Flash 22: Anniversary surprise

Well it's Weds flash day.  The two prompts this week are: “So what exactly is going on here? And “Are you ever satisfied?”

My guys have been together 2 years and they want to celebrate their anniversary.  Let's see what they end up doing. 

Anniversary Surprise

Ben couldn't believe how lucky he was. So many couples didn't make it past the first year, he and Tom were celebrating their second anniversary this weekend. And that meant there were going to be some surprises planned on both sides. His insides tingled just thinking about it. “I can't wait to find out what Tom has in store for us.” Ben picked up his cell phone. He knew Tom was at work, but they had it worked out that if he was on a call his phone would be off and Ben would get his voice mail otherwise Tom would answer the phone.

As soon has he heard the phone being answered a smile erupted on his face. “Hi sweetheart, it's tiger here.”

“I'm not your sweetheart, tiger.” A deep male voice said.

Ben looked at his phone, obviously that was not Tom on the other end of the line. “Who is this? Where's Tom?” Ben had a sudden thought, suppose something happened to Tom. Maybe he was in the hospital or worse. “Did something happen to Tom?”

“Relax tiger, your sweetheart is just fine. But he's rather busy at the moment. Suppose I tell him to give you a call back later?”

“Listen you idiot, you let me talk to Tom right now!”

“Sorry, no can do. However, if you want to see him he's at this address.”

Ben quickly grabbed a pad and pen he had on the desk in his home office and hastily scribbled down the information the stranger provided.

“Who is this?”

“You'll find out when you get here tiger.” And with that the stranger hung up.

Ben didn't want to jump to any conclusions but he had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Tom was supposed to be at the firehouse working, where would he be in the middle of his shift? And who was the stranger who answered his phone. Staring at the piece of paper in his hand wasn't helping. The address was in, of all places, Paradise. A small town just east of Lancaster, the towns in this area of Pennsylvania had some rather interesting names. Intercourse, Bird-in-Hand and Paradise were major tourist attractions. Ben could only hope that Tom hadn't found Paradise with anyone else but him.

All thoughts about the anniversary weekend flew out of his head, right now he was trying to concentrate on not getting into an accident on the drive over. The address was to a farmer's market, Ben found a parking space among the numerous cars in the lot, normally he'd be careful where he parked his Mercedes. Tom always complained how he babied that car. It was yet another thing he had gifted himself with after getting a big commission from one of his home sales. He'd already lived his life scrimping and saving and barely getting by. The real estate business was doing well for him right now and he wasn't going to pass up rewarding himself now and then. It didn't mean he was being careless with his money, Tom had such a good business head and helped him manage his money.

Speaking of Tom, Ben got out of his car and started to look around the vast crowd trying to find the blond-haired firefighter. There was a crowd gathering at the other end of the parking lot, Ben saw Tom standing in back of several baskets of produce, he was wearing his uniform. He wore his bunker gear pants and gloves, no shirt and his helmet. Ben noticed some light stands and a camera man snapping shots of him. He pushed his way past the crowd and stood between the photographer and Tom.

“Ben? What are you doing here?”

“I'd like to ask that question myself? I thought you were on duty?”

“I am, I mean I was.” Tom stammered, unprepared for Ben to show up.

“So what exactly is going on here?” Ben felt his anger growing, the one thing he valued very highly was trust. He put a lot of trust in Tom, the blond had never lied to him. Or so he thought until now.

“Well I'm..”

“Hello there,” the photographer came over. “Is this tiger?”

Ben recognized the voice from the phone conversation. He turned around and glared at the stranger. “Who the hell are you?”

“Easy, Ben.”

Ben felt Tom's hand on his shoulder.

“I'm Dutch Holmes” the tall, dark-haired photographer introduced himself.

“Not 'the' Dutch Holmes?” Ben had heard about the famous photographer, he was as well-known as Annie Liebovitz.

“The one and only.” He shook hands with Ben and then looked over at Tom and winked. “How about taking five Tom so you and your boyfriend can talk.” Dutch strolled over to the trailer they had set up in the parking lot and got himself cup of coffee from the urn that was set up on a table.

“Do you mind answering my question?”

“Oh yeah, the what's going on one.” Tom nervously scratched the top of his head. “Do you know the yearly calendar that the firefighters association puts out every year to raise charity for the fund?”

“Yeah? I thought they did that one last week. I remember you showed me the proof they were going to use of you.”

“Yes, well I spoke to Dutch and told him our anniversary was coming up and I wanted to surprise you with something special. He suggested I do a separate photo shoot, just for our eyes only.”

“This was a surprise for me?” All the anger that Ben had been feeling drained from his body. “I'm sorry for being suspicious, I just called you and when Dutch answered I didn't know what to think.”

“It's okay, baby. I was hoping to keep this a surprise. I switched my shift with Andy so I could do this shoot. Dutch already had a shoot booked for this morning and told me he could fit me in this afternoon.

“I think I am going to go home now.” Ben turned to leave.

“Why?” Tom asked. “Are you still mad at me?”

“Oh no sweetheart, I just don't want to spoil the surprise any more than I already have. I can't wait to see the photos, with Dutch as the photographer they are going to be HOT.” Ben gave Tom a kiss and went over to speak to Dutch for a minute and left.

Their anniversary was spent at home, a quiet dinner for two on their balcony. Tom had cooked all of Ben's favorites, they were all laid out on the table.

Ben had gotten Tom some cologne. “The kind that brings out the tiger in me.” he told his firefighter, which was one reason he splashed some on before dinner.

Dinner was done and Ben was sitting on the edge of his seat. “Come on give me my present already.”

“Impatient tiger aren't you?”

“Yes,” he growled. “Present now.”

Tom went out to his car and brought the bag inside and pulled out a wrapped package. “Go ahead and open it.”

Inside was a twelve month calendar featuring nothing but Tom in various sexy poses. Ben recognized the one from the farmer's market, only he didn't remember him holding a large cucumber at the time. Seeing how Tom held the large vegetable, suggestively, in his hand had Ben's cock standing at attention.

The other photos also raised his temperature.

Before they knew it they were in the bedroom, naked. Ben was all over Tom, nibbling his skin. Marking him like a tiger marks his territory.

Tom couldn't believe how one calendar could turn Ben on but he knew he made the right decision on gifts. Ben's libido made Tom utter just before he climaxed for the umpteenth time “Aren't you ever satisfied?”

'Growl.' The tiger pounced on his mate and all you could hear was the moans of passion echoing in the room.

End

My fellow flashers 

M/M

pender

Julie 

Ryssa

M/F

Lindsay 

pia veleno

Love on the East End update

Hello everyone,

I had to make some changes for my story.   My publisher decided to get out of the publishing business and reverted the rights to my story back to me.   I decided to try my hand at self publishing and have put my story on Amazon.  It will take a day or two for it to appear on their site.   I will put the link when it becomes available on my blog

thank you for  your patience and support

Six Sentence Sunday

This is my first six sentence sunday.   I decided to tease you with my latest book "Love On the East End." Gabriel owns a restaurant and William owns a winery.   You know what happens when food and wine come together.
Love on the East End

Gabriel took an apple pie out of the fridge and some chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and they each took a serving and decided to enjoy dessert and wine in the cozy living room. Gabriel stopped long enough to light the gas fireplace while William found himself a spot on the sofa.

"Mm, this is good."  William said between bites of ice cream and pie.

"It's even better with the company I have with me now."

Silver Flash #21 Pleasant Surprises

Hey Everyone,

This week's prompts were The ticket felt hot n his hand. How the hell had he managed this? It was like a dream come true. 

And

"The difference is that I lie for a reason!"

You'll see which one I used.

Flash 21- Pleasant surprises

“Yes, yes. I understand, you’re walking away from the deal.”  Ben’s finger’s combed nervously through his dark hair as he hung up the phone.  The real estate business was still struggling to turn around. It was hard to broker a deal.  This buyer decided to walk away from this deal because the seller refused to budge on his price.  Ben could understand, they’d already lowered the price on their home two times; if they lowered it anymore they’d be walking away with nothing.

Ben looked at the folders on his desk filled with paperwork from buyers in various stages of negotiation. He sighed in frustration, took a sip from his coffee mug, the one that said, “You’re the greatest.” He finally looked at the photo of Tom that sat on his desk. The mug was a gift Tom had given him after he closed on a big contract.  He’d gotten a big commission and they used it to buy the cozy house they were currently fixing up.

There were so many things they’d discovered about each other, Ben couldn’t believe how handy Tom was.  He redid the master bathroom, surprising him with a Jacuzzi tub.  A big smile broke out across his face when he remembered how they initiated that tub by having some mind-blowing sex that night.

That wasn’t the only thing Tom surprised him with.

He thought about what he did the other night. 

“Tom?” he called out from the mudroom, he was taking his shoes and socks off and undid his tie.  He put his attaché case down in the living room next to the coffee table.  Ben followed his nose to the smell of food slowly wafting through the house from the kitchen.

“Mm, something smells good.”  Ben found his lover standing over the stove mixing a big pot. “Is that what I think it is?” He asked after kissing Tom’s lips.

“It’s my famous spaghetti and meatballs.  The guys at the firehouse can’t get enough of the stuff.”  Tom gently smacked Ben’s hand when he took a taste of the freshly baked garlic bread that was sitting on a cooling rack on the counter.

“Hey! That’s for soaking up the sauce.”

“Can I help it if I can’t resist your cooking?” Ben gave him an innocent look.

“Yeah, okay, you can have a taste.”

Ben took another piece of bread and dipped it in the hot sauce. “Mm, this is the best, sweetheart. I love it.”

“As much as you love me?” Tom wiggled his eyebrows at him.

“Hm, that’s a tough one to say.” Ben laughed when Tom swatted him with the kitchen towel.

Ben helped Tom set he table and bring spoon up the plates for both of them.  They sat down at the dining room table.

“Tom is something wrong?” Ben noticed how quiet he’d gotten. He was fidgeting in his chair.

“No, I just got something to show you.”

“What, what is it?” Ben had a feeling something was up.

“Go down the hallway and see.”

Ben looked at Tom and quickly got off his chair and sprinted down to the end of the hallway.  The door to the room containing his office was closed and it had a red bow and ribbon across it.

“What did you do now?” Ben looked at Tom suspiciously.

“Open the door,” Tom was fighting hard not to smile.  Ben stepped inside, Tom had redone the room fresh paint on the walls, in a neutral color, a new desk and an ergonomic chair and a new stereo system completed the room.  Ben had mentioned to him that he liked to listen to music while he worked.

“Ben? Do you like it?”

Ben knew he was standing there with his mouth hanging open looking like an idiot. He turned around and flung his arms around Tom’s neck and hugged and kissed the stuffing out of him.

“Like it, oh baby I love it!” 

They made love on the carpeted floor.

                                                                    ****           

Ben’s phone rang, bringing him out of his reverie.  After he hung up on his client he began to think of something special he wanted to do for Tom.  

Now how was he going to surprise his man? He looked online and spotted something that caught his eye, but he knew it was virtually impossible to get.

Still it was worth a try. A couple of clicks here and there and then all he could do was hope for the best.

Ben was surprised when, about a week later, a courier came to the office with an envelope for him.

He’d been so focused with the phone call he was on he wasn’t paying much attention when he signed for it.

He opened the envelope and out popped two tickets to the Lady Gaga concert that was being performed in Hershey that weekend.

The tickets felt hot in his hand. How the hell had he managed this? It was a dream come true.

                                                                    ****

Ben thought of an interesting way to surprise Tom with the tickets.    He decided to hide them in the Lady Gaga CD case that was in Tom’s car.   Ben had given the “Born This Way” CD to him recently, also surprising him with it.  He had the guys at the firehouse let him sneak it into Tom’s locker on his day off.    Ben remembered the phone call he’d gotten the next day at work from his very excited firefighter.

They lovers had plans Friday evening, they day before the concert.  They were going to take a drive down to the farmer’s market to stock up on some fresh produce and assorted other goodies.  They loved to buy from the Amish; they had the freshest and best tasting food.

The market was about a half hour drive and they usually passed the time talking or listening to music.

“I’ll drive,” Ben offered.

“I thought you hated driving.”  Tom had his keys out and was about to open the driver’s side door of his car.

“You do so much driving at the firehouse,” Tom was the driver at the station, he’d often tell Ben how amazed he was at how many people wouldn’t get out of the way when they heard the siren blasting.  “I want to give you a break.”  He smiled at him.

“Okay,” Tom started to move towards Ben’s car.

 Ben remembered to put the CD into his car.   They got in and drove down Route 30.    They started to chitchat about work, the colors they were going to paint their bedroom. 

“Hey how about some music?”  Ben asked him, non-challantly.

“Okay, let’s see what you got here.” He picked up the case Ben kept his CDs in and started to flip through them.   “Hey what’s my Lady Gaga CD doing here?”

“I know it’s your favorite so I brought it along.   How about we play that one?”

Ben pulled onto the shoulder of the road and put the car in park.  He didn’t want to miss the look on Tom’s face when he opened the case.

“How come you pulled over to the side of the road?”

“Wow you sure are full of questions.   I just needed a break.  Open the CD and pop it in.”

Tom opened the case and the tickets fell into his lap. “What the….” He picked them up and looked at them.  “Ben?  What’s this?”

“What does it look like?”  Ben asked as the smile he couldn’t contain any longer broke out on his face.

“It looks like two tickets to tomorrow night’s Lady Gaga concert, but they can’t be that show has been sold out for over a month.” 

“Well I guess then we’ll be pretending to be there tomorrow night cause that’s where we’ll be.”  

“H-how,” Tom was speechless; it took him a moment to stop staring at the tickets in his hand and to look over at Ben.   “I can’t believe it.”

“You like it?”

“Like it! I just can’t believe we’re going.”  Tom reached over and Ben felt Tom’s hand reach behind his neck and pull him towards him and the blond’s captured his lips.  

“Oh baby I love you, love you so much.”   Tom realized this was not the best place to be doing this.    “Let’s go home.”

“But we didn’t get to the market.   I want to get you something special for dinner tonight.”

“I already got something special.  You.” 

“Tom.”  Ben quickly put the car in gear and found a place to turn around; they made it home in record time and barely got in through the front door before the loving started.

TBC

My fellow flashers 

M/M

pender

Julie 

Ryssa

M/F

Lindsay 

Heather 

Victoria 

Sent my book to the proofer

I just finished the last round of edits for my book, "Somebody to Love."   Now it's onto the proofer and then the release date July 25th

very excited!

Happy Father's Day

Just wanted to wish all the fathers out there a Happy Father's Day

Welcome Guest Blogger Donna McIntosh

I'd like to welcome author Donna McIntosh to my blog. Please have a seat, relax enjoy a cup of coffee and please do tell us about yourself and your book.


I was born in New York, grew up in Arizona, married a Texan and have lived here in Texas for the last 30+ years.  I started out writing fan fiction and am just getting my toes wet getting published. 

SURVIVAL is my first book and is being published by Secret Cravings Publishing
http://secretcravingspublishing.mybigcommerce.com/products/Survival.html


and is currently available through Amazon, Barnes & Nobel, etc.  as well.

My second book, TANNER, will be available in August through Secret Cravings and is a police story that takes place in Phoenix, AZ.

Here is the information on SURVIVAL.  It's M/M and R rated.

SURVIVAL (blurb)

Years ago four friends went through the L.A.P.D police academy together; Daniel Mathews, Christopher Reid, Sean Kelly, and J.J. (as in Jennifer Joan) Kent. Daniel was the oldest and had the most experience and made Captain by the time he was 45. He managed to pull in a few favors and got his three friends transferred into his unit. All went well until the day Detective Christopher Reid disappeared only to resurface a short time later on the other side of the law – a renegade!

When the Alien invasion came, everyone was caught off guard and the four of them were scattered across the U.S. Daniel was taking it easy at his cabin in the hills a few hours drive out of L.A., J.J. was in Canada and Sean was in Massachusetts. No one had any idea where Chris was.

The Aliens killed off every law man, and person in authority they could find and imprisoned everyone else. All hope was lost until a small band of people found a hidden valley and set up a refuge. They made forays into the prison camps across the country and brought out people that were needed to help set up their little colony. This group was led by none other than Christopher Reid.

Chris scours the prisoner lists that come in, desperately seeking his three old friends. Can he find them? Did they escape the initial purge? Will he get a second chance with Daniel and be able to prove himself worthy to be loved?

SURVIVAL is their story.

SURVIVAL (excerpt)

"Tell me about yourself, Christopher. What was your life like before all this nonsense? You said you were with the F.B.I. Was that an exciting life? Do you miss it?"

"Actually, it was ... exciting at times and some times terrifying." he admitted.

"It sounds all rather mysterious – dangerous."

"It was and it wasn't. Sometimes I loved it other times I hated it."

"I would imagine you miss all that?"

"Not really. I had just quit my job and was going to try and see what it was like to live a normal life."

"Ha!" Parks boomed. "A normal life! I don't think life will ever be normal again; do you?"

"I have no idea." Chris stared into his coffee cup and swirled the dregs.

"Did you lose someone? Leave someone special behind?"

"No. There was no one."

"Ahhh, but you wish there had been."

"I do, at least I did. But I never really had a chance in hell with either one of them."

"And why not? You're a charming young man with that blond hair and blue eyes; rather rough around the edges maybe but of good heart."

Chris chuckled at that. "There are … or were a few people who wouldn't agree with that."

"And these were?"

"Past associates of mine. We trained together, worked together for a time and then on opposite sides for several years."

"Ah, I see. Co workers, friends, rivals, enemies, potential lovers; all in one package."

"That's about it."

"Are they who you're thinking about when you stand and stare off towards the old pass? Are you hoping they will show up?"

"Before … there always was just that little bit of hope. Now I don't even have that any more."

"And why not? They could well be in camps somewhere waiting for you to ride to their rescue."

That brought another chuckle from Chris. "Believe me, I'm the last person either one of them would want to see."

"Tell me about them. Women, men, or perhaps one of each, you rascal?"

"Both male."

"Ah. Into threesomes. Kinky."

"No!" Chris couldn't help but chuckle at that one coming from the oh-so-proper Englishman. "At different times. First there was Sean then a while later Daniel." He grimaced at the painful memory.

"Sean was a runner and had this great body but his main interest was J.J. – as in Jennifer Joan. And Daniel – he was absolutely the sexiest thing on two feet."

"They sound pretty special."

"They are – or were. I doubt if either of them made it. Neither one of them could take orders or even suggestions from anyone else very well. I'm sure they are both long gone."

"At least you have your memories of being with them."

"No, it never got that far with either of them. I wanted to, I wanted to badly but Sean was too hung up on J.J. And Daniel, with him it was lust at first sight and I propositioned him within five minutes of laying eyes on him. I guess my approach was a little too bold or too awkward or simply not to his liking. He told me to get lost and kept me at arms length from then on. And then when I left, well, his dislike turned to hatred. We've worked on a few of the same cases over the years but he was cold as ice. The knowledge that he'd sooner break me in half as touch me, kept me at a distance."

"How very sad. You've carried a torch for two men and neither of them responded in kind. What a sad tale indeed. It sounds like a Victorian novel. Only in that, some rich relative would have whisked you away to his family's estate and married you off to his ugly daughter."

"Oh God! Spare me." Chris laughed as he got up, took his coffee cup into the kitchen and rinsed it out, then said good night and left for his bunk. He always waited until everyone was asleep so he couldn't hear their chatter and he didn't have to any answer any more of their never-ending questions.

He lay in his bunk and thought about Sean and Daniel. He knew they were gone, he just knew it. But some tiny spark of hope wouldn't die and he found himself wondering what it would be like to find them, to free them and bring them to this valley where they would be safe. Would they think of him differently after seeing what he had accomplished? He thought they probably wouldn't. Sean would whine constantly about finding J.J. and Daniel would just glare at him and keep his distance.

The tears started slipping down his face and he turned on his side and wiped at them with his blanket as they fell.

Flash#20

I did not flash this week,  I really didn't have the time. I'm doing edits on my latest story, "Somebody to Love."  which is being released July 25th by Secret Cravings

http://www.secretcravingspublishing.com/LilySawyer.html

I want to give a shout out to my fellow flashers who are flashing today

Here is the link to their blogs

Julie Hayes (m/m)

Ryssa Edwards   m/m

Lindsay Klug      m/f

Heather Lin       m/f

Gay Day Giveaway

In honor of Gay Day (at Ethan Day's yahoogroup)   I am giving away  a copy of my book "Love on the East End"  To enter please leave a comment with your name and e mail addy.  I'll be awarding the winner probably this evening or Mon at the latest

Thanks


Love On the East End

http://wickednightspublishing.info/?p=355


Gabriel Meyers looked at the empty dining room of his brand new restaurant. He'd
just opened the doors two weeks ago and already the place was packed every
night.

While he loved the hustle and bustle of the lunch and dinnertime crowd, he
appreciated the quiet the morning hours afforded him. He used the time to do all
the paperwork and phone calls, which were a part of running a place like Maven.

"Gabriel, we have a problem with the wine order." Pierre came running into the
room to inform him. He was the restaurant's sommelier, and Gabriel met him at
the culinary school in Paris. He was studying to be a chef and when he decided
to open his own place Pierre was one of the first friends he told.

"Oh what now?" It always seemed to be something, you'd think having your own
place on the north fork of the east end of Long Island in the middle of wine
country would mean having an endless supply of wine. Sadly, it wasn't the case.
Sometimes they had special clients that wanted certain things the restaurant
didn't always have on hand. Like now they were looking for a special vintage of
Riesling to go with the duck being served at a fiftieth wedding anniversary
celebration, which was happening this weekend.

"The Pindar Winery won't have any ready for about three weeks."

"Have you tried the other wineries?"

"I tried the Rolling Hills winery, they said they'd give us a call back."

"We can't sit on our hands on this, we need that wine. I'll call them again to
see if I can make any headway. Thanks Pierre."

Gabriel heard the phone ringing and ran back to the office to pick it up. He
wished he'd looked at the caller ID before he answered.

"Hello?"

"Gabbie!"

His stomach tied up in knots when he heard the dulcet tones of his ex-wife on
the other end.

"Willow," he said through clenched teeth. "What can I do for you?" He wished
more times then he could count that he and the blonde with the blue eyes and
movie star body had never crossed paths.

"Gabe, you don't sound very happy to hear from me."

Truth be told he wasn't. Their marriage was the biggest mistake of his life.
They'd met in New York City, she was acting at a theater club and he was waiting
tables. They started off as friends, hanging out with friends and family. Then
ended up getting married.

Gabriel knew they had rushed into something that was never meant to be. He did
love Willow, but he was never in love with her. He was gay; it took him a long
time for him to admit it to himself, let alone to Willow. He finally told her
two years after they'd said `I do.' She was stunned at first, then she told him
she had a feeling something was different about him, but she hadn't been able to
put her finger on it.

They got a divorce, their story made the rounds with the tabloids. Fortunately
he was able to hide his secret of being gay, he was only too glad they left him
alone and glommed onto her.

When one reporter intimated they'd split because Gabriel was gay, he asked an
old friend from school if he could hang out with her to make it look like they
were dating. She was only too happy to help him throw them off the scent, even
going so far as to make sure they were seen in public, holding hands and walking
the streets of Brooklyn having brunch at a restaurant one Sunday morning.

"Willow, I'm kinda busy, what can I do for you?"

"Is that any way to talk to your ex-wife?"

He cringed when she said ex-wife, their divorce hadn't been as clean a break as
he would have liked. She got nasty when he asked for the house on Long Island.
She had several properties; she barely spent any time there. Her favorite spot
was a condo on the upper east side of Manhattan.

"Well, I'm having a party to honor Chuck Scarborough, you remember my agent?
He's celebrating thirty years in the business and I wanted to do something
special. He has a home not far from your restaurant and I want to rent out the
back deck and hire a DJ and just do it up big."

"How big?" Despite how their marriage ended, Gabriel knew Willow could bring him
a lot of big business with all the big wigs in the music and entertainment
industry she could connect him with.

"About one hundred."

"When?" Maven could easily handle that many people.

"Weekend after next."

It was spring and the weather was getting nice enough so they could start using
the deck outside. The restaurant faced Long Island Sound and on a clear day you
could see Connecticut.

"How about I put you in touch with Annie, our party planner? She can iron out
all the details. I don't see any problem having the party here."

"Thanks, Gabe, I knew you wouldn't let me down."

"Sure thing. Thanks for thinking of Maven for your party." They hung up. He'd
let Annie know about the party later, right now he had some Riesling to wrangle
up.

****


William Thomas loved wine; there wasn't anything he didn't know about it. His
interest started when he took a trip to France and toured the wine country and
it was like he finally found what he wanted to do with his life there in the
middle of vineyard. When he got back home he did everything necessary to begin
his journey from a beginner everyone in the industry scoffed at to a
well-respected wine maker. Even his family, who were not thrilled with his
decision to go into the winemaking business, became his biggest supporters.

Rolling Hills winery was the result of all the blood, sweat and tears.

William loved opening up the winery to tourists and often joined them in the
wine tasting room.

Women came on to him all the time, he enjoyed the flirting. But that was all it
was ever going to be. He wondered what these same women would think if they
could see him dancing on the dance floors at one the gay bars on Fire Island.

He'd never had a serious relationship, content for years to play the field until
he hit the big three-O six months ago. Now he was looking for that special
person, but it sure wasn't easy to find him. He decided if it was meant to
happen it would happen.

****

Gabriel turned down the long linden-lined drive. He parked in front of the
quaint, Tudor style house at the end. He got out of the car, walked over to the
fencing and looked at the rows of grape vines that went on towards the Sound.
There was just something about being out in the open air that made him feel so
peaceful.

"Like what you see?" A deep, sexy voice startled him out of his reverie.

"Oh geeze, you startled me." Gabriel put his hand over his beating heart, which
beat even faster when he got a good look at the curly blond haired man that had
snuck up behind him.

"Sorry," the blond stuck out his hand. "I'm William Thomas, owner of Rolling
Hills winery."

Gabriel grasped the proffered hand and gave it a squeeze. "I'm Gabriel Meyers. I
own Maven. I called about getting four cases of Riesling."

"Ah yes my partner Steve told me you'd called."

Gabriel didn't know why hearing the word `partner' bothered him, he'd just met
William a moment ago and yet it felt like Cupid's arrow had pierced him in the
heart.

"I had them set aside for you. They're in the barrel room. How about I give you
a tour of the place? I mean if you have the time." William flashed his pearly
whites at him and Gabriel couldn't resist the opportunity to spend more time
with the tall blond.

William must have been about six-one or six-two. He didn't tower over Gabriel's
own height of six feet, but he still had to crane his head just a little to meet
the chocolate brown gaze.

"I have plenty of time, the restaurant doesn't open until noon."

"Well, then, let me give you the grand tour." William led him to one of the
pickup trucks parked next to the house. They took a drive around the vineyard.
William explained the different varieties of grapes they grew and what kinds of
wine were produced from them. He even got a chance to watch one of the grape
picking machines at work, carefully picking the fruit off the vine and
separating out the stems.

"I can tell you, Gabriel, that is one expensive piece of machinery. Had to get
it imported from Italy."

"Really? Wow!" Gabriel was very impressed. He knew about wines, after all you
can't live in Paris like he had and study culinary arts and not learn about
them. He wasn't an expert like Pierre, but he knew enough to know how to pair
them with food and not embarrass himself.

As far as the growing end, he knew little but he sure was getting an education
now.

"Has this winery been in your family for long?" The wineries on Long Island had
started up about thirty-six years ago. No comparison to the centuries old
vineyards in Europe but they still had made their mark in the wine making
industry none-the-less.

William laughed. "No I'm the only one in my family interested in wine. My father
is a lawyer and my mom is a fashion designer. My older brother is a
screenwriter. He `s worked on a few movies, and he lives out in LA."

"What made you decide to go into the wine industry?"

"I was going to school in northern California and my friends wanted to spend
spring break in Napa Valley. I just fell in love with wines and wanted to learn
the business. I came back to Long Island and started my own winery. Rolling
Hills is the result. We're celebrating our tenth year."

"Congratulations! Your family must be proud."

"Thank. Well I can't say they were thrilled, but they saw the passion I have and
they've been very supportive."

They parked next to the house and William took him to the barrel room. One of
the workers took the cases of Riesling and put the in Gabriel's car.

"Do you want to stick around for lunch?" William offered his new friend.

Just then Gabriel's cell phone went off.

"Hello?" Gabriel walked a few feet away from the other man. "What! No I know I
placed that order a week ago, what do you mean they don't have a record of the
order?' He paused. "Shit, I'll be there in a few minutes." He shut the flip
phone closed. "Damn."

"Problem?"

"Yeah, I had a champagne order that was supposed to be delivered this morning
and they have no record of it. I need it for an engagement party tonight."

"I think I can help you out there, just hang out here for a bit." After Gabriel
told him he needed some Dom Perignon, William went inside the house. He returned
a few minutes later with a smile on his face. "It's done, I got you the
champagne you needed. It should be delivered to the restaurant in about an
hour."

"How did you manage that?" Gabriel was surprised.

"I know plenty of people around here. There's a place on the south fork that
carries some wonderful champagne. I got you a case. Unless you wanted more?"

"No, a case is fine. I can't thank you enough for helping me."

"Forget it, I was glad to help."

Gabriel slid into the driver's seat of his car and started the engine. "Hey how
about coming to our wine tasting event? We're having it on Friday night at seven
thirty."

"Sure, sounds like fun. I'll bring a good vintage from our special collection."

"You can bring your partner if you want too." Gabriel took off without waiting
for an answer from William. Truth be told he didn't want him to bring anyone
else, let alone his partner. But it wouldn't have been polite to invite him
without his lover.

`Why are the good ones always straight or taken?' He asked himself as he drove,
with a heavy heart, back to Maven.

Silver Flash #19 Afternoon Stroll

It's Wednesday and that means it's flash day.    I'm sticking with my two favorite couple the firefighter and his man (okay Ben is in real estate, I know it's not clamorous but he likes it)

It's summer Tom has some time off and the two lovers decide to enjoy an afternoon stroll around town.
Please don't forget to check out my fellow flasher's stories, the links are at the bottom of this page

Flash #19 Prompts: Failure is not an option, Are you going to eat that? "This is like a freaking soap opera." And "You have ten seconds . . . "

Afternoon Stroll

“There’s a parking spot right there!”  Tom pointed frantically at the empty spot that had just opened up among the row of parked cars along Main Street.

“Got it.”  Ben quickly claimed the spot; he was a parallel parking diva.   It always blew Tom away with how quickly he could angle into a spot.

“I don’t know how you do that, it’s like magic.”  Tom’s hand squeezed Ben’s thigh.

“It’s all in the wrists.”  Ben smiled back at his boyfriend.

“Yeah well, don’t get a swelled head.   All I know is I failed my first road test cause of parallel parking.”   He groused as he opened up the door and angled himself out of the car.  He drummed his fingers on the car roof while he waited for Ben to join him on the sidewalk. 

“Boy you sure are antsy, what’s up with you?”  Ben asked him as they started to walk down the street.    The sidewalk wasn’t too crowded for a Sunday, probably because there was a concert going on over at the park.    He and Tom were just not into big crowds.   They preferred quieter events, like taking an afternoon stroll along in their small town.   

“I’m fine, Ben.  I guess I’m having a problem unwinding after working twelve hours shifts for the past three days.”    Being a firefighter had some satisfying moments, but it was very hard work.  It made Tom appreciate his days off even more, especially when he could spend it doing fun things with his favorite guy.

“Well I’m going to take care of that right now.”  Ben grabbed Tom’s hand and intertwined their fingers and led the way to the “Country Ice Cream.”  Parlor was pretty busy so the guys studying the menu board on the wall before deciding what they were going to order.   “There is nothing like ice cream to take your mind off everything.”

“I can’t argue with that.”  Tom smiled.  

“Can I help you?”  The red-haired teen behind the country asked.   She was one of the many high school students working to make money over their summer vacation. 

“Yes, I’ll have a hot fudge sundae with pistachio ice cream.”   Ben told her, he noticed it got quiet and he looked over at his partner who was still studying the board.  He nudged him with his shoulder.   “Tom?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry.  Um I’ll have a double ice cream cone with sinful chocolate with chocolate sprinkles please.”   Tom noticed Ben snickering at his choice.  The parlor had some interesting names for some of their flavors.   “What are you laughing at?” 

“Nothing.”  After paying, they moved down to the end of the counter to make room for other customers.   After a few minutes the teen handed them their orders.   They found a table by the large window.   They enjoyed doing some people watching while they enjoyed their sweet treats. 

“When do you have to go back to work?”  Ben asked him.

“In about three days, I’m on a three days on and off schedule right now.”

“Too bad I have to work tomorrow.  The real estate business waits for no one.”

“You’re lucky you can work from home.”   Tom took a few licks from his ice cream cone.  He couldn’t help noticing how Ben was staring at him.

“What?”

“Do you know how sexy you look when you do that?”  Ben laughed when Tom blushed at the comment.

They chit chatted about what they planned to do with the rest of their day.

“Are you going to eat that?”  Tom asked Ben about his maraschino cherries that were sitting on the side of the ice cream bowl.   

Knowing how much Tom loved them, Ben would often ask for extra and keep them to the side for him.   “No, babe, they’re all yours.”    He watched as they were quickly scarfed down.

“Why don’t you just ask for your own on your cone?” Ben wondered.

“Because I’d rather get them from you.”   Tom has chocolate covering his mouth.   Ben leaned over and kissed him and licked the mess off.

“Mmm, sweet.” 

Movement out of the corner of Ben’s eye caught his attention.    An Amish buggy had been parked along the street and its owner was coming back with bags of groceries and other supplies.    Ben noticed some tourists that were about to take some pictures.  He quickly got out of his seat and walked out the door.

“Excuse me, please don’t do that.”   The photographer turned around and glared at Ben.

“What?”  The man was on the tall side, burly kind of looked like he could be a bouncer.

“The Amish don’t like their pictures taken, please respect that.” Ben stood in front of the man to prevent him from snapping a shot.

The Amish man had glanced over at the confrontation but continued to load up the buggy. 

“I’ll take pictures of whatever I want, now get out of the way.”   He pushed Ben aside but before he could bring his camera up it was pulled out of has hand.

“Hey!”  The man screamed but quickly shut up when he looked up into the face of an angry blond man who was built like a tank. 

“I believe my boyfriend told you not to take any photos of the Amish.”  Tom had quickly left the shop when he saw Ben being pushed. 

“Oh, sorry man.”   The man quickly walked away with his head down.

“Thanks, but you know I could have handled it.”

“Oh I know babe, I hope you don’t mind if I was your backup.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”   Ben noticed the Amish man looking their way.  He quickly looked back at his buggy and climbed in.   He gave them a polite nod in thanks and snapped the reins at the horse and clicked at the animal to get it going.

“Well that is a fine way to show gratitude.”  Ben whispered.

“It’s the Amish way, they don’t like to have too much contact with us ‘English’ as they call us non-Amish.  Believe me he was very thankful and I think curious.”

“Curious?”  Ben wondered.

“Yeah, he heard me call you my boyfriend and that got the wheels turning in his head.”

“I wonder if there are any gays in their community.”  Ben asked.

“If there are I feel sorry for them.  They can never have what we have or ever do this in public.”  Tom leaned down and kissed Ben’s lips.

Across the street there was another photographer that was snapping shots of the ardent couple.

 TBC

Julie L. Hayes m/m

Lindsay Klug   m/f

Heather Lin     m/f

Ryssa Edwards    m/m

Pender Mackie     m/m

Welcome Guest Blogger Julie Lynn Hayes!

Welcome Julie,  thank you for joining me on my blog.   You're here to discuss werewolves, r-right?! Um <giggle> should I be glad it's daylight?  Do I need a gun loaded with silver bullets?  DO I NEED A WOODEN STAKE!  Oh wait that's vampires,  my bad.

Well be afraid, be very afraid gentle readers (okay not really, but tread with caution as you dare to read this entry) 

On the Evolution of Werewolves

When I was growing up, a werewolf movie usually involved someone who looked like Lon Chaney Jr—big, scary, and hairy. Or the product of insanity, like Oliver Reed in the The Curse of the Werewolf. Or creepy, as in Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory. And who could ever forget the classic comedy, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which not only features the hairy creature, but Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster as well, with a special guest appearance by the Invisible Man.
1981 saw a different type of werewolf film, when An American Werewolf in London was released. This was true for two reasons—the creature was CGI and not a guy in a rubber suit, and the unfortunate victim of the curse was actually cute. What a great concept—a werewolf doesn’t have to be old, ugly and hairy, he can be hot!
Flash forward to the present day. Nothing new on the werewolf film front per se, but the novels, oh the novels! Werewolves (and their close cousins the shapeshifters) have become extremely popular, especially among the authors of m/m romance, with the result that you can’t shake a literary stick without running into buttloads of them. What makes them different than their previous counterparts is that these gay werewolves are also hot hunky droolworthy guys that are definitely easy on the eyes.
Have you come a long way, baby!
Now they have packs, and forever mates. They’re heroes, not villains. And they have abs that are to die for!
The new werewolf has stepped into the shoes, or maybe he’s pushed the previous occupant out of the shoes, of the once king of the supernatural sweethearts—the vampire. Perhaps that is because of a glutted market filled with vampire tales. Some would say, quite cattily, that it’s Twilight’s fault, that it left a bad taste in people’s mouths. I would argue that point—perhaps the films did, but the books were good (even if the last one could have been better, especially if it had been split in two). Be that as it may, werewolves are here, and many of them are queer, and they’re jonesing for the attention of the reading public.
A few years ago, when the most popular werewolf around was Remus Lupin of HP fame, I heard a voice in my head who said he was a gay werewolf. I ended up writing his story. His name is Max Montague, and that story became To the Max, which was published March 26th, 2010. Max continued to talk to me, and I’m happy to say that a sequel was born, with the continuation of Max’s story, carrying on where the first one left off. The second book is For Love of Max, and is available today from Silver Publishing.
Max is not your typical werewolf hero. He’s not an alpha, and he’s not a candidate for the cover of a men’s magazine (although Richard would argue that point, but I suspect he is biased). He’s forty-four years old, has a large heart, and a lot of strange friends and family, not to mention a longtime lover, Richard. Despite being a werewolf, which is only a once a month stint, he is a very human, very likeable guy, who is often loath to speak up to defend himself. Like a lot of people. The conflicts of the first book have been happily resolved. Well, not all of them, there are some ongoing problems to be dealt with. And new ones rear their ugly heads. But that’s life, right?
I hope you enjoy reading about a werewolf who isn’t your typical steroid case with the desire to bash skulls at the least provocation. Max Montague is a gentle sensitive soul. But sometimes even nice guys can reach their limits.
No matter what kind of werewolf you prefer, they’re all fun, and that’s what counts. What will the next supernatural darling be? Perhaps dragons. That would be interesting!
Thanks for having me, Lily! Have a great day! I’d love to hear from all of you! What do you think? Do you have a favorite type of werewolf, and what is it?

For Love of Max
Link:
For Love of Max

Blurb:

Life is truly beautiful!  Richard actually asked me to marry him, do you believe it?  Of course there’s a small hurdle we have to cross – namely that gay marriage isn’t legal here in Missouri.  But it’s a start, right?
Things are looking up for us, now that I know the truth about Richard.  Our careers are doing well, we’re blissfully happy together, and Mother has given us her blessing!  My sister Diana is going through boyfriends like some people change clothes, I wonder if she’ll ever find Mr. Right? Cat’s cousin has turned out to be a real interesting character, and the most interesting thing is – he’s a werewolf!  And more disturbing than that, I think that maybe my father (that shadowy figure who’s never figured in my life) might just be someone named Jason.  It’s a long story.
Just when I thought I had things figured out, they change, and I find out that what I thought I knew was just so much nonsense.  In other words – lies.  Who can I trust?  Other than Richard, of course. And what should I believe?  And why does it seem like the world is trying to shake me out of my lycanthropic closet?
What’s a gay werewolf to do?

Excerpt:

Now, where were we? Oh yes, Richard and I have our lips locked together like a couple of love-starved fools, and we're crying and laughing at the same time, and I've just agreed to marry him….
Yes, I did say marry, and I know there are those who will look upon us askance. Gay marriage is far from an accepted lifestyle in this country, even in this supposedly enlightened day and age. In fact it is not only frowned upon, but largely banned. And mostly by people who are afraid of us. Why? Good question. I won't even get into religious ethics, or a discussion of the Bible, nor Christian precepts. Let me just say that disliking or hating someone on the basis of their sexual orientation is just as wrong as hating them for the color of their skin, or for their religious beliefs. And forbidding people to legally wed for the same reason is simply wrong. Where do you draw the line? Mixed race couples, mixed religion couples? What happened to loving one another, regardless of who they are? We are not sinners, we are simply human….
Anyway, we are here and warm… and touching, and loving, and all of the bad air has been expelled, and all that is left is the love in our hearts, the love we bear for one another, which envelops us and cradles us gently. Now we truly begin….
Principessa, our darling King Charles spaniel and our only child, is running circles around us now, excited by our excitement. Her daddies are together again, and very obviously happy. We break the kiss to bestow caresses on our baby. She clambers in between us and we manage to cuddle around her.
"Max, I'm so sorry…"
"Shhh." I lay a finger against his lips. "No apologies, no regrets. Just us and the future. Our future. Together."
He nods solemnly. "I'll never leave you again, Max," he swears, "I'll never disappear without a word, I promise. I'm yours for as long as you'll have me."
"And I am yours," I echo, "'til death do us part."
Our lips come together with soft sighs, and sensual shivers that run between us like electrical charges. We haven't touched at all since the ill-fated night of the last full moon, and the undischarged desire we bear for one another is enough to jump-start a dead car battery.
"I've missed you so much," he murmurs into my lips, "I need you, Max, I always will…."
"And I need you Richard," I reply softly. "Nights without you are far too long… and lonely…."
He moves closer now, his tongue seeking and receiving permission to enter my mouth, his fingers winding through my hair. We are content to let our lips do all the talking. No need to rush, we have all the time in the world—now that we are together again, never to be parted. Our eyes locked in mutual admiration. Our hearts bound in mutual bliss. Our puppy becomes bored with us, and our apparent inactivity, and settles down for a nap, watching us with those big, brown spaniel eyes. We stretch out together in the grass, oblivious to what we might be doing to our three-piece suits. Stains are made to be removed, are they not?
He rolls me over to take the dominant position above me—I love when he does that, for just between us he does dominate and I do tend to submit—it's simply the natural order of our lives. He catches my wrists in his strong grasp, pulling them over my head, holding them against the soft grass, showing me who’s in control—not that I don't know that already.
"Tell me what Max wants." He rubs against me suggestively; the material separating us only serves to enhance the friction between our hardening cocks in a delightfully maddening way.
"Max wants Richard," I respond promptly, predictably. "Max wants Richard to come back home, where he belongs… in Max's bed… their bed…."
"Our bed," Richard echoes, licking my chin softly, squirming against me.
God, I want him so badly.
"And by the way, who's been sleeping in Richard's bed while he's been gone?"
"Not the wolf," I chuckle softly, "that would be Rachel. She's been staying with me. I let her have the bed and I'm in the library, on the couch. All alone…."
"Not tonight, sweet thing." He moves his tongue along my jaw line, sending chills all through me. "I hope Rachel doesn't mind, but she is officially dispossessed."
"She won't mind, now she can go back to Mark. I'm sure he'll be happy, too."
"I'm sure," he replies. "Max, you wanna take a shower?"
My cock twitches at his suggestion. "I think we can do that." I attempt to maintain an air of casualness, but I fail—miserably. I’m far too excited to be suave and detached.
He brushes his fingertips lightly over my cheeks. "Max could use a shave too," he observes. "I can do that for him, if he likes?"
If he likes? I purr warmly at his touch. Max the recluse hasn't been as diligent as he should have been in keeping the five o'clock shadow at bay. Not that it's much of a shadow, my hair is too light for that, but being a wolf does have its disadvantages. One of them is a tendency toward hirsuteness. But this works out, 'cause I love the way Richard handles a straight razor—deftly, surely, and very, very sensually. I’m about to tell him so, but Swan Lake begins. Damn, someone has horrible timing.
I try to ignore it, but some people don't take a hint.
"Max, go ahead and get it, they'll just call back," my lover points out, releasing my hands. With a sigh, I squirm, raising my hips so that I can pull the phone from my pocket.
"Hello?"
"Max?" It's Juliet. Interruptus maternus. "You were supposed to call me…."

My Links:

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Silver Publishing

Wicked Nights

Dreamspinner Press

Contest:

What Would You Do For Love Contest

In honor of the release of For Love of Max, the second book in the To The Max series, I’m  holding a contest.

What would you do for love?

The rules of the contest are simple. You have one week to leave a comment on my blog; also you need to follow the blog. Tell me what would you do for love? As you’ll recall, Meat Loaf said he’d do anything for love, but he won’t do that. If there’s something you won’t do, I’d love to hear that too.

The winner will receive a PDF of For Love of Max!

Contest ends June 11th, winner will be announced June 12th.

Thanks for being here today, Julie.   And thanks to everyone for stopping by, please leave a comment for Julie. 

Somebody to Love Excerpt

Somebody to Love-by Lily Sawyer

Coming July 25th from Secret Cravings Publishing

http://www.secretcravingspublishing.com/LilySawyer.html

The Corner Pub was crowded for a Thursday night and several large TV sets were tuned to baseball games.  Sam Warner loved baseball, he decided to take a break from his flower store that was up the street and wandered in here. He settled into one of the comfortable seats and watched the game.

Sam couldn’t help notice a dark haired man-tending bar. He wore a black t-shirt with the bar’s name emblazoned onto the front.  He must be a new guy cause Sam didn’t remember seeing him here before.

Sam watched as one of the patrons sidled up to the bar and asked, “Hey, Matt, give me another beer, will you?”

‘Matt, so that’s his name.’  Sam thought; he couldn’t keep his eyes off him. Something about him made him want to go over and say hello. He also needed a refill, and seeing that as an opportunity to speak with him, he got up and wandered slowly over to the bar.

“Come on, hit a home run!” a burly guy was screaming at the screen.  He quickly stood up just as Sam arrived at the bar and his beer landed all over the front of Sam’s green polo shirt that his mother had given him for Christmas.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry.” The man grabbed some napkins and was dabbing the beer stained shirt. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“It’s okay.” Sam smiled reassuringly and the guy disappeared back into the crowd.   He looked over at the bartender, he could tell he was trying to hide an amused smile.  He offered him a roll of paper towels.

“Here, use some club soda.” He offered him a glass filled with the bubbly drink.  After getting most of the stain out of the material he put the paper towels on the bar counter.   The bartender threw them into the trash.  He leaned over and said,   “I’m Matt Doyle,” and offered his hand.  Sam looked down at their clasped hands and his blond hair dripped down partially covering his eyes.  Sam’s brown eyes locked onto Matt’s blue ones.

 “Mine’s Sam Warner.” He managed to get out without embarrassing himself.  He could feel his palms becoming sweaty,  he didn’t know why he was getting so nervous in Matt’s presence.

“Pleased to meet you Sam,” Matt took a glass and poured some beer from the tap and placed it on the counter in front of him.

 Sam looked up and smiled.  “You must be new, I’ve never seen you before.”

  Sam could feel something was going on between them, but he hoped it wasn’t wishful thinking. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d been in a serious four-year relationship that had ended badly. Ever since then he’d been reluctant to date again.

“Yeah I just started a week ago, I used to work at Daffy’s over on Second Street.”

“I’ve never been there.”

“You’re not missing much, the drinks are watered down and the pay was lousy.”  Matt was restocking the shelves behind the counter when he asked him “So you’re a baseball fan?”

“Oh, yeah been a fan ever since my dad took me to a game when I was seven years old.” He didn’t know why he was telling this man his life story, but it was true about what they said about bartenders being like your father confessor.   And Matt certainly was not only easy to talk to, but easy on the eyes as well.

“Who do you like?”

“Well don’t laugh, but I like the Mets.”

“Those guys? So you like routing for the underdog.” Matt chuckled.

“Hey, what can I say? My dad got me hooked on them, couldn’t stop telling me enough about when they’d won the World Series.” Sam took a sip from his drink.

“I’m not knocking it, I think rooting for the underdog is admirable.” Matt’s smile lit up the room and it made Sam’s heart skip a few beats. 

“Really?” Sam asked shyly.

Matt smiled back.  “Sure is.”

“Well, I better get going.” Sam noticed how late it was getting. He needed a good night’s sleep ‘cause he’d need to start filling more flower orders in the morning.

“So soon?”  Matt sounded disappointed.  “It was nice meeting you, Sam.” He held out his hand for Sam to shake.

“Same here.” He shook Matt’s hand and put his coat on.

“Hey, there’s a game here on Sunday afternoon. Think you can make it?” Matt told him. 

“Nah, I’m busy, but maybe sometime next week?” For some reason Sam was reluctant to tell Matt he was a florist.

“I’ll catch you another time.” Matt said hopefully.

“I’ll be back,” He leaned in close to Matt and met the blue eyes with his own, “Count on it.”

“Night, Sam.”  Sam felt Matt’s eyes on him as he left. 

Sam left the bar feeling better than when he’d come in.  He wasn’t sure if this was going to turn into something, but he wasn’t going to close the door on that possibility.