Thanks
so much to Ann for hosting me today! I’m super excited to be here talking about
my latest book, Bound with Pearls.
It’s my fifth book and closes out my first year as a published author. I guess
I’m not quite a newbie anymore at this rate am I? Bound with Pearls is part of the Taboo line
from Ellora’s Cave, which features
BDSM and kink friendly books of all genres. I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for a
great contemporary book with lots of BDSM.
One
of my favorite BDSM heros, and I don’t think I’m alone on this, is Mac
Nighthorse from Joey W. Hill’s Natural Law book.
The heroine herself says that she’s found a rare creature in a nurturing alpha.
That book takes it one step further in that the hero is the submissive and the
heroine the Dominant. I think there’s something very alluring about a strong
man who also wants to be a caretaker with a gentle touch. I’ll be honest, I’ve
cut guys way more slack than I should have when dating bacause they were toeing
that very line!
The hero in Bound with Pearls is very much the Dominant and alpha. Daniel leaves no question about who is in charge, not that Christine is the type of submissive to be incredibly difficult. At least no more than the average woman. We don’t want to behave all the time, do we? But even Christine keeps one very important detail to herself, which I won’t spoil, because where’s the fun in that?
In
reality, kink can be a dangerous hobby. Even something as simple as tying
someone’s wrists up with a neck tie can leave marks, bruises or even break
bokes in extreme circumstances. It’s one of the reasons why in real life, apart
from the fiction a lot of us read, it’s of the utmost importance to discuss
activities before they go down. There’s an open dialogue about needs,
expectations, things that are a no way and things you’re interested in. With
more and more people interested in a little spice in the bedroom, it’s becoming
more important to keep safety in mind. I have this little habit of talking
about trends I see in real life in my books, so why not put my characters in a
similar situation?
One
of my favorite scenes in Bound with
Pearls is about halfway through the book. After the hero has learned the
extent of a condition the heroine didn’t think to mention to him, Daniel’s
solution is to tie her to the bed so he can take care of every part of her. He
takes his role as the Dominant and caretaker very seriously. *fans self*
You
can read all about just how much Daniel likes to take care of his submissive
now! It’s currently avalible from the Ellora’s Cave website, and coming soon to
all major retailers!
---
It can never be said that Sidney
Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby
queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor-home on the
US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the
rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and
Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she
splits her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.
---
Bound
with Pearls, purchase from Ellora’s Cave!
The last thing Christine wants to do is another
favor for her sister, but Lucy always gets what she wants. This time it’s Chris
playing sub to a demanding Dom. Their relationship begins with a power exchange
and progresses to time spent between the sheets. Now emotions are getting complicated
and the Dom isn’t just a hunky guy in black.
Daniel’s expectations are turned upside down when
he meets Chris. She’s more than a well-trained submissive. She’s a woman with a
body he wants to memorize. He’s willing to spend as much time as it takes to
learn her, because she might be his match and his muse. He’ll make her come so
hard he’s imprinted on every inch, and then he’ll offer her the most precious
thing he can, himself.
Excerpt:
Christine’s
mouth closed with a snap. Her jaw hurt from clenching. Her hands ached from
gripping her wrists. Blinking rapidly, she looked at the Dom’s broad back. He
was getting ready to leave.
She’d
failed, completely blown it, and he was right. Her attitude sucked. This wasn’t
like her. She’d hit a low point and didn’t know how to dig herself out of this
one.
Pinpricks
of pain stabbing the backs of her eyes heralded tears. Screwing things up
seemed to be her specialty today, from the reports at work to forgetting her
entry fee for the charity race, and now it was going to cost her. Lucy wouldn’t
give her the pearls when she found out the Dom had left, rightfully disgusted
with her.
The
muscles in her chest constricted until she was panting for breath. Her vision
blurred with tears she had to dash away.
“Wait,”
she said, her voice sounding strained and too high to her own ears.
The
Dom glanced over his shoulder, unmoved. It shouldn’t get her off, but the idea
of a man with such control was a turn-on. She’d been ready for someone big and
scary or maybe on the scrawny side with a penchant for pain. Finding him a
fairly normal guy unsettled her.
Fairly
normal was an understatement. Sure, most women might not notice him. He had
nondescript brown hair and his features were handsome enough. It was something
else about him that drew her.
“Why
should I?”
She
took a deep breath to calm herself. “You’re right. My attitude sucks.” Another
deep breath. She couldn’t think of a good reason to give him, except the truth.
Her shoulders slumped. She hated airing the dirty laundry between Lucy and her.
Sisters should be close, they should have a bond. All she and Lucy shared was a
last name and some DNA.
“I’m
not involved with Nate. Lucy’s my sister and she—she’s afraid of you, so she
probably whined to Nathan until he suggested trading me for her.” She could
feel her cheeks burning. “I wasn’t going to do it. I-I don’t know you, I’m not
entirely comfortable with this, and Lucy knew that. When I said no, and I meant
it, she—”
Her
throat constricted around her words, cutting them off. Squeezing her eyes shut,
she balled her hands into fists and let the wave of emotion wash over her. She
was angry and upset, hurt that her sister cared so little, but it was no
different than any other time Lucy had conned her. The only person she could
blame for this situation was herself. She drew in another slow, deep breath.
“She told me if I’d come here, she’d give me our mother’s pearls. She’s dead,
and they’re one of the only things we have left of hers.”
Her
gaze locked on the floor. She knew she should stop talking. This man was as
disgusted with her as she was, but her mouth kept working. “I loved them. I
wore them to prom and graduation. I’d borrowed them for luck every now and
then. Lucy never wanted them. They didn’t sparkle enough, they weren’t flashy.
But when I wore them to her funeral, Lucy started yelling and crying about how
I got everything. I gave them to her to shut her up and I’ve never seen them
since.”
She
hiccupped around her words. No doubt her face was red and splotchy. She didn’t
cry delicately. No, when Christine cried her nose turned red, her eyes got big
and puffy and she turned into a fountain. She hated crying and dumping ugly
family business on a stranger. She couldn’t wait for him to leave. She could
curl up on the bed, cry herself out and slink home where she could camp out on
the couch with a pint of ice cream.
“Shhh.”
Hands
gripped her shoulders from behind. Her stomach dropped right before the ground
disappeared from under her. The Dom picked her up effortlessly.
“What
are you doing?” She gripped his shoulders, expecting to land on her ass any
second.
He
crossed to the chaise and sat down with her cradled in his lap. She tried to
slip onto the bench, but his hand clamped on her thigh. It was natural to obey
the unspoken command. This close she could see the deep blue of his eyes, the
strength of his jaw and feel the power of him. There was no doubt under the
black t-shirt and jeans he was every bit as strong as he looked.
“What
are—?”
“I’m
the one who gets to ask the questions here.” His voice was stern, but unlike
his reprimand from before there was a warm quality.
She
relaxed against the curved arm of the chaise, comforted by his commanding
nature. Let someone else call the shots for now, she was too tired of it all.
“Here.”
He handed her tissues from an unknown source and she snatched them up.
Bowing
her head to let her curls fall over her face was as much privacy as she could
get to clean herself up. The Dom didn’t touch her except where their bodies
nestled together, which was one small relief.
She
hated crying, but she was better for getting it out. It felt good to be honest,
even if the recipient of her words didn’t care what she said.
Tossing
her head back, Christine met his gaze. Her breathing was shaky and her eyes and
nose raw.
“Feel
better?” His voice was the deep, rumbling kind that spoke directly to her
pussy. The whole situation would have been easier to write off as one huge
mistake if he hadn’t been attractive. Now it was salt to a wound.
She
nodded.
He
quirked a brow and her blush became more intense.
“Yes
Sir,” she mumbled. How could she already be blushing on command for the man?
“You
agreed to take your sister’s place because she has something of sentimental
value you want, correct?” He looped his arms around her waist, settling his
hands at her hip and thigh.
“Yes
Sir.”
“I’m
going to be frank with you. Would you prefer I wasn’t?”
“No
Sir. I’d prefer the truth.” She braced herself for a pat on the head and a
goodbye.
“I
don’t care for your sister. She’s spoiled. I was, and still am, a little
apprehensive you’re too much like her—”
“I’m
nothing like my sister.” Memories of cold Thanksgiving meals and waiting for
Lucy to show up at Christmas with their father stabbed her. All the times when
Lucy should have been there but never was. Their father made excuse after
excuse for her—she was busy, being young and carefree. Christine knew better.
The
Dom quirked a brow at her again. Her blush felt as bad as a sunburn, stretching
across her cheeks, down her neck and gripping her chest.
“Sorry,
Sir.” The urge to lean into him and kiss his jaw in supplication was strong.
“I
don’t think you’re sorry about that admission.”
She
shook her head. “No Sir, I’m sorry for interrupting you.”
“That,
I believe.” The hand at her hip swept down to her knee, treating her to the
first sensual skin-to-skin contact.
“Sir?”
Christine bit her lip and focused on the collar of his shirt.
“Yes?”
“I
don’t know your name. I just—”
He
squeezed her thigh and she shut her mouth. Another unspoken command she read
perfectly.
“Daniel,”
he growled. “Christ, she didn’t even tell you?”
She
shook her head, curls sweeping over her shoulders. His anger didn’t scare her,
though she would be lying to herself if she said some part of her wasn’t
pleased someone recognized her sister for who she truly was.
Daniel.
Dom, Master, Sir Daniel. It fit him—understated and powerful.
He
swept her hair over her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her neck, not quite in
the sweet spot, but close enough to make her shiver.
He
wound a stubborn curl around his finger and leaned back against the cushions,
pulling her against him. She wasn’t accustomed to being handled, but in
comparison to him she was small, which didn’t happen often.
“So
how did your sister and you get involved in the scene?” The hand at her knee
stroked up her thigh and back down, distracting her from his question.
She
had to marvel at how well he managed her. She probably wasn’t what he’d
expected, and still he pulled pertinent information from her. Something about
him put her at ease, which, considering his size and what she wanted him to do
to her, was a questionable assessment.
“Um,
I had a boyfriend in college who, who liked to tie me up. It was fun.” She
lifted a shoulder. “After we broke up I did some research and decided I would
try to meet someone new who could—could teach me.”
“How
does your sister fit in?”
She
wrinkled her nose, wishing he would drop that particular line of conversation.
She looked down at his tanned arm. The muscles and veins she could trace with
her fingers made such a stark contrast to her pale skin.
“Lucy
has always done what I do. Same schools, degrees, even where I used to work.
She has to do what I did and try to do it better. When she found out I was into
BDSM, she got into it.”
“Did
you mentor her?”
Her
gaze leveled with his. “Have you met my sister? She showed up one night in a
slutty cocktail dress, whined her way through the orientation meeting and
attached herself to my Dom.”
“What
did he do?”
“Brandon
and I were not in an emotional relationship, so he was free to do whatever he
wanted. He tried to help her for about a week before he washed his hands of
her.” It had been one small victory following many losses. “Lucy attached
herself to someone new, and here she is today.”
Nodding,
he continued to stroke her leg, his fingers edging higher, disappearing below
the hemline of the romper.
“So
what happened to you? I’ve never seen you here before.”
She
took a deep breath and fought the urge to open her legs and push his hand
against her pussy. Any man could be attractive but it took a special man to
dominate a woman with a look.
“I’ve
been busy between work and our father, and it hasn’t been worth it to compete
with her here. I know how people look at me when they know I’m her sister.”
“Are
you seeing someone?” His question was casual but his hold on her knee was not.
“Of
course not. I wouldn’t be here if I was.”
His
hand continued its lazy caress of her leg. Her stomach fluttered. How could she
be embarrassed and turned-on at the same time?
“Relax,”
he said, jostling her with his legs.
“I’m
heavy—”
“What
did you say?”
“Uh,
that—that I was—um,” she continued to sputter, her mind going blank.
He
sighed, his hand rubbing against her knee in a circle. “I’m going to have to
punish you for that. I’ve been generous, but I’m not your therapist. Stand up,
take off your—” He pinched the hem of the romper. “Take this off and lie over
my lap.”
Heat
flooded her body, emanating from her pussy. She loved her figure, but baring
all in front of a man she’d met fifteen minutes ago wasn’t normal for her. But
he wasn’t sending her away. She’d willingly take whatever punishment he wanted
to give her.
