Sunday Snippet

Today's installment is from Academic Pursuits. The narrator, Jamie, is a self-confessen and unrepentant slut, who often ends up in interesting situation, like in bed with a mostly straight guy. Mixing sex with humor is one of my favorite things to do.

He collapsed onto the mattress, and I on top of him. Eventually, I rolled off. He was hot as a furnace. Hollins turned over and spent some time blinking at the ceiling.

“That was good,” he said at last.

“Well, that’s the general idea. Otherwise, it would be just a lot of fuss for nothing,” I said, propping my head up on an elbow.

He turned his head and blinked at me for a change. “No, I mean really good. I didn’t think it would be. I guess I’m gay then.”

A light flickered on in the post-orgasmic darkness of my brain. I sat bolt upright. “Oh, wow, wow, hold on for a second! You came to me expecting to have bad sex, so you could reaffirm your heterosexuality?”

He had the decency to blush. I got the whole-body effect this time. “Well…I didn’t think of it that way, but basically, yes.”

That got my gall. “First of all, nobody has bad sex with me.”

“Obviously.” The bastard actually rolled his eyes.

“Secondly, you don’t get a gay card that easy. This is college; everyone experiments.”

He frowned at me and was about to say something, but at that moment, the door banged open and Jo burst into the room.

“Hey, Jamie-- Oh, hi, Hollins.”

“Bill,” I corrected her.

“What?”

“He prefers being called Bill.”

“Oh, okay. Hi, Bill,” she said smiling sweetly at Hollins--I mean Bill--who looked like he wanted the bed to swallow him whole. I was getting used to the new rosy tinge of his skin. It suited him well.

“Jo honey, could you give us some privacy?”

“Yes, right! Sorry.”

Jo trotted out, although she forgot to shut the door behind her. Hollins shot out of the bed and started pulling his clothes on.

I tried to ease his discomfort. “You shouldn’t worry about Jo. It’s not the first time she’s found me with someone, and she won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“No, that’s fine. I have…stuff. I should go. See you at school, okay?”

“Okay, Bill. Don’t be a stranger.”

Sunday Snippet

I've just finished the first draft of a trio of short stories about Denton Mills, a young man with fondness for body piercings, colorful socks, and an unfortunate connection to dead people. So now I'm editing, editing, and editing some more. So far this is what the first paragraph looks like:

Dying sucked hairy monkey balls. Even when you weren't the one doing it. Denton hated running into the final moments of strangers. Unfortunately, he couldn't always help it. This particular street corner had been safe a week before. The oversized man now clutching his chest must have died sometime since last Tuesday. Heart attack. Denton felt an echo of panic sweep through him and had to grab onto a lamppost to keep from tumbling onto the pavement too. He barely had 135 pounds for his 5' 9" frame, yet he could clearly feel the mass of flesh weighing him down, squeezing the life out of him. At least it was over fast. The man stopped breathing and his presence faded away, both from the street and Denton's mind. He shook himself and took a few deep breaths before getting on his way. As he hurried down the street, he took a mental note to avoid that corner for a few months at least--till the trace of fresh death had had a chance to dissipate.

I'm sure it'll change.

Sunday Snippet

From a WIP:

Harvey's lips twitched sideways. "I talk too much. You've never met a vampire you didn't want to kill, did you?"

"I've never met one that didn't try to kill me."

"Really, you must be exaggerating."

"No, I'm not. Is every undead around here like you?"

"No, of course not." Harvey rolled his eyes. "If you were a redneck alive, you'll be a redneck undead. You won't suddenly develop a fancy for velvet and puffy shirts. Not that anyone does--that stuff is strictly for the movies."

(Photo by Duniax)

Sunday Snippet

From a WIP:

For a flash, Handsome's gaze roved over Jay's body and face as if he was seriously considering his options. "No drinking on the job," he said.

 And what job would that be, Jay wondered. "Are you a cop?" he asked.

The guy gave him a crooked half-smile. "Do I look like a cop?"

Jay made a show of surveying him. Nice build, dark hair peppered with silver around his temples, eyes sharp as black diamonds. A scent of danger--Jay had a nose for it. The way Handsome held himself spoke of self-confidence, but the vibe he gave out was not a cop's. "No. You look like trouble," Jay said truthfully.

Sunday Snippet

From a WIP:

The man opening the door radiated a presence more intense than a triple chocolate fudge cake. Seeing him up close, Denton decided B. Maurell couldn't be called traditionally handsome--all his features were too strongly drawn for it--yet the whole package together had Denton engrossed. Sharp cheekbones and a prominent nose contrasted with sensuously full lips. The heavy dark eyebrows and shoulder-length, lightly wavy hair lent him a saturnine air, but his eyes made the biggest impression on Denton. They were as dark as the deepest trenches of the ocean where the sun doesn't penetrate, and strange creatures dwell. They also seemed to accuse Denton of unspeakable crimes. Catnapping to begin with.

Eager to prove his innocence, Denton held Murry in front of him. "I have your cat. He must have jumped from your balcony to my fire escape. I found him sitting on my feet when I woke up."

Murry dangled between them like a furry peace offering for a couple of beats, before his owner reached out and took him. Those eyes focused on the cat for a moment, then back on Denton. "You fed him."

For absolutely no reason a shiver run through Denton, but he heroically ignored it. "It seemed like a polite thing to do, and it's daytime. I didn't let him get wet."

B. Maurell either hadn't seen Gremlins or had no sense of humor. "He's on a diet." The warm baritone of his voice undermined the gruffness of the words.

"What kind? If it's Atkins, all's fine--I only gave him tuna, no carbs." Denton meant it as a joke, and grinned like an idiot to bring the point home, but he only received a stony silence in exchange. Tough crowd.