Wednesday, July 25, 2018

MFRW Book Hooks: The Understudy - #MFRWHooks #BDSMEroticRomance #SummerTheater

The Understudy cover


Welcome to today’s Book Hooks blog hop!

My excerpt today comes from my BDSM erotic romance The Understudy. Appropriately, this story has a summertime setting. It also features one of my favorite plays, A Streetcar Named Desire.

Blurb

Is there a future in playing stand-in to a slave?

Sarah Gladstone was thrilled to be offered her first real acting job at the Berks Summer Playhouse. She never expected to be working with theatre legend Geoffrey Hart. The charismatic actor quickly brings her under his spell, not to mention his control, as he initiates her into the dark delights of BDSM. He offers her far more than physical pleasure; they share a level of intimacy and trust beyond anything Sarah could have imagined.

According to the rumors, though, Geoff's heart is taken. Renowned actress Anne Merrill, his long time partner and submissive lover, has severed their relationship and Hart has escaped to the Berkshires to lick his emotional wounds. With her youth, inexperience, and girl-next-door persona, Sarah knows that she can't compete with the glamorous theatre veteran. She fears that she's just a substitute for the real object of Geoff's affections. As he draws her deeper into his intoxicating games of dominance and submission, Sarah wonders if she's willing to settle for the role of understudy in this perverse passion play.

The Hook

It’s him!” Adele tugged at my shirt, almost hard enough to tear it. “Look, Sarah!” She pointed to the shiny black Lincoln cruising around the corner. “I still can’t believe it! We’re really going to have a chance to work with Geoffrey Hart!” The wooden porch shook as my friend literally jumped up and down with excitement. Adele’s temperament matched her fiery hair.

Of course my own heart beat faster than normal as the town car approached the inn at a sedate pace. Geoffrey Hart was a legend in American theatre. Since his first appearance off-Broadway ten years earlier, he had won every award in the world of drama. He’d played every prestigious role from Oedipus to Willy Loman. One summer in Central Park I’d seen him as both Hamlet and King Lear. He was astonishing, equally convincing as the callow, indecisive university student and the bitter, world-weary old man. His magical voice, full of nuance and music, reached the back row without amplification. His body language was eloquent with emotion. In both plays, he’d made me cry. His performances were an inspiration, one of the things that finally made me settle on drama—much to my parent’s chagrin.

I’d been thrilled when the Berk Hills Playhouse offered me a place for the summer. I never in a million years expected that I’d meet the man who had been such a role model.

But why on earth was he coming here, to a little summer stock theatre in the rural hills of western Massachusetts? The last news I saw, he was lead actor and part owner of the Gotham Repertory Company. What could possibly have induced him to abandon the city for the sticks?

I heard that he broke up with Anne Merrill,” said Adele, sotto voce, as if she’d read my mind. “She dumped him. He’s come out here to the country to lick his wounds.”

What? Who told you that?” I recalled the actor’s handsome face and imposing presence. It was hard to believe someone would dump him—he seemed like the type to do the dumping.

I can’t reveal my sources.” Adele’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “But the word is that his heart is broken.”

Oh come on!” I just couldn’t imagine someone like Hart moping about a woman. “Seriously?”

I wouldn’t lie to you, would I?” She put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick hug. “And that’s not all. There are rumours about their relationship—that it was, well, kinky, if you know what I mean. According to the grapevine, she wasn’t just his girlfriend. She was also his slave.”

Please! You shouldn’t believe every bit of gossip you hear.”

I’m just saying…”

Shush! They’re here.”

The town car slid to a silent stop in front of the steps. The uniformed driver opened the back door, then stood back to let his passenger alight. For a long moment nothing happened—like the suspense before the curtain rises. I realised I was holding my breath.

~ ~ ~ ~

Buy links

Amazon US

Amazon UK

BN




Drop by to read great excerpts from the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!


6 comments:

Janet Lane Walters said...

Intriguing opening. She's star-struck and very enjoyable.

Kryssie Fortune said...

You got me when the porch shook as she jumped up and down. I felt I could see the whole house.

Anonymous said...

You've set up her naive hero worship very believably and hinted at the reality that is due to collide with the worship.

Holly Bargo said...

You've opened a fangirl's fantasy, sure to be crushed and then rebuilt into something stronger.

Linda McLaughlin said...

Great setup for the story. I foresee a big character arc for her. Tweeted.

Daryl Devoré said...

Great scene. Intriguing. Want to read more.
Tweeted.

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