Title: Limits and Stakes
Series: Suit of Harte's, Book Three
Author: Jacqueline Grey
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 12/21/2020
Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 32500
Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQIA+, BDSM, Gay, Erotic Romance, Contemporary, Exhibitionism, Bondage, Sensation Play, Professor/Student
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Description
Professor Danny Stone doesn’t date students. Though the university does not forbid such relationships, he’d rather be safe than sorry, but with his sparkling blue eyes and silky blond hair, Christopher Owen is a temptation begging him to break the rules. He already bent them when he kissed Chris over winter break.Spring break will be different. Danny’s plan is to spend the week at a BDSM club a few towns over. Playing with a sub or two who have no connection to his university will do him a world of good, and he can put Chris out of his mind.
But when the first sub that catches his eye turns out to be Christopher, Danny’s willpower is put to the ultimate test. Chris is brand new to the scene and feels safest with Danny. Will Danny be able to introduce him to the wonders of BDSM without crossing too many lines? Or will fate pull them together and show them sometimes rules are destined to be broken?
Thank you so much for having me here today.
As I was working on Limits and Stakes and now that I am now turning my focus to writing new things, I have been finding it more and more important to have a space in my house to be creative, a space that brings me joy by stepping inside it. Given the state of the world, I think that is something we all need. It is so important for all of us to have somewhere we can go to disconnect from stress and focus on things we enjoy. For me, one of those places has become my office.
I’ve been working from home for years, but due to lack of space, my “office” was a desk in the living/dining room. This wasn’t the best of locations since I was living with my mother at the time and there were days I would easily have my attention pulled away from my work by the sound of Gordon Ramsay yelling from the other end of the room. Circumstances have changed, and I now have an office in the old guest room (which has been relocated downstairs). When creating this space, I decided to fill it with things that I love, things that bring me joy just to see them. For me, that means loading it up with a bunch of geekery. Let me take you on a tour and show you where I write.
The framed pictures, acrylic charms and the square Shikishi boards are all Ten Count. The other geeky things you see hanging about are: a small file folder from Hitorijime my Hero (If you are looking for a wonderfully sweet gay romance anime you should totally check this one out.), manjuu plushes from a Chinese BL novel series called Mo Du (they’re the hanging ball looking things with animal ears and they squeak), fan art I commissioned of my favorite characters from Kamen Rider Faiz, and bean plushes from one of my favorite Chinese BL novel series, Guardian (the little balls on the wooden shelf unit. These don’t squeak.) Even my computer background is from a Thai BL called Why RU.
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, not only is everything in the room geeky, it’s all related to gay romance (which makes for a lovely atmosphere during my day job, but it also means I need to make sure my background is blurred on video conference calls. LOL). Seeing these things every day puts a smile on my face, especially when things are stressful.
Not everything is geeky décor though. The wooden shelf unit you see in the picture is something I picked up from a garage sale a long time ago and it ended up being perfect to hold my files of book ideas. Although I do put a lot of my brainstorming on my computer, I still feel the need to work with paper sometimes. A lot of that paperwork is in the colorful holders you see on the shelves. Each one is a series idea. So is the chart on the cork board. (That chart is the series I want to work on next. 😊)
There are more series ideas things on the other side of the room, so let’s go there next.
In addition to the pictures are two very important things. The first and most important being the cat condo. One of my cats is always in my office with me whenever I am there, and since I spend a lot of time working, I wanted to give him a place he could be comfortable while keeping me company. It also allows him to look out the window when the shade is open. (It will come as no surprise to fellow cat lovers that most of the time he’s sleeping in a cardboard box next to my desk or taking up the space between my keyboard and monitors.) The second important thing is the bookcase. On the shelves are binders holding more series ideas or book bibles for things I’m working on. In fact, that purple binder without a label is Ghost House. There rest are series ideas that I hope to bring to you one day. As you can see, there are a bunch of them.
And that’s it. Welcome to my writing space. I had so much fun putting this room together that I took the geek decor idea and spread it throughout the rest of my house. There’s something to enjoy in every room, but that’s a tour for another day. In the meantime, I will stay here and work on creating new things for you to read. And if you’re looking for a book to help you disconnect and destress, you can check out Limits and Stakes and the rest of the Suit of Harte’s series.
Excerpt
Limits and Stakes
Jacqueline Grey © 2020
All Rights Reserved
It was spring break, and Daniel Stone was enjoying a full week of student-free days. Dressed head-to-toe in tight black leather and itching to play, Daniel entered the Lock & Key. The club wasn’t as big as the one he’d been a member of before moving to Georgia, and membership wasn’t as exclusive, but it was well-recommended, and the staff kept an eye out for the patrons. Most of the members seemed to be well-versed in the lifestyle as well, enough to give him the confidence that, if he were to play with someone, they would at least know what they were doing or say something if they didn’t.
The club was a sufficient distance from where he worked, so he didn’t have to worry about being spotted as a familiar face outside of the scene. A BDSM club in a college town was not where a professor wanted to be found, no matter how liberal the residents claimed to be. A five-hour drive and the expense of a hotel room for the week was a worthy price for freedom.
He ordered a bottle of water and scanned the crowd for potential company. A small group of men caught his eye. Two of the three he disregarded immediately, but the third, a lean blond in the skimpiest pair of leather shorts he’d ever seen, held his attention. He was unable to tear his gaze from all that pale skin or the way the leather hugged his perfectly round bottom.
The boy was obviously new to the scene. There was uncertainty in his movements, but he was doing his best to keep up the conversation. Daniel had full confidence the young man would succeed. Anyone brave enough to go out in public in shorts like those could hold a simple conversation.
When the group moved toward the bar, Daniel finally saw the young man’s face. He froze in surprise. Of the students crowding Georgia State University campus, he now faced the one he’d wanted to avoid the most, the one he wanted to forget. Against his better judgment, he intercepted the group.
“Chris,” he said.
Chris Owen looked up at him, startled. His eyes widened in recognition, and his mouth fell open.
“Pr—” He stopped himself just in time. “Mr. Stone.”
Relief flooded through Daniel. He preferred to keep his daily life separate from the club and was glad it would remain that way.
“You know this kid?” asked one of the men. He stood too close to Chris for Daniel’s liking.
“Yes.” Daniel resisted the impulse to claim anything more. He had no right to claim anything, but his instincts wouldn’t let him back down completely. “My apologies for the interruption. I wasn’t aware Chris planned to be here today.”
The stranger scrutinized the young man, paying particular attention to his neck. “He’s not marked.”
“I’m instructing him,” Daniel said. Well, he had been. For half a semester, he’d tutored Chris in advanced calc, but that had changed after winter break. Either way, the details didn’t apply here. He clutched at straws with half-truths, but he couldn’t help himself. He wanted to know why Chris was there and what he had in mind. He wanted to keep the boy safe.
He wanted to keep him.
No. He’s a student. You promised him two months ago nothing would happen between the two of you, and now you’re trying to put a collar on him? Get a grip, Stone!
“Of course, he’s free to choose who he goes with,” Daniel added, attempting to pull himself out of the hole he’d been digging.
The other man looked at Chris expectantly. Chris flickered his eyes back and forth between them, seemingly lost on how to answer. Daniel put a hand on his shoulder.
“You can continue to the bar as you were, or you can take a tour of the club with me. Which do you want to do? There is no wrong choice.”
“I…” Chris’s gaze locked on Daniel’s. “I…” He swallowed. “I want to go with you.”
There was a tsk from behind Chris, but Daniel ignored it. He also did his best to ignore the sense of triumph running through him.
“Follow me,” he said and headed toward the bar.
“I thought we were going for a tour.”
“One step at a time, boy.” Daniel ordered another water, then scanned the room for somewhere to sit. When the bartender put the drink on the counter, Daniel left it for Chris to pick up and led the way toward the table he’d found. He was glad to hear the crinkle of plastic as Chris followed. The seating he’d chosen had a semblance of privacy. Daniel took the chair against the wall and gestured for Chris to take the other.
“Now, I take it this is what you meant about trying new things over spring break?” he asked.
The boy flushed red. “I… Yes. I’ve always wanted to come here and finally worked up the courage to do it.”
“You did more than that.” Daniel dropped a pointed glance in the direction of Chris’s shorts.
The color in Chris’s face deepened. “You’re not gonna tell anyone, are you?”
“I believe a person’s private life is their own business.”
“Thanks.”
Daniel took a sip of his water. After a moment, Chris did the same. Daniel caught himself staring when Chris licked his lips. He’d kissed that mouth.
The small details of that moment were forever embedded in his mind. One evening during winter break, they’d come across each other outside the math building on campus. He couldn’t recall why they’d lingered. All he remembered was huddling in his coat against the winter chill and then not caring about the weather as he became entranced by the puffs of air dancing between them as they spoke, the rosy color on Chris’s cheeks, and the sparkle in his clear blue eyes. There had been silence all around them when the conversation had hit a lull and a pull, an irresistible urge that had driven him to kiss a student. Granted, Chris was a grad student and not in any of Daniel’s classes, but Daniel had been his tutor at the time. Even if he hadn’t, Chris was still a student at the college where Daniel worked, and that wasn’t something Daniel was comfortable with. Recklessness led to trouble, and so he’d pulled away. Yet here was that face again, looking at him so openly as if the kiss had never happened and Daniel hadn’t ruined an innocent student-teacher relationship.
He mentally shook himself from his reverie. “Did you have anything in mind when you came here tonight, or was getting through the door the main goal?”
Chris’s blush deepened. “That seemed to be a big enough goal to start with.”
“Now that you’ve accomplished it, what do you plan to do next?”
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Meet the Author
Jacqueline Grey currently lives on an island on the east coast of the United States. She spends her time outside her day job juggling her many interests which include reading, writing and drinking tea. She loves M/M romance, usually focusing on stories that include BDSM themes to one degree or another.Jacqueline has always been driven by characters. She loves a good plot, but it’s the characters that pull her into a story. She loves romance and believes everyone has a right to be happy. She enjoys seeing her characters find that happiness for themselves.
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