Title: The Gilded Cuff
Author: Lauren Smith
Series: Surrender Series Book 1
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary
Every passion has its price . . .
Journalist Sophie Ryder has been following Emery Lockwood’s story since she was a little girl. There has always been something in his haunted eyes that she couldn’t resist and now, when she’s certain he holds the key to solving a string of kidnappings, she’ll do anything to speak to him. Even if it means venturing deep into the seductive world of the Gilded Cuff, a luxurious BDSM club on Long Island’s Gold Coast and Emery’s personal playground.
From the moment Sophie enters his shadowy, sensual domain, Emery Lockwood knows this tantalizing new little sub was meant to belong to him. However, Sophie wants more from Emery than just pleasure . . . she wants his past. And that is something he isn’t willing to give—no matter who is asking. But every moment he spends with Sophie, Emery feels his control slipping and he knows it’s only a matter of time before he surrenders to her heart, body, and soul.
ABOUT LAUREN SMITH
Amazon best-selling author
Lauren Smith is an attorney by day, author by night, who pens adventurous and
edgy romance stories by the light of her smart phone flashlight app. She’s a
native Oklahoman who lives with her three pets—a feisty chinchilla,
sophisticated cat and dapper little schnauzer. She's won multiple awards in
several romance subgenres including being an Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel
Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Award.
Connect with Lauren:
Website Facebook Twitter
INTERVIEW:
1.
First off tell us a little about yourself.
a.
I’m an attorney who lives in Oklahoma. I’m 28
years old, and the proud owner of cat, black schnauzer and a chinchilla!
2.
At what age did you start writing? What was
the first thing that you written?
a.
I started writing in the 3rd
grade. My first story involved two reporters named Katie and Clark
investigating a strange disappearance of local population of brown bats. Turns
out a crazy scientist was trying to weaponize bats!
3.
Can you tell us how you came up with the idea
of your latest book/project? Did anything inspire you to write it?
a.
I actually had a dream about two little boys
locked in a coat closet beneath the stars of a crumbling Gold Coast mansion on
Long Island. I knew they were being held prisoner by kidnappers in my dream and
I wanted to write the story of what happened when they grew up. The end result
was The Gilded Cuff, book one in my
Surrender Series. Almost all my stories
start off with a powerful dream or an image of a scene in my head.
4.
Can you tell us about your next book/project?
Do you have a title/release date?
a.
My next release will be sometime this spring
and it will be called The Gilded Cage, Surrender book 2. As far as my latest
writing project, I’m finishing up the rough draft of Her Wicked Proposal
(working title) for my third League of Rogues historical book. Hopefully it
will release later this year or early next year depending on my publisher’s
schedule.
5.
If you weren’t a writer what do you see
yourself doing?
a.
Well I’m also an attorney, so I currently see
myself doing that HAHA. But if I had a pick of professions without a thought to
salary concerns, I’d love to be an archeologist.
6.
Who are some of your favorite authors?
a.
This is always a tough question, but here are
my current favorites: Julia Quinn, Christina Dodd, Gena Showalter, Shayla
Black, Laurann Dohner.
7.
What are your top 5 books that you have read?
a.
Another tricky one! Okay, so these would be
Desert Island books for me: The Host by Stephanie Meyer, Ransom by Julie
Garwood, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, Soon I will be Invincible by Austin
Grossman and Scent of Darkness by Christina Dodd.
8.
What was the last book you have read? What
book are you reading right now?
a.
The Latest book I read was Jaci Burton’s
Melting the Ice. It was fantastic! And I’m currently listening to Beauty and
the Barbarian on Audio by Amy Jarecki and loving it!
9.
Would you ever co-write with another author?
If yes do you have someone in mind?
a.
I’d probably co-write with my friend Amanda
Pereira. She’s a genius and we totally understand each other on a writing
level.
10.
Does music inspire you? If yes what type of
music usually does?
a.
Definitely. I love music. It all depends on
what sort of book I’m writing and what scenes I’m writing. I try to listen to
movie scores when writing historical books or epic battle scenes. I like to
listen to contemporary music, all kinds when it comes to paranormals or
contemporary books. Anything goes so long as it fits the scene I’m writing!
This part is optional.
1.
Favorite Animal
a.
River Otter
2.
Favorite food
a.
pizza
3.
Favorite Holiday
a.
Halloween!
4.
Favorite Genre to read
a.
Romance! All kinds except sweet or
inspirational. It’s got to steamy in the bedroom!
FUN FACTS:
1. I'd Love to learn to speak Russian.
2. My father taught me to dance.
3. I collect fossils of sea shells and dinosaurs.
4. I love learning about Egypt.
5. My Favorite president is Teddy Roosevelt.
6. I took 12 years of French
7. I collect rare books published between 1800-1910
Excerpt:
Emery held still, didn’t make a sound or
move until she opened her eyes. When she did finally look up at him, he dropped
his head a few inches, his nose touching hers, nuzzling her cheek.
“I’m not like other men, Sophie. Scars are
a sign of strength, survival. Someday you’ll be brave enough to show me, and
I’ll prove you have nothing to be ashamed of. Now, I am willing to accept the
deal you proposed. Are you willing in return?”
She bit her lip. It had been her idea; she
had to see it through. She wanted to see it through, even if it scared the
living daylights out of her.
“Yes. I’ll do it. Your story, my
submission.”
He
kissed her with raw possession, his mouth showing her how wicked it would be
between them. Wild, dark, and completely free. She wanted that more than
anything, the freedom to let go, to give in to the erotic dreams she’d spent
years ignoring but never had felt safe enough to give in to before. His kiss
broke down every barrier, obliterated every part of herself she tried to hide.
Sophie lifted her chin, offering him her mouth, pleading for him. Emery drew a
quick breath, eyes widening before his lashes fell to half-mast, his gaze drawn
to her lips.
When he took her lips, he dominated her with
the depth of his claiming. She breathed him in, like drawing the first heavy
breath upon waking from a thousand-year sleep. Sophie came alive in that single
moment. The woman she’d been all these years since losing Rachel, the scared
little girl fighting against the evils in the world, was gone. In her place was
the woman she’d always wanted to be, a woman not afraid to live her life. She
couldn’t shut this man out like she had her other friends or her family. No. He
demanded she give in to him. Electric tingles pulsed outward from the places
they touched, setting her senses on fire, fogging her mind. His kiss consumed
her—enveloping her until she was lost, set adrift in a haze of desire, longing,
and aching.
She felt his mouth tremble against hers;
he seemed to strain to keep his possession under control, to bank the fires of
his passion. His tongue slipped between her lips, thrusting in time with the
rocking of his hips against hers in tiny circles. He gave up his control and
took her over. His body weighed hers down, his hips rocking into hers. He could
have done anything to her in that moment, and she’d have agreed to it. Sophie’s
inner muscles clenched, empty and wet, yearning for him, but it was his kiss
that was her downfall—almost brutal with craving, as though he was a thirsty
man savoring his first sip of water from her mouth. All his focus, all his
energy seemed to be on her, on her lips.
He tore his mouth from hers, panting
roughly. He cursed savagely and withdrew his hands from her body. She blinked
in surprise when she realized his hot hands had slid up her outer thighs
beneath the mini-skirt. Her chest heaved, her breasts dangerously close to
escaping the confines of her corset. Emery’s eyes slowly tracked down from her
mouth to her breasts. With a rakish grin he pressed his mouth lightly on the
tops of the creamy swells, his tongue darting out as he licked and nibbled a
path back up to her lips. He paused, then feathered his lips at the corner of
her mouth and brushed his nose against hers playfully.
Sophie whimpered at the loss when he
finally drew his head back. It felt like good-bye, but that was foolish; she’d
only just met him and agreed to surrender to him. They couldn’t be done.
Emery sighed, his breath uneven against
her temple. His body stiffened above hers.
“Go home, Sophie. Forget me, this place.
Let it be a peculiar dream, nothing more. I’m not the man for you.” His voice
was harsh.
“No,” she whispered fiercely, but she
wasn’t as sure of herself as she had been. She’d expected a spanking, some
rough kissing. She hadn’t expected to feel so vulnerable and exposed by a man
taking control of her body and owning her completely in a mere few minutes.
“You think you can really survive this
lifestyle for even one minute? You’re vanilla, sweetheart. You wouldn’t ever
let me tie you up and take you the thousand ways I’d like to. You’d cry when my
hand came down on your ass in punishment. You’re not ready for this.”
She shook her head, furiously fighting off
the swell of tears as her throat constricted. He and he alone had offered her
what her secret dreams and longings had called for night after night. The
phantom lovers that had tormented her to the brink of violent need in her
dreams could never compare to the very real and very heavy weight of his body
on hers at that moment. The devastation of that perfect kiss couldn’t be
undone. The story could wait…but the need…the
desperation to feel alive again…she couldn’t let go of that, not yet.
“No. Take me home with you.” She paused,
calculating each word. “Please, Sir.”
She was begging. There was no doubt about it for either of them, and as shocked
as she was by her own impulse to beg, she prayed he’d let her go with him.
Emery’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
For a moment, she saw the boy in him, the one he’d been before his world had
been utterly destroyed. The child wasn’t gone, wasn’t dead. Buried yes, but not
dead. He threaded a hand through his hair and remained silent for moment.
Shadows of doubt and indecision danced across his face before he finally
replied.
“How can I resist?” Emery lifted himself
and hauled her to her feet.
Sophie winced. Her back was bruised after
lying on the stone floor beneath him. She hadn’t minded at the time—her body
had been distracted by a thousand other things. But now her shoulder blades and
hips screamed in protest. Emery took her into his arms, rubbing her back,
massaging it with knowing hands.
“Come, I’ll summon my driver.”
“Okay.” She tried to remain calm. She was
going home with Emery Lockwood. One of the richest men in America. Yet it
wasn’t his wealth that made her fight off the rippling tremors at the base of
her spine and in her womb. No, it was the fact that she was going home with a
man who kissed her like she was the last woman on earth and time was ending. If
he kissed like that, sex with him would be the Apocalypse. She’d never survive
it.
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