They Say that London is the City that never sleeps ... Man you have no idea.
A new job, a new life and a new home, Rose has left the pain of the past behind. But if she thinks she's going to have it easy she's in for a shock.
Darkness, mystery, romance and breathtaking twists.
London is a playground for creatures that hug the shadows, beings that should not exist outside of a movie theatre. Dawn.
Rose is about to get a 101 in the supernatural.
Excerpt:
Rose stood in the bedroom doorway, shoulder propped against the doorframe, thumbs tucked into the pockets of her low-rise Levis. She cocked her head, watching Greg's backside moving back and forth like an overactive piston.
Had it always been that hairy?
She cleared her throat. "I guess you're busy," she said, "maybe I should pop back later."
The piston halted and Greg practically threw himself off his bed partner as if she were an unwanted hot potato. "F**k! Rose! F**k!"
"Yeah, I can see that," Rose said.
"What are you...I mean, when did you-"
"Get here?" she glanced casually at her wristwatch. "About five minutes ago."
She noticed him surreptitiously pull the bedspread up to cover his crotch. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"I thought I'd surprise you." She pushed herself off the doorframe sauntering into the room. "I guess I succeeded."
A petite five foot four, with the elfin doe-eyed features of a Manga sketch topped with long golden hair, Rose didn't look like a threat. In fact, she was pretty certain that she would have been cast as the lead in any production of 'Legally Blonde' on looks alone, but the tussled brunette, frozen on the bed, saw something in Rose's sapphire gaze that galvanised her into action. She shot off the bed making a grab for a pair of lacy red underwear on the floor.
"Sit!" Rose said.
The brunette froze, her fingers mere inches from the lacy garment that would cover her Brazilian-waxed bits. Yeah, Rose wished she'd missed that bit.
Rose smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Please don't leave on my account. This won't take more than a minute." She strode casually to the bedside cabinet on the brunette's side of the bed, and felt her shrink away. Ignoring her she began to rummage inside.
Greg pulled on his boxers. "What are you doing?"
"Getting my stuff." She pulled out a couple of paperbacks, her overnight cosmetics bag and her hardback copy of 'The Kama Sutra'. It felt tacky and sticky. Rose cracked it open and frowned. "You got spunk stains on my book." She threw the book onto the bed wiping her hands on her jeans. She shoved the rest of her stuff into her backpack, which lay on the floor by the bedside table. Swinging the pack onto her shoulder she headed for the door. She felt Greg behind her, his breath hot on the nape of her neck.
"What, so that's it? You're just gonna leave?" He made a grab for her shoulder and she shrugged him off.
"Threesomes are really not my thing," she said and carried on down the hallway. She needed to get out of here quick before...
"This is all your fault you know!"
She paused, hand on the banister. Now this she had to hear. She turned to face him.
He had his arms crossed across his broad chest, tanned and speckled with dark hair. She had loved lying on that chest. Her eyes travelled up to settle on his face. He wore his favourite expression- smug. "Enlighten me."
He shrugged, "If you'd put out more often this would never have happened. A man has needs you know, and you're always busy-"
And then he was on the floor clutching his nose. Rose blinked staring at her fist, feeling the anger, which had erupted so suddenly, dissipate. The roaring in her ears subsided and she heard Greg whimper.
"Wha...Wha ya do tha fa?"
Some questions don't deserve a response.
Rose turned on her heel and walked away.
"You did what?" Faye asked. "I don't believe it! Sorry, yes I bloody do!"
"Yeah, well you know me." Rose spoke into her hands-free, her eyes on the road ahead as she steered her VW Bug through the winding lane leading up to the small village where she lived on the outskirts of Derbyshire. "Never could miss the opportunity to kick some arse, and a cheating, lying, now ex-boyfriend is as good a target as any." She hadn't intended to lash out like she had, in fact she abhorred violence as a form of conflict resolution, but the anger she had felt had been too sudden and overwhelming.
Faye's tone was suddenly serious. "I'm glad you clocked him one but...it's not like you to lose control, Rose. I mean I know you can handle yourself, I've seen you in action, but you're always so in control."
"I guess even my control has its limits."
"Shit. I'm sorry."
"It's cool." Rose smiled genuinely for the first time since walking in on Greg with his bit on the side, because as she said the words she realised how true they actually were. Greg was an arsehole, a cheating dick, and she was better off finding out sooner rather than later. Her life was better without him and she knew that now with certainty. If she were honest, walking into his flat to which she had a key, to find him doing the horizontal hokey cokey with someone else besides her was like being handed a get out of jail free card.
They had met at the youth centre where Rose taught self-defence classes and had been dating for six months. She had been thinking about ending it for a while now but it had just seemed easier to plod along. She had been wary of hurting him-- he'd seemed like such a nice guy. And now that she had had that assessment corrected she wanted to kick herself for not ending it sooner.
"This is exactly why we try before we buy," Faye said. She had an uncanny ability to suss out just what Rose was thinking.
"What are you, psychic?"
"A little maybe, on my mother's side, but since she pissed off when I was a baby I can't say for sure," Faye said. Her tone was light but Rose knew that being abandoned by her mother was something that really bothered Faye. Despite her luxury lifestyle and daddy's money, being daddy's little girl didn't make up for being abandoned by the one person who was supposed to stick by you through thick and thin. Faye didn't talk about it much and Rose respected that and didn't ask.
"I'm just like that bird off that TV series, you know the one. She owns the antiques shop. Oh! You can play my cool best friend."
Rose sighed. Faye was getting carried away again. "Firstly, that woman can see ghosts and you most certainly can't do that. And secondly, doesn't her best friend get killed?"
"Oh...yeah..."
"Thirdly, no one is going to be playing anyone. We're stuck in real life, chick, the only paranormal action you'll be getting is by renting Amityville Horror or raiding the library's Urban Fantasy section. Life is about work and cheating boyfriends."
"Someone's still in a foul mood," said Faye. "I would have thought rearranging said boyfriend's nose would have marginally cheered you up."
"This is me marginally cheered up!"
Rose's hands-free beeped, signalling that she had a call waiting. "Hang on, Faye, I got another call."
"Who is it?"
"Why don't you tell me, Miss Psychic?"
"Don't be mean."
Rose rolled her eyes. "It's probably the dickhead previously known as Greg, okay?"
"Shit."
"Eloquently put. I'm going to take this call now, Faye. Hold on." She switched calls.
"Rose, baby, we need to talk. I'm fine, my nose is fine. Just come over so we can talk this through. I don't know why I did it." Greg's smooth and sweet like chocolate tones filtered down the line to her less than receptive ears. One of the things that had seduced her had been the sound of his voice, a hot velvet caress.
"Rose? Rose? Baby?"
She could demand to know why or who or whatever women did at times like this. Maybe get a little indignant and make him beg. But to be honest, she couldn't be arsed. "F**k off, Greg." She hung up. The call reverted back to Faye.
"Oh my god! What did he say?"
"Blah, blah, I'm a cheating tosser, blah, blah."