All First Chapter Samples

“Now please take this in the way it was intended. You’re a wonderful model, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to use your skills.” My boss’s overly professional smile as he sat perfectly straight in his chair behind his desk only made me more suspicious.

What had he done?

What skills?

Was his wonderful new opportunity figuring out how to hide Eli’s body because he’d killed him?

Preston was never nervous, so the whole thing was confusing. He was the ultimate cool cucumber because he’d been baptized by fire working with so many drama queens. Not me, of course, I was sweet and calm.

It was the rest of them that were nuts.

Leashes & Lace was a magnet that drew in more interesting people. Something about modeling male lingerie and fetish gear like puppy play tails pulled out people’s more passionate side. At least, that was how Preston had described it the last time a prospective new employee had asked him to describe us.

“I just don’t want you to take this the wrong way.” Preston’s polite insanity had Roman, one of the main photographers and Eli’s partner, snorting from where he was leaning against the far wall behind Preston’s desk.

Coffee and donuts. I had donuts, right?

“Oh, maybe leftover pizza?” It sounded so good, I almost looked away from the screen.

Almost.

But I was so close to being done, I just couldn’t walk away. The pizza could wait until everything in the video was perfect. I was so close.

“Shit.” My stomach might’ve lost the battle to get me away from the computer, but my phone won when the text notification had me nearly jumping out of my seat.

Corey.

He was funny in an odd kind of way and was probably my only friend, so I didn’t ignore his message like I would have with anyone else when I was working. Which was why he was the only person I knew that had their own personalized notification sound.

Maybe I shouldn’t have picked a fire engine, though.

“Driving all over the fucking mountains just to ask random fucking insane people if they’d happened to see a truck full of gold just lying around where it didn’t belong.” I couldn’t stop grumbling as I drove around the curve in the mountain because it’d been a long-ass fucking day. “Because that makes perfect sense and that’s how police work is done when everyone knows everyone else.”

Sure it fucking was.

And no, the idiots I worked with in the sheriff’s office didn’t know everyone in the entire goddamned Blue Ridge Mountains—but it sure felt like I’d been driving over the whole fucking thing.
Just go around and ask nicely. It’s time you met a few more of the locals, buddy.

“There is no way I’m still in the right state, much less the same fucking county where I actually work.” But fuck if anyone would actually point out the goddamned boundaries. “But nooo, it’s all very normal.”

Bullshit.

Nothing about the job worked like it did anywhere else in the fucking US, and the only boundaries seemed to be where the aliens stopped and the normal clueless variety of humans were actually living. That got more and more obvious every time I turned around because the FBI didn’t casually make phone calls asking local sheriffs to poke around for missed armored trucks.

„Ist alles in Ordnung? Du sitzt schon eine ganze Weile hier.“ Um ein Spanking zu bitten und ihn zu fragen, ob er meinen Schnuller suchen könnte, wäre eine etwas unpassende Antwort, vor allem, weil der Mann, der durch den Garten kam, der Vater meines besten Freundes war. „Nein, Mr. Hammond. Ich denke nur nach.“ Er verzog das Gesicht, woraufhin ich grinste und mich leichter fühlte als seit Tagen. „Elliot, bitte. Du bist vierundzwanzig. Ein richtiger Erwachsener. Du duzt mich. Hör auf mit dem Mr. Hammond-Blödsinn.“ Einerseits hatte er recht. Auch wenn ich jung aussah, war ich ein Erwachsener mit Erwachsenenproblemen … aber ich mochte es, ihn Mr. Hammond zu nennen. Es kam der Anrede „Sir“ oder etwas noch Perfekterem wie […]

“If you don’t stop bouncing around, I’m going to tell Master you’ve been good today!” Sawyer’s words burst out once he seemed to reach the end of his rope.

I was excited, but nowhere near hyper enough to be sending his stress levels that high. I’d have been worried, but I knew exactly what was on his mind. Giving him a big smile that made him groan in frustration, I answered him sweetly. “If you do, I’ll tell him you were jerking off in the shower this morning.”

His eyes went wide, but I could see the desire flaring in his eyes. “That’s lying! I did not!”

“It doesn’t matter. It will still get you the punishment you want.” I had to laugh as Sawyer sputtered and sent me dirty looks. “I think he’ll believe me enough that you could find yourself bent over his lap later.”

And even though I’d be lying, Sawyer wouldn’t be able to deny it convincingly enough, because he wanted the spanking.

Desperately.

“Date. Date. Date. Pancakes. Date. Sex.” Bouncing around the kitchen, I tried to remember everything I was supposed to do. It was my turn to clean the kitchen, and I wanted to get it all done before I went to work.

But I knew I’d forgotten something.

“Cooper!” Sawyer’s frustration made me smile, and I looked over toward the fridge where he was standing, trying to dig his lunch out of the back of it. That was what I was supposed to have been doing…clearing out the old stuff.

Giving him a sweet smile, I cocked my head innocently. “Yes?”

He snorted and crouched to grab the plastic container of leftovers. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Because you want pancakes too?” It was date night with Jackson, and I couldn’t wait.