Rambling Nook with Clarissa Cartharn: Guest Posts

Rescuing Cade by Elodie Parkes

Cade’s trying to get over a broken heart when his friend Jack takes him off to a nightclub, named only, The Club. Although at first Cade is shocked by the place he meets Marissa. It’s not long before he and Marissa get together, but under the pressure of expectations from, The Club, and Marissa’s fear of commitment, they’re both running in opposite directions.

Gorgeous Cade has touched Marissa’s heart in ways she doesn’t want to admit.

Lovely Marissa has lifted Cade’s sadness and opened his heart to love again.

The trouble is — someone has to give a little. Who’s it going to be?

An erotic romance with a sprinkle of vanilla BDSM

Excerpt

Cade took his time drinking his coffee on Saturday morning. He wanted to go out to the street market and call into the coffee shop to buy fresh grounds, but he knew the reminder of being with Marissa there the weekend before would hurt. He drove there and parked in the big flat lot at one end of the High Street. Thoughts of Marissa teased him as he sat for a moment in his car and assessed his feelings. She’d touched his heart and he knew it. He sighed and thrust away the idea of calling into her place on the journey home from the market. She doesn’t want me.

He turned up the collar of his leather jacket against the cool breeze, and after checking he’d locked his car, since his thoughts drifted time and again to Marissa’s lovely face, he stalked off up the street. He avoided the market stalls he and Marissa had stopped at the week before, making straight for the farmers’ market section, where he bought two different kinds of apples and a couple of large potatoes he knew could be put in the oven and baked without him having to hassle around.

When he entered the coffee shop he kept his face turned from the café end and ordered his usual Italian roast grounds, but then, longing to recall Marissa as she gazed at him over the table they shared the Saturday before, he glanced around—and there she was.

She stared at him from a table in the middle of the café.

Cade blinked to make sure he wasn’t just imagining she was there. He paid for his coffee order, and drawn to Marissa’s table as if by some invisible thread, Cade quickly walked over there.

“Marissa, it’s so good to see you. I hoped you’d call me. May I sit with you?” He croaked out the words as his heart flipped about and the urge to pick her up, crush her to his body, and devastate her with a kiss scared him with its ferocity.

She didn’t speak, only nodded an assent at him.

Cade dragged out a chair and dropped his shopping to the floor. He sat down close to Marissa, but still facing her.

She turned her coffee cup around and around in the saucer. Her gaze riveted on the coffee in there.

She wasn’t wearing makeup. Her face was pale and her cloud of brown hair wisped around her heart-shaped face.

Cade smiled noticing for the first time a faded splatter of freckles across her nose. The tremble in her fingers, didn’t escape Cade’s hungry observation. She’s nervous. Is that because she likes me or thinks I’ll make a scene and wishes I’d leave? He reached out and clasped her fingers in his.

Her coffee cup clattered a little in the saucer.

Copyright Elodie Parkes, Evernight Publishing 2015

What’s the background to the story, Rescuing Cade?

I was asked to write a story for an erotic romance anthology. Almost immediately I had my character, Cade, form in my head and a love story for him, but then I was informed the anthology would be BDSM. I thought I’d have trouble with the genre, but the editor of the proposed anthology said, ‘give it a go’. I began to adapt the love story in my mind for the character Cade, thinking I’d have to consider the plot for a short time, but only a few days later the anthology was cancelled. By then Cade was so real to me and a story with a sprinkle of the genre, BDSM, was firmly in my mind, so I wrote it.

The story is much longer than I originally thought it might be, especially when it was going to be for an anthology, and the romance conflict arc is now about both Cade and my heroine, Marissa. As usual, I fell in love with my characters and couldn’t stop writing until they reached their HEA.

I did a little research for this story because I didn’t know much about the type of club Jack, Cade’s friend, takes him to. Once I no longer needed to place emphasis on dominance and submission, the story unfolded easily, interweaving with the original love story I had for Cade when he first began whispering in my ear.

With scorching hot love scenes, tender moments, a dash of angst and a splash of humor this is Cade’s journey to love again.

I hope readers enjoy it.

Character Interview

Visiting today, we have Cade Cassidy from the new Evernight Publishing erotic romance release, Rescuing Cade.

Hi Cade, thanks for coming along to the blog today

Hi, thank you for inviting me. I have to say it’s a little embarrassing seeing my story published, although it’s great too.

What’s embarrassing about it?

Well, without giving too much away, the way Marissa and I meet is unusual, I think … (He looks around and smiles as if remembering it.)

So, Cade, tell us something about Marissa.

She’s pretty, intelligent, lots of fun and best of all she’s mine.

What is, The Club? It’s mysteriously referred to in the book blurb.

The Club, is the name of the BDSM club that my buddy, Jack, takes me to. He’s trying to lighten me up right at the start of the story, because truth is, I was still recovering from a bad break up. There’s a great description of The Club, in the story, which is sexy and gives a good picture of what goes on there.

A BDSM club … Cade are you a Sub or a Dom?

(He stares at me for a moment with his gorgeous blue eyes.)

I’d rather not say. The whole thing is still a little gray for me. (Now he’s smiling.)

Okay let’s have some quick questions.

What’s your favorite, jeans, or a suit?

I wear suits and jeans. I don’t have a favorite because I have some cool suits for work and some great faded denims that I throw on when I’m not working. It took me a while to get those jeans just the way I like them, ripped and faded. Marissa especially likes the tear in the upper thigh part.

Do you ever go commando?

(He grins and his eyes twinkle)

Er, yes, sometimes in my favorite jeans, the ones I just described. Once in a suit when Marissa and I went to The Club to meet with friends there.

Do you like making love with the lights off or on?

Both, either, it depends … Marissa likes candlelight (He smiles)

Coffee or Cola?

Has to be coffee. Are you offering me a cup … I didn’t get breakfast …

One more question. Maybe it’s a moot point since you’ve mentioned The Club, but here is it. In bed, toys or no toys? (Okay, he’s laughing now.)

The answer’s the same as lights on or off, both depending on the situation. I seriously need coffee now.

Five questions for the author

Elodie Parkes is with me today, as she celebrates the release of, Rescuing Cade, from Evernight Publishing.

Hi, Elodie, welcome to the blog. I have five questions for you today. They’re hopefully different from the usual author interviews you do.

Hi, it’s great to be here. (Smiles)

1. Tell us a secret about your books, anything that springs to mind as long as you’ve never told anyone before.

Yikes, that will blow the secret, then, huh. (Grins) Okay here we go. This is scary. It’s not about my new release, Rescuing Cade, from Evernight, but about, Candle Magic, my Dec 23 release with Siren. In my stories there’s always the tiniest part of truth from either my life or from some real life situation and I never tell anyone.

In Candle Magic, my heroine, Simi, tells Jason, my hero, about her family. That part is a truth and it’s about me. Jason is part spirit, part angel made human through the magical connections Simi has triggered by finding a candlestick and buying old candles from an antique shop.

Here’s the snippet.

Reluctantly he pulled away from her lips. “I’m sorry I don’t have a Christmas gift for you. I’d like to have brought you something.”

Surprise showed in her eyes as he gazed at her.

“I have nothing for you either, but we have each other today, and if I hadn’t met you last night, I would be alone today, and from what you’ve said about family, so would you.”

Jason rocked her in his arms, incredibly pleased at what she’d said. “We do have each other. What happened to your family, your parents? Is that prying?” he added, aware it might be something horrible that Simi wouldn’t want to reveal.

“They moved out of the country. They disowned me. I don’t know why really. They just stopped replying to my emails and calls.”

Startled by this sad revelation, Jason hugged her. “I’m so sorry. Do you think something might have happened to them?” He made a mental note to check on that if he returned to the ether.

Simi leaned back in his arms. “Nothing has. I check on them.” She grinned then continued. “They have a surf and ski shop. It has webcams up that show the interior and exterior of the shop to the world. I check it out when I’m online. I see them in there.”

Astounded, Jason stared at her. There were no words to express his surprise, empathy, or sorrow at this bizarre situation.

She must have become embarrassed because she bowed her head silently.

Jason crushed her to his chest, his hand in her hair and his arm around her waist. “Hell, Simi, that must hurt you. I don’t know what to say.” He rocked her again, stroking along her back in an attempt to convey comfort and care. He remembered the Kris Kringle gift, and seeking to lighten the mood, he reminded Simi. “You have that gift from your office party. Open it. It will be fun to see what someone got for you.”

Copyright Elodie Parkes, Siren Publishing.

Thank you for sharing that secret. I’m tempted to ask what the secret fact is in Recuing Cade, but … on to the next question.

2. What do you like most about sex?

Oh no. (Laughs) That’s worse than giving up a secret. I’ll answer. I have no ‘like most’ I like it all. Let’s face it sex is yummy.

3. I see you post a number of gorgeous guys pics on your Facebook page and blog. What part of a man’s body turns you on most?

I like that V shape on a man’s hips, especially when there’s a fine line of hair running down to his … I like shoulders and eyes and stubble and hard asses, then there’s thighs and lips. (Sighs)

4. What’s your favorite cocktail?

Is that a trick question? I actually don’t drink alcohol. I have allergies and I discovered that alcoholic makes them all worse.

5. Are you wearing a matching bra and panties right now?

I am. (She laughs) I most often do. I love pretty underwear, lacey stuff, stockings and garter belts. I’m mostly seen in jeans, boots, and leather jackets, but under them is black silk and lace. I read a jokey thing on Facebook that said only in erotic romance is the girl wearing matching bra and panties. I don’t think that’s true.

About Elodie:

Elodie Parkes is a British author writing romance, erotic, contemporary, and often with a twist of mystery, paranormal, fantasy, or suspense. Her books are always steamy. Her tag is, Cool stories: Hot love scenes.

Elodie lives in Canterbury with her two dogs. She works in an antique shop by day and writes at night, loving the cloak of silent darkness that descends on the rural countryside around her home.