What Are AmberPax™ Collections?

Simply put, AmberPax™ Collections are groups of five stories centered around a specific theme. Each story within an AmberPax™ is released individually, on the same day as the others, and can be purchased separately, but these five stories can also be purchased as a single unit (the full AmberPax™) at a discount, currently 25%. Generally, an AmberPax™ is similar to an "anthology" of stories, but instead of the titles being released in only a single volume (file), they are also available individually. These AmberPax™ Collections are sold exclusively through our website and only in electronic format.

THIS BLOG is for news about the Pax Collections - follow it to keep up with releases, find early news of the upcoming collections, and share Pax fun and chat with the authors!

All Amber Paxes can be bought at Amber Quill HERE.

Saturday 30 November 2013

The Holiday Office Party

December is our month-long holiday office party here at Amber Pax Collections! What does that mean? That means posts all month from some of your favorite Amber Pax authors, as well as giveaways and holiday treats for some of our lucky readers.

A look at our schedule:

Sunday, 12/1 - KC Kendricks
Friday, 12/6 - DJ Manly
Monday, 12/9 - Clare London
Thursday, 12/12 - Marie Sexton
Friday, 12/13 - K-lee Klein
Sunday, 12/15 - Carolina Valdez
Monday, 12/16 - Vivien Dean
Wednesday, 12/18 - Heidi Champa
Thursday, 12/19 - Sean Michael
Friday, 12/20 - Adrianna Dane
Saturday, 12/21 - Deirdre O'Dare
Monday, 12/23 - AJ Llewellyn
Tuesday, 12/24 - Christiane France

So tune in tomorrow to see how KC kicks off our festivities!

Saturday 23 November 2013

No Tell Motel Giveaway Winner

Thanks for such a great week here at the blog! Since it's Saturday, that means it's time to see who is the winner for the entire pax collection.

And the winner is...Jill Prand!

Expect an email from us soon!

Friday 22 November 2013

I'm an Unabashed Vampire Girl by Vivien Dean

When it comes to paranormal creatures, I am a vampire girl all the way. Oh, sure, I like to read about shifters and the occasional zombie, but point me in the direction of a bloodsucking, morally ambiguous, could-be immortal, and I start salivating at the possibilities.

They don't even have to be romantic figures. I cut my teeth on Salem's Lot, and Brian Lumley's Necroscope series was my horror crack in college. It's the inherent sensuality they evoke that gets to me, even when they're monsters. Because what's more sensual than having someone's mouth on you, sucking out your very life?

I have my favorites. Gary Oldman's Dracula. Spike from Buffy. Mitchell from Being Human. Too many to list, really. They tend to be tortured types, too, flogging themselves for past sins almost as often as they end up making a poor choice that only warrants more self-flagellation. Or they go the other way, completely unrepentant and glorying in their lifestyle choices.

So when it came time for the no tell motel pax, I flashed on how unsafe motels would be if you were a vampire in need of sanctuary. Anyone could cross that threshold, both good and bad. That spawned the idea of Sutter being on the run, and what it would take for him to survive, and thus, Max, my ex-Marine who's now stuck in the backwater town he grew up in, was born. Letting their romance germinate from those beginnings was a real delight, because it had been too long since I'd written a vampire story of my own.

A lot of times, vampires are portrayed as naturally dominant, and while there are certainly those in Sutter's world, I wanted to write about something different. I went with the belief that a naturally submissive human wouldn't necessarily change his preferences as a vampire. Sutter gets off on making others happy, though his sire certainly crossed a line and ultimately drove him away as a result. When he meets Max, he's in a completely vulnerable position, which evokes every protective instinct Max possesses. The relationship that evolves becomes very much about what they can give the other, on every level. That, to me, is what romance is all about.

Who are your favorite vampires? I'm always looking for recommendations!

*_*_*_*

Threshold by Vivien Dean is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!


Wednesday 20 November 2013

It’s What’s Under the Hood That Counts...by Adrianna Dane

We are many different people inside. More so if you’re a writer, I think. And for a writer, as we craft our stories, we have to dig deep inside–not just get below the surface for our characters, but get below the surface for the location, the objects, the symbols that populate the story and our characters’ lives.

One of the objects I focus on in “Love Me Tonight,” is a candy apple red vintage Ford Galaxie car. The color red is the color of passion, so the car must be red. Could I find the right vehicle for this story.  The interior had to be right–the color, the texture, the ambiance inside. The contrast of the cared for vintage vehicle with the rundown motel. The fact the car was the bonding agent between Lando and his uncle, and then again between Lando and Casper. It’s a making out on back roads kind of car, it’s a passionate kind of car with windows that steam up beautifully. It’s a dangerous kind of car. All of these elements factor into creating the scene where the men come together in the car.

The intimate atmosphere, away from the focus of the bed and sexual expectancy in the motel room, puts Casper a little off kilter. He had it all planned out. Just one night of hot sex with a man he’s lusted for. And then Lando changes location on him. Casper is vulnerable outside that room and the interior of the Galaxie keeps him on edge–well, for more reasons than one, but that’s a story about another object. :-)

The car in some ways is the catalyst for the next level of this unexpected relationship. Details are important. Color, condition–no bucket seats.

Here’s a short excerpt from that very important, pivotal scene in “Love Me Tonight.”

Lando grinned. He shimmied across the red leather seat and kissed Casper. And oh, what a beautiful kiss it was. "I like the way you kiss," Lando said. "And did I mention I like your ass? You have a great ass."

"Thank you,' Casper said, a little breathless after the kiss. "I can't wait to see yours."

Lando kissed him again. "You will," he promised, "eventually. He slid a hand beneath Casper's shirt and played with Casper's tits, then French kissed him, with deep, hungry demands.

"You are an amazing kisser," Casper said, barely able to catch his breath. Lando fingered Casper's tit, rolling it between his thumb and first finger. He tugged on it. Casper arched upward. He felt the plug shift in his ass. "And I like this, making out in your car. I've never made out in a car before." It didn't smell old, it smelled...like Lando. Bits of vanilla and sandalwood, earthy and fine.

"You haven't?" Lando seemed surprised. "You know, I've never made out in this car. I only use it when I have to go out of town. Otherwise I take the bus or the train. I rent space where I keep this baby. Secure place, not like where I live. I've never made out in it before. Not until tonight. I'm thinking it's not like those new ones--this is a car for having some fun." He laughed.

*_*_*_*

My favorite car? A red Ford Mustang. What’s yours?

*_*_*_*

Love Me Tonight by Adrianna Dane is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!


Tuesday 19 November 2013

More from Indefinite Stay by Heidi Champa


I grew up less than ten miles from a major state prison. It was set back, away from everything, a bunch of ugly buildings in the distance that looked like the worst place in the world.

I admit I knew next to nothing about the realities of prison, except for what I saw on TV, which turns out is 90% bullshit. When a dear friend of mine found herself in a situation not unlike the main character of Indefinite Stay, Rory Driskell, well, let’s just say her experiences opened my eyes to what it’s really like to have someone you love, or used to love, behind bars. 

This story, is in part, her story. As a second hand witness, I could never truly capture what she went through, I tried my best to give a glimpse into the frustration, the pain and the absurdity of visiting a loved one in jail. While my story is a love story, it shows that sometimes love isn’t an easy road, and sometimes, we make bad choices. But, that’s what makes us human. 

The motel in my story, The Broken Feather, becomes something of a refuge for Rory, a place where he deals with what is going on in his life and ultimately, where he decides how his life is going to turn out.

I hope you like Indefinite Stay and if you do, let me know! Here is an additional excerpt for your enjoyment…

Excerpt

The prison came into view, slate grey buildings in a sea of green, all surrounded by fences topped with razor wire. My hands were trembling as I turned into the long driveway, the guard gate stopping me in my tracks. I gave my name to the guy, the same one who seemed to always be here on Saturdays and he checked his computer. The gate slid open, creaking and clunking as the metal moved and I pulled in, but instead of heading to the parking area like I always did, I was met with two more guards, their hands up in the universal sign for stop. My window was still rolled down and one of the guards leaned down to talk to me.

“We’re going to need you to get out of the car please, sir.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, sir. Just a routine inspection. Now, please pull over to the green dot, shut off the car and get out slowly.”

I nodded and tried to smile but the knot in my stomach wouldn’t even let me fake it. I did as I was told and got out of the car, careful not to do anything that would get me into trouble. I stood next to the other guard while the first guy went through my car. I had no idea what he was looking for. I’d seen them do this to other people once or twice, but in all the times I’d visited Joel, they’d never bothered to search my car. I knew they were allowed to, so I said nothing as the guy went over everything. Glancing at my watch, I looked up to see a few more familiar faces going into the prison. In that moment, I couldn’t believe what my life had turned in to. The inspecting guard moved onto the trunk and when he popped it open, he let out a sigh and looked at me.

“You have a lot of stuff in here, man.”

“I know, sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be looking in there.”

It seemed like the wrong thing to say but it was out of my mouth before I could stop it. He dug through the trash and nonsense that accumulated over the last few months until he was satisfied and slammed the truck lid shut. 

“Okay, move it along.”

They said it as if I was the one holding them up, so I hurried into my car and parked, my usual spot filled already so I had to find another near the back of the lot. I pushed through the main doors and grabbed my number. Most of the seats in the lobby were already full, so I leaned against the wall instead. I made eye contact with the blonde woman I’d seen driving in; her face looked the same as everyone else in the place. Resigned. They called my number and I went up to the desk, fishing my driver’s license out and sliding it across the counter to the guard. While he was taking my information, I signed in, pausing as I usually did to try and remember the license plate number on my car. I never could memorize it, for some reason. It was a different story with Joel’s inmate number. That convoluted sequence was burning onto my brain from the first time I’d seen it. 

The guard handed me a locker key and I gave him a quick, meaningless smile. I walked over to the corresponding locker and threw my wallet, keys and sunglasses inside. I reached into my jeans pocket and took out the folded up zipper bag and filled it with the change and singles I’d brought for the vending machines. Once I locked everything up, I put the key in the bag and returned to my post on the wall. I watched as one by one, my fellow visitors got called up to the desk repeating the same process I’d gone through until it was time for us to walk through the metal detectors. It was painful to watch the little kids, there to see their fathers or brothers or whoever, have to go through the process. Lucky for most of them, they were too little to understand what it all really meant.

Finally, it was my turn. I put my plastic bag down for them to look through it and walked through the detector, holding my breath that the rivets on my jeans wouldn’t set the thing off. It had happened to me before and I was refused entry. But, I managed to get through the first time no problem. I picked up my bag and held out my right hand so they could stamp it with their clever invisible ink. I made it to the second lobby, where we waited for our visitors pass. As I picked my chair, the German shepherd they used for drug sniffing walked into the room. One of the little girls started freaking out at the sight of him, but I sat stock still as they walked him by and let him sniff all around me. I always worried the smell of some joint my roommate Monroe smoked months before would still be in my clothes, but so far, I’d been lucky. I’d been there as they busted several people for failing their drug swab or dog sniff test. 

Once the dog had cleared us all, we were issued our passes and got to do more waiting. I looked down at mine, my name and Joel’s number on it and the word family. We weren’t family, but the state penitentiary didn’t know that. According to them, I was Joel’s cousin. He thought that would be better than saying I was a friend, and certainly they’d never be able to write who I really was. The thought of the word boyfriend on my pass made my heart go into palpitations. I sat and waited for them to call back and tell Joel he had a visitor. 

Joel had filled me in on all he had to go through to see me. I thought of him, his clothes inspected for smuggled contraband, strip searched and then put into the vile jumpsuit they made them all wear in the family room. The process on his end took a while, and I wished I had a book or my phone or something to pass the time until he was ready. My blonde friend was next to me, twirling a lock of her hair like she always did when we waited.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

I was trying to make a joke, but she merely looked confused.

“You saw me on the way in.”

Her tone was flat and I was concerned my attempt at small talk only made her angry.

“Sorry, I was trying to make a joke. A bad one as it turns out.”

“Oh, right. Well, this place doesn’t really put me in the joking mood.”

“Me neither, but I just thought, hell, I don’t know what I thought. I was trying to feel normal for a second.”

I was surprised by my own admission, but it was too late to take it back.

“Yeah, every time I come here, I think about how nice it would be to spend a weekend doing something normal, you know. Instead of hauling my ass all the way here to see my boyfriend’s deadbeat, lying ass.”

Her anger was visceral, something I’d felt but never really expressed. My one friend at home who was still talking to me didn’t exactly want to hear me keep griping about the fact my boyfriend was in jail. Monroe told me to dump him a million times, even if I did believe he was innocent. But, I couldn’t. I was all Joel had. And, when he finally got out of here, we were going to start out lives over again. I just had to be patient. But, the anger, well, it was always there, below the surface, boiling like magma looking for an escape. 

“I think the same thing too. But, here we are.”

“Who are you here to see?”

“His name is Joel. He’s my cousin.”

“You come here to see your cousin? You must be close.”

I could see the skepticism on her face, but I had my stock answer for these situations.

“I’m really the only family he’s got. His dad, my uncle, passed away and I promised I’d look after him. So here I am.”

“Wow. I wish I had family like you. My parents basically disowned me for staying married to Ray.
I never questioned someone’s loyalty to their partner in jail, so I kept my mouth shut on that subject.

“Well, I do the best I can for him. But, sometimes, it’s a real drag.”

“It’s really sweet that you do this for him. He’s lucky to have you in his life.”

I smiled and opened my mouth to reply but she was called away.

“See you inside.”

***

The heavy metal door on the other side of the room buzzed and she walked through quickly. I learned the hard way that when that thing starts making noise, you only have a few seconds to act. Wait too long and the guard has to do it all again, and they are not happy about that. I waited, having no idea how long I’d been sitting there, when they finally called me up. It was then I glanced at the watch on the wrist of the guard and noticed it was nearly ten in the morning. Usually, I was back to see Joel by nine. He was really late this morning. I was the last one remaining in the waiting room when I buzzed through. 

No matter how many times I walked the long hall, it still felt surreal and creepy. It was a long as a football field, with windows lining the whole thing. To the left, you could see what was called restricted housing. To the right, was the yard, where there were a few basketball hoops with no net and a few benches to sit on. It had so much fence and razor wire around it; it looked like some kind of demented playground. 

I got to the other end of the hall and stood, waiting for the next guard to buzz me through. Sometimes, it happened right away, other times, like today, I stood there for what felt like an eternity before they let me in. Once inside, I instinctively stuck out my right hand under the light so the guard behind the tinted glass could verify I was cleared to visit. I held my pass up to the glass and heard the electronic tinged voice say it’s only word.

“Okay.”

I made my left turn and was finally in the visitor’s room. I went to the final guard station and gave them my pass. I could see Joel approach and hand the guard his ID that allowed him into the room. The guard gave me a nod and I followed Joel to a table across the room. Before we sat down, we were allowed to hug, which we did. But, it was always quick and we tried to make it look as normal and non-romantic as possible. He always slapped me on the back a few times for good measure and sat down first.

“Hey Rory. Man, it’s good to see you.”

“You too.”

I looked around the room and saw the blonde and the guy who had to be Ray, holding hands over their table and leaning in to talk. I’d seen them both before, but never paid much attention before. They appeared to be arguing, despite the hug and kiss they’s shared. The little kids who’d been in the lobby were sitting with a guy by the window. He looked like someone you might see anywhere. Certainly not like a hardened criminal. It was a weird mix of the two in the family room. 

“So, how was the drive in? No problems?”

“Nah, everything was good. Just had to leave so early, you know.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

I watched the other inmates and their families, smiling and trying to be happy with the little time they had together. All I wanted to do was touch Joel, something as simple as holding hands, but I couldn’t. There was no way we’d ever be able to show any true affection. I tried once to put a hand on his shoulder, something I considered to be a benign gesture. But, he freaked out, so I never did it again. 

“Why were you so late getting in here today? It seemed to take forever. Wasted nearly an hour of the visit.”

“One of the other inmates was trying to start shit and the guards got all pissed. So, to punish me, they took their sweet time processing me out.”

“What was the argument about?”

“Don’t worry about it, Rory. It was nothing you need to concern yourself with. There’s always someone in here trying to start shit. Especially guys who no one ever comes to see. They don’t care if they fuck up your visitation.”

“Sounds pretty messed up to me.”

“It is. But, there’s nothing I can do.”

He looked at me and for the first time since I sat down, I met his eyes. It was still impossible to believe that he was in this place. I hated everything about it.

“Tell me what’s been going on with you.”

I shook my head and tried to come up with something worth talking about.

“Not much since I saw you last. Working. Trying to keep up with the bills. Taking shit from Monroe and my parents for coming out here. Oh, and I found out that I’m not going to be able to get overtime anymore, so I might have to find something else to get that extra money.”

“What? Like a second job.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Joel sighed. I hated complaining to him, but there wasn’t much good going on in my life at the moment. When I first started coming to visit, I tried to paint things in a rosy light, to make him feel better. But, after a few months, that stopped working.

“Sorry, Rory. I really am.”

“You don’t have to keep saying that.”

“Well, I have something that might cheer you up a bit. My lawyer was here yesterday.”

“I know. I pay for him, remember?”

“Right. Anyway, he said he thinks we have a good chance of getting a new hearing soon.”

“He said that the last time too.”

“Yeah, but this time he actually met with the prosecutor and they think it should all work out by the end of September.”

“That’s like six weeks away.”

“God, damn, why do you have to be so negative all the time? I’m the one in here. I’m the one who should be balking at six weeks.”

“Sorry, Joel.”

I reached my hands under the table, hoping he’d sneak a touch, but he didn’t. I sighed and grabbed my plastic bag.

“You want something to eat, man?”

“Yeah, the usual.”

I trudged up to the machines and stood behind a huge inmate who always sneered at everyone. When it was my turn, I pumped the change into the machine and got Joel his chips and soda, getting myself a candy bar and water. When I got back to the table, I tried to move a bit closer to Joel but he only moved away again.

“Thanks, man. Put it on my tab.”

It was one of Joel’s favorite jokes. All the money that I was spending to pay for his lawyer, the cash I put in his account so he could by things in the commissary and paying to talk to him long distance was starting to add up. He thought by saying that, it made up for it. It didn’t and the joke stopped being funny a while ago.

“Right. I’m sure that three bucks is going to break me.”

“You don’t have to be a dick about everything, you know.”

I bit back what I really wanted to say and took a sip of my water.

“Sorry. It was an early start for me and I’m tired.”

“How do you think I feel? God forbid they do visitation later.”

He smiled, but it was hard to return it. I bit into my candy and chewed slowly, looking around at the other tables. The blonde met my eyes and smiled at me, giving me a small wave. Her husband looked scary as hell, even from a distance. When he looked at me, I turned away, not wanting to cause any trouble. I eyes Joel and before I could think better of it, I said what was really on my mind for a change.

“I miss you, Joel.”

He raised his eyebrows, looking around quickly to see if anyone had heard me say it.

“Me too, man,” he said in a whisper. I hated that he couldn’t even express a simple sentiment like missing me without it being a big deal. 

We started to make useless small talk and Joel told me about something crazy his cell mate did and the latest stupid thing that happened at his job in the wood shop. I did a lot of nodding and smiling, even though inside, I wanted to run away and never come back to this place. 

“Thanks for coming to see me, Rory. It means a lot.”

“No problem. I wish it could be more often.”

Another outright lie, but under the circumstances, it seemed to be what he needed to hear.

“Me too.”

He stared at me and for a moment, I could see the man I fell in love with. The guy who stole my heart and made me feel happier than I’d ever been. But, if I shifted my eyes down a few inches, the orange of his jumpsuit ruined it all. The main guard who patrolled the room called out, everyone getting quiet for a moment.

“Alright, everyone. Times up.”

The three hours of visitation went by in a flash, but in other ways it felt interminable. I got up from the table and threw away our trash. Joel stood up to and gave me another quick hug, stiffly wrapping his arms around me and slapping me harder than he needed to. 

“See you tomorrow, man.”

“Yeah. Same time. Be careful, okay?”

“I always am.”

Before they led him away, he smiled. I knew what he was going to say, but it still made my heart swell to hear it. Since we couldn’t tell each other how we really felt, we developed a code to say it for us.

“Give Aunt Betty my love.”

I couldn’t help but grin back and give my half of the coded reply.

“Don’t worry, I will.”

*_*_*_*

Indefinite Stay by Heidi Champa is now available at Amber Allure.

If you'd like the chance to win the entire pax collection, just leave a comment on today's post. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Monday 18 November 2013

The Ghost in Number 9—A Guest Post from Rick R. Reed

Today I am giving you a peek at my newest release, which came out November 17 from Amber Allure, “The Ghost in Number 9.” The story deals with the secrets we keep and how love is better when exposed to the light, rather than hidden in darkness (a theme that will resonate especially with many gay people who have lived through a time when life forced them to hide who they were). I drew my inspiration from living here in Seattle and driving almost daily north and south on one of the main arteries of the city: Aurora Avenue. Near the big bridge heading into downtown, there are a lot of decrepit motels, abandoned and covered by graffiti. Many of these motels were built to accommodate visitors to the World’s Fair, held in Seattle in 1962 (and the era my ghost hails from).

To one of the commenters below, I will give a copy of “The Ghost in Number 9” in the ebook format of their choice to a reader who comes up with the most imaginative answer to the question: what two male celebrities would you like to spy emerging guiltily from a No Tell Motel? Bonus points for telling us why you picked this pair. I’ll pick a winner from all entries received before November 22.

If you don’t want to wait to see if you’ve won, you can get your copy here (at a special new release discount!): 


BLURB
For Tony and Carter, room number 9 in the Galaxy Gold motel on Seattle's seedy Aurora Avenue is a refuge. There, the two young lovers have found a place to hide away from a world that would condemn them for their love. Within the darkened, summer-hot confines of room number 9, Carter and Tony can explore their love and lust for one another, free of the burdens of the outside world.

But room number 9 holds a terrible and tragic secret, one that dates back to the Galaxy Gold's opening back in 1962, when Seattle was hosting its World's Fair. There's a ghost in room number 9, and he has a message for Tony and Carter, a message about the consequences of shame and hiding love behind a closed motel room door.

Will Tony and Carter listen to the ghost's message and have the courage to bring their love out into the open? Or will this long-ago story, one eerily similar to Tony and Carter's, be ignored?

The answer awaits in room number 9... 


EXCERPT
Tony sat up. “I don’t know. I walk out of here, give you up, what would happen then? Would my heart shrivel up and die? Would I forget you?”

Carter thought the sad truth was, he probably would. Maybe not next week, next month, or even next year, but he eventually Carter knew the memory of his touch, how he felt, what his smile could do, would eventually fade away. And then where would Tony find himself? Carter looked away, staring up at hairline crack that ran across the ceiling, not wanting to hear the answer to that last question, which taunted him in his own mind. He’d be back in the park, more experienced now, looking for another Carter, another young man to lure away to the motel and this whole sad, yet blissful, scenario would play itself out once more. Perhaps it would happen many times, until Tony’s wife found out, or Tony brought the wrong guy back to the motel, or who knows?

Carter sat up. “The romantic me would love to say yes, your heart would shrivel up. You’d miss me so much it’d be like a physical ache. You would just not be able to go on. But the realist in me knows the truth—you’d go on.”

“And be a faithful and loving husband?”

Carter turned to face him. He shook his head. “You’re kidding yourself if you think that. You told me once your need for a man was like a living thing and it wouldn’t leave you alone. You told me that the harder you tried to suppress it, the stronger it would come back.”

Tony stared down at his thighs, at the dick coiled between his legs. He snatched the sheet up to cover himself.

Carter leaned toward him, touching his shoulder gently. “I’m sorry. But it’s true.”

“I know it. It’s a mess.”

Carter asked again, “Do you want to end it?” He was split right down the middle. One part wanted Tony to say yes, another despaired that he would.

“Of course not. I love you.” And Tony looked over at him, catching and holding Carter’s gaze. Carter didn’t need words to know that this was the bottom line—their love. Sure, the sex was mind-blowing, the best he’d ever had, and he suspected the same was true for Tony, but it wasn’t really about the sex. If it was, Tony could go on being married and have some secret encounters on the side, perhaps for years.

But Carter knew they both wanted more. But how to get it? How to get it and not hurt so much those around them? Carter was single, but it didn’t erase the complicity he would feel in the heartbreak of a woman’s heart if her man left her to be with him.

“I love you, too.”

Carter sat back, leaning against the headboard, his shoulders touching Tony’s. “So where do we go from here?”

“Why do we have to go anywhere?” Tony asked dully. Carter thought he was referring to leaving the motel room. But his next words clarified what Tony had met. “Can’t we just keep things like this?”

The words simply came out of Carter, without forethought. “Forever? Would you be happy with that? I wouldn’t. We love each other.” Carter looked away, a stream of images parading by in his head. “What we do here is flat-out wonderful. I mean it! But the words ‘I love you’ encompass so much more.” Carter stretched his arms open wide. “I want us to get out of this motel room. I want to have dinner with you at one of the restaurants in Pike Place Market or maybe you and me at the top of the Space Needle, spinning as the sun sets behind the Olympics. I want to ride a ferry with you from Anacortes to Friday Harbor. I want to get in the car and take a weekend road trip down to Portland and end up in some little B&B on the Oregon coast. I want you to come to my place and I’ll make my mom’s meatloaf for you. I want to open presents under a Christmas tree. I want watch you blow out the candles on your birthday cake.” 

Carter bit his lip, hating the big, painful ball that had formed in his throat, making it painful to swallow, as though a torrent of tears and a bunch of sobs were the only thing that could dissolve it. “I want to see your clothes hanging next to mine in the closet.”

Tony stared at him for a long time. Finally, he shook his head and rose up from the bed. He began to dress. 

“You’re not gonna say anything?” Carter wondered. It was weird how the room had gone from the heights of blissful passion to the depths of despair so damn fast. “I just poured my fuckin’ heart out to you, man. And you’re gonna give me back silence?”

Tony pulled up his pants and struggled to pull his T-shirt over his head, saying nothing. At last, he said, “If I had answers, I’d give ’em to you.”

He gathered up his tool belt and then kissed Carter on the forehead. Carter looked up at him. “Same time next week? Room 9?” Carter asked. The question seemed inane, after the dreams he had just confessed. He might as well have said, “I’ll take whatever crumb you give me.”

Tony shrugged. He moved to the door, opened it, and let in a blinding block of light. He was only a silhouette as he stood there in the brilliance, the sound of traffic suddenly loud behind him. Carter barely heard him say, “I have to think.”

And then he closed the door, plunging the room back into murky darkness. Carter was alone.

He slumped back on the bed, staring down at his feet. He moved them back and forth, trying not to think. Was this the end? It sure felt like it.

Curiously, the sobbing and tears that had threatened to erupt had seemed to have left along with Tony. Right now, there was only a curious numbness. He supposed his mind and his heart were both doing what they could to protect themselves from the pain he was certain lay in wait.

He got up, crossed the room, and lifted a blind to look outside. Tony’s truck was gone and the same river of traffic flowed by, relentless, leaving Carter feeling isolated, as if he were the only one in the world with such problems. The little boy he had seen earlier, the little red-headed imp, zipped by on his bike, laughing, on Aurora itself, and Carter wanted to open the door to tell the little idiot to get off the highway, use the sidewalk, where it was safer.

But the boy was in and out of his view before he even had a chance to move to take any action.

Carter let the blind drop back into place. He went into the sad little bathroom and showered, drying off after with a towel that was so thin and rough it barely absorbed anything.

When he returned to the bedroom, a man was sitting in one of the chairs opposite the bed. His legs were crossed and he made Carter think of the TV series, Mad Men. He had that perfect Don Draper look: dark hair neatly parted at the side, a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal hairy forearms, a pair of gray slacks, creased, and a pair of black wingtips. The man was smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke into the air in rings.

He looked over at Carter as though he had been expecting him. He smiled.

For Carter’s part, he didn’t know whether to scream, laugh, run, or question his sanity. “How did you get in here?”

The man sighed. “I’m always here. I was here when you and your boyfriend were fucking today and every time before.”

Carter cast his gaze around for an unnoticed closet where the man could have hidden himself, but there was only the freestanding wardrobe in the corner and Carter doubted he could secret himself there.

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I’ll give you a minute to get out of here or else I’m calling the cops.” Carter edged a few steps closer, so that he could snatch his pants up from the floor. He felt in the pockets, relieved when he grasped the outlines of his wallet and phone. He struggled into the khakis, almost losing his balance. All kinds of creeps walked up and down Aurora, at all hours of the day or night and all Carter could think was that this one had gotten in when Tony left, forgetting to lock the door behind him.

Yet, didn’t the door lock automatically? And what did the man mean about always being in the room?

And while it was true there were prostitutes and thugs that regularly walked the lengthy north-south traverse of Aurora Avenue, none of them looked as neat (and neat was the best word) as this character. 

Carter shivered, even though the room had no air conditioning. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and put it on, buttoning it with trembling fingers.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll just leave and I’ll let the guy at the front desk know you’re here.” Why not? Carter had all his important belongings now. He needed only to slip into his wingtips.

“Sit down.”

“What?”

“Grab a seat on the bed, bud. You know I’m not real.”

“Not real?” Carter neared the man. “You look real to me.” He reached out to place a hand on the guy’s chest and it was like his hand passed through a fog of cold air.

Carter jumped back, heart thundering.

“That’s right. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a ghost. I’d shake your hand, but you saw what happened when you tried to touch me. Damned ectoplasm. My name’s Bill Silver.”

Carter stood, simply staring. He realized his mouth hung open and he shut it.

“You gonna take a load off? I have some things to tell you.”

“Tell me? What?” Because Carter felt like if he didn’t sit down, his legs would give out, he reluctantly seated himself at the edge of the bed. You’re asleep, that’s all and this is just a dream. Play along. “So, uh, Bill, what it is you wanna tell me?”

Bill took a puff off his cigarette and snuffed it out in the ashtray. Carter wanted to giggle when he had the thought that ghosts didn’t have to worry about the health hazards of smoking. And what would a ghost cigarette taste like, anyway, menthol or regular? Carter couldn’t help it. He let out of a little titter.

“I’m glad you’re amused. Now, if I could begin.”

Carter gestured with his hand that the floor belonged to Bill. “I’m listening.”

“As I said, I’ve watched you and that colored guy have sex. Pretty racy. In my day, even here in Seattle, that kind of behavior could get a man in a lot of trouble. The queer stuff is bad enough, but throw in mixing of the races and even in the northwest here, you’ve got big trouble. Still, it looked very sexy, watching that colored dick go in that white ass.”

Carter started to get up. “Is this what you want? I’m not into it, dude.”

“Sit down, sit down. You know, because you touched me, I’m a ghost. And I was just setting the stage a bit, letting you know I know the score.

“What I really want to talk to you about is me. What happened to me right here in this room, just before the World’s Fair opened up back in 1962.

“I was twenty-nine years old, had a little Craftsman over in Wallingford, wife named Gloria and two kids, Bill Jr. and Sally. Worked as a CPA. Everyone that looked at me thought I was the perfect young man who had secured for himself the American dream. 

“And I had. 

“But what no one knew was what you and Tony understand—how good it feels to be with a man. See, I knew even before I had ever touched another fellow, knew because it was like a piece of me was missing. What could fill it up?” Bill grinned. “I think you know. But it’s more than that. Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“I needed a man to love me, even if I couldn’t admit it to myself, let alone anyone else. I kept thinking if I just stayed true in my marriage, concentrated on being a good dad to my two kids, worked hard, all those longings I felt in the middle of the night would eventually go away.”

Bill looked over at Carter and Carter thought the man seemed as real as Tony had, only an hour or so ago.

“But you know the end to that story, don’t you? Nothing went away. If anything, it got stronger the more I tried to hide it. I’d be out with the kids and Gloria, over at Green Lake and we’d be hanging out at the beach, and I’d see these young guys in their trunks and man—” The guy’s gaze drifted away and Carter knew he was seeing those almost-naked young men right now, robust, diving into the water, endless yards of tanned and muscled skin. Carter could see it himself in his own mind’s eye, but because of when he had been born and the life he had led, he felt no guilt at his appreciation and even arousal at the thought.


To read more, order your copy here: The Ghost in Number 9 by Rick R. Reed

*_*_*_*

In addition to the giveaway Rick is doing, any comments left today will also have a chance to win the entire pax collection. On Saturday, a winner will be picked at random from all the comments made this week on the blog. Comment on all, and that's multiple chances to win!

Sunday 17 November 2013

LATEST PAX RELEASE - No Tell Motel

Visit the links to take advantage of our

Special Price

No Tell Motel

An AmberPax™ Collection of
Gay Erotic Romance 
by Various Authors 
Genre: Gay (M/M) Erotic Romance 
Cover Copyright ©2012 by Trace Edward Zaber
Included in this collection of erotic romance...
(For more information on each title, or to purchase separately, click on the book covers below!)

The Ghost in Number 9
The Ghost in Number 9
by Rick R. Reed
Extended Amber Kiss
(Gay)
Indefinite Stay
Indefinite Stay
by Heidi Champa
Extended Novella
(Gay)
Love Me Tonight
Love Me Tonight
by Adrianna Dane
Extended Amber Kiss
(Gay)
Never Again...Again
Never Again...Again
by L.A. Witt
Extended Amber Kiss
(Gay)
Threshold
Threshold
by Vivien Dean
Extended Novella
(Gay)

 
In conjunction with our newest release, we will be having a giveaway! Starting tomorrow, leave a comment on any post made during the week (11/18-11/22), and you'll be eligible to win the entire pax collection. A winner will be picked at random on Saturday from all comments received.

Friday 15 November 2013

Threshold by Vivien Dean

Sutter is a vampire on the run. After barely escaping the hunter his sire sent after him, he makes it all the way to the middle of nowhere, Oregon, before the approaching sunrise forces him to stop. He intends only to rest, then hit the road again as soon as night falls, but that plan falls apart when the motel’s maintenance man discovers him passed out on the bathroom floor.

Ex-Marine Max Rowell hasn’t had a purpose in life ever since coming home from the Gulf. Though he works at his father’s motel, drifting through days that bleed endlessly into each other, it takes discovering an unconscious guy who looks like an angel but has clearly been through hell to give him new purpose.

Max isn’t letting Sutter go anywhere until he’s healed, but Sutter needs more than a warm bedside manner to get stronger. Though they strike a deal, the clock keeps ticking, and sooner or later Sutter will need to run again, or risk putting Max’s life on the line when Sutter’s past catches up to him...

Genres: Gay/Dark Fantasy/Vampire/Menage (M/M/M)/Group Sex/Voyeurism/Exhibitionism/Public Places
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Novella (32k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...“Here.” Coming around Sutter’s side of the bed, the man dropped the blanket to the floor first as he slid his free arm beneath Sutter’s shoulders. With unexpected gentleness, he lifted Sutter up the few inches necessary to prop the second pillow beneath his head. “I know it’s not much, but it’s better than the bathroom floor, right?”

Sutter could only watch as he deftly flicked the blanket open and spread it out over the bedspread. That was when he saw the peek of white on his own torso. A fresh bandage covered the stake wound.

What the fuck had happened while he’d been unconscious? Who was this man? Why was he fussing over Sutter like a baby chick? He wanted desperately to throw the stranger against the wall and run as far away as he could, but the tiny slivers of light that stole around the edges of the closed curtains locked him in the room better than any shackles ever could. He couldn’t even protest when the man picked up a glass of water from the nightstand and held it to his lips.

“I didn’t call the police, if that’s what you’re worried about.” As Sutter sipped at the water, the man held it steady, his gaze solemn and unshakable. “I figured anyone who checked themselves into this place without tipping off Dewitt that he was bleeding as badly as you were was looking for discretion.”

Dewitt must’ve been the grizzled clerk who’d taken Sutter’s cash without looking up from his greasy copy of Sports Illustrated. Sutter had been careful, yes, but as far as he was concerned, Petrus could’ve had his fangs and cock buried in Sutter’s body as he paid and the old man still wouldn’t have noticed.

The water helped, soothing over the rough edges the last twenty-four hours had wrought. When Sutter coughed, the stranger snapped back, withdrawing the glass before anything spilled.

“Who are you?” Sutter ground out. It hurt—fuck, did it hurt—but he didn’t feel nearly so helpless when he had a voice. As long as he had the choice, he would use it, consequences be damned.

“My name’s Max.” He held out his left hand, but when Sutter glanced at it with a frown, blushed and pulled it back. “My dad owns this place.”

“And you’re…what? The welcoming committee?”

Max chuckled. “Hardly. You’re in hell’s armpit. If I didn’t live here, I’d avoid it like the plague.”

His gaze flickered to the exposed tattoo. “I didn’t know there was a base nearby.” He didn’t think there was anything nearby. He’d driven north from Sacramento on purpose, getting off I-5 somewhere in Oregon to get lost in a world of trees. The Pacific Motel had been the first note of civilization he’d seen in miles, and even that was set off alone, the nearest town another fifteen miles ahead, according to the road signs. It should’ve been ideal.

“No base for me.” Another smile, though this one was melancholy. “Not anymore.”

“How’d you…” The words caught in a rasp. In a flash, the water was back, the glass pressed to his bottom lip, tipped up and flowing at just the right speed as Max watched without a word. When Sutter had his fill, he ran his tongue over the cracked skin and tried again. “How’d you know?”

Max jerked his head toward the door. “I saw the blood outside. When I asked Dewitt about you, he said you looked like you were going to sleep off a bender, so I knew it had to be bad. You didn’t answer when I knocked, so I stole the master key when Dewitt wasn’t looking and let myself in.” His eyes widened in innocent alarm. “Just to check up on you, I swear. But you were passed out, and the bathroom was a wreck, and I couldn’t just leave you there, could I? You’d’ve been a goner before you ever got the chance to check out.”

His raw appeal was an adrenaline rush Sutter really didn’t need right now. A naive do-gooder hiding inside a killer’s body. That was how Petrus had hooked him all those years ago, though his had been one of many masks he donned when the purpose suited him. Max wasn’t the same—he was alive, for starters, which was already a step in the right direction—but the threat of what he could do to Sutter’s common sense remained...

Thursday 14 November 2013

Never Again...Again by L.A. Witt

Travis has been in love with Mitch since their college days, but they’ve never been able to make it work. While Travis—now an A-list actor—is out, Mitch is not, and they’re both too high-profile to date in secret.

Instead, they make do with the occasional hot liaison in the middle of the night in shady, backwoods motels where no one will catch them. And every time they do, Travis promises himself he’s done being the skeleton in Mitch’s closet, and it really will be the last time.

Now tonight, he’s had enough. He loves Mitch, but he can’t keep putting himself through this. Just one more hot night together, and then he’s gone...unless Mitch can change his mind before Travis walks out the door forever...

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/The Arts
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (11k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...Mitch cleared his throat. “I’m glad you called.”

“Me too.”

He exhaled and stepped a little closer. “I thought you didn’t want to do this anymore.”

“I never said I didn’t want to.” Christ, he was almost close enough to touch. “Just that we probably shouldn’t.”

“That’s true.” Closer. “We definitely shouldn’t.”

“But here we are.”

He stopped, keeping a few inches between us. “You do want to be here, though, right?”

“Absolutely.” There was nowhere in the world I wanted to be more than right here with him. I took a deep breath, willing my heart to slow down and my stomach to stop contorting beneath my ribcage. “I…I do think we should settle things.”

Just like it had so many times back in our younger days, before things got so complicated, Mitch’s left eyebrow arched, and a second later, the corner of his mouth rose. “Settle them how?”

I shifted my weight to hide the shaking in my knees. “I…I’m not even sure. Figure out if we should keep doing this at all.”

“We both know we shouldn’t.”

“Yeah, but we keep coming back.”

“I know we do. I just can’t…” Mitch reached across the narrow void and touched the side of my face. He trailed his fingers down my cheek. “Travis…”

I avoided his eyes and whispered, “We’re torturing ourselves, you know.”

“We are. But I have as hard a time staying away as you do.”

I nodded. “I know.”

“If it could be different—”

“Don’t.” Shaking my head, I met his gaze. “We’ve been over this a hundred times.”

Mitch sighed. “I know. And God, I wish things could be different.”

But it couldn’t. There was no point in even going there because we both knew damn well that this thing couldn’t exist outside cheap motel rooms and secret meetings. I was already out, and whatever damage that was ever going to do to my career had been done. If I’d still been closeted, maybe we could be seen together. Play it off as two old friends catching up over coffee or something. But the media already scrutinized his every move, and they scrutinized every man who came within an arm’s length of me. While most of my male friends could just brush that off, it could never be that simple with Mitch. He could ignore it, but his public? His colleagues? Not so much.

He smoothed my hair. “We still have tonight.”

I nodded, trailing my fingers down his cheek. “This has to be the last time, though.”

“I know.” He gently grasped my hand and kissed my palm. “It will be.”

Of course it would be. It was always the last time. Before the sun came up, we’d both walk away and promise never to do this again. Again...

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Love Me Tonight by Adrianna Dane

At Hotel Draysden, management fraternizing with staff is a no-no. Casper Rosabella knows the rules, but he also believes that sometimes rules were meant to be broken. Sometimes it was worth taking a risk, especially when the man Casper craves is as hot as Lando Madrid.

Eye contact leads to a need to experience more, and through phone calls and texting, the men start to learn about each other. But then the lines blur when Casper and Lando make arrangements to meet for one night of unfettered sex in a seedy motel room, when taboo passions will culminate between two men who work at the same place, but certainly shouldn’t play together.

With secrets shared and desires revealed, the men are drawn deeper into a burning need to know more about each other. But considering their situation, could the relationship become something other than just a one-night stand? 

Genres: Gay/Contemporary/BDSM (Light)
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (13k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...“The wine is produced in Spain. It’s named after the god Liber. Do you know him?”

Casper shook his head. Lando stared into his eyes. “Liber is also known as the god, Bacchus. And do you know of him?”

Casper gulped, his throat went dry. “The god of wine?” He ventured. He grabbed from thin air for specks of remembered mythology from his college classes.

Lando grinned widely. “He is the god of ecstasy as well. The man I dated—he was a connoisseur of that as well. Bacchus also induces frenzy in his followers.” Lando leaned forward. “Will it induce frenzy in you tonight?” he said in an intimate deep voice.

Casper felt lightheaded and didn’t think he could stand another minute of this conversational foreplay that Lando appeared to be enjoying. Casper wiped at the sweat on his forehead.

“I-I—”

Finally Lando waved a hand in the air. He pointed to the spot in front of him, between his legs. “Well, let’s get started.” He cupped his crotch. “This is what you wanted, right? This is why you’re slumming?”

The term made Casper angry. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

“Isn’t it?”

“You have all the control,” Casper said. “I’m hardly putting anyone in their place.”

“But you want to keep it a secret, right?” Lando said.

“That runs to both our benefits. Are you willing to lose your job over one night?”

“No. I guess that puts us at a checkmate. So, I’m still intrigued. Let’s see what you can do. I wanna find out if taking this chance is worth it.”

Casper’s heart pounded harder, like he’d just run a marathon. He was terrified he couldn’t meet Lando’s expectations. Casper wasn’t that experienced and he was afraid of what Lando might do when he realized that. He moved in front of Lando. He pulled his leather loafers off and tossed them aside. Then he pulled his shirt over his head without unbuttoning it and tossed it toward the orange chair. It missed. So what. He started to unzip his pants.

“No. Stop,” Lando said. “Let me look at you. Turn around slowly. Don’t move so quickly.”

Casper turned slowly. He had to focus on his breathing; he was starting to hyperventilate. He slowed it down. Casper recalled the text message he’d finally gotten up the nerve to send to Lando more than a month before.

Meet me where nobody knows either of us and I’ll do anything you want. It will just be between you and me.

It was a bold move and very out of character for Casper, who had been dubbed the librarian because he was always so quiet and studious.

Lando’s text response came as a surprise.

Are we talking about fucking?

Lando didn’t mince words, he got right to the point of things apparently.

They had stood across from each other in the elegant lobby of the first-class hotel where they were both employed. The message arrived on Casper’s phone. He had glanced across at Lando. Good-looking and sexy and Casper couldn’t stand it another day. It was do or die. He’d never done anything like this before, but he had to have the man even if it was only for just one night. Just one, and Casper knew he could die a happy man... 

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Indefinite Stay by Heidi Champa

Rory Driskell had never seen the inside of a prison until his boyfriend Joel started serving a seven-year sentence for dealing drugs. Now, Rory spends his weekends visiting Joel at the state prison nearly four hours away from home. To make matters worse, Rory and Joel can’t even touch during their visits for fear of what might happen if the other inmates learn Joel is gay. While Joel maintains his innocence, that doesn’t stop Rory from preparing himself for the worst and for a long stretch of time alone.

During the weekends, Rory resides at the Broken Feather Motel, the only cheap place within thirty miles of the prison, wondering how he got into this mess. Then one weekend, the motel owner’s son, Stuart, is behind the counter when Rory checks in. Stuart, with his gorgeous smile and piecing blue eyes, offers Rory something he hasn’t had in a long time: a shoulder to cry on and a hand to hold. But Stuart is in town only for a short time and isn’t looking for a real relationship.

Will Rory stick with the life he’s chosen, no matter how troubled, or will his feelings for Stuart push him to take a chance and finally unlock his heart?

Genres: Gay/Contemporary
Heat Level: 3
Length: Extended Novella (31k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...I woke up to a knock at the door. The red numbers on the clock by the bed said it was six-thirty. Stumbling across the room, I peeped out and saw Stuart standing there. I thought of not answering but then I heard his voice.

“I know you’re in there, Rory. Please open the door.”

I leaned my forehead against the cool metal and undid the lock. I squinted at the light as I pulled the door open. Stuart was smiling and holding a bag.

“Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

He walked past me and set his bag down on the tiny table in the corner. When he turned around, he looked tense, his hands slipping into his pockets.

“I thought you might be hungry. I brought some dinner.”

I hadn’t felt hungry, but the instant he mentioned food, my stomach started to churn.

“Thanks. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. I wanted to. I thought we could clear the air. Talk about what I said earlier.”

“We don’t have to do that. It’s cool.” I shook my head and retreated another step farther away from him.

“I think we do.”

He closed the distance between us, and I was out of room to move. My back was against the door, and I was practically panting when I looked into his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable before, Rory.”

“I know.”

“And I know you’re sorry you kissed me. But I’m not. It was nice.”

I closed my eyes for a long moment, trying to kick the image of the kiss out of my head.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m with Joel.”

“I know. But, seriously, when was the last time you had a proper kiss? I mean, before last Sunday.”

I thought back to the day they took Joel to jail. We’d had a few minutes in a little room at the courthouse before they’d hauled him away. We’d kissed, knowing it would be the last time for a long while. There was no joy in it. It was a moment filled with pain and even remembering it made the hurt come back again.

“Too long. But that’s no excuse for what I did.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting some affection. You don’t have to beat yourself up. It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure Joel would understand, considering the circumstances.”

I moved away from him, trying to get a little distance between us again.

“I know he would. He told me that he’d understand if I needed to…if I ended up having…uh, being with someone else. But that’s not the point.”

“The point is you’re human. Nothing wrong with that.”

I looked at him and out of nowhere I felt angry.

“You don’t get it. As much as things suck, this is my life. I chose it, and I have to live with the consequences. Now, take your food and go.”

“You don’t want me to go.”

This time I got into his space and before I could stop myself, I was yelling.

“Stop telling me what I want. You don’t know me.”

“Rory…”

I reached out to shove him, but instead I found myself in his arms, his embrace smothering my desire to lash out. I let him embrace me and held my breath to keep the tears from flowing. I tried to pull away, but he held me tighter, his hand running up and down my back.

“It’s okay, Rory. You can let it out if you want to.”

I struggled for another moment, but in the end, I didn’t have the strength to fight him. His words made me break, and I started to cry, sobs wracking through my body. I hadn’t cried at all since Joel first got arrested. I’d spent so much time pretending to be okay, I’d managed to convince myself that I actually was fine. All through the hearings, the motions, the time he spent in jail before his family posted bail, the trial and the sentencing, I held it together. For over two years, I stayed strong, never letting anyone know the hell I was going through inside, too worried about how Joel was feeling. But in that room with Stuart, everything started to unravel. For the first time, I let it all fall apart... 

Monday 11 November 2013

The Ghost in Number 9 by Rick R. Reed

For Tony and Carter, room number 9 in the Galaxy Gold motel on Seattle's seedy Aurora Avenue is a refuge. There, the two young lovers have found a place to hide away from a world that would condemn them for their love. Within the darkened, summer-hot confines of room number 9, Carter and Tony can explore their love and lust for one another, free of the burdens of the outside world.

But room number 9 holds a terrible and tragic secret, one that dates back to the Galaxy Gold's opening back in 1962, when Seattle was hosting its World's Fair. There's a ghost in room number 9, and he has a message for Tony and Carter, a message about the consequences of shame and hiding love behind a closed motel room door.

Will Tony and Carter listen to the ghost's message and have the courage to bring their love out into the open? Or will this long-ago story, one eerily similar to Tony and Carter's, be ignored?

The answer awaits in room number 9... 

Genres: Gay/Paranormal/Hauntings/Ghosts/Interracial/Multicultural
Heat Level: 2
Length: Extended Amber Kiss (11k words) 


Read a short excerpt...


...When he returned to the bedroom, a man was sitting in one of the chairs opposite the bed. His legs were crossed and he made Carter think of the TV series, Mad Men. He had that perfect Don Draper look: dark hair neatly parted at the side, a crisp white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal hairy forearms, a pair of gray slacks, creased, and a pair of black wingtips. The man was smoking a cigarette and blowing the smoke into the air in rings.

He looked over at Carter as though he had been expecting him. He smiled.

For Carter’s part, he didn’t know whether to scream, laugh, run, or question his sanity. “How did you get in here?”

The man sighed. “I’m always here. I was here when you and your boyfriend were fucking today and every time before.”

Carter cast his gaze around for an unnoticed closet where the man could have hidden himself, but there was only the freestanding wardrobe in the corner and Carter doubted he could secret himself there.

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but I’ll give you a minute to get out of here or else I’m calling the cops.” Carter edged a few steps closer, so that he could snatch his pants from the floor. He felt in the pockets, relieved when he grasped the outlines of his wallet and phone.

He struggled into the khakis, almost losing his balance. All kinds of creeps walked up and down Aurora, at all hours of the day or night, and all Carter could think was that this one had gotten in when Tony left, forgetting to lock the door behind him.

Yet, didn’t the door lock automatically? And what did the man mean about always being in the room?

And while it was true there were prostitutes and thugs that regularly walked the lengthy north-south traverse of Aurora Avenue, none of them looked as neat (and neat was the best word) as this character.

Carter shivered, even though the room had no air conditioning. He grabbed his shirt off the floor and put it on, buttoning it with trembling fingers.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll just leave and I’ll let the guy at the front desk know you’re here.” Why not? Carter had all his important belongings now. He needed only to slip into his wingtips.

“Sit down.”

“What?”

“Grab a seat on the bed, bud. You know I’m not real.”

“Not real?” Carter neared the man. “You look real to me.” He reached out to place a hand on the guy’s chest and it was like his hand passed through a fog of cold air...