Friday, June 1, 2007

Not tonight, dear, I've got a headache...

SUITE SEVENTEEN by Portia Da Costa

Suite Seventeen cover

As a change from all the kink, I thought I would offer something a little more tender...

Valentino, the prince of perversity, has been felled by a migraine, and Annie has put him to bed in a darkened room with an Imigran and a bit of soothing body heat...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My dream seems to be about Dracula, only the seductive count has Valentino’s face, and I can actually see him in the mirror as he stands behind me. But as his hands come around my body to caress my breasts and his uncharacteristically warm mouth settles on my neck, I wake up.

I don’t know how long we’ve been in bed, but somewhere along the line, we’ve both turned over and now Valentino has me cradled spoon-style against him. Just as Drac was doing, he’s kissing my neck and fondling my breasts though my bra, but the phenomenal erection that’s prodding my bottom is very much from the land of the hot-blooded living.

When I open my eyes, I discover light in the room. It’s muted and smoky somehow, but the fact that it’s there at all is significant.

‘Is your head feeling better now?’ I back up my question with a little wriggle that indicates I’m well aware of his improved condition in other areas.

his mouth

‘Much better now, thanks to you.’ He mouths my neck hungrily, and as I feel the touch of his tongue, he pushes my bra aside and begins to play with a nipple. After a bit of shimmying around, he shifts our position slightly and slides his other hand into my knickers and searches through my pubic hair to find my clitoris.

Oh bliss! This is my reward for my kindly nursemaid act. I sigh and wriggle again as he fondles me, strumming my nipple gently and touching my sex with a slow, comfortable yet infinitely delicious precision. No pleasure-pain games now, just glorious, mind-melting sensations and a sweet generosity of touch. I hook my feet around his ankles and arch like a bow, as a soft glimmering climax gently blooms. I clasp my hands over his as I hit the peak.

‘There… are you feeling better now?’ he purrs as I come back down to earth.

‘Considerably… but I think there’s still a small matter to deal with before we have a conversation.’

‘Small?’ His voice is full of mock outrage as he grinds his erection into the groove between my buttocks, the rolling pressure exciting me all over again. I’m not quite sure if I want to go down that route right now, but I probably wouldn’t take much persuading…

‘Well, a big one then… I was only speaking figuratively.’

Valentino chuckles, gives my erogenous zones one last affectionate squeeze, and then rolls away from me, presumably for one of the condoms he keeps stashed in his bedroom drawer.

I roll too, squirming out of my bra, knickers and my trouser socks as I go.

The lamp is draped in a dark, silky scarf, which explains the subdued lighting. But even with its glow tamped down I can see that Valentino appears 100% better. His handsome face has lost that pinched look, and his skin shines again with the soft, honeyed glow of relaxed health. It’s disgustingly easy how a young fit man recovers.

‘Let me,’ I insist as he turns back to me, foil packet in hand.

Valentino throws back the quilt to give me room, and I find my fingers shaking in anticipation as I roll the rubber down over his marvellous penis. He’s beautiful, sumptuous, utter temptation – and for a moment I toy with the idea of scooting down the bed and taking him in my mouth. But my sex flutters and clenches imperiously, demanding attention.

Mindful of my lover’s preferences, I roll over ready to offer him access from the rear.

‘No, amore mio, not this time…’ His hand on my shoulder is unequivocal, and strong. He puts me on my back and looms over me, his eyes huge and dark in the soft light, ‘Face to face now, Annie. I want to see your eyes and your beautiful face as you climax.’

his eyes

Emotion surges through me like a sea fret driven by a great and significant change. I sense we’re at the beginning of a very special journey, and maddeningly, my eyes fill with tears at the importance of it.

Valentino says nothing, but his own eyes gleam revealingly, and he gently blots away the moisture with his fingertips.

And then begins to kiss me as he moves between my thighs.

He pushes in firmly, adjusting with his hips as he goes, and my body yields as if accepting an old friend. Odd, how sweet and familiar this moment is, despite the fact that we’ve only ever fucked three times before, and one of them was last night, and perversely different. The action is slow and easy, and he rocks his pelvis with fluid, undulating swing. I imagine us dancing, which is an odd fantasy to indulge at a moment like this, yet strangely it seems full of erotic power. Valentino moves with such grace that he must be a demon on the dance floor.

Arching his spine, Valentino pulls back from our kiss and looks down into my eyes just as he said he would. His black hair swings around our faces, and in the dark, metallic depths of his gaze there seems to process a series of questions and also their answers.

He and I are different, in so many ways, but we have the power to resolve every issue that stands between us. Knowledge passes through us, and as one we smile… then kiss again.

But stately, leisurely fucking can’t last forever, much as part of me would love it to. Seductive friction soon begins to up the ante.

Valentino fucks like a fury, his penis pounding me and impacting on a million singing nerve-ends. I feel orgasm speeding towards me like a fireball, and determined to snare it for me he reaches between our bodies and strokes my clitoris to bring me home.

I shout something. I think it’s ‘I love you’, but I can’t be certain of the exact words. His hips moving like a jackhammer, Valentino cries out too, and I’ve a suspicion he’s said more or less the same. I don’t speak Italian, but who needs to when the heart translates the meaning.

luminous


SUITE SEVENTEEN is published on 7th June in the UK and on 7th August in the US.

amazon.co.uk :: amazon.com :: another excerpt

Images courtesy of The Velocity of Vincent

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Hope you enjoyed that!

Please leave a comment... everyone who does will go into a draw for a prize of a couple of books from my backlist. I'll announce the winner in a week or two here on the blog.

Happy Reading

Portia Da Costa
Hopeless Romantic...


64 comments:

Nikki Magennis said...

'The heart translates the meaning' - what a lovely line, Portia.

That's a lovely way to start a Friday with some stately, leisurely fucking! Merci, Madame.

Stacy S said...

Great excerpt. And the covers pretty awesome.

Sue A. said...

I love the way they speak to each other without words. A true meeting of hearts, making it that much more meaningful when their bodies meet.

Portia Da Costa said...

Wow, you three are quick! I didn't expect any comments for a while yet...

I'm so glad you enjoyed the excerpt. I nearly posted the preceding scene... but that was just the migraine itself, with no actual bonking!

Eliza said...

Really should have left it until later to read that,but I couldn't wait....

Really really looking forward to reading the whle thing now...thank you :-)

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Eliza

Hope you approve of what I did with your lovely pix! Can't go wrong, really, with a subject like that though...

I do hope Suite Seventeen lives up to your expectations. 'My' Valentino isn't quite as close a match to 'our' Valentino as Clever Bobby is to the Great Detective, but I'm hoping Vincenzo fans will find lots of familiar clues!

ps. love your avatar... it's just right for the excerpt

Two Voices Publishing said...

Great excerpt, Portia! Usually it's hard to get a sense of a relationship in a short excerpt but you did it here. I want more Valentino!

Vincent Copsey said...

Ah, that makes a lovely start to the morning (okay, so it's afternoon now but I've only just eaten breakfast).

I'm really looking forward to this one, Wendy. It's nice to see a bit of romance mixed in with the kink.

Portia Da Costa said...

Glad you like Valentino, and his relationship with Annie, Bernadette/Jennifer! He was such fun to write... another of my total self indulgences. :)

I'm so pleased you like the romance angle, Madelynne. It's sometimes quite tricky to balance the kinky sex writing and the lurrrve thing, but I'm learning with every book I write.

ps. I haven't had lunch yet, so it's still morning to me! LOL

Saskia Walker said...

Lovely excerpt, made a great start to my day! :) Advance congrats for the publication day. We must celebrate with lunch out.

Michelle Buonfiglio said...

I'm so intrigued by the soft romance of this thing, and the 'calm after the storm/s' imagery is really arousing. Having had wicked migraines, the idea of going to bed with that horrid pain and a lovely little pill, and waking up refreshed to this big Italian reward for the suffering would be divine.

Should I be thinking Vincenzo when I read this? Perhaps I will anyway.

Looking forward to the novel.

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Saskia

I'm glad I started the day well for you! And yes, *definitely* we should have one of our lunches to celebrate S17's publication... Whenever you're out from under your WIP deadline, we'll hit Cafe Revive and frighten all the coffee drinkers and lunching ladies again... tee hee...

Can't wait for that!

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Michelle

I'm so happy you dropped by today! I'll be over at R[B]TB shortly...

Yes, I am a big romantic softie, despite all the kinky stuff I write. And I was inspired to write that scene because I'm a migraine sufferer myself, and I can't think of a better treatment than the one I described. ;)

Yes, you should definitely imagine Vincenzo... his 'look' in this book is inspired by his performance in an indie movie called The Velocity of Gary, in which he sports a lush mane of long black hair. The character in that film is also called Valentino and is an ex porn star... and *my* Valentino might just have appeared in a naughty movie or two in his youth too... LOL

Alison Tyler said...

How funny... Nikki and I are on the same wavelength, because I was moved by the same line:

I don’t speak Italian, but who needs to when the heart translates the meaning.

A delicious excerpt to wake up to. Thanks, Portia!

XXX,
Alison

P.S. The cover is divine!

CrystalGB said...

Great except. Love the cover.

Pamela Tyner said...

Yes, I enjoyed it very much! Thanks for sharing ;)

Anonymous said...

Simply divine, Portia.

Portia Da Costa said...

I don’t speak Italian, but who needs to when the heart translates the meaning.

Must have been having one of my golden moments when I thought of that! They don't arrive as often as I'd like, but sometimes there's life in the old bitch yet! LOL

Crystal, Pamela, Nikki H... so pleased that the excerpt worked for you too! :)

Anonymous said...

From another hopeless romantic.
I wish I'd written that myself, it was a wonderfully meanful excerpt. Looking forward to reading the entire book.

Madeline Moore said...

Here's the pure Portia da Costa phrase that made me shiver, with appreciation or envy...? or a little of both? '...generosity of touch'

Lovely stuff, Portia. What a kinky idea, to post a romantic sex scene! Is this a first for LB?

As you know, I'm a VDO fan myself, so as far as I'm concerned you can use him ALL the time for your hero type guys...I guess you don't know what happened to him at the end of this season so I won't tell you, except maybe to say...all might not be as we have assumed regarding BObby's da.

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Deanna

Ah, I'm so glad my excerpt met with the approval of a fellow hopeless romantic! Hope the rest of the book lives up to its promise...

Portia Da Costa said...

Madeline... fear not, I have a few books and stories coming up that feature VDO in his various guises... you will flip when you read 'Watching The Detective' that's in Love on the Dark Side! LOL

Ah, but I have seen the latest ep. of LOCI... I have 'sources'... [winks to someone who's already posted here] And the implications of what was suggested in 'Endgame' are awesome, and profound, for darling Bobby's state of mind. Poor baby, I think he needs some comfort from us... ;)

Tempest Knight said...

Oh my... *fans* I want to read more!!!

Anonymous said...

OMG, totally gorgeous excerpt, has left me tingling all over! Love it!

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Tempest! I'm hoping to post another excerpt on my own Portia's Prose excerpt blog on the 7th, which is the actual UK publication date... so watch out for that.

Chris... hiya! I must be doing something right if I'm making people tingle! Thanks for dropping by...

ann said...

Valentino, bring me home, pleeeeeeeeease! Pure dream fodder Wendy, at it's Vincent best

I've just impulsively booked a long weekend to see the children in a couple of weeks... if I can resist I shall save Valentino for the flight; more likely I shall be reading it for the second time on the flight, like the well worn pages of EMS

lotsa luv ann xxxx

Anonymous said...

After Endgame Wendy, I've got many plans for my dahling Bobby Bobby ;>)

Portia Da Costa said...

Aha! Ann and MrsBG... welcome to two more of Bobby's 'comforters'! ;)

I'm glad you liked that extract... but I'm v. nervous. EMS will be a hard act to follow, I think, knowing how much you like it. I only hope Valentino's story lives up to Bobby's!

Anonymous said...

Wow! A cold shower is needed after reading this passage. If the whole book is this good, then I can't wait for it to come out.

Jeanette J said...

Very nice excerpt. I hope you do really well with this one

Alana Noel Voth said...

Hi Portia,

Thanks for sharing an excerpt from your forthcoming book.

Not to copy Nx and Alison, but I also dig your "heart translates meaning" line. Perhaps you don't feel as if you experience a multitude of "golden moments' as a writer, but all you need is one or two per scene/section, right?

Peace.

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks for dropping by, Jeanette *and* for your good wishes! :)

Yeah, Alana, you're right about the golden moments... We can't all produce awe-inducingly dazzling prose *all* the time, but if we have enough 'moments' now and again, and people just like what we write, it makes it all worthwhile! :)

Alana Noel Voth said...

Hey Portia,

Something else I noted about your excerpt. I can feel how much you enjoyed writing the piece because the writing doesn't get in the way of the scene, which is evidence of your talent. Does that make sense?

Cheers!

Portia Da Costa said...

Yes, Alana, that makes perfect sense!

I loved the scene, and I wasn't thinking consciously about 'writing' it... I was just recording it, really, and enjoying the characters and their closeness.

Unknown said...

Absolutely lovely, Portia.
I wish I could write in first person like that!

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks, Kate!

Do you know that at one time, I loathed first person, esp. fp present, and I wouldn't read anything written in it. Then I read one of Tilly's books and I thought 'I could do this!' so I had a go, and Entertaining Mr Stone was the result! And it was such fun!

My current WIP is back to third person, and I like it just as much, really, but I do wonder if it would be easier to write in first... But I need the hero's POV too much for that, and I think multiple firsts would just be clunkerooney! And off putting... I don't think I'd handle it sufficiently well to pull it off.

val said...

That is simply luscious, Wendy, and I can't wait to read more of the same.

Anonymous said...

this is great writing girl, will look for it in the US on 8/7. I loved Mr. Stone and this seems to be just as good.

Thanks for the preview
Bxrmom5

Portia Da Costa said...

I thought you might like it, Val! I can just imagine a big fight between you, Ann, Eliza and me to soothe his head... and other parts. ;)

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Bxrmom5

I'm glad you liked this, and EMS before it. Mr Stone actually appears in this new book as a supporting character too. :)

Janine Ashbless said...

Lovely, Portia.

What I wanted to ask was: "Suite Seventeen" is a play on "Sweet Sixteen", isn't it? Has Annie never been kissed?

Sabrina Luna said...

Hot stuff! Excellent Wendy!!! :)

Hugs,
Sabrina )O(

tetewa said...

Enjoyed the excerpt today and the cover is awesome!

mary said...

Wow, glad I pre-ordered this one! Can't wait:)

Anonymous said...

Oh that was lovely!!

Claire said...

Delicious! Hubby just might reap a reward from my having read that excerpt...

Dirty Soap said...

Great imagery and flow.Oh how I want to be able to write this way!I have a LONG way to go.Thanks for the excerpt!

We never get books from Black Lace in the bookstore I work in (we are predominately a used book store),SO I will have to order some of yours on Amazon!

VERY goodnight all (it is 12:56 a.m. here).....

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Janine

Yes, it is a play on Sweet Sixteen, sort of... A lot of the action in the book takes place in the Waverley Grange Country House Hotel, and Suite 17 there has some v. special features... ;)

Annie has been kissed, in fact she's been happily married until she was widowed. But she's never been kissed in quite the way Valentino kisses her!!!

17 is my lucky number... has been since a buddy and I won a judges prize in a fancy dress competition, wearing that number. It was around 23 years ago at a Star Trek con, and the prize was presented by Gene Roddenberry himself!!!

Now there's a bit of useless info for you... :)

Portia Da Costa said...

I'm so glad you liked it, Sabrina!

And yes, tetewa... aren't the colours gorgeous on this cover! So rich... esp. on that bronzed chest. Mmmmm...

Portia Da Costa said...

Wow, vpdzoo... you've preordered? That's brilliant, thank you!

Portia Da Costa said...

I'm so happy you enjoyed the excerpt, azteclady...

And Claire... way to go! ;)

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks for your kind words, bryde! I wish I could say I had a technique for writing, but I don't. I just muddle through and hope for the best. Sometimes it comes out well, other times, it's rubbish and needs so much work!

Actually, S17 was quite a tough book to write in places. For a long time, I couldn't quite get a sense of it... but when I realised that at heart it was fundamentally a *love* story and I was working towards a HEA, then it all started to click into place! :)

Stacia said...

What a great excerpt. Looking forward to August for the US release.

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a lovely way to start the weekend. And what a fine way to cure a migraine!

Unknown said...

Sounds great! Congrats on the new book!!!

danetteb said...

Wow....yummy excerpt.*Adding to my TBB*
Congrats on the upcoming release Wendy!
Hugs, Danette

Booksrforever123 said...

I really enjoyed the excerpt and I can't wait until the whole thing is released so I can read the rest.

Robin Snodgrass said...

Wow - what a powerful excerpt! Such wonderfully descriptive language. And the romance of it blew me away! I can't wait to read more of this book!!!

Jeanette J said...

I do like the cover and what a great excerpt

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi guys

Sorry I haven't popped in here since Saturday... but I've been ill! No, not a migraine, just a crappy virus that gave me chills and aches and pains and made me feel like a dead dog. I doubt if even Valentino himself could have made me feel better!

But thanks so much for all the kind words, and I do hope that Suite Seventeen lives up to everyone's expectations. I think it definitely is my most romantic Black Lace so far, but it also has plenty of kinky twists to spice the pot. Valentino is one of the most perverse and multi faceted heroes I've ever written...

Anonymous said...

I've just ordered my copy - and thanks to Eliza and co for the headsup to your blog. Looking forward to reading the new book!

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Diane

Sorry, I've not popped in here for a day or two...

Thank you so much for ordering! I hope S17 meets with your approval... esp. as you have a picture of its hero as an avatar! :)

Anonymous said...

I adore him *sighs* and I ordered 2 copies of your book, one to send to a friend of mine as a surprise ;0)

Portia Da Costa said...

You ordered *two* copies?

Diane, you are a princess!