Thinking About Kiwis on this Hump Day!

For the past couple of weeks I've had a New Zealand tv series playing on Netflix while I work.  The show is fabulous fun and it has me thinking about the hunkiest of hunks from the land of Kiwis, Jonah Lomu!

Oh those legs!

He played rugby and led a seriously mean haka [here's great clip on YouTube of the All Black's vs Tonga who have their own pre-game ritual], both of which were on my mind when I wrote New Zealand in my An Invitation to the World series - specifically, one of the two retired rugby heroes, Maori hunk Timu Tuhaere.

You can buy An Invitation to the World: Russia and New Zealand at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│All Romance│BN

Snakes + Jewelry + Book Talk = read on!

On Saturday I was flipping through the April issue of InStyle when I came across a page full of jewelry, snake jewelry.

Normally a crowded page doesn't make me pause, but it did this time and I laughed thinking about the one piece of reptile jewelry that I've had a character wear.  It was a ring and Bodhi Burke, the hero from India in the An Invitation to the World 2 series - oh, and it didn't go on his finger :-)

You can buy An Invitation to the World 2: China and India at Whiskey Creek Press Torrid│All Romance│BN

Celebrate Whiskey Creek Press's 9th birthday with 9 books for .99!

I am so very happy to say Happy 9th Birthday to Whiskey Creek Press!

In honor of the day they've put 9 books on sale for .99 cents...cool...and Call Me Lucifer is one of them!  Double Cool!  If you haven't read this paranormal erotic romance + bondage and D/s, then head over to their bookshelves and pick it up along with many other gems.

Here's a snippet to tempt you further...it's Lucifer, tempatation is going to happen :-)

Call Me Lucifer
published by Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

He is much more than the horrific job title and now he needs to prove it to her!

Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, works hard dishing out punishments and asks for little in return, until now. He's been waiting an eternity for a woman who would bring out his gentle side, his need to love and be loved in return. He’d started to wonder if she even existed but at last he’s found her, in a courtroom arguing for a tougher sentence.

After his first introduction to Nia Adams, a sexy petite firebrand, he spends all his time on the surface at her side. They have a serious relationship and he’s sure the emotion bouncing between them is love. Then she lies to him about how she feels.

While difficult to hear, the lie opens a door. It gives him the only chance he’ll ever have to show her who the man behind the horrific job title really is. And he takes it with both hands.
 
 
Excerpt
 
After a few more minutes of trying to calm her roaring thoughts, Nia started to release a breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding. Only it caught in the back of her throat as a deep voice resonated along the hallway.

“Ms. Adams, the door is now open. Come.”

Nia sat perfectly still, unblinking and unable to move from the seat she’d only a few seconds before had been so eager to escape. Each word he spoke seeped straight through her body, settling to a slow and steady pulsating thump in her pussy. It was the wickedest reaction she’d ever had to a man speaking to her.

How was she supposed to conduct herself in a calm and professional manner, when the mere sound of his voice sent her lust spilling from her? She never wanted to meet the owner face-to-face. There was no doubt such a meeting would surely lead to her downfall. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t at her side that day. Somehow she knew he was the person she was supposed to see.

Looking down the passageway, Nia noticed the previously closed door at the end stood ajar.

“Now.” The single word reeked of power as it blasted down the hallway, from the room beyond the opened door, and through her body.

Dang! The trouble she was in had suddenly taken an unexpected turn and she couldn’t see a way around it. She stood up quickly and turned to walk toward the office, only her feet wouldn’t move. Bracing a hand on the wall to help steady herself, she placed the other over her nervous stomach, and took a deep breath.

She followed it up with another one, thankfully steadier than the last.

Before she could take her first step, the voice growled more deeply than the first time, and her knees trembled. The man was angry, but the sound of his voice turned her on, and tempted her passionate nature to come out and play. Maybe he was an old, ugly troll, with a great voice. Somehow she doubted it, but she’d use whatever helped her get through the meeting.

“You don’t want to upset me, Ms. Adams.”

Muttering to herself about how impatience was not a virtue, she followed it up with how typical of a man to demand rather than request. It was the pep talk she’d needed to get herself moving and she took a step forward with her usual in charge style.

“I can hear what you’re saying.”

Raising a hand to cover her mouth, she gasped, stunned at his ability to see and hear everything she did.

Who was this man and why had she been summoned? She was a good person who didn’t lie, cheat, or steal, and had never hurt a soul. In fact, every single day she did her best at work, finding justice for those who needed it. Surely doing good was the right thing to do.

“Come,” he barked down the hall. Startled, she jumped and started to make her way to the door. The only sound she heard was the solid clicking her heels made as she strode across the marble floor. Because she heard only it, Nia focused on each step she took. She wanted to ensure her footsteps didn’t sound hurried or hesitant, merely confident, sure of where she was going. It was something she could control in the nightmare she found herself in, so she’d take it.

She made it to the end of what felt like an endless length of hallway, paused for a stabilizing breath before stepping through the opened door. Deciding not to be intimidated anymore, Nia nudged the door open further, entered the room, and found it not at all threatening like she’d expected. In fact, it looked how she thought a cozy traditional library to look. It was dark, but there were two magnificent fireplaces on either side of the large yet still intimate feeling room, each with a roaring fire blazing inside. They brought heat and also seemed to supply the only light for the room. She couldn’t see any windows and no other door except the one she’d entered through.

In the flickering firelight, she looked at an imposing Napoleon styled desk with a massive chair resting behind it, facing away from her.

“Shut the door.”

Nia jumped at the seductive tone. For a moment she’d forgotten what had brought her into the room. She needed to get a hold of herself. It was the voice’s fault for sending her thoughts spiraling into unwanted territory. This was definitely not the time or place to think about sex.

Casting her gaze around the room again, she reminded herself that she was not there for her enjoyment, despite her imagination trying to take over. For a second she thought if there were comfortable over-sized couches resting before the fireplaces, she’d be begging for time alone to immerse herself in the greatness of the room. It would’ve been purely rapturous, but there weren’t any, and she was there for a different reason.

Turning around, she shut the door with a quiet snick, only to jump back when the lock shot to with a solid click. Abruptly, she spun around to face the desk, ready to voice her displeasure over how she’d been treated thus far, when the sexy voice growled again. The pulse returned to her pussy with a vengeance.

“Sit down, Ms. Adams.”

A finger appeared from the side of chair, nonchalantly pointing at the chair she assumed was for guests. Wanting to get the meeting over with as quickly as possible, she held back her temper, and moved to sit just as she’d been outside. A rigidly straight back, knees and ankles locked together, feet flat on the floor, and her hands clasped in her lap. She was ready for whatever happened next.

©Tilly Greene, 2010

Today you can Buy Call Me Lucifer for .99 from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 30!

Today is the last day of the Big Huge Reader Contest and it's been a blast!  I hope everyone has found some books to read or hopefully new to them authors to check out further - I know I have.

These past thirty days have been my way of celebrating five years in the business and since it's the last day of the festivities, thought I'd share a bit about the book that started it all for me: Come, Sweet Creature

Tony DiTerlizzi's The Spider and the Fly [it was the fab illustrations that pulled me in] is what spoke to me the loudest when I happened upon Whiskey Creek Press Torrid's call for twisted takes on fairy tales.  Without waisting any time, I went to my bookshelves [told you above that I liked the book] and reread his flapper version, sought out the original online, and then started writing the contemporary erotic romance with bondage and D/s.

I hear you shouting:  Are you kidding me?  An erotic romance, with bondage and stuff, from a children's poem? 

Yes!  And I ask in return have you read the original 1829 Mary Botham Howitt poem lately?  No, okay, here's the opening stanza [you can find the full poem here]:

"Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to show when you are there."
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

It screams naughty things are going to happen in that parlour and not just seduction, so I ran with it!  The challenge was to make my spider and hero, Tilton Spidermach, sexy and loveable.  He's gorgeous and a good-natured player, never promising more than he can offer, and wealthy enough that it doesn't matter when his bedroom escapades are splashed across the media - which happens often.

Something I did change was in regards to my fly and heroine.  While she may be small in height, there is nothing timid or shy about her, just the opposite.  One of the twists I added [and there are a few] was for her to purposely put distance between herself and Tilton.  She may think he's hot, but he's the boss, and that is a line she won't cross - at least not knowingly.

I like write twists in my books and Come, Sweet Creature is full of them.  My first book was fun to write and hopefully fun to read!

Buy eBook from ARe│Amazon│BN│Fictionwise│Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

So, there you have it, thirty days of books - all I want to read. I've bought a few, have others on my list to get for the next reading break, and hope you guys have as well. Thank you all for commenting and making this a specactular month for me and all the authors who came to share.  For the last hurrah, I'm opening the door - go ahead, ask me a question or leave a comment, today is the last day to enter the Big Huge Reader Contest and anything goes.  I'll draw names for the three RT Booklover Convention boxes of goodies and Pink Sony eReader tomorrow - good luck to everyone!

Tilly Greene Website│Blog│Facebook│Twitter



REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 27!

Green Grass by Gemini Judson
Buy eBook from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid July 1!
Contemporary Erotic Romance

Chapter One
Angel

“Devil with the blue dress, blue dress, blue dress, devil with the blue dress on.” Kevin flailed imaginary drumsticks in the air and paused to regain his balance. He forgot his iPod again and had to rely on his own singing to entertain his hike down Jackdog Mountain.

As much as he loved his research, the weekly trek to his air quality monitoring station grew tiresome. Especially when the weather sucked like it did on this day. His raincoat smelled musty and it was his own fault. The last time he wore it, he’d balled it up and stuffed it in his backpack, soaking wet. Today the rain dribbled down his neck and shlogged in his boots. All he wanted was a hot shower. He’d felt lousy when he left his apartment, and this weather didn’t help.

The October colors flooded his senses, despite the muting effect of the rain. He passed through a stand of maples and paused to fill his lungs. The oaks and aspens harmonized to produce a color palette he could almost taste. He drew another deep breath to capture some of their energy.

The New England colors peaked early this year and with this lingering rain and wind, they wouldn’t last long. Hurricane warnings were posted far south of the Maine coastline, but any East Coast storm would dump a load his way too. He’d spent an extra amount of time at his data collection tower to reinforce the cables and check the battery pack. There might be some interesting blips if he could keep the sniffers operating during the storm.

He headed down the trail and looked for the short cut that would take about twenty minutes off his hike. Sometimes he took it, sometimes he didn’t. The steep descent had fewer switchbacks—not a straight shot down, but damn near it. Today he figured he’d slide most of the way down in the mud. He just wanted to get out of the miserable rain. A shiver of icy wind assaulted him and he felt a cold trickle between his shoulder blades. Ah, the life of a graduate student.

When Kevin came to the stream crossing, the usual easy flow roared with vigor and gave it a new face. Normally he would skip across on the rocks. Today he would need an alternate route or risk washing away in a torrent. He stooped to look at the beautiful sight and daydreamed of another place and time, another beautiful rushing river. Jessy Tanner—now Jessy Manzey, was never far from his thoughts these days. The last time he spoke to her, he’d laid it on the line. He didn’t expect anything from her, but she needed to know how he felt. Maybe she could help him move on.

“I know you’re Conrad’s girl and I know you two are meant to be together. I just can’t get you out of my head. I love you, Jessy. I really do. What do I do with that?”

“Kevin, what you and I shared together, no one but the two of us could ever understand. It’s special. And Conrad knows that and has come to accept it. But he’s the light of my life. He’s the very reason I take my next breath.”

This wasn’t a news flash. The depth of Con and Jessy’s love was inspiring to Kevin. But it still needled him.

“I love you too, Kevin. But we have to love each other deeply, as friends. You know a part of me that only two other men on the planet know. I like to think it’s an exclusive club, and you’re a life-long member.”

“Some club. I can’t even get in the door anymore. Did you change the secret hand shake?”

“I think Con resents that you were ever a member. I have to always keep that in mind.”

“Can you say you don’t think about me? About how good we felt together? God, you were so amazing in my arms.”

“It would be dangerous for me to think about that. You know how important loyalty is to Con.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have asked. You’re too good a woman to be sniffing around me.”

“Wait until you meet that girl, Kev—she’ll light up your life. Out of nowhere, she’ll hit you like a ton of bricks. Wait and see.”

Kevin stood and felt dizzy from the rush. “She hasn’t come yet, Jess. I’m losing hope.”

It’s not like he hadn’t been with a lot of women since Jessy. It had been four years, after all. They just left him empty and longing for—something. The first year of graduate school had been grueling and now he was up to his neck in thesis research. He felt grateful he currently had little time for women anyway.

He walked along the banks to search for a place to cross the rushing water. The muscles in his legs felt like tissue paper and his backpack weighed more than the contents would suggest. He felt a tug of apprehension when he looked upstream and saw a wall of rocks. I don’t remember that.

When he stepped out farther to see around the bend, his boot slipped on the slick surface. He landed with back-jolting thud on a boulder, then plunged into an icy pool. Frigid water clutched his limbs and a searing pain shot through his ankle. The wet rocks provided little traction as he struggled to get a purchase and climb out of the water. Finally he sat on the bank, wet to his waist and eased his hiking boot off his already swollen foot.

“Fuck.”

He tried to stand and winced in pain. “Double fuck.”

The wind ripped through his soaked clothes and the rain couldn’t decide if it would rather be snow. “I’m gonna be in deep shit if I don’t get going.”

He hobbled along on his excruciating ankle with the muddy boot under his arm. There was no way it would slide back on. Stupid stupid stupid. Pretty basic Boy Scout know-how. You don’t take the boot off. The trail weaved in and out of focus beneath his feet while the trees swirled and laughed above his head. Between his throbbing ankle and his dizzy head, he made slow progress.

In the distance the canopy of trees lightened and he bushwhacked with an erratic path toward the openness. The woods were gnarled and angry, deliberately impeding his efforts as twigs grabbed his jacket and jabbed his skin. Finally he looked down and saw a road far below. How the hell am I gonna get down there?

The answer came to him suddenly as the ground beneath him softened and gave way. He fell onto his butt and slid and tumbled and rolled, branches scratching him all the way down. At the bottom he lay in a heap in a puddle of water. He rolled over and looked up at a mean, gray sky. A quick survey of limbs—nothing broken. Just that damn ankle. He stood, wobbled and fell back into the puddle with a splash.

A weak light illuminated the mist around him. Kevin swiped at his eyes. A vehicle was coming. He stood and fell and stood and fell again, vaguely noticing the forest tipping sideways around him. When he arrived in the middle of the road he stood tall and waved his hands in the air. The lights approached slowly—no, just one headlight. At the last second he prayed they would see him in the gray fog. And the world went dark.


Kevin blinked the clouds from his head. What was that smell? It smelled like freshly mown grass. He blinked again. His skin tingled and felt warm.

Then he saw her.

Sitting at his side was a vision unlike anything he’d every seen.

“Are you an angel?”

The angel giggled.

“God, you must be.”

“I’ve been called a lot of things, but never an angel.”

“You’re beautiful.”

“You are too.”

But Kevin meant it. He looked closely for the flutter of wings behind her. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean and her skin creamy white. She looked as if a puff of wind would send her entire image scattering to the wind. The pearly blonde waves dashed and played at the nape of her neck. He reached out and touched her hair, certain it would feel like eider down. It was soft to the touch. “Wow. You’re real.”

The angel giggled again.

“Where am I?” Memories floated in and out of his head as he tried to piece together a history. “How did I get here?”

“You stepped into my headlights. And then fell to the ground. I brought you home. You've been asleep for a few hours. You had a fever and I think you have a nasty sprain.

Kevin had forgotten. He tried to move his ankle and winced. “Oh, shit.”

“I’ll try to get you to a doctor tomorrow.”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Adrian. Who are you?”

“Kevin Shepherd. I’m a graduate student at UMaine. I’m doing research up on Jackdog Mountain. Not a good day for a hike I guess.”

“It’s always a good day for a hike on Jackdog.”

“It smells like a garden in here.” He looked around him and above his head. Where exactly was here?

“You shivered so terribly when you came in. I rubbed you down with oil.”
Kevin lifted the sheets and realized he wasn’t wearing a lick of clothes. He looked again at the sweet blue eyes that looked like an angel. Maybe not.

“Let me get some more ice for your ankle.”

Kevin raised his arm to his nose and inhaled the oil while he took in the details of his surroundings. It looked like some old shed. Two raggedy floral blankets hung from beams to make a corner room that separated his sleeping quarters from wherever she went.

“Adrian?”

“Yeah?” She reappeared with a bag of frozen peas. “I don’t actually have ice.” Her smile sent a spark straight to Kevin’s heart. She lifted the blanket off his foot and gently touched his ankle. “The swelling has gone down. Maybe it’s not such a bad sprain after all.”

“You never told me. Where am I?”

“Well, I’m Adrian Culpepper and this is my house. I own it.”

Kevin noticed she emphasized this as if the statement might be debated. He glanced around the small space visible to him. Dark wooden walls with no insulation? No window? Was this a chicken coop? He laughed, still not clear on his whereabouts. “What part of the planet am I on?”

“We’re on the outskirts of Hatfield.”

“Hatfield? That’s on the ocean side of Jackdog. How the heck did I get here?”

“Beats me. I think you were delirious when I picked you up. Kept asking for Jessy. Did I know where Jessy was.”

Kevin swallowed hard. “Hope I didn’t make a fool of myself.”

“Not at all. Who’s Jessy? Is she your dog?”

Kevin laughed again. “No, not a dog. She’s a friend of mine. And nowhere near Jackdog. I guess I was delirious.”

“Girlfriend?”

He noticed a look. She hoped Jessy wasn’t his girlfriend. This was good. “No, I used to work with Jessy and her husband. Just good a friend.”

The angel felt his forehead. “I think my oil worked. Your fever is gone. How do you feel?”

“Weak.”

“I’ll make you some tea in a bit. You rest a while. I’ll be just on the other side of the curtain if you need anything. She disappeared.

* * * * *
Now what do I do with him? A guy that good lookin’ ought to have a warning beacon on him.

Adrian flumped into her flea market chair and contemplated her houseguest. When she saw him wave his hands in her one functioning headlight and fall to the ground, she smelled trouble. When she knelt down and saw his soft brown eyes blink up at her with confusion, she felt a tingle.

True, she was lonely. But she kept busy with her oils. And keeping an eye on her little sister was her number one priority. She looked around her home with a wave of anxiety. A one-room garage was not a home by most standards, and probably a guy like this Kevin Shepherd came from a rich family. He was a graduate student, for Pete’s sake.

No college for her. She wanted to—so badly. She was a self-taught chemist, distilling her essential oils and learning as she went. She sold them at a local natural foods store and earned very little money. Her dad left her nothing but a garage on a tiny square of land on the edge of a run down town. She turned it into a home. Good enough for now.

Maybe this Kevin Shepherd would be fun for a weekend. It was mating season, after all. She giggled as she unbuttoned her oversized flannel shirt.

Buy eBook from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid July 1!

Gemini Judson Website│Blog│Twitter


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 22!

Den of Desire by Shauna Hart
Buy eBook / Paperback from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
Romantic Suspense / Thriller

Mara Templeton may be a bestselling erotic romance writer, but deep down, she knows her identity’s a lie. She’s never come close to experimenting like her characters. Weeks from a deadline, she’s desperate to find inspiration. So when she accepts an invitation for a private tour of Club X, a club known for its exotic pleasures, she knows she is in way over her head. But nothing can prepare her for the club’s sexy owner.

Joe Gates sees right through Mara’s cool façade. He’s made a business of learning people’s secrets in Club X. And he’s good at what he does. He sees the unsatisfied desire in Mara’s eyes. And he’s more than ready to show her just what she’s been missing.

But someone else is watching, too.

Someone who will stop at nothing to claim her.


Sample of Chapter from Den of Desire by Shauna Hart

What was she doing here?

She still couldn’t believe that she’d let Lexi talk her into this. She knew that time was running out. After all, the deadline for her next erotic romance novel was only a month away, and she hadn’t written a single word. Readers expecting the next Mara Templeton novel were definitely going to be disappointed if she didn’t find some way to spark the muse. The two words that every writer dreads couldn’t have struck at a worse time.

Writer’s block.

Like the nemesis in the Harry Potter series, it was something that every writer feared but didn’t dare speak of aloud. But after a messy breakup two months ago, it had become her constant companion. She couldn’t deny that her breakup with Dan had been a shock. It wasn’t every day she found her boyfriend in bed with another woman. Still, it wasn’t like their relationship was a hot one. It wasn’t even lukewarm. After living together for four months, anything hot about their relationship had died a lonely death within the first few weeks.

So, why was she having this problem?

It was a good question.

One that she didn’t have an answer for.

Now, as she stood outside the club, she wondered if her problem wasn’t a bout of insanity. She looked up at the large X that hung over the door. At night, it would light up half of the block. But now, in the light of day, it was little more than an outline. She willed herself to knock, willed herself to be bold and brave like the characters in her books, but a part of her wavered.

When Lexi’d offered to take her to the club, she’d refused. As much as she wanted to be as wild and free as Lexi was, the truth was that they were complete opposites. She had never done anything like the things Lexi did. Until recently, it had seemed like her life was right on course. She had a successful career and a solid relationship. Now, she was beginning to see how naïve she had been.

Sensing that she was nervous about visiting the club, Lexi had set up a private walk-through with the owner during the day. She could still remember her friend’s good-natured prodding.

“What have you got to lose? Maybe if you walk around the place, you will get a few ideas. I know that I always do,” she said with a wink.

She knew Lexi was right.

What could touring the club when it was closed hurt?

She raised her hand to knock mere seconds before it was pulled open. Her gaze rose to meet an arresting pair of green eyes. One eyebrow arched.

“Miss Templeton?”

She offered him a timid smile. “Yes, I’m here to meet…”

“Joe Gates,” he replied, holding out his hand.

She wasn’t sure what she had pictured when she thought of the man who owned the hottest sex club in town. Maybe bald, with the look of a pervert? But she definitely hadn’t expected him to be so…sexy.

Why would a guy like him be working in a place like this?

She placed her hand in his, noting how large it felt as it closed around her own. Instead of shaking it, he pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.

“Lexi said you wanted a private tour,” he said.

Despite the darkness, she could feel his eyes traveling the length of her body.

“Yes,” she managed.

He pulled a remote out of his pocket to press a button. Instantly, the room was flooded with light. Mara looked down the long narrow hall, her surprise evident. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting.

But this wasn’t it.

The place looked like little more than a glorified basement with track lighting. After everything she had heard from Lexi about how wonderful the place was, this was definitely not what she had envisioned.

He walked ahead of her, and she followed behind him.

“Normally, I wouldn’t grant a request like this, but Lexi’s a friend,” he observed.

Mara’s eyebrows arched. She couldn’t help but wonder what his definition of a friend was. Had they slept together? Her gaze fell to the way his ass filled out the pair of dress slacks he wore. The man definitely wore pants well. His black hair curled over the collar of his royal blue dress shirt, which was stretched over wide shoulders.

She could see why the place stayed in business. The man was a walking advertisement for sex, even if he did seem to have a slight attitude problem. He turned the corner, and her eyes widened. Rooms lined either side of the walls, their interior lights blinking on in chorus as she walked past. Her attention was immediately drawn to a room on the left. A circular bed rotated in the center. The interior of the room was draped in purple satin.

A glance to the right revealed a stark contrast. Chains were suspended from the ceiling and the floor. A variety of toys hung from the pegs at the back of the room. She turned to look at him only to find him watching her intently.

“I’m sorry if it’s an inconvenience,” she muttered, her brain still a little scrambled from the view. She felt his gaze on her body, and her nipples tightened against the thin material of her dress.

“I didn’t say that. I just think it’s a waste of time,” he explained casually.

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

He walked over to her slowly, coming to stand before her. Reaching over, he twirled one of her blonde curls around his finger. “I don’t think you can understand what the club has to offer until you experience it firsthand.”

His words robbed the air from her lungs. She could feel the heat of his body against hers. And it felt good. Too good. Her eyes met his, and his full lips slid into a smile. Her mind went to forbidden places.

Places where naked bodies met.

She had to get a hold of herself before she did something stupid.

“Look, Mr. Gates…”

“Joe,” he corrected.

“Joe. This isn’t exactly my first book,” she reminded him curtly.

His gaze lifted to the ceiling for a moment as he replied. “Yes, I know. I’ve read them.”

Her eyebrows furrowed together. “You’ve read my books?” she asked, her surprise evident.

He stared at her but didn’t elaborate.

“And?” she prodded.

His eyebrows rose, his lips curling on a smirk. “They were…okay.”

Her eyes widened. “Okay?”

He tilted his head to the side at her reaction. “Yes.”

She drew in a deep breath in an attempt to reign in her temper. “So, you didn’t like them?”

“I didn’t say that. I just mean that it was obvious that you haven’t experimented much.”

She let out a huff of aggravation. “I’m not exactly a virgin, Mr. Gates,” she replied, her lips pursed.

His eyes traveled over her body in blatant interest. “Not exactly,” he agreed.

“Has anyone ever told you that you have a lot of nerve?” she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm.

His mischievous grin made her want to slap him. “I got the memo.”

“For your information, I’ve been with a lot of guys,” she offered.

In reality, all of three, but he didn’t have to know that.

“Really? Then I am sorry.”

She nodded. The man’s arrogance was astounding.

“I’m sorry that none of them could take you the way you want to be taken.”

“They took me just fine,” she countered defensively.

One eyebrow arched. “Not enough. And not the way you wanted them to,” he explained.“Why do you think you’ve suddenly become such an expert on me and what I want?” she challenged.

His smug grin nearly did her in. “I read your books.”

She sighed heavily. He took a step closer, his hand coming up to curl around her nape. His thumb trailed along the line of her jaw. Her mouth parted of its own volition as he leaned in.

“You want to be taken, Mara,” he said, his breath wafting over her lips. “You want to be taken so deeply that you only exist for pleasure.”

All rational thought seemed to disappear with his nearness. As much as he irritated her, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have his lips against hers, his tongue seeking out every hidden part of her mouth.

“I…” she stuttered.

“I could show you. But not while the club is closed.”

She told herself to back away, to tell him to go to hell, but her feet stayed rooted to the floor. She couldn’t deny that she was intrigued. The smoky depth of his voice teased her with something she had fantasized about for years but never admitted out loud. True, she had been with other lovers, but none of them had been able to take her to the heights she had heard Lexi muse about. Maybe deep down she had begun to believe that she would never reach them.

But as Joe’s body pressed into hers, she wondered…

“I don’t…” she began.

His finger came up to cover her lips, effectively silencing her. “Don’t you want to know? Don’t you want to feel what your characters feel?” he taunted.

Oh, God.

She did.

More than she could ever admit.

To herself. And to a stranger.

“Because until you do, you’re cheating yourself and you’re cheating them.”

She forced herself to look away from the smoldering heat in his gaze, and he dropped his hand.

“I appreciate the offer, Mr. Gates. But I’m just not into…” She trailed off, unable to describe the events that took place here.

His answering smile mocked her cowardice. “Yes, you are. You wouldn’t write about it if you weren’t curious.”

He took her hand, leading her over to a large picture window. Inside, a rectangular table covered in black leather was the only furniture. Straps lined the sides.

“Imagine what it would be like. Blindfolded. Strapped down. Completely bare. All you can do is feel.”

His words made her body cry out to be filled. She could feel his erection against her buttocks, and despite the warning in her head, she wanted more.

“Have you ever been taken like that? Given your body so completely to another?”

No.

She hadn’t.

She had never thought she could or wanted to. But standing before him, feeling him against her as she listened to the husky sound of his voice, she realized that she did.

“Come to the club tonight.”

His breath teased the sensitive skin of her ear. It made her want to agree to anything he asked.

“I…”

He turned her to face him. “I’m not asking you to participate, Mara. Not yet, anyway. I just want you to see it. I want you to see what people experience when they come here.”

She bit the inside of her lip. “Just to watch?”

He smiled, his gaze feeling as intimate as any touch she had ever experienced. “Nothing will happen that you don’t want to happen,” he assured her.

That, she was afraid, was the problem.

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Shauna Hart Website


REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 16!

From Out of the Shadows by Linda Mooney
Buy eBook from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid
Erotic Paranormal/Fantasy Romance

Croat was a Lupan, one of the half-man, half-beast creatures long thought to be extinct or fabricated from fairy tales. Lupan were folklore, nothing more than a myth.

Tora was a Sensitive. Her kind really existed, and normal people feared Sensitives because it was common knowledge that all Sensitives were evil and practiced the dark magicks.

Captured and thrown together inside Baron Agrino’s dungeon, they discovered a connection between them that defied all reason, and a love that transcended all boundaries.

But is their love strong enough to stop the baron from what he’ll do with every Lupan he plans to capture? Or, worse, what he’ll do with Tora once he learns what she is?

Warning! Contains torture, imprisonment, severe beatings, nasty bad guys, public nudity, molten wax, old wives' tales, forest folk, bad horsemanship, and lots of pissed off townspeople.


Excerpt

Some time during the night a commotion outside her door dragged her out of her restless sleep. Tora listened intently to the obvious sounds of a struggle, holding her breath as the noise grew louder and closer.

There were shouts and cursing, audible although muffled. She could make out a howling or growling, much like a dog fighting its master. Her first thought was that the new prisoner was giving his captors difficulty. It had to be a man, rather than a woman or child. Perhaps more than one man. It definitely sounded as though several jailors had their hands full with their recalcitrant victim. Silently she wished the new prisoner luck at fighting the baron’s men. If he was being brought here, it meant that the baron wanted him alive. Otherwise the soldiers would have already killed him.

The struggle came nearer until it stopped at her door. Suddenly, there was a key in the lock, and the door flew open so hard, it slammed into the wall. Before it could bounce back, at least a dozen men began to pour into the tiny cell, struggling to keep the prisoner from escaping. In their midst was a net made of heavy rope, wherein their captive fought to escape. One man carried a lantern, but the pale light did little to illuminate things enough for her to see clearly.

The cursing and screaming was deafening. Tora squeezed herself against the wall as tightly as she could, never taking her eyes off of the dark form being beaten into submission. They used whatever they had to punish the man: chains, rifle butts, boots. The baron’s men eventually dropped their victim, but instead of backing away, they continued to pummel the man.

She knew it would be useless to beg the soldiers to leave the man be. Still, she had to tightly press her lips together to keep from yelling at them. For what seemed like hours, the guards savagely attacked the poor soul. Someone came in with a whip. The sound of it hitting raw flesh was sickening. They cursed at their target, spat on it, and some laughed. Tora flinched at the brutality inflicted. Tears fell when she heard the crunch of bones being broken, and the wet squelch of bleeding wounds. A thin trail of blood trickled across the stone floor, between the soldier’s feet, and nearly reached her. In the singular light of the lantern, the wetness was as black as the night sky.

She was on the verge of covering her ears with her hands when the beatings finally stopped. The soldiers stepped back, ripping the net away from their victim. For several long minutes they silently eyed the still form, until one of their number spoke up.

"Is he dead?"

"Naw. But when he comes to, he’ll wish he was," another answered.

They turned and began filing out of the cell. One man glanced over at where Tora was huddled against the wall. She couldn’t see his face, but she knew he was smiling. The soldiers always smiled after inflicting any sort of cruelty on another helpless human being.

The last armed man gave the still figure a final kick before he left, locking the door behind him. With the only source of light gone, the cell once again grew pitch black. Her quiet world shifted back into place—only now she was sharing it with another person. A person who had been beaten nearly to death. From where she sat, Tora could hear the poor man’s labored breathing. Every few seconds he would groan in pain. Her heart went out to him.

Slowly, carefully, she got onto her knees and inched her way over to the unconscious figure. Holding out a hand, she sought the man’s pulse, hoping she would find it strong. Many years ago she had discovered she could survive almost anything. But if this man died and was allowed to rot in this place, Tora wondered if she could live through that experience.

Could she survive through another long and agonizing death?

"Sir...Sir, let me help you." She lowered her hand, expecting to encounter chilled, if not bloodied flesh. Instead, her fingers felt hair. Long, thick hair.

Not believing what she was feeling, she extended her arm as far as it would reach to find his shoulder. An arm. And more thick, fur-like hair. Her immediate reaction was to jerk back in sudden terror.

Oh, please. God, no! It couldn’t be, she argued with herself. It was a man lying on the blisteringly cold stone floor. It was a man who had been the target of those soldiers’ venom. It had to be. There was no way it could be...

Lupan.

Even the thought of the possibility that she could be trapped in here with a half-man, half-wolf creature sent terror pulsing through her body. Solid reasoning reminded her that there were no such beings as Lupans anymore. Lupans hadn’t existed for centuries. In fact, they were considered extinct, if they had ever lived at all. Creatures now of myth and legend. Monsters only kept alive in stories, to be told to children in order to make them behave.

Tora squeezed her eyes shut, counted to ten, and opened them, hoping to see more of the being lying nearby. Unfortunately there was no moon tonight, and no other outside light could penetrate the darkness. Still, she could barely make out the man’s...beast’s?...shape. Cautiously, she reached out again to find a thick pelt, now sticky and warm.

Blood. Its sickly smell filled the room.

The man gave a shuddering breath and moaned. The sound was heartbreaking. Worse, it sounded human. Terrifying creature of myth or not, he was in excruciating pain. Gathering her courage, Tora spread her fingers over his back, letting the dense hairs tickle her palm. Then, little by little, she opened herself up to his agony.

It was like absorbing fire.

Tora hissed as the burning pain seeped through her skin, surged into her blood vessels, and penetrated her muscles. With the pain came the additional torment of broken and shattered bones. She mentally located them—two ribs, the lower left arm, and his left collarbone. As she continued to examine him, reaching where she could, she discovered several areas where his flesh was raw and pulpy. Yet everywhere she touch, she met fur. And the more she investigated, the less evidence she found that felt human.

As her fingers traveled over a large, bleeding tear near the damaged arm, the man-beast shrank slightly from her touch, and a deep growl softly warned her to be careful. This time Tora immediately retreated back to her side of the room.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you," she told him in a gentle voice, and hoped he wouldn’t notice it was also quaking. "I know where you’re hurt, and I wish I could help, but I can’t when it’s dark like this." She could feel the blood cooling and congealing on her hand. She wiped as much of it as she could on her skirt. "Come daylight, I’ll see what I can do, but I’m afraid it won’t be enough. You’ve been badly injured, and you’ve lost a lot of blood. You also have some broken ribs, plus a broken bone in your arm and collarbone." Sighing loudly, Tora added, "I don’t have anything to clean your wounds or bind them. I’m sorry. It looks like it’s going to be a long night for both of us, I’m afraid."

She waited, listening intently for the creature to respond. After a while it was clear it either wasn’t going to say anything. Maybe it wasn’t capable of complete human speech.

Curling up as tightly as she could, Tora tried to find a comfortable position in which to get some sleep. The attempt would prove futile, as the cold made it nearly impossible to rest. Add the fact that a huge creature she had believed no longer existed lay unchained less than six feet away, compounded her fear and distress.

The worst was yet to come, and the thought of what she had still to face filled her with dread. In the morning, she would see for the first time what her hands had described. And if the legends and tales proved true, it could very well be her last morning of life.

Because everyone knew how much Lupans craved human flesh.

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Linda Mooney Website

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REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

Big Huge Reader Contest - Day 1!

Good, Bad and Kinky Duet by Tilly Greene
Call Me Lucifer
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Paranormal Erotic Romance / Bondage and Light D/s

My Angel
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Paranormal Erotic Romance / Bondage

Book settings are very important. So important, the entire story won't work if the locations are wrong, unbelieveable, or too convoluted to grasp.

When I'm setting up a book and thinking about the basic details [who, what, and where], I remember a particular book where the author used a place I knew and made a simple logistical mistake. Ultimately, I was pulled not just from the scene, but the book of which I had been enjoying, and the author. I never picked that author up again and I really liked them. Harsh, but if that mistake is still in my head almost 15 years later, I have a feeling it would be there if I were to pick up their latest.

Why not just make it up? You'd think that would be the answer for contemporary or paranormals, but the problem with creating a location is that an author can get too heavily detailed [gasp, horror :-)] or, even worse, over compensate and not offer enough information so the reader has no idea where everything is taking place.

So what is the ultimate solution?

Do what fits. Sounds simple, but it's actually far from it, and to mix the real with the made up is even more of a challenge, and I loved doing it.

You see, the Good, Bad and Kinky duet is, out of necessity, a mix of actual and created. They are paranormals with locations required by their plots that are well known to readers, Heaven and Hell, except they aren't available for research visits and many readers already have their own images set for them. Tricky to work with in those parameters and to up the [unintentional] difficulty, there comes a time in each story when the action moves to the surface, and suddenly they're contemporaries with actual locations used. The opening chapters of Call Me Lucifer dabble in a LA courtroom, moves to Hell, and then ends in a beach front house in Malibu. My Angel begins in Heaven and then shifts to small village, Knaresborough, in the north of England.

For the real settings, I visited each place, and took pictures and notes. Confession time: I knew them both Malibu and Knaresborough quite well, lived in one of the towns, but things change over time. Because I wanted to put the reader there, tempt them to visit if ever given the opportunity, I didn't want to rely on memory alone. Let me give you an example. In My Angel Tom and Ann walk from town to his home on the river:

"They walked through the police station car park and into the castle yard. There were a few people playing lawn bowling and some others walking around the grounds, taking in the view. A train chugged over the impressive viaduct and, as they started the making their way down the steep hill, she discovered with each step how beautiful the small town nestled in the valley truly was." [© Tilly Greene, May 2010 [All Rights Reserved]]

And this is the picture I took during my research trip:



Well? Did I put you there? Make you want to visit Knaresborough if you were ever in England?

Hang on, I hear you, what about the paranormal places, like Hell. Can a writer do anything to make someone want to visit Hell?  Probably not, but I can give you an idea of what this particular version of Hell is like. Confession time 2: Heaven and Hell were both fun settings to play, probably because I was able to twist things around to suit me and my characters, without doing too much to interfer with the set image a reader may have of both places. For instance, in Call Me Lucifer, there are no shrill screams echoing down the hallways or people being tortured with whips, but because this is a romance, there are elegant fireplaces, large enough for Satan to walk through with fires blazing. Cool. Sorry, sizzle hot :-)

Now it's your turn: How do you like your settings? Real? Created? Heavy on the details or showing the reader nothing but what's happening on the bed?

Other books of mine where I made research visits:
Extreme Speed, Total Control [Paris, France, Laguna Beach, CA., and Edinburgh, Scotland]
An Invitation to the World: India [Mumbai and Chennai, India]
The Leather Bride [NYC, NY.]
Taming Marie Antoinette [Paris, France]
OohRah! [Laguna Beach, CA.]
The Gilded Cage [London and York, England]
Highland Heat [London, England and Inverness to the Isle of Skye, Scotland]
Double Punch [San Francisco, CA.]
And She Scores! [Laguna Beach, CA.]

and...
Call Me Lucifer [Malibu, CA.]
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My Angel [Knaresborough and Leeds, England]
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Tilly Greene Website│Blog│Facebook│Twitter

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REMEMBER
Commenting and/or asking questions on an author’s blog for the day will enter you into the Big Huge Reader Contest for a Pink Sony eReader or one of three boxes packed full of RT Booklovers Convention goodies. Unfortunately, due to the grand prize being an electronic and weight of the other three boxes, this contest is for US residents only.

My Sexy Signature

Reading the June InStyle magazine, I came across seven pictures with the title Sexy Signatures: a very incomplete history, and it had me thinking what my sexy signature would be. Not for me personally, but in relation to my books.
The seven sexy signatures they offered are:

Lady Godiva - long hair
Bettie Page - blunt bangs
Marilyn Monroe - beauty mark
Sophia Loren - cleavage
Farrah Fawcett - winged hair
Tine Turner - legs
Jennifer Lopez - derriere

Interesting list and I could see what they were focused on.  Each woman and their signature are one. So, what do I write, intentially or not, that is always there?

Body image.

Whether the heroine is skinny, curvy, tall, short, athletic or not, they are all content with their shapes. It's everywhere,women aren't comfortable in their own skin, and often unknowingly pass this displeasure with their body to their daughters, who will likely share it with their daughters. So, with that rotten fruit sitting in my mind, I decided at the onset of writing that my female characters wouldn't be physically perfect and would still be happy.


So, in Ride 'em, Sunny is bone thin and flat chested. Fine, she dresses to enhance what she has, and downplay what she doesn't. Then there's Nia from Call Me Lucifer. She is beyond short, has serious curves, and always wears stiletto's [the higher the better] and will know she's found her man when he looks beyond her bust.

Think about it. A person wears what they want, knows they look good, exudes confidence with every step they take. That's sexy and therefore someone who is comfortable in their skin, no matter what shape, color, or proportion it's in, is sexy.

Robin Hood looks good, but what about the scenery?

If you are thinking of visiting England, after seeing some of the sites in London, I suggest you escape the chaos of city life, which can be found everywhere, and head north!

Robin Hood, to be released in May 2010, was partly filmed in the North in such places as Alnwick Castle [Hogwarts from Harry Potter books] and Bamburgh Castle and are definitely must see sites, but not too far from these places is even more that should be visited.

Lindisfarne, or Holy Island, is across the bay from Bamburgh and can only be reached when the tide is out .  It is a small island and is a nature reserve and rich in history with a castle, ruined monastary/museum, and the island is known for their mead.  So, if you're a fan of the Celts and celtic books, this is a must visit place.

Now, head south, and you'll land in the place lovers of Vampires books and movies should visit, Whitby.

Why?  Because this is the place Irish author, Bram Stoker, holidayed during summer breaks and also has brought loads of interesting local tidbits into Dracula. 

Everytime but one [the rain won out on that visit] we've climbed the stairs from town up to the abbey and afterwards, never remember if it was 199 or 198.  I think the first step is a dubious one at a couple inches.

Now, Fish & Chips can be found all across England, but smoked kippers from Fortunes are a must do and they are limited in their opening times so head there immediately.  I happen to eat nothing that exists in the water [and yet I love visiting England's coastal gems], but my cutie does and grew up not too far from here.  He makes a point to stop for a couple kippers from this place for breakfast.

St Mary's Church is another gem to visit in Whitby and make sure to walk through the graveyard - it's sad when you realize how many are for very young and a few empty ones give you a spooky feeling.

Have a seafaring fan in the house?  Then a little further south from Whitby is Staithes, hometown of Captain James Cook, and it is definitely worth checking out as well.

A village that is the ultimate definition of small village life [parking up on the hill and walk down to the homes].  This is where it is said the man who would go on to chart Hawaii amongst other places became enamored with exploring the seas.

From there, you can head inland, and within minutes you're on the North Yorkshire Moors where such books as Wuthering Heights and All Creatures Great and Small are set and museums for the Brontës and Herriot are located.  To the east is the Lake District and Beatrix Potter and further south is York with it's incredible Minster, Jorvik Viking Centre, The Shambles and on the outskirts is Castle Howard, where Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited was filmed.

That is just a tiny portion of what can be seen and experienced in the North of England.  The history is deep [don't forget about the War of the Roses] at every turn and plenty of literary / artistic [Henry Moore has a fabulous museum in Leeds and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 500 acres of parkland is near Wakefield] influences to keep everyone eager for what's next.

So, yes, the new Robin Hood film looks good, but every promo I see makes me think about all the other fabulousness that can be found around northern England.

One last thing, because I love this part of England and there is that bit about writing what you know, I've also used it in my own books.  You can find the North of England in The Gilded Cage / Hot Couture [Leeds] and the newly released My Angel [Leeds and Knaresborough].

My Angel is OUT!

I used to live in England, North Yorkshire in particular, and we always visit the small town we lived in last. It's called Knaresborough and is simply stunning to see and as old as dirt. Why do I say that? It was noted in the Doomsday Book [1086] and I figure that is seriously old.

So, on one of my trips to England, I went to Knaresborough to write for the day and visit some of my favorite haunts. What I came away with was the plot and characters for a story that ended up being developed further the next day when I went to Leeds - a place I went to university and lived.  Just like that, I had My Angel started and unintentionally fit side-by-side with Call Me Lucifer.  There was not much thought needed to call the duet Good, Bad and Kinky because that is exactly what the two stories entail.

My Angel by Tilly Greene

Paranormal Erotic Romance/Bondage

Available through Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Not everything worth having is easy to obtain.

Ann Miller was murdered as a toddler and ended up in Heaven without ever really living. She’s never questioned what she missed experiencing, not until she earns her Guardian Angel wings. With them fluttering happily around her, she discovers what being in love truly feels like and wants to embrace it fully.

As a drummer for the band of the decade, Tom Baker leads a decadent life that takes a toll on him, and he works hard to take back control of his life. Ann is there to watch over him and the more time she spends with him, the more she wants. Then her luck changes.

Ann is given the chance to live again with the man she loves, but there are conditions. She must wait for him to proclaim his heart first...and there’s a time limit.

Read an Excerpt.

Can he really be sexy?

Fact:  I don't use real people to help build my characters.

There are problems that come along with doing that, like everyone has their own opinions of who a person is, and often can't open up to other possibilities.  Thankfully, I have an expansive imagination, and happily rely on it to create the people who populate my work.  That is one of the perks of being a writer - allowing the creative juices to freely flow.

So, when it came time to develop Lucifer, despite his having a well known reputation, it actually came very easily.

Physically and personality-wise, he has little incommon with the Devil who everyone believes they know.  But wait a second, so there is no misunderstanding, my hero is the real Satan, but for me, he is much more than the job of recruiting people to reside in his abode - Hell.  That said, what does the ultimate bad boy actually look like?

"Without any warning, the chair started to slowly swivel around. Nia held her breath, tense to see what the man looked like. As he moved into the firelight, she was faced with the most handsome man she’d ever encountered. Her imagination won the war. The pulsating rhythm in her pussy sped up and matched her heartbeat. The tandem beating held her undivided attention and she couldn’t find the willpower to look away.

Dang, she was in even deeper trouble than she’d thought.

The man had a commanding presence and oozed power, a very seductive combination. His mink brown hair was cropped close and dark brown eyes instantly pulled Nia in and entranced her. His chin was strong and his nose was slightly crooked. Lovely. In the low flickering light, it looked like he wore a traditional white dress shirt and sedate tie with a classic dark suit. The man sitting on the other side of the desk was obviously a professional of some sort, a higher up on the corporate ladder, and with a voice that touched her in a very sexual way.

If there was a type of guy she was attracted to, then he was it. A businessman who used his mind and not brawn to get what he wanted."
Copyright © 2010 Tilly Greene

Well?  Are businessmen sexy?  Of course!  All that power, confidence, and self assurance is yummy.  Okay, what about a Lucifer - would he be sexy in a suit and tie?  I think so.  The bad boy who uses his brain is pretty hot, especially when he's stripped and getting creative in the bedroom. 

Did you notice from the cover Kendra Egbert created that he isn't hiding who he truly is? The horns and tail are there, but Lucifer is showing the man he truly wants to be for Nia - her lover and hero.

Buy eBook from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Call Me Lucifer is OUT!

While daydreaming, I wondered if Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, whatever you call him, I wondered if he could be a hero - a romantic hero with honest love and respect for a woman.  I didn't want it to be a man called Lucifer or a devil of a character who finds love, I wanted to rework the actual evil incarnate into a dreamboat.  A dreamboat who isn't a neutered version, but one retains some naughtiness that he embraced for an eternity.

It was a blast to flesh out someone with the worst reputation known to exist.  So, was I successful in the challenge I set out to fulfill?  I think so, but now you can judge for yourself.

Call Me Lucifer by Tilly Greene
Paranormal Erotic Romance/Bondage and D/s
Available through Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

He is much more than the horrific job title and now he needs to prove it to her!

Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, works hard dishing out punishments and asks for little in return, until now. He's been waiting an eternity for a woman who would bring out his gentle side, his need to love and be loved in return. He’d started to wonder if she even existed but at last he’s found her, in a courtroom arguing for a tougher sentence.

After his first introduction to Nia Adams, a sexy petite firebrand, he spends all his time on the surface at her side. They have a serious relationship and he’s sure the emotion bouncing between them is love. Then she lies to him about how she feels.

While difficult to hear, the lie opens a door. It gives him the only chance he’ll ever have to show her who the man behind the horrific job title really is. And he takes it with both hands.  

Read an Excerpt.

Best of Torrid Teasers Vol. 2 - Tilly Greene's excerpt #4

AN INVITATION TO THE WORLD:  INDIA [Contemporary Erotic Romance]

Bollywood starlet, Sati Chaudhari, has had most her life controlled by her uncle, except for one thing. He can’t manage who she loves. While away from his authority, she meets and eventually marries Bodhi Burke, a hotel mogul. Unfortunately, their need for secrecy continues, and their busy lives keep them apart. Not satisfied, he buys a private island, a place for them alone.


Excerpt (G-rated)

Chapter One

"What a beautiful day. I can't believe it's deserted out here on the Theosophical Society's grounds. It's a national holiday and the city is bursting at the seams with people, but not out here. I'm happy we have it all to ourselves. It's so peaceful sitting here beneath this big old banyan tree."


The young couple had eyes only for each other as they prepared to take a major step in their lives together.

"Are you sure with what we're about to do, Sati?"

"Oh yes, Bodhi, most definitely. I love you, belong with you and will have you as my husband."

"My heart, you know your remaining family, your uncle and his clan, will no longer claim you as a Chaudhari."

"I understand. Yes, I'm grateful they took me in when I was young, but there has never been any love or respect for me as a person. Up to this point my uncle has dictated my life. It's time for me to take control and make my own decisions. I'm responsible for choosing where I go for the rest of my years and it's with you." She reached over and stroked her fingertips across the masculine stubble decorating his cheek.

He was a strikingly handsome man, which made her a very lucky woman to possess his heart.

As she defied convention by touching him in public, she thought about her life. She had worked very hard and the result had been her reputation as a beloved Bollywood starlet. It was only business, she understood that. Still, she'd been pleasantly surprised when her agent, Vasin told her how the name Sati Chaudhari on a marquee was sought after. It meant millions upon millions of rupees earned for those with their fingers in the pot.

There was often a downside to success and hers was being overworked. A while back she'd been on a set, filming and the press had started to speculate about the cause of her apparent exhaustion. Not wanting to have anything negative associated with her or the film, Vasin had pushed for a break.

Thankfully, an opening for a spa weekend at the exclusive Raj Lake Palace floating on Lake Pichola in Udaipur had been found. She'd headed straight there, looking forward to the peace they offered in the beautiful setting. Unfortunately, once she stepped into the lobby a guest had recognized her and the restful weekend looked impossible. After having gained her autograph, he'd begun to make a nuisance of himself. Then her future husband had stepped around the corner and into her life.

"Do you remember when we first met?" Her query was barely heard over the rustling leaves.

"How could I forget? You appeared so fragile in the lobby as that fan was trying to push in on you."

"You stepped out from around the corner and took my breath away. So very handsome and, like a knight in shining armor, you escorted me away from the chaos and handled everything personally. You made me feel so special."

She smiled with fond memories over that first weekend. It had been full of confidential meetings where they'd talked about their likes and dislikes, dreams of the future and the horrors of reality. By the end her break, they'd made plans to meet up gain, and then again. Eventually their secret rendezvous led to even more interludes.

It would be fair for people to believe he was obnoxious, arrogant and snobbish, being born into a family of privilege, yet she'd never found him to be any of those things. In fact he was the direct opposite.

Bodhi Burke was a confident and open-minded man who worked hard in the family hotel business and was determined to take the company around the world. With an Englishman and half-Indian woman for parents, he mainly took after his Anglo father. Very tall, physically fit and handsome, yet his mother's genes were definitely in the mix with his silky soft, rich brown hair and light hazel eyes.

Fixing her eyes to his, she thought how the surrounding thick, long black lashes would be the envy of many women. Suddenly, she felt nervous and Sati looked for assurances.

"Do you have doubts?"

"None." There was no change in his direct gaze, nothing in his body language that showed any hesitation. He was as sure as she that their decision was the best one for them both. "Sati, my love, have I told you today what a beautiful bride you make?"


Now available from Whiskey Creek Press Torrid

Sexy Saturday Sex Scene - #3!

It's Saturday again and here is another round of Stella Price inspired game: Sexy Saturday Sex Scenes.

In case you missed the past two weeks, Sexy Saturday Sex Scenes is a contest, and the details are:

Read the sex scene, and pick a song that you think could be playing in the background during said scene. Post the song in the Hot Thoughts Blog comments section. On Sunday, a winner will be picked from the comments. So you have untill 5pm (est) on Sunday.

What do you win? An ecopy of the book where the sex scene is featured.  So, are you ready?  Here is my third Sexy Saturday Sex Scene.


Extreme Speed, Total Control

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance (there is a menage a trois scene)

Length: 35k

BUY NOW LINK


“Are your nipples large? I can feel the tips are tight, but a big areola surrounding a beautifully pointed peak is such a turn-on. When we were doing the sittings for the painting, I would sit there and just look at you, specifically, your breasts. I would try and see if I could discern any of their finer details. There were times when your tips would poke straight out through your t-shirt and drive me nuts. My mouth would be watering by the end of our sessions, eager to latch on and suck, nibble and gnaw to my heart’s content. Eager?”

“Yes.”

“Better and better, a woman not afraid of her lustful nature.”

“Nope, not afraid and now horny as hell.”

“Raunchy raw sex is what I prefer, can you handle that?”

“Perfect, I like nothing more than an excellent fuck.”

Releasing her breasts with a few last twists, Kirk turned her to face him. His hands rested on her hips as hers reached up to wrap around his neck. Through the maneuver, Lia skillfully maintained a steady grip on her champagne glass. Leaning down, he kissed her soft, full lips.

A cool wicked tongue eased back and forth along the seam between the plump folds until they fell open to his ravishment. The organ made a thorough search of her mouth, ending far too quickly with a tangling, thrusting kiss as one of his hands stroked a bare ass cheek.

“Hmmm.”

While her head was lost in their kiss, his hand slid around her thigh and up to cup one half of the split peach ass, his hand and wrist hidden by the draped fabric of her skirt. It was a wonderful feeling, having this strong man playing to her body’s desires.

Four bold fingertips eased down her crack, ending with a mere brush against her pussy before starting on their return journey up. His thumb found the fine gold chain she wore low, around her hips.

It must have been curiosity that sent his hand out, searching for more hidden discoveries, which he did. What he found was a dozen fine gold strands hanging down from the waist chain. They each ended with various sized crystals and gently slapped against her inner thighs and mound when she moved.

“Ummm, you are a real Pandora’s box. I am eager to open you up and start discovering what gets you ardently scaling the wall to climax and more importantly, what will send you tumbling over the edge, again and again.”

“Let’s go now.”

“Oh no, my little ripe woman. We have a party to attend and celebrations to laud before we go fuck like rabid bunnies.”

With a last squeeze of her ass, Kirk started to step back from her clasp. Not willing to let him walk away from this lurid encounter unscathed, Lia waited until he turned and motioned for her to precede him out the door and back down to the party. Only then did she lay a smart slap on his ass and with a last look over her shoulder, she gave as good as she could with her mind wallowing in the need to come.

“Then I suggest you conserve your energy and not drink too much. You might like it raunchy but I like it hard, loud and often.”

After her parting shot, an easy laugh burst forth at his look of surprise. A look of hard lust rushed across his beautiful features. Head held high, Lia sauntered out of the room with confidence this was going to be a fantastic evening after all.

“Nothing better than a saucy woman.” With a lecherous grin, he followed her swishing form, catching up with her just in time to take her arm and rest it upon his, formally escorting her to rejoin the festivities.


Your turn, what song do you hear playing as Kirk makes a play for Lia at a New Years Eve party in a museum?