Anyhow, I said I'd be back and here I am! : -)
Before I forget, every comment is eligible for a drawing. Winner
gets a copy of any one of my Torquere e-books that they want.
It's rainy and damp here today--just about what you'd expect
from New Jersey. They don't call it "The Garden State" for no reason, you know.
The problem with rainy days would be the sleepy that comes
with them. I don't know about anyone else, but I do get sleepy when it rains.
It's not the sound, because you can't hear much of the rain sound with the fan
on and all that. I think it's the heavier air or something. Well, whatever the
reason, I can barely keep my eyes open and I have too much to do for that!
Thankfully, I have Banana, the sleep-slaying Conure to beat
back any chance of a nap. Thank you, Banana my friend. It's good to know
you're there for me. He's a lot like Severus Snape in green, if you had a
chance to get to know him. For those of you who don't know who Severus Snape is…I
don't know what to say. Google is your friend. Suffice it to say, he's snarky
and has an attitude--and he's not afraid of a little bloodshed, either--just like Banana.
Should he ever fail at his self-appointed task, he's got Baker, his trusty green-cheeked side-kick, the Dick Grayson to his Bruce Wayne, to fall back on. Baker's chief weapon is his ability to perfectly mimic a squeaky dog toy, reaching decibels that the human ear cannot process.
So rest assured, faithful readers, no napping here!
I'm going to put a few excerpts on here, and tell you a
little bit about them first. I'll start with Don't Ask. Don't Ask is a story in the anthology
called Going to the Chapel. There are
several great stories in there, and I'll include their blurbs with my excerpt.
The men in my story are modeled after several people. Falk
Thayer, one of the main protagonists, is ever-so-slightly reminiscent of a spy
in a very straight, much better known military book series. I admired that
character, and the writer of the series, too, but the author might not like that my spy is gay, thus, I can't tell you who it is. These men also
come from a couple I knew in my deep, dark, very distant past.
Without going into too much detail, two men were close
friends of my father, and shared a home when stationed overseas. At the time
that I met them and spent time with them, I had no idea what homosexuality was,
nor did I understand what was wrong with two men being affectionate with each
other. Now, with the distance of age, I realize that the two were a couple and
enjoyed looking after my little sister and I, because they could pretend to
have the family they'd never have in real life--especially if they stayed in
the military.
That's enough of that, I think. Here is your excerpt from Don't Ask, of The Wedding Chapel.
Who doesn't love a wedding? The three stories in Going to the
Chapel prove that everyone has a special day. In Don't Ask by J.J. Massa, Captain Zachary Smith has always wanted to
find out what boils behind Agent Falk Thayer's calm exterior. Falk, on the
other hand, isn't looking for anything long-term. Never has. Never will. When
things get hot and heavy between them, Captain Smith has to decide if he's
willing to take less than what he needs or sacrifice everything.
In Building a Life by Alexa Snow, when Levi goes to his best friend Cooper's engagement party, he doesn't expect to meet someone fascinating -- and he definitely doesn't expect that someone to be Cooper's five-year-old niece Ashley. It comes as an even bigger surprise to find that Ashley's father Philip is both fascinating and hot. But Philip is married, even if his wife is mysteriously out of the picture, so this ready-made family can't possibly have room in it for Levi... or can it?
Finally, in Apples and Gin by Jenna Jones, country singer Sawyer Shaw loves photographer Noah Kingston and is tired of hiding it. He's kept his sexuality hidden for the sake of his career and his family, but over the past ten years Sawyer has come to realize what matters most to him is Noah and his happiness, and Sawyer is ready not only to make it public but also to make it permanent.
In Building a Life by Alexa Snow, when Levi goes to his best friend Cooper's engagement party, he doesn't expect to meet someone fascinating -- and he definitely doesn't expect that someone to be Cooper's five-year-old niece Ashley. It comes as an even bigger surprise to find that Ashley's father Philip is both fascinating and hot. But Philip is married, even if his wife is mysteriously out of the picture, so this ready-made family can't possibly have room in it for Levi... or can it?
Finally, in Apples and Gin by Jenna Jones, country singer Sawyer Shaw loves photographer Noah Kingston and is tired of hiding it. He's kept his sexuality hidden for the sake of his career and his family, but over the past ten years Sawyer has come to realize what matters most to him is Noah and his happiness, and Sawyer is ready not only to make it public but also to make it permanent.
Excerpt from Don't Ask:
Don't Ask
by J.J. Massa
by J.J. Massa
“Coffee, Penelope, would you please?” Zack asked as he
passed his secretary’s desk.
Though she was an Army sergeant, Penelope Raines preferred
not to stand on ceremony. They’d been instant friends since their first
meeting, and he didn’t doubt that she knew most of his secrets. He'd told her
half of them, and she’d likely guessed the rest. When others were present, they
maintained a formal relationship; otherwise, they were relaxed with each other.
“Coming up, Z.” She aimed a commiserating smile his way,
turning toward the break room.
He strode into his small office and kicked the door closed
behind him. Groaning, he collapsed into his office chair, his face sinking into
his crossed arms resting upon his desk.
Moments later, when the door creaked open, he didn’t look
up. He smelled the strong coffee and knew that Penelope hadn’t let him down.
“Just put it on the desk, Pen,” he said into his forearm,
not moving his face from his arm. “Hey, d’me a f’vr?” he mumbled, lifting his
head a fraction of an inch, “Gimme the Pavarato file ‘n lemme know when Ag'nt
Thayer heads this way.” He dropped his head back into the crook of his arm,
wondering when his luck would improve.
He heard the sound of the cup landing on his desk, but
Penelope didn’t leave. He didn’t stir for a moment until, after several long
seconds, still without looking up, he mumbled, “Pen? You need something else?”
“I was coming in anyway, Smith,” Agent Thayer spoke finally,
amusement thick in his voice.
Zack shot to his feet, nearly knocking over his chair.
Automatically, he snapped to attention, groaning inside when he realized he’d
done it. He heard the other man’s chuckle and reached for his coffee,
nonchalantly taking it from the other man, hoping to hide his embarrassment.
“Now, what kind of a good soldier gets caught unaware like
this?” Falk mused, causing a hot blush to sweep up and burn Zack’s cheeks.
“I, I, um, you…” he stammered, feeling like a fool. Sucking
in a deep breath, he stood up straight. He was six feet and two inches tall,
muscular and attractive, and he knew how to use it to his best advantage. Why
wouldn’t it work on Agent Falk Thayer? “I wasn’t expecting you to just walk
in,” he objected, carefully sipped at the strong brew.
“I didn’t ‘just walk
in,’” the other man told him calmly. “I stopped at your secretary’s desk.
She had your coffee.” He nodded toward the liquid crutch cupped in Zack’s
hands.
Zack couldn’t understand it. Falk Thayer had medium brown
hair, medium brown eyes, and regular features. The other man was easily four
inches shorter than he was. How he could be so unremarkable and so intimidating
at the same time, Zack just didn’t know. But he was.
“Um, yeah,” Zack looked away and took another
deliberate sip of coffee. “Well, what is it you want me to do?” he asked
grudgingly.
LATER
LATER
Well, well, Falk thought to himself. Some poor spy he
must be to let something this big blindside him. He glanced over at the
handsome military man.
Zack appeared miserable. Make that nervous and miserable –
add to that the fact that he’d been so keyed up that he had chanced a trip to a
gay bar less than one hundred miles from the nearest flagpole and you had edgy
and restless. Falk saw a situation ripe for his expert orchestration.
He parked the rental car and got out. When the other man
joined him, he indicated with a wave that he should proceed.
On the elevator, Falk pushed Zack’s hand away lightly and
pressed the button for a different floor than the other man had been reaching
for.
“I have a room upstairs. We’ll go there,” he said.
Zack nodded stiffly, saying nothing.
Exiting the elevator, Falk turned to a nearby door and pulled
out his keycard to unlock the door, reaching around the bulkier man to push it
open. He put a hand on Zack’s back and gave him a little push. Bemused and
unfocused, Zack moved into the room, standing unmoving. Was he waiting? If so,
Falk would give him direction.
“So you’re attracted to me?” Falk took a step closer to the
tall, dark and handsome officer. Zack nodded.
“You want me to touch you?” Zack
swallowed and closed his eyes, nodding again. Falk stepped closer. “Kiss you?”
Zack nodded again. “Open your eyes,” Falk ordered him. “Look at me.” Zack did.
He looked frightened. “You want me to fuck you?” Zack swallowed audibly and
nodded. Falk reached up and tapped his tight-lined lips. “Say it, Zack. Out
loud.”
Taking a deep breath, Zack choked, “I want you to.”
“Tell me what you want, Zack,” he took another step, almost
touching the other man, he could feel the heat from the long, shaking body.
“I want you to…” he cleared his throat and tried again,
almost defiantly announcing, “Will you fuck me, please?”
~~~~
And that's it for now. I'll be back later to talk to you
about the new stuff on the way.
Have a great afternoon!
www.jjmassa.com
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