GtPGKogPYT4p61R1biicqBXsUzo" /> Google+ Alpha Male Diner: Nicolai Novik (Taking the Bait by Audrey Noire) + giveaway | I Smell Sheep

Friday, June 3, 2016

Alpha Male Diner: Nicolai Novik (Taking the Bait by Audrey Noire) + giveaway

Nicolai Novik (augmented human)
Recipe created by Audrey Noire
Taking the Bait (Arc Operatives Book 1)

Ingredients:
-Six feet and two inches of lean-muscled gentleman
-Chin-length, dirty-blond hair that's usually unkempt
-Warm, deep blue eyes
-Chemical cocktail in his blood that makes him super-fast
-1 part covert operation skills
-2 parts hand-to-hand combat

Seasoning:
-Razor sharp focus on the task at hand
-Strong sense of conviction for his beliefs
-Knowledge that his bedmates will never go unsatisfied

Mix all ingredients on high, then with a spatula add:
-Confidence
-Stamina
-A sweetness deep along his bones

Taste Test
“I think that is about as good as it gets,” Nicolai was behind her in an instant, the breeze of his rapid movement making her hair ruffle, his eyes meeting her reflection’s. She scowled at him in the mirror, dropping her tube of lipstick to cross an arm over her breasts even if they were contained by more layers of lace and silk than were necessary. He was standing there, bare footed in his neatly pressed slacks, the top button of his shirt undone and she could just barely see the divot of his collarbone. Despite his humble upbringing, he looked good in an expensive suit, especially one tailored impeccably to his body. She mentally snapped her fingers at herself.

“One? Rude. Two? You’ve got a bathroom out there, and the bedroom is my domain, not yours. That was the deal. You get the living room with the pull out couch and that crazy kitchenette with a fully-stocked vodka cooler, and I get the bedroom with the soaker tub.” She turned, folding another arm over her breasts and glared up at her ‘husband’. His eyes tumbled down her front and then he rolled them, zipping over to her dress in a blur. It irritated her like an itch she couldn’t scratch that he was constantly tapping into his augmented power even when it wasn’t necessary. If he moved by her too closely it would mess up her carefully styled hair as well.

“You were taking too long,” he complained, running a finger over the long, elegant sleeve of the dress, “and I am bored.” She huffed and stood, marching over to him although it had less effect due to the plush carpet muffling her stomping.

“Don’t touch the dress,” she ordered sharply, even as he took it down in spite of her words and held it out so she could take it. He leaned back against the door, letting it click shut under his weight as his eyes met hers. She grabbed the hanger and pointed at the door that lead to the living area of their suite. “Seriously, there’s a big flat screen and some shitty porn out there with your name on it. Go entertain yourself.”

“How am I supposed to complain of how long my pretty wife takes to get ready if I have not observed the process?” he asked, shrugging one shoulder and quirking an eyebrow. She hated that eyebrow, had learnt to hate it during training. It always meant he was in a mood, and that mood was be as annoying as possible. She turned away from him and walked to the bed, pulling the dress delicately off it’s hanger and laying it down on the bed so that she could unzip it.

“Men like you don’t watch their wives dress. They’re too busy smoking cigars and talking about all the money they have.” The dress pooled silkily on the floor as she stepped into it and pulled it up her figure delicately- there was no way she wanted any snags or lost sequins before the night had even begun.

“Mmm, the reason we are having marital problems in the first place, yes?” he asked, and then with another brush of air current he was right behind her, his fingers tugging gently at the back of her dress. She let out a breath and was about to snap at him to cut out the games when he murmured, “the zipper was going to catch on your slip. Let me-” She felt him slowly, so slowly, pull the zipper tab up her back, tracing the gentle slope of her spine. His knuckles traced a heated line through her slip, preceding the zipper as it went. The dress settled over her shoulders, feeling heavy with all the beading, something like armor. His fingers just brushed the back of her neck for a moment, a ghostly touch she barely felt, and then he was gone, at the door, clearing his throat. “How much longer do you need? Not even my sister would take this long.”

The sensitive skin at the nape of her neck was still tingling from his touch, the effect he’d had on her having taken her fully by surprise. It’s just nerves for tonight, she thought, pre-op jitters. Rykov warned you about this, so get ahold of yourself, and she exhaled to calm herself.


Taking the Bait (Arc Operatives Book One)
by Audrey Noire
Genre: Romance Sci-Fi/Superhero
May 6, 2016
ASIN: B01EMABWEQ
Number of pages: 43
Word Count: 12,817
Cover Artist: Avery Knott
Daria Griffin is a newly-minted undercover operative with ARC, on a mission with her partner. Nicolai Novik an augmented human with super-fast speed. Their first job? Infiltrate a conference of billionaires as a newly-wed couple and dig up the dirt on shady business dealings.

Daria's the bait, tasked with luring in businessmen with her unhappy-trophy-wife routine while Nicolai talks shop. But the operation goes all wrong when Nicolai starts acting strangely in the middle of it. Will they be discovered by forces who may not have their best interests at heart? And why is Nicolai acting so possessive of Daria when he never said more than a few words to her during training?

Part one of a three-part romance story in The ARC Operatives series!

Author's Note: Taking the Bait is a 12,000-word novella. No cliffhanger, HFN ending. Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18. The first scene from it's sequel is included as a bonus at the end of the book!


About the Author: 

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Audrey Noire grew up in the pacific north west, climbing trees and swimming in the sea. She spent her formative young adult years travelling the globe alongside her musician husband as he toured and played across Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.
They’ve settled down (sorta kinda) with a bundle of cats in a sea-side town. When she’s not on the road watching her rocker husband from side-stage, she’s writing about handsome gents and lovely ladies falling for one another.

She believes that every day is ripe with possibilities, and that life is precious. Don’t waste a second – fall in love with your life all over again!

Tour giveaway 
$20 Amazon 
3 copies Taking the Bait
a Rafflecopter giveaway

13 comments:

  1. I love these taste tests. thanks

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  2. Sounds like a winning recipe. :-)
    sherry @ fundinmental

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  3. Sounds like a great read! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. Thanks everyone. :) I hope you enjoy my novella, and special thanks to the amazing people at I Smell Sheep for posting this.

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  5. Can't wait to read your new novella!

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  6. What an exciting book! Great excerpt.

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  7. this sounds like a fun read. thanks for sharing!

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  8. This looks like a great series.

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  9. I can't wait to read the series of books. It looks really great.

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  10. A very nice cover sounds like a good read

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  11. Good excerpt but it left me wanting more! I guess I took the bait.

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