Please give a warm welcome to my wonderful guest, Ashe Barker. This busy woman has taken a few moments to spend some time with me, and she's brought along a very handsome guest. Read on, to find out more...
Getting Up
Close and Personal … with Zack Lassiter
Thanks Ayla for inviting me over here
today to share a snippet from Re-Awakening,
my story in the Paramour collection.
If you want to get your hands on the whole thing – and who wouldn’t fancy getting
to grips with the hot and oh-so-sexy Zack Lassiter? – you can find it in the Totally
Bound book boutique. The Paramour collection went on
general release on 7 February.
Knowing the sort of hot gossip we all like to keep
abreast of, I tracked down Zack and fired a few finely honed questions at him.
All in the name of research obviously. Here’s what he had to say for himself…
Me:
Hello Zack, thanks for finding time to chat. I realise you must be very busy
just now.
ZL:
No problem, lovely to see you again, Ashe. Always nice to chat. Now, what is it
you’d like to know?
Me:
Well, let’s start with the big one and get that out of the way. If I gave you
an elephant and asked you to keep it a secret, where would you hide it?
ZL:
A what?
Me: An elephant. Big thing, grey, has a trunk.
ZL:
Right, an elephant. That’s what I thought you said. I think I’d probably stick
it in one of Gennie’s guest bedrooms. Might be a struggle getting it upstairs,
but she’s been thinking about getting a lift installed for people in
wheelchairs. That might work…
Me:
Excellent answer, very inventive. Now for something simpler. What’s your
favourite colour for socks?
ZL:
Red, definitely. Or brown. Black perhaps. Anything really, except white. I
don’t like white socks.
Me:
Excellent taste. So, boxers or briefs
ZL:
Boxers as a rule. More ball room
Me:
Ball room? Is that an important factor.
ZL:
Oh yes, I’d say so. Can’t be getting all constricted, it’s not good for the
circulation. I do like to circulate, when I can.
Me:
Right, I see. So, dogs or cats?
ZL:
I’m not that keen on either, but probably dogs. Cats tend to trip me up
Me:
Apart from Gennie, is there a famous person would you like to get naughty with?
ZL:
Me? Naughty? I hardly think so. I’m a choirboy.
Me:
Raises eyebrow sternly. Please give
the question some thought, Mr Lassiter
ZL:
Oh well, as you insist. Scratches head,
thinks hard. I suppose Keira Knightley has her attractions. In a good
light. So does Julia Roberts but my own pretty woman is my lovely Gennie
Me:
Good answer. Now, would you ever take part in a TV reality show? And if so, which
one?
ZL:
‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’. Definitely. I’d love to eat slugs and
kangaroo penis, and stick my dick in dark holes with rats running around. Full
of those tricks, I am. And Gennie would love the trip to Australia to meet me
coming back across the bridge through the fireworks and ticker tape. I’d do it
for her…
Me:
What a hero. Now, could you tell us something we don’t know about Gennie?
ZL:
She’s a closet foot fetishist. She loves it when I stroke her heels and massage
the soles of her feet. Purrs like a kitten. She’ll do anything for me when I
get between her toes…
Me:
Yes, quite. (Fans self discreetly)
What will I find if I look in your fridge?
ZL:
Sod all. Now Gennie’s fridge, that’s a treasure trove. Ice cream, cheesecake,
Stella Artois. I’ve been known to shove the odd dildo in there when her back’s
turned – makes for a nice evening’s sport.
Me:
More fanning. I hardly dare ask - what’s
your worst quality?
ZL:
I’m too self-effacing.
Me:
What would you say was the best thing before
sliced bread?
ZL:
I’m not sure just when sliced bread arrived. I think the internal combustion
engine might be up there though. Pennicillin? Electric lightbulbs?
Me:
What’s the naughtiest thing you ever did as a kid?
ZL:
Me and my brother used to play chicken on the train lines near our house. My
mum would go ape if she ever knew. Don’t you dare tell her – I’ll deny it.
Me:
What’s on your ipod?
ZL:
Coffee stains and a swanky cover.
Here’s the
blurb for Re-Awakening:
Her
Master gone, is she destined to spend the rest of her life alone? Or can she
bring herself to surrender – again?
Too busy trying to make a living out of her guest
house in the Yorkshire Dales, Imogen hadn’t time to be lonely, or even think
about having fun. And surrender to her innermost submissive desires is just a
distant memory.
A widow for six years, Imogen is not looking for
another lover, let alone a Master. She had one of those, once, and no-one could
ever compare. Certainly not a handsome, cocky young man, passing through the
area and needing a room for the weekend.
But when sexy Zack Latimer turns up on her
doorstep he instantly recognises the underlying grief cocooning Imogen from the
world outside. The intuitive young Dom makes himself at home in her house, and
quickly exposes her most private needs and fears. He sees straight through her
facade of self-sufficiency to expose the yearning she tries so hard to stifle.
Unable to deny or resist the intense attraction she feels for her sensual
guest, Imogen is quickly drawn in as he invites her to rediscover her
submissive nature. Can she surrender once more, perhaps even find happiness and fulfilment again with a
new Master?
And is Zack that Master, or has he also gone for
good?
Here’s
an excerpt to whet your appetite…
Young. Ridiculously young to be let loose with a car like this. Her
first impression was one of incredulity that this beautiful machine might be
entrusted to the care of, well, someone like him. Someone with long, dark hair,
brilliant blue eyes, full lips that smiled to reveal strong, straight, white
teeth. And a tattoo of an angel on his tanned forearm. She had to admit, the
artwork was impressive as he reached out to offer her his hand. Not to her
taste, of course, but still…
“What? Sorry, I…”
He’d said something, but she hadn’t caught it. Too busy staring. And
lusting after his car. And her eyes were still blurry, though that shouldn’t
impair her hearing.
“I saw your ‘Vacancies’ sign. Wondered if I could hire a room. For the
weekend?”
His hand was still outstretched, and belatedly Imogen took it. A brief
shake, then, “Yes. Yes, that’ll be fine. The weekend? What’s that—three
nights?”
“Yes, if that’s okay. Till Monday.”
“Monday. Right. Just bed and breakfast?”
“And evening meal, if you do that? I can’t be bothered looking for
restaurants if I don’t have to.”
“No, of course. Evening meal’s fine.” Her head was busy totting up the
tariff, and wondering if this unexpected windfall of a customer might stave off
the evil day when she had to go out to work. Probably not. But it all helped.
Maybe he’d recommend her to—someone. “Please, come inside. I’ll show you the
room.”
She unlocked the front door and automatically toed off her calf-high
Wellington boots as she went inside. He noticed, made to remove his polished
leather shoes too, but she stopped him. “No, no. It’s just that I’ve been on
the moors. It’s muddy. You’re fine.”
He nodded, murmured his thanks as he waited for Imogen to slip into her
indoor pumps and lead the way upstairs.
She decided to offer him her best room. A double really, en suite, with
its own kettle. And a sofa. And the best view of the moors. She’d offer it to
him at the normal single rate. She opened the door at the end of her upstairs
landing, stepped back and gestured him inside. She watched nervously as he cast
his gaze around the room. Imogen was proud of the traditional oak furniture
and—she hoped—classy but understated décor. His brief nod seemed to indicate he
liked what he saw.
“Yes, thanks. This is really nice. It’ll do fine. Do you accept credit
cards?”
Ah, awkward. Imogen really preferred cash. She
didn’t have a terminal for accepting credit card payments, and cheques too
often bounced. She hated asking her guests for cash up front, but she had to be
realistic. She was searching for a tactful way to explain, and was relieved
when he seemed to pick up on her concern. He was quick to offer reassurance.
“No? Not a problem. I’ll nip down into—where? Where’s the nearest cash
machine?”
“Er, Bainbridge. In the co-op. I’m sorry, it’s just that we don’t have
much call for… Most of my customers pay in cash. Or a cheque would do.” He really didn’t look the bouncy type.
“Cash works fine. How much?”
“With evening meal, it’s forty-five pounds a night.”
He nodded, smiled briefly. “A bargain. I’ll be back in half an hour.”
And he was gone, clattering down the stairs and out of the door. Imogen
heard his engine roar into life, and the crunch of gravel as he reversed out
into the lane
Well, he won’t be back, she thought to herself. Wonder if I need to drop my prices? And I
really should have got his name before I chased him out.
You can pick up your own copy of Re-Awakening from any of these fine ebook sellers:
And here's a little more about Ashe...
Until 2010 I was a director of a
regeneration company in Leeds, in the UK, before becoming convinced there must
be more to life. I left to work as an independent consultant, and still do some
of that though most of my time is now spent writing. At last I’ve been able to
realise my dream of writing erotic romance myself. I’ve been an avid reader of
fiction for many years, erotic and other genres, and I still love reading
historical and contemporary romances – the hotter the better. But now I have a
good excuse – research.
In my own writing I usually draw on
settings and anecdotes from my own experience to lend colour, detail and
realism to my plots and characters, but my stories of love, challenge,
resilience and compassion are the conjurings of my own lurid imagination.
When not writing – which is not very often
- my time is divided between my role as resident taxi driver for my teenage
daughter, and caring for a menagerie of dogs, rabbits, tortoises. And most recently a very grumpy
cockatiel. I’m a rural parish
councillor, and I’m passionate about evolving rural traditions and values to
suit twenty first century lifestyles.
I’ve completed my third trilogy in the
Black Combe ‘family’ and I’m well on with writing the fourth, as well as a
novella, and a stand-alone novel for Totally Bound’s ‘What’s Her secret?’
imprint. All are due for release over the next few months.
Don’t
be a stranger…
Ashe always loves to hear from readers. You
can find her on her blog, and on the Totally
Bound site. She’s on Facebook, and twitter. She’s on Pinterest too, and Goodreads
Thank you for stopping by Ashe. Best of luck on your terrific book and here's a cheer to everything Love!
