Intent on leaving the Date for Charity Auction, billionaire Mark Passmore vows not to bid—until he sees the gorgeous blond strut across the stage. Need overwhelms his senses. He has to have her.

With an etiquette drill sergeant and society snob for a mother, Rebecca Hathaway, a.k.a Ice Princess, accepts an extraordinary dare—one that lands her in the arms of her ex, except he doesn’t know it’s her.

After an explosively passionate night with Mark, Rebecca sneaks back to her mundane life of tea parties and book clubs. But she knows she’ll never be the same again.

Although he ended their relationship three years ago, Mark never stopped loving Rebecca. When he learns the truth of Rebecca’s role in the auction, will he forgive her for her betrayal or walk away once and for all?


Heat level - 3

Genre - Contemporary romance, erotica

Book cover by Dara England




~Love by Auction is our March, 2011 "Read for a Cure" story. All publisher proceeds during this month will be donated to the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life program.~




~Excerpt~

Slave? Laughter bubbled to her throat. “What do you mean? Slave for what? Like a chauffeur or butler for the day?”

Erin shook her head. “A slave, Bec. Anything you want him to be. The rest of the night alone with this person to fulfill any fantasy you have.”

Rebecca gasped and shot off the seat. “Why didn't you tell me this before?”

Erin smiled, a nervous glint in her eyes. “If I had told you, then you would have backed out, and Kelly would have won.”

Rebecca started to pace the small patch of carpet behind the chair to the door. Her life was over. Her mother was going to kill her, and she'd never be able to live this down.

Oh, God. Her brother. She whirled around to face Erin. “You have to get Lucas out of here.”

Erin's eyes widened. “I can't. Then he'll go and tell my parents.”

She glared. “Look, if I'm going down, you're going down with me.”

“Bec, if your mother finds out I was involved, my mother is going to disown me, especially if she can't go to any of Catherine's garden parties.” Erin moved to the vanity table and threw the rest of the make-up back in the cosmetics Caboodle. “You're right. We should just get out of here before Lucas and Mark sees us. At least I know neither of them won the bid with Kelly.”

Rebecca froze. “You're telling me that Mark bid on Kelly?”

Erin met her gaze in the mirror. “I heard one of them yell out a number from the back.”

Anger turned to rage. Her hand clenched a fistful of fishnet and lace as she stared at her reflection. Her blonde wig shined under the dressing room light, her done-up face emphasizing sultry eyes. Bright red lipstick covered her full lips. The swells of her breasts pushed to her chin, and fishnet garters peaked from under the frilly short layers of her skirt. The image in the mirror reminded her of Marilyn Monroe without the mole at her mouth. Though she looked more like a tramp in high-heels than an ice queen, her costume screamed seduction.

Power bloomed in her gut like a fierce energy uncapped.

A knock sounded at the door. “You're up!”

Rebecca jerked her head toward Erin, whose gaze filled with dread. “Give me my tiara.”

“Yo—you're going out there?”

With newfound confidence, she smiled at Erin.

“I'm taking Kelly down.”

And Mark Passmore is going to see what he gave up.




Author Bio:

An avid reader and writer, Clarissa Yip spends most of the time with her head stuck in the clouds or lurking behind the covers of romance novels, when she's not writing up a storm. Currently residing in Hawaii, Clarissa enjoys traveling all over the United States, so you'll never know where to find her. She also loves video games, scrapbooking, trying new foods, and of course, shopping. What woman wouldn't? Well, not exactly clothes shopping, but she does love tech toys. If there's a new gadget, then she'd most likely have it (even though she is not tech-savvy and is known for breaking things).

If you'd like to draw her out of her cave, please drop her a note on her website linked below or email her at clarissayip@gmail.com. She loves visits from her readers and friends. And check out what she's up to on Facebook and Twitter @clarissayip.