED AND DANGEROUS

  (with Rhyannon Byrd)

  Specials

  HER FANTASY MEN

  WICKED ALL NIGHT

  Titles by Shayla Black writing as Shelley Bradley

  BOUND AND DETERMINED

  STRIP SEARCH

  An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

  375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

  Copyright © 2016 by Black Oak Books, LLC.

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  BERKLEY® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Black, Shayla, author. | Blake, Lexi, author. Title: Big Easy temptation : the perfect gentlemen / Shayla Black and Lexi Blake. Description: Berkley trade paperback edition. | New York : Berkley Books, 2016. | Series: The perfect gentlemen ; 3 Identifiers: LCCN 2016001370 (print) | LCCN 2016005064 (ebook) | ISBN 9780425275344 (softcover) | ISBN 9780698163034 () Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Romance /Contemporary. | FICTION / Romance / General. | GSAFD: Romantic suspense fiction. | Erotic fiction. Classification: LCC PS3602.L325245 B54 2016 (print) | LCC PS3602.L325245 (ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016001370

  PUBLISHING HISTORY

  Berkley trade paperback edition / May 2016

  Cover photograph © Westend61 / Corbis.

  Cover design by Alana Colucci.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Version_1

  Contents

  PRAISE FOR SHAYLA BLACK

  TITLES BY SHAYLA BLACK

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT

  PROLOGUE

  PART ONE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  PROLOGUE

  San Diego, California

  Nine years ago

  Dax Spencer peered down over the elegant reception and wondered where the time had gone. Wasn’t it just yesterday that he and his friends were attending Creighton Academy, where their biggest worry was passing calculus and sneaking out to the girls’ school down the road?

  Now Zack, one of his pack, was married. In fact, Zack was the first to fall on the matrimonial sword. He was also a senator about to make a run for the White House, but somehow the idea of Scooter being a husband seemed weirder.

  And the political world had come to watch the nuptials. People magazine had even sent a photographer. The wedding was the bash of the year for America’s elite and had all the pomp of a royal affair, complete with a few foreign dignitaries who had come hedging their bets that Zack and Joy Hayes would one day occupy the White House.

  Dax nodded as Connor Sparks and Gabe Bond approached, drinks in hand. In the distance he could see his own parents among the crowd lining the dance floor. A simple glance proved this was the wedding of a Naval daughter, since the place was a sea of dress whites.

  “I can’t believe he really tied the knot.” Connor, his best friend, put a hand on his shoulder as they watched the bride and groom begin their first dance.

  Dax was sure they all felt that way. “After the year they spent planning this shindig, I think Joy’s parents would have had Zack’s head if he hadn’t gone through with it.”

  “True.” Connor smirked. “I hope he’ll be happy. I like Joy but I worry she’s too . . . I don’t know, nice for Zack.”

  Gabe sighed. “Yeah. I would have thought he’d want someone with a little more attitude.”

  “To survive Zack’s future, she’ll definitely need backbone.” Campaigning and politics seemed like a nasty business to Dax. Zack’s senatorial campaign had been peppered with negativity about everything from his youth to his family ties. How would Joy weather the media scrutiny on a larger scale?

  “Bitchiness would even be better, though that word will probably get me slapped,” Connor said with a chuckle. “But yeah, I worry she’s a bit fragile.”

  “Joy is the perfect first lady—pretty, gracious, kind. She’ll be a true benefit to him politically,” Gabe said. “I guess I wanted something more for him.”

  “He’s been with her for two years. He seems happy.” At least Dax hoped he was. Since the day he’d met Zack Hayes, when they’d been gangly, pimply-faced kids, Zack had been on a path, one his father had set for him long ago.

  Dax couldn’t exactly complain. His own father had set a path for him as well. Spencer sons went into the Navy. There had been a Spencer in every war fought since the Revolution. Only days before, he’d been promoted. He would become captain of his own ship in the next few years and eventually follow in his father’s footsteps to become an admiral. Dax saw his path clearly—and he couldn’t wait.

  Then why did he feel so restless? There were at least a hundred gorgeous women roaming the reception. The likelihood of him getting lucky tonight was supremely high.

  Yet Dax only sought one woman.

  “You seem anxious tonight. What’s up with you?” Connor tipped back his beer.

  “You seem to know everything, Mr. Spy,” he shot back. His best friend worked for the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst. It fit Connor actually. He’d always been good at chess and strategy.

  Connor rolled his eyes. “You know it’s really more boring than you would think. And I don’t have to be a spy to know that you’re looking for one pretty blond law enforcement officer. Tell me something, has she shown you her handcuffs?”

  No, she hadn’t shown him anything at all. Holland Kirk was proving damned elusive. Her father was a Naval officer stationed here in San Diego under Dax’s own dad. He’d met her shortly after Joy and Zack started dating. Zack had invited him over to meet some of Joy’s college friends and Dax hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the beauty.

  The adm
iration was not mutual. Holland Kirk had been perfectly pleasant with him on every occasion they’d met. They had intelligent conversation, spent fun times together in groups, and enjoyed each other’s company. But she’d turned him down flat every time he asked her out. She would smile politely and murmur some excuse before she turned the conversation to something she obviously found more pleasant.

  “She’s not interested.” And that hurt. Besides being gorgeous, Holland was smart and funny. He’d never been so into a woman. They had chemistry. Heat. Well, he’d thought they had.

  “Oh, she’s interested. But I think your reputation has preceded you. Or maybe all of our reputations. I overheard her talking to Joy about how brave she was to be marrying into scandal central.” Connor shrugged. “But we haven’t had any scandals lately.”

  “We also haven’t been choir boys.” Gabe winced. “I got caught boning one of the Swedish princesses at that UN reception. In my own defense, she swore that broom closet was locked.”

  Dax remembered the episode fondly. “You looked good in those tabloid pics, bro. You’ve really kept up the ab routine. But seriously, we’ve all matured. I don’t think that Vanity Fair article chronicling our love lives was really fair.”

  “Sexcapades,” Gabe corrected. “It was a massive article detailing our sexcapades, complete with a detailed relationship map that proves we’re all six sexual degrees away from Kevin Bacon. I blame Mad. He slept with the entire cast of that Little Women remake.”

  “C’mon, wasn’t that fluff piece more tongue-in-cheek?” Dax argued hopefully.

  “They managed to keep me out of it but, you guys . . . that was a double foldout.” Connor sighed. “Which is probably enough to make any woman think twice. Well, any sane one. Especially someone like Holland. She’s being recruited for NCIS. Another thing I heard her talking to Joy about.”

  Connor apparently listened in a lot. Dax looked over the dance floor again. He’d caught glimpses of Holland during the ceremony, but he hadn’t seen her since. Instead, he’d been playing the good groomsman, ensuring all the parents were happy and comfortable. They’d all come except Connor’s mother. In that respect, not much had changed since their Creighton days.

  He needed to show Holland that he’d matured. Yes, he’d had a somewhat salacious youth, but he was older now. Even his friends were starting to settle down. Except Gabe, who was still screwing every princess, model, or Hollywood starlet he could. And Mad, who would apparently do any woman with a skirt and a pulse.

  But he, Connor, and Roman were discerning and mature. Mostly.

  Damn, he wanted to dance with Holland, see if he could talk to her. “Even if she takes an NCIS job, she wouldn’t be under my command. She’s not enlisted so there’s no problem. You really think she’s turned off by the fact that I’ve dated a lot?”

  “I think she’s turned off by your status as a major manwhore,” Gabe offered helpfully.

  “Oooo, are we talking about who I think we are?” Maddox Crawford sauntered over with a smile. He’d already ditched his bow tie and looked as if he’d found the Scotch. He was carrying a crystal decanter of booze and several glasses. Mad was the very picture of decadence. “Because that girl is hot. That fine ass of hers nearly made the front seat of the Bentley smoke when I picked her up earlier.”

  Dax froze. “You picked her up?”

  Mad flashed him a grin full of teeth. “She’s my date.”

  Connor shook his head. “Yeah, we weren’t going to tell him that.”

  Dax had never actually seen red before, but a dark swath of crimson coated his vision now.

  “Uh, Dax, I was joking.” Mad stepped back, his eyes wide. “She needed a ride. That’s all. Joy wanted her here early, so Zack called me. Dude, you look like you’re about to kill someone and I’m a little afraid it’s me.”

  Dax took a deep breath. For a moment, he’d actually seen himself murdering one of his best friends over a woman, so maybe he had to accept that, to him, she was more. “If you touch her . . .”

  Mad nodded. “I’ll die a really horrible death. Got it. You called dibs. I respect the dibs, man. I also did you a solid. She’s waiting downstairs in the lounge. I told her I had to talk to her about something important.”

  The red haze was threatening to come back. “Why were you trying to get her alone?”

  “For you, buddy. All for you. Why do you think I’m up here while she’s slipping into the library down there?” He pointed vaguely over the landing, to the first level below.

  But Holland had agreed to meet Mad alone. That sat bitter in his gut. “She wants you.”

  Gabe snorted. “Dax, I heard her call Mad a festering disease pit on two legs.”

  “Walking syphilis is how I heard it,” Connor added.

  Mad nodded. “Actually, she called me stuff even worse. So go down there and talk to her. I made you look good earlier today. Mostly by making myself look like a complete shit. It’s easy. I’ve got a lot of ammo in that gun, if you know what I mean. Gabe, my man, I’ve lined up twins for us. I’m going to warn you. They’re very open minded and free spirited, and their father might have access to nuclear weapons so if we have to run, we’re going to have to be fast.”

  “I’m totally in.” Gabe grinned as he took a glass and looked down at the wedding. “God, I’m never getting married.”

  “For the right woman, I might consider it.” Dax smiled in anticipation, then headed down the stairs before the elusive Holland could slip away again.

  One shot. That’s all he really had. If he couldn’t convince her that he wasn’t the same sort of skirt chaser as Mad or Gabe, she might cut him cold for good.

  He headed for the library and eased the door open, stepping inside. Clearly, the room belonged to Joy’s father. It was a masculine space and filled from floor to ceiling with books. The room was stunning, but nothing made his breath catch like the woman standing in the center.

  The late afternoon light streamed through the windows, catching her honey-blond hair until it glowed. Her very tasteful bridesmaid dress showed off the curve of her breasts and her slender waist. Holland was fit and graceful and steely on the outside. But something about her seemed delicate under the surface. That vulnerability called to the protector in him.

  At the sound of his footsteps, she turned. Her lips curled up in a wry grin. “So Mad betrayed me. Big shock. I should have known he didn’t have a huge surprise planned for Zack and Joy that he needed my help with.”

  Dax closed the door behind him. Even though nerves attacked him like a swarm of buzzing bees, simply being alone with her calmed something inside him. He’d never realized how restless he felt until he’d met this woman.

  He sent her a smile. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m almost certain he changed out the cans we tied to the limo for good luck with neon butt plugs. Luckily, Roman usually manages to clean up everything Mad defiles. Seriously, Roman even hired a man to seek and destroy all of the ‘adult’ presents Mad snuck into the gifts.”

  An actual smile crossed her face and she lit up the room. “He’s an interesting friend. I think the press is going to love him on the campaign trail.”

  “Oh, Roman has protocols in place for that, too,” Dax admitted. “Mad is not allowed in the same state where Zack is campaigning. If he comes too close, Gabe will kidnap Mad and they’ll hunt up a pair of supermodels. Win-win. Do you think Zack and Joy will really do it?”

  This was a safe topic. Politics normally wasn’t, but he wasn’t discussing political opinions, just their friends.

  Holland glanced toward the window. “You mean run for the White House? Oh, I think that’s a given. I wish they wouldn’t. I don’t know how that particular scrutiny makes anyone happy. I love Joy. Hell, I love Zack. He’s an amazing man, which is why I worry about both of them in that den of snakes slithering around D.C.”

  “Zack is more ruthless than you know. He was bred for this and he’ll protect Joy. Roman will, too. He seems to really like her, which is a feat since Roman doesn’t like many people. I swear, we’ll all do our best to watch out for her.”