Nothing
is as romantic as surrender.
I’m
sure many readers won’t agree with me – or won’t have a clue
what I’m talking about. That’s the reason I love writing BDSM
stories, though. It’s not about the trappings of dominance and
submission – whips, paddles, bondage. It’s not about sex. The
central thrill, for me, is the trust that is required when you submit
to a master or mistress. The intensity of that connection – the
gift of oneself – is what keeps pulling me back to my original
genre.
Today
I’ve got a brand new excerpt from Power and Persuasion. The
book’s available wide, as a single title, but it’s also part of
my BDSM romance boxed set Whips & Kisses, which is free on
Kindle Unlimited.
This
bit simply melts me. Maybe it will have the same effect on you.
Blurb
She’s
his natural enemy – and the only woman who can satisfy him
Billionaire
industrialist Andrew MacIntyre commands a vast empire of railroads,
mines and mills. Labor activist Olivia Alcott is dedicated to helping
the factory workers responsible for Andrew’s wealth. They are
natural foes, but with complementary needs: his need to command and
hers to surrender.
The
Hook
Catherine
MacIntyre watched him from halfway up the grand oval staircase, her
hand on the gold-plated banister. She shook her head, her expression
somber.
“Where
in the name of heaven did you find her, Andrew? And what possessed
you to invite her to this house?”
“It’s
my house. I’ll invite whomever I please.”
“But
a labor activist! How completely inappropriate! I’m sure the news
is all over Newport by now. Boston and New York will know by tomorrow
morning.”
“So
what?” Andrew patted the pockets of his dinner jacket, seeking his
cigarettes. “Why should I care?”
His
mother sighed. “I expect we’ll have at least a few cancellations
for the ball. People are afraid their reputations will be tarnished
if they’re seen in the same room with someone like her.”
“What
do you mean ‘someone like her’? She’s a perfectly delightful
creature, beautiful, intelligent, well-spoken and polite despite
where she comes from.”
“But
Andrew—”
“I
can buy and sell them all, Mother, and they know it. They’ll come
to your gala because they go where the money goes. They want your
favor, and mine. Mark my words, no one will cancel. They wouldn’t
dare.”
Finally
locating the embossed silver cigarette case, he removed one of the
slim cylinders and stuck it between his lips. He was almost ready to
light it right there in the massive, two-storey atrium as a gesture
of defiance, but the genuine sorrow in his mother’s face stopped
him.
“Everything
will be fine, Mother. Don’t worry about Olivia—or about me. I
know what I’m doing.” He headed for the darkened terrace,
brandishing his box of matches. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
As
he leaned on the granite balustrade, though, holding the fragrant
smoke in his lungs and listening to the ocean sighing against the
cliff, he wondered. What was he doing with Olivia? That afternoon,
she’d pleased him beyond measure. He’d come down to dinner as
excited as a kid at Christmas. The sight of her, resplendent in her
finery, had only improved his mood. But the memory of her behavior at
dinner reminded him how alien she was to his world. He couldn’t
realistically imagine a future that included such a foreign creature,
delicious as she was. After the weekend, she’d be gone, and he’d
be faced once more with the odious requirement that he choose a
spouse from among his peers.
“You
seem pensive.” Olivia glided up to stand beside him, gazing into
the night. Her scent had him half hard in seconds. “Are you feeling
guilty? Contemplating the immorality of your life?”
“Miss
Alcott, it is you who should feel guilty. You managed to completely
disrupt my poor mother’s dinner. She’s quite distressed.” He
bent to bury his nose in her soft curls. He couldn’t help himself.
“I
regret having caused her pain, but someone needs to tell the truth
about this life of yours. It’s a bit obscene. You have everything
you could desire. You can do whatever you want.”
“Do
you think so? I’ve far fewer choices than you’d imagine—as you
saw this evening. I’m shackled by wealth and privilege, imprisoned
in a kind of gilded cage. Before I do anything, I must consider the
expectations of family and society.”
“Can
you not consider sharing with the poor unfortunates upon whom your
wealth is founded?” Her face was shadowed, but her voice was like
music.
“Are
you lobbying for that extra dollar in wages, Miss Alcott?” Slipping
his arm around her back, he stroked the side of her breast through
the velvet.
“That
was, if you recall, a part of our bargain.”
He
ran his finger down her neck, along her collarbone and into the
hollow between her breasts, all bared by the evening gown. She
shivered and pressed against him.
“I’ll
think about it, Olivia. Meanwhile, what about your part of the
bargain? Your agreement to follow my orders in every particular? You
weren’t very obedient this evening.”
“You
never ordered me to lie—sir.” She gazed up at him. Now, finally,
he could see the sparkle in her eyes. “However, if you feel I
deserve it, well then, you must punish me.”
Andrew
took her arm and led her back into the echoing halls of Wavecrest.
“That’s exactly what I plan to do.”
Get
your copy here:
https://www.amazon.com/Whips-Kisses-BDSM-Erotic-Romance-ebook/dp/B0F9495QN7
Be
sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book
Hooks!
