Unedited excerpt from the Montero Saga VII

The bartender slid a shot glass of tequila over the bar top to the woman watching the woman smile at him. She picked up the small studded purse to get out money only to stop when another man came to sit on the stool beside her. The woman looked over at him, smiling.
Basil Marino Junior, slide a ten dollar bill over the bar top and turned all of his attention onto the woman. She was absolutely beautiful. She was dressed in a short blue sundress, matching heeled sandals, and matching purse. She wore her hair down in straight brown curls that hung over her shoulders, back and face, highlighting the soft violet of her eyes. She had soft features, smooth jawline, slightly slanted eyes, and an almost perfect nose.
She turned to stare directly at him, crossing her legs. And nice legs they were. They were brown, shapely, and completely enhanced by selection in sandals. She had body that was small framed, but curved in all of the right places and looked to be worked out regularly. BJ was very impressed by what he was seeing, what he’d been seeing for the last three days.
He was on vacation. It was the first he’d taken in over a year. His parents had insisted, stating that he was more irritable than normal and needed to do something to relax. His sister-in-law, Cotton, set up a nice leisurely two weeks of fun and relaxation on a privately owned Island. He’d flown down and picked a rental car up at the airport. His very first night out, he spotted her. She was dancing with a bunch of her friends, all of them drunk as hell. She stood out for him, because even intoxicated; she had the carriage of a lady.
It didn’t appear that this trip for her came easily, it was taking a lot for her to let go and be relaxed. She wasn’t all over men, she didn’t lose total control of herself, and she’d noticed him almost as quickly as he noticed her. She seemed to like what she saw, but for the rest of the night and the next two nights afterwards, she avoided him. He was done playing possum.
“I take it you don’t wanna keep standin on na wall.” She teased. He smiled. “Nope, wanna be face to face.” She picked up the shot glass and took a sip. It was strong and she flinched as it went down. “What’s ya name?” He asked. She shook her head, leaning forward to press her finger against his lips. “Wait, we can do this, but there’s rules first.” He lifted an eyebrow. He sat back to listen.
“How long you here for?” She asked. “Anotha week.” She smiled. “So am I an I need to loosen and lighten up.” She paused. “So for tha next week and half, we see how much fun we can have, no names, no private info, nuthin, but jus what’s happenin between me an you.” BJ thought about that. “What do we call each otha?” She thought about that for a moment. “Um…I’ll be Rose.” He smiled as he watched her. She was just a little bit tipsy, she’d had more than just this little shot of tequila.
“An me?” She took a deep steady breath, picking up the shot glass to drink the entire glass straight down this time.
She slammed the glass down on the bar top and focused on him. “You look like a Bobby or a Billy, so…” “B’s fine.” He said. She nodded. “B, I like that.” She reached out to take his hand. “So, are you gonna buy breakfast or dinna.” He laughed. “Why on’t we see how it goes.” She giggled and nodded.


That weekend turned out to be the best week of her life. She learned in that time that a man could make a woman feel truly like a woman in every way. He was tender, loving, affectionate, and he romanced her like a queen. When she left, it felt like a part of her was being left behind.
She never found out his real name, never found out where he was from or where he was going. All she knew was that if she ever saw him again, she just might drop down to her knees and beg him to make a life with her. She smiled at the thought as she made her was down the hallowed halls of the DEA station where she was meeting with her father and a family of mobsters that every organized crime agency in the country had been after for generations.
Her father, the great Edward Despuentes, Chief Director over the Department of Drug Enforcement was honored with the privilege of bringing them down. She as second in command to his hand picked team was to help in that endeavor.
Shifting the notes and folders against her chest, she walked into the conference room where her father, the other four members of her team, and the mobster family, The Marino’s, Basil Senior, Basil Junior, Winter, Fall, Rebecca, and Autumn Marino, all sat waiting for her.
She stepped into the room, with a look of intense self confidence. She was both excited and ready for this meeting. She had evidence, well, information that could allow this special forces task team to be able to do what no other’s before them had been able to, take down a Montero connection.
She moved to take her seat, right beside her father, and sat up to the table, only to come up suddenly short. Directly across from her sat the man of her dreams, her prince charming from the Island, B, better known as Basil Marino Junior. She went slightly pale, but managed to hold it together before anything slipped that might take away that confident appearance.
BJ let nothing slip on his impassive face, but his eyes flashed for a moment. He recognized her as well. Her father said something in regards to beginning the meeting, he wanted her to discuss the information that she had, begin the questioning. She cleared her throat and promptly did as instructed.
The meeting lasted for all of four hours before it ended with the team being no closer to any answers or evidence that they could use than they were before it began. The Montero’s were living up to their names. They were a well oiled machine, who let no one into their ranks that could not be trusted. They assimilated people that became just as loyal to them as the actual members of the family. It was phenomenal how they remained untouchable for as long as they had.
Special Agent Sparkle Despuentes walked to her car, still slightly out of sorts from her first introduction to the man that she swore she’d been hit by love at first sight for and the meeting she’d just gotten nothing from.
She closed her eyes, leaning against the side of the car door. How could he be a drug dealer? How could the man that had been so gentle and loving with her be the cold blooded killer that she was trying to put behind bar? She bit her lip. She’d refused to look at the pictures of the family. She wanted only facts and information to fill her thoughts. She wanted the first face to face confrontation between them to be the first time that she looked them in the eye. She wanted to remember the look on their faces when they saw her and knew that it was her that helped to put them away….
“Thinkin about me.” Came a voice from behind her. She jumped and turned to see BJ standing before her. She took a step back, but was blocked by the car. “You do know that this is a police garage, we are unda survelliance.” He smiled. “You know I won’t hurt you.” She smirked. “I don’t know anything about you Senor Marino.” He was quiet for a moment, smiling. “Of course, Rose.” She flinched at his use of the nickname she’d given to herself while they were on vacation together.
“What do you want?” He leaned back against her car, taking his gaze to the concrete they were standing on. “I thought this might have jolted you a lil, I wanted to make sure that you were okay.” “How nice a you ta care one way or tha otha.” She said it sarcastically and it made him laugh. There was a long silence between them for a moment.
“Why didn’t you tell them that we knew each otha?” She paused. “If you think you have some kinda leverage ova me, you are mistaken?” He chuckled. “Baby, you not a threat ta me, I on’t need leverage.” He paused. “An I didn’t say anything because I didn’t see tha need.” “What happens in Montega, stays in Montega.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You a cocky son of a bitch.” He smiled. “Experience.” She moved to stand closer to him, their faces only a few inches apart. “You will find at I am I like no otha agent you have experienced bafore, I’m good at my job, one of the best.” He stared at her for a moment, then stood. “Well, I guess we’ll see.” He winked at her as he turned to walk away.
She watched him disappear into one of the elevators before she finally chose to breath. He made her heart skip a beat. She could not believe that he was a criminal, a cold calculating killer and deep down in the recesses of her mind, all she wanted to do was strip and fuck him hard and deep right there on the ground. She shivered, cursing herself as she got into her car and sped off.



The following week was filled with several more meetings, warrants for information checks, and one full scale raid, all of which recovered nothing. The DEA was beside themselves with disgust and annoyance. Sparkle decided that she needed a night out and so she and three of her friends dressed up and went to a club.
They were enjoying themselves immensely, dancing, drinking, and flirting when Sparkle happened to take a look around the room and froze. Just across the room, in the VIP booth sat Basil Marino. He was with some other members of his family and several other women. He was sipping on a beer and it looked like he’d been watching her a lot longer than she’d seen him sitting there. He gave her a smug smile, turning to look at the woman sitting beside him who was whispering in his ear.
The fact that the skank was touching him actually made her see red. She really had to stop herself from getting up, marching over to where they were sitting and punching her full out in the jaw. It made her smile to imagine the woman falling over the back of the chair and onto her butt.
It was at that moment, while she was preoccupied with thoughts of bodily harm, that a man came up to make his move on her. He was grinning, his breath smelling strongly of gin, and he would not take no for an answer. He’d hit on her from the moment she walked into the place and she’d turned him down. He apparently was not going to get the point until she got downright rude.
“You seem lonely, how bout a dance.” She shifted in her seat, focusing all of her attention on him. “How bout no.” She paused. “How about, I am not interested in anything you have to offa. “ She paused again. “I don’t wanna drink, I don’t wanna dance, what I do want is fa you ta go far, far away an not come back.” The man seemed shocked by her blunt statement. She smiled thinly, got to her feet and started to walk away. Annoyed now, he reached out to grab her wrist, spinning her around to face him.
“You on’t have ta be a bitch, I jus wanna get ta know you.” She pulled at her hand. His grip tightened. “ You think you too good ta dance wit me, too good ta get ta know me.” She smiled lightly. “Believe me, you don’t wanna do this.” His grip tightened until it began to cause her pain. “Don’t fuckin tell me what I want, stupid cunt.” She blinked at that, just before he stood up straight, yanking her against his chest.
She’d had enough. She put both hands on his chest, shoving him backward two steps. He cursed and came at her again. She stopped him with a quick chop to his throat, chest and the middle of his forehead. He stopped suddenly, his eyes rolling up into the back of his head before his long, hard body dropped silently to the floor, the glass in his hand splattering into pieces on the floor beside his head.
Two of his friends came up to see what was happening. One dropped to one knee beside his friend, checking him. He looked up at her. “What tha fuck!” He snapped just as the second one came at her. She grabbed the bottle of beer she’d been drinking on, gripping it like a baseball bat. She spun, bringing the bottle with her. It crashed against the side of his head, dropping him where he stood, the side of his face bleeding as he moaned on the floor at her feet.
The first man watched the scene with wide eyes. The music had stopped and the club was silent as they watched. Sparkled focused on him, waiting; slowly he stood. She watched him, but moving, but her body was stanced, she was ready for him. He took one step towards her and she swung, her fist connecting his nose. The cracking sound echoed through the room as blood flew in every direction. The man stumbled back, falling on his butt, his hands cupping his nose.
Annoyed now, Sparkle reached into the tiny purse she brought with her, pulling out her badge and a pair of handcuffs. “Call 911 and get a ambulance!” She announced as she pushed the man with the broken nose over, yanking his hands behind his back as she read him his rights, the bastard.
She had the three of them restrained in under two minutes. She was on her feet, waiting for back up when she happened to look up at the VIP station. BJ was gone. She frowned, taking her gaze over the crowd. She couldn’t believe that he would have left like that, seeing what went down.
When her gaze finally found him, standing at the door with what looked like three exact, younger replicas of himself, it made her smile against her will. He’d come down to help her. He was prepared to protect her if he needed to. He met her eyes for only a moment before he turned to walk away. She watched his back as he moved into the darkened hall and back up the steps towards the offices.
The night had been a long one and now Sparkle was tired, still wound up, and her hand hurt. She walked barefoot to her car, holding the stilettos she’d worn in her hands. Her heel was broken on one and it was just better to take them off.
She pushed the alarm off her car with the buttons on her car keys. “You should really have somethin on ya feet out here…” She turned to see BJ standing a few feet away from her. He was leaning against his own BMW. “Glass, you could get cut.” She didn’t say anything. He crossed his chest with his arms. “You been waitin fa me?” He smiled. “Yeh, kinda, jus checkin ta see if you were okay.” She leaned back against her own Calibur. “Why you so interested in my well bein.” He shrugged. “On’t know exactly, you remind me of somebody at I knew once.” She smiled, staring at him. “You were comin ta help me?” He didn’t answer right away.
“Fagot for a sec at you was supacop, thought you might need back-up.” She laughed. “I wouldn’a fought against some help.” He thought about that. “I will rememba at next time, you kinda look like someone at gets inta trouble a lot.” She laughed. “Tha pot callin na kettle black.”
They were silent for a long time. “So is it me or do we have unfinished business?” He said softly. “I on’t know about you, but…I think I have tha wrong feelins for a mobsta at I’m suppose ta be tryin hard ta put in jail.” He thought about at. “Well, I’m kinda in na same boat, cus I got wrong feelins for a cop ats tryna put me in jail.” She met his eyes. “So what do we do about at?” He shrugged. “You could come home wit me an let me remind you of tha Island.” She laughed. “This can only end in tears.” He chuckled. “But we’ll laugh a lot first.” He held a hand out for her. She stared at it for a moment, before coming to take it.
“What’s ya address?” She told him. He mentally recorded it in his head. “Take ya car back ta ya place, I’ll meet you out back in ten minutes.” “You don’t wanna be seen wit me?” “I don’t want there ta be questions by ya people, they may not be undastandin.” She thought about that. “An ya people.” He shrugged. “We tha criminals, memba.” She nodded. “Ten minutes.” She pulled away to walk back to her car.


The following morning, BJ came down the steps to stand in the doorway of the kitchen. Sparkle was standing at the stove cooking something that smelled wonderful. “You like cookin too?” She turned to smile at him. “Goodmornin.” She was wearing one of his t-shirts, her hair down around her beautiful face.
He was wearing the matching boxers, his hair hung down around his face. “I made coffee.” He looked over at the coffee maker to see the black, rich, hot brew. He gave a sigh of pleasure as he moved across the room to pour him a cup.
She finished the omelette she was making, grabbed two plates. She piled food onto one of them, sitting it on the table, then half as much onto another. She turned off the stove and came to sit down across from where he’d sat. She leaned her elbows up onto the table, staring up at him.
“So what do we do about this?” He shrugged. “You tell me, you tha one with tha FBI issues.” She took a moment to put her thoughts together. “I fell hard fa you when were on na Island.” She paused. “I actually missed you when I left, but I didn’t know you, who you really were an now everything is all confusing an troublesome an I on’t know what ta do with what I feel.” He was quiet a moment.
“You fell fa me, hard.” She smiled. “Yeh, I on’t expect you ta undastand it, but it is what it is.” He frowned. “Why shouldn’t I undastand it?” He shrugged. “Fa you it was probably jus a lay.” He smirked. “Nice ta know you think so highly a me.” She laughed. “I whatn insultin you?” He smirked again, taking a bite of his omelette. “Sure felt like a insult.” She gave him a disbelieving look. “So you tellin me at you thought of it as more an a booty call.” “I’m sayin at you should ask me bafore you go assuming shit.” He took several more bites, anger deep in his movements.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m sorry. Tell me what you thinkin?” “I think I like you a lot, but you a cop an ats gone cause some problems for us both.” She grinned. “Why, cus I can take you down if I get too close?” He smiled. “No, cus I need ta trust tha people I let get close ta me, an as I said…you a cop.” She blinked at him. “Now whose insultin.” He shrugged. “I’m jus sayin.” She focused on him. “You sayin I would sell you out?” “I’m sayin, cops are cops, you gotta agenda.” “An you think I’d fuck you ta satisfy it.” He didn’t say anything. She glared at him. “You are a bastard.” She snapped and got up to storm out of the room.
He didn’t stop her when she packed up her things or when she left his house to walk up the street and call a cab. What did she expect from him, she was a cop. He had a right to be cautious. Hell she’d made it perfectly clear that taking him and his family down was a main priority for her. Did she think he’d forgotten that.
He sat on his couch thinking the morning’s conversation over. You still didn’t have to call the girl a slut. He said to himself. He closed his eyes. He was going to have to do something major to get her to accept an apology. He really was as attached to her as she seemed to be to him.



She didn’t see him again for several days. She’d gotten a few restricted calls, but she’d chosen not to answer them and they didn’t leave a message. She assumed it was him. She was thinking about that as she sat in her living room, noxema on her face, her hair pulled up tight in a ponytail. She was dressed in a long t-shirt, the edges barely touching her thighs.
She changed the channel on the television, rubbing a wet cotton ball over the toe nails that use to be covered in fingernail polish, half of a chocolate cookie dangling out of her mouth. The doorbell rang. She cursed and got to her feet, walking like a duck to the door. She didn’t even bother to check the peep hole. “Hold up.” She called, using the palms of her hands to turn the lock off and turn the door knob. When the door opened, she looked straight into the eyes of BJ.
He was standing, eyes slightly widened, a take out pizza, a bottle of wine, and a single red rose in his hands. She came up short, blinking. “Um, hi.” She said awkwardly. He smiled. “Did I come at a bad time.” He was trying not to laugh at her. “You look, um, busy.” She looked down at herself, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable. “What are you doin here?” He shrugged. “Sayin I’m sorry.” She stared at him for a moment, slowly smiling.
“Do I get ta come in or you got otha alien beins in nare at I should be afraid of?” She laughed softly. “Tanight was beauty night.” He thought about that, nodding. “Where’s beauty exactly?” She laughed, stepping aside. “I was in tha middle of a movie, make yaself at home.” She said, closing the door once he was inside. She watched him move over to the couch before she disappeared in the bathroom.
When she came out, her face was cream free and her hair was down around it. She was still walking like a duck, but he could at least see her eyes. She came to sit on the arm of the couch, staring at him. “Now why are you here to apologize again?” He smiled, shifting to sit on the couch to face her. “I spoke outta turn, I’m sorry fa at.” She lifted her foot up to the table to let her nails dry.
“You called me a stool pigeon.” He frowned at that. “I do not believe those words came outta my mouth.” “It was basically tha same.” She paused. “An jus for tha record, if I say I’m loyal to you, I am.” He stared at her, smiling. “You neva tole me you were loyal ta me.” He paused. “What you said was you are a cop, who wants ta put me and my family behind bars.” He paused again. “An if I’m not mistaken, you even went so far as to tell me how good you were at doin what you set out ta do as tha cop you keep professin ta be.” She didn’t say anything for a while, her eyes dropping to the floor.
“I don’t….” She stopped to take a deep breath. “You rockin my world BJ, in more ways an one.” He smiled at the inferences. “I can’t trust you wit everything Sparkle, I on’t know you at well yet.” She didn’t look up. “You know me in na ways at count.” She said softly. “What I feel fa you…” She shrugged. “It’s not like anyone else.” He thought about that, before taking a deep breath. “You gotta give me time on na trust front.” He said heavily. “I like you, a lot, an I wanna find out where this will go, but not at tha expense of my family or my own interests.” He paused when he saw her tense and start to object. “I ain’t sayin at won’t change.” She was staring at him as he stopped her from speaking with his hand held up. “Jus at right now, this is how it is.” She listened to what he said, took it all in, then nodded.
“Fair enough.” She paused. “But B, you need ta also make sure at you an ya family are as good as you claim to be, cus I am a cop an if I get what I need, I will lock you up.” It was her turn to hold up a hand when he would have interrupted. “I will not betray you, I will not use….whatever this is to get information, but I will do my job an I will get what I need by legal, fair means and if and when I do, I will do what I do better than any other.” He stared at her, a slow smile spreading over his face. “Fair enough.”

They were quiet for a moment until she picked up the box of pizza. “So what did you bring me?” He smiled. “Supreme, wine.” She grinned, picking up the rose. “This mine too?” He shrugged. “Found it by tha dumpstas.” She giggled. “Bastard.” “You got plates or you jus eat off tha table?” “Kitchen, top shelf.” He nodded and got up to get what they needed.

Christine Feehan

She has a new installment of her Dark Series coming out on August 31st, 2010. "Dark Peril"

Sherrilyn Kenyon

I have read just about every book that she has written on the Dark Hunter Series and I am about to go into the Dream Hunters. I am so excited that her next book is coming out on September 7th, 2010.

You Ask Me What My Problem Is?

Why can’t you see me?
I stand before you invisible.
You talk at me, speak my name, touch my face, and feel my tears as they fall…
Yet you don’t see me.
I am beautiful too.
My skin is soft to the touch.
My voice is melodic when I choose to use it.
I can cook like nobody’s business.
And when I grind, man, you don’t know love like the lovin I can put on you….
And yet, you don’t see me.
I am the one who gave birth to you.
I raised you up, suckled you at my breast, taught you to be the man you are.
I am the one who sat up all night with you when the world marked you with three strikes and told you you weren’t good enough.
I held your head when you were sick.
I fought beside you when battled all, even the people you called friend.
And when you got big enough, strong enough to stand on your own, you turned your back on me and turned to the very person, the very thing that scorned you and made you cry tears of blood for things you could not even control.
You forgot about me and what I did, what I represented to you.
You pretended as if I never existed, as if I were something in your past that was distasteful and disgusting, a slight on your prosperous family tree.
You saw me on the street and walked by as if I were nothing, holding onto that white hand who knows nothing of what it means to carry your black skin.
And then you call me bitter, angry, vindictive.
All I want, all I need is that you see me.

Introducing Lady Lace

I am Chantilly Lace, a wrangler if you will. I am a High Priestess on the Shauri Au tano, The Counsel of five. My particular job is very simple, I am required to take the women that I am given and train them to be the universal killing machines. My resume is well equipped from both hardships to every pain and pleasure imaginable.
I have been a sex slave to the gods and to humans, a Voodoo Shaman, and an assassin from the most mediocre to the highest of honors. I am more than equipped to teach, to guide, as well as to destroy if necessary.
We have laws and rules that we are governed by, none shall violate them and all shall be judged, even me.
I do not train men. I follow the codes set in place by our sisters, The Amazonians. I have helped to create victims, killers, vixens, angels, and demons in the twinkle of an eye, teaching them the mystical ways of torture, mayhem, love, laughter, and pain.
I have delved in the human realm, but my specialty is all things supernatural and usually it involves the Assassinations of those judged to be unworthy of the life they have been so mercifully granted.
My motto, ‘Look upon the face that will grant you one night of unspeakable pleasure and remember it as you spend the next thousand leagues in hell and know she sent you there.’