Some more Just Watch Me goodness. I’ve got the book page up here. There’s a description and, more importantly, an excerpt (just hit the excerpt tab). It’s pulled from the very beginning, but should give everyone who’s looking an idea for what this one’s all about.

And for your convenience, both description and excerpt have been reproduced after the break.

Dean and Danielle have been playing their game for the past year now: they’d enter a bar as strangers and see what happens. Sometimes, Dean “picked” her up. Other times, he sat back and watched her flirt with other men. And every time, they ended the night together, their passion rekindled.

Jealousy and excitement warred within Dean, but the thrill was becoming too great to ignore. For Danielle, the game had awoken feelings within her she thought long buried–feelings that scared as much as they excited.

Then came the Hawaii trip. Hundreds of miles from home, was this the opportunity to take things further than they’d ever dared? When a stranger approaches Danielle at the swanky bar, full of surfer-swagger and sun-kissed good looks, the answer was clear.

While Just Watch Me follows the adventures begun in the short story Rediscovering Danielle, it is not necessary to read have it. This is the culmination of a year of build-up. Prepare for a wild ride.

From Just Watch Me:

I watched Danielle laugh on the other side of the lounge. Her face always glowed when she did, and after three days under the Hawaiian sun, her rich tan made it shine. A man in his late 30s leaned beside her at the bar. He would have been handsome if he didn’t have the tendency to smile out of the corner of his mouth. He didn’t have a chance. I didn’t need to hear their conversation to know that, but the sight still left my stomach tight and my heart fluttering.

We’d been playing this game for close to a year. Danielle would go into the bar; I’d follow separately and settle in somewhere with a view. Men would circle her in the darkness and I’d watch. Even after seeing it half a dozen times, it was electrifying. Usually, they’d flirt, buy her a drink, dance if there was a dance floor and she’d shown an interest in the guy.

Afterwards, we’d reunite and have explosive sex.

On a couple of occasions, the dancing got more intimate and we pushed our already dubious boundaries. In a sea of undulating bodies, Danielle and her man-for-the-night would melt into one. His hands would explore and Danielle would do nothing to stop them. I still remember the nauseating feeling the first time I witnessed another man kiss my wife…and how hard I fucked her at the end of the night.

Tonight, she was dressed in a haltered slip dress printed with bold, coral flowers. Perched cross-legged on her barstool throne, she looked like a Hawaiian princess. She dismissed the crooked smile of her suitor with a straight-forwardness that always caught men off guard. His smile hung for a moment as though he was unwilling to accept the rebuff. Danielle nodded again, and his cool-guy facade finally crumbled. Hands up, he backed away. His face only got ugly when he turned away from her, muttering about wasted time and wasted drinks. It was always the same.

I met her eyes across the bar, and raised my glass. She just smiled and went back to her phone.

That summed up Danielle’s feelings on our game. She had fun, but never seemed to get the same enjoyment out of it. We’d flown into Maui two days ago and I probably could have spent the last couple nights doing this; Danielle could not.

Not that I had much to complain about. We got to spend the time as a couple, free of our child and our jobs. Good jobs and a great child, but our vacations together were scarce enough that just lounging naked in our hotel room felt deviant. I didn’t need the bar game to appreciate the time—but it sure was nice.

Maybe it was all the anticipation that had frayed my nerves. Maybe it was when we went dress shopping earlier today and my sexy wife modeled tiny outfits that she’d never dream of wearing back home. Or maybe it was the memory of one night back in Vegas when this game almost got out of hand. Whatever it was, my body buzzed, drunk before I even picked up a drink.

I wrote off the next guy that approached her almost immediately—not that he wasn’t good looking. Tall, broad-shouldered and tanned, the guy had the kind of jaw that WPA artists used to depict the hardworking men of the U.S. of A. That was just it. Danielle didn’t go for guys so generically masculine.

My attention wandered to the bar. The concierge at our hotel had directed us to this trendy little nightspot and it didn’t disappoint. More lounge than club, Nuance was as polished and pretty as its clientele. A DJ played subdued beats in the corner, loud but not so loud that it overwhelmed a close conversation. Low-tabled booths filled one half of the space, separated by gauzy privacy curtains and half-filled with rich patrons who bought their booze by the bottle.

The space in front of the DJ booth was crowded with customers who’d put their drinks down and their hands up. Danielle would be out there soon enough, swallowed in the undulating sea of dancers. She didn’t get the same thrill on these nights as I did, but she loved to dance.

It worked out nicely since I loved to watch.

A couple of women passed my spot, holding hands and giggling at each other. Both were brunettes, their dark hair loose and glossy in the ambient light, and both wore dresses that Dani would never wear no matter how far away from home we were: skin tight and short and intensely distracting.

I watched them without realizing it, following their swaying hips as they weaved onto the dance floor, then into one another’s arms. I adjusted myself. Fuck, that was hot. I wasn’t the only guy who’d noticed them. They seemed to feed off the attention. One whispered into the other’s ear and the next thing I knew, the two were kissing.

One of the guys dancing to their right stopped moving entirely to watch, slack-jawed. That’s how I felt. I’d seen plenty of lesbian porn, but never the real deal. I reached for my pint, found it empty, and set it back down. My eyes never left the brunettes.

The server swooped in, breaking me out of my trance.

“You look thirsty.” She followed my eyes to the dancers. The brunettes had broken off their kiss, but were still close enough to keep me hard. “Can I get you another?”

“Um, sure. Yes please.” My face burned.

The waitress winked and sauntered away. I took a deep breath, remembering why I was here, and turned back to Danielle…who wasn’t on the stool anymore.

Momentary panic swept through me. Why? Fuck if I knew. I’d been living with a little paranoia since these games began. It was probably a product of that. Had the newest guy been successful in chatting her up? Had she spotted me checking out the Sapphic show on the dance floor and gotten fed up? Neither of those sounded like Danielle at all, but the fear was still there.

I found her on the dance floor—with Mr. Shoulders. I blinked, making sure that it was her. I wouldn’t call her petite, but even in her spindly sandals, she looked small against the other man’s body.

I quickly forgot about the pseudo-lesbian show. All attention was on Danielle and how she moved against Shoulders. This wasn’t that grinding freak practiced by so many out on the floor, but my wife had grown up dancing—she’d paired her Bachelor’s in human resources with a ballet minor—and knew how to move her body.

Watching Danielle dance always hit me hard. She wasn’t always into the guy, but she was always into the dance. It embodied all that was hot and naughty about our game. She lost herself out amidst the mass of revelers, letting the bass and rhythm and this other man’s body thread through her—carry her to a place where Danielle: working mom and dutiful wife did not exist. She was still my Danielle, but completely new. And so fucking sexy.

With her back to the guy and her hands in her blonde hair, elbows out and hips swinging, I met her eyes. I loved those eyes: deep blue and fringed with long lashes that curled up and up. Danielle had perfected the way to say I’m horny with those eyes. Did I see that look now?

Behind her, one hand on her hip, the other walking up her arm, Shoulders had only eyes for my wife. He turned her. She spun, stretching her body as her arms encircled his neck. He drew her close—

To kiss.

My heart froze. I stopped breathing.

She pulled back just before their lips met, turning her face away. I’d watched her play this game before. Some men got upset. Some men got more persistent. This man was cool enough to take it in stride. He tipped his head and nuzzled her neck, kissing until his lips were against her ear.

He whispered something. Their bodies continued to roll and pitch with the music, even as she drew back and studied him.

This was the tipping point in our game. It came every time we played it, when the possibility that things could go further hung ripe and ready for plucking. Almost every time, Danielle dispelled it with a laugh. They’d dance another number, but eventually she’d leave the guy and find me in our bed.

On a couple occasions, though, things had gone further. The game had gone from one being played by me and Danielle, to one in which I took a more peripheral role. The transition always made me feel sick to my stomach, yet I couldn’t get enough of it. I remembered it long after the night was over and we were back to our normal lives. And when I did, I saw the other Danielle—the one who didn’t just play along with my game, but was awoken by it.

So here we were again at the point of transition. Their hips were locked, legs entwined as they rocked to the music. She had an arm braced on one of those wide, thick shoulders, steadying herself as she leaned away and looked up at him.

The guy became her world. She his. And me? I was no different than the rest of this crowd, watching the inevitable seduction.

Danielle reached up with her free hand, circling it around the back of his neck to pull him close. When he was, she whispered something. He laughed, nodded, and they left the dance floor for the bar.

Disappointment warred with relief. I drank deeply at my beer as the more rational side of my brain reminded me that this was a good thing. The last time we’d played past the tipping point had ended in disaster. This was definitely a Good Thing.

Only it could have been better. That was the reckless part of me—the one that thought of the first time she’d crossed this line back in Vegas.

I stood and headed for the spot I’d last seen Danielle. She was alone again and my disappointment grew stronger. Even though I knew it was a long shot that anything would happen, I’d built a lot of hope coming out here. Perfect locale. Perfect time to be bad. And now she was alone and Shoulders was out of the picture.

I squeezed into the spot next to her. She was checking Facebook on her phone, just passing time.

“You should have let him down quicker. Could have saved him time and money.”

She noticed me for the first time, but only gave me a side-long glance. “Oh yeah? Such concern.”

“You enjoy leading guys on, don’t you?” I was speaking more about me than Shoulders, and felt a frustrated anger begin to build.

“What makes you think I was leading him on?”

Her smile only tweaked my ire.

“Come on, Dani. That guy was all wrong and you know it. At least give this a chance.”

Her smile didn’t drop, but I didn’t miss the way her jaw clenched. “I wouldn’t say he was all wrong. He certainly felt right in certain places.”

“So ‘right’ that you chased him off?”

She looked at me out of the corner of her eyes, but didn’t answer immediately

“You sure you’re ready for me to go there?”

I knew that tone. She wasn’t asking a question; she was answering my challenge. “You know I do.”

“You’re sure you’re sure.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The smile that crept across her lips was wicked. “OK then. Just watch me.”

I saw him push through the crowd. Mr. Shoulders. Up close, I realized how handsome he was. Still more generic than her usual type, he looked like he’d stepped off the cover of a romance novel with his blonde, structured hair and deep tan. He wore his shirt with too many buttons undone. His shoulders weren’t the only thing broad about him.

I wondered why he was back. Was he back to give her a piece of his mind? He didn’t look like the kind of guy who took rejection lightly. I wondered if this night was going to take a turn beyond salvaging.

I looked away before he noticed me talking to Danielle, my ears open and my fists curling. Could I even take this guy, if things got violent?

“Hey, beautiful. You waited.”

“Told you I would,” Danielle said.

This was unexpected.

“I got us a booth, but they’re prepping it. Thought we could dance a little more while we wait.”

“You know all the right things to say. I’ll have to remember to reward you.”

That one had to be for me. Right? She was still leading this guy on? It turned my stomach into a queasy mush, whatever her intentions.

“Like I said, those booths are pretty private. You can reward me all you want later on.”

I just stood there, leaning on the bar as my head spun. I’d felt safe taunting her when I thought she was alone. Now, as I watched them settle back onto the dance floor, the safety net was gone.

I returned to my spot against the wall, drifting through the crowd like a ghost.

Was it my imagination, or was she dancing closer to him? Had she tickled the back of his neck like that before? Had they locked eyes as intensely?

“You’re empty again. You want another?”

The waitress had returned, snapping my attention off the floor once again. When I looked up at her, that same knowing smile was there; she’d caught me looking again.

“Sure, I’ll have one more. Why not?”

The young woman wore her brown hair in a high ponytail that shimmered auburn when it bounced. Her short black skirt and fitted blouse hinted at a nice body beneath. I groaned. Her cheeks rose high and sculpted, her nose cute and pierced with a tiny stud. Why did she have to be so pretty? For some reason, that made me feel even more perverted.

I looked back at the dance floor. My heart clutched. Danielle was kissing her broad-shouldered dance partner, openly and open-mouthed.

“It’s okay, you know. I like to watch, too.”

The server had returned with my lager. She surprised me when she took a seat, facing the dance floor to my left.

The unexpected nature of my newest companion made me thirst for the beer. I pulled long and deep at it as my mind scrambled for conversation.

She helped me out before I’d set my glass down. “It’s why I love working here. I get to people-watch. Make up stories for them; who’s going home with whom, what their lives are like outside of tonight. Why are they here?”

I felt her eyes shift to me, but didn’t look.

“I guess you see a lot of crazy stuff,” I said.

She had a soft laugh, just barely audible over the music. “Depends on what you consider crazy. Most of it’s pretty standard drunken-bar stuff—even in an upscale spot like this. Like those two girls you saw out there? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen girls make out in that very spot.” I didn’t miss the judgment there. “They do it to get the guys.”

“So you don’t think they’re into each other?”

“Sorry to disappoint, dude, but not a chance. That’s for show.”

“And you’re an expert on girl-on-girl affection?” The beer made me bold; her smile made me flirt.

“Hmm…sure, you can call me an expert.” She even had dimples. “Anyway, what I know is that they’re attention whores more than lovers. And they’re pretty typical.”

“So what do you like?” I asked. She read into the question and smirked before I added, “When you people-watch, I mean.”

“I usually look for someone with an unusual story.” She waved her arm across the bar in presentation. “Most of them are here to hook up. You can tell by the way they’re dressed. It starts to feel almost desperate after watching it night after night.”

I had to agree, although I wondered how Danielle and I fit in. I watched Danielle lock eyes with her stranger and my insides tightened. Out there, amidst those that my voyeur-companion had called desperate, I felt like she stood out. Her floral dress may have been short, but it was far from the shortest. It clung to her without looking painted on, molding to her high, perky breasts without giving away the show. She was the approachable girl who’d decided to take a walk on the wild side tonight. She was a dabbler amidst a bunch of sluts. That sounded pretentious, even to my beer-saturated brain, but it resonated.

The server seemed to read my mind. “Yeah, I think that chick is interesting, too. Been watching her since she came in.”

“Why?” I managed to say it without squeaking.

“She’s different. She’s here to have a good time, but that’s not dependent on her going home with someone.”

“Looks like she might.”

The waitress’s hazel eyes studied me for a moment. I kept my focus on Danielle. I wished she wasn’t smiling so much at the guy. I could almost hear it.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“So what’s her story?” I asked. “Or what do you think it is?”

“She’s a tourist, here on vacation. That much I know.”

“How?”

“She opened her tab with a bank I didn’t recognize. And there’s just something about how relaxed she is. We’re pretty laid back here, but life isn’t a vacation, you know?”

“What else?”

“Hmm… I think she does something professional. In an office.”

“Like an admin assistant?” I offered.

“No, something with more responsibility. I think she manages people on some level. She seems good with people. Those kinds of skills are career skills.”

My new companion was hitting a little too close to home. Danielle managed to juggle raising our son with her job in human resources at a big an enterprise-sized corporation.

“So why is she here?”

“To blow off some steam, maybe. She’s far from home and can be someone she’s not. Here, she’s free from her normal responsibilities.”

Shoulders leaned in, whispering something that made Danielle’s smile turn into a laugh.

“And…” I almost said Shoulders. “That guy? What’s his story?”

“Oh, I know him. Sandy comes in here all the time. Career bachelor. Successful businessman. Owns his own company on the other side of the island.” Her dimples emerged with her smirk. “Is known to throw some wild parties at his ocean-side home. I’d say he’s plenty interesting.”

I felt like the stakes had just been raised, but didn’t know why. “He sounds like most of the others here—desperate to get laid.”

The waitress shrugged. “Maybe. But he goes home alone almost as often as he does with a girl…or two.” This one was fond of smirking. Good thing she looked so good doing it.

“You’ve watched him work. How about tonight? Think he’s got a shot?”

She tipped her head from side to side. “Could go either way.” We watched them dance. Danielle had her back to Sandy again, arms bent and reaching up. He held her by the hips as she gyrated against his. “Depends on if her husband lets it get that far.”

It took me a moment to process what she’d just said, and when I did, it was like a vat of acid had been upended inside of me.

“I… she…she’s married? How…do you know?”

The waitress had every right to look pleased with herself. She’d just confirmed her theory with my blanched expression.

“I’ve seen it a few times. Not as often as Team Sappho over there, but you’d be surprised at how often we get a playful couple in here.”

“So you think her husband is here?” I didn’t know what else to do but to play dumb.

“Oh yeah. He’s here.” She had a throaty laugh. “I better get back to work. Break’s over, but it’s been fun.” She pushed a strand of brown hair over one ear. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe.”

I thought of the volcanoes that dotted the Hawaiian islands. Was this what it felt like to fall into one?

The server looked at the dancing couple. “She’s hot. You’re lucky.”

As I watched her make her way back to the bar, I stifled the urge to crawl under the table and hide. Here I was, thinking the pretty young woman was flirting with me because she thought I was cute, and really it was all a mind fuck.

Every time she looked in my direction, heat bloomed inside me. I waited until she was making her rounds, then settled my tab at the bar. Then the text came.

–leaving me all alone?

I’d been so embarrassed that I’d forgotten all about my wife. Jesus, how was that even possible? When I searched the dance floor and didn’t find her, my phone buzzed again.

–check the booths

I swung around to the private booths with their gauzy partitions and found Danielle sitting alone in the very farthest one, her phone in her palm. Because of the angle and the curtain, I could only see a bit of table, but it was enough to make out the bottle of champagne and two glasses. According to the menu I’d been fake-studying, that spread cost upwards of $200, although that was probably the price of the booth.

My hands shook as I typed.

–having fun?

If they were to slip into the back of the booth, they’d be completely out of my sight—out of everyone’s sight. With that angle, the only way it could have been more private was if the curtains could be pulled over the front.

My phone buzzed.

–too much fun. too bad he’s “all wrong”

My cock flexed as my breath caught. She really knew how to pluck my strings. I typed her another shaky reply.

–looks like I may have been the one all wrong

Danielle looked at ease as she sat at the edge of the booth, legs crossed, bent forward to read her phone. Her golden hair fell across her eyes. She raked it back, smiling at my text. Before she could type out a reply, though, Sandy rejoined her and she slid deeper into the booth.

 

Just Watch Me is now available!

Also available at Smashwords.