Magic of Books Promotions Presents Part 11: Erotic/Erotica

Authors: Jeanne St. James, HK Carlton, Erica Lynn

Whitley Cox, Shayne Ford, Delwyn Jenkins

Genres: Erotica, Contemporary Erotic Romance,

Paranormal Erotic Romance, Sci-fi Romance

Summary:

REJOICE! The children are back in school.

For those who live to read...here are some awesome books provided by the incredible authors who wrote them. All in celebration of the new school year. 

While a few of these books might be oldies, but goodies...others could be new and fresh off the presses.

Relax and find your new favorite author.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

Erotica

Erotica is a genre of literature that includes sexually explicit details as a primary feature. Though the distinction might be blurred in modern works, erotica traditionally contains more sexual details than romance novels.

Please enjoy these books that focus on erotica and all its sub-genres. The list is available in alphabetically order by title.

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter for a chance to win an Amazon Giftcard.

A Daring Desire by Jeanne St. James

Contemporary Erotic Romance

Take two defense attorneys, add one troubled NFL QB who needs them, and what do you get? A threesome of hot, sexy conflict...

Gryff Ward made a serious mistake when he hired the hot-as-hell defense attorney Rayne Jordan as an associate in his high-profile legal firm, even though she’s one of the best. Now he’s struggling to keep it professional, especially when she insists on calling him “Boss.”

Rayne’s been attracted to the firm's top attorney ever since her interview. And she’s well aware that calling the conservative man “Boss” drives him crazy…in a very good way.

Add Trey Holloway, their newest client, a troubled NFL quarterback, into the mix. Tension arises when it’s clear that both Gryff and Trey want Rayne and Gryff is willing to fight for her. However, Trey doesn’t hide the fact that he wants Gryff too.

Now Gryff’s having a hard time fighting not only his attraction to Rayne but to another man. Even though he stubbornly refuses to admit his deepest, darkest desires.

Then Rayne takes control. She’s determined to have them both in not only her bed but her life, and she won’t give up until she does.

Autumn's Healing by HK Carlton

Paranormal Erotic Romance

Rarely do we get to pick our battles… Often, they choose us.

Single mom Mikaylah MacDonough and her only daughter Autumn have been on their own a long time. So, when Autumn goes off to school, it seems only natural for Kaylah to pull up stakes and follow, though with some clear-cut boundaries, of course. She’s determined to give Autumn space to enjoy the whole college experience but remain close enough for emergencies, meals and laundry. But when the closing date of the current house overlaps with taking possession of the ‘new’ house, along with orientation week, Autumn has to go it alone. From that moment on, Kaylah’s dreams of a new beginning turn into a complete and total nightmare.

When former serviceman Jerusalem Aames drives up to the century-old Cleary house, he sees dollar signs for himself and his all-veteran crew. The rundown, old place would finally put his fledgling construction-renovation firm in the black. But the moment he meets the gorgeous homeowner who had been duped into buying the money-pit, his attraction is swift and instantaneous.

However, there’s something very strange going on in the dilapidated house that has nothing to do with rotting timbers or shoddy wiring. Whatever it is, it’s affecting Kaylah’s state of mind, and Salem finds himself in a battle he’s not sure he can win.

Desiring Lacey by Erica Lynn

Erotic Romance / Contemporary Romance

Lacey Wilson is a lot of things. She’s beautiful. Sweet. A little sassy. And about to be divorced. Now, on the verge of turning thirty, she’s on a mission to find herself, both emotionally and sexually. No attachments. No baggage. No problems. But when her best friend convinces her to attend a private party, where masked men and women go to have a little anonymous fun, she finds herself staring into the eyes of the most incredible man she’s ever seen, and caution gets thrown to the wind. After all, what’s just one night?

Cameron Jennings likes to keep things simple. He helps out at his father’s garage during the day, then goes home to a few beers and TV. No muss, no fuss. Until one night when he’s working as the doorman at a private party, and meets her… Once he slips the purple mask over Lacey’s eyes and gets a taste of what she has to offer, he’s done for. With Lacey on a mission to rebuild her life, and Cameron completely infatuated, will she be able to convince him they could never have a real future after the way they met? Or will he prove her wrong?

Down & Dirty: Zak (Dirty Angels MC) by Jeanne St. James

Contemporary Romance / Erotic Romance

Welcome to Shadow Valley where the Dirty Angels MC rule. Get ready to get Down & Dirty because this is Zak’s story…

After spending the last ten years in prison, Zak, former DAMC president, has a few priorities: to reconnect with his “brothers,” to get drunk, and to get laid. Not necessarily in that order. When he spots a stunning woman in the clubhouse and mistakes her for one of the club’s strippers, those priorities get a bit skewed.

Sophie has no idea what happened to her life. One minute she’s totally focused on building her bakery business, and the next? She’s delivering a cake to the Dirty Angels motorcycle club’s “homecoming” celebration for a member who just got out of prison. Little does she know baking that cake will change the rest of her life, not to mention, make her a target for a rival MC. Normally, Sophie wouldn’t be caught dead with a man like Zak, a tattooed, ex-con, badassed biker.

When a decades old territory war threatens to rip them apart, Zak will do anything to keep Sophie, his club, and the town safe. But being from two different worlds, the threat they’re under may not be worth the risk.

Note: This book can be read as a stand-alone and has an HEA ending.

Only Him (An Obsessed Novella) by Jeanne St. James

Contemporary Erotic Romance

This is not just a love story, it’s an obsession…

Sydney:

Never in my life did I think my high school obsession would move right next door. I’ve never wanted anyone but him. Reid Turner is my ultimate fantasy. And I still want him. Badly. When he watches me through my bedroom window taking matters into my own hands, things suddenly take a turn… 

And now that I have him, I’m not letting him go.

Reid:

I never knew she existed and now I can’t get enough of her. She consumes me. When this night ends, there may not be anything left of me, she may own me completely. She my master and I her slave. In one way or another I will atone for never noticing her all throughout high school. I will gladly grovel at her feet to make up for what a fool I was.

Besides, who can turn down that luscious body of hers? Curves in all the right places, a mouth that could make a grown man cry, super responsive during sex, and none of my twisted desires so far have made her bat an eye. And did I mention? She lives right next door. She may be the perfect woman for me.

Sex, Heat and Hunger: Part 1 by Whitley Cox

Erotic Romance

"He was her addiction; she was his everything...

Emma Everly is ready for her happily ever after. James Shaw doesn't know happiness. But Emma knows that there is more to the brilliant and sexy millionaire project developer. Yearning to experience the world of pleasure that James is offering her, with no strings and no future, Emma agrees to the parameters of his proposition. No love, just sex --and lots of it. After only one weekend, Emma feels her heart begin to bind to the man, and she knows she needs more, only James' walls are up and he remains guarded and distant. He's hiding something. As Emma falls hard and fast into his intoxicating world of sex and passion she fears that her own checkered past and James' secrets may be what's keeping their happily ever after just beyond their grasp."

SHADE, A Bad Boy Billionaire (Golden Heir #1) by Shayne Ford

Billionaire Erotic Romance

Tara is at a crossroad in her life and needs a man who knows how to appreciate her love. Shade inspires her to become the woman she is meant to be. In return, she gives him the love that he needs. Things seem to work out fine, but life throws obstacles in their way, not making it easy one bit.

Tempting Flame by Delwyn Jenkins

Sci-Fi Erotic Romance

Jasmine Teale will do anything for the sick kids she works for, including handcuffing herself to the security desk at Hope Towers – headquarters of the newly-arrived aliens. When a Jendari warrior decides to handle her demonstration personally, Jasmine realizes she’s in way over her head.

Tallis Ba’reah has no interest in the humans whose planet his people now share, and he’s done with the endless anti-alien protests. Until he confronts a soft, sexy, protest-of-one and he becomes far more interested than he should be.

Interspecies relationships are forbidden, and Tallis does his best to avoid temptation. But when Jasmine is put at risk because of her ties to him, he’s forced to admit his heart is in charge – not his head.

Tallis may not be able to claim her for his own, but he’ll do whatever it takes keep her safe.

Jeanne St. James
JEANNE ST. JAMES is an erotic romance author who loves an Alpha male (or two). She was only 13 when she started writing since it gave her an escape from teenage angst! Her first paid published piece was an erotic story in Playgirl magazine. Her first erotic romance novel, Banged Up, was published in 2009. She is happily owned by farting French bulldogs. She writes M/F, M/M, and M/M/F ménages.

HK Carlton
H-K lives in Canada with her hard-working hubby. She has two very handsome grown sons and a beautiful teenage daughter.

She has been an avid reader all her life. Her first love is historical romance so it would come as no surprise that her favourite book of all time is Jane Eyre. But she'll read almost anything that captures her attention and imagination. She loves nothing more than to find a good book that she can't put down. She is a hopeless romantic and prefers happy endings.

Erica Lynn
Erica Lynn lives in Houston, TX with her husband, daughters, and dogs. She's a self professed reality TV junkie, and loves to settle down with a glass of wine to watch The Real Housewives. She loves books in all sorts of genres, but erotic romance holds a special place in her heart.

Whitley Cox
A West Coast baby born and raised, Whitley is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have a spirited toddler and a fluffy dog. She spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn't end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes and it's not quite wine o'clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes.

A lover of all things decadent; wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of everyday life into her stories. With mommy wars, body issues, threesomes, bondage and role playing, these books have everything we need to satisfy the curious kink in all of us.

Shayne Ford

Shayne Ford writes NEW ADULT, Erotic Romance, the love stories involving hot-blooded men and adventurous, soulful women. The male cast includes Rock Stars, Billionaires, Bad Boys, Alphas with a heart, and the sweet, strong man you may find next door. The stories are emotional and deliciously hot. Sometimes they're unconventional, and sometimes they're a bit dark. Her Series are epic, layered, character-driven, and have a lot of depth. They are not the typical romance, nor are they formulaic or follow a mold.

Delwyn Jenkins

Delwyn Jenkins enjoys radical career changes. After serving in the Australian Navy for ten years (and being exceptionally disciplined) she switched to full-time university Arts student (where getting out of bed before 11am proved traumatic). She's worked as a teacher, an editor, and now writes full time - a career she plans to stick with for as long as anyone wants to read her stories.

Delwyn is an avid reader and movie-goer, an average bellydancer, and a disinterested cook. She lives on the beautiful south-east coast of Australia where the changeable weather suits her mercurial nature.

Jeanne St. James

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HK Carlton

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Erica Lynn

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Whitley Cox

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A Daring Desire by Jeanne St. James

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Autumn's Healing by HK Carlton

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Desiring Lacey by Erica Lynn

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Down & Dirty: Zak by Jeanne St. James

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Only Him by Jeanne St. James

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Sex, Heat and Hunger: Part 1 by Whitley Cox

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SHADE, A Bad Boy Billionaire by Shayne Ford

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Tempting Flame by Delwyn Jenkins

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Monday's Montage Mantlepiece: Ladies Only Anthology

Summary:
Worth A Shot by Cari Z
Samara Wynne thinks she’s finally found the perfect roommate, but Katie’s keeping a secret that could turn their dream home into a nightmare.

Samara Wynne was dreading getting a roommate, but Katie Hansen changed her mind. Katie is everything she could want: she likes Sam’s cooking, she shares her dog when Sam’s feeling low, and there are signs that Sam’s one-sided attraction to her renter might not be so one-sided at all. Katie is safety conscious to the point of paranoia, though, and she won’t quite tell Sam why.

When a thoughtless mistake by Sam leads to their home-sweet-home being violated, it’s the beginning of the end of everything she had hoped for them. With no home, and no Katie, what does Sam have to look forward to anymore? Fortunately for her, Katie isn’t as ready to give up on them as Sam thought.

The Woman Next Door by Helena Maeve
What’s a girl to do when her arch nemesis moves in next door?

After months of endless renovations, Ziva can’t take the racket anymore. Her commissions aren’t going to fulfill themselves and she’s nowhere near ready for her next exhibition. She is, however, more than able to give her new neighbors a piece of her mind—until she discovers that the people moving in next door aren’t new faces at all.

Yvonne Barros couldn’t be less of a stranger. Eight years ago, Ziva might even have said they were friends. That was before Yvonne destroyed her business and nearly drove her to bankruptcy. Almost a decade later and Ziva desperately wants to hate the woman who stole everything from her. Yet with every run-in, Yvonne proves to be a changed person, her sharper edges chiseled smooth, her losses now worn on her sleeve.

Unexpectedly thrust into close quarters by their living arrangements, it’s not long before Ziva and Yvonne rekindle their old connection—and with it the spark of mutual attraction. But Yvonne misled Ziva once before. What’s to say she won’t do it again—especially when she is spotted embracing another woman?

The Tiny Blue House by R.A. Padmos
I am Molly Knowles. Please, marry me.

Young chef Molly Knowles travels with her tiny blue house through the country. She isn’t sure what she is looking for, but when she tastes the food of Chiara Loss, she knows that she has found it.

After two years of hiding from the world, mourning the unexpected death of her lover, Chiara is ready to fall in love again. When Molly stumbles into Chiara’s life, both women have no choice but to accept that there is no way back.

Sometimes one day filled with food and love is all it takes.

In the Flesh by H K Carlton
Working undercover, nothing is ever as it seems...

Assigned with the unenviable task of taking down the untouchable Travino crime family, undercover ATF Agent Kate Benson and her veteran partner Mike Pennington are thrown into the seedy underworld of organized crime.

Kate is asked to draw on her past experience as a dancer and infiltrate one of Travino’s skin clubs, the In the Flesh.

Posing as Vivienne, Kate meets exotic dancer Carly. From the moment they first dance together, she can’t seem to keep her mind or her greedy hands off the dynamic dancer. Together they sizzle on-stage and off. She soon realizes she’s falling for Carly but knows from past experience beginning a relationship built on half-truths is a recipe for failure.

As Kate attempts to straddle the line between doing her job and being as honest as she can be with Carly, while still maintaining her cover, Kate and her partner, Mike, are caught snooping around the club, after-hours by none other than the mob boss himself.

And Kate knows there’s not a two-step in the world that can save them now.

Window Dressing by Lucy Felthouse
Can Jessie work with a woman with the looks of a pixie and the personality of a dragon to complete the most important task of her career?

Shop-fitter Jessie is sent to London’s Oxford Street to work on a flagship store’s front window overnight. It’s the first time she’s completed such an important task by herself, but the plans and organisation are solid—it’s just a case of getting it turned around before the store re-opens the following morning. What she’s not betting on, however, is the woman in charge of the project—Edith. She has the looks of a pixie but the personality of a dragon, and it soon becomes clear to Jessie that the job isn’t going to be plain sailing, not with Edith being awkward and putting Jessie down at every turn. As the hours drag on, Jessie somehow manages to peer beneath Edith’s frosty exterior, and much to her surprise, she kind of likes what she finds. But will she abandon her principles—and potentially risk her job—for a one-off thing?

Worth a Shot by Cari Z
Oh, Denver. God damn you and your massive influx of newcomers, your skyrocketing rental rates and your inability to produce enough housing for everybody. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the new blood, but you know how many of them were looking for a place to live? Almost all of them.

You’d think that would be good, since I needed to rent half my duplex, but in reality? It just muddied the waters with so many candidates that I couldn’t tell good from bad on paper, because everybody was trying to make themselves out to be perfect. And separating the real McCoy from the pretenders was hard. I mean, like, destroying the Death Star hard. You could see the pinhole target you were shooting for, but none of the shots went in. It was kind of a phallic metaphor, which really wasn’t my thing at all, but it fit.

Sure, maybe it was easy if a girl didn’t have standards. For instance, I could have taken the guy who showed up smelling like an open bottle of Drano with everything he owned obviously stuffed into his car. He was willing to pay cash, three months up front, but he wouldn’t give me an ID. Hell to the no, and get your beater out of my driveway before someone associates me with your Ford Fiesta, pal.

Then there was Bachelor Number Two, who seemed nice enough until we got to the subject of pets. “Your ad didn’t say anything about no dogs,” he ventured, and I nodded.

“Right, a dog would be fine.”

“Cool, cool. What about cats?”

“No problem.”

“How about a gator?”

“I’m…sorry?”

“An alligator. I’d keep her in the tub, I promise. Except when she needs to stretch her legs, but I’d let you know before I let her out in the back. Is the fence solid?”

I didn’t know what a solid enough fence would be for an alligator, but I had a feeling that mine wasn’t going to do the trick. Thank God. “Actually, no. It’s completely porous, wouldn’t keep in a kitten, much less an alligator.”

“Aw, darn.”

The Woman Next Door by Helena Maeve
A strange wailing rose and fell on the other side of the wall. Ziva tightened her grip on the brush. The walls were solid concrete, held together by thick steel rods, a legacy of the newspaper factory they had belonged to up until the eighties, when developers had first turned their eye toward this corner of the city. Now part of an apartment block three stories high in the newly fashionable side of Brooklyn, they were supposed to be insulated against drilling and hammering alike.

At last, the din gave way to silence. Relaxing her fingers around the long stem of the brush, Ziva returned to shading in the school of nishikigoi swimming in the depths of a red Solo cup, which itself was held in the bejeweled fingers of a pope with the head of a stag. She had finished the antlers yesterday, in a furious flash of inspiration, opting for gold and green rather than the ivory-beige so common in nature.

Sinuous bodies acquired depth and contour beneath the stroke of pigment-laden bristles. The fish were smaller than she’d intended, but their multitude made them appear both charming and slightly off-putting. ‘Translucent slimy things,’ Dexter had called them when she described her idea to him. Ziva smiled at the memory. For the manager of a profitable boutique art gallery, her friend Dexter Perry took a conservative view of art. He had asked Ziva on more than one occasion why she couldn’t stick to painting some nice landscapes. Wasn’t New York inspiring enough? What about portraits?

Ziva’s answer was always the same. She didn’t choose what she painted. Her subjects chose her. Some, like the meditation on consumerism currently unfurling before her, were more allegorical. Others were suggestive—a flower blossom, a scorpion’s arced tail.

‘That’s why you’re the artist and I’m the money man,’ Dexter would say, a tad dismissive. Ziva didn’t mind. Nothing good had ever come of her trying her hand at business. She didn’t have the head for it. The last time she’d attempted it, she had driven her father’s company into bankruptcy and had wound up selling the surviving branches piecemeal.

At least the old man hadn’t lived to see his life’s work destroyed.

On the other side of the wall, the wailing resumed. Her temper already pricked by the familiar sting of memory, Ziva rubbed a paint-smeared knuckle into the narrow dip between her eyebrows.

Art was suffering, as Dexter often teased, but there were limits. The refurbishment efforts next door had been ongoing since March. Summer was almost over and still they hadn’t finished tearing down walls and replacing the plumbing.

The whine of a sanding machine kicked up another notch. Ziva’s knuckles went white around the brush. With a furious twist, she dropped it beside her palette and ripped off her apron.

The Tiny Blue House by RA Padmos
She had fallen out of love. First with the girl she had been dating for one month, three weeks and two days and, by association, with the place. It was time to face the truth and be a grown woman about it. Of course, it would be easy enough to hook up her car to the trailer and disappear with the Tiny Blue House, but she had been raised better than that. It wasn’t the first time she’d had to start a conversation with, “There’s something we have to talk about…” and would very likely not be the last, but she hated it all the same. She didn’t like to hurt her girlfriends, and breaking up did hurt. On the other hand, when it was over, it was over and no amount of wishing it could be different was going to change the facts.

Open the door of her apartment, Molly Knowles, take a deep breath and…

“This isn’t what it looks like. I can explain it…”

Sure, strictly speaking French kissing another woman could be considered an alternative form of exchanging healthy bacteria, but wasn’t it more according to Occam’s razor that the woman she was about to leave had already left her?

“Well, you made it pretty easy on me.” There was a flash of hurt pride, then Molly grinned and continued, “Thanks for the lovely weeks and be happy. See you!”

It was a perfect day, with a gentle sun and an even gentler breeze. A day to laze around and luxuriate in the feeling that she was free again without having to hurt a woman who deserved nothing but good things in her life.  It was time, however, to leave for a place she didn’t know yet.

Before she lashed down all movable objects inside the Tiny Blue House in order to keep everything safe, Molly made a big mug of tea and unfolded the old map on the grass, putting a small stone on every corner to prevent the paper from going on a journey all of its own. She stared at the map, contemplating the possibilities.

One thing she was sure of—anywhere where people lived, there would be food. People made the best of a less than ideal economic situation or lived in the middle of a hub of creative abundance and more than enough money. There were exclusive restaurants with big-name chefs and simple eateries where mom and pop cooked whatever generation after generation had always eaten. Molly would eat at their tables and when she liked what she tasted, she would step inside the kitchen and ask, “Can I observe? Will you teach me? Do you have a job for me?” And while many cooks guarded their creations and were not willing to share all the details with a stranger, most were happy to show her a few of their personal tricks of the trade as soon as they had established she was honest in her praise and genuinely curious. She loved food, and that made her one of the tribe of lovers of all things edible.

She walked around the map, recognizing places she had already visited. There had been a town in rural Texas where a woman had refused to believe that she couldn’t barbecue a whole pig as well as any man, let alone a man who had a reputation to lose. The meat had been so succulent, it had brought tears to Molly’s eyes. That night she had lain in the strong arms of the cook and kissed her dark brown skin. “Give it time,” the woman had whispered in her ear. “It’s half of the secret.”

In the Flesh by HK Carlton
ATF Agents Kathrin Benson and Mike Pennington sat opposite their shared desk when Special Agent Roger Morrison popped his head into the cubicle. “My office in five.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, he strode down the hall.

Minutes later, they eagerly entered Morrison’s office. Before sitting, the boss hefted an evidence box onto the desk, Travino scrawled across the top.

“Omar ‘Vino’ Travino?” Mike leaned forward and lifted the lid.

“The mob boss?” Kate peered over Mike’s shoulder.

“This is your next assignment.”

A ripple of anxious excitement shot through Kate’s belly.

“This is big. Travino crime-family big.”

He had her attention.

“Read up on the family history. We have little time to prepare.”

“How much time, Cap?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

Mike and Kate exchanged glances.

“In a joint-effort task force, several agencies have already been integrated into Travino family businesses. The DEA, Vice Squad, fellow ATF agents, plus Guns and Gangs, all headed up by the Organized Crime Unit. We’re talking long-term investigation. Some undercovers have been in for years. They’ve got people on the inside. I’m talking inner sanctum.”

He pushed another folder toward Kate. “I’m aware you two have been wrapping the Levinson case and it’s difficult to keep up on what’s going on in the real world, but as of this moment, we have two agents unaccounted for.”

A shiver traveled Kate’s spine. The fear of being made was a real-and-present danger. Were these agents MIA or DOA? With Travino’s history, the latter seemed imminent.

“From all reports, Travino’s about to receive a massive shipping container of drugs, arms, maybe even human cargo between now and next month.”

Window Dressing by Lucy Felthouse
With a sigh of relief, I followed the satnav’s instructions and indicated right, swinging the van into the side road off London’s Oxford Street.

“You have reached your destination,” remarked the posh voice coming from the machine.

“Thank fuck for that,” I shot back, removing the device from the windscreen, then wiping at the telltale ring it left behind on the glass with my sleeve, hoping to remove any temptation for potential thieves. No doubt they swarmed around this area, tourist Mecca as it was. I didn’t want them to catch me out.

I stowed away the satnav, switched off the van’s ignition and grabbed all my stuff. Hopping out onto the road, I then locked the van and pocketed the keys. Then, wiping my damp palms on my black work trousers, I approached the rear door of the shop where I was to work.

Come on, get a grip, Jessie! You may be new at this, but you know what you’re doing. You’ve got this.

I wasn’t totally insane to be nervous. I’d been working for the shop-fitting company for just over a year now, and it was great. I really enjoyed the work, the variety. But this was the first time I’d been sent out on a job by myself. It hadn’t been intentional, either—the job was last-minute, and the client had made it worth my employer’s while. Normally there would be a team of two coming here, but there was another big job, one that needed the more experienced fitters on board. Therefore, I’d been pulled off that task, in order to do this one. Alone.

Adding more worry was the warning one of my colleagues had given me on finding out where I was being sent. ‘You watch out for that Edith woman, Jessie. She may look like a pixie, but she’s actually more of a dragon. She frightens the bloody life out of me.’

The warning ringing in my ears, I took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell. I could do this. I could. I’d made it all the way from Leeds to London, navigating busy motorways and the complete insanity that was England’s capital city, venturing right into the heart—the craziest of the crazy. Fortunately, by the time I’d hit the West End, the traffic wasn’t too bad, given that the shops were closing and rush hour had been and gone. There were still morons galore, naturally—honking taxi drivers, swerving, lane-hopping cyclists, oblivious rickshaw drivers, suicidal pedestrians—but I’d kept my cool throughout, telling myself I was so close to the end of my journey that I could almost touch it. Taste it.

And here I was, at the back entrance of the flagship store of the world-famous fashion chain, ready to change over its window display in time for when the shop reopened in the morning. I glanced at my watch, relaxed a little. It was ten p.m. Eleven whole hours until opening time. No problem, even for a relative newbie like me.

The door opened a crack and a sliver of a dark face peered out at me. “Yes?”

“Oh, hi. I’m Jessie—from the shop-fitters? Here to work on your window display?”

The woman—the voice had given it away, as she was still peering through the crack between the door and its frame—eyed me up. The black trousers, black T-shirt, black fleece—the latter two bearing the name of the company I worked for—clearly weren’t enough. Turning her attention to the van behind me—emblazoned with the company name in huge letters—she now seemed convinced.

“All right,” she said, opening the door wider and stepping back to let me through. “Come on in.”

“Thanks…”

“I’m Jacqueline. Edith’s already in the window. She’s the one in charge.”

I nodded. “Okay—lead the way.” I followed Jacqueline through the dimly lit storeroom. I’d known instantly she wasn’t Edith, because she looked nothing like a pixie. More like a goddess. She had a curly black afro, curves you could lose yourself in for days and a wiggle that would have turned me instantly if I wasn’t already into women.

Blinking as we emerged into the blazing lights of the shop floor, I continued in Jacqueline’s wake, adjusting my ponytail and fixing a smile on my face as we grew closer to the window…and Edith. She was the big cheese—when it came to the window design and execution, anyway—so I needed to make a good impression. Hopefully she’d give good feedback to my boss, and I’d get more projects like this in future. Maybe even a raise—a girl could dream, right?

“Hi,” I said as we came within a couple of paces of my soon-to-be workspace. “I’m Jessie. Pleased to meet you.”

After a brief pause, the pixie took the hand I was holding out and shook it. Firm, confident, but brief. She was no-nonsense, this woman. But I’d known that already.

Author Bios:

Cari Z.
Cari Z was a bookworm as a child and remains one to this day. In an effort to combat her antisocial reading behavior she did all sorts of crazy things, from competitive gymnastics to alligator wresting (who even knew that was legal!) to finally joining the Peace Corps, which promptly sent her and her husband to the wilds of West Africa, stuck them in a hut and said, "See ya!" She also started writing, because some things she just thought she could do better. She's still climbing that ladder, but can't stop herself from writing, or from sharing what she creates.

Cari enjoys a wide range of literary genres, from the classics (get 'im, Ahab) to science fiction and fantasy of all types, to historical fiction and reference materials (no, seriously, there are so many great encyclopedias out there). She writes in a wide range of genres as well, but somehow 90% of what she produces ends up falling into the broad and exciting category of m/m erotica. There’s a sprinkling of f/m and f/f and even m/f/m in her repertoire, but her true love is man love. And there's a lot of love to go around.

Cari has published short stories, novellas and novels with numerous print and e-presses, and she also offers up a tremendous amount of free content on Literotica.com, under the name Carizabeth.

Helena Maeve
Helena Maeve has always been a globe trotter with a fondness for adventure, but only recently has she started putting to paper the many stories she's collected in her excursions. When she isn't writing erotic romance novels, she can usually be found in an airport or on a plane, furiously penning in her trusty little notebook.

RA Padmos
In no particular order: woman, writer, in a relationship with my wife since 1981 (though we had to wait until 2001 until we could actually get married), mother of two grown sons, owner of cats (I can pretend, can’t I?), reader and a lot more.

I write in different genres under different names. I’m also S.Dora for my M/M erotic romance and Ella Laurance for my M/F erotic romance.

HK Carlton
H-K lives in Canada with her hard-working hubby. She has two very handsome grown sons and a beautiful teenage daughter.

She has been an avid reader all her life. Her first love is historical romance so it would come as no surprise that her favourite book of all time is Jane Eyre. But she'll read almost anything that captures her attention and imagination. She loves nothing more than to find a good book that she can't put down. She is a hopeless romantic and prefers happy endings.

Lucy Felthouse

Lucy Felthouse is a very busy woman! She writes erotica and erotic romance in a variety of subgenres and pairings, and has over 100 publications to her name, with many more in the pipeline. These include several editions of Best Bondage Erotica, Best Women's Erotica 2013 and Best Erotic Romance 2014. Another string to her bow is editing, and she has edited and co-edited a number of anthologies, and also edits for a small publishing house. She owns Erotica For All, is book editor for Cliterati, and is one eighth of The Brit Babes. Join her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her newsletter.

Cari Z

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Helena Maeve

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RA Padmos

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HK Carlton

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Lucy Felthouse

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EMAIL: lucy@lucyfelthouse.co.uk

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