on Dec 23rd, 2011 We’re so excited to have these lovely ladies (and wonderful authors!) on our blog today! And with such a fabulous giveaway too. Shayla and Lexi, take it away!
Happy Holidays Smutketeers and Smutkedettes!
Shayla: I know you were expecting Sophie Oak to be here with me, but something came up and she couldn’t get the restraints off. I mean, she had a shopping emergency. When I mentioned we had an appearance to make, Lexi Blake gladly agreed to fill in, since we have just finished our second book together, and frankly she likes – well, she LOVES being the center of attention!
We are happy to be here to share the news that our latest “Masters of Ménage- Their Virgin’s Secret” is out just in time for those new e-readers you might find under the tree!
Lexi: Excuse me!!
Shayla: Go ahead Lexi.
Lexi: First of all I want to say how thrilled I am to be here with the Smutketeers, and I want to thank Sophie Oak for having her shopping emergency and remind everyone that she also has a new release TODAY titled Found in Bliss which is available at Siren Book Strand. Now as to our project, Masters of Ménage, Shayla and I wrote the first book together Their Virgin Captive and it was really well received, so we moved ahead and wrote the second story.
Shayla: People ask us if co-authoring was difficult and we basically went into it thinking it needed some of both of us. She wanted to keep some humor and I wanted juicy angst. After we agreed to that, everything fell into place.
Lexi: We have very distinct voices and we didn’t want one chapter to sound like me and one chapter to sound like Shayla, so I wrote chapters in the first draft and then she took over.
Shayla: We’re close friends who both write erotics, so we knew we would eventually write together. After a couple of margaritas one night, we came up with a series plan. It’s been great fun! We would like to give you a little taste with this excerpt and thank you for inviting us over to celebrate the holidays with everyone!
(and we’re so glad you’re with us, Shayla and Lexi! Especially when you share yummy, sexy excerpts *wink*)
CONTEST: Shayla & Lexi are giving away one signed (by both authors!) print copy of Their Virgin Captive. Leave a comment to win!
THEIR VIRGIN’S SECRET
by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
Excerpt © Shelley Bradley LLC, DLZ Entertainment
It was time to have a relationship. This might not last more than a week, but she would know what it meant to belong to someone.
“We should celebrate,” Burke offered. “I think dancing is in order.”
Cole groaned. He wasn’t a dancer, but she’d loved being held in his strong arms when they’d danced on Christmas Eve. He’d sigh and call himself an elephant with two left feet, but being close to him made all the grousing worthwhile.
“How about a movie?” Cole practically pleaded. “Or a show. I’ll go see a show. See, I can compromise.”
She took a long sip of margarita, wishing she had a tequila shot instead. Liquid courage, she needed it. Instead, she drew in a breath and plowed ahead. “I think we should all go to bed.”
They both stopped, and in perfect synchronicity, both swung their dark heads her way.
“What did you say, sweetheart?” Burke asked.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “You heard me.”
“I heard that you want us in bed.” Cole stared at her like a lion about to pounce on something soft and furry. “All of us. Together.”
Yep. They just stared in silence, those blue eyes hot, dissecting. Embarrassment swamped her. Had she been wrong about them? Had she let the fantasies in her head color her judgment?
Burke’s eyes narrowed. “You want a ménage, sweetheart? Have you ever had one?”
She shook her head. Oh, she didn’t want to admit more than that. Surely she could fake some experience. She’d seen movies. Mostly R rated, but Jimmy from concierge services had once had a party where some of the guys had gone to the back and watched porn films. She’d sneaked a peek. A long peek.
“Do you understand what you’re asking for?” Cole asked. He’d completely closed his expression off. Burke had relaxed, his sensual expression almost decadent. But Cole sat stiffly, his whole body seeming to reject her.
Jessa fought the tears that threatened. She’d thought they both wanted her. Cole, it appeared, was just being nice. If she couldn’t have them both, she wondered if she shouldn’t just walk away. It would be like accepting half of something. Ever since that first night, she’d viewed them as a single unit. She forced a bright smile on her face, hating the sniffle that came out. She’d gotten herself in to this mess. She could get herself out.
“Just kidding.” She forced a laugh. “Sorry, guys. I’ll stop telling bad jokes, I promise. Let’s just have a nice dinner, then I’ll head back to the hotel since I have to work tonight.”
“No, you don’t. Eric is working. I saw the schedule.” Burke raised a dark brow.
She was a horrible liar. She couldn’t hold the sunny pretense anymore, not with humiliation stinging every corner of her body. “Why don’t I just go?”
Grabbing her coat, she stood.
“No,” Burke barked with a ferocious frown. “Jessa, sit back in your seat. We need to talk about this.”
Slowly, she set her coat aside and eased back into her chair. “There’s nothing to say. If you don’t want—”
Cole snorted, his gaze looking as if it had heated up ten thousand degrees in the last minute, though the rest of his body remained frozen.
But Burke spoke. “Sweetheart, we’re not shocked by the idea. Trust me, we’ve done this a time or two. We prefer to share lovers, but you’re very young.”
“And very inexperienced.” A fact that made Cole grit his teeth.
“How would you know that?” Jessa challenged. It was true, but his assumption annoyed her. She fought the urge to get up and walk away—end this whole embarrassing evening. “You don’t know my history. I could have had a bunch of lovers.”
Both men snorted. Somehow they made it seem elegant.
“Sweetheart, if you’ve had more than a couple, I’ll eat my socks.” He watched her closely, then paled. “You have had a couple, right?”
She took another long swallow, then knew they could see right through her. No sense in lying now. “Fine. All right. No.”
Cole clenched his jaw and sent Burke an accusing stare. “I told you the minute we met her that she was a virgin, brother. God damn it.”
Jessa suddenly felt alone. The twins were looking at each other, their eyes speaking while their mouths stayed closed. Sometimes they retreated into a private world where she couldn’t follow.
Moments later, Cole stood, buttoning the jacket of his suit coat. “It’s time for me to leave. She’s too innocent for what I need. I can’t put that on a virgin. Besides, she’s more interested in you. I’ll go back to the hotel. We do have work to do, remember?”
Burke’s face fell. “Can’t we talk about this?”
“What the fuck is there to say?”
She sat there watching them, wishing she hadn’t ever spoken up. They could still be sitting here having a nice dinner and planning to go to a movie or a show together. But no, she’d needed to forge her own path. She always did. She could hear her mother complaining in her head about what a ungrateful daughter she was for turning aside all their plans for her and making her own. Painting, not international business. Two men, not one.
Jessa listened to them argue. She was on the outside now, but then she’d felt that way all of her life. Even at the lavish parties her parents had thrown, she’d been on the outside. When she’d tried to fit in, going to a school she didn’t want to go to, studying what she didn’t love, it had been terrible. Always on the outside.
The best thing she’d ever done had been defying her parents. She’d stood up and gotten kicked out, but it had been for the best. She would have suffocated if she’d stayed. She’d been happier since leaving all that behind and didn’t regret her choice for a minute. So why was she retreating now instead of fighting for what she wanted? Wasn’t she simply proving Cole’s point that she was too inexperienced to handle him?
She wasn’t a child. She might not have slept around, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t deal. She looked at him, really looked at him. She tried to look past her insecurity and see him as he truly was. Jessa gnawed into her lip. How would she draw Cole into this moment? His face was all broad lines and bleak angles, but under the pain she saw gentleness lurking. Yearning, even. She would love to draw him, then transfer that image to canvas, the colors of her palate bringing everything to life. Time slowed for Jessa. She studied him as she would a subject she painted, looking deep. Bold colors. He required them. He wasn’t as black and white as he tried to portray. He was a million shades, just like his brother.
He turned to her, and she realized his carefully blank stare wasn’t about her. He was scared of something.
Maybe she was fooling herself or seeing what she wanted to see, but his sudden refusal didn’t make a lick of sense. For two days, Cole had been right beside her, eating her up with his stare again and again, silently seducing her with the desire in his remote eyes. Burke was more blatant, less veiled, but she hadn’t imagined Cole’s attraction to her. What was he afraid of?
“Goodbye, Jessa.” His voice sounded ragged. “You have a good time with Burke. He’ll take care of you, baby.”
“No.” The word slipped out. Now that she’d truly seen him, she knew deep down that if he let his fear win, it would haunt them all.
Burke smiled, but Cole scowled, suddenly on the offense.
“No?” Cole challenged, leaning in. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Stopping him in his tracks emboldened her. Jessa stood, certainty running through her veins, settling her face inches from his. She was still nervous, but no one got what they wanted by giving up. And she just knew she was doing the right thing.
“It means that you two are a packaged deal. I won’t settle for half, and that’s what I would get if I only gave myself to Burke. I would get the good and the gentle, but there’d be no balance.”
“Fuck balance. Stick to Prince Charming. I’m a ruthless bastard.” Cole’s eyes narrowed. His fists clenched.
She was getting to him.
“I don’t need gentle all the time,” Jessa assured him softly. “I need what you can give me.”
Their Virgin’s Secret- Masters of Ménage, 2 will be available at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and All Romance ebooks on December 24th! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Visit Shayla Black’s website or…
Lexi Blake’s website for more information.
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Omg I want to win this! I’m a huge Shayla Black fan, I haven’t read Lexi Blake yet though. I have read so many great things about this book and want to read so it would be awesome to win. Loved the excerpt. Happy holidays and thanks for the chance to win. Xoxox
by Dawn December 23rd, 2011 at 3:13 amAwesome contest! I love both of your writings, and I’ve had ‘Their Virgin Captive’ on my wish list for a bit now. Thank you for the chance to win =D
Emily T
by Emily Tardy December 23rd, 2011 at 3:31 amWhat a great contest. It must be hard to write together. Enjoy your Friday
by Debra G December 23rd, 2011 at 3:54 amdebby236 at hotmail dot com
I really admire writers with different styles coming together to write a book and still speaking to each other at the end! Both co-written books sound wonderful. Thanks for the contest!
by Liz December 23rd, 2011 at 5:00 amI can’t imagine writing together. That just shows how professional you are.
by Renee Brown December 23rd, 2011 at 5:57 amWow!! What an excerpt! To have two writers combine to make a different voice, great idea.
by Carla C December 23rd, 2011 at 6:26 amLoved the first book..and thrilled that the 2nd is about to be released!!! THANKS!!! Merry Christmas!!
by Amy Allen December 23rd, 2011 at 7:33 amI own almost all of Shaylas’s books except these two…I kinda had my book money cut off for budget reasons. Perhaps I’ll win this one and then Shayla won’t have to run for cover when she sees me comiong with a stack of books, this one comes sighned already. Thanks for visiting Shayla and Lexi.
by Zina December 23rd, 2011 at 7:44 amZina
Wow I loved that excerpt and I am a hard core siggy whore!! lol
I would want to read that with or without a pair of sigs in the front! 
KittyKelly
by KittyKelly December 23rd, 2011 at 7:48 amIt seems like I have been waiting forever to get my hot little hands on this book. Whether I win or not this book will be in my library! Merry Christmas to you all.
by Sue Sattler December 23rd, 2011 at 8:34 amproudarmymom32@yahoo.com
I was never much of a reader until my mom made me read your first book and all I can say is WOW! I would love to win this one.
by Sabra Sattler December 23rd, 2011 at 8:39 amWowza! I’ve read your writing as individuals before–had not known you’ve been collaborating! How cool! Sounds like we’re getting the best of each of you this way!
by Fedora December 23rd, 2011 at 9:01 amWow! My close friends and I have trouble collaborating on where to have lunch. I cannot imagine the problems associated with creating an entire novel together. Congrats ladies.
by Katie O'Connor December 23rd, 2011 at 9:12 amSuper excited.. thank you both. I have heard some pretty awesome things about this book and would love to win a copy..
Merry xmas
by renee smith December 23rd, 2011 at 9:40 amSo glad you came to see us :) These sound fantastic!
by RG Alexander December 23rd, 2011 at 9:57 amoooh I really really like both of these authors! would love love love to win this!
by christina hay December 23rd, 2011 at 10:08 amMerry Christmas to everyone
Great excerpt! I think it is hilarious that she knocked both guys for a loop. They certainly weren’t expecting her to be so brave to take them both on. I like that she put her foot down when Cole wanted to leave.
by StacieD December 23rd, 2011 at 10:40 amGreat excerpt.I can’t wait to read these books.
Thanks for the giveaway
Happy Holidays!
by elaing8 December 23rd, 2011 at 11:19 amIt looks like Santa needs to bring me some more books.
Happy Hoilidays to All.
by Tracey D December 23rd, 2011 at 12:18 pmOh, i want, i want! I loved the first one. So good! I cant wait to read this one. It sounds awesome! Thanks for the chance to read!
by Shadow December 23rd, 2011 at 12:26 pmshadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
Oh gosh… This is awesome!!! I want them all, please please please… I have been really naughty!! So naughty, I can’t even talk about it!!! Hahaha~~~
Thanks for having such a great giveaway!!!
alliwantandmorebooks@ gmail.com
by Cecile December 23rd, 2011 at 2:12 pmHoly hotness Batboy! Love the excerpts!
mconnolley(at)yahoo(dot)com
by Meagan B December 23rd, 2011 at 2:17 pmI love both of these authors it is awesome to have them coauthor a book.
by DESIREE December 23rd, 2011 at 2:40 pmThat was a great excerpt. I am dying to read this book. I loved the first one and I know I will love this one too. Ok, off to read Found in Bliss.
by Ursula A December 23rd, 2011 at 2:42 pmLoved the excerpt! Thanks for the giveaway and post. Happy Holidays!
by Brandi S. December 23rd, 2011 at 3:20 pmOoh that sounds so amazingly awesome. What a great giveaway! Happy holidays!
by Ana Ovi December 23rd, 2011 at 4:02 pmSo glad to have you both with us for the holidays! Thanks for visiting with the Smutketeers!
by eden bradley December 23rd, 2011 at 4:22 pmEden/Eve :)
Thanks for being here….and with a gift too! I loved the excerpt and have enjoyed your writings. Would love to win this book!
Happy Holidays!
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
by Joder December 23rd, 2011 at 4:34 pmthis is totally on my wishlist
meandi09@yahoo.com
by jennifer mathis December 23rd, 2011 at 6:10 pmI’m with Dawn on the first post…Love Shayla Black. I have to admit…I am not a huge fan of the the whole virgin storyline but I think you two could make me fans. Happy Holidays!!!
Dana Meve
by Dana Meve December 23rd, 2011 at 6:14 pmI’m with Dawn on the first post…Love Shayla Black. I have to admit…I am not a huge fan of the the whole virgin storyline but I think you two could make me fans. Happy Holidays!!!
Dana M
by Dana Meve December 23rd, 2011 at 6:14 pmThis sounds like a really interesting series and book. Thanks for the giveaway!
by Junegirl63 December 23rd, 2011 at 6:28 pmHow fun to have a friend who writes the same genre as you do and be able to work well with them. It must have been a ball to write the books together!
by Angela December 23rd, 2011 at 7:11 pmThought this up over Rita’s huh?
I love yall’s books. Thanks for the giveaway.
Marika
by Marika Weber December 23rd, 2011 at 8:31 pmmaw1725@gmail.com
She was definitely sure of what she wanted. And she is not taking no for an answer, or just accepting half. I would love to read the first book. Thank you for the giveaway!
by June M. December 23rd, 2011 at 8:53 pmHave a wonderful & happy holiday season!!!
manning_j2004 at yahoo dot com
Sounds like a great addition to my wish list-love Ms Black’s work, and always like to ‘meet’ new to me authors like Ms Blake.
nancyg at gmail dot com
by Nancy Gilliland December 23rd, 2011 at 9:09 pmI love Shayla Black’s books! I haven’t read Lexi Blake, but I will be checking out her website!
Ho Ho Ho to all!
by Dot December 24th, 2011 at 7:36 amYum. Great excerpt! Thanks for sharing and happy holidays!
by ELF December 24th, 2011 at 8:36 amI love reading Shayla Black’s books and the one written together with Lexi Blake, Their Virgin Captive was terrific! I would love to win a print copy of it. Happy Holidays!
bookfan0747@aol.com
by Phuong December 25th, 2011 at 8:34 amI enjoyed the first Virgin book and look forward to reading the next.
by Lindsey E December 28th, 2011 at 2:46 amlinze_e at hotmail.com