I'm delighted to welcome back the fabulous
L M Somerton with a sneak peek of The Auction Lot.
Take it away, L M!
The Auction Lot – L M Somerton
The Auction Lot is a novella I wrote for Totally Entwined’s ‘Sold to the Billionaire’ series. There are three other books in the group, another MM and two MF, so if the concept is your thing, there are more goodies to be had.
I don’t often respond specifically to submission calls, but this one grabbed my attention and fitted an idea I’d had bubbling for a while. I was intrigued by the idea of someone selling themselves as an investment in the future and what might happen if their buyer turned out to be the man of their dreams. It also gave me the opportunity to return to one of my favourite settings, Cornwall, where the landscape always becomes a part of the story.
If you’re fond of Poldark (and who isn’t!) I’m afraid there’s no heroic riding across headlands or dips in the sea (because believe me, it’s freezing). There is a storm, a dramatic rescue, an unexploded bomb and a house renovation. There’s also plenty of humour and kinky play.
If this sounds like your cup of tea, you can buy the book via the universal link: https://books2read.com/u/47RZpE
or direct from my publisher at Pride Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/the-auction-lot
Going once, going twice, sold!
For sub Ethan Peltier, selling himself to the highest bidder will set him up for life.
Merrick Tremayne sees the sub auction as an opportunity to avoid gold diggers and try out the lifestyle he craves. A business transaction with a willing participant is something he understands.
Restoring Merrick’s family home in Cornwall gives the men a chance to get to know each other while they work together. Neither of them expects to fall in love, but the drama of some traumatic events reveals the intensity of their feelings.
Will the auction contract stand, or will they find a way to let each other know that defaulting might be the only option?
“You’re insane. One hundred per cent certifiable. Who do I call to get you committed?”
“Don’t be such a drama queen, Angus. I need money and a lot of it. This is a win-win situation.”
“I only told you about the auction because it’s intriguing. You weren’t supposed to apply!”
“What did you think I’d do? File it in my ‘useless stuff Angus tells me’ file? Cos that part of my brain is full.” Ethan Peltier prodded his best friend and roommate’s arm. “Hmm, have you been working out?”
“Don’t try to deflect. The closest I get to the gym is that cute coffee shop next door and you know it.”
“The one with the hunky barista?”
“That’s the one—other than lifting a coffee cup, my kind of exercise is more on a one-to-one basis.”
“Slut.”
“Thank you.” Angus preened. “But to get back to the point, messing with serious Doms is never going to be good for your health.”
“I’ve played with all kinds of Doms at the club and I’m not messing with them.”
“There’s a big fucking difference between a night at the Underground and a year as a full-time sub!”
“You know I want any long-term relationship to be in the lifestyle. It’s who I am. Besides, the auction has strict rules, just like the club. Bad behaviour means a lifetime, worldwide ban from any of the good BDSM clubs. Real Doms won’t risk their reputations like that.”
“These guys are mega rich. Big dogs. We’re weak, breakable and a bit chewy.”
“Where do you get this stuff? They aren’t looking for chew toys, though I guess puppy play could be an option. You’re not going to put me off.” Despite his bravado, Ethan was a little nervous. “What’s not to like? A million quid in exchange for a year as some squillionaire rich guy’s sub. My older brother had to remortgage his house to pay for my grandad’s care home until he passed. Kids are expensive, and he has two of them. I have student loans up to my ears.”
“A year! What if you don’t like the dude?”
“I don’t have to like him, just submit to him. I could pay off all my brother’s debts, and he could go back to carpentry and running his dive school instead of working on oil rigs. Diving on the rigs is unbelievably dangerous. We could get a decent headstone for grandad’s grave instead of the basic stone we sold his classic bikes to pay for, and I could pay off my loans and yours. We could go travelling. It would also be a great way of testing whether I want something twenty-four-seven when I meet my forever Dom.”
“If I can’t talk you out of it, I have to curb your enthusiasm. Applying doesn’t mean you’ll be accepted.”
“I have to have a decent chance. I’ve experience as a sub, they can check up on me at the Underground, and I haven’t upset anyone…recently. I don’t have any ties. I’ll graduate before the contract starts and I’m not too offensive to look at. Am I?”
“Be quiet, you two!” a passing librarian whispered at them. “This isn’t a bar and you’re disturbing people.” Ethan glanced around. There was no sign of another human being anywhere at the reading tables. He gave the librarian a head tilt. “Maggie, this place is deserted, and you love us. Go stack something.”
“You little brat! I should take a ruler to your behind.”
Angus snickered. “He’d like that.”
“And yours. Pair of reprobates. Do you ever read anything in here or are you just saving on your heating bill?”
Ethan gestured at his stack of books. “What are they then, goldfish?”
“You’re not reading them though, are you? You’re using them as a wall to hide from me.”
“Never! A degree is hard work. Angus and I are debating complex theories here.”
“Complex my ass. You’ll be discussing your latest conquests or the hot guy from the coffee shop.” She stalked away but Ethan caught her indulgent grin before she turned away.
For a chance to win a copy of The Auction Lot, leave a comment below along with an email addy. Good Luck!
LM lives in a small village in the English countryside, surrounded by rolling hills, cows and sheep. She started writing to fill time between jobs and is now firmly and unashamedly addicted.
She loves the English weather, especially the rain, and adores a thunderstorm. She loves good food, warm company and a crackling fire. She's fascinated by the psychology of relationships, especially between men, and her stories contain some subtle leanings towards BDSM.
LM is a past winner of the National Leather Association – International’s Pauline Reage Award for best novel and John Preston award for short fiction. She has twice won the Golden Flogger Award for best BDSM novel in the LGBT category. She has received multiple Honorable Mentions in the Rainbow Awards and won the Action and Adventure category of Divine Magazine’s Book Awards.
If you’d like to learn more about me, check me out on social media:
Pride Publishing page: https://www.pride-publishing.com/author/lm-somerton
First for Romance: https://www.firstforromance.com/index.php?route=product/author/info&author_id=252
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lmsomertonwrites/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@lmsomerton
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