Master of Criminals – Under Siege
International Crime Thriller
After the Master is shot, the shroud of mystery surrounding him thickens. There is one person who knows his true identity and he has vowed to protect the Master until his dying day. But the enemy of all enemies arrives in Canada to deal with the Master in his own way. Carefully kidnapping him, he places the Master in a wooden crate without food or water for several days as they journey to a destination unknown to the Master. When they reach their destination, the Master is greeted by someone he thought he would never have to face again, and welcomed to hell. No one knows if time will run out for the Master before he can be rescued and his true identity revealed.
******
Vladimir smiled with cruelty. The Master had tried to foil their plan many times. Since Julian’s arrest, Ryzdul became nearly obsessed with capturing the Master. They tried often to locate him or access his files, but the European Community kept his files in absolute secrecy. Thus, they didn’t know the Master’s real name. With Julian, Iain, and Vallen, Vladimir determined how to proceed and he became annoyed with his partners who only wished to grab their sex toys. As for Vladimir, his only goal was to capture the Master and bring him to Ryzdul. Derek would be an asset to help Vladimir obtain information from the Master. Thus, Vladimir decided to join Julian and wait for Derek’s return. Luck was on Vlad’s side, as Derek showed up sooner than they had expected. Vladimir ordered Derek to call the Master, otherwise Derek’s brother would be beaten. Derek dutifully obeyed, and after that Vlad strangled Derek slowly. Even though Derek didn’t beg for his life, Vlad knew he would when the actual pain began. Then Vlad would stop worrying about producing visible marks of torture and would only focus on causing pain at the place Ryzdul prepared for the Master. Lost in sweet thoughts, Vlad almost forgot where he was when the door opened and the Master finally appeared in front of him. For the first time, Vladimir smiled as he watched the surprise on the Master’s face when he recognized Vladimir. No one would expect that would come to Canada to get involved in a mission like this one.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you in person after all these years, Master,” Vladimir said, kneeling near Derek to push his gun threateningly against his head.
This is the second of three books in the Master of Criminals series.
“Master of Criminals – Under Siege,” a gripping international crime novel by A.J. Reyes, is available in the Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, Google Play, All Romance ebooks, Sony, and Coffeetime Romance. Also available in print from Amazon.
Master of Criminals
International Crime Thriller
A group of hackers is attempting to defraud the Canadian banking system. Investigations conducted by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the O’Unit (Ontario), are inconclusive since this particular type of fraud is unheard of. The Superintendent of the Department of Electronic Fraud, Derek Savill, receives an unexpected and well written e-mail signed by a certain Master of Criminals stating that he needs to speak with him regarding the course of his investigations. Derek does not take the e-mail seriously and continues to work with his team mate and best friend, Adam. That night, however, when Derek arrives home, an intruder is waiting for him. Derek is hit in the head, blindfolded, and cuffed to his own bed. The stranger informs him that on that same night he will kidnap one of Derek’s brothers. Oddly, the criminal assures Derek that his brother will be treated well as long as Derek meets his requirements regarding the course of his investigations. The Master of Criminals is elusive, intelligent, and not who he appears to be.
Master of Criminals is an action packed, gripping international crime story.
Excerpt:
The signatory named himself Master of Criminals. Due to Derek’s profession and his excellent investigation results, however, he received hundreds of threats. Normally the threats were not as refined or well written as the one he received that morning, as they only stated that he would be killed. Sometimes the different manners of his supposed death were even described. The respectful tone of the threat ignited a tiny flame of curiosity in his mind.
“Derek, they attacked again.”
“Who was the target this time?” Derek asked blankly.
“A socialite. Her name is,” Adam consulted his notes and added, “Charlene Harrison.”
This one was famous, Derek realized, as he recognized her name from newspapers and magazine covers. The case was maddening since Adam never had trouble finding flaws in others’ procedures or arguments. This case defied their abilities in different ways, such as the apparent lack of failures, the poor connection between the victims, the inventive methods, and the new employee lent to their department by the technical area.
The gang, as it appeared to be the work of much more than one man, so far had attacked only wealthy women across the Canadian territory. Systematically they stole their data and banking passwords and relieved all funds they might have deposited. The traditional means of tracking electronic fraud had not worked and this case astonished them all. No spyware, sniffers, or Trojan horses. Not a malware in SQL. Not an evidence of cloning sites or phishing e-mails or known scams. Up to now they failed to locate the source of the fake IP. How had they done it? To complicate everything even further, among the victims there were no known connections, other than the fact that they were all loaded women. To make everything worse, the case had fallen into the interest of the press, which caused their superior to determine it a priority.
The modus operandi was always the same. All the funds were transferred, although the encrypted data stored in the financial systems remained the same. Despite this, the hacked financial institutions didn’t seem to know where the funds were transferred to, as the internal codes were switched. It was as if the money had never existed. It had already happened four times, with different women and different independent financial institutions. Derek had considered internal involvement and interrogated numerous employees, without success.
This is the first of three books in the Master of Criminals series.
“Master of Criminals,” a gripping international crime novel by A.J. Reyes, is available in the Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, Google Play, All Romance ebooks, Sony, and Coffeetime Romance.
Aristotle: Out of Paradise
Science Fiction
Aristotle is pulled into an incident that will change the world as we know it; the struggle between the Thanatos and those in power who are afraid of anything different. During the initial incident, Aristotle discovers that he is destined to be a key player in the struggle for the world. The government considers the Thanatos a threat to the world and is secretly developing a biochemical means to exterminate them. What Aristotle discovers about himself in the midst of this incident may be the very thing that destroys him.
Excerpt:
Piotr was trembling, Lucas tensing behind him. “The earliest records of your ancestors are from hundreds of years ago. Your people settled in major urban centers, passing as normal, typical humans. I mean, there are no aesthetic differences between you and a normal human, as far as Julius knew.”
Aristotle clenched his fist.
The silence strained over all of them, abandoned in the cavern deep within the earth, like they were removed from the warm, familiar humanity above. “The government,” Piotr began. “It considers you to be of a different biology than human beings. You are a threat to the human race.”
******
The cabin was dark – the only light trickled in from the prior cabin. Somehow, however, he didn’t need the light. He didn’t even need to think about where to swing the axe, about where to step, about when to duck: it was like he was on autopilot. His body moved fluidly, like he was a dancer. He never felt so free, so weightless in his life. As he dropkicked one of them, he began to feel anxious again. Who or what was moving his body like this? His own flesh seemed alien to him.
He was trapped in his own body. And he had no choice left but to keep fighting.
“Aristotle: Out of Paradise”, science fiction by J.J. Dunford, is available in the 51 Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, Google Play, All Romance ebooks, Kobo ebooks, Sony and Coffeetime Romance. Also available in print from Amazon. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com.
For the iBookstore U.S. link, click on the Cover Above.
Below are a few individual links to “Aristotle: Out of Paradise” in the now 51 iBookstores, by country:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/aristotle-out-of-paradise/id607678761?mt=11 – Australia
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/aristotle-out-of-paradise/id607678761?mt=11 – Great Britain
https://itunes.apple.com/jp/book/aristotle-out-of-paradise/id607678761?mt=11 – Japan
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/aristotle-out-of-paradise/id607678761?mt=11 – New Zealand
Stolen Paradise
SciFi/Time Travel
Dylan meets a man on the beach after he witnesses the stranger’s unfortunate rendezvous with a swarm of jellyfish. He looks like something out of a bad science fiction movie, covered with an unholy mess of jellyfish tentacles and stings. As Dylan picks the tentacles from the man’s body, the two men discover they have much in common, and soon afterward a sensuous romance begins. Passionate lovers and young scientists devoted to understanding the nature of genetics, the two men cannot imagine life without the other, but neither knows what the future holds, or does he?
Excerpt:
As I reached for my towel, I stole a glance at him. As he pulled off his shirt and pants, I couldn’t help but gawk. He has to be a newbie tourist. His white alabaster body was a dead giveaway, along with his ‘fer shure’ hotel towel. He was so hot that it didn’t matter. I tried to ignore him and look busy, when he turned towards me. Our eyes locked briefly, and then he nodded and went about his business. I shrugged mentally and made myself comfortable, or tried to. It didn’t last, as I felt an ominous change in his emotions. He smiled and walked down to the water line. Something felt wrong. He looked out at the grey oily ocean and ran into the water, jumping the surf before diving headlong into the waves.
Is he nuts? Doesn’t he see the jellyfish?
Instinctively, I pulled on my clam diggers and shirt, and ran like a striped assed ape after him, clearing a path through the jellyfish. All the way out to him, a sense of urgency bordering on panic dogged me. When I got to him he was wrapped up in six or seven good-sized Portuguese Man O’ Wars and thrashing about wildly, which only made matters worse. My heart was pounding like a trip hammer as I wrestled him back to the beach. He looked like something out of a bad science fiction movie, covered with an unholy mess of jellyfish tentacles and stings.
******
“May I take a shower? I smell disgusting!”
“You don’t stink to me, but you can shower on one condition: that I shower with you,” I said with a wink and a grin.
Well, more of a leer.
That was the first of what would be many great showers; something we still do. Since this was the first time either of us had truly made love, we wanted to make it last. As we kissed, I closed my eyes and gently played my fingers over the taut skin of his back and flanks. His skin was silky soft over the tight hard muscles. I pulled away from him far enough to look into his vibrant blue eyes before I slid around his body to press up against his back. He let out a big sigh as he reached around me to hold me closer. I spent several minutes washing all around the objects of my desire, while avoiding them directly, for awhile anyway.
“Stolen Paradise”, science fiction/time travel romance by Kiel Bei, is available in the Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, All Romance ebooks, Kobo ebooks, and Coffeetime Romance. Also available in print from Amazon. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com.
For the iBookstore U.S. link, click on the Cover Above.
Below are a few individual links to “Stolen Paradise” in the iBookstores, by country:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/stolen-paradise/id590253132?mt=11 – Australia
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/stolen-paradise/id590253132?mt=11 – Great Britain
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/stolen-paradise/id590253132?mt=11 – New Zealand
https://itunes.apple.com/ch/book/stolen-paradise/id590253132?mt=11 – Switzerland
Star Power
Former child star RJ Stone has made the transition from kid actor to having a huge career in major movies as a young adult. Handsome, talented, and not the brightest bulb on the string, he is sweet, kind, and smart enough to follow the directions of his crack staff.
Roman heads up public relations and basic living skills, teaching RJ things like putting soiled clothing into a hamper, as in real life there is no wardrobe department.
Silent, sexy (and deadly) Roy is in charge of security for the star, keeping stalkers at a distance and a secret to himself.
Lupe runs everything else home related, from cooking and cleaning to rotating food out of the freezer, which leads Roman chasing across LA to retrieve what could be a very embarrassing item if it turned up as a spot on TMZ or Entertainment Tonight.
From neighbors who resent living next to the star, to a possible black market poultry ring and some of his staff finding love in all the wrong places, the life of RJ Stone is overflowing with Star Power.
Excerpt:
Roman Wilson, RJ’s assistant – that’s me. Meaning, I’m also his teacher, stalker tender, companion, hand holder, sometimes friend, and frequently, reverse pimp.
Yeah, I know. What is a reverse pimp?
See, my employer, one of America’s little sweethearts, has a huge schlong he would dip into every man and woman he met in place of a handshake if he could. Oh, RJ isn’t gay or even bi. He’s just a horny little toad who has been so isolated from the rest of the world and how it works that he doesn’t know that not everyone gets pie and ‘a little something extra’ for dessert just because they are in the movies.
******
I had just fallen into a light sleep when my phone rang, making me jump bolt upright like it was the Bat Signal being shot into the sky. I had the phone to my ear when all I heard was a scared, anxious RJ managing to get out “Help!” I got him calmed down enough to know that he was not bleeding and that he was not out in public. If he was drunk or on anything, the shock of whatever was going down was killing his buzz.
“Stop talking, take a deep breath, and calm down,” I commanded. “Now tell me where you are and what’s going on.” The part of town I ended up in was seedy and run down. I left the car and made my way through a maze of alleys to a small dark house with the number on it that RJ had given me.
The door was swung open a crack by a shivering RJ. Without lecturing, I followed him through the silent house to a bedroom in the back. From a lamp beside the bed I could see that the room was disheveled, drug paraphernalia spread out on the small night stand. The only thing that made the scene more unpleasant was the still figure lying across the rumpled tangle of bed covers. Slipping my fingers to his wrist, I checked for a pulse while RJ trembled in a corner of the room. After a moment of futile fumbling, I was certain the guy was dead, so I dropped his wrist and reached into my pocket for my phone.
“NOOOOOOO!” RJ howled like a wounded animal, snatching at my telephone and wrapping his fingers around it.
“Give me the phone,” I said with gritted teeth.
“Can’t we just fix it?”
“He’s not a watch, RJ; he’s a dead guy,” I said softly, patience wearing thin as I reached out slowly for the phone, hoping not to startle him.
“C’mon man, you can take care of this.” There was a pause as the sexy young actor looked at me thoughtfully, then smiled. “I’ll give you one of my cars.”
“Just give me the phone please, RJ.”
“Can’t we just leave him?”
“We could, but we aren’t going to.”
“You know I’ve had sex with a lot of people,” he began as a sudden change of course, curling the corner of his lip in the practiced seductive way I had seen employed many times, “but you’ve never hit on me. Ever wondered what it would be like?”
“Star Power”, romantic fiction packed with humor and action, by James Brock, is available in the Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, All Romance ebooks, Kobo ebooks, and Coffeetime Romance. Also available in print (including large print) from Amazon. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com.
For the iBookstore U.S. link, click on the Cover Above.
Below are a few individual links to “Star Power” in the iBookstores, by country:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/star-power/id592104488?mt=11 – Australia
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/star-power/id592104488?mt=11 – Canada
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/star-power/id592104488?mt=11 – Great Britain
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/book/star-power/id592104488?mt=11 – Ireland
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/star-power/id592104488?mt=11 – New Zealand
Bloodlines – The Quest
Paranormal (Vampire) Fiction
A renegade vampire arrives in a small Ohio town bent on destroying a colony of mutant vampires (neither fully vampire nor fully human), which he believes to be an inferior disgrace to the true vampire race. The renegade Volter hopes to expose the mutants by turning the blame for his ensuing bloody rampage upon them, hoping they will be destroyed by the citizens once their identity is revealed. When a local amateur detective and his friends become involved in the fight to eradicate Volter, they discover very quickly that Volter is a formidable force not easily defeated.
Filled with humor, horror, adventure, thrills and chills, this is a vampire story unlike any other.
Excerpt:
Volter had major plans for the evening, and he began with the roller coaster called “The Snapper.” He snuck into the back of the ride and positioned himself to leap into the last car as the ride filled. A scrawny high school kid balked at being seated next to Volter, but the ride attendant forced him to sit there. The boy gave Volter nervous glances as the ride got underway. Volter had prepared his little surprise for when the cars reached the very top of the first incline before rapidly plunging below. Arching over the apex was a large lighted sign that read: THE SNAPPER – For the thrill of a Lifetime! Just as the car reached the top, Volter snatched the kid next to him from under the security bar, and with a quick twist snapped his neck. Volter leapt from the car as it hesitated before plunging to its first fall, and strung the body from a light bar extending from the sign, awaiting the next cars of the roller coaster to discover his gruesome trophy.
His next little jest was at “The House of Horrors”, a ride through a dark and spooky haunted house. Volter arrived at the vampire display and he could hear the cars starting out at the beginning of the ride with the screams of the delighted patrons. He hid and waited for the cars to reach his station. As the cars passed and the riders ducked and screamed, Volter reached into the last car and pulled out a pretty blond girl that would fit the dungeon décor to a T. He quickly dispatched her with a bloody rip of her neck, and detached the fake victim from the mechanical vampire. He masterfully inserted his new, and very real, victim to the Fun House Vampire, and waited with great anticipation for the next ride to come by to see how masterfully he had recreated the display.
“Bloodlines – The Quest,” a vampire fiction story by Jon McDonald, filled with humor, mystery, adventure, suspense and more, is available in the Apple iBookstores, Barnes & Noble, the Amazon stores, Rainbow ebooks, Kobo ebooks, Bookstrand, Coffeetime Romance, and All Romance ebooks. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com. This book is also available in print.
For the iBookstore U.S. link, click on the Cover Above.
Below are a few individual links to “Bloodlines – The Quest” in the iBookstores, by country:
https://itunes.apple.com/au/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Australia
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Canada
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Great Britain
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Ireland
https://itunes.apple.com/br/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Brazil
https://itunes.apple.com/ch/book/bloodlines-the-quest/id578966125?mt=11 - Switzerland
Trail’s End
Western/Cowboy Fiction
Dusty Calhoun, recovering from wounds from a train robbery gone wrong, must leave the Wind River Reservation and catch up to his gang of wild boys before it is too late to save them and the gold. A message of a traitor sets Dusty off to embark on a ride through the west with unexpected encounters and places; where he must decide who he can trust, who his pals really are, and finally put the haunting memories of the Blakely Gang to rest. Dusty knows he never should have let Jake Willowford go on without him after all the hell and high water they have been through together. The time has come to make it right, to see it through and to find his cowboy where the trails end.
Excerpt:
Dusty’s eyes flutter and he cannot make out the words but he understands them inside, he sees them on her lips in the dim glow and smiles. The fire returns but it is cool, so cool, over his naked flesh. No one is inside the lodge now. He shivers, the sweat rolling off his skin as his muscles strain. The raw wounds have been covered with more powder and leaves. The warmth returns starting at his loins and slowly spreads throughout his body. Dusty can smell his own scent over the sage, a rich masculine scent of sex, and he is filled with thoughts of desire and of Jake’s touch. The dark hair slicked back, calm brown eyes showing lust and love and Jake’s lithe body so eager to please take Dusty to the limit. Jake is all that matters in Dusty’s mind’s eye. In the semi darkness he feels release without laying a hand on himself and he breathes heavy, feeling the hurt all over again.
******
The melancholy wail of the train whistle sounds off from down El Paso way where the border and the freedom of Mexico beyond its imaginary boundaries lie. An oasis has been created a few miles outside the Texas town by the recent plentiful rains. Jake Willowford and Frank Ward are skinny dipping in the newly formed watering hole, their clothes, boots and guns stowed away in the saddlebags of their horses. Jake’s bobbing body is tanned from the long ride to the south while Frank’s hide is more burned than brown especially on his shoulders and back. Jake’s dark eyes meet Frank’s lighter ones as both of them tread cool water in the deeper middle. A warm breeze gritty with sand strikes them from the desert surroundings complementing the coolness of the pond.
“Now this is something special.” Jake drifts and relaxes enjoying the cool calming sensation over his bare skin.
“It sure is.” Frank speaks his devious thoughts. “You want to….?”
Jake shakes his head, “Ain’t gonna happen.”
“Trail’s End”, a cowboy/western by David Sharp, is available in the Apple iBookstores, Amazon, Sony, Kobo ebooks, B&N, Rainbow ebooks, Bookstrand, All Romance ebooks, and Coffeetime Romance. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com.
Jake’s Tale
Western/Cowboy Fiction
Separated from the cowboy he loves, Jake must find his way back or die trying, but not alone. Together with the help of his new pal Frank Ward, a farm hand turned robber, they must endure all the dangers and desires of the rough and wild west to the end of the trail or to the end of a rope.
Excerpt:
The moon is full overhead, illuminating the campsite with light and shadow from the surrounding trees. A splash and a lower octave voice lure Jake toward the origin of the sounds. Twigs snap underfoot as he walks out the cramps. Pulling back some brush by the shore, he watches as Frank and Cole skinny dip in the lake hidden from plain sight.
Cole grabs Frank and pushes him underwater. Frank lunges up, breaking free, tries to turn the tables and get a hold of Cole, but Cole is stronger and manhandles him into a headlock as he walks him to shore in control. The water drips off their nude bodies, their feet still submerged in the cool lake, and Cole wrestles Frank around in a new position maintaining the headlock but now from behind.
“What cha doin’, Cole?” Frank’s heart beats fast and the butterflies pound his stomach.
“Nothing you don’t want.” He pulls Frank closer, slightly loosening the headlock.
*****
“What the hell is this? Jake stumbles, the dream dripping away, and he tries to cover his manhood with the thin blanket.
He lies in the bed, his shirt off and pants unbuttoned, with a hand holding the only gun he has. “I was only lying down with you, nothing else.” Jake stands up and lets his hand drop, showing off the bulge in his jeans. He finds his body reacting against his will. He drops the sheet in favor of his jeans and finds that they are hard to pull up over a bulge of his own.
“Frank, I can’t, you know that.”
Frank puts his arms around him from behind so he can see their reflection together in the mirror. “One of these days…” He kisses the sweat from Jake’s neck.
Jake exhales and leans back in the moment, lingering before pulling away. “You are trouble.”
“And you are one mighty fine looking man, Jake.”
Jake breathes deeply again and smiles. “Dusty is my world, you gotta understand.”
“Jake’s Tale”, a cowboy/western by David Sharp, is available in the Apple iBookstores, Amazon, Sony, B&N, Rainbow ebooks, Bookstrand, All Romance ebooks, and Coffeetime Romance. Our website is http://www.beautobeau.com.
Dog Tagged
Military Romance/Drama
Drill instructor Sergeant Clay Norris has his hands full. Between new recruits and a Senior Drill Sergeant with an attitude hanging over him, the last thing he needs is to develop a crush on one of his trainees, but Private Chevy “Banksy” Banks is an Adonis he is unable to resist. A natural leader, the young man draws the other troops in with his easy manner and warm-as-the-Sun smile, a combination that melts the trying-to-sound-tough young Drill Sergeant.
When the Senior Drill manages to tear the two men apart before anything beyond fantasies and longing glances can happen, Clay tries to move on and forget Banksy, throwing himself into his career, knowing that he may have to wait until he retires from the military to be able to partner up, while understanding the irony that he is defending a freedom he is not yet allowed, the freedom to be who he is and to pursue the person he loves.
Fate brings Clay and Banksy together again for a brief and joyous reunion when they are able to begin planning a future, that same fate cruelly ripping them apart once more, with each facing a trauma alone.
Dog Tagged is set post DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) and pre the policy’s repeal; a time when being openly gay had seen many a lost career in the service. Sexually explicit in places, this story offers only a glimpse of how some men and women serving their country are not afforded the same rights as the heterosexuals with whom they fight side by side.
Incidents in Dog Tagged are based on true events.
Excerpt:
Private Banks was at the top of the company in everything we did. When we climbed the rope lines in the obstacle course, he was like a coconut crab, scrambling down the line in record time. Crossing the parallel bars in front of the dining hall, he looked like a young ape swinging through the jungle. When the rest of the group was throwing up, sneezing and spitting after removing their gas masks in the gas chamber, Banksy managed to hold it together with only a few stinging tears tracking down his cheeks after giving his social security number to the sergeant in charge. When it came to learning rank and rules he was head and shoulders above the other guys; Bravo Company had a contender for trainee of the cycle, which meant top spot and an award given by the Brigade commander at graduation from basic.
There was only one thing Chevy Banks failed at and that was throwing a grenade.
******
By the time I had a couple of beers, I had a couple of guys lined up to come back to base with me. I had my uniform hanging in the backseat, which served as a kind of catnip come-on to the guys I had picked up, a hot blond and his even hotter dark haired friend. I couldn’t have Chevy and I needed an outlet, and since these guys were revved up and ready to go, why not take advantage?
When the civilians said they had no place for us to go, I got them in the car and after some hot ‘n heavy make-out, I took them back to the base. And there we were, having the time of our lives, windows fogged from our breath, rain tapping on the roof as lines of sweat streaked down over our mostly naked bodies. I think I still had a sock on, the blond still wore a thin shirt but it had been unbuttoned and was flapping on either side of him like spent wings, his smooth muscular chest exposed to me, while the other guy had managed to strip totally in the front seat.
As much fun as I was having, I would have traded everything we were doing for one closed mouth, both of us fully clothed, kiss with Chevy.
******
“Want some company, for chow?” I asked, drinking in Banksy’s face like it was water and I had been in the desert, which I had and was, but we had no problem importing water. The only thing I had been lacking was standing in front of me.
“I’m so damn glad to see you I wouldn’t mind if you showered with me, Sir.”
It was a joke, I knew, but it got me hard. I had just found him and I didn’t want to leave him, but his Captain arrived, there were other trucks that needed Banksy’s touch (not more than I needed that touch, but in a motor pool in a war zone was not the place to argue that), so we set a time and I went back to my quarters to, well, who would we be kidding if I didn’t just say it – dress for our date. I would have brought flowers if I thought it was acceptable.
“Dog Tagged,” a military drama/romance novel by James Brock, is available in the iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Sony Reader Store, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, Coffeetime Romance, and All Romance ebooks. For the iBookstore U.S. link, click on the Cover Above.
Men Overboard!
Gay Cruise Mystery with Lots of Humor
Hairstylist Aaron Turner doesn’t consider himself overweight; just under height. As stylish as he is outgoing, he brings a Carrie Bradshaw like wardrobe in extra large and a fierce attitude to this adventure on the high seas, not knowing that a killer has come along for the week long cruise as well.
Friends Aaron Turner and Phillip Baxter have not yet settled in when the bodies begin piling up. The best pals begin to think the passengers of the Titanic booked better tickets when they find themselves linked to the dead bodies. Becoming suspects, they must clear their names before the ship returns to Fort Lauderdale. Without a weapon, Aaron is left with only his wit to try and capture a killer before he becomes part of the body count.
Luckily, his tongue is as sharp as his styling razor, so he is up to the task with flair and bravado!
Excerpt:
“Southern Dawn. Sounds like a drag queen from Memphis,” Aaron Turner said while looking up at the huge ship. His friend Phillip Baxter did not reply. “Swimming pools, luxury spa, two dining rooms, three bars all spread over twelve decks,” the stout man adjusted a pair of vintage Chanel sunglasses perched on the end of his round nose. The cruise they were embarking on had been planned by Phillip as a holiday surprise for him and his now ex, a muscular young beauty who in the course of their relationship had done more tricks than Criss Angel. Phillip was going to cancel the cruise but Aaron, his best friend and one of Seattle’s leading hairstylists, begged, threatened, whined and cajoled until they found themselves on the gangway that bright February morning.
“You haven’t been on a vacation in six years and have already paid, so take me! It’ll be fun. If you don’t go now, when? Are you gonna wait until Streisand goes back to Broadway or the Pope begins performing gay weddings?”
With friends like Aaron, you did not need enemies. Aggression worked well for him. Like Tallulah Bankhead, he was the kind of guy who had “slept with men, women and the odd piece of furniture.” The hairstylist was on vacation and nothing short of a Lusitania style tragedy was going to stop him from cramming fun into every second. Men equaled fun so he wanted to get the lay of the land as soon as possible.
Humming, Aaron left the spacious cabin, moving down the long narrow corridor smiling and saying, “Hello darling!” to everyone he met, one of his standard greetings. His smile widened with each step as he ogled his fellow passengers.
This time out the great ship was not going to be filled with honeymooners, retirees or fish belly white business people looking for midwinter fun and sun. Southern Dawn had been chartered by a gay cruise company and was packed stem to stern with gay men of all vanilla, leather, twink, drag, bear and gymbot persuasion. The voyage would also include a sprinkling of female friends and lesbians who liked to party with their boys.
Going down a wide set of stairs Aaron turned down another long corridor, happily pushing his way through the crowds of men going in and out of cabin doorways. Near the end of the long hallway, Aaron could not help but stop next to the partially open door of a balcony view cabin. A young shirtless blond was sprawled in one of the club chairs, head back, rosebud shaped lips slightly parted. His radiant beauty caught Aaron’s breath. Stepping closer to the doorway, the hairstylist looked in for a moment before clearing his throat.
Aaron broke men into three categories: those who were convinced they would always be in long term relationships; those who thought Mr. Right was never to be found; and those in his favorite category who knew how to flirt and enjoyed the buffet of men that life offered. Aaron could have sex, a date and be engaged with a series of different guys all in the space of one evening out. The popular stylist felt that, like soda and abs, boys should be six packed.
Getting no response from the young man in the chair, Aaron stretched out a hand and tapped on the open door.
“Helllooo,” he called a bit louder and getting no reply, he stepped into the sunlit cabin. While he and Phillip had flown all night from Seattle, this kid must have come in on a high from Maui Wowie from the way he was zonked out. Reaching over to stroke a hand onto the bare, tan skin of the young man’s muscular shoulder, Aaron smiled, then recoiled his fingers.
The sun bronzed flesh was cold to his touch. Stepping in between the wide spread legs of the young blond, Aaron chanced a further peek over into his face to find a pair of bright blue eyes open and staring back at him blankly.
“Men Overboard,” a murder mystery packed with humor and adventure on a gay cruise, by James Brock, is available in the Apple iBookstores, from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Bookstrand, Rainbow ebooks, All Romance ebooks, Sony, and Coffeetime Romance.
