Sneak Peek Sunday!

It’s Sneak Peek Sunday!

I’ve just found out Loving Leonardo is a 2nd place winner in the OKRWA International Digital Awards! I’ve chosen a few of my favorite paragraphs to celebrate.

I sat Ellie and pulled a chair for Mrs. Ormont as she waited for her husband. A moment later, Colonel Ormont brought the historian to our table and made introductions. Luca Franco, late of Florence, was a Professor of Antiquities returning from London. I found the Italian quite the attractive fellow, impeccably dressed as he was. When in the presence of true beauty, my mind often imagines the person unclothed as the artists of the ages might have seen him. Sitting at my table was a statue carved in marble by Gian Lorenzo Bernini; an artist known for his remarkable ability to capture the essence of a narrative moment. And I found Luca Franco to be exactly that — a moment indelibly captured in time — a moment of meeting the mind could revisit in its entirety.

From every angle, he was beautifully made: black-haired, of medium build, and physically fit. He possessed a warm hue to his skin, his lineage no doubt stamped centuries past by the darker Moors or Turks. In startling contrast, and quite handsomely framed by black lashes, he had striking eyes the color one might see in a shadow falling across snow — not quite sky blue nor exactly steel gray, but a blending of the two in gradated rings.

I rose to shake his hand and felt the unmistakable current of compatibility. If this man weren’t forward in his mutual attraction, it was there nonetheless. I watched him bow over the ladies’ hands and found it curious that he lingered over Ellie’s fingers a tad longer. It made me smile. I had the distinct impression I was in the presence of a fellow dual-nature like myself.

The regular chit-chat occurring over the courses was quite enjoyable. There was a part of me, however, that would have been content to take my wife back to our stateroom and lose myself in the wonder of my newfound truth. Like the great navigators in ages past, the thought of uncharted lands titillated my imagination. I was anxious to explore her body, anxious to immerse in her heated places and scent, and smell and taste every part of her. I wanted to lose myself in the hedonistic feast of the senses I knew I’d find.

Ellie’s question pulled me from my imaginative foray. “Professor Franco, it’s my understanding that you are an authority on Leonardo da Vinci.”

Chuckling, he shook his head and replied in softly accented English, “You flatter me, Lady Halstead. As a professor of antiquities my work takes me into the far corners of the world’s history. The museum I work for sends me to procure various historical treasures. But where da Vinci is concerned, I wouldn’t say I’m an authority per se. You see, my interest is personal.”

Here’s the story

5-Stars
The subtle, yet wonderfully brilliant, inclusion of the art of the Renaissance Masters was delightful.

There‘s a sequel. Loving Leonardo – The Quest !

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I have another snippet up on my satellite blog

http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

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Join us today at Romance Books ‘4’ Us

for author Mahalia Levey’s blog day. http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com

And over on the RB4U website http://romancebooks4us.com
our fun July Contest will soon be starting. 

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