Sinful Rewards 1 – Second Excerpt
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
Last week, I shared the first scene from Sinful Rewards 1.
Today, I’m sharing the second scene.
I’m not in a rush to wed—I have my own career to establish—but I won’t waste my time on someone who is afraid of commitment. I won’t make my mom’s mistakes. It is forever or nothing for me.
I suspect Nicolas thinks the same way. There’s only one obstacle standing in our way—he doesn’t know I exist. I skim my fingertips over Cyndi’s latest impulse purchase, a large brass telescope. Nicolas and I have never talked. We’ve never met, never passed each other in the hallways, never shared the same elevator.
I stroke the metal tube back and forth, back and forth, the surface soothingly smooth. My name isn’t even on the condo agreement. Our luxurious, fully furnished two-bedroom suite is owned by Mr. Wynters, Cyndi’s multimillionaire father.
I lean my forehead against the cool windowpane, openly admiring the flawlessness of Nicolas’s suit-clad shoulders. The thin wall of glass between us might as well be constructed from solid concrete. There’s no busting through the barrier, no contacting the condo complex’s number-one bachelor directly.
I’ve watched in the past as other residents tried to enter the park while Nicolas sat alone on his bench. His passcard locks everyone else out of the space, giving the reclusive billionaire the privacy he values.
A twinge of guilt shoots down my spine. He won’t like that I’m looking at him. Not everyone associates being watched with being cared for.
I pivot on my six-inch heels. When I was a child, the other girls would complain about their mothers hovering by their front doors, watching, waiting for them to return home. I envied them, wishing someone waited for me. My mom was never home. She was always working, struggling to pay the rent, our tiny, rodent-infested, one-bedroom apartments changing often. Landlords would tolerate only a few missed payments before they started the eviction process.
I survey the main room of the condo unit, the open-concept space larger than any of my childhood homes. An original Andy Warhol hangs on the far wall, the bright colors popping against the white drywall. I’d dusted its narrow metallic frame last night. A comfy purple couch hugs the wall to my right. Its cushions have been plumped, the leather showing no ass indents. Not a single set of fingerprints mars the assortment of blue enamel appliances lining the left wall. The waist-high red counter separating the kitchen nook from the living room has been cleared, the matching bar stools tucked under the ledge. The massive TV screen in the corner is switched off.
No morning program is as interesting as the man outside. I glance over my shoulder, unable to resist another peek. Nicolas’s bench is empty, his arrangement of papers and devices missing. He has left the park. A wave of disappointment sweeps over me. I’m alone. Again. I’ve spent too much of my life alone, waiting for roommates to come home, for my mom to finish yet another double shift, for my dad to realize he has a daughter who needs him.
Nicolas isn’t like my dad. The billionaire will return to his park tomorrow. I stare at the green space, comforted by this fact. He’s a man I can count on.
The view is slightly different this morning. I frown. Something isn’t quite right. I lean against the window, taking a closer look. A small black rectangular object rests on the paving stone, partially hidden by the bench’s wooden slats. I can’t determine what it is.
The object could be important to Nicolas. If that’s the case, he’ll want it returned to him. I press my fingertips against the cool glass. This could be the opportunity I’ve been waiting for, the excuse I’ve needed to meet with him.
Or it could be a scrap of garbage, a shadow, a waste of time. I chew on the inside of my cheek. The park is out of my route. It’ll take ten minutes, maybe longer, to investigate. My fingers curl around the telescope’s brass tube.
I’d told Cyndi I’d never use it, that it was an instrument purchased by perverts to spy on their neighbors. She’d laughed and called me a prude, not knowing that I’m one of these perverts, that I secretly yearn to watch and be watched, to care and be cared for.
If I’m cautious, and I’m always cautious, she’ll never realize I used her telescope this morning. I swing the tube toward the bench and adjust the knob, bringing the mysterious object into focus.
It’s a phone, Nicolas’s phone. I bounce on the balls of my feet. This is a sign, another declaration from fate that we belong together. I’ll return Nicolas’s much-needed device to him. As a thank-you, he’ll invite me to dinner. We’ll talk. He’ll realize how perfect I am for him, fall in love with me, marry me.
Cyndi will find a fiancé also—everyone loves her—and we’ll have a double wedding, as sisters of the heart often do. It’ll be the first wedding my family has had in generations.
Everyone will watch us as we walk down the aisle. I’ll wear a strapless, white Vera Wang mermaid gown with organza and lace details, crystal and pearl embroidery accents, the bodice fitted and the skirt hemmed for my shorter height. My hair will be swept upward. My shoes—
Voices murmur outside the condo’s door, the sound piercing my delightful daydream. I swing the telescope upward, not wanting to be caught using it. The snippets of conversation drift away.
I don’t relax. If the telescope isn’t in the same spot as it was positioned last night, Cyndi will realize I’ve been using it. She’ll tease me about being a fellow pervert, sharing the story, embellished for more dramatic effect, with her stern, serious dad or, worse, with Angel, that snobby friend of hers.
I’ll die. It’ll be worse than being the butt of jokes in high school because that ridicule had been about my clothes and this will center around the part of my soul I’ve always kept hidden. It’ll also be the truth, and I won’t be able to deny it. I am a pervert.
I have to return the telescope to where it was positioned. This is the only acceptable solution. I tap the metal tube.
Last night, my man-crazy roommate had been giggling over the new guy in three eleven north. The previous occupant had been a gray-haired, bowtie-wearing tax auditor, his luxurious accommodations supplied by Nicolas. The most exciting thing he ever did was drink his tea on the balcony.
According to Cyndi, the new occupant is a delicious piece of man candy, tattooed, buff, and head-to-toe lickable. He’d been completing arm curls outside and she’d enthusiastically counted his reps, oohing and aahing over his bulging biceps, calling to me to take a look.
I’d resisted that temptation, focusing on making macaroni and cheese for the two of us, the recipe snagged from the diner my mom works in. After we scarfed down dinner with Cyndi licking her plate clean, she left for the club and hasn’t returned.
Three eleven north is the mirror condo to ours. I straighten the telescope. That position looks about right, but then, the imitation UGGs I bought in my second year of college looked about right also. The first time I wore the boots in the rain, the sheepskin fell apart, leaving me barefoot in Economics 201.
Unwilling to risk Cyndi’s friendship on “about right,” I gaze through the eyepiece. The view consists of rippling golden planes, almost like. . .
Tanned skin pulled over defined abs.
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Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards 1 – Second Excerpt
Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop
I’m participating in www.hopswithheart.blogspot.com ‘s Summer Lovin’ Blog Hop. There are some great grand prizes and I’ll be giving away a copy of any one eBook from my backlist (excluding collections) to one lucky commenter.
Since the theme is summer, I thought I’d offer a summery snippet from Sinful Rewards 1 (available for pre-orders at a crazy low 99 cents US).
I push my way through the front door, step into the daylight, and all of my irritation vanishes, melting under the bright, hot sun. It’s yet another beautiful summer day. I tilt my face upward. The sky is clear and blue, the perfect weather explaining why the tattooed hunk stands naked on his balcony. It tempts me to shed a few layers of clothing.
I won’t strip. Not in public. Standing naked on your own balcony is allowable. Streaking in a common area will result in eviction or jail time, and neither of these interests me.
I follow the winding sidewalk, strolling toward the park. Birds chirp happily as they flutter from branch to branch, safe and free, semiconcealed in the thick hedges. I unclip the passcard from the waistband of my skirt and wave it in front of the fence’s sensor. The locks buzz, releasing. I swing the heavy wrought iron gate open and slip into the park.
The lawn is lush, watered every morning. The hedges block the view of the surrounding buildings and dampen the sound. Bright pink perennials line the patio stones, the blooms bowing in the morning breeze. The flowers will be gone next month, unlike the giant maple tree dominating the center of the park. It will remain, tall and steadfast, its trunk too thick for me to wrap my arms around.
I sigh, contented. This park is a serene sliver of green in a big, noisy city. I understand why Nicolas spends every morning here.
Few of the residents have the same appreciation for nature. The space is devoid of human life. I hurry toward the bench. This doesn’t mean someone hasn’t entered the park and then left, taking the phone.
I spot the edge of the metal case and exhale a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
It’s still there.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Guest Post | 17 Comments »
Shopping With Bee From Sinful Rewards
Bee, the heroine of Sinful Rewards, is a fashionista without a budget. I thought it would be fun to virtually stroll with her as she walks down the Magnificent Mile.
The building where I work is located two blocks north, and these two blocks are home to the most esteemed retailers in Chicago. I look around me, and a fierce joy fills my soul. This is where I feel the happiest, among the exclusive shops and gorgeous fashions on the Magnificent Mile, the city’s style Mecca.
I walk with a bounce in my step and a genuine smile on my face, my heart light. Employees sweep in front of their stores, arrange objects in the windows, take inventory in the back of the spaces. I wish everyone I meet a boisterous good morning, my small-town roots showing.
My brisk pace slows as I pass Cartier. A diamond necklace sparkles in the lit window, the elaborate design fit for a queen. I touch my collar, imagining how I’d look draped in jewels. Everyone would know I was important, that I belonged. I’d walk into these stores and be waited on, pandered to.
I wander farther along the famed street, lusting after the items in the window displays, dreaming of a life I can’t afford. The scarves are so sheer, so delicate, the designs resemble images seen through a luxurious waterfall. The suits are exquisite, the buttons a work of art. The shoes are divine, too beautiful to touch the ground.
None of these treasures compare to the Salvatore Ferragamo purse. I stop in front of the window, the highlight of my morning walk. Trends will come and go. This purse, with its handcrafted red leather, dual top handles, and zippers made of real gold, will remain timeless, elegant, classic.
I move closer to the glass, my yearning to own the limited-edition purse painfully intense. It’s clearly a heritage piece, designed to be passed from mother to daughter, and when it first appeared in the store ten days ago, I fell instantly and hopelessly in love.
I’m destined to have my heart broken. The price of the purse is more than the annual rent on my mom’s one-bedroom apartment. My fingertips hover near the window. I can’t spend that much money on myself, not now, maybe not ever.
It tortures me that some woman in Chicago can. That soon, perhaps tomorrow, I’ll pass the window and the purse will be gone, sold, never to be seen again. I sigh, my breath fogging up the window.
As though mocking me, the phone in my scuffed knockoff purse starts to hum. I could trade the phone for the Salvatore Ferragamo purse. Some media outlet would pay that much. No one would know.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Shopping With Bee From Sinful Rewards
27 Dresses
Recently, I rewatched 27 Dresses starring Katherine Heigl as Jane and James Marsden as Kevin. The reason I find this movie interesting is the exact same reason it doesn’t work for me as a romance (or romantic comedy).
Everyone portrayed in this movie lies. Jane lies to all of her friends and family, pretending she isn’t in love with her boss. Tess, her sister, lies to Jane’s boss, making him believe she’s his dream woman. Kevin lies to Jane, trying to get his story. None of the characters are true to themselves or to others. They pretend to be people they’re not.
Liars make interesting characters. Will they be found out? What will happen when they are outed? Will the revelation force the characters to change, to become better people? There’s a lot of room for delicious tension and for growth.
Liars make terrible spouses however. Jane falls in love with the man Kevin pretends to be. She values the traits his feigned persona has, not the traits he truly has. The man she kissed, slept with, cared for didn’t exist. Their entire relationship was built on nothing.
And how could she possibly trust anything that comes out of his mouth? He lied to get what he wanted. She had no clue that he’s selling her a load of bull. When he lies in the future (and I suspect he will – why wouldn’t he? Lying in the past is how he got what he desired.), she’ll, once again, be clueless.
This is why the romance part doesn’t work. There’s no indication (except the word of a liar) that Kevin truly has changed. Jane can’t keep him honest. She has no ability to read him.
I’ve had liars as heroines or heroes. Bee from Sinful Rewards isn’t completely honest. But their love interests always call them on their bullsh*t. Both Nicolas and Hawke are skilled at separating truth from lies. Bee might lie but she knows she’s not fooling either of them.
A relationship CAN be built on lies if both parties know they’re lies.
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on 27 Dresses
Sinful Rewards 1 – First Excerpt
This post has adult content. If you are under the age of eighteen years old or sensitive to adult language/situations, please do not read this post.
While we’re waiting for Sinful Rewards 1 to release (July 15th – You can pre-order it now!), I figured I’d shared the first scene.
Forever can’t be purchased from a fast-talking street vendor outside Grant Park. Knowing this, I shouldn’t feel betrayed or even disappointed by my designer-knockoff purse’s deplorable state. I plunk the fake on the kitchen’s bright red countertop. Quality lasts. Everything else, including poorly crafted copies, is temporary.
When I purchased the small black messenger bag, only the most gifted fashionista could have distinguished it from the Ralph Lauren original. Months later, I’m not fooling anyone. The logo has fallen off and been glued back on twice. The faux leather is worn around the edges of the purse, exposing the white interior. The strap clings to one of the metal loops by six fragile threads.
I can’t do anything about the strap. When it finally snaps, my relationship with my purse will be over. I’ll have to throw the fashion essential away and buy a replacement. The faux leather is fixed with a black marker. I carefully trace the piping, thankful that Cyndi, my extremely wealthy roommate and hyperactive best friend, isn’t here to witness my purse doctoring.
She hasn’t yet returned from her Tuesday night drunkfest. Her bedroom door remains open, her lights are turned off, and the place is tidy. There are no high heels kicked haphazardly over the gleaming hardwood floor, no cute little designer jackets tossed on the breakfast nook’s custom-crafted bar stools, or candy-coated chocolate pieces skittered into every hard-to-reach corner of the room.
I long for these messes, for my best friend’s presence, the silence in the space echoing the strain in our relationship, the widening gap caused by our very different financial situations. As Cyndi’s token middle-class buddy, unable to pay for much more than the utilities on this luxurious condo, I’m often left home alone, excluded from shopping trips and fancy nights out.
Unless something changes, I’ll face a fate similar to my purse. I’ll be replaced and discarded.
I won’t allow that to happen. Not again.
I place the cap on the marker, return the dollar-store purchase to the painstakingly organized junk drawer, and move toward the floor-to-ceiling windows. Our third-floor condo overlooks a tiny park wedged between three high-rise buildings. Neither the wrought iron fence nor the thick green hedge surrounding the green space impedes my view.
It’s a view any Chicago socialite would trade her string of Tiffany pearls to enjoy. Nicolas Rainer, the condominium complex’s enigmatic owner, sits on the wooden bench positioned closest to our condo, his traditional black wingtips planted solidly on the ground, his finely groomed head bent over one of his tablets.
Papers and electronic devices radiate from the left and right of his long, lean body. These are carefully arranged in the same pattern every morning, smallest to largest devices, lowest to highest stacks of paper. Today is Wednesday, which means one of the stacks consists of invoices, printed on thin yellow paper. Tomorrow is Thursday. There’s an additional stack of papers on Thursdays, widening the orbit around him.
The billionaire bachelor’s routine is the same every week, rigid, unbending, reassuringly consistent. It was Nicolas’s predictability that first snagged my attention, piquing my interest. In a world battered by broken promises and casual encounters, he’s a man a woman can depend on, can trust not to change.
Then I watched an old interview Cyndi found online, and I was lost. While my roommate mocked Nicolas’s curt, blunt responses, mimicking his voice and mannerisms, I saw the loneliness reflecting in his eyes, the hole in his soul. Having seen the same expression in my mirror, too many times, I knew we were meant for each other.
He’s mine. He simply doesn’t know it yet. I gaze at him with a warmth in my heart. The sun’s rays shine on Nicolas’s wavy black hair. Streams of gold dance over his fashion-model good looks, his high cheekbones, his deep even tan. His navy blue suit is formfitting, his white shirt immaculate, the design on his tie subtle. Light reflects off his metallic cuff links, adding a touch of shine, a hint of sparkle.
Nicolas frowns at the tablet, lines of concentration etched between his dark eyebrows. He’s likely working on another one of his projects. His net worth is mind-boggling, his financial success a source of legend. When he finally realizes I’m perfect for him and we marry, I won’t have to choose between helping my cash-strapped mom or indulging my love of fashion. I can do both, guilt-free.
And Nicolas will marry, maybe not tomorrow, but some day. His company develops properties, maintaining ownership of these prime locations forever. He’s lived in the condominium complex since it opened, worked with the same management team since he founded his company.
His personal relationships won’t be any less stable. I’m not in a rush to wed—I have my own career to establish—but I won’t waste my time on someone who is afraid of commitment. I won’t make my mom’s mistakes. It is forever or nothing for me.
I suspect Nicolas thinks the same way. There’s only one obstacle standing in our way—he doesn’t know I exist.
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Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Coming Soon | 2 Comments »
Fathers (Dads) In Romance
Sunday is Father’s Day in North America so I thought it would be a great excuse to talk about the dads making an appearance in my stories.
If I could only recommend one of my stories to read this Father’s Day, it would be Flashes Of Me. This is a romance first and foremost but the secondary storyline is the relationship between Kat and her beloved father. (If you don’t appreciate your dad now, you will appreciate him after this story.)
Kat idealizes her father. He’s her mentor, her anchor, and she quotes his wisdom often, using his insights to guide her decisions. This exchange between Kat and the hero Henley (‘the stranger’) is telling.
“I left the experience section of the application blank.” I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I helped my father, but I didn’t know if that counted as experience and I didn’t want to lie.” I lied about my last name. I didn’t want to lie about anything else. “My father always tells me business deals are built on trust and trust is built on truth.”
My stranger turns his head and meets my gaze, his forehead furrowed with thought lines. “Your father always tells you that?”
I nod.
There’s a long pause in our conversation, as though he’s giving my father’s words deep consideration. “He’s right,” my mystery man finally concedes, his voice gruff.
I beam at him, liking him even more for agreeing with my father.
I don’t know if Kat would have trusted Henley as much as she does if he had disagreed with her father. This is how strong the connection between Kat and her father is.
In Alien Tryst, Kane’s view of relationships and what a man should be is formed by his father. In this scene, we seen how close his parents are and how his father immediately volunteers to go first, protecting both his wife and his son.
“If your experiment works, Kane, our son.” His mother looked at his father. “Our only child will live.” His parents hugged each other close. Kane couldn’t remember them ever spending more than a day apart.
“I’ll be your next trial,” his father volunteered.
Kane follows his father’s example, putting himself at risk to save Eshe, the alien woman he loves. He also assumes that wherever she goes, he’ll go (or vice versa). He doesn’t expect to be a lone wolf. For him, a relationship means being together.
Sometimes a dad doesn’t have to make an appearance to influence a character. Bee’s dad in Sinful Rewards left her mom when he found out she was pregnant. This abandonment changes their lives forever, purging them into poverty, making her mom a pariah in her small town, and affecting Bee’s view of her self-worth.
Who are your favorite dads in romance?
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Henley, the head of cyber security at Blaine Technologies, is a man no one crosses. He watches employees constantly using his network of cameras and enforces his rules by any means possible. Rumors of his violent past, his scarred hands and huge size have resulted in him being feared by everyone… almost everyone.
Katalina, the new intern, worries about the revelation of her most painful secret much more than she fears her sexy boss’s wrath. She sees the loneliness in his dark eyes, feels the gentleness in his marred fingers, tastes the need in his kisses, and she knows he watches her. His silly rules about not stripping for the cameras and no sex at the office are destined to be broken.
Kat likes to be watched. Henley can’t look away. Will this beauty be able to tame her beastly boss?
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-Novella-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-flashesofme-1411711-149.html
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/flashes-of-me-cynthia-sax/1117322925
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Fathers (Dads) In Romance
Moving From LA To Chicago
The Blaine Technologies series (He Watches Me, He Touches Me, He Claims Me, Flashes Of Me, and Breaking All The Rules) is set in sunny LA. Anna felt this was the perfect city to hide in. Being a plain, slender brunette, she assumed she wouldn’t be noticed if she was surrounded by gorgeous (often blonde and busty) movie stars.
Blaine chose LA for his technology company’s headquarters because he also wished to hide. A reclusive publicity-shy billionaire living in the shadow of attention seeking flamboyant Hollywood types won’t garner much media attention. He can move around without being observed, yet still travel in his limousines and enjoy his luxurious lifestyle.
I can’t imagine setting these stories anywhere other than LA. The city is an integral part of the story. I love LA and I would happily base every story there. I couldn’t do this, however, because Chicago is as important to Sinful Rewards as LA is to the Blaine Technologies series.
First and foremost, I love Chicago. I love the city. I love its colorful past, its food (deep dish pizza – yum), its people, its unique culture. If I had to move to anywhere in the world, I would move to Chicago. It’s a vibrant, very livable city.
Chicago was a no-brainer as a setting because Sinful Rewards is a story about secrets, about how perception is not always reality, about contrasts. Many people, when they think about Chicago, picture Al Capone and the violence (or glamour) surrounding the mobster. Or they might associate the city with the Chicago White Sox 1919 World Series scandal. Or with the Great Fire. Although Chicago is a wonderful city, it struggles to overcome its dark past as do ALL of the main characters in Sinful Rewards.
These characters also have additional reasons for being drawn to Chicago.
Bee is a (low budget) fashionista so we might assume she’d live in New York, one of the world’s fashion meccas. During the story, she considers moving there. But Bee grew up in a very small town and she’s extremely cautious. Moving from this small town to New York is too big of a leap for her.
And Chicago has the fashions she adores. The Magnificent Mile is Bee’s idea of heaven, her window shopping sanctuary.
In addition to this, she understands the people, the sayings, the local references as her small town is situated less than an hour away. Fitting in is very important to Bee. Anna, from He Watches Me, wanted to disappear, to avoid other people. Bee wishes to belong. She likes to know all of the rules, to understand the jokes, to be part of the group.
Nicolas, one of our possible heroes in Sinful Rewards, chose Chicago because the city has historically been forgiving of individuals with less than saintly pasts. He’s done some bad things, things he can’t forgive himself for. If these secrets are exposed, he hopes Chicago society will continue to embrace him.
Hawke, another possible hero in Sinful Rewards, chose Chicago because of its proximity to New York (where many of the Organization’s clients live) and because of its motorcycle helmet laws… or rather, lack of laws. He’s a bit of a bad ass and hangs with a group of fellow rebel bikers. They wish to make their own decisions about their personal safety.
Sinful Rewards can only have been set in Chicago. The Blaine Technologies series could have only been set in LA. Which city would you like to see a story set in?
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Moving From LA To Chicago
Sinful Rewards Excerpt
I’m visiting Lia Davis’ online home today, sharing a family friendly excerpt from Sinful Rewards 1 (woot! the countdown is on!).
http://www.authorliadavis.com/2014/06/08/spotlight-sunday-sinful-rewards-1-by-cynthia-sax/
Here’s a snippet…
“Don’t let the tame excerpt fool you, Sinful Rewards is a hot, hot, HOT love triangle between Bee, a financially struggling new grad, Nicolas, a handsome billionaire with a dark secret, and Hawke, a tattooed bad boy biker. I love this story and I hope you will also!”
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Sax_Sinful_Rewards_1?id=g08ZAwAAQBAJ
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sinful-rewards-1/id814148703?mt=11
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Sinful Rewards Excerpt
Pirated Copies of Sinful Rewards 8
I found out today that some eBook pirates are offering downloads of Sinful Rewards 8.
Yeah, that’s a scam.
No one (other than myself) has read Sinful Rewards 8. I haven’t sent it to my editor or to a beta reader or anywhere. I don’t know what they are delivering (I suspect nothing – the download will ‘fail’) but whatever is being delivered is definitely not Sinful Rewards 8.
Folks, please be VERY careful about where you get your eBooks. Pirates aren’t offering these so-called services for free. Do you really want to risk your personal safety to save 99 cents on an eBook (an eBook which, if you request it, your libraries will safely offer to everyone for free)?
If you can’t afford my stories and don’t have access to a library, contact me. Please practice safe reading!
Subscribe To My Release Day Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Pirated Copies of Sinful Rewards 8
The Future Of Blaine Technologies
My first five contemporary erotic romance releases (He Watches Me, He Touches Me, He Claims Me, Flashes Of Me, and Breaking All The Rules) were all set in Gabriel Blaine’s LA based company, Blaine Technologies.
There are many more interesting people living in this world and I’ve received some wonderful emails from reading buddies asking me if Michael or Miss Yen or other characters will receive stories also. Will we see Blaine and Anna again?
The answer is…
I don’t know.
Yeah, that’s a terrible answer, isn’t it? (sheepish grin)
I don’t have any immediate plans to write more stories set at Blaine Technologies. Sinful Rewards, my 12 novella serial releasing from Avon (the first story releases July 15th), is set in Chicago. I’ve already written the 8th story in this serial and Blaine hasn’t yet made an appearance.
This doesn’t mean he won’t show up. As my SciFi readers know, my worlds and series tend to collide (as they do in real life). I also have no control over my characters. If I tell a hero not to show up somewhere, that’s usually where he insists on going.
Blaine, being a billionaire, completes business all over the planet, including in Chicago. The world of the extremely wealthy is very small. Blaine definitely knows Nicolas, the billionaire in Sinful Rewards.
If there is an uber-wealthy function or event in Sinful Rewards, Blaine and Anna could be guests. (Man, oh, man, that would be awesome! I’d LOVE to listen to a conversation between Blaine and Nicolas.) But I can’t guarantee that there will be such an occasion.
I DO believe that lovers of the Blaine Technologies stories will enjoy Sinful Rewards.
Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing.
But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched.
Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy?
Buy Links:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sinful-Rewards-1-Cynthia-Sax-ebook/dp/B00I7V89H0
Barnes And Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sinful-rewards-1-cynthia-sax/1119055390
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on The Future Of Blaine Technologies
