Hello,
Tracey!
Thank
you for allowing us to drop by.
For
those not familiar with me, I’m KevaD, and I tell stories. All kinds of
stories.
I
love Halloween; the costumes and the hopeful eyes behind masks while the angel
disguised as a devil holds out their treasure bag. I do have to admit that I
miss the innocence I knew as a kid. Popcorn balls dyed a variety of colors were
a special treat. Now, those labors of love would be the first item thrown away.
We’d cringe at healthy foods like apples and oranges. We wanted to overdose on
sugar. Today, parents cringe at apples and oranges for a totally different
reason, and full-sized candy bars have been replaced by a single Hershey’s
Kiss, or worse – diet candy. What a gyp. Trick or Treating shouldn’t be like
driving through a toll booth. But, rising costs and an unsafe world have
altered the tradition to a mere fraction of what it once was. So sad.
My
wife and I still put together special bags for the children we know. Well, more
aptly, for the parents who know we aren’t a threat to their children. Of
course, since we moved to the country a few years ago we don’t see quite the
number of ghostly visitors. Our loss. But, that doesn’t stop us from decorating
the house and yard.
How
about you? What do you do special for Halloween?
HC
Brown and I wanted to work on a couple of projects together. We both write in a
number of genres, and I had this story nearing completion, so, logic kind of
dictated we start with Sea Games. HC
suggested a series and that became Game Play. The second book, Night Games, an MM romance on the high
seas and jungle low, is due out December 17th.
Again,
thanks for letting us drop by, and I hope folks enjoy this peek at Sea Games.
Brian
Bowers is a man on a mission. Revenge weighs heavy on his mind. The need to
punish the woman he once loved above all others
falls into tatters the moment he sets eyes on her again. Fifteen years of
walking on the fine edge between love and hate ends in an explosion of lust.
Patrice,
sophisticated and wealthy, has her own agenda. She knows how to use her body to
get what she wants. But Bowers knows how to play the game.
Set
in a world of indulgence, Sea Games follows two hearts as they battle memories
of the past. Will they win or lose a future together?
Excerpt:
Chapter
1
Through
the throng of bejeweled partiers, the nasal assault of perfume and deodorants,
he spotted Patrice Lampton in the corner. A sprite on a ladder-back chair
throne, surrounded by her court of jesters vying for the attention being with
her could bring. She sat, with her long elegant legs crossed at the knees. The
electric smile on her makeup-glazed face could have powered a small town.
Desire coursed through him. But for what?
Certainly
not for the recognition of having been one of the many to bed her, the
challenge eroded by the endless mattress party her life had become.
He
visualized her body barely hidden beneath a curve-clinging red silk dress,
remembered the silken touch of her pixie cut auburn hair tangled in his
fingers. The musky scent of her slick, wet pussy lingered in the recesses of
his mind. The taste of her hungry mouth filled his dreams.
Without
warning, her hazel-eyes lowered to an unseen place, far beyond the façade of
laughter and sweet aroma of champagne aimlessly fluttering in the ballroom’s
thick air. She slipped a portion of her silver linked necklace to her mouth and
strung it over her teeth. It was an unconscious act from another time, a place
devoid of the new world around her. In that moment, he understood. His physical
desire was not for the woman the public followed in the tabloids. He craved the
private person, the one she once shared with him.
To
regain this secret part of her would be his prize, the pinnacle no one else had
scaled. When he had stolen all her deepest secrets, what little passion for
life she retained, he would laugh and walk away, his need for revenge satiated.
He
smoothed the jacket of his white tux and straightened the black bowtie. With a
toss of his head, he gathered the arrogance he’d practiced hours on end in
front of a mirror, and finally strode to her table. Her devotees moved around
her with the activity of ants servicing their queen in the hope of devouring
the leftover crumbs of decadence.
Patrice
slowly glanced up at him, the necklace tumbling back to its rightful spot on
her pale, powdered skin. No sheen painted her eyes, only the question of who
this uninvited intruder might be. No doubt, his rented tux, lacking the perfect
tailoring worn by her male entourage, would instantly register with her. He
didn’t belong in this sphere of wealth and self-indulgence on this chartered
cruise ship.
A
smile wouldn’t be sufficient to stimulate her interest. The men around her
fawned mouths set with fixed expressions of devotion. So he forced his face to
remain stoic, bored even, as if she were the last person he would consider
taking between the sheets. His heart rate kicked up a notch. He inclined his
head.
“Miss
Lampton, I wanted to offer this small contribution to your fundraiser. I find
your efforts to stem domestic abuse most laudable.” He handed her the check,
hoping his words had come out as smooth and unemotional as he’d practiced.
Without
looking at the paper, she passed it to the guy standing on her left, a store
mannequin of a man dressed in an immaculate black tuxedo, white shirt and
rainbow tie. She raised a pencil-enhanced brow. “To whom do I express my
appreciation?”
“Lancer
Thompkins,” He nodded curtly and turned to leave. His nerves twisted. His gut
wrenched. He’d done it!
Her
curiosity would drive her insane. She would have to discover more about him.
He’d studied her new persona for months and recognized her quirks, including
the arched brow that had betrayed her. She’d taken the bait. He had planted the
first seed.
He
squared his shoulders and marched victoriously to the exit and the salty sea
air.
The
ship docked in Rio in a day’s time. He had until then to manipulate his way
into her head. He wanted to dominate her thoughts and invade her dreams.
An
older couple strolled past, arms crossed over each other’s backs, the woman’s
cheek resting against her companion’s shoulder.
Guilt
swept over him. His gut twisted. A new … regret … pulsed in his neck.
“That
should have been us,” he whispered to no one.
And
for the first time in his miserable life, he wondered if he could actually go
through with his plan.
