Saturday, September 1, 2012

Hot Pursuit


Many thanks to Lynn for answering my call for guest spots on Face Book to talk a bit about my new release with Ellora’s Cave in the Blush line.  She was very gracious and let the pushy guest invite herself on over. *Looks around for coffee cake and tea*

The story is called Hot Pursuit and it truly is a chase across the globe. It’s a fun romp if I do say so myself. My heroine is more than a bit sassy and many times I debated having her save some small animal to make her more appealing to the reader. She’s a bit abrasive to start with but she’s a lawyer so she has an excuse. Her journey in this story is to find out exactly what kind of person she is and I hope the reader is as surprised as Evangeline herself was when we arrived at THE END.

No blog post would be complete without a word about the hero. In this story, he’s part German, part British and is very yummy. Think Clive Owen on a particularly well-shaven day. Our hero is an Interpol agent who is intense and dogged in his pursuit of justice. Or is it the pursuit of the lawyer that’s making him so intense? Hmmm. 

BLURB:

Blush sensuality level: This is a sensual romance (may have explicit love scenes, but not erotic in frequency or type).

Racing across the globe to help a client isn’t part of corporate lawyer Evangeline Fleet’s normal legal services, but this is no ordinary client. She’s the beloved daughter of an old family friend. In her efforts to save the girl, Evangeline gets in over her head when sexy Interpol agent Cecil Waugh enters the picture in hot pursuit of her client. He follows the lawyer on an international chase from New York City to Rio de Janeiro where they forget their differences for a moment and fall into bed together. Before the sheets can even cool Evangeline makes a daring escape, leaving behind her lover.

Relentless in his quest to find Evangeline’s client, Cecil continues the chase across Europe. But it soon becomes unclear who his main target is—Evangeline’s charge, or the spitfire of a woman herself. Only time will tell how hot this pursuit will become.

Book video:

EXCERPT:


An Excerpt From: HOT PURSUIT
Copyright © JILLIAN CHANTAL, 2012
All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.
Barbara buzzed Evangeline’s office. Van was on the floor on her ab cruncher, dressed in a pair of black leggings and a sports bra. “Hang on, I’m across the room,” she yelled in the direction of the speaker. She rose, walked to her desk and picked up the headset. “Yeah. What? It’d better be a Federal judge or something. You know it’s my workout time.” She tapped her toe, impatient to get back to her exercise.
“Not a judge but an Interpol agent. On the phone. He insisted I interrupt you.”
“Barb, who do you work for? Me or that guy?”
“You.”
“Well, then. What’re you going to tell him?”
“That you can’t be interrupted?”
“See, that was easy, yeah?”
“Yeah, boss. Should I get his number?”
“Tell him I’ll call him back in thirty minutes. What’s his name?”
“Cecil Waugh.”
Van doubled over in laughter and held on to her stomach. “Oh God, what would a Cecil Waugh look like? A nerd in taped-up horn-rimmed glasses with his pants belted under his armpits and a pen protector in his shirt pocket?”
“You’re terrible.” Barbara snickered.
“And you love me for it.” Van laughed.
“Yeah, right. I’ll tell him you’ll call back.”
“Thanks.” Van hung up and finished her workout. She took a quick shower in her private bathroom. She dried her hair, curling under the ends of her pageboy cut and put on a red merino-wool pantsuit for the depositions she had scheduled for later in the morning. The suit was double breasted with three large buttons on an asymmetrical bodice. She slid on her red patent-leather stiletto pumps with the pointy toes, the ones she called her Wicked Witch of Manhattan shoes. She wanted to look especially tough since the lawyer on the other side was from Miami and had a reputation as a real asshole. She thought she might need to use the pointed toes on his butt. Kick some ass, as it were.
Van nodded at herself in the mirror. Yep, the red is the right choice. Makes me feel more powerful. And it doesn’t hurt that it looks good on me. She grinned over her vanity, pinned on a white topaz broach, flattened the collar of the suit jacket and walked to her desk, ready for the day’s challenges.
Before she could take her seat, her phone buzzed again and Barbara said, “That Waugh guy—”
Van yelled into the speaker, “What? The nerd with the pocket protector on the phone again? He sure is an impatient little nerd, isn’t he?”
“Er. Not exactly, boss—”
Van’s door burst open and banged backward on the jamb. A gorgeous man with dark hair hanging over his brow, dressed in khakis and a polo shirt that showed off his toned biceps, strode into her office. There was no sign of a pocket protector anywhere on the man. He said, “Cecil Waugh, Interpol.” He thrust his hand toward her as if to shake hers.
Ignoring his hand, furious that he’d come into her office uninvited, gorgeous or not, she said, “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Barging in here?”
He dropped his outstretched hand to his side. “You didn’t call me back like your secretary said you would. I have a witness on the lam and you know where she is. I’m not a patient man, so I came over here to get some answers. Nerd that I am.” His gaze raked over her body with a sneer and he added, “Your secretary said you were too busy to come to the phone when I rang up earlier. Was that a lie? To avoid my call so you could keep hiding your client? Is obstructing justice a hobby with you?”
“You rude son of a bitch. I’m not sure you have any authority in this country and you certainly have none here in my place of business. I have no obligation whatsoever to tell you anything. I definitely have no obligation to take or return your call. I suggest you leave before I call security.” She sat in her chair and reached toward the phone.
“Look, I’m sorry I barged in but there’s some urgency to the situation. I’m not trying to be rude but I need to speak to Senoia Griffin. Now.”
She glared at him. Held his stare for a full twenty seconds. Then, not breaking eye contact, she picked up the phone, pushed a button and said, “Leo, I need you in my office right now. I have an intruder.”
Cecil said, “All right, all right, damn, I’ll go. Call off your security dog. But this isn’t over. Not by a long shot. I’ll be back with a warrant. Soon.” He turned to walk out, stopped and looked back. He looked her up and down for the second time then turned toward the door.
She gasped at the audacity of the sneer he’d had on his face as his gaze raked over her. “Lots of luck with that warrant, buster. You’re in New York now. I think you’ll find that people here have rights. Now get out of here, you jerk.”
He stalked out of her office, the door slammed behind him, so hard it rattled in the frame. Again.
She got up and walked out into the secretarial area. Barbara stood there looking at the suite door and Van said, “Not so much a nerd, huh?”
Barbara shook her head. “I know I’m wet. God, what a man.”






Visit me on the web: www.Jillianchantal.com


9 comments:

Lynn Chantale said...

Hi Jillian. Great to have you here. Of course there's coffee cake and tea. Chef has stocked the buffet with all your favorites and Tyrell is can pour tea with the best of them.

The cover for Hot Pursuit is just steamy and the premise is awesome. Can't wait to dive into this one.

Jillian said...

Thanks Lynn! It's a pleasure to be here and the chef is amazing. Tyrell is a superb pourer as well. Thanks for letting me invite myself over- you're a great hostess!

I hope you like Hot Pursuit- it was super fun to write. I love the sassy heroine!

Suzanne said...

Loved the post. The blurb is great. Could virtually see the sparks flying between Van and Cecil. What a name for a hero. I love it.

Jillian said...

Thanks Suzanne. You know how I got his name? It's from two towns in Alabama. I saw them on an exit sign and wrote them down. A couple of years later, I wrote the story. There are actually two other character names in this story from exit signs in Georgia. It's a fun way to get names.

Glad you liked the post.

Flossie Benton Rogers said...

No no, Jillian, I don't thing the heroine's occupation as a lawyer is any excuse for her to be abrasive (heh heh :) Great post and what a cool duo Van and Cecil are going to be! Looking forward to your book!
Flossie

Liv Rancourt said...

Hey! Two of my fave authors in the same place. How cool is that!?!
Congrats on the release, Jillian. It looks like a really fun read. And say Hi to Tyrell for me, Lynn!

Liberty said...

Jillian, it looks like you have another wonderful story on your hands!

Lynn and Liv, good to see you both.

Laurie Ryan said...

I can hardly wait to read this story!

Jillian said...

Lol Flossie, you know how lawyers are. Hehehe. Glad you think Van and Cecil sound cool. They were fun.

Thanks Liv. You and Lynn are two of my favs, too. And I hope everyone thinks this adventure is as fun as I do. I'm not biased. At all. Heheh

Thanks, Liberty. I hope so. I'm proud of this one.

Thanks for the excitement Laurie. I hope you love it.