Books

At Your Service

Sydney Stewart had turned doing favors for friends into a growing business. Putting a bad relationship behind her, she was determined to guard her heart the next time around.

Desmond Butler was everything Sydney would want if she were looking for a man – except she wasn’t. Plus, he had this one flaw; could she look past his habit of spanking her whenever he thought she was naughty?

Excerpt from AT YOUR SERVICE:

"Mr. Butler, Ms. Stewart is here."

I continued farther inside, as she stepped back and closed the door behind me.

The room I found myself in was huge with a wall of windows overlooking the city of Loganville with an extensive view of the harbor. The light from outside made the room seem darker than it really was. I blinked several times trying to adjust my eyes to the contrast. A massive desk sat several feet in front of me. The top smooth and polished to a dull shine, and devoid of the usual stacks of papers one would normally find there. Hmm . . . wouldn't even have to push the papers off to have passionate sex on top of it. I shook my head to dislodge the picture.

Rising from a large leather chair, a man came toward me with an outstretched hand. He was impressive, not so much in size, but in demeanor. The electricity in the air crackled with each step he took. A dark charcoal suit emphasized the whiteness of his shirt and gray and red striped tie which looked crisper and cleaner. His hair was shiny and black as coal, a lock escaping and hanging across his forehead. The ice blue of his eyes so penetrating it was like being X-rayed. I looked down to check if I still had clothes on.

Unconsciously I pushed an errant, auburn curl behind my ear. I hoped I presented myself as a force to be reckoned with - in a professional sort of way - wishing that I had chosen my outfit this morning for that purpose. Straightening to my full five-feet-three-inches, I focused on why I was there. Then blinked, as a sex scene flashed across my vision. An unexpected little gasp slipped from my lips.

“Ms. Stewart, I’m Desmond Butler.”

“Yes, well. I’ll get right to the point, Mr. Butler. I’ve asked your workmen before, but to no avail it seems, to not block parking spots that aren’t theirs . . . uh . . . yours. Now I’m demanding that you make certain they, umm, don’t.”

My breath left my body along with my words and most of my anger. I resisted the urge to pull them back and put my hand over my mouth to prevent their escape again.

His lips formed a straight line like they had been drawn. How long had it been since someone had spoken to him in that tone of voice? 

“My driver must have parked the car there. I’m sorry you were inconvenienced.” He grasped my right hand in both of his.

His condescending words refueled my temper. “Your driver? You’re going to stand there and tell me it was your driver’s fault?”

“Yes, Ms. Stewart. You have my guarantee that I’ll fire him immediately.” With that, he turned and walked back toward his desk.

I found myself watching him, unable to look away. He moved like a jungle cat, possibly a male jaguar, one who made every movement count. Without a doubt he’d be great in bed or even on the desk.

In a matter of seconds he went back to his chair, talking on the phone. He motioned with his pointer finger for me to come closer and I followed his silent command. I knew instinctively there was no defying him.

Reviews for AT YOUR SERVICE:

"This book has it all: plenty of character development, hot sex, discipline and a sweet love tale too." ~ Amazon reviewer

"A flirty, playful romance." ~ Amazon reviewer

"Hot right from the beginning." ~ Amazon reviewer

"Scintillating...passion that burns...a must read for men and women alike." ~ Amazon reviewer

"Superb writing and fast-paced story. Tantalizing...left me wanting more!" ~ Amazon reviewer

Dear Diary ... Alexandria and Zack's Story

Widow Alexandria Kirk is trying to get back into the dating scene. She meets and dates several men, much to the displeasure of her neighbor who seems to always be looking out for her even if she doesn’t appreciate it.

Police Chief and neighbor Zachary Bentley, nicknamed ‘the enemy,’ spanked Alex when she was eleven and tried smoking. She’s never forgotten or forgiven him. Since her cat, Muggins, periodically escapes and torments his dog, Sugar, Alex has no recourse but to deal with Zack’s veiled threats.

Will Zack resort to the same punishment if he thinks Alex deserves it?

EXCERPT from DEAR DIARY ... ALEXANDRIA AND ZACK'S STORY:

Zack leans against the counter and crosses his arms over his chest and his legs at the ankle. He just stands there, looking all handsome, a nice decoration to my kitchen and watches me. I can feel his eyes probing, searching for something he can comment on. But thanks to my mom again, my manners kick in and I become the good hostess asking, “Would you like a drink?”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

His answer surprises me and I start to panic. Now I’ve got to figure out what I even have to offer him. It’s then I realize I didn’t buy anything to drink. I look into the refrigerator and recite in my head what there is, one cold beer (left over from when my brother and his friends were here watching my new flat-screen), filtered water in a pitcher (forget all those plastic bottles adding to the nightmare of recycling), or my last, cold can of diet root beer. I’m hoping he won’t choose the root beer because that’s what I want.

“Well, there’s beer, cold water in a glass, or diet root beer. What’s your poison?"

“Beer, if it’s okay.”

Why do I want to say—if it wasn’t I wouldn’t have offered? I bite my tongue and get the bottle of beer out and hand it to him sans glass or offer of one. His fingers touch mine and again there’s that shocking sensation. He doesn’t seem to notice, so I stand looking at him while he takes a long pull on the bottle. A thought of how my nipple would feel if he was sucking on it as his mouth wraps around the bottle flashes in my mind. Maybe I’ll be lucky enough that he’ll finish the beer in two, maybe three swallows and then be on his way. I’m not sure why I’m thinking the luck gods will favor me with any good fortune, but it’s always worth a try.

“Your ice cream is melting.” Zack nods at the bag closest to the freezer.

Well, he is certainly right on that point. I pick up the half-gallon container that already feels squishy and put it in the freezer. I’m annoyed with myself because now my favorite ice cream will refreeze and I’ll probably end up throwing it out because the ice cream will have ice crystals on top. Don’t get me wrong, I like crystals, but not on my ice cream.

“Well, guess I’ll go back home and leave you to handle all this,” Zack sweeps his arm in a wide arc that encompasses the entire kitchen. “Thanks for the beer, Alex.”

I smile and nod as I’m biting my tongue again to keep the words “any time” from coming out. I see him to the door and when I shut it, I lean my back up against it with mixed feelings of being glad he’s gone to maybe, and I find this hard to even admit, missing him.

Reviews for DEAR DIARY ... ALEXANDRIA AND ZACK'S STORY:

"Nice, quick, and entertaining read." ~ Amazon reviewer