Excerpt from THE HARLOT

THE HARLOT is now out and about on bookshelves on three continents! Woohoo! Here's a teaser from the book:

The dark art of desire...

At a time when the cry of 'witchcraft' leads to certain death Jessie's future looks bleak. Until one man offers her a way out of the gutter. Gregor plans to mould Jessie into the perfect weapon: she will seduce - and destroy - his bitterest enemy. But in a society where innocence is for fools, Gregor fails to predict the shattering impact of his own sudden, forbidden craving...

Excerpt: 

The tone of his voice was so commanding that Jessie shivered with arousal. She rocked her bottom on the chair as she straightened up and met his gaze, and the hard surface maddened her aroused flesh. “You are insane!”
“Sit up straight while you are at the table.”
She did so, but flashed him another angry look.
He examined her with mock disappointment, his own acting ability apparently made more wildly dramatic by the situation. “It seems I have to remind why you are here. As you so rightly pointed out a man of wealth and opportunity would prefer an innocent maiden. You assured me that you would be able to seduce him under those circumstances.”
“Not like this.” She glared at him, her fingers clutching at the table edge to keep her from storming off. She didn’t want to do as he instructed, but she did not want to leave, not now. With him looming so close over her, so darkly handsome while he issued instructions, meant all her thoughts were moving in an entirely different direction. He was an arms reach away, but he was denying them both. The fact that she was naked did not help her at all. She felt as if she had walked into a trap.
Jessie turned away and closed her eyes, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Do it and you will be rewarded.”
The promise made her blood pump ever faster. She squeezed her thighs together and stared down at the table top in an attempt to keep herself from breaking with his hold on her. It was the hardest thing that she had ever done with her body in such state of arousal, and with him so close at hand and ready to give her exactly what she wanted. But she attempted to force her thoughts together and be what he wanted her to be.
Lifting her head slightly and at the angle he had suggested the day before, she looked at him from under her eyelids, and then widened her eyes as if startled. Forcing her lower lip to tremble, she shifted one hand to her throat. “Forgive me, Sire, you have caught me while I am at breakfast. I will prepare for my day’s chores immediately.”
She expected him to lecture her about manners, but he did not. Silence filled the air between them and along with it the tension mounted.
Cautiously, she lifted her head fully and looked at him, keeping her expression most humble and serious and well-meaning. “How best can I serve you today, Sire?”
His mouth moved, his lips pressed together as if he was trying to restrain from comment, but his eyes told a different story. Black with lust, they covered her with a greedy gaze. Her skin flashed hot and her breathing sped. It was him who was doing battle with his needs now.
Be careful, she reminded herself. He could easily send her to her room, if she did not continue to make an effort.
“You have caught my attention,” he said, his tone more subdued but also more intimate. “You are a good worker and I wish to keep you here in the household.”
“Thank you, Sire. I am most eager to please you and gain a permanent position here.” She blinked at him, being careful to show nothing but innocence.
“But you turn my head, Jessie.”
The statement startled her. For a moment she stared into his eyes, and she knew he wasn’t acting. That made her belly flutter, and she battled to contain her reaction. Blinking hard, she cocked her head slightly. “Me, Sire?”
“Yes.” He stepped closer and touched her hair. “It is your character. Your strange mix of innocence, and candor.”
Jessie’s heart thumped wildly in her chest. It was what his enemy might say, but she knew he was doing this as part of the test. And, as an innocent, she would not notice his erection. Or if she did, she would blush and look away. Steadfastly, she looked only on his face.
She noticed how his expression reflected his mood. Restraint echoed in every part of him. Large and powerful, his naked shoulders overshadowed her. The column of his neck was taut, the muscle standing out. His eyes gleamed darkly.
“Stand up,” he instructed.
Jessie did so, her legs trembling under her. She was so weak with arousal that she swayed unsteadily. She kept her eyelids lowered, attempting to hide the state she was in.
He shoved her chair out of the way and stepped behind her. With one hand on her shoulder he squeezed it. “You are a special girl, Jessie. Do you want to please your new master?”
That question affected her so powerfully that she had to close her eyes. Her lips parted, and her head dropped back. Urging herself to respond, she mustered the appropriate words. “Forgive me, but I am not sure of your meaning, Sire.”
“You have made me want a kiss from your pretty lips.” He touched her hair, stroking its length.
“Sire.” The one word came out breathlessly.
“You have never had a fellow want to kiss you before?”
“Aye, but I did not let him.”
“Then let me show you the path to pleasure, sweet Jessie.”
She bit her lower lip, longing to turn around and face him, yet knowing it would be harder if she did.
He moved closer still, and she felt the bough of his erection at the small of her back. For a moment, she wondered if it was another test. But she knew he wanted the reward as much as she did, that he had been holding back ever since she had approached his bed.
Struggling to find the right words, she mustered a response. “I am frightened, Sire, but I only wish to please my master.”
Silence followed, the tension in the room growing. He was so close that she could feel his breath on her skin.
Eventually, he responded. “Better. Better today, Jessie.”
He kissed her shoulder, and the brush of his mouth on her skin made her want him even more. Then she felt his hand on her waist.
“Bend over the table,” he said, his voice low and yet undeniably commanding.
Those words thrilled her but she took her time, indicating that she was unsure about him, with a shiver and a distraught glance over her shoulder. The look in his eyes assured her he was no longer tutoring her.
This was all about their mutual need.
Immense relief flooded her. She did as he instructed, resting her forearms and her hands on the surface of the table. Her cunny pounded with anticipation and she licked her lips, her mouth turning dry.
Gregor rested his hand between her shoulder blades and eased her completely flat to the table, controlling her still.
“Oh!” Her tender breasts were crushed to its surface, the nipples stinging wildly at the contact.
Then his hands were on her buttocks, stroking them. For a moment she thought he was going to slap her arse, as he had done the day before. She pressed her cheek flat to the table. I shall faint, if he does.
What she wanted was what she didn’t get the day before, and this time there was no hiding that he was ready to give it to her. She wriggled in response to that thought, her hips swaying within his grip....

Find chapter one and more details here.