You’ve heard all the rules: open with action, open in the middle of things, open with excitement, with things blowing up, with body parts flying. Me? I’m a fan of softer, but no less engaging, openings. Like these first couple of pages from A GENTLEMAN’S BARGAIN.

Before we get into it, though, I should tell you that this book is written under my pseudonym, Hunter Raines, and is male/male romance. You’ve been warned.

—

“So, what do I wear for this?”

“Socks. Anything else will only get in the way.”

David Leone fixed his friend with a hard glare as his fingers went to his belt. “I don’t know how I let you talk me into this. Remind me to have my head examined when we’re done here.”

Charlie Tyler’s snort filtered through the darkened room. “Which head would that be?”

David scowled. The bastard was enjoying this, damn him. “Keep that up and you won’t be getting a tip.”

At the sound of his friend’s low chuckle, David sucked in a deep breath and whipped off his belt. To distract himself, he allowed his gaze to skitter over the sparse furnishings in the private room. One of six identical service chambers in the Manly Man Salon and Spa, it had obviously been decorated with the intent of putting a client at ease. Soft blue walls and colorful art depicting nature scenes closed in on him from all sides. Pristine white towels draped a low bed. Above it, a giant spotlight and a mirror that magnified his eyes to the size of saucers hovered in waiting. The overhead lights were turned down low, casting a pale neon glow across sterile metal tweezers, scissors and other instruments of torture David couldn’t name.

Charlie tapped a tube filled with a gooey white cream against the palm of his hand. “Whenever you’re ready.”

“Can’t you put me out for this? Dentists gas their nervous patients, you know.”

“Oh, for the love of God, Dave. It’s just a bit of wax.”

David gaped, wondering for the millionth time whether he was insane for letting the man anywhere near his precious family jewels. Sure, they’d known each other for nine years, but friendship only went so far. “Right. Just a bit of molten wax poured over my balls.”

Charlie rolled his eyes. “Wanna see my license? Maybe talk to some former clients and get firsthand testimonials? Relax. I know what I’m doing.” When David made no move to strip further, Charlie motioned toward the bed. “I don’t charge by the hour, pal. Hurry it up.”

With a scowl, David shucked the rest of his clothes and tossed them in a corner, not caring where they landed. “Funny, I never pegged you for a sadist.”

“That’s because you never let me fuck you. College would have been way more fun if you had.”

It was David’s turn to snort. He’d moved to Lexington from New York City to attend the University of Kentucky. He could have requested a private room–God knew he could afford it–but he’d wanted to make friends. He’d lucked out in a big way when Charlie had been assigned as his roommate. They hit it off immediately, not only as two gay men straddling the line between youth and adulthood and struggling to make sense of a world that didn’t really know what to make of them, but also on a deeper, more instinctive level. Within a couple of months, they were inseparable. Charlie had become the brother David never had.

Fucking Charlie would have been as taboo as crawling under the covers with his cousin Jim. To his credit, Charlie never tried anything, either. Unlike cousin Jim, who got himself a bloody nose for his efforts on a junior high camping trip.

—

If you enjoyed this tiny peek at David’s naughty bits and want to learn more about what’s in store for him,, pick up A GENTLEMAN’S BARGAIN at Amber Allure.

And don’t forget to visit the blogs of the other authors participating in Snippet Saturday this week:

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