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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Sexy Sunday with a Teaser!

There's nothing sexier than a kiss, am I right?
 

Read on for a UNEDITED teaser from my upcoming novel, Knockout!


Tossing the towel on the counter, Alyson stepped closer and wrapped her arms around Jami’s waist. Grinning up at him, she said, “You are such a good man, Jamison Weston.”
Jami’s answering smile gave her tingles as he held her tight against him. “Let’s keep that little secret between you and me, hmm? I don’t need the guys thinking “The Judge” had grown soft.”
Feeling the growing hardest pressing into her stomach, Alyson rubbed herself against him. “There isn’t a thing about you that is soft.”
A low growl rumbled in Jami’s chest as he took her head in his hands and brought his head down to rest his forehead against hers. His squeezed his eyes shut as though pained. “Did you come up with an answer yet?”
As much as she wanted to say yes, Alyson just couldn’t. If she had sex with him now, she would be giving herself to him completely and eventually, Jami would tear her heart from her chest. Alyson closed her eyes tight in regret and shook her head.
Jami’s chest swelled as he inhaled deeply and let it back out slowly. “Okay,” he breathed. “Then I’ll just have to settle for kissing you.”

Saturday, November 23, 2013

What I'm Thankful For

As the holiday approaches, I see posts everywhere about what people are thankful for, and it got me thinking. What am I thankful for? There are so many things, but today I will start with sharing one.

I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be an author.

I know this probably doesn't sound like much, but to me it really is. I've been writing for years, but I've never really considered myself to be a writer, author, or teller of lies, what have you ;) To be honest, I never really thought I was that good at it, and I certainly never thought I would be successful.

That all changed when I wrote a book entitled That First Kiss and it suddenly took off. Now people know my name, they come to tell me that they enjoyed my work. And I'm like...
Okay, maybe it's not love, but a girl can dream.

It's such a gift to hear those words. They're so simple, but they mean so much to an author. You just don't know. It's affirmation that I am at least somewhat good at what I do, and it gives me incentive to keep doing it.

I am also thankful that this is a paying gig. It didn't used to be, and while some days are better than others, I am thrilled to bits that I can pay my bills and clothe my children and have a little wiggle room to do whatever the hell pleases me from time to time. Being an author has meant seriously changes in my family's life, and all for the better. I really am thankful for that, and I am thankful for all of you!


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Thankful Thursday



There are so many things to be thankful for every moment of every day. Today, I am thankful for the wonderful people I have in my life.

I have great friends, some who also happen to be family, and some who are not. I have a wonderful husband who knows exactly who I am, and supports me every step of the way in everything I do. I have three beautiful children, who, although drive me bonkers, also know how to give really great hugs and provide me with so much joy and pride that sometimes I wonder how I keep it all in.

http://blogdailyherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/you-complete-me.gifEach of these people keep me afloat. They pick me up when I am down, they give me courage to succeed, and they make me laugh even when I don't want to.

Everyone should be so blessed to have these kinds of people in their lives. 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Can you believe it?

It's already been a week since Surrender to Love hit the virtual shelves! Time certainly flies, especially this year. I have been working so hard to get these stories written, I think I breezed straight through summer, and I would have missed fall all together if I hadn't poked my head out of the sand to get some candy on Halloween.

Now Thanksgiving is around the corner! Now that Surrender to Love is available for your reading pleasure, I am hard at work on the next project, Knockout. My hope is to have it finished by the end of the month, although that self-imposed deadline is looking like it may need to be pushed back a bit as time becomes scarcer the closer we get to the holidays.

I also have plans to write another short story installment in the Night Calls Series featuring our favorite couple, Felix and Poppy! My original intention was for it to be a Christmas edition, but as writer's minds are so predictably fickle, I started Knockout and now that has been pushed to Valentine's. My deadlines are all fast approaching, so the name of the game is Focus, Focus, Focus!!

I will be posting sporadically, but I ask that you all be patient with me, since I will be spending most of my time toiling away at getting these projects finished, and I hope you will be there with me when it is time to celebrate :)

Thanks for being your awesome selves!!



Sunday, November 17, 2013

Six Sentence Sunday ~ Surrender to Love by J.C. Valetine


Where were they going? She had no idea, but wherever they ended up, she had a feeling it was going to be an adventure and she wasn’t all together sure how she’d fare at the end of it. 

“Patti?” Jon turned his head to look at her. “Left or right?”  

Blinking away her thoughts, Patti pointed. “Right.” 

*** 





 After finding herself out of luck and out of love, Patricia Jacobs has written off the male species. No one but her father has ever given her the love and devotion she knows she deserves, and she’s sick and tired of it. Until she collides, literally, with a man whose devastating smile and seductive charm that should be considered illegal, destroys her plans. He’s everything she’s ever dreamed of in a man: handsome, intelligent, successful, they share a love of cars and best of all; he looks at her like she’s his light in the dark. What more could a girl ask for?

Jonathon Bradshaw, destroyed by a past that has haunted his every waking moment for the last five years, isn’t looking for a serious relationship, until he meets Patricia. Sweet, saucy and as hot as the summer is long, Jon can’t deny the draw he has toward her. For the first time, he has hope. Determined to shake the ghosts of his past, Jon focuses on forging a future with Patti, but he’s always been a master at standing in his own way.

When Jon’s past refuses to be forgotten, will Patti be able to live with the truth about the man who’s stolen her heart?

Now Available!



Friday, November 15, 2013

Friday Reads

It's Friday, and how better to start a weekend than with a good book?

As you know, Surrender to Love released earlier this week. Yay! Thank you to everyone who has purchased a copy. I hope you enjoy every sexy, sensational, sizzling, seductive second of it! Jon and Patti sure do spice things up in this 3rd edition of the Night Calls Series. Frankly, I'm not sure how much hotter I can make it when the next book comes out without setting fire to your ereaders. A thousand apologies in advance!

Whether or not you have read Jon and Patti's story yet, I want to share the first chapter here with everyone. If you've read it, this is the perfect time to share with me your thoughts. Love it or hate it?? If you haven't read it yet, maybe this will give you a little incentive. Either way, I hope you enjoy it!



*Fair warning: The following chapter includes strong language and sexual activity. If you have a heart condition, asthma, or fall in love/lust easily, this may not be for you.*

 




Chapter 1

“Patti? Shit!” Kyle flew off the bed, scooping up a pair of discarded jeans and stumbling out of the bedroom as he tried to dress himself. “Patti, wait!”
Charging into the living room, Patti scooped up her purse as she blew through the front door. She fumbled for the right key, unable to see clearly through the red haze covering her eyes. “Screw you, Kyle!” she shouted over her shoulder. A couple leaped out of her way as she stormed down the stairs, and cut them off on the sidewalk heading to her car.
            “It’s not what you think!” Kyle called after her, even as he struggled to hoist up his jeans. He jogged up behind her and slammed his hand down on the door of her car, just as she began to open it, forcing it shut.
            “Then what is it?” Patti shouted, rounding on him. She felt the heat of her fury boiling in her blood as she fought with everything she had in her not to slaughter him like the pig he was. “Was that not a woman I just caught you ramming your dick into? Huh?” She shoved him, momentarily satisfied when he stumbled back. It wasn’t an easy feat to manage considering he stood several inches taller than she did and outweighed her by at least sixty pounds. Hell hath no fury, she laughed to herself.
            “Baby, come on,” Kyle said as if he were trying to calm a vicious animal. “You know I love you.” He stepped into her and encircled her waist. “She means nothing to me, baby doll. It was a mistake.”
            Patti silently fumed as Kyle drew her up against his bare chest and kissed the top of her head. She didn’t have to close her eyes to envision Kyle’s bare ass flexing as he pounded into the faceless woman. Every detail was clear as a damn bell. The only thing notable about the woman was the glimpse Patti caught of her long, lean legs wrapped firmly around Kyle’s hips before Patti grabbed the only weapon available to her—a pair of tacky stripper heels—and whipped them as hard as she could at the back of Kyle’s head.
She stayed only long enough to make sure she hit her target before getting the hell out of Dodge. The last thing she expected was to have the lying cheat run after her. Putting in overtime at the office? What an idiot she was.
            Balling her hands into fists at her sides, Patti squeezed her eyes shut as Kyle continued to feed sweet nothings in her ear. Fuck, she could smell the bitch’s perfume on his skin, and it was designer knock-off. Talk about adding insult to injury.
Unable to take it anymore, Patti jolted back. “Don’t touch me,” she snarled. “Don’t you ever put your hands on me again.” She shoved against his chest once more, and he allowed her to set him back a few steps.
            “What the hell is your problem, Patti?” Kyle’s face screwed up in disgust.
            “Is that a serious question? You’re my problem, Kyle. Catching you between another woman’s legs is my problem!”
            “I said it was a mistake! What more do you want from me?” he shouted and held out his arms, his wrists facing the sky. “Do I need to give you a bucket of my blood for you to understand that I didn’t mean it? Shit, I’m sorry!”
            Patti rolled her eyes at his dramatic display. “Oh, please. You love yourself too much to bleed for anyone, much less me. And don’t for one second think I believe that you’re sorry about a damn thing.” She pointed her finger in his face and glared. “You showed your true colors today, buster. You’re lucky I didn’t go Lorena Bobbitt on your ass.”
            Kyle took another step back, eying her warily. “You’re fucking crazy. You don’t threaten a man’s dick, ever.”
            Patti couldn’t hold back her laugh. “There’s not much there to threaten.”
            Kyle glared and threw up his hands. “Whatever, bitch. Consider yourself dumped.”
            When he started to walk away, Patti felt her face heat and her body vibrate. She turned to face his retreating back. “Consider this, Kyle. The next time you find yourself walking across the street, be sure to look both ways. You never know when a tetchy ex-girlfriend might suddenly develop a lead foot.”
            “Fucking crazy,” Kyle shouted back at her, but Patti was already sliding in behind the wheel of her car. Firing up the engine, she revved the motor a few times, the aggressive purr of her ’68 Pontiac GTO drawing attention from a few admiring passersby, and then peeled out into traffic.
            Evil, murderous thoughts flipped through her mind as she took hairpin turns that her more subdued Toyota would never survive. Once she hit the expressway on-ramp, she pressed the pedal to the floorboard, opening the engine up. Some people turned to cigarettes to calm their nerves, some alcohol. Patti’s drug of choice had always been speed—ever since her father towed home the rusted out hunk of metal and set it down in their driveway, declaring it a father-daughter project.
            It took the better half of her formative years, literally putting their blood, sweat, and tears into bringing it back to life, but by her sixteenth birthday they’d finally gotten the clunker up and running. It was a time she looked back on fondly, and after her father passed away a few years later, driving the car had become the only way she could find relief from whatever crap the world tossed her way. When she fitted herself behind that wheel, listening to it roar to life, feeling the powerful engine rumble beneath her, she could almost imagine her father sitting beside her, enjoying the ride, too.
            For old time’s sake, Patti flipped on the radio and popped in her favorite CD. As she coasted toward her exit, the first strains of the piano started and she began to sing her favorite Whitesnake song. She nodded and hummed along as she slowed at the stoplight. When “Here I go Again” reached its hook, her fingers tapped out the drums and her heart beat a tempo that matched the mood set by the music. Not only did she love her 80s hair bands, they were her feel good, heartbreak remedy.
By the time she made it into the office her mood was a little less dark than it had been. She took a moment to serve herself a cup of coffee before settling in behind her desk. She spent the bulk of her morning getting lost in numbers, one of her favorite things to do, and before she knew it, it was time for lunch.
Leaning down, she pulled her sack lunch from the bottom desk drawer and unwrapped the flattened bologna and cheese sandwich. Halfway through her meal, Mr. Peterson cracked the door to his office and leaned his head out.
“Patricia, good. I’m glad you’re still here.” His expression was pinched. “When you’re finished with your lunch, I’d like to see you in my office.”
Patti nodded, sucking bits of cheese and bread from the backs of her teeth. “Sure thing, Mr. Peterson.” It wasn’t unusual for her boss to ask her to his office, but the look on his face made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention.
Rushing through the rest of her sandwich and washing it down with the last of her Diet Coke, Patti balled up her garbage and tossed it in the trash as she crossed the office. Pausing outside the closed door, she inhaled a steeling breath, rapped on the door once, and let herself inside.
Mr. Peterson sat hard at work at his desk, the pen in his hand working feverishly across the stack of papers laid out before him. “Have a seat.” He didn’t bother to look up from his task.
Easing down on the stiff chair, Patti sat almost rigidly upright while she waited for him to begin. Nerves began to settle in and when Mr. Peterson cleared his throat, she jumped.
“Patti,” he started, setting his pen aside and folding his hands in front of him. “You’ve been with Peterson and Wendle for a long time. Your record here has been great, your work phenomenal. I’m not sure you’ve ever even taken a sick day. What I am trying to say is that, we appreciate everything you have done to help the company grow in today’s market.”
A proud smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Mr. Peterson. That means a lot to me.”
Mr. Peterson shifted in his chair, his hands finding the lapels of his blazer and smoothing them down his barreled chest. He cleared his throat. “What I have to tell you is difficult, and I’m afraid there is no easy way to say it, so I’ll be blunt.” He looked up, fixing dark, serious eyes on her. “Patti, we’re letting you go.”
Eyes widening in shock, all Patti could do was look down at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her fingers were turning white. “But you said…” Her brows pulled down. “I don’t understand.”
Mr. Peterson pulled open one of his desk drawers as he spoke. “I know this comes as a shock. However, as the company grows and expands and we search for new ways to streamline its core structure, we find there are certain areas where we could stand to cut back.” He stretched out his arm to her, a crisp white envelope clutched between his thick fingers. “We just don’t need two accountants on the payroll.”
Patti blinked several times before reaching out to accept the envelope. “But Lisa has only been working here for a little over a year,” she said, baffled. “I thought cuts were usually made according to last hired first fired.”
Mr. Peterson grabbed for his pen, rolling it between his fingers. “That’s how some businesses operate, yes, but in this case, it was a matter of who cost the company more. You’ve been with us for five years, Ms. Jacobs. You’ve maxed out your raises, have full health care, work overtime most days, and you don’t take any vacations. The fact of the matter is we just can’t afford you.”
Patti couldn’t believe her ears. They couldn’t afford her? “I thought you said the company was growing?”
“It is,” he stated simply. “But the rules of the game have changed. We’re no longer required to hire in full-time and the benefits we used to give no longer apply.” Standing, Mr. Peterson made his way around the desk. “I understand this may be difficult for you to absorb. If you’d like, you are welcome to take the rest of the day off.”
He held his hand out in a silent plea for her to get moving. Patti rose stiffly to her feet, the envelope in her hand burning her skin like molten lava, and allowed him to lead her to the door. “Do I get to at least finish out the week?” she asked quietly.
“If you’d like,” he agreed.
“Okay.” She nodded solemnly. “I think I’ll head home for the day, though.”
“I think that’s a good idea.”
Mr. Peterson observed from the doorway as Patti cleaned up her desk, shut down the computer, and gathered her purse. He nodded to her as she passed by on her way out.  She couldn’t even muster a smile.


***

“Rise and shine.” Jon leaned over the blonde who pretended to still be asleep and whispered in her ear. “I’ve got fifteen minutes left before I’m late to work. It’s time to get up.” For the life of him, he couldn’t recall her name, but it didn’t matter anyway since she wouldn’t be sticking around much longer.
            “Mmm.” Rolling over, his after party snack from last night’s bar crawl raised her arms over her head and stretched, pushing her bare breasts toward the ceiling. “Can’t I just hang out here until you get back?”
            Jon gave her a placating smile. “It’ll be late when I get back.” Her lips pursed out in disappointment, and Jon just couldn’t stand the idea of sending a woman away unsatisfied. He had to uphold his reputation, after all. Lowering his head, he wrapped his lips around one pert nipple and sucked.
            “Ah, baby, yes!” she shouted dramatically, grasping his head in her hands.
            Tunneling his hand under the duvet, Jon let his questing fingers slip between her legs and into her slick heat. In no time flat, he had her writhing and praising his name to the god above.
            “Call me?” she asked hopefully, as he guided her out the door.
            He glanced at the clock, noting he had five minutes to spare. Why couldn’t women just have sex and leave it at that? It couldn’t just be a man thing, could it? Opening the door for her, he took a moment to pull her up against him, enjoying the feel of her firm breasts crushed against his chest for the last time. Framing her face with his hands, he leaned down and covered her mouth with his. It was a crying shame that he would never see this one again, because the way she sucked on his bottom lip was making him have flashbacks to last night when she had her mouth fitted around his cock.
            He felt himself get hard again and before he dragged her back into the bedroom, he drew back, disengaging himself completely. She looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes and a drunken smile on her face.
            “I have to go,” he told her, pushing her outside and following behind her. After closing the door and locking up, he led her to her car with his hand pressing firmly against the small of her back.
            Before she got in, she turned back to him, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his lips once more. “Call me?” she repeated.
“Maybe,” he said with a playful smile, one that he knew would get him off the hook and get her out of his driveway. Apparently, his answer was good enough for her because she left before she could realize that they’d never exchanged numbers. Oops.
He made it into the office ten minutes overdue, but it didn’t matter anyway since he owned the place. He wasn’t there but a couple of minutes before there came a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Jon barked as he flipped through his stack of mail.
The door cracked open to admit his favorite person in the world: his accountant. “Good morning, Mr. Bradshaw,” Jenna said meekly as she crossed the room and took a seat in front of his desk.
“Morning, Jenna,” Jon said brightly. He tossed his mail down with a slap and settled into his chair, folding his hands over his stomach and swaying side to side. “What brings you by? I trust the accounts are all in order. No sudden crash in the market I should worry about?”
“Oh, no, sir,” she said with a soft smile.
That’s what Jon liked most about Jenna. She was shy and timid, but she could crunch numbers like Shaun T crunched abs. If not for her, he’d be a rich man living in a trailer with an Escort parked outside on the curb, instead of the million-dollar condo with a BMW parked out front. He admitted it. He wasn’t the best with money, but having a team of experts to keep him in line definitely helped.
Jenna proceeded to place several file folders on his desk and he leafed through them mainly for show, since he had absolutely zero interest in whatever was inside. If she said everything was good, he trusted it was good.
“Stocks are up two and a half percent, which more than makes up for the recent rise in overhead costs,” she explained, keeping it short and simple like she knew he preferred. “Our sales rep reported to me this morning that Mr. Larson’s latest project has broken through to the Times Best Sellers, which is already showing promising numbers, but we won’t know how well it’s truly done until the last earnings report comes in at the end of the month. And, I’m leaving.”
Jon was on such a high from all the good news that he almost missed her little bombshell. His hands grasped the armrests and he sat forward, his back ramrod. “Excuse me?” He laughed. “I’m not sure I heard you right. You said you’re leaving?”
Jenna’s expression was full of fear and uncertainty. “Yes, sir,” she said, her voice trembling. “I’m getting married this weekend—”
Jon held his hand up to stop her. “You’re engaged?”
“For two years, sir,” she said, her voice growing stronger.
“Why am I only now hearing about this? I would have gotten you a gift or whatever they do for this kind of thing.” He waved his hand through the air and grabbed for the phone. “I’ll tell Poppy to pick something up for your wedding then.”
“That’s not necessary,” Jenna rushed out. Jon set his phone down gently and stared at her, waiting for her to continue. “I’ve really loved working here with all of you. It’s been a great learning experience. But I am giving you my notice.”
Jon was not pleased. He was actually pretty irritated, but he tried to keep his emotions under wraps so he wouldn’t scare the poor thing. Already she looked like she might faint from the stress. “Why not take a few weeks off,” he suggested. “Get married, enjoy your honeymoon, and when things settle down, come back. Why quit? You said it yourself, you love working here.”
“I do. I did.” Jenna sighed, as her head dropped down so only the rim of her sophisticated glasses were visible through the curtain of golden brown hair. “Tim is old school, you know? His parents raised him to believe that the wife should stay home with the kids, while he works to take care of them.”
Jon didn’t like the sound of this, and he let her know it.  “This is the twenty-first century, Jenna. Women work to help contribute to the household, too. Why go through years of school and training to get where you are today only to give it all up?”
            The thin line of her lips and downcast eyes let him know he was getting to her, but whether it was a good or bad thing, he couldn’t be certain. “I appreciate your concern, Mr. Bradshaw, but I’m getting married and I respect my husband’s wishes. I’m sorry you find that difficult to understand, but it is what it is.”
            Jon watched her silently for a moment longer, meeting her eyes dead on. No, he didn’t understand it, nor did he ever want to. He was raised in a home where his mother and father both held jobs and pursued their dreams outside of the house and family, with the notion that a person needed to fulfill themselves before they could be truly fulfilled in life. He had never been able to grasp the nineteen fifties housewife ideal.
            “So that’s it? You’re leaving me?”
            “Yes, sir.”
            With a resigned sigh, Jon stood up and extended his hand. “Well then, Ms. Houseman, congratulations on your marriage and good luck.”
            “Thank you.”
            He walked her to the door, pausing just inside of it. “If you ever need anything, just call.”
            Jenna nodded. “Okay.”
            “And I trust you can cut your own severance check without robbing me blind?”
            “That’s a pretty tall order, but I’ll try.” She smirked.
            “Good, and make it double. I don’t want people thinking they’re working for a scrooge.” He closed the door on her shocked face and plopped back down behind his desk. It sucked royal ass that Jenna was leaving. He was just boasting to his parents the other night about how well things were going for him and how much he had planned for the company’s future. Now, he was out an accountant, and a damn fine one at that. If he didn’t get another one soon, he’d be closer to living in that trailer than he’d ever imagined.

           
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