Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Like so many, this is my favorite time of the year. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday.

Working Hard

I am diligently working on the final in book in the Witch Hunters series. I hope to have it finished by the end of January, but I won't guarantee it. It's difficult to work over the holidays. I'm looking forward to spending time with family. And shopping! I was shocked to realize how close we are to Christmas. I'm so behind on my shopping. Also, my birthday is coming up and my daughter's birthday is in January. She'll be turning six and I have no idea what to buy her. My husband and I are already buried by her toys.

I am back in somewhat of a writing groove. Keep checking the works in progress page. I update the word count whenever I've made a significant jump.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the holiday with family and friends.

The Best of Intentions

My intention was to have the last Witch Hunters book done by now. I got derailed along the way. My daughter started Kindergarten a few weeks ago. Those of you with children realize this is probably more traumatizing to the parent than the child. I tried to keep upbeat in front of her because I didn’t want her to be scared. But, of course, I was worried about leaving her in the care of strangers and worried that she would be terrified and alone. Thankfully, she’s enjoying school and has learned so much already. She seems to look forward to going and from what I hear, is working hard in school.

I still want Nikita’s book to be the next that I finish. It’s easiest to work on it while the last book is so fresh in my mind. It’s simply a matter of my gaining focus. 

Blog Changes

I hope you like the changes to the blog. I was suddenly tired of the dark look. I like many different looks. It's the reason I've always known that I could never get a tattoo. No matter how much I originally loved it, in a few weeks, I know I'd be immune to it. That's not to say that I won't go back to a darker look at some point. I also added Writing Witchy to the books tab.

Writing Witchy Excerpt

Writing Witchy is coming out Wednesday so I thought it would be a good time to post and excerpt. Enjoy!

     “I’m not going to sleep with you.”

     Keith put down his fork and wiped his mouth with his napkin. He frowned. As far as he could tell, the date had been going well, but admittedly, he was no expert. He mentally reviewed their evening. He’d arrived at seven sharp with a box of chocolates, and flowers he’d picked from his own garden. She’d seemed surprised yet delighted by his gifts. Her reaction had been encouraging and just the ego boost he needed. It also helped that he’d spied one of his novels on her coffee table. Up until that moment, Imani had not been exactly receptive to his attentions. She’d taken off the ugly sweater she wore at the library, but the pants with the high waist and the beige blouse that could have doubled as a garbage sack proclaimed that she’d taken no pains with her appearance for this date. Her hair was pulled back in the usual curl-defying bun at the back of her head. Hell, jeans and a t-shirt would have been an improvement. Yet she persisted in hiding her figure from him. She’d removed her glasses but he had already surmised that they were merely decorative and not for any corrective purposes.

     Dinner conversation had been going well. They’d discussed their work, their favorite books and their pets. And then apropos to nothing, she’d given him this announcement.  He’d heard somewhere that within moments of meeting a man a woman knew if she’d sleep with him or not. Had he fucked up their initial meeting that badly? He didn’t think so. He’d been too stunned by her to speak. But he hadn’t needed to. Stephanie had stepped between them and dominated the conversation.

     Maybe she was suffering from the misguided notion that he was only interested in sex. Not that he would decline if she offered. It had been over a year since the last time he was with a woman. And he wanted Imani very much. He cleared his throat. “Have I said or done something to make you uncomfortable?”

     “No. That’s one of the conditions of dating me. I won’t sleep with you and I don’t expect you to pressure me to do otherwise.”

     “Imani, I want to get to know you. I don’t expect you to become intimate with me right away.”

     She sipped her water and then used her tongue to catch a drop of water on the edge of her full bottom lip. “I don’t just mean tonight. I mean ever.” Her gaze locked on his. “It’s one of my conditions.”

     He frowned. She couldn’t be serious. He counted to ten before asking, “Care to explain? Are you waiting for marriage?”

     “No.” She sighed. “You might as well know this going in. I don’t like sex. No, I hate it and if it never happens to me again, I’ll be happy.”

     Shit! What did he say to that? Keith wouldn’t lie. He wanted her. He studied her face. She tried to downplay her looks, but she was damned beautiful. Her skin was flawless milk chocolate. The contrast of her gold eyes was arresting. He could only guess at what her body was like due to her ugly clothes, but he knew that she was well endowed and curvy.

     Her cat came through the room. It was so quiet that they could hear her lapping at the water in her dish. Was she expecting some sort of agreement from him?

     An ugly possibility occurred to him. Keith cleared his throat and asked as gently as he could, “Were you attacked or hurt in some way?”

     Imani emitted an impatient noise. “I wasn’t raped or molested. Can’t a person simply dislike something without having a reason?”

     He supposed it were possible. But hating sex? She’d said that first night she’d dreamt of him. Each night as they’d gotten closer to making love, he’d begun hoping her statement was a meaningless dream aberration akin to spotting a pink and blue cat. Though relieved that she’d never been assaulted, he was even more confused. He continued to probe. “When was the last time you had sex?”

     “Let’s see, I’m twenty-seven, so five years.”

     Five years! “And you haven’t missed it? Craved it?”

     “No.” She moved string beans around on her plate with the tines of her fork.

     Keith was speechless. How could such a sensual creature not want to be loved, cherished, or fucked? “How many…lovers have you had?”

     Her deep amber eyes narrowed. “I suppose I should let you get all these questions out, but I want you to know that that is not a question you ever ask a lady. And I will answer you, but after tonight, this is a dead subject. I’ve been with two men. I tolerated them when they wanted sex, but I don’t intend to ever get myself into that sort of relationship again where I’m doing things that I’m not comfortable with merely to please someone else.”

     He was hesitant to ask more questions because he really didn’t want to picture her with other men, but as this was his one opportunity, he continued. “Were your previous lovers inexperienced?”

     “The first one was. The second one wasn’t. Believe me, I thought of that. It wasn’t them. It was me. I simply don’t care for the process. I don’t mind kissing, hugging, cuddling, but that’s as far as it’s going to go with me. Can you handle that?”

     “I want to be with you,” he said slowly. He didn’t consider himself a prurient person, but he wasn’t a holy man. He didn’t want to lie to Imani, but he didn’t think that committing to a life of celibacy was possible for him. “What about children? Do you want them?”

     “Yes. But that’s what in vitro fertilization is for.”

     Keith shifted in his seat. “Are you interested in marriage?”

     “Would you really want to marry me knowing that we’d never have sex?”

     “I’d be proud to call you mine.” He didn’t mention that he’d felt like she was his since the first second he’d seen her.

     “You seem like a sweet guy, Keith, and I don’t want to hurt you. But if you think I’m going to change my mind or that if you propose it will make a difference, you’re wrong.”

     He laughed. “You just called me sweet and insinuated that I’m manipulative in the same breath. Since ‘sweet’ isn’t an adjective a man aspires to, I’m not sure which is worse.”    

     She smiled. “Sweet is good. It’s gotten you this far, hasn’t it?” She stood and cleared their dishes. He followed her to the kitchen and helped her clean up. When they were done, she leaned back against the counter. “So, what have you decided? Do you want to keep seeing me?”

     There was only one answer he could give. “Yes.”

Sale!

For a limited time, get Acting Witchy for only 99 cent on Amazon! The sequel Writing Witchy comes out next week. The two can be read separately, but they do share characters. Happy reading!

Writing Witchy

The release date for Writing Witchy is Aug. 28. That's right! Next Wednesday! I recently got the cover art. I'll post the blurb below.

Science fiction writer and witch Keith Savage has found his mate. When he finally gets up the nerve to ask her out, she tells him that she doesn’t date. Persistence pays off and he gets her to agree to dinner. But she will only continue to date him if he agrees to her rules. No sex. And no attempting to seduce her to have sex.

Imani Tolliver isn’t stupid. She knows Keith Savage is a catch. He’s famous, he’s handsome, and he’s rich. But she has her rules for a reason. She hates sex and will be happy if she never has to suffer through it again. But when a friend of Keith’s makes it clear she wants to be more than a friend, Imani becomes worried that she’ll lose Keith to a woman who’s willing to give him everything.

Post Vacation

I've got the post vacation lazies. You know, when you return to life as usual and you should be refreshed from vacationing, but in actuality chores have been piling up waiting for your return. Since coming back from St. Augustine, FL, I've pretended I was going to work. I read over what I've got written so far for the final book in the Witch Hunters and even added a few words to it. I've begun edits for Writing Witchy, book two. And I've done some thinking about another book idea that's floating around in my head.

But as to actually putting fingers to keyboard for some actual creativity, it hasn't happened. I've read some really good books by Laurel Cremant, Yvette Hines, and Gynger Fyer. I've also read some really nice reviews for Possessed. Thank you to all my readers and a special thanks to those of you who took the extra step to review it.

My goal is to have the final Witch Hunters completed this year, but I find it's easiest to work on what you're interested in at any given moment. And I'm still having difficulty working through the plot for Nikita's story. It's going to be based on a dream I had a couple of years ago. I know that sounds bad since dreams are usually boring and mundane. Every once in a while, I'll have one that is so movie like that I have to share it. And I'll share it with you. After Nikita's book comes out.

Another Possessed Excerpt

Since last I wrote, I finished Keith's story, the sequel to Acting Witchy. I've decided to call it Writing Witchy since Keith is a writer. It's already been accepted by Evernight.Though it's a sequel, you won't need to read the first book to understand it. (But you should because it's smoking hot!) Now that it's finished, I'm sort of at loose ends. I don't know what I'm going to tackle next. A few new ideas have popped into my head, but I'd rather wrap up one of my other projects first.

So now for the main reason for this post. Possessed will be released this weekend at Sugar and Spice. So in celebration of that fact, I decided to post another excerpt. Enjoy!

“Sebastian, I won’t hurt you. Your friends asked me to come. I’m here to help you.”

He lowered his head into his hands. “You can’t help me, Keva. I’ve been to IOP. The traditional method doesn’t work on me.”

She kept her distance but crouched down so that she was on his level. “Please, let me try.”

He laughed. “God, Keva, you should leave now. I’m losing control. I don’t know how long I can hold it in.”

“What’s your ability?”

He groaned and slammed his back into the wall. “Telekinesis.” He was breathing hard. “Clairvoyance.” He banged his head against the wall. His hair parted and revealed his face. He was beautiful, his face that of a dark angel. Thick black brows slashed toward his hairline. Above full and perfect lips, his nose was perfectly straight. He opened his eyes. They were a deep intense blue. “Precognition.”

“No one has more than one ability.”

He grinned, revealing strong, white teeth. His eyes flashed silver before returning to blue. “Telepathy.”

Keva frowned, getting annoyed. He was toying with her when she was attempting to help him. “Be serious.”

He growled. “And something else…”

All the growling was fraying her nerves. “Stop that.”

“Wish I could.”

She stood and crossed to him. Getting on her knees between his spread thighs, she held out her hands. “I can help you. Just give me your hands and let go.”

His eyes flickered over her face. “So pretty, Keva,” he said, dragging out the syllables of her name. “I wish I’d met you sooner.” He leaned forward suddenly and took her hands. His eyes turned silver and blue in rapid cycles that had her dizzy. The blue light enveloped him again, and she braced herself for the rush of power she felt whenever she established a connection with a talented client. She closed her eyes and waited. And waited.

And then nothing. She glared at him. “You’re not trying.”

He smiled, baring all his teeth. When she tried to pull back, he wouldn’t let go. He used his thumbs to rub circles on her inner wrists. His gaze dropped to her lips and then lower, pausing at her breasts and the apex of her thighs. “I am.” He sighed. “But that doesn’t work on me. Do you really want to help me?”

“Of course.”

He closed the distance between their faces until his moist breath warmed her lips. She could feel them begin to tingle under his intense scrutiny. “You shouldn’t. You’re a good person. Go home and forget you ever met me.”

“Please, tell me. How can I help you?”

A tremor shook his body, and his eyes went silver. Not the silver of a person with pale gray eyes. No, his eyes were like mercury. Up this close, she could see that his pupils were absent. “Keva,” he drawled, his voice so full of bass it sounded more like thunder. He brushed his lips against hers, and he purred like a cat. She attempted to withdraw once more but he was quick to pull her back.

She swallowed as apprehension once again tried to take hold of her mind. “Sebastian—”

“Bastian, call me Bastian.” He licked her lower lip and then the upper one. “Taste so good. Do you taste this good everywhere?”

“That’s an inappropriate question. I don’t sleep with my clients.”

He laughed, a rough, hoarse sound. “But you want to help me. You can help me by spreading your thighs and letting me fuck you until I work this out of my system.” Gasping, she fought to get free from him. “What’s the matter? You said you wanted to help me. Suddenly, you’ve changed your mind now that you have to give something of yourself. All you Channels are the same. You want to take but you never want to give.”

“If I thought it would help you—”

“Don’t lie to me, pretty Keva. You haven’t let a man inside those panties in over two years.”

She gasped. “Let me go.”

     “Truth hurts, doesn’t it? You’re also wishing you’d never come all this way. I’ve got news for you. It’s going to get worse before it gets better.” 

Possessed Excerpt

The following excerpt is one of the first portions I wrote for Possessed. It's not the beginning of the book, but this is the scene that I just had to save before it escaped me. (I'm going to have to come up with a term for that since for every book I write there is that one bit that comes to me and lingers for days.) Later I went back and filled in the start. I probably would have delayed putting out this excerpt since the release date isn't until July 6 at Sugar and Spice. You can thank LailaNn for this!

When she entered the dining room off the kitchen, Lily was finishing up. She twitched the flowers in the vase and placed it at the center of the table.
     “Do you need any help?”
     Lily smiled and spread her hands out like a showcase model as if to display the gleaming silver and napkins. “All done.” Keva followed Lily out into the den. “How do you like your new job?”
     “It’s okay,” she said without much enthusiasm. She’d gotten a job in the billing department at the hospital. It was a job and it covered the rent, but she didn’t see herself working there forever.
     “Do you like your coworkers? Any cute guys there?”
     “Yes to the first question. No to the second. I’m off men for the moment.” She saw no point in dating when her heart wasn’t in it.
     “Really? Anthony made a point of telling me how pretty he thought you were last week after church. I almost invited him over for dinner.”
     Keva’s brows rose. She was glad that didn’t come to pass. She’d dated Anthony for about three days in high school before he went back to his old girlfriend. He’d never told her what went wrong. It might be spiteful of her, but she wasn’t interested in giving him a second chance. “Don’t bother.”
     “But he’s so cute.”
     A buzzing sounded from her back pocket before she could reply. Keva frowned at her cell. She didn’t recognize the number displayed on the caller ID. She answered with a cautious, “Hello?” The only reply was labored breathing. “Hello? Who is this?”
     “Keva,” a rough voice said. It was deep and dark, more of a growl than anything.
     She whipped around so that she was no longer facing her sister. “Who is this?” she repeated in a frantic whisper.
     A short, dark laugh met her ears. It was as if she spoke to Satan himself. “You know who this is.”
     “Sebastian?”
     “Bastian,” he corrected her.
     “What do you want?”
     Another laugh, more evil and polluted than the last. It held no mirth. It was a lazy, taunting expulsion of air. “You know what I want.”
     “Spell it out for me. Do you need to talk? We can perform a therapy session…”
     Restless shifting reached her ears. “Pussy,” he said the word as though he were savoring it like a fine wine. “I need pussy.”
     Keva stiffened her spine. Anger and fear threatened to break free. She would not let him affect her. Would not let him use her or manipulate her anymore. Straining to keep her voice as neutral as possible, she replied, “I'm no longer in Nevada.”
     “I know,” he drawled in that menacing tone of his. “I tracked you.”
     Keva tightened her hand around her cell to still her trembling. Her heart slammed against her ribs in panic. Bracing herself with the arm of the sofa, she found the seat cushion with numb fingers and sat down. “Y-you’re in North Carolina?”
     “Mmm.” His affirmative sound resembled that of a lion purring. “Greenville to be exact. I need you, Keva.”
     “Sebastian, I don't do that type of work anymore.”
     “Bastian.” He couldn't have given her a better reminder of whom she was speaking to. Sebastian was hesitant, almost shy, but when his power was riding him, he turned into the arrogant, demanding creature that was Bastian. “I need you,” he repeated.
     “You’ll need to find someone else. I won’t—” A loud rumbling interrupted her and she realized with a start that it was him. He was very displeased.
     “You. I want you.”
     “What the hell was that?” Lily asked behind her.
     Keva ignored her. “Bastian, please be reasonable.”
     “Be ready, Keva. I’m coming for you.” He disconnected the call.

A May Update

My nephew's birthday is tomorrow so I've been baking a batch of cupcakes. My daughter was terribly excited, buzzing around waiting for them to be done.

I hated for the month to end without doing some sort of update on what I was doing. Edits for Possessed have been completed. I received the cover art today and I'll be posting it later in the week. I like to wait until I know the release date before posting an excerpt so that may be a bit off.

Currently, I'm working a the sequel to Acting Witchy. I'm close to done. You can check my progress on the Works in Progress tab. It's untitled as yet. I've been simply calling it Keith.

Possessed

I finally slapped the DONE stamp on the story I was working on and submitted it to Sugar and Spice. I’m happy to say that they've accepted it. It’s going to be titled Possessed.

Here’s the unofficial blurb:

Keva Lane loves her job at the Institute of Parapsychology. When she responds to an emergency call to help Sebastian Brooks, a psychic about to go supernova, things go horribly awry. Normal treatment methods don’t work and Sebastian rudely suggests that she could cure him with sex. With lives at risk, Keva doesn’t have any choice but to give in to the sexy psychic. Little did she know that she would be setting off a chain of events that would change her life forever.

Being psychic cost Sebastian Brooks his family. He’s not interested in being saved. Though he knows he’s not good enough for Keva, he can’t resist her. And he can't seem to stay away from her no matter how hard he tries. Because whenever he loses control, it’s like he’s possessed and nothing can stop him from claiming the woman he’s had visions of for a lifetime. 

What's Next

I've been possibly finished with my next book for about a week now. I'm not sure if I'm there yet with the ending so I'm still working it.I reworked it a bit today so that I was more satisfied with it. I have to do a bit  of quick proofreading. That'll take me about two days when I ever start it.

I've been a bit distracted. My daughter turned five this January so this fall coming up will be her first year of school. It's enough to send me into a nervous breakdown. My baby is too tiny to go to school with a bunch of strangers! I'm trying to be upbeat about it for her because she may enjoy it and she could use the socialization.

School was never that bad for me. I just never wanted to go. Who could blame me? It felt like imprisonment in comparison to staying at home with my mom and watching soaps all day. Plus, I was the responsible sort who always studied and did her homework. I used to wish for a second life when I could go through school and not care about my grades.

So for the coming months, I will try to keep it together and not turn into blubbering goo and hopefully get some work done.

Another Deceived Excerpt

Since Deceived is now available at many sellers, I decided to post another excerpt. I hope you enjoy it.



     He shrugged. “You never know. It’s got to be killing him—losing you.”
     It flattered her that he had such a high opinion of her, but she doubted Jerome was mourning the loss of her as much as his job. She was suddenly very tired and hungry. The smell of pizza wafted from the kitchen. She took off her coat and hung it in the closet. “Are you hungry? I have pizza.”
     “I don’t want to impose.”
     She laughed suddenly. They were so polite and formal with each other. It was most unusual considering what had transpired between them. “I can’t eat an entire pizza myself.”
     “What’s so funny?” he asked with a curious smile.
     “It’s nothing. Please join me for dinner?”
     “I’d love to.”
     He removed his overcoat and jacket and loosened his tie before following her to the kitchen. She took plates and glasses out of the cabinet. She had a Pepsi chilling in the fridge.
     “Do you know how much sugar is in that?” he asked as she filled the glasses.
     “Enough to make my tummy happy. Sugar is my one vice. Let me have it.”
     “I seem to recall you having champagne the night we met.”
     She wrinkled her nose as she served him before sitting herself. “I don’t usually drink. I only took it to look sophisticated. Did it work?”
     He grinned, unleashing the attractive slants in his cheeks and the crinkles around his eyes. “Like a charm. It’s a good thing that you’re not a drinker,” he commented before biting into a cheesy slice of pizza.
     “Why is that?” His eyes flicked down to her belly and back up. “Oh.” She’d checked her calendar and it would be two weeks before she would know if their night together had resulted in pregnancy. Having never had a pregnancy scare before, she didn’t think it likely.
     “You’ll let me know as soon as you know anything?”
     “Of course.” She sipped her soda and enjoyed the strong carbonated flavor. Running her finger around the rim of her glass, she commented, “Some men would be freaking out about now. Why are you so calm?”
     “Having children is something I've always wanted to do. This isn't the way I imagined it would happen. You can rail against life’s curveballs or you can come to the conclusion that the world isn’t going to end and make the best of it.”
     She only hoped she could be so sage when or if they were confronted with the actuality of her being pregnant. She finished off her slice and ate a second. Aidan ate half the pizza in the box on his own. He helped her clear away the dishes. “You have sauce on your shirt.” She grabbed a towel and dabbed at the small red spot on his chest. Aidan’s gold eyes watched her hands. Their color darkened and his pupils enlarged. “There. You can barely see it. It should come out in the wash.”
     This close to him, she could smell his cologne, a hauntingly familiar fragrance. She recalled it from that night and from the dinner he’d held at his home. She wondered now if she’d ever truly believed him to be Jerome. On some level, she must have known.
     “You’re remembering, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice husky and deep. He stepped closer, caging her between his body and the sink. He gripped the counter on either side of her.
     She swallowed and shook her head. She closed her eyes, but that only made it worse. She didn’t have any images, only sensations. The feel of his hands on her followed by his mouth. The memory of his cock tunneling through the tight tissues of her pussy, taking her forcefully.
     “You’re trembling. Please tell me that I don’t frighten you?” Aidan reached out a large hand and stroked her cheek.
     “No,” she croaked. Clearing her throat, she turned and grabbed a cloth to wipe down the sink. “No, not at all.” He moved closer, pressing into her back, his erection finding a home in the cleft between her butt cheeks. She gave a startled yelp, belying her words of only seconds ago.
     His warm breath caressed her neck. “Janelle, I regret that you were deceived, but I can’t forget about that night. I—”
     “Don’t! There’s no need to discuss it further.”
     He chuckled, but it was more of a weary expulsion than an indicator of mirth. “I was under the impression that women liked to talk a subject to death.”
     “Believe me, I’ve thought about it until my head ached.” He rubbed his chin over her neck, his stubble rasping over her sensitive skin. Janelle shivered. He bit her earlobe and she gasped.
     “Janelle,” he groaned, thrusting against her. His hands closed over her waist.
     She wanted him so badly it frightened her. All she had to do was let it happen, simply do nothing. He could lift her skirt, slide her panties down her legs, open his pants, and bend her over the counter. She would get to feel the thick muscularity of him filling her aching core once more. They didn’t even have to take off their clothes. The idea of fucking fully clothed was naughty and somehow titillating. Her mouth went dry and her breathing escalated.

Well, duh....

So, I could have been mistaken about the release date of Deceived. It's coming out this Friday! Actually, I think the date was moved up and I didn't notice until yesterday. I've been busy trying to complete my next release. I want to have it finished before Friday because I get so distracted waiting for reviews and reading reviews whenever a new book comes out. I'm hoping to have four, possibly five releases this year. I feel like I'm a bit off schedule since it's April already.

The book I'm currently working on is a paranormal romance. I'll talk about it more when its finished. After that, I'm going to work on the sequel to Acting Witchy. I'd hoped to have it out earlier this year. I have mixed feelings about sequels. I have those I love (Spider Man 2, X-Men 2) and those I pretend don't exist just so I can continue to love the original (Matrix sequels 1 and 2). I don't want to inflict the latter upon my readers so I spend a little more time on them.

Deceived

I’ve been a busy bee since last I wrote. Edits for Deceived are finished and I’m looking forward to its release. I’ve been debating an excerpt to post. I like surprises and I don’t want to ruin the plot by posting too much. So I decided to post a bit of the beginning. After the release, I’ll post another (possibly more revealing and steamier) excerpt.

    Janelle Avery stared out over the lights of the city far below the penthouse suite of the Clark Hotel in Charlotte. The glass doors that led to the balcony reflected the simple white dress she wore and the quiet party going on behind her. It was sleeveless with a shimmery bodice. The A-line skirt ended midleg. On her wrist, she wore a thick silver cuff.

     Jerome Wilson, her boyfriend, had gone to the bar to get her a drink. The last six months Jerome had been working insane hours in hopes of getting a promotion. This party was a perfect example. Aidan Clark had dropped this event on Jerome less than twenty-four hours ago. Initially, they’d planned on going dancing or seeing a movie and then ringing in the New Year at her apartment. But then Jerome had been “invited” to this party for select executives of Clark International in celebration of a recent acquisition of prime waterfront property in France. “Ordered to attend” would have been a more fitting description. No way could he pass up this opportunity to rub elbows with his boss. Supportive girlfriend that she was, she hadn’t been able to say no when their first romantic evening in months became a social engagement.

     “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of meeting you?” The voice was deep, one of the deeper ones she’d ever heard, with a hint of gravel that sent a shiver up her spine.

Janelle’s reflection was joined by that of a tall white man with impossibly broad shoulders. At five foot seven, she was above average height for a female. Even in her three-inch heels, this man towered over her. She turned. The ponytail that she’d artfully arranged over her shoulder swung loose and trailed between her shoulder blades.

     He held a tumbler of amber liquid in one hand as he extended the other toward her. “Aidan Clark.”

She knew who he was. Jerome had pointed him out soon after they entered his home. Aidan Clark was ruggedly handsome with thick chocolate-brown hair that was closely cropped and expertly tamed. He couldn’t be called pretty. His featured were too angular and sharp. Only his mouth with its full lower lip could be described as lush or soft. The rest of him appeared to be carved from stone. Yet, he was the type of man that was impossible for a woman to ignore or forget. The way he moved, the way he held himself, spoke of confidence and simply screamed sexy. His black suit with black shirt and tie had to have been tailored for his big body. The fit was so perfect she couldn’t help but admire it as her slender hand was engulfed in his much larger one. His skin was warm and his handshake was firm. “Janelle Avery. I’m Jerome’s guest.”

     Aidan glanced around until he spotted Jerome chatting with a blonde lady in a red dress while they awaited their turn at the bar. “And I took him for a smart man.”

     “Oh, Jerome is very smart,” she said, immediately rising to his defense.

     “Yet, he left a woman as lovely as you unattended.” His gold eyes were intense as they traveled over her face, lingering on her lips before meeting her gaze once more.

     Somewhat unnerved by his frank appreciation, she forced a smile. “Thank you for the compliment, but I sent him to fetch me a drink.”

     “Ah, that explains it. I hope you’ve been enjoying your evening. These events can be terribly dull for the guests.”

     “Oh, I was just enjoying your view.” She indicated the glass doors at her back.

     “Yes, it is breathtaking,” he agreed, but his eyes never left hers. “Sometimes I think I’ll miss it when construction on my home is completed.”

     “You’re building a house?”

     He nodded. “Construction should be complete within the month.”

     “Congratulations.”

     “Thank you.”

     Jerome appeared at her elbow. He held two glasses of champagne. Passing her a glass, he nodded at his boss. “Aidan, I see you’ve met Janelle.”

     “Yes. I’m glad that the two of you were able to make it on such short notice.”

     “Sir, I was honored to be invited. Thank you again.”

     “Nonsense. You’ve worked very hard and I appreciate it. It makes me more comfortable giving you greater responsibilities in the future.”

     Janelle could see Jerome’s chest puff up with pride. “Thank you, sir.”

     “No, thank you.” He nodded at the two of them. “I’ll leave you to your lovely companion.”

     “Wow,” Jerome whispered as Aidan drifted out of earshot. His excitement was palpable. “Did you hear that? ‘Greater responsibility.’ Sounds like promotion to me.” He pumped his fist off to the side so as not to be visible to any of the other guests.

     Janelle laughed. “Congratulations.” Throughout the evening, Jerome introduced her to more of his coworkers. His mood remained high from the conversation with Aidan. Though Aidan didn’t approach them again, Janelle often found his gaze on them as they circulated. Shortly before midnight, they turned on a flat-screen television and watched the ball drop. Janelle shared a kiss with Jerome, but it was understandably chaste. He didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize his chances of a promotion. She smiled at him and used her thumb to remove any trace of lipstick from his lips. When she withdrew from Jerome’s embrace, her gaze was snagged by Aidan’s. He nodded to her and lifted his glass in salute. She nodded back.

     On the ride home, Jerome couldn’t stop speculating about the meaning of Aidan’s words. As he walked her to the door of her apartment, she dug out her keys and said, “I agree. It does seem auspicious. I’m happy for you.”

     “Hey, I want to thank you for your help.”

     “My help?”

     “You helped me make a good impression just by being your beautiful self. And you picked out this suit for me.” Charcoal gray with pinstripes, the dark suit made his light brown eyes stand out against his honeyed skin tone.

     She waved away the compliment. “It was a no-brainer. It’s what I do.” She owned a small boutique filled with her own fashions. Jerome had wandered in while on a shopping trip with his mother. “You’re easy to dress.” And easy on the eyes. Jerome was very handsome and he knew it.

He grinned and leaned forward. His lips grazed hers in a kiss so light and brief that it was over before she could participate. “So, I owe you dinner and a movie. Are you free this weekend?”

     She nodded. “I’d like that. Are you coming in?”

     “Can’t. It’s late and Mom will worry.” He could afford his own place, but his mother was elderly and suffered from diabetes and high blood pressure. Janelle thought it was sweet that he sacrificed his privacy to live with his mother. “Besides, I have a few reports to turn in tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek before dashing off taking the steps in a gallop.

     Janelle watched him leave and then turned and unlocked her door. She sighed. They hadn’t made love in months. If she didn’t know better, she’d think he was cheating on her. But he was always at the office. He was constantly telling her that as a black man, he had to work twice as hard to get ahead.

Deep in thought, she shrugged off her coat and hung it in the closet near the door. She continued through her cozy den and into her bedroom. This was her favorite room in the apartment. Here, she’d let her inner girl out. Frilly lace curtains hung in front of her windows. Her comforter was the thickest she could find in winter white. It was covered in fur pillows of Navajo white and pale pink. Dolls and teddy bears took up all the available level surfaces. Even they were dressed in varying shades of pink and white.

     Janelle removed her dress and carefully placed it on a rack in her closet. She supposed she should look at this evening as a success. She liked Jerome, and as her best friend Dionne would say, they’d make beautiful babies together. At the rate they were going, that would be years off. She admired Jerome’s work ethic and he always claimed that his priority was their future. While she’d liked the sound of “their future,” they weren’t engaged, nor had they discussed marriage. In the meantime, she felt neglected and unwanted. She didn’t think of herself as an attention-craving diva, but being ignored wasn’t particularly flattering.

     She pulled a frilly cotton gown over her head and slid her feet into fuzzy rabbit slippers. Stretching her arms over her head, she reminded herself that she should be grateful that she had a good man with a great job. Jerome wasn’t perfect, but then who was?

     Perfection made her think of the suit Aidan Clark had worn tonight. Definitely Armani. The cloth had molded his body like he was born in it. Janelle had been surprised to find out he was so young. Jerome had explained that Aidan had begun building his empire at the age of nineteen. He’d purchased his first hotel with money left to him by his grandfather.

     She went to her kitchen for water. Swallowing the cool liquid, she couldn’t help but think that Jerome had more than a small amount of hero-worship for Aidan. She didn’t think there was anything he wouldn’t do to impress the man.

Deceived

I was so happy to visit Amira'website today and see Deceived listed among the releases coming soon. This is the story idea I had one morning over the holidays and just couldn't stop writing until it was done. The release date is April 12.

Updates

While I was over at Facebook and Twitter updating some images, my daughter thought she'd be helpful and remove the protective plastic from the screen of my phone. She'd removed the plastic from our router yesterday and was praised for it so I guess she thought she'd keep the ball rolling. Fortunately, I have more covers, but as anyone who has ever placed one of these covers, you know it's not easy. I do wonder why her helpfulness never seems to extend to her picking up her toys. 

If you've been watching my Works in Progress page, you'll notice that I removed one of the names from the list. It's going to be published with Amira. The title will be Deceived. More details to come.

What's New

I've been writing, writing, and writing some more. I've had lots of new ideas. My last story idea came to me one morning over the holidays. I woke up and there it was. The idea was pretty firm within minutes but it took me a few days to work out some of the details. The more I thought about it, the more excited I became with the story idea. I completed the story last week. Since then, I've been proofreading and adding a few more details, but for the most part, I’m satisfied with the story.

I've also been reading lots and it occurred to me that I have several types of stories that I like that I will buy again and again despite knowing that I will encounter a similar plot. One of those is the idea of friends falling in love. I can't resist a marriage of convenience that becomes more. Or the story of a woman who has an affair with a man and later conceals the resulting pregnancy. (Of course, they get back together when he finds out after a delicious show of male fury.) There are more plots I adore, but still, you'd think it would get dull and that I'd be looking for something different. Somehow it never does and these remain my favorite themes. 

Ahh, The Holidays

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I enjoyed the time with family exchanging gifts, shopping and, of course, eating. Christmas was my favorite holiday as a kid. As I got older, the excitement dimmed a bit. (People stopped buying me toys!) Since my daughter was born, I've grown to enjoy it more with my daughter. The last two years, she's "helped" me put up the tree. But this is the first year that she was really excited about the holidays. We watched classic cartoons like "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

After Christmas, I went shopping with my sister and we visited a toy store to look for a toy for her son. I'd bought him all the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles except one. Donatello was missing from every store I checked and he was ridiculously overpriced online. We still didn't find him, but my daughter found a small set with a bunny. It included a small bowl, spoon, cup, tub, and other assorted items. It looked like it should cost about five dollars. It was twenty-two! So, of course, I put it back. And my daughter was upset for the rest of the time we were in the store. I picked up other more reasonable and useful items, but that didn't perk her up any at all. Once we were in line to leave, she was still crying, but not the loud annoying crying that inspires no sympathy. No, she had the sad face, sad eyes and the look of someone trying to hold back tears. It was far more effective than acting out could have ever been. Emotional blackmail at its finest. Sigh. And so, along with the other items, this is how I ended up buying almost a hundred dollars worth of toys days after Christmas and only a few weeks before her fifth birthday.