GENRE: Gay Mystery Romance
LENGTH: 9,655 words
RATING:

Actor Harry Anders’ movie career is in full swing. His fans are legion, and his talent attracts first-rate directors and producers. With an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe under his belt, it seems he can do no wrong.

He also has a more than satisfying personal life. He marries Alec Walker -- the love of his life -- and romances his agent, Jake Navarro, on the side. Branching out, Harry turns to TV and nabs an iconic role in a hit detective series destined to run for years. The gods are indeed good to him.

But gods can be fickle. Without warning, the network cancels his series. Leading roles become scarce, and Harry’s marriage crumbles under the pressure. In desperation, he agrees to a plan of lies, deceit, and double-crosses that ultimately leads to murder. How far will Harry go for a good man’s love?

EXCERPT:

Sex with Jake took me places I’d never been. I couldn’t get enough of his touch, the soft, almost feminine hands sliding over my skin; the feel of his tongue and lips as his kisses traveled down my body, exploring places I never knew I had. Climax was the ultimate euphoria, a psychedelic experience without the acid.

Not that sex was the main attraction.

There were other perks being under Jake’s tutelage, so to speak. He knew the business inside and out. He groomed me from head to toe -- literally and figuratively. Remember that suit? Not anymore. I dressed now for the part under consideration. He taught me how to prepare successfully for calls, interviews, and auditions. I made important contacts with the hot new directors and producers. Life was indeed better than good. It was practically perfect.

Because of his close association with studio heads, Jake was likely to hear about a major project before other agents, often by simply picking up the phone and making a call to the right person. That’s why he didn’t hesitate to send me the script for the light comedy, Holiday in the Hamptons -- a sort of When Harry Met Sally meets Sleepless in Seattle. At least that’s how the trades and Hollywood suits described it.

Not only did I get the coveted leading part -- thanks to my mentor and lover -- but the movie was an absolute sensation and one of the highest grossing films of that year. The sophisticated dialogue became part of the cinematic lexicon right alongside such quotable gems as, “I’ll have what he’s having,” and “Nobody’s perfect.”

Thanks to Jake, I nabbed a Golden Globe for best actor in a musical/comedy for Holiday. An Oscar nomination followed, but I didn’t win the bronze baby. Nope. Some foreign actor won the coveted award for a silent film. In Hollywood, as in life, everything old is suddenly new again. Pardon the cliché but you can take that to the bank.

In each subsequent role, it seemed I was a natural at sophisticated comedy. I couldn’t believe my luck. My career, high rolling lifestyle, the studio limousines, and all the perks. All of it I owed to Jake’s skill and experience. He was more than a lifesaver. He was a life-giver.

When the movie going public -- fickle as always -- shifted interest from comedies to action films with tons of car chases, violence, and a great deal of sex, Jake led me to a different kind of role in a highly anticipated TV series, This Side of the Angels. Who knew I was that versatile?

Jake did.

Critics praised my realistic performance in the cop show. Ten years down the road since my first big role in films, Angels was an immediate hit and was destined to last for years and then go straight to syndication. Word to the wise: Beware of destiny. It’s highly overrated.