The Proposition

Erick stood and looked out the window. The evening was closing in.
People leaving work, going home or stopping at favorite pubs filled the streets. He
hoped Penny was all right. This was the longest he had left her alone. The least
she could do was chew up his running shoes; he needed a new pair anyway.

The night before he had taken her on a long walk along Regent Street,
looking for a particular address. Once found, Erick noticed the crummy
conditions his courier lived in. The building, as broken down as it was, housed a
couple of small shops and several tiny apartments. An advertisement for an open
apartment was taped on the door. It was a two-bedroom space for four to six
people. Erick thought of his large flat and how many times it felt small to him and
Michael.

He felt more determined than ever to make an offer to Duncan Phillips.
When he arrived at fifteen past ten in the morning Sally gave him a sealed
envelope with his name on it. Inside was a note to stop by Erick’s office after he
finished work and an enticing amount of money. If the kid didn’t show he at least
had some spending cash, but Erick was confident he would come.

A knock on his door turned his attention from the window and his thoughts.
The young man clad in black leather, holding the white envelope stood in the
doorway. His hair pulled back in a ponytail, bangs fell in his green eyes. He stood
with confidence but his face held the look of bewilderment.

“Duncan Phillips?” Erick asked.

He nodded and shook Erick’s hand when it was offered.

“I’m Erick McAlister.”

“I know.” He sat in the chair Erick pointed to. “What do you want with
me?”

“I have proposition for you.”

“Wait a minute!” Duncan jumped up. “I don’t know what you think I am,
but I don’t do that sort of thing!”

“Calm down, sit!” Erick laughed. “You remind me of myself. Unbelievable. If we weren’t so close in age, I would have thought I could be your father.”

Erick stood close to Duncan and looked down into his face. His eyebrows
were dark, his forehead broad, his nose ended with a round tip, just like his own.
Poor kid was confused about being there; best tell him, he thought.

“I bought a bike and I want to hire you to teach me how to ride it. I’ll pay
you well for your time and your silence.”

Duncan slid deeper into the chair, thought for a moment then broke out in
a laugh. Erick was pleased that he didn’t intimidate him. The kid was bold.

“You want me to teach you how to ride a motorbike?” He laughed. “And
you’ll pay me?”

Erick sat on the edge of his desk in front of Duncan.

“Yes. It’s that simple.”

“Why me?”

“I’ve seen you ride. You’re good. I hate driving in London. I watch the couriers and they make it look so easy and fun!” Erick turned to Duncan. “I want to feel that freedom.”


Excerpt from Tormented Soul - book two of the Soul Series

The Soul Series - by Mary Quast

A new music video for my books in the Soul Series. Check it out!

Shadows

Opening a bottle of Scotch, he sat in his window and watched the night fall
upon the city. London wore the cloak of darkness like a beautiful woman wore a
black dress. She called to him and he couldn’t resist her. He might not ever love a
woman, but he loved London. He walked over to his stereo and loaded his favorite
Underground music and began his ritual.

First he showered. Then he carefully picked out the right leathers to wear
for the night. He slid his boots on, then stood in the mirror for one appraising look
of confidence.

His black leather boots were polished. His black leather pants fit like a
second skin, soft and supple. He adjusted the collar on his red velvet oversized
shirt. His hair was tousled; some hairs stuck up, others hung in his eyes. He glared
at himself with hatred for a moment before drinking the last of the Scotch and
putting on his floor length black leather duster.

The dark figure shot out the door and onto the street. People moved out of
his way. Night was full of life in London. Some people lived for the night, some
were lost, some searching. Some with a destination in mind. Erick walked toward
the entrance of The Place.

He was greeted by the familiar elf named Tucker Tripp. Before entering
the passage to The Skunk’s Den he felt as if someone was watching him and turned.He only noticed a small group of kids waiting in line to get into the dance club. One of the young men stood with confidence, leaning against the building. His
black jeans fit tight over strong legs. He pulled his black leather jacket against the night chill. Blonde hair fell onto his shoulders and into his green eyes.
Erick went over to Tucker and pointed them out.

“The blonde kid with the black leather. Get him and his friends inside.” He
palmed some money into Tucker’s hand. “Give them their first drinks on me.”

“Yes, sir. So good of you.” Tucker corralled the kids inside.

The green-eyed boy watched Erick and nodded his head in his direction
before entering The Place.

Pleased, Erick continued to The Skunk’s Den, not noticing a dark shadow
watching him.

“Your playboy days are numbered my little friend,” the deep Italian voice
said. “It is time for you to pay for your game.”

Excerpt from Tormented Soul - book Two of the Soul Series.

Have a Great Weekend

I'm deep in my sea of writing. Everywhere I go, everywhere I look, I seem to be picking up vibes and inspiration. My heart is full of emotion, my mind is full of story lines, and even my dreams are haunted by my characters. In all honesty... this is the fun part. It is the time when the hurricane of words and images slows down enough for me to tell the story.

So many times I wished my dad was alive to see my work. I know that he would be very proud of his "baby". My father was my hero and served his country during WWII as a marine in the South Pacific. I will think of him and honor his memory this holiday. A portrait of my dad graces my office; when I write his shitty grin is always smiling at me. (Yes... it's the same shitty grin a couple of my characters have.)

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe weekend.


Write on!

Thursday Thirteen - Sensual Food

Thirteen sexual/sensual foods:
1. whipping cream
2. chocolate syrup
3. strawberries
4. bananas
3. cucumber?
4. avocado
5. grapes
6. red licorice - great for tying wrists
7. hot peppers - believe it or not
8. oysters
9. apple pie?
10. ice cream - if used properly
11. honey
12. spaghetti -think of the scene in Lady & the Tramp
13. more chocolate syrup

Wine or champagne...
but isn't that considered a beverage?

Lonely Soul - Released Today

Announcing the release of Book Three in the Soul Series!
Lonely Soul

The elder of the McAlister siblings was responsible and always putting his brother and sister before himself. Now that Erick and Elizabeth were enjoying their married lives, the time had come for Michael Casey McAlister to find his soulmate. He was a man with a deep sense of family and honor, yet at times he could be manipulative and very controlling, always doing what he thought was best for others. Yes, the time had come for him to look within himself and not follow the “logical path” of being married to the company and alone, very alone in life.

Featured on The Most Dangerous Bachelors list with his brother, his past was full of many beautiful women who only saw the glamour and the money in his life. With his good looks, wealth and sexual prowess, he attracted countless ladies, but when the one he thinks is Miss Right doesn’t like his dog, he shows her to the door. His heart then leads him to follow his love for outdoor activities and search for a woman who isn’t a high-society princess.

Lonely and discouraged, he dedicates himself to a New York City community garden project with his friends and busies himself with the comic strip he has created under the secret pen name of Mike Casey. Mike meets Lauren “Wren” Avery with the help of their dogs in the park while he’s working on a cartoon. He sees her as an opportunity to improve himself and not follow his father’s path of unhappiness.
Their simple walks in the park and playful banter quickly develop into a deeper relationship. Mike finds the little things in life make him happy and enjoys being with Wren. He certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with the graphic artist.
Wren falls in love with him as, Mike the cartoonist, not knowing he is the co-owner of McAlister Enterprises, the same company she works for. He knows he’s wrong in not telling her the truth about who he is.

His world begins to fall apart when Wren receives a notice that she’s being transferred to the London office, a transfer he personally proclaimed before he met her, and during a time when he believed he was looking at the best interests of his employees. As Wren’s anger towards “the McAlister” increases, Mike’s fear of telling her the truth ends up causing problems.

One night over dinner, she finds out who he really is…from his ex-girlfriend. His world comes to a crashing halt. He realizes that while building the company and interfering in other people’s lives he may have lost control of his own life and what truly matters. He escapes to the wilderness of his log cabin in northern New York for some solitude.

Eventually, he’s joined by his friends who help him devise a plan to get Wren back into his life. What he first saw as an opportunity to improve himself, had turned out to be the one thing that made him whole - the love of a woman. He would do whatever it took to win her back.



************************************************************************************

Excerpt from Lonely Soul:
Michael was alone in the men’s room and took his time washing. He knew it was a nasty thing he had done to Colleen, but he wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t think she couldn’t handle it. Besides she had been whoring around in more ways than one; she deserved it. Now that his anger and frustration were gone, loneliness was seeping in.

He wondered if he could ever find the right woman to spend the rest of his life with. Judging by his record with women, he wasn’t sure. They were beautiful and sexy but always digging into his pockets or into his pants to state a claim of being bedded by him. Deep inside a hatred of who he was boiled; a partner in one of the fastest growing companies, wealthy, healthy, and possessing a reputation as a sensual lover.

If he did find the woman of his dreams how would he know she wouldn’t be after what he represented? How could he trust one more beautiful creature who would surely get under his skin? How could he find out her intentions before he made a further, more disastrous mistake?

Being selected as one of the ‘World’s Most Dangerous Bachelors’ hadn’t hurt his chances; he just needed to improve his selecting methods. Unfortunately most women who chased after him were only physically appealing and did nothing for the rest of him. Perhaps he should look in a different direction. Maybe there was a nature-girl in the little town by his cabin. But then again, his choice of a life partner would have to be able to handle the big city and all the unwanted attention of the press.

Purchase Lonely Soul Today!

Let's Paint A Picture

“Let’s make a fantasy real,” she taunted as she kicked a large roll of canvas into unraveling across the studio floor. Elizabeth took Puzzola by the hand and led him to the center. His eyes glimmered with recognition of her plan.

“I hope you’re planning to use acrylic paint on this canvas,” his eyes never leaving her body while his smile only grew larger.

“Certainly,” Elizabeth presented him with a basket full of brightly colored tubes of acrylic paint.

Puzzola laughed when she opened a tube of paint and squirted a long snake-like color onto his chest. She smeared it across to his shoulders and down his belly without taking her eyes off his face. With an incredible sense of freedom, Puzzola removed the top from a tube of crimson and slowly spread the pigment over her breasts. The cool touch of the paint felt good against her warm skin. Elizabeth was living a dream she secretly coveted and she felt herself turning into putty at the mercy of Puzzola’s hands as he spread more paint on her.

Pulling him down to the canvas, she kissed him with the promise of more...

Excerpt from Painted Soul - Book One of the Soul Series.

The Next Kiss - 10 Years Later

Elizabeth pressed against him, tilted her head back with closed eyes as a small moan escaped from her lips. Her body begged to be touched, to feel the burn. She needed him to wipe away those lost years without him. He cupped her face with his fiery hands, forcing her eyes to open. His eyes burned into her then they rolled back when she ran her hands across his torso and along his sides, feeling the sculpted muscles beneath the silk fabric of his shirt. She could hear his struggled breathing and feel his rapid heartbeat. Pleased with her affect on him, she continued her movements.

Her eyes opened as he caressed her throat with his fingers and brought his hand down her chest across her breast. Elizabeth thought her heart would leap out of her chest when his hand stroked her body as if inspecting, then finally resting on the small of her back. His other hand slid behind her head. A soft purr escaped from her as he tangled his fingers in her hair. Elizabeth closed her eyes, breathing hard, tipped her head back desirous for a kiss.

Pulling her close Puzzola nuzzled her check, “You have haunted my dreams. I can not believe I am finally holding my specter. I have wanted you so long.”

His mouth came down on hers in desperate need. Heat churned inside her as she answered back with the same desperation. Flames of passion and desire spread to inferno.

“Dream lover,” she touched his check and he turned his face to place a kiss in her palm, “take me where I want to be.”

Excerpt taken from Painted Soul - Book One of the Soul Series.

First Kiss

His lips caressed hers. Elizabeth melted. If he hadn’t been holding her so tightly, she probably would have fallen into a heap on the floor. She slid her arm over his shoulder to tangle her fingers in his long, soft black hair. Puzzola groaned as she ran her other hand over his painted cheek and her fingers through his blonde stripe. She inhaled rapidly as he pulled her upward to place feather kisses on her neck and collarbone. It felt so good, so right pressed against him. His lips came down hard on hers, parting her lips for a deep, intense kiss that reached into the depths of her soul.

“There is so much I want,” his voice was raspy. “I want to be with you. I want to take you where I know you want to be.”

“I wish I didn’t have to leave in the morning,” Elizabeth could hardly breathe. She was ready to give herself, and would have bargained with the devil himself for more time tonight in London. If he asked her to spend the night with him, she would.

“There is not enough time to kiss you. Not enough time to touch you. You are in my soul, Elizabeth McAlister. Remember my promise, we will meet again,” he whispered the pledge to her as he rubbed her temple with his thumb.

He ran his long fingers across her cheek to the back of her head and kissed her with greater intensity than before. She felt him claiming her, possessing her. With their bodies flattened against each other, she felt them fusing together. She could feel his heart beating as fast as hers was pounding loud in her ears.

As he pulled away, Elizabeth asked, “What’s your real name?”

“Puzzola,” he responded as he bowed his head and a lock of blonde hair fell across his dark eyebrows and ocean eyes. With two fingers, he gave her a jaunty salute and disappeared into the crowd.


Excerpt from the Prologue of Painted Soul - Book One of the Soul Series.

Fun at the Authors Event

The authors at the Spring Authors Event spent more time talking to each other than to readers. Traffic was a bit slow...perhaps due to the rainy day or the fact we were there the day before Mother's Day. Altogether we had fun and sold a few books.

I was happy to see my good friend, Cheryl Martin, an amazing photographer and poet. I picked up her latest book and we promised to do another event together this summer.

Writers have to leave their solitude occasionally; I'll post dates of events at a later time.