Welcome to this week’s MFRW Book Hooks blog hop! After featuring relatively recent books over the past few weeks, I thought I’d go back to my very first novel, Raw Silk. Of course, this is not the original 1999 version; the book is now in its fifth (and I presume last) edition. I have added several chapters. I’ve also sharpened the romance focus. Still, be warned: although it concludes with commitment, the story features relationships with multiple partners.
Blurb
In a foreign land, a woman discovers exotic new realms of the senses.
“You were born to this. You may not understand, yet. You may not believe. But I will teach you.”
When software engineer Kate O’Neill leaves her lover David to take a job in Thailand, she embarks on a sensual journey that will change her forever.
In the glittering City of Angels, Kate becomes sexually involved with two very different men—a handsome and debauched member of the Thai aristocracy, and the charismatic, dominant proprietor of a sex bar. With Anand Rajchitraprasong, she discovers her own almost unlimited capacity for erotic pleasure. Meanwhile, Gregory Marshall shows her what she has hidden from herself: a deep desire to submit, to surrender herself body and soul to someone with the power and compassion to master her.
Each lascivious adventure binds her more closely to her lovers. Then David comes to Bangkok, and Kate realizes that she must choose one of the three men who all desire her.
The Hook
Kate took the bus to the restaurant. Though the place was not far from DigiThai, no more than two or three miles, it was a slow trip. The vehicle oozed through the heavy traffic. Pedestrians, tuk tuks and dare-devil motorcyclists wove their way through the snarl of cars and trucks.
She didn’t mind the pace. The bus was air-conditioned. She sat next to a window where she could watch the passing sights.
The Chinese area of Bangkok was one of the oldest parts of the city. Tucked into a bend of the Chao Phraya, it was a warren of narrow streets, flanked by crumbling three-story shop houses. Yaowarat, the main thoroughfare, was barely wide enough for two cars to pass. The traffic crept sluggishly along its length, but the sidewalks bustled with commerce.
The street was lined on both sides with jewelry stores, their bright red signs blazoned with gold lettering in English, Thai and Chinese characters. Some were closed in, protected from the heat and the dust of the road, but many had open fronts stretching a quarter of a block or more. Inside, the walls, too, were crimson. Long counters and glass cases displayed glittering contents. Customers sat on stools at the counters, bending over the glass or haggling with the proprietors.
In front of the gold shops, vendors hawked everything from fresh vegetables to movie posters. As Kate got off the bus, she took a deep breath. The air smelled different here. She caught spicy hints of anise and ginger, mixed with the normal exhaust fumes. She passed a traditional medicine shop, its murky interior lined with wooden drawers holding mysterious roots and herbs. A pale ginseng root floated in a glass bottle, its hairy extremities vaguely suggesting a human figure. The wizened, bespectacled shop owner behind the counter looked up as she paused. Flustered, she hurried on.
At the address Anand had given her, she found a narrow door framed in Chinese script. There was no English sign. The door was open, and led, she saw, to a steep, carpeted stairway. The building smelled of age, but there were also some rich food odors that she could not identify.
At the top of the stairs, she found a small antechamber made even smaller by the huge porcelain jars standing on either side of a curtained arch. She was met by an elderly Chinese man in a rusty black suit.
“Miss Katherine?” he asked, his accent making it difficult for Kate to understand him. She nodded. “Please come with me.”
He held the curtains aside for her. They entered a cavernous room, two stories high. Fans turned lazily above them, hanging from the embossed tin ceiling. Round tables were scattered around the room, but only one or two of them were occupied. None of the diners was Anand.
“This way,” said her guide, gesturing toward the back of the room. Here there were wood-paneled walls that reached halfway to the ceiling. As they came closer, she saw that these were enclosed booths made of teak or mahogany, arranged around a central corridor. Floor-length drapes of heavy brocade covered the entrances, ensuring the privacy of the occupants. Halfway down the corridor, they stopped, and the Chinese man knocked on the door post.
Anand’s voice was muffled by the curtains. “Come in,” he said, sweeping the draperies aside. “Come in, Katherine.”
The interior of the booth was furnished with brocade-cushioned benches and a table covered in white linen. It was surprisingly spacious. There was no sense of being confined. The top was open, one of the fans rotating slowly above their heads.
Anand closed the curtains and took her hands. “Thank you for coming. Please, make yourself comfortable.” She seated herself on the bench. He smiled at her delightedly. “Well? What do you think?”
She looked around her. “Interesting,” she said. “I’ve certainly never seen anything like it.”
“The Chinese conduct all important business over food,” her companion explained. “And, sometimes, discretion is important. The Three Moons restaurant has seen five generations of negotiations, deals, intrigues and coups. Not to mention illicit meetings and lovers’ rendezvous.”
Kate just smiled at his enthusiasm.
“In addition,” he continued, pouring them some tea, “the food is exceptional. I took the liberty of ordering Peking duck for us. They need twelve hours’ advance notice.”
She laughed. “You are unbelievable. It seems that all you think about is food and sex.”
“Not so,” Anand protested in mock seriousness. “I will admit those are among my primary occupations, but I am also interested in business. You have not told me yet whether you will take the position I offered you.”
“After Saturday, I will let you know. After Saturday, everything may change.”
“I know,” said Anand softly. “Still, I am looking forward to it.”
Find the buy links at https://www.lisabetsarai.com/rawsilkbook.html
Be sure to visit the other authors participating in today’s Book Hooks!
