Sophie made a face. “Why would the kids say that? Ugh.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” said Clarice. “This was your bright idea to get me out of my funk, Trude?” She pointed a finger towards the resort. “You want me to just bang a bunch of random dudes on a beach halfway around the world? I couldn’t get up the nerve to do that at home, what makes you think I’ll do it here?”
“Look, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” said Trudy, putting her hands on Clarice’s shoulders. “It’s not like someone’s monitoring us making sure we meet the fuck quota or they’ll send us packing. This is just a place where, you know… a lot of the guess-work is removed. It’s like going to a buffet instead of trying to cook for yourself at home. Basically everyone here is DTF.”
“Except me,” said Clarice, folding her arms.
Trudy sighed. “Except you, apparently.”
“I can be extra DTF for her,” said Sophie.
“Like you need the help,” quipped Liz with a smirk.
Clarice sighed. “I don’t know, guys… this feels really… big… and I’m uneasy. I don’t think I’m ready for this.”
“Who is ever ready for anything?” said Sophie. “You think I was ready for that promotion? I sobbed in my shower every night the first week!”
“I have literally never been ready for any day in my classroom,” agreed Liz, before she leaned over to the bellhop reaching for the last of the bags and asked him if the bar was open yet.
“Tanner was a douche, and he broke your heart,” said Trudy. “And you’ve been wallowing about it for over a year now, Clarice. Wasting time in the prime of your life! You’re a hot, young, successful professional, and you should be drowning in eligible bachelor penis. Instead, you’re like, prepping for your future as a cat lady and favorite aunt. As your friend, I won’t have it anymore. So you don’t have to fuck anybody here, but for me, will you at least try to have a good time and relax? This place has everything you could need.”
Hearing Tanner’s name out loud somehow made things seem much more real and awful to Clarice. Trudy was right; she had been wallowing. She was aware that she had buried herself in work during the days, hoping to get tired enough to fall right to sleep as soon as she got back to her empty apartment. Some nights she didn’t, and those were the worst. Those were the nights when Trudy often got sobbing phone calls waking her from the middle of sleep, and talked Clarice down from the emotional edge, where her heart seemed to permanently live. She knew she had been drinking too much wine lately, but it helped her sleep, and sleep helped her through the next day.
That’s all Clarice seemed to be focusing on lately: the next day. Not the long-term future, not the joy of her work or looking forward to spending time with friends. She just tried to make it through the regular days without having a disaster or feeling like she couldn’t take it anymore. Her funk had, she was realizing, transformed into something more like full-blown depression, and that wasn’t good for anybody.
As she looked around at the lush grounds, the tropical sunshine, and the eager faces of her beautiful and closest friends, she felt ashamed for all the time she had spent aching for a man who had treated her so badly. Right in front of her were four angels who had clearly worked very hard to make her happy and get her on a new and brighter path. They loved her, and she owed it to them to try, even if she was deeply afraid she was going to disappoint them and all their hard work.
Clarice smiled, but it was a tight and teary thing. Her emotions felt overworked and raw. “I will. I’m sorry, you guys. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. This place is a paradise, and you were all so sweet to kidnap me and hold me hostage here. I promise I’ll do my best to relax and have a good time.”
Sophie made a cooing sound and wrapped her in a tight hug. The ladies linked arms and followed the bellhops into the lobby to check in.
Outrageous Proposal is available on Amazon now!
Excerpt 2 - Sanctum
A Motorcycle Club Romance
This next excerpt is from Sanctum, book 1 of my bestselling motorcycle club romance series, The Black Dogs MC. There are 3 books in the series but they are completely stand-alone.
Prologue
Maggie moaned and giggled in the dark as she felt Jase’s tongue sliding between her legs. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, fingers tangling in his hair, feeling the motion of his head moving around her center. The coolness of the sheets and the low summer breeze from the open window countered the heat of his body against hers. She could only stand a few minutes of his sweet torture before she grasped at his shoulders, trying to pull him on top of her.
Jase moaned a few times as he lingered, his tongue flicking over her clit one last time before he obliged her silent orders. He traced a trail with his mouth up over her stomach and breasts. When she kissed him, she felt her own wetness on the 5 o’clock scruff on his chin. Jase slid his hips between her legs, his aching hardness pressing onto her sensitive lips. She gasped in his mouth and he laughed a low, sexy laugh that made her stomach shiver.
Jase seemed to tease her a few more moments, sliding his cock against her without entering, until she whimpered and squirmed beneath him. He dropped a hard, passionate kiss on her lips when he finally relented and pushed inside of her. She inhaled the moan he let out when he felt her warmth around his cock. He began to thrust into her desperately, pulling her body for leverage to get as deeply inside of her as he could. Maggie grasped at him, digging nails into his back with every powerful meeting of his hips on hers.
It was only a few minutes before they were both crying out in sweet release. Maggie bit into Jase’s shoulder, holding him close as she came. She felt him shudder against her, and deep inside her.
Maggie collapsed against the sheets, and Jase, on top of her. The sounds of their heavy breathing filled the bedroom.
Jase lifted his head up to look at her and planted a kiss on her lips. “That’s five—record broken.”
“Record broken hard,” said Maggie with a chuckle. “Good show, Campbell.”
“And to you, ma’am,” said Jase. He playfully bit around her stomach where he knew she was ticklish, and Maggie collapsed into giggles until she finally got him to stop.
Rolling off to lie next to her on the bed, Jase played with her curly hair as she lay on the pillow. “I feel like it’s been too long since we got to do this - at least this many times in a row.”
“Yeah, well, who’s to blame for that, mister?” said Maggie with a quirk of her eyebrow.
“I know, I know,” said Jase. “Things have been busy with the club, I know. Henry’s finally giving me better jobs than just bartending.”
“Ugh,” said Maggie immediately. She twisted around dramatically. “Don’t even want to hear his name.”
Jase laughed and tweaked her nose. “Maggie, we’re fucking in the man’s house.”
“Yeah, well, not for long,” she said.
“Oh?” said Jase. He laid his head down on the pillow next to her and gave her a hopeful grin. “Finally going to move in with me?”
Maggie grinned back at him and scooted a little closer. She had practiced broaching this conversation for hours in the mirror before her father had finally left the house, allowing Jase time to come over. “Maybe… “
“Seriously?” said Jase. He perched on his elbow and looked at her.
“When you put a goddamn ring on it,” she said with a laugh. Jase mussed up her hair. It was the response she always gave him when he asked about moving in. She waited just a beat before she tacked on the new part. “And if we’re moving into some place that’s not in LeBeau.”
When he didn’t answer right away, she looked up at his eyes. Some part of her knew he might be resistant, but truth be told, the bigger part of her heart which held his love had no fear until she saw that worried sternness in his jade-colored eyes.
Jase took a deep breath. “You’re still on about this?”
“About moving
away? Yeah, I’m still ‘on about it’,” said Maggie. “Did you think I wasn’t serious when I brought it up before?”
Jase sighed and rolled over onto his back. Maggie felt her heart start to ache when he threw his legs off the side of the bed and checked his phone.
“Jase, don’t ignore me,” she said.
Jase turned half around. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to ignore you. I’ve just heard this before. Every time you and Henry have a fight, you talk about getting out of here.”
His words stung. He made her sound so reactionary and emotional. “That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it? Why do you want to get away from here so bad, Maggie? I don’t get it.”
“Yes you do, you just don’t agree with it.”
“You’re right, I don’t. Henry has only ever made my life better, and you’re asking me to feel exactly the opposite about him—and break my commitment to the club by leaving,” said Jase. He stood up and put on his boxers.
Maggie sat up. “I’m not asking you to feel differently about Henry. How could I? I just… don’t you get it, Jase, that the Henry you know and the Henry I know are not the same man? He gives you the world, and every opportunity, but he can’t push me away from all of it fast enough. He acts like I didn’t grow up in that fucking clubhouse right alongside you.”
“You’re his daughter, of course he’s going to treat you differently from some stray kid he picked up.” Maggie could hear the tone in his voice had gone to a bitter place. “But he’s never let you want for anything. Hell, he’d probably let you live here until you’re a senior citizen.”
“That’s not the same thing as love,” said Maggie, shifting up onto her knees. “Giving me an easy place to live only makes sure I owe him obedience to his rules. He doesn’t care what I want—only what he wants. And he wants me to be with some normal person with an office job, a boring husband, and a weekend hobby.”
Jase stood at the end of the bed, clearly frustrated, but unable to find the words for it. He put his hands on his thin waist and shook his head. Maggie crawled up to him and leaned against his chest. He put one arm around her back with a light touch.
“He’s not going to let this keep on, Jase,” she said in a quiet voice. “You’re becoming his golden boy at the MC, but he wants me as far away from it as he can get me. You can’t honestly tell me you haven’t noticed what’s been going on since we got together…”
“We’ve been together a long time,” said Jase. He wouldn’t look at her.
“As friends, yes. And he was fine with that. But the second we crossed that line…”
Jase shook his head but said nothing.
“He’s kept you as busy as possible with club stuff. He’s kept me here as much as he can, and when you’re not here, he makes very clear that he isn’t happy about us. Haven’t you noticed that every time you stop by when he’s here, he finds some way to get you out of the house quickly? I mean, why are you even here right now, Jase? You have work in less than six hours.”
“It was the only time we…” he trailed off.
“It was the only time we could find where Henry wouldn’t be around,” said Maggie for him. “Where we knew he would be busy and we could steal a few hours. Is that how you want this to be—us forever sneaking around my dad?”
“If you moved in with me, this wouldn’t be happening,” said Jase. “He couldn’t stop us then.”
“He’s your president, Jase. He’s my dad. And he practically owns this town. Moving in together isn’t going to make those relationships magically disappear.”
Jase sighed. “What are you trying to say, Maggie? What do you want?”
“I want you to move away with me,” she said. “Let’s go find a new start somewhere else, away from all of this. Let’s have our own lives.” She ran her hands up his chest and looked up at his face with hopeful eyes.
Instead, she saw only pain on his face. “Maggie…” Jase took her hands in his. “My whole life is here. My friends are here. My mom wouldn’t have anyone else if I left.”
In all her imagining of this moment, Maggie had not prepared herself for this. She thought she had, but she discovered a level of pain for which she had no name “Don’t you love me?” said Maggie, unable to stop the tears surfacing in her eyes.
“Of course I do,” said Jase. He kissed her hands with fervor and looked into her eyes. “Of course. I love you. That’s why I want you to stay and make a life with me here.”
“Jase, what if I can’t? What if Henry won’t let us?” she said.
“He will. We’ll make—“ Jase was interrupted by the sound of a motorcycle rumbling down the neighborhood street. Both he and Maggie froze and looked at each other. “What is he doing coming back this early?” said Jase.
Maggie saw the look on his face, and gave him a sarcastic one of her own. “I thought we didn’t have anything to worry about from him?”
Jase frowned and made a soft, grumpy noise at her. He walked over to the window and stuck his fingers between the blinds to get a look outside. Maggie stood behind him with her arms crossed and listened to the bike pull into the driveway and park.
“Oh,” said Jase as he let out a breath. “It’s not your dad, it’s just Will.”
“Like that’s any better,” said Maggie as she moved to put some clothes on. Jase was right behind her, stepping into his jeans and fumbling his white shirt over his head. By the time he had his cut on, they could hear Will’s soft knocking on the front door. “What’s he doing here?”
“How should I know?” said Jase. “I’ve been busy the last few hours.” He nuzzled up to her as she pulled her hair out of her shirt. As upset as she felt, she couldn’t resist his embrace, but the kisses she gave him were short. She followed Jase down the hall to the front door.
Will leaned patiently against the porch railing, chewing on a toothpick and staring into the dark sky. He turned to them with a smile. “Hi, guys. I’m sorry to interrupt.”
“Everything okay?” said Jase as he straightened his cut.
Will tossed the toothpick into the garden as he straightened. “Henry’s been looking for you, he needs you for something, but you weren’t picking up your phone.”
“Yeah, I turned it off,” said Jase. “For a reason.”
“Well, he’s… insistent,” said Will with a soft shrug. “I said I might know where you were.”
Maggie stepped up to the doorway. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
Will shook his head, pursing his lips. “Not that you two are a secret, or anything. But I think we all have an unspoken code to, uh… move around the facts.”
“How’s that?” said Maggie.
In a bit of embarrassment, Will’s lopsided smile made an appearance. “I think Henry knows exactly where Jase is when he’s not answering his phone, and he doesn’t mind me offering to be the one to possibly catch you in the act.”
Maggie sighed heavily. Next to her, Jase said. “He really needs me to come right now?”
“Captain’s orders,” said Will.
“You don’t say,” Maggie said in a flat voice. She felt emotions rising and turned away from the men at the door. She heard Jase speak softly to Will for a few moments.
Jase came up behind her as she stared at the dark living room fireplace and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He nuzzled into the side of her hair and kissed her. “I’m sorry, he says it’s important.”
“Shocker.”
He held her tighter, as if his embrace could wipe away the truth. Maggie felt tears running down her cheek and wiped them away nonchalantly. In the dark, he couldn’t see.
“Just stay with me,” said Jase into her ear. “I don’t want to lose you. You’re my world, you know that don't you?” He squeezed her again. “You have been my world for a very long time.”
Despite herself, Maggie sighed and nuzzled into him. She planted a few tiny kisses on the side of his warm face. “You’re mine, too.”
He held her for a few more moments before he released her, leaving her feeling as cold as she ever had.
Maggie trailed Jase to the front door like a ghost, clinging to his hand. Before he walked out, he turned and kissed her deeply. “Just hang on for me, okay? Things will smooth out.”
Even though she didn’t believe that, Maggie gave him a tight, teary smile, and a nod. She said nothing, only kissed him on the side of his mouth.
“I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said.
After one last lingering embrace, Jase finally pulled away from her and headed down the porch steps towards the driveway. Will was already on his bike; he gave a smile and a wave up to Maggie, and she returned it. Jase climbed on his waiting bike, shiny and chrome under the steady glare of the streetlights. She felt her heart race a little at the sound of them revving up, and waved at her biker boyfriend one last time as he backed out of the drive.
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