Post #5 – Excerpt and Contest: Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room by Susan Hanniford Crowley
Now a peek at something different set in Alternate History Victorian London (also referred to as Steampunk) Romance!
An excerpt from the book – Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room
“Humphf.” Captain Travers righted himself, after a rotund gentleman with silver hair and a bamboo cane fell into him.
“Pardon,” grunted the man.
Travers reinforced his grip on his own silver-headed cane and on the ropes on one side of the basket, as the steam engines below continued pulling them upward on a conveyor of chains toward the purple dirigible in the sky. Above the roofs of London, the lavish deep lavender airship of the infamous Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room hovered in the pink sunset. In the establishment famed for its discretion, nobles held afternoon trysts with their mistresses, spies met behind closed doors with informants, and business agreements were reached over tea and the sweet attentions of a lovely woman, who served more than tea.
The pudgy man rubbed his face with a cloth. “I keep forgetting how high it is.”
Chains clanged as they docked with the airship. Airmen pulled the basket into the gate long enough for the passengers to disembark, before sending it down again.
Travers walked directly through the gate and up the gangplank into the foyer. A lovely redhead greeted him, “Mrs. Bright is always happy to have you, Captain Travers.” He nodded in passing, walked through the dining room with its private booths, down the southern hall to her office and pushed open the door.
“Good evening, Mrs. Bright.” He took off his hat, nodded, and bowed. “We have business, dear lady.”
Mrs. Bright rose from her desk with giant white ringlets piled on top of her head like a pyramid. Over plump bosoms almost spilled out of her red gown. “Of course, Captain, I did receive your message. Your business associate has not yet arrived, so you have time for a tea service?” She winked.
Since Goshev was not there, he might as well be comfortable while he waited. “Yes.” He waved his hand with an air of whatever.
She rummaged on her desk. “Suite 2 should interest you and is available at a very special price.” She wrote it on a slip of paper and pushed it across the desk at him.
“Why so much?”
“Untasted,” she remarked.
Travers smiled. Although he’d like to think that the pleasantries at Mrs. Bright’s were merely a distraction until his business arrived, the truth was he took special pleasure in the opportunity to initiate a woman into lovemaking. Men were commonly brutes. He liked to present at least one example of a considerate lover. He pulled out her demanded amount.
“Quite.” With a smile, she counted out the funds then handed him the key to #2, and he left.
Having been a patron of her girls’ fare before, Captain Travers always thoroughly enjoyed himself. He would have to be guarded though when Goshev arrived. He unlocked the door and found a young woman dressed in only a corset setting the tea. The usual savories were abundant on the little platters, but in seeing her he fully intended to taste the sweet first.
Her young and tender face filled him with longing. Oh, to kiss her pale pink petal lips. To gaze into her deep lavender eyes. He wondered if her pale skin was soft to touch. Her ebony curls were crafted into a clever design framing her face and partially hanging down to her shoulders. The French cut blue corset revealed creamy white breasts. It was festooned with pink ribbons with ruffles culminating around her bare derriere. Her black wool socks were tied with blue ribbons only half way up the thigh, leaving a lot exposed, a lot to tempt him. Her shoes were the shimmering black heels that laced. They were all the latest rage from Paris.
“Would you like some tea, sir?”
*
Want will happen next? Now you can try your luck and enter the contest. But if you can’t wait, then you can get Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room at Kindle
It’s time to talk about the contest.
CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!
For the Contest: To enter, say “I love vampires” and tell me why. Include your name and email. I will post at least once a day. Every post you comment on, increases your chances of winning. I will do a random drawing from the posts.
The winner gets their choice: One copy of one of my currently available books. See below for the available books and what formats they come in!
The contest ends when the party does!
Good Luck! I will be posting every day at 7 p.m Eastern.
-Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley, Amazon Kindle Bestselling Author of Vampire Romance
www.susanhannifordcrowley.com
Where love burns eternal and whispers in the dark!
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Mrs. Bright’s Tea Room (steampunk romance) available in Kindle.
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