TJ Michaels

Congratulations to the winners of the Christmas Goodies Twitter contest! I put all of the entries into a list randomizer from www.random.org (see results below) and selected the top four as our winners. So winners are:

janastocks – Tempting Adam & Dangerous Grounds by Shelli Stevens
rissatoo – Dragon Witch & Night Huntress by Yasmine Galenorn
Selestial – Happy Hour of the Damned & Road Trip of the Living Dead by Mark Henry
crista_mchugh – Undercover & Relentless by Lauren Dane

E-mail me your mailing address to tj@tjmichaels.com by tomorrow, Thursday, December 17th by 5:00pm. No exceptions.

List Randomizer
There were 54 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. janastocks
2. rissatoo
3. Selestial
4. crista_mchugh
5. Redzxoxo_TinaB
6. cait045
7. blackroze38
8. samk52
9. samk52
10. RKCharron
11. flchen1
12. bbricke
13. Pearl_ROOB
14. iokijo
15. gypsywoman35
16. cait045
17. mcbourque
18. yabookwriter
19. rissatoo
20. dlopez0301
21. lag32583
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23. samk52
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25. AlexandraPreis
26. iokijo
27. NicolePeeler
28. cait045
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31. iokijo
32. rissatoo
33. AlexandraPreis
34. Zombie_Joe
35. Selestial
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37. cait045
38. bbricke
39. bbricke
40. taterbugtx
41. bbricke
42. samk52
43. litehouse27
44. bbricke
45. WickedLPixie
46. mayqueen79
47. rissatoo
48. channon2009
49. gypsywoman35
50. fichen1
51. taterbugtx
52. Msfortier01
53. taterbugtx
54. flchen1
Timestamp: 2009-12-17 01:07:56 UTC

This week’s theme is emotional scenes, whether happy, sad, angry or whatever. I chose a scene from EGYPTIAN VOYAGE where the heroine is scared to death.

Read on and see why…

Be sure to visit all the other fab authors via the links after this excerpt. Enjoy!

EXCERPT from EGYPTIAN VOYAGE
By TJ Michaels, Copyright 2007
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Available in trade paperback or eBook

‘Oh, no, Rahn. Rahn, don’t you dare die, damn it,’ Chrys ordered along the bond with their spirit guides, knowing they would both send her thoughts and feelings along to Rahn the same way they sped his current state to her. He was there, but just barely hanging on to the edge of consciousness. But based on Mahpiya’s slight sighs of relief, it was more than there had been when she’d reached out to him mere moments ago.

Chrys burst through the front door, dropping her shoes and purse in the foyer. A quick stop in the kitchen for the first-aid kit, and she was off again, following Adonei’s specific directions through the apartment. She knew exactly where to find him—on the master bathroom floor, bare-chested in a pool of his own blood. The tile was so slick with it, she almost skidded as she sped over the threshold. Dropping to her knees, the first-aid kit landed next to his too-still body with a loud clank. The gash in his side bled profusely. Afraid to move him, but knowing she must, Chrys called to the spirit guides waiting to aid her.

*Adonei, lend me your strength,* she grunted, trying to roll Rahn over on her own.

The lion’s brute strength rushed into her muscles, filling them with supernatural might, heightening not only her own strength, but all of her senses as well. The scent of Rahn’s blood and freshly showered skin and hair filled her nose and mouth. The sound of his shallow, barely there breathing spilled over her and filled her with an urgency mixed with a strange dose of melancholy.

She pushed it away and focused on the task at hand.

Now able to easily maneuver the dead weight of Rahn’s densely muscled body, Chrys gently rolled him to one side and packed the wound with clean linen to staunch the flow of thick, hot, blood. His lids fluttered, but he didn’t make a sound.

‘Mahpiya, can you nudge him closer to consciousness?’

Chrys knew they had to pull him back to this side of the spiritual plane so he could call Mah. Rahn had to request her help. It was against the spiritual laws for a spirit guide to aid without being asked. They could not impose their will on their charges. But if they didn’t do something fast, Rahn would be lost to them. He’d die.

Leaning forward, speaking directly into his ear, Chrys pleaded for him to call to Mahpiya. To ask for her aid, even if he asked with his mind and not his mouth. Rahn’s eyes opened for a moment.

“Mah. Help. Please.” The words were barely a whisper, but she heard them all the same. The fear that had been riding her released the bands around her heart and allowed it to beat again. Mahpiya’s silent relieved response flooded the bond. Rahn would be all right.

Mahpiya disappeared all together from Chrys’ consciousness and she knew the lioness focused all her healing energies on Rahn. It was hard work mending flesh and replenishing blood, even for a spirit guide. But she’d saved his life once before. Now she would do it again.

But now Chrys was flat-out pissed off. Someone had done this to her mate. Someone had tried to take Rahn away from her.

Grabbing one of the thick bath sheets off the rack, Chrys covered up Rahn’s bloody body and left the bathroom. Not bothering to wipe the blood off her feet or remove her ruined dress, she flew for the nightstand across the huge bedroom. Almost as an afterthought, she spoke to Adonei.

‘Guard the apartment, will ya, boy?’

The moment the words left her lips, Adonei’s hackles rose. A deep menacing growl rumbled in his chest as his stance took on one of attack, gaze fixed on a point behind her. Chrys went still.

Unease snaked its way down her spine, and the nerves along the bottom of her stomach danced in time with Adonei’s growling. But she wasn’t afraid. The strength of her spirit guide still flowed like fire through her entire being. Whatever, whoever it was, bring it on.

She turned, ready to drop into a fighting stance if need be.

“Eden, what the hell are you doing in here?” she demanded. Unsure of his intentions, Chrys instinctively calculated the difference in their body weight and the moves required to take him down fast. He looked slightly crazed, but as soon as the expression appeared, it was gone again.

“Chrysalyn, your dress, what happened? You’re covered with blood.”

Now he appeared genuinely alarmed. Adonei wasn’t buying it, but her man needed help and she didn’t have time to deal with this right now. A faint groan caught her attention. Rahn. Heading toward the phone, she tossed the words over her shoulder in a rush.

“Rahn was attacked. He needs a doctor.”

“Really? Here?” he gasped. “Go to your friend. I’ll get the surgeon and call the local emergency.” And Eden was flipping open his cell phone on the way out the door.

Back in the bathroom, she held Rahn’s hand, stroked his beautiful fingers and ignored her tears as they splashed on the palm clasped gently in her own.

In mere minutes, Eden was back and the apartment became a hive of frenzied, but calm, activity as the ship’s surgeon came in and tried to extract her from Rahn’s side. Captain Laurens hauled her out of the bathroom, explaining how both her and Eden’s fast thinking had saved her mate. Rahn was placed on a stretcher, covered with blankets and gently lifted from the cold tiled floor. All the while, the ship’s doctors, along with the Grecian medics, marveled over the fact he was still alive.

Jaci Burton
Eliza Gayle
Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth
Juliana Stone
Lacey Savage
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Sasha White
Ashley Ladd
Victoria Janssen
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
Lauren Dane
Beth Kery
Leah Braemel

Over at the Raven Happy Hour! Authors, Michelle Pillow and Mandy Roth (aka The Shoe Maven) are hosting a ha-yuge contest this month – The Raven Halloween Hunt! I’m a bit late advertising but here’s the info:

There’s a ridiculous number of prizes. Be sure to join in the fun. Can’t win if you don’t play.

Also, I’ll be blogging regularly over at The Raven along with a slew of awesome authors. I’m up on the 4th Tuesday of each month so be sure to stop by.

This week’s theme is holidays. I just LOVE the fall holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Winter Solstice, New Years. *happy sigh* Be sure to visit all the other fab authors via the links after the excerpts. Enjoy!

Gift Wrap Optional is the story of Melaniece and Michael, two lovers who’d had an opportunity to live happily ever after…until he decided to marry Melaniece’s best friend years ago. Now Michael is back and he’s decided that he is going to be Melaniece’s Christmas present, him…and his fangs.

EXCERPT from GIFT WRAP: OPTIONAL
By TJ Michaels, Copyright 2006
Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Available in trade paperback or eBook

Melaniece Matthews muttered to herself, carefully navigating the icy winding road leading up to the high country.

“Man, what a weird dream. Michael, a vampire?” The same strange dream plagued her at least twice a week for the past six months. They’d started immediately after she’d returned from a short trip home to California. It had been so good to see her friends and family after being away for eight years. And beyond lovely to see Michael Bannon again—the man she’d always loved. And, sigh, the man who’d seen her as just a great friend. Instead of marrying her, he’d hooked up with someone else, a woman named Janna. The end result? Six years of hell on earth for him. And now he haunted her in her sleep.

While Melaniece could admit she’d thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with him after so many years, she sure as hell wasn’t going to admit he’d been on her mind ever since. Her dream crept around the edges of her mind. “What if he is a vampire?” she smirked to herself, a sarcastically evil grin plastered across her lips. “That would explain why he ripped my heart out by marrying Janna. There’d certainly been plenty of blood to go around.”

Peering through the cold, clear windshield, Melaniece grimaced as her thoughts turned to her favorite holiday. Instead of the usual elation about Christmas, she was assailed with a mix of emotions she couldn’t quite nail down. There was the thrill of spending time with her children after a whole year of separation, chased by a longing for intimate companionship so acute she found herself on the verge of tears. Then, right there at the back of her mind was an elusive sense of naughty anticipation. But for what? A good lay? Not likely. She had no prospects and no interest in hunting for any. Michael’s handsome face popped into her head complete with fangs and a roguish grin, just like in her dream. Damn, she could practically feel the gorgeous, redheaded hunk making love with her as his incisors rasped over her skin. Yep, right there on the big sheepskin rug in front of the fireplace. Perfect spot.

“Hah, right!” she laughed with an unmistakable snort and waved the image away. But her breathing quickened in spite of a refusal to acknowledge the fine-assed man with fangs dancing around in her head. Give it a minute and her pulse would return to normal, right? Woo, she needed to turn off the heat. In spite of the freezing cold, the car was hot as hell. After a quick glance down at the console, she rolled her eyes up to the roof of the car. The damned heat wasn’t even turned on!

“Good grief, I’m hopeless,” she quietly grumbled. And it was all her dream man’s fault. Key word—dream. First off, she’d long given up hope in that quarter. Second, there was no such thing as vampires. So Michael was single again. Big deal. They’d had a great time reuniting in California six months ago. Who cared? None of it meant he wanted her now any more than he had eight years before.

With the car packed full of wrapped packages and luggage, Melaniece focused on the upcoming holiday. A glimpse at the pile of boxes in the backseat brought a small smile as she reminded herself this was a season to give generously to those you loved…and those who loved you back. And boy was she prepared to do just that.

Her children had spent the past year in an exchange program teaching English in Japan. It was amazingly expensive to live on the exotic little island. With most of their meager salaries going toward rent, groceries and train fare, the two had gone without some conveniences. When they returned to Minato-ku, a suburb of Tokyo, they’d sure as hell take lots of top-of-the-line goodies with them. Nothing but the best for her kids.

Christmas Day was fast approaching. She looked into the rearview mirror and spoke sharply to the woman reflected in the narrow glass.

“Okay you,” she said to herself. “No more goofy dreams, no more wasting time mooning over someone you can’t have and no more vampire nonsense. It’s Christmas and you’re gonna accept whatever Santa decides to give you. Got it?”

Got it. She popped a classic holiday CD into the player and hummed along with “Santa Baby”. With genuine laughter, Melaniece let Nat King Cole chase away her blues as she headed up the highway to her vacation home to meet her family. Up there among the snow-capped peaks, the long-toothed boogeyman was not allowed, no matter how yummy he looked in her sleep, damn it.

*****

The sun had just dipped below the mountain peaks when Melaniece pulled into the garage. Snow had begun falling in fat, wet flakes and she was relieved to see a big, black SUV covered with a fresh dusting of the white stuff parked on the other side of the wide garage. She slammed her car into park thinking now was a good time to do a funky little happy dance—her children, Denise and Melvin, were already here.

The second she shut off the engine and popped the trunk, an excited and very loud female came hurtling out the door. A blur of what looked like a white sweatshirt covered with red Japanese kanji symbols and a pair of black pants practically tackled her before she’d cleared the car door.

“Hi, Mom!” Denise screeched.

Melaniece’s heart melted and a big grin tipped up the sides of her mouth. Awww, it was so nice to be loved by one’s children.

“Hi, sweet pea! It’s so good to see you. Where’s your brother?” Melaniece asked, trying to peek over her daughter’s shoulder toward the open door leading into the house.

“I’m right here, Mom. How are you?” Melvin asked cheerfully. Long jean-clad legs carried him out to the garage and to Melaniece’s side. Six-feet-two inches of slender muscular male wrapped his arms around both sister and mom, engulfing them in a warm group hug.

Melaniece stepped back and grinned widely at her “babies”. At eighteen and twenty years old, they were mirror images of herself, with the exception of their dwarfing her modest five-feet-four inches. Long, dark locs covered their heads, apple pie cheeks sported dimples and they both flashed perfect, bright smiles. Their cocoa-colored skin and strong physiques were rounded out by stellar personalities. Beautiful and handsome described them to a tee.

Melaniece stepped back and shook her head in disbelief at Melvin. “Boy, are you ever gonna stop growing? I know you’ve grown at least a few good inches since I last saw you. And so good-looking, too! You know you get that from your mama, right?” she quipped. And there it was—the blush only a teasing mom could bring about in a grown son. It bloomed in his cheeks, turning his cocoa-colored skin a shade more reminiscent of a caramel-covered apple!

“And you should see all the girls that chase after him! And once I caught him and the neighbor…” Denise chimed in, ever the older sister.

“Mom!” Melvin implored.

“Okay, enough teasing your brother,” Melaniece chuckled, feeling happier than she had in…well, since her trip home to Michael, er, California. But she wouldn’t dwell on that. Or her goofy dream.

“Help me with my stuff?” Moving toward the already open trunk of her car, she turned to grab whatever was closest at hand and began to fill the arms of both Denise and Melvin with their Christmas gifts.

“Good lord, woman! What is all this?” Melvin asked, feigning a gasp under the weight of a particularly hefty box.

Melaniece didn’t answer, just smiled and handed over package after package until both their arms were loaded. Before she could reach for another one, Melvin said, “Go on in and relax. We’ll bring this stuff in. Dinner is already prepared.”

Melaniece felt her stomach tighten and rumble. Gosh, with all the packing, the long drive up, and preoccupation with her dreams—not to mention the constant low-grade arousal because of them—she’d completely forgotten about breakfast and lunch. Well, her stomach made it clear it was feeling neglected and the loud rumble was heard by all.

An aroma hit her nose the second she stepped over the threshold into the house. Shrimp, tomatoes, garlic…Old Bay Seasoning?

“Wooo! I smell it,” she cried happily. “Cajun food! Oh yeah! Uh-huh!” An awful rendition of the Electric Slide dance carried her on inside. She headed directly to the kitchen, not the least bit offended when her kids’ chuckles followed her. Yep, this was going to be one heck of a Christmas!

*****

With dinner done and dishes cleared, Denise and Melvin decorated the seven-and-a-half-foot real pine Christmas tree they’d picked up in town earlier. An overstuffed Melaniece slid onto the floor in front of the fireplace and watched them at play. Her fingers sank into the thick pile of the sheepskin rug as she lay on her back and moaned with a lopsided smile plastered on her face. Dinner had been fabulous. Denise had made Shrimp Creole with Dirty Rice and Melvin had whipped up a peach cobbler made with homemade butter crust. Oh god, she was so full, all she could do was lie there, soak in the warmth of the fire and hope she didn’t explode. But hell, she’d die fat and happy.

When the doorbell sounded, she didn’t move from her warm spot on the floor. Besides, she had a good idea who it was and secretly wished the cockeyed nosy neighbor would just leave her customary Christmas cookies on the porch and leave.

“Get that, will you Denny?” Melaniece drawled sleepily, eyes half-closed. The soft footfalls of her daughter’s bare feet, the quiet click of the deadbolt and easy swish of the front door opening reached her ears. She waited to hear Denise’s “thank you for the gift, Mrs. Orley”. A few moments passed but the neighbor wasn’t calling out her customary holiday greeting, nor was Denise giving her usual Merry Christmas to whoever was at the door.

She definitely knew something was going on when the little hairs on the back of her neck joined her stomach in an out-of-the-blue spastic butterfly dance. Melaniece cracked open one eye and looked toward the door.

Two large suitcases sat in the middle of her now snow-covered foyer floor and Denise, who was doing a fabulous job of completely ignoring her, thus avoiding her stare of doom, helped a bundled, but familiar-looking, form out of a thick parka.

Melaniece glanced over at her son and froze. If the boy wanted her to believe nothing was out of the ordinary, his ear-splitting grin pretty much gave him away. But whatever it was, he wasn’t telling.

She watched layers of clothing fall away from the person. A jacket, sweater, snow pants and boots had been hiding a wide, solid-looking back, thick muscular thighs and an ass that couldn’t possibly belong to a mere mortal. Successfully swallowing the lump growing in her throat, Melaniece sat up, both mouth and eyes wide. Oh, lord! Had the kids ordered her a stripper? Woo, what a hunk!

The hunk turned to face her and snatched a knit cap off his disheveled head to reveal tastefully cut auburn hair, startling green eyes and sinfully full lips.

“Holy. Shit,” Melaniece whispered.

Michael Bannon walked into her living room, eyeing her like the cat who’d swallowed the canary…or in this case, the partridge in the pear tree.

Enjoy snippets from these awesomely fantabulous authors!

Michelle Pillow
Mandy Roth
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Jaci Burton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Jody Wallace
Ashley Ladd
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro

This week’s snippet is a fight scene, but instead of a physical fight (which is coming up soon, I promise ;D) this is an emotional rout between our hero and heroine of Serati’s Flame. Enjoy! Oh, and don’t forget to visit my fellow Snippet’ers – links are at the bottom of this page.

Serati’s Flame (Vampire Council of Ethics 2)
Copyright 2008, T.J. Michaels
All Rights Reserved, Published by Samhain Publishing

The adrenaline rush Tameth had suppressed while hunting came slamming back into her chest. Only this time it rode the waves of anger rather than pursuit and competed with the raw emotions bombarding her heart. Her head claimed there was no reason to be upset. Even as his Second it was his choice to share information with her or not, especially if Bix had been contacted. But her heart wanted him to confide in her. Share everything. Have a real relationship. His brow was furrowed with genuine confusion, the bond hummed with it. But damn it, she needed to make him understand.

“Uh, guys, would you leave Alaan and me alone for a moment?”

The team rose as a unit, then spread out to strategic spots in the restaurant. If she hadn’t been so pissed, she would have chuckled at Kenoe’s grumbled, “About damned time. I’m overdue for something stronger than this piss water beer.” The white-haired, handsome-as-sin Hatsept Seeker made a beeline for the bar lounge while a burly, surly Collins headed outside to cover the front door.

Even with her intense Seeker’s training and experience, it took considerable effort to rein in her reeling emotions. The cider, once sweet and refreshing, was now bitter on her tongue. Downing it in one gulp, she set the glass carefully and quietly on the tabletop and discreetly let it all hang out. For his ears only, of course. She may have been pissed, but she’d had plenty of practice quietly snapping Serati male heads off.

“Alaan Serati, what the hell were you thinking to keep such important information from me?”

The man had the nerve to raise one of those thick blond eyebrows at her as if she’d gone surfing in the middle of a tsunami.

“Er, share it for what?”

“I can’t believe you asked me that,” she hissed. He couldn’t possibly be that dense. No, no way would any man of hers be such a blockhead. She was his Second and he was supposed to trust her, damn it.

“You’re very good at that,” he said with a smirk.

“Good at what?”

“Keeping your expression calm. You’re pissed as hell, but you look like we’re talking about having Sunday tea.”

“Oh shut up, you…you idiot! I’m your Second, and I can’t believe you didn’t…”

“Key word, Tameth, is Second. For now, I,” he emphasized the word, “am Head Seeker, woman. Not you.”

“I’m sure I’m supposed to care but…”

“And I spoke to Bix about this. So why the hell would I run a totally unsubstantiated lead, with no facts to back it up, by you? And don’t pull the Clan Serati woman crap on me. When on duty, you’re subordinate to me, not the other way around.”

His argument made sense, but who the hell cared? Fuck him and Bix, too. She wanted to be treated as an equal. Not shut out of his and Bix’s little Head Seeker club.

Then he grumbled something about why on earth did he have to be born into the only matriarchic clan on the planet. Now that did it.

“Because!” Okay, now she felt stupid, but pushed it away quickly. Besides, no woman in her right mind would want a relationship with a man who refused to understand how much she needed to be included.

“Look, Tam, when I stand in my office as Head Seeker or Second to Bix, I’m not your mate and I’m not your friend.”

“You’ve got that straight, asshole. As a matter of fact why don’t we just say you’re neither mate nor friend, period.”

“Speaking of periods, are you coming on yours?” he questioned. For a second he looked as if the big light bulb had gone on in that giant blond head of his, and suddenly he had the answer to life. Idiot.

“And I am not PMS’ing. If I were a male Seeker you wouldn’t leave me out. I don’t want you to treat me differently just because I’m a woman or because we had sex.”

“Sex doesn’t have anything to do with it. Look, woman, get it through your head. It’s not personal. It’s. Fucking. Work! And since you’re going to be all ‘female’ about it, tell me which of our team members I shared this information with instead of you.”

Her mouth dropped so wide open she was amazed it didn’t make contact with the table. Damn, he had her there. As far as she knew he’d only shared it with Bix. And that sure as hell didn’t count, considering he had authority over the entire Seeker corps all over the planet.

“All right, Tam, what is this really about?”

Leaning forward, he took her hands and held tight while gently stroking the pulse point just above the center of her palm. Suddenly Tameth felt beyond inadequate. She’d never gotten upset before when Alaan sought council about a mission from Bix instead of her. Hell, nothing out of the ordinary about that. It was normal and had been going on for as long as she’d been a Seeker. But rumor had it that Alaan used to include Sher in everything, including Seeker business he had no permission to share. Yet he’d left her out, and while she was Second on a mission at that. Her gut clenched as the seething fog of anger lifted leaving behind a dull ache in its wake along with a realization she’d never admit to in a million years—a dead woman had her tripping.

Bottom line: She couldn’t compete with a ghost.

Lauren Dane
Leah Braemel
Jaci Burton
Elisabeth Naughton
McKenna Jeffries
Moira Rogers
Taige Crenshaw
Victoria Janssen
Vivian Arend
Juliana Stone
Anya Bast
Lacey Savage
Eliza Gayle

Oh, yes, he is the man we all love to hate – the bad guy. Today’s snippet shows our villain truly enjoying himself. It should really be wrong, right? *evil grin*

After this snippet, scroll down to the link list below to bounce over to several other authors whose bad guys are having a fabulous day!

First, let me start by saying, “Yes, it’s true.” The beginning of this story where the heroine wonders what kind of man sends his wife an e-mail to let her know he’s leaving really happened to me! And after I finished fuming I had the makings of a great story in my head that practically jumped onto the pages. Meet Delaine Jeris, a brilliant undercover operative headed to Charlotte, North Carolina to begin her new life. Her assignment: Bring down a scientist determined to create his own harem. Delaine never thought it would involve find love in an unexpected place with an unlikely person – a competing agent!

Enjoy this excerpt from Delaine and Justin’s tale of suspense, mystery and hot sex!

Love,

TJ

Enjoy this excerpt from: PRIMED TO POUNCE
Copyright © TJ MICHAELS, 2006
All Rights Reserved, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.

“Mr. Baker, I’m so sorry. I followed her to the ladies room on the fourth floor then I lost her. I tried to keep an eye on her, I swear I did.”

Sarah Ann flinched when he pierced her with a malevolent glare. Such a wicked look shouldn’t have been possible from such a handsome man. Blond hair, green eyes, perfect white teeth. And brilliant. She was surprised to realize she didn’t even like him, and hated herself for needing him.

“You know, Sarah Ann,” Baker said, rising and circling around his desk to stand directly in front of her chair, “you’re assigned as the R&D specialist to my project. If you can’t carry out simple tasks then perhaps I should have your boss assign you to someone else.” He almost smiled when she blanched.

“I know I failed, Mr. Baker, but please… I-I’ll do anything. Please, can I have some, Mr. Baker? Just a little?”

“What will you give me? I couldn’t possibly let you have it for failure,” Baker sighed nonchalantly, knowing exactly what he would get for his high-grade pharmaceutical candy.

He smirked when she dropped to her knees and tore frantically at the belt holding up his classic cut wool trousers. In seconds she had his limp cock in her hands and plunged her mouth down over him. He stroked her hair and said, “Perhaps just a little bit. Only good girls get a full dose.”

Sarah Ann removed her mouth from his stiffening cock, her eyes wide with need.

“I can be a good girl, Mr. Baker. I swear I can!”

He thrust a hand roughly into her hair, tightened his fingers at her scalp and snatched her head backward, effectively quieting her too-loud pleas.

He snarled directly into her face, “Prove it.”

She was off her knees in a flash. Baker looked down at her bobbing head and gasped as she stroked him expertly with lips and tongue. Her cheeks hollowed as she took him so far down her throat, he felt his engorged head bump against her tonsils. He kept hold of her hair, driving himself brutally into the back of her throat over and over, until his balls tightened and the tips of his toes start to tingle.

Just the sight of her swollen, wet lips wrapped around his shaft turned him on more than the tongue that stroked his length. Her mouth made him think of another pair of wet, glistening lips he’d much rather slide between. Suddenly he pulled away, ignoring the confusion in her wide eyes as she looked up at him.

Without bothering to tuck himself back into his pants, he strode across the room to a line of several dark pine file cabinets fitted into the wall of the elegantly appointed office. He reached into one of the drawers, opened a small safe hidden in the bottom and retrieved a small brown bottle. From it came half of a single tiny pink tablet,, the remainder, of which he put back into the bottle and secured in the safe. The little pink half-tablet teetered on the edge of his finger. Sarah Ann watched it hungrily as he approached.

“Remove your clothes,” he commanded blandly, not really caring whether she obeyed or not.

Baker watched through hooded eyes as she stood and yanked off her sterile white lab coat and tossed it on the floor. His lips twitched up into a sardonic smile when the chit almost ripped her blouse and the buttons on her pants in her haste. She had a gorgeous body. A bit short for his tastes, but what she lacked in height was made up for with lush, full breasts, a tight hot cunt and a willingness to do any nasty, gutter trash sex act he wanted. And she was a good scientist. Expendable, but good.

When she was completely naked, he gave his next instruction.

“Sit on the desk and spread your legs.”

He stood between her thighs and raised his hand. She automatically opened her mouth and lifted her tongue, sighing as the little piece of tablet was placed underneath. Baker took a step back, dug a small stopwatch and notepad out of his lab coat pocket and marked down the exact second the reaction began. He watched closely as her eyes glazed over slightly. Her breathing deepened, her small hands smoothed up and down her body, finally settling on her sensitive breasts. She squeezed them softly at first then brutally as she threw her head back on a ragged moan. Her fingers tweaked and twisted the hard, elongated nipples until they were swollen and red. She keened pitifully while her legs opened and closed as her clit swelled rapidly, painfully.

Thirty seconds this time. Baker was impressed with the progress he’d made in how quickly the drug began to work. He set the watch down on the dark wood top of his large desk and stepped closer to the writhing feast laid out before him. He was glad he’d had the foresight to cover the desktop with a thin sheet of plastic. It simply wouldn’t do for Sarah Ann’s juices to ruin the fine lacquered finish.

“Sink your fingers into that wet pussy and spread some of your cream over your ass.”

Her limbs trembled uncontrollably as she obeyed, spreading her own dewy liquid over herself. Baker’s eyebrow lifted at the unexpected turn of events—the trembling was new. Somehow, the effect of the drug had escalated. He’d have to look into that.

Sarah Ann shook, whimpered and undulated her hips, begging, ready and willing to have him any way he would take her.

“Please, Mr. Baker!”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” he asked sarcastically, teasing the very tip of his throbbing cock up and down the length of her weeping slit. He didn’t care whether she was ready or not. Neither did Sarah Ann. The drug saw to that.

“Yes, yes I’m ready. Now, please.”

Her pussy leaked so much, her juices ran down around her ass to coat the tiny opening more. He raised her legs over his shoulders and pushed against the tight, slick hole, gasping when the head popped past her sphincter. She ground down hard and tried to impale herself on him, but he pulled back each time so just the tip remained inside. He held her firmly by her hips, dipped his head and sucked one of her breasts with hard, rough strokes of his
tongue until he felt her pussy flutter through the thin barrier between him and her cunt. Just as he bit down on her nipple, he plunged and sunk deep.

She screamed. The pain tore into her, pushed away the haze of the drug for a moment as he ravaged her ass. A part of her brain was thankful he wasn’t all that big, disgusted that she gave herself to such a devious man, let alone spy and risk her career for him. Another part of her, the part affected by the drug she craved, didn’t care about the pain or the consequences. That part only wanted to be pounded by a hard cock until her eyebrows burned.

Baker continued to pump in and out while he observed the mental tug-of-war going on behind Sarah Ann’s eyes. He was pleased when the drug won the argument. A blond brow shot up when Sarah Ann sank her own fingers into her pussy, stuffing her sex as he filled her ass. The extra stimulation of her fingers against his rod triggered his own release. His head fell back on a shallow gasp as he pumped into her once, twice more, and blasted his seed deep.

The drug was more potent than the last lab tests confirmed. The woman had come four times to his one and still begged for more. He pulled out of her with a plop, cleaned himself with a wet sanitary wipe from his desk drawer and tucked himself back into his pants. He tossed a bottle of sterilizing solution and a roll of paper towels onto the desk next to her naked thighs.

“Clean my desk, get dressed and get out,” he called over his shoulder, stopping at the file cabinet again. A strong antibiotic was in order seeing he’d taken Sarah Ann’s backside without a condom. He popped a dose of Zithromax penicillin, locked the cabinet and walked out. He didn’t bother to lock the office door behind him.

Sarah Ann ignored the bottle of sterilizing solution and frantically pulled and rubbed her clit until she exploded against her fingers three more times. When her legs steadied enough to hold her weight, she slid off the desk and cleaned it and herself. Once dressed, she slipped out of his office and practically ran back to her cubicle in the Research department.

The whole episode had taken less than fifteen minutes.

Cynthia Eden
Shelli Stevens
Shelley Munro
Moira Rogers
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Taige Crenshaw
Mandy Roth
McKenna Jeffries
SJ Day

For more awesome snippets by the most talented and popular authors, read mine then scroll down to the bottom for links to the author pages. Enjoy!

EXCERPT from HATSEPT HEAT
Vampire Council of Ethics Book 3
By TJ Michaels, Copyright 2007
Samhain Publishing, All Rights Reserved

“You ready to eat?”

Boy was he ever, but his stomach and his heart didn’t agree on what that meal should be. In truth Kenoe didn’t give a damn about food right now. Shinju looked utterly adorable with a smudge of flour across her cheek, and a few loose curls stuck to the side of her face. The smudges on her borrowed clothes told part of the story of what she’d been up to.

Obviously catching wind of his curiosity, she motioned toward the sumptuous spread on the table and said, “Well, you said your boss sent this jet for you and we’re the first to travel on it, right? So I thought we could christen it, so to speak.”

The image of her spread eagle on top of the large and thankfully bolted down table flashed into his head. Dragging his mind out of the gutter kicking and screaming, he forced himself to sit still while Shinju directed the wait staff to clear the hors-de-oeuvres and bring out the main course. Shinju took a plate up to Randall in the cockpit while Kenoe sat and watched in awe as two impeccably dressed chefs brought the food.

Even over the wonderful smells of the various dishes, he still scented Shinju before she re-entered the room. Rising, he pulled out a chair and dropped a kiss on the top of her head as she settled into it.

“Go ahead. Taste it,” she urged with a big, proud smile on her face.

The woman was a wonder. The first meal she’d ever prepared for him in her neat little kitchen had made his stomach sing. This meal might just make his whole body break into a chorus of “One Singular Sensation.” And hallelujah, none of it was Japanese food!

Instead his plate was piled with seafood lasagna with a sauce so savory and light, the scent alone made his mouth water. The pasta was accompanied by a simple green salad garnished with fresh green peppers and tomatoes, tossed in a sweet ginger vinaigrette. The spices were unique, far from the typical basil and parsley in Italian-style cuisine. No, this was a culinary orgasm going off in his mouth. Simply delicious.

Cynthia Eden
Lauren Dane
McKenna Jeffries
Michelle M Pillow
Moira Rogers
Sylvia Day
TJ Michaels
Taige Crenshaw
Vivian Arend
Victoria Janssen
Marissa Scott
Maura Anderson
Shelley Munro
Jody Wallace
Eliza Gayle
Kelly Maher
Lacey Savage
Mark Henry
Shelli Stevens

I am SO sorry that I was unable to give any notice on this book going to print. It’s an awesome novel and I hope you decide to pick it up.

So…what the hell am I talking about? Egyptian Voyage, a Torrid Tarot novel has hit the print shelves! Yay! Right now you can get it directly from the publisher, but it will also be available from Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other Ingrams distribution partners.

I love passing on a good deal, so when I found this in my e-mail box I thought I’d pass it on. Be sure to grab one of mine while you’re over there!

LETTER FROM ELLORA’S CAVE: “As our you probably already know, we’ve been experiencing problems with our websites for the last few weeks. We really appreciate everyone’s patience as we streamline the system we’ve cobbled together over the last nine years as we grew faster than anyone could have imagined.

When the new site is finally up and running, we swear it will combine print and ebooks and be easy to navigate and will let you buy whatever you want quickly and easily.

Until then, we are giving all customers 10% off every purchase through the end of June. For ebooks, go to www.ellorascave.com, on which all prices are already discounted 10%. For print books, go to www.jasminejade.com and enter this code to get your discount: ECWEB2009

Again, thanks for bearing with us.”

Now, go shoppin’ – Love,

TJ

Woohoo! Brenda Novak’s annual auction for Diabetes research has begun! There are tons of items from the best authors, publishers, editors and agents available. The money from this years auction will be donated to The Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. Just about any and everything, from inexpensive to extravagant. So go bid on something and support this awesome (and certainly worthy) cause.

Oh, by the way, you have the chance to win this from me – Silk (yes, real silk!) napkins with matching chopsticks, a contemporary styled (and usable) tea set and matching wooden bowls.

…everything you need to create a beautiful Japanese place setting. Could be used for a theme party, or just to give your dining area an elegant twist.

So…go bid on something :D To visit the auction, click here – Brenda Novak’s Annual Diabetes Auction