Thursday's Scene from Seducing the Blakefield Sisters #MFRWauthor #Romance #contemporary

I thought I'd find a scene showing the two sisters interacting.

She logged off the computer and reached for her bag. Someone knocked on the door. “Come in.”

Her sister appeared in the doorway. “You’ve been holed up in here all week like a bear hibernating in a cave for the winter. It’s summer.”

Allie laughed. “And I’ve been as grumpy as one roused too early.”

Meg nodded. “You said it. What’s up?”

“Just a small problem.”

“A man?”

“Yes but that’s over. I want to tell you about this boutique I discovered. Lingerie that’s unique and sexy.”

“What about a sister bash tonight. I’ve no plans.”

Allie arched a brow. “What about Jason?”

“Done, over, kaput.”

“I get the idea. Shame. He was a good-looking stud.”

Meg made a face. “He never thought beyond himself. Can I come over? If you have hot underwear I want to see to believe. Don’t want to listen to one of your vague pictures, ‘Meg, it’s red and white. You never describe food that way.”

“Come ahead.” Allie slung her bag over her shoulder. “I’m not booked either. I’ll show you what I bought at Peekaboo Boutique.”

Meg laughed. “Love the name.”

Fifteen minutes later they arrived at Allie’s apartment. Meg tossed her purse on the dark blue plush couch. “Let’s see your treasures.”

“Hold on. I’ll display them.” Allie dashed to the bedroom and quickly made the bed. Meg being the neat one would want to do that before she looked. Allie displayed the underwear on the bed. “You can come in now.”

Meg halted in the doorway. “Oh, wow. Hand printed butterflies. Roses. That body suit and those stockings are fab. Can I borrow them?”

“You’ll have to find your own.”

“So where is this place? I’ll leave now if they’re open.”

Allie grinned. “The store is three blocks from Steve’s apartment. He has a guest room. You could spend the night there.”

Meg stared at her hands. “I doubt he wants me around. Not after he caught me snooping in his affairs.”

“You can promise not to pry.”

Meg sighed. “I have no idea how to reach him and he won’t be back for three or four weeks. What else is there to do in that town?”

“A fabulous bakery with to die for coffee and at least one great restaurant. So many shops I didn’t visit.”

“Because of him.” Meg stepped forward. “Tell me.”

“A real hunk. Tall, dark, handsome. Greg Ramsey of the family feuding with the Blakefields.”

“What feud?”

Allie related what she’d learned from their aunt and the things Greg’s mother had said. “He and I argued. He insulted me so I left. What with his mother and Dad opposed to the spread, what else could I do?”

“How Romeo and Juliet.”

Allie sighed. “The moment I saw him I should have run but I couldn’t resist staring at his toned body. Then he turned. I saw his face and was lost.”

“Was he good?”

Allie groaned. “More than good. He was everything I could desire in one fab package. Not only the sex but we fit in other ways.”

“Bummer. Don’t know what I can do to help.” Meg stroked the body suit. “Eat out or in?”

“In. Take out menus are in the kitchen pinned to the bulletin board. Your choice.”

Thursday's Opening Scene - Intro to Dian the second heroine in Moon Summoned

Light woke her a second time. Bright sunshine streamed through small windows set high on the gray stone wall. A woman with brown hair stood beside the cot. Who is she? Where was this place? If this was a dream, why did the water feel warm and the cloth rough? The soap smelled of flowers, but the scent was unfamiliar.

She tried to grasp flickering memories of another time, another place. She caught glimpses of women in white and heard a wheezing sound. Her eyes opened again.

“Mother, she wakes.”

At first, she had difficulty making the syllables form words. Slowly she began to understand. A girl with auburn hair touched her arm.

“Who? Where?” The words seemed wrong.

“I’m Sammi. This is the stronghold of Prince Genrai. He’s most anxious that you recover. Who are you?”

She frowned and reached for an answer. Two sets of memories collided. “D...Dian. Where’s the respirator? When will Margo come? Am I well enough for the Olympic trials?”

“What is she talking about?” The voice belonged to an older woman.

“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Perhaps those who follow the one I may not name have a secret language.” She grasped Dian’s hand. “You’re Dian and I’m Sammi. This is Quanta, my mother and first woman of the prince’s inner court.”

Dian flexed her fingers and ran her hands along her body. “What have you done to me?”

“You were ill from wound fever and from a blow to your head. My uncle who is a physician of the Thamaturg feared you would die. He permitted me to use my small skills on you.”

Dian closed her eyes. The memories of other times and places were gone. A deep sadness she couldn’t explain brought tears to her eyes.

“Don’t be afraid,” Sammi said. “You’ll soon be well.” Her brown eyes glowed. “Mother, may I have her for my personal attendant? Can she come with me when I leave this court for the one belonging to the man my father chooses for me?”

“Your father has other plans for her.” The older woman’s dark eyes glowed with anger. “I don’t know why he wants her. Genrai prefers women with more flesh.” She shrugged. “No matter. I’ll send word she’s awake.”

Sammi wrinkled her nose. “She must have a bath. She smells of illness.”

Quanta laughed. “How well you know your father. Send for a restorative broth. After she drinks it have her taken to the baths.”

A short time later the first woman Dian had seen returned with a cup. Dian sipped the savory liquid and pondered over the unfamiliar taste.

When she finished Sammi and the attendant helped Dian sit and then stand. Her legs shook. Her feet felt like leaden weights and her knees refused to bend. By the time they reached a room with three pools, her entire body shook.

“The middle one,” Sammi said.

Two women clad in purple smocks lowered Dian into the bath. When the warm water lapped her skin, she closed her eyes. Dual images arose. In one, she stood in a narrow box where a spray pelted her body. In the other, she swam in a tree-shaded pond. What did these visions mean? While one of the women washed her hair, Dian tried to sort true memories from false ones.

Once bathed the women rubbed her with sweet-smelling oil and combed her hair. She frowned. Had her hair always been this long or this pale? Once her hair was braided, she was wrapped in a towel and helped to the cot.

Dian felt as though she’d completed a month’s training in a single hour. Through a haze of sleep, she heard a man’s voice. “She will live and your father will be pleased. Now you can be marketed as one with healing skills.”

“Thank you, Uncle Maldon.”

Dian opened her eyes a slit. The bearded man wore a gray robe with bands of livid blue at the neck and on the sleeves. The color brought a rush of uneasiness. She frowned. Healers were women. They wore dark blue divided skirts and tunics in shades of blue that denoted their level of skill.

Sleep drew her into darkness and chaotic dreams.