Author:
Emjay Haze
Publisher:
NineStar Press
Release
Date: June 12, 2017
Heat Level :
3 - Some Sex
Pairing:
Male/Male
Length:
69200
Genre:
Contemporary, romance, contemporary, businessmen, Bali
Synopsis
Ethan is selected to accompany Chance to Bali for a huge account. He will be spending ten days at a luxurious resort with the man he's fallen in love with. Chance has made his intentions known, and he won't pressure him, but if Ethan doesn't want him, there are plenty of men who will. Ethan struggles with this until one evening they are in the hot tub with two hot swingers who want to play. He flees after watching Chance make out with one of the men. Will Ethan finally give in to the playboy, or did his actions lose him the man he loves?
Excerpt
Taking a Chance
Emjay Haze © 2017
All Rights Reserved
Chapter One
Ethan
A loud knock on his bedroom door
startled Ethan. Expecting his mom or brother, he glanced up from his laptop.
“Come in,” he shouted, looking past the scattered drawings on his bed and back
at the screen, opened to a job website. He’d applied to advertising companies
all over the country but hadn’t received any responses to his resume, so he
kept searching online.
“Hey, buddy. Is this where you’ve been
hiding?” His best friend poked his head in and opened the door fully before
stepping inside. Realizing it was company, Ethan quickly gathered his drawings
into a neat pile and sat up.
“Mark.” Ethan shut the screen. “What
are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “It’s kind of boring
being back home. Thought I’d see what you’re up to.”
“Gee, thanks.” Ethan chuckled, not
taking offense at all.
“You know what I mean.”
Ethan put the laptop down and lay back
on his bed, his hands folded behind his head. He did. He’d been bored too.
Ethan couldn’t wait to get out of this place, and he’d only been back for a few
weeks.
“Have you started looking for a job
yet?” They both had graduated from the University of Iowa in the spring.
Ethan’s degree was in advertising and marketing with a minor in graphic design.
He’d always been a doodler.
Mark shook his head. “I’m working with
my dad again this summer. I was accepted into grad school in the fall.” Mark
was the business major, and his dad was prepping him to take over the family
business.
“Oh, right.” Ethan felt like a loser.
All their other friends seemed to have everything already figured out. Maybe he
should go to graduate school. “I’ve applied everywhere but haven’t heard from
anyone yet.”
“Where?” Mark asked, interested. He
took a seat next to Ethan on his bed.
“Boston and New York, mostly.”
“Those are big places, and far away.”
Mark never shared Ethan’s aversion to their hometown. But then again, he wasn’t
gay.
Ethan stood up and walked over to his
door, peering out to make sure they were alone, and then he closed it and sat
on the bed again. “I can’t wait to get out of here. I’m going crazy already.”
Mark looked at him and shrugged. “It’s
not that bad.” They lived in a small town west of Omaha, just over the border
into Iowa. Ratchet Falls, population 6200. Who the hell names a town that?
Ethan sat on the edge of his bed. “Are
you kidding? There’s not even a gay bar here.”
Mark laughed. “You wouldn’t go even if
there was one.”
True. Ethan was only sort of out. He’d
been so afraid of anyone finding out in high school that he even had a
girlfriend. She was cool though when she figured it out, and they became
friends. She called herself his beard, but he never liked the sound of that.
When Ethan went away to college, he met a few guys, but he didn’t like the
weird feeling he got the next day after a hookup and had to face the guy on
campus. That was never not awkward—for Ethan, at least.
“Maybe I would if you went with me?”
They’d had this conversation many times. The closest gay club was thirty
minutes away, in the city. It was far enough no one would recognize him, but he
didn’t have anyone to go with, and he was too chicken to go alone.
“I love you man, but sorry. No way.”
“Afraid of a guy hitting on you? Girls
go to those clubs too, you know.” He already knew his friend’s answer.
Mark patted him on the back. “Oh man,
I forgot this was in my hand.” He handed Ethan a letter. “Your mom gave me your
mail on my way up.”
Ethan snatched it, looking at the
return address. “Oh shit,” he said, sitting up.
“What is it?” Mark leaned over to look
at the envelope.
Ethan flipped it over. “Ashton Lake.
One of the firms where I applied.” He felt his nerves rise. What if it was a
rejection? What if it wasn’t?
“New York?” Mark asked.
Ethan ran his finger through the glued
flap. “San Francisco.” He’d only applied there on a whim. He thought he had no
chance of getting a reply from that place, so his heart sped up as he tore open
the envelope.
“That’s really far, Ethan,” Mark sat
next to Ethan and read the letter out loud while Ethan’s eyes scanned the words
on the page. “Ethan Moore. That’s you.”
Ethan rolled his eyes.
Mark continued, “We have scheduled
your interview for the junior account executive position at the Ashton Lake
Advertising Agency for Monday, June sixteenth in our downtown San Francisco
office. Please call to confirm…” He looked up from the letter. “Wow, Ethan,
that’s great.”
Ethan grabbed the letter and finished
reading. They were sending him an airline ticket and reserving a hotel room in
his name for two nights. Ethan set the letter on the bed. “Hey, would you want
to go with me?”
“I don’t think they’ll send you an extra
plane ticket so you can bring a friend, Ethan.” Mark laughed, slapping him on
the back.
“No, but we could drive. Maybe take a
detour to the beach?”
Mark’s face lit up. “Doesn’t Curtis
live out there? Montega—rey or something?”
“Is that far from San Francisco?”
Ethan wondered.
Mark shrugged. “Let’s look it up.” He
texted Curtis, who confirmed he lived in Monterey. Then he added, “Get your
asses out here so we can party.”
Ethan reached for his laptop and
Google-mapped directions from San Francisco to Monterey, California. Looking
over his shoulder, Mark read, “Two and a half hours.”
“We could go there first, and then I’d
drive to my interview the next day.”
“And hang out for a few days
afterward?”
“Definitely.” Ethan stood up and paced
his room. California. Could he do this?
Mark handed Ethan his phone. “Get it
over with, so you don’t obsess about it all night.”
Mark knew him so well. Ethan
overthought everything. He’d finished top ten in his class because he obsessed
about his grades—well, that, and he heard his parents’ words in his ear saying
“hard work will earn you respect.” His mom always worried he’d get picked on.
Another reason he hid his sexuality at school. It was bad enough he was smaller
than most of the guys in his high school. He’d grown a few inches his senior
year, but topped out at five foot eight and could eat a pound of pasta and not
gain an ounce.
He sighed and took the phone from
Mark’s hand. “Here goes.”
Purchase
Links
NineStar
Press: https://ninestarpress.com/product/taking-a-chance/
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/726461
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/taking-a-chance-27
Character Bio
Character Bio
Name: Ethan Moore
Background:
From mid-sized town in Iowa. College graduate in business from a big
university. Gay, but only open to his close friends and parents.
Birthday:
September 3rd – Virgo
Place of birth: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Family: Parents, Bill and Louise Moore and a
younger brother
Economic/social status growing up: middle income, both working parents
Places lived:
Only his home town and college
Education: College Degree
Favorite subject in school: English literature
Best Friend:
Mark
How do people view this character: Sweet,
kind, intelligent.
Lives with: parents.
Fights with: brother
Spends time with: friends
Wishes to spend time with: a boyfriend
Overall outlook on life: Positive. He has his
whole life in front of him.
Does this character like himself: He's young and insecure. Doesn't think he's
special, but overall, yes, he likes himself. Has self-respect
What, if anything, would he like to change
about his life: wants to be more of a
risk taker, wants an adventure
Morality level: High morals, but
not religious
Physical appearance:
Body type:
5,8, small frame, lean muscles pretty good athletic.
Posture: slumped a lot in school. Tends to
round his shoulders.
Head shape: oval
Eyes:
brown
Nose:
cute, button
Hair: light brown and straight.
Skin: fair
Tattoos/piercings/scars: none. His mom would
kill him.
Clothing: dresses casual, just out of college. Jeans
and plaid shirts
Characteristics: Bright, sensitive, loyal.
Wants to prove himself
Personality type: tends to be introverted, but has a few good
friends
Looking for: romance
Food, drink: Had his first vodka tonic in
college. Loves his mom’s home cooking
Music: pop music
Did he play in school: played club
lacrosse
Pets: family dog
Idiosyncrasies: rubbing the back of his neck when he’s
worried or overthinking something
Greatest success: landing his dream job
Most embarrassing thing that ever happened to
him: his best friend finding out he's gay.
He is the kind of person who: wears his heart on his sleeve
What do you love most about this character:
He’s a genuinely good person and a little naïve. Hasn’t been jaded by life yet.
Meet
the Author
She has a wide and diverse work history in the fields of travel, hotel management, high-tech communications, web development, real estate, and the nonprofit health care industry where she has held positions such as travel agent, hotel concierge, web programmer, Realtor, account manager, and many, many others, giving her a varied and unique set of experiences that she draws upon in her stories and characters. Her interests include music and pop culture, and she is an advocate for the LGBT community.
Her stories delve into all types of romantic relationships, regardless of sexuality, with a focus on first times and new encounters in a lighthearted style with a goal to gain a diverse readership and broaden the minds of those who might not normally pick up an LGBTQ romance because it’s more about the person than the sexuality. She’ll take you on a roller-coaster journey, but you’ll always get a happy ending.
Author
Links
Website:
http://www.mjhauthor.com/emjayhaze
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/emjayhaze
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/emjayhaze
Tour
Schedule
6/12 Book Lovers 4Ever http://bl4ebookblog.blogspot.com/
6/12 Happily Ever Chapter https://www.facebook.com/happilyeverchapter
6/13 Wicked Faerie's Tales and Reviews http://wickedfaeriesreviews.blogspot.com
6/13 Making it Happen http://moonangel23.blogspot.com
6/14 Divine Magazine https://www.divinemagazine.biz/
6/14 Stories That Make You Smile https://authoraddisonalbright.com
6/15 MM Book Escape https://mmbookescape.com/
6/15 Erotica For All http://eroticaforall.co.uk
6/16 Love Bytes www.lovebytesreviews.com
6/16 Bayou Book Junkie http://bayoubookjunkie.blogspot.com
Giveaway
One
lucky winner will receive an ebook of their choice from NineStar Press
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