Secrets Of The A-List (episode 7 Of 12)

By Yahrah St. John

The last seduction?

Elana and Thom's rehearsal dinner should be a night to celebrate romance. Instead, Mariella is missing in action, a surprise guest is slipping through the crowd, Luc is fending off blatant requests for a ring from Rachel…and the Fixer is scrambling to keep all Marshalls on message! Seductive distractions loom large for everyone tonight – but are any of them dangerous enough (or sexy enough!) to derail the wedding?

Super Rich. Super Sexy. Super Addictive. Secrets of the A–List – read all 12 episodes!

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Oct 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781489249975

Yahrah St. John

Yahrah St. John is the author of thirty-one published books and won the 2013 Best Kimani Romance from RT Book Reviews for A CHANCE WITH YOU. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Northwestern University. A member of Romance Writers of America, St. John is an avid reader, enjoys cooking, traveling and adventure sports, but her true passion is writing. Visit: www.yahrahstjohn.com

Book preview

Chapter One

Make love to me. Mariella threw herself at Joe, not caring how wanton she seemed. They’d walked a short distance along the shoreline from the parking lot at Arroyo Burro Beach to a cavernous area under the tall mountain bluffs. The beach was a popular favorite for Santa Barbara locals, and Mariella had come because she’d known it would be secluded at this time of night and give them the privacy she craved.

And it was.

Mariella knew she was risking everything asking Joe to make love to her, but in that moment she didn’t care. The phone call she’d received tonight was the last straw—she wouldn’t play the good wife any longer, standing by her philandering husband’s side. The phone call had come from Harrison’s mistress in France during a family dinner at Casa Cat claiming he’d sired a child. Was she the first? God only knew. Since Harrison had been in a coma for nearly a month, Mariella was beginning to learn all sorts of secrets he’d kept hidden from her during their thirty-two-year marriage. First the Fixer. And now this.

Well, no more.

For once in her life, she was going to be selfish and live for herself. Not for Harrison. Not for her children. She was going to live in the moment.

And Mariella wanted to be with Joe. Joe Reynolds. The man who’d stood on the sidelines for over three decades. She’d always thought of Joe as nothing more than a friend until Harrison’s accident had her looking at him as a man. The attraction between them had been simmering underneath the surface for weeks. She’d tried her best to deny it, but the other day at the mansion, she’d given in to it. Why had it taken Joe so long to make a move? Had he been waiting for her to see the truth about her husband—that he was a liar and couldn’t be trusted? Thanks to the constant bombshells, Mariella was learning just that. Perhaps she’d put her trust in the wrong man.

Tonight she would rectify that mistake.

* * *

Joe stared back at Mariella. She was so damn beautiful. She was wearing a black wrap dress that might look simple on another woman but showed off her svelte curves. Her long dark hair hung in wave after luxurious wave down her back, and her brown eyes were so expressive. They showed the desire lurking in their fiery depths. Like a fine wine, Mariella had only gotten more stunning as the years had gone by. Nary a wrinkle could be seen on her tawny skin. And the words she’d just whispered to Joe were the words he’d longed to hear since he and Harrison first saw her. Back then, he’d been too shy to approach Mariella and Harrison had swooped in.

And right now, he was just as hesitant as he’d been back then. There was the possibility that his investigation into Harrison could have caused his accident and put all of them in this quagmire. But more than that, Mariella’s marriage was crumbling and fate was giving him a window to have the woman he’d always wanted. Here. Tonight. Should he take it?

He finally spoke his thoughts aloud. Mariella, I don’t want you to do anything you’re going to regret later.

It would kill him if they made love tonight and Mariella shunned him tomorrow because she regretted her hasty decision. Were the night air and crashing surf bewitching her senses and beguiling her as they were doing to him? It certainly made him want to throw caution to the wind. They’d almost made love at the estate the other day, but Mariella had pulled back at the last second. Would she again?

"Joe, please, Mariella implored, grasping his biceps. I need you."

There was a hunger in her eyes that she didn’t even try to hide. And the urgency and longing in Mariella’s voice were his undoing. He would take all she could give him, even if it was only for one night. If that was true, he’d make certain it would last all night.

He glanced around. They were alone on the beach. When he’d arrived, only his Aston Martin and her Mercedes had been in the beach’s parking lot. There had been a few people milling around during the sunset, but they were now gone. It was just the two of them, and no one would ever have to know. They’d share a secret that would bind them together forever.

Joe reacted on instinct and reached for Mariella, slamming her against his hard chest. He wanted to devour her and indulge in the passion he’d long held back—for her. He heard the air whoosh out of her lungs seconds before his lips descended on hers. The second his lips touched hers, Joe thought he’d died and gone to heaven. His kiss was soft at first as he tested her resolve to be sure she was ready to take this next step. She didn’t pull away from him. So he rained soft kisses at the corners of her mouth. Then his tongue teased at the seam of her lips until she parted them, allowing him entry into the sweet haven that he sought.

How could Harrison have looked elsewhere? Joe sure wouldn’t have. His tongue grew bolder as he began exploring her mouth; Mariella was a willing participant. Her tongue engaged his in a mating dance as old as time itself. They continued kissing until Joe pulled away long enough to catch his breath.

Wow! That was even better than when they’d kissed