Politics. Escorts. Blackmail.

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Sixty-Nine

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Here we are—my fourth full-length erotica title! I want to thank the readers first, for reading my works, sticking with me, and for spreading the word about Pynk. Your support is the reason I continue writing in this genre. Writing erotica is not easy and sometimes society has a hard time accepting it because of the taboo topic of sex, but in spite of those who claim not to read it and who judge those who do, readers seem to be asking for more and more erotica nowadays, for both the entertaining story content and the turn-on factor. I do think that readers are embracing the genre more and more, and for that I say, “Thank you!”

To Hachette Book Group for believing in me and for publishing my titles, I am thankful. To Latoya Smith, my editor, your revision letter on this story made a huge difference. Your editing skills and knowledge are what brought this title together. To the rest of my GCP family, Jamie Raab, Linda Duggins, Anna Balasi, Miriam Parker, Renee Supriano, Nick Small, Brianne Beers, Jihan Antoine, the art department, publicity team, sales team, production staff and copy editors, and others; thank you very much for putting out such quality Pynk books.

To my loving family and amazing friends, for your support and patience, especially when I need to escape into writer’s heaven—thanks so very much! To my fellow authors who offer tons of camaraderie and love, I cherish your support.

Thank you, Karen Thomas—you acknowledged my work twelve years ago, and then I was finally able to sign with you, in 2004, 2007, and 2009. Without you taking me by the hand and guiding me with your expert critiques, I would not be writing at the level I am today.

My agent, Andrew Stuart, I appreciate you for keeping it real, being optimistic, being patient, and for adding me to your list of amazing authors. There’s more to come.

KP, for being my sounding board, enduring countless hours listening to me read my rough-draft scenes out loud, for being patient and caring and loving, and for offering sound advice. Thanks for taking the time to show you care with actions, not just words, proving that love really is a verb. Love you!

My bestie, Mary HoneyB Morrison—​S. B. Redd—​​Yolanda Gore—​Antoinette Gates—​Deborah DivaDee Walker and the Divine Friendship Bookclub—​​Carol Mackey with Black Expressions—​the Fort Benning staff—​Cindy at Urban Knowledge in Columbia, SC—​Jessica Reese at the Pynk Butterfly in Columbia, SC—​Jeanette Sapphire Best-Charrette—​Patricia Crowe—​Vonda Howard—​my webmaster, Bryan Cleveland—​Carol Taylor—​my fellow GA Peach Authors, Jean Holloway, D. L. Sparks, Gail McFarland, and Electa Rome Parks—​Michelle Gipson—​Cydney Rax—​Mocha Ocha and the NAACP Author’s Pavilion—​​Radiah and Charles Hubert with Urban Reviews for their support and for their Fall Fiction Fest—​the amazing Ella Curry and BAN Radio/EDC Creations—​Brian W. Smith and Trice Hickman for their
On the Air with Trice and Brian
show—​Cyrus Webb for his
Conversations LIVE! With Cyrus Webb
show—​Linda Jordan and the Central Library in Atlanta—​the Southwest Regional, Washington Park, East Atlanta, and South Fulton libraries in Atlanta—​Renee at Zahra’s Books in Inglewood, CA—​TaNisha Webb and Fall Into Books—​the Bukh Law Firm in New York—​Sadia and the Escort Times—​Antoinette Gates—​Stacy Smith Baron for the interview about New York City—​Sonya Ward—​Nellie George—​The Heat of the Night authors, Lorraine Elzia, LaLaina Knowles, Niyah Moore, Elissa Gabrielle, and Ebonee Monique—​Diamond Black—​Curtis Bunn at the NBCC (National Book Club Conference)—​Naleighna Kai and the Cavalcade of Authors—​the African American Literary Awards Show for the nominations of
Erotic City
and
Sixty-Nine—
​the Decatur Book Festival—​all of the book clubs who are indeed the heart of the book-buying industry—​my devoted Facebook and Twitter followers—​THANK YOU.

My next title,
Sin in the City
, is about two best friends, Mercy and April, who find themselves so desperate for money that they head to Las Vegas for one night only, but end up staying for thirty days of gaming and sex, documented in thirty different scenes, day by day. I hope you keep an eye out for it.

Also, if you enjoyed
Erotic City
, the swinging drama continues and you’ll want to check out my novella,
Erotic City II: Miami
, which is part of a four-part anthology series called Insignificant Others, with bestselling author Carol Taylor, and which debuts in May 2013. The many shades of Pynk just keep on coming!

Remember to live your sexy dreams responsibly—without guilt!

Smooches,
Pynk
xoxo
www.authorpynk.com
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/authorpynk
www.twitter.com/authorpynk
www.sex-see.blogspot.com

My first Pynk title,
Erotic City
, focused on swinging; the second,
Sexaholics
, was about the oversexed and sex addiction; the third,
Sixty-Nine
, was about the undersexed and sexual repression; and now I’ve tackled the subject of escorts, bringing you
Politics. Escorts. Blackmail.

Prostitution, escorting, and sex trafficking are all very serious problems in our society. Opinions vary on whether or not prostitution should be legalized. In this story, which is set in New York City, it is illegal. Prostitution was once considered a vagrancy crime, comparable to sleeping on the street or begging, but it is now a public-order crime, and mainly an issue of morality.

There are three categories that define the types of prostitution in the United States: (1) street, or streetwalkers, like hookers, (2) brothels or massage parlors, and (3) escorts or out-calls. Here are some facts: Most escort agencies have their own websites. Some advertised on Craigslist, but the Craigslist adult section was shut down in 2010 after pressure from law enforcement and anti-prostitution groups. Nevada is the only U.S. state to allow some legal prostitution (mainly brothels, and only in certain counties but not in the city of Las Vegas). In Louisiana, convicted prostitutes are required to register as sex offenders. One poll suggests that 30 percent of single men over thirty have paid for sex. A large percentage of prostitutes are said to have been abused as children. Some view buying sex as a form of addiction. There are John schools to examine and rehabilitate solicitors of prostitution. Brazil, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and Switzerland, among others, have legalized it and believe sex for sale to be a legitimate and necessary service (for the complete list of countries go to
www.prostitution.procon.org
). Some call it a bartered service, even within a marriage, and that in the U.S., if we have freedom of speech, religion, and trade, why violate the premise of the Constitution by prohibiting sexual relations between consenting adults? Courtrooms are overburdened, and customers and prostitutes pay fines but are then back on the streets with no impact on the problem.

There are groups who would prefer that the act be managed as opposed to ignored, that legalizing it would prevent underground rings that recruit and abduct young girls, and that legalized and controlled environments will improve health and curtail underage prostitution. Legalizing it would involve government. But wait—our governments are supposed to solve the problems our county faces, not contribute to them. But, as is apparent in the news on a regular basis, government officials often pay for sex, and even if they get around the charges, there’s still the morality issue again because most of them are married, so the fact is that they committed adultery.

Adultery is a big part of this novel. Whether we legalize prostitution or not, there is still the issue of morality. If a candidate for president of the United States pays for sex, legally or illegally—even though some say this is a private matter and no one else’s business—his moral compass would still be questioned because he is running for president, hoping to lead our government and our country. But is what politicians do between the sheets really our business?

As you read
Politics. Escorts. Blackmail.
, you’ll notice it’s not written from the point of view of the politicians who are running for president. I did that on purpose, though you will see political news headlines at the beginning of each chapter to keep you abreast of the ongoing presidential race. I wanted to explore the lives of those who sell their bodies for a living. It’s about the lives of one madam in particular, named Money, and her three escorts, Leilani, Midori, and Kemba. I wanted to see what their worlds were like, what it looked like for them to live knowing they sexed up men and women of privilege, public figures, lawmakers, actors, athletes, and politicians. The time period of this book runs right along the timeline of the Republican presidential primary, beginning in the spring of 2011 and running right up until the final candidates are decided and the winner is voted upon during the fifty-seventh United States presidential election on November 6, 2012.

You’ll get to see what escorts are paid to do, how much an agency charges, what the escorts must endure, what their private lives are like, where they’ve come from, what the benefits are, and what the downsides are. You’ll see each escort’s issues and missions as they all take you on a journey into their world of sex for money.

I enjoyed writing this book, and I learned a lot as I researched what prostitutes go through, what the laws are, what the risks are, etc. I interviewed two escorts, talked to criminal attorneys, a city councilman’s assistant, and several individuals who live in New York City. I did not want to glamorize the business itself, but I made certain to focus on creating flawed characters with specific journeys, letting them get as raw as they needed to. It wasn’t about what I would do or not do because it wasn’t about me. I didn’t judge. I tried to make it all about the escorts and the people they encounter over the year and a half in which this novel takes place, no matter how intense it got.

It is my desire that you enjoy the rawness of it all, and understand that rawness, as well as the softness, from an emotional and a heartfelt standpoint. The erotica factor is here, being that a lot of people read erotica for the sex scenes—but more important, I want people to keep coming back to my books because of the story. While my books are character driven, they also show a side of life we may never get to know or see, or that might make us feel uncomfortable. But at the end of the day, when we turn the last page we’re fortunate enough to close the book and go back to our everyday lives. My goal is to make you think back to at least one of the characters in this book and wonder just how they dealt with it, why they did what they did, and how they’re doing. I want you to remember them—I hope Money, Leilani, Midori, and/or Kemba are unforgettable. Then I’ll know my mission was accomplished.

Get ready to be eroticized Pynk-style.

I give you
Politics. Escorts. Blackmail.