by Ramona Gray
“It doesn’t work that way anymore, man. I mean, sometimes it does, but c’mon, you’ve seen my friends. They’re the nerdy types. We need a good-lookin’ brute like you to reel them in first. Hell, you might even find yourself a nice, old chick to bang.”
Silas laughed despite himself. “Well, how can I resist when you put it so eloquently?”
Gage held his fist out and Silas bumped it obligingly. “It’ll be a night you won’t forget, Silas. I promise you.”
* * *
“Quinn.”
“My queen.” The tall, dark-haired woman dropped to one knee and bowed her head.
The queen, her blonde hair falling in a shimmering curtain to just below her knees, rested her hand on the dark one’s head. “Stand, Quinn. You need not be so formal when it is just the two of us.”
Quinn nodded and stood. She stared at the smaller woman clothed head-to-toe in a robe of soft blue silk. The colour matched her eyes perfectly and the queen wore it often.
In the flickering candlelight, with her slender body hidden by the robe and her eyes glowing softly, the woman looked dainty and birdlike. Quinn knew better. She had seen firsthand the queen’s fighting abilities and the sweet roundness of her face belied her sharp mind and cruel nature. Although she had not witnessed the queen’s rise to power, she had been told the tales of the ugly and brutal battles the woman had fought to gain the throne.
Now, the queen wrinkled her nose at her. “You smell, Quinn.”
“Forgive me, your highness. The weather has flooded many of the roads. Our wheels were caught in the mud and I spent most of the day digging the carriages out.”
“Is that where you’ve been all day?” The queen poured herself some sweet red wine and sipped delicately at it.
“Yes, m’lady.”
“Do you believe that the Queen’s massina should be spending her time digging in the mud?” The queen’s voice was deceptively soft.
“I believed that I should help your people. There were many carriages stuck and – “
There was a sharp crack and Quinn’s head rocked back with the force of the slap. Quinn stared straight ahead. Her cheek was red and stinging but she made no move to rub it.
“Your only job is to protect your queen.” The woman glared at her. “After nearly seven years together, why must I remind you of this?”
“My apologies, your majesty. I will not forget again.”
The queen sniffed and took another drink of her wine. “I trust you won’t.”
She returned to her chair by the large fireplace that dominated the bedroom and stared moodily into the crackling flames. Quinn remained by the door, her arms folded behind her back, and waited patiently.
Through the window to her left, Quinn could see the sky growing darker. It had been pouring rain all day and the distant booms of thunder were growing steadily louder. As lightning flashed across the sky, the queen sighed loudly.
“This is no ordinary storm, Quinn.”
When Quinn didn’t reply, the queen said impatiently. “Come – sit by the fire with me.”
Quinn crossed the room and sat on the edge of the chair. She was tired and hungry and yearned for a hot bath but she did not allow any of her emotions to show on her face.
The queen finished her wine in two large gulps and set the glass on the small table next to her chair. “I spoke with the majii and they have assured me there will be another happening three nights from now. I want you to go and bring back all those who appear. Male and female.”
“Yes, my queen.”
“You’ll have to leave immediately. It is a two-day journey if you ride without stopping. Take Akia and the usual others, including Kila. ”
“Are you sure she is ready, my queen?”
The queen snorted softly. “You question me, Quinn?”
“No, m’lady.”
“Good. Then go and bring me my prisoners.”
Quinn rose and left the room silently. When the door to the queen’s bedroom had shut behind her, she leaned against the wall beside it for a moment. Her head was aching and she was bone tired. She sighed and pushed away from the wall, nodding to the guards who were standing watch outside the queen’s bedroom. She had chosen them herself, both for their fighting abilities and their ability to keep their mouths shut about anything they witnessed or heard. She trooped down the hallway towards her own quarters. She had to gather the others and move out quickly if they were to arrive and set the traps before one of the other clans showed up.
* * *
“Some weather we’re having, huh?” One of Gage’s friends, Silas thought his name was Craig, said politely.
Silas nodded. “Yeah.”
He, along with Craig, Gage, Steve, Evan, and Kyle were standing huddled under the awning of a closed coffee shop. Silas glanced at his watch impatiently before nudging Gage. “When are they supposed to be here?”
Gage shrugged. “Any minute now. They were taking a cab here and then we’re going to walk to the bar.”
“Walk to the bar?” Silas glanced up at the sky. The rain fell in sheets and lightning was flashing across the sky every few minutes. “In this?”
Gage punched his arm as a cab pulled up in front of them. “You’re not sugar, Silas.”
The girls piled out, giggling and shrieking softly as they darted under the awning. A small blonde, her hair piled carefully on her head, snuggled into Gage’s arms. “Hi there.”
“Hi, Angela.” Gage grinned delightedly at her and kissed her cheek. “How are you?”
“I’m good.” She glanced at Silas, looking him up and down quickly. “Hello, Silas.”
“Hey, Angela.” Silas blinked as a redhead, her breasts nearly falling out of the dark green dress she was wearing, pressed up against him.
“Hi, I’m Veronica,” she said in a breathless little girl voice. “Like in the Archie comics.”
“Hello, Veronica.” Silas tried to take a step back and bumped up against the glass door of the coffee shop. Veronica pressed closer and rested one perfectly-manicured hand on his hard bicep.
“God, you’re strong. Gage says you work construction.”
“That’s right.”
“I love construction workers. So buff and tanned.” She laughed – a high-pitched giggle that set Silas’ teeth on edge.
He smiled politely at her before flashing Gage a warning look. Gage cleared his throat. “Silas, you know Angela and you’ve just met Veronica. These other lovely ladies are Andrea, Paula, Gemma, and Lacey.”
The women smiled at him as Gage stuck his hand out from under the awning and let the rain splash onto his palm. “What do you say we get to the bar before the whole damn street floods?”
Evan glanced at the dark sky, pushing his glasses up self-consciously. “Maybe we should wait until the rain slows down a bit.”
“We’ll be here all night then.” Lacey, her dark hair sleek and shiny, pouted. “It’s cold out.”
“I don’t mind.” Veronica put her arms around Silas’ waist and ran her fingers up and down the back of his leather jacket.
“We’re not sugar, we won’t melt.” Silas gave her another polite smile before unwrapping her arms from his waist. “Let’s go.”
He stepped out into the rain, pulling his collar up, and the others followed him. He strode down the street. Behind him he could hear the girls giggling and squealing as they slipped and slid in their high heels on the slick pavement.
The street was completely dead. No cars passed by and there were no other people scurrying through the rain. Silas moved a little faster as cold rain dripped down the back of his neck and under his jacket.
A large boom of thunder went off directly above them and one of the girls screamed. Jagged lightning flashed and the hydro pole in front of them exploded with a loud bang as sparks showered down. The street lights went dead and they were plunged into darkness.
“Oh shit; Gage?” Angela said loudly. “Take my hand.”
“Sure, baby
. Don’t be frightened.” Gage took Angela’s hand as Silas turned to face the rest of the group.
“I think we should call it a night.” He had to shout to be heard over the rising wind.
The girls gave small moans of dismay and Gage shook his head. “Nah, man, it’ll be fine. The bar is a couple blocks down. I bet they haven’t lost electricity.”
“Gage, this is – “
“What’s that?” Veronica, her head cocked to the side, pointed to Silas’ left. He turned and stared curiously at the small glowing orb hovering twenty feet above the wet pavement.
Silas took a step back, joining the group as the orb grew steadily larger. The wind howled and he realized with sudden alarm that it wasn’t just a wind from the storm. The orb was creating the wind and it was rapidly growing to tornado level.
“Back!” Silas roared. “Everyone get back now!”
He grabbed Veronica’s hand and yanked her backwards. “Move goddammit!”
She stumbled on her high heels and fell to one knee, and he yanked her to her feet with a panicky roughness. There was a strange electricity in the air. He could feel the hair on his body standing on end and the orb, which was now five times its original size, was crackling loudly.
“Silas, what the hell is going on?” Gage grabbed his arm and Silas shook his head.
“I don’t know but we need to get the hell out of here now!” He shouted.
“What’s happening? What is that thing?” Angela shrieked loudly.
As if it heard her, the orb began to throb and pulse and Silas cursed and pulled Veronica back.
“Go now!” He pushed her down the street and grabbed Gage’s arm. “We need to go! Right – “
The orb suddenly pulsed with a brilliant white light and the group threw their arms up to shield their eyes. Beside him, Veronica shrieked as she was lifted off her feet and sucked toward the orb.
“Silas!” Gage was being dragged toward the orb and Silas grabbed his arm grimly and dug his feet in. It was pointless. The wind was a howling, blasting tornado and he felt his own feet lifting off the ground. All around him, the others in their group were being lifted into the air and sucked into the orb. There was another brilliant flash of white light, Gage’s arm was torn from his grasp, and both he and Silas were pulled into the light.
* * *
“Claiming Quinn” will be available at all major e-book retailers in the fall of 2016
Please enjoy an excerpt from Ramona Gray’s newest contemporary romance, “The Assistant”.
THE ASSISTANT
By Ramona Gray
Copyright 2015 Ramona Gray
* * *
“Ms. Jones! My office, immediately.”
His voice, harsh and demanding, spilled out of his office and I sighed before standing up from my desk. Smoothing my skirt, I entered his office and smiled at my boss.
“Is there a problem, Mr. Wright?”
“Shut the door,” he barked.
I shut the door and sat down in one of the leather chairs across from his desk. I crossed my legs delicately and his eyes drifted to my short hemline before he glared at me.
“As a matter of fact, there is a problem. A rather large one.”
I pasted my best ‘what can I do to help’ look on my face and folded my hands in my lap.
He raked his hand through his hair before his gaze dropped to my chest. “Your outfit, Ms. Jones.”
My cheeks flamed immediately and I pulled self-consciously at my too-tight shirt. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean, Ms. Jones.” He leaned forward and folded his own hands on the top of his desk. “It isn’t work appropriate. What do you have to say for yourself?”
“Laundry day,” I whispered.
He frowned. “What?”
“It was laundry day yesterday and I didn’t have any quarters for the washing machine.” I cleared my throat nervously. “I didn’t have anything else to wear.”
I was nearly sweating with embarrassment. I had hemmed and hawed over my outfit this morning for half an hour but, left without much choice, had decided to just go for it. I knew what I looked like. The shirt was much too tight. It hugged my large breasts and clung to my curves and the skirt, well let’s just say that bending over was not an option.
“How long have you worked for me, Ms. Jones?”
“Three years.”
“I would think that after three years you’d have a better understanding of the office dress policy. Wouldn’t you?”
My temper flared and I scowled at him. “I’m not breaking any rules. My skirt is well within the regulation length.”
He scowled back. “Is it? Then explain why I got an eyeful of your garters when I walked by your desk. And I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that the first deep breath you take, your buttons on that shirt pop open. Showing your tits is a definite infraction, Ms. Jones.”
I gaped at him. “Did you just talk about my tits?”
He sat back in his chair and I watched wide-eyed as his hands moved to the buckle of his belt. “As I was saying, you’ve created a large problem and it’s up to you to solve it.” As he was speaking, his hands were unbuckling, unbuttoning and unzipping.
A small gasp escaped my throat when he tugged his cock through the opening in his pants. It was long and thick and hard as a rock, and my mouth dried up as I watched him stroke it firmly.
“Come here and solve the problem, Ms. Jones,” he commanded.
Like a woman in a dream, I rose to my feet and crossed around his desk. I couldn’t take my eyes off of his cock and as moisture dampened my panties, I unconsciously rubbed my thighs together in an effort to quell the throbbing that was starting between my legs.
“On your knees, Ms. Jones.” He rolled his chair back and I knelt obediently between his legs.
My mouth was in front of his cock now and I watched his hand slide up and down before he wound his other hand in my hair and pushed me toward the head of his cock.
“Open,” he said firmly.
I opened my mouth and moaned in sheer delight when he guided his cock past my lips. I closed my mouth around his throbbing length, my stomach tightening with pleasure when I heard his harsh moan.
“Good girl,” he whispered. He petted and stroked my hair as I sucked enthusiastically. His hips were rising in his chair and he was thrusting more firmly into my mouth. I made a soft humming noise and he groaned again before pulling on my hair.
“All of it. I want you to take all of it.” He pushed on the back of my head and I took a deep breath and –
“Lina! Earth to Lina!”
I jerked and nearly fell off the stool I was sitting on. My hand twitched and the salad tumbled off my fork and landed with a wet splat on my blouse. I cursed loudly and mopped at the salad dressing with my napkin.
“What the hell were you thinking about, Lina?” My co-worker, Amanda, bit into her sandwich and stared curiously at me.
I blushed and continued to dab at the stain on my blouse. “Nothing. Why?”
“You had a weird look on your face.”
I shrugged. “I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well last night. Rex still isn’t doing well and I was up half the night with him.”
Amanda gave me a look of sympathy. “I’m sorry. I know how much he means to you.”
“Thanks.” I smiled at her and then glanced at the clock. “Shit. I’ve got to get back to my desk. Mr. Wright left a ton of documents for me before he went to his meeting. If I don’t have them finished by the time he gets back, he’ll have my head.”
Amanda rolled her eyes. “I have no idea how or why you put up with him. He’s an asshole.”
I shrugged. “I need the money. It’s not like there are a ton of jobs out there right now.”
“I’d rather work at McDonalds then be his assistant,” Amanda replied. “Do you know that before you, he went through seven assistants in just as many months? It was a bloodbath. I mean, we knew it would be difficult wh
en Helen retired but seriously, we had no idea. The one girl had a nervous breakdown at her desk and Fran had to drive her home.”
I laughed. “He’s not that bad.”
Amanda raised her eyebrow and I nodded in defeat. “Fine. He’s that bad.”
“Handsome bastard, though,” Amanda said thoughtfully.
A snippet of my daydream reared its ugly head and I closed my eyes briefly before clearing my throat. “I hadn’t noticed.”
“Bullshit,” Amanda scoffed.
“Fine. I’ve noticed. But honestly, he’s such a douchebag that he isn’t handsome to me anymore.” There was no way in hell I would ever, even under the threat of hot needles being poked under my nails, admit to my crush on my asshole boss.
I slid off the stool and pulled nervously at my top and skirt. “Hey, Amanda? What do you, uh, think of my outfit today?”
Amanda eyed me critically. “You look good. Different, but good.” She hesitated. “Your shirt might be a teensy too tight for the office.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “It’s laundry day.”
Amanda laughed and popped a grape into her mouth. “I overheard Gary and Marvin discussing your breasts by the photocopier machine. Gary thinks you’re a D cup but Marvin is confident you’re a double D.”
“Fucking perverts,” I muttered.
“They sure are,” Amanda agreed cheerfully. “So, which is it? D or double D?”
I stuck my tongue out at her. “None of your business, Pervey McPerve.”
She laughed again. “You should have seen the looks on their faces when they turned around and saw Mr. Wright standing behind them.”
I groaned. “Please tell me he didn’t overhear them.”
“Of course he did. He gave them that look - you know the one - and told them if they had enough time to discuss their co-worker’s assets over the water cooler, then he obviously wasn’t giving them enough clients. Next thing you know, they’re both buried in files.”
