by Rob Byrnes
And if he banked it, well…he’d almost have enough cash to bankroll a future job one day. He could be the Lisa!
Then Leonard thought, Bankroll a job? I’ve become one of them!
When the thought first crossed his mind he was horrified. For maybe five seconds. Then he was giddy for the rest of the night.
$ $ $
“I ever tell you about Devin Hannerty?” Grant asked one night.
Chase rolled over to face him, although he was tempted to feign sleep. “The one who owns the gay clubs, right?”
“That’s the guy.”
“And he treated you like shit when you moved to New York, so now you hate him, right?”
“That’s the guy.”
Chase yawned. “Yeah, you told me about him. So?”
“Heard today he’s hiring.”
Chase rolled away. “That’s nice.”
Grant pretended not to notice. “Really hiring. Word on the street is he fired almost his entire staff. The only ones left are incompetent ass-kissers.”
Chase rolled back to face him. “Are you talking…a job?”
“Maybe. If we can find the right bait. Devin likes ’em young.” Now it was Grant’s turn to roll away.
They lay in the darkness for a few minutes.
Chase cracked first.
“Jared?”
Grant rolled back until their noses touched. “Maybe.”
“I’ll call him right now.” Chase wasn’t surprised by Grant’s exaggerated sigh in the darkness as he grabbed his phone from the charger and dialed, but he was surprised when Jared answered at that hour. And without pounding dance music in the background, at that.
“Hi, Chase!”
“Uh…Hi. Listen, you got a half hour tomorrow to talk about some work we might have?”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
Chase turned on his Barry White voice. “Are you sure you don’t want to work with me?” That earned him a physical slap from Grant, and a verbal one from Jared.
“I’m in Washington now.”
Chase scratched his head. “Washington state? Or Washington, DC?”
“DC, of course!” Jared squealed. “Dan and I are boyfriends now! Isn’t that—?”
Chase clicked off the phone and said, “Jared can’t do the job.”
Grant, who’d heard Jared’s side of the conversation, laughed himself to sleep.
About the Author
Rob Byrnes is the author of five novels, including the 2006 Lambda Literary Award–winning When the Stars Come Out and 2009 Lammy finalist Straight Lies. His short stories have also appeared in several anthologies, including Men of the Mean Streets (Bold Strokes Books, 2011).
A native of upstate New York, Byrnes was born and raised in Rochester and graduated from Union College in Schenectady before moving to Manhattan. He now resides in West New York, New Jersey, with his partner, Brady Allen.
Books Available From Bold Strokes Books
Sheltering Dunes by Radclyffe. The seventh in the award winning Provincetown Tales. The pasts, presents, and futures of three women collide in a single moment that will alter all their lives forever. (978-1-60282-573-4)
Better Off Red: Vampire Sorority Sisters Book 1 by Rebekah Weatherspoon. Every sorority has its secrets…and college freshman Ginger Carmichael soon discovers that her pledge is more than a bond of sisterhood, it’s a lifelong pact to serve six bloodthirsty demons with a lot more than nutritional needs. (978-1-60282-574-1)
Lucky Loser by Yolanda Wallace. Top tennis pros Sinjin Smythe and Laure Fortescue reach Wimbledon desperate to claim tennis’s crown jewel, but will their feelings for each other get in the way? (978-1-60282-575-8)
History’s Passion: Stories of Sex Before Stonewall edited by Richard Labonté. Four acclaimed erotic authors re-imagine the past…welcome to the hidden queer history of men loving men not so very long—and centuries—ago. (978-1-60282-576-5)
Detours by Jeffrey Ricker. Joel Patterson is heading to Maine for his mother’s funeral, and his high school friend Lincoln has invited himself along on the ride—and into Joel’s bed—but when the ghost of Joel’s mother joins the trip, the route is likely to be anything but straight. (978-1-60282-577-2)
Holy Rollers by Rob Byrnes. Partners in life and crime, Grant Lambert and Chase LaMarca assemble a team of gay and lesbian criminals to steal millions from a rightwing mega-church, but the gang’s plans are complicated by an “ex-gay” conference, the FBI, and a corrupt reverend with his own plans for the cash. (978-1-60282-578-9)
Mystery of the Tempest: A Fisher Key Adventure by Sam Cameron. Twin brothers Denny and Steven Anderson love helping people and fighting crime alongside their sheriff dad on sun-drenched Fisher Key, Florida, but Denny doesn’t dare tell anyone he’s gay, and Steven has secrets of his own to keep. (978-1-60282-579-6)
Three Days by L.T. Marie. In a town like Vegas where anything can happen, Shawn and Dakota find that the stakes are love at all costs, and it’s a gamble neither can afford to lose. (978-1-60282-569-7)
Swimming to Chicago by David-Matthew Barnes. As the lives of the adults around them unravel, high school students Alex and Robby form an unbreakable bond, vowing to do anything to stay together—even if it means leaving everything behind. (978-1-60282-572-7)
Hostage Moon by AJ Quinn. Hunter Roswell thought she had left her past behind, until a serial killer begins stalking her. Can FBI profiler Sara Wilder help her find her connection to the killer before he strikes on blood moon? (978-1-60282-568-0)
Erotica Exotica: Tales of Magic, Sex, and the Supernatural, edited by Richard Labonté. Today’s top gay erotica authors offer sexual thrills and perverse arousal, spooky chills, and magical orgasms in these stories exploring arcane mystery, supernatural seduction, and sex that haunts in a manner both weird and wondrous. (978-1-60282-570-3)
Blue by Russ Gregory. Matt and Thatcher find themselves in the crosshairs of a psychotic killer stalking gay men in the streets of Austin, and only a 103-year-old nursing home resident holds the key to solving the murders—but can she give up her secrets in time to save them? (978-1-60282-571-0)
Balance of Forces: Toujours Ici by Ali Vali. Immortal Kendal Richoux’s life began during the reign of Egypt’s only female pharaoh, and history has taught her the dangers of getting too close to anyone who hasn’t harnessed the power of time, but as she prepares for the most important battle of her long life, can she resist her attraction to Piper Marmande? (978-1-60282-567-3)
Contemporary Gay Romances by Felice Picano. This collection of short fiction from legendary novelist and memoirist Felice Picano are as different from any standard “romances” as you can get, but they will linger in the mind and memory. (978-1-60282-639-7)
Nightrise by Nell Stark and Trinity Tam. In the third book in the everafter series, when Valentine Darrow loses her soul, Alexa must cross continents to find a way to save her. (978-1-60282-238-2)
Men of the Mean Streets, edited by Greg Herren and J.M. Redmann. Dark tales of amorality and criminality by some of the top authors of gay mysteries. (978-1-60282-240-5)
Women of the Mean Streets, edited by J.M. Redmann and Greg Herren. Murder, mayhem, sex, and danger—these are the stories of the women who dare to tackle the mean streets. (978-1-60282-241-2)
Firestorm by Radclyffe. Firefighter paramedic Mallory “Ice” James isn’t happy when the undisciplined Jac Russo joins her command, but lust isn’t something either can control—and they soon discover ice burns as fiercely as flame. (978-1-60282-232-0)
The Best Defense by Carsen Taite. When socialite Aimee Howard hires former homicide detective Skye Keaton to find her missing niece, she vows not to mix business with pleasure, but she soon finds Skye hard to resist. (978-1-60282-233-7)
After the Fall by Robin Summers. When the plague destroys most of humanity, Taylor Stone thinks there’s nothing left to live for, until she meets Kate, a woman who makes her realize love is still alive and makes her dream of a future she thought was no longer possibl
e. (978-1-60282-234-4)
Accidents Never Happen by David-Matthew Barnes. From the moment Albert and Joey meet by chance beneath a train track on a street in Chicago, a domino effect is triggered, setting off a chain reaction of murder and tragedy. (978-1-60282-235-1)
In Plain View, edited by Shane Allison. Best-selling gay erotica authors create the stories of sex and desire modern readers crave. (978-1-60282-236-8)