The Surfer and the Bad Boy: A free read for you!

The Surfer and the Bad Boy

Wade jumped off his surf board and splashed through the shallow water onto the sand. He stood right on the edge of the ocean shaking the water out of his hair, relishing the burning hot sun on his shoulders, and squinting his eyes against the glare to see along the top of the sand dunes.
Yes. He was right. The big, black-haired bad boy was still standing there, and still staring right at him.
Wade shoved a hand through his hair, scraping the last of it off his face, and using the action to focus even more on Bad Boy. Damn, the man was delicious. Built. Oh, how he was built. Broad shoulders, thickly muscled biceps, and washboard abs clearly visible through his unbuttoned leather vest. Everything Wade liked best all packaged together with so much attitude he could almost taste it across fifty feet of sand. Somehow Bad Boy didn’t strike Wade as the usual kind of person who watched surfers. Apart from the beach bunny women who drooled over toned male bodies, most of the rest of the viewers were fascinated by the surfers’ action on the waves. But Bad Boy seemed different. It was almost as if he was looking right inside Wade, measuring his innermost self.
Despite the scorching sun Wade shivered. Huh. He must be imagining it. Obviously he’d used up too many calories out on the water and his blood sugar was too low. A beer and a couple of hot dogs would solve that problem.
Wade strode up the dune to his truck, ripped open the Velcro ankle tie and hefted his surfboard into the truckbed, laying it on the old blanket he always kept there. His board was the best he could afford and he didn’t want it damaged.
“Niiiice,” rumbled a very sexy deep bass voice right behind his ear.
Wade whipped around. Bad Boy was standing an inch away from him. How had he gotten here so silently? Hastily he took a breath and replied. “It’s a Christenson. Chris shaped it for me personally.”
“I meant you, not the board, although it’s okay I guess.”
“Okay? Just okay? It—” Wade snapped his mouth shut and tried to stem his anger. That damn board had cost him a shitload of money and it was damn-near perfect. In fact, not even damn-near. It was perfect. Wade forced himself to take another breath and that’s when he saw the sparkling light in Bad Boy’s black eyes and realized he was being teased. Also, Bad Boy had complemented him. As if his physique was anything like as awesome as Bad Boy’s.
“My name’s Wade.” He stuck out his hand.
“Killian. Good to meet you, blondie.”
Killian’s hand was rough as if from hard physical labor, his grip firm but not bone crushing. And his voice was every bit as sexy as the first time he’d spoken.
“You’re interested in surfing?”
“A little I guess. Mostly I’m interested in you.”
“Me?”
Bad Boy gripped Wade’s hand more firmly and Wade stared at their hands, surprised that the clasp was somehow erotic rather than formal. Killian’s hand was as tanned as his own, but larger, firmer. A vision of that hand spanking his ass shot through Wade’s mind and he almost drooled with lust. Wow. He really needed to get his head on straight before he said or did something stupid.
“It’s too damn hot out here. Let’s go get a beer somewhere air conditioned.”
A beer sounded good to Wade. “I was just about to get some lunch as well. There’s a great hot dog stand just along the bluff. No air conditioning though.”
Killian finally let go of Wade’s hand and slapped him on his shoulder. “As long as I can get out of the sun I’ll survive.”
Wade grabbed a towel and his flip-flops out of the truck, grinning at the horrified look on Killian’s face when he slipped his wet, sandy feet into the plastic footwear. “Normally I go barefoot but sometimes there’re bits of metal or glass up near the road,” he explained.
“Flip-flops? Seriously? Real men don’t wear flip-flops.” The bass rumble was every bit as horrified as the look on Bad Boy’s face.
“Bare feet are my thing. Really.” Wade led the way to the hot dog stand, waving at the owner and holding up two fingers. The kid waved back and handed him two fully loaded hot dogs, then pulled two ice-cold longnecks out from under the counter. Wade carried them across to a table under an umbrella where Killian was sitting in the shade. Wade handed over a hot dog and a beer to Killian, placed his own food on the table, then dropped his towel onto the chair before sitting down.
“It’s plastic. It doesn’t matter if you get it wet.”
“I know, but some of the chairs are metal and I don’t need a burned ass.” Even as he said the words the image of Bad Boy’s big hands spanking him shot into his mind again and he swallowed hard. What the fuck was wrong with him? He didn’t even know this man.
Rushing to change the subject he asked, “Are you just here for the Fourth of July holiday? The fireworks won’t begin until ten tonight. Sunset is close to nine and it’s not really dark for half an hour after that.”

****

Killian stared into Wade’s eyes. They were the dark blue of the ocean near the horizon. A deep, penetrating color that rocked him all the way to his core. He’d started off by watching the way blondie surfed. His body moved on that board like a dancer over the waves. The sea appeared to part to let him though, offering him a smooth, graceful ride all the way into the shore. But the closer the surfer came to him, the more Killian could see the sheer muscular strength that held Wade’s body in pace. Arms outstretched for balance, legs braced to turn the board as the waves rolled by, all in complete balance and harmony. Fuck yes, blondie made it look so easy but Killian knew that was totally deceiving. If he tried to do it he’d fall off the board in ten seconds and likely break half the bones in his body as well. And that was if he didn’t drown. No. Surfing took skill, balance, precision, toughness of body and mind. All characteristics that turned him on, and blondie here turned him on in spades. It took everything in him not to slam Wade face down on the table and fuck him. Or maybe throw him to the ground and suck his cock until he screamed and begged for more.
Killian swallowed hard. “I’m here to watch the fireworks with you, and then we can make some fireworks of our own. Private ones.” He kept his gaze fixed on Wade as he spoke, watching the gleam in those blue eyes, the smile tilting the edges of his mouth up at the corners, the faint blush spreading across blondie’s tanned face.
“Fireworks huh? That sounds like the kind of plan I could agree to.”
“In that case I’d better get us each another hot dog. We’re going to need the extra calories.”
Wade grinned. “Better pick up a couple of apple pies as well for the sugar hit.”
Killian’s breath hitched. Fuck waiting for tonight. He jumped to his feet and pulled Wade against him, lowering his mouth for a kiss. Wade’s lips were soft and salty, then hard and passionate. Absolutely perfect.

Berengaria has Male/Male romance stories in:
"Naughty Hearts":
Print: http://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Hearts-Twelve-Valentines-Stories/dp/150759433X/
Amazon: http://indi.uno/1BH3Uxu
B&N: http://indi.uno/1uNNYHa
Kobo: http://indi.uno/1LwR8cY
Google: http://indi.uno/1EWHmMP
iTunes: http://indi.uno/18DSyDw

"Naughty Flings": http://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Flings-Twelve-Little-Romps-ebook/dp/B00X8D6E6U/

"Naughty Escapes":
http://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Escapes-Eleven-Vacation-Getaways-ebook/dp/B00ZJJ1QSC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1434251533&sr=1-1&keywords=Naughty+Escapes

Berengaria Brown’s links:
Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/berengaria-brown
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Berengaria-Brown/e/B00541R3YQ/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/berengaria.brown?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerengariaBrown
ARe: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/storeSearch.html?searchBy=author&qString=Berengaria+Brown

How did it get to be December?

How did it get to be December? I swear it's only August. I just blinked and boom I hear Chicago singing Jingle Bell Rock on the radio! Hate it when that happens. Not hearing Chicago, but having the end of the year rush toward me so fast I feel like I'm driving Doc Brown's DeLorean.

One thing about December, though, is it's time for me to take stock in what I've accomplished this year. I wrote and published two stories with the Naughty Literati. Blue Plate Special came out in Naughty Flings and then Moon Dance made its first appearance in Naughty Escapes. I'd intended to have a new story in that universe ready for Naughty Reunions but the story just didn't pan out. Nothing wrong with the story itself just that it didn't fit the theme and trying to make it fit nearly broke my brain. I've been ripping out all the seams and rewriting it properly. I've got my fingers crossed that it'll be ready for the first anthology of 2016. So far it's had more names than Liz Taylor. At the moment I'm thinking of it as The School Teacher and the Rock Star. We'll see if that sticks. As for next year's Naughty Literati releases, we've got some great themes in store for 2016.

I really wanted a story in Naughty Reunions. That is a kickass anthology, as is Naughty Chances which released this month. I'm constantly blown away by the talented writers who make up the Naughty Literati. Sharing a table of contents with any of these authors is a high honor.

I also wrote and sold two stories to Dreamspinner Press this year. Lodestone is an m/m, science fiction paranormal story. I'm dying to get more of Alchemy and Nicholai's story out there. I love the universe and have another story, with different characters, underway, but it's a long one and may not even see submission until sometime next year. My other Dreamspinner release is The Stonemason in the Bare Studs anthology. That was one of those stories that seemed to write itself…while at the same time I sweated blood getting it out. It's also a rare, for me, standalone.

2015 has been a bit of a mixed bag for me. I launched Yet Another Penname (that would be Terry), moved, started three new universes, got bogged down in a story, broke free, sold to a brand new to me market, started ghostwriting (it's so much fun!) and have edited a few terrific novels that I wish I'd written. There have been many ups and downs, but I think the ups outweigh the downs.

I have plans for 2016, and if even half of them come to fruition, I'll have some terrific stories for you.

Hope you all have a lovely holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, or if you celebrate nothing at all.

Keep calm and read!

Terry Rissen

Welcome to My Worlds

@terryrissen

Definitions: What is Erotica? by Regina Kammer

Riffing off Suz’s post A Few Words About Writing Erotica, I’ve decided to offer definitions of erotica, erotic romance, and such. You can read the extended version on my blog.

Introduction

People frequently make broad assumptions about what it is I write. Friends, family, and acquaintances snicker about my "porn". Romance writer colleagues imbued with the cadence of traditional romance often bandy about the term "erotica" as if to signal the ugly otherness of erotic romance.

So I will attempt to answer the provocative question What is erotica? and by doing so answer corollary questions about misunderstood erotic-like literary variations: Erotic romance, steamy romance, smut, porn, and Romantica®.

Kammerotica Definitions, or The What is Erotica? Cheat Sheet!

Erotica
Erotica is a literary form where the core of the story is sexual in nature. As a literary form, erotica has plot, themes, character development, goals and motivations, conflicts and resolutions, and all those elements that make up a story. But all those elements deal with something sexual in nature. Typical themes include the erotic development of a relationship (e.g., a Dominant and submissive), or an innocent’s journey of sexual discovery, or a character’s exploration and development of their true sexual nature. One could not strip out the sex scenes and be left with a comprehensible story. The sex is the story.

But, blasphemy of blasphemies, I do not think erotica has to necessarily be arousing. Sometimes the erotic development of a relationship or a character’s journey of sexual discovery is sad, lonely, and depressing. Sometimes it is shocking. Sometimes it is sweet and romantic. And sometimes it is arousing.

Erotic romance
In order to define this, I have to define "romance". I'm not talking le Roman de la Rose or Arthurian chivalric knights, which are the roots of the idea of romantic love. No. I'm talking Romance Writers of America (RWA) romance.

Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending.

Erotic romance takes all the elements of erotica but has a love story at its core. An optimistic resolution to a relationship—a Happily Ever After or a Happily For Now—is essential in an erotic romance.

Sex scenes are not gratuitous in erotic romance. Sexual elements form the foundation of the plot, themes, and characters. One cannot simply strip away the sex scenes and be left with a comprehensible story. The sex scenes drive the plot and character development and push toward that culmination of a HEA/HFN.

Steamy (or Sexy, or Graphic, or Gratuitous, or Explicit) Romance
Steamy Romance is a romance with a lot of sex in it. Generally, there is a very good reason for at least one of the sex scenes—the moment when the hero and heroine (or whatever permutation of H/h the story has: two men, two women, three people, etc.) connect deeply and emotionally. But in a lot of steamy romances, one could tone down the sex scenes or fade to black before the sex scenes and the story would be sound.

Unfortunately, some steamy romance novels have too many purely gratuitous sex scenes. Personally, I find these sorts of stories rather boring. I want the sex in a story to have purpose, to move the story forward. Characters should change, relationships should develop, conflicts should increase or resolve — something has to happen because of the sex. I find it interesting that erotica and erotic romance is often criticized for having gratuitous sex. It’s actually the steamy romances that too often fall into that pit.

Romantica®
Romantica® is a registered trademark of the erotic romance and erotica publisher Ellora’s Cave. The term is exclusively used for their line of erotic romance. Because it is a trademark one should never use the term unless discussing an Ellora’s Cave erotic romance. Maybe one day it will be a generic term, but until then I strongly urge people not to use it out of context.

Smut
Depending on who is using it, this word can mean "erotica" or "literary porn" or "just plain porn". It’s a cute word that seems to be used mostly by erotica authors from the UK.

Pornography / Porn
In pornography sex scenes exist purely for the purpose of sexual titillation. Plot, character development, theme, and all other literary devices are generally missing in pornography. In fact, such literary effects are irrelevant and unessential. The entire emphasis is on sexual acts. "Literary porn" is really just well-written porn, but once the story starts to have some of those literary devices, porn starts sliding toward erotica.

Pornography starts with a set-up, e.g., pizza boy goes to a sorority house and sexiness ensues. Characters remain the same after the act is finished: there is no character development, no character growth, no conflict resolution. There is just pure sexual satisfaction—although I suppose that is a resolution of some sort!

What I Write

So, what is it I actually write? I write all of the above except porn—despite what my friends think. I offer a few examples below.

Erotica
My story in Naughty List, "A Night at Valley Forge", is erotica because a HEA is not an element.

Erotic romance
Most of what I write can be categorized as this. I like a happy ending! I like my characters to explore their sexual natures! My favorite novel of mine, The General’s Wife: An American Revolutionary Tale, is pretty much textbook erotic romance.

Romantica®
Because I’ve written for Ellora’s Cave, I’ve written Romantica with my Harwell Heirs series. The Pleasure Device, Disobedience By Design, and Where Destiny Plays are all erotic romance novels under the Romantica brand.

Steamy romance
Yes! I’ve actually written steamy romance! It surprised me too, because I never thought I would. My story in Naughty Flings, "Hot As Hades", is a story with hot sex and a Happily Ever After. I think the story would not be as good without the sex or with toned down sex, but I hesitate calling it erotic romance. Maybe you can convince me otherwise in the comments?

About the Author

Regina Kammer is a librarian, an art historian, and an award-nominated, best-selling, multi-published writer of erotica and historical erotic romance. Her short stories and novels make history sexier, whether the era is Roman, Byzantine, Viking, American Revolution, or Victorian. She’s even sexed up contemporary settings, Steampunk, and Greco-Roman mythology. She has been published by Cleis Press, Go Deeper Press, Ellora’s Cave, House of Erotica, Story Ink, The Naughty Literati, and her own imprint, Viridium Press. She began writing historical fiction with romantic elements during National Novel Writing Month 2006, switching to erotica when all her characters suddenly demanded to have sex.

Keep up with Regina on her website

Follow her on Twitter @Kammerotica

Or Google+

Like her on Facebook

Connect with her on Goodreads

See what’s new on her Amazon Author Page

Write What You Know: Paranormal Edition by Regina Kammer

Beginning writers are often advised to “write what you know,” that way words and stories and emotions will resound authentically. The general public has glommed on to this aphorism and often conflates “write what you know” with “write your actual lived experience”. Erotica and erotic romance writers especially fall victim to this definition. We get a lot of “heh, heh” “snicker, snicker” at parties and such, because of course we’ve all done every blessed thing our characters have done.

Sigh.

The weird thing is that no one asks murder mystery writers if they’ve ever killed a person, or pseudo-medieval fantasy authors if they’ve quashed enemies to garner a throne, or vampire epic authors if they enjoy the taste of blood. Nope. It’s just the sex writers who get asked all the crazy questions.

Someday I’m just going to say, yes, if you’ve read it, I’ve done it, so why don’t you just go out and buy all my books, please, and then we’ll talk about time traveling back to 1777 New York and getting gang-banged by Hessians and a British general.

The truth behind writing fiction is far more interesting and fun. I’ve written about the weird experience of characters who refused to do what I wanted them to do, of characters who utterly drove a sex scene (and again), and having history spark my imagination.

As I delve more fully into unknown frontiers of writing, though, “write what you know” takes on a whole new meaning. I wanted to write Steampunk, but I know nothing about machines. Yet, I do know enough about the Victorian era to tweak it a bit. I wanted to write about Vikings, but my academic background is in the Late Roman-Early Byzantine period. Ah-ha! The Vikings paid a visit to Byzantine Constantinople. I thought about writing paranormal, and...

I got nothing.

I seriously do not understand things like shape-shifters and vampires, and it takes a really good writer to make those things sexy to me. I swore I would never write paranormal for these reasons.

I was taking a writing class a couple of years ago, and we had to post a link to an excerpt. I had only one polished excerpt to share at the time, from Hadrian and Sabina: A Love Story, an epic historical erotic romance, with four intertwining love stories. Upon re-reading the excerpt I suddenly realized: oh my god this is paranormal.

So I had already written paranormal, just not the kind of paranormal (e.g., vampires, shape-shifters) that’s really popular. It was a kind of paranormal I knew, with Greco-Roman gods and goddesses and a dream-like setting. I went back and re-read Hadrian and, lo and behold, there were other light paranormal elements, including a great four-way sex scene.

When the Naughty Literati were planning our anthology Naughty Flings with a springtime theme, I asked myself “what do I know about spring?” (because, um, you know, the whole write what you know thing). Hmmm...the end of winter’s frost brings a rejuvenation of the earth...agriculture...Demeter, the goddess of agriculture...who brings winter to the earth when her daughter Persephone is abducted by Hades...and spring arrives when Persephone is released. I’d written about all of that before, in Hadrian and Sabina. In that book I offered an alternate interpretation of the Persephone myth. And in "Hot as Hades" I offer yet another interpretation.

I had a lot of fun writing the story -- the paranormal story. I hope you enjoy reading it.

About the Author
Regina Kammer is a librarian, an art historian, and an award-nominated, Amazon best-selling, multi-published writer of erotica and historical erotic romance. Her short stories and novels have been published by Cleis Press, Go Deeper Press, Ellora’s Cave, House of Erotica, The Naughty Literati, and her own imprint, Viridium Press. She began writing historical fiction with romantic elements during National Novel Writing Month 2006, switching to erotica when all her characters suddenly demanded to have sex.

Keep up with Regina on her website http://kammerotica.com/
Follow her on Twitter @Kammerotica
Or Google+
Like her on Facebook
Connect with her on Goodreads
See what’s new on her Amazon Author Page

Writing "Spring Training" from #boxedset NAUGHTY FLINGS (#romance #99cents)

Every once in a while, a writer wants to write outside the box. Tough to do when you're writing for a boxed set (LOL pun intended), but for me, the twist in my writing life came unexpectedly.

I write a fair amount of BDSM, and some of it is based on my personal experiences. I've been a switch, which in the community's lingo means that I may take either the dominant or submissive role in a scene. However, most of my writing has been about male Dominants and female submissives.

When I started Spring Training, I set out to write in my usual mold. I planned to write about a feisty but feminine trainer tamed by a sports team's hot pitcher. But as I wrote, the character of Terri evolved quickly into someone who was accustomed to taking the dominant role. She is, after all, a trainer in pro sports and therefore used to giving orders. Chase, the pitcher, was in a weak position as an aging player in a game that favors the young. Plus, as the story grew, it turned out that he had always been turned on by punishment--the kind of punishment Terri likes to provide.

Here's a snippet from one of their scenes:

She sat next to him and slid an arm around his waist for a comforting side-hug. He relaxed into the warmth of her support while her hands remained busy. She unbuckled his belt and pulled it free, then scooted around behind him and knelt on the bed, her knees bracketing him. After taking off his shirt, she began to caress his shoulders and scratch them gently. “Nothing is going to happen that you don’t want,” she murmured into his ear. “If I go too far, just say so, okay?”

Her warm breath soothed him, and he relaxed into her touch. The scratching and rubbing, though only on his back, was a real turn-on.

He unzipped his pants and his cock sprang free. She snarled and smacked his rod with her open palm. Hard.

“Fuck! What was that?”

“Did I give you permission to expose yourself? Did I give you permission to speak?”

Shit. He’d blown it. He bent his head. “No, Mistress. I’m sorry, Mistress.”

She nibbled on his earlobe, the sharp jabs stimulating. “There’s a price for everything,” she whispered.

His hair stood on end while his cock stood, also. But why? Why did he find the threat of punishment so arousing?

If you want to discover the reason Chase finds punishment arousing, you'll have to read the story. Find it here: http://indi.uno/1EaiEqB

About Suz deMello:

Best-selling, award-winning author Suz deMello, a.k.a Sue Swift, has written nineteen books in several genres, including nonfiction, romance, erotica, comedy, historical, paranormal, mystery and suspense, plus a number of short stories and non-fiction articles on writing. Her books have been favorably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus and Booklist, won a contest or two, attained the finals of the RITA and hit several bestseller lists.

A former trial attorney, her passion is world travel. She’s left the US over a dozen times, including lengthy stints working overseas. She’s now writing a vampire tale and planning her next trip.

--Find her books at http://www.suzdemello.com

--For editing services, email her at suzdemello@gmail.com

--Befriend her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SuzDeMello

--She tweets @Suzdemello

--Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/suzdemello/

--Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SuzATGoodreads

--Her current blog is http://www.TheVelvetLair.com

Naughty Flings - Available Now

Yay, it's here. Naughty Flings is available now. Get your copy 

Twelve Naughty Little Romps

including BBW, Contemporary, FemDomme,
M/M, Mythological, Paranormal, Regency,
Shape-shifter & Vampire
from Amazon bestselling authors!

Stay The Night ~ Alexa Silver
When Tod finds out his favorite bookseller is a fan of his work, sparks fly, but the much younger Mel may only be looking for a fling. Can Tod convince her to stay the night—or forever?

Blood Mates: How to Blackmail a Vampire ~ Belle Scarlett
In the spring, a vampire’s fancy turns to the blood lust mating hunt. A pretty, human blackmailer becomes the object of his thirst, but she’s not into vampires. Yet.

The Loch Ness Monster, Romeo, and Julio ~ Berengaria Brown
Fraser Campbell and Cameron MacDonald are sent to Glasgow on business. Cam’s determined to see the Loch Ness monster. Fraser just wants Cam.

The ShadowLord’s Arrival ~ Charlotte Boyett-Compo
Sometimes when you try to run from fate, you trip and and fall into the arms of destiny.

Teach Me To Dance ~ Francesca Hawley
Lady Lexa shares an evening of suggestive flirtation with the Duke of Kendrick. He wants to take her home, but they have unfinished business.

Phantom Affair ~ Katherine Kingston
Robert is the best lover Kelly’s ever had, even though he’s a ghost. If he could return, could reality live up to the fantasy?

Sticky & Sweet ~ Lainey-Jo Charles
Spring time. Parks. Baseball. Ice cream trucks. Ah, the sweet memories of youth. Ten years later, create new sweet and sticky memories as an adult.

Buying Adam ~ Marianne Stephens
Under false pretenses, Jessica wins Adam at a Charity Bachelor auction. Secret desires for each other ignite into passionate lovemaking. Will the truth divide them?

My Kind of Lover ~ Nicole Austin
Badass biker girl, accountant, lioness shifter—I’m all that and more. And this hybrid wolf thinks he can take me on? Bring it, you sexy beast! I’ve got this.

Hot As Hades ~ Regina Kammer
After living in Hell for four months, Persephone returns home to the mortal realm. But can home truly be home without the man she loves?

Spring Training ~ Suz deMello
A hot pitcher finds his secret desires fulfilled by a striking new trainer, who disciplines him in ways he’s only dreamed about (F/m).

Blue Plate Special ~ Terry Rissen
William’s life is shrouded in secrets. Things start looking up when he meets a vivacious girl at a diner; a girl with almost as many secrets as he has.


 

Excerpt from Blue Plate Special by Terry Rissen

Part of the Naughty Flings boxed set - Available May 15^th

Blurb: William’s life is shrouded in secrets. Things start looking up when he meets a vivacious girl at a diner; a girl with almost as many secrets as he has.
Paranormal

Copyright © Terry Rissen, 2015

“Can I get you something?”

The girl’s voice jolted Will out of his examination of the veteran at the other end of the counter and he swiveled toward her. He looked into her eyes and was caught. Still open from his examination, she hit him hard.

He’d seen her beauty when he’d walked in, but that had been an overall, almost abstract assessment. Now he was faced with rich brown eyes that somehow emphasized the deep red highlights in her hair. Her eyes warmed him. Her smile bespoke of a gentle soul, but the twinkle in her eye told of a mischievous side. He felt as if he had known this stranger forever. Memories stretched back beyond his birth. Lifetimes spent together, or spent longing for someone he’d never met.

He started to speak but then stopped, smiled a little and ducked his head. Will berated himself for his shyness. When she laughed, not unkindly, he thought he heard the rustle of wings and music. God, the music he heard in his mind when she laughed—it was incredible. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to reproduce it, but then he wasn’t sure he wanted anyone else to hear it. Anyone else but her.

Will floundered for something to say. This girl wasn’t the kind he was used to running into. The girls at Berklee didn’t give him a second look. His clothes were too threadbare and his eyes too old. Scholarship boys didn’t hold their interest. The other girls he ran into, the ones in the clubs he played, weren’t interested in anything more than a good time with a guy who might be famous one day. Will wasn’t above taking advantage of that sometimes. He tried to be nice to them, but they didn’t mean anything but a good time to him. Some of the guys didn’t seem to care even that much.

But this was different. Her name tag was twisted under her collar so he couldn’t read it. He caught himself before he reached out to straighten it. He wondered if she felt the same connection he did.

She didn’t seem to care about what he had or who he might be one day. When she looked at him, he felt as if she saw him and what she saw was good enough for her.

Did she see all of him? Did she see what the other girls didn’t? What he kept so deeply hidden out here in the ordinary world? And was that what she was after?

Will’s heart sank a little at the thought, but then she dropped a menu in front of him and smiled that warm, honest smile of hers. “Why don’t you take a look and I’ll come back in a few minutes?”

“Promise?” Will hoped he sounded teasing and not insecure. He wanted to tease her, to flirt with her, but he was very insecure. What if she wasn’t drawn to him? What if he was just another guy to her? He didn’t quite know how to talk to nice girls and some instinct told him she was the nicest girl he’d ever met.

And the most important.

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” she said, making a crossing motion over her heart. Will grabbed her hand to stop her in the middle of it and she tensed.

“Don’t say that,” he said and then realized he might have just messed up. Her smile was gone and he wanted it back. “I mean, that’s a terrible thing to say. Never hope to die, okay?” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb and then released her. Damnit! No chance she’d want to talk to him now.

“I never thought about it, but you’re right,” she said, a little smile peeking out as if a little mouse was checking to see if the mean dog was gone. He stared into her eyes and something in him fell into place. As if a gear had been out of kilter and had finally settled in among its fellows. How had he lived this long without her at his side?

“The blue plate tonight is good,” she said, holding his gaze. She quickly licked her lips then continued, “I hope you like meatloaf.”

“I’ll take it.” Will would have eaten anything she offered.

Excerpt from Spring Training by Suz deMello

Part of the Naughty Flings boxed set - Available May 15^th

Blurb: A hot pitcher finds his secret desires fulfilled by a striking new trainer, who disciplines him in ways he’s only dreamed about (F/m).

FemDomme

Copyright © Suz deMello, 2015

Though the hotel’s dining room was crowded with players and fans, Chase managed to score a relatively quiet table with a fake palm on one side and a curtain on the other. While he waited for Terri to show up, he battled the demons in his head.

Okay, so she’s beautiful. She’s smart. She loves baseball.

But she’s the new trainer. If we fool around and things go wrong... He shuddered.

A few words to management from Terri like, “Chase McCall? He used to be good...” and he’d be off the team, his career shattered.

A hush fell over the crowded, noisy room. He heard a player say, with reverence in his tone, “Holy shit, she sure cleans up nice.”

Chase stood and looked toward the door. Yeah, she sure did clean up nicely. Her slim, unadorned dress allowed her natural beauty to shine, as did her lack of makeup, which showcased glowing, perfect skin. Shiny brown hair swept her shoulders. She was so gorgeous that his eyes ached just looking at her.

She strode toward him, smiling. He had a brief vision of her doing the same thing. Naked. Tits bobbing, hips swinging... He bet she was a firecracker in the sack. All that confidence oozing outta her was sexy as hell.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“What?” she asked.

He helped her into a chair, then slumped into his. He hummed along with the jazz band playing in the adjacent bar. I’ve got it bad, and that ain’t good...

“Ohhh....”

He raised his head and saw her nodding in understanding.

“If it’s any comfort... Me too.”

He rubbed his face. “At least we can both be adults about it, talk about it.”

“Yep, well, you’re totally distracting, and sex would be even more distracting.” Terri’s tone was firm, matter-of-fact. She tapped fingertips against the linen tablecloth. Was she edgy, too?

“And it would be a terrible career move for me.”

She frowned and even looked a little offended. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a server bustling over to their table. “What can I get you folks to drink?”

“Prosecco, please.” Her tone was brisk and assured, as usual.

Despite another flare of desire, Chase focused on the matter at hand. “I’d like a glass of red. Do you have any California pinots?”

“We have an excellent Rombauer Zin that’s comparable, sir.”

“Umm, they’re a good vineyard. Okay.”

The server put dinner menus onto the table and left.

He eyed Terri. “What did I say that was so bad?”

“Why would an affair with me be a terrible career move? Being with the trainer—that would be smart, wouldn’t it?”

“Not if it didn’t work out. And it could be interpreted as sexual harassment.”

She smiled. “But who’s harassing whom?”

“Men are usually thought to have all the power in this situation,” he said slowly. “But here...you’re the one in control.”

She grinned at him. Jesus fuck, this woman is sex on a stick.

She said, “Have you ever thought about giving up control?”

Chase stared at her. “You mean...you mean...some kind of kinky dominatrix thing?”

She didn’t say anything. She just licked her lower lip and smiled, a sinful glint in her eye.

“Screw dinner.” He tossed a twenty on the table for the drinks and stood.