BOOK EXCERPT: Diablo Blanco Club: Unfair Advantage

January 20, 2009 saw the release of my third book with Loose Id, LLC. *Diablo Blanco Club: Unfair Advantage* is the prequel to *Santa's Elf* and tells the story of the unusual marriage and courtship of Mattie Lawrence and Bryce Halsey.

The following scene takes place just after Bryce voices his unique proposal to Mattie. Purely a business arrangement with all the benefits of a real marriage.

http://www.loose-id.com/detail.aspx?ID=822
Title: Diablo Blanco
Club: Unfair Advantage

ISBN: 978-1-59632-806-8
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC
Genre: BDSM Erotic Contemporary
Price: $7.99
Length: Novel
Available: January 20, 2009
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*Blurb:*

Eight years of waiting hadn't affected Dominant Bryce Halsey the way the last seven days had tested his control. Mattie Lawrence, his perfect submissive, stood before him unaware of her potential, ready to be tutored in the lifestyle.

Battles will be won and lost between them, but the war for a Dominant's heart is a war, Mattie is determined to win.


*Excerpt:*

"Who said anything about pretending?" Bryce moved back to his desk and set his drink on the clear vinyl protector covering the polished wood.

"Well…I…I assumed…" Mattie wasn't sure what she was going to say, but all thought exited her mind when Bryce leaned forward and braced both hands on the arms of her chair.

"We would arrive and leave work together, live in the same house, share the same bed. It would be a real marriage, Lawrence."

Mattie sank farther into her chair. She could feel the heat in her face, and her fingers tangled together to keep from latching on to the man and kissing him silly. Inside, she wavered between euphoria and dread. True, she'd fantasized about being with him for years -- hell, since the first day she saw him -- but marriage? "I…I'm not…" She shook her head and eyed him carefully as he moved back to lean against the desk.

"Too much?"

"I've just never…" Mattie waited, then tried again. "I'm going to need time to think this over."

"How much?" After finishing his drink, Bryce returned it to the bar and leaned against the built-in cabinet to await her answer.

"A week?" she offered.

He shook his head. "That's too long. I want to make the arrangements so everything is in place before my father's retirement party in five weeks. I need an answer before you leave tonight."

"That's less than an hour." It was Mattie's turn to shake her head. She was used to this type of negotiation with the man. His determination to come out on top was apparent, but she was equally resolute about gaining time to seriously think about her decision. "You're talking about a serious commitment, Bryce. If you aren't going to give me a week, I need at least the weekend to make a decision."

"Forty-eight hours is too long. I want to get the ball rolling on this before the weekend is over." Glancing at the grandfather clock across the room, he countered. "It's just past four now. Think about it and give me a call by ten tonight."

"Five hours?" She rose and moved to pace the area between his desk and the seating area. "Still not enough time, Halsey. You're asking me to make a decision that could affect the next five years of my life. If not more. No" -- she shook her head and sat on the rolled arm of a hunter green leather chair -- "I need at least thirty-six hours to seriously think this through."

"Too much time." He seemed to be thinking something through as he crossed the room toward her, one hand tugging at the earring while the other rested on his hip. "You're coming out to the Folly tomorrow to go over the details for the King party, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"And you're probably going to go to your sister's and talk to her about my proposal, right?"

"More than likely."

"Okay then." He settled his hands on the back of the chair. "That gives you eighteen hours to think over my offer. When you come out to the Folly tomorrow afternoon, give me your answer."

She hesitated to ask but knew it needed to be broached. "What if I decide I can't agree?"

The green of his eyes darkened. His expression grew blank, as if the amusement he'd found participating in their test of wills had been wiped away. "Then I'll have to consider tendering my resignation."

"But --"

He shook his head. "I'll have to, Lawrence." The fingers of his left hand cupped her chin, sending tremors of awareness skittering through her, tingling along her nerve endings and pooling in the heated center of her body. "I need someone who knows why my days are taken up with work and my nights as well. Someone who is just as dedicated to making this company more than it is without losing the integrity my namesake built it on. I can't recall meeting any other woman with those qualities in the last few years. Except you."

"You're taking unfair advantage," she grumbled, knowing he was attempting to manipulate her decision. The fact that her body was in favor of immediately agreeing didn't make holding off and thinking the matter through any easier.

The grin he gave her was unrepentant. "I'm a businessman, Lawrence. And there's nothing fair about business."


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buy it!

~~ Qwillia Rain~~
Quintessensually, Quirky Romance from the Queen of Tease
American Title V Finalist--In A Lover's Silence
Diablo Blanco Club: Unfair Advantage~~Available Now from Loose Id, LLC
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