Kissed by God
Kissed by God
Amber Allure
M/M Contemporary
[Ebook]
Gus Holten used to love heroin more than anything else in his life. After his second stint at rehab, Gus realizes he needs to take control of his life. He won’t live much longer if he continues the journey he’s on. So he chooses to be clean. Six months of being sober gives him a better outlook on life, but he’s still alone.
One night he meets Morris Pierce and his world starts to change. Morris is rich, successful, and gorgeous, leaving Gus to wonder why the man is interested in a skinny, scarred mechanic/waiter like him. Yet interested Morris is, and Gus finds himself on the verge of a whole new life.
Can Gus forgive himself enough to reach out for what Morris offers? And can he find someone he loves more than heroin?
Excerpt:
…My hands shook slightly as I set the glass of water in front of my customer. “Good evening, sir. My name is Gus and I’ll be your server tonight.”
I pulled the list of specials out of my apron pocket. My memory wasn’t as good as it used to be, especially after all the drugs I’d ingested during my worst addiction. My customer studied me as I read. His narrow gaze took in my trembling hands and pale skin. Unlike the rest of the wait staff, I wore long sleeves buttoned at the wrists. I couldn’t roll them up. The needles left scars, and no one in their right mind wanted to be waited on by a junkie.
He waited patiently until I finished before asking, “Where’s Roger?”
“Roger’s sick tonight. I’m covering his shift.”
The man nodded and gave me a small smile. “There’s no need to be nervous. I won’t bite or complain because Roger’s not here.”
“Nervous, sir?” I stuck the list back in my apron and clasped my hands in front of me.
“Your hands are shaking.” He gestured to where I held them. “I didn’t want you to think I was upset.”
Heat flooded my face and I fought the urge to duck my head. “Oh, it’s not nerves. It’s a condition I have. May I take your order?”
“Are you clean?”
The sudden question surprised me enough to make me meet his serious gaze. I knew what he asked.
“Yes, sir. I’ve been clean for six months. Have my chip to prove it.”
I did, and the solid weight of it in my pocket resting against my thigh gave me courage to face each moment without having to mask it with the drugs.
“Good for you.” He picked up his menu and ordered.
The rest of the meal went without a hitch. He worked on some papers and ate. I tried to stay as unobtrusive as possible. After he left, I saw the tip he left me.
“No wonder Roger likes this guy,” I muttered as I headed back to the staging station.
Tina, one of my fellow waiters, grinned at me. “Roger likes the guy because he’s loaded and Roger thinks he can get the guy to be his newest sugar daddy.”
“Seriously?”
Nothing about the guy screamed gay. He never checked out my ass. I snorted silently. Christ’s sake! That sounded so fucking vain. Like anyone—male or female—would check out my skinny, pale, ex-addict ass.
“Well, I hope it works out for him.” I shrugged.
She rolled her eyes. “He’d be better off going to school and getting a real job because his good looks aren’t going to last long, and when they fade, he’s going to wind up on his ass with no way to support himself.”
“I’ve seen his strategy work out for other people. He’s ambitious. It might end up being a good career for him. If he’s smart, he’ll sock away some extra money from each sugar daddy, then eventually he’ll have enough not to worry about someone supporting him.”
“I’ve known others who, when they get old, find themselves without anything because they’ve relied on others to support them.” Tina filled three glasses with water and got her tray ready. “I’ll guarantee you I won’t be one of them. I’ve got plans, and they don’t include letting someone else take care of me or working as a waitress all my life.”
Complaining about my job didn’t occur to me. An ex-addict like me was lucky to have one job, much less two, and I didn’t want to lose either of them. I didn’t have any choice and no options of someone else taking care of things for me. I’d ruined my chance at love and a relationship a long time ago. I’d created my problems and I’d be the one to fix them as best I could…
