CJane Elliott’s Wild And Precious
Today I’ve got CJane Elliott joining me again with her latest book Wild and Precious. You can see her previous visits here. I had CJane write a short scene for us where Brent meets Aidan from Aidan’s Journey. I hope you love reading it as much as I did. After the scene, read all about the book, and an excerpt that will leave you wanting more. At the very bottom enter for a chance to win a copy from CJane’s backlist.
NOTE: This scene would take place in Wild and Precious a few days before Brent and Cody have their first meeting at Kramerbooks. It would take place at the end of Aidan’s Journey, after Aidan has gotten to his happy ending living and working as an actor in New York City with Patrick by his side. Aidan and Patrick are in the DC area to visit Aidan’s friends and family.
Thanks for the prompt, Amanda. It was fun to write!
Brent strolled down M Street in Georgetown on his way to yet another karaoke night at a local bar. Karaoke as an article subject for Washington/Arts was stretching it, but his boss Graham had loved the idea – probably because he loved doing karaoke himself. Graham was a great singer and so were many of the people who frequented the karaoke bars. Then there were the people who couldn’t carry a tune but obviously thought they could. Why did those folks always choose some slow ballad to torture the audience with? Brent had to admit karaoke was fun – not to do but to listen to, even when someone got up there and caterwauled.
He entered the club and stopped dead at the male voice soaring out over the speakers. No caterwauling here. Some guy was up there absolutely killing “Whole Lotta Love.” Brent stopped by the bar and stood there with his mouth open as the guy channeled Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. He was gorgeous too. Tall, like Graham, but blond. After he hit one last rafters-shaking note, the club erupted in cheers.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Brent turned to order a beer as the MC said over the loudspeaker, “And that’s the way you do karaoke. Aidan Emery, folks. Thanks for dropping in and remember us when you’re a star on Broadway, dude.”
Brent pulled out his phone and texted Graham: You just missed Robt Plant’s son at karaoke. Graham texted back a minute later: Curses! Interview him for the article.
He knew Mr. Editor-in-Chief would say that. Brent gulped down some beer to settle his nerves. As an introvert who loved to write, Brent had never set out to be a reporter, which entailed actually talking to people. Aidan made it easier by coming up to the bar right then with a lively group. He stood chatting with his friends and admirers, and all Brent had to do was… open his mouth.
“Um, excuse me.” Brent tapped Aidan on the shoulder and when Aidan turned, Brent was momentarily mesmerized by his stunning green eyes – eyes that cruised Brent from head to toe, while Brent felt his cheeks heat up.
Aidan’s lips curved into a smile. “Yes?”
“Uh, I’m – I work for Washington/Arts and I’m doing an article on karaoke. You were great up there. Could I ask you some questions?”
Brent hoped he’d be able to think of something to ask because the longer he was in Aidan’s presence, the more flustered he got. There was something electric about Aidan, that was setting off an answering electricity in Brent. Brent was confused enough about why he’d recently answered a male seeking male ad at Match.com after thinking he was straight all his life. He was going to be meeting Cody from the ad for the first time this week and he was already petrified. And he’d had a horny dream involving Graham, his openly gay boss. Now this guy was two feet away radiating sex and…
“Hey, babe.” To Brent’s relief, another guy who was a dead ringer for Matt Bomer had come over to Aidan and slid his arm around him. “What’s up?”
Aidan’s practiced smile opened up into something genuine as he beamed at his companion. “Guess what, babe? I’m gonna be in Washington/Arts magazine! This is a reporter doing a story on karaoke!” He turned to Brent. “This is my boyfriend Patrick. And your name is…?”
“Oh. Sorry. I’m Brent Granger.”
Patrick stuck out his hand with a sweet smile of his own. “Nice to meet you, Brent. How about we grab a table in the corner and you can interview my wildly talented boyfriend?” He and Aidan grinned at each other and leaned in for a kiss.
Ignoring his twinge of jealousy, Brent said, “Sure,” and followed Aidan and Patrick to a table.
Aspiring writer Brent Granger has good friends and a great job at an arts magazine in DC, but he’s batting zero in the arena of love. Brent begins to get a clue why things aren’t working with women from his strong attraction to his gorgeous, gay, and already attached boss, Graham Stoneford. When he sees a personal ad from a man that quotes his favorite poet, Brent decides to do something wild and answer.
Enter Cody Bellstrom, easygoing bisexual musician, who is happy to initiate Brent in the ways of gay sex. Brent now has a new problem: he realizes he’s gay and no one in his life knows it. Cody tires of hiding their relationship, but Brent finds it challenging to come out to family, friends, and especially to Graham. In the end, Brent must confront the truth of where – and with whom – his heart lies.
As Brent sat cross-legged on a pillow, tearing pieces off the rubbery bread and dipping them into various dishes he couldn’t identify, he realized he was having more fun than he’d had in ages. Along with being thoughtful and smart, Graham was one of the most hilarious people he’d ever met, and Brent was in stitches for most of their lunch.
“If only my dates could be like this,” Brent said, after another bout of laughter between them, then widened his eyes. “Oh, wow, man, that sounded dumb.”
Graham didn’t seem fazed. “They’re not? But why? You’re so fun to talk to. Any woman would be nuts not to appreciate you.”
“Uh, well, tell them that. But I guess I don’t really appreciate them either. I don’t know, it’s like, awkward and boring most of the time. Whatever. Ari keeps trying to set me up, but…. Anyway, how did this get into talking about my love life, or lack thereof?”
Graham regarded him, warmth in his eyes, and said softly, “You’ll find it, Brent. Everyone deserves to have love in their life. You’re young. You’ll find it.”
Graham’s words touched Brent, but the intensity of the moment made him uncomfortable. Even worse, he noticed he was getting aroused.
He shifted on his pillow with a weak laugh. “Hey, no more of this ‘young’ crap, okay? You’re not that much older than I am.”
After years of hearing characters chatting away in her head, CJane Elliott finally decided to put them on paper and hasn’t looked back since. A psychotherapist by training, CJane enjoys writing sexy, passionate stories that also explore the human psyche. CJane has traveled all over North America for work and her characters are travelers, too, traveling down into their own depths to find what they need to get to the happy ending.
CJane is an ardent supporter of gay equality and is particularly fond of coming out stories.
In her spare time, CJane can be found dancing, listening to music, or watching old movies. Her husband and son support her writing habit by staying out of the way when they see her hunched over, staring intensely at her laptop.
Dreamspinner Press: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5893
31-Dec: Love Bytes
1-Jan: Molly Lolly
2-Jan: Velvet Panic
5-Jan: Amanda C. Stone
6-Jan: Dawn’s Reading Nook, Inked Rainbow Reads
7-Jan: Parker Williams
8-Jan: MM Good Book Reviews
9-Jan: Smoocher’s Voice
12-Jan: Prism Book Alliance
13-Jan: Hearts on Fire, Cathy Brockman Romances
14-Jan: Bayou Book Junkie
15-Jan: Cate Ashwood
16-Jan: Book Suburbia
19-Jan: My Fiction Nook
20-Jan: BFD Book Blog
21-Jan: Elisa – My Reviews and Ramblings, Butterfly-O-Meter
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