Monday Minute Fiction: Lost…and Loving It

Monday Minute Fiction

"Lost…and Loving It"

All rights belong to Ashley Ladd.

This story cannot be reproduced without written permission of the author.

*This story contains explict male-male sex.

Travis Moore chuckled at how low he had fallen. He had nothing to do on a Saturday night except laze around his apartment and watch DVDs. There wasn’t even anything decent on TV except. It was raining so using the pool was out and he’d already worked out at the apartment’s gym.

So he grabbed his laundry and decided to get it done while everybody else was out having a good time. At least he could get in and out quickly. He didn’t even bother to throw on a shirt before he traipsed down the hall with his basket.

He bet that two-timing Rory was whoring it up tonight with every drunken Joe he could find. One man wasn’t enough for the jerk. He wanted everyone who had a hard-on. Just once Travis wished he could be so uninhibited he could be in an orgy or do it with more than one man in a night. But he’d always been the solid, one-man-at-a-time kind of guy. He was a homebody who liked to cuddle up with his lover, keep him to himself. His heart couldn’t stand another rejection yet. So here he was, all alone in the Laundromat.

He opened the door to throw in his laundry and he heard strange rumblings.

“Earthquake,” he mumbled and tried to steady himself for when the floor started shaking. The crazy things had been tearing apart the world lately. “It’s the end of days so I should find me a man, too,” he said under his breath. When he died, he wanted to be in a pair of strong arms who belonged to a kindred heart.

The roaring grew louder and wind whipped around him. “Tornado! Shit!” He dove under the table but the cyclone caught his feet and dragged him back. It sucked him into the air then pulled him into the machine with his clothes.

His fingers scrabbled for purchase on the door, the lip of the machine, anything, but he was sucked into the vacuum. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t exhale. His blood rushed to his feet and he couldn’t piece together a coherent thought.

Then he was dropped to the ground and the wind stopped as suddenly as it had begun. He held his aching head and opened his eyes.

He blinked. Then he blinked again. His eyes widened.

This wasn’t the laundry room. And it wasn’t the remains of a building torn to shreds by an angry storm.

Was it heaven? Hell? The Land of Oz?

He held his head and closed his eyes again. He counted to ten demanding his nightmare to go away. But when he opened his eyes he still saw the odd surroundings. Palatial columns rose to a gilded ceiling. Wispy sheets hanging from the ceiling wafted in the slight breeze coming in from a large open doorway. Marble floors felt cool and glassy beneath his hands. Soft, harp-like music drifted around him. Everything was white on white with tints of gold. Could it be heaven? It sure didn’t look like hell.

He lifted his hand and wiggled his fingers in front of his eyes. Then he circled his ankle in the air. After that he pushed himself to his feet and stretched his sore limbs. He marveled that he wasn’t black and blue from the rough treatment. But that was secondary to the mystery of where he was.

The door opened and the most beautiful man he’d ever seen glided in. He was naked except for wide gold bangles around his wrists and ankles, and a gold Egyptian-like necklace around his neck.

Travis’s mouth watered and his cock grew heavy in his shorts. When the other man’s cock grew long and thick before his eyes, Travis blinked again. “Where am I? Why am I here? Who are you?”

He winced at how trite he sounded, but the questions were honest ones.

The other man swaggered to him and circled him, looking him up and down. Then he sidled close and stroked Travis’s cock through the thick denim. “I am Ammon, Sheikh of Annuki. And you are the newest member of my harem.”

Travis’s mouth went dry and he wished he was as naked as the other man. He croaked, “Harem?” He shook his head. He’d never heard of a gay harem.

“This must be a mistake. I’m a man. I can’t…”

“No mistake. I have hundreds of the most beautiful men from all over the world, from throughout time. And you are my newest acquisition.” The god-like man blazed gold in the streaming light through the doorway as the sun climbed in the cloudless sky.

“Acquisition? Newest member of your harem?” Travis knew he must be dreaming but if he got to taste that cock, to feel the man’s magical hands on his bare flesh, he didn’t want to wake up. “Am I your prisoner?”

“Henceforth, you are mine. And you will never want to leave. When I am not partaking of your beauty and your pleasure you will be free to love the other members of my harem. No one has ever wished to leave. I doubt you will be the first.”

Tsk-tsking, Ammon slipped the button of Travis’s pants out of his hole then unzipped them. “It’s not fair that you can see me in all my glory and I can’t see you.”

Travis wasn’t sure what to do. He yearned to shed his pants and his inhibitions and have wild sex with the handsome stranger. But he didn’t belong here. He didn’t want to be a kept man. He had a life…

Ammon pressed his lips to Travis’s neck and trailed hot kisses across his shoulder blade. Then he pushed Travis’s pants down his legs.

Mesmerized by the Sheikh’s soft lips trailing down his body and his masterful hands on his legs, Travis trembled and gave into the pleasure. When Ammon’s lips kissed his cock, Travis’s knees buckled.

Ammon took off the rest of Travis’s clothing leaving him naked. Then he swept Travis into his arms and deposited him on the extra large bed. He kissed his way up Travis’s legs, to his cock where he languished. “Um, you taste wonderful. I could get lost in you.”

Travis was already lost…and loving it. This was a fantasy come true and he didn’t want to wake up. He lifted his hips off the bed and pushed his cock deeper into his lover’s mouth.

Ammon cherished Travis’s cock for several moments, moaning in chorus with Travis. When he left Travis’s cock, Travis growled his protest. But when Ammon flipped him over and plunged his cock inside, Travis forgave him. At this moment, he never wanted to leave. He felt that he was where he belonged.

Expertly, Ammon drove in and out, bringing Travis to the brink of ecstasy, backing off, then restoking Travis’s fire higher and hotter. Finally, Travis came long and hard in Ammon’s arms.

“I have a treat for my new favorite man,” Ammon whispered against Travis’s ear as he pulled out of him and took him in his arms.

“What is that?” Travis would be happy if he never had another surprise in his life. He’d never felt so fulfilled, so blissful.

Ammon authoritatively clapped his hands high in the air. “Join us!”

The gilded doors flew open and several buff, naked men flooded in. Their cocks were long, thick and heavy. They glistened with cum. They were all colors of the rainbow, all exemplary of their races. And all crawled onto the bed and began to kiss and caress Travis.

Ammon moved back and held his hands wide. “Enjoy!”


Previous Monday Minute Fiction:

Incognito
Soul Mates
Tease
Holding Up The Contract
more MMF by Brynn Paulin




Recent posts you might like to read:

Bookville - New Chat Forum

Author Interview: Marcia James

Author Interview: Elaine Hopper

Weathering A Bad Review

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Dedicating Books
You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Saturday Snippets: Eerie/Scary Excerpts

Today's Saturday Snippets feature eerie and scary excerpts.

I love ghost stories. When I was a kid, we used to have sleep outs on my porch. It was only enclosed by mesh and it overlooked several acres of very dark, very eerie woods. My friend L convinced us she was a witch and could cast spells and summon evil spirits. Since she was 6 and we were younger, we believed every  word she said. I think we enjoyed being scared silly. Every time after she told her spooky stories, we ended up down in my basement behind concrete walls and locked doors. LOL

And I grew up to be the writer. Life is strange. Of course, I always looked up to L and wanted to be like her.

"Crazy In Love" was inspired by my family's genealogy. A cousin found medical records for our great grandfather that changed every conception my family had had about him. That record also inspired me to start keeping a journal again so that my future generations will get to know me before we meet in the ever after.

Blurb - Crazy In Love

The ghost of Kacey's crazy great-grandfather threatens her life but just might save her marriage.


When the ghost of Kacey's crazy great-grandfather mistakes her for her great-grandmother, he threatens to kill her for cheating on him. Meanwhile her husband, Heath, finds out she believes he's fallen out of love with her and he sets out to show her just how much he loves her. However, he fears she's crazy as she claims to see homicidal ghosts.

Although Kacey longs to save her marriage, she doesn't know if she can stay with a man who doesn't believe her and thinks she's insane.



Excerpt - Crazy In Love

Obsessed with Emma and August, Kacey dragged out their pictures after Heath was safely at work. This time, to her surprise, there were pictures of her in the old matted frame.


“Impossible,” she murmured. Sure she hadn’t mixed any recent photos in with the ancestors’, she turned it over. Oddly, her aunt’s handwriting listed her name, year the picture had been taken, and her date of birth. They were yellowed and the edges curled although not as much as the photographs a hundred years older.

When she turned it back to the picture side, however, Emma’s face, in her old-fashioned clothing and hairstyle stared back as if begging for her help. The picture vibrated in her hand then seemed to smoulder as her eyes widened in disbelief before she dropped it.

Jasper, another one of her cats, pounced on her lap. Frightened, she gasped and jumped up, screaming. The cat screeched and dug his nails into her then streaked out of the room, his ears flattened against his head.

“For mercy’s sake,” Kacey murmured seconds later as she gathered her wits and held her now sore arm where Jasper had left his mark. “You’re imagining things. There are no such things as ghosts. August and Emma aren’t haunting you.”

Despite chastising herself, she didn’t feel much better. Tsking at the mess she’d made and her poor handling of the antique photos, she gathered them together. To prove to herself everything was okay, she forced herself to look at each one again.

When she opened the photo album, August floated out of his picture, scowling and snarling. He pointed a gun at her heart, his hand shaking, his eyes red and rheumy. “I caught you red-handed with that bastard, his naked pecker shoved up your whoring ass. Your soul’s damned to hell, but I won’t have you destroying our young ones with your whoring ways.”

To her horror, he cocked the pistol, and the sound reverberated deafeningly in her ears.

Mindless with fright, she fled the house and ran to her friend, Trenea, who lived two doors down. When Trenea answered, the entire story spilled out through a haze of tears. Tripping over her tongue, Kacey confided not only about August’s ghost and the threats, but about her fears that her own marriage was in jeopardy. She also divulged her biggest fear—that she herself was as crazy as August had been purported to be.

"Crazy In Love" is available at Total-E-Bound.com

Don't miss more eerie and scary excerpts today from the other fab authors in our group. Their excerpts are posted for your reading enjoyment.



Emma Petersen
Jody Wallace
Mari Carr
Ashley Ladd
TJ Michaels

Recent posts you might like to read:

Bookville - New Chat Forum

Author Interview: Marcia James

Author Interview: Elaine Hopper

Weathering A Bad Review

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

Incognito: free short story

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Saturday Snippets: Pets

Today's Saturday Snippets features one of my favorite subjects: pets.

My life wouldn't be complete without them and usually my hero's or heroine's wouldn't be, either. When I woke up this morning, two of my cats and one of my dogs were right there. I got such a warm fuzzy feeling just looking at them. Sometimes, like that night, I just had to snuggle with one of them.

One thing I haven't done, however, is dress up my pets like the hero in today's featured story: "Doggy Style". Unless you consider putting reindeer antlers on my husky.

Sandy not only likes to dress up his dog Spike in Superman costumes and biker leather, but he owns a shop full of pet clothing so that other people can dress up their dogs and cats, too.

Book three in the Bats and Balls series.

Blurb: Doggy Style

Devon Barrett hates his baseball team's new name, but the sponsor is the yummiest man he's ever met.

Devon can't stand the baseball team's new name but he falls for Sandy, the yummy new sponsor anyway. But his career as a nurse is on trial, everything's upside down, and it's not a good time to bring someone new into his life.

Against his better judgment he lets Sandy in just to find out he's the last person who is able to support him in his time of desperate need.

Excerpt From: Doggy Style

Devon Barrett stared at the new team uniforms in disbelief and was loathe to wear them. He barred his teeth and growled back at the logo—a mean bulldog wearing a biker’s leather jacket and cap. Worse, he cringed at the name beneath the photo, Doggy Style. Only when he squinted could he read the fine print, High fashion for your pooch.

He balled the kelly-green jersey in his hands and marched up to Clay, the team manager. He shook the shirt like a rag in the man’s face. “What the meaning of this? I’ll be damned if I wear this one.”

Clay stroked his handlebar moustache and took the shirt. He held it out and shrugged. “It was either this or a picture of a poodle wearing a tutu. I figured you guys would prefer this one. But then again, the way some of you bozos flit around the field…” Pirouetting, he did an imitation of a ballerina.

Devon closed his eyes and tried to wipe out the terrible image he was afraid would haunt him the rest of his baseball career. “Why do we have to have either? Why not something more dignified?”

Clay screwed up his face and squinted at the Florida sun, still a scorcher in the early summer evening. “That’s what the new sponsor wanted. It was this or no sponsor. No sponsor and we gotta come up with more moola out of our own pockets. I figured you guys would want to squeeze a buck during these tough times. Live with it.”

Being on administrative leave while the hospital review board decided whether or not he’d be reinstated to his job as a nurse, Devon couldn’t afford to waste a penny. He’d been wrongfully accused of being negligent and letting a little boy die. His savings wouldn’t last long with groceries skyrocketing. Still, he shook his head in disbelief that a better sponsor couldn’t be found. “They must really be scraping the bottom of the barrel for sponsors.”

A stranger butted in and stuck out his hand to Devon. “Hi. I’m the bottom of the barrel, your new sponsor…and team mate, Sandy Falco.”

When the new sponsor closed his fingers around Devon’s, lightning struck and an electric shock coursed through him. He did a double-take at the best-looking man he’d seen in years, a cross between Rob Lowe and Robert Downey, Jr. only better. Woof!

Hoping the cutie couldn’t hear his heart pounding like a bongo drum, hoping he hadn’t made an utter fool of himself, Devon shook the new guy’s hand. “Sorry about that. The new team name threw me for a loop. I’m Devon Barrett, aka the third baseman.”

The dreamboat let his hand linger longer than necessary and let his long, sooty lashes sweep up to reveal beautiful, sensual, ocean-blue eyes that set off his blue-black hair to perfection.

Mr. Gorgeous, aka the new sponsor, cracked a to-die-for smile showing off a dazzling smile. “No harm, no foul. I find the name gets people laughing and asking questions. It’s good for business.”

Clay threw Devon’s jersey in his face and snorted. “My business should be so good. He’s buying matching cleats and ball bags for the team, too.”

The shirt smacked Devon in the face before he caught it. Screwing up his face, he muttered, “Thanks.”

Sandy turned a comely pink and shrugged. His movements made the bulldog on his chest snarl with his big ugly teeth. “Advertising and goodwill are the way to go. Good for business, you know.”

Devon nodded but wondered how a business that sold dog costumes and provided doggy services could be so good. It was a lot cheaper to bathe his dogs, and no way would he torture Lucy and

Ethel by tying ribbons around their ears much less doll them up in weird outfits—not even for Halloween. He suspected his babies profusely thanked him for that. Still, he wouldn’t turn down new equipment if the guy insisted on splurging. His old cleats were falling apart so badly they hurt his feet. “Well, thanks.”

"Doggy Style" is available at Total-E-Bound

For your reading enjoyment please visit two more authors who have posted their pet excerpts.
Emma Petersen
Lauren Dane

Recent posts you might like to read:

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Monday Minute Fiction: Soul Mates

Soul Mates

Monday Minute Fiction

March 29, 2010

This is a work of fiction. All rights belong to Ashley Ladd.

This story may not be reproduced without the written consent of the author, Ashley Ladd.

If you are under 18, please do not read further. This is a transgender romance.

Darren McDavid finished off his third beer as he waited at the bar for his best buddy from his Air Force days, Joe Spangler. Back in the nineties they'd raised so much hell in Japan and Korea they'd been kicked out of the Far East.

He'd had a thing for Joe but had been afraid to show his true self, both because he was scared his friend would reject him and also because the military would have kicked him out if they'd known he was bi.

They hadn't seen each other in at least ten years but they'd been emailing. Joe had emailed that he'd be in Darren's neck of the woods so they'd planned to meet here tonight. He'd But it was getting late and the guy wasn't answering his phone so Darren was about to leave. His idea of a good time wasn't hanging around a smoky bar alone, being stood up by someone so important to him.

Then a svelt woman claimed the chair next to him. She sent a flirty smile at the bartender and tilted her head, sending a cascade of silky bronzed hair over her shoulder. "I'll have a Guinness."

Interested against his will, Darren let his gaze slide over the woman who looked to be his age and shared his taste in beer. She was tall and big boned for a woman but had a slim waist and tons of curves. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a bust. He whipped out a couple crisp bills and thrust them at the bartender. "The lady's drink is on me."

The woman's smile widened and she clinked her beer to his. She looked around him then up at him. "Thanks. Are you here alone?"

Darren twisted in his chair and scanned the dim room. "Looks like I've been stood up so yeah."

The woman twisted the gold hoop in her ear as she pouted. "Bummer. Who are you waiting for?"

He put his beer down and squared off against her. "An old buddy."

She sent him a coy look. "Not a woman friend?"

Darren chuckled and shook his head. Why did people assume he'd be waiting for a woman? "There's been no one special in a long time."

The woman sidled closer and her knee brushed his and her skirt swooshed back revealing a length of sexy thigh. "That's hard to believe about such a handsome man."

At least the night wouldn't be a total bust that Joe hadn't shown up. "And what about you? Do you have a special someone?"

The woman took another swig of her beer then licked her lips. "Just someone I've had a long time crush on."

His heart fell and he twisted back to the counter. So it wasn't his night. Damn! "Oh."

She touched his arm. "You, Darren McDavid."

Surprise flooded him and his groin tightened. He turned back to her and studied her closer. She looked slightly familiar but he couldn't place her. He inventoried her expressive sky blue eyes, her heart-shaped face, and the slight tilt on the tip of her nose.

Sky blue eyes...

Joe had the same shade of bright blue eyes, eyes the women had loved. Was she related to his friend? Had Joe sent his sister to tell him he couldn't make it? Or to set them up? "What's your name?"

"Jo." She held out her hand in greeting.

"Jo as in Jo Ann or Jo Ellen?" He folded her hand in his and was surprised it was larger than he would have imagined for a woman. He turned it over and examined it from the jeweled nails to the long fingers.

"Just Jo."

Even the voice had a familiar ring. He squinted to see better. "Do we know each other? By any chance are you related to Joe Spangler?"

Jo turned her hand in his and squeezed his. "Darren, I am Jo Spangler. The person you came to meet."

Darren's heart stopped. His jaw dropped. He blinked. "Impossible. My friend Joe's a guy."

"I was born Joseph William Spangler, but I was always Josephine inside." Jo rubbed his knuckles hypnotically with her thumb.

Shocked, Darren stared unabashed. "But you're so-so feminine, so beautiful. Joe was so macho." Upon closer inspection he noted wide shoulders and an Adam's apple.

"I was hiding my true self. I was hiding my attraction to you. But I wasn't hiding our friendship or who I was otherwise. Can we still be friends?"

Hell! His body wanted to be way more than friends even as his mind was reeling. Was this really so weird? He'd gotten it on with guys a few times and enjoyed it. He'd been attracted to Joe as a man but hadn't made a move as Joe had seemed so macho and the military had been so down on gays and bi-sexuals.

Dizzy, he asked, "Why didn't you warn me?"

"I wanted to see if you'd recognize me. If you'd accept me as a woman. Do you?"

"Are you really a woman?" Darren's gaze lowered to the juncture between Jo's thighs. Just because he couldn't see a bulge didn't mean it wasn't there.

Jo's grin kinked. "Absolutely, inside and out now. And this woman's in love with you. Does that shock you?"

Darren stood and pulled Jo into his arms. He cradled her against his heart and lowered his lips to capture hers.

Jo put her hand to his lips. "Does it?"

Darren murmured, "Does it feel like I'm shocked? Would it shock you to know I wanted you when you were a man?"

Her eyes widened. Then joy flooded them. "Really? But you liked women. Remember those working girls we chased in Korea?"

Darren pulled her hips against his, couldn't wait to get much closer. "I like men and women, but I liked you best."

Jo let her fingers flutter to his chest, removing the barrier to her lips. "So my sex doesn't matter?"

Love flowed through Darren and he felt free for the first time in years. He couldn't wait to take her home and get her in private. "I love you. We're soul mates."

She stood on tippy toe and pressed her breasts to him. Against his lips she huskily murmured, "Let's get out of here. I want you. Now."

"And I want you now and forever."

To read more new Monday Minute Fiction free stories posted today, visit:

Just A Kiss - Brynn Paulin

For Life - by Simone Anderson

Also, be sure to visit every Monday for a new free short story here.

Recent posts you might like to read:

Weathering A Bad Review

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Naked Ambition by Ashley Ladd

Naked Ambition
by Ashley Ladd

An MF erotic contemporary romance

Available at Total-e-Bound.com

Released February 10, 2010

Blurb:
Homecoming Valentines Collection, stories of love lost and love found: "If you love someone, let them go. If they return to you, it was meant to be. If they don't, their love was never yours to begin with..."

Ali James will do anything to raise her orphaned sister and finish medical school, even work as a topless waitress.

Ali James is determined to finish medical school and cure cancers like the one that killed her mother. She's also determined to raise her trouble-making teenage sister. As if it's not hard enough to juggle all this and her job as a topless waitress, her ex-fiancé comes back to town and makes it plain he's still sore she chose her career over him and that he very much disapproves her of job.


Excerpt From: Naked Ambition


Police detective Cliff Griffin stewed in the back of the worst dive he’d ever seen. If he wasn’t on duty he wouldn’t be caught dead in the joint.

A waitress winked broadly and pointedly looked at his crotch. “Can I get you anything, sugar? Anything at all?”

He plastered a smile on his face as he choked out, “No thanks.”

The platinum blonde with bright blue eye shadow that would do a 1960s go-go dancer proud, pouted prettily and stooped lower so that her breasts threatened to spill out of her skimpy costume. “Are you sure? You’re the cutest thing to wander into this place in a year of Sundays.”

Cliff didn’t consider himself cute, but he wasn’t grizzled or dirty like most of the other patrons, either. He wondered what the woman would do if he flashed his police badge or told her he was a cop. But he wasn’t ready to reveal himself, so he looked away while trying not to get his face stuck in her cleavage. “I’m sure.”

He had to keep a clear head and a watchful eye. Some monster was threatening the woman and her co-workers. To date, they didn’t know if the threat came from a religious nut, a thwarted lover or maybe the jealous wife of one of the patrons. As the new guy in the department, he’d gotten stuck on the case.

He had nothing against naked women or drinking, but he wasn’t allowed to partake of either on duty so this was torture. He also preferred to be alone with a naked woman.

That brought a grimace to his lips. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d been with a woman. And it had been even longer since he’d been in love with one.

That he could remember. Who wouldn’t remember a big break-up on Valentine’s Day? Or having a huge heart-shaped box of chocolates bonk him on the head?

If the cheesy decorations on the walls were anything to go by, it was almost Valentine’s Day again—the worst day in the world. When he got off duty, it was his turn to have a stiff drink!

Bad Conduct by Ashley Ladd

Coming Soon!

Bad Conduct by Ashley Ladd

April 19, 2010

Available at Total-E-Bound.com

When Captain Ty Gibson comes home from a tour of duty in Iraq to marry Bianca, their sometimes third lover Brendan stirs up a mess of trouble.


Captain Ty Gibson has made up his mind. He loves Bianca and he's going to marry her. But when he comes home from his tour of duty in Iraq, their sometimes third lover Brendan fights for Ty. Although Bianca once enjoyed their occasional ménages, she's ready to settle down with just one man and wants that one man to settle down with just her.

Brendan's troublemaking jeopardises everything in Ty's life – his future with Bianca and his military career.

Reader Advisory: This book is best read in sequence. It is the sequel to “The Perfect Gift”. It also stands alone. Although this story is about two men and a woman, it does not have a ménage scene in the story.

Weathering A Bad Review

I'm a writer that has published books so I'm supposed to have thick skin like a rhinocerous. Right?

I'm trying to keep my head held high, to keep a smile on my face although I just found a review of one of my new books by my alter ego where someone said about my book "ick ick ick".

Ouch!

I'm cringing. It hurts. It feels personal, just like when someone insults one of my kids or my personality.

But I know it's just a review - by a very popular review site so lots of readers are climbing on the "ick ick ick" bus.

Well, it's much more than just a review. I'll reread it, study it, learn from the reviewer's constructive comments, just like the American Idol contestants learn from Simon, even when his comments hurt.

Fortunately, the book has had positive reviews as well, or I'd feel worse.

I know there will be readers who dislike books, even my books. I think it was the "ick ick ick - thanks for saving me from a horrible book" comments from her audience that depressed me.

Still, I'm grateful for the time and effort the reviewer took to review my book. She could have used her time and energy for other things. She did so at my request.

I could crawl into my shell and never submit another book for review. But I'll throw myself into a vat of chocolate, soak in a bubble bath, get wild and crazy, and shake it off - eventually.

This is all part of being a writer.

Recent posts you might like to read:

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Author Interview: Elaine Hopper

Please help me welcome Elaine Hopper, sweet romance writer and long time friend, to Happily Ever After.

Her contemporary romance (sweet, no sex) "Always A Bridesmaid" just released at The Wild Rose Press. I enjoyed her book very much.

Be sure to leave to leave a lot of comments for her and make her feel welcome.

Ashley: Were you always a bridesmaid?

Elaine: No. I was only a bridesmaid once, in my friend Daria's wedding. I was already married when I stood up with her.

Ashley: Why do you call your book that?

Elaine: Breanna, the heroine, has been called home by her older sister to be her bridesmaid. This is at least the third wedding she's been a bridesmaid for. And this is the most painful. Not only does it remind her that her beloved mother is gone and won't be at her sister's wedding, it also puts her into close proximity with the only man who ever broke her heart.

Ashley: Have you ever had your heart broken?

Elaine: At least a couple times. Once for sure. But that was a LONG time ago. My husband and I celebrated our 30th anniversary in January 2010.

Ashley: Tell us about your family.

Elaine: I'm an only child but now I have five children and two grandchildren. We have five cats and two dogs. Four of our five children still live at home. My aunt died last week so I hope to go home for her service next week and celebrate her life with the rest of my mother's family. She was my mother's older sister.

Ashley: My condolences. I'm so sorry. I hope you get to see your family. Where's home?

Elaine: For the past twenty years, Florida. Originally, Cincinnati. I've now lived in Florida longer than Cincinnati where I grew up. I really didn't want to be here, but I love it now. Strangely, my life in Cincinnati seems like another lifetime. I still love to visit. My dad's backyard is pure Heaven on Earth.

Ashley: Do you write full time?

Elaine: I wish. For the foreseeable future, I'll be working for my day job. Actually, I love it - the mission, my co-workers, my job. I'm truly blessed. I'm a customer service manager at a charity that helps the poor of the destitute third world. I often work overtime which means I come home too tired to write many nights. For now, I write a lot on weekends and some evenings.

Ashley: Do you write at home with such a full house?

Elaine: It's not easy. The cats think they own my computer and keep trying to type my stories. They also think my computer is there to rub their heads against. Who knows? Maybe I should give them a chance.

Also my kids get pretty loud and I don't have an office of my own. Thus I take my laptop and my MP3 player to Borders or Barnes & Nobles a lot and write there.

Ashley: I want to ask some fun things. What type of animal would you be if you could chose? (Cats are off limits.)

Elaine: Not fair! Okay. I'd be a flying horse, a pegasus. I'd soar through the heavens and live in the clouds.

Ashley: Is your favorite color still purple? You wear pink and black a lot, so is it those?

Elaine: It used to be purple. Keeping to black pants and skirts makes it easier to mix and match although I like pink much to my daughters' horror.

My favorite color isn't just one color. I like a mix of colors best. You know, when one color blends into another, especially blue/purple/pink mixes. Or opals. I love the way they twinkle with different colors.

Ashley: What is your worst nightmare?

Elaine: All kinds of carnivorous dinosaurs including but not limited to alligators and crocodiles. Honestly, a couple times I awoke after T-Rex's were chasing me, picking off other people around me. (shudder) I wonder if it has something to do with all my husband's ceramic dragons in our room. Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night their eyes glow eerily. It's really spooky.

Ashley: If you couldn't be a writer or a customer service manager, what type of work would you like to do?

Elaine: I always longed to be a journalist. For a brief time I wanted to be an astronaut. I like playing with web design and graphics. That might be fun.

I've held many jobs: I was an airman in the US Air Force. I was a computer maintenance technician, a cost-pricing analyst, waittress, hostess, and even ran a ceramics greenware shop. I've been in customer service for sixteen years and I've been published since 1999.

Ashley: If you could have a do over, what would it be?

Elaine: There are a few things I wish I'd done differently, and yet, I wouldn't be the person I was now if I'd followed a different path. I think I should stop making wishes. When I was 16 I wished I could live in Florida. Voila! Here I am. I made another wish a long time ago, and now it's coming true. I'm not ready to reveal what it was though. What I will say, is be careful for what you wish.

Ashley: You tweeted that you saw the new movie Star Trek at least six times at the theater. Why?

Elaine: I love the big screen and I love Star Trek, especially the new movie. It's awesome. It was showing for 99 cents at the dollar theater so the kids and I had fun. Back in 1977 my boyfriend then saw Star Wars 17 times paying full price. I wasn't quite as obsessive as he was. :) My kids have a good memory now. Me, too.

Ashley: Where can we find you in the near future?

Elaine: I'll be at Lori Foster's readers and writers event in Cincinnati this June.

I'm the guest blogger all week this week at Novel Spot. Please visit and leave comments so I don't get lonely.

Next week I'm the spotlighted author at LASR.

Ashley: Thank you for joining me. I know you've been extra busy promoting your new book, Always A Bridesmaid so I'll let you go.

Elaine: Thanks for hosting me, Ash. Please drop by my house anytime.

Elaine can be found at:

http://www.elainehopper.info/
http://www.elaineannhopper.blogspot.com/
http://www.twitter.com/elaine_hopper

Hell has finally frozen over. After nine long years, Breanna Parker has come home to be her sister's maid of honor. Just her luck that the first person she runs into is her ex-fiance, Troy Youngwolf—the man who eloped with her ex-best friend and broke her heart. Now a widowed father and sheriff of their Florida home town, sexy bad boy Troy wants another chance and won't take no for an answer. However, every time Breanna looks at Troy or his little girl, her heart breaks anew. She can hardly wait for her sister to get hitched so she can escape back to her urban family in Ft. Lauderdale. The risk is too high that Troy may discover her most closely held secret, one with the potential to destroy them both…perhaps this time forever.


Rosebud

(Pages 144) Sweet



Excerpt:

“So this is how the worldly Breanna behaves in her off-duty hours?” Troy righted Breanna, his hands lingering on her arms.

She stepped back, quelling the desire to rub away his prints. She chafed that Sierra was getting a big head start and she was left alone with Troy. “What are you doing in my house? Daddy’s not home.”

“Is that how you greet your boss? Or your old flame?”

Fire smoldered in Troy’s eyes as mischief danced in his voice. Knowing Sierra was way ahead, she sighed. “What do you want? More memos copied? Someone to pour you a coffee?” she said with saccharine sweetness, vowing to return to college and upgrade her career.

“I stop by periodically to make sure everything’s okay. This is my last stop of the day.” He didn’t move to leave. “Everything okay here?”

Was he daring her to make him leave? She scowled. “Only if you call having a crazed sister okay. Or having my boss intrude on my personal space.”

He didn’t blink, just advanced a step. “Is being around me really that bad? You didn’t used to think so.”

Before she realized his intentions, Troy backed her against the wall and crushed close. He captured her lips in a searing kiss that left her weak-kneed and breathless. Soft hands cupped her face, stilling her head. His hips pinned her to the wall so she couldn’t do more than squirm against his solid frame.

How long they kissed in the hall, she didn’t know. She was powerless to break the kiss—as if she’d been starved for it for years. Shirt balled in her hands, she molded her body to his.

He drew back a short distance. “You can kiss me like that and still say you hate

Always A Bridesmaid is available at TWRP.
 
 

Eye of the Beholder

Isn't it amazing how two or three people see exactly the same thing and get something totally different out of it?

Last week I joined Monday Minute Fiction. The leader posted a picture and our mission was to write a short story about it.

Last week she wrote about a shiek and I wrote about an erotic movie. This week she wrote about a ravenous vampire and I wrote a cougar (older woman-younger man)/reunion story.

This really makes me worry about the using eye-witness testimony in court. Just because someone saw something, did they see what was really happening? For God's sake Brynn saw vampires! I saw a fireman calendar model wanna-be.

I just joined a new blog (Lilah Pierce - author) and she has a writing challenge. She's challenged authors to pick one of four pictures, write a short story, and submit it to her. She'll post the stories once a month. Pretty cool. Click here to participate Lilah's writing challenge. Let Brynn Paulin know if you want to join in Monday Minute Fiction here.

Recent posts you might like to read:

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Monday Minute Fiction: Holding up the Contract

Welcome to a new feature on my blog: Monday Minute Fiction. From now on, every Monday I will post a new free original short story for your reading pleasure. As I'm an erotic romance writer, at least some if not all will be erotic so be forewarned. I will also post a warning every Monday for those of you who don't like the hot stuff.

Occasionally the story may even be M/M or MMF or MFM. Again, I'll post a warning. Today's is an M/F story as you can see from the luscious picture above. 

WARNING: Explicit sex. Do not continue reading if you're under 18 or if you're offended by sexually explicit scenes.

(This work belongs to Ashley Ladd and cannot be duplicated without permission.)

Story: Holding up the Contract

Shaina Genova's jaw dropped but only half as far as her heart and she gaped at her agent, Anton, aka Benedict Arnold. Her grip tightened so hard on the pen she'd been twiddling that it snapped in two and shards of the plastic flew to the floor. She leaned over the desk and peered into her agent's eyes so he couldn't mistake how pissed she was. "Tell me you didn't just say you obligated me to do another movie with that lying, cheating snake, did you? Surely you wouldn't do that to me, your best client and ex-friend?"

Anton wiggled in his chair and pushed unsteady fingers through his thinnning hair as he scooted away from his desk. He pushed a contract at her. "Paragraph 5a states you are contractually obligated to finish the series as Kristian's also says. Read it."

Shaina didn't consider herself a diva but there was no way she could enact a love scene with her ex-fiance, the man who had jilted her at their very public wedding. She only gave a cursory glance to the hated paper before balling the worthless thing into a paperwad and aiming it at Anton's pointy little head. "So let them sue me. Read my lips-I will not work with Kristian Glass. I will not kiss Kristian Glass. I will die before I do another love scene with Kristian Glass!"

With her final exclamation she jumped to her feet and winged her deadly missile in Anton's trash can instead.

Anton sighed heavily but whether it was in relief or frustration she couldn't tell and she didn't care.

"Shaina, my love, it would be career suicide to break this contract. This series has made you famous. Your fans love Raquel..."

She paced the floor and wrung her hands. Her heart stung with the very fresh pain of her wounds, her humiliation. She whirled on Anton and threw up her hands. "If Beryl threw you aside, if she publicly humiliated you, could you, would you crawl into her arms? In front of millions of people? And if you did, could you kiss her? Make love with her?"

She feared if she crawled into bed with Kristian she'd break his third appendage, not caress it and make love with it like the script called for, and she'd wind up behind bars. Breaking the contract outright would be far safer and popular than the other option.

Anton looked at her with his big puppy dog eyes and clamped his hands together. "You're a wonderful actress, Shakespearian trained. You can do anything you want. If you bow out, it'll look like you're scared to be around Kristian Glass, that he still means something to you. Do you really want him to think that?"

Did she? Damn! As usual Anton was right. She twisted her long hair and knotted it to lift it off her aching neck. With a snarl, she aquiesced. "Okay, I'll do it."

"That's my girl!" Anton rushed at her with his arms wide as if to hug her. But when she bared her teeth and growled, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"I said I'd do it, not that I'll enjoy it."

* * * *

Kristian Glass prayed he'd get a second chance with the love of his life, Shaina. He was sure his ass was black and blue from kicking himself so many times after getting cold feet and wimping out of their wedding. He longed to be with her, to hold her in his arms and kiss her, but after his shipwreck of a first marriage, he'd broken out in a cold sweat when it came time to face the alter again.

He'd thought he could go through with the ceremony, to be married again especially if it was to Shaina. But that morning, it was as if aliens had abducted his soul, and he'd found himself flying to Mexico to hid out in a dinky little town where the press couldn't find him, drowning himself in Tequila.

After he'd sobered up, he'd come back and begged forgiveness but Shaina wouldn't listen. She slammed the phone in his ear, returned his letters unopened, deleted his emails and her guards wouldn't let him near her. What was a guy to do? This sequel was a God send.

When Shaina finally stepped on set, he drank in her beauty and his cock grew thick in his pants, making them uncomfortably tight. He shifted uneasily and mumured, "Down boy. You'll get your chance."

An erotic porn movie, he'd not only get to hold her in his arms and kiss her all over, but make love to her several times. Surely, if she still loved him even a tiny bit that would fan the embers back to life and she'd take him back.

He sucked in a giant breath, squared his shoulders and closed the gap between them. When he was still a few feet from her, her flowery scent made him swoon making him long to strip her and fuck her into submission right there and then. Instead, he stopped a foot short of her and met her steely gaze with as much fortitude as he could. "We need to talk."

She notched up her chin and tilted her head. "There's nothing left to say to one another except for what's written on the script. Excuse me." She pushed past him.

Wanting, no needing to have his say, he followed. "Well, I need to talk to you."

Without turning, she stopped. "The time for talking was before the ceremony. If you didn't want to marry me, you should have told me in time to stop the wedding instead of leaving me at the altar and humiliating me in front of the world."

"That's what I want to talk to you about. Please look at me. I'm not a leper." His heart froze when she didn't move a muscle.

Finally, she pivoted on the ball of her heel and faced him. "You can talk all you want, but why should I believe you? You told me you loved me, then deserted me."

He moved closer and cornered her so she couldn't escape. He had to feel her, to breathe her in. He desperately needed her, in his bed, in his life. "Are you upset just because you were embarrassed? Don't you love me?"

Her eyes narrowed and blazed with fury. Her breasts jutted out and she poked her finger at his chest. "I loved you with all my heart but you stomped on it and threw it away."

He seized on the word and challenged her, "Loved? Past tense? I still love you with all my heart and soul. I'm still hot for you." To punctuate his words he leaned closer and pressed his cock against her and rubbed against her.

She nodded with furious shakes of her head. But the tips of her breasts beaded against him and the hands she brought to his chest didn't push him away but splayed across his heart. "Yes, past tense. You killed everything I felt for you."

Electricity tingled between them and she trembled. Her fingers caressed him. Her hips pushed into his when he ground against her. "Uh huh." He lowered his lips to within a breath of hers. "Then why don't I believe you."

She cursed under her breath, then more coherently, she added, "I don't want to love you. You don't deserve my love. I should hate you."

"No you don't," he said, taking his cues from her body. He pressed his lips to the sensitive spot on her neck and was delighted when she arched it and her robe slipped open to reveal the creamy slope of her breasts.

"But I can't trust you. I obviously don't know you." Yet when he kissed his way down that creamy slope, she arched her breasts at him and moaned low in her throat.

His tongue swept over her breasts and greedily, he pushed her top off her shoulders and helped it to the floor, baring her body. Then he captured her nipple and suckled it. Around it he murmured, "Yes you do. I got scared..."

She pulled back and forced up his head so that he had to look her in the eye. "Scared of me? Scared of marriage to me?"

He'd searched his heart so many times the answer exploded off his tongue. "No! Marriage, the institution scared me. But I would go through fire and ice for you. You're the only one I could ever be married to. The only one I want to be married to. Give me a second chance?"

Her mouth dropped open and he took advantage and plundered it. When the kiss deepened, he moulded her to him. His cock ached to be free so he unsnapped his pants.

She moved his hand out of the way, finished the job and pushed them down his legs.

"This isn't a joke?" Her words came out in ragged bursts.

He ground his cock against her. "Does this feel like a joke?" Then he drank deeply of her lips. When he pulled back, he asked against them, "Or this?"

As if she couldn't speak, she shook her head. But her eyes were wide and bright with unspoken words...and love.

Anxious to be one with her, he shook off the pants and flung them across the room. Then he lifted her against the wall and fit her to him. As she wrapped her legs around him, he drove his cock into her.

She gasped and clung to him as he slammed into her.

"Hey, you two. Save it for the cameras!" Gil, the director, yelled from across the room.

Kristian gave the finger to Gil, then forgot about everything else but the luscious woman in his arms.

He murmured to Shaina, "Marry me."

He held his breath until she nodded. "Today. Right after the shoot. You're not getting away from me this time, mister."

He didn't want to. Ever.

To read more Monday Minute Fiction free stories, visit the awesome Brynn Paulin where more links are posted. Also, be sure to visit every Monday for a new free short story here.

Recent posts you might like to read:

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)

Saturday Snippets: The Black Moment

Romances always have a black moment, that point in the story where everything has been going well and then suddenly everything goes to hell instead. This week's theme are the black moments.

Below is the black moment from my February 2010 romance, "Naked Ambition".

Ali James will do anything to raise her orphaned sister and finish medical school, even work as an exotic waitress.


Ali James is determined to finish medical school and cure cancers like the one that killed her mother. She's also determined to raise her trouble-making teenage sister. As if it's not hard enough to juggle all this and her job as an exotic waitress, her ex-fiancé comes back to town and makes it plain he's still sore she chose her career over him and that he very much disapproves her of job.

Excerpt: "Naked Ambition"


Cliff rolled onto his side and put his hand between her legs. He caressed her pussy and massaged her clit. “It’s incredible when we’re together.”

She moaned again and moved her pussy in rhythm to his hand. She wondered how his stamina was, if he was ready to get on top.

“Marry me. Quit the club.”

Her heart stopped, and then raced into overdrive. Her lungs almost burst. “Yes!”

“And school. Let’s start a family.” Before she could react, he rubbed her belly. “Maybe we just did.”

She gasped and looked down at his hand sitting proprietarily on her belly. In her tipsy state she’d forgotten to use protection. She wasn’t on the pill, as she’d been celibate so long.

Damn him! Damn her!

As if he’d stabbed her in the heart, she yanked back and leapt off the bed. She towered over him and stood at parade rest. “I’m not quitting school.”

“At least slow down. I didn’t mean to quit forever, but you’ve exhausted yourself. You need a break.”

Did she look that terrible? Or was he assuming because of her failure with Amy? If Ali quit now, she was afraid she’d never go back. “I can’t just quit. And I can’t ’slow down.’ It’s too late in the semester. I’d get F’s. I only have two years left. I’m on a roll.”

He sat up and looked at her as if she had morphed into an alien. “What’s so wrong with taking a break? You know, for a honeymoon? To have a baby? To spend time with your new husband? To focus on raising your sister? In two years, she’ll be grown and you’ll be free.”

She seethed and wanted to slap herself for putting herself in this position. She wouldn’t be free if she had a baby dependent on her. “So you do think I’m a bad parent!”

She stormed to the door, intent on escape. But she had to say one more thing: “Why would you want me, worst mother of the year, to be the mother of your precious children?

Well, I’ll save you the trouble. No, I won’t marry you. Not now. Not ever.”

"Naked Ambition" is available at Total-E-Bound

For more exciting excerpts visit the links below.
Emma Petersen
TJ Michaels
Ashley Ladd
Lissa Matthews
McKenna Jeffries
Eliza Gayle
Mari Carr
Elisabeth Naughton
Juliana Stone
Lauren Dane
Shelley Munro
Taige Crenshaw

Recent posts you might like to read:

What Do You Want in a Romance Hero & What Do You Want in a Real Life Husband?

Rejection: Where Do You Go Next?

Procrastination

Cliche or Coincidence?

What Prompts Me To "Follow" A Blog

Make Sure Pretentious Words Don't Turn Off Your Readers

Dedicating Books

You'll also want to see what Amarinda Jones, Anika Hamilton, Anny Cook, Barbara Huffert, Brynn Paulin, Bronwyn Green, Dakota Rebel, Kelly Kirch, Molly Daniels, Sandra Cox, Regina Carlysle, and Cindy Spencer Pape are up to, so make sure to visit them also. :)