Clint Rodham has spent years being a loyal employee to Elite Imports. Despite being one of their top salesmen, his boss no longer sees him as the golden boy. Now being ostracized for his sexuality, he fights to keep the job that he not only loves, but is a natural at. Rick Tanner just moved to Southern California from Kansas. Being a homosexual personal trainer in a small town filled with old-fashioned people who didn’t understand his way of life left him with little career opportunities.
One hot summer night, Rick is locked on the rooftop and Clint comes to his rescue. As a thank-you, he offers his hero a cold beer. With the California heat rising and desires building, the two find themselves in a storm of passion. Neither of them are able to resist. Neither of them want to. They both want to take what is within their reach, just beyond their fingertips.
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Excerpt
The atmosphere between them was casual, but Rick was growing impatient. It was all he could do to not make a move on his new friend. He wasn’t sure if he was just horny or there was really something about Clint that he was drawn to.
“So what do you do?” Rick asked.
“For the time being, I sell cars. That’s what I’ve done for the past eight years anyway.”
“Sounds like more than just a passing job then.”
Clint downed the last of his beer and set it on the ground beside him. “It wasn’t my intended career path, but I’ve been damn good at it until recently.”
“Economy, huh? Yeah, that’s why I moved out here, too. There wasn’t a lot of room to grow in my profession in Kansas.”
“Kansas?” Clint laughed. “Shit, I didn’t know people still lived there. Is it even still a state?”
Rick was happy to see his neighbor’s sense of humor come out. He liked someone who didn’t take life too seriously.
“Yeah, you’d think it was just a desolate land wouldn’t you? But, they have electricity and everything now.”
Clint placed a hand on Rick’s shoulder. “I was just messing with you, man. Living my whole life in California, we get used to a certain way of life. It gets hard for us natives to even imagine the Midwest.”
The brief moment that Clint had touched him caused an electric charge to course through his body. He wished that his hand had lingered just a bit longer. He was having a hard time getting a reading on this guy.
“No worries. I get it.” He gulped down the last of his beer and set his empty bottle on the ground next to Clint’s.
“So, no one’s buying cars anymore, huh?”
Clint let out a sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. His feet started shaking back and forth in what Rick assumed was nervous energy. Whatever was bugging the man was obviously doing a number on every aspect of his life.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to pry,” Rick said.
“Nah. It’s not that. I sell luxury sports cars. Top of the line, in fact. I’m damn good at it, too. My problem isn’t the economy. My problem is my boss. Ever since my boss found out that…well, let’s just say things have changed around the dealership in the past few months.”
Rick didn’t miss how quickly Clint had stopped himself from what he was about to say. It intrigued him that such an attractive man seemed so obviously concerned with what others thought. He didn’t want to push the issue despite his eagerness to learn more.
“Want another beer?”
“I don’t know. It’s been a long day. Maybe I should head back on up to my place.” Clint rose from his chair and stood at the railing.
“You sure? I mean, you did save me from a night of solitude on the roof. The least I could do is share my beer with you.”
“What do you do?” Clint asked, ignoring the offer of another beer.
“For all intents and purposes, I’m a personal trainer. At least that’s what my new job out here is. But my resume doesn’t stop there.”
It was with purpose that Rick hadn’t elaborated. He still was having a hard time gauging his guest’s mood. If Clint was interested in hearing more, he would ask, and if not he would just ignore the open-ended statement.
“Oh yeah? Sounds either ominous or secretive. What else do you do? Or would you have to kill me if you told me?”
Rick couldn’t help but smile. He heard Clint chuckle, but his back was still turned to him as he looked out over the valley. Clint wasn’t giving him too many clues about what made him tick, but this little hint of interest was just the incentive he needed to continue the quest of getting to know his new neighbor.
“Not quite. Nothing secretive or ominous, actually. I just know how hard it is to make an honest living these days. So, after I became certified to be a professional trainer, I continued my education. I have a rather interesting résumé. I can get you in shape, get you a massage, and help you rehabilitate should you get injured. I’m sort of a jack-of-all-trades with your body.”
Rick stood up to join him along the railing, but Clint turned suddenly, and they were instantly face-to-face. Their mouths were a mere inch apart from one another as they stood frozen.
“I know we just met, but you seem awfully tense. Maybe you’re always like that. I don’t know. But, if you want.” Rick raised his hands and wiggled his fingers. “I give great massages.”
“I…I should go,” Clint said.
Rick had never been one for patience. When he saw something he wanted, he just went for it. Sure, this method bit him in the ass more times than he could count, but there was something about the man who stood before him which he couldn’t, or didn’t want to, ignore. The look in Clint’s eyes told him there was something there. Even with only the moonlight to illuminate them, he could see the captivation was mutual.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” he asked while trailing his fingertips along the outer part of Clint’s arm.
He had no idea what the sensation was doing to Clint, but it was driving him insane. There was an electricity to this man, something that made his fingers tingle from the slightest touch.
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