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7/26/2018

Work in Progress ♣ Handle With Care (July 2018) Update

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Completed scene of oh-oh by Cynthia Hlady

Word Count 81K

*This is what the word count is for the book so far. This will be close to a 90K word story.

Holy crap. We are at 80,000 words. I knew this would be a 90K story. Partly because Kai's redemption was no easy feat.

This story has made me go into my past and think about things that had happened to me, face them, in a realistic way, and deal with the skeletons of my history. I feel wiser for and stronger for the predicaments I've placed myself in and grateful. Grateful to come out stronger.

Cryptic, I know. If you care to get the story, email me. I'm not brave enough to spew past happenings out in the open. This story is as close as it will get.

Excerpt from:

Handle with Care

No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted without written prior permission from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, events, incidents and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

This is a totally unedited chapter. It may or may not stay the same after final edits and it may or may not remain in the story.

If you find any grammar, spelling or punctuation errors, please let know via the comments!! I may not get to them right away, but I will get to them. Thank you!

If you are totally lost & would like to start at the beginning of (working title) HANDLE WITH CARE, click the button below.

Handle with Care (Chapter One)

Below is an excerpt of (working title) HANDLE WITH CARE
Happy reading!

Chapter 16

The auditorium turned art gallery brought in a crowd of teenagers after school. Two bolts of cream colored fabric hung from the rafters and cascade all the way down to the floor, making a hallway. A hallway where photography student’s pictures hung seemingly suspended in air. It was like a real art gallery display. But with Mr. Caplin directing the show, it shouldn’t be a surprise.

Rippling sheets shielded the dingy stage. The permanent auditorium chairs hid behind elegant drapes. Even the old tile floors were as clean as they’d ever get—for being walked on since the age of plankton. The age also known as Principal Ellis’ high school years, who admired every piece and looked at each name-place-card under the photos. He seemed impressed with each of his students.

But no one seemed more proud than Mr. Caplin. He pointed out details of the submitted art only a photographer would know to anyone that listened. At the moment, that listener was Principal Ellis.

Of everyone here I was one of two people wearing a suit. Kai insisted. I supposed he bought me this three-piece so I could impress college interviewers, but I felt stupid and overdressed. Especially since the only other person wearing formal wear was the principal. The person I wanted here was on his way.

“Oh, my, god. You dressed for a celebration, didn’t you?” Aubrey swankered up to me.

“Ah, no.” I grimaced and narrowed my eyes at her. “I promised to wear this,” I mumbled.

“It’d be a shame to waste this look.” She waved me up and down. “I mean, wow.”

Aubrey was standing in front of me in a cute floral yellow dress, giving me an in to ask her out, but all I saw was the ghost of her brother behind her cracking his knuckles then taking a baseball bat to my soft ball head.

“Thank you.” My cheeks prickled.

“Come with me after. We’ll celebrate.” Aubrey looped her arm around mine. “We can go to this place I know.”

“Ahhh… would your brother drive us there?”

“No way.” She laughed. “It’s called Uber.”

“You have to be eighteen to ride.” Though I’d used Uber in desperate times. Being one of Andy’s favorites meant having a fake I.D. I still had the card to get me into places.

“Not if you know the right people.” She fluttered her eyelashes.

“And I look like the right people?”

“In that suit you do.”

“Am I being used for my good looks?”

Aubrey smiled. She really was good at getting what she wanted. “You just look like the kind of guy that would know how to work around the system.”

I rolled my eyes. It was hard to say no to Aubrey.

“Come-on, it’ll be fun.” She wiggled on my arm.

“What’s your angle?”

Aubrey gave me a wicked smile. “What if my only motive was to show you a good time.”

That in itself scared me. She was always on the move. Doing something, researching something, getting into trouble. I lifted my eyes to the ceiling. “You need money?”

Aubrey’s light-hearted side faded and she shook her head.

This side of her, the serious side, I trusted. “If you need help Aubrey, I’ll give it.”

She bit her lower lip and looked up at me with huge puppy-dog eyes. “Text me when you’re done.”

“Okay.” I nodded, and she let go of my arm and entered the hall of photos.

My cell phone went off in my pocket.

Here. Kai texted.

My stomach lurched. At the main entryway. In suit and tie, stood Kai scanning the room. I waved and jogged up to him.

“Impressive.” Though his voice flat and unimpressed, I knew he was just being Kai, The Wall.

“Mr. Caplin did all the decorations.” I waved to the long hanging sheets.

“Yes, that too is very professional.”

I turned to Kai and was met by his golden stare. Oh. He meant I was impressive. Kai-ese was a nuance language and I was still a grass-hopper.

Overwhelming gratefulness, gratitude, love… things I couldn’t name swelled inside me. I was a bottle being filled with the most amazing soda. Something better than Red Bull. I was hot, cold, clammy, sticky and bursting with energy.

“Come here, I have something to show you.” I waved him to follow me.

He stiffened, eyeing me with suspicion but followed.

I walked towards the hallway of photos but went a little past the entrance. In a smooth, practiced lunge, I snatched his shirt sleeve and pulled him through the curtains and behind the scenes. We collided into a full body hug before crashing into the permanent chairs.

Three months ago, I’d never been able to maneuver someone with a wrist-hold. But I used my tactical dojo training in practical uses. Like getting Kai behind the scenes.

He remained silent, as I knew he would, completing my ninja move to a private world where no one saw us and I could squeeze this happiness into him. We were, technically, in public, but the curtains shielded us from view. It got me hot thinking people were right there. We could hear them yet they didn’t know we were within two feet.

“Thank you. For coming.” I was about to let go when Kai wrapped his arms around me.

He buried his face in my neck as one hand pushed at the back of my head, crushing my nose to his shoulder. His other arm was a band around my waist and brought me closer.

Shit.

This was irresponsible of me. I should have thought of how this would affect him. Just because he seemed to have a leash on himself, didn’t mean it was easy.

He held me, careful not to bring his hips too close. His tight unrelenting grip, his breath heavy and tickling the hairs on my neck. Kai breathed me in through his nose and stuttered out his mouth. His scent mixed with the smell of suit fabric soothed this ache. The clawing animal inside stopped as if reveling in Kai’s embrace. Home. Safe.

“The things I would do…” Kai’s voice was so low his whisper a scarce breath.

Oh crap. This was dangerous. I’d underestimated Kai’s limit of control. I tried to push him away, but his hold was titanium.

“Mr. Akiyama.”

Kai stiffened and let me go.

Principal Ellis stood two seat rows down. His face just as much a wall as Kai’s.

“Principal Ellis.” Kai bowed his head.

“Mr. Kroll.” The principal drew out my name. His jaw tight. Eyes piercing. Principal Ellis reminded me of a beady-eyed falcon with German Shepard traits. He knew when to be where. It was a little freaky, how he swooped in at the right time. His insight appeared super natural.

Worse, Kai and Principal Ellis shared the same type of silent communication. If two walls spoke to each other, this is what it would look like.

“Mr. Kroll,” Principal Ellis said, this time without elongating my name like I’d been caught hugging my boyfriend. “Mr. Akiyama has business with me. In private.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kai grabbed the back seat of a permanent chair and squeezed the wood so hard it moaned under his hand.

Principal Ellis focused his pin-point stare at Kai.

Woah. There was some under lying issues between the two.

“Liam, please wait for me at the entrance.” Kai spoke to me but didn’t look away from The Principal.

“I’ll be waiting.” I slunk out from the fabric shield and into the hall of photos. Through the sheets I heard Kai speak in a low tone.

“Your rudeness is uncalled for.”

“I saw what he did and considering your past…” Principal Ellis’ reply trailed off.

That’s right. Principal Ellis proudly showed me class trophies. He knew Kai and apparently had some sort of history. I wanted to find out more but neither one spoke.

They probably knew I was listening in.

Guess that’s all I would hear.

Thank you for reading Handle with Care by S.N.McKibben.
Interested in more?

Click the button below for the beginning of the NOTICE ME SENPAI SERIES

NOTICE ME SENPAI

Click the button below for the beginning of the HANDLE WITH CARE installment

HANDLE WITH CARE

Want to catch up with the series?

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7/19/2018

Why BLACK BALLED Reminds Me of DEAD POOL

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Black Balled (Black Balled #1) by Andrea Smith & Eva Lenoir

Blurb

Two dominant males, two worthy adversaries, in a business that takes no prisoners, will soon learn that fate refuses to be ignored . . .

My name is Troy Babilonia, but I'm best known as Babu, a renowned literary critic with my own online column. I'm followed by thousands! I'm a living god in the literary world. I have no filter, and for that, my flock of humble followers are forever grateful. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't know what to read. I have zero tolerance for the weak-minded attention seekers, nor do I have respect for the self-proclaimed geniuses of the Indie world. My advice to all Indie authors is to never break the cardinal rule in this cut-throat business. Ever.

My name is L. Blackburn and I'm an Indie author. My extraordinary genius was loved and worshiped throughout the literary world, until one egocentric critic tried to obliterate my career. It seems I broke some "cardinal rule," and now I'm paying the price for it. But I don't plan on going down without a fight.

Sexual Content. M/M - Graphic Sexual Situations

Inside Scoop

This book was so popular they are doing a sequel as well as a book based on Lloyd.

My Review

This book had me laughing throughout and especially at the end.

Both asshole main characters deserve each other. Fun was the word in watching them duke it out─over each other.

The sex scenes were hot. The writing was descent and I got into the far-fetchness of the story because... the writing swept me away. And the entertainment value of these characters was bar none.

The book critic and the Indie writer shenanigans seemed like a hoot to write and the authors must have had a good time with this one. In fact, so much so there is a sequel to the book. (It's a series I can get into with, Lloyd, the scorned ex-lover being the next book.)

We're taken to the world of Babu's Book Review where our critic gives reviews for entertainment/ego shock─value. There is no real constructiveness in his reviews (kinna like this one) and goes on to "destroy" our author─hero's book.

Oh the humainty!

So why does it remind me of DEAD POOL?

There is a bit of a broken 4th wall which I did not find too out of place or too disrupting. Every time Larson or Babu talked to the audience, I kept thinking of Ryan Reynolds.

This book was a solid 4 for me.

Why?

The antagonist had to be degraded to solve the "problem" and at the end it felt a little bit like: men are awesome and woman are bad/soft/weak/too insecure to move on without blackmailing/intimidating/humiliating the female. Females are horrible people.

It's not my bag to have all around douche bag characters be the problem.

However, the far-fetched story, I felt, was entertaining and that's why we read. Because for those of us that have a peaceful existence it can get boring, therefore we need entertainment!

Speaking of which, I loved Andrea's bio. Scroll down and take a gander at how she rolls!

I Would Recommend this to Fans of:

Elevator sex

m/m

male sexual exploration

bisexual preference to men

hate to love

frienemy lovers

Those Who Need to Point and Laugh at Other People to Feel Better About Themselves

Author Bios

Andrea Smith

My name is Andrea Smith.

I've been an Indie Author since 2012.

I've been known to STUFF my face, STUFF a turkey, STUFF my bra, but I DON'T STUFF my books. What you see on the cover or in the blurb is what you get - pure and simple. I don't pull a BAIT & SWITCH with my readers. I think it is morally and ethically wrong, not to mention against the Terms of Service with KDP.

There's nothing worse when purchasing or borrowing a book through KU, to discover the ebook that was presented on the product page, is nothing more than a bait and switch tactic. The titled book is only a fraction of the junk stuffed in to make the unsuspecting reader flip those inflated pages so the author, and other authors who's work is contained therein, can bilk the royalty system at the expense of readers and legitimate authors.

Done preaching. Just wanted you to know how I roll. My books stand on their own. You may like them, you may not, but know that they are my own work--not purchased from a ghost, not re-cycled from other authors, not stolen or plagiarized. For better or worse, they are mine in every respect for you to love or to hate. Because that's your right, and I respect the rights of readers.

Feel free to visit my website and peruse!
http://www.andreasmithauthor.com/

FOLLOW ME ON BOOK BUB:
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/andrea-smith

FOLLOW ME ON FB:
https://www.facebook.com/AndreaSmithAuthor/

Eva LaNoir

Eva LeNoir lives in France with her husband, two sons and the entire food chain in pets: From fish to gerbils to cats and a dog. With a full time job that pays the bills, she reserves all of her free time to doing what she loves most: Writing.

Eva likes teasing her husband that she should have married a billionaire so she could stay home and write all day. But then he makes her laugh at his silly antics and all dreams of lavish lifestyles evaporate from her mind. A softie at heart, Eva can be seen crying whenever anything emotional is on TV or the radio. Yes, even commercials. So, if ever you meet her, make sure to bring a box of tissues and a good episode of Grey's Anatomy to witness the epic tear fest.

There are three things she believes unconditionally: Love really does conquer all, Humans are still inherently good and Wine and Cheese will solve all the problems of the world.

Excerpt

If you would like to read an excerpt, click on the button below. It takes you to Andrea's website where there are more buy links and teasers along with a passage in the book.

Excerpt of BLACK BALLED

Buy Links

AMAZON

7/12/2018

Jack the Bodice Ripper (Chapter 5)

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Hey! Happy Birthday to me!

My regularly scheduled blog happened to be the day of my birth!

Huzzah!

To celebrate, I probably won't be working! But, I do have Chapter Five of JACK THE BODICE RIPPER.

The above illustration is a visual interpretation of Sir Ahibodeau. He is a knight of the queen, loyal, and Faye's father. In his youth he was a fierce warrior protecting the realm, but now retired, gains employment as a blacksmith. He is a Paramount, but as I said about Paramounts─the relationship is not always sexual. Faye is his obedient because she is his daughter.

The competition Sir Ahibodeau and Jackson have is as an unhappy, potential father-in-law.

Let's carry on to Chapter five of JACK THE BODICE RIPPER!

If you are completely lost, and this is your first time here, you might want to start from the beginning. I suggest clicking on "Jack the Bodice Ripper" under the CATEGORIES on the right hand side of the screen. Or clicking the button below to start at the beginning.

For the rest of you...enjoy!

Jack the Bodice Ripper Chapter One

This is a FREE internet story for my fans. This is a fantasy somewhat historical called "Jack the Bodice Ripper"

©S.N.McKibben

No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted without written prior permission from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, events, incidents and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

If you find any grammar, spelling or punctuation errors, please let know via the comments!! I may not get to them right away, but I will get to them. I'm aware of the tense change, but alas, this was written when I was young and tense changing was a thing for me. I will try to do better in the future! Thank you.

Jack the Bodice Ripper

Chapter 5

My fair bunny scrambled to her feet. “Father!”

I stood with nonchalant amble. “Sir Ahibodeau.”

The knight strode over in his formal wear, cape, hat, and gloves ready to vacate the premises with the lovely Lady Fayola, but I had other plans.

“I told you to stay next to me.” Sir Ahibodeau glared at his daughter.

Lady Fayola cast her eyes to her shoes. “I was bade away.”

Her father turned his malice to me. I was sure he refrained from a more primal advance, particularly drawing his sword and slaying me where I stand, and stayed his hand. “Bodice ripper—” Sir Ahibodeau took time in examining Lady Fayola with concern.

The nerve. As if I’d ravish her clothes and have her naked in the garden. Rumors about me were vastly over compensating for the lack of exciting tidbits people jitter on about.

“Has he molested you?” Sir Ahibodeau placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face.

Lady Fayola murmured her response. “Sir, I am unscathed.”

His hand searched over her neck, feeling for bites I supposed.

I could stand his insult no longer. “Sir Ahibodeau, she was under my care and no harm came to her.”

Bushy eyebrows scrunched together as Sir Ahibodeau brought his attention back to me. “I know your kind.”

He turned back to his daughter. “We are leaving, get your cowl.”

Lady Fayola’s eyes grew wide.

I stepped in front of Sir Ahibodeau. “Leaving before you pay proper respect to your host?”

Three guards closed behind father and daughter and I was sure another three were finding their way to my back.

Sir Abibodeau's sword hand twitched. He eyed the guards as that of a paranoid soldier.

My bunny pulled at her father’s coat sleeve and whispered, “Please, you promised.”

A thrill shot down my spine knowing she was defending her want to stay, to be with me.

But a man such as Sir Ahibodeau, a Paramount that felt responsible for his obedient, would not fold, no matter how real or imagined, if he thought she was in danger.

I would have to convince him it was more dangerous for them to go than stay. “Mother would be disappointed if she were unable to greet Lady Fayola on the event of her short stay.”

“Lady Fayola Ahibodeau has been seen by you, that should suffice. Queen Tyilasuir is understanding.”

“Not as much as you think, Sir Ahibodeau.” My mother’s voice cut through the thick of our masculine posing.

Lady Sophillia past through the waves of guard escorts alongside my mother.

The queen's mouth pursed in triumph.

Opening my stance for mother to our conversation I bowed to her. The Ahibodeau’s bowed to her as well.

“I believe you requested my audience Sir Ahibodeau. I’m available now for your daughter’s introduction.”

Lady Fayola smiled in such a curious fashion, it made me wonder what she was thinking.

Sir Ahibodeau took his daughter’s hand and presented his prized offspring. “Queen Lydia Tyilasuir, this is Lady Fayola Ahibodeau.”

Mother smiled at Lady Fayola’s bowed head. “My dear, it is so good to meet you. Have you met my son, Prince Tyilasuir?” She offered a hand towards me.

The dove recovered, turned and bowed to me. I in turn captured her hand and lay it between my elbow and ribs. My greeting put me in between father and daughter. “I’ve decided to be her chaperon while Sir Ahibodeau finishes his business.”

The knight ground his teeth hard enough that his jowls went pale. “I am finished with my business.”

Mother gave a toothy smile and offered her hand to Sir Ahibodeau. “Good. You won’t mind staying with me then. I have guards but, I find any handsome escort of my own is boon in my favor.”

He had no choice but to take her hand. The old knight resigned with a sigh and nodded. “Anything for my queen.”

“Ahem.” Lady Sophillia smoothed out non-existent wrinkles in her dress.

I’d forgotten she was there.

“Yes, my dear.” Mother waved to Lady Sophillia. “We’ll be headed towards the ball room. It’s time to find out who my son has chosen.”

“But it’s not yet time!” I looked to the sky—and found the moon in her wane. Four hours had passed. My freedom sprinted away during what felt as moments. Time spent with Lady Fayola was no hardship.

“It’s time enough.” Mother said. “All our guests are waiting.”

Three guards on either side of us resumed their watch and paced mother and Sir Ahibodeau in perfect unison. Lady Sophillia cast a narrow-eyed glare towards my charge as we sauntered behind, heading up the rear of our procession.

Beads of sweat rolled down my back. My nerves must have shown. Lady Fayola squeezed my arm. In response I flexed my elbow. Fayola giggled. Sophillia scowled back at her. Sir Ahibodeau remained much more refined and indignant while the three of us walked behind my queen and her escort.

I pushed my feet forward, every step feeling like quicksand.

Our ten minute stroll back to the doors and civilization was more like a walk to the Bastille. But whenever I looked at Lady Fayola, my mood changed. My steps seemed lighter. She scattered my turmoil to the wayside.

Before we reached the doors Sir Ahibodeau turned to me. “It won’t due to have a Lady on your arm when choosing a wife in moments.”

Mother looked back and nodded. Then she turned to her knight and pulled the him in closer. “Sir Ahibodeau, please accompany me while he chooses.”

I stopped, Lady Sophillia’s eyes watching us, and turned to Lady Fayola. “My dear it’s been a pleasure.”

She dipped her head, stared at me with those warm honey eyes in sympathy and faded into the crowd starting to gather around.

I climbed the drudgery of stairs to the balcony behind queen and knight with a thousand female eyes on me. Who was I going to choose? Maybe I should just let mother pair me.

“Evening my courtiers...” Mother started speaking. She so eloquently sprinkled her words while my mind raced.

There were so many faces still here. By now, at any normal ball, rendezvous would meet in the halls scurrying off to made plans, husbands and wives would already bade good fortune and retired, rogues would find their way to a house of cats and cards.

Not tonight. Not on such a momentous occasion. My breaths wheezed climbing the stairs. These years of sexual freedom was all over.

Scanning the faces I saw Mrs. Eldridge hold her wine glass up, sending me a toast. I returned a nod and a smile, chuckling at the wonderful times getting to know our roles. I would miss her.

Sophillia burned my retinas with intensity—I had to look away. She wasn’t what I wanted. But what I wanted and what the crown needed were two very different things.

The twins popped olives enticing me to make a decision from my lower head.

Then there was Ms. Nelly, the logical choice. Stiff posture. Never smiled. The prodigal daughter of a wealthy ship merchant. Despite her proper attire and attitude, I'd heard she could out swear a sailor and preferred to be called captain. But in public, she was serious and an unforgiving partner.

“Bring up your bride-to-be, my dear.” Mother made a flourish with her hand to the hundreds of women below.

I sighed. My face must have been calling out for help when warm honey eyes ignited my answer. Without breaking eye contact, I spoke in hopes that she could be everything—not just to the kingdom, but to me. I was taking a chance, but all other names were shut out of my mind. “Lady Fayola Ahibodeau.”

Silence rang in my ears to the tone of panic.

Glass shattered against tile. It sounded as a thousand pieces of sanity skittering along the floor. The outcry began. Chatter. Dresses bustling about. All the noise of scandal exploded in the ballroom.

Ten guards immediately circled Lady Fayola, both to protect her and escort her to me.

“No! I insist you choose another.” Sir Ahibodeau stepped in my personal area and ground his teeth in my face.

Behind him, mother stood with her hands together in they way women do when coupling patience. With a knowing expression and pleased twinkle in her eye, it was apparent mother was pleased with my announcement.

Lady Ahibodeau might have been her choice as well.

Sly fox.

“Is she sworn to another?” Mother dropped all humor and shot her business face to her honored knight.

“No.” Sir Aibodeau blustered.

“Then she is my choice,” I said keeping my eyes on my named bride as she stepped up the marble stairs.

"No." The knight protested. "She is all I have."

The queen stepped up to Sir Ahibodeau and touched his arm. "And Jackson is all I have."

"She is too young."

"She is old enough to come out into society." Mother consoled the father of the bride-to-be. "You should be proud she commands impart from a noble house."

Lady Fayola glided onto the patio. “Father?”

Sir Ahibodeau stepped up to his daughter and grabbed her shoulders. “No! Not him. Anyone but him.”

“What do you find distasteful about my son?” Mother’s authority stopped Sir Ahibodeau short. The force of her command turned him around.

He dropped his face in a mask of nullity. “Nothing, your majesty.” The knight bowed. “I had just hoped for Fayola a better—fate.”

Mother raised her eyebrows. “A better fate than to be queen?”

He’d stepped in a pile of road apples and the horror on his face showed it. “Your Grace, Fayola is but a fragile thing, an emotional creature. I fear the strain of…” Sir Ahibodeau wavered and walked closer to mother and whispered in her ear.

It didn’t take brains to know what he said. I was sure he was explaining what a rake I was. Nothing she didn’t already know.

Lady Fayola looked at me perplexed. “You’ve only known me but a few hours.”

Reassuring her with a smile I took her hand. “You're asking yourself, why you?”

She nodded.

“Because I have seen many women and none are like you."

“You have seen many women?" She teased.

Leaning in, I dropped my lips to her ear. “I like my women─obedient.” It was a term she would understand, not a state a woman should be.

She widened her eyes and then lowered them. “You are a paramount.”

“Yes.”

“You don’t deserve her.” Sir Ahibodeau held murder in his expression.

“Despite my reputation, Sir," I pulled back ready to meet him in kind. "I believe in monogamy.”

I prayed Fayola would be able to keep me faithful.

“Monogamy?” Sir Ahibodeau laughed. “The standard of betrothal is one year.”

Wonderful. He was going to invoke archaic wooing customs. "Yes..."

“Then I will consent." Sir Ahibodeau straightened to his full height. "If you remain faithful to my daughter for twelve months to the day. If you do not, you will relinquish the bond.”

Twelve months. The standard. It wasn’t like I could argue. His terms were not out of the ordinary. And yet, I felt a jolt of panic.

“If it’s too much—”

“No, it’s not.” I raised a hand. I could do this. Fayola would be my strength. “I want half a day with her once a week.”

"Chaperoned." He lifted a challenging eyebrow.

"You believe me to hold no honor?"

"I believe, that your honor will not refuse tradition." Sir Ahibodeau smiled in humorless vindication.

Damn him. Not being able to touch her while being in her circumference would be hell. My wedding night would be memorable.

“Then it’s settled.” Mother clapped. “A wedding on my birthday!”

Warm honey eyes melted my heart. This might work. One year. Twelve months. Three-hundred and sixty-five days left to go.

This would be a long test. I was looking forward to helping her find out why they call me bodice-ripper.

Chapter 6

I corrected a few mistakes and add more in this chapter and I hope I've addressed all errors but if you see something that doesn't make sense or grammar errors, drop me a line or tell me in the comments!

Your feedback helps me create better stories. Better stories lead to wonderful entertainment.

Thank you for reading!
XO ~ Stephy

You have been reading JACK THE BODICE RIPPER
S.N.McKibben
Taboo Fiction story line
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7/5/2018

The Remarkable Butler Anime I Never Thought I'd Like

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Synopsis

Ciel Phantomhive is the most powerful boy in all of England, but he bears the scars of unspeakable suffering. Forced to watch as his beloved parents were brutally murdered, Ciel was subsequently abducted and violently tortured.

Desperate to end his suffering, the boy traded his own soul for a chance at vengeance, casting his lot with the one person on whom he could depend: Sebastian, a demon Butler summoned from the very pits of hell. Together, they’ll prowl the darkest alleys of London on a mission to snuff out those who would do evil.

My Interpretation of the Synopsis

I actually found an official synopsis that I like. Still, I need the practice so here goes:

Ten year old Ciel Phantomhive remains the last of an aristocratic family known as Queen Victoria’s Guarddog. After watching his family and home burned, Ciel is captured by cultists then sold and marked with the brand known as a “Noble Beast”. After a month of torture, Ciel summons Sebastian Michaelis, a powerful demon and signs a contract to extract revenge on the people who wronged him in exchange for his soul.

Main Characters

I don't list ALL the characters, just the ones I find important, sexy or deserving. They are the ones that left an impression on me and therefore are on my blog. Each character has a unique memory for me and I've included an image or a gif under their "offical" visual rendering by the artist -- Yana Toboso.

Ciel Phantomhive

Guarddog. Aristocratic patriot. Thirteen-year-old boy.

Ciel is haughty and arrogant. But the scars of torture, humiliation and branded with a mark on his belly as "Noble Beast" make me want to forgive his perpetual boredom with "adults".

He suspects his life will be short because of the pact he's made with Sebastian to consume his soul in exchange for revenge.

Ciel is cabable, but take away Sebastian from him and he only gets enough respect as you would expect for any twelve-year-old.

His wealthy upbringing hampers his reality but the kid is driven and has a mind for solving crimes.

Sebastian Michaelis

Demon. Butler. Soul eating pedophile.

The theme for Sebastian is that he's one hell of a butler.

You could say that. I say his undertones with Ceil make me uncomfortable at times. But he's a demon. I wouldn't really expect much less.

Sebastian intrigues me because he goes from condescending to proud at being Ceil's servant. He calls him Bocha (meaning little master) and I've learned that term is patronizing. Then he bows and acts amazed at Ceil's conviction, determination and ultimate sacrifice to see those who did him wrong dead.

For Sebastian, Ceil's blood is the best he's ever tasted. I guess enough to make him wait years to eat him. Hell maybe Ceil's like wine─he gets better with age.

At least I wouldn't get the heebie jeebies if he waited till Ceil was eighteen to eat him. :)

Sometimes I wonder if the innuendo is innuendo for something other than sex.

Resident Characters

These are what I call "fluff" support. They only serve as comedic relief and plot realization for what is very dark fantasy. I'd almost call it Gothic. These are the characters that live with Ciel & Sebastian in a large mansion. They aren't so bad as to not serve any other purpose without their own motivations but those motivations are to be loyal to Ceil & Sebastian.

"Finny" Finnigan

Finnian, usually referred to as Finny, is one of the most adorable of the group of shenanigan makers and is the household gardener of German descent.

Every time he tends to the garden, it is destroyed through an accident caused by his clumsiness.

He is portrayed as an innocent, optimistic character who loves his work, but is dubbed an idiot by Sebastian for destroying everything he touches in spite of being warned to take caution beforehand.

Finnian displays feats of superhuman strength, which he tries to suppress for fear of hurting others and risk of sabotaging his work.

The sequence, S-012, is tattooed on the nape of his neck and is usually covered by his straw hat, which was given to him by Ciel. Ciel bestowed Finny's name after Fionn mac Cumhaill from Fenian Cycle when he came into his employment.

He works as a gardener to spend as much time as possible outside, because prior for working for Ciel, he was an experiment subject that was kept locked up and forced to kill his friends.

Mey-Rin

Mey-Rin is the household maid of Chinese descent. Mey-Rin has extreme binocular acuity, which means she can see things really far away like looking through binoculars, and was given a pair of round glasses by Ciel, which she cherishes and refuses to give up.

The glasses limit Mey-Rin's eyesight and prevent her from viewing objects correctly at close-range, which causes her to be clumsy when doing her chores; however, Sebastian believes her main problem is her intelligence and not her eyesight.

She has a crush on Sebastian as she blushes whenever she is in his presence and is even clumsier when Sebastian is watching.

She is rather superstitious, but admits to having a soft spot for scary stories. Mey-Rin is a professional sniper and due to her sharp binocular vision, she does not require a scope to aid her.

She is also physically fit as she can use a sniper rifle like a handgun and keeps hundreds loaded at once to decrease reload time.

Baldroy "Chef"

Baldroy (also spelled as Bardroy), usually referred to as Baldo or Bard, is the household cook of American descent.

He rarely produces anything edible as he uses weaponry such as flamethrowers to cook, believing that cooking is an art requiring explosions.

Sebastian believes anything he creates is made up of charcoal and carcinogens.

Baldroy pursues cooking to learn how to slow down, as he states cooking takes patience to master, which was something he was not used to during his years in the military.

When he was a soldier, his entire platoon was wiped out, leaving him as the only survivor.

Sebastian discovered Baldroy on the battlefield after his comrades had fallen and offered him employment.

While terrible at cooking, he is shown to be capable of taking advantage of his surroundings, such as using fine flour to create an explosion.

Due to his experience as a soldier, he takes command over the servants when Ciel and Sebastian are away from the manor. Like Finnian and Mey-Rin, he provides much of the comic relief in the series.

Tanaka

Tanaka is the house steward of Japanese descent. He was present when Ciel's parents were killed and was stabbed in the back trying to protect Ciel. As a result, he rarely talks or does any work, but is always seen participating in the other servants' antics.

Sebastian seems to respect him the most out of all the staff. He is usually seen drinking from a Japanese tea cup and commonly seen as a chibi.

Despite his appearance, Tanaka is capable of killing intruders effortlessly.

Prior to Sebastian's appointment as Ciel's butler, Tanaka served as the head butler of the Phantomhive household for Ciel's father.

He is very loyal and kind to Ciel, and is strict when it comes to his duties.

Unlike the other servants, Tanaka is perceptive in Sebastian's actions, as well for the reasons behind them. I suspect Tanaka helped Sebastian on how to become a "real" butler.

When Sebastian is apparently 'murdered', Ciel appoints Tanaka as the head butler again, a position he fulfills nearly as well as Sebastian.

During the Emerald Witch Arc, Tanaka showed skill in slicing bullets fired at him with a sword, silently closing in his target; however, he admits that at his age, he cannot keep up such strenuous activity for long.

Supporting Characters

Grell Sutcliff

Grell (also spelled as Grelle) Sutcliff is a Grim Reaper who initially worked as Madam Red's butler (Ciel's aunt).

Grell and Madam Red formed a partnership in which they killed prostitutes. Grell wields a Death Scythe in the form of a chainsaw thus the chainsaw you see on the cover.

After killing Madam Red when she refused to kill Ciel, Grell dons her red coat for the rest of the series.

Grell is attracted to Sebastian (much to Sebastian's dismay) and other characters in the series, especially William T. Spears.

Grell is rather cunning, flamboyant, ruthless, bloodthirsty, jealous, gender confused and somewhat sadistic.

As a Grim Reaper, Grell is a capable fighter and is able fight equally against Sebastian (Though Sebastian holds his own).

Sebastian probably tolerates Grell because of his skill as a reaper who is an awesome fighter. But Grell can be duped by Sebastian when the demon pours on even a little charm.

The Undertaker

This sexy as hell former Grim Reaper and funeral director in London is the most dangerous of them all.

His identity as a rogue Grim Reaper was not revealed until later within the series, where he admitted that he was behind the resurrection of corpses known as the Bizarre Dolls.

Upon having his true nature exposed, Undertaker takes a more antagonistic role within the series. Prior to this, he acted as an informant to the Phantomhive family for many years.

Unlike the other Grim Reapers, he does not seem to require the need of glasses.

Like Sebastian, Undertaker has a fixation on humans, as well as the fundamentals of life.

Despite his eccentric & comical personality, Undertaker is a manipulative, ruthless, and enigmatic individual.

However, he has shown to care for Ciel deeply, as well as for the Phantomhive family. He was willing to kill Sebastian because he believes that Sebastian is making Ciel miserable, and also revived his twin brother in secret.

Honorable Mentions

Pluto

Pluto was a large demon hound that terrorizes the town of Houndsworth until Sebastian tamed him and brought him to the Phantomhive estate.

He was able to breathe fire, walked through barriers and shape-shifted into a human.

As a human, he retained his dog-like behavior. Although Sebastian hates dogs, Pluto took a liking to him and only listened to Sebastian's orders.

When Ash used him to set fire to the estate and burn London, Ciel ordered his staff to kill Pluto.

There are a shit-load of other characters. Some were mentioned, but I'm sticking with the main band of protagonists I loved. Otherwise this would be a Wikipedia entry, not a review.

My Review

Way back in 2006 I saw this manga in a Barnes & Noble and picked it up with a bit of interest. At that time I flipped through the book and felt the scenes a little more pedophilia-ish for my liking and set the manga down.

Fast forward a few years to the anime. I watched the first episode and I realized too late that this was the manga I did not want to read. But I was hooked on Ceil & Sebastian. Had I understood Sebastian was a demon from hell way back when I *might* have powered through the molestation undertones of a twelve-year-old boy. I do love fantasy & Syfy. I guess enough to look past a distasteful theme running in the background.

But the relationship between Sebastian and Ceil is interesting. Take this scene snapshot for example.

Ceil is clearly distrustful of the fiend while subconsciously knowing Sebastian is his savior, his servant, his teacher, his protector and ultimately his destruction.

Sebastian on the other hand whispers intel, knowledge and secrets while starving for Ceil's blood. He's a patient devil. A winged terror. A hungry demon. But he has moments of conflict when Ceil does show him trust. Ultimately, Sebastian wants his cake and eat it too.

Here is another great example of their relationship...

One theory is Sebastian has gone insane in the quest for Ciel's soul. I find that interesting because Ceil is the master that taught Sebastian patience, decorum and manners.

You might think a young boy has nothing to give but because of his horrible past Ceil is well beyond his age. I still don't condone Sebastian's sexual undertones to a minor but I do like the series.

I Would Recommend This to Fans of:

Demons

master/servant relationships

yaoi

Those who like Pedophilia themes

Work in Progress ♣ Handle With Care (July 2018) Update

Word Count 81K

Handle with Care

Chapter 16

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Why BLACK BALLED Reminds Me of DEAD POOL

Black Balled (Black Balled #1) by Andrea Smith & Eva Lenoir

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Jack the Bodice Ripper (Chapter 5)

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Jack the Bodice Ripper

The Remarkable Butler Anime I Never Thought I'd Like

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Main Characters

Ciel Phantomhive

Sebastian ​Michaelis

Resident Characters

"Finny" Finnigan

Mey-Rin

Baldroy "Chef"

Tanaka

Supporting Characters

Grell Sutcliff

The Undertaker

Honorable Mentions

Pluto

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I Would Recommend This to Fans of:

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Sebastian Michaelis