Seduction - out this week

Two lovely bits of news today...

The first is that Seduction is published in the UK this week (in fact Thursday 5th Feb). It's the first of the new Black Lace short story anthologies (to be followed by Liaisons, Misbehaviour and The Affair, this year). No paranormal or historical I'm afraid, but a whole lot of HOT contemporary erotica from both sides of the Atlantic. Writers whose work appears include Sommer Marsden, Kristina Wright, Charlotte Stein, Rhiannon Leith and Portia Da Costa. And Seduction opens with my story Honey Trap. Here's an excerpt:

Astrid is on holiday in the Middle East with her husband. While he goes scuba-diving she goes off for a daytrip inland with Marcus, an American tourist...

There was a café out at the main entrance. By now it was the full blaze of noon and we were desperate for shade, so we went inside instead of taking an exterior table. There were a few other customers but it was so dark after the daylight glare that I could hardly see. Marcus led me right to the back of the room where the tables were unoccupied and we sat on a cushioned bench against the wall. There was an open window to my side, covered by a rattan blind, so we had a bit of a breeze without having to suffer the sunlight. A waiter came over as we were looking at the menu, and Marcus ordered a cup of coffee and a tea.

‘Excuse me!’ I protested. ‘You didn’t actually ask me!’

‘Did you want a coffee?’ he said, clearly not believing that I did. He was right too; I couldn’t cope with the thick black stuff they served in tiny cups.

‘I wanted a cold drink!’

He called out to the retreating waiter, ordering a couple of limons.

‘Hoi! You did it again!’ I didn’t know whether to laugh or be annoyed by his overweening confidence.

‘You’ll like it. They just liquidise a whole lemon with icing sugar and water – very refreshing. And I asked him to make sure it was bottled water.’

‘That’s not the point, Marcus,’ I hissed. ‘You should have asked. Female choice, remember?’

He crooked an eyebrow. ‘You’re right; choice is powerful. But surrendering the power to choose … that’s powerful too.’

‘What?’

‘It’s another order of power altogether.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘I’ll show you.’ His teeth gleamed in the dimness. When he spoke again his voice was lowered. ‘Lift your skirt up.’

I stared at him, my heart beginning to thump.

‘Lift your skirt,’ he repeated, leaning in ever so slightly. ‘I want to see your thighs.’

I looked down at my legs. Sunlight shining through the little hexagonal holes in the blind lay in bright specks all over my white skirt.

‘Show me.’

The table shielded me partially from the rest of the restaurant. I put my hands on the fabric and began to gather it slowly, revealing my knees. Why not? I asked myself. They were knees, that was all.

‘Good. Now, all the way.’

Very slowly I pulled the skirt right up, almost to my crotch. I wasn’t showing him anything he couldn’t see on a poolside, I reasoned, but it wasn’t the reasoning part of my mind that was in charge. The light-spots on my pale thighs were blinding white.

‘Very good. Well done.’ His voice sounded thicker. ‘Now, do you feel that?’

I felt something all right: my knickers were full of heat and wetness, my clit was pulsing, and my entire lower body felt heavy and swollen. Marcus put out a hand very carefully and stroked his fingertips up my thigh. I bit my lip.

‘You don’t believe this is powerful? See what you’ve done to me.’

Very tentatively, not looking at him and trying not to move my upper arm in an incriminating manner, I stretched my fingers out to touch the fabric of his trousers. I found it tented. A foray discovered the thick ridge of his erection, as hard as bone, straining up against the cloth. Staring across the room with my mouth dry and my panties awash, I felt dizzy and disassociated, helpless under the tide of my arousal.

Buy at Amazon UK : Pre-order at Amazon US

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The second piece of news is that Random House (our parent company) is giving away a different Black Lace book EVERY DAY UNTIL VALENTINE'S DAY! Today's book is Enchanted, the paranormal novella collection featuring my werebear story Bear Skin (and The Three Riddles by Olivia Knight), and to be in with a chance of winning you just need to enter your details here. There'll be a different erotic book tomorrow, so make sure you enter every day.

Good luck!