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  Full Disclosure

  Nikki Soarde

  This book involves characters originally introduced in the Exotica Quickie Tuxedo Tryst.

  Evan Valerian, CEO of a Fortune company, is all about his public image. But Evan is in love with Jake Maynard, and the moment they get together, the clothes come off. Evan also smolders for Sadie Ballantyne, his best friend’s widow, wrongly convicted of murdering her husband. When fate brings the three together, Jake tries to be the perfect gentleman but lust for the man bursts through Sadie like a supernova.

  Sadie is shocked when no sooner has Jake left her bed than she sees him kissing another—Evan! Sadie’s always wanted Evan, and now she sees a way to have her cake and eat them too. Jake’s on board, but Evan’s stuck on doing the “right” thing.

  Jake and Sadie will do whatever it takes to make Evan realize he can have it all—his company, true love, and both Jake and Sadie in his bed…and his kitchen…and the playroom…

  While Jake and Evan will do whatever it takes to protect Sadie from her husband’s real murderers.

  Ellora’s Cave Publishing

  www.ellorascave.com

  Full Disclosure

  ISBN

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Full Disclosure Copyright © Nikki Soarde

  Edited by Jillian Bell

  Cover design by Dar Albert

  Photography: Konrad Bak/Shutterstock.com

  Electronic book publication January

  The terms Romantica® and Quickies® are registered trademarks of Ellora’s Cave Publishing.

  With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® Home Avenue, Akron OH -.

  Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to years in federal prison and a fine of $,. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  The publisher and author(s) acknowledge the trademark status and trademark ownership of all trademarks, service marks and word marks mentioned in this book.

  The publisher does not have any control over, and does not assume any responsibility for, author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  Full Disclosure

  Nikki Soarde

  Chapter One

  Jake Maynard slid into a booth and settled himself in for what promised to be a long, uncertain wait. The diner smelled of old grease and older cigarette smoke. Considering how many years it had been since Toronto had outlawed smoking in restaurants, that spoke volumes about the cleaning techniques employed by the owners of this greasy spoon. The tables were dented and chipped, the floor stained with things Jake had no wish to imagine, and what little clientele he had glimpsed since coming in seemed just as used and abused as the furniture.

  He shook his head and turned his gaze out the window to watch the meager selection of pedestrians who had chosen to brave a trip down Jane Street in search of cheap Chinese food and expensive drugs.

  This was not one of Jake’s usual haunts. While Jake enjoyed a good burger as much as the next guy, he generally preferred smoked salmon and chardonnay over meatloaf and coffee the color of well-used dishwater. He wasn’t comfortable here, and resented every moment he was required to spend here, but he hated the thought of not seeing Evan Valerian even more. And today, Evan hadn’t given him much choice.

  So here he sat. Waiting for a man who was as likely to show up an hour late as he was to arrive on the dot of his appointment. Waiting for a man whom he loved to distraction but who seemed utterly confused over his own feelings toward Jake. Evan seemed to have no idea what he wanted or how he wanted it. And that had been driving Jake insane for months.

  They needed to talk. They so needed to talk. But lately it seemed that talking was the last thing they had time for. They had been seeing less and less of each other over the past few months. Evan seemed to be getting busier, and less likely to interrupt his plans in order to see Jake. So when they did see each other the need between them had become so urgent and so intense that neither of them seemed inclined to waste their time talking.

  The moment Jake showed up at Evan’s condo, or more likely his isolated fishing cabin, the wine popped open and the clothes came off. And their mouths remained firmly shut—unless of course they opened to welcome the other’s tongue or cock.

  It had been a month since the last time he’d seen Evan, and even now, his jeans grew uncomfortably tight as he recalled that encounter.

  Jake lay awake in the enormous king-size bed, gazing out through the open window at the full moon that taunted him with its promise of romance. Water lapped softly at the shore, and he could make out the gentle squeak of Evan’s old fishing boat as it rubbed against the ancient dock just a few meters away. A soft spring breeze rustled the gauzy curtains and occasionally caused them to flutter over the bed and tickle Jake’s hand, which rested on the hip of his lover.

  On an impulse, Jake propped himself up on an elbow to gaze down on Evan’s face, cast in silvery relief by the haunting glow of the moon. “Damn it,” he whispered to the breeze, “why do you have to be so damn gorgeous?”

  Evan must have been only dozing, because those few whispered words were enough to cause his eyes to flutter open. He looked up at Jake and smiled. And in that moment Jake thought he saw something there—something that had been missing from Evan’s gaze for far too long.

  He wanted so desperately to ask him then. To voice the questions and worries that had been hounding him for the past six months, ever since his last visit to Evan’s condo—ever since Evan had started pulling away. But he didn’t. Instead he bent down and kissed Evan. Gently, sensually, with as much reverence and love as he could muster. And Evan responded.

  Evan opened himself to Jake, returning the kiss with as much passion as Jake had ever experienced. His hands coasted over Jake’s body with tenderness and a sense of possession that fed Jake’s passion. Their chests ground together, their skin burst into flames. And when Evan took Jake in his mouth, Jake could think of nothing but the intense pleasure that consumed him every time they were together. He pumped himself into Evan’s mouth until he was dry, and then took equal pleasure as Evan held him down and fucked him—

  “Coffee?”

  “Huh?” Jake was startled out of his reverie and his hand flew to the tabletop. He felt himself blush with the knowledge that he had inadvertently been pressing a hand to his crotch.

  The smile the waitress bestowed on him, however, eased his mind immediately. The face behind the smile wasn’t exactly beautiful. Her skin was pale and mottled, and in need of a good facial and the application of a little color. Her cheeks were somewhat sunken, as if she’d lost a little too much weight a little too fast. The way the cheap cotton uniform hung on her was an added testament to that observation.

  But the brown eyes, although rimmed with dark circles and bloodshot with fatigue, were warm and inviting. And the curve of her lips was sweet and bowlike. He liked her immediately.

  “Yeah. This brown stuff.” She held up the carafe. “You
know…the caffeinated lifeblood of the Canadian public. Did you want some?”

  He allowed himself a smile. “Sure.” He pushed the white ceramic cup toward her as he read her name tag. “Thanks, Sadie. Sorry. I was kind of lost in dreamland before.”

  She filled his cup. “Don’t apologize. My fault for taking so long to serve you. There was a spill in the back that I had to clean up.”

  “That’s okay.” He reached for the cream. “I’m sure the coffee will make up for the wait.”

  She laughed. “You really do live in a dreamland.”

  He felt the smile slip away as that brought on thoughts of Evan. “Yeah. Maybe.”

  She studied him for a moment, and her hand reached out as if to touch his before she snatched it back and stuffed it into the pocket of her apron. “I’ll get you a menu.”

  “Two actually. I’m waiting for someone.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be back in a twitch.”

  He was still musing over that little turn of phrase when she set two menus on the table and also dropped a basket with a couple of steaming biscuits and a side of butter.

  He was confused. This was hardly the caliber of restaurant that provided free rolls or bread and dipping oil for its patrons. “I didn’t order these.”

  “On the house. You looked like you could use some good, warm comfort food.” This time she did brush her hand across his before heading on to the next table.

  He was chewing on a mouthful of surprisingly flaky dough and musing over her incredible insight when a short, burly police officer erupted from a booth on the other side of the restaurant and strode purposefully toward the waitress.

  He grabbed her wrist and forced her around to face him. “Just what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” A thick, dark mustache clung to his upper lip like a dead caterpillar. It made Jake’s lip curl in vague distaste.

  Only the uniform kept Jake from vaulting from his seat and plowing a fist into the guy’s leering, smug face. And a moment later he was glad of his restraint because Sadie had taken control of the situation and pulled the cop into a back corner for a conversation that, unfortunately, Jake could no longer hear.

  Sadie was tired. Her feet were tired. Her eyes were tired. Hell, even her cheeks were tired. Every bone in her body screamed out for sleep, but that wasn’t destined to happen anytime soon. Instead she had to deal with Randy Rufus. A mistake that refused to go away. One of so many.

  Just another stupid error in judgment in a long line of stupid mistakes that had started the day she met—and thought she fell in love with—her now dead husband.

  She scolded herself. Regrets were a useless waste of energy, especially for a person who had so little energy left to use. She needed to focus on the problem at hand. Rufus.

  “So what the fuck was that?” he demanded, his voice lowered but no less caustic than it had been a minute earlier.

  “What was what?” She shrugged in frustration. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He motioned his head toward the front of the restaurant. “That guy. You were trying to pick him up. I saw it clear as day.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by his finger jamming into her chest. “I told you, no more tricks. I catch you picking up another john and I haul your skinny ass down to the station so fast—”

  “I wasn’t trying to pick him up!” she hissed back. “Why the hell would you think that?”

  “I saw the way he looked at you. And then you touched his hand. What the hell is that, if it’s not a come-on?”

  She curbed the urge to turn around and look at the young man who had been so sweet to her. He was nothing like her usual clientele. Young, well-dressed in designer jeans and a fitted cotton shirt that showed off an impressive pair of shoulders. With his professionally coiffed hairstyle and polished leather boots, he looked more as though he belonged on Bay Street than this godforsaken corner of hell.

  And most patrons caught with their hand at their crotch would get defensive and angry. Maybe even yell at her. But this one hadn’t done that. Instead he had smiled—and blushed, for God’s sake. And what a smile it was—genuine and sincere. A smile that had made her feel somehow safe and at ease. As though for the first time in years, someone actually saw beyond the baggy eyes and the checkered past, and saw her for who she was. A tired, scared, misused woman who just wanted life to hand her one break. And preferably a break that did not come in the form of a cracked jaw or broken rib.

  “He’s just a nice guy and he looked like he could use a smile, is all,” she reasoned. She hazarded a quick glance in his direction and felt a little shiver when she noticed that he was gazing at her with obvious concern. She turned back to Rufus. “And he looks like he could be a good tipper.”

  Rufus narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know. You’re a lying little slut, and I shouldn’t believe a word you say.”

  Although it made her ill to do it, she didn’t have a choice. Rufus held the key to her future in his hand—and potentially the key to a jail cell. She’d spent far too much time behind bars already. She had no intention of going back there again—ever.

  “Honest, Rufus. I wouldn’t do that. I promise.” She traced a finger down his chest. “But maybe a blowjob in the back would help convince you?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed and he shifted his gaze to her breasts. She fought the urge to cover them. “Right now?”

  “Sure. In the storeroom. I’ve got time.” She brushed a hand over his fly. “If you do.”

  His smile turned lascivious. “You got a deal. Lead the way, bitch.”

  Evan stopped on the corner and gazed down the tiny side street toward Maggie’s Diner, the seedy little out-of-the-way dive he himself had chosen for their forbidden rendezvous. He was itching to see Jake. Couldn’t wait to lay eyes on that dusty mop of blond hair and laughing green eyes. To breathe in the light, fresh scent of Jake’s cologne. To feel the desire that coursed through him every time he came within twenty feet of those broad shoulders and sinewy forearms. His heart was thudding in anticipation of seeing his young lover, but his brain was screaming in protest. He had no business here, had no business risking everything for a few moments of self-indulgent pleasure and unbridled joy. His life was about more than that. Trouble was, at that moment, he was having difficulty remembering what that was.

  He had come here with one purpose in mind but now, as he stood here going over it all in his mind, silently repeating the speech he’d rehearsed a thousand times in front of the mirror, he felt a lump form in his throat, and he knew he couldn’t go through with it. Not like he had planned anyway. All he knew was something had to change—he just wished he could figure out what.

  Well, he couldn’t just walk away now. Not even if he wanted to, as his feet had already started moving him toward the diner’s front door.

  He stepped inside and was immediately hit by the odor of sweat and grease. Maybe he should have chosen the sushi place up the street instead.

  Jake smiled at him from his booth by the front window and Evan’s heart leapt. He couldn’t tamp down the smile he felt as he crossed the room and embraced Jake in a warm hug.

  “Hey, man,” he said past the fresh lump that had formed in his throat. “You look good.” And he did. Jake looked as tanned and fit as Evan had ever seen him. The old faded jeans with the tattered knees only enhanced the sense of youth and energy.

  “Me?” laughed Jake, slapping Evan on the shoulder. “What about you? Denim and leather? You really took the whole slummin’ idea seriously.”

  Evan shrugged, suddenly selfconscious about the drastic wardrobe change. While in the city, silk suits and designer ties were his usual fare. Other than trips to the cabin or the gym, he rarely wore anything else.

  “Well, considering the neighborhood, I thought it appropriate.” He slipped out of his tailored leather jacket and slid into the booth across from Jake.

  “Yeah, well, it works.” Jake paused a moment, gazing down at Evan w
ith a look that made his pulse race. At last he slipped into his seat, but that didn’t mean Evan’s pulse slowed down one iota. “It works great.”

  “You ordered already?” asked Evan, eyeing the basket of biscuits.

  “Nah. Just a goodwill offering from our waitress.” He pushed the basket in Evan’s direction. “Help yourself. I’m afraid she may be a few minutes.”

  Needing something to do with his hands, Evan accepted. He picked up a biscuit and broke it open, pleasantly surprised by the flakiness and enticing aromas that erupted from the treat. He popped a piece in his mouth.

  “So, why the diner, Ev? Why not the cabin? Or you could’ve come to my place for once. It’s been ages.”

  Only the flakiness of the biscuit allowed it to make it down his throat. “Yeah. Well.” He cleared his throat. “The thing is, I wanted to talk. I didn’t want other…stuff to get in the way.”

  The silence that ensued was suffocating. “I see,” replied Jake. “I didn’t think that stuff was typically a problem.”

  “It…it’s not. I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.” He reached for Jake’s hand and then thought better of it. This wasn’t Church Street. Around here a display like that could earn him a black eye, or worse. Which was exactly why he’d chosen this place. “You know how I feel about you, Jake.”

  Jake’s expression turned hard. He leaned back in his bench and crossed his arms. “Actually, I don’t, Evan. Lately I don’t have a clue. And the thing is, I don’t think you do either.”

  Evan looked out the window, trying to formulate his words.

  And that gave Jake an opening. “You’ve been avoiding me for weeks now. Months even. You often ignore my calls, and always come up with excuses for not being able to meet me.” He leaned forward again and lowered his voice. “But when we do get together it’s so great. Our last time at the cabin was…beyond words. It felt so damn right. It felt like—I don’t know—like something slipped into place. I thought we were going somewhere. I don’t get it, man. What happened?”