New romance e-book

[maeparker]

Hi All,
This is my first visit to this network. I have just published a short story on Kindle. It is called The Veranda.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007YCWMV2 and is available in full for 99 cents. If you have Amazon Prime it's free. Below is a very short excerpt. Let me know what you think!

Mae Parker

Sophia found a secluded spot away from the rest of the crowd and took another deep breath. A night full of strangers was not something she enjoyed. Then there was this very dangerous game she was playing with John. Everything was swirling around like the martinis in her head. Her hideaway was a small balcony on the side corner of the large pavilion that wrapped around the building. The night was humid and filled with perfume and cigar smoke.

She took a cigarette out of her pack of Nat Shermans. Her boyfriend hated that she smoked and so her compromise was to only smoke on nights when they were not together. It was only part of what was quickly becoming separate lives. He was not what he said he was and maybe neither was she. They both knew their relationship was at the end of the affair but they were short of calling it off, as they were happy in their separation, particularly since her new job.

She liked the smell of tobacco and the rich, full flavor that came from opening the pack. She liked the dizzying feeling of the first inhale that went straight to her head. She liked that smoking made her forget about the things that were wrong, at least for as long as the cherry was burning. She was never a heavy smoker but had always considered herself to be a lifetime smoker. Smoking was not something she was willing to give up for him as he had given up nothing for her.

“Need a light?” John asked.

She turned and saw him behind her, coming around the corner.

The scene before his eyes was amazing. The lights of the Capitol were in the background, and the night was dark. It was a black and white scene and there she was, alone in a red gown having just turned towards at him. He felt time slow as he approached her, each step bringing them closer together. He could feel the current in the air as the summer was turning into fall. He knew that even with the alcohol and the many exceptional nights and times in his life he would always remember this one.

[maeparker]

Thanks so much for the views!

The telephone conference ended a few minutes later and he walked out and went down the hall. It was almost seven at night and almost all of the people in the office were already gone. The hallway lights were on, but the offices were dark and the janitors were beginning to clean. The light was on in the copy room and he looked in. She was standing next to the copier, hands on her hips, leaning over it. She huffed and blew her hair out of her way. She was wearing a form fitting pencil skirt that showed off her curves. He paused to stare at her.

“Hey you,” he said.

She turned around and her hair swung over her shoulder. She had taken it down after she finished work. He had startled her.

“Hey,” she said. She moved her hair out of her face. “I was just making a copy to take back with me. But apparently, I don’t know how to use this thing.”

She smiled. He walked up to the machine and lifted the lid. He hadn’t personally made a copy in years, but he thought he could help in the way that men were naturally better with machines.

She was crouching down looking at the feeder and he went on his knee next to her. He could smell her perfume and he felt it distract him. She had a scent that was a mix of a warm day in the Mediterranean and a garden at night. It wasn’t any one perfume, but the way her hair and her body and her cologne smelled together.

Her breasts brushed against his arm as she was showing him where she thought the paper was stuck. He noticed it immediately, but she was concerned with permanently jamming up the machine and wasn’t paying attention.

He thought about grabbing her by her tiny waist and throwing her down on the floor of the room. He wanted to feel her heavy hair around him and bury his face in her neck, never to be seen again. He could picture her staring up at him with half closed eyes while lying on the floor. He would slide her skirt up and take her panties down. He would kiss down her leg to discover she was already wet and waiting for him. He wanted to quiet her moans so they wouldn’t be discovered. He wanted to take her fully clothed and leave together like nothing had happened, just a little disheveled.

He felt himself getting aroused at the thought. He suddenly stood up looking at the copier. He put his hand down to help her up. He opened up the lid and then closed it and the copier started.

“Oh,” she said. She laughed self-consciously, feeling stupid. She tucked her hair behind her ear, but a strand came down in her face.

“It’s okay,” he said.

He reached out and stroked her errant hair back. He couldn’t help but touch her. He had touched her so many times in his mind. Her hair was still in his hand. He felt like kissing her and so he abruptly excused himself in such a way that it made her laugh. She had just seen him be flustered and she was one of only a handful of people who had ever seen that sight.

He paused at the doorway and turned around and smiled at her. He slapped the door frame on the way out doubting his lost moment with her but knowing that it was for the best. Not only was she an employee with the company but he knew she was young and he was married.

[maeparker]

If you're interested in reading the entire story for free send me a message and I'll figure out how to loan it from my library on Amazon. I'd post the whole story here but I don't think I can because of content. :)