When I graduated from college I had no idea how to look for work. No one ever taught me. My academic advisor was also my lover, and he was useless – as both an advisor and a lover. The man was selfish both in bed and out, and not concerned about my future. I was too young and naïve to see it. He didn't help me on my quest for a job. All I knew was that my Dream Job would allow me to use my creativity. It would pay well enough and be exciting. I imagined traveling the country. Hell, I wanted to travel the world! My work would be praised and I would be recognized for my talent and value. The world was my oyster.
I ended up becoming a secretary.
Nothing against secretaries, but that was the wrong career for me. At the time, during the early 1980s, there weren't many options open to me. My parents didn't know anyone who could pull me into a creative career. My academic advisor, like I said, was a waste of time and space. I majored in art and could have worked in a gallery but I had no idea how to go about finding a job in one. I also didn't live near any. My mother took me to Kelly Girls because that's where she worked. I became very disillusioned. So I suffered through typing memos, fetching coffee, and answering phones with a smile plastered on my face that I didn't feel for about three years.
Then I got married and dropped out of the work force, but that wasn't my idea. I was fired a week before my wedding. I was so traumatized I couldn't look for work at all. To help me get through the doldrums, my husband (now my ex) enrolled me in modeling classes. He thought I was pretty enough and sexy enough to be a model. I was flattered and went through the classes. I did find work as a petite model in the Baltimore area, but that really wasn't for me, either.
My true love was the stage. I had volunteered for two community theaters in my area. I had no idea when I first started that the troupe would be my ticket to a fun stagehand career. I learned very quickly that all the roles in the company were non-paying except sound and lighting. The director hired technicians to take on those jobs. I volunteered both as a makeup artist including prosthetics and as a gaffer. That's the technical term for lighting. So now when you see "gaffer" in movie credits, you'll no longer go "wha…?" LOL I could use my art degree when it came to lighting. Since the same man tended to do lighting for all the shows, we got to know each other very well and he trained me. Soon, I was joining him on paying gigs with his company doing lighting for business conferences and special guests like singer Judy Collins. From there, I joined a production company that specialized in set painting. More use of my degree. Some of the guys who worked at this company were also union gaffers, and they helped me get accepted into two IATSE unions.
I finally found my dream job! I was a union gaffer for concerts, TV, and movies. I did makeup for two episodes of Homicide: Life On The Street. I did lighting (and some sound) for the movies 12 Monkeys and Die Hard With A Vengeance. I did lighting for some great concerts including The Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Barbara Streisand, and more. I even did the light check for The Eagles. I got to run the light board!
I was in my element – surrounded by slightly crazy creative people who knew how to have fun. I was paid well and enjoyed lots of great benefits, the best of which was working in entertainment. Like Alex Craig, I found my Dream Job.
I have since moved on from that career to my career in writing. I started out as a writer of feminist and political non-fiction, but there was no glory in that and too many people took advantage of me by not paying me and by taking me for granted. No one would listen to my advice, either, despite my being asked. I felt like Cassandra. I did a lot of hard work for nothing. That business has left a sour taste in my mouth to this day. Fed up, I switch to sex writing and fiction writing, which is much more fun. I don't make a lot of money but I'm happy. I know writing is a very difficult career to take on, but I'm in it for the long haul.
Like Alex, I didn't give up. I was miserable in a mismatched job for several years but I used my stage connections and found work I loved. I now use my writing connections to find good anthology calls and I submit to the best publishers until I get acceptances. The key is to never give up and to be positive. My current husband (my soulmate) is very supportive, even when I feel down. It's important to have someone (or several someones) in your corner when you go after your dreams since plenty of jealous people will try to stop you. Don't let them. Alex would never listen to anyone who told her to not set her sights so high. She was rewarded with a job that's a fantasy come alive. And a lover to go along with it who caters to her wildest cravings and meets her needs. Read the book and find out more.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
About the Book
Amazon U. S. | Amazon U. K.
EXCERPT:
A warm breeze
brushed her skin as she and Jackson walked along the beach. Bubbling surf
washed over her feet, cooling her in the hot sun. They walked hand in hand as
if they had been partnered for years instead of only days. Amazed at how
comfortable she felt in Jackson’s presence, she strolled by his side, not
talking, but only enjoying his company and the smell of the ocean surf. Her
other lovers paled when compared to Jackson. He was all she ever wanted in a
man – worldly, handsome, accomplished, and drop-dead sexy. He treated her with
respect and gentleness; not that she expected anything less. If he had been
less kindly toward her, she never would have taken up with him in the first
place. She wasn’t one to believe in soulmates, but Jackson came very close to
being hers.
He squeezed her
hand, bringing her back to the real world. Pulling her toward him, he wrapped
his arms tightly around her and kissed her lightly on the lips. What started
out as a gentle caress grew into a fevered embrace; fingers entwined in her
hair, her hands massaging his back. She wanted to implant the memory of his
body and his touch in her mind forever so she could easily remember him when he
was away. Their romantic setting set her head spinning with delight. A handsome
man on the beach. Her dream come true.
In bed that
evening, she succumbed to the build-up of lust she felt for Jackson since the
moment she laid eyes on him at Babes. She felt as if she had fallen into a
deep, warm bottomless well. Her stomach flip-flopped with excitement as she
sailed headfirst into her passion for Jackson. The scent of limes, lemongrass,
and sea salt lingered on his skin. As she undressed him, her fingers fumbled
with the buttons on his shirt. He took her hands in his and guided them to his
hips. Arousal took over her very being. She wanted him, and she shivered with
delight at his invitation. With one graceful movement, he removed his shirt. She
spied a tattoo of an Asian character on his right shoulder, and she traced the
ink with her index finger.
‘What’s
this?’
‘It’s Japanese
Kanji. The word is nikuyoku.’
‘And that
means?’
He turned his
face toward hers and gave her a sly smile. ‘Lust.’
Wasting no time,
he quickly removed her shirt. Warm air flowed over her skin, making her tingle
all over. His mere touch drove her mad! When he pressed his lips against her
throat, it took all her willpower to keep from throwing him on the bed and taking
over herself. She didn’t want to do that. No, she wanted him to ravish her.
They were in no rush, and she wanted to enjoy his body and her own craving to
the fullest.
‘You drive me
mad, woman,’ he moaned in her ear. ‘You get under my skin like no one ever has
before. I’m not sure what it is about you.’ He brushed his lips against her
jawline. ‘Your honesty. Your sweetness. I trust you, which is saying a lot. I’m
not by nature a trusting person. You bring out the best in me. I want to take
good care of you.’
She didn’t know
what to say in response that wouldn’t sound trite, so instead she wrapped her
arms around him and held him tightly. His lips traveled from her jaw down her
throat until they reached her breasts. Hands trembling, he kneaded her breasts
until the soft flesh glowed pink. Nipples hard and aching for his touch, she
melted into his embrace when he sucked on each one, slowly and with great
gentleness.
Without warning,
he knelt in front of her on the bed, his head between her knees. His hands
gripped her hips with such longing she couldn’t help but run her fingers
through his hair. He sighed, and looked up at her with wide, shining eyes. The
longing and love in his face stunned her. She knew he opened up to her in ways
he didn’t to others, and she didn’t want to ever let him go.
‘You mean the
world to me, Alex,’ he said. ‘This is a very special day to me. I hope it is
for you, too. It’s the first time we’re going to make love. And I want it to be
perfect. Overwhelmed with emotion, she smiled and kissed him on the forehead,
then on the cheeks, eyes, and lips. She needed him as much as he needed her,
and she was never going to let him go. His passion aroused her so much she was
already very wet. She lay on her back on the bed, legs spread, waiting for him
to enter her, but he surprised her by kissing her knees, and moving up to her
thighs. With eagerness, he kissed her heat.
Jackson gently
lapped her folds with his expert tongue until she was so wet and overheated
sweat beaded on her forehead.
Jackson slipped
two fingers inside her, then three, all the while stroking himself until he was
hard. He worked her into a frenzy so exciting, her pulse pounded in her head.
She gripped his hair in both hands and guided his head to her sweet spot. As his
tongue flicked against her clit, his fingers worked her pussy. Her arousal
built in a crescendo, and she arched her back, taking in all his hard work with
a cry as she had the first of several orgasms. As one subsided, another erupted
in its place. Her orgasms came and went in long, glorious waves until she
finally collapsed beneath him.
Delighted, she
laughed and pulled him to her until his head rested on her shoulder. She held
him tight, never wanting to let him go. Far from finished, he turned over on
his back and motioned for her to ride him.
His thick hair
fanned out on the pillow as she sat astride him and slipped a condom over his
erection. She guided him inside, rocking and bucking as her arousal once again
peaked to the heights of bliss. She raked his shoulders with her fingernails as
if digging into his flesh made him more real. Inhaling deeply, she took in his
alluring scent. Her head spun with arousal, and her skin tingled with each
stroke of his hand.
After she came
yet again, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled her over onto her back. He
thrust into her, deeper and harder with each stroke, and minutes after she came
his orgasm exploded into her. Sweat from heat and lust coated their bodies in a
soft patina.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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