I’ve been looking forward to reading Black Jack, ever since I’ve had the privilege of reading and reviewing book 1, Ace of Hearts. I was really curious to see how this story would play out, I wondered who the new characters would be and how the new storyline would tie into the first book. Boy [...]

Hey Y’all,
I know with the holidays coming up folks are looking for a bargain, so I thought I’d let my Aceoholics know that until 12/31/09, with every Amazon purchase of a NEW personally signed copy of Black Jack, I will add a signed copy of Ace of Hearts (1st edition) FREE with no additional shipping charge!
That’s [...]

Afternoon,
Can’t say it’s a good one. I feel like I’ve been beat up. Sometimes I think I’m too old for this STUFF (you know what I want to say). Yesterday was the GA Literary Festival and I’m glad I went, sold some books, met some people, but the 1st half of the day we were [...]

Good afternoon,
First, I want to thank everyone for the birthday greetings. I’m such a lightweight now, it takes me 2 days to recover from 2 drinks, but then my sister, Lori, makes a mean concoction.
Today, I’m stopping by author CM Jones.
Leave a comment & have a chance @ the daily giveaway.
Think I’ll go take [...]

Helene put the menu down, took off her glasses and pinched the top of her nose to massage the corners of her eyes. Concentrating on the menu’s small print made them so tired. She looked up, blinked hard and, in doing so, brought his handsome face back into focus. Maybe I should have left that second glass of champagne alone. However, it’s not every day a lady got to share a bottle of Krug Grand Cuvée ’77 in Napier’s, the most exclusive French restaurant in the Portsborough area.
Tonight‘s definitely a cause for celebration. She still couldn’t believe she’d been dating this young man for the past three months. Young man, humph, never thought I’d be referring to a man in his fifties as young, although it’s all quite relative, isn’t it? Although proud of her sixty-eight years on this earth, right now she wished she could turn back the hands of time.
The last few months were like a romantic dream.

But…what about the money?

The thought flickered like the restaurant sconces’ candlelight against the walls. Damn, why did her mind always go back to that? It spoiled one of life’s best moments by nagging at her.
About a month ago, he asked her for a considerable loan, one hundred and ten thousand dollars to be exact. Although it took over half of the remainder of her fortune and her mind told her it really wasn’t the smart thing to do, her body quickly overruled the objection. She knew, in time, it would be well worth it. Besides, he looked so distraught while explaining his temporary dire financial predicament and petulantly requested her help. How could she have said no while looking at that persuasive face? It would only be for a short time and he promised to repay her, with interest, as soon as his stocks rose as predicted. She would have it back before Thanksgiving, the beginning of December at the latest. What the hell, she’d never gambled before and gambling for love made it worth the risk.
When Helene’s husband, Frank Elliott, died almost four years ago, he left her a surprise in the form of an insurance policy that netted her a comfortable three hundred and seventy thousand dollars. After she sold their little Mom and Pop store and paid off their mortgage, she no longer needed to worry about money. Bored, she began filling her time by going to auction houses. She never bid on anything, it just meant less time spent in her empty home. Besides, maybe one day she would come across that ultimate treasure.
Then, in late May, on an ordinary day, at yet another ordinary auction, she spotted him. He walked right down her aisle. As he approached, she quickly grabbed her jacket and purse from the padded, folding chair next to her and nodded for him to sit.

My God, he’s beautiful, in a sexy, animal kind of way.

Her first thought surprised her as he sat down and proceeded to introduce himself. His name matched his persona. With skin the color of onyx, the contrast between it, his full head of stark-white wavy hair and dazzling turquoise eyes made her heart jump. Tall and muscular, later he told her all the credit for his physique came from jogging. She remembered thinking, thank God for jogging. He appeared almost too pretty with a magnetism she couldn’t deny. He took her breath away, literally.
At the end of the auction, he politely invited her to lunch and she jumped at the opportunity to spend more time in his presence. The meal ended with her giving him her phone number, something she hadn’t done since reciting her marriage vows, some forty-eight years ago. When he sent her flowers the next week, then later called and invited her to dinner, she gave a prayer of thanks and quickly accepted.
And now, here we are. She realized she had been silent for a while, picked up the menu to hide her embarrassment and peeked over it to see if he noticed. He seemed engrossed in the menu. She placed hers back on the cream linen tablecloth and watched him do the same. He removed a clove cigarette from its thin, silver case. She watched him leaned back, close his eyes and take his first drag. Although she hadn’t smoked in year, she could feel his enjoyment. She saw how he turned his head, just slightly and carefully blew the smoke away from her. Helene smiled because even though she disapproved of his smoking, his actions were always so thoughtful.
“Have you decided, ma petite chérie?”

She loved when he called her that.

“I’m leaning toward the Poulet au Jambon, although the Porc à la sauce de Prune sounds delicious.” Besides, at my age, a little prune sauce couldn’t hurt. Sometimes, I crack myself up. She noticed she did that a lot since becoming a widow and hoped he could tell she’d been practicing her French.
“Ah, your French is très bon. The improvement is quite impressive. Reward yourself, splurge, order whatever your heart desires.”
She pictured the two of them in bed, taking care of all sorts of desires. Suddenly, she lost her appetite and dinner didn’t seem so important, yet she didn’t protest when he refilled her champagne flute. Slight intoxication would come in handy for her late night plans.
“I’ve been thinking about you…us, more than you’d imagine,” he confessed as he placed the bottle back into the silver ice bucket.
Her heart raced.
“You know, at our age, it isn’t wise to waste time. Don’t you agree?”

Don’t I agree? God, yes… Yes… YES! Sweep the dishes to the floor and take me on the table, right here, right now in front of everyone, please, oh, PLEASE.

She could blame her imagination for sending her straight to hell. Silently, she vowed to give up secretly watching her late husband’s small collection of porn tapes. She hoped after tonight she wouldn’t need them. It had been her only form of release for quite some time.
“Were you thinking we should take this to the next level?”
Helene couldn’t believe she voiced her wish aloud. Guess there are advantages to being a senior citizen.
“Well, for now, let’s enjoy our meal and each others’ company. Later, we’ll see what develops, so to speak.”
His smooth bass voice and perfect smile melted more than her heart. In fact, for the first time in years, she felt that all too familiar moisture.
She barely remembered the meal. He kept the innuendo-filled conversation and the champagne flowing, teasing her with hints of things to come. The intense, verbal foreplay definitely aroused her.
Finally, dinner ended. The epitome of a gentleman, he retrieved her wrap from the coat room and helped her put it on. Leaving Napier’s, he gave the valet his parking ticket and held her hand as they waited for him to bring the car around. When the attendant pulled up in his black 1981 Corvette coupe, he let the valet open her door, then took over and shut it. As she sank into the red leather interior, she realized her dizziness didn’t come from the champagne, it came from what she knew would happen next.

Oh, God, I’m so ready.

She watched him concentrate on the road and when he let go of the stick shift to reach for her hand, she squeezed back, hoping he knew her answering pressure meant yes to anything he wanted. He brought her hand to his lips and the sensation of them touching her skin produced a mini-orgasm. Helene wondered how she would keep herself together until they got to her place. When he let go to shift gears, she folded her hands in her lap, closed her eyes and feigned sleep.
She dozed off and next thing she knew, they were pulling up in front of her home.
“Would you mind if I parked in your garage?”

You can park in my garage anytime.

Everything he said translated to sex. She watched him as he turned off the car, got out and came around to the passenger side.
He helped her out of the low car and she gave him her keys. Opening the door, he politely stood back and let her enter first.
Turning on the light, she walked down the peach colored hall into her foyer, past the family pictures of her daughter, Phaedra, grandson, Tyler and Frank. Oh, Frank. She still missed him so.
Helene checked the thermostat on her way to the hall closet. Although she felt warm, the temperature registered at a comfortable seventy degrees. She carefully hung up her silk shawl, right next to the Christian Dior calf-length sable and took a moment to stroke the soft fur. The coat represented her only splurge from the insurance money. Frank had frequently told her he wished he could cover her with diamonds and sable. She finally made part of his wish come true. She forced herself to stop thinking of her late husband. Too bad this late autumn night made it too warm for sable. She would have loved to go back in the living room with nothing on except the coat. The diamonds reference made her think of the sexy man waiting for her. After all, they were the hardest mineral on Earth, hard being the operative word. Her body told her to stop reminiscing and get down to the business of making love. She hurried back to him.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, touching his lips with her index finger. “If you want, you can make us a drink while you wait.”
“Don’t make me wait too long.”
She didn’t need any encouragement, even though his impatience made it all the more appealing.
Once she entered her cottage blue bedroom, Helene went to her closet and took out the brand new sheer black lace peignoir that she purchased last month in anticipation of this very night. Laying the gown out on her oak mission-style bed with rose-colored satin sheets, Helene wanted everything to be perfect. After all, she waited three long years for this night. She lit the candles in the non-working fireplace, went to her bathroom, took a quick shower and put on the gown. Standing in front of the vanity mirror, she ran the brush through her hair a few times and stood back to check out her appearance. Not bad for a little old lady. She applied mascara, a tiny bit of rouge and lipstick. Satisfied with her reflection, Helene dabbed a bit of her Nina Ricci L’Air Du Temps behind each ear. The perfume was a twenty-fifth wedding anniversary gift from Frank. Nothing could stop her, not even the small twinge of guilt she brushed aside. Helene hurried back to the living room. The thought of him waiting for her made her heart flutter, a feeling long forgotten.