Archive for Wednesday WiPs
Wednesday Work in Progress…
Hmm….I was trying to figure out what I could post here today. I’m in the middle of working on a Tiffany story, so I don’t really want to post it here. Here is a snippet from To Hell With the Devil. I might have shared something from this story before, but I thought I’d give you the opening scene. 🙂 I like Teivel very much. He’s snarky and a complete smart ass. He gets cranky when he realizes he’s the new Devil since he killed the old one. 🙂
To Hell with the Devil copyright c.2013 T.A. Chase
Excerpt:
The throbbing beat of the music take over my body and drive me into a deeper trance. I love the dark sounds of the drums and the sexy murmurs of the singer, but the words disappear as I dance. I don’t know if others watched me or not and in that moment of time, I don’t care. I didn’t come to the club to get fucked, at least not tonight. I came to dance and wipe out the shitty day I had. Tight leather pants, dark boots and see-through mesh shirt display my body to anyone who wants to look.
My eyes close, so I don’t see the man approach, but his heat surrounds my body as the stranger encircles my waist with his arm and tugs my ass back into his groin. A low moan rips from my throat at the feel of the large cock rubbing against my crease. Tilting my hips, I move to the music and beg like a slut for more.
Sharp teeth nip my ear and hot breath surrounds it. “My name is Achan. I’ll make you come here, then when I get home, I’ll fuck you to death.”
A thrill of fear races through me as I laugh nervously, knowing the man is just joking, but Achan’s animal growl turns me on until I ache with need. I want one of those large hands on my cock and long for Achan to bury his prick in my ass. The stranger slides his hand forward, then unbuttons my pants.
The music grows louder and faster. The rhythm takes over my heartbeat and my blood pulses to the beat. Sharp teeth scrape over my neck, causing me to lean my head back onto one of Achan’s broad shoulders.
“Not here.”
My weak protest makes Achan chuckle because we both know I don’t mean it.
The slightly cooler air of the club warm hot flesh as my cock springs free from its tight leather prison. Achan shoves his left hand pushes up under my shirt, finding the gold rings in my nipples. A hard tug brings a soft cry from me. Pain spirals from my chest down to where Achan’s right hand grips my cock and strokes.
Achan’s touch burns as his dry skin rasps harshly up and down my shaft. Not even the pre-cum leaking from my cock eases his hold on me. Each stroke and twist drives me closer to the edge. Pleasure mingles with pain and my climax builds, pooling at the base of my spine.
Searing pain hits me as Achan sinks his teeth into the flesh at my shoulder and I cry out, coming violently. My cum coats Achan’s hand and the floor in front of me. Wilting, I stand only because Achan holds me. His semen-coated fingers press against my lips. I lick my own spunk off Achan’s hand, humming at the salty bitterness dancing on my tongue.
Something wet trails down my chest and I glance awkwardly at my shoulder. Achan has broken the skin and blood leaks from the bite. Whirling around, I stare up at Achan. The swirling lights give his eyes an odd red glow. He is five inches taller than my five-nine and built like a Greek god.
Ugh! I hate thinking in clichés, but there is no other way to describe him. Blond hair waves to wide shoulders and a muscled chest tapers down to a narrow waist, leading to thick thighs covered in white leather. My gaze trace over Achan’s body and land on the bulge at his groin. A groan forces its way from my mouth and I wet my lips. I’d sell my soul to taste what Achan hides behind those pants.
“You’ve already sold your soul.” His cruel grin scare me a little. “Come with me.”
My brain screams at me not to go. Foolish to leave with a stranger. There are psychos everywhere. My body craves what Achan has with singular passion. I’ve had sex with strangers before in worse areas of the city than this. Self-preservation means nothing to me when I have a chance to ride a man like Achan.
I pause long enough to tuck my soft dick back into my pants and fasten them. He holds out a rough hand. I take it with the feeling that when we leave the club, my life will never be the same. I give myself a mental shake. Silly fag. No kind of sex is life-changing.
“First, we must have a drink.” He gestures to a table where two glasses sit with a bottle of some liquor.
I shake my head. I don’t drink as a general rule. Too easy to lose your head and forget shit.
“A small drink. Then I’ll take you home and show you untold pleasures.”
His deep voice rubs over my skin and my cock twitches in interest. I am such a slut. I want to feel him inside me and will do anything to have that. I grab the glass he holds out to me and swig the liquid down. It burns.
“Fuck, what is that?” I cough.
A large finger presses against my lips and he shakes his head. “No talking.”
Is he serious? I shoot him an incredulous look. No way can I make it through the whole sex thing without saying something. Hell, my mom swore I talked the minute I came out of the womb.
He gets blurry and I blink. What the fuck? Alcohol doesn’t usually affect me that quickly. I stagger, reaching out to grab a hold of something. He catches me with ease, lifting me in his arms. As my vision fades, I see a flash of madness in his eyes and I realize I picked the wrong night to come to the club.
Wednesday’s Work in Progress…
I know this is usually the day I post the current story I’m working on, but I’m working on a Tiffany story at the moment, so I don’t really have anything new to show you. I do love all the suggestions everyone is giving me for the next blog story. Still not sure what I’m going to pick, but I’ll figure it out in the next day or two. And I’ll start it next week…I’m pretty sure I will.
Good news. My Coast Guard story, Always Ready, is being contracted by TEB for one of their military anthologies. The antho is tentatively titled Always Faithful and will feature stories from the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. It’ll be out sometime in 2014. There’ll be another antho titled Stand at Attention which will feature stories about men in the Army. 🙂 So that’s awesome news. My story will be released in the antho first, then as a stand alone later on. Also, the antho will be out in print. Woot!
I’m kind of thinking that Always Ready will be the first in a series of books I’m sort of calling Unheralded Heroes. At least one main character in each story will be a member of the military, but they’ll have a job or a position that doesn’t get much attention. Like Dean, my Coast Guard rescue swimmer. I plan on doing a pararescue jumper, who serves in the Air Force. They’re the guys who go in to rescue downed pilots or special ops guys who need to be brought out. 🙂 I have an idea for a third book, but I haven’t totally decided on which branch of the military my one guy will be from and exactly what his job will be. 🙂 We’ll have to see how it goes.
Well, I hope you all have a great Wednesday…and I’ll keep an eye on the comments about the new blog story. See which one seems to get more support. 🙂
Wednesday’s Work in Progress…
First off, if you’re interested, I posted a snippet of the Tiffany book I’m working on over at my Tiffany blog. 🙂 Check it out here.
Second of all, this snippet I’m posting for you is from a story titled A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. It’s for a specific submission call from Amber Allure. When you see the cover for the story, you’ll understand the title better. 🙂 To be honest, I can’t wait to get the story written, just to be able to show the cover to everyone…lol. It’s going to be amazing. Plus I think I might see if I can’t get Kissed by the Gods and this story combined in one print book.
Anyway, I hope you all have a great Wednesday…and remember tomorrow is the last installment for Hearts. Then I’ll pull it down….add more to it and send it to Amber Allure. Hopefully for release later this year.
Here’s the excerpt:
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate copyright 2013 T.A. Chase
“We used to be friends,” Pauly whined.
Si nodded, but didn’t move away from where he stood next to the front door. It was the only exit out of the apartment, and Si wasn’t willing to lose that feeling of freedom. He needed to get his stuff and get out because the heroin was calling to him. He knew Pauly would have a bag or two hidden somewhere in the place.
His hands shook as want tore through him. Christ! It’d been thirteen months since his last hit, yet the addiction clawed at his stomach and soul, demanding to be fed. An addict might go through rehab and get the drugs out of his system, but the craving was always there under the surface.
“How come we ain’t friends no more?” Pauly asked, his yellow-tinged gaze almost eating into Si’s resolve.
“I don’t shoot up any more, Pauly. Can’t stay clean while hanging out with the people who hooked me in the first place.”
The rehab place hadn’t taught him that. An ex-junkie who befriended him at NA-Narcotics Anonymous- had warned Si about the pitfalls of old friendships.
Pauly grunted as he staggered to his feet. Si dodged his grasping hand, knowing if Pauly touched him, he’d be sucked back into the love/hate relationship he had with H. Si snorted softly. Hell! All of his relationships were love/hate, even the one he had with himself.
Before Pauly could corner him, three women walked into the apartment. Jambrea, Lila, and Angela took in the scene.
“We got worried,” Jambrea informed him. “Do you need help?”
More than you’ll ever know. He simply nodded, then said, “Keep an eye on Pauly while I get my stuff.”
Pauly looked confused. “What stuff? I sold all your shit.”
“I figured, but I hid the important things before I went to jail.”
Lila glared at Pauly. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”
Knowing the girls could take care of themselves, Si headed toward the room that used to be his in that shithole apartment. He’d created a hiding place in the ceiling of his closet. It was where he’d stashed the only two things it would’ve hurt to lose. After prying the tile out, he slid his hand into the hole, praying no one had found it. He breathed easier when his hand encountered a piece of fabric.
Si pulled the items from the ceiling, then without looking at it, he left. He gathered the ladies with a glance, and they walked out of the apartment. He didn’t look back, not even when Pauly called his name. Pauly and that apartment were things of the past.
“You can’t get clean if you’re always looking back,” Kip, the ex-junkie, had told him.
Si remembered the night Kip had told him that. Need for H had been riding him hard, and when Kip had called to ask him to meet for coffee, Si had jumped at the chance. By the time the sun rose, and it was time to go their separate ways, Kip had talked Si down. Si had gotten the desire to shoot up under control.
That night had been the last time Si had seen Kip. The next day he was gone, and Si worried that Kip had fallen back into the same old habits and crowds that had strung Kip out, and nearly destroyed him in the process.
Wednesday’s Work in Progress….
Well..I’m still working on Always Ready this week, plus a M/F story for my other pen name. I’m not sure if you’d want to read an excerpt from that or not. Of course, as soon as I get some last things to my web mistress for my Tiffany site, I’ll be posting Wednesday’s WIPs there for my M/F stuff, and if you’re inclined, you could run over there to check it out. 🙂 But for now, I really don’t have anything to post for you today. I don’t want to give away too much on Always Ready…lol. It’s only a short story. Don’t want to share all the good parts before it comes out…lol
But things are rolling along on all three stories that I’m working on…Blindsided (with Devon Rhodes), Always Ready, and Fallen: New York. I want all three of them done by the end of July. We’ll see how well that goes…lol.
I hope you all have a great Wednesday.
Wednesday Work in Progress…
I thought I’d give you another peek at Always Ready, my Coast Guard/crab fisherman story. 🙂 I’m finally getting to the exciting part…and that’s not the sex…lol. Hopefully it’ll be done by the weekend. Enjoy!
Always Ready copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase
Excerpt-
“Yes, I did. I heard about the call you guys got last week. I’m sorry it didn’t work out.”
Dean shifted, moving a little closer to Phil. “There was nothing we could do. He’d been in the water for too long. I hate jumping into the water, only to lift a body out of it.”
Phil hugged Dean tightly. “I know, love, and you haven’t slept a wink since then, have you?”
“I keep seeing his face. I hate that part of the job, yet I wouldn’t do anything else for all the money in the world.”
“I know.”
He felt the same way about crab fishing. Being out on the deck of a crab boat was one of the most dangerous jobs in the world, but he loved it. The freezing temperatures, the lurking danger just waiting for a chance to bite him in the ass thrilled him almost as much as getting fucked by Dean did. Yet before he met Dean, Phil would’ve said that his job was the most exciting thing in his life.
“Why don’t you sleep for a little while?”
Dean didn’t reply, but Phil felt the way his breathing had slowed and deepened, clueing Phil in on the fact that Dean had fallen asleep. Phil wasn’t worried though. When Dean woke up in the middle of the night, reaching to take him again, Phil would spread his legs for him, and enjoy every minute of lost sleep.
They had all weekend to fuck and talk. Phil hadn’t wanted to bring up the unsuccessful rescue attempt, but he also didn’t want Dean to think Phil didn’t care or didn’t pay attention to what was going on in Dean’s life. They didn’t get to see each other every day like most couples, and Dean rarely talked about his missions: good or bad.
Phil had figured out that it was just Dean’s way. The man never bragged about his job, and how he went into harm’s way every mission to save another human’s life. Dean didn’t see himself as a hero. He was simply a man doing something he was good at, nothing more and nothing less.
Most Coasties didn’t think of themselves as heroes, but there wasn’t a crabber in Alaska who wouldn’t buy one of them a drink if they ran into a Coastie at a bar. Phil had run into his share of arrogant rescue swimmers who thought they could conquer the Bering Sea. All of them had come to learn the harsh truth about that area of water.
She could be never be tamed or broken to man’s will, not by any paltry human, no matter how smart or strong.
As Phil listened to Dean breathe, he thought about the only female he would ever love. To most, the Bering Sea was simply a body of water, separating North America from Russia. But to those who lived along her shores and made their living upon her water, she was a glorious female with all the nurturing aspects of a mother and the capriciousness of a tease.
Actually, the Bering Sea was a raging bitch, and no man could predict what she was going to do day-to-day, much less minute-by-minute. Phil had grown up on a crab boat, and had spent most of his life out on the sea. He’d seen the sun rise over water as smooth as a piece of blue glass, and that same sun would set on a hurricane with winds pushing the ice against hulls as if it was hell bent on crumbling the steel like paper.
Boats were overturned during storms like that, and the Coasties were the only people around to fly into the howling winds to find the men left floating in the freezing water. Sometimes when Dean jumped into that soul-chilling liquid, he got there in time and they would wench the survivor up to the helicopter in a harness.
Other times, they were too late to save anyone. Sometimes, the men who went into the water from their boats never climbed out of it. Their bodies never returned to their families, and those were the ones that haunted Dean while he slept. Phil knew that only because of one night they’d spent together in Juneau.
They’d fallen asleep after some mind-blowing sex, then Phil had been awakened by Dean’s mumbling and thrashing around the bed. He’d reached out to shake Dean awake, but then he’d heard Dean whisper, “I couldn’t save him.”
A cod fishing boat had sunk off the coast a few days before they’d met up in Juneau, and Dean had gone on that mission. The word had gone through the fleets of crabbers and fishermen that three men were lost. The Coasties had saved the other two, but the three men hadn’t had time to put on their immersion suits before hitting the water. And even during the summer, the Bering Sea was cold, so going into it was a death sentence if not rescued soon enough.
Dean’s comment said while he was still asleep made Phil understand that each man lost haunted Dean. His lover rarely celebrated the ones he saved. Phil asked him once how many successful rescues he had. Dean had shook his head and said he only counted the ones lost.
Wednesday’s Work in Progress…
Okay…so I finished Dream Part five yesterday. Yay! Now I can get working on my coast guard story, Always Ready. I know I shared a snippet of it with you a while ago, but I’m really hoping to get it finished by the end of the week. We’ll have to see how that goes. Also, I have to work on Blindsided, the 4th book in our Sports series. 🙂
Instead I thought I’d share a snippet from a story titled Lyva’s Chance. It’s the first in a four book series that I’m trying to find the time to write…lol. Goodness knows when that will be. 🙂 It takes place in a world where vampyres and lycans are known to exist, plus there are other things in the world worse than those two species. 🙂 Now I wrote this a while ago, so when I get around to finishing it, I’ll have to go back through and clean it up.
Lyva’s Chance copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase
Excerpt:
The half-breed growled and maybe that small act of defiance in the face of certain death made me do what I did. Maybe it was because I saw a little of myself in the outcast. More than likely it was because I was fucking tired of listening to them piss and moan about what was happening. They were going to take their anger out on a weakened creature.
Pushing away from the wall, I placed myself between Oliver and the injured wolf. The Alpha bared his teeth at me and snarled. I didn’t posture or try to act tough. I stood calm and solid on my feet. I didn’t invite an attack, but I wasn’t going to back down if one came my way.
“This is why they’ve herded us into camps. This is why they think they’re better than us. We prove our animal nature each time we turn on our own. If you wish to kill, you must wait until he heals.”
“Who are you to stand between an Alpha and his prey,” Oliver growled.
“I’m no one.”
I wasn’t going to tell them the truth. Whirling, I scooped the breed over my shoulder and stalked from the building. The speed of my departure must have shocked them because no one came after us. I carried the younger lycan through the camp, keeping to the shadows. The guards never bothered me. I used my power to conceal our presence from them.
I made it to my den without incident. My den was a cave in the side of the mountain that created a natural barrier for the camp. I guess the mortals figured none of us would try to climb the sheer rock face. They were right about that but there were caves with tunnels winding through the mountains leading out of the camp to freedom. I’d investigated them all. Escape routes were planned for when I needed to leave.
I laid the breed down on my bed. As I stripped what was left of his clothes off, I called to my sister.
“Larissa, I can feel you. Come and help me.”
The kid groaned as I eased a piece of fabric from a deep wound.
“What lost cause have you decided to champion now, dear brother?” Larissa’s pale hand dropped on my shoulder.
“Draw some water and purify it. There is a spring in the cave behind this one. Go through that tunnel.” I gestured with my head towards the back of my den. While I gave her orders, I catalogued his wounds.
Most lycan healed quickly, but it was possible the young man’s half-mortal blood slowed the healing process. Larissa knelt beside me with a bowl of water and some towels.
“Can you start washing the blood off? I need to see if there is any internal damage.”
Larissa nodded. Surprise jolted through me. My sister wasn’t shallow or unfeeling, but she was fastidious. She didn’t like getting her hands dirty.
I caught the gaze of the injured man. His green eyes were hazy with pain. Yet I could see he understood what was going on.
“I must enter your body to see if there is any damage internally. Unless you can tell me,” I explained.
A slight negative move of his head told me he couldn’t. Placing my hands on his chest, I closed my eyes. I hated healing. Leaving my body and entering another scared me on a deep level. A level I’d never told anyone about. I feared I would never return to my own body.
I sank into the bone and flesh of the lycan beneath my hands. Racing through his body, I found bruises and tears, but no life threatening damage. A darkness hung over the part I called the soul. I didn’t see that part of people very often when I healed them. None of the injuries were ones I felt the need to heal. Time would take care of them all. I pulled away slowly, leaving just a little energy behind to help his body.
Opening my eyes, I saw his widen. Mine must have been glowing. Larissa finished cleaning his body as I started to bandage his wounds. His gaze slid from me to my sister. A gasp burst from his lips and he cringed away.
“She won’t hurt you.” I put a hand on his shoulder. “Sleep and heal.”
Sending a little more energy into him, I pushed him to rest.
There wasn’t much fight left in him. With a soft whimper, he fell asleep. I motioned for Larissa to follow me as I moved closer to the front of the den.
“What happened to him, brother?” Larissa sank with effortless grace to sit beside me. I hunkered down and stared out into the darkened camp.
“The mortal guards caught him and roughened him up. They dropped him at the building where the Alphas were meeting. Oliver was going to finish the job and kill him. He’s a half-breed. Mortal father and lycan mother. It seems neither side wants him.” Nothing moved in the waning hours of the night.
The mortal guards feared the dark. Stranger creatures than lycan haunted the shadows. Turning to look at Larissa, I acknowledged that I was one of those creatures.
Larissa was my half-sister if anyone wanted to get technical. I was a half-breed. Only my mother was vampyre and my father was lycan. Larissa’s mother fell in love with my father and somehow God allowed their union to bear fruit.
Larissa’s pale eyes studied me. “Are you sympathizing with him?”
I didn’t want to answer her. “How did you get in here?”
“You’re dodging the question. There are no walls capable of keeping me out just as these walls can’t keep you in. I’ve never understood why you choose to stay here with these animals.” Larissa waved an elegant hand towards a slinking shadow.
My eyesight was far keener than a normal lycan. The shadow sharpened into a mortal guard making his way from where some of the females lived. I shook my head. Danger can drive a man to do things he might not otherwise do. Time would show the guard what messing with the lycan females could do to a human.
“Who is the animal?”
“Stop. Both are animals. They kill their weak and destroy any who are different.” Anger burned in her eyes.
“Vampyres do the same, Larissa. Every species on this planet feed off pain and weakness.” I sighed.
It was an old argument we had. Larissa grew up in our mother’s Enclave where those who were different were welcomed. Freaks were given the chance to flourish. I applauded their openness and ability to love. I grew up in my father’s world. The lycan scorned differences. The strongest always ruled and the weak swallowed their pride or died.
Weakness never found a place in me and I could never swallow my pride. Outcast and lone wolf, I lived as I chose. When I got lonely, I’d head for my mother’s home. There was always someone willing to spend time with a surly wolf.
“I stay here because I know something important is going to happen. All my visions tell me I need to be here.” I flexed my hand. The bones had knitted back together after the guards broke it, but it still ached on nights like this. The pain served as a barometer for the tension in the camp.
“Do you stay because of him?” She gestured to the sleeping form behind me.
Shrugging, I admitted, “I don’t know, sister dear. I have never seen his face in my visions. I’ll know soon enough. When the geas holding me here releases, I’ll leave.”
“Good. Mother and your father are worried about you. Have you fed tonight?” Larissa stood.
I gained my feet as well. “Tell Mother and Father I’m fine. My reason for being here will be over soon and I’ll join you at the Enclave.” I hugged her. “I ate earlier.”
“Not that rotten crap the mortals give the others?” Worry crept into her voice.
“No, I left the camp. I brought down a deer. Good thing I did. The boy won’t be able to stomach the shit they give us.” I pointed to the back where the tunnel to the larger cave was. “I keep it back there in case the guards come while I’m gone.”
Dawn painted the sky the faintest pink. “You should go.”
Larissa smiled. “Watch your back, brother. I think it’s a dangerous game you play. If you need anything, you know how to find me.” She brushed a kiss over my cheek and disappeared.
As the sun peeked over the horizons, I set my safe guards. I’d be warned if someone approached the den. I checked my guest. He seemed to be sleeping deeply so I covered him with my blankets.
Stepping back, I let the change take me over. Settling into my wolf form was like coming home. I was most myself as an animal. I curled up between the cot and den opening. If someone managed to get past my traps, they wouldn’t be able to get past me.
Sleep was a long time coming for me.
To be honest, I don’t have anything new to share with you as far as Works in Progress goes. I’m still working on Every Shattered Dream. Once that is finished, I’ll have something new to share with you, I promise.
Oh and stop by tomorrow and Friday, I’ll have two new installments of Hearts for you to read. 🙂 I got my edits done, so all I have to do finish up is Dream, but that won’t interfere with getting Hearts done. Yay!
I hope you all have a great day.
Wednesday Work in Progress
Since At First Touch and Every Shattered Dream are the two I’m still working on this week, I thought I’d give you another small peek at At First Touch, our soccer(football) story. 🙂 Also, I wanted to let you know that I might not be able to post the next installment of Hearts tomorrow. I’m going to be busy all day with real life stuff, not writing. Unfortunately….and I’m not sure I’m going to be up to writing when I get home tonight. But I will try and post something on Friday. I don’t want to leave you or the guys hanging…lol
so here’s another snippet from At First Touch.
At First Touch copyright c.2013 T.A. Chase and Devon Rhodes
Excerpt:
The stadium vibrated with the stomping and chanting of the fans as the teams came out on the field. Ewansiha felt the energy rise from the soles of his cleats up through his legs into his chest. It was almost like being at a rock concert, and feeling the bass drive the beat of his heart until he thought it would come out of his chest.
His cock stiffened, and he was happy his shorts were baggy enough, none of his fellow teammates would notice. Of course, he was pretty sure most of them sported hard-ons of their own. The excitement of the fans and the adrenaline of the players conspired to get them all hornier than monkeys.
Lukas jogged down the sideline next to him, and Ewansiha didn’t his best not to stare at him. Waking up to find him in his bed that morning had freaked Ewansiha out a little. Oh, it wasn’t the first time they’d slept together or anything like that. What had freaked him out was how right it felt to have the blond in his arms, and sharing his bed.
“Heads up, King.”
He looked up in time to catch the ball Padraig had thrown at him. Guess I should be happy he warned me instead of just letting it hit me in the face. Allowing the ball to drop to the ground, he began kicking it from foot to foot as he ran along
“Hey Schulz,” he called, and when Lukas glanced over at him, he kicked the ball to him. Lukas took it in stride, then proceeded to return it to him without pausing.
They ran some more warm up drills, including Paolo and Padraig along with the other guys who were going to be starting the game. Ewansiha would start, but he knew that later in the second half, when it got close to the referee calling time, the coach would pull him to put Lukas in. He was fine with that because his knee would be screaming by that time, and he’d be ready to call it quits for the day.
Their last practice had been run at full speed, and he’d needed Sergio’s magic hands and a tub full of ice to be able to walk out on his own two feet yesterday. His doctors all had promised him that the ache would fade over time, but Ewansiha was afraid that there would always be some lingering pain, waiting to take him out at the most inopportune times. He wanted to be able to play football for several more years, but he wasn’t positive that was going to happen.
He and the other nine men who would be starting the first game of the new season lined up to take shots at Paolo in goal. The man clapped his yellow gloves together, jeering at them, arrogant as always about being able to keep the ball out of the net.
Ewansiha knew how to score on Paolo, having played on the same team with him for five years and studying the man’s every move. It was insurance in case his contract ever got bought out by a different team, and he had to play against the goaltender. He wanted to be able to do it.
He jogged slowly towards Paolo, keeping his gaze on the man, not the ball at his feet. He’d always had a ‘sixth sense’ about where the ball was at all times, whether he had it or someone else did. Ewansiha watched Paolo, waiting for the right moment. There!
Paolo had shifted his weight to his left foot, putting all of it on his heel like he thought Ewansiha would kick the ball to the right, and Paolo would have to push off with that foot. It would put him off balance, not giving him enough time to react to Ewansiha’s kick.
Ewansiha drove his foot forward, propelling the ball as fast as he could towards Paolo. The goalie reacted too late, and the ball hit the back of the net. Paolo glared at him, but Ewansiha simply nodded to the man before taking off back to the team’s bench. He didn’t need to take any more shots to prove that he had Paolo’s number.
“You always score on him, even during mock games,” Lukas said softly under his breath as they took sips of Gatorade while waiting for the coach to give them last minute advice.
He shrugged. “It’s not hard when you know what to look for.”
Lukas shot him a quick look. “Will you show me?”
“Tonight at my place, we’ll go over some game footage, and I point out what I’m looking for before I hit the ball at Paolo.”
“Thanks.” Lukas bumped their shoulders together, just like two normal teammates would before a game.
“No problem, man. You’re going to be taking my place at some point. Want to make sure you’re as good as you can be before that happens.” Ewansiha had never been against sharing his secrets with teammates he liked. He never understood men who didn’t try to help the people they worked with. When one of them got better at his position, all of them got better as a team.
“All right, men. You know the game strategy. Kroenig, I want you playing center back to start. Defending might be easier on your knee. We’ll get you back playing center forward by the third game.”
Nodding, Ewansiha wasn’t going to complain. Part of his usefulness on the team was the fact that he could play both forward and defender positions, though he was stronger as a center back. Yet the coach knew best, and he still wasn’t at a hundred percent, no matter what the doctors had told him.
“Time to go, gentlemen.” The referee told them as he ran past to the center of the pitch.
“O’Leary, you’re center forward this game. The rest know where your spots are.” The coach gestured for Padraig to go to the middle of the pitch to do the coin flip.
Their team lost the toss, but none of them were worried about it. Once their opponents chose which goal they wanted to attacked, everyone took their positions. Ewansiha settled in his spot, then shot Lukas a quick glance.
Lukas grinned at him before giving him a wink. Chuckling, Ewansiha shook his head slightly before slipping into his game mentality. The pitch wasn’t the place for him to get distracted by his lover.
Wednesday Work in Progress….
Well actually my works in progress are the same. At First Touch and Every Shattered Dream (Yes…I did change the title for that story. Decided this shorter version was catchier…lol) So I’m not sure what to share with you. Maybe a snippet from a short story I’m hoping to finish up next month. 🙂
It’s titled Restoration Project...and features a mechanic and the race car driver he’d fallen in love when the driver was a teen. 🙂
Restoration Project copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase
The garage was deserted as Billy Joe strolled in to start his work day. Glancing around, he noticed all of the guys gathered around the front of the building, nudging each other and grinning like school kids.
“Angelina Jolie better be standing at the front door, gentlemen. That’s the only excuse you can give me for why you’re all huddling like a group of girls instead of working,” he quipped as he pushed through the crowd.
“Better than that, boss.” Jimmy turned and winked at him. “Though most of us don’t know whether to bow down to the bastard or punch him out.”
“What bastard? What the hell are you babbling about, Jimmy?”
Billy Joe’s mouth dropped open as he made it to the front of the crowd and set his eyes on what the rest of the guys had been ogling. Shit, it was better than Angelina Jolie, not that Billy Joe ever got a hard-on for her, but his dick got stiff when he saw the car., though there was something familiar about this particular car.
“Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda,” he whispered, hands itching to touch the gleaming fender. He stuffed them in his pocket.
“Yep.” Jimmy’s eyes sparkled with envy and lust. “Can you believe that the lucky bastard who owns this car smashed in the rear quarter panel? God, he shouldn’t be driving a car if he can’t keep from getting a scratch on this one.”
The rest of the guys nodded and Billy Joe snorted.
“Where’s the owner?”
“In with Dwayne.” Jimmy gestured over to the manager’s office.
Billy Joe headed that way. “Maybe you guys should start working before Dwayne comes out and kicks all your asses.”
They scrambled to their bays, none of them wanting to be standing around idle if Dwayne left the office. The manager of the garage liked busy employees. He didn’t like them drooling over customers’ cars.
He knocked on Dwayne’s door, then waited for his boss to call come in before he entered.
“Ah, Billy Joe. Glad you’re here. We got a new project just come in that I want you to take.”
“Sure.”
The man sitting in front of Dwayne’s desk stood before turning. Billy Joe’s mouth dropped open for the second time in as many minutes.
“Fuck me.”
Axel Robinson bit his lip and Billy Joe could tell the man was trying to not comment on what he’d just said.
“What are you doing here? Is that your ‘Cuda?”
Axel nodded. “Delacourte took a bat to it after he got disqualified during our last race. The asshole drove me into the wall going into the second turn, and he gets pissed at me because he lost the race.”
Billy Joe managed to tear his gaze away from Axel’s face to see the sling holding Axel’s right arm and the scraps on the man’s face. “Delacourte always was a cowardly bastard and a poor excuse for a driver. I bet your father was shitting bricks when that happened.”
Grinning, Axel nodded. “Chuck had Pop wrapped up tighter than a nun’s thighs. Pop wanted to beat the jerk to a pulp.”
“Can’t blame him. You’re a far better driver than he is, even with one arm tied behind your back.” Billy Joe winked at Axel before giving the man a quick hug. “What brings you to the garage?”
The younger man accepted Billy Joe’s hug without wincing and afterward, gestured in the direction of the ‘Cuda with his chin. “I knew you worked here and there isn’t anyone else I wanted touching my baby.”
Billy Joe looked over at Dwayne who nodded. “I’ll take Jimmy off the BMW and put him on your job. You can take this one.”
“Thanks, boss.”
“No problem. We have enough good mechanics that I can humor a request.” Dwayne wiggled his eyebrows at Billy Joe from behind Axel’s back.
Billy Joe rolled his eyes and settled his hand at the small of Axel’s back to lead him out of the office.
“Do you want to go over the car with me? Or should I call you with an estimate?”
Axel checked his watch. “Shit, I have to get back to headquarters. We have a meeting to discuss the next race. Why don’t you call me? We can meet up for dinner tonight and talk about the cost.”
“Great. Your number the same?”
“Yeah. Didn’t have a reason to change it.” Axel slapped Billy Joe on the shoulder. “It’s great to see you, man. You need to come over to our garage and see Pop. I know he misses you.”
“Tell him I said hi and I just might make it out to the races some day soon.”
Axel tossed him the keys to the ‘Cuda, then headed out of the garage. Billy Joe turned to see all the mechanics staring at him.
“No way? It’s just not fair that you get to work on this car.” Jimmy pouted, but Billy Joe saw the twinkle in the man’s eye.
“Hey, why settle when you can have the best mechanic do the work?” Billy Joe made his way to the car. “I know this car better than anyone but Axel. I helped him drop the engine in it after we got the body restored.”
After climbing in the car, he ran his hands over the steering wheel and grinned. It was good to see Axel again. Of course, the man had been all of seventeen when Billy Joe quit working for his dad, but still Axel’s boyish good looks warned of how devastatingly handsome he would become as he matured. Now at twenty-five, Axel was sex walking and Billy Joe didn’t know if going out to dinner with him was the wisest choice.
He turned the key and the roar of the engine brought back memories of the night they dropped the engine. Axel’s smile filled his whole face when they started it and it roared to life on the first try. The kid’s enthusiasm was contagious, but Billy Joe hadn’t been prepared for what the kid did next. Axel threw his arms around Billy Joe and hugged him tight.
The shock of their bodies touching from chest to knee just about drove Billy Joe to the floor. When his cock got hard at the scent of Axel’s sweat and grease, he knew he needed to stay away from Axel until the kid was older. No point in getting into trouble with Big Phil, Axel’s dad and Billy Joe’s boss.
Of course, back then, he didn’t know if Axel was into guys or not. There had been some signs of flirting while they worked on Axel’s baby, but Billy Joe always believed it was wishful thinking on his part.
By the time Axel turned eighteen, and Billy Joe could set about discovering which side of the fence Axel played on, Billy Joe had quit and left the racing scene behind him. Now he was getting another chance to reconnect with Axel. He’d admit, only to himself, that he missed Axel more than working on the race cars.
Someone slapping the window drew his attention back to the present. Turning his head, he saw Dwayne standing outside the car.
“Take her to bay fourteen. You can work on it there. If you need another pair of hands, you can get Heath to help you.”
“Thanks.”
He drove the car carefully into the garage before parking it in the bay Dwayne specified. After climbing out, he stood, glaring down at the dented rear panel and the scratches. Damn Delacourte. The bastard was childish and hateful, blaming others for things he brought on himself. If Billy Joe ever got close to the man again, he’d introduce his fist to Delacourte’s chin.
After grabbing his coveralls off the hook, he tugged them on. It was time to figure out how much it was going to cost Axel to fix the damage.
Wednesday Work in Progress….
Our Wednesday Work in Progress happens to be Book 3 in the International Men of Sports series by Devon Rhodes and me. 🙂 This one takes place in Germany and has two elite footballers (soccer players) as the stars. My guy is Ewansiha “King” Kroenig and he’s half Nigerian/half German. Devon’s guy is Lukas Schulz, and he’s all German. We’re working on finishing this one up, and it’ll be out for general release in Sept., but of course, it’ll be available for pre-order and pre-release earlier than that. And as soon as it is, I’ll let you know. 🙂
All right, here you go.
At First Touch copyright c. 2013 T.A. Chase & Devon Rhodes.
Excerpt:
It wasn’t like he hadn’t slept with Sergio before, but as much as he liked Sergio, he knew he wasn’t the man Ewansiha could see spending the rest of his life with. His phone rang before he could make himself depressed about being alone at his age.
After digging it out of his pocket, he checked the screen, then answered it. “Hello baby. What’s going on with you?”
“Hello King. I’m going to be in town tonight, and wondered if you wanted to get together for dinner.” Silvia’s voice was smooth like the most expensive whisky.
He grinned at the thought of being able to see his favourite girl. Silvia had been one of his first girlfriends, and she was the one who helped him come to the realisation that he liked men as much as he did women. In fact, she was part of his first gay experience. She’d convinced him to have a threesome with her and one of her gay friends.
Silvia trusted the man, so Ewansiha went along with it, and ended up dating the guy for a month or so after Silvia broke up with him. She was his best friend, and the one person besides his mother who would call him on his bullshit if she thought he needed it.
“I’d love to get together with you, Sil. What are you doing in town, though? I thought you had a month long photo shoot in the Caribbean.” Ewansiha chuckled. “I can’t believe you got homesick for Germany after being in the Islands.”
Her laughter warmed him. “I had to come home for a few days to do some interviews. I fly back out in a couple of days to rejoin the shoot.”
“A woman’s work is never done, honey.” He leaned back against the partition of his locker. “Where would you like to go tonight?”
“I’ve already got us reservations at ? for eight. I’ll expect you to pick me up at seven-forty-five at {hotel}.” She was always in charge of their dates when they were together. Ewansiha had just gone along with her.
“Where’s Wendy? I’d thought she’d meet you when you were in town.”
The room began to fill as the rest of the team arrived for practice. He turned his back on them, not wanting them to overhear his conversation.
Silvia sighed. “She’s on a different shoot in Russia, and couldn’t get the time off. But she’s coming down to Bermuda in a couple of weeks, so we can hang out.”
“Sorry to hear that, honey. I know you probably miss her like crazy.”
Silvia had met Wendy a couple of years after she broke up with Ewansiha, and they’d fallen in love. It was her own bisexuality that had helped Silvia detect Ewansiha’s tendencies. He’d meet Wendy, and discovered why Silvia had given her heart to the woman.
“Next time the two of you are in the city together, call me. I’d love to be seen with two beautiful women.” He smiled as her laughter echoed over the phone.
“We’ll do that, but you do know neither one of us will be sleeping with you, right?”
“I’m not looking for what you’ve got, Silvia. Not at the moment anyway.”
The coach entered, and Ewansiha knew he had to end the call, then get changed into his uniform.
“I’ve got to go, Sil. I’ll be there to pick you up tonight. Love you.”
“Love you too, Ewansiha. We’ll talk more tonight.” She hung up, and the tone of her voice made him wonder if maybe he shouldn’t go out with her. It sounded like she had something on her mind, and Silvia could be difficult when she wanted something.
He shut his phone off, then set it in his locker. His mind kept running through things Silvia could possibly want to talk to him about, but he couldn’t think of anything. Ewansiha changed while his thoughts were elsewhere.
It wasn’t until he was tying his cleats that he realised someone sat next to him. Glancing over, he was surprised to see Lukas next to him. Their lockers were across the room from each other. Why would he be sitting there?
“Can I help you with something?” Lukas met his gaze, and Ewansiha saw exhaustion in his eyes. What had the man been doing the night before? “You look whipped, man. How late did you stay out?” Ewansiha shot a glance over to where the coach stood, chatting with Padraig. “You’re an adult, and you know what you should be doing, but you need to be careful about going out and partying all night.”
Lukas blinked at him, like he was surprised Ewansiha would say anything. After making sure there wasn’t anyone near them, Ewansiha reached out to rest his hand on Lukas’s knee. The flex of muscle under his hand distracted Ewansiha for a moment. He tightened his grip, then stroked his fingers over his hairy thigh.
“Umm…” Lukas cleared his throat, and Ewansiha jerked his hand away.
What the hell are you thinking? He wanted to slap himself in the forehead. He’d always thought Lukas was gorgeous, and he would love to get the man in bed, but never made a move on him because he’d never thought the man was gay.
“Sorry. Got thinking about something else,” he muttered.
Lukas shook his head. “No problem, King. Just so you know I wasn’t out partying last night. I’m not Paolo or Padraig. I might go out to the clubs during training and the season, but I wouldn’t do it if there was a chance it would ruin my chance of playing. I was helping a friend last night, and ended staying up later than I planned.”
“Oh, that’s good, because no matter how talented those two are, their late nights and too much drinking is doing them more damage than good.” Ewansiha gestured to where Paolo leaned against the wall, head in hand, very obviously nursing a hangover. “If you want my position on the team, you have to work to earn it.”
“I know, and trust me, I plan on taking your spot before too long, but I do know you’re got some good years left in you.” Lukas winked. “The reason I came over here is to see if you’d like to do some drills with me during the special skills practices.”
Ewansiha nodded. “Sure. I can show you some of the little things I do to get more power on my kicks.”
“Great.” Lukas stood, and Ewansiha quickly shifted his gaze from Lukas’s groin, not wanting to look like he was staring. “Thanks, King.”
Grunting, he finished tying his cleats, then grabbed a towel from the pile by the door as he walked by. It was time to get to work.
