EVERYDAY FEAR
Have you ever
had that creepy sensation that someone was behind you when you look in the
mirror…?
Carrie Benton
kicked off her shoes, did a little twirl around her bedroom, and sank gladly
into the armchair beside the bay window that looked out onto the street. She
gazed down dreamily at the road below, still seeing Gerald’s tanned face
smiling down at her, still feeling the gentle touch of his hand against her
arm. She decided there and then that it had been the perfect evening. Nothing
could mar this, she mused, and it would be even better in the morning when he
came to collect her for breakfast and they would share the whole day, not just
the evening.
Tosca chose that
moment to make his entrance, his pitiful meow shaking her out of the dream
world she was currently in. Carrie gathered the cat into her arms. ‘Hi there,
cattykins, who’s hungry then?’ she crooned into his fur. He arched his back and
playfully shot his paw at her. She giggled and set him down on the bed where he
regarded her with an air of suspicion.
‘I am going to
fix you some food,’ she teased, ‘right after I wash my face and get my dressing
gown on. You’ll just have to wait a while.’
Carrie switched
on the en-suite bathroom light and hummed to herself as she picked up the
facial wash from the shelf. She heard Tosca scratching the coverlet of her bed
in what she assumed was act frustration at being thwarted out of his food. ‘Not
long,’ she sang out, ‘Then I’ll get you your dinner and I’ll tell you all about
Gerald and our date.’
Carrie heard
Tosca hiss as if to say,’ Damn your date, just fix me some food!’ and she heard
a soft plop as the cat jumped off the bed. A minute later she shivered as she
felt a sharp cold draft blowing through the bathroom. Darn cat, she thought, he
must have squeezed through the bedroom door to the landing and left the door
open.
Carrie smeared the facial wash over her face, mixing it with water from the tap. The soapsuds bubbled on her skin. As she splashed warm water on her face, she thought she heard someone behind her. She looked up into the mirror, her face dripping water. Gerald stood there, framed in the entrance to the bathroom. She peered at him through a veil of soapy tears, thinking at first it was a trick of the light, or perhaps some water in the eyes making her vision blurry and unstable. It was only when she felt the quick bloody pain across her throat and smelt the scent of his Brut aftershave mixed with her blood that she realised, too late, it was Gerald and that her dream date had just turned into a nightmare.
Double Alchemy
They lay beside
each other in Cade’s bed, snuggled under the covers together. It was a large
king-size bed, one they’d made the most of it that evening. Quinn turned and
regarded Cade with drowsy eyes as his fingers trailed soft patterns across his
chest. Cade caught his breath at Quinn's lazy touch, his body still jazzed up
from their love making. Quinn fingered the small metal piercing in Cade's left
nipple with lazy indolence. Cade's hands caressed Quinn's stomach, lingering on
an ugly, puckered three-inch scar which stretched down to his left hip.
“You seem to be
getting used to this whole situation,” Quinn murmured. He caressed the nipple
piercing. "And this was a nice surprise. You didn't have it in the other
night. I think I explored you enough to
know you don't have any more anywhere." He grinned wickedly as Cade's
fingers pinched his hip.
Cade laughed
softly. “I took it out for the benefit dinner. It doesn't fit well under a
dress shirt. And as for all this -I don’t believe it all myself. But I don’t seem to have a choice. You’ve
made that quite clear. And I have to say it’s not all that much of a hardship.
You’re a pretty personable and sexy guy and to be honest, this just feels –so
right- somehow.” He licked a wet tongue down Quinn's shoulder and grinned as
Quinn lost his breath.
Cade murmured,
“I saw you in the paper with a man called Adam Carnover.”
Quinn started
and looked at Cade with hooded eyes.
Cade watched his
eyes. “Is he still in your life? The papers seemed to think you were getting
married. “
Quinn leaned
over and kissed his forehead softly. “I wouldn’t be here with you if I was with
another man. Adam isn’t in my life any longer.”
“What happened?”
Quinn frowned,
his face dark. “We had a difference of opinion and decided to go our separate
ways.”
“Was he like me,
or was he normal?” Cade asked curiously, glad that the man was no longer around
but still intending to find out more about their past relationship.
Quinn was still.
“He was normal, nothing like you,” he said shortly.
Cade could tell
he really didn’t want to talk about his ex. Wisely, he let it rest for the
moment. “Another thing you haven’t told
me. Who was that man I saw in the forest that evening? Was that something to do
with you?”
Quinn’s eyes
narrowed as if debating what to say next.
“Are you going to tell me?” Cade watched him
closely. He reached down and grasped Quinn's semi erect cock. "Or do I
have to suck it out of you like I did earlier?"
Quinn gave a low
laugh and sat up, the bed covers draped across his waist as he leaned back
against the headboard. "As much as I find that idea very appealing, I
think I need to recuperate first. I don't think I've got any moisture left in
my body after that very intense blow job. But please feel free to repeat the
experience in a little while."
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanmacnicol/
I loved the excerpt and the blurb. This sounds like another wonderful book by Susan.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. It sets the tone for the book.
ReplyDelete