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But if you don’t win...the book is only 99 cents until the end of the month, as part of my Month of Magic!
Shadows
filled the bedroom. Mister B had closed the drapes against the bright
June sun, and odd as it seemed, the temperature had dropped enough to
raise goose bumps on her naked arms. He'd also removed all her
belongings from the top of her bureau, on the opposite wall, and
spread a cover of black satin over the surface. A crimson candle
burned there now, flanked by a black ostrich feather, a silver bowl,
and a vicious looking knife with a serrated silver blade. Next to the
blade lay a multi-page document, which Wendy recognized as the
contract her companion had shown her yesterday.
Mister
B stood beside the chest of drawers, wearing a hooded robe of black,
embroidered in gold with mystic signs. His trim form practically
vibrated with tension. “Come here,” he ordered. “Time is
short. We should have done this last night.”
“Let
me put something on,” Wendy replied with a shiver.
“No!
You must be naked.” Picking up the knife, he reached for her. “Give
me your hand. There’s a twelve hour tolerance on the contract date.
You must sign before the clock strikes noon.”
“Wait
just one minute!” Dodging his blade, she snatched the papers from
the dresser. “I haven't read the full contract yet.”
“Bloody
hell, woman! Let's get on with it. I've summarized the terms for
you—the rest is just legalese.”
He
appeared agitated. Wendy's doubts resurfaced. He'd seemed totally
normal last night—normal for a sadist, at least— but what if he
really was wacko? She didn't like the look of that blade one bit.
“I'm
sorry, but there's no way I'm going to sign a contract without
reading it thoroughly. If you have a problem with that, you can leave
now.”
“No,
no–—read the whole damned thing if you insist–—just be quick
about it.” He replaced the knife on the table and commenced pacing
back and forth in front of the bed.
Wendy
seated herself on the edge of the bed and proceeded to review the
document as carefully as she could, given the chills that racked her
body.
In
fact the contract was simple, specific, and far more clearly written
than many she'd been offered over her years in the business.
Subterranean Services Ltd. promised her annual sales of at least five
million copies and annual pre-tax income of at least $500,000, these
levels to be achieved within one year of signing and to be maintained
for at least ten years. In return, she promised to surrender her
Immortal Soul—she noted the capitals with some amusement—upon
demand, but in any case no later than two years from the date of
signing. She also agreed to obey the Representative of the Provider
“in all matters, including sexual” until the transfer of her soul
was completed. There was the typical boilerplate about
indemnification, jurisdiction, arbitration (“by an Authority to be
chosen by the Provider”) and notice. However, there were no
provisions for termination.
She'd
included slave contracts in a couple of her novels. There was always
a termination clause. Of course, it might be that the transfer of
one's soul was irreversible. In any case, she wasn't going to sign
without engaging in some negotiation.
“This
seems reasonable, assuming I believe you can deliver. Which of course
isn't a reasonable belief at all.”
“You
can count on me, Gwen.” His mellifluous voice dripped with honey,
though she still read impatience in his stance. “Did I not prove
that to you last night?”
“Last
night was an impressive demonstration. As was yesterday afternoon.
Still, I suspect that my soul must be worth a good deal more than
five million dollars, the aggregate value of this contract.”
“The
minimum value, my dear. With your talent, and my support, there's no
practical limit—”
“Even
so, I'd like to add some wording about termination.” She crossed
her arms over her bare breasts, and forced herself to meet his eyes.
“Impossible!”
The venom in his exclamation startled her. “Our contracts are
irrevocable, by their very nature.”
“Look
at it from my perspective, Sir. I'm giving up my free will, in
addition to my so-called immortal soul. I have significantly more at
stake than you. If you should prove untrustworthy...”
“You
can trust me, Gwen.” His oily persuasiveness had returned. “I
swear by the Horns and the Hooves that I'll fulfill your heart's
desire. Your body's as well.”
“An
escape clause, then. Time limited, if you want.” She handed him
back the contract. “Otherwise, I'm afraid I can't sign.”
“Damn
you, woman! You drive a hard bargain.” His fists clenched then
relaxed. “Very well.” He waved a palm over the document, then
passed it to her again. “Will this satisfy you?”
New
text had appeared on the last page. Wendy read it, her heart racing
at this new demonstration of her companion's powers.
“Until
midnight on October 31, 2017, this agreement shall be treated as
provisional. Before that date and time, either of the Parties may
dissolve the contract by stating three times in the presence of the
other, ‘I renounce you’. Upon termination, any benefits
conferred will be revoked. If neither of the Parties exercises this
option before the specified date, the agreement shall endure in
perpetuity.” She peered up at the robed figure looming over her.
“Four months. I guess that should be enough time to decide.”
“Four
months to choose between fame and obscurity, wealth and poverty.”
He took both her hands, raised her from the bed, and drew her toward
the chest of drawers. His fevered touch dispelled her chills. Her
nipples swelled and her clit pulsed. He cupped her breasts for a
moment, then slid his hands over her hips to capture her ass and pull
her body against his. Under the loose robe, his erection raged. “Four
months,” he murmured, licking along her throat with his searing
tongue, “to choose pleasure over loneliness.”
* * *
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6 comments:
Great excerpt. I love paranormal stories.
debby236 at gmail dot com
Wow thank you for the Chance. lstnrome06@gmail.com
Excellent excerpt, thanks! emmasmom69 AT gmail DOT com
Wow. How did I miss reading Damned If You Do. It sounds like it's right up my alley. Thank you for the great excerpt. I've added Damned If You Do to my TBR list. Thank you for the opportunity to win this amazing book.
orelukjp0 at gmail dot com
nice excerpt
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Congratulations to Gayle, who won a free copy of this book!
Thanks to all of you for visiting.
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