
My Hump Day Hook for the week comes from my January 1 release, Message from Viola Mari, published by Extasy Books. Meteorite scientist Marissa Jones is presenting her latest research at a conference in Prague. After her session, she decompresses with a stroll through the historic city.
I explored the
narrow cobblestone streets, stopping first at Old Town Square to see the Orloj,
a medieval astronomical clock. Gathering crowds gazed up the face of Old Town
City Hall’s ancient stone wall, waiting for the top of the hour, when the
Apostles and other moving sculptures stepped out of the clock. Every street in
Old Town offered a different surprise. Above arches, beneath pillars and along
many of the buildings’ ancient rooftops, shirtless men with rippling muscles
flexed and dresses draped fleshy, curvy women. All the statues looked like
superheroes—the men’s chests and abdomens were perfectly chiseled and the
women’s dresses looked like capes or wings. I admired their fortitude. I
imagined myself standing on top of a building, the wind rustling my wings,
rather than my jacket. Now my reality is
fantasy. A blissful laugh escaped my lips and echoed through the narrow
cobblestone corridor.
I walked back
to the hotel and ventured into the noisy hotel bar, slipped off my jacket and
hung it over the back of a chair. I ordered a Chardonnay and glanced around the
smoke-filled room. A moment later, the bartender set a wine glass down in front
of me with a clink and asked if I’d
like to start a tab.
“Let me pick
this one up.” A broad-shouldered blond man plunked down in the chair beside me
and leaned in my direction. “And please bring me a glass of Schnapps.” He
straightened his dark gray jacket and gazed at me.
“Have we met
before?” The Nordic man with the sexy bass voice looked vaguely familiar.
“Stefan Andersson.
We met briefly last year at the Stockholm conference.”
“Oh, yes. I
recall your fascinating presentation on SNC meteorites.” I noticed how his
muscular thighs pleasantly filled out his tweed slacks.
“Well, thank
you, Miss Jones. I’m quite flattered. But I didn’t come over to discuss
meteorites.” His gaze dropped down toward my breasts and he licked his lips.
“Really?” I sat
up a little straighter in my chair, pulling my jacket lapels in toward each
other. “So what did you want to discuss, Mr. Andersson?” I tugged my skirt down
a little lower when his blue eyes drifted from my bust line to my calves.
You can read Hump Day Hooks by other authors by following this link. If you enjoyed this excerpt from MESSAGE FROM VIOLA MARI and would like to read more, you can order it on Amazon.