It’s Wednesday again, time for another round of the MFRW Books Hooks blog hop. I’m sharing a snippet from my multi-partner erotic romance Incognito: Secret Lives, Forbidden Loves. This full length novel, usually $4.99, is only 99 cents as part of my Lusty Month of May celebration.
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Blurb
During the day, Miranda Cahill works diligently on her doctoral thesis. At night, she has sex with strangers. Her secret life explodes when she realizes her masked partner at a kink club and the charismatic colleague courting her are in fact the same person – the one man who can teach her to accept her diverse desires, as well as to trust her heart.
The Hook
Mark pushed open the screen door at the stroke of eight. She saw him before he noticed her, and she definitely liked what she saw. Mark was clearly oppressed by the heat, as much as she was. He wore a loose Hawaiian print shirt, shorts, and sandals. Normally Miranda found men in shorts unappealing. However, Mark’s bronzed, muscular calves and thighs were more than attractive. At the sight of so much of his flesh, her stomach fluttered crazily. She waved, and he hurried toward her, pushing his way through the crowd.
“Miranda, you look fantastic,” he said, hugging her. She returned his embrace, enjoying the brief sensation of his arms around her. He released her quickly, apparently striving for a fraternal tone.
“Thanks. I could say the same about you.”
“Well, I’ll have you know, this is a real Hawaiian shirt, not some cheap replica. I bought it on a surfing trip to Maui three years ago.”
“You surf? Not a typical hobby for a guy from Wisconsin.”
Mark looked her squarely in the eye. “Well, I’m not a typical guy from Wisconsin.”
Miranda was flustered by his intensity. “Well, I’m not sure that I’ve ever met anyone else from Wisconsin, so for now you’re my Wisconsin archetype.”
Their laughter defused the strangeness of the moment.
Before long they were seated, and had ordered, Mark requesting the spiciest dish on the menu. “Compared to Thai food,” he commented with a laugh, “Mexican food is mild.” The waitress brought Miranda another tart, salty margarita, incredibly refreshing after the sweltering day. Mark took a few swigs of his beer, then held the condensation-dewed bottle up to his forehead.
“So, weather hot enough for ya?” Mark drawled, adopting a Midwestern yokel accent.
“This is bizarre. It’s only May and it feels like July. I hate to think what July will be like.”
“Well, who cares, we’ll be in cool, foggy London in July.”
Miranda sighed. “Maybe you’ll be in London. As you may recall, the AML rejected my submission. I’ll be toiling away here, in boiling Cambridge.”
Mark grabbed her hands unexpectedly. “Didn’t Harold tell you?”
“No. Tell me what?”
“He wants you to go to London and present his research. He doesn’t feel like making the trip.”
“Really? You’re not pulling my leg?”
“No, really, I was just talking to him about it today. He was looking for you, to discuss the paper, but he couldn’t find you in your office.”
No, thought Miranda with a twinge of guilt, because I was in the library, playing with myself. She forced her attention back to her companion.
“So Dr. Scofield is really sending me to London?” Miranda thought her face would split, her smile was so broad. “I can hardly believe it. I wanted to go so badly!”
“He told me that he’s also arranged for you to sit on a panel discussing Victorian erotica. You should be getting a formal invitation from the panel moderator soon. So you see, you’ll have the chance to expound on your theory after all.”
Miranda felt deliriously happy. Impulsively, she grabbed Mark’s hand and squeezed it. “And you’ll be there, too?”
Mark looked devilish. “I will indeed. And I’ll show you the many faces of London, as I promised.”
There was another potent moment of silence. Miranda tried to take her hand away. After a few seconds, Mark released it, smiling into her eyes. She reflected that she had known Mark only a week or so. He kept hinting that there was more to him than what she saw. The thought of having him as her guide to London’s underside filled her with nervous anticipation.
Awkwardness was averted by the arrival of their food. Their dinner conversation was light and comfortable. Miranda found that she was not giving it her full attention. She could not help watching Mark, his expressive brown eyes, his full lips, his extravagant hand gestures as he described some event in one of his lectures. I want him, thought Miranda, joy surging at the realization. I want him, and I’m not afraid.
Grab a copy of Incognito for only 99 cents until the end of May, at all outlets. You’ll find buy links here: https://www.lisabetsarai.com/incognitobook.html
Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s hop!
4 comments:
lovely excerpt all around - I especially like this: "you’re my Wisconsin archetype.”
Nice excerpt. Enjoyed the smoothness of the writing and the bits in her head
I suspect the trip to London is going to be as hot and sweaty as the weather back home. Tweeted.
This is a great prelude to the London trip!
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