Nobody's Perfect Cover Reveal with Unedited Excerpt, and Birthday Contest!

So happy to unveil the cover for NOBODY'S PERFECT, Damian and Savi's story. What an awesome birthday present! (Read on for an excerpt and link to a great birthday giveaway on Facebook.)


But whips AND chains. What's not to love? I don't know about you but I think it is beautiful. (Savi's a little underweight, but Master Damian will work on that with her.)

UNEDITED Excerpt from NOBODY'S  PERFECT © Kallypso Masters, 2012

For my excerpt, I take you to the opening pages of this book (#4 in the Rescue Me series). This is a few days before the scene in the epilogue of Nobody's Hero.

NOBODY'S PERFECT

Prologue

Savi circled another job listing in the classifieds as Christmas music played in the background. Office clerk. All her years of college and clinicals, she had finally achieved her dream of working as a social worker with young abuse victims. That work had ended abruptly three weeks ago. She needed to find a way to support her daughter and herself until her supervisor could fight Savi's recent firing with the higher-ups in the state's department of mental health services. Unraveling bureaucracy took time. She didn't have time.

Savi opened her laptop mini to update her résumé and do a cover letter, hoping to make it through several more letters before Mari got home from practicing for the children's pageant at church.

The doorbell interrupted her work some unknown amount of time later. She looked at the clock on her desk. Too early for Mari to be dropped off—unless something had happened. Heart hammering against her chest, Savi nearly ran to the front door and opened it, expecting to see one of the youth leaders from the church group.

Lyle.

Bile rose in her throat and she moved to slam the door again. Stupid. Why hadn't she looked through the peephole first? He wedged his foot into the doorway, keeping her from closing the door in his face.

"What kind of greeting is that for an old friend, Savannah?"

Not a friend. Enemy. She gasped to fill her lungs with much-needed air. Dangerous. She needed to get rid of him before Mari came home.

"What do you want, Lyle?"

"Invite me inside and we'll talk."

"You're not coming in. Now leave before I call the police."

He narrowed his eyes and Savi felt the familiar ligatures of fear circling her neck. Vile man. Could she fight him off?

"Let me in, Savannah, or you and your little girl will regret your misplaced bravery."

Marisol. Did he know where she was? Oh, God, she prayed. Don't let Mari come home early. She needed to get rid of Lyle. Now.

"Just state your business. I'm not letting you inside my…"

Without warning, Lyle leaned back then his body slammed against the door sending the edge of the wood into Savi's eye and cheekbone, hurtling her backward until she lay sprawled on the floor staring at his navy-blue dress pants and wingtip shoes. She shuddered as a memory enveloped her. Looking up at the angry man in the three-piece suit towering over her, she realized he didn't even muss a hair on his blond head.

"Ah, just where a slut like you needs to be, Savannah. At my feet. Now let's see if we can hear you scream the way you used to for me."

No! Memories of the degrading things he'd subjected her to at her father's orders, including a most shameful mark she could never erase, she turned over and got on all fours as she scrambled away. Just when she'd thought she was far enough away to stand up and set her feet to defend herself, Lyle's wingtip gouged into her side. The air whooshed from her lungs and she gasped to try and recover her breath.

"Your father asked me to bring you and his granddaughter to him. But I thought perhaps we would enjoy a little playtime first. For old time's sake. What your father doesn't know…"

Another blow struck her side near the same place and panic set in as her breathing became labored.

Breathe!

Maman, help me. Give me the strength to fight him off.

Savi pulled herself up using the hallway table and tried to regulate her breathing again. She turned to find Lyle smirking at her. Bastard. Picking up a brass candlestick from the table, she didn't hesitate as she swung it at his head, striking a blow she hoped had left him stunned. Not waiting for him to recover, she followed up by kicking him in the groin. He doubled over and fell to the floor. As he lay moaning, holding his privates as his head bled on her hardwood floor, she remembered the lessons in cutting off the blood flow to the brain that she'd learned from a veteran Marine who had studied with her in college. She cringed as she touched his neck, hating to place her hands anywhere on him, but finally found the point she sought in his neck and pressed—hard. She counted. By thirty seconds, Lyle's body grew even more limp. She didn't wait around to see how long he'd be out.

Running to the bedroom, she pulled out a suitcase to throw a few clothes into it, but when she tried to lift it, her breathing became constricted again, forcing her to leave it on the floor near the closet. After she filled half of it, she wheeled it to Mari's room and threw in some of her daughter's things, then zipped it up and wheeled it to the kitchen. After grabbing her purse and keys, she stumbled out the back door.

A black BMW sat parked behind her little blue Nissan. She glanced back at her bungalow. Home, but no longer her safe place.

No sign of Lyle yet, but she knew he wouldn't be unconscious forever. She fought to control her breathing again, but refused to escape into her head to dull the pain. Taking as deep a breath as she could and holding it, she swung the suitcase into the trunk and slammed the lid down. Oh dear Lord. She couldn't breathe! She pressed her arm against her chest and the place where Lyle had kicked her repeatedly as she opened the door, got behind the steering wheel, and turned the key in the ignition. She couldn't zone out now. She needed to get to San Miguel's…to Mari.

Then what?

Oh, Savi just breaks my heart! I so can't wait for her and Damian to be together and for him to slay her dragons! 

GIFT CARD & SWAG BIRTHDAY CONTEST

It looks like the book will be published May 31, so I continue to write and edit frantically. In the meantime, I'm celebrating my 54th birthday with a contest on at my Facebook author page . Yes, I am 54 today (April 24) so I am giving away some of the Rescue Me swag (bookmark, romance trading cards, pen, Master Adam "eyes on me" hand fan) AND a $54 gift card to the bookseller (winner's choice--Amazon, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, or Smashwords). Open internationally! Random drawing will be held April 25.


Head over to the author page to enter. Just "Like" the page and comment on the Birthday Blast Giveaway thread for a chance to win. (Look for the Nobody's Perfect photo and comment on that thread.)


Thanks for all who posted birthday greetings on my Facebook and Twitter walls! It's been an awesome day--and tonight I'll be having dinner with a fan! 


But first, I'd better get back to writing!