Revenge is a hot, bitter dish when served up enthusiastically by someone empowered by extra steam.
Blurb:
Heidi Labeidi, a successful Nevada brothel owner, had the world by its tail until her deceptive lover Stan Graves disposed of her. Lost somewhere between life and the afterlife, Heidi materializes in her former home thirty years after her death. She has a second chance and she’s hell bent on solving her own murder.
With a knack for creating pleasure-inducing trinkets and furniture, Edward Brady is an eccentric mad scientist on the verge of greatness. He’s also in desperate need of an assistant and his problems are solved when he discovers a sensual ghost enjoying his sex toys.
Heidi has something to offer Edward but her assistance comes at a price. And when Edward becomes an assassin’s mark, only Heidi can help him. Will Edward barter with a ghost who can save him and if he does, will the former madam become the one woman Edward is unable to resist?
Excerpt:
Heidi squeezed his fingers. “You’re a thoughtful man, Edward, but trust me when I tell you: I’ve ruined many a man’s reputation. You’re considered a genius in this town. You don’t want this city to turn its back on you right now. You’re on the verge of something great and I want to come along for the ride.” She slid her arm under the table and touched his knee. “And I want a lot of rides with you, Edward.”
His damn prick was ready to negotiate the terms.
You do?” Edward asked, engaging himself in what must’ve looked like an odd one-sided conversation. By the time he realized what he was doing, half the restaurant’s customers were now turning around, staring at him with marked curiosity.
Heidi tilted her head toward some of the patrons. “You’re seated at a table for two. You requested a couple of wine glasses. Two meals have been served. This seat is vacant and you’re holding a hand that doesn’t exist.” She looked down at their entwined fingers. “Your thumb is jerking as if you’re massaging my wrist. You don’t think this is newsworthy for the Las Vegas Lifestyle Magazine?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” Edward admitted. “If I can see you, then they must.”
“No, Edward,” she said, standing.
He stood too as a polite gesture.
“I don’t exist in your world. You’re the only one who can see me.”
“Then I’m one lucky guy.”
Heidi held her shoulders back. A quick tilt of her head sent ringlets tumbling across her shoulders. “That depends on who you ask at the moment. In public situations like this, I recommend that you listen and let me do the talking. Some here are ruthless snakes when it comes to tearing down a man’s reputation, especially one like yours, and they’ll be anxious to poke fun at the crazy man, the man who inevitably will catch the eye of their women because of his deep pockets.”
“What’s that mean, exactly?”
“You’re about to make millions, the kind of money this city hasn’t seen since the days of Howard Hughes, and you’re acting as crazy as Hughes himself.”
“I’m not hungry,” he told her, feeling like he’d known her at another point and time in his life. “I want to take you home and—”
“And what, Edward? Get to know me?”
“Yes.”
She took a deep breath. “Oh for heaven’s sake, sit down and finish your meal and then meet me at the curb. As long as you’re looking at me like I’m dessert, there’s no way you’ll enjoy your dinner. Besides, you’re drawing too much attention.”
“I would think someone in your line of work craves center stage.” he pointed out, snapping at her.
Heidi leaned forward. “Careful, Edward, everyone is staring now.”
Excerpt Two:
A few seconds after the hand-job, she tucked him in his pants and redressed quietly. He stared at her in disbelief. “You are most definitely a tease.”
“No, Edward. I’m not,” she assured him, adjusting her simple sleeves.
‘Then do you mind telling me why you didn’t finish what you started?”
“Of course not,” she said, crossing one long leg over the other. “Lesson number one is just for you, Edward. You may have a whore in your lap, with your cock in her cheek, but you never, ever make the implication you believe she’s old, used and cheap.”
“I made you feel that way?”
She tilted her head down and with wide eyes, she confirmed it. “Yes you did, Edward.”
“You’re the one who said you’d given head a few times. Not me.”
She smiled, placed her hands in her lap and looked straight ahead. When they pulled into the parking lot of the towers where Edward lived, she said, “And you suggested I may have been out of practice which was a direct slam to my age.”
“It wasn’t.”
“It was, Edward,” she said, pushing her hair over her shoulders. She tilted her head toward the driver approaching them. “Try not to act like a scorned lover when you get out of the car. Remember, he can’t see me. I’ve learned from experience those employees closest to you are the first to run their mouths when things begin to spiral out of control. The last thing you need is your driver telling a reporter you’ve lost it.”
The limousine driver opened the door. Edward stepped out. He was brewing. Not only did he have a hard-on, he had a complicated woman to credit and blame. Not only did he have someone to blame, he couldn’t publicly point an accusing finger her way.
“Did you have a nice dinner, sir?” the driver asked, trying to make small talk while Edward retrieved his wallet.
“We did,” he reported. “Thank you.”
The driver accepted his tip and arched a brow. “Did you meet friends while you were out?”
Heidi studied her fingernails. “You didn’t listen.”
“How the hell was I supposed to listen when I’m standing here with blue balls?”
“I beg your pardon, sir?” the driver fired back.
Heidi yawned. “Since your dick seems to be the only thing you can think with, see if it can help you worm your way out of this. I’m waiting upstairs.”
She was gone in a flash and Edward wished he could disappear just as rapidly.
“Sir, are you feeling okay?”
“No, Truman,” Edward replied. “I’m not. I apologize for the outburst. I’m hearing voices tonight.”
Truman frowned. “Sir, I’d strongly advise against telling anyone else about voices. You know how people like to talk.”
Aspen Mountain Press
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