MARKED is now officially out!

MARKED is available at most distributors, including:

- eXcessica 
- All Romance eBooks 
- BookStrand 
- Smashwords

- Amazon Kindle

- Barnes&Noble Nook 

- Fictionwise

As as promised yesterday, here's the first chapter:

Chapter One: Slip of the Lips

“I miss big tits.”

Faye’s head jerked up at her neighbor’s comment. “Excuse me?”

Jake groaned, a faint blush tinting his cheekbones. “Did I say that out loud?”

“Yes.”

“Shit. Sorry, Faye. It’s just…”

He let his voice trail, her interest spiking at his uncommon show of indecisiveness. She’d never seen him like that before. He was usually the epitome of cool, with his expensive clothes and abrupt attitude. When she’d moved into this house, she hadn’t counted on her roommate’s best friends living next door. She remembered meeting them that first day, taken aback at the sight of the most beautiful couple she’d ever seen. She’d felt so frumpy in comparison, her with the too bountiful curves and crazy hair.

Jake’s body was honed to muscled perfection. His girlfriend had the requisite model looks. They lived in the perfect house and had perfect jobs, working from home as consultants. It was a good thing they were both very nice, otherwise Faye would seriously hate them.

“It’s just what?” She couldn’t help but ask.

His gaze lowered to the deep V of her shirt. “I miss big tits. I love Sofia, but she doesn’t have much on top. Yours, on the opposite, are more than a handful.”

Faye blinked. He hadn’t really said that, right? His girlfriend was so hot it hurt. She had professionally highlighted blonde hair that hung straight down her back; professionally tanned skin that made her blue eyes pop, and professionally whitened teeth that sparked like diamonds. And here he was, commenting on her breasts. No way was this real! “Right.”

“Sorry, Faye. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“It’s, uhm, okay.” The napkins she’d been holding fell to the floor when she realized she hadn’t been dreaming. With a low curse, she bent over to retrieve them, catching a wayward one with her left hand and nearly falling over while she was at it.

“Fuck, babe, you’re not helping.”

Faye grabbed hold of a table leg and looked up. “What?” She pushed herself upright and winced a little at the subsequent headrush. She kept her hands busy stacking the napkins on top of one another, while she did her best to ignore Jake’s intense gaze. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she was pretty sure he was staring at her cleavage again. What an odd thing to say though. They were friends, of course. All four of them were, but did he really have to talk to her about her breasts? No, even worse, compare them to his girlfriend’s? Maybe he’d had one beer too many, she thought, as she tried to remember how many he’d downed that afternoon.

“Faye?”

She jumped at his voice suddenly so near. She whirled around and nearly headbutted him. “Shoot, Jake, you scared me!”

He ignored her, instead saying, “Can I ask you something?”

She gulped. “Sure.”

“Can I touch them?” He lowered his head once again, his green eyes darkening. “Please?”

“Having fun, guys?” Her roommate’s voice rang behind them, interrupting the moment. “Babe, where are the steaks? Sofia’s starving, she says. You wouldn’t believe how much she eats by looking at her, but I swear she gulps down her weight in food on a daily basis.” Chris chuckled as he opened the fridge and looked inside.

Faye remained immobile, a disturbing hardness pressed tight against her stomach. What was going on? Had their friend really just asked if he could touch her breasts? What the hell was wrong with him?

The weight lifted as Jake took a step back, then ran an agitated hand through his hair. “Fuck,” he muttered.

Chris closed the fridge door with a loud bang. “Can I ask why your erection was trying to drill a way into Faye?”

“Shit.” Jake’s head hung down. “I just… They were right there and they looked so…so tempting!”

“What did?” Sofia asked as she entered the room and went straight to her boyfriend. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, her eyebrows snapping together when she noticed his pants tenting. “Well, hello there.”

Jake swore. Loudly, this time. “Can we please all ignore it until it goes away?”

“I don’t know.” Sofia teased. “Do you want me to do something about it?”

Faye watched her roommate watch the other couple. He was grinning, obviously enjoying the sexy banter. She wondered, and not for the first time, if there was more to things than she’d been told. She’d been living here for the past two months and she really did enjoy it. Everyone was really nice. They’d all made her feel welcome, and she was grateful. But the other couple was a bit odd at times, and Chris…Chris was hiding something from her. Maybe it was the way he stared at Sofia when he didn’t think she could see him, or maybe it was the fact that he’d clearly implied he was gay, making it all the more implausible, but there was something she was missing. She just wasn’t sure what.

Sofia chose that moment to ask, “What got you so hot?”

“I think I know the answer.” Chris dumped the steaks onto the table and pointed to Faye. “It’s your fault.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “My fault?” her voice squeaked.

“Isn’t it, Jake?”

“Yes, definitely.”

“I didn’t do anything!” She snapped back, crossing her arms in a vain show of defiance. The gesture didn’t help matters as it pushed her breasts together. “You’re so…so… Men!”

They laughed at her reply, Chris’s arm wrapping around her waist and tugging her against his side. “We’re not making fun of you, sweetheart. It’s just that top is very…how should I say?”

“Low cut,” Jake supplied, his girlfriend giggling behind him.

“It’s too much, isn’t it?” Faye instantly asked, grabbing the neck of her shirt and tugging it up. “I should go get changed.”

“No!” Jake said, his eyes widening. “Please, don’t. I’m sorry I said anything, but I was enjoying the view too much and…I miss big tits. Not that I don’t love yours, babe.” He patted his girlfriend’s hand.

“I could get them done,” Sofia said matter–of–factly, clearly not minding his remark.

“No, I love your tits, baby, and you know how I hate fake ones. It’s just…I miss the way big tits feel. They’re just…” He closed his eyes, lost in silent contemplation. Or, most likely, one very hot daydream.

Faye just shook her head and started to turn around, only to be stopped short by Sofia’s voice. “Don’t worry about Jake, babe. It’s only because he’s had this fantasy about you for months now.”

Faye felt her world tilt. “What?” she whispered.

The other woman giggled, her voice lowering as she added, “He wants to fuck your tits.”

“Sofia!” Jake growled.

“What?” She turned her head. “It’s true, isn’t it? You told me about it. You even got yourself off just thinking about Faye’s breasts. I know you did!”

“You didn’t have to tell her all about it!”

“Guys.” Chris pulled Faye closer against his chest. “You okay, sweetheart?” he asked.

She nodded, her face a blank mask.

“Oh, no.” Sofia’s face shuttered as she realized what she’d done. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Faye. I didn’t realize… I mean, I shouldn’t have said that. Just ignore me, okay? Forget everything I said. Please?” She rushed to her friend. “Please, hon?”

Faye bit her lip, her face suddenly pressed against her roommate’s warm chest. She could feel Sofia’s hand on her back, rubbing up and down as if she was trying to soothe her. But soothe what exactly? She should be feeling flattered instead. Their friend, the one who looked like a god and who lived with a goddess, wanted her. He’d made himself come, fantasizing about her breasts. Wasn’t that amazing? Exciting, even? A flutter of lust drifted through her, her panties suddenly feeling a lot less dry. Shocked by her reaction, she drew back from Chris and blinked.

“Please?” Sofia repeated.

“I’m fine.” Faye couldn’t help but say. “It’s all right. Unexpected, but all right.”

“Really?” Jake asked, his eyes darkening once more. “So, it means I can?”

“Really?” Chris repeated. “Sweetheart, are you sure about this?”

She looked from one to the other, and gulped. They’d apparently misinterpreted her words. Did they really think she’d let Jake touch her? Or worse, fuck her? Trying to find a way to make them see reason, she asked the one thing that stood out in her overly befuddled brain, “What about Sofia?”

Jake replied, as if he’d already sorted it all out in his mind. “We could swap.”

“Swap?” she repeated.

“Yeah, swap partners. It’s quite common in some circles.”

“It is? But…No, hold on! Chris is gay!”

Chris chuckled. “Baby, I’m not gay. I’m bisexual.”

“You are?”

“Yes. Haven’t we talked about this before?” he asked, his expression innocent.

She was sure they hadn’t. And shoot, what had they meant by swapping? Did that mean Chris would have fun with Sofia, while her and…and Jake would have sex? “I–” she cut herself off when she noticed the way her roommate’s eyes had lit up. He was hard, that was plain to see. His eyes were already eating Sofia up, probably imagining what he could do to her. Shit! Would he hate her if she said no, when he obviously wanted this badly? Had he been waiting for this moment for a long time, yearning for Sofia in silence?

As if sensing her turmoil, Chris moved towards her. “It’s your decision, baby. It won’t change anything between us. You know that, right?” 

She looked up at his earnest face and took a deep breath. He’d told her the one thing she couldn’t resist, the one thing that would make the balance tip in his favor. Nodding, she said, “Okay then.”

... I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and really hope you will like the book even more. Feel free to email me (droptheglasses at hotmail dot com) if you want to chat about it!