The Idea
Thanks to Barb
for having me here today, as I kick off my blog tour for The Billionaire's Unwanted Virgin. I'm always asked how I come up
with the ideas for my stories, and quite often I cannot pinpoint them. However,
with this story I know exactly where it came from. You may remember a story
hitting the newsstands about a Brazilian woman auctioning off her virginity. It
caused quite a stir here in the UK at least. I was as fascinated as the next
person about the ins and out of it all. If you have no clue what the heck I am
talking about, then check out this article.
At the time I stored it away for future reference,
and then I had a chat with one of my crit group ladies in Skype and she said,
"You know, that virgin story? I thought of you. It had you written all
over it. Write her story."
Once I'd recovered from the giggles that the story
of a virgin reminded her of me (trust me, nothing virginal about me anymore
after 23 years of marriage and nine kids!), the idea took hold.
What would make
someone sell her virginity? What sort of a person would she be? Now the reasons
for Alice came to me straight away. She has a sick niece who needs experimental
cancer treatment. What sort of a man would acquire such a virgin, however? That
was more tricky, and then it came to me. How about if the hero didn't acquire
her, but his brother did? And how about if this brother had died in an accident
and the hero is left to pick up the pieces?
Now then, what
if the hero needs to get married, so our little virgin is the perfect answer to
his problems? Throw in an off the chart attraction to each other, a sub plot,
the late brother's scheming ex-fiancé, who tries to get her claws into the hero
and what do we get?
A story worth
telling—that's what.
Here's a little
excerpt of the two of them coming to terms with each other and the situation.
Let me know in the comments what you think make the elements of a good story
for an entry into the contest.
Excerpt:
"Love
doesn't exist."
His
harsh words held censure and such disdain it settled like a vise on her chest
and squeezed.
"Of
course it does. How can you say that? You loved your brother, didn't you? And
your mother?"
His
whole body tightened in answer, and his lips curled into a cynical sneer. He
poured himself some more wine and stood at the French windows to look out at
the vast expanse of garden.
"There
are those that would call me incapable of love. I'm the heartless monster,
haven't you heard?" He raised his wineglass in her direction in a mocking
salute. "The freak who couldn't bring himself to care enough about his own
brother or the grieving fiancée."
He
drained the glass in one go and put it down on the table so carefully, that
action, too, gave Alice the chills. It was far too controlled, too contained
for this big man, to be anything but an act.
"I'm
assuming she wasn't really engaged to your brother? I mean, he wouldn't have
made that … that … bid for me if he had been, would he?" She was aware her
voice had risen to an unnaturally high level as she pondered that possibility,
and she hastily cleared her throat. "Not that it matters much now, I
suppose."
"Ah,
little Alice, that would interfere with your views on love completely, wouldn't
it?" His black eyed gaze held her captive, and she couldn't have looked
away now if her life had depended on it.
"I
refuse to believe that anyone could be so cruel, and if he did that, then he
obviously didn't love her. So, no, actually it doesn't change my views on love.
It just would reiterate my generally dim view on men though."
"Ouch.
And there was me thinking the reason you're still a virgin is that you were
simply waiting for the right man, not that you had a dim view of them.
More like you realized you could cash yourself a lot of money, by selling it to
the highest bidder."
"How
dare you?" She glared at him, and he shrugged his shoulders, looking so
impossibly gorgeous and male, her fingers itched to throw her water glass at
him. Anything to remove that haughty, superior air and to get an honest
reaction out of him.
"I
dare, because it's the truth. You did barter it to the highest bidder, did you
not? Or did someone hold a gun to your head at the time? No, I thought not.
Where were your haughty ideas of love then? Did it not occur to you that the
man who purchased you, could well be in a relationship? Married with kids? Or
perhaps worse still, use you to satisfy some sexual fetish?"
He
looked her up and down with such disgust, she was glad she was sitting.
"A
man like your brother, you mean? Would he have used me for those ends? And if
he would have done, what does that make you? You're marrying me, but at the end
of the day, it's the same thing, just dressed up, is it not?"
She
jumped at his reaction. In the blink of an eye he crossed the room and stood in
front of her. With his hands on the arm rests of her chair, he caged her in,
his nose inches away from her.
"You
are going into this with your eyes open, lady. It was your choice to come here
and claim your payment. It is your choice to walk out of that door. I am not forcing
you to sign those papers."
As
if to make the point he released her and stood next to the bell that would
summon Brian in an instant.
"Just
say the word and you're free to go. Without your money of course, and if you
breathe one word of this to anyone, your cute little ass will land itself a one
way ticket to jail, and I will make your mother rue the day she ever gave birth
to you."
His
quiet and controlled manner made the words even more chilling, and Alice could
do nothing but stare at him. How had she thought she could deal with him?
"You
would do that to people you've never even met?" she asked.
"In
a heartbeat, sweet little Alice, in a heartbeat."
Something
broke inside Alice at those words.
"You
really are a cold-hearted bastard, aren't you?"
****
Alice
curled her slender fingers around the armrests with such force they turned
white. Judging by the storm clouds crossing her expressive face she wished her
hands were wrapped around his neck instead. He didn't even know why he was
being such an ass, but something about her got to him. Just by sitting there,
all prim and proper, stoically facing her fate, made him feel things he had no
business feeling.
The
fact that she wasn't the money grabbing whore he'd first thought her to be just
made it all so much worse. At Percy's insistence he'd finally read that file,
and what he'd learned about her had rocked him to the core.
Highly
intelligent, she'd dropped out of her university degree when her niece had
fallen ill, the year her father had had his heart attack. With no income coming
in, it had fallen to Alice to provide for the family. And she had, admirably
so, working two, sometimes three jobs, yet they were drowning in debt. Her
niece's illness did not help. The experimental treatment she needed was not
available on the NHS.
For
that reason Lakota had made Percy up the settlement offer considerably. He knew
it would take more than that to ease his conscience screaming at him, but he'd
had to do something to chase away the shadows in her eyes. He couldn't offer
her any part of himself, but he could certainly provide the money. And with her
reluctant agreement to his terms, he would finally get his revenge on the piece
of scum that fathered him, and left his mother and him to rot after the arrival
of Zeb.
Lakota
crunched his teeth together in disgust at his maudlin thoughts. He couldn't change the past, but he could
damn well pave his own future. It's what had made him into a billionaire, and
no little Alice in Wonderland would de-rail him from his purpose, no matter how
much her unshed tears tore at his gut and made his chest feel tight.
"You're
only just now figuring this out, my sweet little Alice?"
Her
eyes widened, and she fixed him with such a glare of defiance, he almost
squirmed under that silent censure.
"I
think you're trying far too hard to convince me of that fact, Lakota. What I
think or don't think is irrelevant anyway. As you've been so at pains to remind
me, you've bought me. I get it. I'll be the image of the doting society wife,
don't you worry, but if you think for one minute that I will let you threaten
the people I love, then you have got another think coming."
She'd
gotten up from her chair during her impassioned speech and now stood in front
of him. With her hands on hips, her face flushed, and her whole body trembling
in outrage, she looked utterly stunning, even in her ill-fitting ensemble of
clothes, and he shoved his fists in his back pockets to stop himself from
crushing her to him and kissing her senseless. She'd likely make him sing
soprano if he tried, and giving in to his body's urges would just confuse the
issues in hand.
(for
the official red hot excerpt click here)
****
Blurb:
Lay back and think
of England, she could do this. It was only sex, after all. Auctioning off her
virginity was the easy part—going through with it not so easy. When Alice realizes who has acquired her,
keeping her emotions out of the deal seems an impossible task.
Self-made
billionaire Lakota, Lance Kemnay has no time for women, let alone one, who
would sell her virginity to the highest bidder. Ever practical, however, he
sees in Alice a solution to his immediate need for a wife. The emotions she
stirs in him are just lust, and lust can be dealt with. As they connect
emotionally and physically, his resolve to keep his heart aloof is tested
beyond limits.
Can he trust his
tender feelings, or has he been taken for a fool by the one woman he thought he
could trust?
Buy links:
****
Author
Bio:
Glutton for punishment would be a good description
for Doris... at least that's what she hears on an almost daily basis when
people find out that she has a brood of nine children, ranging from adult to
toddler and lives happily in a far too small house, cluttered with children,
pets, dust bunnies, and one very understanding and supportive husband. Domestic
goddess she is not.
There is always something better to do after all,
like working on the latest manuscript and trying not to scare the locals even
more than usual by talking out loud to the voices in her head. Her characters
tend to be pretty insistent to get their stories told, and you will find Doris
burning the midnight oil on a regular basis. Only time to get any peace and
quiet and besides, sleep is for wimps.
She likes to spin sensual, sassy, and sexy tales
involving alpha heroes to die for, and heroines who give as good as they get.
From contemporary to paranormal, BDSM to F/F, and Ménage, haunting love stories
are guaranteed.
STALKING LINKS:
CONTEST
I am giving away two
copies of The Billionaire's Unwanted
Virgin. Follow me on my tour and leave a comment on each stop. Every
comment is an entry into the contest. I will pick winners by random selection
on Monday 27th May.
In addition I am giving
away a copy from my back list on each stop.
Good Luck, and thanks for reading.
Here are the stops:
