Guttersnipe Challenge Pregame

GUYS! In less than TWO DAYS I'm giving away TWENTY books :D :D :D I am soooo excited! And scared, then EXCITED again mwhahaha~

There's still time to sign up if you haven't :3

So, yesterday just as I was worrying that maybe I'd overplayed the controversy issue (I mean the content of this book is nothing compared to The Island or basically anything that Rachel Haimowitz has ever written ... what if people come in expecting hardcore and are disappointed?) I got an email from the person doing the final proof that I had totally squicked her-- I had forgotten to give her the content warnings before asking her to look it over ... uhhhh... whoops? Made not so tame after all ^_^;;;;;

Anyway ... I can't wait to see people's reactions :D The good, the bad, the so-ugly-it-needs-a-gif. TWO DAYS~~~ In two days it all begins :D

Meet the MC: Derek
Derek is, to put it mildly, the most fundamentally selfish character I have ever written. He's a serial date rapist, in effect the honey badger of the story ;)

He starts off as a younger, scrappier Casanova type figure, running about the city and seducing a different lover every night. But this isn't quite so romantic in Guttersnipe, because Derek's seduction consists of mainly sneaking into people's bedroom and forcing himself on them, then taking off and leaving them with the consequences. He does not think there's anything wrong with this. The fact that society condemns him only encourages him forward.

Despite his selfishness, Derek is not a bad guy. He just never stops to consider his partner's feelings until it's too late. He feels humiliated and dehumanized by the way he is forced to live in the city, but when he isn't distracted by that pain he can sweet, sensitive and kind. He uses sex to lash out and rebel against the rules and it costs him dearly.

Meet his Master: Marco
It's Marco who finally catches Derek and forces him into sex slavery as punishment for his crimes. Marco is a stickler for the rules, even though the rules in this case are cruel, promote ridiculous hypocrisy and provide virtually no recourse for victims of the city's considerable corruption.

As far as breaking in slaves goes, Marco's technique is psychological instead of physical. He combines punishment with stoic kindness. He lets his slaves believe they have control of the situation and manipulates them into submission. Derek poses an interesting challenge because Derek never accepts that his encounters with Marco are anything other than rape. He can never be satisfied with the situation where his happiness and security are completely dependent on someone else … no matter how nice Marco may seem.

The Game: Master -vs- Slave
Although Derek is at Marco's mercy, Marco has many enemies that will try to position Derek to suit their own interests. Some will provide assistance, some will take advantage, some will force more sadistic and violent games. Derek will meet other slaves, those who were taken unjustly, those who suffer intolerable cruelty at the hands of masters no one can hold accountable. Derek will have to choose between principle and the life of luxury and privilege Marco can offer him.

Content Warnings:Mild Violence, Light Dubicon
While I really question whether there is such a thing as "light dubicon", basically what I'm trying to say is that-- yes-- technically there is a lot of rape in this book. But it is predominantly non-violent 'omg I don't want to but it feels so good' type of thing. There are one or two scenes that are designed to push uncomfortable buttons, but they are very short and not particularly graphic.

Teaser: Because I can't wait :D

With no challenge from Helios, he was going to have to scan the fire escapes for open windows and opportunity. A middle-class girl would have her own bedroom probably. Someone young, a newly minted adult who was mad at her fake parents and their natural extensions in the wider world.

But if he couldn't find that, a boy might do just as well. Boys tended to be a bit harder as they were both stronger, more capable of fighting back, and the libido-suppressing shots might affect their ability to get hard. There was only so much the hormones could do to stop the pleasure—nerve endings were nerve endings after all—but not even Derek's tricks worked on everyone.

He peeked through the smog-crusted glass of each window. In a whole city of single beds stacked on top of one another, trolling for a quick fuck was like scaling a giant vending machine. Nothing promising on the first level, a few options on the second that weren't to his taste... If he didn't find something on the third, he would have to move on to another building.

Once he got past the third story of a building, escape options were limited. The roof became his best choice and Derek didn't like fleeing the police from any distance he didn't feel comfortable falling from.

Someone should put that tip on a propaganda poster: Hide your prettiest virgins on the top floor.

Finally he came to an open window and a slight, slumbering figure tucked into her bed. He rapped gently on the glass, sticking his head in the bedroom and putting on his best charming smile.

He did not want to startle her; there was still a chance that she might scream and force him into a scrambled retreat. That uncertainty elevated the flutter in his chest as his heart pumped blood down into his groin and sensitized his skin.

"Hello angel," he said softly as she stirred. Her hair spread out across her pillow like some fairy-tale princess. She looked around the room in confusion, finally settling upon him as the source of the disturbance.

Her eyes widened in surprise. Her pink lips pressed together, tongue wetting the flesh with each hesitation.

Derek winked at her and gestured for permission to enter.

As he would find out a little later, she did turn out to be a screamer after all.

[The Challenge is on in two days, sign up to win a free book]