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286 pages, ebook
First published February 7, 2015
“It’s been years since I’ve had a cock in my mouth, years since I’ve felt a man’s skin beneath my touch, much less his hands on my body.”
“Who hides more than he gives. Who lies more that he tells the truth.”
“I told you, this doesn’t have to be anything.
“Or,” he shrugged, stepping forward, his mouth pressing softly against my cheek… “It could be the start of everything.”
“I feel like I’ve waiting my whole life for you,” he’d murmured.
“If I have you, you will not return to life as you know it. You will not flirt with other men around the water cooler at work. You will bend for me, spread for me, allow me to have every inch of your surface, all while screaming my name and shuddering into my heart. That is what I mean.”
I knew what I felt. I loved him. But I didn’t know him. And I didn’t trust him. The man I had fallen for hid something.
The word 'tight' has twenty-two definitions, but my favorite is Webster's fifth- "A bond which cannot be broken."
I don't do one night stands."
"Meaning?"
“Meaning,” he growled, “that if I have you, you will not return to life as you know it. You will not flirt with men around the water cooler at work. You will bend for me, spread for me, allow me to have every inch of your surface, all while screaming my name and shuddering into my heart. That is what I mean."
When I first met her, I should've let her go. Let my heart turn back to black, crush the weakness that had threatened. But I didn't. I allowed the weakness to fester, to rot at the bones of my ribcage, until my chest was cracked wide open and she had crawled inside and feasted on my heart. Inhaled it until there was no longer her and I but only us.
I didn't know how to go back. Didn't know how to break off this piece of my soul and give her back. Didn't know how to sift through the lies and tell her the truth. Didn't know how to be the man she deserved without losing sight of my goal.
4 Primed and Ready, That Perfect Storm Stars * * * *
What is it about going out of town...escaping from our day-to-day lives...what is it that happens to us causing actions and decisions to be made which in the safety of our circle of existence.. we would never consider doing...
Alessandra Torre's Still, a prelude novella in the anthology Bend, our Riley gets pulled in that vortex. Away from the bland banking position, she is slugging through, she is with her friends in Nassau for a bachelorette party.
For the next 48 hours, she is allowed to drop the persona she has been living... gone nun-like comfortable pumps, hot, spiky, fuck-me stilettos punishing her feet are the standard. Gone are the conservative, drab, claustrophobic collars, the cute mini curvacious dress is the uniform. Yet, with all of these changes in her .... her mind is still holding on to the girl from the South... the one who is always polite, always good.
Practical Riley decides to leave the casino while she still has some feeling in her feet and makes the trek back to her hotel room...the one which is over-the-hill-and-through-glen-to-grandma's far. As she wobbles through the casino and manages to clear gamblers and frustrated drunks, she reaches a bench in the lobby. There she removes the torture-inflicting-shoes and rests for a moment. Checking the damage done to her toes and heels, she wondered what she ever saw in them.
While regrouping and lost in the throbbing of her feet curiously in sync with the distant thumping bass, an illusion materializes... like an oasis in the desert of pain....white, fluffy as a cloud, foam slippers appear at her feet. Riley gazes at them lovingly... thinking she misjudged the level of her pain-inducing stilettos. She must be at the hallucinating stage... they cannot be real.... yet...there attached to this vision is an arm .... attached to another vision.... and his name turns out to be Brett.
Brett, a man cut from the Prince Charming R Us mold: handsome with a dazzling smile...chiseled everywhere it matters...just there, offering salvation and Riley reluctantly accepts. They talk a bit, he offers to escort her to her room, primarily to see to her safety but the current between them is budding and increases with every step.
These two are vibrating like tuning forks reaching for the chord to play. Once reaching the floor of Riley's room, Brett and Riley's inner dialogues have stirred them up to a frenzy, and against the wall, an encounter of passion, lips, and want happens. Both caught up in this current, yet they break away... he, reverts back to the gentleman... she, the polite Southern girl with her in her room...alone.
This is only a taste of what is to come between them...we are led and intrigued to see what our surprisingly closet-rebellious Riley will do. Will she listen to her inner voices telling her that this is an opportunity to fly and actually feel something, something she hasn't had in years. And should she seek Brett out, who is he, and what does he really want with her?
This is such a perfect storm and if it is insta-lust... at least our characters acknowledge this is what it is...or could it be something more...
I read this and as soon as I finished I felt like a cartoon character with grabby hands reaching out, going gimme, gimme... I wanted the book which is to come.
“2.5 underwhelming stars”I never thought I would ever see this day, where I didn’t like a book from my favorite author and point out all the mistakes! Writing this review is so heart-rending!!
***Before I write down my review, just know that this is my honest opinion and all the reasons why it failed miserably for me. If you’re planning on reading this book please don’t read any further as it may contain spoilers***
“This is not a story about servitude. This is a story about strength.”I’m sorry but I failed to see both!! Kitten's chapter were so small even the bigger font didn't make it any longer and it failed to evoke any sympathy towards her since everything was ‘said’ but not ‘showed’, same goes for the romance/love between Brett and Riley…in the blink of an eye they have fallen deeply in love with each other and all I got about their relationships was gifts-phone calls-exotic weekend getaway!
"The word 'tight' has twenty-two definitions, but my favorite is Webster's fifth - "a bond which cannot be broken."
This is not a story about servitude.
This is a story about strength.
What the... WHAT?
I loved him. But I didn’t know him. And I didn’t trust him. The man I had fallen for hid something. I could feel it, slipping into bed with us at night, slithering up my bare legs, looking for a vulnerable place to bite.I was one of the lucky folks who got their hands on a copy of the Bend Anthology before it was banned. Alessandra Torre’s contribution to that collection was called Still, and it introduced audiences to Reilly and Brett in a whirl-wind erotic interlude. It was a glimpse into the moment these two characters met, but it hardly hinted at the dark shadow lurking in the background…
I wanted, needed to know that secret.
I wanted this man. I knew little-to-nothing about him, but I craved something outside my world. I was sick of pantyhose and mutual funds. Potluck dinners and familial obligations. This weekend was the most alive I’d felt in a decade. Part of it was the location; the majority of it lied atop me. Had moved inside me. Had woken me at 4 AM begging for five minutes inside of me, then blessed my world for twenty.Riley is a small-town southern girl in her early thirties who was swept off her feet… Literally.
“I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for you,” he’d murmured. I’d said nothing, just released a soft sigh and taken his kiss when it’d come.Brett is one of those brooding billionaires with designer stubble – you know the type – intense, demanding, sexually gifted… It’s no wonder that he has the power to make Riley throw caution to the wind.
I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for you.
The best sentence in the world.
“No Kitten,” he whispered. “Believe me when I say that hope will only drive you insane.”As the romance builds between our main characters, the reader is also learning the story of one woman held prisoner by a sadistic captor. Her chapters are spliced into the story brilliantly, and build the tension in agonizing increments.