Candyman – Preorder now – Downloadable on September 4th
Blurb:
Elisa Wilde’s recurrent dreams transcend time and place. Dreams so real they seem to be actual memories of a bygone era. Driven to unravel the mystery and reclaim her life, she’s drawn into an amazing adventure.
In a tragic twist of fate, Michael Claret lost his truelove. He has waited decades for her return, but getting her back is only a small part of the battle. Edie has changed, evolved into a different woman. Not only will Michael have to once again win her heart, he must also gain her acceptance of his true nature. And to keep her requires she make a huge leap of faith by completing the mating bond—a sharing of blood binding them together for eternity.
Fate is a cruel mistress who will not be cheated or denied. To make the most of their second chance, Michael and Lisa must alter the path chosen for them, and rewrite their love story or be lost to each other forever.
*This previously published title has been revised and re-edited*
Excerpt:
Copyright © Nicole
Austin, 2015
Lisa wanted to laugh as she listened to a group of women seated at a
large table ordering fancy drinks with sexy names. Foreplay, All Night Long and
Kinky Orgasm were a few of her favorites.
Shan found two empty stools at the bar for them. After several minutes,
they were approached by a harried-looking bartender, flamboyant mannerisms and
a gay pride T-shirt advertising his sexual preferences.
“What’ll it be, ladies?”
“A Slow Comfortable Screw with a twist,” her sister stated.
His attention turned toward Lisa. “What would you like, hon?”
Her mind wandered to the earlier visions of frantic sex with Michael,
and her devilish muse became inspired. What the hell, he’d asked what she
wanted, and he was blatantly gay so there was no danger of his thinking he
could provide what she desired. She might as well tell him in explicit detail.
“I want a hard, deep, raw fuck against the wall, with multiple
screaming orgasms, followed by the inability to walk straight for days.” She
flashed him a wicked grin.
The bartender breathed heavily and Shan moaned. “Dayum, sis. Umm…I
changed my mind. I’ll have what she’s having.”
“You and me both, sugar. I’ll let you know when I find someone capable
of filling that order. In the meantime, you’ll have to choose something
contained on the shelves.”
Lisa relented, ordered a glass of merlot, and turned to take in the
room. The brief verbal play lessened some of the tension and allowed her to
relax, if only slightly.
The band sounded hot, and quite a few members of the audience were
dancing. Everyone appeared to be having fun. She received flirtatious glances
from several men, but she didn’t offer any encouragement. Whether a simple case
of nerves created the gut reaction or an actual case of intuition, she had the
sense of sitting on the precipice of a life-altering event. Something big would
happen tonight and she felt almost certain it would be tied in to the memories.
Shan and she were both asked to dance by several men and her sister
took several up on their invitations. Lisa felt too strung out to dance, and
politely declined all advances. Her thoughts shifted to performing.
She planned to sing tunes from now grown-up teeny-bop pop artist
Christina Aguilera. Her album, Back to Basics, featured old-school style jazz,
blues and soulful songs with a modern flair, along with a few sexually charged
tracks that were perfect for the occasion.
Lisa would start with Save Me
from Myself, a sultry, soul-inspired song that fit the forties feel she
hoped to achieve and yet was still contemporary. The band had insisted she have
an encore song prepared and told her in no uncertain terms that if the audience
didn’t demand another number, the musicians would.
To make them happy, she decided on Candyman. The dirty and playful song
would liven up the mood and get everyone interested in dancing again, hopefully
saving her from singing anything else. While she enjoyed singing, she was
self-conscious about doing so on stage under the bright spotlights.
At a signal from the bandleader, she headed backstage. She’d have ten
minutes to prepare before being called out on stage. She paced the confines of
a small dressing room going over the lyrics in her mind until the bar manager
knocked and peeked in the door.
“You ready, Lisa?”
Taking note of the state she’d worked herself into, Sam moved to her
side. “Whoa, honey. It’ll be all right.” Clasping her shaky hands in his own,
he rubbed some warmth into her cold flesh and talked her through some calming
breaths.
“I heard you sing earlier. You’re going to wow them, Lisa. Hell, if it
makes you feel any better, there’s no way I’d let you on my stage if you
sucked.”
As he’d intended, she laughed. “Jeez. Thanks, Sam. I’m not sure if
that’s a compliment or not, but I’ll take it.”
“You’re gonna knock ’em dead, honey.” He brushed a friendly kiss over
her cheek. After walking with her to the edge of the curtain, he nodded to the
band. They finished the current song and the bandleader drew the patrons’
attention.
“Ladies and gentlemen, Top Hat and Old Town Tavern are proud to
announce that author and vocalist extraordinaire Elisa Wilde has humbly agreed
to honor us all with a song tonight. So please, put your hands together and
give a big welcome to this phenomenal lady.”
Oh crap, no he didn’t. How the heck would she live up to the effusive
introduction? Her tummy flip-flopped as Sam walked her out onto the now
darkened stage, held her waist, and set her atop the piano. A sense of déjà vu
hit her as he handed her a cordless microphone then squeezed her hand.
“Have fun!”
In a flash, she was thrust back into the memory of Edie singing on a
nearly identical stage. Grateful for the vision, she followed the other woman’s
example and lay on her side.
Then something truly magical occurred. Upon opening herself to the
magic, Lisa felt Edie’s spirit take over and she melded with the other woman.
After a series of sensual moans and a sexy hiss, she sang the first verse. The
pianist accompanied her for the second. A spotlight came on, illuminating her
silhouette. With the third verse, the vibrating strum of a guitar joined in.
The brass section chimed in with the fourth and the lights rose slow and steady
along with the music.
As she gazed out over the audience, their rapt attention boosting her
confidence, her eyes landed on a man who stood apart from the crowd.
Oh God. It was him. He was real. The man who called to her in ways no
other ever had. She’d wanted him for what seemed like forever, loved him her
entire life, but nervous jitters assaulted her from actually being near him.
Her pulse elevated, blood roared in her head, and her body zoomed from
zero to hot-and-ready in the space between one heartbeat and the next. And she
had no doubt this glorious man would be exceedingly capable of filling the
order she’d jokingly placed earlier at the bar.
Tall and lean.
Dark and handsome.
Captivating blue eyes.
Mine!
