March’s Exclusive Excerpt, Part I: The Juliette Society, Book III: The Mismade Girl
Some of you may be familiar with Miss Sasha Grey, former adult star best known for her meteoric rise to stardom and her appearance in a widely cited episode of Entourage. Little did you know that after leaving that career behind, Sasha went on to pen The Juliette Society series in which the main character, Catherine, finds herself going through a metamorphosis much like Sasha herself, but, arguably, in reverse.
The first volume, The Juliette Society (published by Sphere, now Little Brown) received rave reviews from Cosmopolitan UK, Independent, and The Sun, among many others. The quality of these books, and the eroticly tantalizing story, only improved in Book II, The Janus Chamber. Now, The Mismade Girl is a thrilling, literary (but still 0-so-perfectly darkly erotic) culmination to the series. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this uniquely high-brow and suspenseful approach to erotic fiction that does more than just surprise you with the hottest scenes, but welcomes you to challenge a few realities.
Wether you’ve been waiting for this third and final installment, or if you are hearing about it for the first time, Sasha’s writing allows you to dive right in to Catherine’s most recent exploits…
I can’t believe my date brought—and left—me here. He probably won’t even notice the fact that I’ve left since he cares about one thing only tonight. Screw this, I’m out. Even if he rallied and came back more charming than ever, I’m not eager for the taste of his post- nasal drip on my tongue from his goodnight kiss. I root around in my purse to grab my phone and order a rideshare when a stranger leaning against the wall by the front door catches my eye.
His dark blond curls give him an almost cherubic air, but the look in his eyes cancels it out, confidence bordering arrogance, and a smirk that makes promises my body decides it wants him to keep. I’d say he’s a few years older than me, but something about his demeanor screams experience.
He’s a man in a house filled with dudes, and it’s very appealing.
I sip from my cup, painfully aware how hard it is to seem cool and sophisticated while drinking from red plastic.
He prowls over to me, directly, confidently, saying with his body “I noticed you, you noticed me, let’s not play coy.” He holds out his hand and I take it, noting the firm grip. “I’m Dominick. Nice to meet you.”
“Catherine,” I reply.
“Your date must be an idiot, leaving you all alone in a place like this.”
I smile, not wanting to insult my date, but charity only goes so far. “I think he’s in the bathroom.”
Dominick inclines his head, getting it. “Then he’s even dumber to waste your time while he does that shit. Your boyfriend?”
I shake my head.
He grins. “Want to get out of here?”
I contemplate leaving my date without even saying goodbye. In Seconds, a John Frankenheimer movie, there’s a really great line I like that someone says to rock Hudson after he awakes with his new face, having been given a second chance in life: “You are alone in the world, absolved of all responsibility, except your own interest.”
That’s exactly how I feel right now. For a while, I’ve been alone in the world, drifting aimlessly. We’re all ultimately alone, despite the connections we make along the way to other people. And while the statement seems like it’s giving permission for a free-for-all, it’s really not encouraging you to hurt others. See, if we’re at our happiest— psychopaths aside—we’re good people. Doing things for ourselves that make us our highest form, our very best, only makes the world a better place. Sort of like Transcendental Meditation in a way, I suppose, but we can justify any choice with self-serving reasons if we try hard enough.
Would Jacob truly be sad if I went home with Dominick? Maybe. But I doubt it, and the way he was treating me wasn’t respectful, what with the lack of care about me tonight, bringing me to a boring party like this and then disappearing. Anything could have happened.
Well.
I follow Dominick outside.
Something is going to happen when Dominick drops me off at home. I’ll make sure of that.
