I'd like to welcome Jaye Peaches to my blog today with her latest release, In Enemy Hands. I think that may be one of the most beautiful, most romantic covers I've ever seen...sigh... Here she is with an excerpt. Just to set it up, in this scene, when
the kitchen boy is caught poisoning the drinking well, Hester steps into takes
his punishment, however, Captain Daniel Hasard believes Hester is responsible
for the deed.
* * *
She stood before him, her eyes
darting about nervously.
“Tell me the truth, Hester. Were
you out there last night?”
Her eyes stopped roving and
rested on him, widening in surprise. “I don’t know what you mean—”
“Don’t lie to me. A boy, of what
eleven years, with a bottle of poison? This was your idea and Hodge came along
out of loyalty. You pleaded for him with your life. You look guilty, don’t deny
it.” He drummed his fingers on the armrest.
Hester bowed her head. “Yes. It
was my idea.”
“Why didn’t you step forward?”
“I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t
want to take the blame. Now, I accept I should and I will.”
“How do you think I should
punish you, Hester?” He ran his finger up and down the armrest.
She shuffled her feet about on
the floor, fiddling with the laces of her petticoats. “A whipping?” she said
softly.
“Indeed, that is what I shall
do.”
He sent for his sergeant,
instructed him to cut down small branches from the nearby trees and fashion a
switch. She listened, her face flushed and her hands trembling at her sides.
Left alone with Hester, Daniel
rose to his feet. She shot backwards, her eyes widening. “I’d rather you weren’t
afraid of me,” he said.
She snorted. “You’re about to
beat me; I think I’m entitled to feel whatever I want.”
“True. However, you brought this
upon yourself. I asked for cooperation and you have shown me disdain and
rudeness.”
“We are enemies, sir.”
He leant back on the edge of the
table. The paleness of her complexion told him she was nervous. He followed the
line of her chin, observing the thinness of her neck and below her collarbones,
the opening of her gown, which displayed the top of her cleavage. Her chest
rose and fell, lifting her bosom and the skin flushed pink. He knew it was
probably her fear of the whipping and he guessed she was mortified by his need
to punish her, but something else lurked beneath the fine figure of a young
woman. He shook his head, dismissing the notion that she might hold some other
feelings towards him. He leapt off the table, determined to find a means to
control his urges, those ridiculous yearnings to know her intimately, which had
come close to exciting his manhood. She was right, they were enemies and while
he couldn’t deny her attraction, he would have to find a way to keep those
thoughts at bay.
“You should prepare yourself.”
He strode around the table and stood on the other side, creating the necessary
distance between them. “I suggest you stand facing the fireplace and
contemplate your actions. Do not move or speak.” He waved a dismissive hand.
She frowned and stomped over to
the fireplace. With an audible huff, she stood motionless with her arms
crossed.
Daniel bowed his head and
gripped the back of nearby chair. She seemed resolute in undermining his
authority. He had to stamp it out before she become unwieldy. “Mistress Cavell,
I wish you to show remorse for your actions and all I see is defiance.”
“So be it,” she shouted over her
shoulder.
“Place your hands behind your
back, then kneel on the floor.”
“What?” She spun on her toes to
face him, her jaw lowering.
“Kneel on the floor and hands
behind your back, now,” he re-iterated his command in an unwavering tone. It
masked his real emotions, which remained hovering between annoyance and an
irrational urge to lose his self-control. If she wasn’t prepared to show her
submission with appropriate words, then he would contain her, make her appear
humble and small. His grip on the chair tightened as she narrowed her eyes.
Her petulance showed in the
slowness of her compliance. She inched down onto the floor, shuffled about, and
tucked her hands behind her back.
“Good.” He sighed and loosened
his grasp.
The sergeant returned with
Matthew. Upon seeing Hester knelt on the floor, his lieutenant glanced back and
forth between them. Crossing the room, he whispered into Daniel’s ear. “She’s a
lady, sir. Is the sergeant an appropriate—”
“I am well aware of her status.
I shall conduct the punishment myself. She may keep her smock down for decency.”
Daniel discharged his sergeant and asked him to leave.
Matthew led her to the end of
the table. “Bend over. Please, miss.” He tapped her shoulder, then stepped
away.
Hester placed the palms of her
hand on the wood and hesitated. Matthew scowled and moved forward. “I don’t
want to have to force you.”
Daniel held up his hand. “Give
her time, Matthew.” The lieutenant edged away and out of the periphery of
Daniel’s vision.
She slid her hands forward,
reaching out across the table to some unknown object. Bent over, she retracted
her arms and rested her head on them.
Daniel picked up the switch
fashioned by his sergeant and he checked for rogue thorns or splinters. As he
swished it through the air, she jumped, peering up from where she’d hidden her
face.
Stooping, he took hold of the
hem of her petticoat and raised it up over her bottom, allowing the fabric to
settle on her back. The white smock lay beneath, covering her naked bottom. A
thinner fabric than he’d anticipated and he could see the outline of each lobe,
rounded and symmetrical. He admired her curvaceous form.
He leant forward and nearly
touched her ear with his lips. “Make a fuss. I want your servants to know I
mean business.”
Blurb:
When the
rest of her household flees the family estate during the English Civil War,
Hester Cavell, a proud Royalist supporter, stays behind hoping to protect her
home. Unfortunately for Hester, she quickly finds that she is no match for a
troop of Parliamentarian dragoons, led by Captain Daniel Hasard. Once the
dragoons take control of her house, Daniel lets Hester stay with her servants,
but he warns her that he will punish her severely if she causes any trouble.
Despite
Daniel’s warning, it isn’t long before Hester risks her safety and attempts to
sabotage his troops, earning her a long, hard switching on her bare bottom. But
as the weeks pass, she begins to realize that the man behind the enemy uniform
is loving, intelligent, and kind, and she can’t help but grow more and more
attracted to him. Daniel returns Hester’s affection, and while they remain
enemies by day to protect her reputation, they soon become passionate lovers by
night.
Not
wanting the servants to guess at their games, Hester continues to make a
pretence at mischief, and Daniel continues to punish her sternly. But when a
servant at last finds out the truth of their relationship, will it bring an end
to their newfound romance, or will Daniel cast aside politics and allegiances
and ask for her hand in marriage?
Publisher’s Note: In Enemy Hands is
an erotic 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 :
Amazon (UK)
Kobo
Barnes and Noble
AllRomance
Author Links.
5 comments:
"We are enemies, sir." Love this dynamic, Jaye!
This is such a great scene Jaye and I love the dynamic too. Enrmies but ... Congratulations on the new release! Thank you both for sharing :)
Hugs
Roz
Thank you, Natasha, for having me visit.
hugs
Jaye
loved that last line!
Can't wait to read this!
:)
Daniel is so lovely and Hester is really lucky that it is him and not someone else who punishes her. I love this conflict between him and her, because they will need a lot of time to figure out how to come closer. Great snippet. Congratulations on the release and thank you for sharing!
hugs
Nina
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