Hardened (28 page)
Authors: Ashe Barker
A Scandalous Arrangement
After a foolish wager costs her brother ownership of the weaving mill in Yorkshire which provides her income, Victoria Wynne is left with no choice but to confront the man who took the bet and seek to dissuade him from claiming his prize. Unfortunately for her, that man turns out to be Adam Luke, an experienced, ambitious entrepreneur who is intent on keeping what he won.
Upon meeting her, Adam is enchanted by Victoria’s beauty and charm as well as her nerve and self-reliance. Adam is a man of singular tastes, and when Victoria asks to manage the mill in return for a share of the profits, he offers her a bold proposal of his own. She will continue to run the mill as she has for years, but in return for a substantially larger portion of the profits she will also serve at his beck and call behind closed doors, submitting to him in any way he desires.
Wanting to earn enough money to buy back the mill as quickly as possible—and with some part of her shamefully aroused by the thought of kneeling naked at Adam’s feet—Victoria accepts his terms. But submission initially proves difficult for a woman used to running her own affairs, and soon enough she finds herself bare-bottomed over his knee for a firm lesson in obedience.
Adam’s plans for Victoria run much deeper than just an occasional spanking. She will be stripped naked, bound, and teased until she is aching for release, and then at last he will take her long and hard. As Adam continues to train her, teaching her to yield to his mastery while bringing her more pleasure than she ever thought possible, Victoria cannot help falling for him. But can a lifelong bond truly emerge from such a scandalous arrangement?
Her Noble Lords
After eighteen-year-old Linnet Routh is kidnapped from her home in Wellesworth castle by Ralf, the powerful, handsome Earl of Egremont, and his identical twin brother Piers, it quickly becomes clear to her that the seasoned warriors have mistaken her for someone else. Convinced that she is Lady Eleanor, a noblewoman who was promised in marriage to Ralf yet has refused to wed him, the brothers bring Linnet to a church with plans to compel her to speak her vows.
Linnet attempts to steal a horse from Piers and make her escape, but when she is caught her efforts end up earning her a thorough, humiliating bare-bottom spanking. Though terribly embarrassed by the manner of her chastisement, she cannot help becoming helplessly—and shamefully—aroused by the punishment.
When the brothers recognize the truth of Linnet’s claims at last, she expects to be cast aside as a mere commoner. To her surprise, however, they instead offer to make her their shared bride, and despite her misgivings about the idea Linnet agrees to the union. As they each take their turn to claim her, the pleasure of their dominant lovemaking leaves her yearning to be taken long and hard by both of them at once, and soon a passionate romance has grown between Linnet and her noble lords. But when tragedy strikes will it bring a permanent end to their newfound happiness?
The Highwayman’s Lady
After the death of her mother, twenty-year-old Imogen Bennett faces the prospect of being coerced into marriage by a scheming relative, but fate intervenes when a masked highwayman accosts her on the road. Desperate to escape the unwanted wedding, Imogen pleads with the mysterious, handsome rogue to rescue her.
Alistair Graham is a proud Scotsman who rebelled against British rule, and since the defeat of the highlanders at Culloden he has taken to robbing rich Englishmen travelling through Scottish lands. He is no gentleman, but he is certainly not a man who would ignore a young woman’s pleas for help, and he agrees to do what he can to assist the beautiful girl he has waylaid.
Though Alistair warns her that he expects a woman’s complete obedience both in bed and out of it, Imogen cannot help being drawn to him, and she soon finds herself longing for him to take her hard and thoroughly. When he claims her, Alistair’s mastery of her virgin body leaves Imogen utterly spent yet still aching for more, but after her shock at her own wantonness leads her to speak disrespectfully to him he bares her bottom and punishes her soundly.
A highwayman is no suitable match for a lady, however, and Alistair fears that her association with him can only put them both in danger, so he makes her promise that she’ll tell no one about what took place between them and then ensures that she is delivered safely to the home of her honourable cousin in Kirkleven. Yet despite her best efforts to put Alistair out of her mind forever, in her heart Imogen knows she will always belong to the man who rescued her, mastered her, and made her his. But will her highwayman ever return to reclaim his lady?
You can find author interviews, excerpts of upcoming books, and general thoughts from Ashe Barker via her blog, her Twitter and Facebook pages, and her Goodreads profile, using the following links:
https://twitter.com/ashebarker