DENOUEMENT COVER; THANK YOU ERMISENDA ALVAREZ

DENOUEMENT cover was made by Ermisenda Alvarez. Thank you so much. Check out her blog here ermilia

Dénouement is defined as a dramatic structure of a dramatic work, the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work or the outcome of a complex sequence of events.

Dénouement is a story of self discovery, with the climax being Marietta and Tobias learning to be the best versions of themselves for each other. There is no clear cut resolution, proving in life, things are not as black and white as they seem.

Marietta Parks believes that the only way to stop surprises from happening in life is to control your own fate. Paying attention to every detail she scripts out her own life. Leaving love, romance and children out of it. But then she meets a man who just has to be added into her story, Tobias Harden was the man of everyone’s dreams but t her he was a lovely addition to her already scripted life.

Tobias Harden was the modern day Casanova. Love was not in his vocabulary, and he was allergic to the word commitment, like poison Ivy to the bare skin. A chance kiss with Marietta Parks makes him question his single life. He was to be the best for her, and oddly enough she happens to be the only woman he wants to kiss. Tobias convinces Marietta that she needs him in her life. But after three years of marriage and life’s obstacles, he finds himself in bed with another woman. He has to convince her that he is still the man for her, especially now that she’s pregnant.

Below is a sample from Dénouement.

 

“Marietta Parks!”

“Keep your knickers on, I’m coming.” Marietta yelled back and the whole cast burst out laughing. She stuck her tongue out at the scowling man as she walked towards him. His silver head was covered by a turban and a flask of water hung from his neck.

“I would quit if you weren’t so damn cute.” He teased. “Why did you have to set a scene of your movie in the desert? Next time try the Caribbean or Iceland.”

“What’s up?” She expected him to hold out the script and point out where it wasn’t working but he didn’t. Instead he pointed out towards the two actors; there was something about the two leads that wasn’t gelling together.

“They don’t look romantic. Guns are my department, romance not so much.” McKenzie frowned as he stared at the two actors who looked like they had a bad taste in their mouths. “At this point picking sand from each other’s eyes would look more romantic.”

Marietta flipped through her master script and read out, “‘…they share a desperate romantic kiss as a sand storm rises behind them…’ Who wrote this crap?” She exhaled lost at what to do. She stared at the actress-Sarah Foy was the best in her generation-and she couldn’t help but feel sorry. The girl looked like she was fishing in Tobias mouth and not kissing him. And Tobias, he looked like he was about to gag.

“What do you want me to do?” Marietta exchanged a confused glance with the director. “You are the director, direct them.”

“You are the one who dreams up love scenes in the middle of the desert. Besides I have been married six times, if I was romantic I would still have my first wife, better yet my sixth.” He put his hand on Marietta’s back and gently pushed her forward, “You are the girl, and how would you want him to kiss you.”

“I thought he was the great Tobias Harden, the best sex on both sides of the pond. He can’t do a simple kiss.” Marietta pouted as she stomped towards the two actors, looking back only once to stick her tongue out at the director. She looked around for Suzy and Jessie; they were the ones who had vouched for the ‘dream boat’.

“This isn’t working.” Tobias said to her as Marietta walked towards them.

“No kidding.” Her hands akimbo she tried to think of someway a hero in one of her romance novels would make this work. “Sarah, you look like a fish drowning in a fish bowl and Toby; you look like someone is forcing you to swallow an eel. You are actors; I don’t care if you don’t find each other desirable, pretend. We pay you to pretend, you make your living pretending.”

“I find him to be very sexy.” Sarah said as she winked in Tobias’ direction.

Marietta frowned and turned to face Tobias just in time to see the same frustrated expression on his face. “What about you, do you find her sexy?”

“Just run this scene by me again.” Tobias grunted.

“You two are in love. There are people with huge guns coming to kill you, plus there is a sand storm behind you. You feel like this is it, so you want this one kiss. The kiss has to be passionate, everyone has to shiver at how intensely passionate it is.”

“I’m not a magician.” Sarah whined.

“You are telling me.” Marietta huffed in frustration and stepped in between them. “I think you are both trying to lead the kiss. Kiss me like you would a girl you are desperately in love with.”

“I’ve never been in love.” He said in a broken whisper.

“Join the club.” She looked him once over then decided to use his reputation to get the scene, “Kiss me like you are trying to convince me that I am your moon and stars that is before you ditch me the next morning. You lead, I’ll follow.”

Marietta stood staring at his ‘kiss me’ lips. They were beautiful, well molded. But she knew that they had been in traffic for a while. Her mind was running, thinking about how many women he had kissed and how many of those women he had taken to bed, and how many of those he had called the next day, and how many of them were on this very set. She was too distracted that she didn’t notice him coming in for the kill.

Startled she felt his arm circle her waist. He gently jerked her closer that her body crushed into his rock solid form of muscles. Marietta forced herself to get into character; she wasn’t going to be one of those ladies left numb and swooning from a Tobias Harden kiss. She put her hand on her biceps while the other arm rested on his shoulder, as her fingers paled with the little hairs at the back of his neck. Her eyes instinctively closed as he brushed his lips against hers. Marietta felt something inside her leap from the bottom of her womb and into her throat, as his tongue snaked into her mouth searching. And once it had found what it had been looking for, it claimed it. Their lips moved in the rhythm set by the beating of their hearts. Her body shivered as his hands caressed her back. Then he shivered and that startled her so much she had to break the kiss.

Marietta stepped back and stared at him dazzled. There was a look in his eyes that she had never seen before. Tobias looked into her eyes as if searching for an answer to a question. Marietta knew the question and the answer made her shiver. Their gaze broke when a sound of applause erupted around them. She had to go back to work mode and quick. Marietta heard a loud whistle pierce the air; she didn’t need to look at where it came from to know who made the sound.

“So do it like that.” She took Sarah’s hand and urged her closer to Tobias, “Let him lead.”

Marietta felt like she would melt under Tobias’ intense gaze. His eyes were dreamy and filled with a lustful need and something else she couldn’t pin point. Her fingers touched her lips that had just been assaulted with pleasure she never knew existed. Chris was a good kisser but he never left her feeling like every single bone in her body had melted. Marietta spun around and half ran half walked back behind the cameras.

“I thought you said you knew nothing about romance.” McKenzie chuckled.

“That was you.” Marietta

“So I guess that’s how you would want to be kissed.” He teased, “It’s a good thing I have it all on tape. It will serve was a practice manual just in case I want to make you wife number seven.”

What the hell? Was all Tobias could think the rest of the day on set. He had kissed a lot of women, plenty of them, but he had never felt such a connection. At the risk of sounding cliché, it was like a lightning bolt that hit him right in the heart and his nether region. The gentle brush of his lips against hers was enthralling, lightening nerves everywhere in his body. He could feel her light up to and the exchange to electric desire between them had been too incredible for him to pull away from.