Mari Carr's Blog, page 108

WiP Wednesday

Thought I'd try something new on the blog this year. So…I give you Work in Progress Wednesday. Each week I'll share a short snippet of some of the stories I'm currently writing. Please bear in mind lots of these excerpts will be from rough drafts (aka unedited).

Today I thought I'd share a bit from Inflamed. This book is currently sitting on my Ellora's Cave editor's desk. My hope is that it will be a companion piece to the other stories in my Cowboy books (Spitfire and Rekindled). It's a m/m/f menage story.

Max walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Easy now," he murmured in her ear. "Don't fall down."

As his strong arms embraced her, pulling her tightly to his chest, she looked up, surprised to find Shaw still standing in front of her. For just a moment, she let herself soak up their warmth, their vibrancy. Neither man seemed bothered by the fact they were standing so near to one another. They'd always been best friends, closer than brothers, but their actions led her to wonder just how tight they really were. A wave of heat passed through her body at the thought.

She was tempted to test the waters, to see if she could spark their interest. She'd been too young the last time they'd all been together, but now…

Max moved away before she could act and she feared perhaps she'd revealed too much.

Shaw winked at her and she licked her lips, her gaze going to Shaw's mouth. What would he do if she closed the distance between them and kissed him?

Wild Keri wouldn't question, she would do.

She took a step toward Shaw, but Max halted her with his words. "Well, I guess we should be going."

She blinked, trying to put the brakes on her libido. It was hard for her to let go of the idea that she really wanted to kiss them. Both of them. God, she was taking this spontaneous shit to a dangerous level.

Neither man had indicated they were interested in anything more than renewing their old friendship and here she was contemplating seducing both of them. Two men. How the hell did she intend to accomplish that?

"Okay," she said, wincing slightly at the too-loud tone of her voice.

She turned around quickly and walked toward their Ford, careful to stay ahead of them so they couldn't see her blush. Her cheeks were on fire, from unrequited desire and humiliation.

Practical Keri taunted her.

I would never have gotten into such a state.

She closed her eyes and told practical Keri to shut up.

When they reached the truck, Shaw stepped next to her, bending down to give her a hug. She'd noticed his incredible hulking size when they were dancing. When he wrapped his arms around her, she felt as if she could disappear inside his muscular mass. It felt good.

"Welcome home, Keri," he murmured against the top of her head.

She accepted the embrace as a friendly gesture, taking care not to let her horny thoughts run away with her again. However, when she tried to pull back, Shaw's grip tightened. He lifted her face with a hand under her chin. When she looked up, he was there. His lips lightly grazed hers, just a gentle brush, a quiet promise of more to come.

When Shaw pulled away, she frowned, but his wolfish grin answered her unspoken question. Obviously he'd recognized her desire to kiss him. She didn't have time to speak before Max grasped her waist and turned her toward him.

His eyes were dark with desire and her mouth went dry. "We'll pick you up around eight on Friday."

She started to nod, but Max's lips were on hers before she could move. Unlike Shaw, Max didn't leave any question in her mind. Her interest was returned. Ten-fold. He pushed her lips apart, his tongue teasing hers. She started to lift her arms to wrap them around his neck, but he moved away before she could return the kiss properly.

Her mind and body were on system overload. She'd been home less than four hours and already she was standing in front of her uncle's house being kissed by not one, but two of the hottest cowboys in the state. Yee haw for new beginnings.

Shaw broke the silence. "Guess you better be careful what you wish for."

She looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"If you're looking to go wild, you came to the right place."

Max chuckled and ran a knuckle along her cheek. "See you Friday night, sunshine."

She watched them drive away, standing in the front yard long after their taillights disappeared from view.

Apparently, she'd opened a can of worms. She grinned.

Thank God.

Quote of the Week

"A pain stabbed my heart, as it did every time I saw a girl I loved who was going the opposite direction in this too-big world."

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Saturday Snippet

Today's theme is Winter Wonderland. When I think snow, I immediately think of my first published story, Erotic Research. The heroine, Julia and her too-hot-for-words editor, Ross manage to turn up the heat in the midst of a blizzard.

Excerpt

A loud knock at the door had her jumping up. Suddenly feeling very isolated and unprotected, she scanned the room for some sort of weapon. Spying a big log in her pile of firewood, she grabbed it, cowering in the corner. The pounding on the door continued, louder this time, and Julia's heart began to race. Who the hell would be on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere on a day like this? It was a virtual whiteout outside.

"Jules, open the damn door. I'm freezing my ass off out here."

Ross? She sighed in relief, rushing to unlock the door, and there in the doorway stood her very tall, very wet editor.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, aware her tone was distinctly unfriendly, but he had scared her half to death.

Eyes narrowed, Ross entered the cabin, his arms laden with packages, a large duffel bag thrown over one shoulder, a backpack over the other. "I tried to call, but the phone lines are down," he answered gruffly.

"My cell?" she asked sarcastically.

"No service up here," he replied with equal irritation.

"Is something wrong?" She couldn't imagine what could be so bad it would compel Ross to leave the comfort of his penthouse apartment in New York City to drive for nine hours to the mountains.

"Blizzard." He unloaded his bags on the kitchen counter. "Headed this way. I was worried you'd be snowed in without enough food."

Secretly pleased at his incredibly sweet gesture, Julia smiled and helped him unload the soggy paper bags. "You've brought enough food for an army." She gaped at all the meat, vegetables, fruit and snacks he carried in. "I hope you don't think I need all this to survive. Hey, I didn't hear a car. How did you get here?"

"By the grace of God and my four-wheel drive. I almost made it all the way to the cabin. The snow is already pretty deep. I got stuck about a mile down the road. Had to walk the rest of the way. Looks like we're going to be stuck here for a while." Pulling off his drenched coat, he hung it on the peg by the door.

"My God," she exclaimed, glancing out the frosted window, "it's freezing out there and the visibility must be zero. You're lucky to have made it at all. What the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed." She put her hands on her hips, suddenly aware of the very real danger he'd just escaped.

"What was I thinking?"

"Yes. Good Lord, Ross, of all the idiotic things to do. What if you'd crashed the car? What if you'd gotten lost in the snow while looking for the cabin? You could have frozen to death."

Ross shook his head. Clearly, of all the receptions he'd imagined, this nagging scold was not one he'd considered. "I guess, like the idiotic fool I am, I thought you'd be glad to see me. That you'd offer me a warm drink and some supper. I thought you'd be happy not to be stuck up here in this godforsaken cabin alone in a blizzard!"

Biting her lip, she said softly, "Well, I am. Happy, that is. I was feeling rather trapped—and alone."

As quickly as his anger came, it left him. Smiling, he admitted, "It was a damn stupid thing to do. Unfortunately that fact didn't occur to me until I was about halfway up the mountain and I realized it was too late to turn around."

"Let's get you out of those wet clothes," she said, suddenly very pleased to have him with her. "I'll put some water on for tea."

"Don't bother with the tea. I brought a bottle of Southern Comfort." His hands shaking, he attempted, with little success, to tackle the buttons on his soggy flannel shirt. "We are in the South, after all."

"I'm not sure West Virginia classifies as the South. It's really sort of the middle. Here, let me." Pulling his trembling hands away, she quickly unbuttoned his shirt and tugged it off. His skin was like ice to the touch. "You'll be lucky if you don't catch pneumonia or frostbite," she said, unable to resist one more scold. "Come stand by the fire." Taking his icy hands in hers, she rubbed them lightly. "I'll get a blanket for you. Stay here and try to get warm."

Crossing the room, she retrieved a fleece blanket from the foot of the bed as Ross struggled with the button fly on his damp jeans.

"I'll do that," she said, concerned for his health. His hands were still trembling and looked blood red and chapped. No doubt he'd lied about how long he'd really been roaming around in the snow and wind.

"Jules," he started to object, but she was already working the buttons free, concern distracting her from exactly what she was offering to do. When she had the last button unclasped, she grabbed the waistband and started to pull the clinging denim off his legs. The task was harder than she would have thought, but sheer determination and worry kept her going. She struggled for several minutes, working the material down his muscular legs, stopping only to pull off his boots and socks, before finally peeling the jeans completely off.

"There," she exclaimed, looking up into Ross's suddenly pained face. Her mouth went dry as she realized that during her exertions she'd knelt in front of him and was now eye level with his barely clad cock straining through the material of his silk boxer shorts. This part of him certainly gave new meaning to the term "frozen stiff".

"I—" she stumbled, unwilling to take her eyes off his very large appendage. She was sure she'd never seen anything quite so big and her curiosity outweighed her embarrassment.

"My God," she whispered, awestruck as the monstrous cock seemed to grow even larger before her eyes. Without a thought, she reached up and nearly touched it before a growl above her and a strong hand on her wrist stopped her.

"Brown Eyes," Ross said, his deep voice flowing over her like honey, "if you don't move away from that this minute, I'll keep you kneeling there the rest of the night."

 Erotic Research is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, Fictionwise, and All Romance Ebooks.

Why not "wonder" over and check out some more snippets sure to heat up the winter.

Jody Wallace

Emma Petersen

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McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Eliza Gayle

Shelli Stevens

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Conferences

I've been fortunate to be able to attend some really fantastic conferences in the past. I've been to Lori Foster's Reader/Writer Get Together, Lora Leigh's RAW, Romantic Times and Romanticon. As I look ahead to my travel dates in 2011, there are two conferences I will definitely be attending this year.

In April, I'm traveling to LA (my first time in that city) to attend the Romantic Times Convention. I will be meeting up with fellow International Heat pals Lexxie Couper, Rhian Cahill, Jess Dee, Jayne Rylon and Lila Dubois.

Then at the end of September, I will be driving to Ohio once again for Romanticon. I have to admit I really look forward to this weekend–meeting up with my fellow Ellora's Cave authors, my editor, and the cavemen! It's a laid-back environment with plenty of fun events that make the weekend fly by. This year, I'm reconnecting with the friends I made at RAW last year. Is it September yet?

Anyone else planning on traveling to conferences this year?

Quote of the Week

"People who think dying is the worst thing don't know a thing about life." – Lily in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Saturday Snippet

Ooo…today is all about fights. I was actually torn between putting up an excerpt of the bar brawl in Spitfire or this one. In in the end, Saturday Night Special's food fight won out. It  was a bit more fun! Saturday Night Special is part of the Wild Irish series and my first serious attempt at writing romantic comedy.

Excerpt:

Riley watched the three unsuspecting people jostling for food position at the bar and then glanced back at Bella and Trevor, so wrapped up in their argument they didn't see World War III descending on them.

She giggled. She couldn't help it. "Wow. This is gonna be so funny."

"Dammit, Riley. Do not start laughing. We've got five mentally unstable people here."

"Think we should evacuate the building?" She laughed harder at her joke, but Aaron continued to scowl.

"You distract them while I go over and tell Trev and Bella to get the hell out of here."

Riley nodded her agreement, unable to speak as her laughter bubbled over to the boiling point. Jesus. She really couldn't stop laughing and tears began to stream over her cheeks. Whether it was exhaustion, frustration or the fact that her entire being had been on overload since her drunken elopement to Aaron, she felt all the stress and craziness of the past two days escaping in uncontrollable laughter.

"What's so funny?" Bubbles asked.

Riley couldn't speak to answer. Instead she snorted and laughed harder. Putting up one finger, she fought hard to catch her breath. Aaron was shaking his head, but she could see he was fighting back his own laughter. They were screwed. They both knew it.

"S-s-sorry," she gasped, taking a deep breath. "Got the giggles there."

Aaron nodded, his face breaking into a wide grin. "I can see that. Let the cards fall where they may?"

Riley shrugged and agreed. "Our offensive line sucks. Time to switch to defensive maneuvers."

Bubbles was staring at them oddly. "What?"

"Nothing," Aaron said as the occasional odd giggle continued to escape Riley's lips. "Let's just eat."

"What the fuck is she doing here?" Bubbles' tone and angry question alerted Riley that she'd finally spotted her nemesis.

"That didn't take long," Riley muttered. The fury in her new friend's eyes quickly dispelled the humor she'd been feeling. Shit. She wasn't sure their defense was going to be strong enough.

"Bubbles," Riley said, standing up and stepping in front of the woman when she started toward Bella's table. "Listen. I need you to sit and calm down. Going over there right now isn't going to solve anything."

"Of course it will," Bubbles screeched. "Me rearranging that cunt's face will solve everything."

Bubbles sidestepped Riley and stalked across the room.

"Uh-oh." Aaron was looking at the food bar. Johanna and Johnny had also caught sight of their prey and were crossing the room, food trays in hand, to confront them.

Riley threw up her hands. "Let's go."

She and Aaron rushed over to Bella and Trev's table. The couple was no longer arguing and instead looked shell-shocked as they were surrounded by the enemy on three sides.

"Jo?" Trev asked stupidly.

Bella burst into tears when she saw her ex. "Johnny!"

For a brief moment, Riley foolishly thought they may be all right. They'd all sit down like rational, civilized people and things would work out. Bubbles dashed that hope with one swing of her tray. She dumped all her food onto an unsuspecting Bella's lap. Bella hissed like a wet cat, picking up her glass of iced tea and tossing the liquid in Bubbles' face.

Unfortunately, Riley had chosen to stand a little too closely to Bubbles and half the liquid covered her as well.

"Dammit, Bella," Riley said. "I was supposed to be in Vegas for two days. I didn't pack enough clothes for you to start tossing shit on—"

Her words died when a snowball of mashed potatoes struck her mid-chest.

"Oops," Trev said. "I was aiming for that crazy woman." He pointed at Bubbles, who was now chucking rolls and food from their table and surrounding ones like a soldier lobs grenades. Trev raised his hand in an attempt to dodge the bread and French fries raining down on him. "Make her stop throwing shit, Riley!"

Riley turned to block Bubbles' view of the table, reaching to grab the woman's hands. "Bubbles, stop it! The manager is gonna call the cops. Do you want to go to jail?"

"I want that bitch to stand up and fight me, fair and square."

"Who you callin' a bitch?" Bella shouted from the table. Before Riley could turn, she felt something very cold and slimy hit her back and begin sliding down her T-shirt.

"What the hell?" She turned around to find Bella dipping her spoon into a bowl of ice cream, preparing to launch more of her hot fudge sundae.

"Put it down," Riley said. Bella paused for a moment. "Put. It. Down."

Riley started to yell at Aaron for not stepping in to help her but one glance to her left proved he was fighting his own losing battle. He had his arms wrapped around Johanna from behind as the woman flailed about, attempting to batter Trev with her purse, her fists, her feet. Trev was pleading with her to calm down, his hands constantly moving, alternating between covering his face and his privates. She was putting up one helluva fight.

The sound of sirens outside had the effect of someone dousing them with a hose, and the fight went out of them. Jo hung limply in Aaron's arms. Bella put her hands in her lap and Bubbles sank into a chair at another table.

Two policemen came in and the manager pointed at them.

"Great," Riley heard one of the cops mutter as they walked up. "Bubbles and Bella. Again. What did we do to deserve this?"

Saturday Night Special is available at Ellora's Cave, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and All Romance Ebooks.

Leah Braemel

Lissa Matthews 

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Delilah Devlin

Eliza Gayle

Shelli Stevens

TJ Michaels

Lauren Dane

Jody Wallace

Sasha White

Morgan's Surprise

The highly anticipated follow-up to Kate's Crew is available at Samhain today! Jayne Rylon has written an exciting sequel in the best-selling Powertools series. And check out that cover!!!

Morgan's Surprise

For a tasty birthday treat, add four men and stir.

Powertools, Book 2

Note to self: When confessing a crush on an ultra-hot construction worker to your best friend, make sure he's not standing right behind you.

If Morgan thought spilling the beans on her lust for Joe would scare him off, she couldn't have been more wrong. Following her birthday wish gone awry, the hunk is treating her to one surprise after another. From little things that make her smile to lavish, romantic dates, Joe is turning out to be the stuff of dreams

Joe's attentions to the sexy pastry shop owner begin as lighthearted fun. Until he finds out about the past that, until now, has made her keep him at arm's length. Determined to show her seeking pleasure is no crime, he sets out to fulfill her steamiest fantasies—with a little help from three of his best friends.

After a four-course birthday adventure, which presents Morgan as the sweetest imaginable dessert, she expects Joe to walk away. But now that Joe's brought Morgan out of her shell, he's hungry for something he never expected to crave—a forever kind of love.

Product Warnings

This book features a m/m/m/m/f ménage. Enough said.

Excerpt:
Morgan aimed a puff of breath at the flame dancing on top of the candle.

"Wait! Too fast! Didn't you make a wish first?" Kate jerked the plate holding Morgan's cupcake out of the trajectory of the warm air. The orange glow dimmed but didn't extinguish. "There must be something you want."

Carnal visions burned hotter than the fire melting the sprinkle-coated frosting of her gourmet confection into a golden pool. The color reminded Morgan of the burnished skin of her crush. It should be illegal for Joe to gallivant without a shirt on as often as he did. Spectacular memories of his displays sparked her fantasies at the most inopportune moments of the day and wreaked havoc on her sleep patterns.

Kate was polite enough not to hound her while she let her gaze wander, devouring the glistening expanse of Joe's perfect shoulders. Morgan sighed when she thought about the painted wooden sign he'd crafted—and now hung—outside the plate-glass window of her fledgling bakery. It bore the name he'd helped her brainstorm. Sweet Treats.

So thoughtful. And sexy as hell.

It kind of surprised her not to see steam rolling off his bunched muscles. How could he be comfortable working half-naked in the brisk autumn air? She shook her head. The motion didn't erase all the naughty ideas sabotaging her rationality. The dirty thoughts tempted her with a variety of ways to warm the handyman up when he finished his task and rejoined them inside.

Morgan sighed when a snap of fingers returned her attention to the interior of her admittedly cute shop. It'd taken six months to decorate everything just so.

"You going to pick something…maybe someone? Or are you planning to wait until wax drips all over your birthday cupcake?" Kate chuckled.

Morgan decided denying her infatuation with Joe would be futile. Kate had been her best friend since grade school. The lucky bitch had referred the hunky craftsman and his crew of skilled friends in the peak of the summer heat—after she'd scored the crew's foreman for herself.

No way could Kate miss Morgan's similar craving.

The crew had taken on odd jobs, fixing up the crummy space in the strip mall that housed Morgan's boutique in exchange for loads of the decadent goodies she whipped up. Damn, those guys could eat. She wondered if manual labor accounted for all of the voracious appetite they possessed. It had to take more than swinging a hammer to burn off those calories. Lord knew they found some way to stay fit and trim.

She'd baked Joe's favorite today—a caramel apple tart. He deserved that and more for his considerate gesture. Two customers had already stopped in to say the colorful sign had caught their eye. Thanks to him, she'd sold out of brownies and cheesecake long before the after-work rush. Too bad she couldn't generate the nerve to offer him something a little more sinful than her luscious dessert as a reward.

She'd considered it once or twice before, but she couldn't stop drooling long enough to try. Always quick to flash his toned abs and rock solid biceps, Joe kept her off balance and lost in a haze of unvented desire. He'd become her favorite treat weeks ago. An instant addiction. Thoughts of him left her craving a taste—or more—of him in the dead of night.

She bit her lip when he reached for something along the roofline. From his perch on the ladder, his body rippled with strength.

"Damn, Kate. I don't think the birthday fairy would sanction what I have in mind." Morgan grimaced at the dopey grin on her friend's face. Three months of blissful dating and wild nights with her boyfriend, Mike, had turned the woman into a ridiculous ball of giggles with a perma-smile. Worse were the googly eyes that emerged when the love of her life entered the room. Kate and Mike's soul-deep bond was hell to be around.

Jealousy didn't exactly flatter a girl.

"The big 3-0's not until the weekend anyway." Morgan pried her stare from Joe.

"I know but Mike and I will be out of town then, so it counts today. Besides, you'll never know if you don't try." Kate squeezed Morgan's hand. "Sometimes dreams come true. Believe me."

Yep. There went that grin again. "Your face is going to stick like that if you're not careful."

Kate kept right on beaming.

Morgan swallowed hard then scrunched her eyes closed. She was tired of hoping Joe would ask her out. So she tried a new tactic instead.

I wish I had the courage to ask him on a date. It's time to move on. Time to try again. I wish I could take a risk—be wild for once in my life. 

When she blinked into the amber autumn light streaming through the window, Joe had vanished. A cosmic sign? Or had he needed some extra tool off his pickup?

"So… Was Joe the only guy involved in that wish or did some of the other hot construction workers we know feature in it too?"

Morgan's mouth gaped open. More than Joe?

She never would have confessed to greed that titanic on her own, but Kate knew her better than anyone. Morgan had thought about it. A lot. The way the guys worked seamlessly together on projects made their bond impossible to ignore. When they'd crowded upstairs—in her tiny apartment over the bakery—for beer and cookies, they'd overflowed the cramped space with testosterone and something a bit more elusive.

Their camaraderie transcended their partnership. At least she thought it did. But she could have imagined the inside jokes, meaningful looks and secret smiles more common between lovers than friends.

The men's intimacy could have been a figment of her overactive imagination but there was no mistaking their open arms. They'd accepted her right away, making her more than just a friend of a friend. Every time Morgan witnessed the interplay between the partners, her mind had spun with possibilities. That didn't mean she had to say so. "Isn't it one of the cardinal rules of wishing—if you tell, it won't come true?"

"Come on, you don't believe that nonsense do you?" Kate joked but persisted with a wiggle of her brows. "Fess up. You've wondered what it would be like to have them in your bed. At the very minimum, you're burning up the sheets with Joe in your dreams."

"Okay, fine. How could any woman resist? They're buff, hardworking, playful, sexy as sin and sweet. I've got it bad for Joe. So damn bad. Like, worse than our Bon Jovi lust in high school bad. He's strong but gentle. I could talk to him for days. He's always surprising me with little things that make my day. And the way he fills out those ripped jeans has me thinking I'm going into cardiac arrest every time he bends over. But the rest of the crew isn't far behind. Hell I'm so distracted, I've burnt more cookies since they've come around than in all the rest of my life."

"About time you admitted it."

Morgan's heart froze at the deep rumble over her shoulder. It kicked in triple time when a broad hand settled on the side of her neck. She jerked from the retro-dinette chair she and Joe had salvaged and restored last weekend.

The sneaky bastard caught the vinyl-covered seat, saving it from crashing to the floor. Would he do the same for her if her jellied knees gave out?

"You set me up." She gaped at Kate, betrayal and humiliation burning her cheeks.

"No, I'm sorry." Her best friend stood, reaching out, but Morgan scooted further into the corner to avoid her seeking grasp. "I didn't know he was there. I swear."

"I came through the kitchen. Left my boots out back so I wouldn't track mud all over the place." Joe waved toward his socks. His grin turned feral. "But I won't pretend to be sorry about what I heard. You want me. Bad."

"Jerk!"

"Maybe. But only because I've let this shit go on too long."

Quote of the Week

"Close you eyes and tap your heels together three times. And think to yourself, there's no place like home." – The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Saturday Snippet

Today's theme is all about being in a bad mood. We've all been there and our characters are no different. I thought I'd share the opening to my latest release, Power Play. The hero at the opening of the story is in a funk. Lucky for him, he meets a lady with a red hot solution for pulling him out of it!

Excerpt:

Reed Donovan stared at the flat-screen TV in the corner of the bar, and though his eyes were seeing the baseball game, his mind wasn't processing a single aspect of it. He leaned back in his chair and tried to shake off the lingering traces of jetlag. Two days earlier, he'd flown back to the States after nine months in London. He only had tonight left to recover from the trip before he returned back to work bright and early the next morning.

He picked up the drink in front of him and took a long, deep swig. His throat was parched and his mouth dry. Clearly the stress of his day job was affecting his mind, messing with his head. He'd gone to London in the early fall to clean up the mess the former manager had left in his company's branch office.

"Have to admit I didn't think you had it in you to be quiet for so long."

Reed looked up and found his cousin, the owner of the bar, looking down at him. He gestured to the chair across from him and watched Carter sit.

Reed lifted his glass. "Trying to drink away some of my damn tiredness. Not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow."

"Nine months is a damn long time to uproot from your home, Reed. And I know you hate playing the admin role, know you've been gritting your teeth every minute of these last few months, wishing you were back doing what you love."

"Uncle Brian needed my help getting the London branch back under control. The last manager only managed to run the damn thing into the ground. It was my job to clean house, to put the pieces back together."

Carter leaned back in the chair, put his hands behind his head and studied his face. "So what's stuck up your ass? You're home now. Figured you'd be happy and celebrating that little fact."

Reed rubbed his eyes wearily. His cousin was right, he should be doing flips around the bar. Instead, he felt tired, irritable. "You want me to make a bulleted list for you?"

Carter grinned. "Is this gonna be a long presentation, Mr. Exec?"

Reed leaned forward, not bothering to acknowledge his cousin's joke. "Number one, I'm pissed as hell about Brian sending me to London. I've worked my ass off for that man for years and I don't appreciate being used as a lackey to do his goddamn dirty work. I'm going into his office tomorrow and letting him know it's not something I ever intend to do again."

Carter winced. "Damn, man. That's not gonna be a fun conversation."

"You're right. It's not. Number two, while I was off wasting my MBA skills playing office manager, he let my marketing partner lose two prospective clients to The Wilkerson Team. I could have landed those accounts if Brian would have let me do my job."

"Sounds like your partner sucks."

"You're missing the point, Carter. If I'd been there, those companies would be The Donovan Group's clients."

Carter waved a waitress over and ordered a whiskey, straight up, before gesturing for Reed to continue. "Anything else you need to get off your chest?"

Reed leaned back. "Frankie Carlyle."

"Who's that?"

"The bastard who stole my deals. Some hotshot upstart from The Wilkerson Team."

"Ah, so you've finally got some competition, eh?"

Reed narrowed his eyes. "Hardly."

"Damn, you're a sore loser. Always have been."

Reed wanted to argue, but figured it was pointless. Carter knew him too well. "Lucky for me, I never lose."

Carter burst out with loud laughter.

Reed scowled. "I'm simply going to tell Brian I'm not cleaning up any more messes. I'm a marketing guy and if he'd let me do that job instead of shipping me off to goddamn London for nearly a year, Frankie Carlyle wouldn't have two jobs that should have been mine."

Carter sat up, leaning across the table to slap him on the shoulder in a supportive way. "You and I both know anger doesn't win an argument with Brian. He had his reasons for sending you away. Whether or not he cares to enlighten you on the whys of it is another matter entirely."

Reed nodded, but didn't elaborate on his real concerns regarding Frankie Carlyle. He'd seen print copies of the presentations that landed the deals. They were good. Very good. And there was a small part of Reed that wondered if he could have landed the deals if he'd been around.

He attempted to stretch a tight kink out of his neck. He was stressed out and tired. There were three more big bids looming in The Donovan Group's immediate future and Reed intended to land every single one of them. Carlyle was about to meet his match.

"Earth to Reed."

He glanced across the table and realized his cousin had been speaking to him.

Carter gave him a grin and shook his head. "Damn, man. Grab yourself a woman and get this aggression out of your system. You gotta blow off some steam before you talk to Uncle Brian or you're bound to get your ass fired."

Reed snorted and nodded. Carter was probably right. He scanned the bar for the first time since he'd walked in tonight. He hoped to spot Genevieve. Though he didn't date—his job didn't allow him much time for romance—he did enjoy the occasional hook up with Vivi. When he spotted her in the corner of the room, he smiled.

Carter caught the direction of his gaze and nodded his approval. "Good call. Vivi will cure what's ailing you."

"I think she just might."

He grinned, about to stand, when a woman seated at the bar turned to retrieve something from her purse and caught his attention. She was clearly a businesswoman. Her expensively tailored suit, the briefcase at her feet, and the Droid she was typing into fast and furiously all proclaimed her role. He could only see her in profile, but he was taken aback by the delicate curve of her face, the single loose tendril of jet black hair that had escaped her stylishly pinned-up French twist. She appeared to be tall, with long legs that just wouldn't quit. She was slim and, much to his chagrin, the size of her breasts was concealed by her suit jacket. He was a breast man through and through.

As he continued to watch her tap away at the tiny phone screen, he wondered for a moment what it was about her that was holding his attention. She was lovely, yes, but he'd seen more beautiful women. And while her body—what he could see of it—was hot, Vivi was just as shapely, just as sexy.

However, there was something about the way she held herself as she sat at the bar, quietly sipping from her glass of red wine. She simply exuded confidence and the image struck him as vaguely familiar, though he'd bet his entire lifesavings he'd never seen her before. He stared at her for several moments before he realized Carter had turned to see what he was looking at.

"Ah, the fair Francesca," his cousin said.

"Francesca?"

Carter gestured toward the beautiful woman. "She's a regular here. Comes in a couple times a week. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends or colleagues. Trust me when I say you should stick with Vivi."

"Why?" He wasn't sure what prompted his question. Until Carter spoke, he'd had no intentions of approaching the woman. Now that his cousin had piqued his curiosity, he wasn't so sure.

"Because she's the female version of you, Reed. Powerful, successful, used to being in control. She wouldn't go for that macho routine of yours. Women like her aren't into men like us. When she settles down, it will be with a nice, biddable man who doesn't mind a woman who wears the pants in the relationship. That's sure as hell not you."

Reed turned his attention away from the woman's face and back to his cousin's. "You seem to know quite a bit about her."

"We've talked, just about stuff in general, nothing personal. She's smart and she's funny, but she's also…" Carter paused, and Reed sensed his cousin was searching for a word he couldn't find, "…dominant."

"Dominant?"

Carter shrugged. "I don't mean in a leather-wearing, whip-wielding way, but yeah, she's, well, hell, she's you, but with boobs and nothing dangling between her legs."

Reed laughed. "So you're warning me away?"

"Honestly? Yes. You're feeling sort of down right now and you need a pick-me-up, not more complications. Vivi's made to order, no muss, no fuss. You two can get together, wrinkle the sheets for a little while and come tomorrow morning, your perspective on life will be clearer."

Reed glanced at Vivi and knew his cousin made a good point. Being with her was easy, relaxing, comfortable. They knew what the other liked in bed and neither of them expected a morning after courtesy call. Simple.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he saw Francesca move, turn her face toward the room. Her gaze met his and held. He leaned forward in his chair. It was the first time she'd acknowledged his presence. He narrowed his eyes, wondering what she was seeing. Was she feeling the same attraction? The same fascination? She studied him for only a fraction of a minute, mere seconds, but in that time, Reed felt as if he'd been shocked by the electrical current flowing between them.

"Should have saved my breath," Carter said, rising.

"What?"

"I've never known you to take the easy way. Good luck, bud. You're going to need it." Carter turned and walked to his office, leaving Reed alone.

He looked at Vivi once more. She'd drop everything to spend the evening obeying his every command if he walked over and offered the invitation.

He didn't.

Instead, he stood and walked toward the bar, toward Francesca.

Claiming the empty seat next to her, he waved the bartender over. "Hi Joe. I'll have a Guinness, and get another glass of red for Francesca here."

She'd already been looking at him as he ordered, but when he mentioned her name he noticed the slightest narrowing of her eyes.

"Do I know you?"

He shook his head. "No. My cousin Carter owns this bar. He mentioned your name to me."

She digested that information as he studied her face. She was gorgeous. Now that they were in closer proximity, he was able to spot the slightest amount of her generous cleavage through her blouse.

"Up here, babe," she said pointing to her face, when his eyes lingered too far south for a second too long.

He grinned at her joke. Oh yeah. She was everything his cousin described. Trouble in a thirty-four D cup. Good stuff.

"So, your cousin suggested that you buy me a drink?"

"No." Reed pointed to where Vivi still sat behind her. "He told me to buy her a drink."

Francesca glanced over her shoulder. "Pretty girl. Did you miss your mark? Need me to draw you a map? Help you get over there?"

"My sense of direction is just fine."

She rested her chin on her hand and, for the briefest moment, he wondered what the hell was going on in her mind. Then the bartender returned with their drinks and distracted her.

She sighed heavily as she looked at the full glass of wine. "I really shouldn't drink this. I've had two glasses already. I have a big day at work tomorrow and attempting it hungover isn't a good strategy."

He grinned. She clearly wasn't drunk. He wasn't even sure he'd call her tipsy, but she was definitely enjoying the relaxing effects of the wine.

"You strike me as the type who can handle her alcohol. And anything else that might come her way." It was an obvious come on, but he didn't care. There was something about her that screamed sex…and something else. Some elusive something he couldn't put his finger on.

He took a sip of his Guinness. The alcohol was working on smoothing his rough edges too. His neck wasn't stiff anymore and he was feeling looser, freer from the stress of work.

She leaned closer, her cheek still resting on her hand. "You know, I've always had this fantasy."

He moved toward her. Her voice was low, husky, sexy as hell. "Oh yeah?"

"Sex with a stranger."

Her words hit him like a punch in the stomach and his groin filled the maximum weight recommended for his pants in three seconds flat. There was no way he could adjust them without drawing her attention to his dilemma. Then he grinned and made the adjustment anyway.

Her eyes followed the motion of his fingers.

"Up here, babe," he teased, mimicking her words.

She laughed. "You're really Carter's cousin?"

"Yep, I'm Re—"

She cut him off quickly with a wave of her hand. "No. You tell me your name and we stop being strangers."

She had a point. And a set of knockers that had him feeling lightheaded.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to go for broke. "Where do you wanna do this?"

"Follow me." 

Power Play is available at Samhain, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Sony, and Fictionwise.

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Works in Progress

I updated my Works in Progress page for this month. Thought I'd share with you some of the things I've been working on.

Submissions awaiting word from editors:

Southern Comfort – Book two in the Compass Brothers series is also written and in the hands of our editor. Fingers crossed!

Three Reasons Why - This is the long-overdue sequel to Kiss Me Kate and will showcase the romance of Wes and Jill. It's sitting on my Ellora's Cave editor's desk right now. Along with…

Inflamed – I intended for this to be another cowboy quickie for Ellora's Cave, but it ran along. About 12K words long–LOL. Henceforth it will be known as the cowboy novella! It's a red hot, m/m/f menage story and a companion story to Spitfire and Rekindled. Hope my editor likes it.

So…what am I writing next?

Trey's story - Don't have a working title yet. Actually, all I have are the character's names and a rough plot swimming around in my brain. This will be the sixth story in the Black & White collection and it will definitely be the next one I write.

Because You Love Me  - This sequel to Because of You will be another romantic suspense involving Caleb's brothers, the twins, Matt and Mark and the woman they fall in love with, Bridget. Oh yeah, let the red hot menage writing commence!

Love Story – the sequel to Do Over, my debut novella at Carina. Love Story will tell the story of Jackson, the son of Do Over's hero and heroine, Troy and Faith.