Swept off her feet to a far off place, Sadie is happy to give herself over to Malcolm's pleasure--and the pleasure he gives her in return is more than enough. But it isn't long before the real world intrudes on their happiness, and Sadie is in for a shock when she learns just why Malcolm revels in his eccentricity... and discovers the darker side of his whimsy.His Inspiration is a 16,000 word novelette. Part three of five in The Billionaire's Muse series.EXCERPT:Smears of color covered my skin, making me look like I'd rolled in a Jackson Pollack painting. Malcolm sat in one of the leatherbound swiveling chairs, watching me. “You are startling,” he said when I finally stood before him, completely nude except for his own markings.“Thank you,” I said.“Don't speak.”I licked my lips.“Lie down on the floor,” he commanded.I glanced down dubiously at the fine carpet. Wouldn't the paint ruin it? But hey, I wasn't a freaking billionaire, what did I care? I did as he bade, stretching out, my arms above my head, my toes pointed towards him.“Open your legs,” he said. Then he reached down and opened a bag I hadn't seen there, withdrawing a familiar-looking tin. A box full of charcoal sticks.“Where'd you get that?” I said.“What did I say about speaking?” he asked me.I clammed up.“Spread your legs,” he commanded again.God. I'd never known how much I liked to hear a man talk dirty to me. My breathing picked up as I let my thighs fall open, exposing my inner flesh to his gaze.“Yes,” he murmured. “Like that.” And he left his chair and knelt down between my legs as he opened the tin of charcoal.I wanted to ask what he was going to do. I didn't think he'd be so amateur as to stick charcoal inside me, but you never knew with some people.He didn't though. Instead, he took one stick of charcoal out and held it lightly, poised to draw on my skin. Tilting his head to one side, he took me in.“You aren't finished yet,” he said, more to himself than to me. “But how will I know when enough is enough?”I could have told him that sometimes you never do, but then he lowered the charcoal to my belly and began to write.

The last person in the world Cassie Bell wants to see is Damien Colton, the lead singer of the blazing hot band, The Hollow Men. Not because she doesn’t like him, but because she’s liked him ever since they went to high school together. Back then they were both rising stars, but only Damien made it, and he never guessed she had a crush on him. And why should he? She was so shy in high school she couldn’t even bring herself to speak to him. But when Damien walks into her elevator and insists on taking a smoke break with her on the roof of the hotel where she cleans rooms for a living, it seems fate has brought them back together. And when the door leading back into the building locks behind them, it seems fate likes to play a good prank. Can Cassie ever overcome her shyness and confess to Damien the torch she’s carried for years, or have the years since high school changed them both too dramatically for them to ever have a second chance? This 24,000 word romance novella is sweet with heat, and all about tight spots and second chances!

A damsel in distress... The day of a young woman's wedding should be the happiest day of her life, but for Aylen Ware, it is the worst. Raised from a young age in a secret splinter sect of the Fundamentalist Mormon Church, Aylen has spent her life suppressing her true self and living in constant fear of violence and abuse. The Elders of the church claim that she has been chosen to be the eighteenth bride of a man three times her age and renowned for his cruelty, but Aylen has other ideas. Mere minutes before her wedding, she runs, knowing that she will fail in her flight unless she can find someone to help her... An unlikely prince... Half-naked and passed out drunk on a motel bed, Carter Hudson doesn’t seem like a knight in shining armor. Covered in tattoos and piercings, and distinctly disheveled, he frightens Aylen more than a little bit... but appearances can be deceiving. As Aylen runs with Carter's help, she discovers that beneath the rough surface is a scarred young man who has had his own curses and triumphs--and that he is full of surprises. Like his music. And his money. And his fame. Oh...and also his internationally acclaimed rock band. Still, as the two grow closer Aylen discovers they are more alike than not, and finds her feelings for him changing from the wary...to the wicked. A fairy tale ending...? But Aylen's past will not let go easily: men from the Church are tracking her, determined to take her back to the cult and a life of misery and servitude. Will the bond between her and Carter be enough to escape the evil that follows her, or is her curse so strong that not even love can defeat it?

Sadie isn't certain what to make of Malcolm Ward, but it seems no one is. Intrigued and intensely attracted, Sadie decides to spend more time with him to get to the bottom of things. But when he invites her again into his studio, this time using her very body as the medium with which to express himself, it's Malcolm who starts to uncover parts of Sadie that she would rather leave buried...His Canvas is a 16,000 word novelette. Part two of five in The Billionaire's Muse series.EXCERPT:I let my gaze slide down so I could study him from the corner of my eye. He wasn't wearing the same clothes I'd last seen him in; instead of pajamas he now wore a fine cashmere sweater and well-tailored slacks, though his feet were stockinged. A pair of fine shoes languished a few feet from the desk, as though he'd brought them over, meaning to put them on but had forgotten to do so. He'd also shaved, so that was good. It meant he'd probably taken a shower.He still seemed a bit off, though. He had a strange, hunted look on his face, as though he hadn't slept, dogged by some unrelenting compulsion. Glancing back at the images on the screen and his riveted attention to them, I could believe it. “Some of these are pretty good,” I told him. “I mean, considering your subject matter and all.”Next to me, he shook his head. “That's kind of you,” he said. “But it's not here.”I blinked. “What's not here?”“My masterpiece.”I felt my mouth twist. “You don't think so? You asked me over to look at your photos as a professional. I think they're pretty good. You have talent. And I'm admitting that grudgingly considering you didn't decide to become an artist until yesterday.”“Two days ago,” he corrected me, “and that was just an excuse. I asked you over to do this again.”I could see it all in my mind as he moved the mouse down to the lower bar of his photo editor, clicked on a box, and up popped the picture of him between my legs, eyes half-closed with ecstasy as he laved my clit with his tongue.Just the sight of it made me aching and empty for his cock, even as my face flushed with humiliation. And yet the picture I'd taken was beautiful, in a purely artistic sense. I'd captured my subject perfectly: the only thing truly in focus was Malcolm's face. The face of a cat lapping at a bowl of cream.I still wasn't entirely prepared when he turned his chair and gripped my hips gently to pull me to him.“Whoah!” I said, my hands flying out to grab his shoulders. “I... uh...” My brain shorted out as my fingers met his body. He was well-muscled. Very well-muscled. And hot. He burned through his sweater and undershirt. Burned for me.I'd worn a skirt. A heavy wool skirt. No tights. He stared up at me with his beautiful, intense eyes as his large warm hands smoothed over my hips to my ass, squeezing gently. His lips, level with my breasts, were thwarted only by the thick coat I wore.He didn't seem to care. “You've been on my mind since I saw you,” he said, his voice thick and husky. “But I haven't captured you yet.”

The word is out about Felicia and Anton's marriage, and Felicia's feelings are becoming complicated. Can she get close to the husband she doesn't even know when his entire life is a wall around his past--and his heart? Does she want to? This 7,500 word short story is the fifth installment in The Billionaire's Wife series.

Shocked by Malcolm's revelation, Sadie is determined to convince him not to go through with his plan and to strike back against the friend who wronged him. Malcolm is just as determined to complete his masterpiece before he bows off the world stage forever. Fleeing the long arm of the law, they turn to the sea. Alone together on Malcolm's boat, a curious duel begins as Malcolm searches for a meaning in his life and Sadie strives to show him one before time runs out--one way or another.His Obsession is a 21,000 word novelette and is book four of five in The Billionaire's Muse series.EXCERPT:I followed him to the bedroom, past a spiral staircase and down a tiny hallway. When he opened the door I had to bite my lip to keep from gasping in astonishment. He led me inside, then dropped my hand and stood back, allowing me to take it in.I stared at the room. Sumptuous. Decadent. Delicious. Rows of windows displaying the darkness outside. A desk on one side of the room, a couch on the other. A flat-screen TV at one end.And a four-poster bed at the other."I'm afraid I wasn't entirely truthful when I said I didn't make any changes to the interior of the boat," Malcolm admitted from behind me. "The bed is my own personal touch."Really? A four-poster bed? On a yacht?Then it hit me. Of course he'd have a four-poster bed on his yacht, I realized. The better to tie you up, my dear.His hand alighted on my back. Hot and insistent, he guided me to the bed. "Stand here," he commanded. "I'm going to bind you."I stiffened, and he felt it. Gently, he turned me around and put his hands on my shoulders, meeting my eyes with his. He searched my face for a moment, looking for something, and I couldn't have said if he found it or not."I've poured myself out to you, Sadie," he said finally. "Trust me. Give me this one last fling."Anger boiled up in me. One last fling? He was so selfish. But if he persisted in thinking that he was going to kick the bucket, then fine. I'd give him his fling. I'd fling him so hard he'd have to stay. Or... come back. Like a boomerang. Not the best metaphor, but it would have to do."All right," I said, and the smile that broke over his features was beatific.He took his own sweet time setting things up. The ropes he used were stored in one of the dresser drawers, and I watched as he drew them out, long and sinuous. Black. Velvet. At least they weren't red."Take off your clothes."Wordlessly, I did as he commanded. First my coat pooled to the floor. Then my top and my bra. My shoes next, and finally my skirt. I still wore no panties. His cum had dried, sticky, on the inside of my thighs."Lie down. Spread your legs and arms," he instructed. His eyes on me were hot, not detached like they'd been when he'd been taking out the length of red ribbon in his own bedroom, and I felt an answering rush of heat as I obeyed. The comforter was down, cool and soft, and I found myself hoping, vaguely, that I didn't ruin it by being messy. Stretching my arms above my head and spreading my legs out, I stared at the ceiling and waited for him to begin...

Rebecca is determined to do a good job as the babysitter (and fake girlfriend) of troubled rock star Carter Hudson, but before the ink is even dry on her contract her charge is slipping out of her control. She could regain it-- if she could keep her hands off of Kent, her new boss and Carter's brother. Too bad something about him attracts her the way no man ever has... "Exclusive Contract" is 19,200 words and is the second installment of the serial novel Rock Arrangement. Excerpt: The tension in the room finally eased and the rest of the band set about setting up. It was pure torture, but I didn't even glance at Kent. Instead I kept my eyes on Carter the whole time. He looked mildly disappointed that I had refused to enable his alcohol habit, but that couldn't really be helped. He knew as well as I did that I was supposed to look after him. I watched as he pulled his guitar off its stand and looped the strap over his head before sitting down and plugging it into the amp next to his chair. The crackle of static scraped over my ears, and then, with a few deft plucks of his fingers, Carter made the guitar sing. Oh, I thought. Yes. This is music. A cascade of notes leaped from the strings, dancing through the wires to the amp, booming through the small room. At once Manny sat up in his chair, his whole body straightening, his drumsticks suddenly standing at the ready, poised to crash into the tight skins in front of him. At her seat in front of the keyboard, Sonya stubbed her cigarette out, took one last gulp of her drink—wincing and making me think that it certainly was not water at all—then settled her hands on the keys. With a ripple of her fingers, a sweet, unfamiliar melody flowed out. Then Kent switched his amplifier on, put his fingers on the strings of his bass, and plucked out a low, thrumming beat. My breath left me. The rhythm hummed and pulsed, resonating in my chest and stomach, rattling my heart in the cage of my ribs. I felt it, deep inside me, pounding through the soles of my feet where I stood. I felt the vibrations in the backs of my legs, shaking my bones. My mouth went dry and without thinking I sank to the floor, settling in to listen. There weren't any other chairs anyway, of course, but I didn't mind. Sitting on the carpet, I could feel the hard, driving rhythm Kent had found, and it took all my willpower to not lick my lips and close my eyes and squirm where I sat. Even so, his music hummed deep inside my core...

Chronic loser Rebecca Alton is penniless, homeless, and sleeping on her sister’s couch. She needs a job, fast, but in this economy finding one is easier said than done. When she accidentally walks into the wrong office and finds herself auditioning for the role of babysitter to the out-of-control members of the up and coming rock band The Lonely Kings of Lifeless Things, can she pull it off? And considering who her boss would be–the band’s bassist, manager, and undisputed king of bad attitudes Kent Hudson–would she even want the job? Rebecca isn’t sure. In fact, she’s not sure of much in her life, except one thing: Kent wants her, she wants him back, and the underlying animal attraction between them makes her interview rough, in more ways than one! Exclusive Interview is an 18,000 word novelette, and is the first in the Rock Arrangement series. Excerpt: On the outside I tried to project an air of calm and confidence, but on the inside I was shrieking at the top of my lungs. He'd seen steal the drinks. The jig was up. I was doomed. I would be arrested, held for theft of approximately three point three ounces of alcohol, not even enough to get properly toasted. You always hear about the people who get busted for less than half a joint in their car and you wonder why they just didn't throw it out the window when they were finished with it. Well, that was me. I was the idiot. "It tastes the same either way," I told him. "But I don't have any money and you are stressing me out." He tilted his head. His dark locks fell across his forehead, brushing against his strong, dark brows, bringing his blue-green eyes into further focus. "And you drink when you are stressed out?" he asked. This was a trap. I could feel it. I set my jaw. "Actually no," I told him. "I clean when I get stressed. But since there's nothing for me to clean on an airplane, I thought I'd try to calm my nerves instead." His eyes widened slightly at this. "You... clean?" he asked me incredulously. "Yes, I clean. You know, scrub floors, dust, tidy up. I'm very good at it. That's why I was applying for a housekeeping position. I'm stressed, I might as well get paid for what I'm going to be doing anyway." "What a strange way to get your stress out," he said. He lowered his voice, so that only I could hear it through the buzzing of the engines. "Me, I like to screw." And his eyes narrowed as he leaned in. His hips butted against mine and I felt, through his trousers, the hot bulge of an erection...

Faced with scandal, can Rebecca bring herself to trust Kent to help her eject her abusive ex-boyfriend from her life forever? And even if the threat is gone, will they be able to start over after such a tumultuous beginning? Exclusive Engagement is 20,000 words and is the final book in the Rock Arrangement serial novel. EXCERPT: He stood up and helped me to my feet, then led me into the hall. Together we wound through the cold, white, corridors of the backstage area before reaching a dingy door. Kent pulled me through it and into the club proper. I was certain we'd be noticed. Kent was not the sort of guy who went incognito easily, but to my shock no one looked twice at him and I realized that no one would be expecting to see him in the crowd at his own concert. Besides, the inside of the Snake Pit was so dim and dark that I could barely tell who he was, and I was holding his damn hand. We circled around the back of the crowd, as unobtrusively as possible, before Kent found a spot against one of the pillars holding up the roof that remained unoccupied. Leaning against it, he pulled me to him, dragging my body into the cradle of his own, curving around me. My body pressed against his and as we stood there in the dark, waiting for the show to start, he ran his hands over my body with a lazy, deliberate air, and I felt himbegin to harden against my backside. My breathing picked up. We were out in the open, out in public, and yet shrouded in anonymity. Rough fingers slid under the hem of my shirt and skated over the skin of my stomach, dipping into the waistband of my jeans. My back arched, pressing against him, and he leaned down and hissed in my ear. “If you don't stop that, I'm going to take you out back to the alleyway, and you'll miss the whole show.” His hot breath sent shivers down my spine. My knees turned to jelly and the space between my legs ached. It occurred to me that I would probably prefer that outcome. I circled my hips, grinding into him...