Title: The Perception Game
Author: Cadence Vonn
Genre: Erotic Romance
Book Blurb:
When it comes to sex, school teacher Camille Weatherby considers herself an exhibitionist. She refuses to allow anyone to control her life, and relationships are out of the question. Any affairs are one-night stands, and the only thing that matters is the pleasure she garners from the thrill of possibly being caught. But an encounter with a hot stranger at a costume party leaves her disregarding that rule.
Millionaire bad boy Garrett Gerard craves control, especially in the bedroom, and money buys what he enjoys. His indiscretions have caught up with him, and his father presents an ultimatum--straighten up or lose the chance to be president of the family business. Camille tests his willpower, and he can't resist showing her what it's like to be with a dominating lover.
When their fling is discovered, Camille and Garrett are forced to fake an engagement to save their jobs. But the more they’re thrown together, the more sparks fly.
Excerpt
Garrett paced his dad’s study. The room, with its mammoth high shelves filled with first-edition books, held no fond memories for him. The leather scent of the books didn’t trigger the erotic emotions that excited his thinking like when he held a crop or flogger. It was dusty and not earthy. He doubted his father ever pulled a volume off the shelf and sat on the uncomfortable window seat that overlooked a dormant garden. He released a soft snort. He’d never look at another window seat without thinking about Alexandra.
He turned his gaze back to the closed door. Being summoned here like a teenage delinquent made him tighten his fists and look for something he could punch. His father couldn’t possibly be mad about his weekend in New York. He stopped pacing and shook his head. It’d only been one night, not a weekend. And he hadn’t been seen with Alexandra, so there wasn’t any adverse publicity this time around.
The door slammed open, and Dominic Gerard filled the gap with his broad shoulders and six-foot, three-inch height. Garrett stood two inches shorter, but today, psychologically it was more like a foot. The man strode over to his desk, slammed down a brown envelope and glared through dark-blue tinted contacts.
“I should fire you on the spot. We had an agreement, and you reneged on your side of the bargain.”
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to.” Garrett’s mind raced. What did his father have in the envelope he kept stabbing?
“Anything short of this woman being your fiancée and you’re fired.”
“You have me at a loss.”
“The top hotel in New York City. Of all places to bring a hooker. Under my name, no less! I can’t believe I raised an idiot. Explain yourself.” He handed Garrett the envelope and sat in his high-backed executive chair, ready to pass judgment.
Garrett’s hands shook as he saw the first picture. Dark and grainy, it showed him and Alexandra on his roof deck, her skirt hiked up and her obvious enjoyment at his face buried against her breast. Thank God she wore a mask. He flipped to the next picture and his mouth dried. He couldn’t swallow. Alexandra was checking into the hotel. Her spiked heels, black stockings, and long coat created a perfect clichéd look for a call girl. The blasted wig added to her dominatrix appearance. If you compared her picture to Halloween night, it was easy to jump to the wrong conclusion.
He almost expired when he viewed the last few pictures. Taken from an angle above them, the camera captured Alexandra’s legs, his arm, hand, bare skin, the whole sordid display of their sexual encounter on the window seat.
“This tramp will certainly be looking for money soon. Did she know who you are?”
Garrett steeled his shoulders, then sat in the chair opposite his father, making him an equal instead of a boy being reprimanded.
“You’ve had me watched.” His voice crackled with anger. “For your information, her name is Alexandra, and she is not a tramp, she’s my fiancée. We’ve kept our relationship a secret. Away from the prying eyes of assholes like this.” He waved the pictures at his father, then proceeded to tear them in half.
His father glared at him. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward. He spoke in a controlled whisper, “You will bring this fiancée to the opening reception Saturday night for the new museum wing. She better be on your arm and smiling with a ring on her finger.”
Garrett stood, not releasing the pictures from his hand. He fisted them into a folded bunch and stormed out of the office. He was sure there were copies available from the source at the snap of his father’s fingers.
He gunned the engine of his Z4, a hint of burnt rubber filled the air as he peeled away from the house.
The audacity of his father having him followed like a common criminal. He tightened his grip, shifted gears, and whipped around the slower traffic, not caring if he got a ticket. What a mucked-up fuck-of-a-mess. He screeched to a stop in his parking place under his building. He sat with his window down, breathing in cold air, the November raw winds starting early this year.
Finding Alexandra meant dealing with her staunch friend, Sidney. He should have known she wouldn’t leave her real address. This whole mess had been as much a game for her as him.
The only thing he had going for him was the diamond ring stuffed in his drawer upstairs for his nonexistent fiancée. It’d been meant for Louisa, lover, submissive, and cheater. Seven years later, he still paid for his over-the-top sexual behavior after the break up. Obviously, his father hadn’t forgotten the string of “ladies” that paraded in and out of Garrett’s life. Now, this.
He needed to clean up this mess, and the first step was to find Alexandra. He yanked out his phone, ready to dial his PI friend. He broke into a jester-wide grin. He had a way of finding her. She’d dialed her own number to reach him. He retrieved his recent-called list and whooped with glee. He pressed “call” next to the number and relaxed back into his Italian leather bucket seat. The sun shone brighter for the first time today.
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Author Biography:
Cadence has been involved in the arts since she could pick up a crayon. She has a BFA in photography and silversmithing. If you get a glimpse of her notebooks you’ll discover she’s an accomplished doodler. She channels her daydreams into sizzling hot romances. Now she is living her dream with her husband on Whidbey Island with a view of Puget Sound outside her door. Play a Game With Me and The Perception Game are available now from The Wild Rose Press. Revving Her Heart will be out later this spring.
Social Media Links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CadenceVonn
Website: www.CadenceVonn.com