Blurb:
There's no Heaven . like Hell.Faced with losing Pandora Productions as well as her best friend Rebecca to the smarmy Paul, savvy film executive Debbie makes a pact with the demon Shaker, agreeing to bind herself to him as his human master in return for killing Paul and securing Pandora’s future. Yet even as Pandora gains accolades and renown, Debbie’s strong resolve begins to crumble under the weight of her actions. And the pleasure she finds in Shaker’s arms is becoming more than sex.
Is Debbie doomed to lose her heart as well as her soul to a demon who has only been waiting for the chance to claim both?
Excerpt:
“Mistress?” Shaker said, appearing beside her. “Do you want
anything tonight, or would you prefer to be left alone?”
Debbie looked at him uneasily. Since his confession of
murder, she had asked him most nights to leave her. At first, she’d been
worried her commands would anger him, but Shaker just nodded each evening and
disappeared.
There had been enough of intrigue. Debbie had too many
unanswered questions. It was time she faced up to the truth. “I need answers to some questions, Shaker. And I need the
truth.”
Shaker inclined his head amicably. “You have only to ask.”
“Did you do something to help with Dante?”
Shaker nodded. “He’s a slippery one, otherwise he’d have
already met with a nasty accident like his dad. But I found it far easier to
distract than destroy.” He leaned back against the doorway frame, making it
creak in protest. “You’d be surprised how easy that is.”
“What did you do? Exact actions, Shaker.”
“Apologies, Mistress. I was not aware you wanted particulars.
I appeared in front of his lover’s car on the road. She crashed
it—predictably—and broke several bones. His father’s promotional company, Panko
Promos, was in bankruptcy, as you know. That was not my doing, but I also
arranged for the CEO to think he needed to flee to Mexico.” Shaker smiled. “Not
hard to do, since it was his actions that had led to the financial woes. But I
helped him decide to destroy all his files. With no backup, Paul is not going
to be able to rally from that bankruptcy. Point of fact, that meeting you have
tomorrow is not about promos for Pandora, but is an emissary from Dante asking
for you to buy his company in an effort to save it—and his stock—from
annihilation.”
Debbie stared at Shaker. “Panko isn’t coming to meet with me.
The name is—”
“Paul tried renaming the company in an effort to avoid his
creditors, but that failed,” Shaker interrupted. “I think you’ll find the
company an asset, with the right person at the helm. And you can give it a new
name. One with a bit more flair, perhaps?”
“That’s good,” Debbie said, feeling relieved at no mention of
blood or dismemberment. “What else did you do? Pandora has had a run of good
luck recently.”
“I’ve been busy of late,” Shaker intoned seriously, then
laughed. “Mostly a few words in the right people’s ears. As you know I can
appear and disappear anywhere practically at will. You have a good quality
company, Mistress. Just a few notes left on a desk or whispered reminders
during sleep are enough to get some good people interested in working with you,
such as that actor Jett Black.”
“And the governmental red tape? I heard it’s no longer an
issue.”
“The red tape I can’t take credit for. Giorgio did that on
his own, with a few sexual favors. But as both parties enjoyed themselves from
what I saw, I’m not sure it’s even immoral.”
“Did you instigate that?” Debbie asked.
“I don’t need to encourage lust in humans as a rule,” Shaker
replied easily. “Your race manages that in spades on its own with no assistance
from the demon world.”
“What about the new pictures Sheila procured? Or our new set
artist Caroline, whose scenery is unbelievably real yet seems to cost us almost
nothing? Or Saul—?”
“You know, you really surprise me, Mistress. Wanting to know
the gory details is usually strictly a male request—”
“Tell me the Goddamn truth, Shaker!” Debbie shouted angrily.
“Did you have a hand in this?”
Shaker strode toward Debbie, his red eyes glowing in the
dimness of the room. An evil feeling snaked its way through the room, making
Debbie shiver.
“You know I did. I made sure there were no offers on those
pictures. All but one buyer was persuaded solely with the evil feeling of my
presence whenever they acted to procure the film rights…that same evil that is
making you tremble now. Then I drove the one buyer who wouldn’t back down
insane with images of torture every time he went to sleep.
“Caroline is an acquaintance who was looking for work. All
you need to know is she has magical ability, which is where all those cost
savings come from. She knows how to keep her head down and produce, and that is
all you need to know.”
Debbie opened her mouth to speak, but Shaker took another
step closer, silencing her.
“Hiring Saul was Manny’s doing, not mine. I killed him
tonight, framing Manny for the deed easily.” Shaker laughed. “Manny will likely
kill himself with a little prodding. Smile, Mistress. Your flop of a picture
just got a hell of a lot more exclusive with a dead lead.”
Debbie sat down hard in her easy chair, her mind reeling.
“Actors die every day of overdose or accidents on the set, Shaker. It’s not a
big—”
“Not one who was stabbed twenty-seven times in their billiard
room with the broken end of a pool cue,” Shaker stated with a grin. “Not one
active in seven separate charities with a loving trophy wife who was captured
on film holding the ragged remains of her husband by her astute stepchild.
He’ll be selling those pictures before dawn comes for a pile of money.” Shaker
laughed. “The wife herself will likely contact you about donating all Saul’s
proceeds from the film. In any case, Pandora will benefit immensely.”
“I never asked you to kill anyone,” Debbie said defensively.
“I never asked you to—”
“You asked me to save your company, and I’ve done it,” Shaker
shouted, the boom of his voice shaking the room like a small earthquake. He
loomed over her. “What did you think was going to happen? I’m a demon out of
Hell! What did you think I would do when you unleashed me on your enemies?”
“These are human beings—”
“Who matter as much as insects splattered on a windshield,”
Shaker snarled. “Humans are just another species who think that they are
superior to all others…a prevalent notion in all evolved creatures. They are not.” He stared down at her. “You are
not superior to me, Mistress.”
Debbie looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “But I am
human. How do I know you won’t hurt me, too, Shaker?”
“Honestly?” he said gruffly, his expression softening. “You
don’t. But the same could be said of any human man you know, Mistress.” He
leaned in closer, tilting his head. “And I kiss better than most.”
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Author Bio:
Tara Fox Hall's writing credits include nonfiction, erotica, horror, suspense, action-adventure, children's stories, and contemporary and historical paranormal romance. She is the author of the paranormal fantasy Lash series and the paranormal romantic drama Promise Me series. Tara divides her free time unequally between writing novels and short stories, chainsawing firewood, caring for stray animals, sewing cat and dog beds for donation to animal shelters, and target practice. All of her published children's stories to date are free reads on www.childrens-stories.net.
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