Well, the day has arrived! Are we excited?! :D Please carefully read the submission guidelines. I will only take the first fifty (50) entries. Keep an eye on this post where I will let you know how many entries I currently have. The contest is open from NOW! until either I get 50 entries or until Tuesday at 0800 EST.
While this contest is only open to those with a finished manuscript, anyone who wishes to offer critiques on the query and/or first 250 words may and would be strongly appreciated.
PRIZES:
First place: Critique and consideration of Full Manuscript
Second Place: Critique of the first 50 pages
Third Place: Critique of the first 25 pages
Recap of the rules:
All excerpts submitted to the Secret Agent contest must be a query letter (no more than a page long) and the first 250 words of your COMPLETED manuscript.(VERY IMPORTANT! The manuscript MUST be completed.)
Your submission must include your screen name and the title, genre, and word count of your novel.
By emailing your submission to me, you are giving implicit permission to have your work posted and publicly critiqued.
No submissions will be accepted prior to the opening of the contest. The maximum number of entries per contest is 50 submissions.
Winners of previous contests may not submit the same manuscript in future contests.
All contest entrants are required to critique a minimum of five other entries.
No attachments are accepted. Your query and 250 submission must be pasted into the body of your email
Last minute details:
Use this address for your entries: secretagentcontest@gmail.com
Make the subject of your email Secret Agent Contest
NO ATTACHMENTS!!! Paste your query and first 250 in the body of the email only. If I get an attachment you will not be entered into the contest.
You will receive a confirmation email. (It may not be right away, but if you've made it into the first 50, you will get an email stating I received it and what number you were.)
I will not make changes to your query or first 250 after you've sent it, so please make sure it's the best it can be before you send it.
Address the agent as Secret agent.
Put your query first, separate using the stars (***) and then place your first 250.
I think I've covered anything, but feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments ONLY. Do NOT send me an email. If you absolutely have a question that you feel you can't ask in a public forum, make sure to make the subject of your email QUESTION in ALL CAPS. Thanks.
This is the scene from the school dance, where Emily thinks that Toby is the Soul Stealer or his slave. She's gone with him to try and get him to prove it, but quickly finds out how wrong she was and ends up with an unexpected surprise. Let's watch.
Toby picked me up in a fancy red sports car. Since cars and I didn't really get along, I had no clue what kind it was, but I could tell this one was expensive.
Since his parents were solidly middle-class I was pretty sure I knew where he'd gotten the money for it. But I had no proof and I didn't want to accuse him of being a demon's slave until I was sure. That was all I needed to be was wrong and then he tell everyone in the school I was insane and thought I was a reaper.
Though I doubted anyone would believe him. No one but the real demon that is.
He took me out for dinner--where he bored me brainless with his incessant chatter about football, and accidentally let it slip the car was a rental he'd gotten to impress me--and then drove straight to the dance.
There he dragged me around the room introducing me to his friends and preening as if I were a prized mare instead of his date. He was always trying to touch me and I had no idea how Addy had put up with him, but it hadn't taken me long to realize I'd made a mistake.
He wasn't a demon slave and he wasn't the demon. Unless he was a very good actor, which I doubted.
Demons were selfish and self centered, but this, this took the cake. Not to mention that he was oblivious of anything but my bust line and cleavage.
No, he wasn't the demon and I'd wasted precious time on him. That meant that someone else had taken Addy's soul and she didn't even know who it was.
How did a demon, or his slave, steal a soul without her knowing the person? Soul Stealing required skin to skin contact. Just like my reaping required soul to soul contact.
Having had enough of Toby for the night, I sent him to go and get me a drink and then hid in the shadows, trying to think of a way to get home without him.
When I saw Toby looking for me, I tried melting into the wall behind me, but bumped into someone and turned to apologize. I bit my tongue when I saw it was Kieran.
He blinked and then smiled. "Emily? Is that you?"
"Duh." I shook my head.
"Wow. You look...great! That's a wonderful color on you."
I couldn't help but grin and preen a bit. "Really? Thanks."
He gave me a once over and then frowned at my silk covered wrist. "You don't have a corsage."
"A what?"
"You know. A flower arrangement the girl wears to fancy dances."
Oh. Oops. Guess Isis didn't know everything. "Oh yeah. I, uh, forgot to get one of those."
"Em, you're not supposed to get it. He is. Speaking of him. Did you mean what you said? About paying him back for what he did to Addy?"
"Ah, there you are, my sweet. I'd wondered where you disappeared off to," Toby said from beside me. "Kieran. It's nice to see you again." He held out his hand for Kieran to shake, but Kieran only stared at it. Toby dropped his and then turned back to me. "Come on. There's a group of people I want you to meet."
I suppressed the groan and started to follow after him, but Kieran stepped in front of me and took my hand in his. His eyes met mine.
"What are you doing?" I hissed, trying to tug away.
"You can't go to the dance without a corsage." He smiled at me. Something heavy slipped over my hand and I glanced down to see a bracelet with gold flower links resting on my wrist.
A thrill ran up me at the sight, but I knew better than to take trinkets from boys. "Shouldn't you be giving this to your date? And this isn't a corsage."
"Close enough and this is for the person I wanted to be my date," he whispered.
His thumb rubbed circles across the back of my hand. It didn't take a genius to know he was talking about me. My stomach muscles tightened in response as my heart skipped a beat.
I moved my eyes to his. "Thank you. It's beautiful." We stared at each other for a few minutes, until Toby cleared his throat.
Reluctant, I slid my hand away and followed Toby as he took me as far from Kieran as he could manage.
Toby glanced down and I could have sworn he glared at the bracelet, but he didn't say anything and neither did I.
We danced a few dances, but he was so clumsy I begged off to save my feet. Undeterred he joined me and once again started his I'm-so-good monologue. Before long though he seemed to get that I wasn't all that into his stuff and started asking questions, which I answered with the shortest possible reply.
I just wanted this night to be over with.
When he caught the hint I didn't want to talk, he stopped and we stared off into opposite directions. I was relieved when a girl came up to him and asked him to dance with her. He shot me a questioning look and I nodded and shooed him away. At least it would be quieter now.
A hand dropped on my shoulder, startling me and I looked up to see Kieran's half grin. "Where's your date?" he asked.
I gestured toward the dance floor. "Over there. Somewhere. Thank goodness."
"Has Prince Charming turned into the frog?"
I laughed. "No, he was always the frog."
He burst out laughing and then held out his hand. "Well, it's a shame for such a pretty lady to be sitting all alone tonight. Care to dance?"
I shrugged, but held out my hand for him to help me up. The dress may have been beautiful, but it was a pain to move in.
He led me onto the floor just as my favorite slow song came on. I sent him a quizzical look and he smiled. "You were listening to it the other day and you seemed happy. I bribed the DJ to change the song the minute we stepped onto the dance floor."
Giving him a large smile, I placed my arms around his neck, careful my skin didn't touch his, and he put his on my waist. I tried to ignore the little tingles his touch had given me. The last time I'd felt those things, it had been the beginning of the end for me. And nothing could come of this. I couldn't touch him. He would be the one who died this time.
"You never answered my question earlier."
"Which one was that?" Being so close to him was causing my blood to hum and I was torn between enjoying the feeling and wanting to run far away from it.
"About Toby. That you'd only come here with him because of what he did to Addy."
"Yeah, but..."
"But?"
"I don't know. There really isn't anything I can do. It wasn't a very good idea."
"Well, in a way it was."
I tilted my head back to look at him. "Why is that?"
He pulled me closer to whisper in my ear, sending tingles throughout my body. "Because now I don't have to pretend we came together as just friends."
I couldn't speak. Sand dunes had arisen in my mouth, making my mouth as dry as the desert. We were both quiet as we continued to dance.
"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
I wanted to tell him that yes he did make me uncomfortable and pull away, but my heart decided to take control of my brain and answered for me. "You didn't make me uncomfortable," I said, breathlessly.
"Yeah? What did I make you?" His own voice was husky, as if he'd just woken up from sleep.
At that moment the song changed and I stepped away, but he pulled me back. "Don't go. If you do, you'll just have to deal with the frog prince."
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Toby waiting at the table for me. I tried suppressing a shudder at the look in his eyes, but Kieran caught it and tugged me closer.
"See, I told you, you wanted to stay with me."
For the rest of the song, I stayed in his arms, wondering why things had to be so difficult. Why I couldn't, for one night, pretend I was something other than what I was.
His hand rubbed up and down my back and I gave up and rested my head on his shoulder, pretending we were like any other couple on the floor.
When the song ended, neither of us let go of the other, until a hand rested on my shoulder.
"May I cut in?" Toby asked.
Kieran's arms tightened for the briefest of seconds before he let go and stepped back.
"Sure," he said and disappeared into the crowd before I could stop him.
Toby took his place in time for the next song to start, but it had changed to a faster song. I gave him a grin and a shrug and danced along with the music.
For the rest of the night I kept an eye out for Kieran, but I could never find him. I found Becca though and she did not appear happy. Eventually I gave up looking for him. And made sure to stay out of Becca's way.
A pop song came on and I wiggled my hips and moved my body in time to the bass. The best part of this world was it's music. Where I'd come from music was boring and even the chaste dance I'd had with Kieran would have been outlawed. Toby's eyes gleamed when he saw my movements and then he joined me, stepping behind me and placing his hand at my hip, matching his movements to mine.
Having too much fun, I didn't care. I laughed when we bumped each other. When I glanced behind me to smile at him, I stopped in mid motion. Kieran was leaning against the wall in the corner, his eyes focused on me. He raised a brow and I gave him a saucy smile. He lifted his glass in a toast and smiled back. I took a step toward him, but Toby stopped me, turning me around to face him.
I pulled away and started again in Kieran's direction, but he'd disappeared again. Disappointed, I stayed where I was and eventually let Toby pull me into another dance. This one a slow song again.
Halfway through the song, he tugged on my hand and started leading me toward the doors leading to the outside.
"Let's go get some fresh air."
I set me feet and shook my head.
"I don't want to go outside."
He ignored me and pulled harder. Unfortunately, even though I was supernatural, I didn't have super powers. Meaning I wasn't stronger than him and he was able to pull me toward the doors.
I struggled to get away, but it wasn't any use. Tremors of panic zigzagged through me as he succeeded in pulling me outside and into the garden.
It surprised me nobody had noticed his little stunt and come to help me. Then again, I was just the new girl and a freak on top of it. No one probably cared what happened to me.
When we'd gotten to where he wanted, he loosened his grip at the same time as I found the strength to pull my arm away. But I did one better and punched him in the face. Blood spurted out of his nose and splattered my dress.
He yelped and jumped back, tearing one strap of my dress. I hissed at the throbbing in my fist, but stood firm.
He glared at me out of tear filled eyes. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded.
"Me? You pull me into the middle of some dark garden without my consent and you wonder what's wrong with me?" I stood there, panting and cradling my fist in my other hand.
"You owe me."
"For what?" I spit out. I couldn't believe my ears. How the hell did I owe him that?
"I bought you dinner. I bought the stupid tickets to this dumb dance, rented the car, and I took you here. You owe me."
I sputtered. And instead of answering, reared my hand back to punch him again, but a hand grabbed my wrist stopped me. I glanced over and saw Kieran next to me.
"Don't. He's not worth breaking your fingers over." He glared at Toby. "Don't you ever touch her again," he told him.
Toby smirked. "Yeah, and what are you going to do about it. You didn't do anything when I took Addy away from you and you won't do anything now."
Before I could say anything, Kieran had punched Toby and sent him crashing into a large potted tree. I stared in shock as a Toby fell over the pot and landed on the ground.
Blood continued to pour from his nose and he was starting to get a black eye, but he didn't get up. He was out cold.
The crash from his fall had finally alerted the others and pounding feet raced toward us. I tugged on Kieran's hand. "Come on. We have to get out of here."
When he didn't budge, I was worried he wouldn't come and we'd get into trouble, but when I tugged again he slowly followed. And soon we were racing to the parking lot. He took the lead and pulled me to his truck. It sparkled under the lamplight.
"It's clean," I said with a laugh.
"Well, yeah. I had a date, you know. I couldn't let her get her pretty dress ruined before she could show it off." He lowered the tailgate and patted it.
He turned when I made no move to jump onto it and sighed. Then he stripped off his jacket and pulled it around my shoulders. "What a creep."
"Yeah, I guess he was. Well, at least we both payed him back for Addy."
"Nice shot, by the way."
"Thanks." I winced when I moved my hand and a sharp pain shot up from my knuckles to just above my wrist.
He grabbed me by the waist and lifted me up to sit on the tailgate, and then took my hand. I yanked it away. "Don't take off the gloves."
"Why?" he asked. "I have to to see what damage you did." He started to tug on the silk again.
I pulled away again, causing the glove to slid off. Damn it! "No, please. Just trust me."
"What's the big deal?" He paused. "Are you a cutter?"
I blinked. "A what?"
"A cutter. You know," he made slicing gestures over his arm. "The people who cut themselves to make themselves feel better. Is that why you're always covering your arms up."
"Oh, no. I'm not a cutter. I...uh...have a skin disorder. Very contagious. Nasty stuff."
He gave me a 'yeah right' look, but handed me the glove. "Go ahead and put it back on. I've seen enough."
When I'd replaced it, being as careful as possible, he took my hand and started feeling around.I prepared for more pain, but he probed around very gently.
"It's swollen and bruised. I think you broke more than his nose."
I groaned. Super healing was also not part of the job description. I was as close to human as I could get without being, well, you know, human. "Great. Well, that's just the perfect end cap to the night. Isn't it?"
"Here. I'll kiss it and make it all better," he said.
I laughed, but shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
He lifted my hand to his mouth, and watching my face, kissed it. My nerves hummed at his touch. His eyes turned black as desire filled them and the next thing I know his mouth was on mine and he was pulling me into him.
At first I was frozen in place, and only had only a moment to think that he shouldn't still be kissing me, that he shouldn't be alive, before my mind went blank and I was lost in the moment.
My eyes fluttered closed and I brought my arms around his neck. He made a sound that was a cross between a groan and a moan. His hands grabbed my hips and yanked my closer, pressing his body against mine. The skirt of the dress hiked up along my legs, revealing them to my thighs, as he slid his body between them.
My head spun and my pulse bounded in my throat as he pulled back to give
us a chance to take a breath, but I dragged him back to me again. I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my ankles.
He moved his mouth to my throat and I tilted my head, enjoying the sensations of his tongue running down my neck and along my collarbone. His hands moved to my legs, but stayed just above my knee, his thumbs running circles over my skin and driving me crazy.
All at once, reality came crashing in on me and I realized what was happening. I yanked away and jumped to the ground, getting as far from him as possible.
I was still gasping for breath, as he was. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step toward me.
I stepped backward. "What are you?" I asked, trembling. Why was he still alive? How come I didn't kill him?
He stopped in his tracks and his face went blank. "What do you mean?"
"How come I didn't hurt you?" I didn't care at this point that I was giving too much away. There was no reason he should be still alive.
He laughed. "A kiss isn't going to hurt me, Emily. I'm not worried about...your skin disease."
I narrowed my eyes and studied him carefully, and then did the dumbest thing I could think of. I ripped off my glove and grabbed his hand.
It's that time again! Here's a little excerpt from my newest WIP. It's very, very rough, but I thought I'd give you a hint at what's to come. :D
I tapped a sheaf of papers—which was all that was left to do after my latest transport—so the pages lined up, and placed them off to the side to bring to the file clerk, even in the Otherworld there was paperwork. I adjusted my stapler on the corner of my desk so the edges matched up, spending almost five minutes making sure it was perfect. Then I slipped my pen in the drawer, and preceded to organize my already organized files, going so far as to make sure the files in the alphabetized folders were also in alphabetical order.
This wasn’t done to make sure my workplace was tidy; it was a way of stalling. Just after I’d transported her to her final destination, I’d received a message from Azrael—my boss, “Meet me in my office when you’re done,” and I’d been a nervous wreck since.
That wasn’t at all the way it was supposed to happen. Usually, I got a ‘good job’ when I handed in my paperwork—if he was around. If I’d done really well, I might have even gotten a handshake, but I’d never gotten called to his office. And especially not the second I’d returned from Elysia. In fact, I’d only ever been to his office once. The day I’d arrived.
Almost no one went to his office, unless you were a member of his Assembly or you did something very, very wrong. I was not a member of his Assembly.
When I caught myself straightening the pencils in my drawer so the tips all faced the same direction, I forced myself to get up and go to Azrael.
His office was similar to mine—as were all the offices—except it was bigger. A lot bigger. But then when you where in charge of every single reaper in the Otherworld it only made sense.
The walls of his office were a fawn color and had wainscoting along the bottom, while my walls were a dingy yellow, as if they had suffered through years of smoking. His desk was beautiful rosewood, while mine was a dented, brown, metal military surplus. He had a beautiful Turkish rug over Mahogany hardwood floors and I had threadbare carpet over concrete.
I stepped into the anteroom, which was a smaller, cozier version of his office. It was where he did his more informal discussions with those in the higher circle. Those that had gone beyond just a simple collector or transporter. Candlelight lit the room, giving it an even more homey feeling.
As modern as the Otherworld had become, it still didn’t run to modern conveniences such as electricity. There really wasn’t any need. Reapers didn’t need the comforts humans did. Cold, heat, light, dark. None of that mattered to us. If we were lucky enough to be given an assignment that meant becoming corporeal, than it would. We would feel the same humans did, but that was rare and only given to the most trusted reapers. An experience I hoped to gain one day.
I grinned when I saw Azreal’s hound sleeping in the center of the Aubusson rug. One massive eye opened, then the rest followed suit. His tail waged, and three tongues appeared from behind rows of razor sharp teeth. I knelt down to scratch his belly with both hands, laughing when his leg started kicking. For a dog that had three heads and was larger than myself, Cerberus was as gentle as a lamb. With people he liked anyway.
“Whose a good boy? Huh? Whose a good boy?” One of his large heads lifted and his tongue slurped up the side of my face. “Eww!” I exclaimed, laughing, and trying to wipe the slobber off with my sleeve. “Keep that up and we won’t play Frisbee later.” His tail thumbed heavily.
A throat cleared behind me and I jumped up to stand at attention, trying not to show my embarrassment of having been caught by the man himself, playing with his dog. Cerberus whined, stood, and went to his master—who gave him a few strokes behind the ears of one of his heads—before going to curl up in the corner.
“Emily, it’s wonderful to see you again. I don’t get to nearly enough,” Azrael said, and took my hand to shake it. He gestured to the couch behind me. “Please have a seat.”
My nerves settled slightly as I took a calming breath. We weren’t going to his office, which meant I wasn’t in trouble. I sat, but didn’t relax completely; I’d still been summoned. That was never a good thing.
He waited until I sat before doing the same, and then steepled his spidery thin fingers together. He propped them under his chin and then leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs, studying me, while I watched him. His dark hair and pale skin glowed under the lamplight. His eyes locked onto mine and stayed there, not even blinking.
When I started to fidget from the intensity of stare, he smiled. “Yes, I do believe I was right about you.”
That threw me for a loop and I blinked. “Sir?”
“When I brought you on board.” His smile grew. “I saw something in you. The others did not agree, but you have proven me right time and time again. As you well know, there aren’t many that were in your position that are offered what you were. I am quite proud of you, Emily.”
I blushed and looked down at the hands I’d clasped in my lap. “Thank you.”
He stood up, drawing my attention back to him. “There is a request I must make of you.”
Knowing better than to interrupt, I waited for him to continue. He walked across the room to shut and bolt the heavy door, sealing us into the room. A feeling of dread settled over me.
“You did well with your latest,” he said, returning to seat.
“Sir?” The abrupt change of subject confused me, but did nothing to expel the dread that was creeping into every corner of my being.
“The woman. With the heart failure.”
“Mrs. Crous?” I asked, stupidly, my eyebrows winging up.
He gave me an indulgent smile. “Yes, you would know your charges name. You always do.”
“I don’t understand.”
“That case could have been very difficult.”
I gave a soft snort. “How so? It was just a standard C & T.”
He shook his head. “There is no such thing as standard, Emily. But yes, sometimes they are easier than others.” He stared of into space again.
I waited him out, being careful not to say anything. Whatever was on his mind was big and it was bad. Worry and little prickles of panic tickled my nerves.
“We have a problem,” he said, with a sigh. “A big problem. And I need your help. I’m making you a part of the Assembly.”
“M-me?” Ohmigosh.
“Yes. I’m afraid you’re the only one it can be. I trust no one else.” His eyes hardened when he said it, stopping me from asking any more questions. He tossed me a file folder he’d pulled out of thin air. It never cease to amaze me how he could do that. “Study that.”
With a slight hesitation, I flipped it open and read through it. The only sound was the rustling of pages and Cerberus’ light snore. When I finished I looked back up, my brows furrowed. “I don’t understand.”
“There’s been an influx of ethereal activity in the past six months, but no one can find the source. We’ve monitored it, but it wasn’t until a girl died and Cera, who’d been assigned to her, came back without the girl’s soul. Because there wasn’t one to collect.”
Shock poured over me. “She sold her soul?”
He shook his head and sighed. I worried I’d disappointed him, but it was sadness etched onto his face. “No. Worse. Read it again.”
I read through again, carefully this time. Going over a few pages several times just to make sure I was reading correctly.
“Someone stole her soul?”
He gave me an indulgent smile. “I knew it wouldn’t take you long,” he said, rubbing a hand over his eyes. It was the only outward sign of agitation I’d ever remembered seeing on him. “Yes, and she’s not the only one. I’ve had three more reapers come back empty handed.”
“Why? Who?”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “There is no good reason and that’s what I’d like to know.”
“What do we do?”
“I can do nothing. It’s you that’s going to have to do it.”
I almost swallowed my tongue. “Me?”
“I need somebody I trust to go to the Corporeal world—to become corporeal.” He watched me as the news sunk in. “You will try to find out who is doing this and why. We also need to find everyone who’s missing a soul, so we may return it to them after we get it back from the creatures that have taken them and you have to do it quickly.”
“Why?”
“The longer a human is without their souls the less chance we’ll be able to get the body to take it back and the more chance that someone is going to realize they’re living, talking, and eating with living, breathing zombies.”
I burst out laughing. “Zombies? What like those horror flicks that humans are always watching.”
His mouth tilted up a little in the corner. “Yeah, a little, but they’re not like that exactly. The voodoo definition is a more accurate description.” His lips went back to the straight line he’d held before. “But this isn’t a laughing matter, Emily. We don’t want any more innocents dying without their souls. And I don’t want you to lose yours.”
My heart leaped into my throat. “What do you mean?”
“Demons and reapers don’t get along because Reapers impede the demons need to corrupt innocent souls. They can’t harm a soul as long as we are they to courier them to the Otherworld. If a demon knew you were there—especially the one that’s the cause of all this—the results could be disastrous.”
“But why me? Surely you have someone who’s been around longer, someone who’s dealt with this kind of thing before. Someone who isn’t here as a punishment.”
“Because you’re the only one I trust.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”
“Because in life—and death—despite your…mistake, your soul is pure. You have a kindness that knows no bounds, and most importantly, you still remember what it’s like to be human.”
Today's teaser is from It's Complicated. I wrote this just yesterday so it's a little rough, but I thought you all would enjoy something from further into the story. Not exactly sure where this is going to go, but that's half the fun. :) Hope you enjoy!
Aidan smiled when he saw me and waved me over. I hurried over, trying to ignore the horses that were tied everywhere. If I pretended they weren’t there, I could get through.
When I reached him, he asked, “You okay?”
I tugged my t-shirt down. “Perfect. Did I make it in time?”
“Just. He’s up next.” He led me through the groups of people so I didn’t get lost. Or panic and bolt, I thought when a horse poked it’s head near my head and snorted. I jumped and clung to Aidan, who laughed, but moved faster.
Why did I come again? Oh yeah, because Sloan deserved to have someone he knew watch him win. Just because Maggie and my dad couldn’t be there for him, didn’t mean I couldn’t be.
We stopped at the fence and watched, as the horse Sloan would be riding was loaded into the chute. Then Sloan settled himself on top and was prepped by his and the horses handlers.
He glanced over toward Aidan and smiled, but it slid off his face when he saw me. His eyes widened, but before he could say anything the gate opened and the horse ran straight out into the arena, bucking the whole way. Unfortunately, Sloan hadn’t been ready and he’d been tossed to the ground within moments of leaving the gate.
My heart leaped into my throat as the horse reared and came way too close to stomping on him, but he got up immediately while the wranglers soothed the horse and brought him back in. Sloan on the other hand brushed off his hat and stomped over to me. When he reached me, he grabbed the upper part of my arm and dragged me along behind him.
Even though I’d dug my heels in, he was able to pull me out of the arena, past the livestock pens, and into a shaded spot that was away from the main drag.
I yanked out of his grasp and rubbed at my arm. I was so angry I couldn’t form the words to tell him off.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? You made me lose!” He glared at me, taking a step closer.
“I made you lose?! No, you did that on your own. You’re the one who fell. I did nothing but watch,” I said. My back hit the wall behind me and I realized I’d backed up away from him. Refusing to let him scare me, I set my feet shoulder width apart and stared him down. But my eyes wanted to do a study of him and make sure he was all right. He’d taken such a hard fall.
“If it hadn’t been for you watching me, I wouldn’t have fallen. Why are you here?” He took another step closer. His toes bumped mine and he put his face into mine.
I shoved my hair away from my face. “I came to see you win. What did it look like? I knew you were disappointed that Maggie and my dad couldn’t come watch, so I came. But don’t worry about it. I won’t do it--”
I was cut off when his mouth came down on top of mine. At first I was frozen in place, but before long my eyes fluttered closed and I brought my arms up around his neck. He made a sound that was a cross between a groan and a moan. His hands grabbed my hips and yanked my closer, pressing his body against mine.
My head spun and my pulse bounded in my throat as he pulled back to give us a chance to take a breath, but I dragged him back to me again. His mouth met mine and he pushed me so I crashed into the wall behind me. My body was crushed between his and the wall, but I didn’t care.
He moved his mouth to my throat and I tilted my head, enjoying the sensations of his tongue running down my neck and along my collarbone. His hands slipped under my shirt, but stayed at my waist, his thumbs running circles over my skin and driving me crazy.
As if from a fog I heard his name being called, but neither of us seemed to care. When we heard it again, he groaned and pulled back, but only enough to look and see who was calling him. A brief second later, he cursed, dropped his hands and took three huge steps backward. I kept my eyes glued to the ground as my emotions and body tried to adjust itself to what had happened and what I needed to do now.
Here's an excerpt from my adult romance novel Maid of Honor. It needs some work, but it should be good enough for a teaser. Enjoy!
“God, I hate weddings,” Ariel proclaimed, tossing her controller on the bed. She watched as it bounced once, before switching the television off.
The whole beautiful disaster that was flowers, and music, and what cake to have. And don’t forget what color dress, and how to stand for this picture and that picture. Ugh. It was just too much. That is why I’m never going to do it. They were just too much of a bother and God knew they never worked. What were the recent statistics? Over fifty-percent of all marriages failed? Yeah. No, thank you.
“Well, it’s not your wedding, Ari,” Cat reminded her. “It’s mine.”
“Ah, yes, but as your maid of honor I’m expected to go through absolutely every awful stage of this thing with you. You’re going to want to know if pink or red roses are better or should you hire a DJ or a band? Sit down or buffet? Not to mention the hours of invitation addressing.” She shivered at the thought. “Then you’ll cry or scream at me when I don’t pick the one you wanted to begin with.” She knew. She’d seen it before.
How many times have I been a bridesmaid now? She counted them quickly in her head. Six, she’d been a bridesmaid six times in the last five years. What was that statement? Always the bridesmaid, never the bride? Not that she wanted to be the bride.
Cat’s whispery laugh echoed through the phone lines. “I’m not going to be that bad. Promise. The whole big wedding is to appease our mothers anyway. They’ve pretty much got the whole damned thing planned out for us. So, please, please, please will you be my maid of honor?”
Ari ran her ring-studded hand through her black hair. She hated it when Cat used that tone of voice. It always crumbled her control. “Damn it. I hate when you beg. Fine. Fine. When is it?” she asked.
“In a month.”
Ari’s jaw dropped. “A month? Are you crazy? Why so soon?”
There was a long pause, and then Cat asked, “Why not?”
“Why not? I’ll tell you why not. There is no physical way you can get everything taken care of in a month. I can’t even comprehend the fact that you’re doing this but…wait…you’ve never rushed into anything in your life. That’s my job. Why so soon?” she asked again.
Cat sighed, making a sound like static on the phone line. “I just want to. Anyway, I’ll explain everything when you get here. You’re coming for two weeks anyway. Can’t you just extend the trip?”
Knowing Cat could keep her mouth glued tightly shut when she wanted to, Ari glanced at her calendar. She didn’t have anything pressing to do and her boss was harping on her to use up all her vacation time this year. She’d just have to see if she could use it all up at once. “I don’t know. I’ll have to call my boss and find out.”
“Great,” Cat said. “Call me when you know. Toodle-loo.” She hung up, leaving Ari staring at the phone. Why is she always doing that? Back you into a corner until you had no choice but to agree, than leave you standing there to figure out the details on your own.
Shaking her head, Ari punched in the numbers for her boss and crossed her fingers that she would side with her.
She should have known it, she thought, an hour later. Everyone is insane. Who knew my bitch of a boss actually had a soft streak for weddings in that icy heart of hers?
“Go, go,” she’d said. “Weddings are fun. So romantic. Go and bring back lots of pictures. I just love weddings.”
Damn it, Ari thought as she packed. The one person I’d hoped could stall the inevitable had failed me. Now what?
Now, I fly to North Carolina and watch my best friend fall into the trap of Holy Matrimony. Lovely, she thought with a grimace.
* * *
Wonderful, Josh thought with a scowl, simply wonderful. Not only had he gotten roped into marrying his best friend’s sister, now he had to go pick up her best friend from the damn airport. What did she have to come so early for, anyway?The damn circus--oh wait, that’s marriage, how could I forget?-- isn’t for another month anyway.
He stared at his watch. The plane was late. Figures. The damn things never came on time. Especially when you needed them to. He really didn’t have time for this. He had other, more important, things to do. Like supervise the construction on that pretty little Victorian he was restoring.
Idiots. Who in their right mind would try to “modernize” a Victorian? Well, at least with his restorations, the old lady would once again shine. Probably even before the wedding.
He looked at his watch again. Where the hell was that damn plane and how was he even supposed to recognize her? All Cat had said was, “Pretty, with black hair and blue eyes. My height. Thin.”
Nice description, Cat.How many thin women with black hair and blue eyes are going to get off that plane? He’d reserve judgment on the pretty part. Most women thought their pals were pretty. Didn’t mean they actually were.
And what the hell kind of name was Ariel anyway? Didn’t the mermaid have red hair? And if she was named after Shakespeare’s Ariel, wasn’t he a guy?
Just then he saw a fairly attractive woman of about thirty with black hair step through security. Straightening his shoulders he walked up to the woman, who was holding her bag to her body as if terrified that someone would steal it.
“Hi. I’m Josh. Uh, Cat sent me instead of Connor. I’ll take your bag for you,” he told the woman, who just kept staring at him like he’d lost his mind. He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to see another dark haired woman.
He goggled at her. She was simply stunning. Her hair wasn’t really black, more of a sable, and there were yards of it. Her eyes weren’t simply blue, either. They were cobalt and just as striking as the rest of her. She was petite. A curvy five-two, he reckoned. And all of it leg.
When she smiled he almost swallowed his tongue. “Hi. I think you’re looking for me. I’m Ariel Sutherland.”
This was Ariel? She couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. He turned away from the other woman who took off like a mouse who’d just escaped from being eaten.
He grinned at Ariel causing her to blink. “Hi. Josh Stanton.” He held out his hand and she took it without hesitation. That is, until he brought it to his lips and kissed it.
She raised an eyebrow, trying to pull her hand away when she felt sparks shoot up her arm at his touch. “You’re Cat’s fiancé, right?”
He grimaced. He’d forgotten for half a second he was engaged and wasn’t too happy she’d reminded him of it. “Yes,” he said and took her bag from her, slipping her arm through his.
She let him lead her to his car, but didn’t say thank you when he opened the door for her. How rude, he thought, obviously manners weren’t something they taught in New York. He tossed her bags into the trunk and then drove away from the airport. She was staring out the window, but he could see her quite plainly glaring at his reflection.
What the hell did I do? he asked himself. He tried a few more times to start a conversation, but she only ignored him or answered shortly, continuing to glare at him in the glass.
Giving up, he drove the rest of the way in silence. When they pulled into the driveway of Cat’s parents’ house, a beautiful old plantation home, she visibly relaxed. When she saw Cat, with her long blonde hair, blue eyes, and long, lean figure, waiting on the wrap-around porch, she started bouncing on the seat. Weird woman, he thought, as she tore out of the car toward Cathy before he’d even put the car into park.
* * *
God, what a creep, Ari thought, watching Josh on the other side of the dinner table. The way he had stared at her in the airport should have been illegal. It had made her blood pressure skyrocket before she’d reminded herself he was her best friend’s fiancé.
Well, to be truthful it wasn’t just his stare that had done it. It was the thick wavy brown hair that had just begged for her to run her fingers through it and the eyes -the same color as her grandma’s prized jade elephant- that did nothing to detract from his tough, sharp jawed face. Even the small scar on the bridge of his nose was sexy. She shivered, remembering how his eyes had clouded with just a hint of desire when they’d looked at her.
Then, remembering, she scowled. He was taken. Not just taken, but taken by her best friend. That louse, she decided. Already fantasizing about other women and he isn’t even married yet. Maybe he didn’t want to be married, she thought.
If he didn’t want to get married, why was he? It’s not like he had to. Even if Cat was pregnant it’s not as if her father would make them have a shotgun wedding. She pursed her lips as she thought about it. Maybe it was a shotgun wedding. This was the South, after all. She tried sneaking a glance at Cat’s stomach, surreptitiously.
Idiot, Ari thought, shaking her head, she wouldn’t be showing yet.
The front door banged open and Connor, the male equivalent of his younger sister, Cat, slammed through.
“Well, really, Connor. Can you make any more noise?” Amelia, Cat’s mother, demanded.
He grinned at her. “Sorry,” he said, his blue eyes scanning the room until he saw Ariel sitting by his father, Colin. His smile got larger and he leapt across the room in three large bounds, picking her up and kissing her soundly.
“There you are, gorgeous. How was your flight?” he said, oblivious to his mother’s shocked stare.
Just fine,” Ari replied, ignoring his demonstration. He’d done the same thing every time he’d seen her, ever since they’d dated five years earlier.
“Connor, sit down this instant and leave Catherine’s guest alone,” Amelia said.
He grinned again and sat in Ari’s chair, pulling her with him and into his lap. His mother scowled at him, but he didn’t release her. “How’s my best girl?”
“Perfect, now that you’re here,” she told him, glancing over at Cat who was grinning at her. Cat was way too used to the openness of their friendship to be concerned. But when Ari looked over at Josh, he was scowling at her.
Wonder what got his nose out of joint, she thought, before turning back to Connor. “So, what was so important that you couldn’t pick me up from the airport?” she asked.
He smiled and whispered in her ear, “What else would keep me away?”
Ari laughed, knowing the only thing that would keep him away would be another woman.
* * *
Josh sat on the front porch enjoying a cold beer. One of those rare moments in his life he usually enjoyed. The hot, muggy air and a cold beer. Listening to the cicadas croon along with the crickets. Even the mosquitoes weren’t a bother tonight. But, not even the calm of the evening could relax him tonight. He wasn’t enjoying the sounds of the cicadas or crickets and, while he appreciated the mosquitoes finding their dinner elsewhere, he really couldn’t have cared less. He was annoyed. And that annoyance held a name, along with its shapely figure. Ariel Sutherland.
His reaction to her was simply male hormones, he told himself. What man wouldn’t want her? Jesus. She had legs up to her ears and her voice had poured through him like warm brandy on a cold night. If that didn’t set a man’s nerves to humming, nothing would.
It wasn’t any of that that was bothering him. No sir, it was how she’d responded to him. Warm and friendly one minute. The ice-queen the next. And it was obvious that she only had a problem with him. Look at the way she’d responded to Con. No ice on her then. Betcha he’s had a piece of her, Josh thought with a scowl.
So, what? It’s not like you’re interested. She’s your fiancée’s best friend. Shit, now how did that happen? He was going to get married. Not for another month, but he didn’t want to be married. Never wanted to be married. He saw his parents’ marriage. Not a marriage, a farce. Not a very funny farce, though. More of a cataclysmic disaster.
Why they still lived in the same house was beyond him. It wasn’t sex that was for sure. As far as he could tell, they hadn’t so much as slept on the same side of the house since he was ten.
And now, he was letting them do what his father’s parents had done to his father. Forcing him to marry someone he didn’t love all for the family name. How pathetic. He should have said no. He should have put his foot down.
But no, his mother and father had ganged up on him and he’d caved.
“Joshua, you are thirty-three years old. It is time you settled down and married. Since you haven’t found someone suitable, we have found someone who is,” his mother, Debra, had told him.
He’d laughed and poured more brandy. “Who do you believe is suitable, Mother?”
“Catherine Kordovan,” she’d said with a smile.
He’d set down his brandy with a snap of glass against wood. “No, she’s one of my closest friends. Practically my sister. I refuse to destroy her life, and our friendship like you and dad did. For some stupid ideological bullshit about bloodlines and heirs.”
His father stood up. “You will marry her or I’ll cut you off. I’ll make sure that every trust fund you have is cut off and if it can’t be, it’ll spring a leak. By the time you hit thirty-five it’ll all be gone. Then how are you going to fund your precious house-flipping business?”
Knowing his father all too well, Josh knew he’d make good on the threat, so he’d agreed to the marriage.And he’d asked Cathy. To his great surprise, she’d agreed. Now they were to be married and he was miserable.
He looked up when he heard laughter and saw Ari and Connor start up the walk from the gardens. He had his arm around her and she was leaning into him, her face lifted to his, and her mind-blowing smile on her luscious lips.
Josh scowled into his drink before he could entertain any thoughts in that direction. Nope, that would cut off his trust fund faster than refusing to get married. She was exactly what his mother termed unsuitable. Gorgeous, but unsuitable. Any woman who looked like a Playboy pin-up had to be, didn’t she?
Connor and Ari glanced over when they walked up to the porch and Connor stopped laughing. “Hey, Josh, why the long face?” he asked.
Josh looked up and over at Ariel pointedly. “No reason.”
Ari laughed, knowing that she was the problem, and kissed Connor’s cheek. Serves him right, she thought. “I’ll see you later, Connor,” she promised, and ignoring Josh completely, flounced into the house with hips swinging.
Connor stared after her, and then sighed and patted his heart. “I love being a man.” He sat down next to Josh.
“Isn’t it hard to make time with her through all that ice?” Josh asked.
“Ice? On Ari? Man, have you got it wrong,” Connor told him, stretching out.
“She was nice enough when I first met her and, Jesus, her looks stab right through you, but the minute we hit the car she iced up.”
“What did you do?” Connor asked, looking at him. “Ari’s the nicest woman I know. Most are vindictive little wenches in pretty gift-wrap. Not our little Ari, though. She’s as sweet as they come.”
Josh snorted. “Yeah, right. I’ll believe that when I see it.”
Connor twisted his body to look at him. “What did you do?” he repeated.
“I didn’t do anything.”
Connor laughed. “You did something. Ari isn’t one to turn ice-bitch for no reason.”
“She asked me if I was Cathy’s fiancé and I said yes. That’s when she went all ice-queen on me.”
“Connor?” Ari’s voice called out from the door. “Your father wants you.”
“Damn. I’d better go,” Connor said jumping up. “It’s probably to discuss the ‘business’ again. I really hate that.”
Josh chuckled and waved his friend away. He heard his footsteps go into the house, then Ariel’s as she walked on to the porch. “May I?” she asked, gesturing to the space beside him. She’d heard what he’d said about her and thought it better to try and be friends, at least until the wedding. Then, she could forget all about him.
When he shrugged, she sat next to him. “It’s beautiful here. I keep forgetting that.”
“So, you’ve been here before?”
“Yes, I used to come with Cat on our school breaks.”
“Didn’t want to go home?” he asked, rudely. When she didn’t respond he looked over and saw sadness on her face.
“No. I didn’t really have a home to go back to. My parents died when I was three. Car accident. My grandmother raised me, but she died right after I graduated high school.”
Insensitive clod, he chided himself. Stepped in that one. Keep that up and she’ll never like you. Not that he cared whether or not she did. “Sorry.”
She turned her face to him and smiled. His breath caught in his throat and he had to turn away so he could breathe again. “It’s okay. I don’t really remember my parents. And it’s been almost ten years since Nana died. It’s just a bittersweet memory now. I miss her though. She was an awesome woman,” she told him.
“Ten years? How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
He spun around to stare at her. “You graduated high school at fifteen?”
She smiled and his heart skipped a beat. “Yeah, I’m a good student. My grandmother pushed me, but not too much. I was the one who decided to go as fast as I did. I preferred it. I wasn’t really good around other people so I studied,” she said, shrugging.
He stared out over the backyard, trying to control the hormones surging through his body. What is with that smile? It should be banned as an illegal substance. “It was good of you to agree to be her maid of honor,” he finally managed.
She frowned. “I guess. I’m not into the whole let’s-go-crazy-and-spend-the-rest-of-our-lives-together, thing. Usually ends up in divorce.”
Boy, did he agree with that. “Or worse,” he muttered.
She looked over at him, her cobalt eyes searching his face. “Or worse,” she agreed.
“Yet, here you are,” he pointed out.
“She’s my best friend. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for her.”
They were silent again, then she blurted out, “Did you knock her up?
