Mark Your Calendars! TIED TO HIM: THE BILLIONAIRE'S BECK AND CALL, BOOK 3 Comes Out July 1st!

You know you want it. And Delilah's the one to give it to ya!

How awesome is today??

First, we have a historic supreme court ruling making it possible for people to marry who they love in so many great states, and now, I have exciting news to share!

The wait is almost over!

Tied to Him: The Billionaire's Beck and Call, Book Three comes out JULY 1st!

But that's not all!

I'm taking part in an exciting, titillating, REWARDING Summer fun-fest called The Insatiable Reads Book Tour!

27 of the HOTTEST authors, including yours truly, will be hopping all over the net, giving away delicious prizes, books, and all kinds of goodies as well as teasing you with smoking excerpts of this summer's most sizzling new romance!

We're even giving away a KINDLE FIRE to one lucky reader! (Get it... cause we're hot, Summer's hot... it's a whole thing, and I LOVE IT!)

So stay tuned for details this week of when, where, and how YOU can win!

In the meantime, here's a little teaser of what's to come July 1st from Tied to Him: The Billionaire's Beck and Call, Book Three:

The proposal that started it all...

She turned to me and raised an eyebrow, but I thought I saw the hint of a smile in her eyes.

There it is. Pride in what she does. She knows she’s good.

“These kids will eat anything,” she said. “They’re teenagers.”

“Yeah, but kids are picky. They might eat it because they have to, but from the looks on their faces tonight, your food is something special. You go all out.”

She did smile, then, a softness coming over her making her look delicate and feminine, despite the firm muscles I could see on her arms and the tall, fit build of her body. She was used to working hard, and it showed.

Beautiful, I thought. She really is different than other women I’ve met. There’s something about her I can’t quite put my finger on…

“Like I said earlier, I get to experiment on them is all. I find a new recipe, or I throw some stuff together at home, and I want to share it. They get enough of the regular cafeteria stuff like sandwiches and chicken nuggets, so I figure why not, right? Like Paul Prudhomme said, ‘You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.’ Oh…”

She stopped short, looking at me with wide eyes.

“I didn’t mean-“

“It’s okay,” I said. I laughed at the look on her face. “I don’t think being a billionaire is a protected class. Besides, I’m not offended in the least.”

She looked down at her sneakers and let out a nervous laugh, then yanked her bandana down around her neck and ran her fingers roughly through her hair.

“I’m always putting my foot in my mouth. Honestly… I’ve never been around… someone like you before.”

She looked up at me, her short hair wild and rough, and chewed her lip in a way that made my cock stir in my pants.

Whoa, there… Where did that come from?

“You make me nervous,” she said.

I cleared my throat and tugged my apron strings a little looser.

“Just because I’m running for office doesn’t mean I’m not a regular guy.”

She crossed her arms and smirked at me now, one hip thrust sideways in a way that displayed exactly what she thought of that statement.

“Mm hmm. You’re just a regular ol’ billionaire who just happened to have a star career as a D.A. and are now trying to run my state. No biggie, right? Just one of the guys.”

“Exactly,” I said.

I chuckled at the look on her face. She was something else, indeed.

“Seriously, though, Rose… I know you can cook, and I see how much you love helping here, but how do you afford it? Is that rude to ask?”

She straightened up and stared at me, her jaw clenching for the space of a heartbeat.

“I have a job. This place is important, so I make it happen, okay? I’m good… We’re good.”

I licked my bottom lip, and noticed her eyes flick down to my mouth, then back up again, meeting my gaze.

“I’m not saying you’re not making it happen. I’m just wondering… Would you be interested in another job? A much, much, better paying one than your current employment?”

“How do you know it’s better paying? You don’t even know what I do.”

She was getting angry, and I could tell she was starting to view me as an outsider again. An intruder in her world. I had to talk fast, or I wouldn’t have a chance to convince her of what I needed.

“How does five million dollars for a year of work sound?”

She raised a finger, her mouth already forming an argument, when she froze, mid-motion. Her eyes widened until I thought they might fall out, and her mouth worked, as if trying to speak, but her brain wouldn’t provide the words.

It would have been funny, if my political career didn’t hinge on this one moment. This one woman.

“A problem just popped up for me,” I said, “and I need your help to make it go away. I probably should have asked this first, but, are you currently seeing anyone?”

That seemed to snap her out of it.

She reeled back until her butt hit the counter behind her, her eyebrow raising incredulously.

“What?”

“Well, the job would be highly unusual, and I’d need you to keep things absolutely confidential during the year you work for me. I also can’t have you seeing anyone, or you won’t be right for this position.”

“I… What?”

“Rose, I can’t tell you more details until I know you’re interested. I can’t disclose my problem to just anyone. I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement before I can tell you about what you’d be doing if you accept my job offer.”

“But… did you say million?”

“Five million dollars. For one year working for me. It can all be yours, Rose, along with an unrestricted spending allowance during that year, lodging, health care—the whole enchilada. I will take excellent care of you.”

I moved closer, and she didn’t flinch away. I put my hands on her shoulders. This close, I could smell the soft scent of her shampoo, something fruity and sensual.

“If you take this job, Rose,” I said, “You can do anything you’d like for the rest of you life with the right financial planning. You can make feeding these kids a full time job and live off the interest.”

She looked up into my eyes, her breathing shallow, and I could see her trying to take this all in. What must this be like for her? A stranger offering her more money than she could ever make in a hundred years at a high-paying management job.

Life-changing money.

It was funny to think that an amount like this could simultaneously be so huge and so small, depending on who you are. I spent five million on a vacation home in Bora Bora smaller than the east wing of my estate here. I realized now I’ve only been there once.

I’d almost forgotten I owned it.

“What do you say? Are you willing to hear more?”

She opened her mouth, then closed it again, squeezing her eyes shut like she was harnessing her chi. She finally opened them and nodded.

“Excellent! I can have the confidentiality agreement drawn up immediately. Are you available tomorrow evening to meet?”

She nodded again, and a small squeak left her lips. I smiled and ran my hands over her shoulders.

“Good. Let me have your address, and I’ll send a car for you at 7:00 p.m. We can discuss business over dinner.”

I handed her my cell phone and she plugged in her information with trembling hands.

“Thank you,” I said. “I appreciate you hearing me out.”

I walked toward the back door, when I heard her release the breath she’d been holding.

“Wait.”

I turned back. She had her hand on her hip again, her chin held high.

“Why me?”

I grinned and put my hand on the door handle.

“Because you’re perfect.”

Are you guys excited for Book Three in the Beck and Call Series? 

I think it's the best one yet, full of intense emotions, suspense, and a romance that will take your breath away! I can't wait until July 1st to share it with you!

Fawkesy Lady Relationship Tip: Are You Both Speaking the Same Language?

People always say that communication is the most important thing in maintaining a healthy, fulfilling relationship, and I totally agree.

But have you ever felt like you're pouring your heart out to your partner, and they're just not getting it?

You tell him or her exactly how you feel, you're honest, and you're clear, but somehow you feel like your partner isn't listening. Is being dense. Isn't picking up what you're putting down.

Well, recently, after spending several months now working from home with my husband (ha!) that there may be another issue at play.

Are you sure you're both speaking the same language?

Yes, Delilah, you say. Duh. We're both literally speaking English. What the hell are you talking about?

Well, I'll tell you.

Recently, my husband and I discovered that because of two factors in our lives, we actually had different levels of meaning for the SAME goddamn words, which caused a lot of unnecessary bickering.

These factors are:

A. Our upbringings

B. The limited nature of the English language


Let me explain further.

I was raised in a very strict, fundamental Christian family (I can hear you all laughing over there, but it's true) who talked about things in very black and white terms when using certain words because of the Biblical connotations of those words.

Here are some of my family's definitions for basic words that come up in a regular marital disagreement:


JUDGEMENT: "When you are JUDGED, you are judged by GOD as in the hammer drops and you are deemed GUILTY of a horrible CRIME."

WRONG: "You are morally wrong and therefore will be JUDGED by GOD."

FIGHTING: "If you're disagreeing loudly, it's not a fight, because fighting means you're hating, and hating is a sin. It's only fighting if you're absolutely out of your mind, screaming mad. Everything else is just a rational discussion about a passionate topic. Don't get your panties in a bunch about those kinds of disagreements."

ANGRY: "If you're irritated, you're not angry. Angry is reserved for righteous, godly anger (like Jesus in the temple), and fighting, out-of-your-mind anger. There is no in between."


My husband, however, was raised by a non-believer and a Buddhist, so his definitions were drastically different to words we both thought were objectively defined.


His family's definition of the same words:

JUDGEMENT: "If I'm judging you, it means I think what you did is weird or kind of messed up, but it's cool. It doesn't change my opinion of you as a person or mean I dislike you because of it."

WRONG: "I think that's wrong. We should totally look this up and see who's right." Alternative definiton: "Haha, that's so wrong!" *laughs*

FIGHTING: "We're disagreeing, therefore we are having a fight. I hate fighting. All disagreements are terrible, and I treat them all equally like we're having a screaming fit even when we're just debating an issue."

ANGRY: "I'm irritated, which is a form of anger. And I'm angry, which is more than irritated. And I'm enraged, which is higher than both, and... I quit."


As you can see, we had vastly different ideas of what the "real" definitions of simple English words meant, which caused confusion and strife.

What do you mean you're JUDGING me??! I told you about my weakness for Cheetos to grow closer to you!

Well, I am. Wait... stop crying. Oh, God... WHAT'S HAPPENING?!

Yeaaaah. As you can see, two different definitions of the same word = unnecessary problems.


The second factor that makes this happen is this: English Sucks.

Now, before you get all defensive about this, hear me out.

Check out these sweet, sweet phrases and words that other languages have to convey meaning that we DON'T have:

Litost (Czech): "A state of torment created by the sudden sight of one's own misery."

(Whoa. That's... a really specific and deep emotion. Damn, guys.)

Kokoro No Gaze (Japanese): "Literally means 'my soul has a cold,' and means mild blues, or a state of day-to-day slight depression."

(Oh, well, okay. We've all felt that way before, and I'm glad to know it's not that soul-crushing Litost shit from above. You're just down.)

Greng-Jai (Thai): "That uncomfortable feeling you get when you don't want someone to do something for you because it would be a pain for them."

(Oh, you're offering to go to Starbucks just because I said I wanted some caffeine, Hon? That's really sweet, but... uh... I feel weird.. but you're being nice, so... BLARGH.)

Aswium (Korean): "That mingling dissatisfied, wistful, regretful, frustrated, sad feeling you get when you fail a test by 1 point or had a meal you were really looking forward to and it wasn't as good as you'd hoped."

(Now I have a word for when I try a new expensive wine on my birthday and it's not as good as my cheap-o favorite brand. Wha whaaaaaa.)

By now, I'm sure you've sensed a pattern. These are all simple words or phrases to communicate different shades of "I feel kinda crappy and stuff." In English, we'd have to have a whole discussion to explain the severity of our feelings, and if we use words with our partner like "Depressed," "Bummed," or "Sad," they may think we're Litost when we're really just Aswium.

And all because of our limited language.

So how do we fix this? 

How do we make sure our partners know what the heck we mean when we say we're angry or sad or frustrated or fighting? How do we know we're not just having stupid fights over nothing?

(In Yiddish they call such a fight a "Shamozzle.")

Well, here are my suggestions, from one who's been there:

• If you're always fighting about the same topic, ask one another what level of *weight* they give to the emotion words in that topic. Ex: If your partner is always saying they are annoyed when you leave your socks out, figure out if they're actually annoyed, or if by "annoyed" they mean "disrespected," "neglected," "angry," etc. Drill down to find out if their meaning matches yours.
• Why wait for an argument? Talk about the big ones before you fight:
• What does "frustrated" look like for them? What words do they use to express anger on a scale of 1-10? Dial in what words you use with one another to express how mad, sad, happy you are with things you discuss. 
• How do they feel about "fighting" in general? Do they think it's a debate when you think you're brawling? Dial that in, too.
• Once you figure out what words mean what level of weight for both of you, WRITE THEM DOWN. 
• Keep that little notebook or list of your words handy, so if you do find yourself butting heads later, whip it out and make sure you use the words you agreed upon so you are both on the same page.
• Practice! Even if you follow the steps above, this kind of aligning of definitions won't happen overnight. Practice together, until your new, improved way of communicating just becomes muscle memory. Don't get discouraged, and encourage one another. Your goal is to reduce friction, which is win/win for everyone!
• Don't knock it till you've tried it. Seriously. I know analyzing stuff like this might make you feel like you have autism or something, but it's a rational solution for an irrational problem. You're not exactly understanding one another better by not talking about it, right? A little awkwardness while you sort it out is endlessly better than 50 years of bitching at one another for no reason.

So, remember, using what we've got (English) is far from objective, and we can talk past one another without even stopping to think about what the underlying problem could be.

Don't get discouraged if you have a brief Shamozzle after you work on this. It's process, but I guarantee it will make your communication better, and your relationship stronger.

After all, what's better than a partner who gets you like no one else does? It's the best feeling in the world, and it's what binds you together as lovers and as team-members, helping one another through life. 

What's the word you get tripped up on the most with your partner? Ever had this happen before? Share your war stories in the comments below! :)

Celebrate PRIDE Week! Easy things YOU can do to show support for PRIDE!

It's that time again!

Time to get out our rainbow paraphernalia and lend our support to friends and family who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, or something in between. It's PRIDE WEEK!

I hear you asking:

But what if I don't have time to go to my nearest urban area and walk in the parade?

What if I'm allergic to glitter?

What if I don't dance and/or hate crowds due to crippling social anxiety?

What if I'm not ready to fully come out of the closet as an LGBT ally? I mean, what if my pastor sees me, man?

Fear not!

Delilah Fawkes has some easy, convenient, and dare I say FUN ways to show your support for pride week:

• Donate some money to The Human Rights Campaign by clicking here! They're a great organization working for equal rights and ending discrimination for gay, lesbian, bi and transgendered people, including ending bullying in schools.

You can even support them by buying cool stuff, like this super cute LOVE EQUAL bracelet! They have a lot of inexpensive items that make great gifts, and 100% of merchandise proceeds goes to helping the Human Rights Campaign. Win/win!

• Pass around this hilariously incredible music video, "It Gets Better," by Rebecca Drysdale.

Seriously, it has lines like this:

"It gets better! One day you'll look back, and you won't give a fuck... When you're swimmin' through your Pussy Vault like Scrooge Fuckin' McDuck." Pure Shakespeare. 

Just try to watch this and NOT hum along to it for the rest of the day, I dare you. 

Share this awesome video on your Facebook or Twitter and pass along the message to kids who are victims of bullying, that it really will get better.

• Give a shout out to your favorite LGBT celebrity! 

I'm pretty sure you could throw a stick in Hollywood and hit about six LGBT peeps, so it shouldn't be difficult. 

I mean, come ON. Don't we all at least have a soft spot for George Takai?

Look at this adorable man. I wish he was my grandpa.

Tweet, Facebook, Pinterest, etc, a note of appreciation, and show your solidarity!

These are just a few easy ideas to get you started :). Go celebrate however you please!

Hug that person in your life who you know is LGBT, or maybe even just change your profile pic to a rainbow flag this week. Donate, volunteer, or go dance in the streets and show you are a person who cares about human rights, and is on the right side of history.

It's good to be a loving human being. I think we can all get behind that :). Especially us hopeless romantics.

Happy Pride to all of my fabulous readers!

Tell me--are you doing anything for Pride Week, or have you already done something awesome? Leave it in the comments and give other folks ideas!

Fawkesy Lady Sex Tip Series, Part 2: Putting Stuff in Your Butt is Awesome (if it's the RIGHT stuff!)

Since we've been debunking myths about the rarely-talked-about-but-totally-fun act of anal lovin', we've discussed how to relax into it and make sure you have a good experience.

But now let's debunk the evil twin of the "it hurts" myth:

Myth #2: You can put ANYTHING up there!

*Ring, ring!* Uh, Mom... I'm gonna have to call you back.

Yeaaaaah.


I have some friends who are paramedics and you would be shocked to hear just how many stories they have about people putting weird things up their butts. And then having to go to the hospital... because that's a really, really BAD idea.

It was a million to one shot, Doc! A million to one...

So this is my brief bit of advice for all of you out there, hopefully not that you need it:

Do not put anything in your butt that is not one of the following:

1. Human fingers
2. Human penises
3. A sex toy *specifically designed* either for anal play or shaped like a human penis.

I know, I know, you may be thinking. Geez, why on earth do you need to spell it out, Delilah? Don't you think I know how to engage in sweet backdoor sexin's?

Welp, I respond. You'd really be surprised.

And even if you're following the list above, make sure to always remember your Three P's of Anal to make sure everyone's having a sexy, safe time.

-Patience
-Preparation
-Puttin' some lube on it


So enjoy! Have fun! Be not afraid!

BUT... make sure what's going into your ass is designed to be up there. I don't want to see any of you guys on an episode of Rescue 911.

REALLY? You have got to be kidding me...