Spotlight: Open House!: An Insider’s Tour of the Secret World of Residential Real Estate for Agents, Sellers, and Buyers by Joey Sheehan

Date Published: May 2021

Publisher: Canterbury Books

OPEN HOUSE! New Book By Veteran Realtor Joey Sheehan

Takes Readers Behind the Scenes Of An Often Opaque Industry

Approximately two-thirds of Americans are involved in real estate transactions. Yet there are few (if any) books that help people understand this complex activity from the perspectives of all three types of parties involved – agent, seller, and buyer. Stepping into the breach, seasoned Realtor Joey Sheehan has written a unique work — OPEN HOUSE! — filled with entertaining anecdotes and practical advice to ensure that her readers’ next real estate transaction proceeds as smoothly as possible.

“Residential real estate is a business like no other,” she writes. “It’s not rational like other businesses because the commodity being bought or sold is a home rather than a car or a refrigerator, and everybody knows that a man’s home is his castle. People get touchy about their castles — you can trust me on this — in a way they don’t about anything else.” Sellers often believe their homes are worth more than the market will bear. Buyers can make unreasonable demands. The agents for both need to ably guide their clients through a potentially volatile process with integrity and professionalism. Sheehan’s insights and counsel help everyone work together to benefit all.

The backbone of OPEN HOUSE! is Sheehan’s Twelve Laws of Real Estate:

1: Selling and buying real property is a very touchy business.

2: Academics publish or perish; Realtors sell or perish.

3: The seller may propose, but it is the buyer who disposes.

4: At the beginning, in the middle, and at the end, it’s always about price.

5: To get paid what you’re worth, insist on getting paid what you’re worth.

6: To stay out of legal trouble, learn the facts, and disclose them.

7: The first offer is the best offer.

8: It’s not over until it’s over.

9: Time is of the essence.

10: If a party to a transaction doesn’t understand the sales contract and something bad happens, watch out—especially if you’re the agent working with the party that does understand it.

11: Never commoditize Realtors: there are the great, the good, the middling, the incompetent, and the disastrous.

12: Engage a Realtor with superior skills, because up to and including the settlement at which a property’s legal transfer of ownership occurs, bizarre problems can surface.

Carefully considering the ramifications of each of the Twelve Laws, Sheehan helps agents understand how they can provide the best service possible, grow their businesses, and avoid unpleasant repercussions, ranging from frivolous client complaints to serious lawsuits. For sellers, she explains how to maximize the value of their homes and avoid the most common mistakes, such as not decluttering and staging their homes in a way calculated to appeal to prospects. For buyers, she provides extensive advice on how to find and purchase their dream home, even in a competitive bidding war. And most importantly, she helps everyone understand the terms of a real estate contract, a document which is legally binding on all parties to a transaction.

With her engaging writing style and flair for storytelling, Sheehan has created the ultimate guide to residential real estate sales. As Robert M. DeMarinis, a former vice president at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, observes, “OPEN HOUSE! delivers because it combines a smart businesswoman’s memoir with an impish ride through her professional world—not from the outside looking in but from the inside looking out!” Anyone who is thinking about selling or buying a home or who works in the residential real estate industry will profit from reading this witty and informative book.

Excerpt

Excerpted from OPEN HOUSE!:  An Insider’s Tour of the Secret World of Residential Real Estate For Agents, Sellers, and Buyers by Joey Sheehan (Canterbury Books, 2021).  All rights reserved.

As someone who grew up in an academic environment and enjoyed a first career as a scholar herself, I naturally am intimately acquainted with the ivory tower imperative to publish or perish. It did not take me long to discover that residential Realtors have their equivalent imperative. At first blush, the business seems easy. It’s easy to sign up for real estate courses, which are intrinsically interesting and well worth taking even if you’ve no intention of ever selling any properties. It’s easy to pass the state licensing exam. It’s easy to find a brokerage company willing to take you on. The hard part comes next and lasts the entire length of your career: finding business. If you cannot find business and use that business to build a business, you are toast. The five-year attrition rate for new real estate agents, which according to the National Association of Realtors is up to 87 percent, is sky-high for this very reason. 

When viewed from the bottom-line perspective of sales productivity, a Realtor’s career is under perpetual assault by her numbers. If they are high enough, she is respected and well-compensated. If they’re not, her commission split with her brokerage company may be adjusted downward, which is nothing if not downright disheartening to a hardworking practitioner. It is no wonder, then, that such a gigantic proportion of real estate books is devoted to sales productivity and the particular kind of mindset that stimulates it. 

Sunday Open Houses 

Without an established technique yet for reeling in business, the novice Realtor will follow tried-and-true traditional methods. For decades one such method has been to host Sunday open houses for established agents with too many listings to service without help. That the public instinctually feels home selling is a trickier business than home buying would seem to be corroborated by my discovery, early on, that new agents can find it challenging to entice homeowners to list with them right off the bat. Buyers, by contrast, blessedly have no reservations about working with Realtors possessing minimal experience. My first several sales were made to total strangers, people I had met while hosting Sunday open houses at colleagues’ listings. It never occurred to these buyers to inquire how long I had been in the business, which may have been irresponsible of them but was most welcome to me at the time. We all have to start somewhere. 

Hosting public open houses proved a fabulous initial way for me to solicit clients. Personally, I was never a fan of taking office phone duty, and today the internet ensures that the public will call far less than it will email anyway. Meeting people in the field, in an actual house, gives an agent a chance to size them up, chat them up, get their contact information, and follow up. With perseverance and a little luck, an agent will succeed in converting at least some of these leads into promising clients. 

One of my very first $1,000,000 sales, back when $1,000,000 still bought a luxury property at a coveted address, was to a couple I had met in an unprepossessing home. I was hosting a Sunday open house for another Realtor, and Bob and Alice walked in the front door, lost and needing directions. I proceeded to give them—but not before securing the pair’s full names and out-of-state home phone number. It was a good while before I managed to sell those two a house because they were initially constrained to work with an agent assigned by the relocation company managing their move. However, the agent proved not to be up to the job, and eventually (after much low-key, persistent lobbying on my part) I was invited to work with the new general counsel of a top Fortune 500 company and his wife. 

The lesson is that academics publish or perish; Realtors sell or perish.

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About the Author

Joey Sheehan, author of OPEN HOUSE!, is an award-winning real estate agent with over thirty years of experience. She is affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, Realtors. After graduating with a BA from the University of California at Berkeley, she obtained an MA from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a PhD from Harvard University in Chinese intellectual history. Her first book, which was about the prominent Chinese scholar Wang Guowei (1877-1927), was published by Harvard University Press. She has written widely about both China and residential real estate in a variety of journals, newsletters, magazines, and newspapers. Learn more at www.joeysheehan.com.

Connect:

Website: http://www.joeysheehan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-sheehan-ph-d-70ba4711/

Spotlight: Beautiful Ruin by Piper Lawson

Release Date: August 11 

She gave me the one thing I couldn’t take.

Her heart.

When the villains of our past threaten to destroy my pledge to Reagan, we have one narrow chance at saving our future.

All the money and power in the world mean nothing without the woman I love.

So I will fight to my last breath for her. For us.

To glorious victory...

Or beautiful ruin.

BEAUTIFUL RUIN is the thrilling, explosive conclusion of Harrison and Reagan’s romance that begins in BEAUTIFUL ENEMY and continues in BEAUTIFUL SINS.

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About the Author

Piper Lawson is a USA Today bestselling author of smart, steamy romance! She writes about women who follow their dreams (even the scary ones), best friends who know your dirty secrets (and love you anyway), and complex heroes you’ll fall hard for (especially after talking with them). Brains or brawn? She’ll never make you choose. Piper lives in Canada with her tall, dark and brilliant husband. She believes peanut is a protein, rose gold is a neutral, and love is ALWAYS the answer.
Connect with Piper Lawson:

Join her VIP list now ➜ https://www.piperlawsonbooks.com/subscribe

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Spotlight: No Names to Be Given by Julia Daily

Publication Date: August 3, 2021

Admission Press, Inc

Genre: Historical Fiction

1965. Sandy runs away from home to escape her mother’s abusive boyfriend. Becca falls in love with the wrong man. And Faith suffers a devastating attack. With no support and no other options, these three young, unwed women meet at a maternity home hospital in New Orleans where they are expected to relinquish their babies and return home as if nothing transpired.

But such a life-altering event can never be forgotten, and no secret remains buried forever. Twenty-five years later, the women are reunited by a blackmailer, who threatens to expose their secrets and destroy the lives they’ve built. That shattering revelation would shake their very foundations-and reverberate all the way to the White House.

Told from the three women’s perspectives, this mesmerizing story is based on actual experiences of women in the 1960s who found themselves pregnant but unmarried, pressured by family and society to make horrific decisions. How that inconceivable act changed women forever is the story of No Names to Be Given, a heartbreaking but uplifting novel of family and redemption.

Excerpt

1964

Sandra always sauntered through her house, as though she were on a stage. Even as a young child, she pretended she was an actress or dancer.

“Sandra, quit sashaying around this house,” her mother would say. “And wipe that lipstick off your mouth.”

“Leave her alone, Mama. She’s learning to be a girl.” Her daddy always took her side. When he died, her world tumbled end over end, as his tractor did when it tipped over the bluff on a tenant farm in Illinois.

Her father was in the rocky grave only a few days before Glen approached her mother, Peggy. Glen smoothly talked Peggy into letting him move into their house. He told her not to worry about paying the bills they owed or buying groceries. He would take care of them.

Soon after Glen moved into their house, Sandra stood on the porch's edge and watched as he dragged a kitten from under the porch. A stray cat gave birth to three babies under the steps and died before she could nurse them. Two of the kittens had already perished. The remaining one twisted in Glen’s enormous hands.

“What’re you going to do with that kitten, Glen?” Sandra knew that most stray cats ended up in burlap sacks in the creek.

“I need you to keep him alive, Sandra. He can live in the barn when he’s strong enough.” Glen whispered to the form in his grasp.

“You’re a fighter. You can do this,”

Sandra had not seen this gentle side of Glen. Are you trying to get on my good side? She stumbled forward and swept the tiny gray creature from him. The pitiful mewing of the little thing encouraged her. In the kitchen, she poured milk into a dish and dipped a cloth to dampen it. Holding it to the cat’s mouth, she grinned as it sucked on the fabric.

“I’ll get an eyedropper to make it easier,” Glen said.

Sandra nodded. What’s come over you? Never thought you had a nice bone in your body.

Glen slept with her mother, but his eyes always watched Sandra. She reached for a cornmeal bag on the shelf, and he watched her shirt hike up from her shorts. He sat in the swing on the porch and waited for her to arrive home from school. Sandy tried to stay out of his way.

Yards of blue cotton cloth divided their house, hanging from ropes to separate the kitchen from corners where cotton mattresses lay on the floor. Sandra slept with her mother until Glen arrived. Then, she dragged a striped mattress near the back door. Sandra always hoped to avoid Glen. He made the hair on her arms stand on end.

Every day Sandra dressed for high school and tried to look nice, but Glen was less than complimentary. One morning in her junior year of high school, Sandra passed him on the porch.

“You’re not wearing that blouse. You look like a tramp. That’s all boys need is to see you like that,” Glen growled. He snatched at her arm and tore the sleeve. Red fiery anger blossomed inside her, as red as the blouse itself. Fuming, she’d run back into the house to change.

Sandra knew her mother afforded no time for her. Peggy spent her hours cooking meals and washing clothes for the man who shared their house. Their machine was one of the old crank types on the back screened porch. Her mother caught her hand in the rollers as she pressed clothes through the device and often smashed fingers or broke her nails.

“Ohhhh. Get me a cloth, Sandra.” Her mother’s cry and rusty metal grinding to a halt signaled another accident.

Sandra grabbed a flour sack towel from the sink and ran to the back porch. Her mother was seated on the floor, holding her hand and moaning.

“Here, Mama. Let me wrap your hand.” Sandra’s stomach curdled like buttermilk. Peggy’s index and middle fingers looked like ground beef.

“We’re going to take you to the hospital.”

“Poor people don’t go to the hospital.”

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About the Author

Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She has a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi.

She has been an educator, Communications Adjunct Professor at Belhaven College, administrator, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, MS.  She was the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart.

As the Executive Director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (300 artisans from 19 states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public. She is an adopted child from a maternity home hospital in New Orleans.

She searched and found her birth mother and through a DNA test, her birth father’s family, as well.  She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband Emmerson and two Labrador Retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | GOODREADS

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Spotlight: Better Believe It by Fern Ronay

Publication date: December 3rd 2019

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Women’s Fiction

Synopsis:

Jada Marlone’s life appears to be perfect on social media. She has a loving husband, a beautiful child, and a successful career. What she doesn’t post about is the disconnect she feels in her marriage, the difficulties of motherhood, and her strained relationship with her mother.

Resigned to never being truly happy, Jada runs into an ex-boyfriend. While trying to decide whether the coincidence is her second chance at happiness, Jada begins having dreams that feature her dead cousin Gina.

With Gina’s help, Jada starts to uncover the real reasons behind her life decisions. As Jada tries to figure out her future, uncontrollable events threaten her resolve. Will she be able to draw from all she learned from Gina, or will she risk making the same mistakes twice?

Excerpt

The first time I got my heart broken, I was five years old. It happened in the kitchen. 

My sister, Orly, was a toddler, still in diapers, waddling around and babbling. I was sitting at the kitchen table, perfecting my writing of the alphabet on red construction paper. Using a freshly sharpened black crayon, I swung out the curve of my u too wide when I heard the bang. Orly had bumped into the cabinet as she turned the corner from the dining room and fell back on her head.

“Wahhhh,” she wailed.

My mother whipped around, dishtowel swung over her shoulder, and bent to pick up my sister. She spoke in the syrupy voice she only used when speaking to Orly. 

“What happened?  Where are you hurt?”

“She bumped into the cabinet and fell,” I said as I formed the second leg of my letter v.

“Oh, my little chickpea.” My mother sang the words to Orly.

I had asked her once, “If Orly is your little chickpea, what am I?”

“I don’t know, Jada. You’re my…” She paused to light a cigarette. “You’re my kidney

bean.”

“Do you like kidney beans?”

“They give me agida.” She blew smoke in the other direction, a stream flowing from her lips, which, a few hours earlier, had been lined with red lip liner and filled in with matching red lipstick. Red. Always red. “Fix your barrette. Did ya have it like that all day in school?”

Ya have to know how to fix your own barrette.” She had pointed at the side of my

head. “Get those side hairs. Over here.The side ones. Do ya want to look like a ragamuffin?”

Now, as I continued alphabet writing at the kitchen table, my mother rocked her

whimpering chickpea.

Is she singing? I stopped mid w. What is this song? I like it. She never sang it to me

before. She’s not a singing mom. She doesn’t sing.

“Hush, little baby.” She swayed back and forth by the kitchen window.

I would like a mockingbird and a diamond ring.

She stopped once Orly was calm and distracted by the paper towel roll in her hands.

I finished the alphabet and held up my construction paper. 

“I did it! And on red paper, your favorite color.” 

I brought it over to my mother so she could get a better look.

“Nice,” she said as she stretched her neck past Orly’s resting head and Orly’s left hand, which bopped me on the head with the paper towel roll.

“Hold on.” I walked around to the other side, so she didn’t have to strain her head. 

“See?”

“I see, Jada. Very good.”

I made her hold it.

“Uh-huh, good. Is that supposed to be an H? It curves in. Looks like a capital A.”

She was right. It wasn’t perfect. What was I thinking? That H does look like an A.  That H is horrible. That H is disgusting. I ripped it up.

“What did ya do that for?” my mother screamed. “Pick those pieces up. Why would ya do that?”

“It wasn’t perfect,” I hollered back, flipping through the construction paper for a fresh, new sheet. “Hold on.”

I started over, and by the time I finished and checked every letter, I was confident in my redo.I held it up to double-check. Yup, perfect.

By then, Orly was napping and my mother was smoking a cigarette on the porch.

I carried the new masterpiece with my fingertips toward the porch. “Look now.”

She blew smoke out the enclosed porch’s window as she reviewed my letters. 

“Good.”

“Why don’t you ever sing to me?”

“Huh? Oh, Jada, for Christ’ssake.” She took a long drag while I waited for an answer.

“Because you’re the big sister. That’s why. Go clear the crayons off the kitchen table. We’re going to have dinner soon.”

“I like songs. I liked that song a lot.” I swayed from one foot to another, willing her to

sing to me now.

“Jada, please! Go clear the table before your father gets home.”

I threw the crayons in the box instead of placing them neatly in rainbow order like I

normally did. Little sisters are smaller and cuter and get sung to. I snapped the plastic container shut. But I go to school. Yeah, I’m smarter than a stupid, little baby. I carried the construction paper and crayons up to my room and slammed the door behind me. I hate being a big sister.

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About the Author

Fern Ronay has lived in NYC, Chicago, and now sunny Los Angeles with her husband, but she will always consider herself a Jersey girl. She is the author of two novels, Better in the Morning and Better Believe It, and is the host of the podcast Signs from the Other Side, as well as a host at the AfterBuzzTV network. Follow Fern on Instagram @FernRonay and check out her free ebook at FernRonay.com.

Connect:

https://fernronay.com/

https://www.instagram.com/fernronay/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5263737.Fern_Ronay

https://www.facebook.com/FernRonay/

https://twitter.com/FernRonay

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Spotlight: An Officer and The Vet by Freda Ann

(A Bliss Cay Novella, #4)

Publication date: August 2nd 2021

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

College sweethearts, Sam and Isla, were crazy in love and looked forward to a life together. That was until his father died suddenly in a tragic accident.

The news sent Sam into a tailspin causing him to spiral out of control. After telling Isla, the woman he hoped to marry, he never wanted to see her again, he hit rock bottom.

Pulling his life together more than a year later, he realizes nothing will ever be the same without his one true love…Isla. Finally locating where she moved to for Vet school, he shows up to beg her forgiveness only to find her kissing her soon to be husband.

Twelve years later, Sergeant Sam Wolfe’s police K-9, Blue, was shot on-duty and suffers from PTSD. Unbeknownst to Sam, his Lieutenant arranged for Isla, the best trauma Vet in Florida, to take over Blue’s care while Sam is on vacation with his son in Bliss Cay.

When they see each other again, neither are prepared for what the summer holds. As Isla helps Blue through his physical and emotional traumas, her and Sam’s worlds collide as skeletons are unearthed changing their lives forever.

Excerpt

“This is Dr. Jensen.” I answer the call that my office manager and best friend put on hold for me.

“Dr. Jensen, this is Lieutenant Vasquez with Colton P.D. I oversee our K-9 Unit. A month ago one of our dogs was shot on-duty and he’s still recovering from the shoulder injury, both mentally and physically.”

“Ah, yes, that was Blue, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, it was.”

“What can I help you with, Lieutenant?”

“Well, Blue and his handler, Sergeant Sam Wolfe, will be staying in Bliss Cay this summer for a much needed vacation. Since Blue is still under the care of our local Vet for his injury and PTSD, he’ll need to continue his course of treatment while there. Dr. Jensen, you came highly recommended, and I’m hoping you’ll take point with his care while in Bliss.”

It’s not often I’m speechless, but this is one of those times. Sam Wolfe is coming to Bliss and his boss wants me to take over his dog’s care…for two long months? I’m supposed to be in the same tiny room with my past all summer?

“Dr. Jensen, you still there? Hello?”

“I—I’m here. Sorry, one of my patients got loose.”

“Would you rather call me back?”

“No, no, it’s fine. I got her.” I say, closing my eyes and shaking my head after lying to the police. It was only a little white lie, right? Get it together, Isla.

“So, what do you say? Will you help a police dog in need?”

How can I say no when he puts it like that? Plus…it’s Sam’s dog. “I’ll do it.” I blurt out before changing my mind.

“Wonderful! We really appreciate your assistance. I have to tell you, Blue’s had a pretty rough time the last month, not to mention Sergeant Wolfe. Since the shooting, the two have been inseparable.”

“Really, it’s no problem at all. It’s my job and I’m happy to help in any way I can. So, uh, when will Sergeant Wolfe and Blue be arriving in Bliss?”

“They’ll be there Sunday—and if it’s okay, Sam will stop by your office on Monday to meet you and go over a treatment schedule that works for everyone.”

“So—Sergeant Wolfe doesn’t know I’ll be caring for Blue while they’re here?” I don’t know why I even asked that, it’s unlikely he knows my married name.

“Well, he knows of you, but I wanted to get your approval before I told him you agreed to take Blue on as a patient. I know he’ll be relieved since I mentioned your credentials. He loves that dog as much as he loves his son.”

Son? Sam has a kid? My pulse accelerates at the realization. Clearing my throat, I ask, “I assume his family will be joining him for the summer?”Thump-thump, thump-thump, my heart pounds in my chest. He’s your past Isla.

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About the Author

Freda was born in southern New Jersey but grew up in Florida. She has loved writing her entire life. After retiring from a career in law enforcement, she knew it was time to fulfill her lifelong dream of being a published author.

She's the author of The Hawaii Series, proudly named from her love of the beautiful Hawaiian Islands. It's a three-book series with all of them written as standalone books.

Freda loves her large family, horses, dogs, cat, and close friends. She hosts monthly family dinners at her home in the country, which she shares with her husband.

She loves baking (she owned and operated a cupcake business for years), cooking, yoga, crocheting, nature and traveling with the love of her life.

What helps her write? Music makes her happy! If music doesn't give her the right motivation, she puts on a romantic movie, usually from the Hallmark Channel, which she can't get enough of!

Freda speaks her mind and pushes perfection to its limit. She strives to be her best, most positive self she can be in life. With time, determination, and practice, she believes anything is possible.

Connect:
https://www.instagram.com/fredaannwriter/
https://www.facebook.com/fredaannwriter/
https://fredaannwriter.com/
https://www.pinterest.ca/fredaannwriter/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17264005.Freda_Ann

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Spotlight: Rock Me by M. J. Roberts

Betrayed by his family after serving time for a crime he didn’t commit, Spider’s angry at the world. The only solace he finds is playing his guitar. He’s fine, he’s good, and if anyone dares suggest otherwise, he’ll pull his knife on you, just to prove a point.

Maria’s devoted to her family and her dream. But when she’s forced to hide from some bad guys intent on torturing her for information she doesn’t possess, she’s forced to run — straight into Spider’s arms.

They’re on the road with the tour that will make or break Spider’s career — and his heart.

Exclusive Excerpt: 

MARIA

Spider's leaning against me and it's too delicious, too distracting, to let me think straight. But I should think. Since the tour began Spider has been acting like a jerk with no feelings. I don’t think he likes me, but he just said we had magic together. I want to believe him.

I’m a fool.

I’m so stupid.

“Querida?”

I shake my head.

Spider's lower lip drags sensuously around the shell of my ear, his tongue plays with my earing. He knows exactly what he’s doing, the bastard. “I’m going to make you scream my name until your throat’s sore. I’m going to claim you so hard you’ll forget there was anyone before me.”

I shake my head again.

“Yes, Meil,” he growls. “It’s time.”

I open my eyes and look at him. His stare is so intense it’s like he’s on fire. He kisses me, and it’s surprising with how gentle it is. My heart cracks, breaking.

“Spider, don’t hurt me,” I whisper.

“I would never hurt you,” he whispers back. “Never.”

I can do this. It’s just once. He’s probably a murderer, if his tattoos are any indication. I’m a hurt girl whose brother was killed and should never be with a cold-blooded man like him. We couldn’t be more opposite.

He grinds against me.

“I’m a selfish prick, but I want you more than I want anything I’ve ever wanted in my life. More than I want music, which is my life blood.” Spider’s accent is heavy. “More than I want life itself. Not just because you’re beautiful.” He caresses my knuckles down my cheek. “Not just because you light me up like someone struck firecrackers inside my body. Not just because when you are around the world seems sunnier. Not just because you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever met.”

I snort.

“Don’t contradict me, woman.”

I can’t help smiling at him.

“It’s those things…” he says. Spider kisses me again, and it's so tender it brings an onslaught of hurt along with the gentle pleasure. He grinds his hips against me. His erection is even harder. He pushes my shirt up just enough to reveal the tiniest sliver of the bottom part of my breasts. I resist the urge to yank it back down to my waist. A jolt of insecurity hits me because of baring so much skin, but it vanishes when I see Spider's appreciative expression. He leans down and traces a heart around the crest of my breast with his tongue. 

“It’s all those things, but it’s not just those things,” he says. “It’s something way greater than that. Way more than the sum of the parts.” Spider sucks on my nipple but it’s so light I barely feel it. I whimper for more. He pulls away, torturing me on purpose. He blows over where he’s just licked and sucked and my skin puckers up. A satisfied masculine sound bubbles out of him.

“I really dislike you.”

"Oh, Chica. I'm going to set about changing that." He kisses me behind my ear. "I'm going to start slow. Soft. But I am not going to take it easy on you."

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About MJ Roberts: 

M. J. Roberts is a writer, editor, and teacher – with more than two million copies of her stories in circulation worldwide, Roberts is well loved for creating characters who feel as real as your most cherished friends. Roberts works to diligently to create believable, lovable characters, witty dialogue, prose ripe with metaphor, exciting plot twists, action that keeps you on the edge of your seat, and romance scenes that sizzle. 

Roberts is a multiple award-winning author including first place in the prestigious Summer Lovin’ Romance Literary Contest 2015 for the novel Risk Your Heart. 

Roberts also writes under the pen name Natasha Action. Roberts is originally from New York but lives in the southern United States for the purpose of endless comic material. 

She’s married to a professional musician (A.K.A. The Rock and Roll God) because she is too busy tormenting imaginary characters and counting her blessing to pursue her longtime dream of Rock n’ Roll stardom herself.

Connect with MJ: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram