6 Days to Get Lucky
Page 23
Fuck.
I should have my tongue removed.
“You know what I meant.”
I rolled within reach of my good arm and tugged him to lie down. I grunted at his initial resistance, then changed my mind. “Get the covers, first.”
We’d kicked them off the bed, and they were lying somewhere on the floor. I wasn’t really cold, but FatBoy could never resist me in need.
“Pushy little thing once you get laid, aren’t you?” He lay down, dragging the duvet over us, and I settled in next to him, butting him with my head until he raised his arm high enough for me to tuck under.
“You have no idea. I once won an award as a power bottom,” I lied.
I imagined his eye roll, the indulgent smirk he usually gave me over the bar at Frisson when I was being particularly stupid, then thought about all the ways he’d carved a home for himself in my life without me noticing.
Without him here with me, I’d be devastated by all the destruction at the bar. Frisson was all the family I had in this world. Now…
Lying together, I felt a contentment settle over me, despite the ache in my ass and the way my shoulder burned. By tomorrow, it would look like we were into some hardcore BDSM by the state of our skin, but for now, I was too tired to freak out. That was for the morning.
Or later today.
Even as I faded, I could see the shadows in my room paling to gray. The sun would be up soon.
I angled my face to kiss him, catching the underside of his jaw, still smooth from his shave, then rolled onto my good side, dragging him to cover me as the ‘big spoon’.
He tightened his arms around my middle, and I was almost gone when he pulled me close.
“I love you, Nicky.”
The words slipping through my semiconscious state were almost lost.
Almost.
“mmm… Me too, D. Me too.”
Chapter Eight
Sunday March 17 – Later That Day
I drifted on a river of light so bright that I only sensed their presence by the feel of hands on my body. I couldn’t see their faces, but their touch was everywhere, caressing me, stroking me as one would a child. As we floated, the sound of water splashing muted, mixing with the murmur of voices that I recognized, but each name recalled dissolved from my mind before I could utter it, slipping out of reach of my memory like the butterflies I chased as a child.
One by one the voices disappeared along with the hands, until I was alone in the light and I dreamed no more.
* * * * *
I jerked awake, heart pounding, reaching for—
Davis.
I was alone.
I closed my eyes, refusing to consider why my heart pounded at the thought, refused to acknowledge the damp held back with my lashes, refused to even consider how he’d gone from being FatBoy to Davis over the course of just one night.
I was so stupid.
I could still feel him in my body, could point to every place he’d gripped me as he pounded into me, every spot he’d kissed as he mapped my body.
This wasn’t me.
I buried my face in the pillow, letting the cotton wick away my disappointment, and I prepared to sleep it off for at least the next week.
Maybe two.
“Shit, Valentine. Aren’t you up yet?”
I rolled over.
Standing in the doorway, wearing just his suit pants from the day before, was Davis.
Or maybe FatBoy.
I couldn’t decide which to call him.
Or what he’d answer to.
He lingered, letting me get a good look at him. Without a belt, or a button to secure them, his pants hung low on his hips, revealing that wherever he’d been, he’d gone commando. And the absence of any shirt showed that he hadn’t made it through our tryst as unscathed as I’d feared.
There in all its glory was a bite mark on his chest, right over his heart.
I flushed.
“You’re worried about this?” He shifted the tray he was carrying to one hand and pointed to the impression of my teeth and the surrounding hickey.
He knew me well. And wasn’t that just another reason to bail?
“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo done before it fades.” He flashed his teeth at me, and I couldn’t be sure but it looked like he might be serious.
He approached the bed, and I wondered if he’d slept as I watched him unload the tray.
He handed me a plate, removing the cloth napkin that covered it to reveal one of his omelets—the smell making my stomach cramp in hunger. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten… probably something Marco had pushed on me as I walked through the kitchen Saturday afternoon.
I grabbed a fork and began shoveling in the food, barely pausing to take the paper cup he held out to me.
He’d been to the Bean.
Bless him.
I thumbed off the lid and sucked down a third of the life-giving liquid—just cool enough not to burn anything in my rush to caffeinate. I was operating purely on animal instinct.
Davis just stood there, like a valet, handing me items, before I thought to ask for them. And god, I needed that blueberry coffeecake from the Bean. That had come via a small white bakery bag tossed in my lap.
“Want some?” I tried to keep the crumbs from spraying across the sheets as I mumbled.
“Go ahead and enjoy. I’ve eaten.”
He made it sound so dirty.
I was famished so I ignored the interested twinge in my penis and took him at his word, polishing off the coffee cake and plowing through the rest of the cheese omelet. I stopped only for sips of coffee when I was afraid I was going to choke on the gorgeous food, but otherwise, I lost track of anything that wasn’t filling my belly.
Which is why he almost had to peel me off the ceiling when he draped an icepack over my shoulder, wrapping it tightly with an ace bandage to keep it in place.
“What the fuck?” I finally found my voice, an octave higher than normal.
My balls were going to have to find their own way back from whichever hole they’d crawled into to escape the cold.
“You look like a train hit you, Nicky.” As if that was answer enough.
“And you happened to have all this hidden where?” I motioned to the remaining items on his tray.
There was another bottle of ibuprofen. These were the big boys, the ones with a large enough dose that I wouldn’t spend half my day downing little red pills.
He’d also brought me a bottle of water, my phone that I’d lost track of someplace between the front door and his cock, and a folded up newspaper.
He picked it up, opening it to reveal the front page—their crime photographer had gotten a good shot of me in handcuffs, kneeling in front of the shattered windows.
Nice.
Maybe I’d frame it.
But that wasn’t what caught my eye. Hidden under the paper, FatBoy had brought me a little pot of green.
Un-fucking-believable.
I pointed. “What’s that?”
“This?”
He reached over to take my plate, swapping it for the tiny pot of shamrocks he held.
He stacked everything on the tray, moving it to the floor before crawling onto the bed, straddling my hips. He carefully brushed a finger across the shamrocks still cradled between my palms.
“Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Nicky. This—” he repeated, sliding warm hands up my naked torso. “—means…” He nuzzled under my left ear, moving the pot to the nightstand.
“—that you’re about to get lucky.”
My last coherent thought, for a very long time was…
I already am.
Trademark Acknowledgement
The author acknowledges the trademark status and trademark owners of the following places and items mentioned in this work of fiction:
Assassins Creed: Ubisoft Entertainment S.A.
Botox: Allergan, Plc
Braveheart: Icon Productions LLC
Brooks Brothe
rs: Brooks Brothers Group, INC
Budweiser: Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
Cadillacs: General Motors Company
Calvin Klein: PVH Corp.
Chambord: The Brown-Forman Corporation
Day-Glo: Day-Glo Color Corporation
Dead Zone: Sunsoft
Deschutes: Deschutes Brewery
Doc Martens: Permira
Dodge Dart: FCA US LLC
Dom Pérignon: Dom Pérignon
Dos Equis: Heineken International
Facebook: Facebook, Inc
Formica: Formica Group
Formula One: FIA - Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile
Galliano: Lucas Bols
GQ UK: Advance Publications, Inc
Grey Goose: Bacardi Limited
Godzilla: Toho Co. Ltd
Guinness: Diageo plc
Hardee’s: CKE Restaurants, Inc
Henley: Henleys Clothing Limited
High Noon: United Artists Media Group
Hugo Boss: Hugo Boss AG
Ipecac: Humco and Paddock Laboratories stopped manufacturing Ipecac in 2010
Jack Daniels: Brown-Forman Corporation
Jell-O: Kraft Foods Group, Inc
Johnnie Black: Diageo plc
Kool-aid: Kraft Foods Group, Inc
Lincoln Logs: K'NEX Industries Inc
MapQuest: Verizon Communications
Men’s Health: Rodale, Inc
Mercedes Roadster: Daimler-Benz AG
Mercedes Sedan: Daimler-Benz AG
Photoshop: Adobe Systems Incorporated
Prius: Toyota Motor Corporation
Rock em Sock em robots: Mattel, Inc
Sports Illustrated: Time Inc
Stoli: Brand ownership has been in dispute since 2004 in the U.S Pepsico inc holds the the rights
Sunday Bloody Sunday: MGM Holdings Inc
Tastee-Freez: Tastee-Freez, LLC
Tic tacs: Ferrero SpA
Top Gun: Viacom, Inc.
Travel lodge: Wyndham Worldwide Corporation
Twitter: Twitter, Inc.
Xbox: Microsoft Corporation
Yelp: Yelp, Inc.
6 Days to Valentine
Blurb and excerpt
Blurb:
In Nick's perfect world, Valentine’s Day would be struck from the calendar.
Nick’s dreams of a Happily Ever After were shredded long ago and the last thing he and his customers need is a bunch of happy loving couples rubbing it in their faces.
Bouncer Fat Boy Newman is willing to bet he knows Nick's heart better he does. He has just six days to change Nick’s mind about romance and the holiday and the perfect man to do it.
Too bad it’s not him.
Too bad Nick's not going down without a fight.
To bad he’s willing to cheat.
Excerpt: 6 Days to Valentine – by LE Franks
“Within minutes, FatBoy and I were alone. Marco went out the back after handing me a cold, damp bar towel and securing the kitchen for the night. Every busboy, line cook, server, and manager had scattered like roaches after someone flicked on a light in the dead of night. It was now just the two of us. I looked over at where FatBoy sat on the floor slumped against the bar, and my stomach clenched. He wasn’t going anywhere soon.
Kneeling next to him, I wiped his face with the damp towel, cradling his head in my hand. I’d never been this close to him before so I took advantage of the moment, cataloging his features. His hair was the color of straw, gold and brown strands highlighted by the occasional silky white streak. You could still see the influence of a high-and-tight military cut he’d let grow out some. The longer strands around his face were darkened with sweat. I didn’t like his color, his eyes shadowed more gray than blue.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“I know.” His jaw flexed, then relaxed.
“I cheated.”
“I know.” FatBoy turned away from me, closing his eyes and resting his head against the bar’s oak footboard. I felt like crap. He’d always been so big and smirky, pestering me whenever we worked together. I always thought of him as a giant pain in the ass.
Damn. Now I was the giant ass.
I left him alone after handing him a bottle of water. Sipping carefully, he watched as I cleaned up the floor and bar, leaving a note for the cleaning crew at six a.m. It took me an hour, and by the time I was done, FatBoy was standing, waiting to lock up.
He didn’t say another word to me, just set the alarm, turned the key, and walked out into the night.”
© 2014 LE Franks Published in the US and Australia by Wilde City Press 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars - More Please
Format: Kindle Edition
“I love that this book was definitely about romance and not just sex. The main characters are funny and lovable and I want to know more about them. Please write a longer sequel.” By Libros Lover on March 14, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 Stars - Funny & so sweet!
Format: Kindle Edition
“I really enjoyed reading this story. It is funny, poignant & totally relatable ...who hasn't dreaded the approach of Vday when all you have to look forward to is being alone?
The only downside is that it's short.”
By Devony on February 6, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Gay Romance-- 4 plus stars!
Format: Kindle Edition
“Loved this novella. The story of Nick and Fat Boy kept me enthralled until the end. LE Franks uses first person narrative so that the reader can feel the angst of Nick. I liked both characters and the romance felt real.”
By WS Long on December 12, 2015
5.0 out of 5 stars
5 Stars - short but says it all
Format: Kindle Edition
“It's the perfect blend of why, figuring out and then overcoming.” By Amazon Customer on July 27, 2014
LE Franks
LE Franks lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, one teenager, and two cats bent on world domination while she writes about gay men in pursuit of love. Her stories are a unique mix of humor and drama with enough suspense to produce fast paced stories filled with emotion and passion, and featuring characters that are quirky and complicated and sometimes a little bit dark. LE Franks is a best selling author and finalist for 2013 & 2014 Rainbow Awards, and contributing author to Semper Fidelis, 3rd place winner for Best LGBT Anthology 2015 from both Divine Magazine Awards and Goodreads MM Romance Group Members Choice Awards.
Check out LE’s books at: www.lefranks.com
Contact LE: email: le.franks.books@gmail.com
Blog: https://lefranks.wordpress.com
Social Media:
twitter: @boxtersushi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LE.Franks1
FB Author Page: LEFranksAuthor
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Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/lefrankswriter/
Also by LE Franks
Love’s A Holiday Series
6 Days to Valentine
6 Days to Get Lucky
Novels
The Prodigal Wolf (with Sara York)
Novellas
Can This Be Real
Short Stories
Snow Globe (also available in audio)
Last First Kiss (in Grand Adventures)
My Marine (with Sara York in Semper Fidelis)