Jack Gordon and Evan Adams—an Interview
LIZ: Welcome gentlemen. Please, take a seat. (snaps
fingers in front of Jack’s face as he argues with someone on the phone.
Evan rolls his eyes and loosens his tie before sitting.) Okay guys we are gonna
talk a little about the lifestyle choice you guys have made.
EVAN: (hold up a hand as he removes his cufflinks and rolls up
sleeves. Liz tries hard not to stare) Let’s start with that, Liz. Calling
it a “lifestyle” is probably a step farther than we are willing to go, eh Jack?
JACK: (slipping phone into pocket and draping his long lean
frame over a chair that suddenly seems too small) I think I’d even venture to
say that the word “choice” is a misnomer.
LIZ: Okay, fine. So let’s start at the beginning. How and when
did you decide this was how you preferred to…um… have sex?
EVAN: (leaning forward, elbows on knees) I figured it out early,
and resisted it, tried to compartmentalize it, went vanilla, even in an attempt
to deny it. But the key, for me, finally was to find a club scene that wasn’t
threatening, that showed me it was okay to have my particular fetish, or kink
or whatever you want to call it. It’s a part of me. It’s not what defines me
but is how I prefer to … get off, I guess. (he blushes adorably)
JACK: (crosses an ankle over his knee, pulls phone out of pocket
then puts it back after a dark look from Liz) For me it was more about
curiosity at first. While I did like it on the rough side while I was young, I
never really explored that part of my psyche until I got invited to a small
club by a girl I met the summer between college graduation and law school. I
was home in Ann Arbor as usual, working at my dad’s construction company. Had
thrown a party, that ended in the usual manner, if you know what I mean. One of
the girls liked it when I smacked her ass a few times and left me a note to
call her…that she had “something she wanted to introduce me to.” (he leans
back, his face pensive) Then I hit law school and met this freak-show! (he smiles
and smacks Evan’s shoulder)
LIZ: And…
EVAN: (shrugs) He convinced me to get back into it, and together
we learned a lot about that side of ourselves. Not the “choice” we were making
but the way we preferred to have sex. (he leans forward and pins Liz with his
mesmerizing hazel eyed stare) But don’t get me wrong, Liz, I’m not rough, not
anymore. There are ways to control the bedroom scene that don’t even involve
pain, if you know what you’re doing. (he leans back, quiet, while Liz ponders
the possibilities) I like to prove to my partner that while I control the
scene, she ultimately reaps the reward. And there are just certain
personalities that beg for a little….
JACK: (grinning) Domination
EVAN: Yes, but it’s more than that and you know it Gordon. Liz
is looking for serious answers here.
JACK: Sorry. Listen (leans forward and makes Liz slightly
breathless by grabbing her hand) I know that BDSM Lite is sort of a big deal
right now. And what Evan and I want to emphasize is that it is absolutely not
about degradation, or whatever the fuck people who don’t understand the
psychology are calling it. That really pisses me off. It is in no way “approved
abuse” either. You are into this, or you aren’t. I’ve had plenty of sex with
women who aren’t, and that was fine (Evan rolls his eyes). What? Dude, Mr.
Vanilla over here has too don’t let him fool you. We have to try it all, to
know what we truly enjoy.
EVAN: Yeah, and neither Jack nor I were abused as boys either,
which made us turn to this as some kind of answer to our problems. We want to
play this way. And that’s exactly what it is: play. Nothing more or less. At
least for us. The only reason my wife would call me “Sir” outside the bedroom
would be to warn me she was about to lose her temper. (he chuckles)
LIZ: All right, so it’s “play” and not about degrading
women or consensual abuse anything. So what IS it about for you?
JACK: (blows out a puff of air) I’m probably not the best to
answer this (runs his hand through his hair) but I’ll try. For me it’s about
pleasing a woman. Really, truly pleasing her by understanding what makes her
tick. Be it ordering for her at dinner because I can sense what she is looking
for. Planning an entire weekend away down to the last detail, and putting a
airplane ticket in her hand and ordering her to just “show up.” Fulfilling what
she needs that way. All the way through to the bedroom. Pushing boundaries.
Bring an edge of pain with the pleasure at just the right moments. Not all
women are into it mind you. But the ones that are a fucking lot of fun to
figure out I assure you.
EVAN: For me, it’s about trust. And I’m pretty sure it is for my
friend here too. No woman who lies there, bound, blindfolded, gagged, whatever
and ready to be spanked, whipped, caned or anything by someone she just “met”
should ever worry that the man (or woman) about to fulfill her fantasy can’t be
trusted. I have seen the abuse side of this shit…. (he trails off, looks up at
the ceiling as if trying to get himself under control).
JACK: It’s okay. You don’t have to say any more.
EVAN: No, I want to be totally honest for Liz and her readers. I
saw first hand a man posing as a “Dom” literally abuse women under the guise of
it, pretending to be the one a woman could trust while actually being the exact
opposite. I saw it happen to people I cared about, I loved. And…well…it’s what
brought on my vanilla years, I guess.
LIZ: “Trust” is what you hear for submissives I thought. That
they had to learn to trust you, their Dom. Otherwise the relationship wouldn’t
work. How is it about trust for you?
JACK: (puts a hand on his friend’s arm and pins Liz with a
deep blue stare. She tries not to drool.) Let me take this one. I had a quick
initiation into this whole thing. Jumped in with both feet as it were, possibly
a little too young. But it was such a buzz, you know? Women who wanted me to,
ah, spank them, tie them up, that kind of thing. (Evan stares at him a minute)
Evan has always been a lot more level headed about it, more thoughtful, careful
and that is something I always admired. He helped me out when I was out of my
league. Except once (he shakes his head). Jenna…my first “official sub.” She
really threw me.
EVAN: Dude, you had to learn that lesson for yourself. (Jack nods but stays silent) Look, Liz, I
guess what we want to impress on you and your readers is that our psychology,
our very make up drives our need to fulfill the sorts of sexual fantasies many
people find unappealing, even abhorrent. But I’m not asking any of them to
participate with me, merely not to judge me. My need to play this way has
nothing to do with some kind of perversion. It’s a…requirement…I guess. I
don’t feel a need to be cured of anything either. My wife Julie was my
submissive for years. She even wore a collar.
LIZ: Collar? Better clarify that one pal. I can hear women all
over the blogosphere sucking in a collective breath.
EVAN: (chuckles) Yeah. I get you. Okay. So we got to a certain
point in our relationship where we wanted to make a statement about it. So I
“collared” her. That is she wore a solid platinum chain around her neck,
signifying that she was mine. And not for sharing or open to any other sort of
relationship with anyone else. It was a statement we wanted to make, and one I
may have rushed into, in hindsight….but it worked.
LIZ: Sounds an awful lot like a wedding ring to me. A
“statement” to the public about your relationships status via the wearing of a
piece of jewelry?
JACK: Yes, well it is but it’s more to those who understand its
significance. It’s hard to explain.
LIZ: Have you have bestowed a collar, Jack?
JACK: (shifts, obviously uncomfortable) Yes. Once.
EVAN: Didn’t work out. Wrong woman. Live and learn.
LIZ: Do all Dom/sub relationships involve a collar?
EVAN: No. It’s just a step Julie and I chose to take.
LIZ: Does she still wear it?
EVAN: (smiles) Yes. In addition to her wedding ring.
JACK: The important thing to remember here Liz is that Evan and
I had to take our sexual lives on a path that involved the complete and
ultimate pleasure of our partners in a way that involved our complete control. It
was more or less required, given our psychological make up. But I would never
ask for approval of it. I got my own approval finally, when I met my wife. (he
smiles). For many women, believe it or not, that is the ultimate buzz. Letting
GO of control. Both of the women in our lives are Super Type-A successful
women—used to being in charge, making decisions for others all day long. It’s
like a…um…
EVAN: It’s like a break in their lives. To allow us (points to
himself and Jack) to take total control in one aspect. One room really. We just
“play” when having sex. I don’t have control of all aspects of our lives trust
me. If I thought that I’d be seriously kidding myself. I know some couples
extend the whole “control” thing into all parts of their relationship. I don’t.
It would feel fake to me somehow.
JACK: You mean you “can’t.”
EVAN: (gives Jack the one-fingered salute but stays focused on
Liz) No, I don’t want to, actually. Julie and I have been together long enough
now that it’s a release really. And no, we don’t always do it either. And yeah,
I like her on top sometimes. Physically though. Not emotionally. And don’t even
get me started on how we are both whipped, in our own way, and we fucking love
it. Being a “slave” emotionally to the one person you truly love is a buzz, no
matter what side of the equation you are on.
LIZ: there is a lot of buzz around now about some Doms who need “healing”
from their “sickness,” that it is a way to overcome their own lack of control
by taking it in the bedroom.
JACK: That’s ignorance and misrepresentation. Don’t get me
wrong. There are a shit load of sickos out there who use this as an excuse to
abuse. Evan and I both know that first hand. But I assure you that I am in
control in pretty much every aspect of my life and always have been. I am
driven, successful, have all the money I require to live the way I want to and
provide for my family. I’m not compensating for anything. But I need to be
needed. I know that. I get off on a woman looking to me for her complete
satisfaction. Frankly, I don’t know how I would handle it any other way. And
the odd thing is, women who like that are drawn to me..to us, really. Although
as Evan said, these women are very strong personalities looking for someone or
something to take over a portion of their lives that is safe for them to give
up. They trust us—and it was not easy to get either of our significant others to
that point, believe me.
LIZ: You’ve told me a lot about what your partners get from it.
Now I want a completely honest answer as to what you get out of it. Evan?
EVAN: (runs a finger under his collar and glances at Jack). I
will be completely honest with you Liz, I actually was a sub, twice.
JACK: man, I thought you weren’t gonna…
EVAN: (holds up a hand). No, it’s okay. I want people to
understand this and stop thinking it’s some kind of mental illness. (pins
Liz with a look that leaves her weak in the knee area) During law school I
hooked up with a woman who was one of my professors. Well, she gave me my first
and crucial lesson in the psychology of Domination. By topping me. Big time.
(he sighs) I learned to let go, to trust, to give myself over to another person
fully for the first time in my life, sexually. A buzz. I loved it. But she and
I both knew it for what it was. A little experiment, one designed to make me a
better Dom ultimately. And she got to where she let me top her, which was a
“switch” and one we both enjoyed. I did it again with another woman, later, after law school—but
she was…well…never mind.
LIZ: (open mouthed with imagination running wild) Um. Okay. So…
JACK: So he got it. He understood the need, and being needed.
How to bring pain and pleasure--the full circle experience. I’ve never done it.
Probably to my detriment. But he and Julie are more into it over all than Sara
and I are. Oh, and that “other woman later,” she was a bitch on wheels, man.
EVAN: Yeah. Well, you hired her to run the legal side of your
soccer team so what does that make you?
JACK: A brilliant businessman, what else? She is a bitch. On
Wheels. Who whipped the player contracts side of things into shape, big time.
Not sure what or who else she’s whipping on … but whatever, I don’t ask.
EVAN: (laughs loudly). Okay, I can see Sophie as that sort of an
addition to the team. (shakes his head). But as for being more “into it” than
you, I think that it was more about Julie’s psychological make up, thanks to
what she went through as a young woman—she needed something a little more from
me I guess. But I would not say she is any more….
JACK: Stubborn than my lovely bride?
EVAN: (laughs) No, that's not the right word at all. I would not
put those two into a stubborn contest and expect a clear winner.
Both men laugh...
EVAN: Great example of Julie’s stubbornness: when it came to starting a family. I didn’t
want to, was dead set against it. She did. Guess what? We have twins now.
LIZ: So it’s just a sex thing then, Jack? Something to use at
night and wake up in the morning and let go of?
JACK: No, not exactly. It’s like a compulsion. For both of us.
Chemistry, if you will. A mutual need that can only be met by one person.
Controlling her pleasure is how I get off. I guess. (he shrugs.). It’s gotten
out of hand a little, I won’t kid you. But that is was a safeword is for.
Right? (claps Evan on the back. He startles a little, as if lost in thought)
EVAN: Julie and I were pretty hardcore for a few years. Clubs, resorts,
the collar. Then it shifted, once we made our deeper, emotional connection, and
it became more about or mutual need to trust and be trusted, to give and
receive. And now…(he smiles) our lifestyle involves too much kid stuff to be
terribly concerned about “topping.” Our priorities have shifted but we still
keep it hot.
JACK: (laughs) Yeah. I get you there. Truly Liz, people talk
about “the one” a lot. When you have a D/s mindset, even if you don’t realize
it yet, “the one” has a hell of a lot more significance for you. That “one” is
the only one you can either control, or be controlled by, in a way that brings
satisfaction to you both.
LIZ: You were both called “Masters” at one time. Where did that
come from?
JACK: The club scene. We would show, and the people (women) who
had been approved at submissives for that night or weekend would then choose,
usually blindfolded or otherwise passively restrained. We would-be masters
would present ourselves and they would choose. Evan and I got chosen a lot.
Those were some wild ass years, my friend, were they not? (punches Evan’s
shoulder)
EVAN: Yeah. Wild. But interestingly enough, neither of us
settled with any of the women we met there, although you (he punches Jack even
harder, making a point) came fucking close, if I’m not mistaken.
JACK: (Rubs his shoulder) Too close, my friend. Way too close.
No, the women we ended up with as life partners we found elsewhere, introduced
them to the playtime concept. They didn’t balk but I wouldn’t necessarily call
either of us hard core lifestyle couples. Not anymore.
LIZ: So…bedtime is vanilla time now that there are kids in the
picture?
EVAN: Hardly.
JACK: Maybe for him.
EVAN: Fuck you.
JACK: Nope. Now Julie, on the other hand….
EVAN: (ignoring Jack for the moment) We play. We make a point to
keep it hot. We go on trips to resorts that are BDSM only once a year, just
“mom and dad.” It’s important to us to keep that part of our relationship
going.
JACK: And please, Liz, if you and your readers take away
anything from this little chat I hope it is that a BDSM or Dom/sub fantasy is
one that does not automatically imply perversion, or degradation, or anything
even remotely illegal or abusive. It’s fulfilling certain fantasies that many
people have that involve a rougher set of parameters for sex. It’s adding pain
to the pleasure principal and more importantly, trust. For everyone concerned.
I trust my partner, my submissive, the love of my life, to let me take control.
She trusts me to do so. Anyone who hurts a women using being a “dom” as an
excuse deserves to be castrated, with a rusty blade. Likewise though, anyone
who thinks it’s an illness needing to be cured just hasn’t been doing it the
right way.
LIZ: Thanks guys. (fans herself) See you soon.
Floor Time
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 1
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book Description:
Jack Gordon is Ann Arbor's most delectable bachelor. At age thirty-five, he's made millions as a top-selling Ann Arbor real estate broker and has the right connections to close a deal by any means necessary. With his rugged good looks and compelling personality, he has a virtual black book most men would kill for and he uses it often, never settling for one woman for very long.
While his D/s past remains buried, exactly where he wants it, an undercurrent of boredom and dissatisfaction runs through his life now. A disastrous experience years earlier made him swear off the whole scene, but the more Jack suppresses his natural Dom, the more his frustration grows.
Sara Thornton, a rookie in the real estate game, has fast-tracked herself to the top of the Ann Arbor market. Her life reflects a disciplined and focused routine, exactly the way she wants it. However, as her career takes off, the fulfillment she seeks remains inexplicably out of reach. The one thing she knows for sure, she will not join the Jack Gordon groupies in her company, no matter how tempting that might seem.
A chance encounter and a difficult transaction throw Jack and Sara together and the sparks fly high and hot and often. Forced to confront the compulsions that gain momentum with each sizzling hookup, their relationship seems to spiral out of control until Jack finally admits what he needs, and shows Sara what she's been missing.
Available for Free at Amazon BN iTunes Smashwords Kobo
Floor
Time Excerpt:
Two o’clock
became two forty-five with no guests. No big surprise. She made it through half
of her water and a few chapters of the latest hot vampire novel she’d brought
with her to pass the time. Bored, she got up to walk around when she saw a car
pull into the long gravel drive.
She watched as
Jack unfolded his tall frame out of the Corvette and walked around to reach
into the passenger’s seat. It struck her that she had never seen him in
anything but a suit, or at least dress pants, shirt, and tie, as she admired
his ass in the dark jeans. He looked good enough to eat. But panic replaced her
blooming desire.
What was he
doing at her open house? Was there a problem with their deal?
She glimpsed a
shopping bag from the local organic chain grocery in one hand. He grinned at
her, lighting up his arresting eyes. Her breath caught in her throat.
Shit.
She had made a
vow to herself she would not get caught up in the Jack Gordon whirlwind.
However, here she was, high and mighty, and yet about to explode with need for
his lips on hers.
Double shit.
“I thought you
might be lonely all the way out here and we should have a picnic. What do you
say?” He made his way to the front door. He wore a plain burgundy t-shirt,
jeans that hugged his front as nicely as his rear, and driving shoes.
Momentarily blinded by lust, she fought the impulse to pull him into the foyer
and make him fuck her until she was spent.
Nice, very nice.
The guy brings you a picnic and you want to skip right to the after-play?
Turning on her
heel she headed back into the house without even responding to his suggestion,
assuming he would follow her. Sara realized she had to get control of herself
before talking or her voice would surely betray her. She glanced at her watch.
Three p.m. – she had to focus on her job for one more hour. Let him wait.
“Don’t you have
an open house of your own?” She sounded a tad more irritable than she intended.
“Nope.” He
walked right into her personal space, brushed her hair out of her face and
kissed her. His firm lips remained noncommittal. She shivered as he kept his
hand on her neck under her hair. He caressed her almost absentmindedly as he
looked around at the house.
“Well, the view is
great,” he admitted as he strode into the front bedroom suite. Sara watched as
he walked out of that room and took in at the high cathedral ceilings made of
light ash wood. Then he whistled, picked up his grocery bag, and walked into
the kitchen complete with new gleaming stainless steel appliances and white
tile floor.
“Nice, but it’s
sort of cold in here, isn’t it? Maybe some color, flowers or something, would
help?”
“Fuck off, Jack.
I don’t need your help. Why are you here, anyway?”
“Easy, tiger,
easy.” He leaned on the countertop. “I know you know what to do. I can’t help
it. It’s second nature for me to say something about the house first.” Sara
caught herself clenching and unclenching her fists, and stopped.
Damn the man,
anyway.
She couldn’t
even stay mad at him. She slumped against the doorframe.
“It’s a shit
listing. I don’t get any showings and hardly any new buyers from these open
houses. The sellers couldn’t care less that it sits here and gets stale.” She
sighed, then relaxed, only to have her desire for him rush over her like a
tidal wave. He attended to his grocery bag and began setting stuff on the
counter.
“What the hell
am I going to do when a guest shows up, Jack? Put that crap away.”
“It’s okay,
babe, we’ll just say we rolled out the red carpet for your potential buyers
with these nice strawberries and this cream.” He pulled the last container from
the bag with a flourish.
“You are insane,
you know that?” She stared at the array of stuff on the counter.
“You won’t think
that when I show you this amazing bottle of wine I found. I forgot I had it.”
He pulled out a green bottle with a French label of some sort, two wine
glasses, and a corkscrew.
“Um, yeah, well,
I’m not really comfortable doing this here. I mean, it’s not my kitchen.” Sara
gulped as she took another step away from him to get his smell out of her nose.
“Sure it is.” He
worked the cork out, allowing her to admire the amazing definition of his arms.
“I’ll bet you’ve spent more time in this fucked-up house with its
million-dollar view than you have in your own house since you listed it. I
mean, you do opens, you refill sales brochures, you check on the lawn – what
else? Tell me I’m wrong.” He pulled the cork free, splashed some golden liquid
into each glass, and handed one to her. By the time he’d completed the task,
Sara had made her way nearly six feet away from him.
“Baby, I don’t
bite,” he said, holding out the glass to her.
She surged
forward, as if to prove she wasn’t afraid, grabbing the glass as she passed.
“Thanks. Never had
a happy hour at an open house.”
Sweat Equity
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 2
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book Description:
Jack Gordon thought he’d finally made it. He had a wildly successful career, money in the bank and even returned to his life as Dom, putting an end to a string of unfulfilling sexual encounters. Now that he's made the ultimate commitment to Sara Thornton, he believes all is right in their world. However, a series of misunderstandings and a dose of self-fulfilling prophesy bring his perfectly crafted house of cards tumbling down around him, forcing him to confront lingering misgivings about marriage and trust. Could those be the only two things he can never achieve?
Sara struggles with her intense need for Jack and her desire for less volatility in her busy life, two goals which appear to be mutually exclusive. Although willing to put in the time and emotional effort to make their relationship work, she finds it futile and frustrating, littered with clashes thanks to near-identical personalities and temperaments. Given Sara’s history, easing back into the comfortable status quo becomes easier than fighting a war with the one person who should be her safe haven. But will the easier choice satisfy her the way only Jack can? Is her "war" one that comes from without or within?
Buffeted by circumstance, temptation and distraction, Jack and Sara’s tenuous relationship crumbles, sparking a continuous quest for the ever elusive: trust, love and acceptance. By the time they rebuild a foundation for renewal, fate has other plans. This leaves them both reeling, once again questioning their destiny.
Available at Amazon BN iTunes Smashwords Kobo
Sweat
Equity Excerpt:
Jack watched his
now ex-fiancée screech out onto the quiet street, sipped his bourbon and
relished its slow lubrication of the horror at what had just happened. He sank
back into the chair and glared at the fucked up still life of the condom and
ring together on the table.
“Happiness
Thwarted” he could call it, or even better, “In Which Jack Is a Dumb Ass.” The
purple foil packets stacked next to the nearly twenty-thousand-dollar hunk of
metal and compressed coal he’d put so much faith in just a few months ago.
“Goddamnit.” He
swept the whole mess onto the floor. His usual method of instant spin control
had abandoned him. He had nothing, remained a hollow shell, scraped clean, raw
and pulsing like a six-foot five-inch exposed nerve ending.
The fucking
condoms.
He’d left them
there from over a year ago. From when he’d taken that crazy-ass blonde bitch of
a client away for a weekend. The weekend she tried to convince him to marry
her. But he’d already met Sara by then. So, he had fucked the woman six ways to
Sunday then dropped her at her house, his mind and heart elsewhere.
Oh, the bitter
irony of the situation did not escape him. Vegas had been fun, sure. He’d
flirted like crazy and let some ladies buy him drinks but he went to bed alone
every single night without a single qualm or regret. He hadn’t talked to Sara that
week, but he’d been busy, serving on countless panels and attending dozens of
stupid glad-handing receptions. When he wasn’t doing that he’d played Texas
Hold ’em and lost his ass with gleeful abandon. He’d had his mind firmly fixed
on the future. With Sara. He’d even entertained a pretty out-there fantasy of
her beautiful body, swollen and full with their child.
“Oh fuck.” His
face and eyes burned. His throat closed up. The room spun. He had to get her
back.
How? Was he even
worthy?
No, he wasn’t.
But he didn’t care.
Jack got up,
retrieved the expensive ring from the floor and set it on the front hall table
with his other stuff. His heartbeat pounded at the sight of it. Anger followed
close on the heels of despair. The house echoed with silence. He knew what he
needed. Picking up his smart phone he quick dialed his friend, Suzanne.
“Hey, Jack,
what’s up?”
“I need to
talk.”
“Where are you?”
The noise of her beer bar receded, so he assumed she must have walked into the
brewery.
“Home. But I’m
coming over. You gonna be there?”
“Well, I wasn’t,
but I’ll stick around.” Silence spun out between them before she spoke again.
“You did it, didn’t you?”
Jack dragged a
hand through his hair. He knew exactly what she meant. “Yeah. I did.”
“Oh hell.” The
ensuing silence deafened him. He trusted Suzanne more than he trusted just
about anyone, except her business partner, who was currently on the West Coast
at some beer conference. “C’mon over, you fucking idiot. I’ll buy you a beer.”
Jack slumped against the wall, relieved to have somewhere to go, sick to his
stomach and emptier than he’d ever felt in his entire life.
Closing Costs
The Stewart Realty Series
Book 3
Liz Crowe
Genre: Romance / Family Saga
Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing
Book Description:
Love conquers all? Not likely, according to Sara Thornton. She's spent eight years coming to terms with the new parameters of her life while resigning herself to the idea that “happily ever afters” are best left to fairytales. Sales manager for her successful real estate office and juggling an added element of responsibility she never thought she'd face, Sara continues to struggle with the men in her life. Love, for her, has only meant hurt, broken trust and anger; all of which she’s completely banished from her life, so she claims.
Jack Gordon has come a long way since his early days of obsession with Sara. As the general manager of Stewart Realty, his own level of responsibility for the well-being of others has ramped up. He’s even honed his caretaking skills, now that he has someone who loves him unconditionally.
Continuing to invest effort and rebuild their relationship, he and Sara grow close as friends. Despite this, his ultimate question remains unanswered; the one he keeps asking, no matter how many times she says no. Sara isn't prepared for the keen focus of his need--to have her back, once and for all. Her stubborn resistance nearly rips both lives apart
The epic conclusion to The Realtors series, Closing Costs brings Jack and Sara truly full circle. Proving that the heat of lust and obsession; the need for control and to be mastered in many areas of life can lead to love —surprising you when you least expect it – if you will only allow it.
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Excerpt
Closing Costs:
Once Jack and
Sara had eased back into a wary friendship, the entire Stewart Real Estate
Company rejoiced because it meant fewer fraught upper management meetings. Jack
Gordon was a hard-ass leader, tough, firm, driven and with high expectations of
everyone around him. He had turned the brokerage around. But for almost a year
he’d been impossible to work with – antsy, quick tempered, never seeming to
leave the office even to sleep or eat except on Tuesdays and Thursdays – the
days he had Kate at his house.
Their
conversations lasted long into the night nearly three or four times a week and
between sorting through work issues and discussing theories of raising a
successful future woman, they’d drifted into more personal details.
“So…” she’d
asked at one point, needing to know but dreading the answer at the same time.
“Have you, um, moved on, like I told you to?”
“Since when do I
do what you tell me?”
She’d shivered
at the sound of his voice. It had compelled her in so many ways, for good and
bad. She needed to hear it, like she needed to drink water.
“Never mind.”
“And you? Find a
new boyfriend yet?”
“Yeah, in all my
spare time, I’m out clubbing, picking up guys.”
“Well, there is
the internet.”
“That’s sick.
You gonna answer me?”
He sighed. “I’ve
been down at the club again. Playing.” Sara shut her eyes.
“Why didn’t you
ever take me there? I would’ve…”
He cut her off.
“You weren’t ready and every time I thought you were, you’d scream at me to get
the hell out of your life, if memory serves.”
“Yeah, I guess
so. We sure are good at bad timing, aren’t we?”
“Uh huh. You, my
dear, are the queen of overreaction. But I still love you.”
Her scalp had tingled
and she snuggled down in the covers. “Don’t know why. I’m a real bitch, I
hear.”
He chuckled and
her thighs tightened at the sound. “You horny, baby? That what this is about?”
She’d bitten her
lip. “You psychic?”
“Only as relates
to you.”
“Good night
Jack. See you tomorrow.”
“Wait – let’s
have phone sex. It’ll be fun.”
It had been her
turn to chuckle. “You are so…”
“Blue-balled?
Seriously Sara. I may be messing around downtown but I don’t…I can’t…oh hell
why am I telling you anyway. You’ll just gloat.”
“No, I won’t.
Tell me.”
“Another time.
When you’re on your knees, begging me.”
“Dream on.”
“No, you will
be.”
She’d shuddered,
her whole body on fire now with need for his hands, his lips, his voice. “Stop
it.”
“I’m not doing
anything.”
She’d sighed, realizing
the hopelessness of her whole relationship with him.
PRAISE FOR THE ORIGINAL STEWART REALTY
TRILOGY
“The sizzling power of attraction
and the sexiness of a take charge Alpha male attitude is incredibly written by
this talented author.”-- Romancing The Book
“The chemistry felt between the
characters is nothing short of electrifying.
I was struck by a range of emotions while reading this novel, I love a
read that can toy with my emotions but not leave me feeling emotionally
devastated!”-- Flirty and Dirty Book Blog
“This series, especially Sweat
Equity, is emotional, hot and realistic. There are lots of break-ups and A LOT
of make-ups. I urge readers to pick this book up, but only after reading the
first book, Floor Times, in this amazing series. The cliffhanger in this book
will make you want to throw your Kindle or paperback. But you will immediately rush
to get the third book in this series.”-- Cocktails and Books
“Once again, kudos to Liz Crowe's
writing on CLOSING COSTS for the happily ever after that was long coming for
Jack and Sara. I found myself frustrated, anger and also teary-eyed because I
just wanted to see them together and start living their life as a happy family.
I truly loved this book even with all the complications of the lives of the
characters but that is the beauty of it: It is so realistic that you can see it
happening, unfolding right in front of your eyes.”-- The Romance Reviews
“Crowe's writing is so realistic
and enjoyable, I found myself alternating between extreme frustration, tears
and happiness. I literally could not put the book down and read it all in one
sitting. This is a book I will read more than once.”— *Most Helpful Amazon
Rated Review by Amazon User My Book Addiction and More
“I positively enjoyed this book,
especially the characters, which were appealing and well-developed–and the
writing which impressed me from the first page.”-- Guilty Pleasures Book
Reviews
“What Worked
Just. About. Everything. That’s
not to say life was beautiful all the time, but there wasn’t a single moment
where I was upset with this read.”-- All Romance Reviews
“Be prepared to read non-stop as
the adventure continues and leaves your jaw dropping for more. I 100% recommend
this book that has left me anxiously waiting for the next installment. The
characters are so amazing and well developed and the situations they experience
evoke so much emotion. I could not stop reading this book because it was that
addicting!!!”-- *Most Helpful Amazon Rated Review by Amazon User A_Carve
Read
the rest of the series Available on Amazon
-including an anthology that has Floor Time/Sweat Equity/Closing Costs all in
one PLUS “House Rules” the Jack Gordon prequel.
ESSENCE
OF TIME (Stand alone novel or book 4)
CONDITIONAL
OFFER (book 5)
ESCALATION
CLAUSE (book 6)
MUTUAL
RELEASE (Stand alone novel or book 7)
GOOD
FAITH (Stand alone “final” novel or book 8)
HOUSE
RULES (The Jack Gordon Prequel)
Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, Realtor, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.
Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”
With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.
Don’t ever ask her for anything “like a Budweiser” or risk bodily injury.
Website Beer, Books & More Blog Facebook Fan Page
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THANK YOU FOR HOSTING ME!
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