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© 2007, Christy
Poff Reviews For DARK ILLUSIONS by Christy Poff Reviewed by Christian Otto for the Romance
Erotica Connection 5 Dahlias Sample Chapter For An international flight originating in Sydney landed at Los Angeles International in the wee hours of the morning. Among the passengers on board, an extremely handsome but quiet man waited while the others deplaned before standing up and heading for the hatch. He said good-bye to the stewardess who obviously wondered why she couldn’t be lucky enough to date a hunk like him—her thoughts written all over her face. He smiled, leaving the huge Boeing 747. He walked along the passageway leading toward the terminal and baggage claim followed by customs. He prepared himself for a long wait. Since September 11th and the beefed-up security, it had always added another hour to his travel time—at least. He understood why though it amazed him how easily people got things through, despite the heightened security measures. He walked through the scanner after an official stamped his passport and while his luggage and briefcase went through the scanner. Beep! “Sir?” “Belt buckle. Would you mind using the hand-held scanner, please?” “All right,” she said. She ran the wand of the unit along the outside of his leg, the monitor beeping again near his knee. She looked at him. “Steel pins after surgery. You’ll find them in my back as well.” The woman looked at him as if to ask why. “Rodeo, ma’am. I had a slight disagreement with one of the bulls,” he explained. A lie, some of it was true. His knee had been damaged when the bull’s rear hooves came down on him after the animal threw him off, knocking him unconscious. The rodeo clowns—bullfighters as they preferred to be called—distracted the bull heading the animal toward the chute and out of the arena. The injury had been season ending but it didn’t stop him from competing the next year. The lie came about describing his back since it became easier to attribute it to rodeo instead of the truth. Yes, he’d had surgery and steel added to help support and strengthen his spine but the injury came at the hands of a sadistic Columbian drug lord. Sent in by the Drug Enforcement Agency in Washington, DC to bring the menace back to the United States to face trial, he spent the better part of a year in the man’s mountain compound. When the elite Delta Force rescued him, they found a half-dead man with a broken spine, the result of constant beatings and torture. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in a body cast after surgery to repair his back. People thought he had excellent posture because he always sat straight but he had no choice thanks to the steel rod supporting his spine. This made rodeo difficult at times but he managed to compete in the sport he loved despite the odds. He’d also been told if he needed surgery again, the doctors would replace the steel with titanium. Once cleared through customs, he gathered his bags and headed to the Hertz desk to pick up his rental car. He left the airport finally heading to a hotel downtown where he took a room under an alias for the night. In the morning, he drove away in a second car, always careful to make sure no one followed him. After he made sure, he drove to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, boarded his private Lear jet and flew home to Santa Fe, New Mexico. “Did I miss anything?” “No, sir.” “Good.” He relaxed, reading the latest edition of USA Today before dozing off. * * * * “Welcome home, Nigel.” “Thanks, it’s good to be home.” “Did you have a successful trip?” Catherine Wade asked. His housekeeper had been with his family since coming to the United States from London thirty years before. “Let’s put it this way—I have a happy client along with my happy bank account.” “Good, I’d hate to see you waste time.” “Never, Catherine,” he said, then gave her a quick kiss. She smiled. “I’ll have your lunch served on the terrace.” “Good.” Nigel watched her disappear, grateful for her presence in his life. She’d been like a mother to him after his died from a cardiac arrest. With his father always on the road, Nigel turned to Catherine when he needed to. After his father’s drowning, Catherine became Nigel’s only family. She knew everything there was to know about him and just what to ask about and what not to and Nigel loved her for it. He went up to his room to wash up and change into something more him—jeans and a t-shirt. Designer suits worked at the office or on business trips but at the ranch, jeans and relaxed. Once he had changed, he went downstairs to the terrace and ate. Catherine took care of him—her idea of lunch was a steak and baked potato. Fortunately, she usually called supper late. She’d also put the Wall Street Journal on the table so he could catch up on the last week’s deals and financial news. “Nigel, you have a call.” “Take a message.” “It’s Aaron—he says it’s important.” Nigel picked up the phone and took a deep breath. “Aaron, what’s up?” “We’ve got a problem.” * * * * Sephora Collins checked the final details on the fundraiser she’d host the next evening. She hosted these types of events several times a month, her name drawing people to enjoy a good party while their wallets and checking accounts left a little lighter than when they arrived. Coming from old money, her family had been in New Mexico since the early 1800’s, though her grandmother swore they went back to the early tribes who’d settled in Mexico. No family member had ever found proof but the family’s stories kept the idea alive for generations. She lived in one of the older homes outside the city of Santa Fe, a huge rambling ranch house on several thousand acres. She and several neighbors had banded together to make sure no developers got their hooks into the area by purchasing any property up for sale. There had been one proviso to this agreement—the land bought had to touch the existing property of the one buying it. While they added to their real estate portfolios, the small group kept the land free of new homes and destruction. “Sephora, is there anything I can get you?” “Yes, Tricia. I am wearing the white strapless Gucci tonight. Could you get the accessories out for me?” “Be glad to.” “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” “Good, don’t find out either.” Sephora laughed. Tricia had been her assistant for seven years and seemed more like a sister than anything else. Tricia knew her likes and dislikes becoming very good at anticipating what Sephora wanted. They worked together extremely well, something Sephora considered important and treasured. She valued their friendship, one of the few she had. Elegance personified she’d been called, though Sephora could not see it. Her dark hair tumbled wildly down her back, the curls going where they wanted. She could wear anything she wanted and look beautiful, her bright light blue eyes sparkling no matter what. She knew she was fortunate though she did her best to downplay it all. A stylist’s dream, Sephora had other more pressing things to worry about. Going over the guest list one last time, she groaned seeing Lawrence Murphy’s name. How the hell did you get invited to this? Damn it! She’d been trying to keep him away from anything she hosted because, to put it bluntly, she didn’t like or trust him. His financial history questionable at best, he’d burst onto the Santa Fe social scene like a bull in a china shop. He’d bought a huge spread south of the city then muscled his way into Santa Fe society. She’d rather he’d not attend but at this late date, she could not uninvite him. The man made her skin crawl, something about him bothering her. She checked further, seeing Nigel Shelton would be attending and smiled. Nigel had joined her and their other neighbors in their land undevelopment group though he spent a great deal of time traveling. She knew he dabbled in many things—gambling in the stock market as well as the poker table. He’d done amazing things with his inheritance and the family’s fortune. She’d always wondered about him, the air of mystery surrounding him intriguing. They’d said hello at various events but she didn’t know anything more, both their lives going in opposite directions. Maybe they’d have the chance to get to know each other at the party. Sephora got some iced tea then went to her room to see what Tricia had chosen for her. “Miss Sephora?” “Yes, Jaycee?” “You have a phone call.” “Thank you,” she said, taking the cordless phone from her housekeeper. “Hello?” “I need to speak with you.” “About…” “At your party—I’ll find you.” |