Published by Georgia Cates Books LLC Publication Date: August 3, 2015
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From New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Best-selling author, Georgia Cates, comes a steamy new standalone novel.Beau Emerson is no gentleman. Those hazel eyes.That filthy mouth.That greedy, hard body.It all equates to one thing. Irresistible.One look and I know heβll bruise my lips and scar my knees. Heβll give me the best nine days of my life while ruining me in the most beautiful way imaginable. And Iβll let him because he has the power to talk me into anything.Except one thing.Staying.I have no choice. The things I desire from him will destroy me in the end. I want more than heβs capable of givingββsomething true and beautiful.He can never know how much of me belongs to him. Too much is at stake.Shh β¦ donβt tell him heβs my everything.My name is Anna James Bennett. And this is our story.
I always look forward to a Georgia Cates book, because I never know what I’m going to get. Β But I always know it’ll be hot and I’ll find myself hard pressed not to love the hero. Β INDULGE did not disappoint.
Anna James finds herself heading to a hedonistic resort with her best friend and husband to celebrate her divorce from her cheating ex-husband. Β Despite having reservations about being at such a club, she can’t pass up a trip to spend some quality time at a Jamaican resort. Β She was ready for fun in the sun, she just wasn’t expecting Beau Emerson.
Beau’s character was larger than life and seemed to leap off the page. Β With his southern charm and sexual chemistry he was hard to resist from the minute we meet him. Β And as the first part of the book is told from Anna’s POV, we know she found herself hard press to resist him as well. Β Despite having participated in a non-conventional relationship, you knew Beau was willing to do whatever it took to be with Anna James just by the way he acted with her. Β And as the story flipped to his POV, we knew exactly what he thought and what he wanted from our reluctant heroine. Β You couldn’t help but pull for him. Β His relationships in the past were more about being caught up in something because his partner introduced it, rather than it being something that Beau wanted. Β So you felt bad for him when he suddenly found himself without the one person who made him feel complete.
Sometimes I wondered about Anna James. Β For someone who was best friends with someone who was into alternate lifestyles, she was very closed minded and judgmental when it came to Beau. Β She was quick to not believe what he was saying, rather than taking his word when he told her how he felt about her. Β It was frustrating. Β Especially when she used his past against him as a reason for her to act poorly and keep a huge secret from him. Β And she was likable.
I enjoyed INDULGE. Β It was a fun escape into some beach fun and a hot romance. Β Georgia Cates never disappoints and INDULGE is definitely one to pick up.
[rating-report]
PROLOGUE:
Anna James Bennett
Prologue
I sigh as I toss the thick legal envelope across the island in Meredithβs gourmet kitchen. The proof of my marriageβs dissolution barely comes to a stop before plummeting over the edge. βItβs final, as of today.β
My best friend, Meredith, squeals. βYes. This calls for a celebratory drink.β
The word celebratory implies happiness or joy. That isnβt the case for me. My husband of twelve months left me for a nineteen-year-old. A kid. His former student.
Fucker.
He swears nothing happened while she was his pupil.
Liar.
He claims itβs true love.
Dumbass.
Drakeβs relationship with Caitlyn is fleeting. Sheβs an immature teen who wants to play house. The paint wonβt dry on the walls of their new apartment before sheβs ready to bail.
βIβve been saving this one for a special occasion.β Ahh. A bottle of Wittmann Westhofener Morstein Riesling. Always rich in body and texture. My favorite.
Gulp. Gulp. The bottle gurgles as Meredith pours far more than three ounces. My glass is three-quarters full when she presses two fingers against the base and glides it across the sleek Carrara marble toward me. I instantly salivate when the essence of honey, peach, mango, and flowers invades my nostrils.
Meredith lifts her glass, cueing me to the toast sheβs about to make. βHereβs to the end of an errorββyour misconception that Drake Langston was a knight in shining armor rather than what he really isβa turd in tinfoil.β
βI know thatβs the truth.β I tap my glass against hers before taking the first sip of dry, fruity goodness. Damn, thatβs good stuff.
βCapone made sure you got everything you wanted?β
Alec Capone is the most successful divorce attorney in Georgia. He should be with a name like that. βI got more than I wanted, including custody of Little Bastard, since Drake relinquished ownership of him. Caitlynβs allergic.β Iβm epically pissed off about him dumping his cat on me.
βAre you keeping the lilβ guy?β
βI havenβt decided.β Kermit, AKA Little Bastard, has no love for me. Doesnβt matter that Iβve been the one who has fed him his every bite, changed his litter box every time, taken him to the vet for every visit, even the time he was deathly ill from eating part of my foam flip-flop.
βYou wonβt have a problem if you decide to re-home him. Heβs beautiful. Plenty of cat lovers would take him just because heβs a Bengal.β
Kermit was Drakeβs trophy cat. Pretty to look at and thatβs about it. Much like Caitlyn.
I have no emotional connection to Little Bastard. Iβve tried to bond but heβs resistant. Thatβs why Iβm so surprised by the way I feel when I think of giving him away. Heβs resistant to loving me. Just like Drake.
βI got my name back.β Thatβs what I wanted most. Bennett. My daddyβs name.
The wrinkle in Meredithβs brow serves as a warning. Itβs always a prelude to something serious. βI understand those papers feel like a painful ending but thatβs because theyβre disguising what today is. A new beginning. Grayson and I think itβs important for you to treat this as a fresh start.β
Meredith disappears into the dining room and returns with a gift bag covered in curly ribbon and filled with tissue paper.
βYour divorce gift. Read the card first.β
I open the envelope and read the message aloud. βCongratulations on your divorce. We hated him.β
βNo secret there.β I already knew Meredith and Grayson despised Drake.
I rip into the bag, tossing aqua and lime tissue paper in every direction. Iβm worse than a child when it comes to tearing into gifts.
I take out each item and place it on the countertop. Sunscreen. Ray-Bans. The ridiculously expensive bikini I lusted for at that expensive boutique in Buckhead. And condoms.
βSurβ¦prise. Grayson and I are taking you to Jamaica with us next month.β
Umm β¦ not just no. βForget it. Not happening.β
βOh, itβs happening. Weβve already booked two suites and your airline ticket. First class.β
Sheβs out of her mind. Iβm not going to that place. βCancel one. Unless you and Grayson plan to use separate suites.β
βCanβt cancel. Itβs Wicked Week at the resort so both rooms had to be paid for in full. Nonrefundable.β
This is her way of guilting me into doing what she wants. She thinks Iβll say yes if her money wonβt be returned. βYouβre so wrong for doing this to me.β
βYou need a getaway and we knew youβd never agree otherwise. Donβt be mad.β
Iβm not mad. Iβm pissed. Iβve already made plans for the next three months. βIβm taking a second job while schoolβs out for summer. Thereβs no way an employer will give me vacation time four weeks after hiring me.β
βMaybe not, unless your bosses are Meredith and Grayson Faulkner. Come to work for us and weβll guarantee you the time off. There wonβt be a reason in the world you canβt go.β
Right. No reason in the world unless you consider the fact this all-expenses-paid vacation is for a getaway at a hedonism resort. A freaking no-holds-barred sex retreat.
Iβm neither a hede nor a swinger.
Meredith Faulkner has been my best friend since ninth grade. Weβve been through thick and thin. Thereβs nothing she and I havenβt shared, apart from one huge exception.
Meredith and Grayson practice hedonism. They chase pleasure in any form it presents. Theyβre also part of a local community known to many as the lifestyle. Theyβre swingers. Wife Swappers.
Whatever floats their boat is fine by me. I donβt judge. But hedonism and swinging ainβt my thang. Iβm not into casual sex. I prefer intimacy with a man I love, and always within the boundaries of a committed relationship.
Call me old-fashioned but I need more than a physical connection. A quick fuck with a person Iβve just met isnβt my cup of tea. Neither is having sex with someone else while my husband watches. Or the other way around.
βDonβt be worried about the money. Indulge is all-inclusive. You wonβt be out a dime.β
I am cash-strapped but Meredith knows my resistance is unrelated to my financial status. βI donβt practice hedonism and Iβm not a swinger. I have no business going to Indulge.β
βItβs Jamaica, mon! There are plenty of activities that have nothing to do with hedonism or swinging.β She picks up the top of the bikini she just gifted me and holds it up over my shirt. βThink of how great youβll look on the beach in this.β
Iβm not denying I need an escape from this hell I call reality but I donβt want it to be at Indulge, even if all expenses are paid. βSeeing you and Grayson with other people will be a problem for me.β
βThen weβll ensure you donβt.β
βWhat kind of things would there be for me to do?β
βLet me grab my laptop and Iβll show you.β
The website for Indulge makes it appear to be a classy establishment. But looks can be deceiving. βThis isnβt what I was expecting.β
βHedonism resorts are like anything else. There are different levels. Go to a hundred dollar a night establishment and youβll get what you pay for. Indulge is five stars all the way so itβs only the best accommodations and amenities for its guests.β
Meredith navigates to the page of offered activities. The list is huge. βYouβve always wanted to try snorkeling and scuba diving.β
βTrue.β I wanted an island honeymoon where Drake and I could do those things together. He took me to the mountains instead, the last place I wanted to go, because it was cheaper.
βI know you donβt think so but this is your kind of vacation, Anna James. The pools are luxurious. The beaches are white with the bluest water youβve ever seen. Youβre provided with all the alcohol and food you can hold. Calories donβt count there.β
βWell, that changes everything.β
βThe service is magnificent. You can lie on the beach, in this new bikini, and have drinks brought to you by a handsome cabana boy. Who wouldnβt enjoy that?β
I imagine the serenity of being on a Jamaican beach. I envision the sun warming my skin. It lightly glistens with sweat but Iβm not hot because the breeze cools me when it blows against my sun-kissed skin. The rush of the waves rolling in and out is steady. Itβs my favorite sound in the world. A perfect recipe for relaxation.
My lovely imagery is interrupted by a notionβsome old naked coot standing beside me where Iβm sunbathing on a lounger. I look over to see whoβs blocking the sun and his spunk spitter is staring me down. βI donβt want some dudeβs frank βn beans in my face.β
Meredith bursts into laughter. βDespite what you think, the men donβt go around shaking their balls like maracas.β
βI wonβt be hounded?β That would piss me off. And completely ruin my good time.
βYouβre a beautiful woman. I donβt think itβs possible for you to not be propositioned.β
Iβve spent my life being compared to a life-size version of Barbie. Long blonde hair, blue eyes, but petite. At five four, I donβt have those mile-long, lean legs like the doll.
Iβve never had a problem with men finding me attractive. Except my own husband. I must have aged out for him since he likes βem young.
βThereβs a policy in place and everyone adheres to it. All you have to say is βI appreciate your interest, but no thank you.β They wonβt bother you after that. Harassment isnβt allowed. Anyone who doesnβt abide by the rules is made to leave.β
βBut what about the one refusing to take no for an answer?β It never fails. There will be one in the bunch.
βThereβs always someone at Indulge who will say yes. They donβt waste their time on uninterested people.β Well, that makes sense.
I hear the garage door lifting. βSounds like Gβs home.β
Meredith beams. Three years of marriage and she still lights up like a candle for him. Yet sheβll have sex with another man. Their marriage is an enigma I donβt think Iβll ever understand.
βGraysonβs comfortable with me going to the resort with yβall?β
βIt was his idea. He wants to do something nice for you. Let him.β
Gβs a good friend. Loyal. Protective. So much so I thought he was going to kill Drake when he found out what heβd done to me. I adore him for that; it was nice to know I had someone in my corner.
Grayson enters from the garage and is nearly tackled by their golden retriever, desperate for his daily dose of petting from his master. βHey, Howie. Were you a good boy today?β
βNo, he damn sure wasnβt,β Meredith calls outs. βHe snuck into the laundry room and stole my favorite panties from the laundry basket. He chewed a big-ass hole in the crotch.β
Grayson chuckles loudly before giving Howie one last scratch behind his ears.
βItβs not funny. Itβs the third pair this week.β
My best friendβs husband comes to her and kisses the side of her face. Itβs so loving. Normal. Someone looking in from the outside couldnβt possibly imagine the things they do behind closed doors. βHowie knows I like you in crotchless panties.β
Meredith gasps and slaps his arm. βStop. Donβt say things like that in front of Anna James.β
Grayson grins in my direction. Heβs so handsome. Dark hair graying at the temples. Bright blue eyes. I wouldnβt dare share him with another woman if I were Meredith. βMy dear wife would totally say something like that in front of you.β
Heβs almost right. βNo. She would say much worse.β
Meredith winks at me. βI absolutely would but only because I can. Iβm her best friend.β
Grayson gestures to the gift bag on the counter. βIs AJ still calling you a friend after opening our gift?β
I pick up the card. βI loved this. And the bikini.β
Grayson smirks. βWhat about our offer?β
I donβt know what to say. To decline feels like a shitty, ungrateful thing. To accept feels wrong. Wicked.
βDonβt think about what kind of resort it is or what goes on there. Itβs the change of scenery and escape from life that you need. Think of it as a palate cleansing.β
All valid points.
A palate cleansing. I like that idea. A lot. βOkay. Iβm in.β
Meredith squeals and darts to where Iβm sitting. She throws her arms around me and squeezes tightly. βYouβre going to have the time of your life. This is going to be a getaway youβll never forget. I guarantee it.β
Iβm certain it will be an experience Iβll never forget. Even when I try.
Now, to find someone to keep Little Bastard.
Shannon
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