Enslaved in Shadows

Enslaved In Shadows

Tigris Eden

Copyright 2012 Tigris Eden

Cover : Tricia “PickyMe” Schmitt

Edited by H. McAuliffe & C. Von Ditter

Published by BookRhythm, LLC

ISBN:  978-0-9856365-0-0

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.  If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the work of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgements

I would like to first and foremost acknowledge the creator of all things! Without
him/her,
none of this would be possible!

Belinda (Bells) Bullock you are my light in that dark tunnel yo! I LOVE YOU TO PIECES! Words can’t express the gratitude and respect I have for you! What kind of belt is that you’re wearing? (Dolce & Gabbana Halo!) LOL

Lara Adrian and Larissa Ione for always answering my questions… When I grow
up,
I want to be just like the two of you!

Steph I know I will be seeing you soon and can’t wait for you to explode on the scene thanks for reading the beginning and middle stages!

Alicia Pates you are the best sister a sister could have! And you to Tekura! The both of you have done so much and I promise Q the story that needs to be told (NOLA) will be told soon!

Donyalle (Xee) Williams for being the best supporter and reader of my work thanks for helping me with eye color and details that mattered! Thanks for being the best admin and understanding when I basically told you the blog is yours to control! You rock!

Cariad you were instrumental as well even if we are oceans apart! Je Taime ma petite belle!

Christie Von Ditter and Heather McAuliffe you are my superwomen times infinity! You two are amazing stars! Don’t let anyone tell you different! SERIOUS! I can’t even imagine how many freaking em
ails we have between gmail and F
acebook messages! I don’t even know what else to say! You were there from beginning to end! For loving Royce and all my ideas!

Trish Pickyme I ADORE YOU! The book’s cover is amazing! I am sooo glad that we crossed paths
!
I had a vision and you made it come to life! I apologize now for all the work I will create in the future! NEVER LEAVE ME!

My CP Elise Hepner… I know you said “sweat” is not sexy… I beg to differ and I love you anyway for being that person who gave it to me straight and encouraged me to do it no matter what! YOU ARE BOMB!

Sheila Mallynn and Carol Henderson thank you for being you and reading a book that will eventually get finished! For being my cheerleaders!

Thanks to JenRen,Char, Redfox, and Ashley thank you for taking over TE Garden of Books and doing the damn thing

Dedication

LL for loving me and understanding that creativity has no time limit, whether it struck at 6 in the evening or 4 in the morning! You understand the “nerd” in me. I understand the bad boy in you
.
You are my other half. And to my boys I love you mucho!

Mom you are one of the bravest women I know! I love you! Our journey as mother and daughter will never cease to empower me more!

Dad thanks for letting me follow you to the bowling alley when I was young! Thanks for being supportive! I love you!

Soco you are loved and not forgotten! I will miss you forever!

Chapter 1

His eyes were animal-like
.
A penetrating forest green, clouded with lust and appreciation stared at her from across the bar.
The intensity of his gaze burned
through
the layer of sea salt that coated her skin.
Expressive eyes regarded her with knowledge and fascination
.
Men never stared at her like this
.
Must be the ridiculous scrap of a bikini Bells insisted she wear
.
Jes took another sip of her seaweed shake laced with rum and sighed softly
.
The flavor of
rum and vanilla reminded her of a time when her grandmother would make her
swit biskits
laced in rum. She needed the distraction, because if she glanced in his direction again, she’d melt on the spot and not from the heat either.

The man was past gorgeous and forever out of her league. Raven black waves fell haphazardly around his face, giving him a sleepy sexed look.
His hair was shorter in the back than in the front, a perfect place for her to thread her fingers at the nape of his neck.

Bronze s
kin
,
stretched over finely tuned
muscles, flexed as he adjusted his arms and leaned forward on the bar.
Adonis meet hottie. Hottie,
try not to make the Adonis jealous.
He belonged on the cover of one of those women magazines. Top Ten Hotties of the Year. He was
undoubtedly
number one
.
Jes couldn’t see much, but from where she
sat,
she’d say he was pushing at least twenty out of ten on the hot meter
.
He looked right at her, not caring if anyone noticed his attentions were focused on her.
There was no shame i
n
his assessment. Her body’s functions stopped under his perusal, seconds seemed like
minutes,
then kick started her into full force.
Damn.
She could tell he was tall even as he sat across from her at the bar talking to the
bartender
. Curious anticipation danced along her spine, a seductive shuffle through her body. It was
as if
an erotic whisper coerced her into submission
.
Jes wanted to stretch the emotion out, make it longer. Instead, she fidgeted in her seat too taken with him.

Hard cut features outlined his face with a slightly crooked nose. His lower lip was
a bit
fuller than the top,
sensual lips
. The kind a woman wanted dragged across her entire body at least three times in a day. More if she had any say about it
.
His cotton blue and white button up shirt was open to fully expose
d
hard-sculpted pectorals lightly dusted with dark hair.
She watched as he leaned over to reach for a napkin
.
Oh,
to be the sw
eat that rolls down that chest
.
Jesminda sighed again, she was hormonal but of the horny “come do
me,”
persuasion and she never got that way ever.

Abruptly he stood and handed the bartender, who was still half a foot shorter
,
some money for his drink. He had to be at least six and a half f
eet tall. He dominated the area,
owned it with his massive presence. That was
a lot of man.
He took one last microscopic look at her, discarding her scraps of clothing with his eyes piece by piece
.
She should’ve looked away but didn’t. He broke the contact when he turned and headed in the other direction
.
Such a short amount of time to be
thoroughly
turned on. There was a reason she always stuck to her plans and guys li
ke him were not part of them
. He’d change things up, go out of sync.
Be spontaneous.
It would drive her nuts.
But in a good way, don’t you think
?
For all the staring he did, he could have at least walked over and said hi, something
!
She hated to admit it stung, a lot
.
Belinda, oblivious as usual
,
watched a family bathing under the sun
.
Her friend was constantly distracted, but she loved her for it
.
Downing the rest of her drink she signaled for the bartender and placed her money on the table for their drinks. She’d come here to enjoy herself, have an adventure.

“Time for a bit of fun in the sun Jes,” Bells said as she grabbed her straw hat off the counter and hopped down from the stool
.
Heat was much appreciated when faced with rejection
;
at least she wouldn’t be shaking under his stare.

They were here for two weeks, to soak up the rays and planned on doing things most girls wouldn’t dare do. Well she was, Bells was purely along for the support a
nd to make sure she didn’t overdo
her adventure
.
Besides who said going to carnival was a
terrible
idea? Good way to break out of your shell, have some fun. She giggled as she pushed her sunglasses over her eyes and headed for the beach.

The
sand was silk between her toes as she walked on the beach.
Belmopan, Belize had been her home for the first sixteen years of her life. She’d gone to school here; her playground had been the beach bordering the southern lagoon, her backyard the beautiful jungle. She missed the smell of the ocean and its breeze kissing her skin. What more could a girl want
?
Her mother and father had a vast
estate nestled in the jungle, most people wouldn’t agree with her when she said jungle life was the life for her.
However, she loved it
,
and Belinda loved it too.
Her friend would disappear for hours on her family’s property, explaining she was at peace in the jungle. Who could blame her?

“Lounging sounds good to me
titi
.” Jes answered.

“Stop with the
titi
.” Bells said over her shoulder
.
Titi
was the Kriol word for girl.
It never failed, every time she came home to visit
,
her grandmother refused to speak English
.
She
was adamant about her keeping close to her roots.
In addition,
she did for the most part
;
you could take the girl from the island, but never the island from the girl.

She quickly walked ahead of Belinda so she could grab a great spot on the beach.
It wasn’t crowded today and wouldn’t be until Carnival. That’s when the tourists would arrive, for Belmopan’s infamous Erotic Carnival.
People came from all
corners of the earth
to experience it.

* * * *

The woman at the bar smelled
fucking
incredible
, tropical, like the island. Coconut and pineapples with vanilla and nutmeg all surrounded his sense
s
while in her presence. He wanted to taste her full pouty lips. See if she’d taste as good as she smelled.
No one had ever caught the attention of his nose. Not once.
Images of her lips wrapped around his cock clouded his brain and Draven groaned as he adjusted the errant erection in his shorts. He wa
s restless, and fucking horny.
She would have been perfect for what he had in mind, but a job was a job was a job.
He needed to finish his assignment
,
and maybe later he could play.