Kissing at Midnight (and other musings) by Holley Trent

new year's eve

Do you remember Fantasy Island or at least know what it was?

(If you don’t, you might be too young for this blog.)

Who wouldn’t love the idea of going to some tropical resort and having their dreams turned into reality? And what if those dreams were of true love and finding that special someone?

The Den of Sin series came about back in 2013 because of a rambling “What if?” discussion in a marathon-length Facebook chat between me, Melissa Blue, L.V. Lewis, and Ambrielle Kirk. It started as a musing about Fantasy Island’s host-with-the-most Mr. Roarke. One of us commented that some television network could be making money hand over fist right now if they recast that role with David Gandy.

Since none of us have any clout in Hollywood (as far as we know), we figured we’d take matters into our own hands. New Year’s Eve was coming up, and we thought it’d be fun to launch a series of connected novellas set a fictional hotel where a…um…certain kind of dreams come true.

800midnightseductionsflatOur “Mr. Roarke” is a talk, dark, handsome, and mysterious New Orleans hotelier named Henri Beaudelaire. Every so often, he opens the doors of The Hotel Beaudelaire for an invitation-only event called The Den of Sin. Guests are told to leave their inhibitions at the door, and if they’re lucky, they’ll go home with the loves of their lives (or at least with smiles on their faces).

Those Den New Year’s Eve stories are currently bundled in the Midnight Seductions collection. It’s a buck at Amazon through early January, and it’s a great introduction to the Den world, which now has four seasons of stories.

If you can’t be kissing your special someone at midnight, you can live vicariously through the characters in the collection. Watch the Coming Soon page here at LL&L in the next few weeks to find out what’s happening next in the Den world.

Happy reading!

Wishing you lots of luck and love in 2016. (Be gentle on yourself with the resolutions.)

-Holley

Ain’t Dere No More by Lynn Lorenz

Even as a young child, Lynn couldn't keep her hands off the boys...

Even as a young child, Lynn couldn’t keep her hands off the boys…


If you’re from New Orleans, you know this song, if not check it out on YouTube. It’s a lament of all the places we knew and loved that for whatever reason aren’t there anymore. Stores, restaurants, bakeries, even entire neighborhoods. Cherished memories. And every few years, they add new places to the list. This photo is one of the wading pools that existed in the city parks when kids were allowed to play in them. Nowadays, they’re still there, but no water is in them. No kids splashing. Sad, but I’m sure there’s some sort of legal reason. They’d probably have to pay for lifeguards or something. We just had mom’s looking out for us.

We shake our heads and mourn for those lost by-gone times and places and things.

But maybe they weren’t as wonderful as we remembered?

We’ve all run into that one thing we used to love as a kid, and it just didn’t hold up to inspection now that we’re adults.

Like bologna sandwiches, on white bread with mayo. Sometimes your mom would fry the bologna? The kind you peeled the red casing off of? As a kid, you thought you were in heaven getting one of those, but would you eat it now? Probably not. And when did you lose your taste for Spam? Or potted meat? Or (shudder) Vienna sausages in a can? Or those little sandwiches everyone would make for parties and wedding receptions – the thin slices of ham with mayo on white bread? You’d cut off the crusts and then cut them into triangles? Or the mints you got at weddings? They’d melt in your mouth. I remember snatching extra little bags of them, wrapped in netting and tied with a ribbon at weddings and eat them by handful. And while we’re talking about receptions, what self-respecting wedding or church reception was complete without sherbert punch. It was Hawaian Punch, 7-Up, and a half gallon block of orange sherbert. So sweet your teeth hurt, but we drank it by the cup with our reception ham sandwiches.

Maybe it was a southern thing?

Did your tastes change or does the meat not taste the same or is it just not the “socially acceptable” thing to eat? White bread? Sugar? Bologna? The horrors!!
turkishtaffy
Or candy? I can remember some great candy that I never see anymore in stores. Remember those molassas cookies called Planks? There were long
and had this sort of wide scalloped edge, with pink frosting on them? Two to a pack. God, they were good. And I loved Bonomo Taffy. It came in vanilla, chocolate, stawberry and banana. It was so hard, you had to smack it on the cement outside to break it into pieces, because your mom wouldn’t let you do it on the edge of the kitchen counters because she was sure it would break the edge of the Formica off. You could pull out teeth with that stuff.
romantaffy
In New Orleans, the taffy we got was from the Roman Taffy Man, and you had to wait until he actually came to your neighborhood with his mule-drawn wagon. Five cents for a footlong stick of vanilla, strawberry or chocolate. Now, the wagon is parked at the Audubon Zoo and the price is like fifty cents a stick or something. But it’s still good. The mule is gone now too.

shetlandpony
Are you old enough to remember the man who would come to your neighborhood with the decked out Shetland pony so you could have your picture taken on it dressed up like a cowboy or cowgirl? Both my brother and I had those 8×12 sepia pictures.(this isn’t one of ours) If someone tried to do that nowadays, he’d probably get arrested. Maybe it was a New Orleans thing?

I remember using Delta Cane Syrup on my pancakes. Dark, rich and thick, made from sugar cane. You never worried if it would run off onto the plate. It stayed where you poured it. Now? I have no idea if it’s even sold anymore. My dad used to buy sticks of real sugar cane from one of those side of the road stands and we’d chew on it during drives to Mississippi or around south Louisiana.
boiledpeanuts
Or ever stop for fresh boiled peanuts? These days, the only place I’ve seen that in recent memory was in Alabama, Georgia or Florida while driving to DisneyWorld a few years ago. But they used to be everywhere in the south, on those highways we traveled before there were Interstate Highways. They’re gone now, along with all those small towns you’d drive through to get to wherever you were heading.

And whatever happened to those cookies, the ones with devil food cake inside, a thin layer of marshmellow cream and a hard coating of chocolate? I haven’t seen those in ages. I don’t even remember what they were called. Peeps definitely are as bad as always, but you can still get those, unfortunately. Those I wouldn’t mind seeing disappear. They were always a disappointment to me. They looked so much better than they ever tasted. They used to just come in yellow, but now there in all sorts of colors.

Think of all the things, places, and food that’s gone now, for whatever reason. I miss some of them. Some I wonder how in the world I ever ate it and some I’d still eat if I could find them. It would be a guilty pleasure for sure, but I wonder, if I did find those Planks, would they taste as good as I remember?

What are of the things from your childhood that ain’t dere no more?

Interview with L. Marie Adeline…S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed!

I can barely restrain my inner fan girl today. Here for a special Q&A, we have bestselling author, and fellow Canadian, L. Marie Adeline, the author of the smash hit S.E.C.R.E.T. series!

It wasn’t long ago that I picked up the first book in this extraordinary series, S.E.C.R.E.T. I was immediately hooked and dove right into book 2 S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared. Book 3, S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed has just been released, and my hands are itching. I can promise you this trilogy will not disappoint. Set in New Orleans, it is the tale of Cassie, a lonely woman who stumbles upon a rather unusual society of women. Her life is forever changed.

I’m so pleased L. Marie Adeline has answered some questions for us today, and to make the occasion even more exciting, she is doing a giveaway of several S.E.C.R.E.T. bracelets (North American giveaway only, please).

So pull up a chair as L. Marie tells us how S.E.C.R.E.T. came to be.

*******************************************************************

When I set out to write my erotic romance trilogy, S.E.C.R.E.T., the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon was at a fever pitch. And though I understand the appeal of those books, I really wanted to toss something new into the mix. Something fantastical and fun, something involving real people—restaurant workers, lounge singers, journalists, shop keepers—something erotic but still pro-women, pro-men, pro-adult sex. My erotica had to dovetail with my own beliefs, or I couldn’t do it.

I came up with the idea of S.E.C.R.E.T., a trilogy about an underground group of women who grant one lucky female candidate her wildest sexual fantasies for one year, each fantasy growing in intensity, each designed to teach her a little bit more about her self, helping her develop more courage and confidence as she goes along. It’s the healing side of great sex, minus obsessive “love” and inner goddesses.

That’s how Cassie Robichaud, Dauphine Mason, and my newest star candidate Solange Faraday, who you’ll meet in S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed, came to be. But I wasn’t sure the search for personal fulfillment, true love and sexual ecstasy would break through. (Heads up, the only sexy billionaire in my book is feckless, and it’s 100% virgin-free. Also, ‘domination’ is only one of the many sexual flavors on offer.)

However, my trilogy did break through, climbing towards the top of bestseller charts in some of the thirty-plus countries that publish it. I thought it hit a nerve because of the hot sex. But S.E.C.R.E.T.’s growing readership tell me they love that my books feature real women, most of them over thirty, struggling with real relationship issues, in a real city, New Orleans. Mostly readers tell me they love the fact that my books are as racially diverse as the city itself. And since I’ve written a couple of well-received literary novels under my real name, Lisa Gabriele, I care deeply about plot, authenticity, great dialogue and pacing.

At the core of each S.E.C.R.E.T. installment is also a love story, and as each character wends their way towards their happily ever after, each grapples with very real questions that every woman faces: What do I really want from sex and love? Is this the right person for me? Do we have what it takes to make it last? Can I satisfy this person completely? Should I? Am I enough? I hope you enjoy my trilogy about three very different women, with very different sexual histories and appetites, each finding the love (and mind-blowing sex) they didn’t even know they were looking for. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did writing these books. And though I’m sad they’ve come to an end, it’s nice to have the complete set. So if you’ve been curious, join in on the S.E.C.R.E.T. And if you’re a fan already, my sincerest gratitude. I couldn’t persevered without you.

xx

Rosanna Leo) As authors, we often intersperse some of our own traits in our characters. How much of you resides in heroine Cassie Robichaud?

L. Marie Adeline) To be honest, I’m nothing like Cassie, who is meek and mild and cowed by life after a long marriage to an abusive man. I am pretty bold and bossy and would never have put up with what Cassie put up with. (BTW: I would also never ban the word bossy! I loved being called that as a kid!) But I can certainly relate to her insecurities. No woman feels 100% hot all the time. We all need a little boost, a little support now and again. And S.E.C.R.E.T. aims to provide that.

RL) You are a Canadian author (go, Canuck smut!). What led you to choose New Orleans as a setting?

LMA) I chose New Orleans because it’s a naturally sensual setting: the food, the music and the city has a steamy Southern atmosphere. It just sets the mood. I love Canada, don’t get me wrong, but half the year it’s cold, very cold, so getting naked is not high up there with desirable activities. Plus I had a boyfriend from  Louisiana and we used to spend time in that city. I just fell in love.

RL) Obviously readers have responded to your work. What sorts of comments have you received from readers? Do they wish S.E.C.R.E.T. existed? (Because I’m really hoping it has its basis in fact-LOL)

LMA) YES! I get that all the time, testament, I think to striking a balance between fantasy and reality, and how hard it is for some women to realize their sexual desires. For some that wish is very real. I even get comments from readers who believe it exists! I think it’s because the group is comprised of normal women who live and work in a real city. That was the trick, I think.

RL) I loved the addition of Dauphine’s story in book 2, S.E.C.R.E.T. Shared. Will we see another new heroine in book 3?

LMA) Oh yes! I can’t wait for readers to meet Solange Faraday, a 40-something  headstrong TV journalist who has a hard time surrendering to S.E.C.R.E.T. She really lives in her head, and is a control-freak, so among all the characters, she’s the one I relate to the most. She’s also a single mother who has put her sex life on the back burner, something I think a lot of readers will relate to.

RL) I adore Will and Cassie. Without giving away too much, what can readers expect in the third book?

LMA) More Cassie and Will, of course, and more Jesse. This is not going to be an easy Happily Ever After to get to, and hearts will be broken. But Cassie ends up with the right man for her, as do other women in the book—including Solange of course, and Matilda!

RL) What is next for L. Marie Adeline?

LMA) I am working on a small novel under my own name Lisa Gabriele, and of course, I’m still working in TV and radio, with projects lined up in both media. Though I am relieved to have the trilogy complete,  I am planning on writing more erotic romances. They’re so much fun! I just hope readers who’ve stuck it out this long will accompany me to the end of S.E.C.R.E.T. Revealed. It’ll have all been worth it, I promise.

SECRET REVEALED
A S.E.C.R.E.T. NOVEL

SECRET Revealed bares all—the final book in the hot bestselling series.

The only thing that Cassie Robichaud has ever really wanted is Will Foret, the love of her life. But when Will discovers that Cassie is part of S.E.C.R.E.T., an underground group devoted to helping women experience their deepest sexual fantasies, Will breaks it off. Heartbroken, Cassie dries her tears and devotes herself to helping the latest S.E.C.R.E.T. recruit, Solange Faraday. Cassie also reignites her relationship with sexy bad-boy Jesse, even if he can never love her as deeply as Will did.

Meanwhile, beautiful, brilliant Solange, a local news anchor and divorced mom, has a great career but a wilting love life. She rekindles long-lost passions, going deeper and hotter than any other S.E.C.R.E.T. candidate before her. Will Can Solange find what her heart most desires? And when Will realizes he’s made a tragic mistake, will Cassie be able to forgive him? In the end, As both women blossom sexually as sexual beings, they also discover that ecstasy and true love is are closer than they ever imagined.

SECRET Revealed is the explosive, sensual and sexually-charged finale to the bestselling S.E.C.R.E.T. trilogy.

L. Marie, thank you so much for joining the ladies of Love, Lust and Laptops. Your books will always been on my favorites shelf and I know the same goes for many of our readers.

For a chance to win a S.E.C.R.E.T. bracelet, comment here and tell us which of the S.E.C.R.E.T. fantasy scenarios appealed to you most. If you haven’t read the books, tell us what your secret fantasy would be! Don’t forget to leave an email address where you can be contacted.

This time next week….by Cherie Nicholls

This time next week will find most of the Love, Lust and Laptop ladies at RT14 What is this RT14 I hear you ask……well I would if I was there…man you people are literally innit…

So RT is short for Romantic Times. Every year for the last 31 (I think) years, there as been a convention. It brings, authors, publishers, bloggers, readers all together in one place. (www.rtconvention.com)

Last year was my very first year. I flew by myself from London, landed in Chicago (what is with the runway going over the road…proper made my eyes go wide when that happened) and then on to Kansas. It was the longest journey I’d ever done alone and to be honest there was worry. Not only was I in a State I wasn’t familiar with but I was going to meet people I’d only ever spoken to via email. Let’s just say I’d made sure that many many people knew my flight and hotel details and I was in contact with them frequently.

It turned out that the people I was meet were crazy but in a “same as me” way! Most of the Love, Lust and Laptop authors are slightly off centre….just saying…heh.

It turned into one of the best experiences I’ve had as a writer. Spending time with people who are like-minded, not having to explain why you write or having people raise  an eyebrow when you explain that, yes I write paranormal no I don’t write vampires. Simple little thinks like that made me really enjoy my time there. Although I was still more of a spectator because i wasn’t sure what to expect.

This year, the convention is in New Orleans, and I expect to get much into it all. Although I won’t be doing any panels or official meet and greets or signings. Please know that if you see me, come say hi. I’d love to chat, after all I’m a “Norf Lundan Girl” we are known for a talkative ways.

If you check the schedule on the RT website you will see which of us will be there and where we will be. I think pretty much all of us would love for you to come say hi.

Below are a few things I learnt from last year to do or carry

1) Drink plenty of water

2) Bring a cardie or jumper, it may be warm outside but hotels are infested with AirCon

3) Note pad and pen are your friend

4) Tissues…trust me

5) Don’t be scared to talk to people, everyone was really friendly to me

6) Don’t be scared to talk to your favorite authors. It took me two days to get up the courage to speak to an author I adore, and she was as nice as pie!

7) Don’t try to do it all. It just won’t happen.

8) Try hard to get out of the hotel, even for an hour or so. I know we are all there for the conference but seeing something other than the hotel and the airport will refresh you for the rest of the convention.

9) Enjoy…..yes there are classes to teach and learn and soak up. But remember it’s fun too!

10) Remember I don’t like being hugged….I knew that before last year, but hey I like to make sure we are all on the same page……

Me and many others will be tweeting, using the hashtag #RT14, so keep an eye out!

See ya there!!!

Until next time….What happens at the Convention stays at the Convention….just saying!

 

 

Love in the Cards – Strength of a Lion by Lynn Lorenz

The Party
Leon Manx stood in the corner of the large front parlor of the Ducre mansion and watched the Halloween partygoers. In front of him, costumed couples danced to the pounding music, dressed in everything from a nun in a mini-skirted habit and black fishnet stockings to a Mexican wrestler including the skeleton lycra mask.

His own costume, a big game hunter, was a last minute decision and a bit ironic, like his sense of humor. He’d enjoyed the joke, but now he was here, Leon might have made a deadly mistake coming to the party.

Perhaps for him and perhaps for whoever thought he or she could fuck with Leon.

He’d received the invite, one half of a Tarot card, three days ago, not in the mail, but in an envelope slipped under the door of his uptown shotgun house. The torn card and a business card with the date, time and address of the party.

Meet your mate had been printed on a small card included in the envelope.

Some would look at it as just an invitation to a Halloween party. Leon took it as a warning, a threat, to his very existence. And he didn’t take threats lightly. He’d never killed before, not even in his line of work, but there was always a first time. And if it came down to exposure or capture, Leon planned on being the last man standing in whatever battle occurred.

He suppressed a shiver as he touched the card nestled in the pocket of his hunter’s jacket. The top half of a woman held a leash leading to the head of a lion.

Never mind that whoever sent the invite knew where he lived, a carefully guarded secret, when he’d googled the card to find out what it meant, it shook him even more, leaving him with more questions than when he’d found the card.

Did someone, somewhere, know who he was? What he was?

The card meant strength. Captured strength.

The thought of being leashed, captured, his freedom gone, raised the hairs on the back of his head, and a slow hiss escaped through his clenched teeth.

He’d kill before he let that happen.

David Reese had no idea what he was doing at this party. Or who had invited him. But he hadn’t anything else to do, it was Halloween, and hitting the gay bars in the French Quarter just didn’t appeal to him. Nothing there but twinks and blowjobs and disappointment.

So he’d thrown together a costume — a lion tamer — and showed up. It was the perfect costume for him: Black pants nearly painted on, a white button-down shirt open to his navel, a bright red sash wrapped around his waist, and tall black boots. David slicked back his red hair and applied a little black eyeliner. To complete the look, he’d coiled his bullwhip around and looped it over his shoulder and wore a holster with a gun that fired caps. He had everything, except for the chair.

He made his way through the crowd to the makeshift bar and got a glass of white wine. He took a sip. Not as bad as he’d thought it would be. Whoever was throwing this bash had spent a decent amount on the food, spirits, and decorations.

The house was a real New Orleans Garden District gem. David admired it as he moved from room to room, checking out the people. He’d slipped into party mode with a smile he hoped wasn’t too fake on his face and his gaze searching for anyone he might know, to give him a clue as to who left the invitation under his office door.

A woman dressed as a flapper slinked up to him. “What are you supposed to be?” Her slight slur gave her away as being on the wrong side of tipsy. When she leaned in close and put her hand on his arm, he could smell the liquor on her breath.

Alcohol wasn’t a turn-off, but for David, her being a woman was enough to soften his dick. “I’m a circus lion tamer.”

She stepped back and looked him up and down. “The circus?” She blinked, not understanding, then her eyebrows went up. “Oh, yeah, right. I get it.” She pointed to his face. “Cute.” She giggled.

Cute?

Definitely not cute. Not with the parallel set of three white scars running across his cheek. She probably thought it was part of the costume.

David wished, not for the first or third or thousandth time, the scars were fake too
The gay men he met? Most of them turned their heads, diverted their gazes, or gave him pitying looks when they thought he couldn’t see them.

He leaned in. “I’m gay.”

She sobered and shrugged. “Sorry.” Off she went, swaying over to another guy.

David took another sip of the wine. A few friends said with his “professor” vibe he came off boring and standoffish. Add the scars? Unapproachable. Closed off.

Maybe it was true. His self-confidence about his field and his teaching didn’t extend to his personal life. How could it with his face ruined? Other than going to the bars to find someone who didn’t care what he looked like as long as he paid for drinks, he rarely went out. He stopped dating friends of friends who never gave him a second chance. He’d have blown this party off, if not for the Tarot card piquing his interest.

When David was a kid, the lion tamers at the circus mesmerized him, ordering the tigers around the cages and fighting off the lions with nothing but a chair, a whip, and a fake gun. His fascination with big cats fueled his passion to work with them when he grew up.

He’d gone to college, gotten his PhD in zoology, and now, at forty, taught freshman zoology at Tulane University and worked part time at the Audubon Zoo with the big cats.
His dreams had come true. He had all he’d ever wanted, except one thing – a guy who’d hang around longer than a night or two. A man who would look him in the eye, not shy away from his face. Someone who saw past the damage on the outside to the man inside.

David moved back into the ballroom where people were dancing. He stood in the large arched opening between rooms and glanced around. Feeling bold, he decided to ask someone to dance, if a slow song came on and his gaydar didn’t fail him.

Taking another sip, he caught the gaze of a man, tucked against the far wall, near one of the floor to ceiling windows. Large. Wild blond hair, like a mane, haloed his head. Something familiar about him niggled in the back of David’s mind, as if he’d seen or met him before. Maybe this was the guy who’d invited him?

David put his drink down on a nearby tray and made his way around the side of the room, avoiding the dancers in the middle. The man was dressed as a big game hunter. Okay, that was too much of a coincidence. This had to be the guy who sent the Tarot card.

As David approached, the man straightened, and they locked gazes. David’s cock filled, tight and hard in his painted-on pants, and he pulled out the half of the card, ready to show it to the guy.

Maybe this time, maybe this man, wouldn’t care about his face.

Leon’s heart thudded as the man he’d spotted across the room approached. He knew immediately what he was dressed as – a lion tamer. Hell, no, it couldn’t be that fucking easy. Did this guy think this was joke?

Maybe no one told him not to poke a stick at a dangerous animal.

The room was dark, but not so dark Leon couldn’t make out details, like the bulge in the man’s pants, the fake smile, and matching fake scars on his face. What was he trying pull? Was he trying to piss Leon off? Make him look like a fool?

Leon growled low in his throat and controlled his instinct to attack as the man came to a stop in front of him. What the hell? He smelled like a…sniff…a…lion. Leon took a step closer and inhaled deeper, taking in the scent, registering it in his mind. His cock filled and his balls ached.

Up close, Leon saw details: the man’s slicked back hair was red, strawberry blond really, bright blue eyes lined in black, and full pink lips. Leon’s growl deepened, and his body tensed as a primal urge swept through him.

Fight? Flee? Fuck? Oh, fuck.

“Uh, hi.” The guy held out the card. “Did you send me this?”

He didn’t look dangerous, he looked hopeful. Confused. Delicious.

Leon swallowed. “No. I have one too.” He pulled out his card and held it up.

The man put his half next to Leon’s. “Hey, they match!” He chuckled. “Do you know who sent them?”

“No.” Leon stared at the man for a moment, until even he knew it had become awkward.

The man frowned, then put the card back in his pocket. “Oh, okay. My name’s David. David Reese.” He stuck out his hand.

Leon’s gaze shifted from face to hand. He wanted to knock his hand out of the way, push him against the wall, and just inhale. Breathe him in. Lick him.

“Leon Manx.” He shook hands. Warmth, a strong grip, and skin-on-skin contact just heightened the urge. “I don’t know who sent it either.” He let his hand fall away.

“Well, whoever it was, he or she must know us.” David rubbed his cheek, the one with the fake scars, but they didn’t smear off.

“Why?”

“Because, look at us. You’re a big game hunter and I’m a lion tamer? Sort of the same thing, isn’t it? You’d have to know us to guess we’d wear similar costumes.”

“I guess.” Leon couldn’t figure this out. His mind reeled between what he thought and what he felt and what he wanted. David wasn’t a threat. So what was he?

“I think someone is matchmaking.” David shrugged.

“Matchmaking?”

“Do you always repeat what people say? Are you trying to buy time? Trying to…” David exhaled. “Look, let’s get this straight right now. I’m gay. I’m single. And yes, the scars are real. They don’t wash off. So if it’s a problem, let’s just say goodbye.” An aching bitterness tinged his words. He waited for Leon to answer, brow furrowed, and hope no longer in his eyes.

David stepped back to turn away, Leon grabbed his wrist. “I’m gay. Single. Don’t care about the scars.” He tightened his grip, unwilling to let this man go, but completely baffled as to why.

David stared at him, mouth open, and head tilted to the side. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

They stared at each other for a long moment. Leon could feel David’s heartbeat on the inside of his wrist, pounding fast and hard. He glanced down at the noticeable bulge in David’s pants. Wanted to stroke…

“So Leon, what do you do?” David swallowed.

“I’m in private security.”

“That must be very interesting.”

“It has its moments. You?”

“Nowhere near as exciting. I’m a college professor at Tulane and work part time at the Audubon Zoo.”

Leon pushed David’s hand away as if touching him burned. “The zoo?” Warning bells pealed and Leon stepped back. Hatred of the cages, the iron and steel bars, the cramped quarters, warred with his desire for this delicious stranger.

David frowned. “Yeah. I help out with the big cats. Lions. Tigers. Jaguars and panthers. I’m a zoologist. Is that a problem?”

Leon’s didn’t know what to say; he’d been thrown off kilter by this entire meeting.
So that’s why he smelled so good. He worked with cats. That was good. But he worked at the zoo. That was bad.

“Well, fuck me,” he muttered. This wasn’t what he’d thought would happen tonight.

“If you want, but I prefer to bottom.” David smiled, slow and a bit shy and incredibly sexy. “I can use this whip, you know.”

Leon growled.

“Okay, no whip.” David chuckled. “Hey, do you know you’re growling?” He stepped forward and put his hand on Leon’s chest, over his heart. “I can hear it beneath the music, like the bass drum in a band.”

“Yeah. I do that. Habit.” Leon knew what habit he’d like to form, the one where he was fucking David and taking him over and over.

David bit his bottom lip. “Sexy. Do you purr too?”

“Yeah.” Leon put his hand over David’s, trapping it against him. He gazed into David’s eyes and saw a spark of hope rekindled. He liked it. He licked his lips watched as David’s gaze tracked the path of his tongue, and liked the hunger showing in the man’s eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Turns you on?” Leon leaned in, putting his face near David’s cheek.

“God, yes.” David pressed against him, rubbing their cheeks together. The feel of stubble against stubble got Leon harder.

Leon slid his hands around David’s back and pulled them deeper into the shadows of the room. David moaned as Leon massaged David’s firm ass and pressed his hard cock against David’s. He spun them around and shoved David against the wall, where he’d wanted the man since the first moment he’d seen him.

He stared into David’s eyes, searching for answers to questions he hadn’t even formed yet. They were of the same height, but David was more muscled.
David whispered, “Here?”

“Now.” Leon pressed his lips to David’s and the man opened for him without being asked. Their tongues tangled, fought, and David relented, his body slumping fully against the wall, as Leon rubbed against him. David’s soft moan and total surrender hit Leon hard, like the most potent aphrodisiac.

He wanted nothing more than to kiss David, touch him, mouth his cock, make him feel pleasure over and over.

Leon slipped his leg between David’s thighs, making their contact more compete. He pushed his cock against David’s and got a groan for it. He liked the way it sounded, deep in David’s chest, a bit desperate, a little surprised, and all sexy.

He rutted against the other man, seeking pleasure and something more, trying to connect on a deeper level, something he’d not wanted in a long time. Not since he was younger and foolish. Before he’d learned about deception and betrayal and about keeping his secrets, even from his lovers. Especially from his lovers.

David broke their kiss. “Not here.”

“Your place.” No way would Leon bring this man to his place. He might want to fuck him, but he had to keep his head about letting David get too close. “How far?”

“Fifteen minutes.” David leaned his head back, a silent encouragement for Leon to nip along his throat. Leon obliged, working the tender skin on David’s throat with the rough of his tongue.

“Close enough.” Leon gave him a final nip, pulling a surprised “ow” from David.

“Did you drive?”

“Yes. We’ll take my car.” Leon wanted to be in control of this situation.

“Sure. You can drop me back at my car in the morn—after.” David looked at him. Leon read the vulnerability in his eyes.

“In the morning.” Leon didn’t know why he said it, but knew David needed to hear it, and Leon wanted to make David feel…safe? Wanted? He gave David a smile, the first time he’d truly felt like it all evening.

Leon took David’s hand and dragged him through the room to the front door. They stood to the side as it opened and more people, laughing and in costumes, entered. Almost midnight and the party was in full swing.

He’d come here tonight ready to fight for his life, if needed. Instead, he had a terrifying feeling the words on his invitation might have been true.

David matched Leon step-for-step as they went down the stairs to the walkway, and then down the block to his car. Leon opened the passenger door, David got in, and watched as Leon trotted around to the driver’s side.

The overhead light stayed on while Leon put his key in the ignition.

Leon hadn’t seen David in full light, hadn’t really seen the scars. He turned to Leon and let him take a long look. David could see the color of his eyes, not the brown he’d thought in the dark room, but a curious mix of amber and green.

David bit his lip. “You sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. Nothing’s changed.”

“I just thought, the way you looked at me…” He shrugged.

“I looked at you, because you’re even sexier in the light.”

David couldn’t suppress a smile. “Smooth talker, huh?”

“When I need to be.” The light went off and Leon started the car.

David chuckled. “Right. I’ll bet you don’t have to use that talent often.” He gave what he hoped Leon would think was a sexy leer.

Leon snorted. “I don’t use it at all.”

What was that supposed to mean?

“Wow. Now I really feel special.” David looked out the window.

Leon glanced over at him. “Shit.” He pulled over and threw the car into park. “Look.” He took David’s chin in his hand and turned him to look him in the eye. “What I meant was I usually don’t do this.”

“Pick up guys? I don’t think I believe that.” David jerked his chin away. “Maybe you should take me back to the party.”

“Fuck.” Leon slid his hand around the back of David’s neck and pulled him over, despite David’s resistance. “Look at me.” He put his forehead against David’s. “Man, I don’t get involved. Ever. I don’t go home with anyone. Ever.”

David sighed, brushed his lips over Leon’s mouth. “So you’re saying you’re breaking your rules with me.”

“Something like that.” Leon kissed him, sliding his tongue deep into David’s mouth. They traded kisses and then parted. Leon put the car into gear. “Where to?”

David knew he meant back to the party or to David’s place. “My place.”
“Good.”

David gave him directions as Leon drove.

David’s House
David opened the door with Leon breathing down his back. The man hadn’t taken his hands off David since they’d gotten out of the car. It turned David on that Leon was turned on by him.

Leon pushed him inside, kicked the door closed, and buried his hands in David’s shirt. He dragged David to him, taking his mouth like a man possessed, eating at him, and licking the inside of David’s mouth with his oddly raspy tongue.

David groaned. At this rate, they might not even make the bedroom. Leon yanked the whip off David’s shoulder and over his head, tossing it away from them with a growl.

Then they humped at each other, desperation oozing out of their pores like too much garlic. David gasped when Leon finally released his mouth.

“Fuck. You taste good.” Leon growled again as he rubbed his face against David’s neck.

David chuckled. “I’m like catnip, huh?”

Leon jerked away. “What? Why did you say that?”

“No reason. Just a cat reference. I make a lot of them. You know, zoologist. Big cat lover.” David shrugged.

“Oh, right.” Leon looked relieved.

Perhaps he’d hit close to home…no, it couldn’t be. That was just nuts.

“Bedroom?” David wiggled his eyebrows.

“Hell, yeah.”

David led the way down the hall toward the back of the house.

“You got stuff?” Leon followed on his heels.

“Lube? Condoms? Sure. What gay man doesn’t keep a supply for just such an occasion?” Even if David hadn’t used them in months. Okay, six months, but who’s counting? Shit, were they still good?

Leon grunted. David guessed it was his way of laughing. The man was sort of a tight ass. Wonder if he has a tight ass? David laughed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Leon grabbed him. “Something funny?” There was that growl again. Leon acted almost like an animal, maybe a big cat, sleek and powerful. And his tongue, that soft rasp. David had never felt anything like it, not on a man, anyway.

David turned. Leon looked pissed. “Yeah. You.”

“What?” Leon’s voice lowered, and his eyebrows shot up, telling David not many people joked around with this man.

“You’re kind of a tight ass, you know. I give you some of my best quips and all you do is grunt and growl. Where’s your sense of humor?”

Leon opened his mouth to say something, but closed it with a snap.

David stepped up to him. “Look. I like to joke around. Laugh. Tease. It’s just who I am. Sort of a defense mechanism.”

“Oh. I guess I don’t laugh much.” Leon looked down at his feet.

“You’re really intense. I get that with your line of work. But seriously, dude, you need to lighten up.” And with that David grabbed Leon’s crotch and gave his balls a little squeeze.

Leon’s eyes widened. Then he closed them and moaned. “Okay. Got it. Laugh at your jokes.”

David ran his hand down Leon’s arm. “Good. Now, let’s get naked and get busy.”

David had no idea what made him so bold, but Leon made him feel secure, sexy, and safe enough to be himself.

Leon nodded. “Don’t have to ask me twice.” He unbuttoned his jacket, shrugged out of it and dropped it on the floor. His look dared David to match him.

David undid the holster and it fell to the floor. Unwrapped the sash and dropped it. Then he pulled the shirt over his head and stood bare-chested in front of Leon.

Leon grinned. “Damn, you’re fine. Want to fuck you so bad.”

“Want you bad too.” David turned and jerked his head toward the bedroom. “In my bed.”

David walked down the hall, unbuttoning his pants. Behind him, the sound of Leon’s zipper going down made David’s cock fill in anticipation.

He turned on the light. “Bed sweet bed.” He waved his hand at his queen sized bed. Thank God he’d made it this morning. He wanted to make a good impression on Leon and he had a suspicion Leon would look down on a slob. And what Leon thought of him was important, which was really odd, since they’d met less than two hours ago.

All of this was odd, but he was going with it.

Leon sat and pulled off his boots. David sat in the wing chair across from him and tugged his boots off also. Then he stood and took his pants off.

“You wore a jockstrap?” Leon leered at him.

David looked down. “Yeah. No lines.”

“Fuck that’s hot.” Leon got out of his pants, and naked, stalked over to David. He wrapped a finger under the strap and jerked it down, exposing David’s eager cock.

“That’s even hotter.” Leon looked into David’s face.

“Look who’s talking. You’re…God, you make me hard.” David groaned as Leon pulled down the strap to cup David’s balls.

“Bed?”

“Bed.”

David climbed on and stretched toward the side table. He opened the drawer and got out the lube and condoms. “I haven’t done this in a while, so be gentle with me.” He batted his eyelashes and waited for Leon’s reaction.

Leon laughed. “Oh, baby, I’m going to treat you so fine.”

David winked. “See, your ass isn’t so tight after all.”

“Not as tight as your ass, I hope.”

David rolled over, got on his knees, and looked over his shoulder. “Find out.” He slapped his butt cheek in an open invitation.

Leon knelt on the bed behind him, ripped open a condom, and rolled it on over his stiff, beautiful dick. David licked his lips, eager for that first press of cockhead to his hole. The touch of heat. The pressure growing until his muscles gave way to the slick slide of cock inside him.

His lover squirted lube onto his fingers and slicked up his cock. He added more to his fingers and painted David’s hole. David moaned and leaned back, ready to be breached. “Forget the foreplay. I’m ready. Fuck me.”

“Easy, baby.” Leon petted David’s ass. “Want to take this slow and easy. You said be gentle, remember?”

Damn the man, did he have to choose now to show David he could joke?
“I lied. Hard and fast. What I meant was –“

Leon grabbed David’s hips and pressed in. David’s backdoor collapsed, and Leon’s cock entered him, cutting off David’s ability to speak.

“Oh, fuck, you’re so tight. So hot.” Leon closed his eyes and threw his head back as his body shuddered. His fingers dug into David’s skin.

“You feel good, Leon. So hard and thick. Fuck me good.” David loved the way Leon stretched him. Leon leaned over him, pressing his chest against David’s back, locking his arms around David’s chest, capturing him.

Leon buried his head against the back of David’s neck, licking him, as he fucked David at his leisure. The sensations drove David wild, the slow in and out, Leon’s breath hot on his neck, his voice whispering soft words in David’s ear.

Leon’s words gave him away, allowed the vague suspicions in David’s head to slide into place and finally make sense.

Leon swallowed in an attempt to keep his feelings for this man, this stranger, deep inside him. Instead, they bubbled to the surface, along with words he thought he’d never say.

“Mine,” he whispered as he fucked David. God, his dick fit inside David perfectly, as if they’d been meant to pleasure each other. “Mine.” As if he’d lost control of his mouth, the words came out like punctuations to his thrusts.

David groaned, taking Leon’s thrusts and asked for more as he pushed back. Leon let go of David’s waist and grabbed his hand. They joined fingers as their bodies locked together, slick and hot.

“Mate.” Leon closed his eyes, unable to stop the flow of words as he hammered into David. “My mate.” He bit David on the back of his neck, hanging on as he rapid fired his dick into his man.

David shuddered beneath him. “Leon. My lion.”

With those words, Leon tasted his mate’s blood and spilled his seed, frozen as he filled the condom.

David gasped, and Leon smelled the heady scent of David’s cum, felt the man shudder through his orgasm as it pulsed around Leon’s buried cock.

Both of them groaned as Leon slid out, and he fell to lie by David’s side. David collapsed onto the bed. Their harsh panting and the smell of sex filled the air.

“You bit me.”

“Had to.”

“I know.”
Leon turned his head to look at David. “Fuck. When did you figure it out?”

David ran his hand down Leon’s chest. “I kept thinking something was familiar about you at the party, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. How we were attracted to each other.

Your hair looks like a mane, you know.” He tugged on a strand of Leon’s hair. “You smelled me. Your tongue is like a cat’s, and you growl. A lot.”

“So, I growl, smell you, and have a rough tongue?”

“Yeah.” David laughed. “And the way you just took me–classic big cat mating.”

Leon sighed. “I never meant for you to know my secret.”

“Are you going to kill me?” David rose up on his elbow to look Leon in the eye.

Leon rolled onto his side to face David. “Do you care? If I’m a…”

“Shifter? Is that what you call it? I’ve heard of it, you know. When you work with big cats you hear all sorts of stories. Legends. Fables.”

“Do you?”

“Care? Fuck no. It’s sort of cool.” David laughed. “It’s like were made for each other.”

Leon laughed, and then sobered. “Never thought I’d find you.”

“Never thought anyone like you would want me.” David raised his hand to touch his scars.

“Because of those?” Leon shook his head. He cupped David’s cheek in his hand. “How did it happen?”

“Made a mistake. I had just started working at the zoo.”

“What do you do there?”

“Mostly I help with the cats, make sure they’re healthy, not just physically, but mentally. They need stimulation. I work with the keepers to insure they use methods like hiding food, making them hunt for it, that sort of thing.”

“Details.” Leon cocked his head.

David sighed, fell backward, and stared at the ceiling. “I was helping them move one of the jaguars for a medical checkup. Thought the cat was knocked out. It wasn’t. I was too close, it lashed out.” He waved his hand at his face.

“What happened to the jag?”

“Nothing. He was fine, checked out good.” David looked at him and smiled. “I’d never let anyone punish a cat for doing what comes naturally and for my mistake.”

“I get that.”

“So, you trust me with your secret?”

“I have to. You’re my mate, remember?”

“Yeah. Not sure what that means, though.”

“Well, it means you’re mine. I’m yours.”

“So, it’s like we’re married?”

“Sort of. I guess. Never had a mate.”

David rolled back and sat up. “So, uh, do you, uh, love me?”

Leon mirrored his mate. “Can I be honest?”

“Yeah. Please. ‘Cause I got nothing here.”

“I don’t know if I love you. I know I want you. Know now I’ve found you, I can’t let you go. Know if you refused me, it’d be the end of me.”

“Okay. And for the record, back at you.” He chuckled, and Leon joined in.

“What? Were you expecting a declaration of undying love? We just met.” Leon rolled on top of David, pinning him down with his body and his hands on David’s wrists.

“So…” David sobered. “Does this mean we’re doing breakfast?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. You’re buying. We can start getting to know each other.” David reached up and kissed Leon.

“Good.”

“By the way, you’re going to have to meet my parents. Ask my dad for my hand,” David deadpanned.

“Joking, right?” Leon raised his eyebrows.

“Right. You’re getting better at the teasing thing, dude.”

“I’m a fast learner.” Leon pressed his semi-hard dick into David’s belly.

“Me too. I’ve learned that means my lion wants to go again.” He arched up, pushing back.

“Smart man.”

Love in the Cards – The Jack of Hearts!

LITC inviteDear Readers,

Thank you for following us here at Love, Lust, and Laptops this year. With Halloween drawing near, we thought it would be fun to celebrate everything sexy about the odd, the paranormal, and the fated-to-be. We put together a collection of ten stories which will run over the course of the next two weeks here on the blog.

 

 

Here’s the first of our Love Card Tales.

Love in The Cards (small)The Jack of Hearts by Jianne Carlo

Ricco stared out the open window and willed Kata to walk through the gate.

He wouldn’t lose his mate twice.

Seth had won Kata once, but he was long dead and buried, and all bets and rules were off.

The gas lamp hanging from an iron post just inside the award-winning front garden of Dacre House highlighted the raven-blue woven into the fibers on the black hood and long cloak Kata wore. The cape swirled around her ankles, and the ancient iron creaked in a drawn out protest when she shoved the gate open.

He tracked her steps and inhaled the musk of her desire mingled with the night-blooming jasmine. He hadn’t been certain she’d come after their confrontation earlier today.

Kata climbed the stairs, her feet dragging as if she was about to put her neck on the guillotine block.

Ricco’s mouth watered. His canines tingled and his gums ached with the need to claim.

The door opened and the doorman said, “Card.”

Her graceful fingers reached under the cloak, and she opened her hand to display half of a torn tarot card. The half that matched his, the Jack of Hearts.

“Third floor. Last door on the left. Stairs are straight ahead.” The attendant hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

“I don’t understand.”

The man growled, “Those were my orders for anyone with that card. You in or out?”

For long moments Kata remained quiet.

Scenting fear tangled with her mounting excitement, Ricco waited, his fists clenched. If necessary, he’d reveal his other half of the invitation―and his identity―and drag her up to the prepared attic room.

Her face reflected indecision for a brief moment, but then she squared her shoulders and let the card drop into the servant’s outstretched hand.

Ricco sighed his relief, and his knitted neck muscles relaxed.

Kata sidled past the doorman.

Ricco splayed his fingers wide and rotated both wrists. He withdrew into a shadowed corner and, being capable of both place and form shifting, transported to the lair he’d prepared earlier. Dacre House required signed contracts from all participants before renting out a room for BDSM activities and said contract had shed a glaring spotlight on Kata’s secret fantasies.

He’d worked off most of his fury in the ring after overhearing Kata’s conversation with her BFF, Shauna, earlier.

It had taken all his willpower to leave Kata alone after Seth died. He’d signed up for another tour in Afghanistan to avoid the daily temptation of being around her. If only he had followed his instincts and teleported back often to keep an eye on her. But, no, he curled his lips. He had to be fucking honorable and give her space.

Tough titties. No more space.

Not once had he imagined Kata fantasized about bondage and submission. For crap’s sake, her husband, his stepbrother, Seth had been the ultimate metrosexual guy. Ricco knew Seth had experimented with both sexes and could’ve gone either way, but he’d fallen in love with Kata, and, being the quintessential good guy, done the right thing by marrying her.

Ricco hadn’t believed his hearing when he inadvertently eavesdropped on Kata and Shauna’s conversation. Kata wanted to experience a BDSM fantasy with a stranger, someone she’d never meet again, and Shauna had arranged the whole fricking thing with the owner of Dacre House.

The sound of stiletto heels clicking on polished wood reached his ears. He scanned the room one last time. The blue and yellow flames flickering from two multi-tiered candelabras on either side of the room cast deep shadows into the corners, but shed an eerie light over the king-size bed’s scarlet satin sheets. The sex toys he’d chosen were laid out on the right side and discretely covered by a couple of black silk scarves.

Ricco positioned himself right in front of the door.

The candles’ flames flitted right and then left when the door eased open.

He heard her sharp inhale, could almost see her compressed lips, and picked up the rat-a-tat-tat of her escalating heartbeat before she shoved the heavy slab of wood open.

She gasped, stumbled, and would have fallen if he hadn’t clamped his hands on her shoulders. Jesus Murphy, her unique fragrance had always done a number on him, but knowing he would make her his that night magnified the affect a zillion fold. He reeled and breathed more shallowly, so intoxicated by the whiff of her pussy’s sudden rush of cream that his nuts did a swift clench and jerk.

Kata tried to draw back, but he firmed his hold on her.

“I. Shauna—”

“I didn’t give you permission to speak.” He spoke in her native Venezuelan dialect and roughened his normal tone. Kata had no idea he was fluent in ten languages. Ricco figured that with his disguised voice, the Spanish, the Zorro mask, plus the fact she had never seen him minus his long hair and full beard, he had a couple of hours before her sharp mind picked up any connection. A hundred and twenty minutes to show her she was a true sub.

“I’m sorry.”

He set two fingers to her lips. “You’ve earned two penalties, doll. Care to try for three?”

Milk chocolate eyes, big and wide, peeked up at him; the blue harem veil and head covering she wore hid the rest of her face.

His dick throbbed.

Her head shake was almost imperceptible. She opened her mouth and then sucked in her lips. A smart-ass at the best of times, Ricco knew she’d just bitten back a stinging retort and had to repress a proud, that’s-my-woman grin. He schooled his features into his interrogator’s expressionless mien.

“Strip. Leave the shoes, veil, and headdress on.”

“Here?”

“Three penalties.” He wanted her off balance.

“But, anyone could—”

“Four.”

Her nostrils flared, she chewed on her lips, squeezed her eyes shut, and blew out an audible sigh before giving him a tiny nod. Throat working, she bent her head and opened the buttons of the blousy midriff top edged with gold braiding.

Ricco pushed the door closed. He jammed his palms on the carved mahogany, bracketing her head, and placed his bare feet outside her harem slippers, effectively hemming her in on all sides.

When she shrugged off the provocative I-Dream-of-Jeannie top, the first sight of her incredible breasts had him struggling for control.

Deliberately, Ricco pivoted and slowly walked to the antique sideboard on the other side of the room. Forcing the image of her succulent chocolate nipples, all erect and pointy, from his head, he concentrated on setting things in motion.

“This is an opportune time to go over the rules. First, yours. Not permitted—kissing, enemas, or fisting. No nipple clamps, clit clamps, or whips. You don’t want to see my face, and I am not allowed to see yours. Have I covered everything? You may answer freely, but keep your reply succinct.”

“No names. No exchange of information,” she murmured.

“Agreed. Think carefully now, doll. Is there anything else?” Ricco poured himself a shot of Dacre House’s famous hand-brewed bourbon. He downed the liquor quickly and glanced in the mirror on the wall in front of him.

Christ almighty, she had a full thatch of inky curls.

Most of the women he’d been with on R&R in Indonesia had had waxed pubes. It’d been years since he’d seen a virgin pussy. No wonder he’d been able to sniff her arousal so clearly; those soft curls trapped her musk. He licked his lips.

His dick strained at his jeans, and the crown scraped the coarse material painfully. Going commando wasn’t helping him to dampen his soaring libido. Fuck, he wanted in her, wanted to hammer her pussy, to suckle those dark nipples, and watch her when she screamed her orgasm.

She shimmied the billowy pants down silky thighs the color of café au lait, and he glimpsed the thong-shaped narrow white strip of skin that hadn’t seen the sun anytime in recent months.

He set the shot glass down and gripped the rounded edge of the sideboard so hard a splinter worked into his thumb. Concentrating on pinching the sliver out, Ricco called on his SEAL discipline and regularized his breathing. Years of constant training came to his rescue. Mind cleared and focused, discipline back in play, he turned around, propped one bare foot on top of the other, and leaned a hip against the carved wood.

Dawdling as he considered the best way to proceed, he ambled to her side and caught the tip of her chin. The diaphanous veil tickled his forearm. “Another penalty, doll. You answer when asked, promptly.”

“I didn’t know if I had permission to speak twice. I shook my head.”

She grew more aroused with each word uttered. The aroma of her desire was now pungent and heady.

“Answer.”

“No, there’s nothing else.”

“Since I know this is your first time, I’ll give you some leeway. Walk over to the bed, turn to face me, and present yourself. I want a clear view of your clit. Do whatever is necessary.”

Her pupils dilated, and he heard her breathing hitch. Her nostrils quivered. She swallowed once, twice, then firmed her chin and gave him a tiny nod.

A flood of her pussy’s spice wafted to him.

He tensed every muscle in his groin to no avail. His cock wanted in her. Now.

She was afraid, aroused, and determined, his adorable Kata.

Ricco couldn’t wait to take her where she secretly wanted to go, to take care of his mate’s needs. He’d studied the multiple-choice part of the standard Dacre House BDSM contract for newbies that Kata had filled out. There had only been a couple of items on the list that had been ticked off as allowed: dildos and vibrators.

The squares for anal plugs and paddles had no X’s penned in next to them. But the form had been sweat-smudged in those spots, as if she’d held her hand over each item several times before deciding not to check either yes or no. A normal human wouldn’t have picked up such a detail, but his wolf had noticed right away.

She moved like a sex goddess, full hips swaying and ass cheeks bunching with each tentative stride. She spun about, her firm breasts rose and fell, and she set her stiletto-clad feet wide apart. Another deep breath, she thrust her hips forward, stared at a spot above his shoulder, and slowly parted the folds of her sex.

Saliva coated his tongue, and he could do nothing but gawk. His tongue tingled and coarsened. Before the clock struck midnight, he’d stamp himself over every inch of her sweet pussy.

“Finger yourself.”

Ricco stifled a wince when his leaking dick scratched the jean’s zipper. He sauntered to her, unable to concentrate on anything but her ruby-lacquered, long fingernail grazing the mouth-watering, swollen flesh cloaking her clit.

“Not the hood, doll. Your clit.” He motioned for her to widen her stance.

Pleased by her immediate obedience, he plucked her long nipples.

She moaned and then bit her lips.

“For the record, you can moan all you want. Scream even. This is a soundproofed room.”

He tugged the now swollen buds.

She swayed closer to him, and her eyelids fell to half-mast.

“Hmmm. I believe it’s time for your first penalty. From now on, I want to hear ‘yes, sir’ when I tell you to do anything.” Her head fell back when he rolled her dark caramel nipples between his fingers.

He pinched the engorged peaks.

A shudder wracked her slight frame, she arched, and her eyes glazed.

“Did I tell you to stop fingering your clit?”

She flinched. “No, sir.”

But the sight of her scarlet nails rubbing her clit inflamed him way too much. Trapping her finger, Ricco cupped her pussy and snapped, “You come only on my command.”

“Please,” she whispered.

The fervent plea stabbed a hole in the wall of his control. His stones were full-to-bursting. Christ, he’d never last the two hours she’d specified at this rate.

“On my command, woman,” he barked, too annoyed with himself to keep the irritation out of his voice. Fuck the deliberate, orchestrated claiming strategy he’d so carefully plotted.

He scooped her into his arms, marched over to the bed, sat on the mattress, and bent her over his thighs. “Bottom up in the air. Grab my ankle.”

Giving her no time to think, he snatched the paddle from the bed and swung hard enough to sting and shock her, but not enough to cause tears or pain.

Her nails scraped his skin. She yelped on the second blow, but pushed up onto her toes, and presented her pinkened butt cheeks for the next stroke.

Ricco toyed with her folds and grinned when she wriggled in an attempt to tease him into probing her puckered hole. He sucked his finger and trailed the moistened tip along the crease of her rump, lingering when she whimpered, and then rimmed the wrinkled, rosy little bud before squeezing her ass cheeks lightly.

“More,” she muttered on a low groan, indecipherable to human ears, but not to his.

He’d fricking give her more.

Ricco flipped her over and helped her to sit. Her distended nipples were irresistible, and he didn’t even try to dredge up any semblance of willpower. He cupped the luscious mounds, thumbed the mouth-watering peaks, and lowered to suck her whole areola into his mouth. He kneaded her other breast and shifted his hips from side-to-side, hoping to ease the vice grip of his now skintight jeans.

“Oh.” She snatched at his cotton T-shirt and ground her bottom over his cock.

Crap. He was ready to shoot his wad and knew from her galloping pulse and harsh, jerky rasps of breath that she was on the verge too.

Ricco lifted her so she straddled his thighs, bit each nipple hard enough to bring her back from the brink, and then captured both of her wrists. He reached back, grabbed two of the black silk scarves from the pillows, and bound her hands together.

He licked her lips.

She stiffened and drew back. “No kissing.”

Ricco quirked a brow. “Three more penalties.”

“You broke the rules,” she retorted, trying to cross her arms, and glaring at him when she couldn’t.

He had her bent over his knees again in less than a heartbeat. He flexed his fingers and gave her three, hard smacks. “Did I kiss you?”

Silence.

Three more whacks.

“No,” she squealed. “No. I’m sorry.”

“No, who?” He walloped her again.

“No, sir,” she muttered. “No, sir.”

Ricco set her stomach down on the bed. Jesus. She had the most beautiful ass in the world. He fondled her swollen and reddened cheeks, and then ran his tongue along the enticing seam, working his way slowly down to her creamy labia. He sipped a delicious fold and groaned. She tasted better than he’d imagined, and where Kata was concerned, Ricco’s fucking-fantasies had soared beyond even his most depraved dreams.

Unable to resist, he burrowed his nose against her pussy and dipped inside for a taste. Her vaginal walls clenched around his tongue.

The fiery bolt that preceded his sprint to climax flashed across his groin. He jerked away, cupped her bottom, and surged to his feet.

Needing to regain a single thread of control, Ricco placed Kata in the middle of the bed. He had to grit his teeth and force himself to let her go.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he tried to recall his claiming strategy, but caught the smell of her pussy on his finger and automatically sucked on the tip. An evil grin crossed his mouth.

Yeah, right.

Lick her to the brink, over and over.

Playing for time and the return of a few more functioning brain cells, he gathered his tools. When he slipped the blindfold over her eyes, she moaned.

The sensual sound shot a burst of painful lust through his groin.

He tied her hands to one of the metal panels in the bedhead.

Jesus, his tongue grew thicker and heavier in his mouth with every sexy little whimper she mewled. He nudged her thighs apart and studied her features when he widened the spread. The moment her breathing stuttered, Ricco knew he’d reached the point where she’d be ready to explode with every slight caress.

He scrambled off the bed and salivated.

“Time for your second penalty. I’ll give you a choice, ball gag or anal plug?”

*

Kata was on fire. Her clit and nipples prickled and throbbed with delicious, agonizing pain-pleasure. The full impact of Ricco’s question didn’t penetrate her lust-depraved gray matter for an eternal moment.

How had he guessed those were two of her fears and secret desires?

When she and Shauna had plotted this hook-up with Ricco here at Dacre House on Halloween night, neither had realized Kata would have to sign a contract. She had been so careful filling out the questionnaire and had definitely not checked those items.

She licked her dry lips. “Please sir, no ball gags.”

The mattress dipped, and she turned her head. Senses heightened by the blindfold, she listened to the even cadence of his breathing, and the familiar but unique patchouli aftershave only Ricco ever wore tickled her nose.

A shiver rushed from her tingling scalp to her flexing and curling toes when the rough surface of his finger outlined her mouth. His whiskey-scented breath warmed her cheek.

“Have you ever been gagged, doll?”

“No, sir.” Sir. That a single word could make her pussy quiver amazed Kata.

“Keep your mouth open.”

No. For a single heartbeat, Kata almost begged him not to do it. But she caught herself in time and strangled the words before they slipped out. Bracing herself for the horrific intrusion, she widened her lips.

He framed her head, held her still, and straddled her face. She got a whiff of his musk a second before the satiny smoothness of his cock’s head slowly slipped into her mouth.

“Cock. Gag,” he muttered.

Cripes, he was enormous. Her lips stung as he worked more of his huge erection into her mouth. His precum zinged her taste buds.

“That’s it, doll. We’ll take it slow.” His smoky crooning and the careful way he slid his dick inside in increments allowed her to accept more and more of him without choking.

He kneaded the hollows of her cheeks. “Relax. You can take me.”

She arched her neck and sucked deep and hard.

“Jesus.” He growled and began thrusting. His grip on her tightened, and his cock’s shallow plunges deepened. Not prepared for the rapid fucking of her mouth, her throat muscles tightened and nausea threatened.

She grabbed at the headboard and willed the tension away. He spurted into her mouth. Hot streams of salt-spice washed over her tongue and gums. His orgasm was more exciting and arousing than the many hours spent trying to get off with the stupid neon-purple vibrator she’d purchased after Seth died.

Her clit pulsed.

Her nipples ached.

She squirmed. Her still-tingling bottom cheeks slid over the satin sheets. The contrast between her burning flesh and the cool smoothness of the material was more delicious than she could’ve ever imagined.

Repressing a protest when he suddenly withdrew his cock from her mouth, she smiled and stretched in a silent preen. She’d brought him off in mere minutes. Ricco the ex-SEAL, aka the Jack of Hearts, the nickname he’d earned because he regularly fucked for hours without climaxing. The warrior who’d become famous for fucking women into a fainting orgasm, according to Seth anyway.

She flinched when he rubbed her forehead.

“Tell me why you wanted me to fuck your mouth, sub.”

Kata hesitated, searching for a way to tell him the truth without revealing she knew his identity. “It’s been a recurring fantasy. Sir.”

“Hmm. Not the whole truth, but part. I’ll let that go for now.” His leg brushed her temple when he clambered to one side. The mattress dipped when he got off the bed.

How much time did they have left? Why had she insisted on only two hours? Because she couldn’t risk him knowing she knew who he was. Because after tonight, she would move to the other side of the ocean, literally. Because being in love with Seth’s brother was a nightmare highway that led to nowhere but relentless and eternal heartbreak.

The tantric strumming of the first few stanzas of Bolero echoed around the room, masking the slight slapping of his bare feet on the marble floor. Had he turned on the music deliberately so she couldn’t guess where or when or how he would strike?

She tensed when a warm trickle slid down her belly. A moment later another tickling yet soothing stream coursed over one thigh, dripped in tantalizing slowness down her pussy lips, and then coated the top of her other leg.

He massaged the oil into her flesh, spreading the slick liquid all over her hips and thighs. The coarse hairs on his legs brushed her knees and she guessed him to be on his haunches.

Without any warning, he thrust two fingers into her. Digging her heels into the satin, she sucked in her belly against the sudden invasion.

“You have my permission to come, doll. As often as you want until I say stop.” He pinched her clit.

Intense, excruciating pain-pleasure thundered through her.

He plunged his fingers into her clenching pussy in a harsh, ruthless rhythm. She came and came. Wave after wave of ecstasy tore over her.

She worked her hips to the cadence of his plunging fingers. She tensed when his finger probed her rear, but the oil-slickened hole stretched to accommodate his thick digit, and the first pinch of penetration was replaced by a burst of thrilling excitement.

Within mere moments, she was grinding into his palm and arching to deepen his incredible double-edged invasion. She gasped when he dragged his tongue over her clit, and all the while his fingers worked her pussy and her rear.

All reason fractured when he grazed her clit and then nipped, hard. She shattered. The climax so powerful and intense Kata hardly noticed when he drove something cold and hard into her back hole. She stiffened and tensed. The astounding full-to-bursting shock of her secret fantasy was too real and uncomfortable for pleasure.

He curled around her and nuzzled her cheek. “Take a deep breath. That’s it. Now hold it at the top of your exhale. Let it out on my count, slowly. One. Two. Three. Four. Five.”

Instinctively she complied, and gradually the initial sting of the invasion into virgin territory eased.

He tongued her ear.

A delicious shiver slithered from her pinky toes to the roots of her hair.

“When I fuck you, sub, you’ll feel me in your throat. This is as close to your threesome fantasy as you’re ever going to get. But it’s only going to happen if you give the right answers to every question I ask. Do you feel stretched to bursting? Permission to answer freely.”

Kata swallowed around the unease mushrooming up her throat. She nodded.

“Out loud.”

“Yes, sir. I feel stretched to bursting.”

He tsked and flicked her lobe. “I said freely, not angrily. It seems to me that you’re angling for another penalty.”

She wanted to punish him. Punch him in the gut and tell him to stop, to not make her admit her secrets out loud. But she knew better and compressed her lips.

“When did you start fantasizing about plugs?”

When Shauna had suggested Kata might finally climax if she had other stimulation. But Kata couldn’t tell Ricco that. She hunted for a plausible explanation. “I…sex has never worked right for me.”

His sudden tension sank heavily over her.

Shit, she’d screwed up somehow.

“Spit. It. Out.”

Cringing at his severe, furious, one-word commands, Kata blurted, “I can’t even make myself come with a fricking vibrator. It just hurts. If you must know, I’m frigid.”

Kata struggled against her restraints. Thank God for the blindfold. At least she couldn’t see his pity or disgust, and mercifully, he couldn’t see her shame.

“For crap’s sake.” He untied her arms from the bedhead’s panels, removed the scarves, massaged her wrists, and gathered her tightly against him. “You just came like the fricking energizer bunny on steroids. The last fucking thing you are, doll, is frigid.”

She buried her nose in his chest hair and wallowed in the heat of his embrace. “I’ve never…ever.”

How she loved the way Ricco cuddled her. The comfort he offered so freely, the way he noticed every nuance about her, and always had.

Damn it. What was she doing? This wasn’t supposed to happen. She had to take things back to the fantasy. “I’m sorry, sir. For speaking without permission.”

His hold on her tightened.

For a crazy moment, Kata swore she heard him growl. “It’s like that, is it?”

Then he rolled away from her, parked her belly down across his thighs, and spanked her rapidly five times. Each blow whacked whatever he’d put inside her deeper. The initial discomfort had vanished, and much to her surprise, been replaced by an incredibly provocative fullness and an internal prickling connected directly to her clit.

“Now for your other penalties.”

For the first time, Kata tensed, not with anticipation but fear.

“We have an hour left of the two you allotted.”

Goose bumps rose on her forearms and shoulders.

“You’re cold.” He wound a velvety throw under her back and tucked the material over the bridge of her shoulder and down her arms.

“Better? Yes or no.”

“Yes. Sir.”

He tongued her jaw and licked his way down to her pussy. She shuddered when he nuzzled her pubic hair. “Are these virgin pubes? You have my permission to answer all my questions without the sir.”

Why was he doing this? She wanted to call him sir. To keep this night separate from reality. To ensure that in her dreams he was always sir and not Ricco.

“You do not have my permission to daydream, sub.” He nipped her hip.

Stung by both his sudden switch to an agreeable demeanor and by the humor lacing his voice, she snapped, “I’ve never shaved. I’m prone to ingrown hairs.”

“Ouch. TMI.” He played with her curls. “So soft and pretty. And beguiling. The minute I saw these, I wanted to lick every single hair.”

“Oh,” she yelped when he tugged a clump.

“Why did you specify no rubbers?”

He dragged his tongue across her clit. Or at least she thought it was his tongue, but it felt coarse, like a tongue with nubs. Oh. My. God. She grabbed for his head and twined her fingers into his hair.

“Uh-uh.” He jerked out of her grasp. “Hands above your head or I’ll tie you up again.”

Anything to keep him licking her clit. She raised her arms over her head and wriggled her hips in an attempt to get her throbbing center closer to that incredible mouth and tongue.

“Why no condoms?”

Hail Mary. There is a God. Nothing should ever feel so good. Please don’t stop. Please don’t stop. She grabbed at the sheets, but the material kept slipping loose of her fervent clutching.

Heavy arms clamped around her hips and over her belly, and effectively halted her frantic squirming. His slow licking stopped on a dime.

“Noooo. Please.”

“Why. No. Rubber.”

“Because I know you’re scrupulous about your fucking. Damn it Ricco, do it again.”

It was only when he yanked off the blindfold, and she stared into his incredible hazel eyes that Kata realized what she’d said.

“You knew it was me all along?” He grasped her chin. “Don’t think for a nanosecond about lying to me or avoiding telling me the whole truth.”

Heat seared her throat and face. “Shauna and I set the whole thing up. Rick told her you were looking for a sub. She knew I had a thing for you…”

“You’re right about one thing, Kata.”

She so loved his wicked grin. No one, not even the most badass tinsel town hunk had a smile that could top Ricco’s. What had he said? “I’m right about something?”

“Yeah. There is a God. I’m done fucking around. I need in you so bad I’m going to blow like Old Faithful.”

“Oh, boy. Me too. Please? I know I’m not supposed to beg.” She didn’t get another word out because he had hauled her under him. He kneed her thighs wide, grabbed her butt cheeks, lifted her high, and barked, “Wrap your legs around me, Kata. Lean back, doll, and brace yourself.”

The force of his cock driving into her shoved her body up the mattress and into the downy pillows stacked against the headboard.

He froze. Bowed his head. “Wolf. Can’t.”

His head whipped up, and he bared long canines. Raised a hand and did a piano playing movement with his fingers. Fingers with long curled nails that ended in a black point. Her clit pulsed on overdrive.

“Losing. It. Come.”

She couldn’t drag her gaze from his beautiful claw as it slowly descended and then plucked her clit. Kata saw the galaxy unfurling. Red hot spots danced before her eyes. White-hot streaks blossomed into a spate of fireworks that dazzled brilliant color.

His cock rammed her super-sensitized pussy folds. His testicles slapped the plug embedded in her back hole.

She did feel him in her throat.

He stretched her full-to-bursting.

One orgasm exploded into another and another until her whole being centered on her contracting pussy and his magnificent, pounding cock.

He howled.

The victorious roar resonated straight to her clit.

He sank his glorious canines into the sweet spot between her neck and shoulder. She arched to one side, locked her ankles around his waist, gripped his biceps, and clung while he pistoned into her.

The last thing she remembered was surrendering to the rapture.

*

“Wake up, mate.” Ricco brushed away her silky curls and laved his claiming mark. The tiny oval glimmered in the flickering candle light.

She shook her head and mumbled, “No. Delicious dream.”

“Not a dream.” He rolled his pelvis and did a grind-and-bump circle on her pussy folds. He swept a finger over first one thick fringe of onyx lashes and then the other.

She opened one eye, and then both her lids flew open.

He grinned when she peeped down at the space between their joined bodies and then glanced up at him, her eyes wider than any startled doe’s.

“This time, Kata, we’re going to take our time, and I’m going to kiss you to orgasm.”

“This is the best fantasy in the world. The universe. The galaxy.”

“It’s better, mate. It’s real.” He caught a tempting nipple between his teeth.

She rested her fingertips on his collarbone. “It feels real. You smell real. You even sound real. Though not as growly.”

Ricco leaned on an elbow, grabbed her wrists, and set her palms to his chest. He cupped the hand over his heart. “Feel that pounding. Only you can do that. Only you have the power to stop it. I’m a wolf, Kata, and you’re my mate. I’ll never love anyone else but you.”

“I know. About the wolf part. Seth let it out once when he was all drugged up at the end.” She averted her gaze. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was supposed to be one night. We can’t be together, Ricco. I was married to your brother.”

Step. Brother. And it doesn’t make any difference. You’re my mate, and I love you. Look me in the eye, and tell me you don’t feel the same way about me.” When she tried to tug away from him, he gave her a little shake.

“You don’t know how hard I’ve tried not to love you.”

A tear rolled down her cheek, and he licked the dampness dry. “It’s guilt, isn’t it? It ate me up too. That’s why I stayed away. Why I only came back for one day at Christmas time.”

“I never loved Seth the way I should have.”

“You did love him though, Kata. I know you did. You stayed with him to the end. Mom said you were amazing. She didn’t have to bear the burden of the day-to-day caring for a man dying of cancer.” He knuckled her cheek.

“I feel so guilty and dirty. I had sex with my dead husband’s brother.” She sniffed.

Step. Brother. Look at me, Kata. We will be married. We are mates, and you will not condemn the both of us to a loveless, miserable existence. I had resigned myself to that kind of life when Seth was alive. But he’s dead and gone, and no one would want our happiness more than Seth.” Ricco tipped her head back and swore a bucket load when he glimpsed her tears. “Tell me that’s not the fricking truth.”

She swiped at her eyes. “The rational part of me knows that. But then I think of what people will say—”

“Fuck other people. And don’t even go there about Mom and Chance. I think Mom guessed how I felt about you a long time ago, and that’s why she didn’t tear up a storm about my being absent for your wedding and every family holiday meal afterwards except for Christmas.”

She blinked and met his stare. “You know, she’s said a few things that made me wonder…”

“Kata?” He could no longer ignore his aching nuts.

“Ricco?”

He flexed his dick.

“Think we can agree to work out the details of our marriage later? I’ve been burning up with mate need for three hundred ninety-five days, two hours, and seven minutes, minus the last forty-five.”

“Married?” She tensed, and her hot pussy snatched at his dick.

“Oh yeah. Ring, church, and huge party. Deal?”

She blushed all over and said, “Does this mean I’m the sub you were looking for?”

“From the moment I laid eyes on you, I hung up my Jack of Hearts rep.”

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Have a freaking fructose happy Monday & don’t forget to drop in every day until October 26th to enjoy a new free read!

Cheers,

Jianne

Growing up Gothic by Lynn Lorenz

ColiseumSquare

So if you know me at all you know one thing about me – I was born and raised in New Orleans. So when the Amber Allure PAX came up with the theme “Gothic”, I had to jump on it. New Orleans is “et up” with Gothic, from the houses, to the people, to the very mists rising from the river. And for me, there was one small island of homes in New Orleans that screamed Gothic to me – the houses lining Coliseum Square. I’m not sure how Trace Zaber (renaissance man and cover artist extraordinaire) managed to find the very house I thought of when describing the DuCote mansion, but he did.

So I knew where I had to set my story the moment I saw “Gothic PAX” on the signup sheet. And I knew I wanted to revisit the old trope of the governess who comes to the mansion and falls for the handsome, yet mysterious master of the house – only with my own gay twist on it.

And so, Coliseum Square is my offering. It’s out now, from Amber Quill Press – Amber Allure, part of the 5 book PAX, along with authors, Deidre O’Dare, D.J. Manly, A.J. Llewellyn, and Darcy Abriel, all fabulous authors, and it’s on sale for the first week for 35% off!!
Who doesn’t love a sale??? http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/ColiseumSquare.html

NixLibrary I grew up reading Gothic stories in my neighborhood library, The Nix. That’s right, in Nola, even the libraries have names. And mine was glorious, what a library should be, all wood floor, ceilings about twenty feet high, long ceiling fans to stir the hot summer air, and tall shelves of books. I remember the wooden card catalog, pulling out the deep drawers and hunting through the little cards for the next book to read. The check out desk wrapped around on corner of the building, and in my youth, it seemed enormous. And the librarians? Women who knew everything about every author and book. They were my idols.

Long after I grew up and moved away, I went back to Nola and it just so happened The Nix was celebrating a birthday. So I dropped in. Can you imagine my amazement when one of the old librarians remembered me as a kid? Of course, I spent just about every day in the summer there, reading all the books I could get my hands on. I only had to walk about six blocks to get to it, so nothing stopped me. I’d go to the Nix, then take my books down the street and get a hot fudge sundae at the Schweghartz’s drug store ice cream counter. (It was summer, remember?) Or I’d go out of my way and hit the Plum Street snowball stand a few blocks away for an orchid crème vanilla snowball (lovely gray lavender color).
PlumStreetSnowballs

As a teen, going to the library was part of my life – and reading Gothics and mysteries and semi-romances ate up a large part of my summers. I’d get my books home, and curl up on the huge glider sofa we had on the screened in front porch, and dive into a book.

From Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, and every single Mary Stewart book, I immersed myself in their worlds. Little did I know I was surrounded by my own Gothic world – New Orleans, its homes, people, and its atmosphere. And who knew when decades later (don’t worry about how many) I put all of that into my books. My Hearts of New Orleans stories at Amber Allure are a testament to my love for my hometown and the gay men who inhabit it from the past to the present.

I hope you’ll join me there. Take a trip with me to New Orleans. Ride a riverboat, rock along the streetcar tracks, or rumble over the cobblestones in a horse drawn wagon, but however you travel, come with me. Lots to see and do. And lots to eat. It’s N’awlin’s, dawlin’.

Lynn’s books can be found at her publisher, or at Amazon.
http://www.lynnlorenz.com
follow her on Twitter @lynnlorenz and on Facebook Lynn Lorenz

Louisiana – A State of Mind

I loved that slogan – it was on our license plates for a few years. Far more apt than Sportsman’s Paradise, I suppose. Living in such a diverse state, which some have likened to a banana republic, takes a certain kind of mental state, for sure.

When I think of Louisiana, I think of home, even though I now live in Texas and have since 1989. My heart is still there, along with friends and family. Even though my dad is dead now, I still find reasons to return to New Orleans, my hometown. As if I needed a reason.

I can always claim it was for research for my next book. I’ve got quite a few books set in Louisiana and in New Orleans, in particular my Hearts of New Orleans series of novellas is set before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, a defining moment for the city, forever etched in its physical and emotional memory. Those first few years of struggling back from the brink of annihilation, the next few of getting on its feet, people returning, businesses reopening, and the Saints winning the Super Bowl has redefined it as a survivor. My Rougaroux Social Club series, about a pack of Cajun werewolves, is set in southwest Louisiana bayou country.

Nowadays, New Orleans is a city with its legs firmly under it and standing tall again. Sure, there are still problems, but the Crescent City will get over them and survive. It always has and always will.

Now anyone who has ever been to New Orleans knows it is not like any place else on earth and its people are what make it so special. And along with its people, its food is the shining star. Not just in New Orleans, but all over the state.

My aunt lives up north, in Monroe, La. That’s the redneck part of the state. It’s not Cajun and Catholic like in the southern part, it’s country and southern Baptist. I remember going there as a kid, being shown Bossier City (they had gambling!!!) and wondering what the big deal was – after all we had Bourbon Street. Been there – done that. But I never had better chicken and dumplings, corn bread, and greens.

And one of my favorite parts of the state is the middle. Okay, don’t laugh, but it’s truly beautiful, if you love tall pine trees, small towns, antiquing, and haunted plantations. Give me St. Francisville any day, and I can wander its roads and tour its grand houses until my heart’s content. Try having finger sandwiches and tea in a cozy shop or fried catfish for dinner.

As a kid, I remember driving with my dad down the river road to the very end of the road. Literally. The blacktop ended at Shell Beach where a restaurant on stilts looked over the marsh. We’d eat fresh from the Gulf oyster and shrimp po’boys and drink Barq’s, then get back in the car and drive home.

On Friday afternoons once my dad got home from work, my family would sit on the front porch steps with a sack of fresh oysters and shuck them, slurping them down with a squeeze of lemon and a dash of hot sauce. We’d eat boiled crabs and shrimp that we caught, either out on Lake Ponchatrain or crawfish from a ditch on the side of a country road. I learned how to mix cocktail sauce by about six years old and could pinch the tails and suck the heads with the best of them. But so could everyone. No big deal.

So if you read my books, and I hope you’ll give them a try, you’ll find deliberate and mouth watering descriptions of food in each of them. What’s a book about Louisiana without talking about the food? Hell, I’m not sure you can talk about the state and not mention food. Try it. I dare you.

And when you’ve failed, don’t be sad. I’ve given up on it. I don’t have that much energy – I need it for eating, especially when I go there. I usually come back to Texas with a few bags of “necessaries” – Hubig’s Pies (the factory burned and they’re trying to rebuild), muffalettas, pralines and Zapp’s potato chips.

My Mom’s Shrimp Creole recipe — not sure where she got it, but we ate it at least twice a month. (we had a rotating schedule – red beans were always on Monday and cooked with ham, spaghetti with either meatballs or meat sauce (which we called red gravy) on Wednesday, pot roast or ham on Sundays, and in between, she experimented on us with recipes she’d find in the Times Picayune, or shared with friends.)

3 tbs oil
2 lg onions, chopped
1tbs flour
4 lbs shrimp
2 green peppers
1 can tomato paste
1 can tomatoes (1lb)
1 cup each shallots, parsley, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups water

Heat oil, add onions and cook on low flame until light brown. Stir in flour and add shrimp and peppers. Cook a few minutes.
Add tomato paste, tomatoes, and garlic, stirring. Cook til tomatoes turn deep red (about 10 minutes)
Add water (enough to cover shrimp), parsley, shallots, bay leaf and cayenne.
Salt and pepper.
Cook 30 minutes.
Serve with white rice.
Serves 8

Good eating!

Lynn Lorenz is having a blast writing about romance and giving her characters a hard time before they get their happily ever after. She believes everyone deserves a HEA and that if you open your heart you’ll open your mind.
You can reach her at lynnlorenz@live.com or her websitewww.lynnlorenz.com
Find her books at http://www.loose-id.com http://www.amberquillpress.com and http://www.liquidsilverbooks.com
She’s blogging here twice a month at Love, Lust and Laptops and weekly at Lynn Lorenz’s Open Hearts http://www.lynnlorenz.blogspot.com