Table Of ContentTHE NOVELS OF SHAYLA BLACK ARE . . .
“Sizzling, romantic, and edgy!”
—Sylvia Day, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Scorching, wrenching, suspenseful . . . A must-read.”
—Lora Leigh, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Wickedly seductive from start to finish.”
—Jaci Burton, New York Times bestselling author
“The perfect combination of excitement, adventure, romance, and really hot sex.”
—Smexy Books
THE NOVELS OF LEXI BLAKE ARE . . .
“A book to enjoy again and again . . . Captivating.”
—Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
“A satisfying snack of love, romance, and hot, steamy sex.”
—Sizzling Hot Books
“Hot and emotional.”
—Two Lips Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE MASTERS OF MÉNAGE SERIES BY
SHAYLA BLACK AND LEXI BLAKE
“Smoking hot! Blake and Black know just when to turn up the burner to scorching.”
—Under the Covers Book Blog
“Well done . . . full of spicy sex, and a quick read.”
—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“Steamy, poignant, and captivating . . . A funny, touching, lively story that will capture the reader from
page one and have them wishing for more when it ends.”
—Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews
“Very well written. With just the right amount of love, sex, danger, and adventure . . . A fun, sexy,
exciting, hot read.”
—Girly Girl Book Reviews
Titles by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
The Perfect Gentlemen
SCANDAL NEVER SLEEPS
SEDUCTION IN SESSION
BIG EASY TEMPTATION
Titles by Shayla Black
The Wicked Lovers Novels
WICKED TIES
DECADENT
DELICIOUS
SURRENDER TO ME
BELONG TO ME
MINE TO HOLD
OURS TO LOVE
THEIRS TO CHERISH
HIS TO TAKE
WICKED FOR YOU
Anthologies
FOUR PLAY
(with Maya Banks)
HOT IN HANDCUFFS
(with Sylvia Day and Shiloh Walker)
WICKED AND DANGEROUS
(with Rhyannon Byrd)
Specials
HER FANTASY MEN
WICKED ALL NIGHT
Titles by Shayla Black writing as Shelley Bradley
BOUND AND DETERMINED
STRIP SEARCH
An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014
Copyright © 2016 by Black Oak Books, LLC.
Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an
authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You
are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader.
BERKLEY® and the “B” design are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.
For more information, visit penguin.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Black, Shayla, author. | Blake, Lexi, author. Title: Big Easy temptation : the perfect gentlemen / Shayla Black and Lexi Blake. Description: Berkley trade
paperback edition. | New York : Berkley Books, 2016. | Series: The perfect gentlemen ; 3 Identifiers: LCCN 2016001370 (print) | LCCN 2016005064 (ebook) | ISBN
9780425275344 (softcover) | ISBN 9780698163034 () Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | BISAC: FICTION / Romance /Contemporary. |
FICTION / Romance / General. | GSAFD: Romantic suspense fiction. | Erotic fiction. Classification: LCC PS3602.L325245 B54 2016 (print) | LCC PS3602.L325245
(ebook) | DDC 813/.6—dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2016001370
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley trade paperback edition / May 2016
Cover photograph © Westend61 / Corbis.
Cover design by Alana Colucci.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume
any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Version_1
Contents
PRAISE FOR SHAYLA BLACK
TITLES BY SHAYLA BLACK
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
PROLOGUE
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
PART TWO
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
PROLOGUE
San Diego, California
Nine years ago
D
ax Spencer peered down over the elegant reception and wondered where the time had gone.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that he and his friends were attending Creighton Academy, where their
biggest worry was passing calculus and sneaking out to the girls’ school down the road?
Now Zack, one of his pack, was married. In fact, Zack was the first to fall on the matrimonial
sword. He was also a senator about to make a run for the White House, but somehow the idea of
Scooter being a husband seemed weirder.
And the political world had come to watch the nuptials. People magazine had even sent a
photographer. The wedding was the bash of the year for America’s elite and had all the pomp of a
royal affair, complete with a few foreign dignitaries who had come hedging their bets that Zack and
Joy Hayes would one day occupy the White House.
Dax nodded as Connor Sparks and Gabe Bond approached, drinks in hand. In the distance he
could see his own parents among the crowd lining the dance floor. A simple glance proved this was
the wedding of a Naval daughter, since the place was a sea of dress whites.
“I can’t believe he really tied the knot.” Connor, his best friend, put a hand on his shoulder as they
watched the bride and groom begin their first dance.
Dax was sure they all felt that way. “After the year they spent planning this shindig, I think Joy’s
parents would have had Zack’s head if he hadn’t gone through with it.”
“True.” Connor smirked. “I hope he’ll be happy. I like Joy but I worry she’s too . . . I don’t know,
nice for Zack.”
Gabe sighed. “Yeah. I would have thought he’d want someone with a little more attitude.”
“To survive Zack’s future, she’ll definitely need backbone.” Campaigning and politics seemed like
a nasty business to Dax. Zack’s senatorial campaign had been peppered with negativity about
everything from his youth to his family ties. How would Joy weather the media scrutiny on a larger
scale?
“Bitchiness would even be better, though that word will probably get me slapped,” Connor said
with a chuckle. “But yeah, I worry she’s a bit fragile.”
“Joy is the perfect first lady—pretty, gracious, kind. She’ll be a true benefit to him politically,”
Gabe said. “I guess I wanted something more for him.”
“He’s been with her for two years. He seems happy.” At least Dax hoped he was. Since the day
he’d met Zack Hayes, when they’d been gangly, pimply-faced kids, Zack had been on a path, one his
father had set for him long ago.
Dax couldn’t exactly complain. His own father had set a path for him as well. Spencer sons went
into the Navy. There had been a Spencer in every war fought since the Revolution. Only days before,
he’d been promoted. He would become captain of his own ship in the next few years and eventually
follow in his father’s footsteps to become an admiral. Dax saw his path clearly—and he couldn’t
wait.
Then why did he feel so restless? There were at least a hundred gorgeous women roaming the
reception. The likelihood of him getting lucky tonight was supremely high.
Yet Dax only sought one woman.
“You seem anxious tonight. What’s up with you?” Connor tipped back his beer.
“You seem to know everything, Mr. Spy,” he shot back. His best friend worked for the Central
Intelligence Agency as an analyst. It fit Connor actually. He’d always been good at chess and strategy.
Connor rolled his eyes. “You know it’s really more boring than you would think. And I don’t have
to be a spy to know that you’re looking for one pretty blond law enforcement officer. Tell me
something, has she shown you her handcuffs?”
No, she hadn’t shown him anything at all. Holland Kirk was proving damned elusive. Her father
was a Naval officer stationed here in San Diego under Dax’s own dad. He’d met her shortly after Joy
and Zack started dating. Zack had invited him over to meet some of Joy’s college friends and Dax
hadn’t been able to take his eyes off the beauty.
The admiration was not mutual. Holland Kirk had been perfectly pleasant with him on every
occasion they’d met. They had intelligent conversation, spent fun times together in groups, and
enjoyed each other’s company. But she’d turned him down flat every time he asked her out. She
would smile politely and murmur some excuse before she turned the conversation to something she
obviously found more pleasant.
“She’s not interested.” And that hurt. Besides being gorgeous, Holland was smart and funny. He’d
never been so into a woman. They had chemistry. Heat. Well, he’d thought they had.
“Oh, she’s interested. But I think your reputation has preceded you. Or maybe all of our
reputations. I overheard her talking to Joy about how brave she was to be marrying into scandal
central.” Connor shrugged. “But we haven’t had any scandals lately.”
“We also haven’t been choir boys.” Gabe winced. “I got caught boning one of the Swedish
princesses at that UN reception. In my own defense, she swore that broom closet was locked.”
Dax remembered the episode fondly. “You looked good in those tabloid pics, bro. You’ve really
kept up the ab routine. But seriously, we’ve all matured. I don’t think that Vanity Fair article
chronicling our love lives was really fair.”
“Sexcapades,” Gabe corrected. “It was a massive article detailing our sexcapades, complete with
a detailed relationship map that proves we’re all six sexual degrees away from Kevin Bacon. I blame
Mad. He slept with the entire cast of that Little Women remake.”
