{"id":32998,"date":"2018-05-05T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2018-05-05T12:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=32998"},"modified":"2018-05-05T02:50:32","modified_gmt":"2018-05-05T06:50:32","slug":"release-blitz-excerpt-the-greatest-risk-honey-3-by-kristen-ashley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=32998","title":{"rendered":"Release Blitz & Excerpt: The Greatest Risk (Honey, #3) by Kristen Ashley"},"content":{"rendered":"

The third and final book in Kristen Ashley’s Honey<\/em> series is now live!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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THE GREATEST RISK<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Barnes & Noble<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Books-a-Million<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 IndieBound<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Powells<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 <\/strong>Paperback<\/strong><\/a><\/h4>\n

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Synopsis<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A woman unable to connect, struggling to hide another part of her. A man burning to learn her truth, and make her whole. Through explosive passion and deep exploration, they are about to take the greatest risk of all. But will they be able to take that leap, and come out on the other side together? In this next passionate novel in the Honey series, New York Times<\/i> bestselling author Kristen Ashley delivers a stunningly romantic and intensely sexy novel that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.<\/p>\n

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The Honey series<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"Ashley_The\u00a0 \"\"\u00a0 \"\"<\/p>\n

The Deep End (#1)<\/strong> (Olivier & Am\u00e9lie )
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy: Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

The Farthest Edge (#2) <\/strong>(Branch & Evangeline)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 | \u00a0Audio<\/a><\/p>\n

The Greatest Risk (#3) <\/strong>(Stellan & Sixx)
\n<\/strong>Review<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Kindle Ebook<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Audio<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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E<\/strong>xcerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

one<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Go<\/strong><\/p>\n

SIXX
\nPresent day \u2026
\nSixx wandered the halls of the Bee\u2019s Honey for absolutely no purpose except to make the boys in the
\nbooth watching the cameras that monitored the action in the club think she was taking in the scene.
\nInstead, she was biding time to go into the Dom Lounge to get what she\u2019d stashed in her locker.
\nShe was over it.
\nOver the scene.
\nOver the wait.
\nDone.
\nThe Honey had now become a place she could hang and have a drink, connect with some friends if she
\nwas in the mood, get some of her kink by watching, and torture herself being around Stellan.
\nIt was also where she stashed something if she had it to stash. This was because the Honey had
\nsurveillance and security that rivaled that of the White House. If a person wasn\u2019t supposed to be there,
\nthey didn\u2019t get in there. The end.
\nShe\u2019d been back in Phoenix now for a while.
\nMonths.
\nAnd although she\u2019d put on a variety of shows, bided her time, put herself out there, made herself
\navailable, Stellan hadn\u2019t thrown down the gauntlet.
\nShe sure as hell wasn\u2019t making the first move.
\nThus that first move wasn\u2019t going to be made.
\nSo be it.
\nShe hadn\u2019t expected much and she sure got that.
\nAnd she had to admit, part of her was relieved (a large part).
\nBecause if he took a shot, what then?
\nCould she protect him from all that was her?
\nDoubtful.
\nMore like impossible.
\nShe never had with anyone who mattered, not that she\u2019d had many in her life who mattered.
\nAnd Stellan absolutely did not deserve to have to deal with all that could befall anyone who got close to
\nSixx.
\nTonight was different, though.
\nTonight, she wanted done with the extracurricular activity she was engaged in.
\nAlso tonight she roamed the halls knowing Stellan was there, he\u2019d taken a room, and he\u2019d gone off his
\nnormal modus operandi.
\nHe\u2019d selected a female sub.
\nHe\u2019d also selected a male.
\nIf in a mood, though that mood was always rare, he\u2019d pick more than one sub.
\nBut they were always females.
\nSixx had a feeling she knew why he\u2019d done this. She had Google alerts set up, and she\u2019d seen it.
\nThat it being that it was announced to the media that day that the two-and- a-half- month marriage of
\nAndreas Lange and his pretty-much- child bride Priscilla was done. Although the press was asked to leave
\nthe couple alone in this trying time, it was nevertheless reported that Andreas might often think with his
\ndick and had apparent self-esteem issues that drove him to having a pretty young thing dripping off his
\narm, but when it counted, he used his other head. The one with an actual brain in it.
\nIn other words, he had a reported ironclad prenuptial agreement, and the soon-to- be-again Ms. Newton
\nwould walk away with the engagement ring he gave her, any gifts she\u2019d acquired during their
\nrelationship and nothing else.
\nNothing else.
\nNot even a settlement.
\nShe was young, and Sixx knew that young didn\u2019t make you stupid, it just made you young, na\u00efve, and
\nperhaps with the beauty that girl had, overconfident. Thus she probably thought her golden looks
\nmingled with a twenty-two- year-old pussy would buy her a lot more time to get a lot more gifts.
\nSadly, she\u2019d been wrong.
\nSixx could not know how this news affected Stellan. Although they had exchanged a variety of words
\nsince she\u2019d been home, they\u2019d both been at a few get-togethers where he didn\u2019t avoid her, but he didn\u2019t
\npursue her, they\u2019d caught each other\u2019s eyes on a number of occasions; and she\u2019d noted him watching
\nher work with her submissives, as he\u2019d noted her doing the same with his, they had not even
\nresurrected the loose but friendly relationship they\u2019d had before she\u2019d left.
\nShe put it down to him still smarting from Leigh\u2019s falling in love with another man.
\nThat said, even if Leigh had, it appeared that not much had changed between Stellan and Am\u00e9lie.
\nAlthough chilly between them when Sixx got back, that had thawed, and they were as sociable and close
\nas they ever had been. And it was clear Stellan liked Olly, Am\u00e9lie\u2019s enormous, gorgeous stallion.
\nThen again, everyone liked Olly. It was impossible not to like the guy. He was just that guy who had it all
\nand not simply the fact he was so easy to look at.
\nHe adored Leigh, for one. Utterly. And he did not hide it in the slightest.
\nBut he was outgoing, funny, solid. If you were moving house and you needed an extra pair of hands, he
\nwas there. If you had a nephew (or niece) who wanted to be a firefighter (which Olly was), he\u2019d take the
\nkid through his station and introduce him to all the guys. If you were at a cookout with him and running
\nlow on your drink, you found your glass slid out of your hand and another one put in it without even
\nhaving to ask.
\nEven Stellan, wanting Am\u00e9lie for as long as he did, couldn\u2019t dislike the guy.
\nSo they\u2019d become friends.
\nAnd Sixx had watched.
\nThat was one of the two things she\u2019d done since being back.
\nIn a halfhearted attempt to get his attention (and keep Aryas off her back), she played.
\nAnd she watched.
\nWhich was what she was on a mission to do now before she hit the Dom Lounge to prepare to complete
\nher other mission.
\nAs she wandered, Sixx didn\u2019t spend time watching Mira and Trey in their room.
\nIt was tough watching Mira work now that she had a sub and they were together together. In other
\nwords, in love. Mira was good at what she did, and Trey liked what his Mistress gave him, but that look
\nof adoration on her face while she was doing it \u2026
\nSixx just couldn\u2019t deal with it.
\nThis was also why she avoided Leigh and Olly when they were at play (and more recently, also when
\nthey weren\u2019t because the connection they had between them just didn\u2019t stop).
\nRight then they weren\u2019t in a playroom. They were still in the bar, holding court, The Stallion Alpha Sub
\nKing and his Dominatrix Queen, as usual reigning supreme over the club and enjoying it before they
\nmoved to a room to enjoy each other.
\nThey were actually worse to watch than Trey and Mira, they were so beautiful together. They were like
\nwatching dancers, so perfectly in sync, expressive, at one with each other and their own bodies. The
\nsequence practiced, even if it was always different, it was so graceful it was sublime.
\nPutting this out of her mind, Sixx moved on her black platform pumps to the back hall full of playrooms,
\nnoting, and not surprised, that Aryas\u2019s red room was shuttered away from view. The blackout blinds to
\nthat room were scarlet, not black like all the others, thus its name.
\nIt was his own personal playroom if he was in town. And he was. And he had one of his babies in there,
\nworking her.
\nSixx didn\u2019t need to watch that, although she would have. She\u2019d not only seen Aryas at play, he\u2019d worked
\nher because he\u2019d trained her. He showed her how to be who she was. He introduced her to other
\nDommes to teach her the things he could not. And he\u2019d played with her in his sessions in which she was
\nrequired to sub so she could understand the headspace her own subs had to get in to serve her.
\nShe had been surprised she\u2019d liked it.
\nShe\u2019d been freaked she\u2019d liked it so much.
\nToo much.
\nAryas had handled that too for her\u2014amazingly. Which meant he\u2019d helped her handle it.
\nAnd then she\u2019d locked it away.
\nHowever as she bypassed his room, she felt her lips thin that he was back there with one of his babies
\nand not with the woman he should be with.
\nAt first when Sixx arrived back in Phoenix, he\u2019d let things lie.
\nNow that months had passed, he was getting up in her face about making a move on Stellan.
\nFortunately, she was able to fight back since he wouldn\u2019t make a move on Mistress Talia.
\nWhich was where Sixx went and where she stopped to watch, also not surprised that Talia was working
\na sub mostly because those two circled each other just this way. If Talia took a sub and he caught it,
\nAryas wasn\u2019t too far from taking his own. If Aryas took one and Talia caught it, she hustled a sub into a
\nplayroom.
\nRetaliation.
\nAs Sixx watched Talia work a sub named Bryan, definitely a favored and oft-used toy of hers, she got
\nworried.
\nIn a heartbeat, Bryan would take things further with his tall, slender, lithe, beautiful, mocha-skinned,
\ntawny-fro\u2019ed Mistress, and not just because he seriously got off on the way she worked him.
\nShe wasn\u2019t just beautiful and had a serious style going on in and out of a playroom. She was funny,
\nquick-witted, smart-mouthed, loyal and very sweet. And Sixx had witnessed her aftercare of Bryan when
\nshe got down to serious business with him, and even knowing Talia\u2019s heart was with Aryas, her head and
\nattention was with Bryan in a way he could mistake the fact that he didn\u2019t have a place in that particular
\nvital organ.
\nSixx considered having a word with the Mistress.
\nShe did that, and then she decided instead to have a word with Leigh so Leigh would have a word.
\nAm\u00e9lie was probably already thinking of doing it. She wasn\u2019t Queen Bee just because she rocked a
\nplayroom, and she took her unofficial role seriously.
\nBut if Sixx had a word, she might light a fire, and perhaps if they double-teamed Aryas and Talia, they
\ncould get something going.
\nBefore hitting the Dom Lounge, she found her feet taking her one last place.
\nAt first, she positioned herself carefully in order to be able to process what she might see and at the
\nsame time be out of his line of sight because he always broke scene to catch her eyes if he saw her at
\nthe windows. And the possibility of seeing him working a male sub was something she wanted without
\nhim breaking scene.
\nThis eye contact, at first, she\u2019d found terrifying, because it was encouraging. It was rare a Dom working
\nwould do that unless he was working directly with another Dom.
\nWhen months passed and nothing came of it, Sixx stopped finding it terrifying or encouraging and just
\nfound it weird.
\nThere was no invitation in his gaze. No challenge issued. No warmth or comradeship or humor or
\nanything.
\nHe\u2019d just catch her gaze and hold it for as long as it took for her to break it. Even if he was physically
\ninside one of his subs, he\u2019d thrust while simply looking at Sixx, remote and disengaged, from her and his
\nsub, until Sixx herself broke the contact and his attention went back to his sub.
\nBut if he was working a male, especially inside one, this she\u2019d want to see. Man-on- man was a thing of
\nhers, and since she\u2019d returned to Phoenix, she\u2019d indulged in that, always taking multiple submissives,
\nthey were always male, and she\u2019d call the shots to get that fix.
\nSeeing Stellan engaged in something like this would probably make her orgasm right there in the hall.
\nHell, just thinking about it got her wet.
\nThen again, although this would be an extraordinary sight to see, Sixx didn\u2019t figure it would take much to
\ndo that. In all her play since she\u2019d come back, she had not once let a single sub touch her, she\u2019d rarely
\ntouched them, and she hadn\u2019t had that first orgasm, not in play, not with some random partner she
\npicked up out in the vanilla world (because she hadn\u2019t picked anyone up), not even at her own hand.
\nBut as she hesitated at the edge of one of the rooms Stellan favored, the silhouette and blackout blinds
\nup like he normally played it, she didn\u2019t even see Stellan.
\nThe female was working the male, and that work was inspired, but there was no Stellan.
\nSixx took one step along the hall.
\nAnother.
\nAnd there he was, still in his trousers and dress shirt, but the suit jacket was thrown over the back of the
\nleather club chair he was sitting in. He had his long legs crossed, and he was slanted to the side, elbow
\non the arm of the chair, head propped up in his hand where it held his square jaw at his knuckles with
\nhis forefinger extended along his chiseled cheek.
\nShe drew in a breath at the bored expression on his arrestingly beautiful face, that expression running
\ndeep into his dark blue eyes.
\nHe did not look annoyed, upset, or distracted, as news of his father acquiring then disposing of another
\nwife in a matter of months might make him.
\nHe didn\u2019t look anything, certainly not like he was in a room where sweet and dirty sex acts were being
\nperformed at his command by the slaves he\u2019d chosen for the evening.
\nHe looked like he was in a meeting that he couldn\u2019t wait to get out of.
\nThen suddenly, his gaze came to her.
\nHe didn\u2019t move, didn\u2019t lift his head, just swept his eyes straight to her, not like he\u2019d noticed her standing
\nthere, like he\u2019d sensed she was there.
\nHis expression didn\u2019t change. Neither did his position.
\nHe stared her right in the eyes, pinning her to the spot, giving her nothing except his regard.
\nShe wanted to scream, Why? Why do you look at me like that? Why can\u2019t you give me something?
\nAnything?
\nShe didn\u2019t do that.
\nOf course not.
\nShe accepted the only challenge he gave her and stared straight at him in return for as long as she could
\nstand it.
\nAnd Sixx could stand a lot, so this lasted a long time, perhaps full minutes, before, as ever (and as ever
\nwanting to kick her own ass), she broke the contact and walked slowly, and as casually as she could fake
\nit, away.
\nOnce out of sight of Stellan, she didn\u2019t mess around going to the Dom Lounge.
\nThere were cameras in there too, but she\u2019d given herself a reason to return there after she had a drink
\nin the hunting ground. This being so she could collect what she\u2019d put there a week ago and be done with
\nthe job she was on so she could then collect the paycheck.
\nShe did just this, going directly to her locker and grabbing the small, boxy, black python Alexander
\nMcQueen clutch with its four finger loops topped with various skulls or roses. A clutch she\u2019d placed
\nthere after she\u2019d arrived rather than giving it to reception, which was what most of the Dommes did.
\nInside was a slim, business-card- sized wallet with her credit card, ID and a few banknotes, her phone,
\nanother phone that was hers-but- also-not, her lip liner and lipstick, her fabulous vintage compact with
\nmother-of- pearl inlaid in black depicting cranes flying across a yellow moon, her Cayenne keyfob and
\nnothing else.
\nWith her back to the camera, she grabbed a random vibrator she had in her locker, twisted off the
\nbottom where you\u2019d put batteries, upended the flash drive she\u2019d hidden there, and slid it in the lining of
\nthe clutch that she\u2019d jimmied so she could open it, hide things behind it, and then press it back in place
\nwhere it held.
\nShe then went to the mirror.
\nAt first, she didn\u2019t look at herself, but instead used it to take in the plush surroundings of the Dominants\u2019
\nLounge.
\nDeep-seated, purple-velvet banquettes spanned the walls. They were covered in red-and silver-velvet
\ntoss pillows. The patterned silver wallpaper behind them was bottom-lit with soft light.
\nThere were attractive steel tables with scented candles glowing on top of them.
\nThe lockers were made of the same steel as the tables and looked like a bank of cabinets with a variety
\nof digital locks, not lockers.
\nThe gleaming black basins had no faucets, just wide, lush waterfalls that activated by motion. There
\nwere no paper towels, instead thick, soft, purple, red or silver hand towels and washcloths.
\nThere were showers around the side, as well as a Jacuzzi tub, a steam room and a sauna.
\nAvailable for use was anything you could need. Disposable razors (for men and women) and shaving
\ncream, aftershave, a variety of colognes and perfumes, hairspray, lotions, oils, deodorants, tampons,
\ncondoms, face moisturizer, bath soap and scrub, shampoo and conditioner.
\nSubmissives were specifically disallowed there. The lounge was for downtime and Dom time outside any
\nscene. If a sub needed to be cared for or it was part of the scene, you requested a room that had those
\namenities, and the Dom took care of that.
\nAnd Sixx longed to stretch out on those banquettes and close her eyes to the D. L. & Co. candles that
\nsmelled like vanilla, balsam and pepper, soothing and spicy, so very Aryas. So very the Honey.
\nGod, she loved it there. It was like her home. It was the only place, outside being on a job, where she
\ncould be \u2026
\nWhat?
\nNot herself. She played a role there. No one knew who she was. Not really. (Except Aryas, or at least he
\nknew more than everyone else.) Not even people she called friends.
\nSo why did she love it there so much?
\nAnd why was her heart hurting that she wasn\u2019t getting out of it what she needed anymore?
\nShe looked at herself in the mirror.
\n\u201cBecause it\u2019s safe,\u201d she whispered to her reflection.
\nThat was it.
\nAnd now it no longer felt as safe.
\nBecause Stellan was there, and wanting him and not having him\u2014but more, knowing she should never
\nexpose him to what it would mean to have her \u2026 hurt.
\nThat didn\u2019t make sense either. She\u2019d wanted a lot in life.
\nAnd never got it.
\nBut Stellan was different.
\nStellan was \u2026
\nSixx shook off her thoughts and took herself in through the mirror.
\nShe couldn\u2019t see the black pumps or her long legs she\u2019d sleeked not only by giving them a close shave all
\nthe way up to her pubis but also with a subtle oil that made them shine.
\nWhat she could see was the black leather micro-mini that sat tight on her hips, cupped her ass and had a
\nwide black belt with a bold silver buckle.
\nUp top she wore a white leather modified camisole that had a deep plunging neckline that went to her
\nmidriff and spread wide at the sides, showing the inside curves of her smallish breasts. The straps were
\nvery thin. There was a tight band across her ribs. It was cropped but not by much, showing only a hint of
\nflesh at her belly between camisole and skirt, depending on how she moved.
\nHer hair was short, clipped in a graduated bob at the nape of her neck, the champagne highlights in her
\ndark cinnamon hair looking (she thought) great in the sweeping, long bangs that fell well past her eye,
\nthe sides of her hair hanging below her jaw, all the ends in messy flips.
\nShe had to style it, which was a minus. But it was short so it didn\u2019t take long, and it had a sex-bomb vibe,
\nso that was a definite plus.
\nShe looked into her wide, brown eyes and wondered, What next?
\nA weighty question because it wasn\u2019t about what was next for her at the Honey.
\nBut what was next for her with everything.
\nAt Aryas\u2019s appeal (which meant repeated demands), she\u2019d given up \u201cthe job.\u201d
\nOstensibly.
\nAs far as he knew, Sixx had gone legit, working as the internal investigator for a large local law firm.
\nHowever, directly due to Aryas\u2019s interference in some of his other friend\u2019s lives, a need had arisen in
\nPhoenix when Branch Dillinger stopped doing what he did out there and became the operations
\nmanager for all of the Bee\u2019s Honeys.
\nNature abhorred a vacuum.
\nCue Sixx stepping in because first, her pay at the law firm was good, if you weren\u2019t used to making a lot
\nmore doing a lot more dangerous shit for a lot more dangerous people. And second, if you were used to
\ndoing a lot more dangerous shit for a lot more dangerous people, as well as used to the adrenaline rush
\nthat got you, it wasn\u2019t an easy habit to break.
\nSo she had a proper job, not a normal one, but one that included a 401K and a bi-weekly paycheck that
\ngave her insurance benefits.
\nAnd on occasion, she moonlit on the side.
\nAryas didn\u2019t know.
\nNo one knew (except her friend and sometimes partner, Sylvie Creed, and her husband, Tucker, who she
\nand Sylvie sometimes had to call in to help. But Sylvie wasn\u2019t in the life Sixx pretended to lead through
\nher play and relationships at the Honey).
\nEven if Sixx got off on it, and the cash she accumulated doing it, not to mention the freedom that
\noffered, she knew she couldn\u2019t do it forever. She had the scars to prove that particular story you told
\nyourself to stay on the job was a lie.
\nBut what would she have if she stopped?
\nThe kink was getting boring. There were only so many orders you could give that led\u2014perhaps in a
\nlengthy way, but nonetheless the end was always the same\u2014to someone else\u2019s orgasm.
\nIt had lost its appeal.
\nBecause she wasn\u2019t connecting.
\nShe used to connect.
\nShe used to stay mostly silent, watch, listen, open herself to being acutely aware of every expression or
\neven twitch of the skin to sense what her sub wanted \u2026 then she\u2019d find some elaborate or creative but
\nalways hard-earned way to give it to him.
\nNow she didn\u2019t even have that.
\nAnyone could give their own self an orgasm. It was her job as a Dominatrix, regardless if the emotion
\nwasn\u2019t there, the attention and the respect and the motivation and the deliberation had to be there
\nto connect. Somehow. Some way.
\nThat was gone.
\nSo what was the point?
\nTo yank herself out of thoughts that were going nowhere, even though her long-lasting lipstick was
\ndoing its job, she still opened her clutch, pulled out the liner and lipstick, refreshed the ruby red, ended
\nit with a nice coat of clear gloss, and dropped the stuff back in her bag.
\nShe then grabbed her phone\u2014not her actual phone, the other one\u2014before she clicked the clutch closed
\nand made her way out of the lounge, deciding to have a drink while she dealt with the details of
\nfinishing up her final mission of the evening.
\nShe wandered the halls, doing it avoiding having to walk past Stellan\u2019s room, and hit the hunting ground.
\nThe back corner booth was open, so she went there, flipped open the burner phone in her hand, set it to
\nsilent and then used her thumb in the onerous task of hitting the numbers on the pad repeatedly to get
\nto the letters she needed to send the short text.
\nReally, smartphones were a gift from God.
\nThe drop happens tonight.
\nShe tucked the phone by her thigh when a server came, and she decided cool-but- luxe Sixx, Mistress
\nwith the Mostest, was fucking dead.
\nIt was over.
\nNo rep to uphold.
\nNo bullshit to convey.
\nShe was over that too.
\nShe wasn\u2019t going to sip from a glass of wine, withholding any personality, any hint of what made her,
\nwhat defined her, that she might convey through the simple matter of ordering her preferred drink.
\n\u201cGordon\u2019s cup. Hendrick\u2019s,\u201d she ordered.
\n\u201cGotcha,\u201d the server said then moved away.
\nShe looked to the hunting ground and saw subs avoiding her eyes but still preening in view, hoping she
\nwas there to make a selection.
\nGod, she was dried up. Not even a tingle.
\nThe only time she\u2019d felt anything in\u2014Lord, it had been days\u2014was when Stellan\u2019s eyes met hers earlier
\nthrough the windows to his playroom.
\nAnd those days had been the days since she was last at the Honey and Stellan had turned his attention
\nto her.
\nShe looked down to her thigh, flipping open the phone to see no return text, and muttered under her
\nbreath, \u201cI\u2019m a fucking mess.\u201d
\n\u201cSorry, didn\u2019t catch that.\u201d
\nHer head snapped up just in time to watch Stellan, back in his suit jacket and definitely out of his
\nplayroom, slide in the booth across from her.
\nGod, he was gorgeous.
\nBut \u2026
\nWhat the fuck?
\n\u201cYou were saying?\u201d he prompted.
\nShe flipped the phone shut and tucked it against her thigh so she\u2019d feel it vibrate when the text came in.
\n\u201cI have something on my mind,\u201d she shared, not knowing what to make of this, him in the booth
\nopposite her, making an approach, sitting there looking magnificent but still inaccessible, speaking
\ndirectly to her with only her there to speak to.
\n\u201cAnd that would be?\u201d he asked.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s work,\u201d she told him.
\n\u201cAh,\u201d he murmured, glancing to the side and looking up when the server set her drink in front of her. An
\naction he oddly watched with what appeared to be rather avid fascination as the old-fashioned glass
\ncame to rest on the burgundy cocktail napkin. \u201cScotch, please,\u201d he ordered before the guy could ask.
\n\u201cOn it,\u201d the server said and moved away.
\nStellan didn\u2019t watch him go and it took a good deal, Sixx didn\u2019t look away when Stellan\u2019s attention came
\nback to her.
\n\u201cNot in the mood tonight?\u201d he queried.
\nShe shook her head, lifted her drink, and took a sip.
\nWhen she put it down, she verbalized that same response. \u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHmm,\u201d he murmured, and there it was.
\nGod.
\nThere it was.
\nThat \u201chmm\u201d was almost like a purr, and that purr snaked right up her pussy, an area that instantly got
\nwet.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re finished early,\u201d she noted.
\nHe gave a one shoulder shrug that managed to be masculine and elegant at the same time, something
\nonly Stellan could pull off.
\n\u201cI thought I\u2019d try something new.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd?\u201d she asked.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t as successful as I\u2019d hoped.\u201d
\n\u201cToo bad,\u201d she murmured, taking another sip of her drink.
\n\u201cIs it?\u201d he returned, and her gaze lifted to his, because he\u2019d asked a question but mostly because that
\nquestion was strange.
\n\u201cFor you, and them, of course it is,\u201d she replied.
\n\u201cThey got a good deal out of it, I assume, unless she faked it, which is doubtful. He, however, couldn\u2019t
\nfake it as the evidence he left was physical.\u201d
\nPerhaps she shouldn\u2019t have left so soon. It would undoubtedly have been interesting to watch Stellan
\norchestrate something like that.
\n\u201cUnusual for you to choose a male,\u201d she remarked.
\nHe turned his head to the hunting ground and remarked, \u201cAn experiment I\u2019m unlikely to repeat.\u201d
\nShe gave it some time, and this was mostly because she was arrested in the act of taking in the beauty
\nof his profile. The cut line of his strong jaw. The angle of his cheekbone. The shadowed hollow under it.
\nThe fine lines that fanned from the corner of his eye. The straight slope of his nose. And, Lord God \u2026
\nthat remarkable swell of his lower lip.
\nWhen she realized another second and she\u2019d start squirming in the booth, she spoke.
\n\u201cIt might be more enjoyable if you went hands on,\u201d she suggested.
\nHe looked back to her and more wet surged between her legs at the expression on his face and what
\nwas emanating from his eyes.
\n\u201cIf I fancy ass, it comes with breasts and a vagina or not at all.\u201d
\nSixx would take him up her ass, deep, hard, fast, soft, slow, gentle, any way he liked it.
\nShe\u2019d beg him for that.
\nOn that thought, her salivary glands went into overdrive, and she lifted her drink, tipping it to him in
\nsalute, before she brought it to her mouth but didn\u2019t take a drink.
\n\u201cToo bad,\u201d she murmured.
\nThen she sipped.
\nHis lips, including that luscious bottom one, curled up slightly at the ends.
\n\u201cMistress Sixx,\u201d he said softly. \u201cIf she had it her way, they\u2019d be lined up by the score and fucked raw,
\nclimaxing at her command at the tip of her whip.\u201d
\nShe stared at him, her stomach feeling like it was cramping, but her voice sounded even when she
\nasked, \u201cYou say that like there\u2019s something wrong with it.\u201d
\n\u201cOf course there isn\u2019t,\u201d he drawled, totally and openly lying.
\nI\u2019d make you like it, she said in her head. I\u2019d make you beg for it. I\u2019d break my back, sell my soul, do
\nanything I\u2019d need to do to make you come harder than you\u2019ve ever come before, tying you to me,
\nconnecting you to me, making you never want to leave.
\nHe held her gaze, his face arrogant and knowing.
\nOr I\u2019d give it to you, her mind whispered. Anything you wanted, anything you\u2019d want to do to me to give
\nyou what you needed in a way that need could never be eased and you\u2019d always come back for more.
\nHe kept holding her gaze, but in the dim light of the bar of the Bee\u2019s Honey, she could swear she saw
\nsomething in his expression grow soft, like he could read her thoughts.
\nBefore she could get a lock on it, or better, turn from him so he couldn\u2019t read anything further, for once
\nhe looked away first, but only because the server was there, placing his lowball of Scotch over ice in
\nfront of him.
\nSixx picked up her drink, looked to the hunting ground, and took a healthy sip.
\n\u201cAre you staying?\u201d
\nStellan\u2019s question brought her attention again to him.
\nShe put her drink down and asked, \u201cPardon?\u201d
\n\u201cIn Phoenix,\u201d he explained. \u201cI know you travel for work and it takes you away for long periods of time.
\nBut this time, you\u2019ve been back for a while, so it seems like you\u2019re staying.\u201d
\nShe had been intending to stay.
\nNow she didn\u2019t know.
\n\u201cFor a while,\u201d she replied.
\nHe nodded, sipping his drink, and then stated, \u201cI\u2019ve been meaning to invite you, simply haven\u2019t had the
\nchance. But I\u2019m having a party next weekend. We\u2019ve hit June, and the weather hasn\u2019t yet started baking.
\nI\u2019m taking advantage. We\u2019ll start with a pool party, then everyone can change and we\u2019ll move in for
\ndinner. I\u2019d be delighted if you\u2019d come.\u201d
\nShe hid her reaction to that by throwing back more gin.
\n\u201cLeigh and Olly will be there,\u201d Stellan went on, back to his gaze set unwavering on her. \u201cMira and Trey.
\nFelicia\u2019s bringing a couple of her toys. Penn and Shane will be there. Victor has a new slave he\u2019s enjoying
\nso he\u2019s bringing her. In other words, it\u2019s a play party, just to make that clear. Though, depending on how
\nit goes, we\u2019ll make things more sociable and less structured for dinner. That will be up to the Dom.\u201d
\nWhen he hesitated, she nodded, indicating she\u2019d heard and taken this in, and he kept speaking.
\n\u201cBelle\u2019s bringing Tiffany. Talia is bringing Bryan. Aryas will be out of town, as will Evangeline\u2019s partner,
\nbut Evangeline will be there in her usual capacity. Observation only.\u201d
\nIt was an unwritten rule when referring to the Honey\u2019s Domme Evangeline\u2019s \u201cpartner\u201d\u2014who was really
\nher boyfriend who was essentially living with her\u2014at least in the confines of the walls of the club,
\npeople did not use his name.
\nBut he was Branch Dillinger. Her partner. Her boyfriend. Her sub. But he was also the Honey\u2019s new top
\nguy, since Aryas had taken a step back from operations in order to focus on opening his new club in
\nTahoe, and he needed someone he could trust to pick up the reins.
\nAnd if Branch played it that way, wishing things to be private, he got it that way, and would even if the
\nman couldn\u2019t probably snap your neck with his bare hands then walk away and not give that kill a
\nsecond thought.
\nIt was just the life and everyone obeyed that rule.
\nThough the threat of having your neck snapped worked too.
\nSixx was just relieved Evangeline was back, not to mention ecstatic she had a man in her life like Branch.
\nEspecially after what was done to her to make her take a prolonged break, all of this happening when
\nSixx was away.
\nIt was good it happened when she was away. If she was close, retaliation would have been much
\ndifferent than what Aryas had ordered, and even much different than the vastly more thorough way in
\nwhich Branch had handled it.
\nBut it was handled. So at Aryas\u2019s firm request, she\u2019d let it be.
\nShe was relieved and ecstatic for Leenie \u2026 and also jealous.
\nJealous because she wondered what it would feel like to have a miracle happen after the world as you
\nknew it turned to complete shit and then one day \u2026 you might not be healed, but you were again whole.
\n\u201cAnd if you like, I\u2019ll have a couple of male slaves available for your use. Fresh meat. I know a few who\u2019d
\nvolunteer that I\u2019m sure you\u2019d like,\u201d Stellan continued.
\nAnd that stomach cramp got worse.
\nHe\u2019d provide her \u201ca few volunteers.\u201d
\nThoughtful.
\nAnd damned disappointing.
\nShe wondered who he\u2019d have there.
\nAnd how many.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll think about it,\u201d she told him.
\n\u201cPlease do,\u201d he said before taking another sip of his Scotch.
\nShe followed suit with her gin, practically willing her phone to vibrate against her leg to give her a
\nreason to get away from him.
\nStellan spoke again.
\n\u201cSo you\u2019re not in the mood, will you allow me to offer you something that might strike a different
\nmood? One I\u2019d wager you\u2019d enjoy a great deal.\u201d
\nAt this proposal that came out of nowhere, Sixx almost choked on her gin.
\nBut of course she didn\u2019t, and again her voice was clear and cool when she asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d
\nHe shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m afraid it has to be a surprise. But I will say it will be a surprise you\u2019ll like. I also
\nhave to say, you shouldn\u2019t wait to make your decision or things will culminate and we\u2019ll miss our
\nchance.\u201d
\nThings will culminate?
\nOh no.
\nShe was intrigued.
\nDamn it!
\n\u201cCan you give me a hint?\u201d she pressed.
\nHe made a tsking noise that she felt tap against her clit, and as was his usual, he didn\u2019t lose contact with
\nher gaze.
\nBut he wasn\u2019t looking aloof anymore.
\nThis was both an invitation and a challenge.
\nShe just didn\u2019t know to what.
\nAnd with Stellan\u2014this sudden Stellan who was vastly different than the Stellan she\u2019d been getting (or
\nnot, as the case was) for the last too-many- months\u2014she wasn\u2019t sure how to handle it.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t disappoint me, Sixx,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cThe Honey\u2019s Ice Princess, cool and composed in every
\nsituation, shying away from an adventure?\u201d
\n\u201cI simply need to know how long it would take,\u201d she lied. \u201cI have something I need to do tonight,\u201d she
\ndidn\u2019t lie.
\n\u201cAs soon as you need to go, I\u2019ll bring you back.\u201d
\nHe\u2019d bring her back?
\nHe was going to take her somewhere?
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s it going to be, Sixx?\u201d he pushed. \u201cIn truth, I should have asked you the minute I joined you in
\nthis booth. We risk missing the grand finale the longer we wait.\u201d
\n\u201cStellan\u2014\u201d she started, wondering how to get out of it at the same time how not to appear like she was
\njumping on it by accepting too quickly.
\nShe needed time to assess this change, plan, strategize, prepare, fashion a brand-new Sixx. One who
\ncould deal with the likes of Stellan Lange and come out the other side of whatever became of whatever
\nwas happening unscathed.
\nAnd more importantly, make certain he did.
\nOr time to find a place to hide. Or escape, her mind taunted. Coward.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve bought you a present,\u201d he shocked her by announcing. \u201cI did this some time ago. I\u2019ve been wishing
\nto give it to you but haven\u2019t had the opportunity. Now\u2019s the opportunity.\u201d The movement was almost
\nnot there, but yet it was when he leaned slightly her way and warned in a low voice, \u201cDon\u2019t waste it.\u201d
\nAgain, eye contact, unrelenting.
\nChallenge.
\nInvitation.
\nFinally.
\nAnd a gift?
\nShe lifted her drink, took another healthy swallow, put it on the table and then dropped her hand to her
\nthigh to curl her fingers around the phone there while grabbing her clutch off the table with her other
\nhand.
\nShe looked back to him and said, \u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d
\nWhen she did, all vestiges of her stomach cramps disappeared.
\nBecause when she said that, Stellan Lange smiled a wicked, roguish, beautiful smile.
\nRight at her.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2018 by Kristen Ashley in The Greatest Risk and reprinted with permission from St. Martin\u2019s
\nGriffin.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

About the Author<\/b><\/h4>\n
\n
\"KristenAshley\"<\/div>\n
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA and nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn’t taken her first breath!). Her mother said they took Kristen away, put her Mom back in her room, her mother looked out the window, and Gary was on fire (Dr. King had been assassinated four days before). Kristen’s Mom remembered thinking it was the end of the world. Quite the dramatic beginning.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Nothing’s changed.<\/div>\n
\n

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana and has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus, she’s blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her family was (is) loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write. They all lived together on a very small farm in a small farm town in the heartland. She grew up with Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).<\/p>\n

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.<\/p>\n

And as she keeps growing, it keeps getting better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website<\/a> |\u00a0Newsletter<\/a> |\u00a0Facebook<\/a> |\u00a0<\/a>Goodreads<\/a>\u00a0 | Twitter<\/a> |\u00a0Pinterest<\/a> |\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/div>\n

\n

\n

For more great reads, check out our Kristen Ashley Author Spotlight<\/a>!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The third and final book in Kristen Ashley’s Honey series is now live!     THE GREATEST RISK Kindle Ebook\u00a0 |\u00a0 Barnes & Noble\u00a0 |\u00a0 Books-a-Million\u00a0 |\u00a0 IndieBound\u00a0 |\u00a0 Powells\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback   Synopsis A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[290],"tags":[599,22,634],"class_list":["post-32998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-news","tag-honey","tag-kristen-ashley","tag-release"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/The-Greatest-Risk.jpg?fit=150%2C225&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-8Ae","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=32998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32998\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=32998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=32998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=32998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}