One of the romantic problems of real life is that we real humans don't walk around like open books, with our heart's desire typed neatly in paragraphs on our foreheads, or maybe floating above our heads in neatly scribed Times New Roman 12. Real life is a hit and miss proposition, with all kind of invisible issues and agendas, hidden desires, and misleading behaviors that run their course in the "honeymoon" period, leading us into bad matches like those in The Runaway Bride. In Callista Arman's 48 Hours, art mimics life with characters with meshing fantasies brushing shoulders but having no clue.

First, there's Patrick McIllhenny, one of our heroes. Patrick is an easy-going friend of all. He makes money on the side by cashing in on his own easy charm as a "wingman," a guy who for a fee helps introduce less charismatic workaholic guys like the lawyers he works with to available women. It's a casual part-time sideline. Plus there's one more special thing about Patrick. He adores Maddie Brindisi. He not only adores her; she's the subject of all of his kinky bdsm fantasies. But he's trapped in the life role of being a lowly computer tech in a firm where she is a high powered attorney. In her turn, Maddie Brindisi longs for a Dom. Unfortunately, she fancies a typical tall, dark, handsome and older imaginary Dom, and has no idea that the red-haired Patrick feels the way he does.

Irony of ironies: Maddie hears about Patrick's "wingman" avocation and she asks him to go with her to a certain club, not only as a wingman, but to more or less look over her to make sure that nothing bad happens to her. She doesn't explain to him that the club is a D/s hangout she discovered on the internet. And when she catches of the tall, dark, handsome and older club owner's eye, and agrees to being his submissive for 48 hours, Patrick is less than happy with the arrangement, and takes measures into his own hands.

I will say this now: Only read 48 Hours if you really enjoy a tension-building character driven engaging BDSM fantasy with two unique Doms and an equally unique sub as they play their way to a greater understanding of each all concerned. Are the character's real enough to care about? Yes. Is the story hot? Yes, with Maddie and Patrick constantly on the edge of new experiences and no idea what they will do next or how they will respond. Is it well paced? Yes, everything happens within its own time, and yet the tension builds and builds and builds and.... Will you put it down? Not if you don't want your computer screen to ignite from all the volatile chemistry. Callista Arman is a natural born story-teller well worth reading. Trust me, she'll blow your socks off and leave you panting for more.

Maîtresse
Copyright 2006