SevenDeadlySinsSeries

  SEVEN DEADLY SINS

  Lust (Part 1)

  Envy (Part 2)

  Gluttony (Part 3)

  Greed (Part 4)

  Sloth (Part 5)

  Wrath (Part 6)

  Pride (Part 7)

  By

  Laura B. Cooper

  Published by: Sea Island Press

  SEVEN DEADLY SINS

  Copyright © 2013 by Laura B. Cooper

  * Warning *

  All rights reserved under the international and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from another publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older.

  This book is for sale to ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains substantial sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

  License Notes

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

  Table of Contents

  LUST (Part 1)

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  ENVY (Part 2)

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  GLUTTONY (Part 3)

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  GREED (Part 4)

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  SLOTH (Part 5)

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  WRATH (Part 6)

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  PRIDE (Part 7)

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Other Books

  BONUS

  Chapter 1 from The Tramp Stamp Club

  “You really should let me take you shopping. Let’s get you New York stylin’ for your new job.”

  I studied my baby brother with a skeptical eye. We’d been residents of the city for all of one week, and already he’d redecorated our apartment twice. Now he thought I needed a make-over as well. He didn’t need much of a reason to shop on the whole but somehow living in the fashion center of the world only intensified his gluttony. “Do I need to remind you that our finances can’t handle much more of your shopping excursions Palmer?”

  “Oh come on Liz, let’s blow it out! Have some fun! There’s a stylin’ salon down the block. We could do some highlights, or even a blunt cut.” Palmer stood and pulled strands of my hair as he spoke, scanning each one for split ends. I couldn’t help but laugh at his antics. He’d grown to be so handsome. Blond waves of hair lightened by the South Carolina sun, and muscles developed from months of surfing lent him the full essence of youth. His blue eyes insured him luck with any man he desired.

  Our parents hadn’t known about Palmer’s sexual preference. I’d figured it out when he was six, but their bible thumping beliefs would have been shredded had they known. We’d always been close even though I’m four years older. My mother was forty-five when she had me, and they tried so hard for another child, and finally they were blessed with Palmer.

  I shook my head, “I just don’t think changing my look the day before I start a new job is a good idea. I mean, I might feel self conscious. Don’t you think?”

  Palmer held up his hand in deference, “Okay, okay. Well, at least let me help you pick out your outfit for your first day.”

  I chuckled. He was so damned cute when he pouted. “Alright, let me walk Nucy and then we’ll have a closet party!” I conceded with a smile. I couldn’t resist his little pouts; I’d never been able to. Truth be known, I’d always felt responsible for him.

  At the sound of her name our very senior Dalmatian climbed from her massive floor pillow and walked towards the door. She pawed at it lightly, informing us that she was ready for her walk. Back home on the tiny island just outside of Charleston we’d been able to just open the door and let her run in the yard. New York City life required us to take her on lengthy walks in Central Park. And although I didn’t mind, the towering concrete buildings were weighing me down with an abundance of noise and activity. The greenery and outright beauty of the park seemed to inspire me, filling my head with craft ideas and pampering myself.

  Neither Palmer nor Nucy seemed to care the least bit about the hustle and bustle of New York. Palmer was thriving in the city that never sleeps, and he’d already started classes at the Fashion Institute. A few of his professors had taken notice of him, and I suspected that it wouldn’t be long before his talents would wow them all. Yes, he was at home here in this city. I on the other hand felt overwhelmed and a little scared most of the time.

  “Let’s go Nucy!” I climbed from the deep brown leather sectional Palmer had chosen for our apartment and walked towards the front door. Hooking Nucy’s leash onto her collar I glanced back at my brother, “You want to come with us?”

  Palmer was pulling a bottle of wine from the refrigerator and looked up at me. “No, think I’m gonna go through your closet and start putting together a few possibilities,” he said as his tanned hands brushed the blond curls from his eyes.

  “Have it your way. But it’s a beautiful day outside!” I shut the door behind me as Nucy and I headed towards the elevator. My phone buzzed in my pocket as I pushed the button and waited for the doors to open. It had to be Aunt Kerry. She called every day now that we’d move out of state; I couldn’t blame her for worrying about her only niece and nephew. The elevator doors opened as I glanced down at my phone; blindly I stepped inside. “Hello?” I answered my cell phone feeling an instant tug on Nucy’s leash. “Whoa Nucy!” I said as she yanked me further inside the elevator car. Instantly I saw what she’d been attracted towards; another Dalmatian instantly began sniffing her. I pulled tight on her leash trying to pull her away from the nosy dog.

  “Liz?” Aunt Kerry’s voice sounded through my phone as I looked up to apologize to the man holding the leash of the Dalmatian. My knees began to buckle as soon as my eyes strained upwards at the sight of him. I took immediate note of the amazing aroma roaming through the elevator as my eyes traced his heavy chest towards his face. It was manly, earthy almost. It was the unmistakable smell of a strong man and his dog. All southern women know that smell; it draws us like flies. Then my eyes locked onto his, and I leaned heavily against the elevator wall. His eyes were the color of luscious chocolate; they pulled me into him like a magnet. He loomed over me with a curious look as our dogs circled one another in greeting. But I was in awe of him now; Nucy’s leash becoming tangled was no long
er one of my concerns. I couldn’t take my attention away from the new dog’s owner. The man’s body would make an Olympian jealous. He was simply massive. Dark brown curls roamed casually over his head, his hair was a little on the long side. Not a professional, I thought. The men I am accustomed to in law school had worn their hair short; it exemplified the law profession as a whole. Long hair would seem nearly disrespectful to southern judges, at least that’s the impression our law professors had given us. Lawyers trained in Charleston needed to be neat and organized. Long curly hair was a definite no no. Of course, there was always the interesting lawyer who would break all the unwritten rules and still succeed, but they were rare. I guessed this man was a model, or better yet, a body builder. Maybe even a personal trainer?

  “So sorry!” I bent low to untangle Nucy’s leash.

  “Liz?” the voice from my phone drug me back into reality. I held the phone to my ear, “Oh Aunt Kerry, can I call you right back? I’m in the elevator… there’s another dog… Nucy is going crazy…”

  “Sure Lizzie, is everything alright?” Aunt Kerry worried about us constantly; I could hear the strain in her voice.

  “Oh yeah, everything’s fine… um… it’s just… um… I’ll call you back.” I didn’t seem to be able to concentrate long enough to form a full sentence with his man standing near me. I clicked End on my phone and shoved it into my pocket, glancing up at him apologetically.

  He gazed down at me with a look of pure entertainment. A smile hinted across his finely shaped lips. “Hand me the leash,” he said sternly, almost as if it were an order. His voice was deep and smooth.

  “What?” I was completely flustered by his masculinity in such close proximity. Butterflies fluttered through my chest and some invisible electric force sparkled between us.

  “If you hand me your leash, I can un-tangle them,” he said as a smile worked its way across his chiseled face. A touch of an accent flared with his sensual voice: what was it? Australian? English, that’s it, he’s English. His face was a bit scruffy, as though he’d had a long, relaxed weekend. His wrinkled blue button down shirt was un-tucked and faded jeans led the way to tanned feet that only wore a pair of leather flip flops. All of the men I’d met in New York so far had a sense of fashion that just didn’t appeal to me. They seemed to strain to dress themselves in the mornings, and most of them tried too hard. Their hair stood in spikes on their heads, and it was considered attractive here! They came across as overdone and uncomfortable. This man’s casual, thrown together appearance warmed more than my eyes.

  “Are you okay?” his velvety voice sounded concerned as he leaned forward and began unwinding the leashes.

  “What? Oh yes, I’m fine. Here!” I gathered enough of my wits to comprehend what he was asking. “Sorry,” I said as I slid Nucy’s leash from my hand and passed it to him. His thick hand touched mine as I laid the leash into his palm. That was when I felt it, the magnetic pull that my body had towards his skin. My finger traced the leash in his hand as our eyes riveted towards the sensation I felt when we lightly touched. His brow furrowed and he studied me with a new curiosity. Had he felt it too? It’d been so strikingly clear to me!

  He turned his attention back to un-winding the leashes, “She’s lovely. What’s her name?”

  I startled, his voice sent twinges of excitement coursing through my veins. “Nucy. It’s short for Nuscience. She was our father’s dog.” It was an awkward sentence, one I immediately regretted. Somehow I’d instantly turned into a bumbling idiot.

  “Ah, well she’s lovely. I’m Carlton,” he said, his hand outstretched in greeting.

  My hand was compelled into his as if my body had a mind of its own. Again the current that ran between us melded our hands together. I felt danger in his touch; this was a dangerous man, and I could sense it instantly. “Liz,” I whispered, no longer able to control the tone of my voice.

  He grinned down at me, his eyes burned into my soul. I had the impression that this man wasn’t nearly as casual or friendly as he appeared. Every fiber of my being was warning me, telling me to ride the elevator downstairs and hide in the park with Nucy until I was sure he’d gone his own way. But I still held my hand in his, unable to pull away under his gaze.

  “Nice to meet you Liz. Are you new to the building?” his eyes seemed to penetrate my uncertainty and make me doubt myself. He was astoundingly gorgeous! I wanted to examine my hand for some kind of super glue, something that was binding mine to his. But I couldn’t make myself pull away. It was an overly long handshake, both of us knew it. I felt like a schoolgirl, an unpracticed cheerleader who suddenly found herself in the presence of a real man.

  “Yes. My brother and I just moved here a week ago. He’s going to college here.” My voice sounded childish and silly against the metal elevator walls. I drew in a deep breath when the doors opened on the ground floor.

  Quickly I pulled my hand from his and stepped from the elevator. “Um, Liz, aren’t you forgetting someone?”

  I turned and looked back towards him; he was standing outside the elevator doors holding both dogs’ leashes in his hand. “Oh uh, sorry,” I reached out and snatched Nucy’s leash from his outstretched hand. Was it possible for me to be any more awkward?

  His massive fingers grabbed my hand as I took the leash; he stilled me in his grasp. “See you around, Liz.”

  My heart fluttered at his voice, “Yep.” I couldn’t help it, I felt so infantile next to him. His size dwarfed me, his amazing looks intimidated me, and his voice made me want to push him against the wall and suck his tongue straight from his mouth.

  Nucy and I made a beeline for the park across the street without turning back. My mind immediately began rationalizing what had just happened. Had I really felt an electric shock when he touched me? This was no time for a damned crush! I was starting a new job tomorrow. I only moved here to keep an eye on Palmer. I’d been offered much better positions in law firms in Charleston, but Palmer was the only thing left of our small family and being halfway across the country from him wasn’t an option. No, this was absolutely not the time for me to get a crush on the guy upstairs. Palmer had patiently waited for me to finish law school, now it was his turn. He wanted a career in fashion design and had been accepted at the New York School of Design. I’d felt like I had no choice other than to follow him here. The scars on his emotional well being after finding our mother dead had left him unstable at times, and without me to remind him to take his meds daily he could become irrational and unpredictable. Honestly, I was afraid to leave him alone for long periods. That settled it; this was the worst time possible for me to crush on some amazing looking man.

  The smells and noise of New York swarmed around me. I’d never fully appreciated our home town, Charleston, South Carolina until we moved here last week. I already owned a drawer full of ear plugs, and I could close off the noises, but the scents refused to be shut out. Every step I took seemed to hold a different smell. Hot dog vendor carts, braised beef carts, nuts, anything that could possibly be cooked in a street cart was available within steps of our building. Nucy’s ears perked as she sniffed the sidewalk heading towards a pretzel vendor. I tugged her leash and lost myself in the park. I had no time for a new man in my life. As charming as he was, I needed to push the alluring Mr. Carlton to the back of my mind. This was my time in life to pad my resume in a fancy New York law firm, not get my heart broken by a scary supermodel.

  *-*-*-*-*

  I spent the rest of the evening rolling the thought of Carlton around in my head. I couldn’t help it, and I know it was definitely not what I needed. What I really needed was a good night sleep. However, I couldn’t deny my desire for him. It’d been a long time since I felt this way, and now I’m here all alone in New York with no one to take care of it.

  Rolling onto my side I opened the top drawer to my bedside table. My usual mess of papers, a sleeping mask, ear plugs, all those earrings that no longer had a mate, they were all in there. Somewhere, under al
l this mess I was sure it was there. I pushed junk from one side of the drawer to the other until I finally found it. The little blue bullet.

  It wasn’t much to look at, and certainly evoked no special meaning, especially about sex. It was a little over five inches, not much wider than my index finger, and its smooth blue plastic shell hid our special connection. It was the only one I felt comfortable enough to buy for myself. However, once turned on its powerful little buzzer was more than enough to satisfy me. And since my last disappointing relationship, it was the one thing I could turn to.

  I held it tight in my hands, warming it to my skin as I pulled the covers up to my neck. Perfect, I thought, sliding it down my stomach to my mound. I slid it up and down over my panties. It’s hard plastic shell pressed against my folds, and I moved it up and down a few times while I readied myself. I could only imagine what he looked like. My guess was his chest and abdomen were riddled with muscles, and I imagined running my finger tips over each and every one as I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck. I remembered the smell of his cologne, and thought how wonderful it would be to smell it again; strong, masculine, yet clean and refreshing.

  I twisted the end of the bullet as it roared to life in my hands. Nearly breaking my self induced trance. I shut my eyes tightly, remembering his chiseled face with the five o’clock shadow, and those eyes. Liquid chocolate, that’s what they reminded me of; deep and dark, yet welcoming and comforting. I could get lost in his eyes alone.

  No longer able to keep it off my skin as I imagined Carlton’s strong hot fingers pressing against me, I ran the buzzing bedmate up and under my panties and across my clit. My nipples reacted to the electric jolt that shot through my entire body. I pressed it harder into my clit, reaching up with my free hand to cup my breast. My mind raced as I moaned to myself, reveling in the dream that was: Carlton.

  My fingers began to tingle as the first wave of my orgasm crashed against my vibrator. I held on, squeezing my nipple harder now as I rode it out, hoping the feeling would never end. I could see him towering over me, holding himself above me as I plunged my little blue friend deep inside, and finished off my orgasm. I drifted off to sleep with the thoughts of him holding me in his strong arms.