All First Chapter Samples

“No, I don’t care what Avery did to you as long as it was consensual and won’t end us all up on the news.” Destin’s passionate oversharing seemed to be a virus he couldn’t shake.
Not that he seemed to be trying to stop himself.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that he’d done it since the day we’d met, I’d have thought he was doing it just to drive me to distraction. That still could have been his goal because he’d made a career out of poking at me, but he’d been so curious about all kinds of things the first year he’d escaped his family that I could never tell.

He’d come from what was basically a religious commune that just looked a bit more normal from the outside, but his knowledge of the real world had been limited to what he’d been able to read when he’d snuck online at night.

Destin had basically shown up at college knowing he was gay and having a lot of book learning that didn’t translate well into the real world. He’d been able to quote all kinds of scriptures and tell people about historic events that happened hundreds of years ago, but he had no idea who the current reality TV stars were or how to flirt.

“It’s not offering to save their souls or kill their bugs.” The innocent cutie was so insistent I had to stop at the bottom of the stairs and listen to what he was saying. I wasn’t going to apologize for being nosy when everyone in the building was fabulously weird and not shy about sharing their personal life…but I was quiet while I listened.

Brady, my delightfully naïve neighbor who was into his Daddy and being spanked, was very confident about the odd list. “Those are the only random questions you’re allowed to ask. It doesn’t matter if you’re being helpful or not.”

Who made those rules?

Whose bugs were they trying to kill?

Were the crickets back?

Had the cutie found God in the last few days?

«Non c’è niente di male nel trovare sexy le competenze.» Sedendomi più dritto – non che mi aiutasse a sembrare più alto – osservai l’uomo irrequieto e quasi nudo che avevo davanti. «Mi hai chiesto quali tratti trovi sexy in un uomo e ti ho risposto. Competenza. Intelligenza. Stabilità emotiva.»

Non era mica astrofisica.

Conner non sembrava essere d’accordo, però. Mi fissava come se fossi una nuova e bizzarra specie di insetto che era stata appena scoperta. Ma poiché quello era un miglioramento rispetto alla reazione che aveva avuto vedendo i miei vestiti, o notando proprio che li indossavo, non me ne preoccupai.

Scosse la testa e indicò la stanza. «Queste sono caratteristiche importanti in una brava persona, specialmente un buon Dom, ma che dire dell’aspetto fisico?»

«Landon sta andando a un appuntamento o aiuta qualcuno a traslocare? Non so dire se sembri chic o un senzatetto. I tatuaggi potrebbero far puntare in entrambe le direzioni.»

Mia madre aveva le più buone intenzioni, davvero, ma non stava certo contribuendo ad aumentare la mia autostima.

«Shh, ti sentirà. Sii gentile.» Laura avrebbe anche potuto risparmiare il fiato. Essere “gentile” non era una caratteristica della donna che ci aveva messi al mondo.

«Sono onesta, non cattiva.» Parole che erano diventate il suo mantra da così tanto tempo che ormai ci credeva.

La sentii muoversi in cucina. «Dove ha detto che avrebbe portato la ragazza con cui esce? Ma almeno sai come si chiama? Fa il testardo e non me lo vuole dire.»

Quella donna era una via di mezzo tra un bulldozer e un alce pazzo.

“Now please take this in the way it was intended. You’re a wonderful model, and I think this is the perfect opportunity to use your skills.” My boss’s overly professional smile as he sat perfectly straight in his chair behind his desk only made me more suspicious.

What had he done?

What skills?

Was his wonderful new opportunity figuring out how to hide Eli’s body because he’d killed him?

Preston was never nervous, so the whole thing was confusing. He was the ultimate cool cucumber because he’d been baptized by fire working with so many drama queens. Not me, of course, I was sweet and calm.

It was the rest of them that were nuts.

Leashes & Lace was a magnet that drew in more interesting people. Something about modeling male lingerie and fetish gear like puppy play tails pulled out people’s more passionate side. At least, that was how Preston had described it the last time a prospective new employee had asked him to describe us.

“I just don’t want you to take this the wrong way.” Preston’s polite insanity had Roman, one of the main photographers and Eli’s partner, snorting from where he was leaning against the far wall behind Preston’s desk.

Coffee and donuts. I had donuts, right?

“Oh, maybe leftover pizza?” It sounded so good, I almost looked away from the screen.

Almost.

But I was so close to being done, I just couldn’t walk away. The pizza could wait until everything in the video was perfect. I was so close.

“Shit.” My stomach might’ve lost the battle to get me away from the computer, but my phone won when the text notification had me nearly jumping out of my seat.

Corey.

He was funny in an odd kind of way and was probably my only friend, so I didn’t ignore his message like I would have with anyone else when I was working. Which was why he was the only person I knew that had their own personalized notification sound.

Maybe I shouldn’t have picked a fire engine, though.