The Pink Fuzzy Slipper writers welcome, Erica DeLongpre, and Damian Xeres, to our blog. Their love story is ageless, and they are here to tell us about their lives. Bianca Swan, talented author, has told their story to the world, and they are now celebrities. Bianca is also here with us, and she is more then willing to spill the beans about Erica and Damian’s touching love affair. Welcome everyone. Please help yourself to the refreshments. Relax and sit back while I pull the extra secrets outta them.Mary: Erica, you look lovely today. Where did you get that wonderful outfit? (
Erica: Thanks, Mary. Glad you like it. I got it in Middleburg, Virginia, where I live. It’s Ralph Lauren. He likes to model clothes after equestrian attire. Of course, I liked it because it does look like an English country lady’s riding habit. (Not the outfit in the pix of course! That was a summer garden party)
Mary: Damian, I understand that you are a bullfighter. Have you ever been hurt during a bull fight?(pic of Damian)
Damian: Dios, Mary, who gave you a picture of me in my underwear?
(Mary glances at Erica)
(Erica winks at Damian): I did.
(Damian smiles) Later we shall come to a reckoning, Isabella. To your question, Mary. As yet, I have not been injured with the bulls. Once I thought the bull was going to gore my horse, which would have put us face-to-face, but my Regaldo darted out of the way. He is very brave and agile, my horse for the banderillos, the second tercio of the fight when we engage the bull. Regaldo is a rare black Andalusian, and he is very fond of Erica, who likes to work him in the long lines. In long-line work, you stand within inches of the horse’s rump.
Mary: My Erica, you do that? What’s the difference between what you do and just using a lunge line? Explain to the readers what it is you do with the long lines, will you?
Erica: Long lining is like driving the horse without a cart basically. One line goes down each side of the horse and passes through a circle on a surcingle. You stand inches from the horse’s rump and ask him to perform movements with the lines. You can even do airs above the ground in the lines but, of course, you do not stand as close behind him.
Mary: Damian, I have often wondered how the bull feels about the whole thing, any thoughts?
Damian: The bulls are enraged by the color and movement. I do not think, merely act on instinct. I have seen brave horses and rejoneadors severely injured by fury on the hoof. How do I feel about the actual death of the bull? From the moment he enters the arena, it is him or me.
Mary: I would never go into a ring with a raging bull that has been further enraged by the guys with the stick thingees they really piss the bulls off. (Mary shivers as she contemplates a pissed off bull). It can’t be a safe job to have.
(Damian laughs): Those thingees are rejones de castigo ("lances of punishment"). Bullfighting isn’t my job. Like classical dressage, it is a passion. I manage the family sherry business, accept students in our riding school and also oversee the breeding operation.
Mary: Erica, what made you become interested in the Andalusian breed of horse in particular?
Erica: Their noble looks and regal bearing. Once I learned that they were gifted for the higher levels of dressage, including the airs above the ground, I was in love. I haven’t looked back since. They are smooth gaited and the stallions are exceptionally gentle. Perhaps this occurred when King Ferdinand decreed that all noble gentlemen must ride stallions.
Mary: Here Erica let me refill your glass. It’s mighty warm today and that Florida sun is just merciless!
Try some of these delicious salsas. I never knew there could be so many kinds. Bianca I see you are
just dying to jump in here. How did you meet Erica and Damian, and how did you com to write their
wonderful love story?
Bianca: I met them late on a Saturday afternoon when the sun slanted through the Plantation shutters, glinting on a wine glass on my desk and drawing pictures on the marble floor. The piano played Andalusia. A scented candle spilled summery scents into the air. Erica and Damian walked into my head and told me their story. Though I was listening to another character, they insisted. I didn’t regret the distraction because their story involves my favorite horse. I bred, trained and showed the Andalusian for thirteen happy years.
Mary: Well then Bianca, they came to you in a vision of sorts and you had to tell their story. I understand that the stallions are easier to handle than other breeds of horses. They remind me of cutting horses trained Western. They have to be able to move fast and in the right direction. So they are controlled purely with leg
pressure commands?
Bianca: Legs and seat. My stallion would half-pass across the arena if I sat heavier on one side.
Mary: Damian, you do look pretty hot in your undies. (Mary smiles and sighs) Anyways, why don’t the matadors use some kind of protection? Those bulls look mighty nasty. Are they trained to be mean?
Damian (A wicked grin from the bullfighter): I’m sure you look good in your undies too, Mary. (He shakes his long hair back) Your protection is your skill and not much would protect you from a fierce Iberian bull. The bulls are not trained to be mean. They are bred for the fight.
Mary: Erica, did you have riding lessons or were you the jump on the horse and take your chances type like me. I hit the dirt a lot of times. Lucky my cushioning saved me several times as I flew over a horse’s head or off the other end. Damian, I know you’d much rather ride double. (Mary chuckles and passes a tray of fragrant Hor’de’ourves to her guests.) She pops one into her own mouth and can testify to their great taste.
Erica: I have studied riding since I was four years old. My family, with the exception of my sister, are all horsemen. I went to Spain for two reasons. To study with Damian at his famous school and to buy an Andalusian stallion. (She smiles, looks at Damian) I did buy a horse, and Damian taught me a lot about riding.
Mary: Damian, what did you first think when you met Erica? Were you attracted to her right away?
Damian: I thought golden girl, Isabella. I thought she was beautiful with her blonde hair and blue eyes. And those legs! Yes, I was immediately attracted to her, but our fathers are business associates. And a riding instructor and a pupil—not a good idea.
Mary: Bianca, did you know anything about bull fighting before you met Damian and Erica? Ever been
to Spain? It must be a beautiful country.
Bianca: What I knew about bullfighting wouldn’t fill a page. I had to research rejoneadors and found the subject fascinating. I’d love to see a bull fight, but I’d be on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, I’ve never been to Spain but it is top of my list of places to visit. You would have thought that breeding Spanish horses for years I’d have visited their birthplace, but the chance never arose. My stallion was from Costa Rica, and I went to their big show several times. Once I even bought a horse in an auction there.
Mary: What do you have in the works, Bianca?
Bianca: I’ve signed a contract with The Wild Rose Press (a Scarlet Rose) for a novella about a fallen angel titled Celestial Sin. I’m very excited about this release because angels seem to be the new wave. Briefly, Cam-ael, an angel of the Order of the Powers, is injured in battle, falls into a woman’s arms—and wants to stay there. I don’t have a release date yet, but will post something on my blog when I do. Bianca’s Blog.
Mary: Bianca’s website is: Bianca Swan
Hot Spanish Nights is available at: The Wild Rose Press
Any last comments that anyone would like to add?
(Erica takes Mary’s hand) Thank you for having us on the Pink Fuzzies today.
Well I can’t help but want to know how the romance is going? Erica?
(Erica glances at Damian and shrugs) We don’t know. I’m off to medical school and Damian is…we might have a long distance affair.
(Damian cocks his head and stares at Erica)
I want to thank the three of you for participating in this interview. You amaze me Bianca. I wish you the very best with sales and I see you as a bright new star in the world of reading. And I for one am looking forward to some ‘Hot Spanish Nights’
Erica DeLongpre was living her fantasy.
At last, she was in Spain, in Andalusia.
And in lust.
She and tall, dark and handsome Damián Xérès rode the magnificent gray stallion bareback. This enticing man smelled of horses and leather, and he was all man, from the top of his head to the tips of his shiny riding boots—an enchanting journey of about six feet-two-inches. The horse’s silvery mane whipped in the breeze. Flowers spilled their scent into the morning. The sun on the white sand of the riding arena was blinding, like a dream.
She closed her eyes, pictured the man behind her. His brilliant white shirt, open at the neck, showed a sprinkling of dark hair on his chest. She leaned back pretending the strong arm lightly circling her waist hugged her tight against that muscled chest. As she rocked with the cadence of the horse’s canter, she imagined Damián’s shaft pressed to her butt. When she visualized how his erection would look in the tight riding breeches, a pleasant shiver glided over her.
Mustn’t let my imagination run away like this.
“Sit deep,” he said, and her fantasy became a reality as he slid closer.
His long legs molded to hers, stroked ever so slightly to the three-beat thud of hooves. Sweat broke on her brow. Her heart pounded in her ears, reverberating in her core. She should inch away from the hard pressure on her ass, but he felt too damned good. Images of turning around and doing him on the horse scrolled through her mind. She lost the rhythm of the stallion’s smooth gait and slid to the side.
Damián’s arm closed around her waist, steadying her. “We must work on your seat, Erica. You look beautiful on a horse, but you must become one with him.”
Thinking of becoming one with him—the man not the horse—caused the problem.
