Ghost Of A Machine – Second Scene
Ghost Of A Machine will be releasing on May 16th (it is available for pre-order now!).
I’ve been sharing scenes from the first chapter.
You can read the first scene here: http://tasteofcyn.com/2017/04/17/ghost-of-a-machine-first-scene/
This is the second scene.
Ghost stared at the wall and listened to the chatter in his head, the discussions of battle strategy, the musings about females and the Homeland.
The warship tilted to the right. He widened his stance, bracing himself. The floor under his bare feet leveled.
The vessel jerked, steadied, jerked again.
Were they in a battle? Ghost breathed deeply, smelling nothing, no blood, no projectile residue. No one gave him orders to attack, to kill.
He wanted to end lifespans. That was his one remaining function in the universe. Ghost remembered having another purpose, a more worthy purpose. He couldn’t recall what that was. All he knew now was death, pain, violence.
Ghost.
He straightened and growled. One of the voices inside his skull knew his name.
Ghost, are you functional? Another voice asked.
That question held the strength of an order. He had to respond. Ghost searched his organic brain for the words. It had been solar cycles since he’d last spoken. Ugh. That was all he could manage.
He’s damaged.
He might be too damaged to assist us.
Assist, Ghost repeated. If the task required action, not talking, he could complete it.
There was a stretch of silence.
He’d failed the voices as he’d failed…he couldn’t remember who he had failed. Ghost’s shoulders slumped. He stared at the wall, waiting for a command.
Ghost, we need your help. The first voice returned.
Ghost lifted his head. Ugh. He’d help them.
Open your holding chamber, warrior.
Ghost glanced at the doors. They were closed. His gaze shifted to the control panel to the right. He placed his hands on the flat surface, ashamed of how dirty, how unkempt his fingers were.
Nothing happened.
The power to open the doors was within him. He was certain of that. Ghost narrowed his eyes at the control panel and concentrated.
The doors remained closed.
Ghost, I have to hack into your machine. The voice stated an intention. Do I have your consent?
Machine. That was the piece of him that was missing. He’d shut that part down. There was a reason he did that, though he couldn’t remember what that reason was.
Ugh. He tried to communicate his misgivings to the voice.
The voice didn’t listen to him. His processors were poked and prodded.
They whirred, reviving. A tingling spread over him, pricks of pain, as though pins and needles were being stuck into his skin. His body tried to resist the invasion.
The voice, Ghost could now identify him as Ace, was too strong. The K Model cyborg deftly reconnected Ghost’s processors, undoing the separation it had taken the C Model almost a solar cycle to fully accomplish.
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Fragile. Stubborn. His.
Ghost, a C Model cyborg, has disconnected his machine from his human side. Severely damaged, he knows two things—the curvy human female on his ship belongs to him and he must keep her safe. He’ll stop at nothing to protect her, claim her, make her his.
Primitive. Damaged. Hers.
Lethe has seen the savage side of beings. The courageous Rebel captain has never met a male like Ghost. Overpoweringly dominant, he appeals to her on a primal level, filling her mind with thoughts of sweet surrender, hard kisses, and body-heating encounters against the warship’s walls.
They are two broken beings, one determined to protect, the other intent on flying into danger. Can love heal them both before they face their common enemy?
Ghost Of A Machine is Book 9 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STAND-ALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ghost-of-a-machine/id1218969448
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-of-a-machine-cynthia-sax/1126040142
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-of-a-machine
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713288
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Ghost Of A Machine – Second Scene
Ghost Of A Machine Featured On USA Today Happy Ever After blog
Woot!
Ghost Of A Machine, my May 16th release, is featured on the USA Today Happy Ever After blog as a hot pre-order!
Ghost Of A Machine WILL have spoilers so it is one of those stories I really recommend pre-ordering
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Fragile. Stubborn. His.
Ghost, a C Model cyborg, has disconnected his machine from his human side. Severely damaged, he knows two things—the curvy human female on his ship belongs to him and he must keep her safe. He’ll stop at nothing to protect her, claim her, make her his.
Primitive. Damaged. Hers.
Lethe has seen the savage side of beings. The courageous Rebel captain has never met a male like Ghost. Overpoweringly dominant, he appeals to her on a primal level, filling her mind with thoughts of sweet surrender, hard kisses, and body-heating encounters against the warship’s walls.
They are two broken beings, one determined to protect, the other intent on flying into danger. Can love heal them both before they face their common enemy?
Ghost Of A Machine is Book 9 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STAND-ALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ghost-of-a-machine/id1218969448
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-of-a-machine-cynthia-sax/1126040142
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-of-a-machine
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713288
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on Ghost Of A Machine Featured On USA Today Happy Ever After blog
Ghost Of A Machine – First Scene
Ghost Of A Machine will be releasing on May 16th (it is available for pre-order now!).
Over the next four weeks, I’ll be sharing the first chapter of Ghost Of A Machine. Don’t be alarmed if you find much of the action to be familiar to you. You should. It also occurred in Hers To Command. Once you’ve read the chapter, you’ll understand why it is so important to retell the scene from Ghost’s perspective.
This is the first scene.
Ghost stared at the far wall of his holding chamber, trying to ignore the two puny human males chattering in front of him.
“You’d think they’d design cyborgs to talk.” The smallest male gazed up at him.
“They don’t talk.” The other male nicked Ghost in the hip with a dagger. “Not unless they’re asked a question or acknowledging a command. This one is damaged. It doesn’t even do that.”
Ghost, accustomed to their torture, didn’t react. Blood dripped down his leg.
“The silence is eerie.” The smallest male’s lips twisted. “Remember when Rog stuck that dagger up its ass and sliced it to pieces? It didn’t make a sound.”
He said that as though it was a fond memory. The two of them enjoyed hurting beings, hurting him.
Hatred, pure and thick, pulsed through Ghost’s circuits. If given the command, he’d rip their heads off.
But he wouldn’t be given that command. The humans were his masters and although he didn’t know much, his organic brain shattered, he did know he couldn’t act without their orders.
“The Captain was pissed when Rog did that.” The other male dragged a dagger over Ghost’s bare ass, leaving a trail of pain. “He likes it tight when he uses it.”
Ghost’s fury expanded, encompassing every being on the warship. He wanted to kill them all, tear them apart limb by limb.
Instead, he gazed at the gray wall panels, his expression blank, his lips pressed together. The two males’ voices weren’t the only sounds he heard. Millions of beings talked inside his reinforced skull.
What’s the quickest way to kill a Mantidae?
In the Homeland, every cyborg is free.
I increased my kill rate by thirty-two this planet rotation.
Some females have golden hair.
Fe-males. Ghost silently turned that word over in his mind. Fe-males. That meant something to him, invoked emotions within his soul. He didn’t know why it was important but it was.
“We’ll have to clean it up after the battle.” The shorter male wrinkled his nose. “The captain doesn’t like it to be dirty.”
“C Models are disgusting.” The other male curled his top lip. “The newer models have been programmed to utilize the cleaning cloths.”
“This one used to do that. It is malfunctioning.”
“Why doesn’t the captain have it decommissioned and order a new one?”
Decommissioned was another word Ghost still retained. It meant pain, death.
The end of his suffering.
“There’s been an issue with supply. For now, we’re stuck with it.” The shorter male inclined his head toward Ghost. “There are benefits. I doubt the captain would allow us to use a new model for target practice.”
“True.” The taller male moved toward the doors. “I’m itching to test my new long gun. Downing the rebel battle station should earn us that reward.”
“Their commander is a female.” The other male sneered. “Defeating her will take mere moments.”
They exited, the doors shut behind them, and Ghost was left in solitude yet again. He had a vague recollection of a time when he wasn’t alone, a time when he had been surrounded by warriors like himself.
A scene flashed through his mind. A battlefield strewn with bodies, gouged faces, silver frames showing through tattered flesh, eyes with their lights burned out.
Pain surged along his circuits, coiling around his heart, squeezing, squeezing. Ghost hastily deleted the image and focused on the present, on the gray walls, the tiled floor.
There was a space inside him, as though something was missing. A part of himself had been severed. He gazed down. His arms and legs remained attached. He balled his fingers into huge fists. Physically, he appeared to be all there.
Yet the sensation remained. He wasn’t whole. He was defective.
Subscribe To My Monthly Newsletter: http://tasteofcyn.com/2014/05/28/newsletter/
Fragile. Stubborn. His.
Ghost, a C Model cyborg, has disconnected his machine from his human side. Severely damaged, he knows two things—the curvy human female on his ship belongs to him and he must keep her safe. He’ll stop at nothing to protect her, claim her, make her his.
Primitive. Damaged. Hers.
Lethe has seen the savage side of beings. The courageous Rebel captain has never met a male like Ghost. Overpoweringly dominant, he appeals to her on a primal level, filling her mind with thoughts of sweet surrender, hard kisses, and body-heating encounters against the warship’s walls.
They are two broken beings, one determined to protect, the other intent on flying into danger. Can love heal them both before they face their common enemy?
Ghost Of A Machine is Book 9 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STAND-ALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Machine-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B06XR6M6GG/
Apple/iBooks/iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ghost-of-a-machine/id1218969448
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ghost-of-a-machine-cynthia-sax/1126040142
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/ghost-of-a-machine
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/713288
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Ghost Of A Machine – First Scene
Secrets From Flashes Of Me
I LOVE secrets. I’m great at keeping other people’s secrets because I have a terrible memory. Friends know they can tell me their deepest, darkest thoughts and I’ll forget these thoughts the next day.
I also have a wonderful imagination so I’m never too sure whether I’ve imagined a friend’s secret or it truly exists. To play it safe, I assume the secret is a figment of my imagination. (I never claimed to be sane – grins)
My characters ALWAYS have secrets. Usually these secrets hamper their ability to have fulfilling and lasting relationships. Some characters, such as Gabriel Blaine from The Seen Trilogy (He Watches Me, He Touches Me, He Claims Me), never tell me their secrets. Ever. That’s extremely frustrating. When readers email and ask me, I have to tell them he continues to dodge questions about his past.
Thankfully, Kat and Henley, the heroine and hero of Flashes Of Me, are more forthcoming. Henley shares his secrets first. He knows this bravery is necessary to earn Kat’s trust (and Henley is one of the bravest, strongest heroes I’ve ever written). Kat doesn’t confide in Henley and in us until the end of the story. At the beginning, she can’t even think about her secret, can’t form that thought in her mind.
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?
Pre-order Now For 99 Cents: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-An-Erotic-Novella-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on Secrets From Flashes Of Me
In The Mood For Color
Kat, the heroine of Flashes Of Me, LOVES wearing color (there’s a reason that the cover is pink – pink plays a huge role in her life). She changes what she wears depending on her mood.
We all do this, either consciously or subconsciously.
So what do your color choices say about you?
Red, Pink, and Burgundy
Red invokes exciting emotions such as fear, anger, passion. Bright red says look at me. It is the color of passion. Pink conveys innocence. Kat’s dad loves it when his little girl (and Kat will always be his little girl) wears her favorite pink suit. At the other end of the red hues is burgundy. Burgundy screams sophistication.
Black
Black is a power color. Henley, the hero of Flashes Of Me, wears all black outfits, seeking to intimidate rule breakers. It is also sophisticated. Henley’s black suits are custom made and very well designed.
Yellow
Kat wears a sunny happy yellow suit when she needs a pick me up. People are more likely to approach a co-worker dressed in yellow.
Green
Camille aka Goth girl sports her trademark green hair once again in Flashes Of Me. She wears it to shock others but normally green has the opposite effect. It puts people in a relaxed, friendly mood.
Purple
Purple is the best color to wear on a job interview. It makes us feel confident and regal. Kat wears lavender on her first day of work at Blaine Technologies.
Blue
Blue conveys tranquility. Blue skies are calm skies. The blue ocean is a source of life.
What color are you wearing today?
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?
Pre-order Now For 99 Cents: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-An-Erotic-Novella-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on In The Mood For Color
First Excerpt From Flashes Of Me (Adult Content)
Note: If you are under the age of 18 years old or are sensitive to adult language, please do not read this excerpt.
This is a first look at the first 1,000 words of Flashes Of Me. These words haven’t been edited so please forgive any typos (and all writers have typos).
Chapter One
No one in this coffee shop knows who I am. I stand in the line, waiting to place my order. They don’t know about my past. They don’t know my last name. I tap my lavender heels against the floor, drumming an up-tempo tune into the tan-colored tile. They won’t remind me why I shouldn’t be happy.
I need to be happy. I need to laugh, to have fun, to focus on this fresh start. If I don’t, I’ll cry and I promised my father I wouldn’t cry. I plaster a silly smile across my face and I tap my heels harder against the floor. These two actions lighten my mood, allowing me to cope with my emotions.
The bleary-eyed woman swaying in front of me yawns, adding vocals to my beat. For L.A. locals, it’s six in the morning. For a recently displaced New York native such as myself, it feels like nine o’clock. I’m eager to start my new job and my new life on the west coast.
I’m two hours early. The internship orientation session at Blaine Technologies is scheduled for eight o’clock sharp, not one minute before and not one minute after. Although caffeine is last thing I need, standing in line at this coffee shop gives me something to do and someone to watch.
I slide my gaze to the fascinating someone waiting at the front counter. The biggest man I’ve ever seen in my entire life looms over the cash register, his feet braced apart as though he’s preparing for battle. His ebony hair is cropped close to his head, hiding nothing, and he’s dressed completely in black like a villain from a 1970’s spy movie.
I survey my behemoth’s broad shoulders. It’s all him under his jacket, not a hint of padding disturbing the cut. His suit is bespoke, custom made especially for his big body, and I suspect the designer is English. My mystery man is wearing Barker Blacks, his leather shoes as large as the rest of him. Even his matching dress shirt is well made, the collar and cuffs stiff and crisp.
He glances over his right shoulder, meets my gaze, and I inhale sharply. His eyes are as dark as his ensemble, his nose flattened and his chin square. Everything about him screams power, strength, vitality, and the woman in me responds, my nipples tightening, pressing against the blazer of my favorite lavender suit.
My behemoth returns his gaze to the frazzled barista and I exhale, my head spinning. It has been years since I’ve allowed myself to notice a man, to think about what I want, what I need. My fingers tremble as I smooth my flared skirt. I want this stranger desperately, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone in my life.
This is a problem, as I have no idea how to snag his attention. My last date took place when I was seventeen and I suspect flashing my breasts at a pep rally won’t land me this sophisticated man. I chew on the inside of my cheek, having no other clever ideas.
I ponder my next steps, and my stranger moves away from the front counter, clasping a cup of coffee with his thick fingers. He ordered plain black coffee, no cream, no sugar, no whipped cream, and hell no to the chocolate sprinkles. My father likes his coffee the same way.
My mystery man stops at the lid and stir stick island and a stout man wearing mismatched jacket and pants rushes to the counter, barking his order at the disheveled barista. The rest of us shuffle forward in line. The tall skinny brunette behind me pleads into her sparkly pink phone, begging her boyfriend to give her one more chance. She’ll be the girl he needs, she promises. She’ll lose those last five pounds.
I don’t know where she’ll lose those five pounds. She’s already as thin as a yard of fine silk ribbon. I look down at my more ample bosom, my breasts wrapped snugly in the blazer.
“No, please.” The brunette sobs. “Derek! Derek!” She glances at her phone’s small screen and her face crumples. My heart aches for her. She doesn’t know how to hide her sorrow, not like I do. I can help her with this.
I touch the girl’s bare arm, diverting her attention away from her phone. “Who did your pedicure?” I feign an interest in her perfect pink toes. Although her beige sandals are adorably strappy, my goal is to distract her from her grief. “I have to know,” I insist.
The brunette wipes away her tears with the back of her hand. “I-I-I.”
I glance around us fervently as though I’m afraid someone will overhear us. The behemoth is watching me, his dark eyes glinting with intelligence. Some people think big men are dumb. Some people also think blonde women are stupid and no one should wear pink at a funeral. I learned long ago to ignore some people.
“Look at what happened to me on the flight here.” I slip my right foot out of my lavender pumps and I wiggle my big toe. A huge chip of coral polish has flaked off, revealing raw nail. “I rushed for a flight, banged into a baggage cart and that was it. My pedicure was ruined.”
The brunette’s red-rimmed eyes widen. “That’s terrible.”
“It’s a disaster.” I ignore the behemoth’s shaking shoulders. He doesn’t understand. My mystery man has the strength to deal with loss directly. He doesn’t need to pretend, to use trivial distractions as a means to cope. He would never travel across an entire country seeking to escape his sadness.
“I’m in a strange city,” I explain. “I have so many cute sandals and I can’t wear them.” I shove my foot back into my shoe, hiding the offending toe.
As we exchange information and bad salon stories, the behemoth leaves. I watch his broad shoulders disappear into the L.A. sunshine and I feel as though I’ve lost a piece of my soul, a part of my future.
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?
Pre-order Now For 99 Cents: http://www.amazon.com/Flashes-Me-An-Erotic-Novella-ebook/dp/B00F2I2GXO
Topics: Coming Soon | Comments Off on First Excerpt From Flashes Of Me (Adult Content)
