Every passion has its price . . .
Journalist Sophie Ryder has been following Emery Lockwood’s story since she was a little girl. There has always been something in his haunted eyes that she couldn’t resist and now, when she’s certain he holds the key to solving a string of kidnappings, she’ll do anything to speak to him. Even if it means venturing deep into the seductive world of the Gilded Cuff, a luxurious BDSM club on Long Island’s Gold Coast and Emery’s personal playground.
From the moment Sophie enters his shadowy, sensual domain, Emery Lockwood knows this tantalizing new little sub was meant to belong to him. However, Sophie wants more from Emery than just pleasure . . . she wants his past. And that is something he isn’t willing to give—no matter who is asking. But every moment he spends with Sophie, Emery feels his control slipping and he knows it’s only a matter of time before he surrenders to her heart, body, and soul.
Excerpt . . .
“D-do for you?” Sophie stuttered. That was becoming an irritating habit she needed to fix. The man had the ability to tie her in knots when he got her thinking of other things besides her job.
“I’m a dom, darling. Your needs should involve me, and your thoughts should be about what I need and want. If I am nice and give you what you need, you must give me something in return. And no… I’m not talking about money or anything so trivial as that. My story, as you call it, is worth something beyond money. I will need something just as important from you in return.”
She hesitated. What could she give him? She had nothing to offer. Nothing but…herself. She could give herself to him. A scolding voice in her head warned her that it would be a devil’s bargain. But she silenced the voice. Damn the consequences; her body wanted him. Never had she crossed a line before, never had she wanted to. She was tired of being the good girl, tired of playing it safe. The hint of danger and the thrill of dark passion in Emery’s eyes was an escape, one she needed more than her next breath.
“I’ll give you anything. Name it and it’s yours. I came here knowing what to expect.” She threw a glance around the room, eyes touching briefly on the spanking bench before settling back on him.
He chuckled and brushed the pad of one thumb over her lips. “That’s a dangerous offer.” His hand dropped to her neck, his fingers curling around her throat, the touch a warning, but he didn’t hurt her.
“What if I demand you strip completely and I tie you to a St. Andrews cross and fuck you senseless? Or if I require you to walk through the main room and accept any intimate touch another dom wishes to give you? Would you agree to that? There are a thousand things I could ask of you that would not just push your limits but break them. You were spooked at the sight of one little bench, and that tells me everything I need to know. You may have studied domination and submission, but you haven’t lived it. The importance of this particular lifestyle is that one must always be safe, sane and consensual. Your offer shows no consideration for any of those, and half the doms outside would do things you might not consent to. You have natural submissive tendencies. It’s clear from the way you responded to my commands, but we aren’t in a vanilla sex world, Sophie. While this life demands trust, it is a dark world, full of fire, passion, loss of control. Are you truly ready for that?” The bite to his tone made her arousal sharp; her womb clenched in eagerness, even as she felt a cold sweat dew on her body as trepidation set in.
Sophie breathed deeply. He’d warned her, hadn’t just accepted her blanket offer. Trust. Even as scary as what he’d mentioned sounded, she also longed for a taste of that forbidden passion. She was hungry for it. But she needed to trust him in return.
Author interview . . .
a. Sensual, edgy, passionate, emotional, lyrical
2. Do your leading men come from any place in particular? Dreams? Movie stars? Your partner? Past partners?
a. Dreams, definitely dreams and the occasional movie star. I always seem to start off a new book from a dream I’ve had, usually of a very powerful scene.
3. What do you do in your down time?
a. I love to watch movies, eat out with friends, take my dog on a walk.
4. When you walk into a book store, where do you head first?
a. Bargain books, then the romance section, then the science section, then the fiction section.
5. Why did you decide to write romance novels?
a. I had never read a real romance novel before 2009 and yet when I was writing my “epic sci-fi/fantasy” stories in college, they always had strong love stories as part of the tales. When I went to law school I met a few other writers and they immediately told me I should be writing official romance, so I read some books realized I LOVED romance novels and the rest is history!
6. Who, if anyone, has influenced your writing?
a. Several key authors: Christina Dodd, Johann Lindsey, Lisa Kleypas, Kate Morton, Victoria Holt and Mary Stewart.
7. What research did you have to perform to back up your story? Any research which really opened your eyes or gave you new respect for a topic or profession?
a. When writing The Gilded Cuff and the rest of the Surrender series I delved into the history of Long Island’s Gold Coast and the beautiful Great Gatsby era mansions that have for the most part been destroyed since the 1920s. There are so many stories and wild tales and beauty connected to these homes, even the ones still standing. I particularly researched the Old Westbury Gardens as the setting for my hero Emery Lockwood’s home. Much of the architecture and interior of the house has inspirational pulls from the Old Westbury. I wanted to capture that Gatsby roaring 20s opulence and extravagance in a modern day setting for my group of bad boy heroes in the series.
8. What is your method for writing a book? A certain amount of hours every day? A certain routine? Are you character/story builder or an outliner or some other method?
a. I try to write at least an hour a day, or edit 2-3 hours a day on a book. I am usually writing one book and editing another. Since I work full time as an attorney, I don’t have much of a routine, except to somehow make it happen, usually between 5-10pm each night I try to get 3 hours of productive writing work done. I’m very much a character/story builder with usually only a vague outline in my head. The characters often don’t have that much trouble convincing me where the story is going to go.
9. How do you get past writers block or distractions like Facebook?
a. Usually when I’m writing, I’m not near a computer. I write everything by long hand in a five subject Five start notebook. I like the feel of the crisp pages and the special brand of Caliber pens I use. It’s easy to write when not around my computer. Writer’s block usually only comes when I’ve been writing on a story for a long period of time and my mind wants to jump on something new. I usually go questing for new mood music that will inspire great scenes to get me to finish the book.
10. Favorite book from childhood.
a. Redwall by Brian Jacques
11. What’s on your desk? Can you see your desk? Describe what you see when you look around.
a. I’ll describe my desk at home (my work desk is currently covered in legal files and therefore not that interesting). My writing desk at home is covered with research materials on: London’s Underworld, Guides to Paleontology and Archeology, Edwardian England, a fossilized dinosaur claw, an Egyptian replica dagger, and a tiny miniature portrait brooch hand-painted in Russia of a woman with a gossamer thin veil around her head.
12. What's the weirdest thing you've Googled?
a. The effects of gunshot wounds. Purely for research I swear!
13. What is your favorite line from any of your books?
a. “A love like that…A love like ours cannot die.” From my modern gothic paranormal romance called The Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall.
14. Do you believe in love at first sight?
a. Yes.
15. What do you do when you are not writing?
a. I love to watch movies, and catch up on tv shows. I love storylines in tv shows. I also love taking my super energetic black schnauzer Fritz for walks or runs when the weather is nice.
Giveaway . . .
About the Author . . .
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