A Stopover from Justine Elyot About Shared Tastes

I always love having Justine on the blog, so here's another one of her awesome posts. I wish I could live in this book, it's right up my alley! An auto-buy, for sure.

Shared Tastes

I'd like to say thank you, first of all, to Elise for her kind hospitality. It's great to be here!

When it comes to my characters, I often share some tastes with them. Sometimes we like the same music, sometimes we have the same hobby, sometimes one of them even steals an item of clothing from my wardrobe. And, of course, we share a taste for sexual adventure, usually of a kinky variety.

Jasper and Sarah in By His Command, my new Mischief novella, are no different. I have a lot in common with both of them – especially their love of history. Sarah is an historian, and Jasper an avid collector of antiques. When the book (which is a sequel to His House of Submission) opens, Sarah is working at a Victorian House museum while Jasper is working on the script for his next movie – a story of forbidden passion set in a Victorian house... I wonder where he might think of filming it…

Here's an excerpt:

'What's this film all about then?' I asked. Surely it couldn't be a porn flick? Perhaps it was.

'Sex,' he said, grinning and strutting around in his riding breeches. 'My God, I should wear these more often,' he said, slapping his thighs. 'I feel like a panto principal boy. Where are the matching boots? And, most importantly, the riding crop?'

'Is there a riding crop in the film?' I asked, my mouth now dry and the words sounding small and fearful.

'Whatever I want to be in the film will be in the film,' he said, posing in front of the chimney piece mirror. 'So, yes, I'd say a riding crop was a given.'

He turned to smirk at me.

I was wearing my bra and a pair of linen knee-length drawers, the type with a flap at the rear that could be opened to reveal the buttocks.

'But what's the script about?' I persisted, wishing Jasper would, for once, give a simple answer to a simple question.

'I'm sorry. You're getting anxious again, aren't you? You finish getting dressed and I'll tell you.'

He sat down in a plush armchair, watching me release my breasts then cover them again with a short, light chemise.

'The script's about social inequalities in the nineteenth century,' he said. 'It's supposed to shine a light on present day conditions. The Poor Law translating to benefit cuts and so forth. The central relationship is between a cruel upper-class bastard and his hapless maid.'

'It sounds rather grim.'

'It has a happy ending. She makes him see the error of his ways. At least, it's happy for her, because she inherits his wealth when he commits suicide.'

'God, we aren't re-enacting that bit, are we?'

He laughed. 'No. We aren't re-enacting anything. We're just role-playing around the theme, I think. Nothing is set in stone quite yet. I want to see how these scenes will work.'

'What scenes?'

'Our cruel upper-class bastard feels threatened by the maid's serene acceptance of every humiliating burden he casts upon her. He senses her resilience and her fortitude and it makes him mad. He wants to break her spirit. He is the Victorian patriarchy, do you see, getting increasingly wound up about the growing demands for female emancipation. He knows he isn't going to get away with crushing them forever, but he'll have a good go in the short term.'

'I see. Very deep. And this metaphorical spirit-crushing gives you the chance to film loads of kinky whipping scenes, am I right?'

'Of course! And why not?'

'It won't do much to quell those rumours about you,' I cautioned.

'Oh, I think I'm coming to terms with that,' he said, rising from his chair. 'In every life there comes a time when we have to own what we are. Don't you think?'

Don't you? If you do, maybe you'd like to take a look at the blurb.

Sarah and Jasper Jay are back for more kinky fun. But this time will it lead to a commitment that reaches beyond mere games of passion? The sequel to Justine Elyot’s bestselling His House of Submission.Sarah’s new job as a costumed guide at a Victorian museum suddenly becomes more tense when Jasper Jay, her lover and master, appears without warning. Jasper is scouting the museum for a film about the sexual misbehaviour of 19th Century lords and the women in their service. A cover story that will allow him to indulge their private fantasy life in authentic surroundings.Beyond the risky role play, under the eyes of Sarah’s colleagues, Jasper’s presence also puts him within reach of Sarah’s family who know nothing of her secret relationship with the world famous film director. But such a dangerous proximity to her family threatens to spoil their fun while forcing Jasper to think seriously about their future.Is this just all a game after a crazy summer fling, or will it free them from their respective pasts?

It's available now from Barnes and Noble as well as Amazon, and ARe

Thank you for reading!