Teaser Tuesday ~ Gemini

Springhill publishing is a place where drama is created and sold for profit. When events surrounding the staff of Springhill start rivaling the dramatic pros of their authors it’s anyone’s guess what is going to happen next and who will be the latest victim.

Teaser ~

Publishing Mogul Aidan Durrant walked through the doors of the top floor at Springhill Publishing. A typical day, he had a slew of meetings, projects, and details all waiting on his review and or completion. Feeing a tingle on the back of his neck, he looked up. It was quiet, too quiet. Almost like the calm before the storm, he dismissed it walking by Chief Editor Leo Cadilli’s office.

"Aidan."

"Yeah?" Aidan turned hearing Leo, his gruff voice typical of a man who spent years yelling over the mechanical presses in a newspaper outlet. The man had been in some part of the publishing business for over four decades. He’d hired Aidan ten years before and mentored him, encouraging and guiding every move he’d made in the publishing world.

"Did you meet with Wailand on the twenty-fourth?" Leo stepped into the hallway.

Aidan couldn’t help but cringe a little at the thought of Literary Agent Derek Wailand, "Uh...the twenty-third?"

"Twenty-fourth."

Aidan straightened his back, searching his mind so some reason Leo was asking. Any meetings with Wailand tended to be memorable if only for the migraine he always endured after. "I don't think so, what was it about?"

"I don't know."

Aidan nodded his head. "Tess would know for sure. What's up?"

"Nothing." Leo put his hands in his pockets, his short stature only adding to his commanding presence. "Just let me know okay?"

"Yeah sure."

"You ready for today?"

"Yeah, definitely."

"Good. You pull this off and you can start writing the checks."

"Goals are good.”

“Results are better."

"Yeah."

Leo retreated into his office and Aidan racked his brain for the events of the twenty-fourth. He stopped at the coffee machine pouring himself a cup. He then walked into the office and his executive assistant aka partner in crime, Tess Winters entered the office seconds after him.

"Morning."

"Good morning Aidan," Tess picked up a file from his desk. "You have staff in forty."

"Yes, I do." Aidan looked over the items he'd left scattered across the desk from the night before beginning to feel a little overwhelmed.

"When you get back, we can start on the galleys for the tenth, I've already gone through everything up until then."

"You have?"

"Yeah."

"When?"

"This morning." Tess walked out of the office and then back in, Eileen, a marketing staffer followed. Tess focused on her tablet, picked up the phone on his desk dialing a number before turning to Eileen. "Make sure you make it for three. It can't conflict with the GC lockdown."

Aidan scratched the back of his neck, attempting to keep up with the flood of activity. Normally he could ignore the distraction of business but today that was not the case. "What time did you get here?"

"Five." Tess glanced at the phone, handing him the receiver. “Ben Weaver, contract change for the summit.”

“Crap. You can handle him, can’t you?”

“No, I can’t. He’ll only talk to you.” Tess put the phone in his hand and moved to the credenza behind him collecting files.

Aidan started to reach for the hold button but stopped. "Tess, what were you doing here at five am?"

"There is a lot to do before The Summit, I decided to get a head start."

Tess turned and started out of the office. "Tess."

"Weaver.”

“Yeah, I know. He can wait a minute.”

“What?”

"Did I meet with Wailand on the twenty-third?"

"It was the twenty-fourth, and no."

"How do you know that?"

“Aidan, talk to Weaver.”

“Fine, but don’t disappear.” Aidan engaged Ben Weaver the owner of the resort they would be holding Springhill’s Author Summit.

An annual event, it took months of planning and prepping. Seven days of speeches, workshops, dining, networking and schmoozing. It was the best of times and the worst of times.

Twelve minutes later Aidan appeared in the door of his office looking for Tess. He found her balancing a stack of files in her arms and a tablet in her hand. She handed Aidan the tablet and a file off the top of the stack.

"Tess do you have the Summit schedule?" Clara, a new intern asked, taking a stance just behind where she stood.

"Yeah." Tess turned to Clara retrieving the needed file out of the stack of files she held. "Don't schedule anything on the twelfth we’re already booked." Clara took the file and disappeared.

"Maggie, can you crunch the Dennison numbers for me?" Aidan requested to a support staffer two desks form where they stood.

"Sure." Maggie nodded.

Aidan opened the file in his hands. "How do you know I didn't meet with him?"

"That was the day you spilled coffee on your shirt."

"I didn’t..."

"The twenty-fourth was the day after the third meeting with Ronald Lewis and we were here until four am rewriting the summary points for his marketing package." Tess leaned against the doorframe.

"That was hellish, but what does that have to do with the meeting?" Aidan asked as he watched her handle him and the rest of the chaotic office with ease. She was constantly amazing him with her ability to juggle eighteen things while having five different conversations and still manage to keep smiling.

"The next day, after you’d been on conference calls most of the morning, I came into the office to remind you of the meeting with Wailand and found you asleep at your desk. I didn't realize it until too late and you spilled the cup of coffee in your hand down the front of your shirt." Aidan began to recall the incident.

"I wasn't asleep."

"Aidan."

"I was thinking. So why did you cancel the meeting?"

"You told me to." An intern handed Aidan a document.

"This was sent over from Ginger." The intern said.

Aidan looked at it briefly. "Are theses the GC numbers?"

"Yeah." The intern replied as she walked out of the office.

"Why would I do that?"

"What?" Focused on the file in front of her, Tess didn’t bother to look up.

"Tell you to cancel the meeting."

“You have fifteen minutes to get to Leo’s office.”

“I have twenty-three minutes. Answer the question.”

"Because you had coffee down the front of your shirt, you were exhausted and you said, I quote "Anyone who can't tell me why he wants to see me doesn't deserve to see me." Tess moved to her desk. "Kathy, can you please call Bridgett in editing and tell her that we can't do it on the sixth, but we can do it on the eighth." Kathy nodded and walked away. “Thank you!”

"I said that?" Aidan replied looking up in annoyance at her remembering the events so accurately. "I never said that."

Aidan held his breath in realization he was not only picking a fight with Tess who knew everything and was rarely wrong, but he was also calling her a liar.

 Not a good day Durrant.

He waited patiently for the wrath to begin. Today was the deadline for all things Summit and they, aka he, had a big presentation this afternoon.

"Aidan you can believe anything you want in that genius mind of yours, but there were witnesses and it doesn't matter does it? You didn't take the meeting, there were too many other things on the docket, and it got pushed off. Big deal." Tess looked back down at the piece of paper in front of her.

“Aidan” He heard his name seeing AJ, the PR director walking toward him.

"What's up?"

"Have you met with Wailand?"

"On the twenty-third?”

"It was the twenty-fourth but no, since then."

"How do you know I didn't meet with Wailand on the twenty-fourth?"

"I was here when you spilled the coffee down your shirt and canceled the meeting." AJ stopped in front of him. "Have you seen him since?"

"No, why what is going on? Leo asked me about it this morning also. I know he’s the lead for the GDC but what's the deal?"

"I don't know yet, I was hoping you could tell me. There is a buzz going around about him and I want to find out what it is. Can you try and meet with him today?"

"Is he in town?" Knowing the Author Agent resided somewhere in Arizona.

"Aidan Springhill Summit is the single most celebrated week of the publishing year. If something is potentially jeopardizing the success of the event and I don't know what it is first because of your inability to stay awake during normal working hours I will have that self-centered head of yours on a platter in the editorial hall for all of your enemies to spit on!" AJ roared at him.

"Fine, I’ll handle it.” Annoyed and sincerely terrified in the same moment. “Tess!"

"Kathy is getting him on the phone now," Tess passed the office. Aidan watched as AJ winced slightly and groaned under her breath.

"Headache?"

"Shut up, Aidan," AJ rubbed her temple. Tess returned, looking at AJ who was biting her lip. "Do you have any Advil?"

****

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Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ The Merry Widow ~ Adriana Kraft

The millennium arrived with such promise—will it deliver for recently widowed Merry Delaney?

So much for all the anticipation about the new millennium. Merry Delaney’s life is still in a rut and shows no signs of changing. Sex? A fading memory, gone long before her husband actually died. Excitement? Hardly the hallmark of an accountant’s life. At forty-two, what can she look forward to?

Until her best friend takes Merry’s predicament into her practiced hands. One passionate kiss unleashes possibilities Merry never dreamed of—and she wants to sample them all. Men? Women? Young? Old? Ménage? Toys? Yes, to all, to pleasure, to making up for lost time.

Enter Chicago Detective Jim Barnes, who solicits Merry’s help with a mob funds-skimming case. Can the scorching passion that soon smolders between Merry and Jim survive the escalating mob threats of exposure? Having discovered a zest for sex, will Merry ever again be satisfied with one man?

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Excerpt ~ 

The lips pressing against hers were soft and pliant. They tasted of peaches. The tip of a tongue slipped out to trace the contour of her mouth, wetting her lips. Merry Delaney leaned in toward that kiss.

It had been far too long. With eyes shut tight, she parted her lips slightly, responding in kind. A gentle sweep of passion filled her with warmth.

The peachy lips became more eager, more insistent. A hand settled over Merry’s breast, and she focused her entire awareness on the nearly forgotten tingling sensation of her pebbling nipple. Good God, she’d missed that so.

Practiced fingers wove their way underneath her top and inside her bra until they cupped a breast. Merry frowned. The kiss intensified, and she redirected her attention to tasting those lips.

An arm gathered her close. Breasts crushed against breasts.

Merry’s eyes blinked and then opened wide. She jerked out of the embrace and moved a foot or so down the length of the couch, away from her lifelong friend, Camille St. Jermaine. “What are you doing?” Merry felt her face flush with embarrassment.

Camille patted her thigh.

Merry shrank away.

“Come on, Merry. It wasn’t just me. You were reveling in that kiss. I could feel it. So why did you stop?”

Merry shook her head. Her shoulder length hair failed to provide an adequate screen for hiding. “You’re right. I was enjoying it. But we’ve known each other since grade school.”

“And for over thirty years I haven’t hit on you. I figured it was about time.” Camille blew raven bangs off her forehead. “Damn it, Merry, you can’t stay wrapped up in your self-made cocoon forever. Dan’s been gone for over a year. I know for a fact you didn’t have sex for five years before that. M.S. killed Dan, Merry. Don’t let it kill you, too. You stood by your husband. You sacrificed. You put your life on hold. Now it’s time to let go—try some new things. Take some risks. Live the life you’ve got left.”

“You’ve said all of that to me ad nauseum since before Dan died.” Merry licked her lips. “But you’ve never kissed me—never tried to seduce me before.”

“Maybe I got tired of talking.” Camille traced a pattern on the couch between her thigh and Merry’s. “You’ve known I’m bi for years. You never seemed to have a problem with that.”

“Of course not. You’re my best friend.” Merry’s voice caught in her throat. “That’ll never change. But—” Her eyes widened.

“But you never thought of me in that way.”

Merry shook her head.

“You never thought of yourself with another woman.”

“Not really.”

“But you’re not repulsed by the thought of it?”

Merry shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

Camille chuckled and placed a hand on Merry’s thigh.

Merry did not move.

“I know you pretty well, girl. Sometimes maybe better than you do. You need to take that pretty blonde accountant head of yours and go and figure things out. That’s fine with me. You know where I am.”

Camille rose to her feet and reached back toward Merry, who let Camille pull her up from the couch. Camille kept both of Merry’s hands in hers. “You need to know I’ve wanted you for years. I’m not just coming after you to get you to open up, although I hope that happens. I’m coming after you because I love you and always will.” She shook her head. “I’m not seeking a permanent relationship—we already have that. I want to taste you and let you taste me. I want to show you how a woman can love a woman—totally and completely. I even want to help you find a man.”

Merry scowled.

“Don’t look so horrified. I’m not trying to keep you for myself. I’m just trying to coax you out of that cocoon of yours, and maybe have a little fun along the way.” Camille’s dark eyes lit up. “I don’t know if I ever recall you speechless. Come. Let’s send you on your way.”

Camille led Merry to the front door, hand in hand.

Merry turned to face her friend, struggling with what to say. How could she make an exit that wouldn’t insult her best friend?

Camille leaned forward, brushing her lips across Merry’s.

Marshalling all of her strength, Merry resisted returning that kiss.

“Go, girl,” Camille insisted, “before I do something I’ll regret. Let me know when you’re ready or want to talk.”

Merry nodded and opened the door.

Camille patted her on the rear as she stepped outside.

~

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Teaser Tuesday - Stupid Car!

Reese watched Jess’s tight naked ass strolling out of the bathroom and realized she couldn’t look away. Wow. He is completely naked, and it doesn’t even phase him. Maybe she did overreact a tad. She was honestly afraid she’d given the poor elderly man a heart attack. He honestly startled her, and it didn’t have anything to do with him being naked. More of her being naked and a strange man in the shower. What a mess. She was starting to get a headache and rubbed her forehead. Hopefully, Jess would find them some clothes, and they could get out of there, go to the police station and get some freaking sleep. Where the hell was she going to sleep? A couch at the police station? Looking around, she wondered if Sun Meadows had any rooms available. The nakedness was optional. Right?

Good lord, how did I even get here? The events of the night are my punishment for what? Flirting with an attractive, intelligent, funny, guy wasn’t a karma crime, was it? Any romantic notion whatsoever seemed a distant possibility until tonight and while the circumstances are less than ideal, she had as her Mom would say the warm fuzzies. 

It would be at most a one-night stand, maybe two nights depending on how long to took to get a new car.

Oh my god, my car! What the hell am I going to do? I need to call my insurance company—crap where is my phone? Shit, my stuff is in my purse or my car under five feet of water. What if I can’t get a replacement car and I miss work? What day is it? Is my rent due this week? I don’t have insurance on my cellphone, and I am going to have to replace it. I don’t have the money for that! If I don’t have a cell phone, Ethan can’t reach me, and I’ll lose my job. What if Ethan tries to call and needs me for something before, I get a replacement phone? 

“Reese, what’s going on?” She heard Jess ask in the middle of her swirling panic. “Talk to me.”

Reese blinked, focusing on the crease in Jess’s forehead realizing just how handsome he was. Chiseled cheekbones, a strong jawline with a hint of scruff, a distinctive narrow nose, and beautiful brown eyes. She swears she saw specks of gold mixed in the multiple hues of brown. Tousled short brown hair that fell over his forehead when he wasn’t brushing it back. “Reese.” He said her name again, she felt his hand covering her cheek, and she leaned into it closing her eyes. “I found us some clothes. Here are a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Do you want to change in the bathroom?” 

Reese didn’t have the energy to respond. She took the clothes and moved on autopilot into the bathroom. Mind numb, she tugged on the clothing and didn’t even bother to look in the mirror. Walking out to the central area, Jess waited. His neon pink t-shirt said relax in big black letters, and his pants were shiny blue spandex. The outfit was made complete with a pair of brown work boots. Reese burst into laughter. “Yeah, I know, but it’s all they had in my size.” She continued her hysterical amusement, tears forming in her eyes. “Seriously, Reese?”



* * * *

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Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ American Honey ~ Caitlin Ricci

All Dillon wants to do is flirt with his crush. Too bad his family keeps getting in the way.

It’s Saturday night and nineteen-year-old beekeeper Dillon should be at home enjoying game night with his big family, but he can’t resist another trip to the strip club. It’s the only night he gets to see Cal, who stars in all Dillon’s fantasies and has no idea he’s been using a fake ID to get in to see him.


But making fantasy a reality? That’s difficult, especially when Dillon’s family can’t see him as an adult, let alone someone capable of dating a man twice his age. And that’s only the beginning of the complications that seem determined to keep Dillon and Cal apart.


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Excerpt ~ 

Dillon


There were probably a million things I should have been doing instead of going back to Gents to watch the guys dance. It was a Saturday night. In my family that meant game night. We’d get together at my cousin Gavin’s house and sit around and play Risk or Clue or Ticket to Ride or something. They were probably wondering where I was now, though no one had started texting me yet. My two older brothers would be there, along with my three cousins and Gavin’s ex-wife, Cindy, and his kid, Kyle.

But I’d be missing game night this Saturday, just as I’d missed it last Saturday too. I couldn’t play it off like I’d forgotten what day it was or anything like that either. We all had the reminders on our phones. I should have been there with my family.

Instead I was at Gents, because Saturday nights were the only night, as far as I could tell anyway, that Callum worked. He was probably at least thirty and his reddish blond hair was curly and hopefully naturally that color. I’d seen him almost completely naked over my last few months of coming here so I was pretty sure he didn’t do a thing to change the color of his hair. I was really glad about that.

In my fantasies, of which I’d had plenty featuring him already, he spoke with a deep Irish accent. He also wore a kilt though, and a sash, and sometimes even a dagger. He never took any of it off. I hadn’t gotten that far in my daydreams of him yet, but I’d been undressed by him plenty.

Callum came on the stage, accompanied by some song I didn’t know. It had a fast beat with a high-pitched female voice screaming out. I tuned the song out as much as possible. I wasn’t next to the stage, two tables away from it actually. I didn’t want to be caught staring, even though I was. I looked at my hands on top of the table often. Pretty much every time Callum looked at me, I glanced down at my hands. I couldn’t handle his smile that seemed like it was only meant for me. I couldn’t look at him and find him looking back at me. I was trying to be invisible, while still being there. I didn’t want to be off in a corner somewhere where I couldn’t see him at all. I’d paid the cover and I’d already ordered my two beers for the two-drink minimum. I’d probably only have one of them. That’s what I did most of the time at least.

My phone vibrated and as much as I didn’t want to see it, I pulled it out anyway. I wasn’t surprised to see a text from my cousin’s ex-wife. Cindy was Kyle’s mom and she and Gavin got along most of the time. Better than I did with any of my exes anyway, but then again, I didn’t have kids with my exes and Gavin was over a decade older than me.

You’re not here. Are you sick?

I sighed. If I said I was sick, someone would have driven by my house to check on me. If I said I was busy, someone would have offered to help so that I could get done faster and get to game night. I didn’t know what to say but I knew I had to lie.

Had something else to do tonight.

Liar.

I pursed my lips and put my phone away. I wasn’t lying. I did have something else to do. Staring at Callum’s ass was at the top of that list. He had on a green thong and black chaps. I didn’t know if they were real leather or fake from here but I wanted to know. He’d worn them last week, too, and I’d wanted to know then as well.

Trying not to stare at him was getting me nowhere. I simply wanted him too much. A man I didn’t know anything about, or even if Callum was his real name. I couldn’t stop tipping him either. It was a good thing that my honey harvest had been so good last fall because I wasn’t used to blowing through money like I was.

I was going to do even more tonight. I’d turned him down for a private dance before, but tonight I was ready. I’d paid off my bills for the month and I knew how much I could afford. I wasn’t cheap, but I wasn’t rich either and I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t know what he was worth. I wanted him. Badly.

When his set ended and he came around this time, he stopped at my table just as before.

“Having fun?” he asked me.

I nodded. His accent was there, though only slight, and it could have been completely my imagination. “Can I have a dance tonight?” My voice wasn’t nearly as strong as his was, but I was just glad that I’d managed to get the words out at all really. I was nervous, and maybe even a little worried that he’d reject me, but I was mostly excited, especially when he smiled at me and offered me his hand.

“I was going to ask you if you wanted one,” he said when I slipped my fingers over his palm.


His skin was softer than mine. I used long gloves whenever I worked with the hives, but I still had callouses. I loved the work though. Even down to the sanding of the hives when I finished building them. I didn’t use an electric sander. I liked the feel of the paper under my fingers.

~

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Teaser Tuesday - Fourth Hour Zombies (A Teen Prompt)

In Small Town Oklahoma the Zombie Apocalypse hits in the middle of English class...


Mrs. Warden’s lecture about the proper punctuation for a compound sentence faded away like a movie transition. My mind instead focused on the image of Aria’s smile. My niece Aria was born three months ago and ever since I found myself in a constant state of distracted. Her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes gleamed in unknown amusement when she looked at me would randomly pop into my mind at the most inconvenient times. I never thought being an Uncle would be such a huge deal. 

“Zack,” I jumped at the sound of my name. The images slipping away. “Zack Romine are you with us?”

“Yeah,” I said, straightening my back in the hard chair. “Yeah, I’m here. For compound sentences, you use a comma before coordinating conjunction connecting two independent clauses.”

“Did you memorize that from Google?”

“Yep.”

“That’s great,” she smiled, and I felt vindicated. “So now let’s move on to the current topic of dangling participles. What does Google have to say about them?”

 Crap. Vindication gone, swept away like a dried leaf in the wind.
“Dangling participles are adjectives that—” the feedback from the school loudspeaker shook the room and we all winced. 

“All Students and Faculty, this is Principle Garroutte. A national emergency has been declared as 2:15 PM today.” I looked at the clock on the wall it read 2:27 PM. That was quick. “An epidemic has hit the United States. The CDC has asked all residents to return home immediately. You are to lock your doors and board up your windows. The zombie epidemic is upon us.”

I started laughing at the absurdity of the statement. Wow, nice joke. Principle Garroutte always did have a great sense of humor. I wondered if coach Key was in on it as well. Then like a siren in the middle of a tornado our cell phones started blaring with shocking unity. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. Before I even had a chance to look at the message chaos erupted. Students were rushing to the door, shoving each other to the side in an attempt to get through it first. Mrs. Warden had her oversized purse laid out on the top of her desk tossing the contents of her top drawer into the bag. 

The thought of asking for the cannabis baseball cap she confiscated at the beginning of the year ran through my head, chased by the what the hell are you thinking! The Zombie apocalypse is starting. You don’t need to ask, just grab it!
Immediately going back in my thoughts, I need to get home to Aria and Mom. Make sure they are safe. Mom takes care of Aria during the day while my brother and his wife work. 

I dumped out my backpack into the garbage debating the usefulness of the contents. Nothing worth saving. I looked around scanned the contents of the now empty room. My eye landed on the meter stick laid across the bottom of the whiteboard. Grabbing it I headed to the doorway. I stepped into the hallway and stood in awe. A typhoon swirl of red and black filled the hall. Tonight, was the pep rally for the launch of football season and the students and faculty were dressed accordingly, wearing red sweatshirts with huge Zebras on the front, ballcaps, girls with their hair tied up neatly in Zebra striped ribbons.  Now students and teachers pushed, slammed and clamored toward their freedom or safety depending on their frame of mind. The celebration of the day fizzled away into panic, anger, tears, and hysteria. As I walked, I saw more and more discarded hats, limp ribbons, and torn Zebra memorabilia littering the floors.
My mind went into hyperdrive, like the millennium falcon navigating the universe with the Empire hot on its tail. I headed to the common area, my mind still buzzing. The quickest way out and the quickest way home. Wait. If the Zombie apocalypse had truly begun that meant there were people already infected. Who knew how many and where? I need weapons and armor.  

Watching the Walking Dead had taught me a few things and the hundreds of hours watching and re-watching the series was now a useful encyclopedia of knowledge imprinted in my brain. The biggest variable in the equation now was how intelligent and or fast these real Zombies were. 

Reaching the common area, I searched for anyone I knew. I see no one. All my friends no doubt had plans to get home and to their families. I would no doubt meet up again with them soon.  Making a beeline to the kitchen I see my band buddy Shane rummaging through the utensil drawer. 

“You find anything?”

“Serving spoons, tongs, and a few spatulas nothing useful.”

“I’m gonna check the fridge.”

“Dude, you can eat later,” Shane mocked.

“The first thing people are going to do is clean out the stores. Guarantee Walmart, Reasors and the five Dollar Generals are empty by dinner time tonight.”

“You’re point?”

“My point is why go to the grocery store,” I open the walk-in freezer to reveal a plethora of food. Bags of chicken nuggets, stacks of frozen pizza, frozen hamburger patties, bread, buns, corndogs and every other kind of lunch or breakfast item a high school could serve. “When you can feed your family for months on free cafeteria food?”

“Wow.”

“And this is just the freezer. The fridge is stocked as well.”

“What happens when the power goes out. You know it’s going to happen.” Shane cocked his head.

“Let’s deal with reality as we know it right now. Right now, we have power – wait doesn’t the chem lab have dry ice?”

“Nice.”

“First things first. I’m gonna load up my backpack. Wait –” a thought occurs to me and I walk out of the kitchen and into the common area seeing several discarded backpacks laying on the floor. “Hey Shane, how much can you carry?”
Shane stood beside me his eyes scanning the area. “As much as humanly possible.”

***

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Awesome Excerpt Thursday ~ Phantom Master ~ Crawford Rhine

Nic had entered The Service to find the love of a lifetime, but when that didn’t materialize, he threw himself into opening a sex theater which was haunted by just the man he was dreaming about.


Nic had completed his years of Service and was now a wealthy independent marked man.  He had grand plans to re-invent the take The Service had on delivering sex to non-marked men.  He bought an old theater in Nashville and refurbished it into a sex club with live shows and Master-Servant experiences.  It became apparent quickly that the theater was haunted and dangerous, but Nic felt safer there than anywhere.  The day before the Grand Opening, Nic appealed to the ghost for a safe performance.  He received a reply, but wasn’t sure if his deal was accepted or not.  The opening goes off without a hitch.  He begins to feel a pull towards the Phantom that was unlike any he had ever felt before.  Together they seek answers to questions that are only found when Nic gives up total control to the Phantom.

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Excerpt ~

Part of a text string between Nic Netus and his former Master, Robert Ballentyne that took place on the night of April 20, 2018.


Robert, I just wanted to remind you that I’m flying out tonight

Where are you going again?

Nashville

Oh, that’s right. Going to go see about buying a theater there?

Yes. How’s your leg? Did you go back to see the doctor again?

Don’t fuss over me. You make me feel old…

How is it?!?!

It’s fine. Doesn’t hardly hurt.

Nonsense

I don’t want you thinking of your former Master as a feeble old man.

I don’t. I think of you as a powerful man with an incredible set of connections that has paved the way to making my future plans possible! And one of my best friends…

Hmmm…that’s better than old and feeble.

Haha!

Be careful. I worry about your safety.

Don’t worry. I’ve already hired a body guard to protect me while I am there.

You better let him fuck you once you arrive. He will want to protect you even more if he knows what you have to offer!

Not a bad idea…

* * * *

I had given up on sex.

I mean, I still had sex—quite a lot of it actually, but I had given up on the idea of it. Now, in my head it was just what it was—an extremely pleasurable act between two consenting adults. But I no longer thought of it as this momentous, life-changing act that could make me fall in love with the man sticking it in me.

It was the thrill of the chase that turned me on, almost as much as the sex did. A lot of times, I found myself disappointed with the man whom I had pursued, once I had his clothes off. But, fortunately for me, there were a lot of men out there to choose from, and the very next one would soon take his place.

I was a marked man in a world full of non-marked men. In our world, men who received a blue mark on their faces at the age of thirteen were labeled as men who were sexually attracted to other men. Our world contained no women, so I had a very unfair advantage attracting NOMARs, like shooting fish in a barrel. Being marked was very rare, while being non-marked, or NOMAR, was extremely common, so I had no problem at all in finding man after man who wanted to fuck me.

I had put all of my hopes on falling in love when I entered The Service. They almost immediately called me to Service. They had found a rich NOMAR to be my Master and I wanted him to be the lover I had always dreamed about. Robert turned out to be more of a friend than the love of my life. I enjoyed his company, learned a whole lot from him, and made a lot of money from him, but I did not love him.

I was still young, good-looking and now, thanks to multiple years in The Service, I was also very rich. My life was a blank canvas spread out in front of me just waiting to be painted. And that canvas today was in Nashville, Tennessee, where I had decided to open up my new business.

The car in which I found myself riding through Nashville, pulled over to the curb in front of an old stately theater. I looked out of the car window up at the building and looked up and down the street in each direction. The edifice was unique and spectacular. The neighborhood was not so regal, but it definitely had potential.

Once satisfied, I turned to my companion riding in the back seat with me. “Looks safe enough.”

“It’s not a bad neighborhood,” the big man beside me answered. “It’s just fallen on hard times.”

“Well, let’s see what we can do to help them out.” I watched as a skinny marked man exited a Mercedes sedan in front of us and walked back to stand by my car door. He waved at us through the windows of our rented car. He was wearing an expensive suit that fit him well and I really liked his Italian loafers.

I opened the door, squeezed my six-foot-three-inch frame out of the door, and straightened out until I was standing at my tallest on the sidewalk. Taking great enjoyment from the widening of the skinny guy’s eyes, I held out my hand to him.

“Alexander?” I asked as I closed the gap between us with my hand still raised.

He took my hand and said, “Yes, that’s me. And you must be Mr. Nicolea Netus. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Netus.”

“Please call me Nic.” I could tell from his voice that he was excited. As all marked men do when we so rarely run into another one of our own, we each took a few seconds to study the other’s mark. Marks always appeared on the faces of each marked man on the exact moment of his thirteenth birthday. Each mark was as unique as a fingerprint.

Alexander’s mark was light and thin, just like him―a muted blue line that ran from the bottom of his left earlobe almost to his jaw. It stood in sharp contrast to mine. Having studied mine so many times in the mirror, I knew it to be electric blue in color, thick with jagged lines resembling flames, and running from my left earlobe all the way to the middle of my chin.

My riding companion had exited the car and was now standing beside me. “This is Bobby, my bodyguard for the day.”


Alexander shook hands with the big man beside me and said, “And this is the Madsen Theater.” He presented it with a half-turn and a raised arm like he was a model on The Price Is Right.

~


Come Find Me!

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Teaser Tuesday - Gemini

Blurb - Springhill publishing is a place where drama is created and sold for profit. When events surrounding the staff of Springhill start rivaling the dramatic pros of their authors it’s anyone’s guess what is going to happen next and who will be the latest victim.

Tess walked through the bullpen, hearing her name called repeatedly. "Tess!"
"Tess!" Aidan yelled from his office for the fourth time. He was sitting in front of his computer, obviously frustrated.

"Tess!"

"Aidan, I heard you the first four times." Tess entered the office, rolling her eyes at his whining incapability. She knew he was having problems with his computer again. He only got that whiny when it was something technical.

"What took you so long?"

"I was picking up the rough edit of Grey Garden from Melanie," Tess replied, beginning to work on his computer.

"Great, give it to me."

"Hold on a minute." 

Aidan stopped, she could feel his heat at her back. "I already tried that...It doesn't work." Aidan objected, as she continued her process. "Tess, I did..."
"Aidan do you want me to fix it or would you rather sit here and be frustrated for the next two hours making it worse?"

"Continue."

She silently turned back to the screen and continued working. Aidan occupied himself by picking up some crumpled paper off his desk and playing three points with the garbage can. He stopped, and the room fell into the sound of Tess clicking Aidan's mouse.

"About last night..." he said.

"Drop it," Tess replied. She finished on the computer and stood glancing up at Aidan. "Max wants to meet with you and Alan about Grey Gardens after the conference with Basler in the Schuster room." 

"How does it look?"

"Rough," Tess replied, giving a gentle smile. She handed him the rough draft and began organizing his desk as he paced, starting the read of the document. Do you want me to print the book synopsis and marketing data for your meeting with Basler?"

"Yeah, I might as well give him the facts as they are..." His voice trailed off, and he gave her an odd look.

"What?"

"Do you..." Aidan stepped closer to her, staring intently at her cheek. "Tess where did you get the bruise on your cheek? Did I?"

"No of course not and nowhere," Tess swiftly replied, walking past him out into the corridor.

"You don't get a bruise from nowhere. Tell me what happened. Did it happen last night? Of course, it happened last night--"

"Stop," Tess replied, doing something on her computer.

"Stop?"

"Aidan, it's none of your business." She stood, walking over to the printer.
"The hell it isn't."

"Aidan if it were something worth mentioning I would have mentioned it," Tess replied, walking back into his office and loading his backpack, purposely avoiding his eyes.

"No, that is unacceptable. I refuse to buy that."

"I wasn't asking you to buy it. I expect you to live with it."

"No."

"Aidan I'm not asking you I'm telling you. You are my boss, not a part of my life. I don't have to tell you every intimate detail of my so-called life out of this office. So leave it alone." Tess dropped the filled backpack on the desk and left the room.

* * * *

Max Clay, the senior editor of Springhill new fiction, stood outside the Galfore Café checking his watch. He saw Aidan approaching, breathing a sigh of relief. "Cutting it close."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry." They entered the café, motioning to the hostess.

“Sorry about your brother. Are you okay?”

“Tess and I had a fight."

"About you not going back to Oklahoma for Daniel’s funeral. Which is a mistake by the way.”

“Yes. Wait, no. What?" 

“Do you really want to go there?” Max asked, folding his napkin in his lap as he took a seat at the table. 

“No.” Aidan sat down, settling his backpack under the table. 

“What happened with Tess?” Max folded his hands on the table looking at him expectantly.

"Several things. Too many to mention, actually, but I noticed something. Tess kinda got upset."

"What, did she screw up? I can’t even remember a time Tess ever made a mistake. You’d better double check. Her track record is much better than yours."
"Thanks, Max. No, it wasn't anything work-related."

"Then, what was it?"

Aidan stopped and turned to Max. "I noticed a pretty bad bruise on her cheek."
"What kind of bruise?"

"Like someone..." Aidan glanced around the restaurant looking fir their client.
"Boyfriend?"

"I don't think so, she's too smart for that. Besides she hasn't seen anyone since that..."

"Ben."

"Yeah...that Ben guy..."

"That you know of."

"Meaning?"

"Face it, Aidan, Tess has a life outside of work. You aren't there twenty-four hours a day to know everything. Nor should you be."

"You make me sound like I am a control freak."

"You are.”

"Anyway, I asked her about it, and she flipped."

"She did?"

"Yeah, she practically tore my head off on how it was none of my concern and how I’m her boss and have do not any business in her personal life."

"That's doesn't sound at all like Tess. Did anything else happen? Anything to prompt her irritation?"

"Nope, not that I know of," Aidan said, his eyes darting away as the heat of the previous nights kiss knocked him breathless once again.

"If she reacted so strongly to your observation, obviously whatever happened to is very private to her. I'd wait it out, she'll talk to you when she’s ready."
"And if she doesn't?"

"If it is not negatively impacting her performance, it is none of your business. Aidan, whether you like it or not, You’re going to have to realize outside of work, you’re not a part of Tess's life."

* * * *

That's all you get!  Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek of Gemini!

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Saturday Seven - March 7, 2020

Happy Saturday, what have you been up to this week? Here is a rundown of highlights for the week. I hope you find them useful in your life! My goal as a person and a writer are to always Pay-It-Forward, so please let me know how I can help you. YES, YOU!

Enjoy your weekend & this post! Amazing things to come!

~Amy

What am I Reading? - 

So many books, so little time! This week, between unpacking from my recent move, babysitting my granddaughter, working at the day job, Writing Warriors and volunteering in the evening and writing there has been no time for reading! I have several books waiting to be read and I try to keep track of them on Goodreads. If you don’t have an account get one! It is the place to be if you like to read!

What am I Listening to? –  

Unstoppable: A 90-Day Plan to Biohack Your Mind and Body for Success ~  by Ben Angel, Gary Tiedemann, et al. ~ I wasn’t sure about this book but found it fascinating. Check out my review on Sunday!

What Quote am I pondering? –

Earth laughs in flowers. -Ralph Waldo Emerson

What am I Researching? – (an ode to YouTube)

I am constantly dumbfounded by the amount of time my youngest son spends on YouTube. When he was younger, he always watched gaming videos. Grown men giving play by play analysis of the latest game while also screaming and laughing in hysterics. I found it useless and annoying. My daughter has clocked months of YouTube time watching make-up videos. A common phrase in my house became-- headphones, please. I wasn’t bothered by the watching of the videos, but I didn’t have to listen to them as well.

Last night, I was chatting with my son about the flower garden we are going to be planting and composting. He said – out of the blue—Just make sure you don’t throw the apple seeds into the compost pile. I asked why and he replied that apple seeds contain cyanide and if there are too many of them, they can corrupt the compost and kill the plants.

My jaw dropped. I asked him how he’d resourced the information and he said – I saw it on a YouTube video.

Moving into a new house there are lots of things to research. From a new-to-me washer that needs the bearings replaced to how to plant a flower garden, revitalizing an ugly lawn and composting. YouTube is such an amazing resource. I am floored by the way the media channel enables us to educate ourselves as needed! There are YouTube videos for everything!

While my view on YouTube has changed, please, for heaven’s sake, wear your headphones!

Yummy Meal of the Week – 

I found this amazing recipe for making bread in my slow cooker! Check it out here. Bread in 5 minutes!

What did I Learn? – 

As I stated above, I am going to attempt to plant an grow a flower garden in the front and back yard of our new house. For those of you who know me, you know my luck with plants has been wanting. I have a black thumb. This to me is very disappointing. My grandmother could grow a beautiful plant from a dead root and my mother had a huge, thriving vegetable garden in your backyard while I was growing up. The curse of a black thumb is sad to me. The only thing I have been able to keep alive is a peace lily and then it was only because she talked to me. She died last year *sniff* after one of our cats decided it was an awesome place to relieve themselves.

I am not giving up!

I researched and learned how to plant a flower garden with little to no digging. Also learn how to winter grow my flowers in my house as it is still a little chilly and we will inevitably get another freeze before spring.  

I will take pictures and maybe even a video or two of my progress!

Wish me luck!

What am I Watching? – 

No time to watch anything this week too darn busy. I keep hearing a lot of buzz around The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. I have looked it over a few times and the trailers look entertaining but never really thought to watch it. Not really my kind of show. I will say I am considering it. If you’ve watched it let me know what you thought!

That is all for this week, my lovelies!
I hope you have an amazing week, and I will talk to you all next Saturday!

###

Come Find Me!

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