Welcome to our Grand Finale celebrations for the amazingly talented
Our final post is all about Sex In Seattle, with excerpts from all three books published so far, our Q&A with Eli, and of course one more chance to win!!
First up in the series,
The Trouble With Tony
Blurb:
As part of the investigation into the murder of a young woman, Seattle P.I. Tony DeMarco poses as a patient of Dr. Jack Halloran, the therapist who treated the victim at a Seattle sex clinic. This isn’t the first time Tony has gone undercover, but it’s the first time he’s wanted to go under cover with one of his suspects. He can’t help it—Jack Halloran is just the kind of steely-eyed hero Tony goes for. But he’ll have to prove Halloran’s innocence and keep the doctor from finding out about his ruse before he can play Romeo.
Dr. Halloran has his own issues, including a damaged right arm sustained in the line of duty as a combat surgeon in Iraq and the PTSD that followed. He’s confused to find himself attracted to a new patient, the big, funny Italian with the puppy-dog eyes, and Tony’s humor slips right past Jack’s defenses, making him feel things he thought long buried. But can the doctor and the P.I. find a path to romance despite the secrets between them?
Excerpt:
Tony gave him what might well be his first genuine expression so far—a puzzled, disturbed look. His mouth snapped shut, then open, then shut again. He looked like a guppy. “Okay, I, uh, I admit it. I got nervous and made that up.”
“Really?” Jack said dryly.
“Yeah. That’s not really my problem.” Tony’s eyes dropped into his lap. He seemed to wage some kind of internal debate. Whatever it was, it was intense. A stain began to appear, a reddening first on Tony’s neck that climbed up his jaw like a Virginia creeper. When it reached his ears they went bright pink, a really spectacular shade of fuchsia.
This was interesting.
“I’m listening,” Jack said, more gently.
“I….”
“Tony, you can tell me anything. I promise you it won’t leave this room.”
“I….”
Jack put a hand to his forehead and rubbed gently. The big Italian was starting to give him a headache. “If you’re not ready to talk about it, we can schedule for a later time when—”
“I have a picky dick,” Tony mumbled under his breath.
Jack blinked and barely refrained from checking his ears for wax. “What was that?”
“I said I have a picky dick!” Tony said, loud now. He raised his eyes and met Jack’s challengingly. His face was crimson with embarrassment, but he braced his hands on the arms of the chair and glared at Jack as if to say,
Well go on, Genius. Fix it!
Jack managed to keep a straight face as he said, “I see. Can you define what you mean by a ‘picky dick’?”
“Yeah,” Tony said with a disgusted huff. “Like Kate Moss at a burger joint picky. It plays hard to get. If it decides it likes someone, it’s raring to go from sunup to sundown. But if it decides it doesn’t want to play ball,
then it ain’t playin’ ball, no matter how much I want it to, or what the other person does. Know what I mean?”
“You mean you can’t always get an erection when you want one?” Jack suggested in his best doctor voice.
“Not a fuckin’ twitch,” Tony agreed bitterly.
“And how often does this problem occur?”
Tony rubbed his eyes with both hands. “Let’s just say there have been plenty of times when people showed up for the party and the keg was dry.”
“I see.”
“To the point where I just don’t bother sending out the invites, if you know what I mean.”
“You’re afraid to date because you’re worried that you might get into a sexual situation and not be able to get an erection?”
Tony glared at him. “There’s a reason they invented euphemisms, you know.”
Jack allowed himself a small chuckle. “If I’m going to treat you, I need to understand the situation clearly, and I only took two semesters of euphemisms in college.”
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Next up,
The Enlightenment Of Daniel
Blurb:
Business tycoon Daniel Derenzo lives for his work until his dying father reminds him life is short. When Daniel starts to reevaluate his world he experiences a startling revelation—he’s attracted to his business partner and best friend, Nick, even though Daniel always believed himself to be straight. In typical type-A fashion, Daniel dissects his newfound desires with the help of the experts at the Expanded Horizons sex clinic. He goes after Nick with the fierce determination that’s won him many a business deal.
Nick Ross was in love with Daniel years ago, when they were roommates in college. But Daniel was straight and Nick patched his broken heart by marrying Marcia. Two kids and fourteen years later, they go through the motions of their marriage like ships passing in the night. But Nick’s kids mean the world to him, and he’s afraid he’ll never get joint custody if they divorced. If he can trust his heart to an awakening Daniel, they all might find their way to a happily ever after.
Excerpt:
Daniel turned to look at Nick. The prostitute had her arm around his shoulders. One pert breast pressed against his arm, and she was leaning in so her lips almost touched his ear. “Would you like to buy me a drink?” she purred coquettishly.
Daniel almost laughed aloud. He hadn’t seen that look on Nick’s face since the time they went to a Mexican dive in college and Nick dumped a lot of what looked like ketchup on his burrito only to realize it was hot sauce. He was bright red with a glazed look of panic in his eyes.
“Uh… n-no. No thank you,” Nick stammered.
Pouting with disappointment, the lady moved away.
Daniel chuckled. “Hey, Nick. If you’re into that, don’t say no on my account.”
He was teasing, but Nick didn’t laugh. He licked his lips nervously and slid his jacket off the stool next to him and onto his lap. But just before he did, Daniel glanced down and saw it—Nick had an erection. No, Nick had the
Mount Everest of erections poking up in his impeccable gray suit slacks.
Daniel was hit by a wave of some emotion he couldn’t identify—embarrassment? His mouth went dry as all the moisture in his body mysteriously evaporated.
Nick’s eyes met his. Daniel lifted an eyebrow. Nick’s blush deepened.
“God, I… I’m way overdue,” Nick said, with a self-deprecating little laugh. He took a sip of his sake.
Daniel took a drink, trying to get his tongue working again. “How overdue, Nick?” he asked quietly.
Nick wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Marcia hasn’t let me touch her for three years.”
“Goddamn, Nick. You need to leave Marcia. That’s not right.” There were a dozen reasons why Daniel thought Nick needed to leave Marcia, and there had been for years. But
this….
He thought about encouraging Nick, more seriously this time, to take up the opportunity sitting across the bar in a black silk dress. For real. He could say something witty like
What happens in Hong Kong stays in Hong Kong. Or something
actually witty instead of a hackneyed cliché.
But Daniel didn’t say anything about the prostitute because that was when it happened. There was a strong wave of heat and nausea in his stomach and for a moment he wondered if he’d accidently gotten some shrimp in something—shrimp always made him hurl. And then he recognized the feeling was emotional. It was… jealousy. He didn’t want
that woman on Nick, touching him, kissing him.
He looked at Nick sharply. Time seemed to slow down and Daniel was hyperaware of the feeling of the smooth bar under his hand, the exact quality of the dim light in the room. He stared at his best friend, trying to get a handle on what was going on in his body. Nick looked so… appealing, so… sexy? And then it slammed into him like a high-speed train:
he wanted Nick. He didn’t want the prostitute touching Nick because
he wanted to do it. He wanted to take Nick by the hand,
right now. He wanted to lead him up to his room, push him gently back on the bed, undo his belt, and… and take that erection into his mouth, and
suck him off. He wanted to be close to Nick, as close as possible. Make him feel good. Make them both feel good.
Oh my fucking God.
An involuntary muscle spasm of Daniel’s hand sent his sake cup flying through the air. It shattered on the back of the bar.
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And so far the last book in the series,
The Mating Of Michael
Blurb:
Everyone admires Michael Lamont for being a nurse, but his part-time work as a gay sex surrogate not only raises eyebrows, it's cost him relationships. Michael is small, beautiful, and dedicated to working with people who need him. But what he really wants is a love of his own. He spends most of his spare time reading science fiction, especially books written by his favorite author and long-time crush, the mysteriously reclusive J.C. Guise.
James Gallway’s life is slowly but inexorably sliding downhill. He wrote a best-selling science fiction novel at the tender age of eighteen, while bedridden with complications of polio. But by twenty-eight, he's lost his inspiration and his will to live. His sales from his J.C. Guise books have been in decline for years. Wheelchair bound, James has isolated himself, convinced he is unlovable. When he is forced to do a book signing and meets Michael Lamont, he can’t believe a guy who looks like Michael could be interested in a man like him.
Michael and James are made for each other. But they must let go of stubbornness to see that life finds a way and love has no limitations.
Excerpt:
He could hear Michael shift around. James turned his head. His eyes had adjusted to the dark somewhat, and he could see the outline of Michael, lying on his side and facing James, though he couldn’t really see his expression.
“I’m really glad that we’re friends,” Michael said.
James’s heart stuttered in his chest. “Friends? I thought you were my sycophant, Dieter.”
