Today's Teaser is from Terry Talley Ventures, author of Carbon Copy
Lilly Allen has brains, beauty, and a
trust fund. She's living in New York City and her career as a reporter is
taking off. She's hoping the love of her life, Grier, will propose soon. She has it all, or so she thinks.
Grier Garrison, Create Life
executive, is running the company while his father, Dr. Michael Garrison, is in
the ICU awaiting a heart transplant. Grier knows the truth about Create Life
and its shady side business. He fears Lilly and her twin brother, Luke, are in
danger.
While working on two unrelated
stories, stolen newborns and cloning, Lilly discovers a shocking connection.
Horrific things are happening, but who is behind it all?
Excerpt:
“Aahh. Ooh, yeah! It feels so good,” Lilly said to the young girl who gave her a pedicure at a nearby resort.
Excerpt:
“Aahh. Ooh, yeah! It feels so good,” Lilly said to the young girl who gave her a pedicure at a nearby resort.
The spa resided at the fanciest
resort in Marathon Key. And it proved simply divine. Lilly’s robed figure
reclined on a massage chair. She programmed the chair to full-body, vibrate
mode. Her feet soaked in the miniature whirlpool bath filled with scented
moisturizers. The aromatherapy relaxed her while the micro beads exfoliated the
dead skin off her feet.
Wearing heels caused calluses,
which now built up on Lilly’s feet. The effect seemed exacerbated by the
wonderful fashion style of not wearing pantyhose.
Lilly sat in front of a window
overlooking the blue-green water of the Gulf of Mexico, or did she see the
Atlantic Ocean? Who cared, the view was marvelous. The clear blue sky, calm
water, and miles of open sea provided much needed serenity. Even more
fortuitous, Mother, who enjoyed her pedicure in the massage chair right next to
Lilly, remained silent.
Guilt filled her for leaving Luke
alone for an afternoon, but she couldn’t pass up a gourmet lunch, white wine,
and hours of pampering.
The nail technician asked Lilly if
she decided on a color. Of course,
she thought, Hooker Red. Having made
probably the most difficult decision of the day, besides what to eat and what
to wear, Lilly took a sip of her white-wine.
Picking up the latest issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, she flipped
through the colorful pages. She loved to look at all the beautiful people,
catch-up on the celebrity gossip, and read the articles about dating and sex.
Crossing the task off of her mental ‘to-do’ list for the trip, she contemplated
whether or not to upgrade her upcoming facial to include a hydrating, botanical
mask. Why not?
The next hour flew by. Before she
knew it, Lilly found herself in the facial room. Her body was wrapped in a
heated cocoon of blankets on a slightly inclined, cushioned massage table. The
tranquility of the room relaxed her with the soft music and the aromatherapy
candles. And she laid naked—okay, not completely naked. She was Charlotte
Allen’s daughter after all. So she left her thong on.
Lilly waited for the esthetician
to arrive and begin her magic. She shuddered to think of how clogged her pores
were. Layers of camera-ready make-up, coupled with the bright lights of the
television studio, wreaked havoc on her precious skin. She dreaded the upcoming
extraction of the built-up gunk in the pores of her nose and chin because it
always hurt.
A lady poked her head in the door.
“I just wanted to let you know the appointments are running a few minutes
behind. Will you be comfortable lying here for a few more minutes?”
Seriously?
Given the idle time, and her cell
phone, she placed a quick call to Rachel. Lilly left her a long voicemail
describing the Keys and the spa. She loved to rub it in.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway
just as she finished leaving a voicemail for Rachel. She turned off her cell
phone and shoved it under the blankets so she wouldn’t get in trouble for the
contraband. According to the sign on the wall, the spa enjoyed a relaxed
atmosphere and all cell phone usage was strictly verboten.
The door opened, and Lilly heard
the esthetician walk in. “Are we comfortable?” Lilly thought the voice sounded
artificially high-pitched, like she attempted to disguise her voice.
“Yes, I’m very relaxed.” Lilly
hoped her apprehension did not appear evident in her voice.
“Good.” A pillow covered Lilly’s
head with a brutal force. “Because today is the day you’re going to die, you
little bitch!”
Lilly’s legs flailed in reflex to
the lack of oxygen flowing to her lungs. Her arms proved useless in their vain
attempts to remove the pillow held securely in place by the assailant. Lilly
instinctively grabbed the only blunt object within reach—her BlackBerry. With
every ounce of strength, she swung her arm, and makeshift weapon, blindly
aiming up towards the assailant’s nose—bull’s eye!
Instantaneously, the pressure
released from the pillow. Lilly gasped for air in desperation to fill her lungs
with oxygen. Lilly turned to see her attacker covered her bloody nose in agony.
She knew this allotted little time for escape.
Lilly kicked off the constricting
blankets and freed her legs. As she sat up, her eyes spotted the vaporizing
machine. The red ‘on’ light glowed mercifully. She picked up the machine and
hurled it towards the person’s head—double bull’s eye. The woman’s forehead
cracked the water vestibule open and the hot, steamy water scalded her face.
With the assailant occupied, Lilly
hopped off the table, clutching the blanket to her bosom, and ran as fast as
she could out of the facial room. And she didn’t stop running until she reached
the safety of the crowded hotel lobby.
Author Bio: Terri received her
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Master’s degree in Taxation from the
University of Florida. She is a licensed CPA and a Second Degree Black Belt in
Taekwondo. She lives in St. Augustine, Florida, with her husband, Garrison, and
their two sons.
Carbon Copy is the 1st thrilling novel in the Elements of Mystery Series.
The title of each novel will contain an element from the Periodic Table of
Elements. Terri recently finished writing Tin
Roof, the sequel to Carbon Copy, coming
soon from Wild Child Publishing. And Terri’s
romantic/suspense novel, Body of Gold, is coming soon from Freya’s
Bower. For more about Terri’s upcoming releases, please visit her website http://www.elementsofmystery.com/
On the first of each
month, Terri also posts free short stories on her blog. Follow her at http://www.territalleyventers.blogspot.com/as she weaves her way
through the Periodic Table of Elements.
4 comments:
Congrats on your release Terri! Great to have you on my blog today!!
This scene was insprired by the spa at Amelia Island Plantation near Jacksonville Florida. I was on a company retreat about 10 years ago for my old day job. I started writing this scene with no idea what would happen next, and all of the sudden someone attacked Lilly.
Thanks again for having me Jenn. I'm so excited to see my first book published =)
Congrats, Terri!
That spa sounds mighty fine right now! Thanks Cherie!
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