Saturday Snippet – Dark Moment

Every book has the black moment. When the ending for the hero and heroine does not look hopeful. But before that there are often a series of ever increasing dark moments or events that lead the hero or heroine to believe everything is not okay. So for today I have chosen a brief snippet from Midnight Playground that is very early on but is still something that has to be overcome to proceed.

Eve receives a photography order on behalf of her boss and the wheels immediately begin turning with thoughts of how this could be her chance to finally get the attention of both her employers.

Excerpt:

Model must be redheaded and of a plus-size nature with full breasts.

Eve nearly choked on her sip of coffee. In all the orders she'd taken, no one had ever asked for a plus-size model. Whoever the mystery customer was, she already liked him. A larger woman would be a refreshing change around here. She clicked to forward the message to Chase and went back to the rest of her e-mails. If she focused on her work, maybe she'd be able to get her mind off the scene she'd spied on at least long enough to get through the rest of the day.

When she got home, all bets were off, and her vibrator would get the workout of its life. A wicked smile tugged at her lips. She desperately wanted to know more about Chase's and Murphy's private lives. Sure she knew a lot about their fetishes, but how deep into the BDSM scene did they go? Her pathetic and limited experience left her a little green, but mostly because she found it difficult to define her own needs, let alone find a Dom to click with.

So much of the local scene seemed to revolve around playing roles. Master and slave. Simply thinking the words made her pussy clench. Maybe one day she'd figure it out…understand how to be what a master sought.

"Eve."

She jumped at the sound of her name. So lost in her thoughts she'd not heard Chase approach her desk. Her breath quickened and her pulse sped up from the one simple word. She lifted her lashes and looked at him through hooded eyes she prayed didn't look guilty. Because right now she felt like a naughty girl who'd just been busted. Thank God she'd refrained from touching herself again.

"This new order. Did you talk to them when they called?"

She nodded. Mesmerized by the shade of green reflected in his gaze. In his case, eyes weren't windows to the soul. They were the microscope that saw into her thoughts. As if somehow he'd noticed her spying on him, or that the moment he said her name, renewed arousal dampened her panties, and he damned well knew it.

"Did they say who this was for?"

"No, but I did get the impression it was for someone pretty important. The woman was quite confident that you'd be willing to fill this order as quickly as they wanted." She tried not to fidget, but it was impossible to sit still with him looking at her with such intensity.

"That's too bad because as intriguing as this shoot would be, I'm going to have to turn this one down."

Damn. Even the tight frown of his lips turned her on. She'd give anything to trace the shape of his mouth, to explore every line.

"Why?"

"No model that fits the requirements. It's often hard enough to find a redhead for a hard-core shoot. But a plus-size model? No way."

"What about me? I could do it." Eve clamped her hand over her mouth, shocked she'd blurted the offer out loud. Still, she'd made the offer, and she held her breath waiting for his response.

His eyes narrowed and he stared into her gaze. Searching for something maybe. Her neck warmed with the humiliation that crept through her.

"Come here," he demanded gruffly.

Worried, she moved from behind the reception desk and stood in front of him. Not squirming while he looked at her from head to toe proved impossible as she shifted from one foot to the other. He went back to staring into her eyes and she found it nerve-racking to hold his gaze. Too scared to keep up the pretense, she shifted her gaze to the floor and the black patent four-inch spike heels she had on. The skirts and blouses she wore every day might shout boring, but her shoes were 100-percent hooker.

She'd learned to wear clothes that didn't draw attention to her curves, only her cleavage, and she used her hair and shoes to further distract. Still, standing in front of Chase with the aid of extra height still left her feeling small. The top of her head might reach his chin. She'd guess he stood at least six feet three, if not taller. He simply dwarfed her. And for the first time in her life, she loved being short. It seemed to give him a sense of power over her.

"No." The blunt word shocked her. She stood speechless and rooted to her spot while he turned and walked back to his studio. No explanation, no further discussion, just no.

She fought the tears that threatened to fall as his abrupt rejection filtered through her thoughts. Eve looked at the front door and back at the studio Chase had disappeared into. She'd made the biggest fool of herself with no rock to crawl under.

She wasn't good enough for Chase Miller. The first tear splashed on her cheek and she ran for the exit.

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