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CREOLE BLUES
By
Jewel Adams
Brittney Massey keeps her life as
rising Jazz singer Kat Boutie and her true identity
as a rancher’s daughter separated. That is until New
Orleans’ mafia King Lucas Cortine sets his sights on
her. Brit’s surrender under Lucas’ spell is a night
filled with erotic passion and memories that haunt
the woman Lucas claims.
She may sing the evocative Cajun lyrics as if she
were born in the Louisiana bayou country, but
Brittney refuses to be Lucas’ woman. The danger that
comes with the man won’t stop her. Determined to
break free of Cortine, Brittney charges headlong
into witnessing her lover murder a DEA agent!
Brittney faces enemies at each turn and Cortine’s
bounty hunter Mark Maitland brings them right to her
door. Her failure to escape Lucas could cost Brit’s
life, but will her heart survive the man she gave
her virginity to!
Contemporary
Erotic Romance
ISBN: 978-1-935048-02-2
1-935048-02-3
Word Count: 40,000
EBook $6.49
Trade Paperback
$14.49 plus shipping.
REVIEWS
WHAT THEY ARE
SAYING ABOUT
CREOLE BLUES
…Ms Adams CREOLE
BLUES is a great story. The turmoil Brittney feels
inside herself, the love she feels for a man that
she believes is a murderer is enough to keep you
turning the pages of CREOLE BLUES. Lucas’s
determination and love to find the woman who stole
his heart makes me wish it were me that he was
looking for. I look forward to more of Ms Adams’
work.
Review by Shayla
at the Romance Junkies
Blue Ribbon
Rating: 4
www.romancejunkies.com
__________________________
…Ms. Adams is a
talented writer with a knack for drawing the reader
into the story. I recommend this book to anyone who
enjoys contemporary story lines tinged with suspense
and excitement. Creole Blues is most definitely a
keeper.
Susan White
Reviewer for Karen
Find Out About New Books
Reviewer for
Coffee Time Romance
4 cups
http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/CreoleBlues
EXCERPT
CREOLE BLUES
By
Jewel Adams
CHAPTER 1–Discovery
“How do you want your eggs?”
“Over medium, no runny stuff.”
Giving the gruff driver a shot
at an attempted smile. “Right, got it.”
Ignoring the crude calls from
the other table, Brits’ gaze drifted past the dust
covered glass window panes to the early morning sky.
So much for wide open spaces…
“Order Joe, and tie them down.”
Biting her lip to stop from voicing her displeased
thoughts, Brittney wondered what could be worse in
the morning than facing a grumpy cook and tables
full of bleary eyed truck drivers and drifters. They
probably chewed rusty nails for lunch.
I want my life back. The
words screamed through her mind.
“Hey, how about some coffee?”
Closing her hand about the pot
handle, she took a second to hide her emotions and
gather her mask. “Sure…want a menu?”
“Coffee will do.”
Brittney nodded, never raising
her eyes from the counter to the unusually soft
spoken and rather sexy low voice.
“A smile would help brighten
the morning.”
She knew better than to return
his request. One polite jester made these creeps
think they owned you.
Maitland’s frosty brown eyes
followed the trim aloof figure that issued its snub,
confirming his impression that this delicate
creature didn’t belong in this excuse for a truck
stop.
Nursing his coffee, he wondered
if maybe this lead had been all wrong. After days of
searching the area for any clue that this woman was
Kat Boutie, he failed to expose her identity.
Shielding his curiosity,
Maitland’s scrutiny shifted from the woman’s
beautiful features. She did a good job of
deliberately camouflaging the natural grace in her
facial features. She was about the right height, 5’
4” maybe 5” and she had those brilliant blue eyes.
She wasn’t blonde. In fact, that rich healthy tan
and sun streaked auburn hair forbade picturing her
as a sultry platinum type. But it was her, Kat
Boutie.
Mentally shaking himself,
Maitland found it hard to place the icy waitress in
silk gowns and flashy stage costumes. She looked
more like the jean and tee shirt type, yet he didn’t
have any problem picturing her in those sexy baby
doll nighties.
No, those long shapely legs and
luscious thighs would be a pleasurable sight in any
man’s bed. Maitland blinked, cursing the large
shadow of reality that intruded on the vision.
Looking at her more openly he could see her with
Lucas Cortine.
Two-thousand miles from New
Orleans, his whore didn’t run far enough to escape
that man. Maitland refused to acknowledge or
question his part in finding her for the crime boss,
remembering their last meeting…
“Misunderstandings happen
all the time between…”
The word left unspoken said
it all. Cortine’s latest whore fled the posh coop.
“She’s very important to me
Maitland.”
“She obviously doesn’t want
to be found.”
Maitland watched the
controlled anger vibrate through Cortine’s powerful
build emphasized by the sharp cut of his expensive
suit. The heavy Cajun accent grew thick under the
force Cortine used to control his rage. Yeah, the
man hated that the flower of New Orleans dumped him.
“Kat is an emotionally
vibrant woman and she has let her jealousy rule.”
Maitland didn’t like
Cortine’s slick excuse. “Most womEn cool off sooner
or later.”
When the angry snap of
Cortine’s dark eyes refocused on him, Maitland could
understand why the woman ran.
“My Kat is also stubborn. So
much so, Mr. Maitland, that I fear she will never
let me explain our unfortunate misunderstanding. The
reason I need your services is that Kat also knows
my associates too well to let them get close to
her.”
“And if she refuses to come
back?”
“I’ve heard that you can be
very persuasive…if the price is right.”
So he didn’t care how
Maitland got her back. Most the time Maitland didn’t
either. Being a bounty hunter, most of his prey ran
from him not to him. But Kat Boutie wasn’t a
fugitive. Except maybe in Cortine’s eyes.
“Fifty thousand upon
delivery.” Cortine haplessly tossed an envelope on
the desk.
Maitland clenched his teeth
to keep his jaw from falling open and peered
directly into the man’s eyes.
“There’s ten thousand for
expenses, over and above your fee.”
Maitland never hesitated to
take a job. He didn’t have to like Cortine, that
wasn’t part of the contract. Hell, no one could like
the man. The king of the New Orleans’ darker side of
life, his mob connections weren’t something new,
every city had what the man represented. Even the
police looked the other way to avoid this man. The
general consensus being he was better than what
might take his place.
So where did Kat Boutie fit
in with the crime boss?
“If you doubt my sincerity
Maitland, believe me when I say my enemies don’t
need any incentive to find Miss Boutie.”
Truth from the master of
deceit? Maitland couldn’t find any argument in what
the man allowed him to see.
“Kat is special. She is not
what you think or what anyone believes.” The dark
suit strained under the pressure Cortine maintained
on his emotions. The silence seemed to go on forever
as the man stood looking out the window causing
Maitland to wonder if the man forgot his presence in
the room.
“She’s not my woman. Not
like the others. Kat unknowingly set the rules.”
Turning, Cortine looked at Maitland, as if studying
him. “Have you ever touched enchantment, pure
beauty, Mr. Maitland?”
Without thought, Maitland
answered the intense question. “No, never.”
“Kat’s both. She can make a
man question things in himself that he never should
find.”
Feeling uncomfortable by
Cortine’s unexpected revelation, Maitland shifted,
breaking the spell that the man fell into.
Cortine turned and faced
Maitland, again cold confidence glared back at him.
“I want you to find her so I can stop her from
getting hurt.”
The man’s announcement came
too hard to toss off.
“Maitland, I heard two
things about you. You are the best hunter out there,
I need you for that. I also heard that you are a nut
case around women,” he looked directly into Mark’s
eyes before going on, “if you lay one finger on her
I will kill you, Maitland.”
“Fifty thousand covers a lot of
reasons,” he muttered aloud.
“More coffee?”
Raising his gaze, he captured
the waitress’ misty blue stare. For a second her
wall fell and Maitland dwelled in the illuminating
crystal pools.
“Yeah.”
When he felt her pull back from
his invasion, his fingers gripped the cup to stop
himself from reaching out to make her stay.
Brittney nodded, berating
herself for breaking her own rules, the first being,
never make eye contact!
Damn, she needed to quit this
job. If only…regrets were a waste of time. Surviving
is what counted.
He figured staying any longer
might be too obvious. Maitland left a dollar on the
counter, deciding that she’d find it. He’d come back
at lunch, maybe if she saw him again she’d unfreeze
a bit. Somehow, he held little faith in that
prospect. He needed to decide on how to take her
back to New Orleans. She sure wouldn’t jump in his
car.
Brit watched the confident
strides of the tall stranger going out the door. She
continued writing the order the two guys rattled
off. He didn’t move like the rest of them, no
swagger, more like a circle…of danger
surrounded him. The image brought with it the
familiar prick of warning.
* * * *
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