Thousand Word Thursday Ficlet from PD Singer

 

When Bricio came into the bedroom, he found Ed stretched out on the bed fully clothed but with bare feet. His toes curled periodically, attracting attention to the movement. From there, Bricio let his gaze travel up the length of denim-clad legs, across the bulge in the jeans, the flat plane of belly, and the broad chest, to his lover's face. Total concentration there -- Ed didn't even look up until Bricio ran a finger across the bottom of Ed's foot, getting him to jump.

"Good book?" He didn't really have to ask -- Ed wasn't much of a reader, but the erection and the intensity he'd fixed on the oversized volume said a lot. Bricio could see the back blurb from the foot of the bed.

"Very good book. C'mere and read it with me." Ed looked up with that hungry look he didn't usually give to words on paper. He stroked the pillow next to him, making Bricio toe off his boots and slide across the comforter. Slipping his arm over Ed's shoulders, he settled in to see what had his man so fascinated.


Yeah, this was Ed's kind of literature, a few lines of text to ignore, a lot of glossy, hot pictures. Pictures of the kind of guys Bricio had never seen just walking down the street or shopping at the corner market. The kind of guy Bricio knew he wasn't. Tall, popping out with muscles, manicured and styled. Probably smarter than he was. Maybe been to college. And they looked so fine, with less clothes on in every picture. He watched Ed's finger travel over a rippling haunch, trace a six pack ab, and turn the page.

"Like that?" The husky words blew against Bricio's cheek.

A nod -- yeah, he'd like the picture fine, if it wasn't Ed showing it to him. Was making him hard, though.

"Wanna do that?"

"What, plant my bare ass on a sharp rock?"

"You could plant your bare ass on a soft blanket, muchacho." Ed turned another page. "Then I could do that." He stroked a picture of two impossibly gorgeous models, one with his cock in the other's mouth, stretched out on a rock that probably wasn't that sharp, and pressed his lips to Bricio's shoulder, not quite licking, not quite kissing. "And after a while, we'd switch to this. Whadaya say?" The opposite page had the models curved around each other, chest to back.

The sideways look Bricio stole showed him Ed's eyes, heavy lidded. "You think? Maybe we should try this?" The "this" he pointed out had the models reversed, in a way that he and Ed didn't usually do, but the idea had him growing harder.

"If you want." Ed took another look, as if he needed to be really sure what to do. "Might not be able to get my leg that far." He lifted his leg 'til the seam of his jeans creaked. "That's the problem with these books -- all show." He yanked his foot higher with a hand on his thigh, before dropping it with a thud.

"We can fake that part," Bricio decided, setting the book to one side and dragging Ed's shirt over his head. Didn't matter about the leg, the pose was for show -- he and Ed could…

"Nothing fake here, Bric." Ed unsnapped his jeans before reaching to Bricio, who lifted his hips to let his partner strip him. "Nothing fake about you and me at all." The jeans hit the floor a scant second before Ed buried his face in Bricio's groin, nuzzling and nipping his way from balls to tip.

No, that was real, very real, and Bricio's last doubt wiped away under Ed's slick tongue. They could read again tomorrow -- page thirty-four might be fun, too.

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Thanks to PD Singer for putting words to that story! PD has three novels and a ton of short stories out, and is looking forward to GayRomLit in New Orleans come October. *plans to hide in Pam's suitcase* She's working away on a couple of WIPs, and should have news for us soon! See what she's up to on her site.

Rachmaninoff by SL Armstrong and K. Piet

Nineteen-year-old Aric Reynolds has spent most of his life in boarding schools, summer camps, or on tour as a prodigy with the piano. His wealthy parents have never had time for him, and after a failed year at college, they have decided on a final course of action. Aric is brought to Nikola Jovanovic's beautiful, sprawling manor in Serbia.

Nikola is known the world around as a master in music, unsurpassed by any, but terribly reclusive. For one year, Aric is to be his student, but in the modern day, it is easy for Aric to learn Nikola's secrets. With a dark shadow lurking from Nikola's past and Aric's stubborn, promiscuous nature, the sexual tension between the pair simply explodes, and Aric's very mortal life is held in the balance.
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Nineteen year old Aric Reynolds becomes the less than willing student of the vampire Nikola Jovanović, and he's pissed about his parents dropping him off in a castle in Serbia. Nikola's lessons in music and history do start to grow on him, but don't satisfy his cravings to be anywhere else, doing anything else, trying to achieve the oblivion that would be preferable to his emotionally empty life. Casual sex and drinking might shut down Aric's mind, but it only infuriates Nikola, who has watched Aric from afar since he was a thirteen-year old child prodigy and senses the vast potential Aric carries. (That is creepy, but this is a vampire -- they take the long view.)

The lessons turn from the strictly academic and musical, to lessons of the heart, taught in both directions -- Nikola both holds Aric at a distance and teaches him about intimacy, and Aric tutors Nikola, sometimes with very harsh lessons, about letting go and listening. Nikola, unfortunately, is not a very good student.

The story divides roughly into two sections, and the first, in set mostly in Nikola's stronghold, contains most of the emotional story arc. The pair goes from antagonistic to lovers, and had the story ended there, I would have closed the book with a most contented sigh. Aric both figures out Nikola's secret and accepts it, and shows some great emotional growth in learning to care about others and even to love, while Nikola engages in a real relationship for the first time in centuries. And there really are very few things as sweet as a kiss in Paris in the spring.

But those centuries of keeping his own counsel have left a mark -- Nikola slips into his old ways of making decisions without consulting Aric, creating multiple incidents of extreme havoc. The first was both unnecessary and far too easily forgiven, and the others -- a minor character who wielded a cluebat did finally show up.

The first section worked much better than the second, which divided its focus between emotions and the practical aspects of being a vampire, though it most certainly solidified the HEA. Nikola kept repeating his earlier error, with variations, and while this might mirror the structure of Rachmaninoff's piano music, it unfortunately doesn't strengthen the story.

This writing team has done several things very well -- the emotional arcs for both Aric and Nikola are beautifully drawn, aside from the incident of easy forgiveness, and the incorporation of the music into the initial arc was well done, though possibly its more accessible for someone with a little musical training. The sense of place was vivid, especially during a section where the pair traveled extensively. Aric's mind came through in lines like this: "He was in hell. Without any extra batteries."

Some things didn't quite work: the POV changed frequently and without warning, and the practical aspects of Aric's musical training and career didn't especially mesh with my understanding of the care and feeding of a serious musician.

This is the first offering I've read from Armstrong and Piet, and while the story had some issues, it had enough that really shines that I will gladly read more. 3.5 marbles (rounded up at Goodreads)


Buy here.

Thousand Word Thursday

It’s that time of week again – here’s a pic that’s worth a thousand words. Will an author write a ficlet or a drabble for it?

Against the Window by Jamie Lowe

Ghaith is so excited when Noah surprises him with a weekend away at Noah’s country house. He doesn't expect the heavy rain, but Ghaith isn’t going to let a little storm ruin the first night of his first weekend away with his lover. And that wall of windows just looks too tempting to pass up…

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Thirty one hundred words is not a lot of space to get characterization, plot, and sex all squeezed in, but it can be done. Better yet, take another couple thousand words and don't skimp.

This story is just long enough to offer an 'opposites attract and then screw each other silly' story; Ghaith is the poor foundation worker slob to Noah's wealthy businessman with housekeepers, and the only reason they get together is through the meddling of friends, something we are told but not shown.

I was a bit concerned that Ghaith had wandered in from an SF story; turns out that's an Arabic name (I googled) but we don't have any clues from the text for his ethnicity or motivations, nor any particular information about Noah, aside from his wealth, interest in Ghaith, and a small streak of romanticisism. The two spend most of their page time having lukewarm sex against a window, and Cryssy Crankypants is wishing for some plot. 1.5 marbles


Buy here.

A to Z by Marie Sexton

Zach Mitchell is stuck in a rut. His college boyfriend left him ten years ago, but Zach still lives in the same apartment, drives the same car, and feeds his ex-boyfriend’s ungrateful cat. His Denver business, A to Z Video Rental, is struggling. He has annoying customers, eccentric neighbors, and an unfulfilling romance with his landlord, Tom.

A combat boot-wearing punk with an attitude, Angelo Green was raised in foster homes and has been on his own since he was sixteen; he has never learned to trust or to love. He doesn’t do relationships, so when Angelo takes a job at A to Z Video, he decides Zach is strictly off-limits.

Despite their differences, Zach and Angelo quickly become friends, and when Zach’s break-up with Tom puts his business on the line, it’s Angelo who comes up with a solution. Together with Jared and Matt, their friends from Coda, Colorado, Zach and Angelo will find a way to save A to Z, but will they be able to save each other too?

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Seeing both sides of the story as Angelo and Zach find their ways past old trauma, current ennui, and the general difficulties of staying in business and forming a couple worked well here -- the absolutely Rashomon quality made for some really intense reactions from me. The voices were absolutely distinct, their perceptions totally opposite.

Angelo was my favorite, he's a lot more self-aware, a lot smarter, and when he's working against his own best interests, he can acknowledge that and try to do something different. Most of his life he's been on the outside looking in on love, and when he might be welcomed in -- he knows where his panic is coming from. The descriptions of his fears as the little bird that flutters in his chest gives the fear a name and a way to let go of it.

A good hard smack upside the head was long overdue for Zach -- he's been sleepwalking through his life. He messed up his early love with his selfishness, he's drifted into a business he doesn't understand or care about, and how he's stayed open all these years is a miracle, and he's oblivious to what's going on around him. I was looking around for a two by four to give him that smack!

Teaming up with Angelo probably kept Zach from wandering into the side of a bus out of sheer inattention! The beauty of it that while Zach gradually becomes a thinking, considerate person, Angelo never pushes him, but lets Zach find out for himself, except where Angelo has to say something to defend his own heart.

Very nice cast of supporting characters; Zach's ex-lover needs a kick for abandoning the cat. The story arc regarding Angelo's mother was believable and the author gets cookies for not going for anything too huge. The setting was another plus for me -- Arvada is two suburbs over from me and I kept thinking of where the store is actually located, so a kind of local fun there, same with the festival in Lyons. Using the festival to let the characters intersect with Jared and Matt was a nice touch -- they could go back for Mabon.

This story engaged me deeply, you can tell if I'm starting to think up things for the characters' future -- my one big problem was wondering how Zach managed to survive before Angelo came along and dialed his brain back on. 4 marbles

A Thousand Word Thursday Story from DH Starr

Josh walked up the steps leading to Kinley’s front door. Back for the holiday break of his freshman year, he couldn’t wait to spend time with his best friend since Kindergarten. The door opened before he even had a chance to ring the bell and Josh was stunned by a wide, beaming grin and dazzling white teeth gleaming in the morning light.

It had only been a few months since he had seen Kinley, but one look and Josh’s cock shifted in his pants. Damn! I never realized how hot he was before. “Shit, K, you been pounding the weights?” Kinley seemed to have increased his body mass by at least twenty-five percent. His shoulders and arms billowed with an extra round of muscle. The front of his T-shirt stretched, his pectoral muscles torturing the thin fabric. Josh caught a glimpse of two round nubs pressing at the center of each plain before his eyes were drawn down the sleek body.

The width of his shoulders contrasted beautifully with the slender cant of his torso, which angled into a trim waist and then bulged back out, two firm bubbles forming his perfect ass and pressing out at the flannel pajama bottoms he wore.

It took all of Josh’s effort to draw his gaze back to Kinley’s face, and when he did, he was struck once again by the crystalline blue eyes gazing back at him. “I’ve worked out a bit. But you look fuckin’ great too. Come on in. It’s freezing out here. This cold wind is gonna cause my dick to shrink.”

Images of how he could help to solve that particular problem flooded Josh’s mind and did nothing to alleviate his own growing problem inside his pants. Once inside, Kinley took his jacket. “I was right. You are much bigger. Your shoulders round into an awesome v-cant down your lats to your waist. Turn around.” Josh obeyed, hoping his bulge wasn’t too obvious. He kept his eyes glued to Kinley’s face. “Yup, just as I thought. You trimmed off that extra few pounds you were carrying by the end of the summer. I bet you’re cut with fuckin’ rubbed abs.”

Unsure how this conversation had taken such an extreme turn towards discussing their physique, Josh tried to shift the conversation in a different direction. “So how’s school. LA must be a hell of a lot different than Boston. Are you having fun?”

Kinley’s smile remained on his face, but his shoulders stiffened slightly and he began shifting from one foot to the other. “Yeah, man, LA’s cool. Always sunny there. But hell, we’re back home and I haven’t seen you in ages. Come up to my room. We can catch up.”

Josh followed him up the stairs and down the hall, a path he had travelled hundreds of times before. Josh had always felt comfortable in K’s home, like it was his own as well, but ever since he had been fourteen and realized his attraction toward his best friend, being alone with K in his bedroom made him nervous, as if Kinley would somehow know what he was thinking, what he wanted.

Once inside Kinley’s room, Josh was faced with those dazzling blue eyes once again. “Man, it’s so good to see you." K gushed. "The whole flight home, all I could think of was that I would see you today.” Josh smiled. He has no idea what those words mean to me. “Dude, you seriously look great. Let’s see those abs. I need to know if I was right.”

Taken aback, Josh simply stared at his friend for a moment. How did we shift back to talking about bodies again? Not knowing what to say or do, he did the only thing that seemed easy and lifted his shirt to reveal his abdomen. “You got me. I’ve been pounding out sit ups and stopped eating pizza every night.” He began to lower his shirt, but something in Kinley’s expression froze him.

K was peering at him, not as a friend, but with something else, something that seemed familiar, yet Josh had never seen that expression in his friend’s face before.

When the realization hit, it hit hard. The look was familiar because it conveyed the same things he had thought for years. It conveyed hunger, a desire to see more, to do more. “Oh, no you don’t. Take your shirt off. Be proud, Josh. Let’s see how you’ve firmed up.”

If only you knew just how firm I am right now. Once again stunned into inaction, Josh did the only thing his body could manage, which was to continue obeying his friend. Lifting his shirt up and over his head, he stood before K, feeling more exposed than he ever had before. He had worn far less than this in front of Kinley, but that look, the way Kinley's mouth curved up in a lopsided grin as his eyes took in Josh’s now exposed upper body, made Josh feel like he was completely on display.

Walking around Josh slowly, Kinley made sounds of approval. An uh huh or mmmm were the only sounds that broke through the heavy silence in the room. When he finally stepped back in front of Josh, his face had become slightly flushed. “You look good.” His voice was low and deep, a hint of ruggedness seemed to escape from deep inside, matching the predatorial expression in his face. “You look damn good.”

Josh opened his mouth to question what the hell was going on, but Kinley closed the distance between them and caught him in a fierce kiss. Shocked with disbelief, his first instinct was to pull back, but K had obviously anticipated this reaction and held him tight. It only took a moment for the initial shock to wear off, and Josh relaxed, allowing his fantasy to come true.

When Kinley pulled out of the kiss, Josh took a few labored breaths. “H-How did you know?”

The smile he had always loved settled into place on Kinley’s face. “Man, how didn’t you know?” He stepped forward and pulled Josh into a headlock, giving him a full-out noogie.

Wrestling to free himself from the strong grip of his friend, Josh couldn’t help but laugh. I guess this is gonna be one hell of a vacation!!!
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Thanks, DH, for putting some words to that picture! Find more of this author’s work in

Reward of Courage is the latest, and the sequel to Wrestling with Desire.

Derek Thompson and Scott Thayer met in high school. Facing challenges and overcoming obstacles that would make lesser young men fold, they now have the chance to forge a life together. As they enter college, they finally have the time and space to discover each other sexually and give their virginity to each other. However, in spite of the erotic thrill of exploration, there are still challenges ahead, challenges that will test their love and devotion…

While Derek wants to live as an openly gay man, Scott wishes to maintain a degree of privacy. Not only that, but another freshman, Tyrell Jackson, becomes infatuated with Derek and wants Derek for his own. In the face of these threats to their burgeoning relationship, Derek and Scott are forced to look within themselves and make difficult decisions which will change both of their lives forever.

Is their relationship strong enough to bear the strain of balancing their needs as individuals and as a couple? The only way Derek and Scott will attain their ultimate reward is by finding the courage to face their fears. Will they rise to the challenge?

Thousand Word Thursday

A picture is worth a thousand words again this week! Our last pic netted a lovely little story from Eden Winters to explain the situation, and who might have a tiny story to tell about what's going on here? A drabble? A ficlet? I'll post it with your latest news, links, and book covers.

And if you just want to look and drool, heh, I'm there too.