I'm excited to have Ashe Barker visiting me today, discussing her tantalizing, new historical erotic romance! I love historical romance and I did indeed gasp in shock when I learned the terms of Adam and Victoria's arrangement.
Hi Aubrey, and thank you for inviting me over today to share a little about my latest release, A Scandalous Arrangement.
The story is set in Victorian England, the
age of industrial advances and new inventions. Scientific discoveries were
being made all the time, and new inventions made everyday life easier, safer,
cleaner. Medicine was making fabulous advances, but I’ve always thought far
more lives were saved by 19th century engineers who build sewers
that worked, and brought clean drinking water into the towns. The Victorians
knew what they were about.
Both Adam Luke and Victoria Wynne were
entrepreneurs and ahead of their time. He invests in the new-fangled telephone
company when other business associates hesitate, she insists on educating the
daughters of her factory workers. Together they make a formidable team, and
forge a most scandalous arrangement.
And now, an
excerpt from A Scandalous Arrangement. Victoria has just laid out her own terms
for their agreement.
Adam chuckled, a
rich, soft sound which caused something to twist and clench somewhere deep
within her. He leaned forward and reached for her hand across the desk.
"Victoria,
I am not refusing you. But a child, an heir, especially outside of marriage, is
a considerable undertaking. Unheard of in my experience. I simply wish to be
sure that you have considered this with all the care it requires. Your business
associates might eventually find it possible to pretend you are not a fallen
woman, or at least not speak of it in your presence. There would be a great
deal of talk though, certainly at first. Are you ready for that? Is your family
ready?"
"I am, and
my family will support me. You are a man of property, you must have some
inkling of why this is so important to me."
"I do, but
I need you to understand that I did mean what I said, when first we discussed
such an eventuality. I will acknowledge any offspring we may create together.
There will be no legal agreement saying otherwise, although I have no intention
of offering you marriage. If you are quite convinced that you would welcome a
child and wish to raise your heir alone, then I see no reason to thwart your
ambitions. I will do nothing to impede your hopes. If it should happen, I will
be the first to offer my congratulations."
"I do not
wish to marry you either, Mr Luke. I believe I made that perfectly clear."
"You did,
and I am relieved."
"So, you
agree to my terms then?"
He met her eyes,
and held her gaze as though searching for some inner truth. Perhaps he found
it, because at last he inclined his head in a slow nod. "I do, if this is
what you truly want."
"Thank you.
Oh, thank you." She knew she was beaming, a silly joyous grin plastered
across her face, but she could not help it. Her dream was coming true. It
really, really was. She stood, and on impulse threw her arms around his neck.
He closed his
arms around her, his hands on her bottom. He squeezed, reminding her of last
night's events in her library. Victoria winced.
"Still
sore?" He nuzzled her neck, murmuring the words into her ear.
"Yes, but
it's fine."
"Is it? I
know I hurt you, shocked you a little."
"More than
a little, but I am quite recovered now. Apart from the bruises, of
course."
"Of course.
And after your spanking, how do you feel this morning about what happened
next?"
Victoria stepped
away to look up at him. She did not feign any confusion as to his meaning.
"I feel perfectly wonderful, Mr Luke. Adam."
He smiled.
"Then I believe we have a deal, Miss Wynne. Victoria."
He held out his
hand, and Victoria took it. "We do."
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.
BUY LINKS
More about Ashe:
I’ve been an avid reader of fiction for many years,
erotic and other genres. I still love reading, the hotter the better. But now I
have a good excuse for my guilty pleasure – research.
I tend to draw on my own experience to lend colour,
detail and realism to my plots and characters. An incident here, a chance
remark there, a bizarre event or quirky character, any of these can spark a
story idea.
When not writing – which is not very often these days
- my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage
daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, rabbits, tortoises. And a very grumpy cockatiel.
I have twenty four (at the last count) titles on
general release with publishers on both sides of the Atlantic, and I have
several more in the pipeline. All my books feature BDSM. I write explicit
stories, always hot, but they offer far more than just sizzling sex. I like to
read about complex characters, and compelling plots, so that’s what I write
too. Strong, demanding Doms are a given, often paired with new submissives who
have a lot to learn.
I have a pile of story ideas still to work through,
and keep thinking of new ones at the most unlikely moments, so you can expect
to see a lot more from me.
I love to hear from readers. You can find me on my blog,
and on the Totally
Bound site. I’m on Facebook,
and twitter
and now on Tsu
as well. I’m on Pinterest
too, and Goodreads
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