If it ain't broke... (#bdsm #eroticromance #giveaway)

By Ashe Barker (Guest Blogger)

Thank you for inviting me over today to chat about the re-release of The Dark Side. This series was my first attempt to write anything more steamy than a birthday card and I was delighted with it. I’ll always be proud of how well the books did and the fabulous reviews they received. I am eternally grateful to Totally Bound for accepting them and for taking a chance on the unpublished rookie I was back then.

So, if it ain’t broke, why mend it?

As I wrote The Dark Side I had no idea if anyone but me would ever read the books. I knew next to nothing about the world of publishing or professional writing, so although my editor did a fabulous job of making the books fit to be seen among decent folk (or should that be indecent folk?) there were always aspects of the story I felt could be improved. There were scenes I thought about writing but left out, and ways in which I believed the connection between Nathan and Eva could be deepened. The re-release was a rare opportunity to have my time again and complete the job.

There’s new content in each of the three books, but I won’t spoil it by saying exactly what. Suffice it to say we see yet another quirk in Eva’s already complex nature, and aspects of Nathan which I hope will endear him to readers even more. He’s a hard Dom, stern, demanding and insanely sexy. We lose none of that, but the additional content helps to bring out his caring nature a little more.

There’s also a whole new epilogue to conclude the story. This picks up a loose end which always bothered me so I feel the series is better rounded now.

Series Blurb

The Dark Side trilogy charts the sensual journey of academic musician Eva Byrne as she struggles to overcome painful shyness, sexual inhibition and personal tragedy. Lonely, unsophisticated, desperately seeking love and approval, Eva is easy prey for sensual and experienced Nathan Darke.
He wants her submission, and he knows how to go about getting it. Eva is quickly caught up by the whirlwind of his effortless seduction, though she has her own reasons for agreeing to join him in his world of pain and pleasure, on the dark side.
Inexplicably fascinated and at the same time totally frustrated by his new submissive, Nathan is increasingly drawn to her as she opens up in his hands and he realises there is much, much more to his latest playmate than he ever could have imagined.
The Dark Side charts the turbulent relationship between Eva and Nathan as their mutual fascination builds. They both discover what surrender truly means as together they explore the fragile bonds of desire, trust, risk and reward, and the destructive power of betrayal.

Darkening, Book 1 in The Dark Side Serial

Who knows where pain ends and pleasure begins?

The chance of a new life out in the wilds of the Yorkshire moors sounds too good to be true to shy musician Eva Byrne. Stifled and smothered within the cocoon of her brilliant academic career, Eva yearns for something different. Something real and exciting. Something she can feel.

Excitement. Passion. Pleasure. She finds that sexy, enigmatic Nathan Darke can provide all these and more when she moves into his home as violin tutor to his young daughter. But Eva’s sensual encounters with her demanding, domineering new employer quickly evoke her deepest fears, as he introduces her to the trauma of submission and marks her with his particularly dark brand of love.

But will Eva’s natural curiosity and thirst for new experiences be enough to withstand the sting of Nathan Darke’s exquisite touch? Will simple surrender be enough as he challenges her every inhibition, taking her on an erotic journey of self-discovery and liberation?

Darker, Book 2 in The Dark Side Serial

Can Eva outrun the secrets of her past, or is surrender her only choice?

Eva Byrne’s first encounter with the darker side of Nathan Darke’s sensuality ends in disaster. Frightened, hurt, betrayed, she struggles to regather her shattered confidence—in him, and in herself.

Desperate to continue her journey of exploration and self-discovery, Eva has to convince a skeptical Nathan that she’s worth the trouble. And that she can learn to submit to him. When she is forced to reveal elements of her past she has preferred to keep hidden, both her brilliance and her vulnerability are laid bare. Will Nathan accept Eva as she is, and help her to become the woman she longs to be, or will she face yet another rejection?

Terrified and intrigued in equal measure, Nathan has no idea how to deal with the exquisitely enigmatic Eva Byrne. Should he cut his losses and run, or allow their relationship to continue, and watch as Eva’s delicate beauty unfurls in his hands?

Fascinated and ensnared by Nathan, Eva longs to taste what he offers and her erotic journey continues. But how much will she have to surrender to him in order to liberate her own desires?

Darkest, Book 3 in The Dark Side Serial

When his past destroys Eva’s trust in her Master, can he win her back?

As their turbulent, complex relationship deepens, Nathan Darke is increasingly aware that Eva Byrne has become much more to him than his submissive. She’s in his home, in his family. And in his heart.

Eva hasn’t found it easy to trust, to believe in herself and in a relationship that might last. But happiness, once so elusive, is within her grasp. Nathan is her Master, her lover and her soulmate.

However, no sooner do they manage to find a fragile balance between them—a way of entwining both their worlds—and start to build a future than their past comes crashing back to destroy their emerging love. Jealousy and hate brutally shatter Eva’s and Nathan’s delicate trust in each other, and their life together crumbles.

Can they overcome the crushing pain of betrayal and deceit to regain some sort of future together, or are some wounds just too deep to heal? Are some risks too great? Some rewards just not enough? 

Excerpt from Darkening

He breaks the kiss to start nibbling his way down my neck. As if not finding the angle to his liking, he suddenly, effortlessly lifts me from the chair, turns and lays me down with my bare back flat on the table top. He holds both of my wrists in one hand, pinning them to the table above my head and, standing between my legs, leans over to look down at me, stroking his other hand the length of my body from neck to waist.

“Beautiful… Holy fuck, so lovely,” he murmurs before he leans down to take my right nipple between his lips.

I squeal, the shock jolting through me even though I had sensed what he was about to do. His body weight and his hand around my wrists hold me in place as he continues his work. The sensation is everywhere, starting at my nipple, which is now painfully engorged. The tingling pulses radiate out through my whole body, connecting as if by some sort of internal electric current to that spot between my legs, which is now drenched. It feels exquisite, acute, intense, forbidden and overwhelming. I arch my back, pushing my breasts toward his mouth, his tongue, his teeth, this source of ecstatic pleasure.

One or two ill-fated fumblings from other students when I was a teenager at university did nothing to prepare me for this. I have never, ever felt anything remotely like this before. I might have read about it, known the theoretical possibility was out there, somewhere. Happening to other women—women who were attractive and had lush, sexy bodies and soft, wavy hair. But this is here, now, happening to me.

I feel the hard table beneath my shoulder blades as I writhe under his skilled lips, his expert tongue and teeth, desperate for more. And he knows what he is about—he knows what I need and he has more for me. Opening his mouth wider, he takes more of my breast in and sucks hard, first one side then the other. He slides his free hand, palm up, between my shoulders and the table to raise me up, giving him easier access with his mouth, his tongue, his teeth. Gently grazing my now helplessly sensitized nipples with his teeth, he suckles me relentlessly, nipping slightly harder, just enough to hurt, maybe—I’m not sure where pain ends and pleasure begins now. What does it matter, anyway? He can do whatever he wants to me as long as he doesn’t stop.

He is no longer holding my wrists—he has no need to because I’m lying boneless under him, spread across his kitchen table, pleading wordlessly for…for what? More? Less? The ecstatic pleasure tinged with a hint of pain is so intense now that I can only moan, ride the waves of sensation pulsing from my breasts out through my fingers and toes, each wave bigger, heavier, more compelling than the one before until I am writhing with need.

“I can’t. Please, it’s too much…” Is that me? Or someone else whimpering nearby?

“Yes, you can, you are. Don’t fight it, sweetheart, come for me. Now. Come now.” His words—insistent, soft and low, seductive—are breathed into my ear before he returns to my breasts, nibbling and sucking mercilessly, building the tension, increasing the sensations coursing through every part of me, winding me tighter and tighter until I burst, screaming out loud as fireworks explode in my head, my groin, everywhere as the earth shifts beneath me. My inner core clenches violently, the wetness surely flooding across the table. I feel I am falling, floating as the tension is released and I hear myself moan in delighted satisfaction, drifting back down toward reality.

Me, the girl who can’t bear to be touched. Somehow—God only knows how it happened—I have just spent the last ten minutes spread out half naked on Nathan Darke’s kitchen table, his hands and mouth all over me until I totally lost control, and he watched me thrashing about in the throes of my very first orgasm, right in front of him. Christ! How wonderful, how intimate. How unlike me. And he’s achieved all this without so much as a button of his coming undone.

Buy Links

Darkening is FREE at Totally Bound and All Romance 

until 30 April 2016!!

Darkening  
Amazon US  
Amazon UK  
Barnes and Noble 
All Romance  
Totally Bound

Darker  
Amazon US 
Amazon UK  
All Romance  
Totally Bound

 
Darkest 
Amazon US  
Amazon UK  
All Romance  
Totally Bound

About Ashe Barker

I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres. I still love reading, the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse for my guilty pleasure – research.

I tend to draw on my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters. An incident here, a chance remark there, a bizarre event or quirky character, any of these can spark a story idea.

I live in the North of England, on the edge of the Brontë moors. When not writing – which is not very often these days - my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, tortoises. And a very grumpy cockatiel.

I have over thirty titles on general release with publishers on both sides of the Atlantic, and I have several more in the pipeline. I write M/f, M/M, and occasionally ring the changes with a little M/M/f. All my books feature BDSM. I write explicit stories, always hot, but they offer far more than just sizzling sex. I like to read about complex characters, and compelling plots, so that’s what I write too.

I have a pile of story ideas still to work through, and keep thinking of new ones at the most unlikely moments, so you can expect to see a lot more from me.

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In the Footsteps of the Brontës…

By Ashe Barker (Guest Blogger)

I live on the edge of the Brontë moors in West Yorkshire, UK. Haworth is about four miles away, a mecca for international tourists and locals alike. The Brontë’s birthplace in Thornton is even closer, just down the road. I walk, quite literally, in the footsteps of the Brontës every day, and couldn’t help but be influenced by them. I defy anyone with so much as a passing interest in the written word to remain aloof.

And like the Brontës, I choose to include the stunning local scenery in my stories. It’s almost another character, making its own unique contribution to the action of the other players. They can only be what and who they are because of where they are. Like Cathy, like Heathcliff, Eva and Nathan, Tom and Ashley are products of their place.

And what a special place it is. This picture, taken about a year ago by a friend of mine when we went for a hike up there, is Top Withens (© Steve Swis Photography). This ruined farmstead high above Stanbury is generally accepted to be the inspiration for the Earnshaw home in Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. 

Although the house Emily described bore no resemblance to the farm, now in ruins, the location may have influenced her. It hasn’t changed much in the last couple of hundred years or so.

I like to describe real places in my stories, and Top Withens is one of the locations mentioned by name. It’s 

close to this remote spot that Ashley becomes trapped in Unsure, when she’s taken ill up on the moors and needs to be rescued. By Tom of course, who else? Top Withens is also a stopping off point for hikers on the Brontë Way, which is the scene for some of Nathan and Eva’s al fresco adventures in Darker. Eva’s first view of this landscape is described in the early chapters of Darkening and this marks the start of her love affair with the moorland setting. Mine started many years earlier and I think this picture explains why.

So, how far does the Brontë influence stretch? The Dark Side has been likened to Jane Eyre though I’m not in a position to comment really, never having read that particular masterpiece (hangs head in shame). 

Nevertheless, I do believe that we are all influenced by our environment, we are all products of our place. These moors are wild, passionate, changeable and timeless. Those qualities can be seen in the people who live and work here today, and whose stories I try to tell. It’s those qualities, and the passionately evocative lure of the Brontë genius which continues to draw visitors from all over the world – even the signage along the Brontë Way is in English and Japanese! And this same wild beauty will inspire artists, writers, musicians for many more years to come. I’m just one in a long line, I suspect.

I do write about other places – this is a huge world we live in and our perspective is now quite rightly a global one. But I’m always drawn back here. I find roots are important to me, and to my characters. They make us what we are.

The Dark Side and Sure Mastery are both set in this atmospheric location. Here’s the blurb:

 

The Dark Side trilogy charts the sensual journey of academic musician Eva Byrne as she struggles to overcome painful shyness, sexual inhibition and personal tragedy. Lonely, unsophisticated, desperately seeking love and approval, Eva is easy prey for sensual and experienced Nathan Darke. 

He wants her submission, and he knows how to go about getting it. Eva is quickly caught up by the whirlwind of his effortless seduction, though she has her own reasons for agreeing to join him in his world of pain and pleasure, on the dark side. 

Inexplicably fascinated and at the same time totally frustrated by his new submissive, Nathan is increasingly drawn to her as she opens up in his hands and he realises there is much, much more to his latest playmate than he ever could have imagined. 

The Dark Side charts the turbulent relationship between Eva and Nathan as their mutual fascination builds. They both discover what surrender truly means as together they explore the fragile bonds of desire, trust, risk and reward, and the destructive power of betrayal. 

The Sure Mastery trilogy charts the sensual and emotional journey of petty thief turned photographer Ashley McAllister as she struggles to overcome personal tragedy, loss and grief to rebuild her life in the wild beauty of the West Yorkshire moorland. 

Resilient and determined, independent and courageous, Ashley has no qualms about cutting her old ties and starting again. Intent on establishing her landscape photography business, she is horrified when her turbulent past comes crashing back to haunt her, threatening to overwhelm and destroy her fragile new beginning. 

Ashley needs Tom to guard her secrets and allow her to stay. He just wants her. He wants her submission, her surrender, but he’s already destroyed her trust in him. Will his seductive charm and sure mastery be enough to rebuild her fragile faith? Can he teach her the difference between the violent abuse she’s experienced in the past and his much more exquisite approach to pain? And where does pain end and pleasure begin? 

Tom guides her into his world of pleasure, desire, trust and reward. His gifts to her are beyond price, the rewards of submission. But will it be enough, and can the shadows of her dangerous and violent past be left behind them? 

Excerpt:

This is taken from Darkening and describes Eva Byrne’s first view of the Yorkshire moorland surrounding Black Combe.

****

I push back the duvet and swing my legs out onto the floor. I slept in just a long, baggy T-shirt, which I had remembered to screw up in the bottom of my holdall, and now it swishes around my thighs as I head for the window to check what the weather is doing today. Pulling back the heavy yellow curtain, I gasp. I can only stare in awed silence.

The scenery stretching out before me is absolutely breathtaking. Stunning. I have never seen any place lovelier. Or more austere. My mental image of the Brontë moors didn’t remotely do justice to the real thing. As far as I can see, in every direction, lies unbroken, undulating glorious moorland. The colours are vibrant, sparkling, still wet from the previous night’s downpour. The near to middle distance is a glittering kaleidoscope of reds, purples, olives, browns, greens and golds as the heather and bracken, grassland and wildflowers blend into one, seeming to move and rotate, still glittering and shiny from the dampness in the air, catching and reflecting the morning sunlight. In the farther distance are soft pale greys, darker smokiness and pale blue smudges of wispy mist circling the higher peaks, a variegated canvas of softly muted beauty. My eye is caught by the glint of light reflecting off water in the bottom of the valley over to my right—a glittering, dark, deep grey, the surface rippling gently in the slight breeze. A lake, perhaps, or maybe a reservoir.

I remember the strong impression of height and distance, and of wide open vastness surrounding me as Miranda chugged on and up through the inky blackness and driving rain last night. That was no illusion and the sense of limitless space overwhelms me now, as the bright daylight washes the expansive wildness before me . Even though all this beauty, the colours and textures of this grand and timeless landscape , was invisible to me, I recognised its aura last night. I felt the essence of it all around me then, unseen, and I am drenched in it again now as I open the window and breathe deeply, let it pour in, filling my senses.

It is irresistible, timeless and yet constantly changing as the light and shadows shift, as clouds flit across the sky, interrupting the sunlight as they pass, then releasing it back to fall across the moorland once more in dazzling rays. A hazy rainbow starts to appear across the clouds, coming into sharper focus before my eyes as the light refracts through the rainwater still hanging there in the air. Nature’s mysteries and wild beauty combining to wrap around my soul. And I am lost.

The confusion and uncertainty I felt a few moments ago evaporate in an instant. This is home. My home, and come what may I am not giving it up now. I am staying. I know it. I recognise it even though I have never been here before, and I know it knows me.

My light-bulb moment is broken by deep, booming barking starting up somewhere a way off to my left. A suitable bark to match a dog the size of a sideboard. Leaning out of the window and straining my neck, I try to peer around the side of the house to see what has set Barney off. I can just make out his huge shape bounding uphill through the bracken about half a mile away. He is followed by a small, skinny little girl in a bright red, shiny coat and blue wellies, her waist-length, straight, dark hair loose behind her. She runs to keep up. Every few yards the dog stops, turns to wait, sometimes rushes back at her to bounce at her side, then the two go on together, leaping and striding through the wet bracken.

Opening the window, I shiver in the sudden damp chill from the outside air, and can just hear Rosie’s voice carrying across the distance. Laughing, she is calling to Barney to wait for her as she battles on in his slipstream, thigh-deep in the moorland undergrowth, wellies flashing.

I watch them until they disappear over the brow of the nearest hill, then turn and head for the en suite shower. Driven by a sudden rush of energy and exhilaration, I want to be down there with them, running across the moor, soaking up my glorious first morning in this glorious place.

Author Bio

Until 2010 I was a director of a regeneration company in Leeds, in the UK, before becoming convinced there must be more to life. I left to work as an independent consultant, and still do some of that though most of my time is now spent writing. At last I’ve been able to realise my dream of writing erotic romance myself. I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years, erotic and other genres, and I still love reading historical and contemporary romances – the hotter the better. But now I have a good excuse for my guilty pleasure – research. 

 

In my own writing I usually draw on settings and anecdotes from my own experience to lend colour, detail and realism to my plots and characters. An incident here, a chance remark there, a bizarre event or quirky character, any of these can spark a story idea. But ultimately my tales of love, challenge, resilience and compassion are the conjurings of my own lurid and smutty imagination.

When not writing – which is not very often these days - my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, rabbits, tortoises. And most recently a very grumpy cockatiel. I’m a rural parish councillor, and I’m passionate about evolving rural traditions and values to suit twenty first century lifestyles.

I’ve completed my third trilogy in the Black Combe ‘family’ which is due for release later this year and I’m well on with writing the fourth. I also have a novella coming out soon, and have written a stand-alone novel for Totally Bound’s ‘What’s Her secret?’ imprint. I have a short story in Totally Bounds Paramour collection, and another in the Jolly Rogered anthology which is due for publication in July 2014. I have a pile of story ideas still to work through, and keep thinking of new ones at the most unlikely moments, so you can expect to see a lot more from me.

Buy Links:

All the books in both The Dark Side and Sure Mastery series are available from the usual places. 

Amazon.co.uk 

 Amazon.com  

Totally Bound  

Barnes and Noble  

All Romance  

Sony 

Kobo

BookStrand

Contact me:

I love to hear from readers. You can find me on my blog, and on the Totally Bound site. I’m on Facebook, twitter and Pinterest, and on Goodreads too. And there’s also my author page on Amazon

Review: Darkening by Ashe Barker

Darkening by Ashe Barker

Published by Totally Bound, 2013

Evangelica Byrne is not your typical romance heroine. She has tiny breasts, a mop of frizzy, carrot-colored hair, a photographic memory and an IQ over 180. On the one hand, at the tender age of twenty two, she speaks multiple languages (we don't know how many, but in the course of the book we get to see her use her Turkish to good effect), can lecture on astrophysics or ancient mythology, and plays virtuoso violin. On the other, her fashions sense is appalling, her social skills are virtually non-existent and she's terrified of being touched. When we first meet her, she's hiding under her duvet, recovering from a breakdown that sent her running from her prestigious Oxford research fellowship.

I loved her immediately. Her clever, cheeky, self-deprecating voice grabbed me from the very first paragraph of this first person narrative.

Nathan Darke more closely fits the stereotype of an erotic romance hero. You know what I mean - tall, dark, muscular, wealthy (though at least he has a believable profession as a renowned architect), and of course, dominant. Ms. Barker rescues him from predictability by giving him a mercurial temperament, an endearing arrogance and a few secrets. Oh, and long hair. I just love a man with long hair!

In Darkening, the first book in Ms. Barker's trilogy The Dark, these two characters collide (quite literally) when Eva is hired as music tutor for Nathan's daughter Rosie. Initially dismissive of the diminutive, wild-haired waif who shows up at the gate of his Yorkshire estate in a tee shirt and hoodie , Nathan soon decides that he wants her for his submissive. And what Nathan Darke wants, he's used to getting. Despite Eva's social awkwardness and sexual inexperience, he woos and seduces the young violinist faster than you can say “Jane Eyre”. In exchange for the novel experience and astonishing pleasure he provides, Eva finds herself agreeing to play a role she barely understands.

Darkening excited me from the very beginning, not primarily because of the plot (which, after all, follows a familiar course) but due to the quality of the writing. Ms. Barker's prose is fresh, precise, evocative and funny. The first few chapters, which bring Eva and Nathan together, are a masterpiece of both mood and characterization. I bookmarked passages where Eva describes her first view of the Yorkshire moors and her first breath-stealing introduction to Nathan's erotic power. “Welcome to the dark side, Miss Byrne,” he quips, triggering a vicarious thrill that merits revisiting.

I was already contemplating writing a review, and I anticipated a gushing commentary about how Darkening was the best romance I'd read in the past year. I would still recommend the book, but three aspects of the latter part of the book have me tempering my praise.

First, I found it utterly implausible that a man of Nathan's experience would not have detected the fact that Eva was a virgin. Before their first coitus, he penetrates her on multiple occasions with his fingers and at least once with a vibrator. Certainly there are plenty of virgins who've already lost much of the hymen due to various activities, but if Eva fell into this category, she would not have felt such pain when he finally entered her. Perhaps some readers will not find this a major issue, but Nathan's “discovery” that he has rather brutally deflowered a virgin plays a significant role in defining their relationship.

Second, the BDSM interaction develops much too fast. Eva's transformation from a shrinking, anti-social brainiac with Aspergers' tendencies into a sexually ravenous, kink-curious submissive just didn't convince me. Meanwhile, despite all his supposed expertise and his emphasis on safety, Nathan does not act like the careful, caring dominant he claims to be. Caning is an extremely severe form of BDSM activity. Based on my personal experience, no responsible Dom would cane a novice sub during her very first scene – especially not after whipping her first! Nathan totally lost my sympathy at this point.

Indeed, brave and devoted to Nathan as she is, Eva is unable to bear the pain of this beating. She lapses into unconsciousness. And the book abruptly ends.

My jaw dropped. Was this really the conclusion of the novel? No resolution at all? With a possibly damaged heroine? As someone who enjoys all sorts of fiction I'm not a stickler for happy endings, but in my opinion, narrative conventions require at least some attempt to neaten up the conflicts that drive the plot.

I understand that this is the first book in a trilogy. I wondered if perhaps The Dark was originally a single book and the publisher decided to split it.

Yes, I know this is an attempt to sell more books. And I might relent and purchase Darker, because I do admire Ms. Barker's excellent writing and love her heroine. Still, such a monumental cliff hanger left me feeling a bit cheated.

If you like BDSM erotic romance with intelligence and spirit, you'll probably enjoy Darkening. But be warned – you won't get the happy ending you crave.

Welcome to the Dark Side

By Ashe Barker (Guest Blogger)

Wow, what an honour! It’s so fantastic to be here, guesting on the lovely Lisabet Sarai’s blog to tell you a bit about The Dark Side. And I’m in such good company – I read Rajasthani Moon as soon as it was released and absolutely loved it. I’ve just finished reading the Tied to the Billionaire anthology too, and found Andrew MacIntyre to be just my sort of BDSM alpha male hero – focused, single-minded, demanding, explicit to the point of crude, but with a sloppy soft centre when confronted by the right sort of submissive. But more on all that later…

I’ve been asked, many times, about why I decided to write The Dark Side, and why start my author career with a story centring on BDSM?

‘Is it autobiographical?’ my mother in law asked when she first learned of it, looking distinctly nervous. My answer, ‘In parts…” and I left it to her to work out which bits. As far as I know she hasn’t made further inquiries of my husband. Probably best left at that.

In truth, the idea really came together last summer when, along with most of the rest of the English-speaking world, I read the immortal E. L James through a haze of Ambre Solaire. And I was hooked. I wanted to weave a similar story, but mine would be more realistic, at least in my terms, and most definitely set in the UK. And I wanted a heroine who might be naive, inexperienced – well, we all have to start somewhere, but who would have a wealth of hidden talent waiting to be revealed. And I defy anyone to be able to lay claim to much more talent that Eva Byrne.

And Nathan, her alpha male? He’s the embodiment of all that I like most in dominant men – long dark hair, dark eyes, single minded, successful but without being filthy rich, and with a depth of ‘real life’. Nathan is a Dom, but he’s also a father, an employer, a friend. He enjoys sports, loves cars. He’s generous, caring, but in his dealings with his submissives he is absolutely unrelenting. Then along comes Eva, and his attraction to her is much more than physical. As each layer is peeled back, as she is drawn further and further into his dark world of erotic fantasy, he becomes more and more intrigued by her.

The Dark Side was originally conceived in Nando’s over a piri piri chicken. Soon after returning from the Ambre Solaire holiday I met a friend for lunch. She’d also read the Fifty Shades books, and was as hooked as I was. We wondered how E. L. James knew all that stuff, was it based on experience? All the same questions I get asked now, I suppose.

“No, no,” my friend said. “Not necessarily. You can find anything on the internet. Just do the research.” And in that moment I knew she was right. It could be done. I could draw on my own experience, and add in anything else at all from the wonderful, all-knowing worldwide web.

I didn’t tell anyone that I was writing a novel, not for ages. No one at all. I work from home, and although I have a separate office I tend to just set up my laptop on the kitchen table. I had to keep slamming it shut every time my daughter came in. I was constantly getting those grumpy messages from Windows about not being correctly closed down. I didn’t care. My internet history was a scandal during those months, and come to think of it, still is. I think the most graphic thing I looked at back then was a video of a Brazilian waxing session, but I was also all over the places where BDSM devotees do their online shopping. And when I came across anything unfamiliar there were lots of helpful little instructions, safety warnings, and so on. What could go wrong?

And whilst I was developing the story, becoming more and more engrossed in the evolving dynamic between Eva and Nathan, I was wondering what the hell to do with the novel when it was finished. What I knew about publishing would have fit nicely on the back of a stamp. I hadn’t a clue if anyone but me would ever meet these two people. So as well as watching online videos of spanking and anal play I was also researching likely routes to getting this published. By chance I read an article by fellow Total-E-Bound author Tanith Davenport in a magazine. She mentioned her publisher, Total-E-Bound, so their website was my next stop. They looked to be perfect, exactly the sort of publisher who might like my stuff, so from then on I wrote with Total-E-Bound in mind.

I started the book in September 2012, and set myself the deadline of completing the story by Christmas. By the beginning of December it was still a long way from complete, and I realised I needed to get serious. So I blew my cover, told my husband and daughter what I was working on, and that they’d have to get their own tea for a while.

They took the news quite calmly.

“What’s it about mum?”

“Well, you remember that Fifty Shades thing from last year…?”

“Oh, a mucky book then. Can I read it? And do you know where my hair straighteners are?”

I pulled out all the stops and finished the manuscript at about half past nine on the evening of Christmas Eve. I spent the rest of the holiday re-reading the first draft, tarting it up where I could, then first job in the New Year I sent the first three chapters and the last one to Total-E-Bound. About ten days later I got an email requesting the rest of the manuscript. That night I celebrated. There followed a couple of weeks of editorial to-ing and fro-ing during which time the book was split into the three parts of the trilogy, then I was offered a contract.

I was an author! Fancy that.

I do a couple of other things as well, nothing to do with writing fiction, but I probably spend about seventy five percent of my time now on writing and related activity. That seems about right to me and it’s how it will be for the foreseeable future. As long as I’ve got erotic fantasies to share, and people want to read the conjurings of my imagination, this is what I love doing.

But enough of my ramblings. Here’s an excerpt from Darkening, the first book in the trilogy. It charts Eva’s first experience of Nathan’s approach to BDSM.

Blurb

Who knows where pain ends and pleasure begins?

The chance of a new life out in the wilds of the Bronte moors sounds too good to be true to shy musician Eva Byrne. Stifled and smothered within the cocoon of her brilliant academic career, Eva yearns for something different. Something real and exciting. Something she can feel. 

Excitement. Passion. Pleasure She finds that sexy, enigmatic Nathan Darke can provide all these and more when she moves into his home as violin tutor to his young daughter. But Eva’s sensual encounters with her demanding, domineering new employer quickly evoke her deepest fears, as he introduces her to the trauma of submission, and marks her with his particularly dark brand of love.

But will Eva’s natural curiosity and thirst for new experiences be enough to withstand the sting of Nathan Darke’s exquisite touch? Will simple surrender be enough as he challenges her every inhibition, taking her on an erotic journey of self-discovery and liberation?

Darkening is the first book in The Dark Side trilogy, charting the sensual journey of academic musician Eva Byrne as she struggles to overcome painful shyness, sexual inhibition and personal tragedy. Lonely, unsophisticated, desperately seeking love and approval, Eva is easy prey for sensual and experienced Nathan Darke.

He wants her submission, and he knows how to go about getting it. Eva is quickly caught up by the whirlwind of his effortless seduction, though she has her own reasons for agreeing to join him in his world of pain and pleasure, on The Dark Side.

Inexplicably fascinated and at the same time totally frustrated by his new submissive, Nathan is increasingly drawn to her as she opens up in his hands and he realises there is much, much more to his latest playmate than he ever could have imagined.

The Dark Side charts the turbulent relationship between Eva and Nathan as their mutual fascination builds. They both discover what surrender truly means as together they explore the fragile bonds of desire, trust, risk and reward, and the destructive power of betrayal.

Excerpt

“Okay.” He taps the screen a few more times to complete the purchases. Then, slipping his hand out of my bra, he pulls me to my feet and quickly turns me to face the table. His hand in the small of my back, he pushes me face down across the hardwood surface, sliding the iPad and my coffee cup to one side.

I start in surprise as he lifts the hem of my dress—surely he just said…

Then I moan out loud as he again slips his hand into my clothing, this time down the back of my lovely red lacy briefs, down the hollow between my buttocks, slowing slightly to circle my anus with one gentle fingertip. I stiffen, waiting…

“So sweet and tight. We’ll come back to this,” he murmurs softly, leaning close to kiss my neck before continuing on between the wet, swollen lips of my vagina. He slips one finger inside my moist entrance, working gently in and out, circling the outer lips, spreading my juices all around. I moan faintly, lifting my bum up in welcome. He slides a second finger inside, whilst with his other hand he attacks from the front to take my swollen clitoris between his thumb and finger, gently rubbing.

The combined pleasure is so intense, so centred, so sudden, it overwhelms me and I come immediately. I scream, unable to contain any of the fabulous sensation of internal fragmentation now shooting out through my outstretched fingers—white-knuckled, still gripping the edge of the table—and my toes, still encased in my lovely, red fuck-me shoes. I whimper, almost in frustration that my climax has hit me before I even saw it coming.

“I’m not finished with you yet. Stay there.”

More? How wonderful.

His voice is low, seductive and commanding. I stay still. Waiting. He straightens, steps away from me, goes

over to his desk. He returns a moment later, gently pulling my underwear down to my ankles. “Step out.” His command is clear. I obey.

“You have a beautiful bottom, Miss Byrne,” he observes, trailing his fingertips lightly down the furrow between my buttocks, then tracing the line of each lower curve before bringing something down on me—hard, sharp, fierce. I scream out loud, with shock more than pain, though the sting is real enough. Instinctively I start to stand up, but his hand goes to the small of my back, pressing me back down.

“We agreed on five strokes for every frown. I counted at least four frowns since we came into this room, and that’s me being generous, Miss Byrne. So that’s twenty strokes. Agreed?”

I don’t answer, still reeling from the sudden assault. He strikes me again, and I scream again, louder. “Agreed, Miss Byrne?”

“Yes, yes. Please don’t…”

“Eighteen to go, then. Grit your teeth, Miss Byrne.”

I do, flinching with every blow, my fingers curled desperately around the opposite edge of the table. Counting slowly. He takes his time, waiting between each blow for me to settle again, to be ready. After ten strokes he stops, places a ruler beside my face on the table, and steps away again. I know not to move. He comes back after a few moments and I feel something cool, soothing, being smoothed into my red-hot and extremely sore buttocks. He gently massages me, kneading my tender skin where his ruler has done its work.

“You’re new to this, Miss Byrne, so I’m really being very gentle with you. Next time it will be harder.” He taps my buttock lightly with his palm. “Relax—we’ll soon be done.” He stands, picks up the ruler again. “Are you ready to continue, Miss Byrne?”

I know he will demand an answer so I whisper my consent, and he starts again. The next ten blows are excruciating. He alternates between bringing his ruler down hard on first one side of my bottom, then the other, always hitting the same spot on each cheek and now not even waiting for me to collect myself between blows. Each new blow builds on the sting left by the one before it. I lie there in my world of pain, biting my lip to keep from sobbing, waiting for him to finish.

After the twentieth stroke he straightens, stands still behind me. I can imagine his eyes on my abused bottom, and just hope he’s satisfied. I know better than to say as much, though, and I wait, desperate for him to give me permission to get up. I lie there, frozen with dread at what might be coming next.

“Open your legs, Eva.”

I comply, too scared to resist. Tense, shaking, I can feel the tears streaming from my eyes. Am I about to lose my virginity here, humiliated and hurting, facedown on a table, trying not to sob out loud? Please, no, not like this…

“Wider, Eva.”

I force myself to spread my legs as far as I can. There’s no point arguing. His fingers are on me, gently opening the lips of my vagina. I gulp, tensing, waiting for the pain I know is coming. I feel something slip easily inside me. It’s not… What is it?

“Aaah!” My gasp is one of shock, not pain, as I feel vibrations start to pulse through me, from my inner core radiating outwards. He is standing now, not touching me, his hands flat on the table on either side of my head. He leans down to kiss the back of my neck, to whisper in my ear, “Enjoy, Eva. You’ve earned it.”

Gently, firmly, he runs his hands all over my back, massaging, comforting. Reaching lower, he smoothes some more cooling cream into my buttocks. I sigh, writhing with pleasure and need as the internal pulsing gathers strength, massaging my internal walls too. “Oh, yes, please, please…” I am almost mindless with desire as he reaches around me to lightly feather his fingertips across my clitoris. Little by little, any remaining pain dissipates and the sensuous delight builds, growing, reaching farther and wider into my inner self. I am desperate with need, murmuring incoherently, begging him to help me.

“Tell me what you want, Eva. What is it you need?”

“I want… I want you to… Oh, yes, that’s so good.” The pulsing of the vibrator inside my vagina is so strong now, urgent, unrelenting, irresistible. I know my orgasm isn’t far away. My hips are jerking, trying to increase the pressure on my clitoris, but he keeps his touch featherlight, teasing me, tantalising me.

“Please…” I’m desperate, so very desperate…

“Is this what you want?” He increases the pressure, only slightly, but enough to have my clitoris leaping to attention, swollen, seeking.

He circles my greedy clit with his finger, once, twice. Then, merciful at last, he takes it between his fingers and thumb and rolls it firmly. The result is instantaneous. My orgasm goes off like a volcano, my hips thrusting and gyrating for long moments as I ride the waves of intense pleasure flowing freely through me. I might even have lost consciousness towards the end, because the next thing I am aware of is the sensation of the vibrator, silent and still now, as Nathan slides it out of my vagina. Too spent to move, I am still lying draped over the table, boneless and very, very satisfied.

And as my brainpower returns to something like normal—whatever that is these days—I feel overwhelming relief to have come through my first ‘test’ relatively unscathed.

“Can you stand, Eva?” he asks me, wryly adding, “You certainly won’t be able to sit for a while.”

Using my hands to lever myself up off the table, I slowly get to my feet. My skirt drops back down over my bottom, and at least outwardly I am decent again. Good God, what just happened?

His hands on my shoulders, Nathan turns me to face him. Then, taking my face between his hands, he lifts it carefully, looks into my eyes. “You’ve been crying, sweetheart,” he says, gently wiping my remaining tears with his thumbs before dropping his lips to mine.

Despite all that has just happened, all he has done to me, the pain is forgotten as I melt under his kiss. My arms come up of their own volition and I clasp my hands behind his neck, holding onto him for dear life, because otherwise, I am definitely going to hit the carpet at his feet. I open my mouth under his. His tongue darts inside, stroking me, dancing with mine, tasting me. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth, playing with me, and I respond as always. Despite everything.

Breaking the kiss, he nuzzles my neck. “Are we okay, sweetheart?” he asks me. “Am I forgiven? Did I make up for it?”

My answer is to turn my head and capture his mouth, initiating my first kiss with him rather than just responding to his. He tightens his arms around me, and this time I let my tongue go exploring. I am deliriously happy.

After long, dragging moments he lifts his head, nudges his nose playfully against mine. His eyes are warm, deep and sensual, drawing me in.

“Welcome to the Dark Side, Miss Byrne.”

About Ashe

In 2010 I escaped the public sector in the UK, and started to write. Now I count myself among the lucky few who do what they love doing and manage to make a living out of it.

The Dark Side trilogy was the first completed piece, to be released from July 2013 by those lovely people at Total-e-Bound. This was followed by another tie-in trilogy, Sure Mastery, also in the Total-e-Bound pipeline.

I like to write about people, relationships, and the general cock-up and mayhem that is most of our lives. I often write about places I’ve known, and have a particular fondness for setting stories in the north of England where I live. But my tales of love, challenge, resilience and compassion are the conjurings of my own imagination. With a hefty dose of kink to keep it interesting. We all need to have a hobby. And the hotter the better.

I love to craft strong, sexy, enigmatic and dominant men who know their way around a woman’s body. And bright, sassy, self-reliant women to give them a hard time – in every sense of the word. I’ve loved reading erotic fiction for many years – historical, contemporary, fantasy, romance. Now I’m lucky enough to realize my dreams of writing my own stories. I hope others enjoy them as much as I do.

When I’m not writing my time is divided between my role as resident taxi-driver for my teenage daughter, best friend and wife to my lovely, long-suffering and sometimes bemused husband, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, cat, rabbits, tortoises, cockatiel. And Colin the hamster.

I love to hear from readers and fellow authors. I can be reached on ashe.barker1@gmail.com. I’m also on Facebook, and on twitter

Buy Links:

Book 1, Darkening is available from

www.amazon.com

www.amazon.co.uk 

Book 2, Darker is available from Total-E-Bound

Book 3, Darkest is available from 18 October, also from Total-E-Bound