Friday, April 25, 2008

GEMINI HEAT - keepin' it old school, baby!

GEMINI HEAT - Portia Da Costa




As many readers will know, Gemini Heat is the first Black Lace novel I ever had published, and very much a product of its time ie. it's a full on shagathon of a women's erotica novel rather than the far more relationship based erotic romance that I write today. In it, twin sisters Deana and Delia both vie for the erotic attentions of the handsome, wealthy and glamorous Jake de Guile, a half Japanese hunk who likes to play domination and power play games.

But Deana and Delia have a game of their own, the Gemini Game, in which they pretend to be the same woman and change places, just to see if they can get away with it. In this excerpt it's Deana's turn to be 'Dee' for a night out with Jake...



As the door snicked shut behind her, the only image she could think about was the broad soft banquette of the back seat and her body stretched out upon it. Exposed and opened and flowing with wetness to take this male god into its mystery.

He saw it too, it seemed.

'Only this morning, eh?' he whispered, his eyes like blue lasers in the soft dark light of the limousine's opulent interior. He kissed her hand again, turning it slowly within his grip and licking long and lingeringly at her palm.

Deana remembered in panic where that mouth had been this morning. What he'd done to her sister... And even as she imagined the act, she empathically received its resonances. She felt her own sex flutter as if he were mouthing it, and she felt a quick hard dew of moisture flow out onto her thin silk panties. Oh please, begged some wanton inside her. Do it again! Do it now! Do it to me!

And yet she felt powerless as he placed her hand - like some inanimate object - on the leather of the seat beside her. Her only awareness was waiting. Wanting. The car was cruising along the main road now, but it could've sprouted wings and be flying them to the moon for all the interest she had in the world that it moved through outside.

'Yes, you are ready,' Jake observed, his voice amused. He looked down at her breasts, rising and falling beneath their shimmering armour, and at her thighs which were revealingly parted. She sensed him choosing somehow, eyeing her up like some choice dish or delicacy. Selecting which tasty portion to sample first. He moved closer and almost touched his lips to hers, then put a finger up to her jammy lipstick, dabbing at the glossy crimson coating and then studying its trace on the pad of his finger.


'Too nice to spoil.' Leaving her make-up inviolate, he pressed his lips to her throat, licking again and tasting, his hand taking possession of a sequin-covered breast as his mouth browsed languidly on her neck. He nipped the chord there, and simultaneously pinched the stiff peak of her nipple and the small sweet twin-centre pain made Deana writhe and whimper. Unable to stay still, she glanced frantically at the blond man visible through glass in front of her - and as if reading her mind Jake straightened up and locked her frightened eyes with his.

'We're soundproofed, Dee. But don't worry, Fargo's seen far more than just kisses in his time...' His fingertips twisted slightly and she wriggled again. 'Yes, that would be good, wouldn't it, my sweet?' His light voice took on a vaguely contemplative cast. 'I'd like to see you aroused before many... Your loins naked and pumping for the pleasure of others as well as yourself. Your sex wet and engorged... My fingers working you while an audience looks on.'

'No! That's awful!' Lies! Lies! Lies!

But he knew...

'It isn't and you know it,' he purred, both hands working now, tugging at the tips of her breasts in a slow wicked rhythm. 'You were walking around that gallery, looking at my pictures... and you were even more on show than they were. Why else wear a dress so thin, and be so nude beneath it?'

She made a token noise of dissent, her hands gouging at the leather seat as without warning he flipped down the top of her bustier and rolled it to just beneath her nipples.

'And this morning, so chic,' he went on mercilessly, just touching her exposure very gently, his forefinger rubbing each crinkled peak in turn as if to ensure their continued stiffness. 'That pretty business-girl suit on a body that was hot for sex. There're words for you, Dee-' He studied her naked nipples for a second, then dropped both hands to the hem of her skirt and started pushing. Inexorably. 'You're wanton, my darling. You're rude. You're easy. You're horny. How many of your contemporaries would allow a man to touch them between the legs so soon after meeting them... You're a gorgeous little slut, Dee, aren't you?'


She shook her head, but her stocking tops and suspenders were already on view, her thighs soft and creamy above the thick dark bands of nylon. Just a millimetre short of her crotch he stopped, but when she gasped with relief, he thrust a hand into rift between her legs and poked crudely at her vulva through the cobweb-fine silk of her panties.

'No,' she sobbed, as he rubbed her clitoris through the delicate gusset. She'd wanted to be more powerful tonight, more in control. She'd promised Delia she'd try.

'Let's have these off, shall we?' he said suddenly, in a strangely matter-of-fact tone of voice, pushing her skirt right up and out of the way and hooking his thumbs into the elastic of her tiny knickers. They were a soft sheeny peach-shade, matching her suspenders, but right now they seemed simply a hindrance to this man who'd utterly bewitched her.

With a peculiar, almost voluptuous sense of resignation, she lifted her hips to help him make her trembling sex naked. Something of the artist in her was able to look down on what was revealed quite dispassionately. She hadn't wanted to wear stockings because of the heat, but they, and the pastel suspenders they were hooked to, made a perfect frame for the soft honeyed creaminess of her belly and the warm brown motte at its base.

Perversely, he left her tiny pants caught around her ankles - an adornment more lewd by far than if he'd taken them off her completely - and pushed her knees open with his fingertips, touching very lightly as if respecting the seven denier fragility of her hose.

'Quite lovely,' he said, sliding one hand under her, between her thighs, and pulling her bottom to the edge of the seat.





Hope you enjoyed that! Leave a comment and your name will go into a draw to win a signed copy of a book from my backlist.

Gemini Heat is available now from Amazon.co.uk and on 27th May from Amazon.com

Love

Portia Da Costa
The Stubborn Old Warhorse of Black Lace

28 comments:

Janine Ashbless said...

I see they didn't put "An Erotic Romance" on the cover - but "Full-on Shagathon" might have raised a few eyebrows in marketing...
;-)

Here's to another 15 years of Portia Da Costa books!

Lisabet Sarai said...

Actually, I had no idea that Gemini Heat was your first Black Lace novel, Portia! As I've told you more privately, it was reading GH that first got me started trying to write and publish erotica. At the time I thought that it was the most imaginative and varied writing about sex that I'd ever encountered. Let me tell you, it has stood the test of time!

Megan Kerr said...

There's something so delicious about a matter-of-fact seducer. Beautifully done!

(And I know this is really besides the point, but I love your dividers and choice of pictures, as always.)

Portia Da Costa said...

Yes, Janine, at least on the 15th Anniversary reprints they've put 'erotica' on the cover, which is what the books were at the time. I think my earliest stories had a little bit of a romantic vibe, but couldn't be described as romances in the generally accepted meaning of the word.

I think my most recent books do consciously conform to the conventions of erotic romance, and I like it that way, because I've always seen myself as a romantic novelist. But it does sometimes worry me when I see some my older books reprinted, in the new cover style, with 'erotic romance' written prominently on the front.

I don't like to see readers mislead.

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Lisabet

I always feel a bit awestruck to know that my book was the one that inspired you to write erotica in the first place. I can't believe that something *I* wrote could have such life changing effect on someone, because I always see myself as just another writer. One who has golden moments of inspiration, as all writers do, but generally not particularly remarkable.

I'm relieved to hear that you think GH has weathered the years well! Thanks, dear friend! :)

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks ever so much, Olivia. Jake is a bit of an unapologetic womanising rogue and sexual gourmet, isn't he? Huge fun to write!

I use two fonts called NatVignetteOne and NatVignetteTwo for my dividers. Got them from MyFonts.com. They're very useful. I can't remember where the pic of the lips came from... but the legs in suspenders are Paris Hilton's! LOL

judiebabie said...

That was totally hot! Can't wait to read this book! Keep up the great work

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to read this book! I have it on pre-order at Amazon.

I'm glad you mentioned that it was not written as erotic romance. If I know something is straight erotica, then I read it as such and don't have some expectation of otherwise.

There is something titillating for me about the idea that this book was published long before the current boom in erotica and erotic romance. Kind of like how I felt reading Anais Nin when I was 15, reading something that was almost forbidden, even though it was the 90's.

MB (Leah)

Portia Da Costa said...

Glad you enjoyed the excerpt, JudieBabie! Hope the rest of the book lives up to your expectations. :)

Angell said...

WOW - that is definately HOT. I will be pre-ordering this one too.

My wish list is getting very long - and it's going to be an interesting birthday if everyone sticks to the list. :D

Portia Da Costa said...

Yes, Leah, Black Lace were the pioneer publishers of erotica for women, making a huge impact and breaking new ground in women's writing long, long before all the current crop of erotic romance imprints were even a twinkle in an editorial director's eye.

It was a revolutionary concept, and a lot of things that *seem* like daring and envelope pushing ideas in today's erotic romance novels were actually incorporated into Blace Lace books well over a decade ago.

M/M, menage a trois, bondage, spanking, power games, paranormal elements... we wrote about them all , years ago! ;)

Portia Da Costa said...

Wow, thanks, Angell! I'm so glad you liked the excerpt... and Happy Birthday, whenever the big day falls. :)

t'Sade said...

Mmm, shagfests. But, that is a lovely-sounded book. I suspect I haven't gotten to the "erotic romance" style of writing yet, mostly bouncing between shagfests and having fun writing.

Looks like a lovely book though.

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks, t'sade! :)

Actually, I think my erotic romances are fairly shagathonic too, only they tend to involve a couple who are falling in love at the same time as they're wallowing in lust.

They're fun to write too!

Anonymous said...

Great excerpt-what a trail blazer you were Portia! Congratulations!

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks, Kate! In some ways it seems like yesterday, but in others, it's almost as if an entirely different Portia wrote those words. I think I've learnt a lot, and grown as a writer in the intervening years.

Hopefully... ;)

limecello said...

That was a great excerpt -and the pictures you posted went so well with it! I'm intrigued by the idea of twins sharing a guy. I really like Jake's personality from what I read. Slightly disturbed, probably because Biography is on, and it's about Ted Bundy...

Madeline Moore said...

It's been a mad mad mad mad day. I will read the blog Saturday with coffee and post coherent (hopefully) comment...something to look forward to! I bet it's terrific and I think Portia is a gem.

xoxo Mad Moore

Portia Da Costa said...

Hi Limecello

You wouldn't believe how long it takes for me to find the right pictures for posts! And then there's the cropping and resizing and mucking about in Photoshop to make them look different to the originals...

I think I got the idea of twins from category romance, actually. There used to be a trend for 'masquerading twin sisters' at one time, and I thought, I could write that... only differently and with a lot more sex. ;)

Portia Da Costa said...

Hope that the excerpt lives up to your expectations on Saturday, Mad! And that the accompanying coffee is good... :)

felinewyvern said...

"Full-on Shagathon"!!! Loved that phrase, so apt :D

Gemini Heat sounds like the kind of book I want on my bedside table but any of your books will do instead - you have a wonderful way with words. Very hot and sexy :D

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks, Ilona! Makes me wonder how many bedside tables my books are on across the world. LOL

And yes, Gemini Heat is pretty much crammed with bonking and whatnot... Although there's a story, too, and a good resolution for all the characters. Not quite a trad happily ever after, but there's certainly the possibility of it for both the twins and the beaux they end up with.

Madeline Moore said...

Ah, that's better. Wonderful excerpt Portia. It leaves the reader wanting
more, which is exactly what we want in an excerpt (speaking as a reader and a writer.)

Long live and write the Queen.

I pop into my local Coles from time to time to see how the erotica "section" is coming along. Naturally I convinced them to carry a few copies of 'Wild Card' for awhile but the last time I looked they were gone! Alas, returned, not sold. At present there is one (1) erotica novel. 'Continuum' by Portia da Costa...

Portia Da Costa said...

Thanks ever so much, Madeline! I'm so glad you enjoyed the clip. :)

I find it very, very difficult to choose excerpts. Selecting little 'scenes' that can be enjoyed as stand-alones, yet whet the appetite of the reader for more, is quite an art.

Sorry to hear that the erotica section in your local book store isn't well stocked. In the nearest town to where I live, there's one shop that stocks a handful of BLs... but in a bigger centre, not too far away, there are two big bookshops which seem to stock everyone's BLs and lots of other erotica and erotic romance from many publishers.

rlr260 said...

Wow! That is one hot excerpt! I'll definitely look for this in my local bookstore.

Anonymous said...

hot excerpt, this would your first book i tried. lvoe the cover

kim h

Portia Da Costa said...

Glad you enjoyed the excerpt, rlr60! Hope you're able to find Gem Heat in your local bookshop. :)

Portia Da Costa said...

Yes, it is a lovely cover, isn't it, Kim?

It nearly had a very different one, which was striking, but gave a totally wrong impression of the book!

Eventually it was changed, for which I'm very grateful! :)