Welcome Readers...into my Dreams and Imagination.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Hustle Into Love - Prologue Pt. 7

Hey all,

Today's the last day of our party.  It's been an awesome week, and the fun is just starting.  Today, after the installment, I'll introduce you to the inspiration behind our characters.  

And don't forget today is the last day of the week long contest.  Bring your friends, let me know in the comments and win big, big, big!!!!

Tomorrow, we will start our normal blog rotation.  Once a week, on Monday, I'll post the next story installment, and if you've signed up for the emails, you'll be notified.

So make sure you've become a follower AND sign up for the updates.  That's the way to get the news and win some prizes.

Anyway, on with the story and I'll catch you at the end.

Hustle Into Love

~*~

   “Deal!”
   They shook hands again and then he chuckled.
   “What?”
   “May I come with you?”
   Chantal cocked her head. “With me where?”
   “To give your notice. You may need a bodyguard to help you get out when the patron’s riot.”
   She looked at his slender figure. “Unless you know karate, I think I’ll just phone it in.”
   He nodded. “Perhaps that is the best idea. Then may I see you home?”
   She’d known he was a gentleman. “Sure. Give me a few minutes to pack up. Once I leave this dump…I mean job, I won’t be back.”
   “Of course.”
   Quickly, Chantal tossed all her belongings in the suitcase she carried to and from work. Luckily, she didn’t have much.  Anything of value would be stolen if it was left in the club, so she’d learned long ago to take home what was important.
   Finishing, she glanced around the room. “I just need to change.”
   “I will close your bag for you.”
   Disappearing behind a stained screen, she pulled off the robe and put on her street clothes. A thought struck her. “I should have asked before, but with everything else it went out of my head.”
   “Yes?”
   She came around the edge of the divider. “I know we’re both trusting each other here. I’m trusting you to follow through with the finances, and you’re trusting me to use them correctly.”
   “That is so.”
   “And I know the friendship is an extra benny—” at his confused look, she shook her head, “—sorry, benefit.”
   “That is most assuredly so.” His exotic face creased into a smile. “And most welcome.”
   “Yeah.” She melted a little. He was so cute. In an older sibling type of way. “And it will be fun all the way around. Hard work and all, but…”
   “You have doubts?”
   “No,” she said immediately. “Not doubts, but a question. Just what do you get out of all this? Aside from the friendship, I mean. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, so call me cynical, but what’s it going to cost me later?”
   “I wondered if you would ask.” Lì gave a rueful shrug. “Most asked before the deal was struck.”
   “I’m not going back on my word.” Chantal frowned. “I promise.”
   He patted her shoulder, then lifted her bag. “I did not think you would. The friendship you offered is apart from the deal we made. This I promise you. And my answer is, what I will get is the joy of seeing your talent bloom and flourish. That is one of the reasons I do what I do.”
   “And the other?” She frowned at him. “What will it cost me? I feel like I’m standing under the sword of Damocles here.”
   Lì chuckled again. “Nothing so dramatic, my dear. The cost to you for my help is simple. One day I will ask you for a favor.”
   “That’s all?” She blinked at him. “You’re going to give me jillions of dollars and all you want is a favor? What kind?”
   “One only you can give.”
   “I don’t understand. What can only I give?”
   “I do not know,” he answered, surprising her. “I will know it when it happens. And then, if it is within your power, you will grant that favor. It is all I ask from you.”
   She just stared at him. “You are the most unusual man I’ve ever met.”
   “No, my dear. What I am is fortunate. Meeting you is a gift in itself.”
   Chantal sniffed back tears. Turning, she kissed Lì gently on the cheek. “Now you’ve given me a new word for the day. Two words actually.”
   He lifted an inquiring brow. “And what are those?”
   She opened the door and together they stepped into her brand new life. 
   “My hero.”

~*~
And tomorrow we start a new chapter!  I hope you enjoyed the prologue.  We'll see what happens to Chantal and Li in the future.

Now, as I promised you, let me introduce you to the inspirations for our characters.  As soon as I saw these guys I knew I had my Chantal, Li and the hero, whom you haven't met yet, Mace.

Let's start with the generous Li.  As you can imagine, it takes a special person to be such a philanthropist.  I went through picture after picture and couldn't find the perfect guy.  They were all too old or too immature.  It was frustrating, but I carried on.  I knew he was out there.  

And then, I found him on a magazine cover at a newsstand.  And as soon as I saw his picture, I knew this was my Li Yeung.  I think the proprietor thought I was crazy buying a Chinese magazine, but I had to.  I wasn't going to lose my Li.  I had a friend translate and found his name was Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, one of the best actors to come out of Hong Kong.  He's handsome and elegant, yet his face is kind.  And that's my Li.

Now Chantal was a bit harder.  I needed a female who was sexy, seductive, street smart, but still had an naivete about her.  And I know that can be difficult to find.  Plus we all have our our vision of what that means.  

I went through dozens of pages before I finally found her.  And there was just something about this photo that spoke to me.  To me she is Chantal.  A little bit naughty, a little bit aloof, just like her inspiration, Josephine Baker.  

Australian actress, Nicky Whelan, seemed to be all those things.  With a little bit of innocence mixed in.

And then there was Mace.  He was the easiest to find.  He was all over billboards in Singapore.  I saw him and knew immediately he would be a hero for me some day.  His hot, dark, hungry eyes, and sculptured, bad boy features were all I needed to create my hero.  It took a while to find him online, but once I researched this hot hunk, I found out he is actually Vietnamese actor and model Hoang Duc Tien.  Apparently he's the hottest thing to come out of this Asian country and I have to agree.  All I know is he's a perfect Mace.

So there you have them all.  Don't forget to stop back tomorrow for the regularly scheduled Monday Blog installment.  And I'll announce if there are any winners for the contests as well.

Hugs and see you tomorrow!
CJ England













Follow Your Dreams

12 comments:

Ashley L said...

I can't wait for tomorrow. I don't know that I'll want to wait another week for the next installment either. Your inspiration for the characters are great too. Mace definitely is interesting; can't wait to meet him.

Shai Williams said...

Oh no.. now we have to wait a week at a pop :( This story is just so good that I would devour it in a sitting.

SharonJM said...

CJ, thanks for the visual. It does help to be able to associate a face with a character. And those faces are supreme. I am truly looking forward to meeting all the characters and their interactions.

CJ England said...

Thanks loves2read,

I'm pleased you're enjoying it so far.

Once I saw Mace's pic I had to have him. Since I knew I'd be using an Asian hero someday, I tucked him away. I still melt when I see his pics here in Macau.

CJ England said...

Wow, Shaiha,

That is a wonderful compliment. Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy my other stories just as much. My fans say they can't start them late in the day because then they'll stay up all night to read them. LOL

CJ England said...

SharonJM,

You're a sweetheart. Thank you. I'm glad the pics help you "see" the story. I always have them handy as I'm writing.

Can't wait to get my office set up so I can plaster the walls with my "inspirations." LOL

Phylis said...

I can just see you melting everytime you see him on a billboard! LOL! Playing catch up this morning with email so just getting the chance to read # 7. Loved it. And seeing your inspiration for the characters is great. Looking forward to today's installment!

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to the start of the story proper after that excellent prologue, and thanks for sharing your inspirations there.

Unknown said...

Been reading up until now and LOVE this story so far. I am so loving the inspiration and pics of the three characters.

Val

CJ England said...

You're welcome, stevie,

I hope you enjoy the story.

CJ England said...

Hey Val,

I gotta say the second I saw Mace I knew he was mine! LOL

In a perfectly writer type way of course!

*grin*

CJ England said...

Phylis,

I about fell out of the bus the first time I saw him. I almost made Jonathon go back, but luckily we saw him later in the day.

He thought I was crazy taking pics of the billboard. LOL