It’s
release day for THE DEVIL’S CONTRACT by Claire Contreras! We have an excerpt to
share with you today, but we are the THIRD stop of the excerpt chain, so if you
haven’t read the rest of the excerpt, stop here and go back. The group’s are
listed below.
Title: THE DEVIL'S CONTRACT
Author: Claire Contreras
Age group: Adult
Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber
Synopsis:
He gave them a choice.
She took it.
He made her promise two years.
She should have known there was a catch.
EXCERPT
“My father owes Philip over four million dollars?”
she asked, glancing at the paper. It sounded like a shriek, and she looked
around quickly to make sure nobody had overheard.
“Correct.
Plus…” Vivienne pointed at the rest of the columns.
Amara
gaped at Vivienne. “This can’t be right,” she whispered.
In total, Amara’s father
owed Philip over ten million dollars. Ten
million. Vivienne took out all of the statements paid and the bank account
information. Page upon page was filled with numbers. It was further
confirmation that Amara was stuck in a bind—one
that she wasn’t sure she could get out of.
“How will I ever make that
kind of money? How will I ever pay that back?” she asked as the ropes in her
chest continued to coil and tighten.
“Like I said, you will be
making a lot of money,” Vivienne said.
“What kind of job is
this?”
“You’ll
be compensated to be at the service of very wealthy men, sometimes women.
Mostly men. Some are government employees, some are Wall Street, some are
bored, and all are wealthy.”
“When
you say service…”
“I mean service. Could be a number of
things, though I don’t think Philip wants you to perform any sexual favors for
them, as he’s just cashing in on what he’s owed.”
Amara
hugged her body as a shiver ran through her. “Sexual favors? Wouldn’t that make
me a whore?”
“Terms such as whore leave such a
distaste in my mouth,” Vivienne said.
Amara’s
mouth dropped. Vivienne didn’t really refute the idea, which gave Amara no
peace of mind. What in the world had she signed herself up for?
“But I mean, my
father…I’ll have to consult with him, I’m sure he’s been able to pay Mr. Philip
some money back. And they must have come to some sort of agreement. I mean…”
Amara looked at the papers in front of her, again hoping an answer would pop
out at her.
“Oh,
child, but you are the agreement,” Vivienne said. “Amir signed off on it. It
was how he got out of his end of the bargain.”
She opened the briefcase
once more and took a small stack of legal-sized papers out, sliding them to
her. Amara raised the stack in her shaky hands and leafed through it. It was a
contract. Her head felt light as her eyes scanned the pages, and she was sure
that if she hadn’t been sitting down, she would have passed out.
“Ohmygod.”
Amara’s mouth hung open as
she stared at her father’s signature on page six under “TERMS OF AGREEMENT.”
The tears filling her eyes began to fall onto the paper as she tried to make
sense of her situation. Her father, who had been so adamant in keeping her out
of this whole thing before, had signed off on her? This couldn’t be right.
“I have to call him,” she
managed to choke out, before sliding out of the booth and running to the back
of the diner. The phone rang twice before he picked up.
“Amara,
how are you?” her father answered.
“I
just got a visit from a lady who showed me a contract that you signed off on so
that I can be some sort of whore. Dad…how could you?” she asked, her voice
breaking.
The
line was silent.
“Dad?”
she said, wiping the tears trickling down her face.
“They
said you wouldn’t perform any sexual favors, just keep them company, Amara. It
will be good money. I wouldn’t just sign off like that,” her father explained
lamely.
She
wondered if he signed it because he wasn’t planning, willing, or able to pay
any of the money back. Amara felt
sick at the thought of her own father using her as an out. For what? So he
could continue his gambling habit?
“Your
mother needs this, Mara,” he said quietly. “Her health is very, very bad.
Philip knows a great doctor that can help her.”
Amara
closed her eyes and let the liquid seep through her long lashes. Her mother.
She had to think about her mother’s health.
“Does
she know?” she asked, hoping he could hear her whisper.
“No!
This is between me and Philip.”
“And
me!” Amara said, grinding her teeth together.
“You
agreed to this!” His voice was hard. She could picture him glaring at her and
stuffing his hands in the pockets of his slacks, the way he did when he was
angry.
“I
was seventeen!” Her voice was a hoarse yell, and was welcomed by silence. After
a long moment of no response, she spoke up again.
“Are you still gambling?”
She began wiping the latest tears away as her rage continued to overshadow her
sadness.
“I…Amara,
you know it helps me release stress. I’m very stressed in my job and with your
mother’s health.”
“So
you are?” she repeated. “Say it, damn you. I want to hear you say it!”
“I
am,” he all but whispered.
His
words punched her in the chest with each syllable.
“You put your debt
responsibilities on your twenty-two year old daughter, yet you’re still
gambling? You don’t care about Mother. You don’t care about my future or me.
You only care about yourself.”
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GIVEAWAY:
About
the Author:
Claire Contreras graduated with her BA in Psychology from Florida
International University. She was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in
Miami, Fl, where she currently resides with her husband, two boys, and two
American Bulldogs.
Life is short, and it’s more bitter than sweet, so she tries to smile as often as her face allows. She enjoys stories with happy endings, because life is full of way too many unhappy ones.
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