Jason Townsend has issues with the older men in his life. His current boyfriend Jared is also his boss and, while the two get along wonderfully in the bedroom, their relationship at the office is tense and uncomfortable. Jason’s relationship with his father is also strained -- they grew apart when Jason came out shortly after his parents divorced. The only person Jason has ever been able to rely on is his mother. So when she announces she’s met Mr. Right, Jason is skeptical. When he meets her new boyfriend, handsome professor Paul Everett, he quickly realizes he and Paul have more in common than their connection to his mother. The two men had slept together the previous summer. Paul refuses to break things off with Jill, claiming he enjoys being with women and telling Jason their hook-up was a one-time thing that didn’t mean much to him. Unwilling to tell his mother about his past with Paul, Jason stews in silence as he watches his mother and Paul grow closer. At the same time, he finds himself becoming more and more attracted to Paul. When he can’t stand it any longer, Jason makes a pass at his mother’s boyfriend and is surprised his affections aren’t spurned. Even though Jason finds himself falling in love with Paul, he knows he’s betraying his mother and he hates himself for it. She’s always been his staunchest ally, and sleeping with her boyfriend abuses the trust between them. Can Jason love a man who’s also deceiving his mother? When he’s forced to choose between Paul and his mother, the decision isn’t as easy as it seems.

Daddy Issues

After a restless night with a lot of tossing and turning and very little sleep, I dragged myself out of bed early Saturday morning and went to the gym. Then I went to the grocery store, the dry cleaners, and the liquor store. Jared and I were having dinner that night at his apartment and he’d asked me to bring a bottle of white wine. We really didn’t go out much mainly because he was afraid of someone from work seeing us together. He preferred that we spend our time together in the comfort of my apartment or his. He lived in the Art Museum section of the city in a high rise much nicer and much larger than my little hole in the wall on the other side of town. But my place was more conveniently located, so that’s normally where we ended up. Normally. Jared preferred to cook in his own kitchen, so when dinner was offered (and when he was the one doing the offering), we’d have it at his place.


Chapter 8