Okay, so first... One Night. Many of you probably remember this from my last Wednesday Briefers flash story. But the story has changed so much! I've added over 14k to the story, so it tops out just over 40k. The story has undergone an awesome evolution, thanks to help from my friends-AJ, Renee Stevens, and Rob Colton all gave me some valuable input, and Romance First Publishing's editing team, Eden Conner and Tucker McCallahan.
Right now the cover is undergoing an edit because the story changed so much a new title was warranted, but I do have a banner I made to share!
Synopsis:
Bear has sworn off guys who try to pick him up at his second
job working as a bartender. His ex, Vilem, damn near turned him off dating
altogether. Jimmy would flip if he finds
out Bear dated a drug dealer, as if Bear did it knowingly. His career as a cop
only makes his brother more protective.
But Kameron doesn’t try to pick him up at the bar. He
doesn’t ask for a blow job or a back alley screw. He asks Bear out for coffee.
That alone is rare enough to get Bear to say yes. They have an instant
chemistry, even though he will cut the giant off at the knees if Kameron calls
Bear “little guy” one more time.
Kameron’s secrets grow harder to hide the longer he dates
Bear. He wants to come clean, but he knows there’s a very good chance the fiery
man will never speak to him again. Kameron wrestles with his conscience and his
desire for Bear.
Both men’s choices lead to a series of events neither see
coming. Bear believes his judgment failed him once again when he learns exactly
what Kameron was hiding. At the same time, Bear learns Vilem wasn't just a
corner drug dealer, and some very scary guys are after him.
Can both men survive their encounter with Vilem’s bosses?
When Bear and Kameron land in a life or death situation, it's up to Bear to
save himself … and Kameron, if he's lucky.
Excerpt: ALL NEW SCENE!
“I don’t know man,
that’s a lot.”
“Can you get the stuff
or not?” Kameron shifted his weight back and forth. The inside of the phone
booth was filthy and something had died in the corner. The small space had a
foul smell, but Kameron tried to pretend he didn’t notice. “Ben said you could
get me ten grams. I need it.” He sniffed and wiped his nose.
“I don’t usually—”
“Look, I got two fifty.
I’m looking for ten grams for a… a party I’m throwing. I need it now. You
coming or not?” His heart raced during the silence as he urged Maks to agree.
“Fifth and Inochs?”
“Sweet,” Kameron said with
relief. “Yeah, I’ll be by the statue. See you in twenty, right? You’ll be there
with my stuff?”
“I’ll be there.” Kameron
heard Maks mutter about junkies under his breath. He managed to keep his
response in check. He waited until he was almost to the bridge before he made
the call so it only took him a few minutes to get in place. His palms were
sweating, and he kept wiping them on his ratty jeans. Finally he stuffed them
in his pockets to keep them still.
His hoodie obscured his
vision, but he didn’t want to lower it. It was cold under the bridge, and the
wind sent icy fingers inside the holes exposing his knees. Kameron hunched
over, slumping against smooth side of the abstract metal statue. Damn wind was
making his nose run already.
How much longer? He
couldn’t help peering back and forth, checking the creeping shadows. The
freeway overhead hummed with cars taking people home or out to whatever
entertainment they craved on a Friday night.
And here was his.
Maks looked just like
his picture. Kameron relaxed a little. He took his hands out of his pants
pockets and fiddled with the strings to his hoodie. The cold made his fingertips burn. There was a
lot more snow here than he was used to, and Kameron was fucking freezing.
“Carson?”
Kameron nodded. “You
Maks?”
“Yeah.”
They both knew how this
went down. Kameron twitched his strings again and sniffed. “You got my party
supplies?”
“Yeah, I brought them.” The
drug dealer lifted a six-pack of beer. “You’re gonna pay me back for the beers,
right?”
“’Course.” Kameron dug
around in his pocket and pulled out a small wad of crumpled bills. He stuffed the
money back in his pocket after he flashed it to Maks. “I just need to make sure
the beer’s my favorite kind.”
Maks didn’t look happy,
but he handed over the six-pack. “It’s all there.”
Kameron picked up a
bottle, peering at it, then tilted the carton. The orange glow from the streetlight
shone on the white baggies tucked in the bottom, around the beer. “Looks good.”
He put the beer back and
then shoved his hood off his head. Kameron dug into his pocket, shivering as
the wind blew sharply, scattering litter along the ground. He peered at Maks.
“If I have another party, say in a couple of weeks, could you get me more of
the same?”
“Sure.” Maks looked
eager to be gone, his eyes focused on the cash in Kameron’s hand.
“Cool.”
Maks grabbed the cash
Kameron held out and kept walking. “Nice doing business with you,” he said over
his shoulder.
“Oh, it was. You can
stop right there though.” Kameron tugged on the cord hanging around his neck,
hidden under his sweatshirt.
“What the fuck? You
gonna try to rip me off? My bosses will—” Maks spun around and froze.
“Not be any help to you.”
Kameron pulled his gun from behind his back.
Come back tomorrow to check out what's going on with The Experiment!
My comment disappeared. This was an awesome story when I read it online. I can't wait for it to come out with even more in it. Keep up the excellent work Cia. As soon as you post something on fb I'll share it. :)
ReplyDeleteHit me up, Cia. :)
ReplyDelete~M
Happy happy joy joy!!! My inner child is doing a dance. I loved this as a Wednesday Brief's story so now I'm drooling at the prospect of a full length book. Keep us posted on the release date.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait!
ReplyDelete