“Oh, I’m plenty strong,” she laughed, flexing a lean, tight bicep. “But this needs a little extra brute force. And I don’t want to pull anything,” she laughed, pointing to the top drawer. “This is the one.”
Mitch grasped the handle, and gave it a hard, quick pull. It was well stuck, but under his strength, it gave way with a loud clang.
Juliana smiled gratefully. “Thanks so much, Mitch. My payroll files were in there. My staff thanks you.”
“It was nothing,” he said with a shrug. “Glad I could help.” He took a quick look around her office. It was neat, orderly, but something shiny on his desk caught his eye. He froze for a moment, and didn’t say anything when saw the gold cat mask sitting on her desk.
She caught him staring and picked it up, and put it in her bag. “I was at a masquerade party last night,” she said, by way of explanation. “I was a cat.”
He put it together in his head. Juliana was the woman he was with the night before. He hadn’t been able to tell then, he’d been drugged, she was wearing the mask, it was dark, and the music was loud, and he couldn’t clearly hear her voice. Being with her had been incredible. And standing in front of her in the light of day, in her office, was just as stimulating. He didn’t know what to do. He knew he should tell her. But he had no idea how to even start that conversation?
Mitch was about to speak when Juliana spoke. “Thanks again, tough guy,” she smiled over her shoulder. “Now let’s get back to the caffeine, I’m in need of a pick-me-up.”
Mitch stood for a second, alone in the office watching her walk back to the front counter. Remembering the feeling of her shapely ass in his hands. The words he was thinking dying on this tongue. A conversation for another time.
Mitch grabbed his coffee cup and paid for it, leaving Brewed Moon before he said or did something stupid. He got back in his car and took a deep breath. He wondered if he should tell her; reveal himself as the fox from the party? She deserved to know that they’d had amazing sex the night before, but she had wanted it to be anonymous. He wondered just how would she react if she knew what had happened between them?
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a message from Peter, saying that he had to get to a crime scene in the east end of the city. His problem with Juliana could wait, his day job wouldn’t.
It was late when Mitch got home that night. He was tired and there was no amount of coffee that could keep him awake. Fishing his keys from his pocket, he walked up the stairs to his front door. He turned the lock and when he lifted his foot to walk inside, it collided with a small box that was sitting on his front porch.
He stooped to pick it up and narrowed his gaze at the small rectangle box, secured with a gold ribbon. Dropping his jacked and sidearm on the counter he inspected the box before tugging it open. Inside was a gold slip of paper, inscribed with only his name, and a neatly hand-written note.
Detective Swanson,
Thank you for cleaning up our club. Use your pass to visit us any time you choose. We would love your company.
Edward
Mitch put the box on his kitchen table. He almost threw the entire thing in the garbage. But he stopped himself, and put the gold paper securely in his wallet. He smiled. Maybe some day, he might just use it.
Some day. Probably soon.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In addition to self-publishing, J. Margot Critch writes steamy contemporary romance for HARLEQUIN® BLAZE®. She graduated from Memorial University with a BA in Religious Studies and Folklore, and currently lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland, with her husband, Brian, and their two little buddies, Simon and Chibs. She spends equal amounts of time writing, and listening to Jimmy Buffett music, all the while trying to decide if she should have coffee or margaritas.
ALSO BY J. MARGOT CRITCH:
HARLEQUIN® BLAZE®:
In the Boss’s Bed
Hot for the boss…
Maya Connor was already embarrassed after a dare—and a shot of vodka—resulted in one seriously sexy kiss with an even sexier stranger. She had no idea that the man she made out with was hotel magnate and reputed playboy Jamie Sellers. Or that she would soon be working for him…
Maya won't let anything get in the way of her ambition. And she's determined to be taken seriously as she begins her career—and not give in to the heat that's constantly driving her to distraction. Lust, that's all it is. The more Maya and Jamie ignore it, the stronger it gets. But ending up in the boss's bed won't just be Maya's wickedest fantasies come to life…it'll be the end of her dreams.
In Her Best Friend’s Bed (coming February 2017; available for pre-order now)
She wants him so much!
Abby Shaw has had enough. She's done with relationships (why are guys always so needy?) and wants to focus on getting her career off the ground. The fact that Trevor Jones—her new best bud and her boss—is seriously hot shouldn't complicate things at all. But that deliciously hard, tattooed body? A kiss that suggests hours—and nights—of wicked pleasure? Yep, Trevor is trouble…
Abby and Trevor can't resist turning "just friends" into "friends with sexy benefits." Which means lots of hot sex, no messy emotions. It's the perfect arrangement—at first. But their searing sexual chemistry verges on becoming dangerously intimate…and Abby will do just about anything to keep herself from falling in love with Trevor Jones.
Brewed Moon:
Bump & Grind
By day, Erica Hardin is a barista at Brewed Moon, a trendy downtown St. John’s café, but by night, she is one of the city’s most sought after burlesque dancers. She craves more adventure and excitement in her somewhat dull, coffee-pouring life, and she gets all that and more when Peter Swanson walks into Brewed Moon. Unknown to Erica, Peter is a detective, part of a special team trained to fight the scourge of organized crime. When he and his team have suspicions of mobsters associating in the Brewed Moon, they spring into action, investigating the café and everyone who works there.
In Peter and his sinfully-good looks, Erica sees the element of danger she’s been craving. Peter however, can’t look past her luscious curves and wily red-lipped smile, and he’s willing to sacrifice everything he holds dear to get close to her. Despite the circumstances, neither Erica nor Peter can escape the instant attraction they feel, and before they know it, their steamy, forbidden affair is embroiled in a sinister plot perpetrated by Irish mob kingpin, Dylan O’Connell. Soon Erica finds herself in more danger than she anticipated, and she must rely on her own wits to survive, while Peter has to stop O’Connell before he makes his evil plans a reality.
Power Brothers:
Power to Love
Cash Power needs to get away. His job as a conflict photographer has left him with some memories he’d rather forget, and when he learns that he and his brothers have inherited a home in Key West, he jumps at the opportunity to get away and recuperate. He soon forgets his troubles when he boards the plane and meets his beautiful seatmate, Karen.
Karen Gallagher is an over-worked and under-appreciated environmental lawyer who decides to get out of town when her bosses push her to a breaking point. On a whim, she jumps on a plane headed to Key West; where she meets Cash. After a mile-high sexy encounter, Karen is sure she has started her vacation on the right foot … if only she’d remembered to book a hotel room.
Not wanting to see Karen stranded, Cash invites her to stay in his inherited house. Despite the initial awkwardness, the two quickly find themselves in the middle of a steamy vacation fling surrounded by the beautiful, sultry Florida Keys and each other. But as the time to part ways draws ever closer, the depth of their feelings for each other become clear. Will Karen and Cash make a clean break, or will they each leave a part of their heart in the Keys?
Connect with J. Margot Critch online!
Website: jmargotcritch.com
Twitter: @juanitamcritch
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jmargotcritch
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Story Six
Dark Pasion by Ian Gillies
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from the author.
Copyright © 2016 Ian Gillies
All rights reserved.
Dedication
To my friends past and present that have helped me get over many hurdles in my life
Acknowledgements
Thank you to the Romance the Rock group whose energy and excitement drove this anthology forward with such determination and professionalism. I am honoured and humbled to be part of such an amazing group of talented authors. Thank you as well to my beta readers who always give me such great feedback. This is the first strictly paranormal romance I’ve written and I was very unsure of it so your encouragement and positive words were very much appreciated. Thank you to my street team who have been truly amazing and gracious and supportive and I love you all!
As always, thank you to my amazing boys who make me want to work hard each and every day. Love you both with all of my heart except the little bit that’s left for Fergus; you are my world.
Chapter One
On the last evening of October, Halloween night, it grew dark around dinnertime and parties started early. It was Ashley’s first week in the big city with her sister who had been there for years. She was feeling nervous about a party in the city, but excited to finally meet her sister's friends. Her sister had told Ashley the number and she and her friend Lori walked into the converted warehouse just as some other partiers walked out. They smiled and waved which put her a little at ease. With nervous excitement she opened the door with the “Party Here” sign on the outside and was obviously at the dark end of the wide-open warehouse apartment. Thankfully, cheers erupted for them and the people inside seemed generally happy that more partygoers had arrived. As they walked through the room the party carried on, but Ashley could feel many eyes on them as they attempted to act like they belonged there.
Ashley’s friend Lori was tall, curvaceous, and dressed in a white sexy nurse outfit which she easily pulled off with her wonderful smile and bubbly demeanour, letting her get away with most anything. Ashley enjoyed letting Lori take the attention until she was comfortable. She was slower to enter, but instantly drawn to, and fixated on, one guy. He was dressed in his post-nuclear holocaust meets steampunk costume with an old fashioned gas mask and his waist length hair teased out around it. His muscular shirtless torso was covered in modified football shoulder pads, roughly painted, and adorned with hoses and gauges. He wore skin tight jeans, ripped off below the knees, that looked more like The Hulk had worn them, all torn but hiding the bits that needed to be hidden. On his feet he wore a pair of ski boots changed to look more like toothed platforms that brought him to a hulking 6’ 6” wild-man.
She couldn't see his face, but his body turned toward her as she took him in. It was clear she had gotten his attention.
Ashley was dressed as a modern day sexy vampire. Her long dark wavy hair hung way past her shoulders and high collared white blouse strained to hold itself together revealing her smooth white full cleavage. She watched Alex’s masked head tip as he followed the lines of her body downward. She enjoyed the attention and was happy with her costume and was happy she decided to wear the white blouse beneath the bodice, still feeling very sexy, but not looking too trashy. A long flowing high collared dress jacket, that also kept her warm, fashionably covered her costume. Her makeup was not heavy, but there was no mistaking the vampire look with her smoky eyes and full, red lips.
As the introductions started, Ashley was attentive to every name and, since she was the sister to one of the girls, she was immediately accepted. This was very comforting to her after leaving her home and coming here to start a new life. There were hugs and advice with every introduction, but in the back of her mind she was composing herself for her first encounter with the tall costumed guy whom she wanted to meet most. She was normally good at reading people before she even spoke with them, but this guy's costume hid most of the tell-tale signs.
There were a lot of people to meet and all seemed to be involved in the music industry in one way or another, a type of life that greatly interested her. Long before getting to speak with the big guy she got to know the other guys that at first she was not attracted to, but as she spoke with them, or she eyed them playing an instrument, Ashley liked them more and more. Many of them had a few empty beer cans around them and were very bold in their attention toward her and as much as she liked that attention, it pushed her away a little bit.
Casually Ashley made her way around the room meeting people, always aware of the tall costumed guy who seemed to be just playing it cool, but always seemed to be facing her. Before getting to meet him, another guy would not let her out of the conversation. As soon as there was a break in the conversation, another guy who was seemingly trying to impress her with his chugging ability, the guy that was the focus of her attention stepped in between them as if to save her. He was so tall in his costume Ashley had to strain her neck to look up at his face, remembering to close her mouth when she finally got to his eyes.
With his high boots on, he towered over Ashley even while wearing her sexy heels. Her head was not far above his waist height, just about to his chest. There was a moment of complete silence between them before he lifted his mask. Her breath caught in her throat. He had a kind gentle face with a big smile and white teeth. His long straight hair was not part of his costume and hung halfway down his very developed chest.
“Excuse the costume, I am not really this big, well let's just say I am proportional,” he said with a big flirtatious smile.
Wow. Ashley’s heartbeat kicked up a notch as she stared into his piercing eyes and watched his sensual mouth curl. No matter what this guy said, Ashley could not help but smile at him. “Your size does not bother me, I still want to suck your ... blood.” It was perhaps the boldest thing Ashley has said in her life and the first words to the most attractive man she had ever met. She promised herself to let go of her inhibitions now that she had made this major move and change in her life. The connection was obvious to them and others, as Ashley turned to watch the guy she was just speaking with walk away in obvious defeat in the shadow of Alex.
“My name is Alex and I live here with these other two reprobates,” he said as he pointed to the two guys closest to him who both smiled and waved. “I am happy you came, but how are you connected to the people here?”
“My name is Ashley. Andrea is my sister and I just moved here from the East Coast. It’s a big change in my life but I feel very comfortable here already.”
“Great, Andrea just lives down the street from us. I have lived here for years now and I am from the east coast as well. If you need anything at all, just let me know. I would love to show you around and make sure you have a good time,” Alex said with a big flirtation smile that did not go unnoticed. “Want to sit down so we can talk face-to -ace and not you standing there as if you were talking into my microphone?” he said with a wink.
Alex strode toward the loveseat waving two guys away who had been lounging there. “I need to sit before I fall,” he said and both cleared out without a question. Ash sat first and watched Alex attempt to sit from his extended height. It was obvious that halfway down Alex realized the love seat was lower than had he calculated and he ended up falling onto the seat. He landed on his back with his legs flying up until he lay across Ash’s lap onto the arm of the chair.
Enjoying the closeness, but not wanting to seem too eager Ash held his legs and asked, “Are you okay? Did you hurt your back?” Alex’s big s
mile and laughter let her know he was more than okay.
Ashley's promise to herself about opening up and trying new things in this city was not an effort for her at all. Confidently, she pulled Alex’s legs toward her, snug enough that she had to sit up straight to let his bare legs slide beneath her breasts against her body. The touch of his skin and muscular legs made her heart race and warmed her body to the point of discomfort. Turning her head slightly, just enough to catch the look of Alex’s face, made her think he felt much the same. That plus the slight rub of her breasts from his leg movement let her know for sure and thrilled her.
At that moment she promised herself that there would be no regrets about this evening. She was going to pursue Alex.
With newfound confidence, Ashley turned to Alex. “Thank you for being so inviting toward me. I was very nervous about coming to the city and coming to this party,” she said and placed her hand on his thigh just inches away from the irresistible bulge in his pants. Alex’s leg twitched. His raised eyebrows and sly grin was all the encouragement she needed, even if she did pretend to not notice anything.
“My pleasure, really. What are you drinking?” Alex asked.
“I didn’t bring anything and was not planning to drink until I got to know people better, but normally I am a red wine girl.”
Alex turned toward Dracula, standing by the kitchenette. “Hey Joe, can you get one more for me and a red wine for Ashley please?” He turned back to Ashley and said, “I think you know me well enough now for at least one drink.”
He looked pleased with himself and Ashley liked the way his mouth curled up more on one side than the other.
The roommate threw a beer to Alex and handed Ashley a glass of wine and the bottle.
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