MFRW Book Hooks - 10/12/16 - Acting Lessons - Kate calms Peter down #MFRWHooks, #MFRWAuthor

Splendorous things can happen when the mind and body are in tune.

This material is NSFW (Not Safe For Work). If you’re not over 18, please explore elsewhere.

Welcome back to Book Hooks, a regular Wednesday feature! In this blog loop, we hope to provide you with some tantalizing tidbits in our books.

My submission for this week's Book Hooks is from my 5th novel, Acting Lessons.

He was a strict and demanding college professor turned professional director who excelled at giving acting lessons.  She was his shy and uncertain former student who became a professional actress under his tutelage.  They fell in love, married, and won two Tony Awards before tragedy struck and a simple kiss ripped them apart.

After a six month separation, Peter Thorton decides to take matters into his own hands by making his famous wife, Kate, an offer she wouldn't refuse.  Plainly put, he wants her back and he intends to do whatever is necessary to achieve his goal, even if it means giving his stubborn, willful leading lady a daily reminder over his knee that she promised to obey him.

In this scene, which occurs in chapter six, Peter Thorton has just finished making love to his wife, Kate, when she realizes they didn't use protection. What stuns her most is Peter's revelation that even though their divorce paperwork was filed and considered final in two days time, he ascertained they would be still legally married if they made love, yet neglected to mention his discovery before he claimed her again. When she let him know her thoughts on the matter, he stormed off. In some ways Peter is more of a shrew than Kate, but she is well acquainted with his temper and knows nothing will get resolved until he calms down a bit more. At the moment, he's chewing out his personal secretary in the hallway while Kate watches from an upstairs balcony.

             "I am seriously thinking of having you contact them and retract your acceptance."

            "If that is what you want, sir, I will call them at once."  William assured.

            Peter ran his fingers through his hair and growled with frustration.  Kate remembered that growl well, having been on the receiving end of it many times herself.  Peter wanted to lash out in fury at someone, but held back, knowing if he gave in to his desire he would only be making William his whipping boy.

            "Peter…?" Kate called down to distract her husband.

            He spun on his heel and glared up at her.  "Are you ready to leave?" he demanded, striking out with his voice.

            Reining in her own temper, she gave him a nod.  "Yes."

            "Wait there.  I'll be right up to get you."  He turned back to William.  "Bring the car around.  We need to leave now, but you and I will talk more about this later.  I am not pleased, William.  Not at all."

            "But, Mr. Peter," Consuelo pleaded, "William only--"

            "Consuelo," Peter snapped, whipping around to face the woman who'd been like a mother to him for three years.  "Stay out of this.  Your guilt is bringing this disaster to William's attention.  He is the one who made the mistake of sending in a response without my permission.  Not you.  So, unless you wish to be called on the carpet along with him, I suggest you return to work."

            "Yes, sir," she replied in a near whisper, then glanced up at Kate with tears in her eyes before she bent her head and returned to the kitchen and pantry.  Kate would have to find out later what Peter had been so upset about, in the meantime, however, she had an angry husband to placate.  Though she couldn't be positive, she suspected he was reacting way out of proportion because of their argument.  His temper had indeed grown worse over the past six months.

            "Well?" Peter inquired, facing William again.  "Have you another bomb you wish to drop on me?"

            William opened his mouth, frowned, and said, "No, sir."

            "Then go do something useful for a change, and get the car.  You'll drive."

            "Peter…," Kate sighed, her temper tantrum seeming insignificant when measured against his.  Kate didn't think he could hear her, but he glanced up, met her gaze, then dropped his shoulders as though making a conscious decision to calm down.

            "William," Peter called.  When William turned he said, "I understand you thought you were being helpful, but please don't ever do anything like that again without consulting me first."

            "Yes, sir," William answered before stepping from the entryway to get the car.

            With his spine rigid and primed for battle, Peter climbed the stairs toward Kate while he wresteld his anger back under control.  When he stood before her, she recognized all-too-well the repressed fury behind the stiffness in his posture.

            She laid a hand against his chest, and his brows furrowed.  "You do realize you just took William to task for something you did yourself only a few minutes ago, don't you?"

            He scowled.  "I did not."

            She nodded.  "Yes, you did.  You made a decision for me without consulting me first.  So, I don't understand how you can rake William over the coals when you're guilty of the same crime with your wife."

            "What happened between us was totally different."

            "How so?" she asked, tilting her head to gaze at him as she continued to rub her hand across his chest in slow, soothing strokes.

            He took a deep breath.  "You would have been cognizant of the stipulation if you had done as you were supposed to and read the documents.  I was blindsided by William's concession on my behalf."

Though Kate knows Peter was wrong to do what he did, she also knows he never does anything without a purpose. The question in her mind is whether he feared he'd lose her if he told her the truth first.

M/F, DD and a staged production of Kiss Me, Kate.

If you're 18 or older, you can read the first three chapters at Acting Lessons

Buy the book directly from Blushing Books, Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble

Blushing Books caters specially to those who love spanking stories in all genres.  So, if you enjoy stories with characters who have their bottoms warmed on occasion, for a variety of different reasons, I urge you to pay them a visit. Blushing Books.

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