Book Blitz - Sinful Rewards
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Book & Author Details:
Sinful Rewards by Cynthia Sax
(Sinful Rewards #1) Published by: Avon Impulse Publication date: July 15th 2014 Genres: Adult, Romance Synopsis:
Belinda “Bee” Carter is a good girl; at least, that’s what she tells herself. And a good girl deserves a nice guy—just like the gorgeous and moody billionaire Nicolas Rainer. He is everything she wants in a man.
Or so she thinks, until she takes a look through her telescope and sees a naked, tattooed man on the balcony across the courtyard. Hawke is mysterious, the bad boy she knows will bring only heartbreak. He has been watching her, and that makes him all the more enticing. But when a mysterious and anonymous text message dares her to do something bad, she must decide if she is really the good girl she has always claimed to be, or if she’s willing to risk everything for her secret fantasy of being watched. Is her mystery man the reclusive billionaire with a wild side or the darkly dangerous bad boy? Goodreads: https://www.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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Cynthia Sax's stories have been featured in Star Magazine and on Real Time With Bill Maher. She lives in a world where demons aren't all bad, angels aren't all good, and magic happens every single day. Although her heroes may not always say, "I love you," they will do anything for the women they love. They live passionately. They fight fiercely. They love the same women forever.
Cynthia has loved the same wonderful man forever. Her supportive hubby offers himself up to the joys and pains of research. He receives a daily briefing on what every character is doing. You can also learn what Cynthia Sax's characters are doing by visiting her website atwww.CynthiaSax.com or emailing her directly at Cynthia@CynthiaSax.com. She loves writing fated to mate romances because this is her personal experience with love. She fell in love with my dear wonderful hubby at first sight and 20 years later, they're still very much in love. This is what she wishes for her characters and for her readers.
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Sinful Rewards 1
Cynthia Sax
Excerpt #1 – R rated – Sinful Rewards 1
Voices murmur outside the condo’s door, the sound piercing
my delightful daydream. I swing the telescope upward, not wanting to be caught
using it. The snippets of conversation drift away.
I don’t relax. If the telescope isn’t in the same spot as it
was positioned last night, Cyndi will realize I’ve been using it. She’ll tease
me about being a fellow pervert, sharing the story, embellished for more
dramatic effect, with her stern serious dad or, worse, with Angel, that snobby
friend of hers.
I’ll die. It’ll be worse than being the butt of jokes in
high school because that ridicule had been about my clothes and this will
center around the part of my soul I’ve always kept hidden. It’ll also be the
truth and I won’t be able to deny it. I am a pervert.
I have to return the telescope to where it was positioned.
This is the only acceptable solution. I tap the metal tube.
Last night, my man-crazy roommate had been giggling over the
new guy in three eleven north. The previous occupant had been a gray-haired,
bowtie-wearing tax auditor, his luxurious accommodations supplied by Nicolas.
The most exciting thing he ever did was drink his tea on the balcony.
According to Cyndi, the new occupant is a delicious piece of
man candy, tattooed, buff, and head-to-toe lickable. He’d been completing arm
curls outside and she’d enthusiastically counted his reps, oohing and aahing
over his bulging biceps, calling to me to take a look.
I’d resisted that temptation, focusing on making macaroni
and cheese for the two of us, the recipe snagged from the diner my mom works
in. After we scarfed down dinner with Cyndi licking her plate clean, she left
for the club and hasn’t returned.
Three eleven north is the mirror condo to ours. I straighten
the telescope. That position looks about right but then, the imitation UGGS I
bought in second year college looked about right also. The first time I wore
the boots in the rain, the sheepskin fell apart, leaving me barefoot in
Economics 201.
Unwilling to risk Cyndi’s friendship on about right, I gaze
through the eyepiece. The view consists of rippling golden planes, almost like…
Tanned skin pulled over defined abs.
I blink. It can’t be. I take another look. A perfect pearl
of perspiration clings to a puckered scar. The drop elongates more and more,
stretching, snapping. It trickles downward, navigating the swells and valleys
of a man’s honed torso.
No. I straighten. This is wrong. I shouldn’t watch our sexy
neighbor as he stands on his balcony. If anyone catches me…
I glance behind me. There’s no one here to catch me. Cyndi
won’t know I looked. The hunk in three eleven north won’t know I looked. I’m
not harming anyone.
I bend over and take another peek.
The sunlight casts interesting shadows across his stomach,
accentuating the ridges of muscle, the dip of his navel. I dart my tongue over
my suddenly dry lips. His skin is marred with silver scars, some round, some
slashes, this proof of hard living, of survival, arousing me, tightening my
nipples and moistening my pussy.
I shouldn’t lust after him. He’s the wrong kind of man, the
leaving kind, too virile and feral to stay in one place for long. I can tell
this from his stance, from his brazen exhibitionism. He wants me to look at
him, to care for him. I tilt the telescope downward. His hips are slim. More
scars are etched along the bones. Fine brown hair trails from his navel to…
My mouth drops open. He’s completely naked.
Excerpt #2 – R rated – Sinful Rewards 1
“You’re
a good girl intent on doing the right thing,” Nicolas mocks, his tone implying
that the opposite is true. “That deserves a reward, doesn’t it?” This question
is also slathered with sarcasm.
He’s
angry with me and I don’t know why. My discomfort increases.
“I
returned a lost phone.” I slide closer to the door, seeking to put more
distance between us. “I don’t need a reward.”
“But
you want a reward.” Nicolas’ eyes gleam. “A new purse, perhaps?” He waves his
long slender fingers at my purse. “I can give you that.” His gaze drops. “Or
would you like new shoes?”
I
frown down at my feet. What’s wrong with my shoes?
“Perhaps
you’d prefer to have use of my limo and driver,” Nicolas continues, his voice
cold and businesslike. “I’m wealthy, Miss Carter. What do you want?”
If
he offered me a reward with genuine gratitude, I might allow him to buy me a
new purse, but he isn’t happy about making this offer.
“Okay,
I’ll tell you what I want.” I cross my arms in front of me, fed up with his
bullshit. “The next time someone does something nice for you, I want you to say
thank you.”
Nicolas
blinks, his eyelashes obscenely thick and long. “Is that all?” His voice is
edged with irony.
“No,
that isn’t all.” My rage boils over, fed by guilt and disappointment and
betrayal. I gave him my loyalty. He should deserve it. Damn it. “Introduce
yourself when you call that someone. Ask her when it is convenient to meet with
you.”
Nicolas’
eyes widen. He’s shocked I’m talking to him this way. Well, he should brace
himself. I’m not done with him yet.
“Don’t
make her wait on a street corner as though she’s a two-bit hooker. Pick her up
at her workplace.” I glare at him, wondering how I ever found him attractive.
Nicolas
smiles and the mystery is solved. The man is drop dead gorgeous. “I was kind of
a jerk, wasn’t I?” he admits sheepishly.
“No,
you weren’t kind of a jerk.” I won’t let him off that easily. “You were a
complete asshole.”
Nicolas
stares at me. I meet his gaze squarely, not hiding any of my irritation. His
lips twitch. Is he laughing at me? I narrow my eyes even more and his shoulders
shake. My fists clench, the temptation to jab him in the eyeballs compounding
by the second.
Nicolas
throws his head back and barks with laughter, breaking our silent standoff.
“He’s right.” His eyes sparkle with mirth. “You’re priceless.”
I
don’t know who he is and I don’t ask. I doubt I’ll like the answer.
Now
that Nicolas is no longer in such a pissy mood, his good looks improve even
more, the skin around his eyes crinkling, his lips curling upward. “Let’s try
this again.” He leans forward and I breathe deeply, filling my nostrils with
his expensive cologne. “Hello. I’m Nicolas Rainer.” He holds out his hand.
I
glide my palm against his and his fingers wrap around mine. His grip is solid
and sure, an embrace a woman can rely on. This, at least, is as I expected.
“Thank
you for retrieving my phone,” he murmurs. “I appreciate it.”
“I
would have done that for anyone, Mr. Rainer.” I eye him warily, not trusting
his sudden amiability. “Clearly,” I mutter under my breath.
His
eyes glow. He heard me. “Call me Nicolas, please.” He releases my hand. “I’m…”
He shifts in his seat, appearing uncomfortable. “I’m not accustomed to people
doing nice things for me without wanting something in return.”
This
heartbreaking confession deflates all of my anger and bolsters my battered
opinion of him. “That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Red
streaks across his cheeks. “It doesn’t excuse my actions.” Nicolas meets my
gaze, holding it. “I’m sorry.” Sincerity reflects in his eyes. “If I ever act
like that again, tell me.”
Excerpt #3 – G rated – Sinful Rewards 1
Our
third floor condo overlooks a tiny park wedged between three high-rise
buildings. Neither the wrought iron fence nor the thick green hedge surrounding
the green space impedes my view.
It’s a view any Chicago
socialite would trade her string of Tiffany pearls to enjoy. Nicolas Rainer,
the condominium complex’s enigmatic owner, sits on the wooden bench positioned
closest to our condo, his traditional black wingtips planted solidly on the
ground, his finely groomed head bent over one of his tablets.
Papers
and electronic devices radiate from the left and right of his long lean body.
These are carefully arranged in the same pattern every morning, smallest to
largest devices, lowest to highest stacks of paper. Today is Wednesday, which
means one of the stacks consists of invoices, printed on thin yellow paper.
Tomorrow is Thursday. There’s an additional stack of papers on Thursdays,
widening the orbit around him.
The
billionaire bachelor’s routine is the same every week, rigid, unbending,
reassuringly consistent. It was Nicolas’ predictability that first snagged my
attention, piquing my interest. In a world battered by broken promises and
casual encounters, he’s a man a woman can depend on, can trust not to change.
Then
I watched an old interview Cyndi found online and I was lost. While my roommate
mocked Nicolas’ curt, blunt responses, mimicking his voice and mannerisms, I
saw the loneliness reflecting in his eyes, the hole in his soul. Having seen
the same expression in my mirror, too many times, I knew we were meant for each
other.
He’s
mine. He simply doesn’t know this yet. I gaze at him with a warmth in my heart.
The sun’s rays shine on Nicolas’ wavy black hair. Streams of gold dance over
his fashion model good looks, his high cheekbones, his deep even tan. His navy
blue suit is formfitting, his white shirt immaculate, the design on his tie
subtle. Light reflects off his metallic cufflinks, adding a touch of shine, a
hint of sparkle.
Nicolas
frowns at the tablet, lines of concentration etched between his dark eyebrows.
He’s likely working on another one of his projects. His net worth is
mind-boggling, his financial success a source of legend. When he finally
realizes I’m perfect for him and we marry, I won’t have to choose between
helping my cash-strapped mom or indulging my love of fashion. I can do both,
guilt-free.
And
Nicolas will marry, maybe not tomorrow, but some day. His company develops
properties, maintaining ownership of these prime locations forever. He’s lived
in the condominium complex since it opened, worked with the same management
team since he founded his company.
His
personal relationships won’t be any less stable. I’m not in a rush to wed—I
have my own career to establish—but I won’t waste my time on someone who is
afraid of commitment. I won’t make my mom’s mistakes. It is forever or nothing
for me.
I
suspect Nicolas thinks the same way. There’s only one obstacle standing in our
way—he doesn’t know I exist.
Excerpt #4 – G rated – Sinful Rewards 1
I allow my gaze to travel up
the stranger’s body, over his thighs, groin, stomach, chest. A thick scar
slashes through his right nipple and four letters are tattooed over his left
pec – USMC – United States Marine Corps. He’s a military man, trained to
protect, to kill. This should dampen my unseemly fascination with him.
I
want him even more.
A
larger tattoo stretches over his collarbone, the design depicting a sun framed
by a pair of wings, the ink black and gray and achingly beautiful. The feathers
are finely detailed, the softness appearing out of place on such a hard body.
The
stranger’s spine is straight, his shoulders squared and his arms raised. A third
tattoo encircles one huge bicep, the barbed wire in black ink serving as a
warning. Danger. Do not enter. A wise woman would heed this sign.
I
should heed this sign. I should look away. I can’t, my gaze drawn to him. The
man’s chin is square, brown stubble shadowing his golden skin. His nose is
flattened, his nostrils are flared, his—
I
step backward, my heart pounding. No, my luck can’t be that bad. I look into
the telescope once more. It is that bad. Military-style binoculars cover the
man’s eyes. These lenses are pointed directly at me.
He’s
watching me. I move away from the window, retreating into the shadows. He saw
me looking at him. He knows. Heat rushes over me, making the world spin. This
stranger knows I’m a pervert. He knows I’m not the good girl I’ve allowed
others to believe. If he tells Cyndi, Mr. Wynters, anyone…
I
hold my breath, count to five, and release it, repeating the action until the
fog surrounding me dissipates and my rational thought returns. He won’t tell
anyone and if he does, who will believe him? He’s standing on his balcony
naked. This fact alone disqualifies him as a credible source.
Not
that gossip ever originates from credible sources. I twist my lips, disgusted
with myself for making this error. This is why I shouldn’t take risks. I take
one look through the telescope and I get caught. My mom has one wild night with
a bad boy and she conceives me.
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