{"id":6912,"date":"2012-10-25T10:54:50","date_gmt":"2012-10-25T17:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/?p=6912"},"modified":"2012-11-01T11:38:27","modified_gmt":"2012-11-01T18:38:27","slug":"deceiving-derek-release","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/deceiving-derek-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Deceiving Derek Release!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m taking a break following lunch at the NINC Conference to pop over and announce that Deceiving Derek<\/strong>, Story 1 in LOVE & OTHER CALAMITIES<\/strong>, is now available on Kindle<\/a>, Kobo<\/a>, Apple iTunes<\/a> and Smashwords<\/a>. Smashwords will eventually distribute to NOOK and Sony, but if you can’t wait you can pick up an ePub edition from Smashwords to read on your NOOK or Sony e-reader.<\/p>\n

Because I’m away from my lovely desktop computer with all the power, I am unable to update my website Books pages, so I thought I’d share the cover, story blurb, and an excerpt here.<\/p>\n

Blurb:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lingerie designer Lacey DeMarco livens up her life by finagling an unsuspecting police detective into attending a funky bridal shower. She needs one last item to complete a scavenger hunt list, and handsome cop Derek McAllister is it. But a little trickery is at work. Both<\/em> Lacey and Derek are being hoodwinked\u2026in the name of love.<\/p>\n

Cover by LFD Author Designs:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Excerpt!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone\u2019s stealing my underwear! I need to find out who!\u201d<\/p>\n

Arching an eyebrow at the indignant female voice, Detective Derek McAllister raised his gaze from his computer screen. Hello<\/em>. A slim blonde in a slinky red dress stood on the other side of his desk in Rosewood\u2019s police station. Sparks radiated from the woman\u2019s blue eyes as she dangled a scarlet G-string inches from his nose. Her hand jerked. The scrap of silk flipped off her fingertip, bonking his Mariners coffee mug and plopping onto his notebook.<\/p>\n

Derek glanced at the front counter. Both Biggs, the balding desk sergeant, and Harding, a lanky patrol officer who shadowed Biggs like a starved-for-attention sidekick, looked back at Derek and chortled. Biggs twirled a finger near one cauliflower ear, mouthing, \u201cCraaazy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like Derek needed Biggs to tell him. Thanks a lot, boneheads. Sending me the kook, huh?<\/em><\/p>\n

Both uniforms were working the night shift. Although Derek had reported a slow afternoon, there was still plenty to do before the bars closed and mid-July crap hit the fan. For instance, Harding. Instead of chuckling over the Funnies, the dope could be checking parks and alleys. And Biggs\u2026rather than playing Sudoku and flirting with the female clerk, the guy could at least check email.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell?\u201d<\/em> The blonde at Derek\u2019s desk stared him down. \u201cAre you going to shuffle me off like they did\u2014\u201d she flicked a hand toward Biggs and Harding \u201c\u2014or take me seriously?\u201d Her golden hair shimmered beneath the bright lights in feathery layers.<\/p>\n

Hell, why not?<\/em> Elbows on his desk, Derek hunched forward in his swivel chair. Taking initial theft reports wasn\u2019t his responsibility. His job was to investigate. However, he sensed frazzled nerves beneath the woman\u2019s righteous ire. And, considering the nature of her complaint\u2026<\/p>\n

He wanted to get a good sense of the problem and who she was so he wouldn\u2019t need to do a second interview later. If kook-job poured off her in bucketfuls, he\u2019d rather pacify her and escort her safely home than subject her to potential ridicule by directing her back to the guys up front. Sending her away to roam the Seattle suburb in her current state of agitation was out of the question.<\/p>\n

Derek calmly eyed the G-string. He slipped a pen beneath a lacy strap and lifted the lingerie as carefully as if he were handling a piece of forensic evidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs this the underwear in question, ma\u2019am?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Her chin tipped up. \u201cI\u2019m a Miss<\/em>. Miss DeMarco.\u201d Her blue gaze darted away a moment. \u201cNo, that\u2019s not the underwear I\u2019m talking about. That underwear isn\u2019t missing. Is it, Detective?\u201d<\/p>\n

That depends on whether you\u2019re wearing any<\/em>. Derek stifled the urge to lean across the desk and check the presence or absence of panty lines beneath her luscious red dress. \u201cAll right, then. What underwear of yours is<\/em> missing?\u201d A question he certainly hadn\u2019t anticipated asking upon his return to the station. On a seedy street corner, maybe.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy lingerie designs. The prototype samples.\u201d The blonde snatched back the G-string. \u201cThis thong is a prototype, too, but thankfully the thief didn\u2019t nab it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure it was a thief?\u201d Derek still had panty lines on the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Detective McAllister,\u201d Miss DeMarco said with strained patience. \u201cYou are<\/em> Detective Derek McAllister, right? That\u2019s the name she\u2014I mean, the men at the counter gave me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek arrowed a glance to the desk. Biggs, looking back again, rolled his eyes. Harding scratched his stomach and snickered.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would be right.\u201d Derek tapped the cheap brass nameplate beside his computer. Miss DeMarco\u2019s nervous gaze tracked the movement.<\/p>\n

Her shoulders squared. \u201cWell, Detective McAllister, usually when there\u2019s a burglary, there\u2019s a thief involved. Wouldn\u2019t you say?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYep. Usually, I would.\u201d Unless she\u2019d imagined the whole thing. Anxiety hopped off her slender curves like ants attacking a sugar bowl. Maybe she was paranoid. What a shame.<\/em><\/p>\n

She hoisted a gigantic shopping bag off the floor. Derek\u2019s lips tugged into a smile as she plunked the bag onto his desk, dug inside, and pulled out a skimpy lingerie top. She tossed the G-string\u2014pardon him, thong<\/em>\u2014and pink lingerie onto the desk, then rummaged through the bag again.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn it, I wanted to make sure he\u2014I\u2019m pretty sure the thief is a he\u2014didn\u2019t steal more samples, so I grabbed as many as possible before catching the bus over.\u201d Out flew blue underwear and a yellow slip thing. \u201cTrouble is, these prototypes take up so much room I\u2019m having trouble finding my wallet.\u201d The shopping bag coughed up a purple bra and some flimsy, pale green panties.<\/p>\n

Derek put down his pen. \u201cDon\u2019t worry about the wallet.\u201d Did she think she had to pay him?<\/p>\n

\u201cI see it!\u201d She continued emptying the bag until an explosion of frothy colors littered his desk, reminding him of his twin sister Janie\u2019s rooftop garden after her ex-boyfriend broke her heart and she\u2019d weed-whacked every blossom formerly planted in honor of their love.<\/p>\n

It occurred to him Janie would like Miss DeMarco. He could visualize the two of them whacking blossoms together.<\/p>\n

\u201cAh ha!\u201d The blonde produced a slim wallet. A cell phone clattered out of the bag, bouncing across the lingerie and clunking his jar of pens. Amid the chaos, she opened the wallet, withdrew a business card, and handed it to him.<\/p>\n

A flowery script on creamy stock announced: Lacey\u2019s Little Underthings. Lacey DeMarco, President and Head Designer<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cLacey?\u201d Derek muttered. \u201cGive me a break.\u201d Yeah, she\u2019s a wing-nut<\/em>.<\/p>\n

A blush stained her face. \u201cThat\u2019s right, Lacey DeMarco. My mother, Cather\u2014uh, Christina DeMarco, is the famous lingerie designer out of Milan. My sister is Silken and my brother is Teddy. My mother believes in theme names.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes she now?\u201d Placing aside the card, Derek pressed down another smile. He\u2019d never heard of Christina DeMarco. Or Cather-uh DeMarco. \u201cLook, I need to understand the situation. If someone\u2019s stealing your underwear, what\u2019s all this?\u201d He sifted his fingers through the pile.<\/p>\n

She gazed at the heap. \u201cThis is…what\u2019s left. What I\u2019ve rescued.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMm-hm. From the culprit, you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Her voice rose. \u201cThis hasn\u2019t been stolen. Yet.\u201d She stuffed the cell phone and lingerie back into the bag.<\/p>\n

Derek picked up the green panties and studied the inside label. Well, lookee here<\/em>. The hand-stitched label read Lacey\u2019s Little Underthings<\/em>, like her business card. Maybe his sexy wing-nut was on the up-and-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay.\u201d He tossed her the panties, which she caught with surprising deftness. \u201cPlease sit.\u201d He indicated the chair in front of his desk. On his computer, he saved the grid he\u2019d drafted showing a week of vehicle thefts. \u201cTell me what happened,\u201d he said as he logged out of the computer and reached for his notepad.<\/p>\n

She remained standing. \u201cI\u2019d rather tell you on the way over.\u201d She shoved the wadded panties into the bag.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way over where?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy place.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour<\/em> place?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy design studio\u2014it\u2019s in my apartment. That\u2019s where the theft occurred. Don\u2019t you want to inspect the scene of the crime?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d rather take notes first.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her eyebrows high-jumped. \u201cI don\u2019t have time! I never know when he might strike again. He\u2019s already plundered me twice!\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek chuckled. \u201cThe panty thief?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe corporate<\/em> panty raider,\u201d Lacey returned in an uppity tone he swore she employed to disguise her obvious jitters. Because, if her dress was anything to go by, she didn\u2019t look the uppity type. \u201cLacey\u2019s Little Underthings is a legitimate company, Detective McAllister. I\u2019ve produced my business card. I demand your respect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek tapped the pad against his palm. Finishing the vehicle theft grid could wait. While he didn\u2019t buy into Lacey\u2019s business-card definition of respect, she deserved his attention and protection as much as any other Rosewood citizen. Even if he wasn\u2019t technically on-duty.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust a minute,\u201d he told her. He got up and strode to the counter. \u201cHarding. I need a ride-along. You available?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry.\u201d The guy plunked on his hat. \u201cJust got a call.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biggs backed away, hands raised. \u201cI need to write a report.\u201d<\/p>\n

Derek nodded. Typical<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He glanced back at Lacey. She stood at his desk, clenching the shopping bag and nibbling her lip.<\/p>\n

He drew in a breath. Okay, then<\/em>. He\u2019d poke around her design studio, call in the crime scene techs if necessary. Volunteer an hour of his time toward her peace of mind, tops.<\/p>\n

He motioned her over. \u201cNot to worry, Miss DeMarco. I\u2019d be happy to take a look.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want it? Buy Links!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kindle<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Kobo<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Apple<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Smashwords<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m taking a break following lunch at the NINC Conference to pop over and announce that Deceiving Derek, Story 1 in LOVE & OTHER CALAMITIES, is now available on Kindle, Kobo, Apple iTunes and Smashwords. Smashwords will eventually distribute to NOOK and Sony, but if you can’t wait you can pick up an ePub edition… Continue reading Deceiving Derek Release!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":51,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46,22,16,45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blue-orchard-books","category-conferences","category-my-books","category-sindie-publishing","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/51"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6912"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6931,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6912\/revisions\/6931"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cindyprocter-king.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}