Excerpt - His Client

In celebration of His Client's release in less than 3 months (...it releases on 1/4/11, since today's the 5th of Oct, it's officially less than 3 months), I'm sharing an excerpt from the book.

For those of you who don't dig excerpts, here's your warning to avert your eyes. Oh, and here's also the 'book is not fully edited' warning as well. So please excuse any typos or other errors.

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A hard, sweaty body slumped against him. Nate forced his hand to release Jasper's prick and then wrapped his arms around the man's waist. For a long moment the only sounds that broke the silence were their hard pants as they struggled to catch their breaths. Then Jasper shifted. Soft lips coasted up his neck, over his jaw and found his. Lazy and slow and oh so familiar, the kiss lulled Nate's senses, tempting him to remain right there, with Jasper in his arms, for the rest of the night. But…

Damnation. Keeping the groan inside, he turned his head, broke the kiss. That damn thundercloud of desolation settled right back over his head, dousing every last bit of the post-orgasmic euphoria from his veins.

He opened his eyes to find Jasper staring down at him.

"Something the matter?" Jasper asked, undeniable concern reflected in his heavily-lidded eyes.

"I have a supper I need to attend tonight. Need to celebrate Peter's last night of bachelorhood." The last thing he wanted to do, but he had given the man his word and couldn't very well back down now.

Jasper shifted off his lap, Nate's sated cock slipping from his body, and stood. A shrug of his shoulders and the torn shift slipped down his arms, falling to the floor. Turning, he reached down and picked up Nate's shirt then handed it to him. "Any plans besides supper to celebrate the dreaded event?"

Nate shrugged. "Likely he'll want to go to some gambling hell or other." The destination mattered not to him. Wherever they went would involve a long night of smiling and putting on an entirely false pretense of happiness. A long night of pretending as though his heart wasn't breaking.

He scrubbed a hand over his face and got to his feet to finish dressing. He didn't bother to take much care with the cravat Jasper handed him -- he'd need to stop at his apartments to change and clean up before going onto Peter's townhouse anyway. Hell, why did the man have to get married? And tomorrow… Christ, tomorrow he had to watch it happen.

And right now, even his bloody coat wasn't cooperating. Darn top button refused to slip through its hole.

"It will be all right." Jasper's words sounded quiet and sure, holding a wealth of compassion, but Nate found no comfort in them.

"No it won't. It will be terrible." Was that his voice? He sounded like a disgruntled adolescent. Hell, Jasper had just fucked him into oblivion, and now Nate was acting like a maudlin fool once again. Jasper had the patience of a saint to put up with him.

Deciding he'd have to make do with one less button done up, he gave his coat a sharp tug to straighten it and looked up.

With a faint click, Jasper set the brandy decanter back on the silver tray on the cabinet. Bare as the day he was born, he turned to face Nate. Occupied with locating Nate's clothes and righting the room, he had not yet pulled on his own trousers. His limp cock hung between his legs, but Jasper made no move to cover it. Nate found the man's ease in his own skin…comforting. A reminder there were no secrets between them. Nothing to hide. Nothing to shield from prying eyes. They accepted each other as they were.

"Thank you for tonight."

Jasper lifted one bare shoulder in a half shrug. "Anytime. You know that."
* * * * *
Jasper watched Nate's retreating back as he left the room. The door snapped shut. He grabbed the torn shift from the floor. As he tossed it into the bin beside the washstand in the corner of the room, he glanced into the oval mirror. The dark tousled waves of his hair hung over his brow. His cheeks were still flushed with a hint of color from the orgasm Nate had given him. And faint smudges of rouge were smeared around his mouth.

He winced. It wasn't that he did not adore playing with Nate. Rather, the image in the mirror was a harsh reminder of exactly how Nate saw him -- as a whore and nothing more.

His shoulders slumped as pain began to wrap around his chest once again. He hoped to God Nate would let Edmonton go and move on. But even if he did, what then?