Beth Kery's Blog, page 24

Natasha Moore and a Giveaway of Risk It!

The Silken Rapture Contest is back, and so is the countdown for the Kindle Touch 3-G. Silken Rapture debuts in 8 days.

I'm so happy to welcome another week of talented authors to tantalize us for the contest. Natasha Moore is here, and is she going to capture your attention!

This morning, please join me in welcoming Samhain author, Natasha Moore, with a giveaway of RISK IT!

A Different Kind of Playhouse

I'm so thrilled to be part of Beth's blog today. As I thought about what to write, I tried to think about what was different about the series I'm currently writing for Samhain. The series is titled Paolo's Playhouse and each one of the stories takes place, at least in part, at the Playhouse. Each story focuses on a different kink and a couple at a cross-road.

If you've read any erotic romance at all, I'm sure you've read stories that take place in sex clubs and dungeons. Those kinds of stories set us right down in the middle of the action and eliminate the need for setting up a situation where the characters can get down to business. I wanted to create different kind of sexual fantasy club. An elegant place with no public gathering room, just private playrooms for couples (or more) to safely act out their fantasies. And grow a little closer because of it.

A discreet ad draws the attention of needy people who might never seek out a fantasy club on their own:

Paolo's Playhouse. A new playground for consenting adults. Playrooms for every interest or desire. Bring your own plaything or we can provide one for you. We'll help your fantasies come to life. Inquiries, phone…

FLAUNT IT, the first story in the series, is an exhibitionist story, and is available now. RISK IT, a story with some voyeuristic kink, is the second story in the series and will be released tomorrow. November 15th. BIRTHDAY GIRL, a ménage story, is scheduled to be released February 21, 2012. And the fourth story, PLAYTHING, a BDSM story, is Paolo's story, and will be released May 8, 2012.

Each cover in the series is a richly colored work of art by Scott Carpenter and I feel so lucky to put my series in the hands of the Samhain art department. Covers make such a difference, don't you agree? Not only in drawing a reader's attention and tempting them to buy the story (always a good thing!) but the cover also gives the reader a first glimpse of what kind of read it will be, the tone of the story, the story promise, so to speak.

Today, I'd like to give you a little peek at RISK IT, the 2nd Playhouse story. Here's the blurb:

On the outside, Amy has the American dream. Two busy kids, a job she loves, a big house thanks to her husband's climb up the corporate ladder. What she hasn't had in a long time…is sex. Sure, she's too exhausted at night to think about it, but maybe Will's long hours at work aren't the real reason he rarely touches her anymore.

Feeling her marriage teetering on the edge, she rents the voyeur room at Paolo's Playhouse. Maybe bringing back the memory of the one wicked thing they used to do together will relight the sparks.

Will loves his wife, but she's never been one to take chances—except for the time before kids, when they'd camp out in a club's back booth, getting all worked up watching the dirty dancers. Their careers have seriously cut into their "us" time, and if she's booked them a sexual playroom, it sounds like she's serious about solving the problem.

When Will shows up way, way late, Amy wonders why she bothered, and if her plan to relight the flame has only made it painfully clear that it's too late to try.

There's one excerpt on the Samhain website. Here's another one to tempt you:

She heard him close the door and cross the room, heard him shrug off his suit jacket and set it down. Then he knelt down behind her and she shifted away so they didn't touch. She didn't look at him, refused to acknowledge him, even though she was trembling inside. When he rested his hands, hot and heavy, on her bare shoulders, she shrugged him off.

He leaned forward and softly kissed her ear, like she used to love him to do. "I'm sorry I'm late."

He began to caress her shoulders again and this time she didn't resist his touch. But she couldn't relax. Her body shivered with the overwhelming need she wished she could deny. He brushed his cheek against hers and spoke softly. "I'm not going to give you any excuses. I know they don't matter right now." He kissed her neck. "But I am sorry."

He was right. She didn't want to hear any excuses. She tried to ignore him, tried to focus instead on the couple in front of them, but it wasn't easy. There were real hands on her, a real mouth on her now. Will began to nibble on her neck, his breath warm, his lips soft.

"Mmm, you smell so good, sweetheart."

It wasn't going to work, those soft kisses, those sweet words. She crossed her arms, but doing so lifted her bare breasts, so it didn't really give the indignant impression she'd wanted to convey.

She still hadn't looked at him.

"Wow. This room is amazing. I almost forgot how we used to go out and watch people all the time." He skimmed his fingers down her arms and she tried not to react. "We were quite the voyeurs, weren't we?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Amy…" His voice had a bit of an edge to it now. "I said I was sorry. Believe me. It was beyond my control."

She sighed. She did believe him. As far as she knew he'd never lied to her. He'd simply disappointed her. Again. She wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

"I'm here now," he said seductively. "Doesn't that count for something?"

His familiar scent wound around her senses, softening her. She felt her body relaxing, weakening, as he continued to run his warm hands over her heated skin. Through the window, the young man's hands were on his girl's skin too. A strangled moan escaped her lips even though she tried to hold it in.

"Look at how she moves under his hands," Will whispered, his hands still stroking Amy's arms.

"It's like she's dancing in his arms. Look at the way he touches her, like he never wants to stop."

"Why did you stop?" she asked, wincing at the cry in her voice. She couldn't hold in the questions longing to burst free.

"Stop what?"

"Touching me like…like this." She swallowed. "Touching me like you want me."

I'll be offering a free download of Flaunt It, book #1 in the series – which features the couple on the other side of the two-way mirror – to one lucky commenter!

Find out more about Natasha Moore

Exclusive Excerpt, Silken Rapture

He is her captor…
She is his soul…

When Blaise Sevliss, Lord Delraven, rescues a young woman from the clutches of his vampiritic clone the sheer amount of soul energy blazing from her unconscious body stuns him…and awakens a primal, parasitic hunger he has fought for centuries to quell.

Determined to keep her safe from the ravenous Scourge horde, Blaise must hide her in his underground stronghold. Where the powerful urge to consume her gnaws at the last shreds of his control.

With a touch, Isabel Lanscourt can divine the darkest of secrets. Her ability is little help, though, when she awakens in a lush world where sensuality rules. Her shining spirit is a beacon to all the powerful immortals in Sanctuary, but only one can touch her. The enigmatic Lord Delraven, whose brusque coldness is belied by the heated need in his eyes.

In a dangerous zone between temptation and memory, desire ignites an explosion of luminescent beauty. And Isabel's healing touch begins to fill his emptiness with an impossible gift: a soul. But Blaise holds a dangerous secret, one that could extinguish Isabel's inner light. And cast his lonely world into eternal darkness.

Warning: Step into a sensual world of vampires who love to feed and love to…er…feast, where sexual variety is the spice of their lives. No sweetness and light here, this is one vampire who can put the "B" into "bad guy" without batting an eye.

Exclusive Excerpt: Silken Rapture

Her hand shook slightly when she extended it toward the handle on an adjoining door. The door swung open with a low-pitched whine.

He lay on the bed, naked save for a leather harness of sorts that looped around his hips and thighs. It left his genitals fully exposed.

For a full ten seconds, both of them remained unmoving.

He made a sound—a small noise like a choking, hoarse gasp. She glanced rapidly from his erect cock to his face. His unusual dark green eyes seemed to smolder more than the burning embers in the study fire. When she saw the sweat that glazed his long, muscled body and the strange, desperate expression on his bold features, she raced into the room. It suddenly struck her that every fiber of his flesh was straining to move, but couldn't.

"You're ill," she said, her gaze flickering around the room. Do creatures such as he become ill? The question came automatically into her brain, but she quickly dismissed it in the face of the obvious. Blaise Sevliss was sick, in pain, or both.

"Tell me what to do," she insisted.

Anxiety grew in her when she saw him strain to speak, but his lips didn't even part. His eyes flickered over to a credenza next to the door where a pitcher and glasses rested. Isabel hurried over to the table where she poured a tall glass of cool water.

"Let me hold up your head," she said quietly when she approached him again and saw that even more sweat had beaded on his brow. He obviously was trying to raise himself and was weakened even by that effort.

She sat on the corner of the bed, her knee bent close to his shoulder, and lifted his head. He drained the water more rapidly than she would have expected, given his nearly paralyzed state. When he was done, he looked up at her. The message in his eyes was like a complicated, coded language. It bewildered and scared her, but she didn't move away from him. She glanced down at her gloved hand. His wavy, thick hair gleamed next to the black velvet, more lustrous by far than the inexpensive fabric of the glove.

She wanted to feel it twining through her fingers. It shocked her, this sudden desire. She'd recoiled at the thought of touching another being for so long now.

She tried not to recall the vision of his beautifully shaped, erect phallus highlighted by snug straps of leather. How could he be so ill and debilitated when his cock was so hard?

For a stretched moment, they just stared at one another. She felt strange— torpid and warm, and yet energized and prickly as well, as though the nerves were singing out a plea to be touched. After a moment, she forced herself to inhale. The desperation she'd seen in his rigid face was fading, slowly being replaced by a stony, fierce expression.

"Are you better now?" she asked as she turned to set the glass on a bedside table. When he didn't speak, she tried to gather herself. What was it that she was doing here? Why had she come? It was so difficult to think, when her vision was so full of him, when he crowded her senses and flooded her brain. It felt a like a sensual assault.

"You shouldn't have come," he said.

"I-I had to. I needed to speak with you. You must let me go."

"You shouldn't have come," he repeated. Her forehead crinkled in confusion when she heard the bleakness of his tone.

Suddenly, without her knowing how it had happened, she lay on the bed, her head on the pillow where his had just been. He leaned down over her, his large hands holding her shoulders. She saw that his incisors had lengthened. For some reason, she wanted to weep when she saw the wild desperation on his rigid features.

Such a living portrait of pain.

He leaned down and sank his teeth into her neck.

She wanted to scream, whether in fear or shock or ecstasy, she didn't know. There was pain, but a distilled, voluptuous bliss twined through it, leaving her immobilized. Her eyes opened wide, as though she were being shown the secrets of the universe and couldn't quite comprehend the miracle of the vision.

A tension swelled in her sex. It hurt where his teeth pierced her neck, but his lips moved around the puncture wounds, the movement striking her as decadently erotic. She felt the heat of his mouth penetrate her. Somehow, the sharp pain he wrought mingled with nerve and flesh until it transformed into a potent, sharp need for release.

She struggled weakly against him, not because she wanted this bizarre, electrical experience to stop—no, she would have begged him to continue—but distantly, she was mortified that she was about to climax explosively beneath a stranger…

…her captor.

Silken Rapture, November 22, Samhain Publishing

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The Winner of Kelly Jamieson's Contest is

Amelia!

Amelia, write to me at bethkery@aol.com, and I'll forward your message to Kelly, who will send the book! Congrats!

Up next, an exclusive look at Silken Rapture. And don't forget, the guest author spots begin again on Monday, and if you haven't yet entered here for the Kindle Touch 3-G, what are you waiting for.

Welcome Kelly Jamieson and a Giveaway of One Wicked Night!

Please join me in welcoming Kelly Jamieson to the Silken Rapture Contest. I met Kelly at RT last year in Los Angeles, and she's very fun, sweet and lovely. She's here to talk about her latest bestseller from Samhain, One Wicked Night, and she's giving away a copy, as well! Plus, if you haven't yet signed up for the Kindle at Silken Rapture contest, be sure to do so here.

Ménage à trois relationships: how realistic are they?

by Kelly Jamieson

I've been blogging a lot lately about ménage à trois relationships because of my most recent release One Wicked Night. The other day I happened to be watching the Anderson Cooper show and he had a real live polyamorous couple on as guests – a woman who lives with two men. They have a child together and both men act as fathers to the child.

One of the things I've thought about is whether the "happy ever after for all three" ending in a ménage story is realistic. From the woman's point of view, I can see the advantages of having two men around. And not just for sex, although there are definite advantages there . How cool would it be to have one man who's skilled at car repairs and another who likes to do home renovations? One guy who likes to give massages and another guy who likes to cook? Okay my tongue is in my cheek, but you know what I mean. But from the man's point of view, I have a hard time seeing men as willing to share their woman with another dude.

So, much as I enjoy writing ménage stories that end in a committed threesome, I suspect it's not so realistic. But here on Anderson was a real life couple living that way.

I didn't see the beginning of the show so I didn't realize the details of their relationship, but as they talked and audience members spoke up about their disapproval of the arrangement, I found myself defending the threesome in my mind. Even my daughter (a young adult), who was watching with me, disapproved. She kept saying "that is so messed up". In retrospect, I'm sorry I didn't say anything. Not that I needed to defend that type of relationship, but I could have at least pointed out to her that people make different choices in their lives and we need to be tolerant and respectful of those choices. Their decision to live as a committed threesome doesn't hurt anyone else. (Some people did express concerns about the impact on their child). Many people didn't believe that you could have the same level of love, intimacy and commitment to two people as you could to just one. Even a psychologist spoke up about how she sees this as loving "wider" rather than "deeper". The threesome disagreed with that and expressed their feelings quite eloquently.

I guess I felt a little defensive because I've written stories like that and even though I think it's not super realistic, I want to believe in the fantasy. I feel like my characters are real people and I want to believe in that HEA for all three of them, to believe that they will make it together despite their unconventional relationship.

Because I'm interested in this, I found the clip of the Anderson show on line and watched the interview from the start. (Link here if you're interested: http://shows.ctv.ca/Anderson.aspx#cli... ) It turns out that although this threesome lives together and they're committed to each other, it is also an open relationship. One of the men has another girlfriend, who does not live with them. Now that put a different twist onto things. I know open relationships do exist, but when I'm writing (or reading) a romance, whether it's between two people or three, I have to have my happy ending and commitment to each other at the end. I never envision my characters entering into an open relationship where they are free to date or have sex with other people. Because that's not a romance.

Some of the ménage stories I've written don't end with a committed threesome. Sometimes threesomes happen as a crazy, one time thing. Sometimes they happen and complicate an established relationship. Sometimes one person gets left out (but if they do, I've always written their own HEA story!). But the one thing you'll always get from my books is commitment and a happily ever after ending, for at least two people…and sometimes three.

Here's a little excerpt from One Wicked Night:

The boys are back in town…

Ten years ago, Kaelin Daume spent a steamy summer home from college secretly hanging out with town bad boy Tyler Wirth and his best friend Nick Kernsted. The connection was warm, complicated, and came to a crashing end when she walked in on her two forbidden friends with another woman. The shocking scene of sex and bondage has haunted her boring, oh-so-vanilla life ever since.

The fallout from that night tore Tyler's life apart. He left Mapleglen, disowned and disgraced, to build a successful advertising career and a unique relationship with Nick. Nothing could bring him back except his sister's wedding, and he plans to hightail it back to Chicago as soon as it's over. At least one good thing hasn't changed: Kaelin is as sweet as ever. Except she doesn't seem too thrilled to hear it.

As tensions run high, Kaelin can't resist the temptation to commit one crazy act of rebellion. Once the web of secrets, sins and lies starts to unravel, though, their lives will never be the same…

Product Warnings

This book contains a nice girl who gets her naughty on with two hot men. M/M/F and M/M scenes may cause an increase in body temperature, pulse rate and respiration. Read with caution! For adult use only.

"We need to talk, buddy," Tyler said. "This isn't going to be easy."

Nick held up a hand. "Hey. No worries. I could see you two worked things out, I guess. I'm glad." He nodded.

"Yeah." Tyler pulled Kaelin further into the room, tucked her into his arms in front of him. "I'm not sure if we've worked things out. Not everything. We talked. I apologized."

Nick nodded slowly. "Good."

"The thing is…" Tyler's voice cracked. He lifted a hand to rub his face and Kaelin peeked over her shoulder at him. Her heart full and aching for both of them, she only wanted to make things right for them. Tension thickened around them, and Nick's throat worked as he swallowed.

"I said, no worries." Nick gave them a thin smile. "You don't need to explain it to me, man." His expression gentled. "I've always known how you felt about Kaelin. I've always known how she felt about you. If anything good came out of that screwed-up family wedding, it's you two being together. I'm happy for you."

Tyler gave a short laugh. "Yeah, you are so right about that." He paused. "But…"

Nick turned away then, and moved to the old oak dresser in the corner. "So," he said, his back toward them. "What's gonna happen? Kaelin, you moving to Chicago?"

"We haven't thought that far ahead." With another glance at Tyler over her shoulder, she released herself from his arms and moved toward Nick. She touched his back. He didn't turn, just bent his head. "Nick." She rubbed up and down. "Oh, Nick."

"Don't fucking feel sorry for me," he said in a low, tight voice, head still down. "I'm fine."

"I know. I don't feel sorry for you." She spoke in a low voice too. "Nick. I know you love him. I think I-I love him too." Her nerves stretched like rubber bands, she willed her shaky voice to be steady. "But I also care about you."

He nodded stiffly. "Kaelin. You know I care about you too."

Tyler moved up to them then, to stand behind Nick. He slid his arms around Nick and rested his head against Nick's. Nick went very still, his fingers gripping the edge of the dresser, still looking down at it.

"What you said that day," Tyler said. "When we were in Mapleglen and you said it was insulting to you that I thought Kaelin was too good for me, but you weren't…I've been thinking about that." Tyler paused. "You probably are too good for me. And I want you to know how much that means to me that you care about me. Nick. I've never told you this." His voice came out thick. "I don't want to lose you."

"What are you saying?" Nick asked after a long moment of dense silence.

"He's saying, we don't want to lose you," Kaelin said. She rested her hand on his taut forearm. "I'm confused, too, Nick. This is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to me. I want two men. Me. The good girl. I don't know what happened to me last weekend, but for some reason this just all feels like this is the way it should be. The three of us. "

Nick groaned and still didn't move. Tyler's hand rubbed over his chest. "Jesus," Nick said. He turned his head and met Kaelin's eyes. "Are you sure, Kaelin? A lot of people would think that's really fucked up."

"I know." She smiled and held his gaze. "I'm sure. You know I've always cared about you. You were always a friend to me. Last weekend…well, it was more than just friends. Right?" She bit her lip as she awaited his answer.

"You know it was, honey." He released his grip on the dresser and found her hand with his. His big warm fingers closed around hers. "You know it was."

He turned in Tyler's arms to face his friend. "Tyler. Buddy. What the fuck?"

Tyler gave a choked laugh. "Yeah. What the fuck is right. I don't know, man. You think I can explain any of this? All I know is what I want. I want you. And I want Kaelin. And I think…" He paused, glanced at Kaelin, wrapped one arm around her shoulders, the other around Nick's, pulled their three heads close together. "I think we are so fucking lucky to have found her, probably the only woman in the world who'd get this."

I'll give away a copy of One Wicked Night to one commenter today so please say hi!

Or you can get One Wicked Night at Samhain Publishing

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Here's where you can find Kelly:

Website

Twitter

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Goodreads

Kelly's Yahoo Newsletter

The Winner of Kate's Contest Is

#6, Kate Austin!

Congrats Kate! Write me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your book, and I'll forward your note to Kate St. James.

Thanks to Kate St. James and all the participants.

Up next, Kelly Jamieson is the guest author and she has a giveaway of her latest, One Wicked Night!!

Kate St. James and a Giveaway of A Little Wild!

Please join me in welcoming today's guest author, Kate St. James. Her book, A Little Wild–a contemporary Red Hot from Samhain just released November 8th! She's generously giving away a free download of it to one commenter who answers her question below. . Plus, if you haven't yet entered for the free Kindle Touch 3-G in the Silken Rapture contest, do so here.

Welcome today's guest author – Kate St. James!

Hi, everyone. I'm excited to be here today participating in Beth's Silken Rapture contest. To help her celebrate, I'm giving away a digital copy of A LITTLE WILD, which just came out two days ago and is my first single title erotic romance as well as being my first Samhain Publishing release. I've previously published three erotic novellas with Red Sage—Kiss Me at Midnight in Secrets 28: SENSUAL CRAVINGS; Exes & Ahhs in Secrets 26: BOUND BY PASSION; and Good Vibrations in Secrets 21: PRIMAL HEAT. Also, my first erotica short, a ménage story called Tea for Three, came out from Ellora's Cave Exotika Quickies in mid-October. It's been a busy few weeks!

A LITTLE WILD Blurb:

She wants a piece of his rock. He needs her, rock steady, in his heart.

Tess Sheridan won't let anything stop her from making partner at a prestigious law firm, especially her notoriously soft heart. The result? She's a handful of clients away from getting her name on that brass plate. And she hasn't had sex in over a year.

When her best friend dares her to test-drive her erotic fantasies with a gorgeous stranger, she figures, why not? Loosening the reins will give her inner nympho some well-deserved pampering without jeopardizing her career goals.

Zach Halliday has enjoyed his bad-boy reputation to the fullest, but now it's time to leave the relative safety of the family corporation and prove he can stand on his own in the business world. That doesn't mean he'll pass up an opportunity for some incredible phone sex with the beautiful strawberry blonde he met in a bar.

When business overlaps with the bedroom, Zach sees something special in Tess and is determined to convince her he's the man she needs, anytime, anyplace. She can backpedal, but come hell or high-climbing-wall, he wants the fascinating, complicated sex bomb in his bed. Over and over again…

In the excerpt, a lead-in to the phone sex scene mentioned in the blurb, Tess is in the bathtub fantasizing about the hot guy she hit on a few days ago. However, Zach, who is often a target of his brother's practical jokes, provided Tess with a false name. So when "Jack Halloran" calls her, Tess has no idea he's really Zach Halliday, the son of her law firm's biggest client—very off-limits! And Zach doesn't know she's Teresa Sheridan, the overworked lawyer a friend recommended for Zach's new business. When they meet in the law firm two days after having phone sex, all sorts of trouble ensues.

The set-up was a lot of fun to write. I enjoy placing my characters in humorous situations. How do you feel about humor in erotic romance? Please leave a comment following the excerpt to enter for a chance to win.

Excerpt:



Curving her wet hair behind one ear, Tess sat halfway up in the tub. She glanced at the call display. Private. Frowning, she clicked Talk. "Yes?"

"Tess S.?"

Jack! Her nipples contracted into tight, tingling peaks. She could blame the reaction on the fact that warm, sudsy water no longer covered her breasts, but she knew better. Her body had responded to his low, sensual voice in much the same way Wednesday night.

Wait. How had he found her phone number?

She jerked up. Her elbow hooked the towel, dragging it into the water. Shit!

"Just a minute." She fumbled with the wet terry cloth. Too late. It was soaked through. And plastered against her stiff nipples.

"Tess?" he repeated, concern softening his deep voice.

She anchored the towel beneath her arms to prevent it from skating around and destroying her precious bubbles. She leaned back against the tub, the jasmine-scented water splashing and her breathing choppy. In her rush, she'd positioned the towel width-wise, and the wet terry cloth hovered at the tops of her thighs.

"Sorry, I…wasn't dressed." Her face warmed.

His concern segued into libidinous male interest. "Now you are?"

"Um, kind of."

"Too bad," he murmured.

The drenched towel rasped against her nipples, and a satisfying buzz centered between her thighs. She wiggled her hips, and the buzz deepened.

Hmm. She'd never before considered the erotic possibilities of having a towel in the tub—but she did now.

Of course, she wouldn't act on those urges. At least not while she had Jack on the phone. Unless, well, he could participate, too.

She shook her head to dispel the hot fantasy. How had he found her? The fake number she'd passed him wasn't anything like her own. The directory listed her as T. A. Sheridan—a far cry from Tess S. And she'd opted out of every online listing she could find.

"I'm surprised you could reach me," she said warily.

His gravely chuckle spread through her. "I'll bet."

She didn't want to think about bets. "How did you get this phone number?"

"You gave it to me, remember?"

No, she hadn't. And he knew so. That he'd discovered it should alarm her. Aside from Wednesday night, she'd never met him before. He could be a lunatic—or worse.

Yet, something in Jack Halloran's voice reassured her that he was quite sane. Recalling his affable responses to her botched pickup lines mollified her fears, too. If he'd wanted to take advantage of her, he could have done so Wednesday night.

But he hadn't.

"Yeah, Jack, about that number…" She let her voice trail off. She'd circumvent the truth out of him, a handy trick learned in law school.

For a moment, he didn't respond. Then the friendly tone she remembered from Danver's returned. "Don't worry about it. Women give me fake phone numbers all the time. That's why I blocked mine before I called. In case you were toying with me again."

Despite a few loitering notes of caution, she smiled. As if any woman wouldn't love the attention of a gorgeous guy like Jack Halloran. He probably beat back hordes of adoring females on a daily basis.

Relaxing, she planted a foot on the tub's overflow vent. The loosening towel rubbed her sensitized flesh, and the warm, bubbly water caressed her bikini-trimmed mound.

Mmm. She closed her eyes and luxuriated in the bliss of her arousal. Her fingers yearned to move with the water's flow, to touch, dip, stroke, indulge herself…just a little bit…please.

What would be the harm? Jack wouldn't know what she was doing, he couldn't, unless she chose to tell him.

A sensuous shiver raced through her. "And you're a PI?" she asked, her voice sounding languorous in the steam-filled bathroom. "That's how you dig up the real numbers?"

"No. Your friend gave me yours as you were leaving."

"She did what?" Tess bolted upright in the tub. The towel slipped and jasmine-scented froth slopped out onto the bathmat.

Chloe was about to become one very dead best fiend! No wonder she'd grinned the whole time she was here. She'd outwitted Tess at every turn.

"You were ahead of her leaving the pub, so maybe you didn't notice," Jack said. "She said you experience temporary dyslexia when you drink and might have written down the wrong phone number by mistake."

"I don't get temporary dyslexia!" Was there such a thing?

"Then you admit you gave me the wrong number on purpose?"

"I—" The towel drifted onto her lower legs. She kicked it partway off. She should drown herself. Here and now. Save herself the humiliation of dealing with the consequences of Chloe's treachery.

"Or was hitting on me the tequila talking?"

Tess lifted a hand. "No. I wasn't drunk, I promise." Drinking and debauching wasn't her style. That she'd hit on Jack while slightly buzzed was bad enough, but when she slept with him—uh, if—she intended to be stone-cold sober.

Well, not cold, exactly. Probably extra warm.

Ooh Godddd, she really was going nuts.

The point was, when and if they ever did it, she wanted to be fully aware of every delicious moment.

With a studmuffin like Jack Halloran at her disposal, she certainly wouldn't risk dulling her senses with alcohol.

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Please leave Kate a comment for a chance to win A Little Wild tomorrow morning!

The Winner of Leah's Contest Is

Pam B.!! Pam, write to me at bethkery@aol.com, and I'll pass on your information to Leah who will provide your book! Congrats!

Up next, guest author Kate St. James and a giveaway!

Leah Braemel and a Giveaway of Deliberate Deceptions

I met Leah last year at the Lori Foster event, and she's a warm, fun lady. Plus, she gives me chocolate…not just any chocolate, Canadian chocolate, which is soooo good. Leah's here to talk about her contemporary Deliberate Deceptions, and does it look like a romance you can did your teeth into! She's giving away a free download of Deliberate Deceptions to one commenter on her blog post. Plus, if you haven't yet signed up for the Silken Rapture Contest and the free Kindle Touch 3-G, do so here.

Welcome today's guest author, Leah Braemel!

Thanks to Beth for inviting me to be part of her Silken Rapture launch. I'm a big fan-girl of Beth's, and her Wicked Burn gave me the permission to give my heroes and heroines a more serious side, to emotionally torture them in order to find their happily-ever-after.

You see, I've been married thirty-three years. I love my husband; he loves me. While some consider us having achieved our 'happy-ever-after', it's not come easily. We've had to find ways to face the challenges life's thrown at us. So when I was writing Deliberate Deceptions, I wanted to explore some of the problems couples can face after they say "I do." When I'd written Chad's character in Personal Protection I had Sam and him fighting about Lauren. Chad had said he'd screwed up his marriage and I knew when I wrote that line that he had to get back together with her. But what had broken them up? Why would a man, whose word meant everything to him, walk away from the woman he loved? I drew on in real life where three friends had struggled with either post-partum depression or the death of a child and their marriages faced a severe test as they dealt with depression, grief and guilt. (Luckily, all three friends are still married in real life.)

So in Deliberate Deceptions, I turned the marital screws on my couple, Chad and Lauren. For various reasons ten years before, of their own making and forced upon them by others, their marriage crumbled, but they never truly fell out of love. Each thought that by walking away, they were doing what the other wanted. But now, Lauren's in jeopardy, and because the man hunting her knows she still loves Chad, Chad's in danger too. Forced to take refuge in a safe house, the couple must face their past (and present) mistakes, and admit they still care for the other if their love has any chance to rekindle.

Whenever I read a story, I want to know that my couple will survive those hard times, the struggles that life throws at us. I think by the end of Deliberate Deceptions, Chad and Lauren have learned from their mistakes. They've earned their Happy-Ever-After.

Chad Miller once had the perfect life—a beautiful baby daughter, a loving wife, a promising career with the FBI. Within a year, he'd lost everything. Making Hauberk Protection a success salvaged his career, but he's never managed to get over the one fateful decision that spelled the end of his marriage. And the death of his child.

For eight years, grief and guilt have haunted Lauren Miller's climb up the ranks of the Light Brigade, a secret international hostage rescue team. Now she's the target of a vengeful ex-Brigade operative who'll stop at nothing to take her down. Even if it means taking out everyone she cares about. Including Chad. Getting him to accept her as his bodyguard? It'll take some fast talking—and faster hands.

Trapped in a remote safe house with Lauren is the last place Chad ever wanted to be. He may finally have the chance to get some answers about why she ran, but with his hard-won defenses crumbling, he's having trouble remembering the questions. In the heat of their rekindled passion, Lauren struggles to keep her professional focus…and keep the secrets that could break his heart all over again.

You can read more about Chad and Lauren in Deliberate Deceptions, and the rest of the Hauberk Protection group, on Leah's website. You can follow Leah on Twitter, or find her on Facebook or Google.

Leave Leah a comment about her post, and qualify to win a copy of Deliberate Deceptions tomorrow morning!

The Winner of Shelley Munro's Contest Is

P. Kirby! Congrats! Please write to me at bethkery@aol.com to claim your prize!

Many thanks to Shelley for joining us! Up next, Leah Braemel visits and a giveaway!

Shelley Munro and a Giveaway of FANCY FREE!

Join me in welcoming Shelley Munro to the Silken Rapture Contest. She's here to talk about–and give away a copy of–Fancy Free to one commenter on her post today. Plus, if you haven't yet signed up for the Free Kindle Touch 3-G, be sure to do so here.

Welcome Shelley!

When A Square Peg Doesn't Fit! by Shelley Munro

We've all been there…smack in the middle of a situation where we have no control and feel as if we're adrift on a huge sea in a rudderless boat. We might experience this sensation when we attend a different school or start a new job. From the minute we walk into the classroom or office people stare. They might whisper to each other and increase our discomfort. After all, they know exactly what they're doing and are familiar with the routine, while we're floundering and trying to get to grips with the local routine.

Fish out of water syndrome!

You know what I'm talking about, right? I see you all nodding.

Because everyone understands the emotions and feelings these uncomfortable situations create, the fish out of water plotline is a classic one.

I'm sure you're familiar with the tale of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, which is a typical fish out of water story. When Alice goes down the rabbit hole, she ends up in a world that's very confusing and full of strange rules. She needs to think on her feet in order to survive.

A few years ago, I wrote a fish out of water story called Fancy Free. Since I adore the Alice in Wonderland story, I appropriated the character name and wrote my own modern version. The heroine, Alice Beasley unexpectedly receives an inheritance from her godmother. To her shock, and her boyfriend's consternation, it turns out she's inherited a company that manufactures condoms. There are strings to the inheritance. She must participate in the day-to-day business of the company or she'll forfeit the inheritance.

Alice is relatively innocent and inexperienced in sexual matters. It's a huge shock when she's thrust into the world of condoms. Here's a small taste of her embarrassment, doubt and her confusion regarding the sexy manager of Fancy Free:

Alice nodded vigorously and reached for a glass of water. The tremor of her right hand brought a self-conscious frown. "I'm fine. Please continue." What on earth was she doing here? She pushed a lock of hair off her face and wished she could fan the fiery heat from her face. And she still didn't understand why her godmother had left her the condom company at all. When she'd attempted to ask her parents, they'd brushed her off with excuses about church and religion. Even the lawyer Mr. Bellbooth had said he wasn't sure of her godmother's reasons, but did it really matter? An unladylike snort emerged.

"Is something wrong?" James asked in a husky voice.

"I'm fine. No problem." She barely halted the telltale shiver of bliss at the sound of his voice. As one, everyone turned to stare at her and that heightened her awareness of the wretched man. This was ridiculous. How could an almost virgin run a condom company? She had no experience to draw on. She could hardly count her one time at university as experience. The heat in her cheeks intensified even farther when she sneaked a look at the photo on top of the folder. Half expecting a voice to shout, "Off with her head," she swallowed and wondered if they'd notice if she ran from the room. Oh dear. Her gaze wandered to the photo again without waiting for her brain to give permission.

The condom was a delicate violet color and had tiny raised dots all over the surface. It looked like an alien creature with chicken pox. There were certainly alien appendages attached. Hard to say what that round bit did…

A story of this nature is a great vehicle for humor too. My heroine Alice Beasley is way out of her depth and makes a few mistakes along the way before she starts to feel at home as the owner of a condom company.

Purchase your copy of FANCY FREE at Ellora's Cave, All Romance ebooks or at Amazon Kindle. It's currently on sale at all three bookstores.

And watch out for CHRISTMAS IS COMING, a return visit to the Fancy Free world, due out at Ellora's Cave during December.

SHELLEY'S CONTEST: Win a download of Fancy Free. To enter the draw all you need to do is tell me about a situation which has made you feel as if you've jumped down a rabbit hole or you can share with me a title of one of your favorite "fish out of water" stories.

Shelley Munro lives in New Zealand with her husband of twenty-nine years and a mischievous puppy called Bella. She writes romantic, funny and spicy tales for Ellora's Cave, Carina Press and Samhain Publishing. To learn more about Shelley and her books visit http://www.shelleymunro.com You can also find her on Twitter @ShelleyMunro

BLURB:

Warning: Condoms were tested and a few harmed during the writing of this story.

It's not every day a girl inherits a condom company, and to say accountant Alice Beasley is astonished and out of her depth is putting it mildly. For an almost virgin, she needs a quick education in all things condom because her inheritance is in danger. Someone is intent on sabotage and playing nasty, trying to destroy her new company.

Alice is suddenly getting down and dirty with charismatic James, the factory manager, all in the name of business, testing new condom designs. The sex is hot. Mind-blowing. It's a dark thrill and an erotic journey. Yeah, it's a hard job, but a girl's got to do what a girl's gotta do.

The testing turns personal. Alice wants James. She craves his talented touch and sultry kisses, she desires passion and physical pleasure on a permanent basis but first she must convince bad-boy James to give up his fancy-free ways…