Hi Morganna, and thank you for inviting me over today to share a little about my latest release, A Scandalous Arrangement.
The book is set in Victorian England, the industrial revolution when new inventions and scientific discoveries were transforming everyday life. The story mentions some of these – the development of the telephone, the light bulb, railways. The Victorians have always seemed to me to be a peculiar mix of conservative prudery and adventurous discovery, it was an era when anything seemed possible. My characters embrace the new technology of their generation.
It was an exciting age, and I loved writing about it. I hope readers will share my fascination.
Here’s the blurb…
After a foolish wager costs her brother ownership of the weaving mill in Yorkshire which provides her income, Victoria Wynne is left with no choice but to confront the man who took the bet and seek to dissuade him from claiming his prize. Unfortunately for her, that man turns out to be Adam Luke, an experienced, ambitious entrepreneur who is intent on keeping what he won.
Upon meeting her, Adam is enchanted by Victoria’s beauty and charm as well as her nerve and self-reliance. Adam is a man of singular tastes, and when Victoria asks to manage the mill in return for a share of the profits, he offers her a bold proposal of his own. She will continue to run the mill as she has for years, but in return for a substantially larger portion of the profits she will also serve at his beck and call behind closed doors, submitting to him in any way he desires.
Wanting to earn enough money to buy back the mill as quickly as possible—and with some part of her shamefully aroused by the thought of kneeling naked at Adam’s feet—Victoria accepts his terms. But submission initially proves difficult for a woman used to running her own affairs, and soon enough she finds herself bare-bottomed over his knee for a firm lesson in obedience.
Adam’s plans for Victoria run much deeper than just an occasional spanking. She will be stripped naked, bound, and teased until she is aching for release, and then at last he will take her long and hard. As Adam continues to train her, teaching her to yield to his mastery while bringing her more pleasure than she ever thought possible, Victoria cannot help falling for him. But can a lifelong bond truly emerge from such a scandalous arrangement?
Publisher’s Note: A Scandalous Arrangement is an erotic romance novel that includes spankings, sexual scenes, anal play, elements of BDSM, and more. If such material offends you, please don’t buy this book.
And now, an excerpt from A Scandalous Arrangement. Victoria is laying out her terms for their agreement.
Alone with Adam Luke, Victoria occupied herself in rearranging paper clips for several minutes. He didn’t shift from the edge of her desk, even though there was now a spare seat in the room. Eventually he reached down and laid his hand over hers, stopping any further fidgeting.
“Victoria, we need to talk.”
She looked up at him. “Yes, I know that. But not here. Not now.”
“I intend to be on the train leaving Hebden Bridge at three o’clock. I will require an answer from you before I leave. Failure to provide me with one will result in my assuming your response to be no. I will not repeat my offer to you. So, we discuss it here, now, or you risk running out of time.”
She met his gaze, her expression calm, she hoped. She slid her hand from under his and folded it with the other in her lap. She saw no merit in prevarication. “My answer is yes. But I wish to suggest a slight variation to your terms.”
He frowned, but tilted his head at her. “Please go on, Victoria.”
“Yesterday, when you were describing the, er, the precise nature of our arrangement, you promised to take all possible precautions to avoid impregnating me.”
“I did, and will do so. But as I also made clear, should there be a baby as a result, I will acknowledge the child and provide for him or her. You too if need be.”
“And I believe I made my position on that clear also. I will require no such provision, nor will my child.”
He lifted an eyebrow, but remained silent. Victoria took that as her opportunity to set out her own terms.
“I will comply with your wishes. You may do – what you like – and I will submit to it without complaint. But there will be no precautions taken regarding pregnancy. Quite the reverse in fact. I wish to bear a child and I believe you would make a most acceptable sire. Those are my terms.”
His somewhat startled expression afforded Victoria a degree of satisfaction. “You want a baby?”
“I do, Mr Luke. And I am of the opinion you could provide me with one.”
“I see.”
“I am not entirely convinced that you do. I am a businesswoman, my time is fully occupied running my mill, and for the foreseeable future I anticipate your additional requirements will eradicate any remaining free time I might have had. I am not a woman given to frivolity, nor do I care for social gatherings particularly. In short, I am resigned to the fact that I am unlikely to marry. However that does not mean I have no desire to have children. I do, in fact. Very much so. But I am already twenty seven years old and if I am to take steps to pursue that objective it has to be soon.”
“I appreciate your sense of urgency, but this plan of yours is not without is complications. Am I to understand you intend to bring up your child alone then? Would the God-fearing wool barons of Yorkshire not find something to say on the matter?”
“I do not believe they would, or at least not on any sustained basis. As long as I offer high quality cloth at a decent price, they will trade with me and be right glad of the opportunity. We Yorkshire folk are not a sentimental bunch, not when it comes to business.”
Wow! This promises to be one hot read! I already have my copy, have you gotten yours? One-click on a link below:
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