The characters in Charley Descoteaux’s series aren’t always sure about their own proclivities, but it looks like they are about to find out what makes them tick 😉

What would you like readers to know about your series Kink Awakenings and your new book Velvet Cuffs?

Thank you for asking! The series is about men who didn’t know they were kinky and follows their sexy discovery to an HEA. Velvet Cuffs is a little different than the other two books in the series because both men learn something about themselves over the course of the story. Only one has a true awakening to a new kink, but the exploration took longer than I had expected and turned the book into a full novel!

What kink was the most interesting for you to write about—and why?

This is a hard question! I love so many kinks, but maybe the most interesting for me was exploring Josh’s awakening. He’s always thought he was naturally dominant, and I’m the farthest thing from that so it was a nice stretch to live inside his head while he figured it out!

Is the kink club you’re describing based off some real ones?

Not really. I was sitting in Powell’s City of Books having lunch one lazy Saturday and looked at the second floor of a building across the street. I’d seen it before, but for some reason that day I couldn’t stop wondering what was up there. One thought led to another, and before I’d finished my coffee I’d created a private kink club up there! ❤

In Silken Ropes, a first-timer in a kink club participates in a Shibari scene. In your opinion, if it were for real, what should first-timers consider when they agree to take part in some kind of public action of a kinky kind?

That scene is pure escapist fantasy (yes, I love ropes 😉). In real life, you shouldn’t let someone bind you until you’ve had a thorough discussion of boundaries and limits, and you trust them to respect your safe word. If your experimentation is more along the lines of sex in the park or another place where you could be discovered that’s a little less risky, so I’d say to go for it if the mood strikes! Just leave your shoes on in case you need to make a quick getaway. 😊

What would you recommend to those who are unsure about exploring their inner kinks (or even about what kinks they are really into)?

You can’t go wrong with research! The internet is a great place to explore things that make your motor rev. This question made me think of a conversation between Eoin and Wes in Satin Sheets. In this excerpt, they’re in the speakeasy and Wes is beginning to figure out his kink:

“What seems to work for most people I’ve talked to is to explore what makes you happy, the things that give you peace. It’s not always about sex but it can be. When you have a feeling that something is speaking to you, slow down and listen. You might be surprised by what you learn about yourself. I was. I never expected that I’d get such deep satisfaction from giving another person what they need to be happy, to find peace, even if only for a little while.”
I’m such a lightweight. Two hits and I’m a kinky philosopher.
The dreamy look on West’s face made Eoin wonder what he’d experienced that had prompted the question in the first place. He wasn’t sure why, but he hesitated to ask for details.
It’s none of my business.
No matter how much I might like it to be.
“Okay, that sounds good. How does someone go about exploring a thing that gives them peace? I don’t think I have the vocabulary…”
“Start with the sensation. Or the object of the external stimulation.”

Velvet Cuffs, Kink Awakenings: Book Three by Charley Descoteaux

BLURB:

Josh Keller never thought he’d host a wedding reception—his kink club is a place where he tends bar and chains willing men to the padded wall in his private room. He also never thought he’d see the love of his life again. When both happen on the same day his life will never be the same.

Pax Dupont never stopped loving Josh, not when they fought and broke up and not during the fifteen years they spent a thousand miles apart. Coming face-to-face with the man he left behind is a surprise, but learning Josh is part owner of the club intrigues Pax enough to share his own love of silk, lace, and domination.

Will Josh and Pax put past hurts behind them and admit their feelings still run hot, or will Pax’s desire to dominate Josh break them up for good?

Warnings: This book contains a brief scene of violence and a hero in peril, mentions of past abuse of a child, grief over the death of siblings, a man who loves the feel of silk and lace, and one who thought he understood his own kinky nature.