Damn if I hadn’t become a legend along the way.
All it had cost me was the career I’d worked so hard to earn.
Yeah, I could write a book on the subject of men. First chapter would be: “Unless They Are Kneeling at Your Feet, Stay the Fuck Away.”
From the drawer I pulled out a stack of unpaid bills and slapped them on the desk. It was time to begin the daily task—a creative shell game of shuffling my dwindling cash reserves and warding off the creditors for another few days. They hadn’t started knocking on my door, but unless I did something soon, they would come.
My gaze brushed over my bullwhip coiled in its restless sleep and nestled beneath the bills.
It was never a good idea to get out of practice. With the implosion of everything I’d once held dear, my practice had become a twice weekly occurrence. Now nearly a week had gone by since I’d brought it out to train.
An itching in my fingers had me reaching for the comfort of the braided handle. My fingers curled around the plaited leather, seeking a longtime friend and finding the worn areas smoothed out by use. I gripped the handle, pulled it out of the drawer, and measured its weight.
I moved around to stand in front of the desk and focused my attention on the far wall. Suspended from the high ceiling, a steel bar dangled on a chain. Hanging from the bar, five red disks waited, urging me to strike.
I’d modified the gun targets for whip practice years ago and had set the contraption up in my office when it became apparent I would have a lot of downtime in my new job. This was nothing like having a man strung up before me, but I used what I had.
Even if I was no longer an active player in the scene, throwing a whip wasn’t a skill one let go. Constant practice was essential to maintaining accuracy.
I moved in front of the desk and created space, pushing the metal chair to the side. I took up position near the middle of the long, narrow room and checked for clearance. I wasn’t worried whether I had enough room. Other than my beat-up desk and office chair, a single metal chair for the client, and a bookcase behind my desk, the office space I’d rented was tall enough, long enough, and wide enough to practice inside. But the habit of checking my surroundings—a safety protocol drilled in after years of study—made the action compulsory.
Satisfied the arc of the whip would be clear, both behind and to the side of me, I rolled my shoulders and tightened my fingers on the grip. Then I relaxed. My body took the stance I needed to focus.
I shook out the bullwhip. The tip rasped on the polished concrete floor, almost like a whisper of promise. That whisper traveled up my spine, shot to my shoulder, and raced down to my wrist.
Intent on the first target, I lifted my arm to the twelve o’clock position, and muscle memory took over. I’d performed this move tens of thousands of times.
The whip flowed. The fall formed the all-important loop, racing outward from the handle until it broke the speed of sound. I hadn’t rushed the crack, hadn’t thrown my muscle into the move. I kept my arm relaxed and my fingers loose and let the momentum of the whip do all the work. All I had done was aim, a feat perfected after years of practice.
Crack! Ping! One red disk spun.
I lifted my arm again.
Crack! Ping! The second twirled, shaking the bar.
Again and again, I did this five times with my right arm. Then I switched arms. It had taken years to learn to throw ambidextrously, but I was equally proficient with either arm. Being able to switch arms helped prevent fatigue during a long scene.
Five with the left.
Five more with the right.
Forward crack.
Overhead, overhand, and the sidearm throw.
I flowed through each with the ease of a Master, my aim flawless. I hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Damn, I love this rhythm. My breath eased out of my lungs, only slightly labored. My muscles warmed with the effort.
This was so much better than paying bills.
End of sample chapters…to continue reading…
Grab your copy: Books2read.com/ChangingRoles
The Collective is here…
We’ve set the stage, created the characters, and fashioned a world full of twists and turns. Now it’s your turn to sit back and immerse yourself in this incredible series. Each episode weaves the characters and storylines of five standalone novels together to give you an epic crossover series. We’ve left you breadcrumbs, tidbits of information intertwined throughout our stories. Can you find them? Can you collect the clues we’ve left and become part of The Collective and solve the case?
Season One
Featured authors in order of appearance:
International bestselling author—Riley Edwards
https://www.rileyedwardsromance.com
International bestselling author—Erin Trejo
https://www.authorerintrejo.weebly.com/
Best Selling and Award winning author—Ellie Masters
https://www.elliemasters.com
Award winning author—Elias Raven
https://www.eliasraven.com
Award winning author—Chris Genovese
https://www.eroticmayberry.com
Best Selling author—Carver Pike
https://www.carverpike.com
Season One releases April 4, 2017, with a two-week release schedule.
Riley Edwards—Unbroken (part one)—4.4.17
http://bit.ly/UnbrokenPartOne
Erin Trejo—Iron Claw MC—4.18.17
http://bit.ly/IronClawMC
Ellie Masters—Learning to Breathe—5.2.17
http://bit.ly/LearningtoBreatheOne
Elias Raven—Shadow & Flame—5.16.17
http://bit.ly/ShadowandFlame
Chris Genovese—Quills and Daggers—5.30.17
http://bit.ly/QuillandDaggers
Riley Edwards—Unbroken (part two)—6.13.17
Erin Trejo—TBA—6.27.17
Ellie Masters—Learning to Breathe (part two)—7.11.17
Elias Raven—TBA—7.25.17
Carver Pike—TBA—8.1.17
Connect with The Collective at
Newsletter—http://eepurl.com/cxCJFb
Website—www.TheCollectiveNovels.com
Facebook—https://www.facebook.com/TheCollectiveNovels/
Website:
www.elliemasters.com
Amazon Author Page:
amazon.com/author/elliemasters
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/elliemastersdarkromance
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Ellie__Masters
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14502459.Ellie_Masters
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ellie_masters/
Google+:
https://plus.google.com/110364901628776604366
I hope you enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you enjoyed reading this story, let other people know. Friend recommendations are the strongest catalyst for readers’ purchase decisions! And I’d love to be able to continue bringing the characters and stories from My-Mind-to-the-Page.
Second, call or e-mail a friend and tell them about this book. If you really want them to read it, gift it to them. If you prefer digital friends, please use the “Recommend” feature of Goodreads to spread the word.
Third, please “like” the Ellie Masters Dark Romance Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/elliemastersdarkromance
Or visit my blog https://elliemasters.com/, where you can find out more about my writing process and personal life.
Come visit The EDGE: Dark Discussions where we’ll have a chance to talk about my works, their creation, and maybe what the future has in store for my writing.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/EllieMasters.TheEdge/
Thank you so much for your support!
Love,
Ellie
Ellie Masters is a multi-genre and best selling author, wr
iting the stories she loves to read. These are dark erotic tales. Or maybe, sweet contemporary stories? How about a romantic thriller to whet your appetite? Ellie writes it all. Want to read passionate poems and sensual secrets? She does that too. Dip into the eclectic mind of Ellie Masters, spend time exploring the sensual realm where she breathes life into her characters and brings them from her mind to the page and into the heart of her readers every day.
Ellie Masters has been exploring the worlds of romance, dark erotica, science fiction, and fantasy by writing the stories she wants to read. When not writing, Ellie can be found outside, where her passion for all things outdoor reigns supreme: off-roading, riding ATVs, scuba diving, hiking, and breathing fresh air are top on her list.
She has lived all over the United States—east, west, north, south and central—but grew up under the Hawaiian sun. She’s also been privileged to have lived overseas, experiencing other cultures and making lifelong friends. Now, Ellie is proud to call herself a Southern transplant, learning to say y’all and “bless her heart” with the best of them. She lives with her beloved husband, two children who refuse to flee the nest, and four fur-babies; three cats who rule the household, and a dog who wants nothing other than for the cats to be his best friends. The cats have a different opinion regarding this matter.
Ellie’s favorite way to spend an evening is curled up on a couch, laptop in place, watching a fire, drinking a good wine, and bringing forth all the characters from her mind to the page and hopefully into the hearts of her readers.
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Learning to Breathe: Part One - The Collective - Season 1, Episode 3 Page 17
