Maidens, we have with us today another very talented erotic romance author. Lexi Blake's stories are full of suspense and adventure And of course they are scorchingly hot! If you like your kinky romances with some and edge of suspense, then you have to give these books a try! Now, please help us welcome Ms. Blake to UTC while we get right to it!
Hi Lexi, thank you so much for stopping by today and being a part of our Burning Up July event!
THEIR VIRGIN'S CONCUBINE
is the third book in your Masters of Ménage series with Shayla Black. What can
we expect from this book?
Readers can expect more
fun. The Masters of Ménage series was meant to play on old Harlequin tropes –
like the captive bride, the secret baby – and this is our version of a sheikh
book. We’ve made up our own little country and the royalty there shares power
between brothers. In order to keep the power and wealth consolidated, the
brothers of the family share a bride. And tradition requires they steal their
bride.
What's the best and worst about writing a story with another author?
The best thing is
spreading the work load. The worst thing is we’re dealing with two minds, two
egos. Shayla Black and I are best friends. We actually work really well
together, but we’ve had to find that road. Switching between chapters didn’t
work for us. Our voices were too different and I hate editing. Shayla loves it.
So I write the first draft and she edits it, adding in her own unique voice.
How did the series Masters and Mercenaries come about?
I really wanted to write
a BDSM version of James Bond. I love spy stories and thrillers, but I always
wonder where’s the sex. So I wrote my own version. I was deeply attracted to
the idea of two very different brothers as book ends to the series. Sean from The Dom Who Loved Me is the reluctant
spy. He has other dreams. Ian is his deeply intense older brother. Being a spy
is his whole life.
A DOM IS FOREVER is the third book in this series. Do you have any interesting
stories about writing this book?
Liam is a difficult
character. He kind of goes into this whole thing kicking and screaming. I know
that makes me sound like a crazy writer, but it’s true. I think he’s probably
the most difficult book because I need A
Dom is Forever to not only be Liam’s book, but the bridge to the rest of
the series.
Do you have a favorite Dom?
I have a couple. Of
mine? Ian. Of that other me? I always go back to Julian Lodge from my Sophie
Oak series Texas Sirens. Of other author’s? Master Z from the amazing Cherise
Sinclair’s Shadowlands series and Master Logan from Shayla Black’s Belong to Me.
If you could describe your writing in three words or less, what would they be?
Sexy, Sassy, Suspenseful
What sex scene has been your favorite to write so far?
The one in the pool
between Sean and Grace in The Dom Who
Loved Me. It’s my favorite scene because I kind of, sort of took it from
real life. Grace is happily swimming in her pool long after dark when no one
should be able to see her. But someone does. I did this. Might I just say, my
night did not end as well as Grace’s!
Since it is BURNING UP JULY, what's your favorite way to cool down on a hot
summer's day?
Sitting in the pool with
a margarita in my hand!
What book is currently on your nightstand?
I’ve been reading
Larissa Ione’s Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series. I’m deep into Lethal Rider.
What would you say is the difference when you write as Lexi Blake then when you
write as Sophie Oak?
I think I’m more
suspenseful as Lexi Blake. I write a lot of one man/one woman books as Lexi.
Sophie is almost totally a ménage author. Sophie is very funny. Lexi is more
about the mystery. Lexi is very much big city BDSM and Sophie is small town
cowboys.
Do you ever use a real life experience and include it in one of your books?
Care to share?
Well, there was the pool
thing. I think I use a lot of my real life emotions in my work. I love writing
older heroines because I’m just a little past forty and I love my current stage
of life.
We're asking
participating authors to share their favorite cocktail drink recipes with our
readers so they can cool off this summer. Do you have a recipe you'd like to
share?
Chocolate Cake Shots
½ oz Vanilla Vodka
½ oz Frangelico Hazelnut
Liqueur
Lemon slice
Sugar
Mix the vodka and
liqueur in a shot glass. Dip the lemon in sugar. Take the shot. Bite the lemon.
Tastes just like chocolate cake!
Well there you have it ladies! Thank you so much Lexi for sharing with us. Might I add the pool scene was very hot, sorry yours didn't end as well. And I can't wait to read Ian's story!! Now we'll leave you with an excerpt from the second book in the Masters and Mercenaries series, THE MEN WITH THE GOLDEN CUFFS.
EXCERPT
Chapter One
(The following excerpt is for adults only!)
“What
brings you to McKay-Taggart today, Miss?” Adam forced himself to ask
the question when all he really wanted to do was tug the curvy brunette
into his arms and promise her everything would be all right.
From
the moment Jake had shown her in his door and dumped her at his desk,
Adam had wanted to put a hand on her. It was an instinct. She was
exactly his type, and she seemed to be in trouble. He was a sucker for a
woman in trouble.
Luckily there was a desk between them or he might prove he was completely unprofessional.
“It’s
Serena Brooks. That’s my real name.” Her hands fluttered nervously
before she forced them into her lap. “Please call me Serena. Everyone
does. Well, my friends do. I actually have a couple of names. Did I
offend the first guy?”
Interesting.
Adam found himself leaning forward. He caught the faintest whiff of
something citrusy. Serena Brooks was a sweet-looking thing.
Golden-brown hair escaped from the bun on the back of her head in soft
wisps that framed a lovely face. She had on a slightly too big green
sweater and jeans. She wore a very professional-looking pair of glasses
that she toyed with from time to time. She looked like a sweet
librarian.
Fuck,
it had been way too long since he’d gotten laid. He usually at least
had a full conversation with a woman before he decided to lay her out,
strip her down and sink into her.
“Jake? No, you didn’t offend him. He’s odd. I’m sure he had something important to do.”
Jake
had a lot of explaining to do. Apparently, he hadn’t even introduced
himself to Serena. He’d simply walked her across the hall and dumped
her, mumbling something about some research he had to do, and ran out,
leaving Adam with more questions than he could answer and one very
lovely damsel in distress. At least she could answer a few questions.
“Why
do you have more than one name?” Maybe he should back off a bit. Adam
knew that sometimes the softest packages could explode in his face. He
had the scars to prove it. Ten years of security work including five
years serving his country with the Green Berets should have taught him
not to take anything at face value. Unfortunately his dick hadn’t
gotten the message.
He
glanced at the clock, wondering how long Jacob Dean was going to take.
They rarely worked apart. Even during something as simple as a client
referral meeting, he preferred to have Jake at his side. Jake so often
caught things Adam didn’t.
“Oh, you think I have assumed names. Aliases.” She laughed. It was a throaty, sexy laugh. It went straight to Adam’s cock.
“That
would be the very definition of a name that isn’t your own.” He was
utterly fascinated with the way her eyes lit up when she laughed. Even
from behind her glasses, he could see her eyes were a lovely shade of
green.
She
smiled and leaned forward. She probably had no idea that when she
leaned forward, her sweater opened and he could see a creamy expanse of
breast. He bet she was at least a C cup. Maybe a small D. She would
fill his hands. Those breasts would more than likely look beautiful
with rope surrounding them, forcing them to stand up and show off.
“I
like the idea of an alias, Mr. Miles. It makes me sound far more
interesting than I really am. I have a pen name. Amber Rose.”
“You’re
a writer.” That fit. He could see her hunched over a notepad writing
out innocent romances. He wondered if she blushed when she wrote the
kissing scenes. If he told her how he liked to take a woman, she would
probably run the other way.
The question was would he chase her down?
The
door to his office opened, and Jake strode in. “Sorry. I had a few
things to deal with including one very pushy receptionist who likes to
put her overly cute nose into everyone’s business.” He turned to the
client, and Adam noticed his double take. Yeah. They had the same taste
in women, which was good since they liked to share. “I’m Jake Dean.
It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Serena Brooks.” She held out her hand, and Jake hesitated only for the slightest second before enveloping it in his own.
Adam
understood his hesitation. The woman in front of them was lovely and
potentially submissive. It was there in the way she held herself, in the
soft way she spoke and the pleasure she obviously took when she
thought she’d pleased someone. She might not know or understand it, but
Adam had been in the lifestyle long enough to recognize all the signs.
Jake was far more invested in being a Dom, but Adam always backed him
up.
“That’s a beautiful name, Serena,” Adam said, wanting to see if his hunch was correct.
She flushed and looked down. “Thank you.”
Yep. Score one for the team.
Jake looked at him, shaking his head slightly. Adam could almost read his mind.
Client. Stay away.
He smiled back, a slight uptick of his lips to give Jake his response. No way. No how.
He
certainly wasn’t going to back away. They hadn’t even taken the case
yet, and there was no certainty that they would. It was very difficult
to believe the woman in front of him had gotten herself in enough
trouble that she would actually need their services. More than likely
she wanted to check out a cheating boyfriend. McKay-Taggart didn’t
provide those types of services. Adam could happily refer her to a
private investigator, and then in a few months, he could call her up
and offer her a little solace—ménage style.
Jake
looked at her, his eyes fastened to her face. “I didn’t have a
reminder about your appointment. I apologize for being late.”
Bastard.
He knew damn well she didn’t have an appointment. Jake was pushing her
to see if she would lie. Adam sighed. Jake was good at playing bad
cop.
Serena
didn’t even try to lie. She flushed and stammered a little. “I didn’t
have an appointment. I kind of walked in. I’m sorry if I’m
inconveniencing you. I really should have made an appointment, but my
agent thought it would be okay.” She started to stand.
Jake’s
voice deepened, proving to Adam beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’d
picked up on the same signs. He only used that voice on submissives
they picked up in the clubs. “Sit down, Serena.”
She settled in again.
“We’re
not upset. I was simply apologizing for not being here at the start of
the meeting. Adam and I are a team. We work together. We usually meet
clients together.” Jake leaned on the side of the desk. “We don’t
usually have clients who simply walk in off the street. McKay-Taggart
doesn’t advertise.”
McKay-Taggart Security worked for a very select clientele.
“I
know. I had never heard of you.” She nodded and sank her hand into
what seemed like a never-ending handbag. Adam was pretty sure she could
have fit the contents of a small house in that bag. She apologized as
she searched through it, finally coming up with a small business card.
She passed it to Jake. “My agent sent me. I guess she’s worked with you
guys before.”
Jake looked at it and then passed it to Adam.
Anderson Literary Agency
Lara Anderson, Agent
There
was an address and phone numbers, but he didn’t recognize the name. It
didn’t really matter. He would look her up as soon as the client was
gone, and he would know the woman right down to what she’d had for
lunch. He was damn good. It wouldn’t matter if they took the case or
not. He was interested in whoever thought to send clients their way.
Usually the government or wealthy corporations were more their style,
but he was intrigued at the idea of a single client in need of help.
“So
what brings you in today?” He tried to come up with any reason for
someone so obviously harmless to need a security company of
McKay-Taggart’s level. They wouldn’t come cheap.
She
took a deep breath, as though steeling herself to get through the next
few moments. “I have a stalker. Sometimes fans joke about stalking an
author, but this one is serious.”
Jake’s arms crossed over his chest. “Have you talked to the police?”
“On
several occasions. I have the police reports right here.” She shoved
her glasses back up her nose before delving into her bag. She came up
with several papers, each one slightly wrinkled. She put them down on
the desk, attempting to smooth them out. “Sorry. I’m not the most
organized of people. My friends keep telling me to get a personal
assistant.”
Jake
snatched the paperwork before Adam could get a hand on it. His fingers
tapped along the desk. He knocked twice and swept his fingers toward
Serena. It was his signal for Adam to keep the client talking while he
reviewed the data.
Adam was the soft touch, and Jake the hard hand. Adam was all right with that. It usually meant that he got to play first.
“Do you know the identity of this man? Is he an ex?” Adam asked, allowing his voice to go soft and sympathetic.
She
shook her head. “No. I don’t know. What I mean is I have no idea who
this guy is. I’m divorced, but I can’t imagine Doyle would do this to
me. He’s an asshole, but he’s really upfront about it.”
Adam
wasn’t convinced. When a woman was being systematically stalked, the
proper place to start was with an ex. “Your divorce was acrimonious?”
The
little huff that came out of her mouth told Adam all he needed to
know. “My divorce was started by my ex-husband. He blindsided me. I
thought we were happy. We’ve been divorced for almost three years. He’s
not interested in me physically. Believe me, he made that plain. And
this guy seems very interested, if you know what I mean.”
But
Adam didn’t buy that her ex was completely uninterested. If he was
male and had working parts and the right bent, he would be interested.
Adam let it go for now. “Fine. Tell me what happened.”
“It
started really simply. I have a Facebook fan page. Uhm, it’s nothing
special, just a place where I talk to fans and post excerpts. But a
couple of months ago I got a friend request from someone named Joshua
Lake. I thought it was kind of cool because he’s one of my most popular
characters. I thought it was cute. It was fine at first. And then it
got weird.”
“What do you mean by weird?”
Her
face flushed. There was no doubt in Adam’s mind that this woman truly
believed she was in danger. “He started to send me private messages.
I’ll be honest. At first I thought it was a woman. Most men don’t read
romance novels.”
“I
would assume you don’t have a lot of male fans. Do you often have men
who try to friend you?” The internet was full of predators. Social
networks often made ripe picking grounds.
“Usually
they’re in the business. I know a lot of cover models, agents,
editors. It’s people like that. I knew the minute I got the request
that this was a fan. He knew too much about my work. This is a person
who has read all my books.”
Adam was definitely interested. “You said it got weird? What were his private messages like?”
“At first I thought he was just role-playing.”
Jake
pulled out his phone. He pushed off the desk. “Yes, I’d like to talk
to Lieutenant Brighton. Please let him know it’s Jake Dean.”
Serena shook her head. “Oh, the officer assigned to my case was named Chitwood.”
Adam
waved her off as Jake stepped away, talking quietly on the phone. “I’m
sure they assigned someone very junior to your case. We know
Lieutenant Brighton from our Army days. He’s sort of our liaison when
we have cases involving the local police. I’m sure Jake would just like
to get his hands on the source material. I take it the police have
transcripts of all the conversations?”
“Yes. Apparently the network kept the conversations on file even after I unfriended him. I blocked him as well.”
Adam could guess what happened next. “And he simply changed his name and came back.”
“Yes.
And he was angry. He laid low for a few weeks and then told me that I
wouldn’t be able to get rid of him. He called me arrogant for even
thinking that I could brush him aside. I blocked him again. That was
when he showed up on my personal page.”
Adam
frowned. This man seemed very determined. Usually the trollers gave up
after the first rejection and went on to find easier prey. “How well
known are you?”
“As
Amber Rose? I have a following. I make my living this way. I sell tens
of thousands of downloads every quarter. But I could be in a room with
two hundred people and the likelihood of someone knowing me is very
small. Even a successful author isn’t very famous. I’ve never hit the Times.
I probably won’t, but I have some crazy fan girls. I didn’t get really
worried until he sent a friend request to me as Serena Brooks.”
Adam didn’t like the sound of that. “How closely do you guard your name?”
Her
hands threaded together in her lap, a sure sign that she was very
nervous about the whole situation. “I’ve tried to keep it out of
everything. Obviously my publisher, my agent and editor know my real
name, but no one else does.”
“Not
even your friends?” If this woman didn’t have a few deeply close
friends, he would shoot himself. He would bet a lot on the fact that
she developed intimate relationships. Perhaps not with many people, but
there would be a few who would know all of her secrets.
Her
eyes went wide. “Yes. I have two friends who know what I do. Bridget
and Chris. But they’re writers, too. We all write romance. They would
never give up my name. Bridget has been through the same thing. She’s
had some guys write her letters from prison saying they were coming
after her when they got out.”
“Is
that normal?” It sounded horrible. She wrote romances. The worst she
should have to deal with was some fan asking her when the next one
would come out.
She shrugged. “It happens more than you would think.”
“And
what have the police said?” He could guess. They wouldn’t do a whole
hell of a lot. Even with stalking laws in place, unless they knew who
the guy was, they couldn’t do much.
“He uses public access to computers. Everything has come from a library, and apparently he has several fake names.”
Adam was pretty sure he could do better than that. Damn it.
He was going to have to take her case. She actually needed the firm,
and not just the firm, but him especially. He was a computer expert.
He’d been his unit’s communications expert in the Green Berets. He’d
taken that to another level in the civilian world. He considered
himself an excellent hacker. If this asshole was out there, Adam was
sure he could find him.
“What has he threatened to do to you?” Adam was pretty sure he didn’t want to know, but he had to ask.
Her
hands twisted in her lap. He wanted to hold one in his while Jake
enveloped the other, the two of them providing a bulwark against the
myriad of dangers she faced.
“He
hates me. He says I tempt him, and I’m ruining his life. He says I’m
dirty, and I should go to hell. He says he’s the one to send me there.
It’s odd, really. It’s changed over time. At first it was about the
characters. He thought one of my characters should be with someone
else. It was fairly typical fan stuff. He said he was coming after me
if I didn’t get Melissa and Dan together. He claims they were supposed
to be together, but I never intended for those two to get together. Dan
is very immature.”
She
got animated as she talked about her work. He thought it was adorable,
but they were getting off topic. Adam had to bring her back in line.
“You said he changed?”
Her
eyes widened as though she had to pull herself out of her own
thoughts. “Oh, yes. Uhm, the online stalking stayed the same, but then
the calls started and the e-mails. Those were about how evil I am. It’s
weird. I don’t understand how this person can be invested in my books
when he obviously thinks they’re pornographic.”
Adam
sighed. “He’s obviously not right in the head. Our resident profiler
could explain it better. He’s crazy. That’s all I’ve got.” Adam got out
of his chair, unwilling to sit any longer. He walked around his desk
and sank to one knee, sliding his hand over hers. He could practically
feel her relax. “It’s going to be okay. Let me look into this.”
There was the low sound of someone clearing his throat. Adam looked up, and Jake stood in the doorway, a frown on his face. Fuck. He wouldn’t like what Adam had just said.
“Ms.
Brooks, what Adam is trying to say is that we’ll bring this case in
front of the group. We don’t have the authority to take the case. It
has to go up for review.” Jake stared down at them, a forbidding
presence.
Adam wondered what the hell had put that look on his face.
Serena
pulled her hand back, retreating as effectively as if she’d walked
across the room. Her face went blank and polite. “Of course. I
appreciate you listening to me. I suppose you have the police reports?”
Jake
nodded, but there was a coldness to his stance that Adam didn’t like.
“I do. I think we have everything we need. We’ll get back to you.”
She stood, careful to avoid touching Adam. “I’m sure you will.”
There was a defeated slant to her shoulders as though she was sure everything Jake was saying was mere lip service.
“We’ll
be in touch very soon, Serena.” Adam barely restrained himself from
reaching for her. “I promise. I will call you tonight.”
“Sure.” She turned her head, not making eye contact. “Thank you both for your time.”
She walked out of the room without looking back. The door closed with a quiet click.
“What the fuck was that about?” Adam turned on his partner.
Jake’s
face shut down. “It’s about putting the horse way before the cart
here. I just talked to Brighton. Everyone at the DPD thinks this is a
marital squabble. Her ex-husband recently decided to sue her for a
portion of her income. This could really help her case.”
“She
told us it couldn’t be him.” Adam could already see Jake’s brain
turning. Jake had been hurt before—on a fundamental level. The scars on
Jake’s soul ran deep, and no one had been able to make a dent in them
yet.
“And
yet she gave the cops clues that led them straight to her ex’s door.
This is an angry woman, Adam. I get that she’s beautiful, but we need
to take a look at this before we get involved. I can already see that
you’re in way too deep. Even if we decide to take her case, I think it
would be best if we passed it off to Liam or Alex or someone who isn’t
going to get emotional.”
Maybe
he’d read Jake wrong. For the last ten years, he’d shared everything
with Jacob Dean, including women. Jake was the brother he wished he’d
had and the friend he couldn’t imagine living without. He couldn’t
believe that Jake wasn’t attracted to the woman who had just walked out
the door.
“I
want to see those reports. And even then I don’t think I can turn her
away. She was scared. If you can’t see that then you weren’t looking at
her and you’re not who I thought you were.”
Jake
shook his head. “Look at that. She’s already causing problems. I knew
that woman was trouble the minute Grace walked her into the room. I
knew you would react this way. And this is precisely why we’re not
taking this case. I left the file with Grace. You can review it. We
present to the group in the morning.”
Adam felt his fists clench. “And if this asshole kills her before then?”
“You know the likelihood of that happening is next to none.” Jake leaned in. “Buddy, you have to learn to protect yourself.”
“And
you have to learn that not every woman is Jennifer.” There. He’d said
it. The name dropped like a lodestone between them. Adam could
practically feel the room’s temperature drop.
Jake turned on his heels. “I’m heading out. I’m going to the club tonight. Are you coming with me?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, simply left Adam standing there wondering if Jennifer Kelly was going to haunt them forever.
Copyright 2012 Lexi Blake
About the Author
Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. She
began writing at a young age concentrating on plays and journalism. It
wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. Lexi
believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or
foursome may seem.
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