Intoxicated by Ally Fleming
aka AlTonya Washington
Motivated by desperation, Etienne Shaw and her three friends make a decision one night that will shape their destinies and haunt their futures. For Etienne, it was the night she believes she became a monster. Whether the monster was simply conjured in a moment of terror or had been brewing inside her for years, was a question with the power to incapacitate her. Then, she meets Mercuri Nikolaides, a man with the power… to intoxicate her.
For Mercuri and his friends, the desperate act of four women sets the stage they will use to disentangle themselves from a sinister group they’ve bled and killed for longer than they can stomach remembering. Meeting Etienne was a potent surprise and Mercuri doesn’t know what to make of the waif-like beauty or her ability to lay waste to the fortress he’s constructed around his emotions and his desires for anything beyond the vast material success of his life.
Now, Etienne’s and Mercuri’s worlds passionately collide as their enemies return. Vengeance however, is not the endgame. More is sought and; in the midst of its pursuit, the innocent and the guilty alike will be crushed.
Interracial (BWWM) Romantic Suspense Thriller
Excerpt: Intoxicated by Ally Fleming
Who could resist staring into eyes like that? They were deeply set and intense, but it was the color that gave her pause.
Brilliantly gold; with rich brown flecks that were bolder given the vibrancy of the gold, the combination was a striking one. If she didn’t know better, Tee would have sworn she was staring into the eyes of a feline- a colossal, predatory feline.
“They’re mine,” a quiet sigh colored Mercuri’s words as though he’d guessed and wasn’t at all surprised by her preoccupation with his eyes.
She smiled. “I didn’t doubt it,” Tee was pleased to hear that her voice had regained its cool, steady flow.
“They make some people nervous,” he said.
Tee was sure the eyes were only partly to blame when pitted against the total package. He was speaking again before she could come up with a response.
“Mercuri Nikolaides.”
Again, Tee smiled. “I’m going to have to get you to write that one down.”
“Yeah, it’s a mouthful.”
“I bet,” she winced the second the words tripped off her tongue. Losing your composure over a gorgeous man is something you haven’t done in years, she reminded herself.
Mercuri’s mouth, a wide undeniably sensual curve, twitched on the cusp of a smile. He resisted grinning outright over the words he was sure she hadn’t intended to utter- not out loud anyway.
“This is uh- some place,” he half gestured to the Brassels’ living room instead. “Impressive,” he added with a curious smile. “So how’d you get into… Jeez, what’s it called?” He only pretended to hunt for the name. “Oh yeah- modifying?”
Tee laughed, enjoying the feel of the gesture she rarely indulged in away from her girlfriends. “I’m not really sure where that term came from,” she said.
Mercuri sighed again. “Rich people,” he grinned when she laughed again.
“What I really do is interior design for corporations.”
Mercuri nodded, slipped a hand into a deep side pocket along his dark trousers. “I think our hosts mentioned that,” he said.
“Well the thing about design is in the way each designer envisions the space and how well that vision compliments the clients.” Absently, she smoothed a hand over the snug sleeves of the creamy powder blue frock that adored her curves.
“Basically, I reimagine spaces,” she explained, as her brow quirked. “People like how my mind works. Sadly, most people spend so much time regarding the overall picture, they miss the little things- small touches that make a place sing.”
“Like what?” Mercuri stepped in a fraction. Casually, he propped an elbow to the oak railing that sectioned off the staircase landing from the living room. While part of him wanted her answer, a larger part just wanted to listen to her speak- to observe her petite frame and exquisite face as she did so.
“Well there’re all sorts of little things one can do to add warmth to a space,” Tee went on. She was in her element as she spoke of her craft and therefore unaware of how intently she was being studied. “It matters very little what the space is used for.”
“A boxing gym?” Mercuri smiled when he saw hers engage.
“Okay…” Tee’s luminous ebony gaze twinkled with amusement as she scanned the milling crowd before looking back to Mercuri.
“If it’s important for someone to make their gym warm and inviting, they could easily add touches such as comfy lounging chairs and plants… but in a place like that you’d prefer subtlety. Leave the chairs and plants to the lobby- if it’s a professional gym. For the actual space, minute additions can make bold impressions on the overall appeal. Something as small as having an outlet concealer for a light fixture decorated with the image of a small pair of boxing gloves or having the weight racks painted to match the gym’s overall color scheme.”
“And you could paint the little gloves on the sides of the racks,” Mercuri supplied, grinning anew when Tee laughed.
“Now you’re getting it!” She cheered. “I’ve never done an actual gym, but if the chance comes my way, I’ll be sure to get your permission before I use your idea.”
“It’s all yours,” Mercuri waved a hand. “So how’d you go from conference rooms for corporations to interior design for homeowners?”
“Well, I only got into that part by accident. A friend of mine bought this big, over-the-top place out in Malibu. Just to say she had it, you know?”
“I know the type,” Mercuri thought of Pope.
“It was a gorgeous place, but it wasn’t a home. I griped so much, she finally told me to do something about it. I did and had a great time in the process.”
“So you spend a lot of time in Malibu?”
“Well I live in San Francisco, so…”
“No kidding?” Surprise pooled his vivid eyes. “I’m in Sonoma County- near Kenwood.”
Laughter reflected her surprise as well. “Small world,” she said.
“Yeah,” Mercuri took another patient appraisal of her small, curvy body and then straightened. “I should let you go. It was nice meeting you and I’ll call if I’m ever in the market for a modification.”
“Sounds good.” She gave him a winning smile as she turned to head back up the staircase. “Goodnight Mr. Nikolaides,” she called.
“Ms. Shaw,” Mercuri watched until she was gone from his sight.
( Continued... )
© 2016 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Ally Fleming. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
Interracial (BWWM) Romantic Suspense Thriller
Author: Ally Fleming aka AlTonya Washington
About the Author
Ally Fleming’s world is one where the imagination is fueled by the suspense of fiction, the allure of romance, the depravity of villains and the potency of those who oppose them. Her work is influenced by an infatuation with powerful heroes, irresistible heroines, gritty story-lines, intriguing villains and the heat those forces generate.
She’s an award-winning author, with over 14 years in the business. Her writing creds span the historical and contemporary romance genres as well as contemporary and paranormal YA. She also dabbles in erotica. Ally Fleming is her pen-name for interracial (BWWM) suspense fiction. She’s more widely known as AlTonya Washington. Visit Ally Fleming's Website
Intimate Conversation with Ally Fleming
Ally Fleming’s world is one where the imagination is fueled by the suspense of fiction, the allure of romance, the depravity of villains and the potency of those who oppose them. Her work is influenced by an infatuation with powerful heroes, irresistible heroines, gritty story-lines, intriguing villains and the heat those forces generate.
She’s an award-winning author, with over 14 years in the business. Her writing creds span the historical and contemporary romance genres as well as contemporary and paranormal YA. She also dabbles in erotica. Ally Fleming is her pen-name for interracial (BWWM) suspense fiction. She’s more widely known as AlTonya Washington. Visit Ally Fleming's Website
BPM: Could you tell us something about your most recent work? Is this book available on Nook and Kindle?
My most recent work is entitled “Intoxicated” and readers can find it on the Kindle and Nook platforms as well as a host of others. It’s an Interracial (BWWM) romantic suspense piece that features a couple who meet under seemingly normal circumstances but come to discover that their worlds are far more intimately connected than either of them can imagine. For our heroine Etienne Shaw, it’s a connection that’s she’s not at all comfortable with.
BPM: Give us some insight into your main characters or speakers. What makes each one so special?
The main characters are our hero Mercuri Nikolaides and our heroine Etienne (Tee) Shaw. I just had the best time creating this couple and their backstories. ‘Special’ is such a tame word to use when I describe them, I guess because they struck such a chord with me from the moment I envisioned them, their circumstances and what it would take for them to be together. I suppose if I had to pick the most special thing about Mercuri (aside from the fact that he’s to-die-for gorgeous), it would be the level of devotion he has for those he loves. At the onset of the story, that devotion only extends to his 4 best friends, but eventually comes to include Tee in a really powerful way. As for Tee, readers immediately see that she’s a very small person physically. That was an aspect I enjoyed playing around with especially since Mercuri is-as the subtitle states- a giant, at 6’7 and well over 260lbs. Tee’s a really little thing, but you quickly see that she’s a force. It’s Tee who initiates the actions that set the stage for our story. She’s the last person you’d expect to do what she does to avenge what she’s perceived to be an injustice. I loved taking someone who would otherwise be underestimated and making them the most dynamic person in the book.
BPM: What inspired you to sit down and actually start writing this book? Why now?
As I state in the reader letter at the end of the work, I was in the process of getting ideas together for another project when this one just hit me. As I stated earlier, it’s an interracial romance and writing one of these has always appealed to me. Given that, when this idea came to mind and I knew that I wanted it to be an IR Suspense title it just seemed like the perfect time to get started on it. I’m not sure why this time was any different from any other time especially since I’ve crafted IR couples before. (Kraven DeBurgh and Darby Ellis in Lover’s Allure and A Lover’s Sin.) The fact that the desire to do this story hit again and so powerfully, just made me push everything else aside and dive in. So that my readers will know that it’s an interracial romance, I’m writing under a new pen name- Ally Fleming.
BPM: What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I enjoyed so much, but I suppose it’s the sense of freedom I experienced. Aside from wanting to write an IR title, I also wanted to try my hand at a new series that could be read as a standalone. “Intoxicated” is the first of 4 and it was so freeing to be crafting new circumstances, new drama, new couples. In a sense, starting with a clean slate. I just completed the Ramsey Tesano series which has run for about 10 years. I’ve enjoyed every moment of crafting that saga, but it took a lot out of me. It was great to move into new territory.
BPM: Where do your book ideas come from? Are your books plot-driven or character-driven? Why?
My ideas come from so many places. Something as ordinary as a couple walking down the street can and has sparked inspiration. I’ve even gotten ideas simply from hearing (or coming up with) a new name and have been inspired to craft a story about the sort of person who might have a name like that. I would say my books are character-driven. Some might argue they seem plot-driven, but for me it’s the characters who drive the majority of how the plot is crafted. I’ve had chapters outlined just the way I wanted them, but once I actually wrote up to that point, things changed. The way I’ve imagined a plot usually doesn’t play out that way once the characters have come alive for me during the writing.
BPM: Are there under-represented groups or ideas featured in your book? If so, discuss them.
Yeah…for this one, yes. I often say that I don’t attempt to give a lesson in my stories. If that happens, it’s not intentional. When I sit down to write, I just want to tell a story. For “Intoxicated”, yes the events that take place do fix on underrepresented groups and themes. For Tee and her friends, they are four young women who make a decision out of desperation. Financial distress can bring about a lot of bad decisions that only make the problem worse. In this book a very bad decision is based on a need for money. The girls get drawn into a situation and, for a night, are labeled as something no woman wants to be labeled as. We tend to look down on such women, without ever knowing their motivations. We simply label these women as trash and keep moving. On the flip side, Mercuri and his friends are attempting to distance themselves from an organization that raised them to be mercenaries. Here, we see these men who were taken as children with no one to fight for them and no way to fight for themselves. Once they are free, they don’t look back. Eventually, circumstances become such that they have to look back and finish what they started by destroying the organization they’ve killed for.
BPM: How does your book relate to your present situation, spiritual practice or journey?
Well I’m a single mom and that’s tough especially when you’re doing it on your own. I’m a librarian and an author and many times I find myself in situations where my finances can be called into question. While writing this story I couldn’t help but wonder what my reaction would be to someone offering me a ‘bail-out’ like the one Tee and her friends received.
BPM: Did you learn anything personal from writing your book?
I think it’s more accurate for me to say I reacquainted myself with things I already knew instead of learning new things. We all know you can’t judge a book by its cover and Tee blew that misconception right out of the water. If I learned anything, it was how to craft a total bad-ass out of the most unlikely character.
BPM: Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?
Oh this answer is so easy. I met no one while writing or researching this book! I was in my cave the entire time.
BPM: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
I can say with a resounding yes, that I achieved my goals and realized my intentions with “Intoxicated”. I wanted to craft an IR Suspense title that wasn’t focused on the fact that this was a story about a white man and black woman falling in love, but of a man and woman falling in love amid a slew of villains and dangerous circumstances and oh, by the way, he happens to be white and she happens to be black. I didn’t want their race to be the overarching theme so much as the themes of desperation, revenge, desire and love that shape the storyline. Additionally, I wanted to craft a story that could be part of a series and also act as a standalone. I believe that effort was realized as well.
BPM: What projects are you working on at the present?
So right now, I’m working on another story that kicked me in the gut out of nowhere. This has been happening a lot lately and I’m running with it. This is slated to be an African American contemporary romance, but the storyline holds historical significance. The heroes and heroines of this trilogy will face a dark truth about the history of the island outside of Charleston that their families settled (or were given to settle) prior to the Civil War. The revelations they will uncover stretch into the present. They shed light; on not only the history of the island, but the truth behind what brought an end to their personal relationships before they had the chance to really begin. I’m looking at a Christmas release for the work tentatively titled “Tradition.”
BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
My readers can find me mostly anywhere! Below are my social media links:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ramseysgirl
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/altonyaw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/novelally/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/337210.AlTonya_Washington
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