Surrender to Sanctuary

  • Romantic Suspense
  • Adult (erotic theme)
  • 375 pages
  • eBook available at Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99
  • Print version available at Amazon for $7.99

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO?

A young woman is brutally murdered, her body dropped into the sea and carried by the tides onto the beach at a federal park at the Jersey Shore.  Hometown investigators believe the woman simply partied too hard and fell overboard, but FBI Agents David Owens and Anna Parker know better.

David and Anna quickly trace the victim’s path from a local adult BDSM club to a dangerous and shadowed world that caters to those who practice a lifestyle of domination and submission, and not just for fun and games.

To find the truth and stop a madman before he can kill again, they will need to break all the rules. They will need to pose as Master, and as slave. And despite their growing attraction and possibly love for each other, they’ll need to give the performances of their lives – because discovery means certain death.

SURRENDER TO SANCTUARY is the first of several stories that take a look at a controversial ancient lifestyle and the people who practice it—people who’ll do anything to protect its future.

The story behind the story

This story takes place against the backdrop of an alternative lifestyle that is loosely based on a male-dominant practice called Taken in Hand. Before and while writing the book, I did a lot of research online. I read blogs from the perspectives of both men and women to get a feel for the emotions. I read handbooks and articles about the rules and procedures and looked at online photos of real people. I’m not claiming that I got it 100 percent accurate, but that wasn’t my goal. This is a fictional setting, a story. As far as the lifestyle itself, I neither judge nor advocate. I know it’s not a lifestyle that suits everyone, and that it’s hard for many on the outside to understand (I’m there with you!), but I was and am intrigued by the real women, strong women, who choose it.

When the book released and I had to promote it, I got a lot of teasing from my friends and co-workers because of the erotic nature of parts of the story. I kept telling them, “It’s fiction…just a story! It’s not autobiographical!” To this day I don’t know if they believe me. 🙂

Excerpt

David and Anna meet with a mentor to learn how to convincingly portray a couple in this lifestyle.

**Warning:  Explicit content. By continuing to read, you acknowledge that you are over the age of 18.

Next thing he knew, his partner had draped herself face down over the leather padding, on her knees with her arms stretched out on either side. Paula knelt and snapped the built in restraints to her wrists and legs. “Comfortable?” she asked, and at Anna’s murmur she stood.

He couldn’t help but look. Despite the bonds, Anna lay there relaxed, her eyes closed as if she waited for a lover. Her skin was pale gold in the dim interior lighting, the curves from her back to her feet soft and sensual. Inviting. His brain made the connection with his feet and hands, sent the primitive signal to take what he saw. For an instant he swayed forward, nearly touched. Instead, he snapped his eyes away and swallowed the urge.

Paula was examining the wall of whips. “Pain play is only one form of technique used to induce pleasure, which Master will often follow with sensory play with soft materials, like fur or silk.” She chose a small leather strap, like a belt, and handed it to him. “I assume you don’t know what to do with it, in the context of play.”

“You assume correctly.” His voice sounded tense to him, low and gravelly behind the pounding of his heart. If she noticed, she ignored it and continued her lesson.

“That’s not surprising. It’s not easy, you know. The skilled master works at it, learns the techniques that will bring the most pleasure to the slave. Not only must he remain in total control, but he must be empathetic, listening and watching for any signs of true distress. He has to know how much strength or pressure to use. He has to learn her body, decide whether she might like the strokes hard and fast, light and prolonged. Or maybe both.”

“Uh-huh.” He shifted his feet, tried to convince himself this was a clinical discussion, that his hand wasn’t sweating around the grip of the lash. And he fervently hoped that Paula Runco couldn’t tell how completely aroused he’d become in the past few minutes.

Somehow he doubted he’d fooled her though because she laughed softly, one of those knowing kinds of laughs that women excelled at. But she stooped to unfasten Anna before facing him again. “Now the big question. Can you pretend, just for a few days, that Anna would want that kind of guidance, that kind of strength? From you?”

***