J. Alan Veerkamp's Blog, page 7
July 2, 2016
The Pinkerton Man Series by C.J. Baty – Blog Tour #excerpt
Title: The Pinkerton Man Series
Author: C.J. Baty
Genre: Gay Romance, Historical/Western
Length: Short story + Novella
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Book One Synopsis
THE PINKERTON MAN
Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail.
He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent.
His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered. In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.
Book One Synopsis
HOME ON THE RANGE
Pinkerton Agent Stiles Long is sent to the Circle W Ranch to uncover who is killing the ranch’s cattle. In order to discover the truth about the goings on at the ranch, Stiles has to prove to the ranchers he’s more than a good-looking city slicker.
Savage Beare, the head ranch foreman, is far from happy that Stiles is there to check things out. He has secrets of his own.
Stiles finds Savage incredibly good-looking, but cold and aloof.
He’s also a suspect. One of many.
When Stiles’ best friend and partner, Lizzie Ferguson, is kidnapped things begin to shake apart.
Stiles doesn’t trust anyone and he needs to find Lizzie before it’s too late.
Buy Links
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/pinkerton-man-series-by-cj-baty/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-pinkertonmanseries-2058762-158.html
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Book Trailer
Giveaway
Prizes: $4.99 WIP Gift Card, 1 ebook copy of Drifting Sands, 1 ebook copy of Island Paradise and 1 ebook copy of Whispers, Rumors, & Lies
Excerpt
“Close the door, Paul, and undress,” Stiles said, without breaking eye contact with O’Leary. Paul did as he was bidden. Stiles waited for the other man in the room to say something… anything, but he didn’t. He didn’t watch Paul undress, either. O’Leary kept the constant eye connection between the two of them.
Stiles spoke softly. It felt like he was talking to an injured animal, and he didn’t want to say or do anything to frighten him away.
“Would you like Paul to undress you?”
He didn’t dare speak the other man’s name for fear of him making a quick escape. And Stiles wanted this. He wanted to see this man naked, his cock hard and dripping, and he wanted to touch. No, he wanted to worship the man’s body with his hands and his tongue.
O’Leary still hadn’t spoken, but he began to remove his clothes. First, he removed his coat and placed it on the chair he was standing beside. He folded it neatly though he never actually looked at it. Stiles watched O’Leary’s long fingers undo the buttons of his vest and place it on top of the coat.
The only sound up to that point had been the rhythmic breathing of all three men. O’Leary’s voice broke the intimacy of the moment and replaced it with desire. “Paul.” O’Leary motioned for Paul to come to him. The younger man must have known what O’Leary wanted, because he immediately came forward and continued undressing O’Leary.
Stiles could not move. He was frozen to the spot, watching every inch of pale, muscled skin that Paul revealed as he removed O’Leary’s shirt. There was a fine dusting of reddish brown hair across O’Leary’s chest. Stiles followed Paul’s motions with his eyes, his lust growing with every look he took at O’Leary’s body. Just above his navel, hair a lighter shade of red thickened and formed a trail that dipped lower. Paul knelt to remove O’Leary’s shoes and socks next, then stood to undo the buttons of his trousers.
About the author
CJ BATY lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to Fan Fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is, “You are never too old to follow your dream!”
C.J. BATY can be found at:
Website: http://cjbaty.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=344242482358480&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbaty
June 25, 2016
Mini Blog Tour – Collars ‘N’ Cuffs, A Wayward Ink Publishing Anthology #excerpt
Title: Collars ‘N’ Cuffs
Authors: Layla Dorine, Aimee Brissay, Lily Velden, Alina Popescu, Kassandra Lea, Carol Pedroso, Eddy LeFey, Asta Idonea
Genre: Gay Romance, BDSM
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Synopsis
How about a little bondage?
Does D/s get your motor running?
Do you enjoy a serving of pain to go with your pleasure?
Does your mouth water at the thought of clamps and cuffs and other naughty stuffs?
Then look no further!
The authors of Collars ‘N’ Cuffs have dripped wax on their keyboards, flogged their erotic bones, and whipped up their creative juices to bring you a collection of stories certain to enflame your imagination.
Buy Links
Don’t miss the discounted buy prices valid until 48 hours after release!
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/collars-n-cuffs-a-wayward-ink-publishing-anthology/
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Collars-Cuffs-Wayward-Publishing-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01G984JB2/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collars-Cuffs-Wayward-Publishing-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01G984JB2/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Collars-Cuffs-Wayward-Publishing-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01G984JB2/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Collars-Cuffs-Wayward-Publishing-Anthology-ebook/dp/B01G984JB2/
Book Trailer
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ex-Te0JTrA
Stories included
FORGED IN STEEL
Layla Dorine
The last thing Flint expected upon discovering a homeless young man rummaging through the dumpster behind his shop was a kindred spirit.
The last thing Trace expected to find in that dumpster was a home.
PLAYING IT SAFE
Aimee Brissay
To safe or not to safe?
That is the question.
ROOM TO PLAY
Lily Velden
Jack wanted to dabble in some light BDSM, looking for a little role play. A little role-reversal.
Rhys took to their games like a duck to water.
A TOUCH OF KINK
Alina Popescu
A moody and angry Tudor follows his friend, Radu, to the airport to pick up a client.
Despite Radu’s efforts, he’s still sulking over his boyfriend, Kahoni, not being able to fly over for his birthday.
But the airport only opens up the door to a stream of steamy surprises for Tudor. Will his mood improve?
LET’S DANCE IN SIN
Kassandra Lea
Samuel wants to play with his favorite toy and Flynn is only too willing to oblige.
But first, he has a little treat for his delectable angel.
NEW LOVE, NEW SIGHT
Carol Pedroso
Exiled and lonely, Sorl longs for home.
Kidnapped, blind, and scared, Unjarf seeks help of any kind.
When they meet can love bring rescue, hope, and most importantly new sight?
SWITCH
Eddy LeFey
Robert is floundering, trying to get his life back together.
Daniel offers to help, to teach Robert what it means to truly let go of control, in order to be able to seize it again.
Life truly is a…. switch.
HELL BOUND
Asta Idonea
When Taharial, angel of purity, descends to Hell to reprimand him, lust demon Asmodeus cannot resist having a little fun with his unwanted guest.
However, when he chains Taharial to his bed, events take a turn he didn’t expect.
Giveaway
Prize – 1 x $10 WIP Gift Card
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d66a84/
Excerpt
Samuel looked over his shoulder to the glittering light of Sin City. It called to him like a moth to the flame. Though he worried, fretted, that eventually he would be found out, he knew it was impossible to stay away. He’d crossed a line more times than he cared to admit, embarking down memory lane when the moment allowed, bringing forth the ghost touch of the man who possessed the ability to make him weak in the knees. And the internal war would begin as Samuel’s lingering fear of discovery told him to stay away, while the desire to feel the familiar heated flesh pressed against his caused an insatiable thirst for the sinful place.
He scanned his surroundings, listening. The wind ruffled his feathers, caressed his skin, and brought to him a bevy of creature-created sounds. Nothing that suggested another angel might be lurking in the area. He licked his lips, his gaze straying back to the city in the distance. How easily, how quickly he could make it there and then….
Samuel took to the air once again, this time making a beeline for the place he often longed to visit, far too much time passing between each trip. As he neared the bustling metropolis, he wondered, at least for a fleeting moment, what he might do if he should make the trip to Las Vegas one night only to find his beloved jewel missing. He preferred not to dwell.
Things of a tantalizing nature awaited him.
June 24, 2016
Release Day Blitz – The Pinkerton Man Series by C.J. Baty
Book One Synopsis
THE PINKERTON MAN
Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail.
He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent.
His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered. In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.
Book One Synopsis
HOME ON THE RANGE
Pinkerton Agent Stiles Long is sent to the Circle W Ranch to uncover who is killing the ranch’s cattle. In order to discover the truth about the goings on at the ranch, Stiles has to prove to the ranchers he’s more than a good-looking city slicker.
Savage Beare, the head ranch foreman, is far from happy that Stiles is there to check things out. He has secrets of his own.
Stiles finds Savage incredibly good-looking, but cold and aloof.
He’s also a suspect. One of many.
When Stiles’ best friend and partner, Lizzie Ferguson, is kidnapped things begin to shake apart.
Stiles doesn’t trust anyone and he needs to find Lizzie before it’s too late.
Buy Links
Don’t miss the discounted prices until 48 hours after release!
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/pinkerton-man-series-by-cj-baty/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-pinkertonmanseries-2058762-158.html
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Book Trailer
Link: https://youtu.be/LmPVQuHugQQ
Excerpt
A deep voice coughed at his side. Stiles looked up to see an incredible pair of green eyes fixed on him. A feeling stirred in Stiles and he tested the waters by grinning at the gentleman to his left. He smiled back: a wide jubilant expression.
“Hello. Is that seat taken?” he asked, pointing at the seat across from Stiles.
Stiles waved his hand in a ‘have a seat’ motion and the man sat gracefully, facing him. Removing his hat, his eyes sparkled as he looked Stiles over. There was no doubt that he liked what he saw.
“Patrick O’Donnell.” He offered his hand to Stiles.
Taking the hand firmly in his own, Stiles felt the warmth and smoothness of the man’s skin. He was definitely not a rancher. Stiles doubted he’d ever done a hard day’s work in his life. Their hands lingered, entwined longer than polite society would approve. One more clue that he was as inclined as Stiles was for the company of another virile man.
“Stiles Long,” he said as their hands separated and they reclined in their respective seats, each observing the other.
“Where would you be traveling to, Mr. Long?”
“I’m headed for Mercer, Wyoming on business.”
“Business in Mercer.” He laughed. The sound was deep—smooth like the skin on his hand—and made the hairs on Stiles’ body stand to attention.
“Do you know the area? I’m looking at buying a ranch there.”
“Actually, I’m headed home to Mercer myself. I own the hotel and saloon in town. Patty’s Place. Will you be staying with me?” One corner of his lips turned up, giving his face the appearance of a one-sided grin. It caused Stiles to return the same.
“It seems I will be for a night. Though, I will need to hire a coach to take me to the Circle W Ranch as soon as possible.”
A shadow fell across O’Donnell’s face and a scowl reached the corners of those green eyes, which were now dark and stormy. “You’re looking at the Circle W to buy.” It was not really a question. It was more accusatory in meaning.
“Possibly.” Stiles decided it would be better to tread carefully until he knew more about Mr. Patrick O’Donnell. The man stayed a moment longer, then made an excuse that he needed to see someone else on the train. Stiles watched after him as he went and felt a little dumbfounded. What had just happened?
About the author
CJ BATY lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to Fan Fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is, “You are never too old to follow your dream!”
C.J. BATY can be found at:
Website: http://cjbaty.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=344242482358480&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbaty
June 23, 2016
Mini Blog Tour – Blood Lines by A.L. Bates #excerpt #mmromance #scifi
Mini Blog Tour – Blood Lines by A.L. Bates
Title: Blood Lines
Author: A.L. Bates
Genre: Gay Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller
Length: Novella
Publisher: Wayward Ink Publishing
Synopsis
Mark Thomas owns his own “New York”-themed bar on an off-world colony.
Nate Fox is an ex-con gone straight.
He’s also Mark’s best friend and brother-in-law.
Mark has feelings for Nate. Nate has feelings for Mark.
But neither man is prepared to compromise their friendship or Mark’s relationship with Danny.
Blood Lines is a story about fidelity, trust, and respect. It’s a story about honesty and learning from mistakes.
And it’s a story about second chances.
Buy Links
Don’t miss the release discounts at all retailers and get your copy up to 48 hours after release.
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/?p=2080
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodlines-2055134-145.html
Book Trailer
Giveaway
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d66a83/”; rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”d3e3d66a83″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_8351tq3b”>a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d66a83/
Excerpt
Mark’s hands were still shaking. Nate knew from experience Larry kept a bottle of scotch in his desk. He pulled it out and passed it to Mark. After a few mouthfuls, Mark started to sob.
“Sorry,” he said. “Sarah was a friend. I’ve known her for years.” He took another mouthful and replaced the cap. “What now?”
“I don’t know,” Nate said with a sigh. “You okay?”
“Not really. But I guess I’ll be fine. What about you?”
“I’m good.”
“Your face is cut.”
Nate touched his cheek. He was bleeding. He didn’t even remember getting hurt.
“Is there a first aid kit in here?”
Nate pointed to a cabinet and Mark went to retrieve it. He pulled out some antiseptic wipes and dabbed at Nate’s face. Nate tensed. The intimacy was unexpected. It had been a while since someone had touched him so tenderly.
“Does it hurt?” Mark asked.
“No.”
“You’re tense.”
“I’ve been shot at.”
Mark rolled his eyes. “I suppose that’s a good excuse. It’s not too deep. Besides, I hear the ladies love a man with scars.”
Nate glanced away, feeling a flush affect his cheeks.
“Sorry, that was insensitive.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
About the author
A.L. BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid writer, Deep is the first published novella by A.L. Bates.
A.L. Bates can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralbates
June 17, 2016
COVER REVEAL – Cosmic Inception by Alicia Nordwell
COVER REVEAL
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Cover Artist: Christine Griffin
Pre-order Release Date: 6/17/2016
Official Release Date: 7/18/2016
Genre: MM Science Fiction
Length: 288 Pages/110k
Rating: Adult/Mature
Buy Links:
eBook: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/cosmic-inception-by-alicia-nordwell-7231-b
Paperback: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/cosmic-inception-by-alicia-nordwell-7232-b
Blurb:
Their journey will span the universe and back, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make it together.
Though Nick and Fieo are drawn to each other, their relationship has never been easy. Their differences go beyond their races, but they’ve managed to work together to prevent the spread of corruption, growing closer along the way. Nick still battles the effects of years of oneliness, fear, and pain but surprises everyone when he refuses to stay behind when Fieo is sent on a vital mission to find the Collectors. Fieo objects, but there’s no stopping Nick when he sets his mind to something. Over the course of their mission, it becomes clear Nick is more than anyone ever imagined, but the mystery of his past threatens to derail his future.
The search for the truth will take Fieo and Nick far from Caeorleia, to worlds both familiar and completely alien, and put stress on their already tenuous relationship. It’s a journey that will either tear them apart or finally bring them together.
Excerpt:
Chapter One
“Look at you.” The humid warmth of the garden enveloped and welcomed me. I stroked one finger across the fluffy yellow pod of a waist-high flower. The small strands curled in and then opened back into a wider puff, sending out a glowing powder that drifted high into the night sky. I chuckled. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the small flower was ticklish. I rubbed the pollen off against my shorts, glad I hadn’t tried to smell it. “You haven’t told me about these yet, Jirulm.”
The elderly Caeorleian was mumbling as he plucked clusters of hard orange buds off spindly stalks. I’d picked up the habit of talking to the plants from him, and it wasn’t hard to see why. They were so alive.
I had flowers, and fruit, and vegetables. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d get to live on a planet with wild flora. My schooling and job training had focused on creating new strains of food crops that were grown in chemical vats in the midst of a planet covered in metal and concrete.
Not exactly natural. Or very appetizing, if you knew where they got the basic building blocks for the food. No one had ever questioned it—I hadn’t either, until I’d taken the job with the Federal Food Service Corp after I couldn’t find a job anywhere else. Horrified when I learned the truth, I’d spent a few days unable to choke more than few mouthfuls down at a time, and they rarely stayed down. My mistake had been telling a coworker my plans to reveal everything to the public.
Of course when you’re a prisoner and starving, you tend to ignore the fact your food was grown from cells harvested from composted humans, and you ate it anyway. Beggars couldn’t be choosers.
And I’d begged. A lot. At least five years spent on a spaceship as the experiement of scientists had sucked all hope from me. But then the military scientists’ plans had gone wrong. Ryker and Seral had been sent to the planet in a bid for more information. The doctors assumed the Caeorleians would blame Ryker, one of the hated nelho scum they named the human soldiers waging war on their planet. Instead, something completely unexpected happened. Seral joined in besedad with Ryker, bonding them together.
In a daring attack against the human military, using the nanos they filled Ryker with to spy on the Caeorleians, Seral had brought down the scientists’ enormous ship and spread the reengieeered nanos like a plague to the rest of the fleet. Along they way, they also rescued Dade and me, the only other two survivors of the scientists’ experiments.
And once again, I was wide awake in the middle of the night. The memory of the moments right before rescue came, when I was forced to watch as the human scientists cut the alien woman open, and listen as the sadistic doctors planned to cut my belly open to compare organs, disturbed my sleep almost nightly and left me sweating and shuddering in my bed.
I didn’t mind being awake in the early morning hours all that much. Some of the flowers in my garden only bloomed at night. Besides, I didn’t have much to do, so I could nap during the heat of the day. With a planet this tropical, it made sense for Caeorleians to be seminocturnal. Night was the only time I could count on finding Jirulm, the gardener who taught me about the plants in my garden. Ovrumi suggested I would enjoy gardening when he caught me wandering in the corridors, flinching away from the others passing by.
“It’ll be time to prune those soon, Nicklaus,” Jirulm said. The hum of his voice was low, nearly indistinguishable from the light wind rustling through the plants.
“But they’re just barely blooming.” Sure, flowers indoors brightened up the rather plain walls of the Residence, but all the ones in my suite were potted. I didn’t like to snuff out their already brief lives.
“Good thing, too.” He examined the flowers, pulling at one of the fluffy heads. “When agvarali have absorbed enough energy to glow, the heads detach during the final bloom and migrate along the breeze.”
“Oh, I bet that’s beautiful.” I could just imagine the small glowing fluff balls floating along a soft night wind, though I wasn’t sure if I’d get to see it. Fieo, the stubborn ass, refused to believe I’d be going to find the Collectors with his team, so I had no idea when the departure was planned. I’d assumed sooner rather than later, but maybe I’d still get to see the final bloom—some of the heads were already glowing a faint yellow.
Jirulm snorted. “Beautiful… and dangerous.”
I cocked my head sideways. “What do you mean?” Sometimes getting information out of the old alien was like pulling teeth. But when he did speak, he knew basically everything there was to know about plants on Caeorleia.
“They gather energy, like sampanga trees, but so much in such a small sphere means when they touch something—or something touches them, like a careless finger—they explode.”
I snatched my hand back. “Explode?”
His lips twitched at the corners. It was probably the closest I’d come to seeing a smile on his face. “Oh, not enough to kill you, but you could easily lose a finger in the energy jolt that spreads the seeds. Luckily, these blooms are harmless.”
“That doesn’t sound harmless! Why plant these in a garden if they’re so dangerous?” I couldn’t believe they were actually cultivating the damn things.
“They attract insects to pollinate the other plants.” Jirulm tapped one long stem, and one of the creepy flying bugs crawled out of a waving puffball and flew to another vine a few beds over. “See.”
That was one aspect of gardening I could do without. I did not like bugs. I had nightmares of them crawling inside my ears and laying eggs that would hatch into little buggy babies just dying to burrow into my brain. I backed away from the agvarali. “Well, feel free to prune these while I’m gone.”
Thoughts of going into space again on the mission kept crowding into my mind, disturbing the peace I usually found in my garden. I tried pushing them away and succeeded for a while as Jirulm rambled on. After checking the natural spring fountain in the center of the garden that fed the irrigation lines, he left me alone. There was a small carpet of grass around it, the blades a dull gray in the silver light of the moons. Nighttime lent a certain somber feel to the garden, muting the usually vibrant displays; I sighed as I settled on the grass to stare up at the stars twinkling.
There was a lot of beauty in the darkness.
About the Author
Alicia Nordwell is one of those not so rare creatures, a reader turned writer. Striving to find something interesting to read one day, she decided to write what she wanted instead. Then the voices started … Yep, not only does she talk about herself in the third person for bios, she has voices in her head constantly clamoring to get out.
Fortunately for readers, with the encouragement of her family and friends, she decided for her own sanity to keep writing. Now you can find her stories both free and e-published!She can be found quite often at her blog, where she has a lot of free fiction for readers to enjoy or working hard, or maybe hardly working, as an admin on GayAuthors.org under her online nickname, Cia.
Oh yeah, she’s a wife, mom of two, and lives in the dreary, yet ideal for her redhead complexion, Pacific Northwest. Except for when she disappears into one of the many worlds in her head, of course!
Find her at:
Cia’s Stories: http://www.ciasstories.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alicia.nordwell
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AliciaNordwell
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4479520.Alicia_Nordwell
a Rafflecopter giveaway
June 16, 2016
Cover Reveal – The Pinkerton Man Series by C.J. Baty
Book One Synopsis
THE PINKERTON MAN
Stiles Langberry leaves England under the dark cloud of blackmail.
He resettles in America with a new name, becoming a Pinkerton Agent.
His new employer sends him undercover to a brothel that serves homosexual men, where prostitutes are being murdered. In the course of his investigation, he becomes involved with Paul, one of the prostitutes. Complicating matters, one of the suspects draws Stiles like no man before him. Stiles knows he must stop the killer before he strikes again.
Book One Synopsis
HOME ON THE RANGE
Pinkerton Agent Stiles Long is sent to the Circle W Ranch to uncover who is killing the ranch’s cattle. In order to discover the truth about the goings on at the ranch, Stiles has to prove to the ranchers he’s more than a good-looking city slicker.
Savage Beare, the head ranch foreman, is far from happy that Stiles is there to check things out. He has secrets of his own.
Stiles finds Savage incredibly good-looking, but cold and aloof.
He’s also a suspect. One of many.
When Stiles’ best friend and partner, Lizzie Ferguson, is kidnapped things begin to shake apart.
Stiles doesn’t trust anyone and he needs to find Lizzie before it’s too late.
Buy Links
Don’t miss the discounted pre-order and buy prices until 48 hours after release!
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/product/pinkerton-man-series-by-cj-baty/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-pinkertonmanseries-2058762-158.html
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Pinkerton-Man-Books-One-Two-ebook/dp/B01H1ZCQTE/
Excerpt
STILES LANGBERRY HAD thought his world was perfect. He was considered handsome by most women and men. His father had graciously left him a very tidy sum upon his death, to do with as he pleased. His position of constable at Scotland Yard was one he enjoyed, mostly because he didn’t have to work for a living. And most importantly of all, he had the perfect discreet lover in the winsome Viscount Harold Crosby. Life was good, until…
Several months ago, the first letter had come. A blackmailer’s letter. It was descriptive, citing times and places he and Harry had enjoyed each other’s company. He ignored it. He told Harry to ignore the one he received as well. But Viscount Crosby turned out to be a coward wrapped up in a beautiful package.
Harry paid the requested amount and, by doing so, admitted his relationship with Stiles and opened the door to more letters. They came more frequently, demanding larger and larger sums of money.
Stiles refused to pay the demands and, since Harry was filling the filthy blackmailer’s pockets, the fiend had left him somewhat alone. That is, until poor Harry offed himself and the vile beast’s money stream dried up.
He still refused to pay, and shortly the letters stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Stiles hoped that whoever the blackmailer was, he’d given up or, more than likely, switched to some other poor sod for his pennies. He soon found out that wasn’t the case.
Book Trailer
Link: https://youtu.be/LmPVQuHugQQ
About the author
CJ BATY lives in southwest Ohio with her very patient husband and two encouraging children. Her heart however, lives in the mountains of Tennessee where she hopes to retire some day. The mountains have always provided her with inspiration and a soothing balm to the stresses of everyday life.
The dream of writing her own stories started in high school but was left on the back burner of life until her son introduced her to Fan Fiction and encouraged her to give it a try. She found that her passion for telling a story was still there and writing them down to share with others was much more thrilling than she had ever expected.
One thing she has learned from life and she is often heard to say is, “You are never too old to follow your dream!”
C.J. BATY can be found at:
Website: http://cjbaty.blogspot.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=344242482358480&fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cbaty
June 13, 2016
Cover Reveal – BLOOD LINES by A. L. Bates
Synopsis
Mark Thomas owns his own “New York”-themed bar on an off-world colony.
Nate Fox is an ex-con gone straight.
He’s also Mark’s best friend and brother-in-law.
Mark has feelings for Nate. Nate has feelings for Mark.
But neither man is prepared to compromise their friendship or Mark’s relationship with Danny.
Blood Lines is a story about fidelity, trust, and respect. It’s a story about honesty and learning from mistakes.
And it’s a story about second chances.
Release date: June 21, 2016
Pre-order Links
Don’t miss the pre-order and release discounts on all retail sites by getting your copy up to 48 hours after release.
WIP: http://www.waywardinkpublishing.com/?p=2080
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon DE: https://www.amazon.de/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
Amazon AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/Blood-Lines-L-Bates-ebook/dp/B01GKKKPDU/
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-bloodlines-2055134-145.html
Excerpt
Men like Bailey were everywhere. Men who held themselves back because they feared how far they would actually go in life. Bailey, like his boss, was a ball of repressed anger and shame. He wanted things he didn’t want, he did things he didn’t want to do, and the darkness he buried within himself was so terrifying he avoided it whenever he could. Danny had discovered how to deal with these men; that offering their darkest fantasies without consequence was enough to push them over the edge. He’d done it with Phillip two nights ago, and he could do it again.
Danny dangled the bag, the suggestion rich in his eyes.
Bailey shook his head, but his attention never left the powder. “I’m on duty.”
Danny dared a step closer, his face getting dangerously close to Bailey’s. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Then cuff me. Lock me up. Punish me.” Danny arched his eyebrow, seeing the interest flare in Bailey’s eyes. He pressed himself against Bailey’s larger, squarer frame. “I’ve been very bad. I need to be punished.”
Bailey licked at his thin lips, his eyes flickering between Danny’s and the drugs. Danny slipped the bag into Bailey’s hand—giving him the semblance of control. Carefully, he moved Bailey backwards, walking him towards the empty stall. One step. Two steps. And Bailey was moving on his own now; entranced, captivated. Danny moved his hands around Bailey’s solid body.
A siren rang out in the distance. Danny pulled Bailey close, slipped his hand into Bailey’s holster, grabbed his gun, and leapt free of the cubicle. Bailey’s lustful face transformed.
“Don’t move,” Danny said with a wink. He backed towards the exit, a mental countdown beginning in his head. He’d studied the quickest route out of the building. He could still make it. He blew a kiss at Bailey and fled for his life.
Book Trailer
About the author
A.L. BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid writer, Deep is the first published novella by A.L. Bates.
A.L. Bates can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authoralbates
May 31, 2016
Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 47
Just a reminder: Part One of Innocence & Carnality is coming to a close, and later pulled from the blog for future publication purposes. Part Two will be part of the finished novel. I will keep you up to date. Promise.
There will be future stories with the Wednesday Briefers and some version of I&C will still be found on Gay Authors.org along with most of my written work. Be sure to check it out.
Now… onto the next installment.
Where will Nathan find himself after all the recent events?
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 47
Standing at the basin, I splashed water in my face. I must have cried myself to sleep and when I woke I couldn’t stand the tightness of my skin across my cheeks from the dried salt. Each little movement made my neck ache, yet I worked fast trying my best not to look in the mirror. It was proof of my situation I couldn’t face.
Once dry, I walked back into the bedroom, unable to feel the warmth. No daylight crept between the shutters and no murmurs of conversation or general chaos greeted me. The quiet amplified my isolation.
At some point, someone had covered me with a blanket and turned on the fireplace. It was the kind of caring gesture I’d expect from Harston.
Here in Delaga House it felt out of place and Harston was gone, possibly forever.
A glass of water sat on my bedside table next to an apothecary vial. The handwritten label’s instructions called for five drops in water as needed for pain. I recognized the drug from my mother’s endless assortment of medicinal tonics. I wanted nothing to do with it. The solution could stay on the table until it dried to dust. I didn’t want it to haze my thoughts and I needed this pain to remind me of where I stood.
And it wasn’t a particularly sought after location.
Rother had played his part well. Some part of me had wanted to erase his indiscretions and find a common ground, but I discounted the lifelong talent of a man whose profession revolved around satisfying the fantasies of others, no doubt through the use of convincing lies. I always believed myself to be clever and difficult to deceive. I suppose in Victorian circles it was true, but Rother could charm the vicar into serving his clients.
He masked the knowledge of the secrets he held as some kind of honor rather than the blackmail fodder it truly was, and I listened to every word without an inkling of reality. Topping it off with the unmasking of my father was brilliant on his part. I fell into my role better than he’d expected and cemented myself here.
I had nowhere to go.
Victoria and Francine were all I knew, and I couldn’t go home after the beating I gave my father. I doubt either of us would survive a new encounter. Plus, the truth about Delaga House would make me a pariah in all the social circles. There was nothing in Victoria left for me, and I didn’t know enough about Francine to hide away from the powerful men Rother vowed to send after me. If Rother kept such hold on everyone around him, there would be no one I could enlist to help me flee. Even if they would, I couldn’t bring myself to put anyone else at risk.
Harston was gone.
The opened crates my father shipped still cluttered the floor, only partway emptied. Thanks to Vivian’s interference, I’d left in the middle of unpacking, and afterwards was far too distracted to continue.
Sifting through the contents left me with less nostalgia than my earlier attempt. Whether I suffered from a melancholy derived from all the chaos of my life, or my life in Victoria lacked importance in my current state, I couldn’t tell. There was sufficient ache and recrimination within me to vote for either.
Inside I found my copy of A Nobleman’s Guide to Etiquette. The leather spine was cracked and the pages worn and soiled from endless study at my hands. So determined to somehow earn my father’s respect, I devoted countless hours to its reading, absorbing the primer’s every word and idea. What a colossal waste of time. Referring, of course, to gaining my father’s respect. The social etiquette was useful in the right setting, but the Victorian life standards we were expected to uphold was based on hypocrisy. My father was a prime example. Human beings would explore their desires regardless of the obstacles placed before them. If not, places like Delaga House wouldn’t exist and Victorian gentlemen wouldn’t be so easily seduced by its pleasures.
Having the real world crash in and dismantle your juvenile illusions leaves a fair number of invisible scars. My neck twinged as I stepped forward, reminding me of the visible wounds I’d earned as well.
I knelt before the fireplace where remnants of my destroyed chastity belt could still be found. Throwing it into the fire had marked a moment of freedom for me, a casting away of unpleasant thoughts. Little did I know what would come next. A new cage of threat, implied and real, held me here.
With a flick of my wrist, the book opened, landing on a random page discussing the family hierarchy and public decorum procedures. I scoffed. The sound of the page tearing free was satisfying. Even more when I spun the paper into the flames. The edges blackened at once, curling the parchment as the heat consumed it. Pieces of charred embers broke free, drawn up the chimney on the wings of updraft.
It was sad to find myself envious of ashes.
I fed another series of pages to the pyre as sacrifice. Rother expected me to be the man from these pages. He enjoyed my willfulness, but ultimately wanted my innocence.
That was gone now, much like Harston.
Another chapter versed in posture and formal attire vanished in smoke, as one by one, I watched the book pages burn.
My chaotic dreams of burnt paper and squealing pigs were interrupted by a knock on my door. It was unwanted, yet continued in spite of my refusal to acknowledge it. For some reason I pulled myself from the bed and opened a small gap to see through.
“May I come in?” Samantha asked.
I hesitated, resistant to defiling my illusion of sanctuary. When I woke enough to understand how much of an illusion, I let her in. Samantha walked a wide circle, noticing the charred book binding in the hearth and the uneaten meal on the table. She didn’t say a word as she closed in on me, cupping my cheek. I knew how wretched I must have looked. I could feel the deadening circles under my eyes. Her usual edge softened and I welcomed it.
“I’m sorry for what happened,” she said.
“You mean the history of my father’s indulgences?”
“No. I’m not sorry for servicing a client. For the way you were brought into it.”
“I won’t say I understand your work, but I’m not angry with you. Only him.”
“Your father? Or Rother?”
I refused to answer. I wasn’t sure how.
“You need to eat,” she said.
The thought of cooked meat held little appeal. “I’m not hungry.”
“You haven’t touched the food I brought in yesterday.”
“Thank you for bringing it, but I wasn’t hungry then either.”
Samantha brushed her fingers through my hair, as if the unruly mess could be tamed so easy. “I don’t want to argue, but come to breakfast. Please.”
I wanted to say no. The word perched on my tongue, waiting to fly forward. But this domineering woman, the one always in control, pleaded for me to accept her offer. No demand, just soft request. I couldn’t ignore the quiet entreaty so I nodded, wincing at the painful movement. The pleasant sigh she released at my acceptance was comforting somehow.
Samantha noticed the clothes I still wore and slept in since the night of the viewing room with a tiny frown. “Let’s make you presentable, shall we?”
“What’s wrong with how I’m dressed?”
“I’ve never known a Victorian lord to be seen dressed so poorly.”
I scoffed. “Hadn’t you heard? I’m not a Victorian lord anymore.”
“And I’d rather not be seen walking the halls with a street urchin. There might be talk.” Samantha crossed her arms across her ample bosom. “I’ll wait. Take your time.”
Again, I complied. Not wanting to disappoint her, I wet my hair and cleaned up in the en suite. In the room, I chose a fresh outfit from the wardrobe. When I motioned for her to turn around while I changed, she did so without comment or attitude. The woman who shackled and brought naked men to her knees through discipline and cruelty, honored my simple need for modesty.
She only turned around once I was almost done, struggling to finish the fasteners on my cuffs. Silent again, she helped, unhappy at the sight of fading bruises on my wrists as she fixed my sleeves. Neither one of us mentioned how this should have been Harston’s job.
“Will Rother be there?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Did he send you?”
“I would have come regardless.”
I couldn’t hold back my sarcasm. “Well since it’s an order, how can I say no?”
“You’re not a prisoner, Nathan.”
“It may be a little outside of my experience”—I tugged my collar open to show off my bandage—“but being branded like chattel doesn’t exactly mark me as a free man.”
To her credit, Samantha averted her eyes. “I can’t say enough how sorry I am for that.”
“Not to be rude, but you surprise me. I may be oversimplifying, but you abuse people for a living.”
“With, and only with, their consent. That is everything, even inside my profession. What happened to you has left its mark on Delaga House.”
“How?”
Samantha sighed as she buttoned up my collar to better hide my bandage. “Last night, two staff members packed and left. Rumors fly about. There could be more.”
“They know what happened?” I started to retreat at the horrible idea, but she held me tight and continued prepping my attire.
“There’s no way to keep that kind of secret in such a small place. Rother is starting to learn the word: consequences. He’s worried about what could come from it all. For the first time, I could see the end of Delaga House.” Her gentle exhale betrayed her worry. “This is my home. I don’t know where else I would go.”
“You’re not actually going to defend Rother’s behavior?”
“Not in the least. I owe Rother my life and for that he’s earned my loyalty. But there are limits and he’s sorely reached them. If I could, I would start the evening over, so it could end differently. Do you still want to leave?”
“There’s no point. This is my home. I don’t know where else I would go.”
Samantha paused and gave me a sad smile, knowing how my repeat of her words came to be. Smoothing my jacket with quick short strokes along the seams, she gave me a nod of approval. It gave me a bit of strength I’d need to cross the threshold.
Cupping my face in both hands, her beautiful features hardened, and her sharpness returned. “If you need anything, you come to me or Blythe. Anything. You have my word that nothing like this will ever happen to you again. I won’t allow it. Ever.”
“Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate your candor. But just like when it happened, you can’t be next to me every moment.”
Samantha’s hands dropped at my revelation, melting her resolve. It was a harsh truth, but still a truth. I took her hand in mine, uplifted by the touch of reverence in her eyes.
“But for now, I would love you to accompany me to the dining room. Even if there’s talk.”
Arm in arm, Samantha walked me down the hall, the contact smoothing my ragged nerves enough to move forward. I feared the reactions of others, what they might know, and how they might view me. I worried enough to stiffen as we approached a young male member of the staff. His expression brightened as he caught sight of us.
“Good morning, Nathan,” he said.
I was nearly taken aback by the unexpected greeting. Worse, I found myself ashamed to admit I didn’t know him by name. Other than Samantha, no one ever spoke this kindly to me and it was largely my fault. Blythe’s comments about the staff’s perceptions were proof. The unseen barrier between lords and staff was as substantial as a wedding veil, and my part in standing behind it needed to end.
I hoped my smile didn’t seem weak in my surprise. “Thank you. Good morning to you too.”
My stomach growled and Samantha tugged me along with that sultry chuckle of hers. We saw other staff as she escorted me, and while there was hardly a flood of exuberance from the lot, a new, polite civility existed with even simple acknowledgments.
All my growing calm faded as we entered the dining room to find Rother seated alone at the table. Thorns of unease pricked at my composure, but I was determined not to allow my anxiety to bleed out.
“Good Morning, Nathan. We were waiting for you,” he said.
Without Samantha’s guidance, I might not have found my chair across from my husband. I was more amazed to find my voice sounding far more collected than I felt.
“You didn’t need to, but thank you.”
Rother shifted in his chair, assessing me with his gaze. Was he expecting something confrontational? Given our brief history, it wouldn’t be uncalled for. A slight twitch quirked his eyebrow. Rother was trying to read my mood, but in all honestly, I barely understood it. How could he hope to?
The tension broke as the cook burst into the room with a food laden platter in each hand. Full figured with her dark hair tied in a bun, she circled the table with confidence. The kitchen and dining room were her territory.
“Ah, Mister Nathan. I’m so glad you’re here. You worry me, not eating. I make you extra, to keep up your strength.” She tutted at me with her thick accent, and fine creases at her eyes made her usual stern face sparkle somehow. A plate loaded with luscious pastries, cheese, and bright fruits floated to the table before me. I barely heard it touch down.
“This looks delicious, Dahlia.” I took pride in knowing her name, but it was smart to know who prepared your food day to day. Especially the woman who prepared the meals for everyone in Delaga House daily. Praising her skills was easy. If Victorian nobles knew of her ability they would fight over one another to touch the leftover scraps. I should have done more in the past.
Dahlia smiled and patted my shoulder in a doting manner. “Such a good boy.” The smile vanished as she moved on. Scowling, Dahlia dropped the second plate in front of my dining partner with a noisy clatter. “Rother.”
I flinched at the daggered glare he threw Dahlia’s way, preparing myself for an explosive reaction, but Rother did nothing. No reprimand or sharp comment. He merely dipped his head to her with a cautious gesture of thanks, which she didn’t return and headed back into the kitchen.
The silent exchange confused me. While the staff’s attitude towards me shifted in one direction, had they truly shifted in the other for Rother? Samantha’s words took on more solid meaning. Did the murmurs of mutiny in the house hold a true threat to Delaga House?
It was far too early to be sure. Even if Rother’s influence over the staff had unraveled, it hardly placed us as equals.
Now I found myself trying to assess Rother as he’d done me. Squaring himself in his seat, he poised to eat. Rother looked positively uncomfortable as he threw annoyed glances as Samantha who continued to stand by my side.
Exhaling hard through his nose, Rother spoke staring at his disheveled platter. “If it’s no trouble, I’d like to dine with my husband alone.”
A line of tension flew through Samantha, drawing her taller. The bright color of her hair fit the hostility radiating off every inch of her body. It rivaled the intensity I’d seen from the bondage room, leaving me no less alarmed. An unhealthy shiver washed over me. I wasn’t prepared to watch another conflict. I’d barely survived the last.
Reaching out, I covered her hand with mine, hoping it might quell the fire. “It’s all right, Samantha. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“It’s what I told you earlier. It would happen at some point, sooner or later.”
Samantha deflated. She couldn’t watch me every moment and it needed to begin sometime if I would have any opportunity to regain my self-respect. A gentle hand on my shoulder and a quick nod of acceptance were all mine. The renewed glare as she whirled in Rother’s direction was a gift uniquely for him.
“Remember what I told you last night, Rother.” Her sharp tone was laced in ice.
The tick of Rother’s jaw illustrated the restraint he exercised. “I haven’t forgotten.”
His eyes flashed between us more than once, and I took some perverse gratification in the displeasure he found in Samantha’s allegiance to me. But I kept it off my face. Being alone with my husband continued to bring back foul memories and who knew what the rest of the meal would bring.
I refused to say a word. While I might guess, I couldn’t be sure of the specifics behind Samantha’s comment to Rother. It was impossible, however, to miss the threat behind it, or how it lingered in the air as she left my side. I didn’t feel safe alone with him in the house full of people, but I didn’t want him to see my nightmares or know they held power over me. So we sat across from each other with only the sounds of cutlery and chewing to break the mausoleum the dining room had become. Rother was scrutinizing me without staring me down. His eyes were in his plate but the rest of his senses were as alive as mine.
My appetite also helped kept me seated. It had been days since I’d eaten and continuing to refuse food would get me nowhere.
The food of course was marvelous. Dahlia was a culinary genius. In my zeal, I took too large a bite of pastry. The swallow’s tension pulled at my wound and dragged an involuntary whimper out of me.
“I’m sorry for needing to take such drastic measures with you.”
If there was going to be conversation during the meal, I knew Rother would have to instigate it. But this… was classically him. An apology wrapped in redirected blame. It sounded convincing and contrite, but if I didn’t know he made his fortune by reinforcing the fantasies of others, I might have accepted it outright. He was my husband, after all. But in reality, fantasies were nothing more than lies.
“If you hadn’t forced my hand, it wouldn’t have been necessary. But you needed direction.”
And the apology proved to be a fantasy. The room lost all warmth with the implication he wouldn’t hesitate to do something drastic again. A chill settled into my bones yet it did nothing to dampen my rising anger, but I refused to let it free. Releasing my frustration would gain me nothing. If anything, I’d guess he was goading me. Remembering my decorum lessons, I calmed my reaction by sticking my fork into my palm to distract me.
It couldn’t, however, extinguish my sarcasm. “Forced your hand? Strange. I recall my hands were lashed to the cross at the time.”
“To prove a point. Knowing I’d send men after you wasn’t sufficient.”
“I overreacted and made a mistake the first time. I wasn’t planning to leave again.”
Rother sampled Dahlia’s cooking between sentences, keeping an infuriating casual tone. “You’d already ruined my trust once. I had to make an example. I didn’t enjoy having to go so far.”
“Yes. I can see how very difficult this must be for you.” I stabbed my palm once again to deflect my anger. I would not allow him to break my self-control. I would not lose what little threads of self-respect I’d managed to weave, but it was so hard.
“You can be upset over everything that happened, but in the end you’ll see it was for the best.”
I scoffed. “So you’re saying this was all done for my best interests?”
“Nathan. Tell me you aren’t better off for knowing what a hypocrite your father is. Tell me how important the values of being a Victorian lord are. To be so far above the people of Francine while they hide their secrets behind the veil of criticism and control.
“You no longer need to be ashamed of who you are. You’re free from the bullshit where you’re made into a dirty slur on your family simply over the fact of who you’re attracted to. Can you really tell me you’d rather go back to the people who were only too happy to engage you to a man they saw as beneath them? Did they agree to give me your hand for your benefit or theirs?
“You’re a man of Francine now. I’ve broken all your ties to your former life. It’s time to shake off the smothering past and revel in it at my side.”
I wished I could simply accept his words, but the searing ache of my neck reminded me of the fantasies he made come to life every evening.
“You scarred me.” I barely restrained myself from screaming as I relived the moment.
“I freed you.”
“And Harston?”
“It had to be done. You can’t expect me to allow a man who would openly conspire against me to roam my halls, do you?”
My volume dropped to a near whisper. “He was my friend.”
“You’ll find others.”
How bizarre the half-truths pouring out of him and the conviction at their foundation. It was difficult to divine whether he truly believed his assertions or if his deceptive talents were aimed at confusing me. I’d underestimated Rother. His skill at manipulation rivaled the upper echelon in Victoria, coupled with the fact he was willing to go to unforgivable lengths to win.
I hated how he’d severed my connections to my homeland and how lighter I felt without Victorian society’s moral judgments lording over me. Part of me wanted to cry, but the other part wouldn’t give him such satisfaction. No matter how enticing his silky argument, the fact remained: I was as much a prisoner here as back home. Free? Only in metaphor. Reality told a different tale.
Rother calmly wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin and gave me a handsome grin. “You’ll see. Once you accept my rules and how they will help you be the husband you were meant to be, we’ll find happiness together.”
The meaning within his calm words and congenial visage couldn’t be mistaken. Accept my rules. No matter what, my life would only be pleasant as long as I played the good spouse. Well, if I could survive the degradation of being my father’s leper, I could learn to do that too.
I nearly choked down a piece of fruit along with my pride. “Perhaps you’re right.”
Right now there was little I could do. Fleeing Delaga House wasn’t an option. I had no idea how to hide myself or properly function outside these walls and I would only be dragged back by the men who would wish Rother stay silent about their vices. Life in Victoria? No. That idea evaporated the day I married. My father’s revelation in Samantha’s dungeon only cemented it.
To keep myself safe with the implied threat hanging over me, this was where I’d stay. I would find a way to embrace the carnality of this house while planning my eventual future. There would be no more sudden bursts of ill-planned escape. No more flashes of bad ideas. I had to think in longer terms, and stop thinking and behaving like some sheltered debutante. I would learn my new home, find a way to prepare, and when the time was right…
Rother held the advantage, but I was damned if he’d keep it forever.
I could wait. I had the time.
END of Part One
Yes, this is the end of Part One, but the story isn’t over. I’ll be leaving this up for a while as a nice teaser until the second part is well underway. Don’t worry, I’ll keep you all up to date on where we’ll be. Thank you so much for the continued support. I didn’t realize how much readers would enjoy my little steampunk romance.
You flatter me.
Because of the extended length of the chapter, technically this doesn’t fit under the Wednesday Briefs. But without them, this story might not have become a thing for a long time to come, so I’m leaving this link here.
Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
May 24, 2016
Free Reads!! Wednesday Briefs – Innocence & Carnality Part 46
Just a reminder: Part One of Innocence & Carnality will be coming to a close soon, and later pulled from the blog for future publication purposes. Part Two will be part of the finished novel. I will keep you up to date. Promise.
There will be future stories with the Wednesday Briefers and some version of I&C will still be found on Gay Authors.org along with most of my written work. Be sure to check it out.
Now… onto the next installment.
More ramifications from running away.
Click here to start from the beginning
Part 46
Sunlight filtered into my consciousness and dragged me to surface, yet it couldn’t burn away the fog. My attempt to roll over stopped at the burning pain in my neck. I hissed as I reached to find the source.
An enormous hand engulfed my own. “Don’t touch it. It needs to heal.”
I cracked my eyes open to find Blythe holding me still. My murky thoughts began to clear at the sight of bruises lining both my wrists. When I resisted, he released me without effort. I pulled at the edges of my sleeves, covering the marks in spite he’d already seen them.
“Why am I so groggy?” With a cautious touch, I felt around my neck, finding the wide bandage edge. I started buttoning up my collar to my chin, the ache bringing me closer to lucid.
“Doc fixed you up, and gave you some medicine. Said you might sleep hard.”
I was in my bed, fully dressed, and the clock said it was late afternoon. Blythe sat in a chair at my bedside, his gruff face a mixture of anger and sorrow. Glancing around proved Rother was nowhere nearby.
“What are you doing here?”
“No one’s allowed in. And I wanted to be sure you were all right.”
“Ever the watchful bodyguard.”
Blythe’s features darkened. “I should have let you run. Looked the other way and pretended I never saw you.”
“No. If he found out, he could use his leverage against you. If you hung because of me, I’d never forgive myself.”
“He wouldn’t do that to me.”
I narrowed my eyes to make my point. “Last night was all about Rother binding me to him beyond our marriage. It’s what he does. You’re no safer than I am.”
Blythe didn’t say a word as he mulled it over. It appeared Rother held insurance over everyone he was involved with. Why should I be any different?
My musing was interrupted by overlapping voices outside my door that were escalating into shouts. The argument was partly Rother and the other was Harston.
“I demand to see Nathan!”
Rother could be hear through the door as well. “Nathan is seeing no one!”
I hissed as I dragged myself out of bed with unsteady feet and headed for the door, Blythe right behind me. I jerked it open, finding Harston squaring off against Rother who blocked the doorway. Several staff sat in witness in the hall, all refusing to interfere, including Samantha. Were all of them being held quiet in the same fashion as Blythe and myself?
A flash of relief washed over Harston as he caught sight of me. “Nathan! They didn’t tell me you were back and kept me busy all yesterday. I never knew. I’m so sorry!”
“It’s all right, Harston. It’s not your fault,” I said.
Harston’s stare locked onto my poorly buttoned collar. “What happened to you?”
“Nathan’s fine.” Rother reached out and placed a hand on my chest, signaling me not to move forward. “He’s become so content here in Francine and Delaga House, we feel he longer requires the services of a valet.”
“What?” I asked.
“You’re welcome to stay at Delaga House of course, but you’ll need to start servicing customers to earn your keep.”
Harston’s brow creased with defiance. “I will do no such thing.”
“If you want to stay under my roof, you will. I don’t see what’s so awful. You didn’t mind fucking me behind my back. It’s only fitting I return the sentiment.”
“Rother, please don’t,” I begged.
Rother ignored me even as his tone became more sadistic and chilling. “You’re young and attractive enough, and your trysts with Blythe show you can take a pounding. You’re the perfect type to fill a special niche I’m missing. I know a number of wealthy gentlemen who will pay me obscene amounts of money to continue indulging themselves no matter how much you beg them to stop. We won’t be needing any safewords for you. That is your future in this house.”
Horror gripped me. This was no posturing for dominance. Rother meant every word and Harston’s life sat precariously balanced. I couldn’t allow his loyalty to be used against him. Standing up tall, I had to force the words out.
“Harston, go. Consider yourself fired.”
“But, Nathan…” His eyes began to well, threatening to do the same to me.
“This isn’t up for debate. Go. Now.” I sucked in an ugly lungful of air and I nearly stuttered. “Blythe, help Harston gather his things and see him safely out.”
“No, Blythe. You will not,” Rother growled.
With a communal gasp, a hush fell over everyone present. A fresh snarl curled Blythe’s face and his hands formed into fists. Every muscle drew tight and I could foresee his advance on Rother. His feet shifted, the first portents of violence. I shuddered. Nothing good could come of this. I stepped in front of Rother and placed a hand on his forearm, keeping my voice as submissive as I knew how.
“Please, Rother. Do this for me…”
Rother’s gaze turned to me and I held it with wide eyes and broken spirit. His malevolent visage softened as I gave him a gentle squeeze.
“Very well. Go ahead and clear out. I don’t want to see Harston in my home ever again.”
“Thank you , Blythe,” I said. Blythe didn’t say a word as he led Harston away. At least now I knew Harston would walk out of Delaga House under his own power. Samantha said nothing but the glare she threw Rother’s way spoke volumes.
I tried not to cringe as Rother cupped my cheek. “You look tired, Nathan. I think you should get more rest.”
“You’re probably right.” Nodding hurt too much so I held myself stiff as I shuffled back into the bedroom, closing the room behind me. For the first time since leaving Victoria, I felt truly lost. I crumbled into the bed and drowned in my own tears.
Check back next Wednesday for the next installation… Be sure to take a read at the other briefers free reads this week here: Wednesday Briefs
May 20, 2016
Don’t Wait! 2 DAYS LEFT!! Wayward Ink Publishing #scifi #sale #mmromance #lgbt
ONLY 2 DAYS LEFT!!!
Retweet! Share! Tell all your friends!!! There’s only a few days left!
May 16-22, 2016, all Wayward Ink Publishing science fiction titles are on sale! This includes my novels, The Luxorian Fugitive and A Cook’s Tale. See below for the list of participating sites you can purchase from.
40% off at Wayward Ink Publishing (WIP) Best Prices here!
35% Off at All Romance eBooks (ARe)
Third Party sites such as: Amazon, Apple, B&N, Google, Hoopla, Ingram, Kobo, Overdrive, Scribd, & Storytel will have sale prices rounded off to .49 and .99 cents per site requirements. (I have to admit, some of those companies I’ve never heard of before, but I know they’re legit. LOL)
The above links take you to the pages for The Luxorian Fugitive and from there you can find the rest!
