Chapter One W hen Garfield Draper and I married, I thought I’d be happy. Garfield made billions in the financial markets trading commodities. He rescued me out of a life of poverty in the backwaters of the New Orleans Bayou and whisked me off to my new beautiful beachfront estate in the quiet town of Bayside. But it’s too quiet... And I’ve gotten bored of attending the outrageously expensive dinner galas and sun bathing on the beach with the other rich wives living on the island. I don’t know. It’s just with each passing day, I feel more and more dead inside and I’m not sure how much longer I can go on. I looked over and saw Garfield getting ready, his body was still sopping with water as he just stepped out of the shower. His lean fit body stood in front of me completely naked and exposed. He had a majesty about him that made my blood run hot. His wet hard length grazed my thigh. “Rory, I made an appointment with a mechanic to see about my 1962 Rolls Royce. It’s always been a dream of mine to have it classically restored.” My husband then turned with his husky bare chest facing me. Garfield leaned in close, gently caressing my arms. I looked up at him when his fingers stroked my hair behind my ears. I relished the smell of his addicting aftershave. “You’re so beautiful,” he told me in his dark low voice. I know you’re still trying to find roots here. It’s not as bad as you think. Trust me, in no time you’ll never want to leave.” I shrugged. “No, really. I’m fine.” Garfield stroked his thumb across my parted lips. It took him so little effort to turn me on. He never made me feel insecure about my curves and that’s why I loved him. But I wasn’t in love with him—and there wasn’t anything I could do about that. Garfield gripped my hair and kissed me deeply, groping me on my ass. The savory taste of his mouth sent chills to my fingertips. He about 6’3 and had these tense golden eyes. I pulled away from his grasp and sat down on the edge of our bed. “When’s your appointment?” I asked feeling a bit restless. “12:30. You should be heading out,” he smiled giving me one last kiss on the cheek. Garfield handled me like a fragile dove. He’s been nothing but a total gentleman. He put on his navy blazer and yanked it down at the sides. The two of us walked to our garage he took the black sedan and I hopped into his classic seafoam colored coupe. Once my husband drove out first, I followed and then made a sharp turn towards town. * “H ello?” I called out in the noisy garage. I heard a loud banging noise coming from somewhere in the back. At least a dozen cars were sitting on cinderblocks waiting to be serviced. I stared down at the business card Garfield handed me and shouted the name. “Hello, is there a Lynx Blackthorn here?” Maybe I came to the wrong place. I pondered. Suddenly, I caught my breath when a strappingly built man slid from underneath a broken down car. He lay there shirtless with his hard body covered in slick oil and grime, but I couldn’t see his face since it was hidden underneath a welding mask. But, boy did I see his body! He was ripped and lean for days. And his loosely fit overalls sit so low on his hips it made me blush. He had washboard abs you thought only existed on photoshopped billboards. Lynx raised his arm and snapped his mask from covering his face. He then looked me over with these deeply golden yellow animalistic eyes. Lynx stood upright and set his blow torch on the hood of the car. “I’m sorry. You...you’re Lynx Blackthorn, right?” I asked, trying to quiet my nerves. He broadly grinned. “That’s what they call me. Mind handing me that wrench?” Lynx raised his muscled arm over my shoulder. “Um, yes—sure,” I flushed. Before I turned to hand him the wrench, I noticed him checking out my ass. “Alright, you know what? My eyes are up here,” I pointed. He leaned back a bit and cocked his eyebrow