We’ve all been there - the friend, the co-worker, the friend of a friend who we like to hang around with maybe a bit more than anyone else. He/she listens to your troubles, your victories, your complaints and not only sympathizes, but uses your shoulder for the same reasons.

And you don’t mind.

Because somewhere, somehow, the relationship between the two of you evolved, mutated into something better.

Something closer.

Something like love.

But what happens when the relationship isn’t the usual? When it’s not the waitress who served you your daily coffee or the piano player in your favorite jazz bar?

What if it’s someone who’s being paid to know your inner desires better than you might?

How would you react?

That’s part of where I started when I began writing the Hooded Pleasures series for Samhain Publishing, a trilogy dealing with people using the services of an agency that provides Dommes and Doms for home visits, for those who can’t or won’t go to a BDSM club, for those who need the release but fear being seen by anyone.

The emotional link between a Dom and his woman is a powerful thing, the same as a Domme and her man. But when it crosses the line from a professional arrangement to romance and love, it’ll make anyone drop to their knees.

From Strictly Business, the first book in the Hooded Pleasures series and available now:

Alex looked at Kate, and she caught her breath. The casual atmosphere, the gaming—it
could be one of her fantasies. All that was left was for him to take her in his arms, deliver
what she suspected they’d both been wanting for the past few weeks.
She hesitated, afraid to move or say anything that might break the spell.
Ask me.
Please ask me.
Alex leaned in and paused. “May I—may I kiss you, Mistress? To thank you for your
help?”
Her head spun, and she made the worst decision of her life.
She nodded.

---

From Strictly Pleasures, the second book coming out March 29th:

Oliver hadn’t stopped because he feared pushing Veronica too far.
He’d checked himself because he was close to losing control, dancing on the knife’s edge
with his little touching game.
He wasn’t afraid of breaking her.
Veronica Locksley wasn’t going to shatter like a china doll the first time in his hands.
It’d been the other way around.
She’d almost broken him.
And she had no idea how close she’d come to doing it.

---

And from Strictly Yours, the third book releasing on May 3rd:

“Look.” He took her hands in his. “I know I’m pushing my limits here, but I care about
you.”
Way more than I should.
“I saw your eyes. I saw your reaction. Whatever it is, you don’t need to carry this weight
alone. I don’t want you to if I can possibly help it.”
Danielle bit down on her lower lip, gnawing on the delicate skin.
He saw the emotional shell begin to crack, pulling apart under his gentle interrogation.
“Please.” Nathan ran a finger along her cheekbone, turning her to face him. “Please let
me help you if I can.”

I loved writing about these three couples as their relationships evolved from something professional and by-the-book to something deeply personal - and how they decide to make it work. I hope you’ll come along for the ride and see what happens when your associate becomes your friend and then your lover…

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Sheryl Nantus was born in Montreal, Canada, and grew up in Toronto, Canada. A rabid reader almost from birth, she attended Sheridan College in Oakville, graduating in 1984 with a diploma in media arts writing. She met Martin Nantus through the online fanfiction community in 1993 and moved to the United States in 2000 in order to marry.

She loves to play board games and write haiku, although not usually at the same time.

A firm believer in the healing properties of peppermint and chai, she continues to search for the perfect cuppa.

She has published multiple books with Samhain Publishing and Carina Press. In 2011 she won two second-place Prism Awards from the Fantasy, Futuristic and Paranormal chapter of RWA for her steampunk romance, Wild Cards and Iron Horses and the first volume of her superhero romance trilogy, Blaze of Glory.

Sheryl can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, her blog, and SherylNantus.com.