Snippet Sunday: Disciplining the Duchess

This was a really great week as far as inspiration. I finished the first draft of Disciplining the Duchess, my upcoming Regency-era spanking story, and I also got cracking on a couple new story ideas. One’s going to be a sequel to Cirque du Minuit and the other…well, it’s still too soon to know if anything’s going to come of it but at the moment it’s a bodyguard-type story starring one of Kyle’s brothers. Bodyguard romances drive me wild, or really any romance with a protective male in it. It’s not about setting back the women’s lib movement, just about celebrating the wonderful, protective impulses that exist in heroic men. So wish me luck that I will get all these stories scraped together and formed into something coherent that I can share with all of you in the coming year.

But in the meantime, I’m thankful to have completed the initial draft of my Domestic Discipline/spanking story Disciplining the Duchess. Domestic Discipline (usually abbreviated as DD) is a couples-based kink which falls under the BDSM umbrella, but it’s also it’s own particular thing. Emphasis on particular. It’s not for everyone, since one partner–often the female–has to submit herself to her partner’s authority, but as a hot little horny fantasy it’s kind of cool. If you are curious, you can google Domestic Discipline or Loving Domestic Discipline (LDD) and learn about the thriving community of DD practitioners.

Anyway, in honor of finishing my first draft, I thought I’d share a little snippet. Miss Barrett has just done something typically gauche at a house party dance, and the Duke of Courtland steps in to rescue her from her annoyed brother. (Ah, the heroic male!)

     Court wondered what had come over him.

     Well, any polite guest owed it to the hostess to participate at least marginally in the entertainments. Or become one, if circumstances called for it. He wasn’t about to let Barrett drag off his sister before the whole group. The unfortunate young miss gawked at him now, not exactly the picture of feminine manners. An offer of her hand would have been the appropriate way to proceed, but her brother still had her by the arm. Court glared at him so fiercely he released her and took a step back.

     “Your Grace, I am d–deeply honored to introduce my sister, Miss Harmony Barrett.”

     Court nearly lost his composure over her name. Harmony? “Chaos” would have been more fitting. “Miss Barrett,” he said, taking her now-proffered hand and raising it to his lips. “The honor is mine. Would you care to dance the next set?” He looked back at the massing couples, all of whom were staring at them. “It begins shortly.”

     Her pale blue eyes widened as her fingertips fluttered in his grasp. “Dance it…with you?”

     He looked around. “Who else, madam?”

     She closed and opened her mouth again. “I– I–“

     If she refused him it would be hilarious. It would be talked about in drawing rooms and ballrooms for years. He held her gaze, willing her to do as she wished, to refuse him if she wanted to. Blue, so very blue. Her eyes were a pale, clear blue and her features so astonishingly pretty up close.

     “If you wish, Your Grace,” she finally managed, nodding her head and bobbing an awkward curtsy. He held her hand tighter and led her to the center of the room as her gaping brother looked on.

The rest of the scene is really sweet and funny, but you’ll have to wait. 🙂 I’m going to get to work , and hopefully have this ready for release during the first few months of next year. I hope you’ll love Harmony and her unflappable duke as much as I do.

In the meantime, don’t forget that Command Performance, the fourth book in the Comfort Series, is newly released! If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, click the cover below for the blurb and buy links!