Thankful Hearts is with my editor for 2nd/3rd round edits. It’s also with a veteran from the Iraq War to make sure Hudson is a reasonable portrayal of someone with PTSD. Continue reading
Tag: romance
Masked Hearts Chapter 2b
Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
Sienna felt like a wine rack must’ve fallen on her when she walked into The Cellar and saw Mark holding hands across the table with Mia Warren. Her cheek burned where he’d kissed her, and rage almost made her shake. If the bastard was trying to decide which of his kids’ teachers to date, he could’ve at least mentioned he was coming tonight.
He pulled his hands away from Mia and turned to look at her as the other third grade teachers whispered and stared. They treated their grade level like it was a sorority and rarely deigned to collaborate with other teachers. Sienna’s vision blurred until a voice broke through, calling her name.
“Sienna,” yelled Krista from a table a few feet away from Mark’s. It snapped her out of her stare, and she stalked by him, knowing she’d look ridiculous if she turned and fled.
Krista sat on a long bench against the wall. She was fortyish, with sandy hair that fell to her shoulders. Her dress was maybe five years out of fashion, but Sienna knew Krista didn’t care about that. Anyway, it looked good on her. Krista scooted over and said, “Wow, you clean up nice.”
“Thanks,” said Sienna in a voice like one of her shy students. “You look nice too.” She sat in the space that Krista had left for her.
“For an old married lady, I know,” said Krista.
“Here’s to old married ladies,” toasted one of the other kindergarten teachers. It seemed as if everyone down the long table heard her because all the teachers raised their glasses, said, “Woo!” took a drink and laughed.
“What’s the joke?” asked Sienna.
“You missed a big ‘woo’ over at the third grade table before you got here. I took it from the shocked look on your face that you saw who came with Ms. Mia.”
Sienna kept her eyes straight ahead, refusing to glance over at Mark. “I shouldn’t be so surprised. She’s gorgeous.”
“He looks miserable, and he keeps staring at you.”
Sienna finally turned to see one of the third grade teachers draped over him getting a selfie. “Yeah, poor guy, getting all that attention.”
A waitress stepped up and asked for Sienna’s order.
“Just water please.”
“Water?” asked Krista. “You need something stronger than that!”
“Maybe later.” But she didn’t want to stay another minute. The waitress walked away, and Sienna tried to figure out what the hell was going on. The kiss at the cafe had been so weird but led her to believe he was interested in her. Mia’s high-pitched laugh pierced her ears, making her head hurt. At least this time the relationship had ended before it had begun. She gritted her teeth. How long before she could leave with some semblance of dignity?
After her water arrived she noticed Mark extracting himself from the third grade teachers. He ran a hand through his hair and approached her. Suddenly, the water became the most interesting thing she’d ever seen. She heard him say, “Ms. Carly, I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I was wondering if I could talk to you about the incident with Tyler yesterday.”
She wanted to sigh in relief at the out he’d given her, but at the same time it took every ounce of her professionalism to tilt her head up to him and say, “I was just leaving. We can talk about it on the way to my car–” she gave a scathing glance toward Mia, “if you can be away from your date that long.”
He cleared his throat and turned red before he said, “I’m sure she understands, being a teacher and all.”
Sienna rolled her eyes and said her goodbyes to the rest of the teachers. They protested her leaving so early, but she begged off by saying she had too much work tomorrow and needed to make it an early night.
When she stood to leave, Mark stepped back to allow her to pass in the narrow space. Her arm brushed against his chest, and she heard his breath hitch. Her body sang with all the bells and whistles of sudden desire just from that momentary collision. But she wasn’t going to let her body lead the conversation. So what if he was smoldering hot with a silky smooth voice? It didn’t make up for his actions tonight.
She strode to the stairs; her flats slapped against the tile. She could feel him right behind her, though he didn’t touch her as they climbed the stairs. It wasn’t until they were outside in the chilly October night that he said anything. “Sienna, I don’t want you to misunderstand this situation.”
She rounded on her heel and glared at him. “Everything looks perfectly clear to me. You’re on a date with Mia tonight, and you wanted to take me out tomorrow. What is this, a competition between your children’s teachers?”
He took her arms and pleaded, “No, it’s not that way at all.”
She shrugged out of his grip and said, “You could’ve at least told me you were coming to the Happy Hour so I would’ve been prepared or better yet stayed at home.”
“I didn’t know this was where your Happy Hour was. I didn’t even know I was going out with Ms. Warren. It’s a blind date, and I didn’t recognize her name.”
“She’s your daughter’s teacher!”
“Yeah, but I always call her Ms. Warren. I didn’t know her first name was Mia.”
“You knew my name.” Her voice mimicked his, “Call me Mark, Sienna.”
“That’s because I’ve been crazy about you since the first day of school.”
Sienna took a step back, too shocked to reply. Then the door opened, and Mia appeared. A breeze blew her hair back like she was in a perfume commercial, making her a striking compliment to Mark. “Everything okay with Tyler?” she asked with a voice that really said, “What are you doing alone with my man?”
Mark kept his eyes on Sienna, who finally found her voice. “If you’re so crazy about me, why are you on a blind date at all?”
She turned and strode down the sidewalk. She heard Mia plead with Mark to come back, and Mark made no objection. The pain in her heart was much sharper than it should’ve been. The headlights of passing cars seemed to shine like a spotlight on her, showing the world how vulnerable she’d made herself again. With relief she turned a corner onto a darker street and found her car. As she unlocked the door, she heard Mark calling to her.
***
When Sienna left for her car, Mark followed Mia but stopped just inside the door. He said, “Thanks for sharing a drink with me, but I think it’s a bad idea for you and I to date.”
Mia narrowed her eyes and said, “But it’s okay to date Sienna? She’s a teacher too.”
“You being a teacher isn’t the issue. You’re beautiful and fun-loving and very much like my ex-wife. There’s a reason we’re divorced. You would find out all too soon what a boring asshole I am.”
“I’m sure that’s not–”
“I’m sorry Ms. Warren.” He opened the door again and ran down the sidewalk in the direction he’d seen Sienna heading. He heard the click of her car remote before he saw her, and he called out to her. For one moment they stared in each other’s eyes, but then Sienna climbed in her car and drove off.
“Damn it,” he yelled to the streetlamp buzzing overhead. Walking back to his own car, he tried to figure out how he’d make things right with Sienna. Maybe tomorrow he could reason with her back at the coffee shop, where she seemed much more relaxed.
Masked Hearts Chapter 2
Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
2 | Happy Hour Blind Date
Mark pulled into a parking space that faced the silhouettes of the university’s adobe buildings spreading out below the starlight. He still felt the warmth of Sienna’s skin against his lips. She must think he was a lunatic. He should’ve just said yes to dinner with her and canceled his blind date, except it was a set up with a client’s daughter.
He checked the texts on his phone to find the name of his date again. It looked familiar, but he couldn’t figure out why. It didn’t matter. He’d be polite but distant. A twinge of guilt pinched him as he stepped out of his car. He should go in with more of an open mind. For all he knew, Sienna never wanted to speak to him again. It’d probably be better to pursue someone who wasn’t his son’s teacher anyway.
But he’d wanted Sienna since the first day of school.
He walked up Central Avenue and enjoyed the eclectic neon signs that glowed in the night—a Zia symbol here, a coyote there, a sign that invited him to get his body pierced like a cactus. Though he was from Chicago, Albuquerque had enchanted him like the state motto said it would. The style and feel of the city was unique and always tugged at his appreciation of the odd.
He straightened his tie and readied his mind for the evening before him. The date would be fun. At the very least it would be practice so when he saw Sienna again he might be less of an idiot after two years of a self-enforced dating hiatus. He walked under the silver neon that said “The Cellar” and proceeded downstairs into a bar with jazz filling every corner.
Since it was early, the crowd was limited to a couple by the empty stage, a man at the bar and—his glance swept around to the other side—Ms. Warren sitting in a corner smiling at him. His eyes bulged. He checked his phone for the name again and saw Mia Warren. No wonder it’d sounded familiar. She was his daughter’s third grade teacher.
Now he felt like a fool. Unlike with Sienna, he’d never bothered to learn her first name and always just called her Ms. Warren.
He stared at her again. Her smile had faded, but she still looked hopeful. This was going to be a disaster. He had no interest in her whatsoever.
He smoothed down his tie and gave his business smile. She beamed, and he had to admit she was beautiful. Her blonde hair cascaded below her shoulders and rested just above her breasts, the tops of which were pushed up and showed off by the plunging neckline of her blue cocktail dress. But her glamor reminded him too much of his ex. Sienna’s understated beauty and quick wit excited him far more.
“Ms. Warren, I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were my date tonight. I would’ve said something at school.” He sat down, and she kept grinning.
“It’s okay. I wasn’t for sure certain it was you that my dad set me up with. I didn’t realize you were the architect for the Argentina school.”
Something in her eyes put him off, but he couldn’t figure out what. “Yes, that was something I did when business was slow. Fortunately it got me several paid jobs.”
“You seem to do well enough.”
He watched her gaze sweep over him, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Well, let’s just have a good laugh about this over a drink and then call it a night. We probably shouldn’t date since you teach my daughter.”
“Forget it! That’s work. This is play.”
He ran his finger under his shirt collar as he listened to the words he’d planned on saying to Sienna if she had balked at dating a parent. A group of teachers making their entrance saved him from a response.
“Mia!” shouted a young woman who was dressed more like a trampy woo-girl than the third grade teacher he knew her to be. He looked behind her and saw half the teaching staff from Desert Eagle Elementary trickling their way.
Remembering what Sienna had said about going to a staff Happy Hour, he turned and glared at Mia. She’d known who she’d been set up with and had brought him here to show off to the staff. His disparaging glance was lost on her though as she introduced him as one of the parents from her class. “We were set up on a blind date. Can you believe that? It’s fate.”
The woo-girl squeezed his face in her hands and said, “You’re just so gorgeous I could eat you up right now.”
“Me first,” said Mia, and they both laughed. The teacher released his face and sat down at their table along with another woman. The three teachers talked like they were on some sort of communal date.
Women closer to his own age and a couple of men he recognized from the school sat at a long table nearby and stared at his group while they talked. He had to get out of there before Sienna showed up. She might misunderstand the whole situation. Even though the waitress arrived soon for their order and returned fast with their drinks, it seemed to Mark as if she took forever. He kept glancing at the door, hoping Sienna wouldn’t show. Now that his Scotch was there, he’d down it and go.
Mia took his hands, drawing his attention away from the door and to her. “So when’s the last time you sat at a table with so many hot women? Shelly says you never go out.”
“Shelly?” His mouth fell open.
“Yeah, we talk all the time. She’s so much fun. She has the best ideas for the class Halloween party.”
He could well imagine Ms. Warren and his ex getting along. Ms. Warren certainly didn’t seem like the type to spend her Saturdays documenting her class’s progress, and Shelly was the original party girl. He tugged at his hands, but she held them fast. He said, “Better be careful not to let Shelly have too much input. She’ll probably book a puppet show, a storyteller and a pony.”
“Exactly! It’ll be awesome!”
As if on queue the three teachers at the table shouted, “Woo!”
He had to get out of this bad spring break dream. The woman next to him said in a lower voice, “Looks like someone’s jealous of you, Mia.”
Mark yanked his hands away and turned around to see Sienna, her fists clenched at her sides and her eyes wide in surprise.
The fire in Sienna’s eyes stirred his passion. Her dark hair fell to her shoulders with a wave at the bottom instead of the ponytail she usually pulled it up in for school. Her skin had a natural tan that made her appear smooth and unblemished. Her slip of a dress fell just right on her slim figure and made him want to kiss her like a movie couple in front of everyone.
God, he was an idiot. He was sure she’d never talk to him again.
Corporate Fire is on Fire!
Corporate Fire was released from the KDP Select program at Amazon, and I spent Friday uploading it to other vendors. It made BEST SELLER on All Romance!! If you click on the link, you’ll see the little silver star on the page.
I’ll post more Masked Hearts later today, but I wanted to share the good news!!
Available now at the following venues:
All Romance $1.99
Smashwords $1.99
Amazon $3.99
Walking in, she felt naked without Jill and Jill’s clubbing friends surrounding her. Large groups crowded around tables made for two. The wall to the side had curved booths facing the bar. Most of them were taken, but there were a few empty ones. Then she spied an empty tall table being wiped down by a waitress. She decided to sit there for a better view.
The scent of perfume and hair gel coming from the bar tried but failed to conceal the smell of sunblock from earlier in the day. A guy who looked scruffy like a ski instructor sat on a stool with his back against the bar and stared right at Grace. He nodded towards her, and his blond bangs fell over his eyes. Her eyebrows rose in surprise, and she twisted her head to see if a beautiful woman was behind her; she was used to being ignored. When she saw no women close to her, she turned back to the guy and gave a hesitant smile. He actually smiled back. Not love at first sight, but he was the eye candy she’d been hoping for.
She shifted her gaze to the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn away too. She looked up to study him unnoticed, but he glanced back at her and winked. Grace held her breath. What if he approached her? He’d be breaking rule number one because he had no connection whatsoever to anyone she knew. She took a deep breath and told herself it would be fine if he approached. People talked at bars all the time. It was normal bar behavior.
A waitress appeared and set a drink in front of her. She hadn’t even ordered yet. “I think there’s a mistake,” she said to the waitress.
“A gentleman bought it for you, sweetie,” said the waitress. She seemed barely old enough to be serving alcohol. “Oh, here’s a note that goes with it.” The waitress slid a napkin with the bar’s name stamped across it in front of Grace before she dashed to her next table.
“He’s not right for you,” was scrawled under the stamp.
Surprised, Grace looked up at the bar. The guy smiled before looking away again. She hadn’t seen him write on a napkin. Was the note talking about the ski instructor? She looked at the drink: a cosmo—what she usually ordered when she went clubbing. She glanced back at the guy. Yikes.
His hand was now planted on the butt of a blond who was nipping his lower lip. Why had he been flirting with her when he was just biding his time, waiting for his date? He squeezed the woman’s butt before sliding his hand down to her thigh and then up her very short skirt. Grace’s eyes widened—she’d never allow that in public, even after the hundredth date.
The woman stepped closer, and his hand slid up a little further, causing a shiver to run through the woman. Grace stared at their faces. They talked as though he wasn’t fingering her right at the bar.
A blush warmed Grace’s face, and she averted her eyes to the napkin. So if the ski guy wasn’t sending her notes, then someone else was. No. She slid the note away. She’d already been burned twice in one day. She didn’t want to find out that the third time was the charm.
She stared at the drink and tapped her finger on the table. It looked cheerful—probably the happiest thing she’d seen all day. She took a tiny sip and allowed the bright flavors to soak into her tongue. Her mood lifted a smidgen. She should at least thank the man.
Her hand shook as she took a pen out of her purse. She told herself she wasn’t going on a date with anyone—just telling someone thanks. Before she talked herself into putting the pen away, she wrote on the other side of the napkin. “Thank you for the drink. It made me smile.” She wasn’t sure about the last part. It seemed like oversharing, but before she could crumple up the napkin, the waitress whisked it off the table.
“I assume this is for your secret admirer?”
Grace nodded, dumbstruck. She tried to watch the waitress as she wove through the crowd, but she lost her.
Masked Hearts in Serial Chapter 1b
Last year Masked Hearts received a great review from Romance Novels for the Beach.
I love, love, LOVED this book! Did I mention I loved it? Because I did. What we have here is the absolute perfect sweet yet sexy romance novel, all of which is centered around Halloween. I’ll admit, at first I was a little wary about how sexy this book could actually be. After all, our female lead character is a kindergarten teacher who sings in the church choir on Sundays. But once she started debating the merits of having a f*%k buddy versus using her vibrator I was like, “Holy Hell, we’ve got a live one here!”
You can read the rest of it on her wonderful blog.
I hope it entices you to BUY Masked Hearts for ONLY $0.99!
Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
“Thanks, Mr.–”
“Mark. When we’re back at school, I promise I’ll call you Ms. Carly, but let’s be on a first name basis here.”
She bowed her head and felt heat rise to her face, but when she looked up, she was all business. “Thanks, Mark. It’s good I ran into you today because I need to talk to you about Tyler.”
His demeanor changed instantly. He rolled his shoulders back, and his eyes filled with concern. “Is everything okay?” Continue reading
Masked Hearts in Serial
Hello!
I can’t continue with The Beautician and the Billionaire until Thankful Hearts is publishing-ready. And since Halloween is only 11 days away, I’d love for you to enjoy my erotic romance Masked Hearts. I’ll post a chapter or three in serial on the blog like I do with The Beautician and the Billionaire. But PLEASE BUY IT! It’s only $0.99! Writing is my job. But it’s not paying my bills yet. If you enjoy my stories, I would truly appreciate your support.
Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
1 | Toil and Trouble Extra Cinnamon
Sienna drove into the parking spot and stopped just before her tire hit the sidewalk. Her mind was a tornado of parents, students and other teachers vying for her attention at the end of the week. Even the cute pumpkin lights decorating the awning of the Holiday Cafe with their faint glow battling the dusk failed to calm her. She stepped out of her car and closed the door. The blur in her mind finally paused when her gaze fell on a witch and bubbling cauldron drawn on the door with window paints. The caption read, “Taste our Toil and Trouble Latte.” Ahhh. Despite the name, the thought of the latte yanked her out of the school whirlwind and settled her spirit. She’d been waiting all week for this moment.
She opened the door, expecting the aroma of coffee to wrap her in bliss, but instead desire fired through her.
Mark Townsend stood at the counter—the most sought after single dad at the school. Continue reading
New Cover for Masked Hearts!
Hello! I know I have been MIA for a week now. Sorry about that 😦
The business end of writing has been kicking my butt. Trying to get all the books lined up so they link back to each other on each separate venue is days of work, especially the more stories I get out there. I’ve also been working on Thankful Hearts and LOST the latest compilation when my computer froze, rebooted and updated. I had saved the file, but I can’t find it. I’m going to give the search one more go and then give it up. My editor and I send the chapters back and forth one at a time, so it was several chapters with the changes accepted and comments dealt with that I had put back together for the final file. At least it wasn’t ALL the chapters.
But the light in my difficult week was receiving the new cover for MASKED HEARTS!!!!
Although I liked the old cover very much, I regretted not having a couple on it. So I asked the lovely Hang Le to make me a new cover and I LOVE it!
Masked Hearts is a Halloween Erotic Romance available for $0.99 until November at these places:
Amazon
All Romance
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble
So download Masked Hearts, head to your favorite coffee-house, buy your favorite drink and have a great day!
The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 2: The Contract Finale
Thanks for all the sales and downloads last week! Please keep them coming!
I’ll be taking a short break from The Beautician and the Billionaire while I get Thankful Hearts ready for publication. Please follow my blog so you don’t miss the beginning of Episode Three: The Third Ship. Also, I’ll be doing some Halloween Treats this month, and you won’t want to miss that!
And now at long last the Finale for Episode 2: The Contract. Enjoy!
B&B Episode 2: The Contract Scene 7d
Sorry again about the delayed post. Still dealing with personal events.
Thanks for all the sales at All Romance! Right now they are running a storewide event today only. You can get The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 2: The Contract for only $0.74! They have Kindle, epub, and pdf formats! Read it before I blog it!
You can also get Masked Hearts for only $0.75. What a bargain!
If you are a diehard Amazon user, The Beautician and the Billionaire Episode 2: The Contract is also available there for $0.99.
Sorry Smashwords and Barnes and Noble readers. You are not forgotten! I will be getting the copy up soon!
A big shout out to Natalie at D’Ambrosio Designs Hair Studio. You were the calm in my storm today. My hair is as soft as a fluffy cloud!
And now, things are heating up between Charisse and Conor!
Charisse withdrew her shaking hand, making a fist in the hopes he wouldn’t see it. She’d been prepared for his cold business mask—the one she was sure he used when taking over companies. Instead he’d arrived with sincerity and honesty. She’d almost leaned in and kissed him when he told her why he’d been such a rat bastard after the shampoo yesterday. Continue reading
Episode 2: Released!
I was soooo excited about the end of Episode 2: The Contract that I decided to release it early at All Romance!
I will still be posting it up on my blog, but if you’d like to read it before I blog it, head on over to All Romance! It’s available in epub(Nook), mobi(Kindle) and pdf.
Enjoy!
XOXOXX
Evelyn
Evelyn Aster 