Author of Erotic Romance Sascha Illyvich

Out today from Decadent Publishing:  Surrender to Love

In order to cure the dreaded creative rut she’s in, Livia ends up in Las Vegas by suggestion from her therapist. Oh and there’s a catch. Livia‘s been set up to have a one night stand with a very handsome man who promises her freedom through submission. Can she surrender to more than just passion?

By Sascha Illyvich

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Excerpt:

A rapping at the door woke Livia. She’d dreamed all sorts of interesting things during the night and the memories hadn’t faded away yet.

“Hold on a moment,” She sat up, rubbed sleep out of her eyes, and searched for her robe. The dark purple satin number she’d picked out one Christmas kept her warm and made her feel more feminine, more in tune with what she thought she should be. Sure, she had skirts and dresses, but she rarely wore those. Colorado wasn’t the place to wear anything short or flirty.

The gentle knock sounded again. She slid out of bed, covered herself with the robe, and belted it tightly around her waist. She moved the bolt, unlocked and pulled the metal chain off the hook. Opening the door revealed a man dressed in a sleek black suit. Long dark hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. His body filled out the suit jacket and made him look bigger than he probably was. A black shirt stretched across a muscular chest. Black pants hugged powerful thighs. She peered down and could almost see her reflection in his dress shoes.

He looked intimidating but smiled when he extended his hand. “Livia?”

Part of her wanted to shrink away, deny her name, and hide under the covers. She had to do this though. He was just a person. A very tall, sexy man. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. “I am. Who might you be?”

“I’m Bruce. Your blind date.” Violet eyes roamed over her body and the corners of a pair of sensual lips curved up.

Heat flared, causing her to blush. She noticed the way he stared at her body, his eyes focusing on the display of ample cleavage.

“You have very lovely skin.”

The words rolled out of his mouth and over her like a soft blanket, a caress over her more intimate parts. She shuddered and took his hand. “I’m Livia. I….”

Shrugging, “This was,” he set his free hand on the back of his neck, “a little more unexpected than I planned or was told about. Shall we…?”

She had trouble believing he was nervous, too. Did men even get nervous?

“Try again?” The seductive glint in his sea blue eyes was all male. Predatory, but not frightening. How did he do that?

“Yes. Please. Come in.”

“Okay.” He released her hand.

She felt a sudden annoyance at the loss of contact. Livia backed up, turned, and glanced over her shoulder. He followed along, keeping a safe distance from her. His presence made her large room feel small. She swallowed the newly formed lump in her throat. “You have any idea how this is supposed to work? I’ve never done this before. Is it customary to—”

He stopped just inside the doorway. “Show up this early? In most cases, a one-night stand means just that. A sexual attraction between two people that happens just for the one night, usually at night. But, this was—” He cleared his throat. “Something I was told to handle with care.”

She turned to face him and put her hands on her hips. “I’m not a kid.”

“I know.” He slid his hands in his pockets. “But I owe the party requesting this favor a great deal and once they checked me out, they told me they wanted me to meet you. I figured the best thing to do was to get to know you.”

That made sense. Her shoulders relaxed. Still needing some distance, she walked over to the desk and looked out the window, down at the streets of the Strip. Not as many people milled about, but a glance at the clock told her it was early. She turned and looked at him. His size made her tremble but she wasn’t sure if it was fear or arousal that caused her to shake.

Bruce studied her, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “You’re a very beautiful woman.”

Heat rushed up her cheeks and her eyebrows rose. She’d never heard that from anyone. “Thank you?”

“I know that moving fast with you is probably not the way to go.” The tone of his voice sounded as though he controlled the impact behind every word.

She swallowed hard. What would his hair look like if he freed it? “No. I’m….”

Before she knew it, he was on his knees before her. He reached for her hand, captured and clasped it in his. The sheer difference in size intimidated her.

Rough, calloused fingers smoothed over the top of her hand in a gentle motion. Bruce’s lips pressed against her skin.

Goose bumps appeared on her arms and a shiver raced through her. She didn’t know what to do, but she didn’t want to pull away. Her heart did a double thump against her chest.

His eyes traveled up her body, stopping briefly at the tops of her breasts. She realized then just how naked she was. The purple robe was parted enough to show her black, mid-thigh chemise with slits up the sides. It fit her curves very well. Beneath it, she wore nothing.

Bruce’s eyes met hers. She stared back into the depths of his gaze, holding it for a moment. Violet eyes smoldered with lust.

“You find me attractive?”

“I do.” He nodded.

She turned away, still holding his hand. “Oh. I suppose you have to.”

His fingers stiffened against her palm. “What does that mean?”

She spun to face him, the swish of her hair blanketing her shoulders, “It means you’re paid to seduce. I know your type!”

Bruce cleared his throat and started laughing. He slapped his knee with his free hand.

Livia yanked her hand from his and stalked back toward the desk. “See!”

Bruce rose to his full height, lowering his gaze. “No. I am a blind date, not an escort. 1Night Stand is a matchmaking service, you do know that, right?”

Livia smirked, bumped into the desk, and leaned into it. Matchmaking was the same as an adult service. Right? She was supposed to get laid, right? Wasn’t this what Dr. Gena wanted for her? Setting her hands on her hips, she stared at Bruce. “Yes but….”

“Madame Eve, the owner, is very thorough with her clients and very particular with their needs and wants. Trust me.” He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a handkerchief, wiped his brow. Then he folded it back into a perfect square, stuffed it into his jacket, and continued. “I went through hell to use her service.”

Curious, she relaxed her posture, just a touch. “What do you mean? Why would you need a blind date or matchmaking service?”

Color filled his cheeks and tinged his fair skin with a light shade of pink. “Well.” Bruce held his hands out to his sides. “Some time back I was in a relationship that didn’t go well. I loved her, but she left me for a woman named Alexandria Rayne.”

Livia had to cover her mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to bubble up from within. “Some woman left you for another woman? I find that hard to believe!”

He sat at edge of the bed and smiled nervously “It does seem sort of ridiculous, doesn’t it? But this woman was a powerful romance author who wove spells around her audience with her words. It seemed that even I was ensnared by her net until I realized she wanted nothing to do with me. Alexandria was selfish, she’d strung me and my girlfriend along. She broke my heart.”

She really wanted to laugh but she tried to contain her giggling.

“Go ahead, laugh!” Bruce’s voice boomed through the room.

She thought he was annoyed until she saw the corners of his full lips turn upward in a grin.

“It is a little embarrassing now, but I didn’t find it funny then. In fact, it caused me to overwork and end up in the hospital because I was pushing myself so hard—” His voice dropped. “To put her and Alexandria out of my mind. Then one day I was talking to a coworker who wanted to go out for drinks. You know, as friends.”

“I can see where this is going.” She pursed her lips together in a thin line. She crossed her arms over her chest and straightened.

“No, not entirely. I wasn’t going to sleep with her, if that’s what you think.” He leaned forward. “We went to a different type of club. She asked me to go with her and to obey her every whim.”

Livia cocked a brow, “This sounds suspicious.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it did to me too. I wasn’t sure what was up, but I hadn’t left the house or office in several months. I had a heart attack, and when I got out of the hospital, she was there waiting to pick me up. We had only seen each other outside of work that one time when she took me to the club.”

“And you didn’t question it?”

Bruce shook his head and a few strands came free of his ponytail. She realized his hair had been pulled back by a large black scunchie, not a neat rubber band like she’d thought.

“I was just glad to be alive. The next few weeks with Lilith were interesting”

He was supposed to seduce her? Livia had heard enough. “Let me guess, she taught you a valuable lesson and then you ended up being left alone by Lilith only to realize you needed yourself? Tired story. My therapist has given me that line numerous times.”

“No.” He shook his head again. “It doesn’t end quite that way. Please, let me show you what I did learn. Lilith, taught me things I’d like to share with you. Her suggestion that I approach 1Night Stand surprised me, but I’ve found them to be very thorough. Don’t worry.” He shed his suit coat and set it neatly on the bed beside him. “I’m just a single man who didn’t know what to expect. And I haven’t had a partner in a very long time.” He stood and approached her, bending down on one knee while setting his hand out before her. “Please, let me show you how to own control?”

She gasped. The words she’d wanted to take back had come to her in the form of a person. A real, live person who…she didn’t know what. Livia watched him bow his head. What was with a man who could control the entire universe, dominate her rather large space, and still make himself subservient before her?

What would cause that behavior?

Worse yet, the way he knelt before her gave her a view of very broad shoulders beneath his black T-shirt. His hair hung thickly in a loose tail that stopped just at the small of his back. His musk, so male and potent made her nostrils flare. Something tightened low in her stomach. Her thighs grew damp. “Okay. So, how does this work?”

He looked up from the floor. “I have found that freedom, true freedom comes from when the body is restrained, stimulated and—” Standing, he leaned forward, pressing his lips into hers. “Forced to let the mind and heart work in tandem.”

He brushed his lips against hers one more time, the words echoing like silk over her mind. His voice caressed her, causing pinpricks to race up her spine. Her nipples hardened beneath the satin. She tried to move back from Bruce, but the desk and his large frame trapped her.

Slowly, his mouth caressed hers then his tongue swept over her bottom lip.

She tasted his plump lips. Fresh, sandalwood, hints of rose and cinnamon swirled around her nose, knocking her senses off balance. Her mind zeroed in on the image before her, a powerful man, willing to do her bidding while focusing on her pleasure. Some part of this still confused her.

Finally, Bruce pulled back from the kiss, set his hands on either side of her body, and returned to a kneeling position.

Her head swam and she had to steady herself against his shoulders, only to find that his face was at the level of her sex. “How would you go about restraining the body and stimulating it?”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a two bundles of dark blue rope. “Silk helps for those who are afraid of iron.”

An eyebrow rose.

“The chair, a perfect place to hold you,” he indicated with a nod of his head. “You’ll sit with your hips at the edge, legs spread. Arms tied lightly.”

“It won’t hurt?” She looked at the chair, a high-end leather and wood piece of furniture with arms that could be used to hold her hands down if he tied her to it.

“If it does, I’ll loosen the ropes. Just ask.”

That was the problem. She could trust him; she felt somewhat safe with a man who seemed to be in so much control over himself. He could easily hurt her, but she didn’t get the sense that Bruce would. It was odd, but she really found him worth at least a shot. Livia had never asked for anything in her life. She’d always done for herself or gone without. Life had been tough going without, even as her income grew. Still, she wanted things and feared asking for them.

The question jumped from the back of her mind to her lips before she could stop it. “What if I get scared?”

Bruce looked into her eyes and smiled. “You simply say Bluetooth.”

“Bluetooth?” Her eyebrows furrowed.

“Yes. That’s your safeword. If you feel scared and want me to stop, you simply say it and all play of any sort ceases.”

The thought of all things ceasing at her asking gave her a rush as did the tone of his voice. The words again seemed to wrap around her ears in a symphony of seduction that curled like smoke over her bare skin. Her pussy tightened at the thought of him touching her. Her body thrummed with arousal.

“You start by taking control of yourself. You have already done that.” Bruce set a hand on her exposed thigh.

Tingles raced up straight up her back. Anticipation at how this could turn out built like butterflies buzzing in her stomach. She wanted this man. “Okay. So what now?”

“Indulge me, so I can indulge you. Sit on the chair, rest your hands on the arms. Strip off the robe.”

Slowly, Livia moved toward the chair. She let the robe slip off before tossing it on the bed. “Here?”

Bruce blinked, looked at the chair, the window, and then back at Livia. “Well, we could move it away from the window if you’d like, but frankly if I were to look up and see you in all your naked glory, I’d want to know your name. I’d want to devour your body and share nothing but immense passion with you. I’d want to make sure I pleased you continuously, sexually and otherwise.” He stood and held the ropes in his hands.

She felt herself blush again. The rich timber of his voice did things to her insides. After the kiss, she felt empty. She wanted another taste of Bruce but didn’t know how to ask.

“Tie me up facing the window.”

To find out how this plays out, click here