Uncovering
You
Part One:
The Contract
By: Scarlett Edwards
Releasing March 27th, 2014
Blurb
When I wake up in a
dark, unfamiliar room, I have no idea what's waiting for me in the shadows. My
imagination conjures up demons of the worst kind.
Reality is much
worse:
A collar with no leash. A prison with no
walls. And a life stripped of meaning.
I am presented with
a vile contract and asked to sign. It outlines the terms of my
servitude. The only information I have about my captor are the two small letters
inked at the bottom:
J.S.
Armed with only my
memories, I must do everything I can to avoid becoming ensnared in his twisted
mind games. But in the end, it all comes down to one choice:
Resist and
die.
Or submit, and sign
my life away
Buy Links
Coming March 27th
Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20512700-uncovering-you
Excerpt:
“Lilly.”
Oh God. It’s him.
There’s no mistaking that rich, masculine treble.
What’s he doing down
here?
“M-Mr. Stonehart,” I
stutter, turning. I curse my inability to hide my surprise. He totally caught
me off-guard. I have to look up to meet his eyes. Then up some more.
The face that I find
is so striking it should belong to a Greek god.
He’s younger than I
expected. Late thirties, maybe early forties.
That means he
started his company when he was younger than me!
Dark scruff lines
his angular cheeks. His jet-black hair is styled in long, natural waves. My
fingers itch to run through it.
Totally
inappropriate.
He has a prominent
nose that might be too big on a less imposing man, but on him, it’s perfect.
In short, he’s a
package of the purest masculinity I’ve ever seen.
And then there are
his eyes. Oh my God. His eyes. They pierce into me like honing missiles. They
are the deepest black I have ever seen. They would be frightening if they
weren’t so beautiful. When the light reflects a certain way, you catch a
glimpse of the purple underneath.
They are like
midnight sapphires. His eyes reveal a cunning intellect. Those eyes do not miss
a thing.
Add all that to his
towering height, his wide shoulders, his confident-yet-at-ease posture… and
Stonehart cuts an intimidating figure.
My gaze darts to his
left hand before I can stop it. No ring. He’s unmarried.
He looks down at me,
expectantly. His eyes narrow ever so slightly, and I feel like I’m being
dissected, measured up, and tucked away in some small corner of his brain. I
imagine this is what a gemstone feels like under the magnifying class of the
most critical appraiser.
Stonehart clears his
throat. I come to with a start, realizing I haven’t said anything in ages. I
open my mouth, but the capacity for speech seems like a foreign concept to my
brain. “I—”
Somebody bumps into
me from behind. I stagger forward. I’m not used to these shoes, so my heel
steps the wrong way. My ankle twists under me, and I start to fall.
I don’t fall far.
The hand still on my elbow tightens, and Stonehart pulls me into him.
I plaster myself
onto the solid steel wall the man has for a body. I catch a scent of his
cologne. It’s a deep, musky smell with a hint of charred spruce that is all
male. It scrambles my thoughts even more.
“Sorry!” a rushed
voice calls out. From the corner of my eye, I see the postman giving a hurried,
apologetic wave.
Although the sequence
lasts less than a second, it feels like an eternity. Pressed up against him like
that, I don’t want to move. I know that I couldn’t have made a worse first
impression.
Stonehart eases me
off him with a firm yet gentle grip. Our eyes meet. I flush the most vibrant
red. His fingers graze my forehead as he brushes a lock of hair out of my face.
Any tenderness I may
have imagined vanishes when Stonehart takes out his cell. He long dials a key
and growls an order. “Steven. See the delivery boy leaving right now? Have his
building pass revoked.”
I gape. Stonehart
keeps speaking. “Wait. I thought of one better. Bar his company from accessing
the building.” There’s a pause. “For how long? Indefinitely. FedEx can talk to
me when they have an improved employee selection program in place.”
The phone call gives
me just enough time to compose myself. My heart’s still beating out of my
chest. But nobody has to know that.
I speak without
thinking. “You’re going to restrict the entire company from serving this building
because of that?”
Stonehart humors me
with an answer. “A company’s employees are its most important asset. Their
behavior reflects the organization as a whole. If FedEx decided that clown is
good enough for them, it tells me they’re sloppy. I do not do business with
sloppy organizations.”
“What about the
other tenants in the building?” I ask. “Won’t that piss them off?”
When I hear myself
and realize how improper my question is, my cheeks flame red
again.
Stonehart’s eyes
darken, as if he cannot believe I asked that question. I open my mouth to
apologize for my imprudence, hating the way my professional skills have
evaporated into thin air. I’m cut off by a short, barked laugh.
“Miss Ryder.” He
sounds amused. “I believe that is the most direct and honest question anybody
has dared ask me in weeks.” He takes my elbow again and leads me to the
elevators. I have to take two quick steps to match one of his long strides.
“Yes,” he continues.
“They will be ‘pissed off.’ But the perk of owning a building—” he hits the
elevator call button, “—is that you get to make executive decisions.” He gives
me an unreadable glance as the doors open. “That is, at the risk of being
questioned by inexperienced interns.”
If that isn’t a loaded
remark, I don’t know what is. I flush scarlet red for the third time since I’ve
met him. I’ve never had a man throw me so off balance.
The elevator is
packed, for which I’m infinitely thankful. The trip up will give me some time
to properly compose myself.
Gratitude turns to
panic when the crowd files out, meek as mice, when Stonehart steps in. None of
the people waiting in the lobby follow us.
The doors close. I’m
alone in here with him. My heart’s beating as fast as a hummingbird’s wings.
He catches me
staring. “Impressed?” he asks.
“They know you,” I
manage.
His dark eyes flash with amusement.
“Astute.”
Review ~
First let me tell you what I didn't realize when I agreed to review Uncovering You ~ I didn't realize it was a serial / series. I am really glad I read it because I might have missed out, but this is only the first installment so be prepared to be left hanging a bit. But don't let it being the first installment make you think that it's a really short story, this is novella length (I think the PDF was about 125 pages).
Lily is a kick-a$$ character. She is strong even in the face of adversity. I did really enjoy getting so much of the back ground ahead of Lily's turmoil rather than a bunch of flashbacks in an otherwise developing story. This installment is really just the beginning of what looks to be a dark and dangerous journey for Lily. We don't learn a lot about J.S. yet. I expect that is to come in future installments.
Uncovering You is a dark story. Whether it will be dark erotic, a little more horror or even a thriller remains to be seen. I have to admit while I enjoyed Part One, I was left feeling disappointed there wan't more. If I get the chance to review part two, I will probably jump on it otherwise, I might just wait until all of them are out and then pick them all up so I can get lost in the full story.
Author Info
I’m Scarlett Edwards. I wrote my first book as a college sophomore. After six months of edits, it made its debut as Yours to Savor.
That was at the start of 2013. I’ve written more books since then. You can find them all here.
It’s funny how quickly life changes. I used to think I’d need a degree to get a “Real Job.” Then I wrote a few books, they got somewhat popular, and now I’m living the life as a full-time romance author.
Thanks to all my readers for making my dreams come true!
That was at the start of 2013. I’ve written more books since then. You can find them all here.
It’s funny how quickly life changes. I used to think I’d need a degree to get a “Real Job.” Then I wrote a few books, they got somewhat popular, and now I’m living the life as a full-time romance author.
Thanks to all my readers for making my dreams come true!
Author Links
Awesome giveaway!! Thank you for the chance to win! ^_^
ReplyDeletegreat giveaway!
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