Dani Collins's Blog, page 54

#TeaserTuesday - Playing The Master

Welcome to a new series, #TeaserTuesday fans! I've decided to just throw caution to the wind and give you the opening scene of this book. It's a bit racy, definitely NSFW.

This 2in1 collection is from HarlequinE, a digital first publisher, meaning print copies may happen in the future, but right now it's only available electronically. It releases August 4th, but if you're anxious to read the rest of this (along with Mastering Her Role, showcased in my last #TeaserTuesday series), you can buy Dani's Erotic Romance Collection from Mills and Boon now, or pre-order from Amazon.com.

Quick plug for the rest of my latest series of excerpts:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Six consecutive excerpts from my June Harlequin Presents. Post includes links to the previous five.
#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction - fifth instalment from my August Harlequin Presents, includes links to previous. One more to go.
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).
#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role - from the first book in this Erotic 2in1 Collection. Includes links to previous.

Here we meet Ann, the heroine of Playing The Master:

~ * ~

CHAPTER ONE

Removing her glasses so their yellow lenses wouldn’t interfere, Ann peered through the crack in the mirrored bifold door and watched the couple against the wall of the bedroom. The man’s hat was knocked to the floor and his pants hung loose around his thighs. The woman’s skirt was bunched to her waist, revealing her coffee-cream leg hitched on to the man’s thrusting hip.

They were doing it.

And watching them made Ann feel…hmm. Nervous, but not in the fearful way some of her observations made her feel. Excited.

She saw a lot doing this, standing quietly in a spot no one would think to look. Places like a closet with a door ajar were dismissed as empty, and she became a part of the room, like the furniture, silently witnessing all that went on.

She had learned a lot this way—how people really thought and felt. Whether they stole or simply admired beautiful things. Why they gave their loyalty to a man like her stepfather, Cain.

Despite the reason he’d brought her here, she liked Paris. The servants in this mansion weren’t on guard against her habit, and Cain was very distracted. More had gone on in the twenty-four hours she’d been here than had happened in the Al-Zahra mansion in a given year.

The woman seemed to like coupling with this man. In Al-Zahra, Ann had rarely seen men at all, mostly just Fonzo, the chauffeur. He’d been married to her best friend, Raina, the housekeeper. They’d been private people, especially about sex, but Raina had explained certain things when Ann asked. Like how it worked. Ann was deeply curious about the whole process. Did it feel better with someone else than it did alone?

This couple seemed to think so. They had stepped into the room, loosened their clothing and collided with urgency and subdued moaning. Their hips were locked together and grinding. What did that feel like?

A rush of heat pooled between her legs. Ann fought the sensation, tightening against it, but that only pulsed a sweet pleasure through her loins. It took all her concentration to stand very still and modulate her breathing.

She swallowed, glad the hushed noise of hands running over clothing and ragged gasps covered her own hitching breaths. The woman’s nails were scraping over the back of the man’s shirt. She arched her neck so her bright red curls bunched on her shoulder and met his thrusts with lifting motions of her hips. The man had his knees bent, his head dipped so his mouth was against her neck. His pale buttocks tensed as he pushed his groin into the woman’s again and again. Their pace grew fevered, their soughs of air sharper.

Ann burned all over. It was so much more exciting and visceral than the pornography Cain watched. That was very Tab A into Slot B, the actors’ faces never this expressive even when they were shown.

Rather than the squirmy mixture of repulsion and curiosity she felt when she glanced at that stuff, this sent flutters of real arousal into her abdomen. Her skin prickled under her loose abaya. Transfixed by the struggle, she held her breath, practically with them as she sensed their crisis looming.

“I’m coming, oh fuck, I’m coming,” the man ground out, thrusting hard into the blue evening gown bunched against the woman’s stomach.

The woman made noises between anxiety and approval, taut and tall as she accepted the pin of the man’s hips into her own. They held the position of stasis for a long minute, the woman’s face frozen in an expression of joyful anguish.

Is that what I look like when I fondle in the dark? When I'm coming? Ann’s stinging blush turned to one of discomfiture, but she couldn’t wait for this interminable night to end so she could seek the privacy of her room and relive this experience.

Releasing pleasure-filled sighs, the couple relaxed and slowly disengaged from each other. The man stepped back to tug his pants up his hairy backside. Ann caught a flash of the woman’s mound before she worked her skirt down. Hairless?

As the man closed his fly and buckled his belt, he said, “Gracias,” but in the way of a sarcastic American.

“Mon bijou, thank you.” The woman’s breathless English carried an accent that was French, but she pronounced thank as “zank.” She wasn’t blue-black or tall like the Ethiopian maid they’d left in KSA, but her cadence sounded a little like her.

“Why did you want me to bring you here? Looking for new clients?” the man asked.

“I don’t troll, you know that. Invitations are strictly by referral. If you breathe a word of the club to anyone, I’ll bar you for life. No, this is lurid curiosity.”

“Uh-huh.” He sounded skeptical as he picked up his Stetson and positioned it on his ruffled hair. Glancing around the small dressing room, from its plush, round bench in the center to the closets that lined it, to the vanity table with its delicate lamp, he shrugged as though to say, Nothing left to do here.

“Feel free to give ol’ Trev a call if you find yourself locked out of any more parties. That was a pleasant little knee trembler, Eloisa. Take care now.”

He pronounced her name with that same thick drawl. El-oo-ee-sa. Without even a kiss, he left, closing the door behind him.

Eloisa smoothed her satin gown into place. It hugged lovingly at her waist and across her round hips then revealed one smooth brown thigh through its high slit as she walked forward. Coming to the mirrors, she inspected her reflection for flaws, finger-combing her shiny red locks before cupping each breast to ensure the upper swells sat high over her sweetheart bodice. Removing a lipstick from her bag, she ran it over her capricious smile, eyelids drooped in smug satisfaction.

Ann’s heart pounded so loud she was sure the sound filled the room. She held her breath, counting the seconds as she willed the woman to finish grooming and leave.

Instead, Eloisa made one of those tiny shifts of posture and Ann couldn’t even blink. They were staring at one another.

She can’t see me. It’s dark in here—

Eloisa pressed the door open and their similar heights put them face-to-face.

~ * ~

Oops! You'll have to come back next week to see what happens next. (Note to Self: prep blog for next week and advise website peeps to post it.)

Now, Goodreads will only let me do giveaways for print books, but I've decided that I'll draw for some copies of this book if you send me a photo of my books on vacation. It can be an older book and it can be print or a screenshot from your e-reader, but please include some background like the beach or wherever you're reading it. When I've collected ten or so, I'll draw for a few free books. Tell me which one you'd like to win when you send me your snapshot.

And please enter the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest! Purchase of my erotic romance collection, or my August Presents, The Ultimate Seduction, counts as ten entries for one of these fabulous prizes.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

I have a few blog stops to promote both the Erotic Collection and The Ultimate Seduction. Check in for giveaways:

July 11 - iBooks

Thank you so much for continuing to visit. I appreciate your support.

I will try to post a #Thursday13, but I leave the next day for a month. We'll see if I get all my other homework done first :)

#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction (5)

MrC and I have a date today. Our local community hosts a 'Homecoming' day that's primarily a celebration of the return of our regular summer visitors, but locals like us are allowed to play too. This year they've pulled out all the stops with live music on the beach and a boat parade. Looking forward to it, since it's supposed to be high 30's here all weekend (about 100 F).

And since you're taking time from your busy weekend to visit me, I'll get right to your next instalment from The Ultimate Seduction.

Remember to scroll down for more samples and snippets from the rest of my summer books. Here's a quick refresher on what's happened so far in this series:

Tiffany receives her invitation to QVirtus
Ryzard arrives at QVirtus
Tiffany joins the party
Ryzard joins Tiffany on the dance floor

Here their dancing turns into something more:

~ * ~

Splaying her feet, she allowed her knees to loosen. The slit of her skirt parted to reveal her leg, and she made the most of it, watching him as she rolled her hips in a figure eight, showing off her body, enticing him with a come-hither groove.

He planted a foot between hers, surrounding her without touching her, hands raised as if he was absorbing energy from her aura. The sultry tropical air held an undertone of spicy cologne and musky man. Reaching out, she shaped the balls of his hard shoulders with her hands and climbed them to the sides of his damp neck, sidling close so they sidestepped back and forth, swaying together in time to the music, bodies brushing.

His wide hands flattened on her shoulder blades and slid with deliberation to the small of her back then took possession of her hips. As his unabashed gaze held hers, he pulled her in to feel the firm ridge of his erection behind his fly.

A flood of desire, not the trickles of interest she’d felt in the past, but a serious deluge of passion, transformed her limbs into heavy weights and flooded her belly with a pool of sexy heat. She became intensely aware of her erogenous zones. Her breasts ached and her nipples tingled into sharp, stinging points. Between her thighs, her loins pulsed with a swollen, oversensitive need.

As if he knew, he shifted and his hard thigh pressed into her vulnerable flesh. She gasped and her neck weakened as he bent over her. She dropped her head back and he followed, taking her body weight on his thigh. His nose grazed her chin, then her collarbone. His lips hovered between her breasts.

Slowly he brought her up again and leaned his mouth close enough to tease her parted lips.

He was a stranger, she reminded herself, but her lips felt swollen and she desperately wanted the pressure of his mouth—

A clap of thunder exploded in the sky.

Jolted, she found herself smothered against his chest, his hard arms tight around her, one hand shielding the back of her head, fingers digging in with tension. Her mask skewed, cutting into her temple. Beneath her cheekbone, his heart slammed with power.

The claps and squeals and whistles continued and his arms relaxed enough she could fix her mask and look up. Fireworks painted the starscape in flowers and streaks of red and blue and green that dissolved into sparkles of silver and palms of gold.

As people moved into their space, he steered her away from the crowd, into a corner around a partition where they were hidden in an alcove. She set her hands on the concrete rampart and leaned back into the living wall he made behind her, eyes dazzled by the bursts of color reflected on the water as the fireworks continued to explode before and above them. The band switched to an orchestrated classic that matched the explosions, filling her with awe and visceral excitement.

Already fixed in the moment, they became one being, she and this stranger, their bodies pressed tight as they watched the pyrotechnics. His hands moved over her, absently at first, shaping her to his front.

She responded, encouraging his touch by rubbing her buttocks into the proof that she could still arouse a man. When his hands cupped her breasts, bold and knowledgeable, she linked her own hands behind his neck, arching into his touch, reveling in the pressure of his palms and the thumbing of her nipples.

Dropping her head to the side, she turned her face and lifted her mouth, inviting his kiss with parted lips. He bent without hesitation, nothing tentative in the way he captured her mouth. Thorough and unhurried, he continued to caress her as he took sumptuous possession of her lips.

She ran her fingers into his hair, greeting his tongue with her own, inhibition melted by pure desire. Distantly she was aware this was out of character, but she wasn’t Tiffany. Not the Tiffany of today and not the old one either. Tonight she was the woman she wished she could have been. She was everywoman. Pure woman.

Tonight she had no man to think about but this one. She didn’t care that she didn’t know him. She and Paulie hadn’t known each other either, not really, not the way a husband and wife should. Not in the biblical sense. She hadn’t slept with him or any man.

But she wanted to. She had ached for years to experience sexual intimacy.

~ * ~

This book is part of a three book series from Harlequin Presents. Read more about the 21st Century Gentleman's Club:

If you've missed any of my other excerpts, here are some handy links so you can catch up:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - My June Harlequin Presents. This post links to the previous five.
#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role - From my Erotic Romance 2in1. This is the final instalment and includes links to previous posts.
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 This is the third instalment from this novella in
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series.

Still here? Then you must be a fan. Enter the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest! Here's what you could win:

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

Want some behind-the-scenes info and more chances to win signed copies of my books? Check out some of my upcoming guest blogs:

July 11 - Romance Beckons on Writing Erotic Romance
July 14 - Harlequin Blog
July #TemptationThursday - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews
July 15 - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews (The Ultimate Seduction)
July 31 - The Reading Cafe

Want to buy? My books are everywhere!

In the UK, you can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

All my current and August Harlequin titles are available on the Mills & Boon UK site. eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus have them too.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo | iBooks

Thanks for all your support! You're awesome. Have a great weekend and please check back Tuesday for a new series from the second book in my erotic romance 2in1.

#Thursday13 - Lines from The Chatsfield (3)

I'm back with another snippet from my August novella, The Secret In Room 823, available in the UK as a lone title and up for preorder here in N.America as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set, Vol 2.

Be sure to scroll down for links to excerpts on my blog from my other summer titles and information on how to win a signed copy of my print books.

For #Thursday13, I've been doing thirteen sentences from this novella. Here are the links to previous:

Gwen arrives at the Chatsfield
Hayes says 'No' to the wig

If you want to know more about this interactive world visit Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield here. And here's a little blog post I wrote about my 'stay' in The Chatsfield.

Now we get a taste of the power struggle between Gwen and Hayes:

~ * ~

His mouth, dear God that erotic mouth with the stern peaks on his upper lip and the wide thick line of his lower, shortened at this moment into a statement of dictatorship.

He almost always treated her like this, like he was one of the many arrogant, titled SOBs who ran her life, only occasionally softening into something that was so warm and melting and dangerous, she refused to dwell on it.

‘I can do what I like,’ she scoffed, saying exactly what she always wanted to say to all those aristocrats and traditionalists. She walked past him into the room, deliberately leaving her case in the hall.

She liked to do that sometimes, treat him like a stable hand. When she wanted to provoke him. After the hellish week she’d had, she was looking for not just a fight, but a war.

He released the door and let it slam shut without retrieving the case.

Her stomach plummeted in dread. Wrong day to take this stand. Her whole life was in that case at the moment. Not just new toys, but a personal item she’d retrieved from her anonymous post box here in London. She hadn’t had the nerve to open it, but she hadn’t felt comfortable leaving it in the boot of her car either.

~ * ~

If you like my excerpts, please check out:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Six consecutive excerpts from my June Harlequin Presents. Post includes links to the previous five.
#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction - fourth instalment, includes links to previous. Two more to go!
Mastering Her Role #TeaserTuesday - Fifth and last instalment, includes links to previous. Watch for a new series to start this Tuesday from Playing The Master

The Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest is closing in on four hundred entries. Please share with your friends!

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

Some upcoming guest blogs:

July 14 - Harlequin Blog
July #TemptationThursday - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews
July 15 - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews (The Ultimate Seduction)
July 31 - The Reading Cafe

You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

In fact, all my August titles are up on the Mills & Boon UK site. eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus should follow soon.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo | iBooks

Have a great evening! Friday is almost here :)

#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role (5)

Hi #TeaserTuesday fans! I shall now break your heart and tell you that this will be my last excerpt from this book. Sorry, but the second book in this 2in1 needs attention so when you come back here next week, you'll meet Ann/Violet and Porter.

If you're anxious to read the rest of this (and jump ahead on the next #TeaserTuesday series), AND you're in the UK, you can buy Dani's Erotic Romance Collection from Mills and Boon now!

And if you love the free excerpts, find more here:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Six consecutive excerpts from my June Harlequin Presents. Post includes links to the previous five.
#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction - fourth instalment, includes links to previous
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).

If you missed the first four in this series you can click to read them below. WARNING! Language NSFW:

Opening scene where Arianne asks to meet Dominic
Jason tries to talk her out of it
Jason tells her what to expect Graphic!
Arianne meets Dominic

Dominic asked her to change. Here's how she reacts:

~ * ~

“I—” Undress? That was quite an icebreaker.

“You…?” he prompted.

“I thought you wanted to talk.”

“I thought you wanted to explore your sexuality.”

She could change or she could leave. He offered the choice with silent patience.

Ignoring how crazy this was, she ducked behind the screen.

A small table stood behind it. It had a drawer but she didn’t snoop within it, just set her purse on top. The mirrors on the inside walls of the screen startled her but turned out to be useful once she got the dress on.

The fabric felt like air in her hands, a silk knit that weighed nothing and clung like a second skin, hiding not one single flaw. Her breasts almost fell out the top and she couldn’t seem to tug it more than an inch below the cheeks of her backside. Did he really expect her to parade these thighs of hers before him? And the panty lines? Ugh.

“It’s too small,” she said from behind the screen.

“Let me see.”

Blushing furiously, she stepped out just far enough to catch a glimpse of him with her peripheral vision. He was rearranging furniture.

“It’s fine,” he said, “but did I give you the bra and underwear?”

“No.”

“Then take them off.”

“You’re not serious.”

“Do you feel desirable right now, Arianne?”

“No.”

“Then take them off.”

She did and eyed the result. Her breasts didn’t sit as high and they moved around a lot more, but the fabric was so insubstantial her nipples stood out like pencil erasers. Without her panties, her hips had a smooth curve to them, which she had to admit was more attractive, but the skirt was still too short.

“Let me see,” he said again.

It was just as difficult to step beyond the privacy of the screen. She didn’t feel as unappealing, but she felt incredibly exposed.

He had created a large space in the center of the room and placed the stool there. As she revealed herself, he floated the blue sheet over the stool so it became a bump in an island of blue.

“Come. All the way. Here is your space, here is mine.” He pointed at the square. “Stand here a moment so I might admire.”

Cringing every step, she started forward.

“Why are you wearing your sandals?”

She kicked them off and continued until she felt the cool, slippery fabric of the blue sheet beneath her feet.

“You forgot your posture at home?”

Looking at the ceiling, she straightened her spine, tugging at the hem of the skirt when she felt it climb.

“Ah. Better with the hands at the sides.” He paced the edges of the sheet, examining her from all sides. “How do you feel?” he asked in a lowered tone.

“Stupid. Ridiculous. Inadequate. Like I’m trying to be something I’m not.”

“Those are emotions. Tell me what you feel physically. Is there relief from removing your bra?”

“Yes.” She felt much more comfortable actually.

“Are you cold?”

Her nipples. She clenched her eyes shut. “They just do that. I don’t know why.”

“What does what?”

“My—” She waved a hand in front of her chest. “They just poke out that way. They always have, even before I really had anything up there.”

“Your nipples.”

“Yes.”

“So you’re not cold?”

“Not when I’m blushing this hard, no.” Honestly, he was certainly as pigheaded and demanding as Jason.

“What about your legs? Why do you keep pulling on the dress like that? You’ll tear it.”

She smoothed it with her hands instead. “It’s too short.”

“So you’re self-conscious, but not cold. What else do you feel? Physically?”

“I don’t know. The sheet is soft under my feet.” She curled her toes into it. “My hair is soft on my shoulders.”

“Gather it up and let it fall down your back.”

She lifted her arms, but as she picked up her hair, she felt the dress climb, felt the neckline shift on her breasts so more of her swelled out the top than stayed inside.

“Hold right there a moment,” he commanded softly, his gaze hot along her front. “Tell me what you feel.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” she whispered, but held the position, dying.

“Separate the feelings, Arianne. How does your hair feel in your hands?”

“Soft. Heavy. Silky. Thick.”

“Good. And your hands on your head?”

“Warm. Familiar. My arms are aching a little.”

“Hold just a moment more. How do your nipples feel when they’re erect like that? Tight?”

“Yes.” Her voice shook with the strain. “They kind of hurt. Like they’re being pinched.”

“Oh, Arianne, that’s lovely,” he said with warm approval, pacing slowly out of her sight, behind her. “Keep going. What else?”

~ * ~

The Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest runs until mid-August. Purchase of my erotic romance collection, or my August Presents, The Ultimate Seduction, counts as ten entries for one of these fabulous prizes.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

I have a few blog stops to promote this and my August book:

July 14 - Harlequin Blog
July #TemptationThursday - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews
July 15 - Caribbean Accent Book Reviews (The Ultimate Seduction)
July 31 - The Reading Cafe

In other news, my novella, The Secret In Room 823, is available in the UK. Here's a little blog post I wrote about my 'stay' in The Chatsfield.

You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo | iBooks

Okay, busy day ahead. Much writing to be done between appointments in town. I'm also beginning to prep for the San Antonio conference. Busy!

Please come back for #Thursday13. I don't know yet what I'll be posting so it'll be a surprise for both of us!

#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction (4)

I thought I had plans today, but as it turns out the family we thought we'd be visiting are running a day late. Therefore, I have a free Saturday! I'm quickly filling it up with errands and chores, and may hit the beach for a while later, so I thought I'd post my #SampleSunday then unplug without a shred of guilt.

I also wanted to share this beautiful ad Harlequin has taken out to promote the 21st Century Gentleman's Club Series. Awesome, right?

PSA: If you've missed any of my excerpts from my summer books, including this new #SampleSunday series for The Ultimate Seduction. Here's a quick round up:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - My June Harlequin Presents. Post links to the previous five.
#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role - fourth instalment, includes links to previous
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).

And here's what's happened so far in this series:

Tiffany receives her invitation to QVirtus
Ryzard arrives at QVirtus
Tiffany joins the party

Here Ryzard spies her dancing and joins her. I've bolded my shout-out of Maya Blake's Hero from The Ultimate Playboy:

~ * ~

Ryzard could drink with the best of them. He’d spent the older half of his childhood in Munich, had managed vineyards in France and Italy, and had lived in parts of Russia where not finishing a bottle of vodka was a gross insult to the host. He was restless enough to get legless tonight, but so far he’d consumed only enough to become mellow and hungry. The cashmere breeze and the scents of beach and pineapple and roasting pig aroused his appetite—all his appetites. He’d mentally stripped the nearest petite q’s and was considering a pass at one of the female members currently being scouted by every other bachelor here—along with some of the married members.

Not Narciso, aka the Warlock of Wall Street, though. He chatted with his friend long enough to see the man wasn’t just here with his wife, but besotted by her. Lucky bastard. Ryzard countered his envy by reminding himself that love was a double-edged sword. He wouldn’t ruin his friend’s happiness by saying so, but he had once looked forward to marital bliss. Luiza had died before they found it, and the anguish was indescribable. No matter how pleased he was for his friend, he would never risk that toll again.

He’d stick to the less permanent associations one found, enjoyed and left at parties such as this one.

Glass panels had been fitted over the lap pool, turning it into a dance floor that glimmered beams of colored light beneath the bouncing feet. People were having a lively time, keeping the band’s quick salsa beat rapping. The drummer stared off to the left, however, his grin male and captivated.

Ryzard followed the man’s gaze and his entire being crackled to attention.

Well beyond the pool’s light, in a corner mostly blocked by a buffet table and ice sculpture, a woman undulated like a cobra, utterly fascinating in her hypnotic movements timed perfectly with the music. Her splayed hands slid down her body with sexy knowledge, her hips popped in time to the beat, and her feet kick-stepped into motion.

She twirled. The motion lifted her brassy curls like a skirt before she planted her feet wide and swayed her weight between them. The flex of her spine gave way to a roll of her hips, and she was back into motion again.

Setting down his drink, Ryzard beelined toward her. He couldn’t tell if the woman had a partner, but it didn’t matter. He was cutting in.

She was alone, lifting her arms to gather her hair, eyes closed as she felt the music as much as heard it. She arched and stretched—

He caught her around the waist and used the shocked press of her hands at his shoulders to push her into accepting his lead, stepping into her space, then retreating, bringing her with him. As he moved her into a side step, she recovered, matching his move while her gaze pinned to his.

He couldn’t tell what color her eyes were. The light was too low, her feathery mask shadowing her gaze into twin glinting lights, but he reacted to the fixation in them. She was deciding whether to accept him.

A rush of excitement for the challenge ran through him. After a few more quick steps, he swung her into half pivots, catching each of her wrists in turn, one bare, one clad in silk, enjoying the flash of her bare knee through the slit of her skirt.

How had she been overlooked by every man here? She was exquisite.

Lifting her hand over her head, he spun her around then clasped her shoulder blades into his chest. Her buttocks—fine, firm, round globes as if heaven had sent him a valentine—pressed into his lap. Bending her before him, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled, then followed her push to straighten and matched the sway of her hips with his own.

Tiffany’s heart pounded so hard she thought it would escape her chest. One second she’d been slightly drunk, lost in the joy of letting the salsa rhythm control her muscles. Now a stranger was doing it. And doing it well. He pulled her around into a waltz stance that he quickly shifted so they grazed each other’s sides, left, right, left.

She kicked each time, surprised how easily the movements came back to her. It had been years, but this man knew what he was doing, sliding her slowly behind his back, then catching her hand on the other side. He pushed her to back up a step, bringing one of her arms behind his head, the other behind her own. A few backward steps and they were connected by only one hand, arms outstretched, then he spun her back into him, catching her into his chest.

He stopped.

The conga beat pulsed through her as he ran his hands down her sides. Her own flew to cover his knuckles, but she didn’t stop him. It felt too amazing. His fingertips grazed the sides of her breasts, flexed into the taut muscles of her waist and clasped her hips to push them in a hula circle that he followed with his own, his crotch pressed tight to her buttocks.

Sensual pleasure electrified her. No one touched her anymore. After being a genderless automaton for so long, she was a woman again, alive, capable of captivating and enticing a man. She nudged her hips into his, flashing a glance back at him.

He narrowed his eyes and held her in place for one deliberate thrust before he spun her into the dance, their energetic quick steps becoming an excuse to look at each other as he let her move to the farthest reach of his hand on hers.

She had been a bit of a tease in her day, secure in the knowledge everyone knew she was engaged. She’d been able to flirt without consequence, enjoying male attention without feeling threatened by it. This stranger’s undisguised admiration was rain on her desert wasteland of feminine confidence. Climbing her free hand between her breasts to the back of her neck, she thrust out her chest then let the music snake up and down her spine as she flexed her figure for his visual pleasure.

His feral show of teeth encouraged her while his sheer male sexiness called to the woman in her, urging her to keep the notice of such a fine specimen. He might have started out his evening in a tux, but at some point he’d stripped down to the pants and the shirt, which was open at the collar and rolled back to his forearms at the sleeves. The mask he wore was vaguely piratical in its black with gold trim and wings at his temple, but the nose piece bent in a point off the end of his nose, suggesting a bird of prey.

A hunter.

And she was the hunted.

Her heart raced, excited by the prospect of being pursued. She wanted to be wanted.

~ * ~

The Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest is still going strong. Purchase of my erotic romance collection, or my August Presents, The Ultimate Seduction, counts as ten entries for one of these fabulous prizes.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest (closes August 17th, 2014) then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

Also, watch for chances to win autographed copies of The Ultimate Seduction when I start my blog tour mid-July.

In other news, my novella, The Secret In Room 823, is available in the UK. Here's a little blog post I wrote about my 'stay' in The Chatsfield.

You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo | iBooks

Have a great weekend. I'll be back with a #TeaserTuesday, a #Thursday13 and two more excerpts from this book over the next few weeks.

#Thursday13 - Luxury Items From QVirtus

If you've come looking for the next 13 lines from The Secret In Room 823, I'm sorry! I'm not sure how much I can excerpt. I have limits within my contract and I don't want to overshoot them. So I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at the luxury setting that is QVirtus instead. This is the 21st Century Gentlemen's Club where The Ultimate Seduction opens and closes.

I've been posting a lot of excerpts from my August books lately. Be sure to scroll down for links to all of them. I also have a blog tour coming up for this book where I'll be giving away signed copies so please check back for those links.

Want to learn more about this series? Here's a nifty blog post by the iHeartPresents editors about The 21st Century Gentlemen's Club.

Okay, so QVirtus. When I collaborated with Maya Blake and Victoria Parker on this setting, we knew it had to be the place to belong. Coveted. Think James Bond and you'll start to get a sense of the tone we were going for.

Here are some of the obscenely expensive items you'll encounter in the club:

Membership. This is so expensive that Tiffany's father, who owns an extremely successful international architectural firm, cannot afford it. Tiffany, whose husband bequeathed her a stake in his global engineering firm, squeaked in.
Custom masquerade masks. Tiffany has scars from the car crash that killed her groom on her wedding night. No one mapped her face. QVirtus just knows how to cover them. The masks are not only beautiful, but inscribed with member's names, telling them where the next meeting will be held, and contain a chip that provides entry through security when they arrive.
Location, Location, Location. This secretive club meets every quarter in a different location. Maya opens her story in Macau and closes in Venezuela, where my story starts. I end in Zanzibar where Victoria's story opens.
Security. Not only do you have to have a custom mask to get in, but the club then goes on lock down and even cell phones don't work. No taking compromising photos and trying to blackmail someone later!
Concierge To The Max. Mostly women, but a few men, called petite q's, serve the members. They might bring them a drink, or a helicopter, or the plans for the Bellagio safe in Las Vegas. Members can also arrange for service outside of the meetings. My heroine has them set up a special lunch in New York and my hero sends her flowers, anonymously, through QVirtus.
Designer Gadgets. The members are the trend setters and taste-makers of the modern world. In the same way that companies clamor to get their products into Hollywood Swag Bags, top designers send clothing, wearable technology and other high end products hoping the exposure will go viral. Most notably, all members are issued smartwatches that talk to each other, helping members find each other at the club and outside in the real world.
Physical Privacy. Aside from possibly being photographed going into the club--and most members are masked--members can expect complete privacy as they go about their business inside QVirtus. And conduct business they do, in private rooms with sliding doors that only allow one person in a hallway at a time, thus ensuring no one sees who goes into which room or with whom. wink
Personal Privacy. Names are also protected. Everyone has a code name. My hero is Raptor. Tiffany is known as Steel Butterfly.
Private Art Auction. Tiffany is a QVirtus virgin. (And a sexual one, until she meets a sexy stranger!) When Ryzard invites her to 'the art walk' she looks for charicature artists on stools between craft booths. Silly Tiffany! The most exclusive classic art items, whether it be Picasso or Monet or perhaps an up and coming contemporary artist, are auctioned within an appropriately temperature and humidity-controlled room in the basement.
Exclusive Concerts. Okay, this is where the copyeditors hurt my feelings. I know there's a certain expectation that we remain generic, but I took a chance and wrote this exchange.

Tiffany: "That's a really good cover of Santana."

Ryzard: "That is Santana."

I love Santana and it made for a really good detail to pull the reader into the story, but alas, it was changed to "...a really good cover band/that is the band." (yawn)
Private Party With Fireworks! Yep, the meetings all kick off with an ice breaker that features a drink suitable to the location (Rum with lime for my opening.) Then dancing (salsa for S.America) and a display of fireworks on the water. I won't tell you what Ryzard and Tiffany get up to while that happens. Let's just say they have their own private party in a nearby cabana.
Gossip - Of the most expensive kind. Like any hair salon or even the old Enghlish clubs of yore that this one was fashioned upon, half the value in the memberhsip is hearing what's not reported on the news. Here, among workshops on global policy, members might learn of a coup attempt before it happens or a royal's fall from grace being covered up.
Extended Privileges. Members help members. They network, play the country club game of offering a friend a leg up over someone else, and when one is in trouble, they rally to their aid. I won't tell you how that plays out in my book, it's a spoiler, but they do.

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek. If you'd like to read any of the excerpts from this or my other summer titles, you'll find them through these links:

#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction - third instalment, includes links to previous
Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Post links to the previous five.
#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role - third instalment, includes links to previous
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).

To celebrate all these hot summer books, I'm running the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest. Purchase of the erotic romance collection, or my August Presents, The Ultimate Seduction, counts as ten entries for one of these fabulous prizes.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest (closes August 17th, 2014) then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

Also, watch for chances to win autographed copies of The Ultimate Seduction when I start my blog tour mid-July.

In other news, my novella, The Secret In Room 823, is available in the UK. Here's a little blog post I wrote about my 'stay' in The Chatsfield.

You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo

Hang in there--Friday is almost here! I'll be back on the weekend with the next #SampleSunday for this one so please check back.

#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role (4)

As promised, #TeaserTuesday fans, I have completed my homework (reached 10k on my WIP) so I'm here with my next excerpt.

I also have exciting news: The Dani Collins Erotic Romance Collection is available on the Mills and Boon website!

Below is the fourth excerpt from Mastering Her Role, Book One in this two book the collection.

Regular visitors know I've been posting excerpts from my plethora of summer books. If you're new to my site, you can check out the rest here:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Six consecutive excerpts from my June Harlequin Presents. Post includes links to the previous five.
#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction - third instalment, includes links to previous
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).

If you missed the first three in this series you can click to read them below. WARNING! Language NSFW:

Opening scene where Arianne asks to meet Dominic
Jason tries to talk her out of it
Jason tells her what to expect Graphic!

Today we move on to Chapter Two where Arianne meets Dominic at a hotel:

~ * ~

On the telephone he had sounded like Jason with a British accent. More or less.

The relationship between the two men was something of a mystery. She’d pressed Celine after the woman said with haughty amusement, I thought he would have introduced you to Dominic by now. But she’d only received a smirk in response.

Arianne wondered how much he’d be like Jason as she stood outside the hotel-room door. Until Jason had yanked her into his arms and spoken so explicitly, she’d only suspected what kind of man lurked beneath his quiet exterior. The idea of giving herself over to someone like that made her breath stutter, urging her to back out of this crazy stunt and retreat down the hall.

It didn’t matter how desperately she wanted Jason. He was a man who enjoyed highly sophisticated sex play. She’d never reach his level. This was—

The door opened.

The man who filled the open frame wore black from silk shirt to snug leather pants tucked into tall, well-worn boots that reminded her of Jason’s. She couldn’t be sure of his identity by looking at his hands or face. He wore leather gloves and a silky kerchief thing, cut with eyeholes. It hid the upper half of his face and hair, like a pirate.

Below the mask was a blond goatee. Jason’s hair was dark as a raven’s wing. This man was about as tall as Jason, but Jason had green eyes, while the ones staring at her were brown.

Stop comparing him to Jason, she scolded herself. He looked like the kind of man who wouldn’t put up with that sort of divided attention.

“Too timid to knock? Come in,” he said in that subtle accent, so crisp with authority. He braced the door with a straight elbow, remaining in the space so she would have to duck beneath his arm and brush his body to get by.

Her purse felt slippery in her grip, and she was pretty sure she was going to faint.

When she hesitated, he said, “Would it help to know I don’t intend to touch you? You wanted to meet me, so we’ll talk.”

She managed to swallow and nod then pressed through the tiny opening, feeling the brush of soft silk against her bare shoulder. She hadn’t known what to wear and settled on this lacy little sundress. It was too virginal, she realized. It screamed of inexperience. Timid. Newbie.

But she was here now, looking around the elegant suite. This was a chic boutique hotel, and he’d booked them into one of the best rooms, a suite on an upper floor. It had a lounge area, a small bar and a door to the left that would be the bathroom. The bed sat on a platform three stairs up, next to the hollow of a three-sided window alcove. Across the foot of the ornate king-size bed draped a fringed, peacock-blue sheet. A footstool, also ornately carved and upholstered in red velvet, stood beside the bed next to a discreet black suitcase.

Wondering what the case might contain made her abdomen tense. She jerked her gaze to the drawn sheers, which over the window that allowed some of the afternoon sun to penetrate, bringing a glow to the polished wood detailing above the empty fireplace. The room was comfortably warm. The air-conditioning, off. No hum. No music, either, just silence as he waited behind her.

She knew she ought to turn to face him, but it was easier to continue studying the room. In one corner stood a screen, black, with an inlay of tile chips. Perhaps it belonged to him, since mosaic nudes in Kama Sutra poses decorated it. Something red hung over the top of it. The rest of the furniture appeared to be hotel issue. Lovely, but not provocative—not like that screen or the suitcase.

“I said I wouldn’t touch you but I have a custom, Arianne. People who play sexual games need signals between them to express readiness to begin and closure at the end. It builds trust. You will kiss me now and again when you leave.”

Was he kidding?

She pivoted slowly, trying to find something reassuring in the cut of his jawline, but he was pure wickedness, lounging so negligently beside the door. She didn’t think she could do it.

“I was under the impression you wanted to reset the boundaries you’ve placed on your sexuality. Have you changed your mind?” His hand was still on the doorknob and he twisted it enough for her to hear the click.

Reasoning that she would have to cross the room to kiss or escape, she did that much on legs that felt numb, not certain until she reached him which option she would choose. Then she was eye level with his lips, their shape a close match to the ones she’d memorized over dinners and drinks.

Brothers, she fleetingly thought, or maybe cousins. At the same time, she was surprised how badly she wanted to kiss him, regardless of who he was. His mouth looked so carnal and masculine. And it was only a kiss. She couldn’t screw that up.

Like taking a leap off the high board, she gathered her courage, held her breath and stepped closer. Lifting slightly in her low sandals, she pressed her lips to his with gentle pressure. His mouth was warm and firm with a faint prickle from the goatee. Closing her eyes as an unexpected shiver of pleasure tickled down her spine, she lingered for an extra second to examine it, then scolded herself for acting so slutty.

She dropped onto her heels.

When she opened her eyes, she saw one corner of his mouth curled up in amusement. “Do I bear a strong resemblance to one of your maiden aunts? Kiss me properly, Arianne.”

Horrified, she looked at his hand on the doorknob, but he released it. The heavy hotel lock clicked into place. He raised his gloved hand to her chin, tilted up her face and lowered his head so his mouth covered hers in a slanting possession.

Hot, damp and thorough. She hadn’t expected that, but oh, when he flicked his tongue into her mouth, it sent a lightning bolt all the way to her center.

He drew back slowly, his gloved fingers caressing her throat. “Hello, Arianne. I’m Dominic. It’s lovely to meet you. Do you speak at all?”

“Of course.” She spoke to the middle of his chest. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“Is it? We’ll see. If you don’t kiss me on your way out the way I just kissed you, I’ll know for sure.” He walked past her into the room. “I prefer you to wear what I give you. Try on the red dress behind the screen.”

~ * ~

To celebrate all these hot summer books, I'm running the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest. Purchase of the erotic romance collection, or my August Presents, The Ultimate Seduction, counts as ten entries for one of these fabulous prizes.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest (closes August 17th, 2014) then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

Also, watch for chances to win autographed copies of The Ultimate Seduction when I start my blog tour mid-July.

In other news, my novella, The Secret In Room 823, is available in the UK. Here's a little blog post I wrote about my 'stay' in The Chatsfield.

You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

These other fine retailers have my books too:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo

Happy Canada Day! I feel strongly that I should leave my computer and visit the beach today. We might be thought of as The Great White North, but on July 1st, it's pretty freaking awesome here. We're expecting 34 celcius, there's not a cloud to be seen and I understand there will be live music at the community hall. What am I waiting for, right?

Signings And Appearances - Summer 2014

I'll be signing books while I'm at conference this summer. I hope you can join me:

July 23, 2014 - Romance Writers Of American, Literacy Autographing, 5:30-7:30pm, Third Floor Ballroom, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, Texas
July 25, 2014 - Harlequin Signing, 9:45-11:15am, Ballroom C&D, San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, Texas
August 9, 2015 - , Romance Writers of Australia, ARRA Book Signing, 5:00-6:00pm, Pullman City Olympic Park, Sydney, Australia

#SampleSunday - The Ultimate Seduction (3)

Hello #SampleSunday fans. I have one foot out the door--such a lie. I still have to get ready, but I do have a date with MrC and I wanted to get this posted first. If I wind up with typos, you'll know why.

If you're a regular visitor, you know I've been posting excerpts from my four August books, including this new #SampleSunday series for The Ultimate Seduction. Here's a quick round up if you've missed any:

Book Blurbs - for all five of my summer titles
#SampleSunday - An Heir To Bind Them - Okay, this was my June book, but if you missed it, there it is. That post links to the previous five.
#TeaserTuesday - Mastering Her Role - third instalment, includes links to previous
#Thursday13 - The Secret In Room 823 (part of
Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series).

And if you've missed any posts in this series for The Ultimate Seduction, here's what's happened thus far:

Tiffany receives her invitation to QVirtus
Ryzard arrives at QVirtus

Here's Tiffany in her room:

~ * ~

TIFFANY WAS STUCK and it was a sickeningly familiar situation, the kind she’d sworn she’d never wind up in again.

She’d love to blame Christian. He had urged her to step through the door when he’d been refused entry. Go in and ask, he’d hissed, annoyed.

Since her worst nightmare these days was being stared at, she’d forgone arguing on the stoop and stepped through the entranceway. Inside, pixies in designer nightgowns had fawned over the arriving men in masks. She’d looked around for a bell desk, and a stud named Julio had come forward to introduce himself as a petite q.

She, a seasoned socialite, had become tongue-tied over the strapping young man in a red footman’s uniform. It was more than two years since she’d been widowed on her wedding day. Even without the scars, that would be bad mojo. Men didn’t call, didn’t ask her out. If she was in a room with a live one, they rarely looked her in the eye, always averting their gaze. She didn’t exist for them as a potential mate.

Julio didn’t attract her so much as astonish her. He didn’t know what lurked beneath the mask and was all solicitous manners as he offered his services. “I see this is your first visit with us,” he said after a brief glance at his tablet. “Please allow me to orient you.”

She was completely out of practice with his type—the valet who never overstepped his station, but still managed to convey that he appreciated being in the presence of beauty. She’d haltingly fielded his questions about whether her travel had been pleasant as he smoothly escorted her into an elevator.

When he asked if she had any specific needs he could attend to while she was here, she’d come back to reality. “My brother needs a hall pass, or a mask. Whatever. Can you make that happen?”

“I’ll send the request to Zeus, but the doors will be closing in a few minutes. Once we’re in lockdown, no one comes or goes. Unless it’s an emergency, of course.” He’d lifted his head from tapping his tablet.

Lockdown? Alarmed, she’d tried to text Christian only to be informed that external service was cut off while inside the club.

“Cell phones and other cameras are discouraged, as is the sending of photos outside the club. Security will locate him and communicate his options,” Julio assured her, then explained that if her requested meeting was accepted, the time and location would be sent to her Inspector Gadget watch.

“Where are we? A hollowed-out volcano?” she asked as he set up her thumbprint entry to her room.

“No, but we’re working on obtaining one,” he said, deadpan. “Now, you’ll want to wear your watch throughout your stay. It tells a lot more than time. May I show you?”

Hearing that her scheduled meeting with the Bregnovian dictator wasn’t a sure thing was a relief. Her father would be furious if she didn’t go in Christian’s place, but if the request was rejected, she would be off the hook. Still, she hoped her brother would be granted entry and save her worrying about any of it. She pressed Julio out of her suite with instructions to inform her about Christian as soon as possible.

Her suite was enough of an oasis to calm her nerves. Her privileged upbringing had exposed her to some seriously nice digs, but she had to admit this was above and beyond. No expense had been spared on the gold fixtures, original art or silk bedding. The new clothes in the wardrobe were a pleasant distraction. Christian had said something about samples of prototypes being handed out to members. If you don’t want them, I do.

She supposed he was referring to the spy watch Julio had shown her, but she was more interested in the designer gowns. Discreet labels informed her they were from the best of the best throughout South America, all in stunning colors and fabrics. Several were off-the-shoulder, figure-enhancing styles that would cover her scars.

Interesting.

Not that she had anywhere to wear them. She didn’t intend to leave her room, but she would make the most of the in-suite amenities, she decided. Call it a vacation from her family. She’d work in peace for a few days.

Work, however, was next to impossible without Wi-Fi service to the external world, and besides, a calypso band was calling to her from below her open French doors. She loved dancing.

Full darkness had fallen, so she sidled into the shadows behind a potted fern on her balcony and gazed longingly at the party below, feeling rather like Audrey Hepburn in that old black-and-white. It was such a world beyond her. The pool’s glow lit up ice sculptures on the buffet tables. Bartenders juggled open bottles, putting on a cocktail show as they poured fast and free while women in red gowns cha-cha’d with men in tuxedos and masks.

This whole mask thing was weird. As they’d flown south in the company jet, Christian had explained it allowed the world’s elite to rub shoulders in a discreet way. Sometimes it was best for the biggest players to take their meetings in secret, so as not to cause speculative dips in the stock exchange. Certain celebrities stole these few days to relax without interruption by fans. QVirtus catered to whatever the obscenely rich needed.

I need a new face, she thought sourly, but even the cavernous pockets her husband had left her weren’t deep enough to buy a miracle.

She looked to where she’d left her mask dangling off a chair back’s spire.

Despite her anxiety with the abrupt change of plans when she arrived, she had felt blessedly anonymous behind her mask as she had walked through the lobby and halls to her room. It had been an extraordinary experience to feel normal again. No one had stared. She had looked exactly like everyone else.

Hmm. That meant she didn’t have to stay here like Rapunzel, trapped in the tower with the real world three stories below and out of her reach.

With her heart tripping somewhere between excitement and trepidation, she fingered through the gowns hanging in the wardrobe. The silk crepe in Caribbean blue would expose her good right leg, but not so high as to reveal where her grafts had been taken. After months of physiotherapy, she’d moved back into her old workout routine of yoga, weights and treadmill. She possessed all of her mother’s vanity along with the genetic jackpot in the figure department. Only family saw her these days, and she hardly dressed to impress, but she was actually very fit.

Alone in the suite, she held the gown up to her body, then, without her mother there to discourage her, dared to try it on.

Whoever this Zeus guy was, he sure knew how to dress a woman. Especially one with defects to hide. The single sleeve went past her wrist in a point that ended in a loop of thread that hooked over her middle finger. The bodice clung to her waist and torso, plumping breasts that remained two of her best original features. She had to give her backside the credit it deserved, too. When she buckled on new shoes that were little more than sky-high heels and a pair of saucy blue-green straps, it was like being hugged by old friends. She almost wept.

Filtering her image through her lashes as she looked in the mirror, she saw her old self. Hi, Tiff. It’s nice to see you again. 'bout time, too.

Makeup didn’t completely cover her scars, nothing could, but she enjoyed going through her old ritual after using the concealer, taking her time to layer on shadow and liner, girling herself up to the max. By the time she was rolling spirals into her strawberry blond hair, she was so lost in the good ol’ days, she caught herself thinking, I wonder what Paulie will say.

The curling iron tagged her cheek where she would never feel it, and she nearly broke down. You’re not Cinderella, anymore, remember? You’re the ugly stepsister.

No. Not tonight. Not when she felt confident and beautiful for the first time since her wedding day. Had she been happy then? She couldn’t remember.

Don’t go there.

Gathering the top half of her hair over her crown, she tied the mask into place, then let her loose curls fall to hide the strap that circled her skull. Oddly, the mask wasn’t as traumatic to wear as she’d feared. It didn’t suction onto her face and make her feel trapped in a body that writhed in agony. It stood cocked like a fascinator to cover the left side of her face, while the feathers arranged around her eyes gave an impression of overly long lashes that layered backward to cover her forehead and hairline. She had expected it to be heavy, but it was as light as, well, feathers. They tickled the edges of her scars, where her skin was extra sensitive, making her feel feminine and pretty.

Staring at herself in the full-length mirror, she allowed that she was pretty. After painting on a coat of coral lipstick, she did a slow twirl and caught herself grinning. Smiling felt odd, as if she was using muscles that had atrophied.

She lifted the weighty watch on her wrist, the one that identified her as Steel Butterfly. More like a broken one. Her sides didn’t even match.

It didn’t have to make sense, she assured herself as she tossed her lipstick into her pocketbook then realized she didn’t need either room key or credit card. Such freedom! For a few hours, she would be completely without baggage.

Taking nothing but lighthearted steps, she left to join the party.

~* ~

The Goodreads Giveaway for this book closed on Friday and I've already sent the winners their books. (Congrats Noelle, Suzann & Kristina.)

But if you like free books, join my newsletter list. You'll always be entered for a signed copy of my new release because I draw from my subscriber list before each print book releases.

Wait! Don't guess yet! If you join through Dani's Masked Desires Contest you'll also be entered for one of these awesome masks and will double your chances for an autographed copy of the book.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest (closes August 17th, 2014) then enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

I'll have more chances to win giveaways of this title when I start my blog tour mid-July.

In other news, my Chatsfield short is available in the UK. You can pick it up as The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In North America, preorder it as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

or these other fine retailers have it as well:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo

I'm cutting this one short and flying out the door for a friend's 50th. Have a great weekend--a long one for many of us in Canada, if you're taking Monday instead of the 1st. I'll be working Canada Day, posting my next #TeaserTuesday so please check back here for it.

#Thursday13 - Lines from The Chatsfield (2)

If you're losing track, you're not alone. I knew promoting all these summer titles would be a challenge. Today's is another snippet from my August novella, The Secret In Room 823, available in the UK as a lone title and up for preorder here in N.America as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set, Vol 2.

Basically, the #SampleSundays are my Presents titles, the #TeaserTuesdays are from my Erotic Romance Collection and these #Thursday13s are a bit more random. I did the opening 13 lines last week, which was probably premature, but I got lazy. It happens. And thus, I feel committed to continue with the next 13. This impulse may or may not last. I'm learning that I'm extremely rigid and organized except when I don't feel like it. Then I do something else. Yes, you should pity my husband and probably most of my previous employers.

Before I jump in with the magical 13, I'll offer up the links to the latest excerpts in the other categories, in case you haven't seen them yet:

An Heir To Bind Them #SampleSunday - six posts, this one links to the previous five
Book Blurbs - for all five titles in one handy post
The Ultimate Seduction #SampleSunday - two so far, watch for another this weekend
Mastering Her Role #TeaserTuesday - third instalment, includes links to previous

Click this link if you want to read last week's #Thursday13 from The Secret In Room 823. And click this link if you want to know more about

Mills & Boon's The Chatsfield series.

Also, if you like entering contests for free books, be sure to scroll down after the excerpt. There are quite a few opportunities listed there. I'll just mention here that the Goodreads contest for The Ultimate Seduction closes this Friday and you can enter today (Jun 26th) for a copy of An Heir To Bind Them by visiting my interview at Minxes Of Romance.

Whew! Are we ready yet? Okay, here goes:

~ * ~

Therefore, she found herself fighting the beaming grin that wanted to break across her face and offering him her cool Lady Hamilton-Smythe barely-there smile.

That was, after all, the bitch who was meant to be exorcised tonight.

But appearing aloof was hard when his mouth pulled into a sneer of dismay at her white wig with its prism of color streaked over her left eyebrow.

Call me Hayes, he’d said at their first meeting. She didn’t know if that was because of the deceptive color of his eyes, shifting between brown and green with his level of arousal, or whether it was his real name, first or last. She only knew that she’d looked into those clear, steady eyes at their initial meeting and trusted, blindly and probably very stupidly, but here she was. Again.

He was only wearing his jeans, as if he’d thrown off his shirt in a fit of overheating. Another hint that she affected him as strongly as he affected her, but she squelched the yearning for an emotional connection and focused on the physical. Tanned skin stretched taut over gorgeous shoulders, hard pecs and washboard abs as he hooked one disgusted hand at his waist, the other continuing to hold the door open.

Behind his fly, he was hard, making her pulse lunge into a gallop.

‘No,’ he said flatly, demanding that she lift her gaze to his uncompromising stare. She took in the whole of his face with his stubbled jaw set in displeasure, his black hair getting long again and messy, as if he’d run his fingers through it.

~ * ~

This short story gets pretty hot and if you like that sort of thing, check out that #TeaserTuesday from Mastering Her Role. Purchase of the erotic collection counts as an entry in Dani's Masked Desires Contest too. You could win one of these awesome masks or an autographed copy of my August Harlequin Presents The Ultimate Seduction.

Read the rules for the Dani Collins Masked Desires Contest (closes August 17th, 2014). Enter here:

Dani's Masked Desires Rafflecopter Entry Form

You can also enter for a chance to win one of three signed copies of The Ultimate Seduction through this Goodreads Giveaway. It closes this Friday, June 27th.

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Goodreads Book Giveaway








The Ultimate Seduction


by Dani Collins

Giveaway ends June 27, 2014.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

You'll always be included in a draw for a signed copy of my new release if you join my newsletter. I draw from my subscriber list right before the book comes out.

I'm also giving away two books in a Huge Giveaway over at Lisa Perry's Blog. It closes July 11th. Pop over to win, among all the other great titles, a copy of An Heir To Bind Them and

The Ultimate Seduction, signed of course.

I'll have even more chances to win The Ultimate Seduction when I start my blog tour mid-July, so keep checking back for those opportunities.

Meanwhile, The Secret In Room 823 is available for preorder in North America as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2. In the UK, it's on sale now. You can pick up The Secret In Room 823 as a stand alone title, or as part of The Chatsfield Boxed Set Vol.2.

For quickest delivery on all my titles, buy from Mills & Boon UK site, eHarlequin and Mills & Boon Aus as they appear there soonest.

Prefer Amazon? US | Canada | UK | India | Germany | Brazil | Spain | Italy | Japan | Australia 

or these other fine retailers have it as well:

Nook | Kobo | ARe | BooksaMillion | ChaptersIndigo

I'll be back on the weekend with a new #SampleSunday for The Ultimate Seduction. Now I'm off for a run and a workout. Gotta keep my writing muscles toned, doncha know.