Vivianne nodded. “We understand each other perfectly.” She withdrew a metal case from her handbag and snapped it open to withdraw a business card. “Think about it, then call me.”
“Her assistant goes with her,” Seraphina interjected quickly, then mirrored the frown Vassi shot at her. “You are not going to leave me alone with RB.”
Vivianne eyed the cambion with curiosity, then shrugged. “Fine.” She adjusted the strap of her handbag on her arm and gave Vassi one last look. “Call me.”
The woman strode away, her hips swaying in the short black skirt as men stopped to let her through.
Seraphina clapped her hands. “Oh. My. GAWD. We are moving up in the world, Vassi.”
“I haven’t made up my mind, Sera,” Vassi reminded her assistant. Sera rolled her eyes.
“Please. It’s a great opportunity to expand your legal experience, much faster than at Campbell, Singh & Partners. Besides, her executives are H.O.T.”
Vassi glanced at Ryder, shocked at what had just transpired. His eyebrows rose, then he shrugged. “Whatever you decide, I’ll support.”
“Even if she’s your father’s enemy?”
“Well, that’s a growing group. You heard her—an enemy of her enemy is her friend. I’d say that qualifies us as the best of buddies, wouldn’t you?”
“I’m going to clean out my desk. I can’t wait for Lara Dyson to catch wind of this,” Seraphina said.
“I still haven’t decided, Sera,” Vassi said.
Seraphina nodded as she started to back away. “I understand. You think about it. When you’ve made your decision, call me. I’ll be the one cleaning out both our desks.” The cambion skipped away, looking almost like a sexy executive sprite in her office clothes and bouncing curls.
Ryder shook his head. “That’s a lot of energy. Where is she going?”
“She’s happy. She’ll want to enjoy the buzz and look for someone to … share it with her,” she said meaningfully, and Ryder nodded.
“I see.”
She pressed the button for the elevator, then folded her arms. “So, I’ve just had an amazing job offer. What does the future hold for you, Mr. Galen?”
He grimaced. “Well, with Arthur in prison and Hunter in witchy-woo hell, someone’s got to run the clinics. There are patients who still need treatment. When Hunter returns, we’ll make some decisions then.”
The door slid open and they stepped inside the elevator. Ryder held up a hand and shook his head as another lawyer attempted to enter the lift. “We’re full,” he said, and pressed the button to close the doors.
Vassi arched a brow as Ryder backed her up against the wall. “I have been wanting to get you alone since we got out of bed this morning,” he murmured, his voice low and deep.
She swallowed as he gazed down at her, his eyes hot with arousal.
“I want to strip these clothes off your body and kiss you all over,” he whispered against her neck, his warm breath causing her to tremble. “I want to make love to you in this elevator while everyone waiting for it wonders why it’s taking so long, then realises exactly what we were doing when we get out—and wish they could do the same.”
He slid a finger under the hem of her short skirt, caressing her thigh. “I want to be inside you and have you scream my name so the whole building knows you’re mine. And I’m yours.”
Her teeth caught her lip, and her hand shot out to press the red stop button on the panel. The elevator jolted to a stop. An alarm started to ring.
“Then do it,” she said, and was rewarded with a wicked smile and a flare of heat in his gaze.
“God, I hate you,” he whispered as he kissed her neck. She gasped at the cold tendril that teased at her, and she laughed.
“Liar.”
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following inspirations who contributed to this story:
Rudi Bremer, Euge, Kat Mayo, Allison Rogers, @SlightlySammi, Vivianne. Your ideas were amazing—and sometimes downright disturbing, but always awesome. To the TWC Press Team: Jennifer Brassel, Donna Gallagher, Coleen Kwan, Maggie Nash, Paula Roe, Deborah Tait—thank you all for your amazing generosity in the production of this story.
A very special thank you to the Better Read Than Dead bookstore for being the birthplace of this novel, and giving us the time and space to ‘what if’. You earned your place in our story!
And thanks to Mad E Pizza for the limoncello shots—you made the bizarre sound increasingly logical in our plot-storming.
Oh—and thank you Sarah from Smart Bitches for teaching us not to take ourselves too seriously, as well as sharing a love for romance—and some incredible euphemisms!
About the author
Shannon Curtis has worked as a copywriter, business consultant, admin manager, customer service rep, logistics co-ordinator, dangerous goods handler, event planner, switch bitch and betting agent. She decided to try writing a story like those she loved to read when she found herself at home after the birth of her first child. Her books have been finalists for Favourite Romantic Suspense for 2011, 2012 and 2013, as well as Favourite Continuing Romance Series as voted by the Australian Romance Readers Association, and she was selected to write romance novels for The Bold and The Beautiful series. She loves reading, loves writing, and loves hearing from her readers, so visit her at www.shannoncurtis.com and say hi!
Follow her on Twitter: @2BShannonCurtis
Find her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Shannon.Curtis.Writers.Ink
Visit her website: www.shannoncurtis.com
Visit her blog: http://shannoncurtis.wordpress.com/
About the publishers
Australian Romance Readers Association
The Australian Romance Readers Association started in 2007 after a chance remark in an online forum; ‘maybe we should have our own romance readers convention’ was met with an overwhelming response. From an original membership of sixteen, that number has swelled and is constantly growing. With an online blog, monthly newsletter and regular reader events, along with an annual awards ceremony recognising excellence in romance fiction and a biennial romance readers’ convention, the Australian Romance Readers Association is the home and heart of romance for readers.
ARRA’s goal is to:
* Promote romance fiction and its sub-genres
* Increase awareness of the variety and quality of books, and their authors
* Provide a forum for readers to communicate, share and explore all things romance fiction
Follow them on Twitter: @ARRAinc
Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Australian-Romance-Readers-Association/328481653871212
Visit the ARRA website: www.australianromancereaders.com.au
Visit the ARRA blog: https://australianromancereaders.wordpress.com/
TWC Press
TWC Press is a unique publishing co-operative consisting of published authors from all walks of life, working collaboratively toward their goal: to bring exceptional romance fiction direct to readers. Their motto is: ‘For the readers’—and every project, every decision is made with that in mind.
Follow them on twitter: @TWCPress
Find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/twcpress
Visit the TWC Press website: www.twcpress.com
Visit the TWC Press blog: http://twcpress.wordpress.com/
Previous releases include:
Timeless Encounters
For lovers of historical and fantasy romance, each time-travelling novella is set within different eras, varying from sweet, to sexy, to suspenseful, but all with a central theme: the timeless search for the perfect love.
Moonlit Encounters
A diverse collection of short romantic fiction, from eight different authors, in different genres, for all readers.
Coming soon:
Captive Encounters, March 2015
Heat, heart and handcuffs—a steamy collection of sizzling romantic fiction.
Avail
able at all good retail and e-tail stores.
Tribal Law reading guide
This reading group guide for Tribal Law includes an introduction from the author, some fun facts, discussion questions and a Q&A with author Shannon Curtis. The suggested questions are intended to help you and your group find new and interesting angles and topics to discuss. We hope this will enhance your conversation and improve your enjoyment of the book.
The story behind the story
Tribal Law is a story born from readers. On 4 July 2014, a number of readers and writers gathered at the Better Read Than Dead bookstore (as mentioned in the story!), and filled out questionnaires on what they would like to read in a romance. Questions ranged from what colour hair/eyes for hero/heroine, to character traits and quirks, and the preferred sub-genre and cover concepts, as well as secondary characters. The TWC Press team collated all these responses, and Shannon Curtis, using this information, plotted and wrote what is now Tribal Law.
The initial plan was to write a short story, but the information gathered showed that readers put a lot more consideration into how they would like a story to unfold, and when ARRA asked if it was possible to write a novel instead of a short story, TWC Press said yes—and Shannon Curtis got to work. From forgetful heroines with an in-built truth radar, and a sexy scarred hero who made teeth his life’s work, to families at war—internally and externally—and a paranormal world to embrace it all, Tribal Law is the manifestation of a reading group’s wish list.
Fun facts
The most requested occupation for a main or secondary character was dental-related. Why—because it doesn’t seem to have been done before.
Author’s response: Possibly for good reason!
The Better Read Than Dead bookstore does actually exist, and was the venue where the plot-storming activity occurred.
Mad E Pizza is also a real restaurant, where all hungry readers and authors adjourned for a bite to eat on the night. Limoncello shots were had by all.
The red hatchback was a special request from a reader.
One of the most requested quirks for characters was either an eidetic memory or forgetfulness.
The home of the Galen brothers is based on the Salvatore Mansion from The Vampire Diaries.
Discussion questions
1 Was the book what you were expecting? Why or why not?
2 What do you see as the central theme for this novel?
3 Do you think Ryder’s issues with his family were resolved? Why or why not?
4 Do you think Vassiliki should take Vivianne’s job offer? Why or why not?
5 What do you think of the character, Dave the tattoo artist? What purpose do you think he served for the novel?
6 Which character/s left you with more questions about them than answers?
7 Why do you think Melissa hates miscreants?
8 If this became a series, which characters do you think deserve their own story? How would their story unfold?
9 What do you think happens to Ryder and Vassiliki in the next chapter of their romance?
10 If you had the opportunity, what would YOU want to see in a book? What kind of hero? Heroine? Theme? Plot?
Interview with Shannon Curtis
Q What made you take on the challenge of writing ‘to order’ for the readers?
A I thought it would be a fun thing to do, and I always enjoy finding new ways to connect with readers, but this one was also intended as a special thank you. Finding out what readers wanted to see in a story, then giving that story to them was a unique method of saying thank you—thank you for reading our stories and supporting us.
Q Were there suggestions readers put forward that you thought ‘No. No way can I include that’?
A Yes. There was one request for a hero with a fear of oral sex due to a traumatic experience involving teeth. Couldn’t quite wrap my mind around that one.
Q Were there some ideas you were expecting that readers didn’t include?
A It was probably more the opposite, that readers came up with ideas I wasn’t expecting, but I guess it was a little surprising that there were no requests for reunions or secret babies.:)
Q Will you be writing Hunter’s story?
A Hunter is such a fun character to write—he has the potential to be a bit of a villain, or at least a wicked hero, and I’d love to explore him more, so who knows, Hunter’s story could be on the horizon. Or one for Matthias … or Vivianne … or Taylor … or maybe even Seraphina. Anything is possible!
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