Southern Comfort (Lunchtime Chronicles, #23) Read online

  Messy Mandy Presents

  The Lunchtime Chronicles

  Southern Comfort

  Season 3

  Issue 23

  November 25, 2020

  L. Loren

  Southern Comfort

  © 2020 L. Loren

  All Rights Reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. 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 publisher.

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

  Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBO and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  A Note from Messy Mandy

  Southern Comfort Blurb

  Prologue

  One | The Wedding

  Two | On The Run

  Three | Come for me

  four | having her six

  five | Messy Buckets

  Six | Bonding In Bates

  Seven | Shake Your Ass, But Watch Yourself

  eight | Last Night of Freedom

  Nine | Final goodbye

  Up Next in the Lunchtime Chronicles is Posey Parks’ Sweet Georgia Peach! Here’s a sneak peek: | SWEET GEORGIA PEACH | CHAPTER ONE | WYATT

  Honey Dripper By L. Loren

  One | Grant

  Bottoms Up by L. Loren

  Chapter 1

  Fresh Meat by L. Loren | Summary

  Chapter 1

  About the Author

  Follow her on Social Media

  Also by L. Loren

  Dedication

  Thank you so much to my friend and mentor, Siera London, for allowing me to be a part of this awesome series. Your almost daily phone calls, your words of encouragement and your ability to break down any writing concept out there are greatly appreciated. Your leadership during this entire series has been stellar. It has been a pleasure watching you work, and I can’t wait to see what success the future holds for you.

  To my Season 3 Lunchtime Chronicles contemporaries: The boss lady, S. London, - Sultry Vixen - Posey Parks, Quiet Killer - Keta Kendric and Sassy Viper Sonja B. – OMG, you ladies are so awesome! Thank you for showing up and showing out for this project. I value the sisterhood we have developed while working on this series together. I look forward to working with you all in the future.

  To my husband, Doug, you are my true ride or die, only we are not dying! That’s not what we do, baby. Thank you for always being there. I love you beyond words.

  The readers of LTC – Thank you for your continued support of this project. You guys are amazing! Thanks for supporting Mandy’s world and embracing our shenanigans.

  A very special thanks to Unique Words, LLC, for your relentless promotional services during this series and beyond. You are an amazing lady. Thanks to Dar Albert of Wicked Smart Designs for the sexy af cover and to Pam Gonzales of Love2ReadRomance for your excellent proofreading skills and your undying patience with me this entire year. To Mandy, stay messy, sis. You are the best.

  A Note from Messy Mandy

  Welcome to Messy Mandy Presents: The Lunchtime Chronicles Season 3, steamy, short erotic romance served piping hot. There will be 10 servings in this season. Lunchtime series launched with Siera London’s WHIPPED at the Interracial Romance Author Expo in Daytona Beach 2019. There are 8 books in Season 1 and 8 more in Season 2. Read them, leave reviews, tell your friends, and then follow my Facebook page: The Lunchtime Dish with Messy Mandy where I spill the tea.

  LUNCHTIME CHRONICLES SEASON 3

  featuring stories by:

  Posey Parks, L. Loren, Keta Kendric, Siera London, and Sonja B.

  Southern Comfort Blurb

  Garrison Daniels is on the run. After his failed attempt to murder his brother and overthrow his father as boss of The Enterprise Faction, his days are numbered. So why is he in a mansion filled to the brim with his father’s deadliest associates? One word... Malina.

  Malina Gardner is getting married. Her estranged lover could never resist disrupting her marriage ceremony, and that’s just what she is counting on. As The Enterprise’s top assassin this is the only way to get her mark out in the open. But Malina isn’t ready for what happens when they finally see each other again.

  She has always been his ride or die, but what happens when the sentiment becomes reality?

  Southern Comfort is an interracial erotic romance (BWWM) with a HEA. It is a part of the Lunchtime Chronicles series which can be read as standalone novels.

  WARNING: This book contains explicit sex, violence, and graphic language.

  Prologue

  “Garrison, I love you more than life, but I can’t marry you.”

  “Why the hell not, Malina?”

  “You know, as well as I do, why not.”

  I laid there watching the woman I have loved since we were in middle school playing touch football in the gym together. She was leaving my bed once again to make it back home before her father found out she was gone. She slid her sexy black lace thong up those silky-smooth thighs and covered the best pussy in all the world. I loved watching her get undressed, but she was just as sensual putting her clothes back on. How does that work?

  “You already know why, but if I need to spell it out for the millionth time, then I will. My father will not allow me to marry anyone who is not the boss. The only exception is for me to marry the one who is next in line. Since you are neither, I can’t marry you.”

  Her words caused me to rub my hand down my face in frustration. She was right. I knew the rules. It wasn’t just her father who mandated this rule. It was written in the bylaws. Jesus himself may as well have come down from Heaven and said it to be so. Nobody in The Enterprise would ever go against the bylaws. It was the only way to keep order within the organization. The punishment for violating the bylaws was death. No exceptions.

  “Yeah, but I am in the bloodline. I may not be the firstborn, but I am the son of the boss. That should count for something.”

  “I agree, baby, but we don’t make the rules. The only way my name will be Malina Daniels is if I were to either marry your father or your runaway, cowardice brother.”

  I shot up out of the bed fueled by anger. Grabbing Malina by her throat, I growled in her face.

  “Any man who even thinks about marrying you will meet his end by my hands. Don’t fucking test me, Lina. You know how jealous I can be. I don’t care if they are my family.”

  She smiled up at me, but her eyes held that sexy edge that all assassins had. She could end me right here in my bedroom if she wanted, but she loved me. I knew she would never harm one hair on my head.

  “That shit is so hot, G. However, if you’re not planning on sticking that big cock of yours in me immediately, I suggest you stop choking me. Otherwise, I may see it as a threat and end both of our lives right here.”

  She wasn’t playing either. I could feel her Mark IV pressing into my side. It was her signature weapon of choice, and my lady wasn’t shy about using it. In fact, she was the best I had ever seen with any kind of weapon. She knew if she killed
me, there would be a hefty price on her head. Before I could respond, she leaned forward and licked my face. God, I loved her.

  “Stay the night with me, Malina. I hate not waking up to you every day. I need to see your grumpy morning face.”

  “And just what would you do to make me smile?”

  “Stay with me, and I’ll show you.”

  “I want to, but I can’t. I am going to my engagement party tomorrow afternoon. My father will be looking for me. I need to get home before he notices I slipped out.”

  My hand dropped to my side, and I took a step back. I had to be hearing things. Who the fuck was she supposed to marry if it wasn’t me?

  “Engagement?” What the hell, Malina? When did this happen? And to who?”

  For the first time since I met her many years ago, I saw tears in Malina’s eyes. The sadness there was unbearable. If my own heart wasn’t breaking, I would have tried to help her. I needed her to answer my questions. I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear her say it.

  “My father announced it to me last night at dinner. I have been promised in an arranged marriage. If I do not agree, I will be disowned and disavowed from The Enterprise. No longer under their protection. Once that happens, my life will mean nothing. I will be easy pickings for anyone who wants to kill me. I have a lot of enemies. He didn’t come right out and say it, but I am smart enough to put two and two together. If I want to live, I must marry the man my father has chosen.”

  My lungs deflated from the news she just delivered. The room started spinning as I tried to understand what she was saying. No way could I allow my love to marry another man. My head would explode if she simply smiled in greeting at another.

  “And who is that? Give me the name of the man I have to knock off.”

  “Donavan Daniels.”

  “FUCK!” Now, I’m going to have to kill my own father.

  One

  The Wedding

  Six months later...

  “I always knew you’d make a beautiful bride.”

  After waiting until everyone in the bridal party left the room, I stepped around the corner, where I had been watching her get dressed. Malina continued fixing her hair as if she was already aware of my presence.

  “But I always thought you would be walking down the aisle to me.”

  Her hand stopped in mid motion, hovering above the pink cascade of roses tucked into her perfect updo. The twinkle in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. She still loved me. It was confirmed. The love of my life had been assigned to kill me. This wedding was orchestrated to get me here. I had less than ten minutes to do what I came to do or be killed. Don’t get me wrong. This was indeed a real wedding. In fact, it was the entire reason I was marked for death.

  “He said you would come, but I had hoped he was wrong. He gave me the task to kill you as a way to show my loyalty to him.”

  My own father, boss of The Enterprise crime syndicate, had been promised the hand of the only woman in the world that I loved. There was no way I could allow him to marry Malina, so I attempted a coup. I had been out of my mind with jealousy and not thinking straight. My plan was to get rid of my father and older brother so that I would be next in line to the throne. However, fate had other ideas, and my attempts to become the boss failed miserably. I have been on the run ever since.

  This wedding was my father’s way of getting me to come to him. He knew I could never resist trying to stop him from wedding Malina. It was just sick. She was my age. He was once considered her uncle when we were children. Now, he was forcing her to marry him and all for more money and power. As if he needed any more.

  Standing, I made my way across the room, drawn to my beautiful lover. She never looked more radiant. Wait, I lied. The last time was when I had her pinned to my bed, her hair fanning out on the pillow behind her with me balls deep inside her. That was when she was at her best.

  “We both know you are only loyal to one person, and that is me. You won’t kill me, Malina. You can’t. We have too much love between us. It is impossible.”

  “Oh, you think it is impossible for me to kill you? Garrison, you tried to take out the boss of The Enterprise, as well as his first born. You are a dead man walking. It doesn’t matter if I am the one to execute the command or not. You are still dead. There is no way out of this alive. No take backs. No resetting history.”

  “I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

  So far, she had refused to look at me directly. Malina chose to peer at me through the reflection in the floor length mirror where she was standing. The white dress looked amazing against her honey complexion, but the design was off. She obviously had not picked the dress. It was more my father’s taste, something Jackie Kennedy would wear. Far too conservative for a vixen like Malina. My woman oozed sex appeal. It was obvious my father was trying to tamp that down. Though the dress said virginal bride, the woman screamed sexy siren.

  “Well, why did you come?”

  “You! Malina, I came for you.”

  She gasped, and the sound went straight to my already semi hard cock. Now he was standing at full mast and pointing magnetic north, directing me to Malina. She shook her head at me. Tears popped in her big eyes as a gamut of emotions ran across her face. I knew she was my soul mate. Malina loved me like I loved her. There was no way she would stay here and become my father’s wife. Not when she had the opportunity to find out what our love could be.

  “How is that supposed to work, G? Your father has marked you. If I leave with you, I am just as good as marked too. What kind of life could we have together?”

  “One that you choose, not one that is chosen for you.”

  I turned from her to peer out of the floor-to-ceiling picture window that overlooked the botanical garden. Malina’s bridesmaids were about to walk down a floral lined aisle with beautifully decorated benches on either side. I watched as the guests filed in. Most of them were my father’s associates. There were more assassins in that garden than flowers. If the FBI was on the job, they could make a killing. I also knew if just one of those people down below looked up and saw me, it was lights out.

  “Garrison, I am choosing this life with Donovan.”

  That got my attention back on the lady of the hour. She was breathtaking standing there looking at me with love all over her. I stepped closer, still not touching her. I knew once our bodies connected in even the slightest way, it would be over. I would have to have her. I wouldn’t touch her until she agreed to be mine.

  “Lina, this wedding is not your choice. You are being controlled by misogynistic men who don’t know your worth. My father will never care about your feelings nor your opinions. The only thing that matters to him is that you are beautiful. You will look good on his arm when he is trying to impress his business associates. No longer will you be SoCo, the deadliest assassin in The Enterprise. He will force you to retire and become a shell of your former self.”

  “I don’t think so, G. He runs The Enterprise now, and I am his go to problem solver.”

  “You are also not his wife, yet. Believe me, I know my father better than most. His ego will not allow him to be married to a badass alpha female. He wants a submissive woman. Just look at that dress.”

  “What about it. This is a designer dress that cost $100,000.”

  “Yes, it is beautiful, but not for you. A woman dreams of her perfect wedding dress. She doesn’t want the dress her fiancé chooses for her. He is already making important choices for you. We both know you are a free spirit, Malina. You would never have chosen this dress. It is so fucking traditional my eyes hurt. You are the total opposite.”

  I had her there. I knew she preferred to stand out. She was probably itching in that dress. Malina was an original. She deserved a dress that reflected her personality, not one of a perfect little wife. Her eyes finally let the tears flow freely as she realized I was right.

  “How do you know me so well, G? I hate this dress. I would never have picked it.
”

  “Let me help you with that.”

  I stepped forward, pulling her into my arms and finally touching her. I missed her so much. Malina’s eyes got big as I growled and then attacked her mouth with my own. The first taste was heavenly. I had almost forgotten how my woman tasted. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me like her life depended on it. Well, it actually did. If we were to get caught, it would be the end of us both. The danger made it more intense in the room. Pulling back just enough to allow me to speak, I looked at the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Malina, come with me. Say you’ll be mine. I would go insane if you married him. To see my father touch you would rip my heart out. You may as well take that knife out of your garter and cut my chest open right now. Tell me your mine, baby.”

  Just as she was about to respond, I placed my finger over her mouth. I needed to be sure she understood what it meant if she agreed.

  “Before you say anything, I want to ensure you realize if you say yes to me, you are going to die. There is no way around it. We both will be hunted down until someone brings my father our heads.”

  Chuckling, she shook her head and then looked up at me. “G, who do you think has the highest headcount in The Enterprise? I, of all people, know what this means. When I give you my answer, there will be no coming back from that. But what you fail to realize is I risk my life every time I walk outside. I am an assassin.”

  “I get that I have never been an assassin, babe. I never had to be involved in that part of the organization like Whiskey was. However, I am no slouch. I know what we are facing, and I just wanted to make sure you knew we aren’t getting out of this thing alive.”

  “G, I have killed so many people the numbers would shock you. Each and every time I went out on a job, I faced death for nothing more than a payout. Standing here, right now, I have finally found something worth losing my life over. Your love is worth dying for. So, yes, Garrison. I will go with you.”