A Visit to the Pet Shop

By K.D. Grace (Guest Blogger)

The Pet Shop is a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast. In part, the theme of the story is our effort to understand the beast that lives within all of us, to tame it and make it acceptable to polite company. Of course in the taming of anything wild we run the risk of losing that wildness that compelled us to love it in the first place. The Pet Shop explores the effort to find a balance between the two.

I’ve always been fascinated with our animal nature, and I’ve often wondered how much of that nature is ancestral behaviours reasserting themselves and how much of it – especially from the standpoint of the human pet situation I’ve created in The Pet Shop, is simply a need to be loved and adored, and to be able to trust someone enough to give up control to them.

Beauty and the Beast and my retelling of it in The Pet Shop are both about seeing the true nature of a person, with all their flaws and neuroses, and loving them anyway. But ultimately the story is also about trusting enough to allow oneself to be loved, and believing that one is worthy of love, warts, blemishes and all.

Blurb

An erotic novel by best-selling author K D Grace.

In appreciation for a job well done, STELLA JAMES 's boss sends her a pet – a human pet. The mischievous TINO comes straight from THE PET SHOP complete with a collar, a leash, and an erection. Stella soon discovers the pleasure of keeping Pets, especially this one, is extremely addicting.

Obsessed with Tino and with the reclusive philanthropist, VINCENT EVANSTON, who looks like Tino, but couldn’t be more different, Stella is drawn into the secret world of The Pet Shop. As her animal lust awakens, Stella must walk the thin line that separates the business of pleasure from the more dangerous business of the heart or suffer the consequences.

Excerpt

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS," O'Kelly said, nearly dropping the phone. "You can't really mean to give Stella James Tino for the whole weekend. Wouldn't a nice gift voucher from Selfridges be more appropriate?"

The Boss offered her a tolerant chuckle on the other end of the phone. "Didn't she tell you she thought an occasional shag wasn't too much to ask for doing such a demanding job?"

"Yes, but she was joking. I'm sure she never expected–"

"Well, she's right. It isn't too much to ask, is it? She's a very dedicated employee, and we've always done our best to reward dedicated employees, especially one with such promise, one that we have such plans for."

"Yes but–"

"Hasn't she met and surpassed our expectations since she's joined Strigida, and didn't we both agree she's exactly what we're looking for?"

"Yes, but–"

"She's not in a relationship, right?"

She rolled her eyes and glanced down at her watch. He was on a roll. Nothing for it now but to hear him out.

"No relationship, no family. Stella can afford to live in London because she has no life outside of work, all factors we took into account when we hired her. There's no arguing she doesn't have time for sex." He paused long enough for a quick breath. "Sorry to say that's the way of the world these days. All work and no play. Very sad. Very sad indeed."

"Yes, sir. It is sad, but, sir, Tino?"

"Yes. Tino."

"OK, maybe for a couple of hours, maybe. But surely not for the whole weekend."

"Yes, for the whole weekend, O'Kelly, from Friday night till Sunday evening. Every last second of it."

O"Kelly rubbed her forehead impatiently then rolled her shoulders to loosen the knots, which she could always count on the Boss to tighten. "It's not that the woman doesn't deserve a weekend of blow-your-brains-out sex. God knows she does, but ..."

"But what, O'Kelly? Get to the point."

O"Kelly squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She found the whole thing a bit embarrassing, actually. "Well, sir, she's just so ..."

"So what?"

"She's just so tight laced, so prim and proper. I don't know – all business. I can't help but wonder if we've made a mistake, and even if we haven't, a weekend with Tino is just so hardcore at this stage, don't you think?" She straightened in her chair and brushed her skirt free of the few remaining crumbs from the sandwich she had wolfed for lunch. "I can't picture her being the kind who could appreciate or even be able to handle a weekend with Tino."

"Prim and proper? Really? You just told me she was joking about the company providing sex as a fringe benefit for its overworked employees. Doesn't sound very prim and proper to me. In fact she sounds like exactly the woman we've been looking for."

Buy Links

Paperback:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Pet-Shop-Grace/9781908006790/?a_aid=creativewriter1985

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/190800679X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelthouse-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=190800679X

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/190800679X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelt-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=190800679X

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/k-+d-+grace/the+pet+shop/8396849/

eBook:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004Z9A5Q6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelthouse-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B004Z9A5Q6

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004Z9A5Q6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=lucyfelt-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B004Z9A5Q6

http://www.erotica-romance-ebooks.com/the-pet-shop.html

Bio

K D Grace was born with a writing obsession. It got worse once she actually learned HOW to write. There's no treatment for it. It's progressive and chronic and quite often interferes with normal, everyday functioning. She might actually be concerned if it wasn't so damned much fun most of the time.

K D's erotic romance novels, The Initiation of Ms Holly and The Pet Shop, both published by Xcite Books, are available from all good paperback and eBook retailers.

Her erotica has been published with Xcite Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Black Lace, Erotic Review, Ravenous Romance, Sweetmeats Press and Scarlet Magazine.

Find out more about K D Grace on her website, http://kdgrace.co.uk. She's also on Facebook and Twitter.