The First Day of a Whole New Adventure

Hey all,

It's finally here!  The brand new FREE READ I've been working on.  I'm really excited about this story and I hope you will enjoy this glimpse into casino life here in Macau.

But first things first.  Because we're starting a new FREE READ and it's here in this nice fancy new place, I figure those are both worth celebrating.  So we're going to make it special.  Very special.  In fact, we're going to have a whole week of special!

That's right.  For this first week only, you'll get a brand new installment of the FREE READ every day.  You heard me right.  Monday through Friday, you'll get new postings of the new FREE READ.  Then on the weekend, we'll have even more fun.  A posting party with games, fun and prizes.  And everyone who comes will get a special gift from me.

I want this new FREE READ to get the attention of all romance readers, so tell your friends.  In fact, that's one of the contests I'm starting today.  Bring a friend, have them link up as a Follower (top link on left next to search box) as well as sign in and subscribe to the blog (fill in subscription box at top left of blog).  Then both of you let me know in the comments who you are, who you brought or came with, and why you love romance.

Do all that and you're entered for a great prize.  A special download story of your choice from any of my backlisted books!  (not new releases)  WooHoo!!!!  Or, if you've got all my books (and big sloppy kisses to you who do) I'll purchase a book of your choice from any of my publishers.  Can't beat that!  This contest will end Friday at midnight, EST time, so make sure you get 'er done!!!

And, starting today we are going to have an even BIGGER contest.  We've done this before and it was very well received.  So well in fact, I've been asked by quite a few of you to do it again.  And since I'm living in the place where the story is set, I think I will.  *grin*

This sexy, new contemporary romance is being written just for those who come visit my blog.  And each month I will take the names of all those who have commented over the month and put them in the hat for a free gift of promo goodies.

At the end of the story, all  comments will be put in a drawing for a beautiful gift package of all things Macau.  Value will be $25.00 US.  I'm just putting it together now, but once I have all the prizes, I'll post a picture of it!  Remember, the more you comment, the more chances you have to win.

So how about it?  You ready to kick this new FREE READ blog off the right way?  Groovy!  Cool beans!  Awesome!  Superdelicioso!   And any other superlatives you'd like to toss in.  LOL  The wait is now over and here it is.  The newest story for your FREE reading pleasure. 

Hustle Into Love

Prologue

   The pretzels were stale, the whiskey watered down and the stools were too fucking hard.

   Those were the biggest complaints the man at the bar heard from those sitting around him. That and the fact the toilets didn’t work but half the night, and the girls who did the lap dances never let a guy cop a quick feel. Unless you forked out another hundred bucks. Then you could do a hell of a lot more than feel.

   Turning away from the grinning, bleary-eyed fellow offering too much information, he shuddered. He wasn’t in this run-down club for the drinks or pretzels—thank God—and he most assuredly wasn’t in it for the lap dances. The man gazed around the decrepit bar thoughtfully. And it sure as hell wasn’t for the ambiance. This place was one step up from a pig sty.

   The room was large enough, he mused. But that was about all you could say for it. If it had been cleaned this side of the millennium, he would have been surprised, and the smell wafting down the hallway from the bathrooms said his inebriated informer was right on the money about the toilets.

   He could count the number of flickering light bulbs still working, but the darkness was probably a blessing. That way you didn’t look too closely at the holes, grime and blood splatters on the walls. He wrinkled his nose. There were other stains as well. Ones he chose not to think about.

   Once, this club had probably been a huge success, filled with laughing couples and workers heading home from the office. But that was before the freeway had torn through and stolen away all the foot traffic. Now, this back alley club was more suited to drug deals and prostitutes.

   But the room was packed, and apparently was so every night of the week. And that was due to the reason he’d come to this dive in the first place.

   “Ya wanna nother drink, honey?”

   His attention turned back to the server. She stood in front of him in a short black skirt and ultra tight white tank top, her obviously man-made breasts spilling out over the top. She flipped back her dirt brown hair and looked bored. “Ya got five more minutes of happy hour.”

   He inclined his head in a short bow. “Thank you. No.”

   The server narrowed her eyes at him. “You Chinese or something?”

   Carefully, he kept his emotions hidden. The disparaging tone was nothing new. “I am from Hong Kong.”

   “Oh.” She nodded knowledgably. “Japanese. Sure. I could tell that. Eyes are different.”

   “Is that right?” He held on to his temper with an effort. It was not the first time his nationality had been confused.

   “Hmmm…” She took in his immaculate suit and well tended hands. “You sure as hell don’t belong in this neighborhood. Whatcha doing here, anyway?”

   Crass and nosy, he thought to himself. “I am here on business.”

   “In this club?” She gave a snort and hitched up her bra. “You look more the type to be up at the Mirage or Caesar’s Palace.” Her eyes took on a greedy shine. “You looking for some action, honey? I can sure help you with that. Girls or drugs? You want a threesome? I got a friend.”

   He took a deep breath, and his voice was cold when he answered. “Madam, I am not looking for company, nor do I do drugs. I do not want a drink. I just wish to be left alone to watch the show.”

   “Well…la tee dah!” She grabbed the twenty he offered and stuffed it between her breasts not even offering change for his watered-down drink. “I guess I know when I’m not wanted.”

   As she stormed off, he only lifted an eyebrow. “I guess you do.”

   Shaking off the irritation he felt, he turned back to the stage. The pole dancer was just finishing up, sliding down the shiny silver tube and landing gently on her plump ass. Her thigh muscles quivered as she stretched back to her full height and swung one last time around the pole, her silver lame’ dress fluttering garishly. Her empty eyes and jerky smile told the man any tips this dancer would get would go right up her nose.

   “Let’s all give a round of applause for Debbie,” the announcer’s bored voice blared out over the music and shouts from the crowd. “She loves having a pole between her legs.” There was desultory laughter from the audience.

   “And our next performer—”

   “Give us the girl!” the man next to him screamed, almost falling off his bar stool in his exuberance. “We want the girl.”

   “We want the girl, we want the girl, we want the girl.”

   The whole room picked up the chant, growing so loud you couldn’t hear the PA anymore. The man looked around, surprised. He'd known she was popular, but were all these people here for the same reason he was?

   The announcer tried a few more times, then shrugged and gave up. Tipping his chair back, he nodded to someone backstage. A moment later, the whole room went black.

   There was complete silence as slowly, carefully, a pale spotlight appeared at center stage. It hovered there, as empty as a sigh, and every man in the club held their collective breath.

~*~

Well?  What you think?  The cliffhanger's are back!  LOL  I hope you enjoyed this first installment and we'll see tomorrow what pops out of the light.

Don't forget to send my your receipt when you make your purchase of Luck Be a Lady!  You'll be entered twice in my Website Contest!

Hugs and see you tomorrow!

Follow Your Dreams

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