Senator, Mine

By Kerry Adrienne

Eleanor’s romantic tour of Italy shatters when her long-time boyfriend dumps her in Pompeii. Hoping an evening with a handsome Roman might save her trip, she contacts Madame Eve at 1Night Stand, then goes out to explore, buying a small golden signet in a mysterious antiquities shop near the Forum.

Darius, a hard-working Senator in Ancient Rome, is puzzled by the Sibyl’s words: You will not find love in your lifetime. Following her directions, he spots Eleanor, a barbarian wearing his stolen senator’s ring.

A night spent together may be just what they both need to break down the columns of time that stand between them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Decadent Publishing
• Release date: Apr 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781613332610

Kerry Adrienne

Kerry has loved writing and story-telling since she was a child reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. After reading Gone with the Wind, she was forever hooked on the power of books.She's a college instructor, editor, costumer, artist, cat collector and concert-goer. She enjoys anything creative except cake decorating. She loves loud music and her Mini-Cooper convertible, and spends a lot of time driving aroung plotting stories. 

Book preview

Senator, Mine

All Mine, Book 1

A 1Night Stand Story

By

Kerry Adrienne

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2012 by Kerry Adrienne

ISBN: 978-1-61333-261-0

Cover art by Mina Carter

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

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www.decadentpublishing.com

~DEDICATION~

To my Prince….

Chapter One

Eleanor made up her mind the instant she saw the sign, hand-scrawled in English. Antiquities Shop. She would buy something to help her forget about Peter.

She pushed the wooden door open and stepped inside. She’d been dumped before, but to be jilted while touring Pompeii—unforgivable. Peter had known how much she’d looked forward to visiting the archaeological site, and it had been cruel of him to break off the relationship as soon as the tour bus doors opened. He’d left her standing at one of the gated entrances to the ruined city and walked off toward New Pompeii without a backward glance. After that, the only ashes she could think of were the remains of four years of her life.

She had continued the tour alone. Rieti, Terracina, and Tivoli had blurred under her grief. As she entered Rome, her heartache had turned to frustration, with both Peter and herself. The Eternal City beckoned to her with its alluring charm, promising absolution. Or at least great shopping.

She opened her eyes wide in an attempt to see better in the darkened room. Rome would be hers. In spite of Peter. She took another step inside and the door clattered shut behind her, blocking the sunlight.

She shivered at the sudden change in temperature. July in Rome sweltered, and few places she’d visited offered air conditioning. The shop provided a welcome respite, though the coolness felt like a dusty museum’s chill, all marble and effigies.

Hello? As her vision adjusted to the dim light, the wares became more visible. Rows of shelves brimming with treasure and junk alike lined the walls. Grotesque statuary stood in fierce opposition to finer-chiseled figures, and pottery spilled in piles from every vacant spot. A narrow walkway led through the jumble of antiques and artifacts.

She clutched her shoulder strap and stepped into the fray of relics. Good thing Peter, the shopping downer, wasn’t here.

The scent of age hung in the shop. Dust and dirt–once a king’s ransom—and tithes to long-forgotten gods circulated in the cool air. The familiar warm odor of decaying papyri comforted her. Peter had always teased her about her archaeologist’s nose. Not anymore. She wondered if he’d planned to return to Indiana at all, or if the whole trip had been a ruse to get her to fund his travels and escape from the United States. She had expected him to propose. Imagine that!

Hello? Why was she obsessing about Peter instead of enjoying her trip? Is anyone here? She ran her fingers over the surface of a deep silver bowl set at chest height on the first row of shelving, touching the dents and ridges the bowl had suffered from hard use.

Yes, a soft voice laden with a thick Italian accent filtered through the clutter. Do you need help? Ah, it’s you. Madame Eve emailed you would be coming.

She