I am delighted to have the wickedly talented Sierra Cartwright visiting today. Sierra is celebrating the release of Command, the third installment from her Bonds series.
Let the Music Move You!
By Sierra Cartwright
From the familiar strains of the Star Wars score to a fifties doo wap, to Lady Gaga, music has the power to change, set, and evoke a mood.
Have you ever been listening to the radio when a song comes on that brings up a flood of emotion? I have. I remember the (seeming) tragedy of breaking up with my high school boyfriend. I repeatedly played the same song as I sobbed. (Come on, admit it. You did the same thing!)
Alternatively, at my wedding reception last year (different guy!), we selected The Twist as one of the songs that would play toward the end of the reception. Everyone, young and old, got up from their seats and headed to the dance floor. People were smiling, huffing and puffing, wrenching their backs, but always cheering for one another.
Just the opening notes of Amazing Grace brings tears to my eyes. It takes me back to a funeral that had a lone bagpiper standing near the grave. It reminds me of a lantern tour I took through a cavern. One of the young men with us began to sing, and we all stopped, gathered round with our lanterns raised and listened, astounded.
When it’s time to get on my mountain bike and attempt a challenging ride, I select Eye of the Tiger on my iPod. When I need to get on the treadmill, you can bet Lady Gaga is thumping out the tunes to get me moving faster.
I’m really choosy about what I listen to. I know the power of music, and I want to use it. That’s why I don’t do housework to a ballad. I’ll be crying over the Swiffer instead of shaking my groove thing to get it done.
I write hot, erotic novels with BDSM elements. When I create, I generally listen to music that fits the scene my characters are experiencing. Since I want to be in their mindset, I’ll choose a ballad for the early parts of a love scene. I’ll choose something bluesy if they’re struggling emotionally. I’ll cue up Nine Inch Nails for an intense BDSM club scene or play Enya as I’m writing about a sensual flogging.
In Command, the final book in the Bonds trilogy from Totally Bound, music plays a big part for my hero, Grant. He’s a Dominant, and he’s somewhat intrigued by his reluctant houseguest, the beautiful, hesitant Aria DeWitt. During an evening together, he purposefully chooses jazz to help set the mood for talking as well as a sexy seduction.
Obviously, it’s not just the music that works. Grant’s words, actions, focus, attention, and the way he touches her all lead her to trust him and make her fall in love. I’m pretty sure it would have worked with me!
Command
© 2015 Sierra Cartwright
It’d been a long time since Grant had prepared a meal. Her company and her appreciation, applause and all, made the effort worthwhile.
She crossed into the living room and curled up in a corner of the sectional, facing the fire. It surprised him how comfortable she seemed, and how natural it felt to him.
He poured the remaining chardonnay from the bottle into his glass then turned off the kitchen lights before joining her. “Do you dance?” he asked.
“Not well. Well, I can do the line dances at a wedding. And I do an excellent limbo at the roller-skating rink. Or, well, I did when I was ten. But somehow I still keep that image in my mind.”
“Ah, to be as good as we’ve convinced ourselves we once were.”
“Exactly.” She grinned. “And you? Are you good at it?”
“Dreadful.” He slid his drink on top of the mantel. The dog lifted his head and put it back down as if slightly annoyed. “So let’s not dance well together. I’ve already promised that I’ll keep your secrets.”
What he lacked in skill, he made up for in enthusiasm. Since he’d spent more time with electronics than with women in the early college years, he’d missed out on a lot of opportunities to go to clubs and formals.
He moved closer to Aria, held out his hand and waited, telling himself he wouldn’t be disappointed if she refused. But that was a complete lie. He wanted her in his arms, against his chest. And he knew he’d use whatever method it took to get her where he needed her to be.
Common sense urged Aria to run.
She should make excuses and lock herself in her bedroom. If she were smart, that’s exactly what she would do.
Instead she was considering it.
He was impossibly tall, impossibly handsome, impossibly seductive. Like her, he hadn’t changed clothes when they’d arrived home. So he still wore those bad-ass black boots, jeans that showed an ass that was tighter than it had a right to be. The long-sleeved black T-shirt that he’d tucked into his waistband behaved as a second skin since it emphasized the shape of his biceps and the breadth of his shoulders.
Outside, the wind whipped across the valley, driving snow into the windows. But in his living room, a warm fire, a wonderful dinner, a nice wine, intimate conversation and the lure of temptation wove an indelible spell around her.
She reminded herself that this man was a Dominant, and he made her nervous. Despite herself, she was curious what it might be like to have sex with him, to fall under his powerful, masculine spell.
Nerves flooded her, making her giddy as she admitted the truth to herself. Part of her wanted to wanted him.
With seemingly infinite patience, he remained where he was, not pushing for a response, but she knew that taking this step might lead to something more. She also sensed that he’d allow her to move at her speed. Finally, she gave voice to her fears. She wondered who she was hoping to convince. Him? Or herself? “Dancing with you could be an insanely bad idea.”
“It could.”
“We’re coworkers.”
“Also true.”
“Sleeping together might really muck things up.”
“Another valid point.”
“I wish you’d try to talk me into this,” she said, “or out of it, for that matter. Something.”
He grinned. “A dance doesn’t have to lead to sex.”
“But it probably will.”
“If you want it.” He swept his gaze over her. “Because I sure as hell do.”
The music segued into something a little more seductive, and he took the opportunity to draw her in. Willingly, without resistance, she went. She appreciated his strength, the way he naturally took charge. It should have frightened her. Instead, it ensnared her. “I’m curious.”
“Go on,” he encouraged.
She’d wanted to ask at dinner, but this way, not looking directly into his eyes, was easier. “How would you introduce someone to your BDSM world?”
“I already have.”
Adrenaline skittered through her.
He placed a hand on her derrière and brought her against him.
Command
Bonds #3
Sierra Cartwright
Totally Bound
February 27, 2015
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With all she has to offer, she’s his to command…
Aria DeWitt is a runaway bride. Only months away from her wedding, she panicked, returning her engagement ring and donating her gorgeous gown to charity.
She’s less than pleased when she’s reassigned to a new work project and sent to work with Grant Kingston in the middle of nowhere. She knows of his reputation as a recluse and genius, but she isn’t prepared for how handsome, powerful and deliciously Dominant he is or how he ignites something inside her that no man ever has.
Grant isn’t happy when his cherished solitude and creativity are shattered by Aria’s unwanted and unwelcome arrival. That is until he glimpses her carefully concealed vulnerability. Aria’s confidence and responsiveness intrigue him, ensnaring him in a way he’d never believed possible, chipping away the ice that shrouds his heart.
As he interacts with her, he realizes why she ran from marriage. She’s never met someone strong and complex enough to hold her interest. And suddenly, he’s determined to be that man.
Sierra Cartwright was born in Manchester, England and raised in Colorado. Moving to the United States was nothing like her young imagination had concocted. She expected to see cowboys everywhere, and a covered wagon or two would have been really nice!
Now she writes novels as untamed as the Rockies, while spending a fair amount of time in Texas…where, it turns out, the Texas Rangers law officers don't ride horses to roundup the bad guys, or have six-shooters strapped to their sexy thighs as she expected. And she's yet to see a poster that says Wanted: Dead or Alive. (Can you tell she has a vivid imagination?)
Sierra wrote her first book at age nine, a fanfic episode of Star Trek when she was fifteen, and she completed her first romance novel at nineteen. She actually kissed William Shatner (Captain Kirk) on the cheek once, and she says that's her biggest claim to fame. Her adventure through the turmoil of trust has taught her that love is the greatest gift. Like her image of the Old West, her writing is untamed, and nothing is off-limits.
She invites you to take a walk on the wild side…but only if you dare.
Check out Sierra's new Bonds website.
Totally Bound is giving away one copy of Command plus three books from Sierra's back ist to one lucky winner! To enter, visit the link below.
Good Luck!
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