William loves Vicente with all his heart, but can he give him the life he deserves, free from financial worries and danger, without making Vicente lose his self-respect?
William Fortin is a forensic scientist who has returned to Riverside after six years for his first job. He wants a social life and to settle down, and when he runs into his old crush from high school, Vicente Vasquez, he knows he has found the man of his dreams.
Vicente is a shy Mexican American who works hard so he can pay for the medical care his wheelchair bound father needs. He is a courier by day and a bartender by night, just to make ends meet. Dating the man who was his science tutor in high school is a dream come true.
But how can they possibly be partners when Vicente is struggling just to keep the creditors at bay and his traditional family can't possibly find out he's gay?
Reader Advisory: This book, whilst it can be read as a stand-alone story, is best read in sequence as part of a series.
General Release Date: 26th September 2011
Riverside, Texas
Saturday, June 3, 2006
"Shit!" Vicente Vasquez hated golf with a vengeance.
Trying to mutter the curses under his breath so his father wouldn’t hear, he followed the damn ball into the small wooded area to the right of the seventh hole. He’d never understand why the hell they made golf courses so huge and the stupid balls so tiny. Why grown men wasted their weekends playing the game, calling it a good business networking opportunity, also eluded him. And the worst thing? The fact they’d been here this morning for a seven-thirty tee-off. Sleeping in hadn’t even been an option.
"You got it?" His father sounded impatient as he threw anxious glances at the two older business contacts he was trying to impress.
"Yes, Pap�." Vicente bit his tongue to stop the anger from spilling over.
"About time. You’re holding everyone up." His father glared at him, trying to look imposing.
At five-feet-eight, that wasn’t an easy job. But old habits, based on years of verbal abuse, died hard. Even though Vicente had been a good two inches taller than his father ever since he turned seventeen two years ago, his first instinct was still to give in. So he ducked his head and walked back to the group. He’d already been three over par when the stupid ball went wide, so he was just going to take the quadruple bogey and deal with it. He almost felt sorry for his father for having to play the game with him as a partner, but, then again, this nonsense was his father’s choice of how to spend a Saturday morning, not his.
He’d never been good enough for his father, and probably never would be. Even going to college to study business, rather than becoming a car mechanic like he’d wanted, hadn’t helped. His father still thought he was useless, telling him at every conceivable occasion how much better he could do if he really applied himself, and what a great example his elder brother, Felipe, was. Vicente snorted. If his dad knew how Felipe came by his money, he’d have a heart attack.
"Sorry about that." His father shook his head and refocused on picking the perfect club for his next turn.
The embarrassed apology to the two idiots playing with them increased Vicente’s anger further. It made him feel as if his father was sorry for Vicente’s entire existence. He wasn’t even sure the two men cared about the status of their game that much. They were deep into discussing some new commercial venture involving some real estate deals in the area just south of the Riverside inner city.
When the game was finally over almost three hours later, Vicente heaved a sigh of relief. Without asking or waiting for his father’s approval, he made his excuses and left. He’d pay for it later, he was sure, but staying for an exceedingly boring lunch wouldn’t make a difference. His father would just find some other excuse for dressing him down.
Getting into his car and making it to his friend’s house so they could go fishing this afternoon was the only thing on his mind. It was the one time this week he’d have to himself, and he wanted to share it with Steve Jacobi. He’d been his best friend all the way through high school, and even though Steve had decided to be a window washer rather than attempting college after graduation, they’d managed to stay in touch. Friday nights were usually theirs to go and have a beer, but last night hadn’t worked out because Vicente’s mother had required him to attend his uncle’s birthday party.
Steve’s apartment was west of downtown in an area just this side of acceptable. His friend had only moved here last month, after finally saving enough money to be able to afford a place of his own. Vicente parked his pretentious car, the BMW 328i his father had insisted he drive, hoping it would still be there when he returned. He rang the bell and waited for Steve’s tinny voice to ask who was there. The loudspeaker system was in urgent need of an overhaul, but Vicente wasn’t going to hold his breath.
I'm a night owl who starts writing when everyone else in my time zone is asleep. I've loved reading all my life and spent most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book. Although I always wanted to be a writer, financial independence came first. Twenty-some years and a successful business career later I took some online writing classes and never looked back.
Living and working in seven countries has taught me that there's more than one way to get things done. It has instilled tremendous respect for the many different cultures, beliefs, attitudes and preferences that exist on our planet.
I like exploring those differences in my stories, most of which happen to be romances. My characters have a tendency to want to do their own thing, so I often have to rein them back in. The one thing we all agree on is the desire for a happy ending.
I currently live in the United Kingdom, sharing my house with a vast collection of books. I like reading, traveling, spending time with my nieces and listening to classical music. I have a passion for science and learning new languages.
Reviewed by Literary Nymphs
Vicente and William have well developed personalities and I liked both immediately...blistering hot sex all the way...Enjoy.
Read more reviews
£3.00 Buy Now
Add to Wishlist
Read a Sample
Send as a Gift
Available in:
epub, pdf 
