Saturday, February 14, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day! Have you met my version of Cupid, lol?

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Here's the link for the Love is Love Valentine's Day Hop. There are some awesome prizes, and I'm giving away a ebook copy of Trouble Comes in Threes at my blog too.

Since it's Valentine's Day and I have a story about Cupid, I thought I'd share some of it. Perfect is book #2 in The Gods series.

Perfect


The Gods: Book Two

http://youtu.be/q50GEjdliWo book trailer for Perfect



Buy Links:






Blurb:

Jaded billionaire Jeff Mayfield loves only what his money and power can buy, but the Fates have plans for him. First a player in Jeff’s casino hits a huge jackpot and things turn hectic. Then, in the middle of the chaos, Jeff lays eyes on the unbelievably sexy Cam Smith—Cupid in his human form.


Seized by lust, Jeff makes a move, only to find himself on the receiving end of a blistering wave of sexual intent. Cam disassembles Jeff’s self-image and puts it back together upside down. But Jeff isn’t the only one struggling with control. Cam’s alter ego is Jealousy, and if he loses his composure, the consequences will be deadly.




* * *  *







The arid, hot air of the desert swept across Cupid’s body and sucked the breath from his lungs as he stepped off the shuttle bus in front of The Palms casino in Las Vegas. Running his fingers through his short, curly blond hair, Cupid walked into the coolness of the lobby. He scanned the area, hoping to see the owner of the place—a certain gentleman named Jeff Mayfield—and resisted the urge to rub his hands together gleefully; he had big plans for Jeff.
“Ah, it’s good to be back,” Cupid said quietly. He was disappointed he didn’t see the one he wanted, but a small smirk lifted his lips. “Lay a monster challenge on me, will you? Claim you don’t believe love is for you? By Zeus, I’m going to have such fun proving you wrong. Jeff, you poor human, you don’t stand a chance when the god of erotic love is involved.”
Four months had passed since Garrett and Randy, his most recent targets, had confessed their love to one another. A pleased smile crossed Cupid’s face as he thought of the night he had spotted those two. He’d had every intention of planting one of his golden arrows into Garrett or Randy while they were at the craps table, but the oddest thing had happened.
His bowstring broke each time he lined up a shot. This had never happened to him before. He was known by many names, but he preferred Cupid, the name his mother had given him. Greek mythology, Roman mythology… he shrugged. Little did the humans know just how badly they had messed up the pantheon, not that it mattered. He knew the truth, as did others of his kind. Later, while he and his sister, Psyche, watched the light go out in the window of the Peabody Hotel, he had idly wondered if the Moirai, also known as the Fates, had intervened. As curious as Cupid was, it was in his best interest not to question why. Those three gave new meaning to the words hazardous to your health. Thanks to them, the most widely-known image of him included a diaper.
“Well, let’s get this show on the road.” Cupid strolled across the lobby to the check-in desk, getting his license out of his billfold. He knew Reception would card him because he looked so young.
After a long debate with the girl behind the counter on whether or not he was old enough to rent a room at the Palms, much less use the casino—and the fact he had such a common last name like Smith—he stood in front of his room. It was one of the casino’s standard hotel rooms, nothing special, but it had what he needed: privacy. He dropped his suitcases near the door and walked into the bathroom. Taking a deep breath, he gazed in the bathroom mirror at his reflection.
He planned to do something that defied logic and would make his dear sister laugh hysterically. Cupid had debated doing this on Mount Olympus, but Zeus would’ve noticed the surge of energy, and the last thing he wanted was interference from the god of all gods. As it was, when Zeus figured out what he planned, the big man wasn’t going to be happy. If this worked, he would be weak and need to rest where he’d be safe. There was those on Mount Olympus that would take advantage of his weaken state, so this was the best place to attempt what he planned.
Cupid closed his eyes, clearing his mind of the usual random day-to-day thoughts. He focused and, chanting softly, started the aging spell. Heat scored his body, warming him from the inside out. His skin tightened until it threatened to burst open from the energy spiraling through him.
His body temperature crested as though an explosion was imminent, then cooled. The relief was short-lived, however, since his body continued to cool, his core temperature dropping steadily. Numbness racked him while chills chased over his skin. Shivering, he plowed ahead with this gods-be-damned spell and struggled to finish as darkness edged his thoughts. A white light exploded in his mind and then the changes in his body finally leveled off. When the coldness retreated, it left him gasping for air but with a shaky feeling of accomplishment. He completed the spell and took a deep breath to prepare himself, then opened his eyes and studied his reflection critically.
“Not bad.” Cupid turned this way and that, checking all the angles in the mirror. “Not bad at all. At least I don’t look like a teenager anymore.”
The light blond curls were gone, pulled out by the weight of his longer hair into golden blond waves. He ran his hand through the strands, admiring his new look. Surprisingly, his eyes were the same dark turquoise as before he did the aging spell.
“Wonder what other changes there are.” Hastily he removed his clothes, anxious to see what else might have been transformed.
He studied his reflection in the bathroom mirror, noting the slight differences. His body was still long, lean, and defined. He wasn’t as skinny as before—his form had filled out. His face was more mature, the first bloom of youth gone, and small laugh lines appeared around his eyes when he smiled.
“I can pass for someone in their late thirties, no problem.” Cupid spoke to his reflection, watching his mouth move. Amused, he laughed. “Even though I’m much, much older.”
Cupid had known Jeff wouldn’t touch him unless he did something about how young he appeared. Satisfied, he watched his reflection smirk back at him.
“Okay, part one of the plan is a success. I won’t have trouble attracting Jeff’s attention. Hmm, but the name on my driver’s license doesn’t really fit this new look. Cambridge sounds a bit snooty.” Cupid tapped his lips. “Maybe I could shorten the name? How about Cam? Hmm, I like that. Combining Cupid and Amor is cool, if I do say so myself. Cam Smith it is.”
He picked up his clothes and strolled out into the main room. Yawning, he dropped them on the foot of the bed and closed the curtains, then lay down naked. There were a couple of hours before things started jumping on the casino floor, so a short nap wouldn’t hurt. Soon it would be time to put part two of his plan in action.



Cupid woke to darkness. He stretched, running his hands over his body. This would take some getting used to. His body felt different now. Rising from the bed, he pulled the curtains back. More time had passed than he realized; it was late in the evening. He showered, stepped out, and toweled off. Walking nude to his suitcases, he picked out a white Polo button-down and a pair of black jeans, laying them on the bed.
“Perfect. Gives me a nice, casual look. Now for a bit of naughty.”
Grinning, he rummaged around until he found a pair of mesh briefs. These were sure to get Jeff’s motor running. He slipped them on and returned to the bathroom. If things went according to plan, those briefs would drive Jeff out of his mind later. Humming with pleasure, he glanced in the mirror.
“Well, would you look at that.” He leaned closer to the mirror, his hand brushing across his cheek. “Check out the five o’clock shadow I’m sporting. Wonder if I should shave? Naw, I like how it looks, think I’ll leave it. It’s weird to have facial hair, though.”
He had studied Jeff’s likes and dislikes intensively, just as he had studied the man himself. Jeff was in his early forties with short, dark nut-brown hair that, in certain lights, burned with red highlights. His hazel eyes were framed with thick lashes. A straight nose gave way to nice, kissable lips. Below that was a sweet little dent in his chin. From what Cupid could tell, Jeff had a nice body. Wide shoulders, what looked like a toned chest that tapered down to a slim waist, and strong legs. The man obviously worked out. And hair… hair everywhere, from the few times he had seen Jeff before; hair on his arms and hair peeking out through the open collar of his shirt. That alone made Cupid’s mouth water. He was smooth himself, but fantasizing about how much hair Jeff had made Cupid breathe hard. Jeff was the very image of a superrich, well put together, ruthless businessman.
He splashed on some cologne from a well-known green bottle with a polo player on it. This cologne was common, but it was a favorite of Jeff’s. The heavy scent was like a beacon that would attract him. Cupid shivered. He planned to assault every sense Jeff owned. He intended to light a fire in Jeff, nurse those eager little flames along until they exploded into a full-fledged inferno, and then… make him wait.
“And I will wait, no matter how much I want it.”
Jeff needed to understand there was such a thing as love—that there were risks involved, but that they were worth it. There were the pleasures of the flesh, and there were the pleasures of the heart. Cupid was determined to show Jeff the difference. It was one reason why they would wait before going to bed together, even if it killed him. The other reason was more involved and would need careful handling.
Jeff acted much like Garrett had before he’d met Randy: the jaded playboy who was used to getting what he wanted in both his business life and his personal life. Both Garrett and Jeff took what was offered and enjoyed it to the fullest, no strings attached. But unlike Garrett, Jeff was far more jaded and cynical. After one bad experience, Jeff had sworn off love. Jeff was never cruel to his lovers, but he made it clear he wasn’t interested in anything outside of casual sex.
“He has every right to be jaded and cynical.” Cupid shook his head as he slid the tight jeans over his ass. “Brad did a real number on him all those years ago.”
Brad Mayo was the ex, and Jeff had fallen hard for him. They’d met at the casino and their relationship took off quickly. Brad was so sweet and innocent, a genuinely nice guy. Or so he had seemed. Cupid rolled his shoulders as picked up his shirt in disgust. Brad’s soul was as black as tar—the only person he loved was himself. It was too bad Jeff hadn’t been able to see what Cupid saw when he looked inside the guy.
Within a month Jeff was talking about something more permanent and introduced Brad to the main people in his life—including his best friend, Aaron, who was a leading film producer in Hollywood. Garrett, Jeff, Zygi, and Aaron had known each other for years. At a party one night, Jeff found Aaron fucking Brad during a casting party for a new movie Aaron had released. Jeff lost his boyfriend that night and a close friend. Later he found out what an excellent actor Brad was when he starred in Aaron’s films. Brad was still with Aaron, but their fights were legendary in the hills of Hollywood. Jeff’s attitude took a plunge toward suspicious, reserved, and pessimistic.
“Yeah, Brad and Aaron deserved each other.” Cupid buttoned up his shirt and admired his image in the mirror. “Ah well, his loss. It’s a shame Jeff’s so guarded now, but I do love a good challenge.”
The challenge was simple: Cupid refused to use his golden-tipped arrows on Jeff. When asked—and he was certain he would be—he wanted to be able to say he had not used his arrows. Jeff had to know he fell in love of his own accord and that love could exist without help from the infamous Cupid.
Putting on his shoes, Cupid jogged down to the casino floor and part two of his plan.