Wednesday Briefs

Welcome to the Wednesday Briefers flash group. The short stories have a maximum of a 1000 word count plus links at the bottom to the other flashers. The prompts for this week are: 

"Ready or not, here I come..."

or use first time sex between a couple

or "Off with her head!"

or use a French tickler

or have a character ride a horse for the first time

or "I never felt like that before..."

or have a character create a new pet name for his or her SO

or use "the winds of fortune..." 

~Remember, I plan to finish this up at the end of June and start Nighttime Promises.

 

 

All That He Desires #24

Jules leaned back so he could see Anslee’s face. “I could have died without… without ever…”

“Without ever what?”

Jules gazed into Anslee’s eyes. “Without ever knowing you.”

Anslee froze. “What…what are you saying, Jules?”

Jules pushed his rain-soaked hair out of his face. God, he was so cold. He shivered in the air-conditioned house as the wind howled outside. The storm battered the house while his emotions raged inside. “I—” Jules gasped as the lights went out. “Shit, there went the electricity.”

“Fuck the electricity! Tell me what you were going to say.” Anslee tightened his grip on the man in front of him. “Jules, I need to know. Finish what you were saying… please.”

Jules stared into those dark eyes of Anslee’s. The tempest outside had nothing on the storm of emotions he saw swirling in Anslee’s eyes. “I’m ready. No more waiting. I want you… Make love to me, Anslee. Life is too short to screw around and miss out on things.”

Anslee lifted Jules in his arms. “I think I’ve waited a lifetime to hear you say that.”

Jules shivered again.

“But first, let’s get cleaned up.” Anslee carried Jules to his monstrous bathroom.

Jules would drop dead before admitting it, but being carried was kinda sexy. He stood quietly once Anslee set his on his feet then hunted up a candle for light while they showered. Anslee stripped him, taking time to touch each patch of skin that was uncovered, sending more tremors through him. Once he was naked, Anslee ran his hands over Jules’ body. Jules trembled again, but this time it was from need, not cold or fear.

Anslee turned on the water. “In you go, little one.”

Jules stepped in the shower then turned to look back at Anslee. “Aren’t you coming too?”

“Oh yes.” Anslee stripped off his wet clothes, flinging them aside and crowding close to Jules. “Absolutely.”

Jules reached for a loofah, only to have Anslee take it away from him. “Let me.”

Jules let Anslee move him under the warm spray. God, that felt good on his cold body. “Oh, um… okay. You just want me to stand here?”

Anslee soaped the loofah and reached for Jules. “I want you to just enjoy.” 

Jules relaxed as Anslee soaped him from top to bottom, and everywhere in between. Jules moaned softly as Anslee took his time and made sure the sponge lingered on hard nipples, on his jutting cock. Anslee’s touch was gentle, as though Jules was made from spun glass. Where Jules had been expecting rushed touches and frantic gropes, instead he got tender care and loving caresses. Never had he been treated as though his body was a treasure.

Anslee washed his hair, being ever careful to keep the shampoo from his eyes. After Anslee had washed Jules, he cleaned himself up too.

“I would like to… Will you stay in the shower? Give me fifteen minutes? There’s something I would like to do before I take you to bed.”

Jules touched Anslee’s face. “You plotting again?”

Anslee grinned from ear to ear. “When am I not?”

The laugh that bubbled out of Jules surprised both of them. “Truer words. Okay, I can stay here and enjoy the warm water a little longer. No problem.”

“Thank you.” Anslee left the shower and dried off.

Jules noticed Anslee didn’t leave the bathroom immediately. Anslee just stood, staring at him through the steam. Grinning, he pointed to his wrist. Anslee’s laughter followed him from the bathroom.

Moments later, Anslee stuck his head in the bathroom and told Jules to come out. After Jules dried off, he wrapped the towel around himself and opened the door to the bedroom.

“My God,” Jules whispered.

There were candles all over. The soft light lent a glow to the room that shrieked seduction and romance. The bedspread was turned back, and white satin sheets now graced the bed. Jules knew they were satin because that was all Anslee slept on. And he knew the sheets had been changed because they’d been sleeping on black. Low, soft music played in the background. 

But the best thing in the room was the man who stood by the bed, a slight smile on his face, and black boxers riding low on his hips. He outshone everything else in the room. Jules had to swallow twice before he could speak. “This is beautiful. Just simply beautiful. Thank you, Anslee.”

“This night is special, so I wanted that to be reflected. I’m going to make love to you, Jules, slowly the first time. I’m going to savor every inch of you.” Anslee stepped closer and held out his hand. “Join me? Know that once I have you, there’s no going back… for either of us. I won’t let you go.”

“I know that.” Jules put his hand in Anslee’s. “I’m no longer afraid.”

“Good.” Anslee pulled the towel around Jules’s waist off and dropped it on the floor. “Then… after I make slow love to you, I’m going to fuck you through the mattress. I won’t stop until you scream my name for all to hear. I’m going to fuck your ass so hard, Jules, and you’ll beg for more. You, little one, are mine.”

Jules body reacted, a full body shiver racing through him. “Jesus God, yes.” The room tilted, then spun and Jules found himself on his back amidst the cool sheets. Above him, Anslee stood, staring down, his eyes slowly tracing Jules’s body. Every place Anslee’s eyes lingered, Jules burned.

“You are perfect.”

Jules just held his arms up, even though he disagreed. Anslee was the perfect one. “Make love to me.” 

~TBC~

Remember to visit the other Briefers!
 

Cia Nordwell

Elyzabeth VaLey

A.R. Von

J.A. Harmon

Andrew Gordon

BL Morticia

Renee Stevens

Julie Lynn Hayes

Pure giveaway

Hey eveyone! I'm back with another giveaway lol. The contest runs from now to Thursday. :) Make sure to leave an email addy (so I can find you with the PDF copy) and answer this question...

So, tell me... Which god do you find most interesting?

I have to say when I was researching for this book, Morpheus kept grabbing my attention. He ended up being the perfect foil to Cam (Cupid) lol. I think Mo may be the sweetest character I've ever written.

According to Greek mythology, who was Morpheus?
Morpheus was one of the primeval gods, descended from Nyx, the dark goddess of night who was the mother of everything mysterious and anything that was inexplicable—such as death, disease, dreams, ghosts, dreams, witchcraft, and enchantments. The drug Morphine which, as a side effect, can cause hallucinations, was named after Morpheus. Morpheus was the eldest son of Hypnos, the God of sleep. Morpheus had the ability to take on the appearance of a mortal in dreams. He was the god who relayed messages from the gods and prophecies of the future. 

Symbols of Morpheus
The symbols of Morpheus were wings and poppies. These are often featured in depictions of the god of dreams. According to Greek mythology, there was a garden of poppies at the entrance of his palace in the Underworld. Poppies symbolized death, eternal sleep, and oblivion. The hypnotic properties of the poppy plant have long been used to treat insomnia, allowing sleep to people who have trouble sleeping. 

Blurb:

Zygi Wyatt is an intimidating dom, but he yearns for love just like the next man. However, finding a partner who isn’t scared of his size is no easy task. The easygoing Mo seems like the answer to his prayers.

Love is the stuff of dreams. Ask the god Morpheus—he knows all about it. Mo wants Zygi in a forever kind of way, but he has to be sure of Zygi’s love before he claims him for his mate and reveals his true self.

Unfortunately, Zeus is growing increasingly unhappy with Morpheus, and Ares is determined to throw a monkey wrench into everything. Zygi and Mo will have to brave the wrath of the gods to make their dreams come true. 

Buy link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3886

And for the big news I recieved this morning. :) Pure is on the Bestseller list at Dreamspinner *and* it also made the Bestseller list at ARe. Just let me say you guys rock, and I very grateful for all of y'all's support. :)
~M

Sexy Snippets

 

Hey everyone! Welcome to Sexy Snippets. This is seven sentences, taken from a work in progress, or published book, and brought to you every Sunday. For this week, I thought I’d do something from my June 1st eXtasy release, The Yellow Rope. 

http://www.extasybooks.com/the-yellow-rope/

 

“I know that look. Can I ask what you’re planning?”

Gage walked toward the kitchen with the empty plates. “You can ask, don’t mean you’ll get told.” Gage returned with a long black cloth and a smirk. “But I’m willing to bet you’ll like it. I know I will.”

 

~Make sure to visit the other sexy snippets!

Feature and Follow Friday

 

Welcome to Feature & Follow Friday. Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow!

The Feature &Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? Check out the link and it’ll tell you all you need to know.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Q: Activity: Spine Poetry. Create a line of poetry with your book spines (take a picture). Not feeling creative? Tell us about your favorite poem.

A: This was the poem my mom asked to be read at her funeral three years ago. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep is a poem written in 1932 by Mary Elizabeth Frye. Although the origin of the poem was disputed until later in her life, Mary Frye's authorship was confirmed in 1998 after research by Abigail Van Buren, a newspaper columnist.

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there; I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glints on snow,

I am the sun on ripened grain,

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circling flight.

I am the soft starlight at night.                                                      

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there; I did not die.

 

Welcome Andrew Q. Gordon and a Contest!

 

 

Ten Facts About Purpose: 

1)              All of the places mentioned in the book are real.  Neighborhoods, towns, street locations, even the buildings that were named.

2)              The first line of the book is the first words I wrote. Through all the revisions and edits, the first line: "[S]omeone died tonight. An innocent. Someone who should have lived" has never changed.

3)               I originally envisioned this as a series of short stories. My thought had been that each book would have a different love interest who would either die or leave by the end of the book. In the end that seemed too depressing.

4)              I took pictures for most of the places in and around the D.C. so I could have a better mental picture of the scenes. Toward the end of the book there is a scene at a building site. At the time I wrote the book that was how the building looked.

5)              The writing of Purpose was halted around chapter 20 due to the birth of my daughter. Once I get into a better routine I finished it before my paternity leave ran out.

6)              The D.C. Metro system has some of the longest escalators in the world. In fact the Wheaton station escalator is the longest in the western hemisphere at 230 feet. The Metro escalator mentioned in the beginning of the book–Dupont Circle–is almost 189 and is the sixth longest in the system

7)              I originally meant to write the entire book in first person present tense. After the first 'chapter' was written, I decided to try something different. There were times I had problem's switching from first to third and back.  Thank god for good editors.

8)              The legal/police lingo was kept as true to how it would be in D.C. as I could make it. The command structure of MPD is what it would have been in 2010. The exception being the FBI – I have no idea if that is accurate or not – my guess is not.

9)              Purpose is the shortest book I've written alone. Anyta Sunday is a great influence and has been pushing me to say more in fewer pages. I hope this is the start of a good trend.

10)           There are no sequels, spin offs or plans to turn this into a series in the works. This was Will's story about reclaiming his humanity and how it took someone like Ryan to bring Will back. I don't see anything worthy of another book at this point.

 

Blurb: 

Forty years ago the Spirit of Vengeance—a Purpose—took William Morgan as its host, demanding he avenge the innocent by killing the guilty. Since then, Will has retreated behind Gar, a façade he uses to avoid dealing with what he’s become. Cold, impassive, and devoid of emotion, Gar goes about his life alone—until his tidy, orderly world is upended when he meets Ryan, a broken young man cast out by his family. Spurred to action for reasons he can't understand, Gar saves Ryan from death and finds himself confronted by his humanity.

Spending time with Ryan helps Will claw out from under Gar’s shadow. He recognizes Ryan is the key to his reclaiming his humanity and facing his past. As Will struggles to control the Purpose, Ryan challenges him to rethink everything he knew about himself and the spirit that possesses him. In the process, he pushes Will to do something he hasn't done in decades: care.

Pre-order link: Purpose from Dreamspinner Press

 

Excerpt: 

“Ryan!” The scream was blocked by the doors. The entire car turned, stared, then went back to what they were doing. Another raving idiot on the Metro.

Last time he felt this, felt it this intense, someone was about to die. Now, after decades, he understood. It was not a call for vengeance. It was a warning.

When the train lurched forward, panic gripped him. He needed to get off the train. Now! Pressed against the window, he saw four thugs walking behind an oblivious Ryan.

What the hell was wrong with him? He was such an idiot! Ryan had let his guard down because Gar gave him that money.

The train started to pick up speed, forcing him to focus. By now, most everyone was ignoring him. Some watched, but he “suggested” they look away, and they did. Using the moment of pseudo-invisibility, Gar ran to the door between cars. Two from the end. Damn!

Forming a mental image of a Metro Transit cop, he touched the small box on his belt. When he emerged into the next car, he could tell from the reaction on people’s faces, they saw an officer, not him.

Thankfully, this car was nearly empty, so no one stood in the aisles. Running as fast as he could, weaving around the poles, he quickly covered the seventy-five feet to the back door. Watching the platform disappear, he tried the door. Locked!

Of course it was locked. What had he expected? Too bad. His need was too great. Gar bunched his muscles, yanked with all his strength, and tore the door from its hinges.

Tossing the twisted metal aside, he ignored the screams of shock from those watching. The clarion ring of the alarm sounded throughout the car as the smell of brake pads filled the air. Not waiting for the train to stop, he leapt down, rolling once to break his momentum.

Behind him, he heard the car grind to a halt. Had he stuck around, he would have heard the angry shouts of people who realized their trip home had just gotten complicated. He didn’t care. Something bad was about to happen to an innocent kid. A little discomfort on their part was acceptable.

Sprinting, he covered the distance to the platform in less time than the train took to leave. Still too long. Ryan and the others were gone. He startled the few people milling about when he ran the length of the tracks, back to the escalator Ryan had used. The press of bodies was too thick. Too many would get hurt if he forced his way past them.

He leaped up from the tracks and ran faster toward the moving stairs. Bypassing the crowd, he used his momentum to leap toward the railing, fifteen feet above. Clutching the black metal tube, he swung himself over, nearly knocking over a half dozen people.

“Police, move aside!” His shout took a moment to register, but people quickly moved from his path. After vaulting the fare gates, he made for the escalators leading out. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too late. These were among the longest in the system, and if Ryan hadn’t walked up, he just might catch up.

Two escalators went up, one down. Both were packed.

“Fuck!” Moving toward the center stairs, he decided on his plan. “Police! Out of the way!”

As people answered his command, he spared a second to scan the two up escalators. If Ryan was on one of them, he couldn’t see him.

People quickly moved to the right. Most were already there, preferring not to make the overly long walk. Running up the stairs, the muted voices commenting on his burst of speed washed away against the only thought he gave attention to: find Ryan before they do.

Twice more, he shouted for people to move right before he made it to the top. Dozens, even hundreds of people milled about the entrance. He cursed himself for not trying to read Ryan’s thoughts. He didn’t know what his mind felt like and couldn’t use them to locate the kid.

Drawing a deep breath to settle himself, he extended his senses. Maybe he could find his scent, hear his voice, something. Another new emotion struck him: fear. He found nothing. Not possible. How could he lose that ability now?

Nothing made sense. A night that had started out so simple was now turning his world inside out.

 

Contest: 

For a chance to win a free eBook copy of Purpose leave a comment answering the following question:

Do you prefer stand alone books, a series or related story lines?

Please include your email address so we can notify you if you win. A winner will be chosen from the valid entries on June 16^th, 2013 using Randomizer.org.

In addition, all comments from all guest blog posts between June 10, 2013 and June 21, 2013 release date will also be entered to win a $15.00 Dreamspinner Press credit. The winner will be chosen using Randomizer.org and each person who comments on any of the Purpose guest blog posts during the book giveaway time will be entered. The drawing for the pre-release gift card will be on June 25, 2013. One entry per blog but you can enter on each participating blog for more chances to win a copy of the eBook or the Dreamspiner Press credit.  For a complete list of eligible blogs, please see the Purpose book page on my blog:

Purpose: By Andrew Q. Gordon 

 

About the Author: 

Andrew Q. Gordon wrote his first story back when yellow legal pads, ball point pens were common and a Smith Corona correctable typewriter was considered high tech. Adapting with technology, he now takes his MacBook somewhere quiet when he wants to write.

He currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his partner of eighteen years, their young daughter and dog.  In addition to dodging some very self-important D.C. 'insiders', Andrew uses his commute to catch up on his reading. When not working or writing, he enjoys soccer, high fantasy, baseball and seeing how much coffee he can drink in a day and not get the shakes. 

 

Follow Andrew on his website: www.andrewqgordon.com,

On Facebook:  www.facebook.com/andrewqugordon,

On Twitter:  @andrewqgordon,

Or just email him: andrewqgordon@gmail.com