Jennifer Colgan's Blog, page 3

Molten Desire - Chapter Eight

 
Chapter Eight
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 

Brad didn’t bother changing out of his costume after the rescue. He refused Retro Boy’s offer of a lift home and took the subway to Paige’s section of town.
He signed a few autographs along the way and posed for a touristy picture on the corner of her street before ducking into the back alley and climbing the fire escape to her bedroom window.
She pulled the shade closed when he knocked on the frame.
“Paige. I can melt the glass,” he said.
“You wouldn’t,” she responded, her voice muffled.
“I would.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were Molten Man?”
“For the same reason you didn’t tell me you were the Blue Dynamo.” If this was going to be a battle of female logic, Brad had no doubt he’d lose. He recalled Will’s admonishment from earlier. It’s not called a secret identity for nothing. If he hadn’t detected the faint but achingly familiar scent of magnolias, he might not have known Paige was the Blue Dynamo.
“Don’t be smug.” She pulled the curtains aside and glared at him. “Were you undercover yesterday in the alley?”
“I was on my way home from headquarters. What about you? Was that ‘rescue me’ thing all an act? The Blue Dynamo could have floated to safety on a current of air.”
Paige sighed and opened the window a crack. “Yes, she could have, but Paige Weller can’t.” She pulled what looked like a blue tinted ice cube out of the pocket of her bathrobe and showed it to him. Brad reached under the window frame and snatched the object from her palm. It was a lot heavier than it looked.
“What’s this?”
“Super compressed isomorphic fabric. It’s my super suit. The source of my powers. I usually carry it in my purse, but yesterday, I forgot it.”
“Cool. I have to keep mine in my locker at headquarters. Do you think it comes in orange?” He handed the cube back to her. “This doesn’t go very far toward explaining why you don’t date superheroes.”
“It doesn’t? I figured it would be obvious. I’m not really a superhero. I just have a suit.”
“So?” Brad shrugged. “Can I come inside? It’s chilly out here.”
“Molten Man is cold?”
Brad gave her a look. She backed up, and he folded his body through the open window and stepped carefully into her bedroom.
“You redecorated.”
Her smile was brief, but genuine and tinged with a sexy blush. “You noticed.”
He had, especially since there was easier access to the bed, but that wasn’t the point of this conversation. “Pleasantries aside, it’s not the suit that makes you a superhero. It’s how you use it.”
“Are you going to give me the speech about power and responsibility, too?” She folded her arms over her chest and smirked.
“No. But I still want to know what you have against super men, Ms. Dynamo.” He mimicked her pose.
“I guess I’m selfish. I know how hard life as a superhero can be, and I’m just small time. I guess I wanted someone I don’t have to share with the world.”
“But he’d have to share you?”
“Yes.” She glared again. “I know it’s wrong. How can two people who are always flying off to save the world have any time to spend together?”
Brad contemplated that. She had a point, sort of. “We’re together right now.”
Paige’s gaze dropped, and she bit her lower lip. “You know, that dorky suit leaves nothing to the imagination.”
He gave her a dark look. “You could imagine all the things I’d like to do to you.”
“What do you suppose will happen if Molten Man and the Blue Dynamo get it on?”
Brad made a show of inspecting the bedroom walls. “This is an old building. How’s your catastrophe insurance?”
“All paid up.”
“All right then, masks on or off?”
“How about on?” Paige tossed the clear blue cube of her costume into the air. In the blink of an eye she’d shed her robe, and with the merest flash of naked skin, she stood before him in her tight blue outfit, poised for action.
“Do you have panties on under that short little skirt?” he asked.
She threw herself on the bed. “Come find out, hot stuff.”
“Don’t you mean, find out and come?”
“That, too. Get over here and melt my heart, Molten Man.”
Brad landed next to Paige on the mattress and captured her in his arms. She writhed beneath him. The satiny isomorphic fabric of her suit made her lithe body slippery and cool. He burrowed under her skirt, his fingers searching. A narrow thong was all the stood between him and ecstasy. He pulled the scrap of fabric aside and stroked her clit to quivering attention.
There’d be no tearing this costume off. He’d have to peel her like a grape and devour her in sweet little bites.
She arched under him. “Do it, Brad, put your fingers inside me. I want you to feel how tight I am for you.”
He obeyed, easing his way in. The feel of hot flesh closing around his fingers made his cock instantly hard. His erection pushed against the fabric of his own suit, reminding him there wasn’t much room for expansion. He’d need to strip before he ripped an invisible inseam.
“How’d you get so hot so fast?” he asked, angling his thrust to hit her G-spot. She gasped and bucked against his hand, the scent of magnolias mixing with that of her arousal. “Were you thinking about me? Did you come home and strip off your suit and think of me inside you?”
She nodded, breathless from pleasure.
“Even though you were angry, you wanted me, didn’t you?”
“God, yes!” She fisted her hands in the rumpled bed sheets and spread her damp thighs wider for him. “Yes, I wanted you, even though I—”
“Damn!” Brad’s head dropped. He shut his eyes and sighed, wishing he could block the incessant beep of his Daring Dozen pager from his mind.
Paige levered herself up on her elbows. “Why is your ass beeping?”
“It’s an emergency.” Reluctantly, Brad slid his fingers from Paige’s ready heat. He reached around with his other hand to the hidden pocket in his suit and pulled out a paper thin pager card. The LED display showed 911 and a location code. “I have to go.”
Paige sat up, blinking. After a quick adjustment of her disheveled thong, she smiled. “I’ll be here all night. Why don’t you come back after…?” Artificial cheerfulness masked the resignation in her voice.
“Why don’t you come along? We can always use an extra hand.”
“I know the Daring Dozen by-laws frown on tag-alongs, especially rogue supers. Legalities and all.”
Brad rose and performed his own adjustments. Unfortunately his suit really didn’t hide much. “Come on, it’ll be fun working together again. Tonight was great. You can’t deny we make a good team. We move like…”
“Lovers?”
Brad’s cock jumped at the word and his heart clenched a little. Exactly. “Yeah.” The pager beeped again, and he headed for the window where he snaked one leg under the open sash and held his hand out to Paige.
She hesitated only a split second, then took his hand. “Legalities be damned. Let’s go save the world.” 

Stay tuned for Chapter Nine…
 Across the room the windows seemed to waiver in their frames, then holes appeared in the glass like Swiss cheese. Above them, the ceiling began to dissolve.
 Posted here next week!
 Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

Molten Desire - Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 
“You saved my life, Molten Man!” The pretty, brown-eyed girl blinked up at him, batting long, gracefully curved lashes. Brad had plucked her from the audience just before the surging crowd would have crushed her.
He nodded and smiled. The ice he’d melted into a soothing compress for her trickled beads of water down his arm, and now his costume was damp. He sighed.
“The Event Staff will be happy to arrange transportation home for you, miss. You should lie down for a while and take it easy.”
“Easy is the last way I want to take it.” She winked at him and pressed a folded piece of paper into his palm. “If you stop by this address tonight, I promise I’ll be lying down when you get there.”
“I’m flattered, miss, but—”
Brad’s Daring Dozen pager went off at that moment, interrupting his polite decline of the girl’s offer. Retro Boy bounded over, already listening on his radio head set.
“An overpass collapsed a mile from the waterfront. Cars are trapped, and there’s a gas leak.”
Finally. A real emergency. Brad ignored the surge of guilt at the thought that a potential disaster excited him. It had been over a week since he’d rescued anyone who really needed to be rescued—not counting Paige—and his super senses had begun to dull.
He pushed thoughts of her out of his mind and gently moved the swooning girl aside. “Good evening, miss. Unfortunately duty calls.” He hurried away after Retro Boy and Gargantua to the thundering applause of the crowd.
 
*     *     *     *     *
 Is this good luck, or bad luck?
Paige couldn’t decide whether to be completely nonplussed by the collapse of the cross-town overpass only moments before the cab she’d been riding in would have reached it, or supremely grateful that the resulting traffic chaos had halted her trip to the Daring Dozen Expo.
Had fate smiled on her by saving her life, or thrown a monkey wrench into what might have been—by a long shot—a fun evening out with Marley?
Either way, Paige had a new objective. While the cabbie called dispatch to report the incident, she swiped her debit card through the register that hung on the back of the seat. “At least I brought the right purse with me, this time.” Paige flung herself out of the car and ducked into a nearby alley, her eyes on the flames that had begun licking around the rubble of the overpass.
Sirens blared in the distance, and a news helicopter was already hovering overhead. Before long, the scene would be flooded with superheroes.
What could have caused such a thing? There hadn’t been an explosion. It seemed almost as if the foundations of the overpass had crumbled, leaving the structure above unstable.
The screams of those trapped beneath the broken stonework reached Paige as she fumbled in her purse.
Seconds later, she emerged from the alley, ready to help.
“Look! It’s the Blue Dynamo!” someone yelled. Paige didn’t have time for a photo op. She whizzed between the stalled traffic, leaping over a compact car thanks to her isomorphic super suit.
Within minutes she’d reached the wreckage and activated her whirlwind powers to smother the flames that crept up from the engine of a smashed truck. She looked for the driver, but the cab of the truck hung open and empty. He’d escaped, fortunately.
The distinct smell of natural gas reached Paige on the wind she’d created. A leak. It had to be stopped before another ruined engine caught fire and ignited the rubble. Paige contemplated for a moment. Even if she possessed super speed, it would take her hours to dig through the rubble and find the source of the leak. She needed—
Help?
Gargantua rounded the corner just then. Eight feet of solid muscle, stronger than any living creature, he began tossing rubble out of the way. On his heels were Retro Boy, who busied himself by carrying bystanders to safety, and Molten Man in his ridiculous, Day-Glo orange suit.
While Gargantua dug, Molten Man concentrated his powers on the beams and stanchions of the collapsed bridge. The larger pieces began to sag, melting into slag that ran in smoking rivulets down the street.
Before the liquid steel reached anything flammable, Paige used her whirlwind to cool it into slick sheets of cascading metal.
They worked together wordlessly, like a trained team despite the fact that the Blue Dynamo was a rogue, a superhero who had washed out of the Daring Dozen recruitment program because she relied on her suit for her powers rather than mutated DNA.
Within minutes, Gargantua had created a hole in the rubble large enough for Retro Boy to fly through and retrieve the trapped drivers.
Paige followed Molten Man through the narrow tunnel and cleared the air of the cloying smell of gas with her wind powers while Molten Man sealed the cracked gas pipe with a handful of hot lead. With the leak sealed, they both turned to help Retro Boy walk the last of the injured to waiting ambulances that had pulled up outside.
In the aftermath, the four superheroes stood on the last mound of rubble shoulder to shoulder while a reporter snapped their photograph for the morning edition.
“Where have you been hiding?” Molten Man asked when the last of the smoke had cleared. “I don’t think we’ve ever met.”
Paige rolled her eyes beneath her blue mask. “Don’t waste your time, Melty Boy. I’m a rogue. The Daring Dozen isn’t interested in girls like me, and you shouldn’t be either.”
He backed up a step and put his hands up in a strangely familiar gesture. “Hey, I’m not hitting on you. I’m just curious. I’ve never seen you around before.”
“Not much call for a whirlwind, but I do what I can.” Paige locked her gaze on Molten Man’s green eyes, which were barely visible in the depths of his brilliant orange mask. Why did he seem so familiar?
“Well, you did a great job tonight, on behalf of the Daring Dozen—”
Paige whirled away before he finished. She knew where she’d seen those eyes before, and she couldn’t believe it.
Murphy’s Law had struck again. 
Stay tuned for Chapter Eight…
 “You could imagine all the things I’d like to do to you.”
 Posted here next week!

Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

Are you hungry for something different?

It's time for your First Taste!



Now Available! Exclusively at Amazon.com - only $0.99 for the five-book set!       First Taste ~ Five Paranormal Romances you can sink your teeth into...
Scorching hot romance immersed in paranormal worlds where normal is anything but, and danger lurks in every darkened corner. From fire breathing dragons to trolls bent on destruction, from vampires to demons and the hunters who chase them, this five author bundle will get your heart racing and leave you yearning for more.

Anthology includes: Sexy Vampires, Monster Hunters and Huntresses, Alpha Males, Dragons, Creatures that will make your toes curl, Demons, Fated Mates, Shapeshifters, Wielders of Magic, and much more.

Contains:

Call of the Dragon by Elianne Adams
On the brink of extinction, the people of Avalore are desperate to find their long lost queen. When Drake finally finds her, all he has to do is keep Rhia safe, and bring her home. But can he keep from doing what his dragon demands - claim her as his mate? Heat level: 4

Living La Vida Muerta by Jennifer Colgan  Elena Talbot betrayed her sister for a chance at immortality. Now, ensconced in the dark world of Chicago's undead, she clings to vampire investigator Lucas Vitale - the person who helped her find herself and her sanity after the gut wrenching, soul-stealing transformation from human to vampire. When her quest for fulfillment brings her too close to his long-hidden secret, he casts her out - and only after she's gone does he realize there's no point in living 'the dead life' without her. Heat level: 3

Twin Curse by Rinelle Grey  Bound by magic, united by love. Her bond to her sister tied her to another man, but that couldn't stop them falling in love. Heat level: 3

One True Thing by Kenzi Kreel  Samantha thought Lincoln, the love of her life, was dead--but now he's back and at her door, telling her stories about demons and hunters, shadows and secret wars. Lincoln knows he shouldn't have revealed himself to Samantha, but there's a target on her back, and he'll do whatever it takes to protect her from the coming darkness. Heat level: 3

and   
Forbidden Bond by Lily Marie  Kat Riley, former monster hunter, is not enjoying her retirement. She just walked into the middle of a feud between Council vampires and a sexy, charming half-blood vampire. The attraction is immediate - and she wants nothing to do with him. Michael Blakely is running - from his past, from what he is, from vampires who want him dead. Or worse. When he runs straight into Kat, he expects his end. Instead, she protects him, and is drawn into a battle she has no business being part of. Desire pulls them to each other, but when her world is turned upside down, can she trust the one man whose past might destroy them both? Heat level: 4

Heat levels:
1 ~ sweet: closed door
2 ~ hot: heavy kissing, some heavy petting and sexy touching, out of the room sex
3 ~ steamy: sex scenes, but more romantic
4 ~ scorching: explicit sex scenes
 

Molten Desire - Chapter Six

 Chapter Six
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to be careful what you wish for?” Will Bennet asked. He stood next to Brad on the Expo podium in his black leather outfit, mugging for the mostly female crowd spread across the south lawn of the city park.
On the stage, under the blinding white spotlight, Gargantua stood, flexing his oil-slicked muscles for the swooning crowd.
“All I wanted was a normal girl who wanted a normal guy.”
“So now you got one.”
“And I can never share my secret identity with her.”
“Which is why we call it a secret identity, bro.” Will adjusted his mask and the heavy chains that hung from his belt. “My own mother doesn’t know I’m The Reaper. Besides, it adds to the mystery.”
“It wasn’t mystery I was after.”
Will sighed. “You should change your name to Complaining Man. The girl’s hot. What’s the problem? If she catches you in the orange suit and dumps you, you move on.” The Reaper punctuated his statement with a friendly wave to the crowd when the announcer called his name. Before taking over the spotlight from Gargantua he added, “There’s twenty women right in the front row who’ll be happy to take her place.”
Brad didn’t comment. He adjusted the mask that hid a good portion of his face and stepped up to his mark on the stage while Will took his bows.
Will was right, after all. Brad hadn’t wanted a Super Groupie. Now he had the opposite of one. How would Paige react when she discovered the truth?

*     *     *     *     * 

“You’ve got to come down here!” Marley’s voice rang in Paige’s ear the moment she activated her tiny cell phone. Her friend sounded totally jazzed and a little tipsy.
“Do I have to?” Paige halted on the sidewalk a block from her apartment. Her restlessness had sent her for an evening walk to help keep her mind off Brad. He had plans tonight. Lot’s of work, he’d said. What landscaper works at night? Oh, well. She’d forced herself not to dial the phone number he’d given her and instead entertained herself by rearranging her bedroom furniture so that the next time he came over he wouldn’t have to leap over her computer desk to get to the bed.
“Come on, it’ll be fun,” Marley cajoled. “Meet me at the front gate. I’ve got the extra ticket with me. If you want, we can skip the autograph session and hang out at the food court. There’ll be a lot of normal guys there, so you might actually meet someone who can’t fly.”
“I’ve already met somebody, Marley. I’m not interested in starting a collection of men.”
“I wish I could understand why not. Ooh, gotta go, Molten Man is on stage. I’m going to pretend to faint to get him to notice me.”
Paige sighed. “Just don’t get trampled, okay?”
“Say you’ll meet me.”
“All right.” Paige closed her phone and sighed. She supposed going to the Expo was better than sitting home thinking about Brad. She didn’t want to be one of those desperate women who waited by the phone for a guy to call. She’d be out, having a good time—or at least having a time. Good was subjective when it came to the Daring Dozen Expo. Resigned, she headed toward the corner to hail a cab. 
Stay tuned for Chapter Seven…

She knew where she’d seen those eyes before, and she couldn’t believe it.
 Posted here next week!

Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

It's your lucky day!

If you've stopped by to visit today, guess what! You can get a FREE book!

For three days the re-release of Devil's Due is FREE at Amazon.com, so go get your copy right now!
Friday 3/6, Saturday 3/7 and Sunday 3/8.


4.5 STARS! "Alex is fantastic, he is cold on the outside but when you begin to understand his feelings he becomes an instant favorite." - Sensual Reads

Ceara Landon would do anything for her younger brother Kevin, even if saving his life means shattering his dreams.
The skyrocketing success of Kevin’s band is a dream come true, but Ceara sees the truth. His increasing drug use will destroy him.
Ceara traces the source of Kevin’s rise to fame back to night club owner Alexander Quinn. The sexy entrepreneur hides a terrible secret. He buys souls for the Devil, and he purchased Kevin’s in exchange for fame and fortune. Desperate, Ceara offers her own soul in exchange for Kevin’s. For the first time in his lonely existence, Alex risks everything to refuse. He agrees to help Kevin achieve true success, but the price for Ceara is high. She’ll have to barter her heart to the man who wants to possess her body as well as her soul.
 Reviews always appreciated! 

Molten Desire - Chapter Five

 Chapter Five
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 
Paige awoke to the voice of Dorothy Cromwell, Metro Morning News Anchor. Dorothy cheerily reported that The Reaper had captured a mad scientist named Carnivale only seconds before he was scheduled to shut off power to every city hospital.
Paige rolled over and shut off the alarm radio. “Yada, yada,” she mumbled before the stab of guilt took over. She was glad the hospitals were safe, but that meant the news would be buzzing all day with The Reaper’s unparalleled prowess, until some other member of the Daring Dozen did something equally earth shattering.
Next to her, a mountainous silhouette stirred under the blankets of her bed. Brad.
Panic struck her when she realized she had morning breath and bed head. The sexy seductress who’d lured him to her apartment last night had morphed back into her every day identity: Frump Girl.
She whimpered and slithered off the mattress just as he rolled over, blindly searching the rumpled sheets for her.
Gathering underwear and her terry cloth robe as she went, Paige crawled across the bedroom floor, quiet as a kitten. When his head popped up from the pillows, sultry and sleepy-eyed, she was reasonably prepared for him.
“Get back here,” he rumbled. “I’ve got a present for you.”
She pursed her lips and smoothed her spiky hair with one casual hand. “What kind of present?”
“A long, hard—”
A knock at the front door interrupted him. Paige winced. “I’ll be right back.”
She leaped out of the bedroom, still concerned that the light of day would reveal far too many flaws in her character. Besides the cellulite on her thighs and the dust on her coffee table—hadn’t she just cleaned yesterday?—she feared Brad’s declarations in the shower might have been nothing more than a response to the steamy heat of the moment.
She flung open the door and found Marley, her best friend, decked in her usual ensemble, a soft peasant top and diaphanous party-colored skirt. Marley’s dark brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. “You’ve got a man in there, don’t you?”
Part gypsy, Marley had a sixth sense that wobbled between annoying and down right spooky. It would do Paige no good to lie about her evening liaison.
“How did you know that?” Paige shushed her friend and glanced over her shoulder at the partially open bedroom door. “Quiet, he’ll hear you.”
“That’ll make us even, sugar. You forget, this floor is pretty thin. I can hear everything that goes on in your bedroom clearer than cable TV.”
Paige covered her eyes. “Oh…”
Marley laughed and patted Paige’s shoulder. “That’s why we’re friends, sweetie. Until now, your love life was just as dismal as mine, so I always got a good night’s sleep. I have to confess, after the fifth ‘Oh God!’ I was getting a little jealous.”
Paige could just imagine the shade of scarlet her cheeks had turned.
Marley winked. “So he’s big, huh? Can I see?”
“Marley!”
“I mean, his face, not his prick.”
“Either way, no. Go home. I’ll tell you all about it later.” Paige tried to stuff Marley back into the hallway. She wasn’t ready for her friend to witness the ubiquitous and awkward morning after good-byes.
“You don’t need to tell me about it. I feel like I was there.”
Paige winced again. “Now you’re getting creepy. Go!”
“All right, all right. The only reason I stopped by anyway was to tell you I’ll be at the Daring Dozen Expo tonight. I’ve still got that extra ticket, if you want to come.”
“Ugh. No way. I don’t think I could stand all that triple helix testosterone in one place. Don’t tell me you’re still trying to get your hooks into one of them?”
“Not just any one of them.” Marley winked as she retreated into the hallway. “I plan to sink my teeth into one very scrumptious hunk of super beefcake tonight.”
“Which one is it this week?” Paige tried not to roll her eyes as she inched the door shut.
Markey peeked through the narrowing crack and grinned. “I’m going to meet, greet and treat the one and only Molten Man. Wish me luck!”
“Good luck, now go!”
Paige closed the door and keyed the combo lock. She sighed and leaned against the door, remembering the last time she’d stood in this spot. One of her pearl buttons glinted on the floor and she bent to retrieve it.
“I’ll never understand that girl,” she muttered, tucking the button into the pocket of her robe. “You couldn’t pay me to sleep with a superhero.”
 *     *     *     *     * 

Somewhere in the middle of Paige’s conversation with her neighbor, Brad realized his jeans and his underwear were still in the living room. He debated waltzing out of the bedroom in nothing but a towel, or a bed sheet, but decided against it when he heard the words “Daring Dozen Expo.” Damn. That was tonight, and he had to be there.
Plus he had at least eight suburban gardens to mulch today. His plans for keeping Paige in a haze of sexual fulfillment all day long dissolved with the harsh light of reality.
He’d have to give her that all-purpose and horribly lame parting line, “I’ll call you.”
When she returned to the bedroom, she had his clothes draped over her arm. “Sorry about that. Marley is an early riser. We sort of keep tabs on each other.”
“No big deal. Did I hear her mention the Expo?”
Paige made a face—a cute but puckered face. “Don’t tell me you’re a Super Groupie.”
“Me? Nah. Never. You?”
“Oh, please. The last thing I need is a man who can run faster than a cheetah or leap a Greyhound bus with a baby in each hand. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for rescuing people, especially babies and everything, but—”
“Or cats,” Brad deadpanned.
She grinned, and her eyes twinkled. “Or cats. But seriously, give me a break. Spandex, capes and masks? I prefer my men in distressed denim or nothing at all.”
Her seductive comment, coupled with a saucy wink, ignited a spark, but there wasn’t time to fan the flame again this morning. Reluctantly Brad pulled on his jeans. “So you hate superheroes?”
“I don’t hate them. I’m not a super villain or anything. I just—well, unlike Marley, I don’t want to date one.”
“Ever?”
“Ever. I mean, it’s not like one would ever ask me out. Superheroes usually go for Super Models, right? Hey, don’t look so worried. I absolutely don’t have the secret hots for Molten Man or DemiGog. Blech. You have me all to yourself.”
She kissed him and within minutes, miraculously and despite the time, Brad had lost track of his underwear and jeans again.
 Stay tuned for Chapter Six…
 “I’m not interested in starting a collection of men.”
 Posted here next week!
Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

Molten Desire - Chapter Four

Chapter Four
 By
Bernadette Gardner
 
Hot, wet female skin slid against Brad’s thighs. He sighed in contentment as steamy shower water cascaded between his chest and Paige’s back.
He filled his hands with her breasts and pulled her soap-slathered body against him, fitting his erection between the perfect globes of her ass.
She purred and bucked against him, and he licked drops of water from her shoulders and neck, still tasting the salt of the sweat they’d worked up on her couch and in her bed.
“How can you be up again?” she asked, bracing her palms on the cool pink tiles below the shower head.
Brad steadied her hips and inched his aching cock into her. Her heat ignited him, and the fire within raged. It took every ounce of strength he had not to lose control and melt the bathtub into a puddle of cast iron and enamel sludge.
This woman, who fit so well against him, was something out of a dream. She’d fallen from the sky like a gift from the gods, and no one needed to tell him how lucky he was. Not just that he’d gotten lucky, of course, but that he’d found a woman with depth and emotion, fears and aspirations. Was it too soon to consider she might be the one he’d been looking for? She’d landed in his arms for a reason—was it to prove to him that he was, in fact, more than the sum of his super parts?
“That’s it, tiger! Oh, yes!”
Brad upped his rhythm, thumbing her nipples to tight peaks while he searched for her G-spot with each timed thrust. Paige threw her head back and slammed her body against his. Steamy water rained around them, washing sweat and salty cum away when Brad came for the second time.
In his tight embrace, Paige trembled. “I’m so ready, please!”
Brad reached around and fingered her swollen clit. The hot flesh tightened at his touch and she gasped. Her sheath convulsed around him and she groaned, shivering under the hot water as he pumped the last of his seed into her.
He pulled her back against him and nuzzled her ear. “Damn. I’ve never met a woman like you, Paige. When you come, you get so tight.”
She sighed, became pliant in his arms. “That’s because you’re so big. Do you need a license to carry something that large in your pants?”
He laughed and sucked the curve of her neck where it met her shoulder. The tendon there stretched and arched under his lips. “I do have a license to carry a concealed weapon. Shall I whip it out and show it to you?”
“Don’t whip it out right now. I like it right where it is.” Her inner contractions wrung a few more pulses from him before they parted and washed away the essence of their latest escapade.
Before they got out of the shower, Brad trapped Paige between his arms, palms splayed on the shower wall, his still partially stiff cock nudging the dark blond curls between her long, sumptuous legs.
“I hope you don’t think I’m some kind of freak,” he began. She looked startled for a moment, then laughed.
“Let me guess, it’s your turn to ramble?”
“Yes. I just want to say, I think we have something here, Paige. You—”
She captured his mouth in a kiss that curled his toes and tightened his balls. When she came up for air she said, “Yes, we do. I don’t understand it, but I feel it. What should we do about it?”
“I think what we’ve been doing is working out well so far.” He kissed her, and they melted together against the cool tiles.
“So, you think we should see where this leads?” Paige’s eyes had gone dark and deep as the ocean. Brad’s heart picked up a staccato beat at the thought that she might be willing to continue beyond one amazing night.
His reply echoed off the damp tiles. “I do.” 
Stay tuned for Chapter Five…
 “So he’s big, huh? Can I see?”
 Posted here next week!

Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

Molten Desire - Chapter Three

Chapter Three
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 
By the time they reached the quiet street of converted brownstones where Paige said she lived, the sun had set, and the evening traffic had died to almost nothing. Brad’s nerves hummed with pent up frustration.
When was the other asbestos-lined boot going to drop?
Paige seemed too good to be true. A nice, normal woman with a sweet disposition and a self-deprecating sense of humor was as rare these days as a super villain without a God complex.
They’d been talking for hours while they roamed the residential streets, and she hadn’t once let on that she knew, or believed him to be, Molten Man. In fact, she seemed less than impressed by anything remotely connected to the Daring Dozen, and that intrigued him.
“Here I am,” she said, gesturing to the second floor of a post-war townhouse that sported decorative wrought iron on all the windows and a miniscule gated courtyard where the tenants stored their bicycles.
“It’s nice. Very…clean.”
She looked pensive, as if she expected him to do or say something else. How could he suggest they not end their encounter here without seeming like a pervert?
“I’ll wait here until you’re safely inside, though I don’t see any crumbling trestles or broken I-beams…”
She smirked. “Very funny. You’ve been such a gentleman all evening. I was wondering when you’d get around to ribbing me about my klutziness.”
Brad laughed and put his hands up in self-defense. “Sorry. I had to. Honestly though, I’m very impressed at your determination to keep the world safe for kittens.”
She rolled her eyes and huffed her indignation. “Don’t hold back. Let me have everything you’ve got.”
“That’s all, really. That was my best work.”
She stepped close to him, blurring the barrier between his personal space and her own. “I’m sure you can do better work than that.”
Her breath warmed his chest, and his cock stirred. There was no mistaking her invitation. “Would you like me to come up?”
“Up. Down. You name it.”
She slithered her hands under his jacket, over his chest and around the back of his neck. She had to lean up on her toes to bring her mouth even with his, and when she did, when she brushed her soft, pink lips against his, Molten Man caught fire.
 *     *     *     *     * 

The climb up to her apartment was sensual torture. Paige stripped Brad’s jacket off on the landing and wrapped her appreciative fingers around his naked biceps. His bulging muscles flexed like steel cables in her hungry grasp.
He tunneled his large hands under the hem of her blouse and pulled her close for a kiss that sent her heart racing. If other parts of his anatomy were as long and skillful as his tongue, she was in for a hell of a night.
She moaned when he slid his fingers into the waistband of her skirt and arched her back to bring her breasts against his hard chest. “Just so we’re clear,” she panted as they dragged themselves up to the second landing. “I don’t normally do this.”
“Neither do I,” he replied close to her ear then nibbled her lobe. His hot tongue trailed down her throat, and he literally bit off the top button of her blouse. “I hope this isn’t your favorite shirt, because I’m going to rip it off you.”
Pulsating heat soaked her panties at the thought. God, yes! It was her favorite blouse, but after tonight, she’d frame the remnants and buy another one just like it.
At Paige’s door, Brad stood behind her, one arm trapping her waist against the bulge in his jeans while she tapped the digits of her personal security code with trembling fingers.
The door beeped and swung open, admitting them into her apartment.
“Lights on or off?” she asked as he backed her up against the door to shut it.
“On. I want to see you naked.”
Paige hit the light switch, and Brad growled. He tore her blouse open, popping little pearl buttons in every direction. They clattered on the hardwood floor like rain.
She urged him on with wordless sounds as he dragged her thin bra straps from her shoulders and kissed every inch of the exposed skin.
When he moved his attention to her breasts, she braced her hands on his shoulders and leaned into him. He cupped one mound of flesh, then the other and sucked a taut nipple into his mouth. Paige pressed her back against the door and locked her knees to keep from sagging to the floor under the weight of her desire.
Every intimate muscle clenched when he pushed her bra down around her waist and ground his hips against hers. “This skirt has to come off. You can’t spread your legs for me—”
“Uh-huh.” She nodded, too breathless to form words. Eagerly, she guided his hands to the delicate button and zipper that held her skirt in place.
He tore them open, and the power of it arrowed to her clit. She gasped when he pushed the beige wool over her hips and down her thighs. She kicked off her skirt and her shoes, concentrating on holding her liquid muscles erect while he worked her lacy underwear off with both hands.
His work-roughened palms grazed her thighs and slid down her calves, igniting every long unused nerve ending in her body. She shuddered at the pleasure of it.
“Wrap your legs around me.”
She obeyed his command, and he lifted her and carried her to the couch. “I’m going to take you right here and now. Are you ready?”
He placed her on her back and spread her damp thighs with one hand while he opened his button fly with the other.
“I’m on the pill,” Paige whispered in a gasp as he freed an erection that brought to mind the California redwoods.
“Me, too.” These days, who wasn’t? Fortunately the Super Pill provided protection against pregnancy and communicable diseases while simultaneously freshening the breath. Who could ask for more?
“More!” Paige reached for him. “I want to see all of you.”
“Patience.” He shoved his tight jeans down his legs, kicked off his work boots and shimmied out of his briefs. He wrapped one hand around his cock and pumped a few times, long and slow, spreading a glistening drop of pre-cum along the shaft.
“Oh, my…” Paige writhed in anticipation. “Show me how that works.”
He grinned, and his green eyes smoldered. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
He lowered himself between her legs, and Paige wrapped her calves around his back. She crossed her ankles and locked her fingers behind his neck.
“You must be a lumberjack—” she panted into his ear when he thrust his length inside her. The sensation took her breath away.
“Uh…what?”
“Where else would you get all that glorious wood?”
He chuckled in her ear. “I’m not the only one with a few zingers up my sleeve, am I?”
“I’ve got a million of ’em—oh!”
“That’s it. Is that what you wanted?”
“Hmm. Give me everything you’ve got.” The rhythm of his movements matched her beating heart. He tempered each expert thrust with a gentle kiss or a firm caress. She met him movement for movement. Her orgasm built inside her until her sex throbbed with the need for release. God, he was good! All that heat between her legs, those muscles wrapped around her—who needed a superhero when there were still guys like this around?
“Now might be a good time to warn you,” he whispered, burrowing his arms beneath her to hold her close.
“Warn me about what?”
“I can last a long, long time.”
“Is that a warning or a prom…a promise?” Paige shuddered through her question as her first orgasm tore through her. Above her, Brad increased the speed and depth of his thrusts, building on the friction between them and taking her higher than she’d ever been. Her body hummed with it, milking power from his cock until she came again, then finally went limp beneath him.
“There’s more where that came from,” he said after a lingering kiss that left her weak. She used the last of her strength to dig her fingers into the taut muscles of his shoulders and hold on. “I can take it. Come on, tiger, do your best!”
And he did. Several times.
 Stay tuned for Chapter Four…
 “I do have a license to carry a concealed weapon. Shall I whip it out and show it to you?” 

Posted here next week!
 
Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.  
 

Pin it!

I've decided to embrace Pinterest.

I know. I know.

I'm just starting out, but if you want to follow me/us collectively you can here:

https://www.pinterest.com/jennifercolgan7/

Molten Desire - Chapter Two

  
Chapter Two
 
By
Bernadette Gardner
 
Brad’s trip through the alley behind the Metro One building usually garnered him nothing more than a minute or two off his walk home and the occasional grungy feeling.
Today, it got him a woman.
The sounds that drew his attention came in rapid fire—first the creak of old metal, then a sharp, startled scream.
Molten Man would have shot a concentrated beam of microwave energy at the railroad trestle that spanned the alley. He’d have melted the overstressed steel, allowing it to flow harmlessly toward the ground to deposit the woman safely on her feet.
Brad Compton, on the other hand, just caught her in his arms. He sank to one knee to absorb the impact and groaned convincingly, as if the effort taxed his mutated musculature.
Her pale blue eyes met his, and her jaw dropped. “You caught me!”
“I…uh. Yeah.”
He set her on her feet—one of which was bare. The other was encased in a dainty beige pump. She wobbled a little, but managed to regain her composure after smoothing her sleek wool skirt and crisp white cotton blouse. After a deep breath, she pushed blond curls out of her eyes with the back of one hand and offered him the other.
“I’m not sure how to thank you. You saved my life.”
Here we go again. Brad shrugged. He opened his mouth to deliver his standard Molten Man disclaimer: “Don’t thank me, miss. It’s my job to offer assistance in any way I can.” Fortunately, before he got a word out, he realized Molten Man was off duty. No orange spandex. No heat-resistant gloves.
He was Brad, and this woman was breathlessly, shockingly gorgeous.
“I’m Paige Weller, by the way. I’m so glad you happened along.”
Brad glanced up at the cracked I-beam. “Mind if I ask how you managed to get up there?”
A sexy blush tinged her high cheek bones. “Ah, well…there was this little cat and…” She grinned. “I’m really grateful you happened along.”
Her smile was genuine, if a little self-conscious. She seemed sweetly embarrassed by her mishap. Those beautiful periwinkle eyes drew him into a quick sexual fantasy in which she demonstrated her gratitude by—
—kissing him. The chaste peck on the cheek wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but it stirred his irradiated blood nevertheless.
“Honestly, miss—”
“Call me Paige, please.” She lingered for a moment, close enough for the essence of magnolias to tease his senses. If she smelled that sweet, how would she taste, he wondered?
“Can I buy you a cup of coffee or something?” she asked. “I know that sounds so trite, but it seems rude to just say, see ya’ around.”
Molten Man was honor bound to never accept gifts from those he rescued. Even the musky perfumed panties women regularly tried to stuff into his utility belt had to be returned.
Brad, on the other hand, was just a regular guy who probably deserved at least a cup of java for saving this lovely lady from a cracked skull. “Sure. I know a place just around the corner that serves sixteen flavors of latte.” He cringed. Had he really just admitted his love for flavored latte to this woman? Maybe he should have suggested a shot of hard whiskey at a local bar instead.
“Sounds great.” She looped her arm through his. “Mr.?”
“Compton. Brad. Call me Brad.”
“Well, Brad, let me sneak back into my office to grab my purse…oh and pick up my other shoe, I think that’s it over there, and we’ll be on our way for…coffee.”
 *     *     *     *     *
 There was just something about the mysterious Brad Compton that lit Paige’s fire. In the health-conscious, gym-obsessed 2030s, blond-haired, green-eyed hunks were a dime a dozen. Unlike most of the men Paige met these days, however, Brad had a fresh, outdoorsy charm.
He smelled like citrus soap and warm summer breezes, not overpriced cologne and new money. Beneath his open denim jacket, his abs and pecs rippled under a tight white T-shirt. She wanted to run her hands over all his impressive ridges and valleys. These were muscles that came from honest physical activity, not endless reps and a handful of steroids. Her hands ached to wrap around a thick bicep and squeeze.
What had gotten into her?
Well…nothing for a while. That was the problem. It had been months since she’d met a man who wasn’t trying to emulate one of the Daring Dozen, or some other rogue mutant. The superhero craze was getting out of hand, and her sex life was suffering for it.
All her girlfriends wanted to bag a man in spandex and thigh-high vinyl boots, and Paige was the odd girl out. Regular guys just weren’t chic anymore, and that was a terrible shame.
She’d met a few of the toniest superheroes and found them all yawn-worthy. How long could you listen to a guy talk about stopping bullets with his teeth or tearing apart a burning building with his bare hands to rescue a dozen trapped schoolchildren?
Guilt stabbed at Paige again. Of course, saving people’s lives was wonderful and noble, a tremendous gift, but after the fifteenth telling, even the most hair-raising tales of derring-do got old.
She grinned at Brad as they settled into two wrought iron chairs on the sidewalk outside the café and set their lattes on the dinner-plate sized table between them. “So, do you always happen to walk through that alley, or did I just get incredibly lucky today?”
He pursed his lips to blow on his latte, then sipped the hot liquid before speaking. Paige found her gaze riveted to his mouth, and her own fell open in frank admiration.
“Hello?” he said.
“What? I’m sorry. I zoned out for a minute there. I guess I’m still in shock.”
He smiled in a self-conscious way. Had he noticed her drooling? “I was saying, I usually take the subway. I guess fate stepped in today.”
“What do you do…that normally takes you on the subway?”
“I’m a landscape architect. I own a little company called Sunny Side Lawn and Garden. We mostly handle homes in the suburbs north and west.”
“Mmm. Nice areas.” Paige mentally kicked herself for not paying attention. “It must be nice to work outdoors all day. I’m a market analyst. Most days I never even see daylight.”
“That’s too bad. I’d go stir crazy if I couldn’t get outside.” He sipped his coffee again, and Paige tried not to stare at the sensual way his lips curved. She found herself wondering if he’d taste like mocha and rich, Colombian coffee. “Considering what happened today, though, maybe you’re safer in your office.”
She laughed, only mildly mortified. “Please. Welcome to my life. If I didn’t go looking for trouble, it would come and find me. I’m one of those people that proves Murphy’s Law every day.”
“Well, I guess Murphy cut you a break this afternoon. You seem none the worse for wear.”
“Yeah…” Once again she’d sunk into a daydream about his lips, his hands, his chest… She roused herself with a quick sip of latte and burned her tongue. “Ow! Hot.”
He nodded, and Paige got the impression he wasn’t referring to the coffee.
She licked her lips, and his eyes followed the movement of her tongue. A tremor of desire started low in her belly and danced upward. Beneath her blouse, her nipples peaked. Below the table, she squeezed her legs together to combat the sudden ache in her clit. Some undisciplined part of her made a decision right then, one she vaguely hoped she wouldn’t regret.
“Brad…” Oh God, was she really going to do this? “I don’t normally do this…at all, not just with men I just met or men who catch me when I fall out of the sky, but I was wondering—and if you think I’m a freak or being too forward, just say so right now—”
“You’re rambling,” he offered. His eyes locked on hers, and for some reason, rather than the usual sense of panic she felt under someone’s intense scrutiny, a warm calm washed over her.
She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. Forget I said anything.”
“No, what did you want to ask me? I don’t think you’re a freak at all, by the way.”
Salvage the moment. The little voice in her head that occasionally told her the right thing to do issued a deadpan command that Paige did her best to obey. “Would you like to go for a walk?”
Her lips formed the words, but her mind supplied the thought behind them. Let me take you back to my place and rip that tight T-shirt off your magnificent body. Let me lick my way down from those gorgeous lips all the way to the tip of your cock and devour you in one long swallow.
“Is it hot in here?” she asked, fanning herself.
“In here? We’re outside.”
“Right. Out here.” Good Lord. What would he think if he knew that under her prim, colorless business suit raged the hormones of a sex-starved nymph?
It had been so long. So very long.
“I’d love to go for a walk.”
“Great…why don’t we just take our coffee and…go?”
Taking a man back to her apartment half an hour after meeting him was, of course, a terrible idea, but the image of Brad lying naked on her bed wouldn’t leave her mind.
Maybe after a nice long walk, they’d end up at her place, and she could convince herself that a one night stand with the perfect guy was better than a string of unsatisfactory relationships with superhero wannabees.
Okay, for Paige that was a foregone conclusion, but could she convince him?
 Stay tuned for Chapter Three… 

She had to lean up on her toes to bring her mouth even with his, and when she did, when she brushed her soft, pink lips against his, Molten Man caught fire.
 Posted here next week!
 
Can’t wait to read the whole story?
 
sign up for news, updates and exclusive content at:
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
the complete .pdf, .mobi or .epub file can be found in the Files section of the newsgroup.
 
Published by: Bernadette Gardner
copyright 2015 Bernadette Gardner
Cover art by BGD
Note: This story was previously published under the title:
The Adventures of Molten Man, No. 1. (Amber Quill Press, 2006).
This is a standalone story that has not been significantly altered from its original version.
 
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, brands, media and events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.
 
Electric Romance Exclusive Edition
 
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold in whole or in part.
 
 
Electric Romance
 
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/electricromance/info
 
Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
 
* * * *
All rights reserved.