Vicktor Alexander's Blog, page 16

I am sssooooooo happy and honored to welcome my dear friend Tara Lain here for the Birthday EXXXtravaganza! Tara shares one of her fondest birthday memories, an excerpt from F.A.S.T. Balls from her Balls to the Walls series  and she's doing a giveaway of one of my favorite books of the series to one lucky person who comments, or even a copy of the newest book in the series, so make sure you leave a comment! -Vic







Of Birthdays, Boys, and Buddhas
Hi everyone. I’m Tara Lain and I write The Beautiful Boys of Romance. I’m so happy to be here celebrating Vicktor’s birthday. He asked me to share a birthday memory. He also asked me to give away a copy of Fire Balls! So, be sure and leave me a comment and you can win an ecopy in the format of your choice. Or, if you’ve read it already, you can win F.A.S.T. Balls, my new release, instead.
So, about birthdays. Just for fun, I looked up some facts about birthday celebrations. Did you know that in medieval times, ordinary people celebrated their saint’s day -- the day dedicated to the saint they were named after -- but nobility celebrated the day they were born? So, aren’t we special!? Did you know that if you have 367 people in a room, it is 100% certain that two will have the same birthday, but it only takes 57 people to reach a 99% probability that two will share a birthday? Add that to your stash of useless information.
In many Asian countries, people often celebrate the 60th birthday as special. Know why? Because according to the Chinese zodiac, there are twelve signs (all those animals, right?) and five elements. So each person is born in the year of a sign and an element. Like you can be a Fire Dog, or a Water Horse, of a Wood Dragon. You see? But the signs and the elements combine such that they repeat every 60 years. So if you are a Fire Snake, you won’t see your identical birth sign until 60 years later. Then -- you start your life over!
Actually, it’s not my birthday I remember best. It’s Buddha’s. When I was a child, I lived in Japan. One year in April, we went to the Buddha’s birthday celebration in the town near the military base where we lived. On the day, priests carried a statue of the baby Buddha through the town. The statue was in a configuration like an ark. Beneath the statue was tea and children could go forward and take a dipper and scoop some tea and pour it over the statue. The sweet tea was made of hydrangea leaves and in years past was thought to have magical powers. I don’t know about the powers, but I know that day and the event were magical for me because I remember it vividly so many years later.
I’ve written birthdays into a few of my books too. In fact, my WIP involves a man who must get married by his twenty-fifth birthday in order to inherit 15 million dollars -- but he only finds out about that requirement the day before! LOL.
Most of all, I want to wish Vicktor a happy, healthy, and prosperous birthday. Thank you for inviting me and thank you for inspiring me and being such a great friend. Here’s to many more. *giant hugs*  : )


Excerpt: F.A.S.T. Balls by Tara Lain; The Gay Fireman and the HomophobeAvailable at AMAZON  ARe Firefighter and surfing champion, Jerry Wallender, looks like a hero to the world, but he can’t see it. He keeps falling for these intellectual guys who end up making him feel dumb and unneeded.  On top of that, Mick Cassidy, super-gorgeous firefighter and total homophobe, makes Jerry’s life miserable with his slurs. Then one day Mick’s nice to Jerry and, at the Firefighter’s Ball, Jerry offers a helping hand and ends up with a hand-job. What the hell is going on?Mick Cassidy is great with fighting fires and solving math problems but rotten with people. Raised by a gay-hating preacher, Mick’s carefully constructed world of gay bashing starts to crumble when he meets Jerry, the nicest, kindest man he’s ever known.  Mick’s never wanted a woman and can’t stop thinking about sex with Jerry. In fact, he can’t stop doing it. Does that make him gay? And if he’s gay, what happens to his whole life? A hook-up between sweet Jerry and mean Mick might be total disaster -- or the smartest idea Jerry ever had.The band got into the spirit and segued from the cha cha into a meringue. Jerry didn’t know this one as well but he mimicked Andres and pretty soon had the rhythm. Some people were standing around watching them while others joined in and danced. Andres was so gorgeous and so great at dancing. He even spun a couple of the women around as he danced by them and they squealed. What a charmer. The musicians worked up to a big finish. Andres pulled Jerry in close then spun him out in a twirl. He circled twice, laughed, and…stopped dead.Holy crap. Standing on the edge of the dance floor staring at the dancers with big green eyes was the yummiest thing he’d ever seen. Mick Cassidy, tall, straight and strong in a dress blue uniform, the light from the ballroom chandeliers shining off his pale gold hair.Jerry stared.Mick stared. Jerry glanced at the girl standing next to Mick. Really pretty in a blue dress. But nothing, underline nothing, he had seen in a long time was as pretty as that big, hunky homophobe. Mick might be mean as piss, as Hunter said, but he stood there proving that sometimes things that were bad for you are the ones you want most.A hand on his shoulder woke him up. “You okay, Jerry?”“Oh, sorry.” He turned and smiled at Andres, but man, it was hard tearing his eyes away. “I just saw someone I know.”He headed back to the table and Andres stepped up beside him. “Was the person you know that golden dreamboat in blue by any chance?”He wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t know who Andres meant. “Yeah, that’s the guy I was telling Rod and Hunter about. The one who was nice to me.”“Oh guapo, he can be nice to me anytime.”Jerry laughed. “Yeah. Too bad he’s a raging fag hater.”“So why was he nice?”“I still haven’t figured that out.”
* * *
He’d been turned to stone. Hell, he had to move. This was stupid. Mick watched Jerry’s retreating back moving off the dance floor and saw him guiding a beautiful Mexican with him. Who the hell was that? Jerry had said his boyfriend had left him. He’d sure moved on fast.“You know that guy?” He glanced at Jezebel. Oh right, she was with him. “Yes, he works on my shift a lot of the time.”“Sure is a good dancer. He a fag? Must be, if he’s dancing with a guy, right.”Whoa. He used that word all the time but it sounded bad when she said it about Jerry. “Yeah, he’s gay.”“Must be like your father says. You see a lot of gay guys in Laguna.”“Yes.” It felt weird to have his father’s ideas dragged into his work life.She looked out at the dancers. “I always figured what your father says is a load of crap. Gay people are born that way so it has to be God’s will and if it’s not then God’s a load of crap.”Mick gasped and looked at her. Really looked. “I don’t believe you just said that.”
You can find Tara HERE:Website:              http://www.taralain.comBlog: http://www.taralain.com/blog Goodreads:        http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_LainTwitter:               http://twitter.com/taralainFB Page: http://www.facebook.com/taralain  Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 21. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft.  She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books.  Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

So today's post actually came from my friend Ryan's wife, Tiffany. She sent me an email with a link to two videos, so I'm sharing it with all of you (with the image made by her husband):

Hey Monster! (Oh yeah, my friends call me Monster. Inside joke)


So in honor of the big 3-0 I found two videos for you. They should be pretty self-explanatory. But since you're posting this, I guess I'll share.

For my 30th birthday you showed up at my house with Ryan in handcuffs. You were dressed as a police officer and you played Jeremih's "Birthday Sex" while the two of you gave me and my friends a strip tease. For the past two years they have asked me if you were going to come and do it again. It was the best birthday I ever had because every time you and Ryan pulled off a layer of clothes, Ryan gave me a present, and all of it was jewelry.


The second video should remind you of your 19th birthday. Do you remember making us all sit around and watch Peanuts? The one with Linus's birthday and the girl singing? And how you made all of try to translate what the girl was saying and then made us sing it? This was before Youtube and Vine or even Twitter, otherwise I would have shared it with everyone! What fun we had that day. The drunker we got the worse we sang and the louder we got. Until the cops were called and they knocked on our hotel door and told us to keep it down. That was the funnest birthday party I ever went to. The alcohol was flowing, we had nonstop pizza and wings delivery and the boys kept finding guys for you to celebrate with.


Ryan and I wish we could celebrate with you in Vegas. But we wanted you to know that instead of finding a babysitter and buying plane tickets and you know, not eating for days to make up for it, we donated money to "Save Darfur" in your name. Happy Birthday!

Love,

Tiff




I really have the greatest friends and -clears throat- I swear I didn't get THAT drunk........

So tell me about a funny birthday memory or the greatest present you ever got to be entered for the prize giveaway.

So since it's day three of my eXXXtravaganza, I thought I'd share 30 little known facts about me, since I'm turning 30 and all, and a few of them will be about my birthday(s).

Don't forget to leave me a comment (maybe about your favorite birthday memory) and be entered to win one of the prizes listed on the rules post here.

And now -drumroll- let's begin:


1.When I was a little boy, just a wee child, I was given a yellow teddy bear that I named Mr. Teddy (creative I know). When the four hurricanes hit Florida in 2004, Mr. Teddy was in our garage that got flooded. I have been trying to find a plushy yellow teddy bear ever since to replace him because I want to pass it on to my children.

2. For my sixth birthday party I had my first huge party. Kids (boys and girls) from my school, church, and the neighborhood were invited. It was a Barbie Fashion Show Birthday Party. I lost.

3. Whenever I step into a bathroom I have to pull off everything. I don't know why. If I close the door and all I'm doing is washing my hands I still take off everything and lay it on the counter. So if I have the bathroom door closed, odds are I am completely au naturale.

4. When I turned 15 my entire family forgot about my birthday. To make up for it my bio mom took me on my first shopping spree at the Lakeland Mall and out for lunch at a restaurant. I spent most of my money on books.

5. My bio grandfather on my mom's side is named Jackie Robinson. Growing up I always thought he was the Jackie Robinson. No one told me that I was wrong about that until I was 21.

6. The first time I watched the movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, I thought it was based on a true story.

7. In high school my friends, Justin, Angel, Ryan and I skipped school to go on a road trip for the weekend. We ended up lost and ended up spending the weekend in a totally different state than we'd originally planned to go. We still had fun but we never trusted Angel to get us anywhere ever again.

8. I am Messianic Jew. Which means that I believe in Jesus and celebrate the Jewish feasts, holidays, etc. It also means that I don't eat pork, fast throughout the year, and read the Torah daily. But I am a proud Messianic Jewish gay man. When people are surprised by this I show them my PRIDE ring/bracelet/necklace and my Star of David necklace while I recite Scripture or pray in Hebrew. I don't believe that the two are mutually exclusive, though I don't plan on marrying a Christian/Jewish gay man. I will marry whoever I fall in love with, maybe "white chocolate" from Canada.

9. For my twelfth birthday my cousin, S, and I joined our birthday parties and had it at the hotel in Winter Haven. A bunch of kids showed up and we had a talent show. My uncle, D (3 yrs older than me, 2 yrs older than S) and some of the other "cute" guys from our youth group performed Boys II Men's "On Bended Knees" it was all anyone talked about for years after.

10. I love strawberries. No, you don't understand. I LOVE strawberries. I don't share them with anyone, unless I love you. That's how you'll know if you're in the "inner circle" because I'll share my strawberries with you.

11. When my family used to go on road trips we would sing along to the radio and my bio mom would always turn it off and make me lead the family in "My Girl" by The Temptations. I was always David Ruffian.

12. I fell in love with the Boston Red Sox when I was 6 years old and my bio dad asked me what college I wanted to go to when I got older. I said "Harvard" (they don't know where I'd heard of that college before) and he said it was in Boston "Home of the Red Sox" and red is my favorite color so that was fate.

13. When I worked for McDonald's in Auburndale, Florida, I was threatened by a customer because we weren't serving burgers at 4am. I quit a few weeks later and now whenever I eat a double cheeseburger I laugh.

14. I was in the R.O.T.C. program at Bethune-Cookman University which I attended on a military/ROTC scholarship.

15. I have the IQ of a genius, but it takes me a long time to understand when people spell small words around me. Five minutes usually.

16. Dumb & Dumber is my horror movie. That movie freaks me out and I've only watched it once. Seriously.

17. I hate chocolate and only eat it on occasion.

18. I absolutely love lasagna. I could eat it every day and never grow tired of it.

19. When we lived in Meridian, MS, my bio mom taught us how to play poker. We bet with Othello chips, M&Ms, and peanuts. Whoever won got to choose what we had for dinner. Whenever I won guess what we had for dinner? Yep, lasagna. My siblings hated it when I won.

20. The first time I saw snow was when we lived in Mississippi (1993-94). I kept making snow angels and eating the snow, much to my bio mom's horror.

21. The first meal I ever learned to cook was burritos, the family meal in the box by El Paso. I was 10.

22. I sang my first solo, Amazing Grace, at the age of 4 in church.

23. I had my first grown-up kiss when I was 10. With two different boys from school. One Caucasian, one black. I still remember their names: Timothy and Greg. Timothy had blond hair and Greg's hair was black and cut really short.

24. I started reading Shakespeare with comprehension at the age of 10 just for fun. I have the entire opening monologue of Romeo & Juliet memorized and will sometimes start to recite it just for the hell of it.

25. For my 21st birthday my friend, LaJoyce and I went to Orlando and spent the weekend clubbing, eating, and drinking. We stayed in a hotel my bio dad helped me pay for, but the first night we stayed in while she did my hair and we watched the infamous Pacers vs. Pistons game when the fight broke out among the players and the fans. LOL.

26. I lived in San Diego, California and tried to make it as an actor, this was a year after I lived in Brooklyn, NY and tried to make it as an actor.

27. I always take my birthday off from work. No matter where it is, I take the day off. It may not be a national holiday, but it's a holiday for me.

28. There are 21 years that separate me from my bio mom, 21 years that separate her and her mother, and 21 years that separated my grandmother and my great-grandmother.

29. When I came out in 2011, my great-grandmother was the first person I came out to. She had Alzheimer's but I was the only one she never forgot (which is a miracle in itself) and she called almost everyone by my name or asked them about me. When I came out to her she got quiet and told me that she loved me anyway and I was still her "baby." She passed away the next day. I'm glad I got a chance to tell her.

30. I want to have a lot of children one day, even if I have to adopt them all. I already have one child by adoption who will turn 19 four days after my 30th birthday, but I want to have five more. I've wanted to have six children since I was 13.

*And one to grow on*
31. When I turned 12 my bio mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday, I had just seen a commercial about orphaned and starving children in Africa. I told her I wanted her to adopt me a baby from Africa so that the baby wouldn't go hungry. She tells people that story all the time and says that I'm the only child she has who has wanted to change the world since I was a kid.


And now I want you to share with me a favorite birthday memory or a little known fact about you. Make sure you leave a comment so that you can be entered into the prize drawing!

I am uberly excited to bring you guys this short! It's from one of my favorite people, AKM Miles, whom I call "Doris" because her voice reminds me of Doris Day.

And guess what? AKM "Doris" is donating 5 copies of Trick's Dante to the Trevor Project! Woohoo!!!





Here is is a nice scene from Trick's Dante, about Trick's birthday celebration, his first ever.


“Can you do this?” Dante whispered.
Trick nodded against Dante’s shoulder. “Yeah, I can act. It’s what I did a lot when I first got here; trying to be everything they needed to see. I just wanted to be allowed to stay. I thought I wasn’t worthy. Now, I will do whatever it takes to make Mike happy. If that means letting him go to his family, then I’ll live with it. I’ve got you, and that helps. They have to prove that they are worthy of him, though.”
“I hear you. He’s a special boy who loves you very much. I think the feeling is mutual. Besides, it doesn’t mean you’ll never see or hear from him again. You know they’re not going to lose all contact with Mike now that he’s part of the Scarcity family here, right?” Dante pulled back to look down in Trick’s face. Before he could say more he looked toward the office door. “Uh-oh, looks who’s here.”
Trick turned to see Mike standing hesitantly in the doorway. Mike signed, “Is something wrong?” He looked worried.
Trick smiled hugely and went to him. He bent a little to sign, “What could be wrong? It’s my birthday and I want to know what you have for me.” He didn’t see any reason to explain the whole belated birthday thing to Mike.
Mike smiled big and leaned in for a hug, which Trick gladly supplied. If he held on a little longer no one said anything about it. Dante pointed to the hall, clearly suggesting they head out to the kitchen, which was the hub of everything at Scarcity.
Trick touched Mike’s arm to get his attention and asked, “Is there anything chocolate for me?”
Mike grinned and shrugged as if he didn’t know. Little tease.
Later, Trick had tears in his eyes when everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. They didn’t know it, but it was the first time anyone had sang that to him. Dante’s hand on his knee let him know that Dante knew it. Mike came around the table to where Trick was sitting and leaned into his shoulder.
“I love you,” Mike signed.
“I love you, too,” Trick signed back, trying not to cry. Mike hugged him and hurried back to his chair. The table had been cleared after the big meal of spaghetti with meatballs, salad and corn on the cob. Dillon knew everyone’s favorites. Trick didn’t doubt for a minute that there would be chocolate for dessert.
Dillon asked Mike to help him bring over the dessert before they headed for the great room to let Trick open his presents. Mike jumped up, hurrying to comply.
“You’re doing great,” Dante whispered under cover of all the noise that was going on as everyone around the big table teased Trick that they knew something chocolate was about to appear.
“I’m trying. I want to just hold on to him, though.”
“I know,” Dante said, rubbing Trick’s leg under the table.
Dillon returned, carrying a huge tray that had individual cakes on it. They were pretty, with a white icing that was browned on the tops. It looked great, but it didn’t look chocolate. Mike came behind him carrying a big container of ice cream. Trick didn’t know what kind it was, but he could see chocolate bits in it, at least.
“Looks great, you all.” He hoped he sounded sincere.
Randy was up helping to pass out all the little plates of cake. Each was round and fairly small. Trick tried not to be disappointed that he didn’t get a chocolate cake for his birthday, but it must have shown on his face. Maybe since it wasn’t really his birthday, Dillon had done something different. Maybe they were still upset at him for not telling them when it was. Casey had gotten up without Trick noticing and he was going around now putting two big, perfect chocolate-dipped strawberries on each person’s plate. Trick sighed. Now that was better.
Soldier walked around the table putting small clear glass containers by each plate and Gom followed, scooping the ice cream into the little bowls. Trick could tell now that the ice cream had those broken bits of Heath bar in it and he loved those. He smiled, glad that there was at least a little chocolate.
“Ooh, I love this kind of ice cream. That’s like three things for dessert. Thanks, Dillon.”
“Oh, we’re not done yet.” He nodded to Mike who ran over to the counter and walked back, carefully carrying a big hunk of chocolate and one of those long things that grated stuff. Trick didn’t know what they were called. Mike started with Trick and went around the table scraping off shavings of chocolate onto the top of each person’s cake. When he finished, everyone clapped and he bowed, smiling. They’d had sweet tea with the meal, but now Soldier and Gom were bringing two gallons of milk and new glasses to the table. Trick had never had so much milk in his life, but with the richness of the desserts he figured they’d need it.
Trick thought Dillon must have worked all day making all of this. He looked at Dillon, who was watching for his reaction.
“I can’t believe you all did all this for me. It’s a lot of work. Thank you. I can’t wait to taste it.”
“Why wait?” Dillon took the chocolate and the grater thing from Mike and motioned him back to his seat. “Dig in.”
Trick took his fork and put it to the cake and when he got to the bottom and pulled his bite away, a pool of chocolate spilled out onto the plate. The cake under the white icing was dark chocolate and the middle was soft warm chocolate. He blushed when everyone laughed. He knew they all could tell that he was a little surprised that his birthday treat wasn’t more chocolate.
“Go on, laugh, I can take it. You got me. I thought my birthday cake wasn’t chocolate and my face must have given me away. This is cool, Dillon.” Trick ignored the laughter and tasted it. Wow, it was delicious; soft and moist and just perfect. He reached for a strawberry and bit the bottom half of it all, loving the two tastes together. It made him think of that night with Dante.
Trick looked over at Dante who pointed to the strawberry and then to his mouth. Trick didn’t even hesitate, moving his hand over to share with Dante.
“Aw,” someone said, “isn’t that sweet?”
“Sure is,” Trick said, unfazed at the teasing.
Soldier spoke up, saying, “Enough with the teasing. Trick, we’re so glad you’re part of our family and we want you to have the best birthday ever.”
Trick chose not to tell them it was his first celebrated one and just said, “This is the best birthday I’ve ever had, for so many reasons.” That pretty much said it all.
Everyone ate then, enjoying all the different forms of chocolate that Dillon had fixed for Trick’s special day. Soon it was time to go into the great room. Everyone helped clear the table, taking their plates and bowls to the sink for rinsing. There were lots of groans and stomach rubbing after the fabulous meal and dessert.
Trick was truly touched by the gifts he received from everyone. There was a new wallet, gift certificates to several places, a new iPod, and Gom and Casey had gotten him a leather jacket to wear on the bike with Dante. Trick was floored when Soldier and Dillon gave him a set of keys and told him that the car he’d been driving to work was now his. They were getting another one for Scarcity. Trick hugged them both, told them they shouldn’t have done that, but it would be so nice to have it all the time. He could use it to get to work and back and forth from here to Dante’s, and he could use it to get to school.
He’d waited to see what Dante was giving him and thought maybe he was going to have to wait until they got home. Once everyone else had been thanked and Trick had put all his gifts into a nice pile beside his feet as they sat on one of the big couches, Dante cleared his throat, getting his attention.
“My gift is really from Mike and me together. We knew what Soldier and Dillon were getting for you and Mike was excited by something he saw on a car when he was out with Dillon one day. With his help, I ordered this for your car.” Dante reached behind the couch cushion and pulled out a license plate for the front of Trick’s car. The plate had a color picture like the drawing in Soldier’s office painted on it with Mike’s name in the bottom corner. It was a work of art and it meant so very much to Trick. Somehow they had taken Mike’s drawing and made it into a painting. It was beautiful.
With tears in his eyes, he hugged Dante and then looked over at Mike, opening his arms, a smile on his face at the eager expression on Mike’s face. Mike hurried over to him and climbed onto the couch and into his lap, hugging him hard. Trick couldn’t look at Soldier or Dillon. He knew if he did he’d lose it and now wasn’t the time. But he treasured that hug almost as much as the pretty new license plate.
Dante reached down behind the cushion again and pulled out a screwdriver. They all headed out and Trick watched while Dante and Mike put the new plate on the front of the car. He loved it.
“God, what a great birthday, guys. I mean it. I’ve never had anything quite like this. You all have taught me so much and you mean so much to me. Thank you for accepting me into your home and your family. I love you all.” He looked around at the faces and grinned before saying, “I know, mushy. I never thought I’d be the type to say things like that, but you’ve made me feel things I never thought I would. I’m a lucky man.”
Dante came over to him and picked him up and swung him around. Trick laughed out loud, surprised by the spontaneity of the move. When Dante put him down, giving him a quick hug as he did, Trick saw Mike jumping up and down, watching them.
“Look at Mike,” he whispered to Dante.
Dante did and Trick wasn’t surprised when Dante walked over and picked up Mike, swinging him around, too. They all laughed as Mike held on tight around Dante’s neck, his face glowing. When Dante slowed down with him, Soldier was there. He turned and Dante put Mike on Soldier’s back for the trip back into the house. Mike looked so happy with his arms and legs wrapped around Soldier. Trick tried really hard to think that it would be a good thing if he had a family of his own. It hurt, though.
Dante held onto him as they followed the others back inside. He leaned down and whispered, “I have something else for you at home.”
“Oh, yeah?” Trick was interested, especially at the husky voice.

~AKM Miles~
***love is love***
www.akmmiles.com
[email protected]
http://akmmiles.livejournal.com
http://www.facebook.com/akm.miles
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2869347.AKM_Miles

Yay!!! It's the first day of my Birthday Extravaganza and I have got something super hot and steamy for you from my friend, author JC Wallace. Be forewarned, you're going to need some ice water or maybe a fan or a cold shower after reading this free short.
And remember, if you leave a comment every day you'll receive a point every day. Those with the most points at the end of the extravaganza will receive one of the gifts/surprises offered by my generous friends.
And now, here's the free short from JC Wallace:





Trey’s Greatest GiftJC Wallace
My contact info: Website: www.jcwallacebooks.comEmail: [email protected]
The thrumming beat of the music hummed through Trey’s bones, while dozens of hot sweaty bodies, ripe for the picking, writhed on the dance floor. Groins and hard muscles ground and rubbed and rutted against one another in a homoerotic mating dance. God, Trey needed this. Shirt off, pants slung low over his hips, Trey reveled in the heated touches, the slide of skin against skin, the dirty words whispered against his ears. The arousing scent of musk and sweat filled his nostrils, conjuring images of his face buried in someone’s ass, sucking and biting, his tongue fucking their hole. Shit, he hadn’t thought he could get any harder. In front of him, a pretty, little blond twink humped against his thigh, but he wasn’t what Trey needed tonight. No, he needed someone to push him against a wall and fuck him so hard he’d feel the burn for a week. That someone was currently behind him, hands gripped tight on his hips, an impressive bulge grinding into the crack of his ass, sending throngs of heat through his groin. Leaning back against the bare, hard chest, Trey slung his arms around the anonymous man’s neck. Reaching around him, the strong hands previously on Trey’s hips pulled the writhing twink against Trey’s groin. Friction sparked as thrusts from behind jammed Trey’s pulsing cock against the hard stomach in front. Trey felt stoned, flying with the music. His skin tingled with every touch. He had no idea who these two men were, but they were definitely a study in opposites, living on different ends of the manliness scale. But, oh, they were the perfect presents to soothe his wounded pride and help him forget the suckiest day of his life. Yeah, it had sucked big time, but that had changed once he’d stepped into The Cove, the hottest gay bar on the south side. And, fuck, if he hadn’t hit the jackpot. The big guy was going to fuck Trey until he screamed for mercy, and the blond was going to suck Trey’s brains out through his cock. And Trey was going to forget all about Donnie dumping him earlier that night during his twenty-eighth birthday party. His now ex-boyfriend had planned Trey’s party, invited a shitload of people then had dumped Trey in the worst possible way in the middle of it all. Trey tried to block out his guilt of pushing past his best friend and co-worker Daryl on the way out. He clamped his eyes shut at the pained look in the man’s eyes, but if Trey hadn’t escaped that apartment, he would have lost it. He shook his head to rid himself of the vision. The man behind him, reached up, and hooked the blond’s head, pulling his face toward Trey. Wide, glassy eyes reflected the colored lights pulsing to the music. A lopsided grin met Trey’s lips and as Trey closed his eyes, a wet tongue forced its way into his mouth. Trey opened and the young man started eating and grinding against Trey’s lips in rhythm with his hips. A gravelly voice spoke into his ear, “That’s it. Kiss that bitch. So fucking hot.”  Hot lust exploded from every cell in Trey’s body, and he attacked the supple mouth, eliciting a moan that vibrated across his tongue. Thrusts against Trey’s ass increased as teeth nipped at the skin of Trey’s neck, and a slick tongue left cooling trails on his burning skin. Inside of him, a wild torrent was building momentum, growing and expanding, too massive to be contained within his skin. “I think I’ll rip your jeans off and stuff my cock in right here,” the man growled.Trey’s gut clenched, and he whimpered into the blond-haired man’s mouth. Raising his hand, the big man pushed the twink’s head to Trey’s chest where he greedily latched onto a nipple, sucking for all he was worth. Trey hissed and arched his back. A hand shoved into the back of Trey’s pants and a dry finger plunged into his greedy hole. Trey pushed back, forcing the finger in farther.“You are such a slut for it, aren’t ya? And what about the kid? Got quite the mouth, huh? Imagine your dick down his throat.” Trey panted and groaned, eyes clamped tight, lost in a rocking cradle of bliss. Hips pushed forward and then pushed back. Lost in the fluid movements and the savage tempo of the music his sensations morphed as Trey expanded and contracted like the rhythmic breathing of a diaphragm. A hum spread beneath his skin, the vibrations increased as the finger rubbed his prostate and threw electric sparks throughout his body. Riding the razors edge, he needed something more, something to bring on his orgasm and shatter him into a million sated pieces. Gasping for breath, Trey’s pleas were lost in the raging music. Just as Trey thought he’d spend a frustration-filled eternity working to get off, another finger was shoved in next to the first followed quickly by a third. Trey’s chest bellowed, air rushed his lungs and, like an explosion, rushed out. Before a sound could escape, a large hand clamped over his mouth, containing the scream that went on and on as Trey’s balls emptied into his pants. Feeling as if he’d been thrown into water and didn’t know which way was up, Trey flailed to right himself. He didn’t know if he was floating or falling. The racing thud of his heart drowned out sound, and his eyes refused to open. The hard plane and hands that had been holding him up disappeared and he was definitely falling...into the darkness...alone. Before he crashed, arms wrapped tight around him. “I gotcha,” the honey smooth voice declared as Trey continued his journey into darkness.* * * *Trey felt like road kill that had been baking under the broiling sun on tar black asphalt. He sniffed. God, he even smelled like road kill. What in the hell had he been doing and where the hell was—An icy spray pelted his skin and he screamed, trying to back away, but strong hands held him still. He opened his eyes, blinded by water and bright lights. An evil chuckle echoed in the space around him. He flailed and his feet slipped. When he reached out, he only grabbed air. The strong arms wrapped around his stomach, saving him from falling.“Calm down,” the deep voice demanded. “What...What...the fuck?” Trey sputtered, trying to move his head from the arctic water beating on him, but a hand continually forced him back under. “Let me go!” His struggle was fruitless. His muscles were slack and lacked strength. His head dropped forward, and he blinked his eyes repeatedly to clear the blurred vision. He was still wearing his black dress pants, but the expensive silk shirt, his socks and the black leather shoes he’d worn for his party were missing. Two arms covered in dark hair wrapped tight around his middle. Bile pushed up from his stomach, and the floor started to move and tilt. Saliva pooled in his mouth, and he was going to lose whatever was in his stomach. He heaved and then swallowed repeatedly. “You gonna be sick?”Trey shook his head as his stomach clenched. He nodded. The arms yanked him from beneath the spray of water, and stuffed his head into the toilet. He fought his stomach because he truly hated throwing up. He’d rather get his tooth drilled. More heaving and he swallowed hard. “Don’t fight it. You were drugged and you need to get whatever’s in there out.” The man’s arms remained around his stomach then with a sharp upward thrust, those forearms pushed into Trey’s stomach.Air rushed from his lungs and Trey gasped. “Son of a—” Trey gagged and then threw up everything in his stomach. It wouldn’t have surprised him to find his toenails in the bowl. The arms disappeared, and Trey slumped over the bowl, lacking the strength to move his face away from the foul smelling water. He continued to heave, but nothing more came out. A wet cloth appeared by his face. Trey lifted a shaky hand, taking the cloth and wiping his mouth and—ewww—his chin. The hand took the cloth, and a bottle of water appeared. Gratefully, he swished the water in his mouth and then spit it into the toilet. He felt like falling in and flushing himself.Drugged. Shit, it must have been the big guy and the twink. What the hell had they given him? A towel draped over his back, and the warmth against his icy skin passed a shudder through him. The iciness crawled through his body and the shudder turned into a trembling shiver. Soon his teeth were chattering and his vision fogged again. Fuck, maybe he needed to go to the hospital. Hands burrowed under his arms and lifted him. “Come on. You need to get out of those wet clothes and into something dry.”Trey tried to rise, but his shaky legs gave out and his vision darkened. He didn’t pass out, but he wasn’t able to respond as the man bent down and chucked him over his shoulder. He wanted to ask all sorts of who, what and where questions, but the muscles in his jaw were busy rattling his teeth. Dumped carefully onto a bed, Trey tried to focus on the face hovering over him, but it was useless. Trying to focus only turned his stomach. He lay limp and useless as the man stripped him of his clothes, and Trey thought about the dangerousness of the situation. This man could do anything to him, and Trey would have to lie there and take it. The panic filling his mind had no outlet. He couldn’t speak or move. Apparently, enough of the drug had been absorbed into his system.Despite his fears, the man redressed him, flopping Trey around like a wet noodle. The heat of the clothes soaked into Trey’s skin, but the cold had infiltrated his bones and his muscles shook in an attempt to warm him. Trey forced his mind and mouth and vocal cords to cooperate and managed to say, “C-c-c-old.”“Get under the covers. You’re shaking like crazy. Sorry about the cold shower, but you passed out in my living room, and I had to wake you up.”Trey couldn’t remember anything after The Cove. Again, with some manhandling, the man got Trey settled on a pillow and covered him. Trey opened his eyes to darkness and his breath hitched. He hated the dark. Hated it with a passion and now, being unable to move, he felt trapped. He started as a body molded to his back, the heat soaking through his clothes. “Calm down. I’m right here. I imagine the drugs doing a good job on your head, but you’re going to be okay. My body heat will help warm you up.”The voice was smooth and composed, and Trey had no choice but to believe the words. An arm worked its way under Trey’s head and another wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against a hard chest. He thought he should protest, but God, the gesture rushed him with a feeling of safety he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Donnie had never elicited that reaction in Trey. The hand on his stomach started to rub small soothing circles, and Trey heard a loud sigh escape his own lips. He shivering slowed as the heat reached his core. He frowned when a cheek rubbed over his hair.“I was so scared tonight when you passed out on me,” the man whispered into the darkness. Was that confession meant for Trey’s ears? Did the man think he was sleeping? “You’ll never have any idea how I feel about you. I wish I could tell you.”Those words...Trey had to remember them. Somehow, he knew they were very important, life changing. He fought the overwhelming exhaustion spilling over him, coating every cell in his body, trying to pull him under. He wanted to ask where, when and why, but he was so damn tired.He managed to turn his head. He wanted to let this person know he was listening, wanted to respond. The hand on his stomach continued the repetitive circles and something familiar assaulted his senses. A smell sparked a memory, which he tried unsuccessfully to chase through jumbled thoughts. The man released a breath he must have been holding. The hand on Trey’s stomach disappeared and then rested against Trey’s cheek, gently turning his head. For a brief second, an anticipatory silence filled the room with only the whispered sounds of their breaths audible. A feather soft touch brushed Trey’s lips, gentle and undemanding, and his stomach flipped with the desire fighting to surface. The sensation lingered, but then mixed with the feeling that he was floating then crashing. He could no longer fight off the encroaching sleep. The lips pulled away and Trey’s lips cooled. “I love you, Trey.”Oh, shit, he thought before he plunged into the depths of sleep.* * * *Trey fought to pull himself from the heaviness of sleep. He had to claw and fight to surface and something niggled at the back of his brain. Something had changed. Something was different, and he tried to pull together the fragmented thoughts. Donnie. Donnie in their bed. Donnie in their bed during his birthday party. Donnie in their bed fucking their friend Seth. Donnie wrapping his arms around Seth, telling Trey that he loved Seth. Yeah, something had definitely fucking changed. Trey squeezed his eyes against the tears burning his eyes. His chest constricted, and he couldn’t breathe. He’d been with Donnie for three years. Successful, powerful, confident Donnie. Trey had been in it forever, but apparently Donnie had only been hanging out until he’d found someone to love. Donnie had never told Trey that he loved him, not once. Trey had assumed Donnie felt the same as he did. Trey had taken it for granted that Donnie loved him. Fuck, he was an idiot.Trey wanted claim ignorance, but he couldn’t lie to himself. What had started out as a burning hot, torrid month of sex and dating had quickly settled into what Trey had considered a relationship—in terms of what he knew a relationship to be. Now that he looked back, he had to face the truth head on, and the slap it delivered across his face stung deep. The lack of touching, the lack of intimate gestures, the lack of caring behavior, well, those had all mirrored the relationship his parent shared. And when he thought about it, his parents had never appeared to be happy, had never appeared to be in love. Cohabitants were how he’d describe them. Ah, shit. He’d been Donnie’s roommate with benefits and a guaranteed date for parties and work functions. Trey buried his head into the soft pillow, and the scent sparked his confusion. Turning onto his back, he cracked open one eye. Sunlight filled the room he’d never seen before. He was in a large bedroom with chocolate covered walls, lying in a massive sleigh bed made of dark wood. An obscenely large flat screen TV covered one wall, and across from that, a bank of French doors covered the other wall. Had he fallen down a rabbit hole? No way was he with that burly dude from the bar. That man had low rent and pleather furniture written all over him.  The memory of being drugged hit him brought him upright. He ignored his pounding head and churning stomach. Every muscle ached as if he’d toiled an entire day in manual labor. Where was he? What had happened? He wiggled his butt. Not sore. No ache. He sighed heavily with relief. No one had fucked him last night. No one had fucked him for over two weeks. Now he knew why Donnie never wanted to have sex anymore. He was busy banging Seth. Fuck heads.He turned and found the bed empty. No one was there with him, but he had expected someone to be there and didn’t know why. He squinted to see the photos on the large dresser across the room, but his gritty and sticky eyes wouldn’t cooperate. His mouth was dry and tasted as if he’d been chewing on rotten garbage. He’d sell his soul for a drink of water. Turning his head, he found two unopened bottles on the nightstand. He grabbed one and sucked it dry. Placing the empty bottle onto the nightstand, he threw the covers off his legs. He was wearing someone else’s black T-shirt and grey sweats. He pushed a tentative hand into the sweats. Shit, his briefs were gone. Okay. Someone had seen him naked. He swung his legs over the side of the bed. Just as he was about to push off the oversized bed, the door to the bedroom opened. Trey squinted at the figure. He blinked again, trying to clear the fuzzy vision. Not too tall, blondish hair, curly on the top. Round face.“Happy Birthday, sleeping beauty.” That voice. Yup, awesome birthday, Trey thought then the voice registered with the fuzzy vision of the man. Trey shook his head and smiled. “Thank fuck,” Trey said with a relieved chuckle. Daryl. He was at Daryl’s house. Just how he had gotten there, he didn’t give a shit about at that moment. A loud snort filled the air. “There should be a thank you in there as well. I saved your sorry ass. What the fuck were you doing with Gunther and his boy toy, Evan? Those two are notorious for drugging men and doing some nasty shit. Luckily, I grabbed you before they got you out of there.”Fuck. He lowered his head into his hands. He didn’t know who Gunther and his boy toy were, but he was slowly getting back bits and pieces of practically being fucked on the dance floor. His cheeks heated and his embarrassment was undeniable. It had been a couple of years since he’d even been to that bar. Last night, he’d gone to the Cove to forget the entire awful evening, to forget Donnie humiliating him, to forget that he was alone, again. God, he deserved what had happened. He clenched his jaw tight and squeezed his eyes. No way was he going to cry like a baby—especially in front of Daryl.“Hey.” Daryl stood in front of him, wearing his usual button up shirt, cargo pants and loafers. “You need help to get to the bathroom?”The slight hint of amusement in Daryl’s voice caught Trey’s attention. Trey raised his chin and perused Daryl’s unremarkable, average body, his rounded face, plump lips and blue eyes. Daryl had the bluest eyes he’d ever seen. Trey furrowed his brow, trying to remember anything after the bar. Something was trying to surface, something he was supposed to remember, something important. Trey blinked and shook his head, as if the actions would bring the memory bobbing to the surface.“How did I end up here?” Trey asked. Daryl ducked his head in his usual shy manner, focusing on his shoes, twisting his hands together. Trey noticed a nasty bruise across the knuckles of Daryl’s left hand, but he didn’t ask how it had gotten there. Trey had met Daryl when Trey had started working for a large construction firm. Daryl was the CPA and Trey a site foreman. They often had to meet about budgets and issues with money for different jobs. They found that they both liked baseball and despite being fans of rival teams—Daryl liked the Red Sox and Trey the Yankees—they’d settled comfortably into a friendship. Donnie didn’t like Daryl, saying that Daryl was weak-willed and wishy-washy. Another strike against Donnie.Daryl sighed. “When you left the party, I knew it was because of something Donnie did. I went to find him...I knew...I mean he was always suck a jerk to you.” Daryl’s voice had lost some of its original confidence. He didn’t have the best self-esteem. Trey had tried to fix him up with women, but when it came to talking to them, Daryl got that deer frozen in the headlights look. He could act like such a spaz sometimes, but when it was just the two of them, he was different, relaxed, open—nice. The total opposite of Donnie.“I found him in your bedroom with his hands all over Seth.” Daryl’s voice took on a surprising force, and a fire lit in his blue eyes as he clenched his fists at this side. Trey raised an eyebrow at the transformation. “You saw him didn’t you? You saw that asshole with Seth and that’s why you left.”Trey rubbed at the pain in his chest with the vision of Donnie bucking into Seth on their bed. He managed a nod. Daryl scowled. Trey was sure he’d never seen that expression on his friends face. His expression was generally jovial and pleasant, maybe too pleasant, maybe too jovial. Now, seeing any emotion covering Daryl’s face, real emotion, Trey recognized that jovial and pleasant expression for what it was...a mask. Shit, Trey felt as if he didn’t really know Daryl at all. Daryl paced, continuing to seethe, continuing to spit and sputter his obvious hatred for Donnie that went deeper than the incident at the party. “Fucking asshole!”Trey snorted, and Daryl turned on him with wild eyes. Trey cringed. “Sorry. You just never swear.”Daryl shook his head. “Yeah, well I call a spade a spade. I can’t believe he did that to you during your fucking birthday party. You were having a good time for a change. You were laughing and talking and then he had to ruin it for you. You didn’t deserve that!”Trey worked to process the words. “You were having a good time for a change.” Did he usually have a bad time? Memories of parties and events and baseball games...Sure, he’d had fun, except...except for when Donnie was around. Donnie was constantly on Trey’s back about what he said, how he stood, what he wore, how he made Donnie look around others. More than once Donnie had accused Trey of embarrassing him. Trey had tried hard to live up to Donnie’s expectations but had failed consistently. He lowered his head. “He pissed me off,” Daryl continued in his irate tone, “so I punched him in the face.”Trey’s head shot up. “You hit Donnie?” Donnie had about four inches and twenty pounds of muscle on Daryl. Except for the bruise to his knuckles, Daryl looked unharmed. Donnie would never have let anyone get away with punching him in the face due to the embarrassment factor alone.Daryl nodded, hands on hips, his entire body holding his defiance. “And you’re still alive?” Daryl scoffed and then his face softened and the corner of his mouth twitched. “I was prepared to die.” He shrugged. “Why did you hit him?” Daryl’s confusing behavior was throwing Trey into so many different directions.Daryl sighed, a load of bravado escaping with that breath, and his body seemed to deflate. His eyes flicked down to look at the carpet. “Because he fucked up your birthday. He cheated on you and...He hurt you.” The once confident voice wavered again, and the corners of his mouth fell. Trey didn’t know what to say to that and after an uncomfortable silence, Daryl said, “I’ll go and get you something to settle your stomach.” Before Trey could utter a word, his friend left.Trey sighed and rubbed at his temple. Yesterday morning, his life had been chugging along on an even keel—and now—his world had been flipped and shaken and resembled nothing he’d known. Standing on shaky legs, he went to the bathroom, trying to walk straight as the floor tipped and tilted. He relieved himself, washed his pale face and ran some toothpaste over his teeth with a finger. He passed for almost dead at that point. Daryl hadn’t returned to the bedroom when Trey had finished so Trey went to find him. Down the hall, Trey entered the familiar living room filled with leather furniture and another large flat screen on the wall. Trey had been here dozens of time to watch baseball games. Daryl had a sweet surround system that made watching the game an awesome experience. Daryl wasn’t in the living room. When Trey turned toward the direction of the kitchen, he saw Daryl. A large granite topped island, separated the kitchen from the living room. Daryl was standing on the other side in front of the sink, his back to Trey, but Daryl wasn’t moving. His head was lowered and the stillness of his body kind of freaked Trey out. Just as Trey was about to say his name, Daryl drew in a deep shuddering breath and released it slowly. The set of his shoulders, the shudder, made Trey think Daryl was more upset than he’d thought. Yeah, what Donnie had done sucked, but Trey was beginning to believe it wasn’t as horrible as he’d first believed. He hated to be alone, but wasn’t it worse to be with someone who didn’t love you?I love you.Trey’s hand covered his heart as a gentle heat blossomed beneath his breastbone. Someone had told Trey that they loved him—recently. Definitely hadn’t been Donnie. The feeling of arms encircling him, the whisper of soft words, the feeling of heat and desire and lips, caressing and soft. Trey ran his fingertips over the tingle ghosting over his lips. Trey raised his chin, eyes focused on Daryl.  His friend. No, his best friend. The person he felt the most comfortable with in the world. The person who Trey shared everything with and who supported Trey, cheered him on and looked at Trey as if he mattered. Fuck.“You’ll never have any idea how I feel about you. I wish I could tell you.”“I love you.”Oh, hell. Daryl loved him? Wanted him? Daryl was gay? Truthfully, Trey had always assumed Daryl was into women. Yet, Trey had never seen Daryl with a woman or a man for that fact. Daryl spent all of his free time with Trey so...Trey slapped his hand against his forehead. Duh!Hearing the noise, Daryl turned, the surprise apparent on his face, however he quickly schooled his features. The mask was back. His friend was good at that. Daryl walked around the counter and held out a glass of something fizzy. “Here. It’s ginger ale. It’s all I got.”Trey took the glass and sipped. The bubbles tickled his nose and he sneezed. “Thanks,” Trey said. “And thanks for everything else. Things got a little out of control last night.”Daryl nodded. “It’s what friends do.”Trey surveyed Daryl’s eyes, his face, and his mouth. The mask was there, but it was cracking, fading. The effort to keep it there must be immense. Trey really looked at Daryl who squirmed under his scrutiny. Why hadn’t he seen it? It the truth was written all over Daryl’s face, plain as day, and Trey had been so wrapped around Donnie, he’d never seen it. And wasn’t he a shit for that.Trey stepped closer to Daryl. His friend was so different from Donnie—beautiful, muscled, tanned Donnie who looked as if he’d walked right off of GQ. Daryl looked as if he’d walked off the cover of a CPA magazine. Yet, beneath the exterior beat a fucking heart of gold, a loyal friend, a loving son, a dedicated worker, a real man who never said a bad word about another human being in his entire life. And he loved Trey—fucked up Trey, who couldn’t get beautiful Donnie to love him. Daryl stepped back as Trey continued to advance on him. Daryl licked nervously at his lips and continued his retreat until he backed into the island. His eyes widened as Trey stepped up and they were toe to toe.Trey leaned down and set his drink on the counter by Daryl’s arm then stood up and studied Daryl. In those blue eyes, he saw longing, the desire and the love. Trey reached his hand up and ran a finger down Daryl’s cheek. A visible shudder ran through his friend’s body, and suddenly Trey had visions of kissing Daryl’s plump lips, running his hands over bare skin, fucking Daryl on the counter, over the couch, in his bed. What would have been ludicrous just yesterday was now logical and made perfect sense. Daryl worked hard to retain that mask, and managed a chuckle. He pointed over his shoulder. “I got you a cake.”Trey raised his eyebrows, but didn’t take his eyes from Daryl, didn’t stop caressing his cheek. “Of course you did. You’re always doing nice shit for me. Bringing me coffee on the site, packing an extra lunch for me and reminding to eat, calling to check on me...” Trey moved his feet to the outside of Daryl’s so he could get closer and press their bodies together. Daryl’s eyebrows climbed up his forehead, but he didn’t move away. Trey ran his fingers through Daryl’s blond curls. Daryl closed his eyes, leaned into the touch and sighed, practically melting into Trey. When Trey ran the hand down Daryl’s neck and over his chest, Daryl bit his bottom lip and tried to suppress a moan. “Do you have something to tell me?” Trey whispered. Daryl shifted nervously. “I-I forgot the ice cream?”Trey chuckled and pushed harder against Daryl and their bulges lined up perfectly. They were about the same height. Daryl probably had an inch on Trey. “What...what’re you doing?” Daryl asked with a raspy whisper. “You have something to tell me,” Trey said, and rubbed his thumb over the hard nub of Daryl’s nipple through his shirt. Daryl hissed and Trey swore he heard a whimper. “Tell me,” he demanded.“I don’t...know what you...want,” Daryl said, a deep moan escaping, his eyes closing for a moment as Trey pinched the nipple. Trey brushed their lips together, a feather light whisper that rushed heat to Trey’s groin. This was Daryl, his best friend and Trey was so turned on. Why hadn’t this happened before? How long had Daryl felt this way?Trey pulled Daryl’s bottom lip in between his teeth. Biting down, he heard a sharp intake of breath from Daryl. He released the lip and soothed the spot. Tension coiled Daryl’s muscles. He was holding back, restraining his reaction.Trey ran his hands over Daryl’s back, kneading the muscles, soothing the man. Daryl was shaking, probably from a combination of excitement and terror. “It’s okay. I’ve got you,” Trey said, echoing the words he’d heard last night from Daryl. An overwhelming urge to protect the man, keep him safe, make him feel good, smacked into Trey. God, Daryl deserved it, deserved to be the center of someone’s world. Trey nuzzled Daryl’s neck, licking and sucking, as he pushed against Daryl’s erection. Daryl’s hands were still gripping the edge of the counter. Trey knew Daryl didn’t trust what was happening and feared reaching out only to lose what he so desperately wanted. Trey knew this about Daryl. God, he did know a lot about Daryl, except for the fact that the blond-haired man loved him.Trey put his mouth next to Daryl’s ear and rested a hand against the side of Daryl’s neck. Daryl’s pulse beat rapidly against Trey’s palm; Daryl’s shallow breaths pushed against Trey’s chest, and Daryl’s hard, erect cock dug into Trey’s groin.“Last night, you told me I’d never know how you felt about me and wished you could tell me,” Trey whispered.Daryl immediately shook his head as he struggled to lean back, but Trey wrapped a hand around his neck and steadied him. Trey pulled their foreheads together. “You said you loved me,” Trey whispered. “Is it true, Daryl? Do you love me?”Daryl searched Trey’s eyes and Trey saw the hesitation, the fear. Daryl had too much to lose. Trey had to prove it was safe for him to say it again.  “Don’t answer that yet,” Trey said, sealing his mouth over Daryl’s plump lips and parting the seam with his tongue. Trey’s head rose and fell over the undulating rhythm of their kiss. Any thoughts about needing to wrap his brain around kissing Daryl fled. This felt so right. They fit perfectly.Daryl still had a death grip on the counter. Trey had to relax him, get him to open up and enjoy what they were doing. Trey continued to kiss Daryl and soon Daryl gave more as his tongue flicked out into Trey’s mouth. “Fuck, you taste good,” Trey said between kisses. Daryl deepened the kiss, but still no hands.Trey yanked up Daryl’s T-shirt and attacked his nipple. In a heartbeat, Daryl’s hands were in Trey’s hair, tugging, and the sting pushed Trey to suck harder. Trey moved to the other nipple, reached down and yanked open Daryl’s belt, popped open the button, and then pulled down the zipper. Instantly, the cloth-covered bulge was in Trey’s hand. Daryl’s hips bucked slightly. The man’s chest heaved under Trey’s mouth and their sharp breaths filled the air.Trey kissed his way down Daryl’s soft stomach, licking over the trail of hair beneath his belly button. Peeling back the white briefs, the red head of Daryl’s cock was right in Trey’s face. Licking his lips, Trey imagined Daryl’s shaft deep inside of him, but not this time. Trey was going to fuck Daryl until he screamed his confession. Trey mouthed at the spongy head and Daryl pushed forward. A low groan filled the air. “F-feels so good,” Daryl panted as he petted Trey’s head.Trey smiled around the head then slid down the rigid shaft until the head bumped his throat. Daryl’s hand clutched and released Trey’s hair repeatedly. His new lover was fighting to remain in control. Trey so wanted him to lose it, but not yet.The gasps and whimpers from Daryl filled the air and Trey pushed his palm against his own hard cock to knock back his orgasm. Shit, he was going to cum just from sucking Daryl off. It had been years since Trey had experienced hot, can’t-get-enough, cum-in-my-pants sex. How had he gone so long without it and why? The jolt of pleasure tightened his balls as he pushed a palm against his cock again. The hands in Trey’s hair tightened, causing tears to sting his eyes. Trey pulled off Daryl’s cock, panting, and willing the tingling in his groin to back off. Daryl’s hands tried to pull Trey’s head back to his dripping dick, but Trey stood and plunged into Daryl’s mouth, thrusting his tongue in and out. Unlike their first kiss, Daryl wrapped his arms tight around Trey, rubbing and caressing. Daryl’s hands squeezed Trey’s ass, eliciting a satisfied “mmmmm” from Trey.Reluctantly, Trey broke the kiss and rested his forehead against Daryl’s, trying to slow down and make it last.“I want you,” Trey whispered. “Please, let me fuck you.”Daryl’s eyes grew wide and pulled his head back. “Um...it’s been a while.”“How long of a while?” Trey asked, licking the side of Daryl’s neck. “Three years.”Trey lifted his head. Those blue eyes searched Trey’s imploringly. Daryl wanted him, wanted Trey, but he was scared. Trey would be scared after three years, too.He rubbed a palm over Daryl’s cheek and Daryl turned into the touch. God, he was starved for affection. “I’ll be very careful, baby. I promise.”Daryl bit down on a trembling lip, his eyes shiny, no doubt overwhelmed by the endearment. Daryl nodded his head and a ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Trey smiled wide and kissed him before he grabbed Daryl’s hand and practically dragged the man into the bedroom.With swift efficiency, Trey stripped Daryl. Daryl wrapped his arms around his naked waist and turned his head away. The expression on Daryl’s face confused Trey. “Did you change your mind? If you don’t want to...”Daryl shook his head. “No, I want to. It’s just...” The redness in his face, the inability to look Trey in the eyes—was he embarrassed?  “My body. It’s not...You like muscular guys like Donnie.”Trey closed his eyes and breathed deep as a knife plunged into his chest. The pain in Daryl’s blue eyes— he never wanted to see it again. “Daryl, look at me.” When Daryl didn’t move Trey cupped his face and turned his head until Daryl had to look at Trey. “I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t know. I didn’t know how you felt. I’m such a shit. I should have known and I’m sorry. Please forgive me. You’re perfect.” Daryl’s lip trembled again, and he sniffed as a tear escaped the corner of his eye. Trey wiped the stray tear with the tip of his finger. “I will make it up to you. I promise.” Trey sealed the vow with a searing kiss that curled his own toes. Daryl lunged at Trey, swinging him around and pushing him onto the bed. Trey flailed as he fell backward then chuckled as Daryl divulged him of his remaining clothing with amazing speed. Trey laughed as Daryl opened the nightstand drawer and tossed a huge bottle of lube and a strip of condoms at him.Trey held up the strip. “This should get us through the night. Come here, baby.”Daryl smirked and climbed up and straddled Trey’s hips. Trey grabbed the lube and coated his fingers. Reaching beneath Daryl, he rubbed against the small opening. Daryl stiffened then slowly relaxed. Daryl leaned forward and placed his hands onto the bed on either side of Trey’s head, initiating a kiss. That sweet mouth was tentative, but gained confidence and was soon sucking and licking at Trey’s lips.  Trey pressed a finger into Daryl and they both stilled. Daryl’s hot breath fanned Trey’s face. Slowly, Daryl began to rock on the finger. Trey grasped Daryl’s dick with his other hand and let Daryl’s rocking push the cock into his fist. With his eyes clamped shut, the concentration apparent on his face, Daryl continued to rock, increasing his pace. Whimpers of pleasure escaped as Daryl pushed onto the fingers and into the fist. Trey added another finger, stretching the digits until he could fit another finger. Never had he imagined he’d be fucking his best friend. Now it was all he wanted to do.Daryl’s thrusts became erratic and while Trey wanted him out of his mind, he wanted inside of him. Trey pulled his fingers out and Daryl fell forward, his head resting on Trey’s chest, panting. Trey grabbed the condom and ripped it open with his teeth. By feel, he rolled the condom on not wanting to move Daryl. Before he could reach for the lube, Daryl snatched the tube and squirted it on his palm. Reaching back, he rubbed the lube over Trey’s sensitive cock, pulling a hiss from Trey’s lips. A mischievous grin crossed Daryl’s face. He lifted up and reached back, lining up with Trey’s cock and lowering himself, slowly. Trey grabbed Daryl’s hips to keep him from going too fast. He didn’t want to hurt him. The intense concentration was back on Daryl’s face, and Trey watched for any sign of discomfort, but he found none. With a moan, Daryl's ass settled on Trey’s groin. Trey gritted his teeth, willing his hips to remain still, waiting for Daryl to signal he was ready. Daryl wiggled his butt and writhed on Trey’s cock, and that was all the sign Trey needed. Trey pulled Daryl’s hips down and pushed up with his hips, reveling in the hitch in Daryl’s breath. Trey wasn’t going to last. He hadn’t topped since he’d been with the Donnie who never bottomed. Donnie didn’t even suck dick either. God, why had Trey put up with that shit?Enough, he told himself. Daryl was here. Daryl loved him and felt awesome and tight bouncing up and down on Trey’s dick as Daryl. Short whimpering pants came from Daryl with each of Trey’s thrusts. The lust and pleasure covering his friend’s—lover’s—face was beautiful. Daryl was beautiful. With that thought, Daryl opened his eyes and a tight band clamped tight around Trey’s chest. The trust, the openness, the need in those pools of blue hit him hard, and Trey couldn’t look away. Thrusting harder and faster, heat bloomed in Trey’s gut, traveling through his body, sweat covering his skin. He could fuck Daryl forever. He never wanted it to end. He wouldn’t let it.Trey reached up and laid a hand on Daryl’s cheek. Daryl closed his eyes nuzzling his palm. He vowed right then, right there, to do anything to keep that mask off Daryl’s face and to see the real man. The real man Trey loved. Trey loved him as a friend and now that was turning into true love—all thanks to that fuck head Donnie. He’d have to send him a thank you note.Daryl moaned, his head falling back on his shoulders. Trey was close and he wanted Daryl to go first. He grasped Daryl’s cock, pulling hard, and the moans turned into one long groan. The pace increased and the slapping of skin echoed in the room. Daryl’s head fell forward, his mouth slack, his shoulders hunching, stomach muscles contracting. “Baby,” Trey gasped, his balls tightening, his jaw clenching. Daryl fell forward, his hands on Trey’s chest, elbows locked. “Trey...I love you!” Daryl cried out as creamy, hot spunk shot across Trey’s chest. The pulsing muscle around Trey’s cock sent an electric shock into his balls. Trey thrust up hard, and then again, and he was cumming, his hands grasping Daryl’s hips, pulling him down hard. “Fuck, yes!”Clamping his eyes shut against the overwhelming emotions, Trey’s hands fumbled and found Daryl’s shoulders and pulled him down to his chest. Clutching him tight, Trey gulped air. There wasn’t enough air. A hand stroked Trey’s hair. “Trey? It’s okay, hon. Just breathe.” The hand moved to Trey’s chest and settled over his heart and calm passed into Trey’s body. “Are you okay?” Daryl’s voice was uncertain, wavering.Trey opened his eyes to that uncertainty and nodded. “It was just...It was intense, you know?”Daryl nodded, still searching Trey’s face for any indication of what he was truly feeling then Daryl nodded again and tried to climb off Trey. Grasping Daryl’s arms, Trey stopped him. Daryl cocked his head with a questioning gaze.“I love you, too.” There Trey had said it and he meant it. Every word.“Yeah?” There was a small play of a smile on Daryl’s lips. “Yeah,” Trey said, poking Daryl in the stomach.Daryl grabbed Trey’s wrists and stretched his arms over his head, pinning them to the mattress. Trey made a mock attempt to struggle then smiled.Daryl leaned down, his face inches from Trey. “Happy Birthday, Trey.” With that, Daryl met Trey’s lips in a kiss filled with love and desire and contentment. A peace unlike Trey had ever felt before expanded and filled his body.
Daryl was his greatest gift.

Hiya Folks!

So my birthday is coming up soon (Nov. 16th! Woot!) and this year rather than letting it pass by without doing something big (I went to visit my daughter in Jacksonville), I am doing something big. I mean it is my 30th birthday after all.

So this year, I'm giving YOU all gifts and heading to Las Vegas to celebrate the birthday that no one thought I'd get to.

I have a whole gaggle of author friends writing free short stories (of all lengths) centered around a birthday, writing posts of birthday memories, donating a free ebook from their backlist, and/or donating to one of my favorite charities.

So what do you have to do?

Leave a comment every day, even if the only posted is what author donated what to where (........yeah, that sounds right-LOL). For every comment you leave you will receive a point. At the end of the extravaganza (November 20th-my daughter's birthday), all of the points will be totaled and those who have the highest number of points will receive the prizes.

So what are the prizes?

*One free ebook from backlist from author
Prize List:

*Lex Valentine
*Jambrea Jo Jones
*Gabrielle Evans
*N.J. Nielsen
*Jackie Nacht
*Cherie Noel
*Vicktor Alexander (that's ME!)
Tara Lain (one free copy of one book from her Balls to the Walls series that she will donate)
*JA Rock
Jaime Samms (one free ebook that Jaime is going to donate-will let you know the deets soon)
And a free ebook copy of Vampires Among Us a M/F, Erotic Paranormal story donated for the EXXXstravaganza (like what I did there?)
Gabrielle Evans swag

Other authors are donating to one of my favorite charities (which is AWESOME) and some of the authors above are sending a free short/birthday remembrance post and/or donating a prize in addition to making a donation to charity in the name of a winner.

How cool is that? I think I have some damn awesome author friends and the list may grow as well. W00t!


And for those of you who have asked what you could get me for my birthday (AAAWWWW thank you!) instead of you all sending me candy, cakes, cookies, pies and the like (I'm trying to lose weight and get in shape people!) I'd much rather you donate to one of my favorite charities. It's the same thing I've asked my author friends to do. And they are:


The Trevor Project
It Gets Better Save DarfurWe Give A DamnHRCYour local animal shelter (you can adopt a pet too)Stand Up 2 CancerThe Trayvon Martin FoundationPFLAGLifelong AdoptionsBlack AIDS InstituteElizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS FoundationProject InformElton John AIDS Foundation

Check out my Mad Mad peaCOCKing interview with Talon ps today while I slave away over my keyboard for #NaNoWriMo:


http://talon-ps.com/?p=2057

-DRUMROLL-


Groom of Convenience won the "Help Me Choose My NaNoWriMo Story" with 24 votes!
Dakota had 23.
Lenny's Aussie had 22.
Clint's Alpha 20.
Inner Beauty had 20.

So I'll be writing Groom of Convenience for NaNoWriMo and everyone who voted for Groom of Convenience will get a free ebook copy of "The Beginning" when it releases! So if you voted for GoC (and I have your names, btw) make sure I have your email addy.
If I finish GoC early in November (fingers crossed) then I'll be writing Dakota right after that. Then I'll get back on my schedule. I have to finish Il Mio Amante Fa Tre, Untouchable: Tate Pack Book 7, and then.... The Beta Prince: Passion's Hero 2!

-collapses in exhaustion-

I feel like I need a nap just listing those. And somewhere in there I need to write "My Best Friend is a Werewolf" for Lor Rose. Maybe I'll get you all to make sure I stick to my schedule.


-Vicktor Alexander

Okay here are the standings for my NaNoWriMo Contest:

Groom of Convenience: 21
Dakota: 20
Clint's Alpha: 16
Inner Beauty: 15
Lenny's Aussie: 13

GoC JUST pulled ahead!

Voting until the 30th!

Here are the current standings for the "Help Me Choose My NaNoWriMo Story"
Dakota: 18Groom of Convenience: 16Lenny's Aussie: 12Clint's Alpha: 10Inner Beauty: 10
Dakota is ahead now! Wow! Remember voting ends on the 30th so you still have a chance to put your vote in.