Today I have the pleasure of hosting a stop on Liz Gavin’s “Upside Down” blog tour. I met Liz through the Rave Reviews Book Club, and was thrilled to have a chance to participate in her tour. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this peek into her novel, Upside Down.
Thank you AWESOME READER for visiting today and AMAZING HOST for having me in your blog!!
Did you miss any stops on the UPSIDE DOWN BLOG TOUR? Check the lineup at 4WillsPublishing site.
CAROL & MARK
I wanted to give you a taste of UPSIDE DOWN without spoilers and/or steamy scenes so I’ve chosen one of my favorite ‘light’ ones! ENJOY!
* * *
“Hey, Carol. What’s up?”
Mark sounded positively wasted.
“Are you drunk? Where are you?”
“I’m at this nice little bar near your house. It was too hot in my place I decided to take a walk, you know. But I’m not drunk.”
“Hot? What do you mean? It’s mid-November, Mark.”
“I don’t know, Carol. I felt stifled and went out for some air. I walked around, ended up in front of your place. I knew I shouldn’t go up so I saw this little bar across the street and went in. Here I am, now.”
“When was that?”
“Oh, a couple of hours ago.”
“I’m coming down.”
“Don’t worry…”
I hung up, put a pair of jeans on, grabbed my keys and took the elevator down. I was in the bar less than five minutes later. He was sitting at the counter, staring at a glass of a golden liquid that looked like whiskey. I had never seen him drinking anything stronger than wine and it was the first time I saw Mark drunk. And he was as drunk as he could be without passing out.
I worried. Mark hated alcoholics in general. He had once told me that he hadn’t liked getting drunk even before the horrible car accident he was in. The one a drunk driver had caused, which almost got Mark killed, and had busted his knee. I was afraid our time-out had brought this on. I had fought the urge to drink half of my own cellar throughout most of the day.
I sat beside him without saying anything. He didn’t register my presence as he stared at the cell phone in his hand. I put my hand on his arm and he took forever to look up at me. His eyes were blank and unfocused. My mouth went dry and bile filled my stomach, threatening to go up my throat. I swallowed hard to keep it down. I hated to see him like that knowing I caused his pain, in the first place.
“Mark, honey. Come with me. You’ve had enough.”
“Hey, gorgeous. That’s you!” His words were slurred. “How did you get here so fast? You were on the phone a second ago.”
He handed me his phone. I got it, got his wallet from the counter, stood up and put both in my back pockets.
“Please, come with me, sweetie. I’ll take you home.”
He stood up but staggered. I held him and we almost tumbled together to the floor. I regained my balance, put an arm around his waist, and his arm around my shoulders. I changed my mind about taking him to his place. It would be easier to take him to my apartment, if we could make it across the street!
“Do you need a hand, madam?” one of the bartenders offered. “He’s been in here, drinking, for over three hours. Non-stop. He’s in very poor shape.”
“Thank you, but I’ve got this.”
We had taken two steps away towards the exit when Mark pulled my top up and cupped my breast. I was mortified because I hadn’t had time to put a bra on, “I missed you, gorgeous.”
I swatted his hand away and pulled my top down. My face was on fire but I looked at the nice bartender begging for his help. He was beside Mark in a flash, “Come on, buddy. Leave the nice lady alone, now,” he grabbed Mark’s free arm and threw it around his own neck. “She’s got a great rack but I don’t think she wants the public to know that, right?” he winked at me and I mouthed ‘thank you’.
Mark mumbled a lot of nonsense on the way. It was hard to hear most of it but some things stood out, “You know I’d do anything for you, Carol, right?”
“Yes, I know that.”
We were crossing the street when he realized Peter, that was the name on the bartender’s vest, was carrying him, too, “Is this the guy, huh? Is this the one who’s f***ing you behind my back?”
Mark tried do take a swing at Peter but his fist hit the air, a good foot away from Peter’s face. I grabbed his hand and told him off, “Stop it! Peter’s helping us. He works at the bar and probably had to listen to you whining the whole night through. Enough!”
“Yes, Madam. Oh, I love it when you play rough, Madam.”
I kept looking ahead as we waited for the elevator and Mark mumbled some more. I was too ashamed to look at Peter. Once inside the metal box, Mark turned to me and tried to kiss me. I pulled away, “Are you angry at me, Madam? Are you going to spank me? Please, do it! Grab my ba..”
I covered his mouth with my hand.
“Please, Mark, shut up! Or I swear to God I will gag you.”
“Oh, goody!”
I rolled my eyes and heard Peter laughing.
“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. He is funny.”
Despite myself, I had to laugh, too. I saw Peter’s point. Mark and I made a very dysfunctional but rather funny couple. Still, my face was red and I could hardly look at the bartender by the time I opened my front door. He helped me settle Mark on the couch.
“Thank you so much, Peter. I’m so sorry for all your trouble. And I’m so sorry for all that garbage you heard on the way here, too,” I blushed and looked back at Mark to avoid his eyes.
“Hey, no big deal. You wouldn’t believe what I have to listen to in this line of work,” there was the charming wink and the beautiful smile again. Peter was a handsome man and his sunny disposition put me at ease,“But, he talked about you all the while he sat on that bar stool. I really feel like I know you and Mark.”
“What did he say to you?”
“Don’t worry. No specifics. Well, not until we carried him here, at least.”
“Oh, my!” I blushed again and Peter chuckled.
“You know, it’s a bartender’s job to listen to the clients’ crap. Although, in Mark’s case, it was a very nice conversation. You should give the guy a break. He’s head over hills in love with you. That’s something you don’t see very often.”
I sighed and looked back at Mark snoring on my couch. He was a sweet guy.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll thread carefully. I don’t want to hurt him more than I already have.”
* * *
Please, leave your thoughts below before you go!!
Author Bio
When Liz Gavin was in Second Grade – just a couple of years ago, really – her teacher told her mother the little girl should start a diary because she needed an outlet for her active and vivid imagination. She was a talkative child who would disrupt the class by engaging her colleagues in endless conversations. She loved telling them the stories her grandfather used to tell her.
Apparently, the teacher wasn’t a big fan of those stories, and Liz’s mother bought her a diary. She happily wrote on it for a couple of months. Unable to see the appeal of writing for her own enjoyment only, she gave up on it. She missed the audience her friends provided her in class. She went back to disturbing her dear teacher’s class.
Since then, she has become a hungry reader. She will read anything and everything she can get her hands on – from the classics to erotica. That’s how she has become a writer of erotica and romance, as well.
As a young adult, she participated in a student exchange program and lived in New Orleans for six months. She fell in love with the city and its wonderful inhabitants. NOLA will always hold a special spot in Liz Gavin’s heart. Nowadays, living in Brazil, Liz’s creativity has improved many times because it’s such a vibrant, gorgeous and sexy country.
Welcome to her world of hot Alpha males and naughty, independent women. Add a touch of the paranormal in the presence of some wicked souls and you’ll get the picture.
Contact Information
My blog = https://lizgavin.wordpress.com
Twitter handle = @LizGavin_author
Facebook = www.facebook.com/liz.gavin.54
Email = lizgavin@elessarbooks.com
Book Blurb
Carol Anne Sullivan is a tough New York stock broker. She’s suffered enough in order to learn a hard lesson – never let love spoil her relationships. Her boyfriends know that rule from the start. She’s domineering and assertive but also faithful and fair while the relationship lasts.
Mark Aikens is Carol’s boyfriend. He’s been in love with her for a while but his submissive side hasn’t allowed him to rebel against her golden rule and to tell her how he feels. Fear of losing her forever might spur him into action.
Cindy O’Rourke has admired Carol from afar. So, she jumps at the opportunity to work for her idol. Little does she know, things will never be the same for her after that job interview
Carol has been going through a rough patch: world economical crisis, dysfunctional parents, demanding clients, faulty equipment. Without much time for herself, her love life is suffering. So what is the big deal if she fantasizes about a new employee when her boyfriend, Mark, can’t give her what she needs? The big deal is – the new receptionist, Cindy, is a woman who threatens to turn her world upside down
This is the steamy tale of an unconventional love triangle which should be read with an open mind and an open heart. Sometimes, love comes to our lives in unexpected ways but with such overwhelming power that the best course of action might be to surrender to it.
Book link on Amazon US = http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFMMJY0
Book link on Amazon UK = http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IFMMJY0
“This tour sponsored by
4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.”
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