No Deal

Professional Reviews

Reviews for NO DEALby Christy Poff

5 Blue Ribbons! “Christy Poff writes intense storylines in many different genres and never fails to captivate me with the twists and turns she adds throughout the plot. With her newest release, NO DEAL, readers are introduced to Alicia and Blake, two characters who fall in love despite the obvious danger her husband presents. I have to confess to a morbid fascination with Lohan’s underhanded and abusive practices and how unremorseful he is about anything he’s done. Alicia has suffered his abuse for so many years it’s easy to understand how difficult it is to break the hold he’s had on her but Ms. Poff does an amazing job depicting just how much strength and determination she possesses. If you're a hockey fan then I think you'd take great pleasure in the amount of care Ms. Poff puts into the rink and team scenes but even if you aren't then you'll certainly appreciate the friendship and amount of effort the team puts into their beloved sport.”
~ From Chrissy at Romance Junkies

Excerpt

Excerpt for NO DEALby Christy Poff

Walking into the huge Beacon Hill mansion of Lohan Billings did not have the required effect on Blake Atherton that it did on others who walked around gaping at old Boston money and what it had bought over the years. Having grown up in the same affluent area of Boston, this house just showed how ostentatious some of the residents’ lives had become. The holiday décor didn’t help either.

“ Atherton, how are you?” a voice called as it came nearer.

“ Good, George, and you?”

“ Wishing I could get away with your life,” George Carson replied. He and Blake had been friends for years but while Blake enjoyed life, George lived a very controlled, keeping-up-appearances one. Both men sat on several corporate boards and took part in various charity functions but that’s where the similarities ended.

“ You could always join us,” Blake said, referring to the minor league hockey team he played on.

“ Yeah, and my wife would shoot me before I ever made it to the ice,” George stated. “You know that.”

Blake nodded, grateful he’d been strong enough to know what he wanted from life and able to get it without pissing anyone off.

“ I keep telling you…”

“ I know, I know…”

“ So what’s on tonight’s agenda?”

“ Charity auction—you know how he runs things.”

“ Refresh my memory,” Blake said. “Remember, I spent last year on the road with away games.”

“ Lohan Billings has things donated for his auction—weekend getaways, intimate dinners, the like—and ends the evening by auctioning off several gorgeous women for the evening or whatever the bidder who wins wants to do with them. The grand finale comes when he puts his own wife up only no one ever outbids him so he spends a lot of money, his marriage remains safe and everyone’s happy.”

“ And how does his wife feel about this?”

“ I don’t think she has much of a choice. In his way of thinking, his word is final and she’ll go along with it without question.”

“ Hell of a way to live,” Blake muttered.

“ Tell me about it. It would be one thing if she looked like an ugly broad but this woman is gorgeous. She has a quiet elegance about her but the marriage had been arranged by their parents so she’s had nothing to say about how her life runs. Old world, old money, old morals…”

“ Barbaric,” Blake said, shaking his head and hating that the world had moved into the twenty-first century yet he stood in the home of a man who still lived in the Victorian era. That sucks…

The guests made their way into the ballroom where a huge sit-down dinner waited for them. Blake and George found seats in the back of the room then watched the evening unfold.

* * * *

Lohan Billings fixed his bow tie then turned to find the jacket to his tuxedo. At six foot three, he had the ability to cast an intimidating shadow on those he dealt with and usually walked away with what he wanted or more. Gray-haired and handsome, his looks belied his ruthlessness though those close to him knew he could be meaner than a snake.

He went across the hall to his wife’s room to check on her.

“ Alicia, it’s time to greet our guests.”

“ I’m just finishing up,” she replied from her dressing room.

“ Let me see what you’re wearing,” he quietly commanded. “After all, the sexier you look, the more money we raise.”

“ Do we have to go through with my part in the auction?”

“ Yes.”

“ It’s humiliating being sold like a piece of meat.”

“ You know you’re safe,” he reminded her. “After all, who always makes the highest bid?”

“ That’s not the point. I don’t like it.”

“ It doesn’t matter what you like, now does it? You are my wife and this is how we run the annual charity auction.”

“ Surely you can find someone else with more assets to get you the top bids…” she stated.

“ You bring elegance to the evening. Every man in the room wants what I have and for a few moments, one comes close but fails to outbid me.”

Alicia emerged from her dressing room wearing a classic black haltered gown.

“ Change into something else,” he ordered.

“ Lohan, please…” she begged, this scene having played out many times before.

She watched him go into her dressing room, one she thought to be her private space until she learned about his cameras, and come out with one of her designer gowns. A regal blue Tadashi, the sequined bodice showed off her figure. Soft and high-waisted, the extremely voluminous skirt gracefully fell from her hips training around her feet.

“ There and make sure you wear something underneath to accentuate your cleavage.”

“ I feel like a whore doing this.”

“ Darling, just do as you’re told and you might walk away from this unscathed.”

“ What does that mean?”

“ I’m tired of going through this every time we are supposed to appear in public or the annual auction. Keep pushing and I’ll find someone who’ll gladly replace you.”

“ Then divorce me and get it over with.”

“ Oh, no, my darling wife, I’ll kill you before another man ever touches you or your money.”

“ Then just get it over with. I hate my life and I hate you. We’ve never been happy…”

“ If I had someone else to replace you at the end of this, I’d beat you senseless for your insolence.”

He went to her, ripping the dress she wore from her.

“ Get dressed,” he muttered as she grabbed at the black gown to cover herself.

Billings threw the blue gown at her and went back to his room to get ready for the evening as if nothing happened. He could see her glaring at him in the mirror and smiled as he watched her take the blue dress into her dressing room, close the door and lock it. Checking his watch, he turned back to the mirror.

“ Five minutes, darling.”

* * * *

Alicia Billings hated her life and the feelings deepened every moment she had to spend with Lohan Billings, her husband of almost twenty-five years. Though in his sixties, Billings didn’t look it while Alicia’s beauty hid her age of forty-five extremely well. They appeared to be the perfect couple though no one had a clue what really went on behind the closed doors of their Beacon Hill mansion.

In an Old World move, Lohan had gone to her father and proposed a deal in order to marry her and gain whatever inheritance her wealthy Boston family had. Unable to refuse Billings’ offer or his parents, her father agreed to the marriage over her protests. If they hadn’t blackmailed Daddy…

Her parents gone, Lohan forbid her to see her siblings or anyone else he did not approve of and virtually trapped her in his idea of a perfect world. She hadn’t been shopping in the city at Jordan Marsh or Filene’s (both now Macy’s) in years because he would have his secretary go to the stores, bring clothes home for his approval and that would be the end of it. She’d forgotten how it felt to shop. While most women wouldn’t mind a personal shopper, she resented his taking away her freedom of choice. So much for the Constitution…

If he allowed her out of the house by herself, his bodyguard accompanied her. She honestly could not remember the last time she’d had a moment to herself to actually breathe without being dictated to. Now, she had to dress like a damned Barbie doll to please him when all she wanted to do meant a permanent solution to her unhappy situation. If he wants to kill me, why should I fight it? It beats this hell…

“ Five minutes, darling.”

His voice echoed in her mind sending chills down her spine. She prayed he would have already gone downstairs but she knew him well enough to know he expected her on his arm to make their grand entrance—the multimillionaire and his trophy wife. God, I hate my life…

“ Alicia!”

Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and joined him.

“ Much better but before the auction, you will come back up here and cover that growing red mark on your neck.”

“ Maybe you should be more careful…”

“ Don’t push this, Alicia. If you’d put the right gown on to start with…”

“ That’s it—blame everyone else,” she stated, a hint of strength in her voice.

“ Watch your tone with me, sweetheart—you know what I can do.”

“ It doesn’t matter anymore because every day with you, a little more of me dies. I have no identity other than being Mrs. Lohan Billings. To the outside world, I don’t exist.”

“ And that’s how I want to keep it.”

“ What are you afraid of?” she asked though he ignored her.

Placing his hand at the small of her back, he walked her to the top of the grand staircase of the old mansion and waited for his personal assistant to announce their presence—their grand entrance. Descending the stairs, Alicia glanced around seeing all the old familiar faces who usually attended their galas and a few new ones—specifically an athletic-looking gentleman who had a gentle compassionate face. She couldn’t see anything more but from what she could, she liked him. I’d never be that lucky to meet someone like him.

At the base of the stairs, Billings shook hands as if campaigning for office while she looked on wanting to hide. It had come to the point where she hated these parties but unfortunately, she had no choice but to abide by his wishes in order to keep the peace.

“ Mrs. Billings, how are you?”

“ You’re looking beautiful as ever.”

Mechanically, she smiled and nodded.

When he finally allowed her to circulate on her own—his reasoning to show off what every man wanted for a better auction—Alicia headed toward one of the smaller rooms off the main ballroom. Feeling the need to catch her breath, she went to the buffet and poured herself a shot of whiskey, downed it and poured another.

“ Liquid strength?” a strange voice asked.

“ Shall I pour you one as well?” she asked in return though not looking up.

“ Thank you,” he said.

Handing him the glass she’d just filled, she finally noticed the man as the one she’d seen from the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat, Alicia wondering what it meant.

“ Blake Atherton,” he said, introducing himself. “Thanks.”

“ Alicia Billings,” she said. “It’s a pleasure.”

“ I agree,” he said, taking her hand. “You’re very beautiful.”

“ Thank you.”

Alicia jolted seconds before she pulled her hand back hoping she had not been obvious with her slight discomfort. What the hell is… Unfortunately, she failed to hide her reaction.

“ Are you all right?” he asked, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before he released it.

“ Yes,” she quickly said, regaining her composure. “I’m sorry, I…”

“ Don’t be,” he told her. “Not only did it feel good but it looked good on you.”

“ I don’t know what to say,” she said. “I usually don’t…”

“ When have you felt like this recently?”

“ What do you mean?” she asked, realizing he’d been able to read her like a book.

“ I imagine living here in this mausoleum and with him is hard.”

“ I think you’re overstepping…”

“ Not really. I saw the look on your face at the top of the staircase. You don’t want to be here.”

“ No, I don’t,” she admitted. “I guess I need to start hiding my feelings better.”

“ Don’t,” Blake said. “Life looks glorious on you. I’ll have the memory of it for the rest of my life.”

“ Then you need to…”

“ Mrs. Billings, your husband is looking for you.”

“ Thank you,” Alicia said.

As soon as the maid left, Alicia Billings poured another shot of whiskey, downed it and turned to leave.

“ It’s been…interesting,” she said before she left him.

“ Indeed it has.”

“ Then leave now—for your own safety,” she warned as she quickly swept from the room and disappeared.