Engelbert Trentworthy -- dear God, call him Trent -- is a bit of a slut. Most people don’t take him seriously, and really, neither does he. Trent keeps things simple and doesn’t allow others to get close for reasons he never shares with anyone. Then he meets photographer Elias Lane at the customer service desk where he works.<br><br>Elias is captivated by Trent’s appearance and asks him to be part of a photo shoot. Unfortunately, Trent’s image ends up in a shop window near his job and causes all kinds of havoc. To make it up to him, Elias buys Trent dinner. But when Elias tries to push for more, Trent backs away.<br><br>Somehow, between the coworker who’s harassing Trent for sex and the specter of Trent’s black past, Elias is determined to get Trent to give him a chance, in every possible way.

Paint It, Black

“That’s some story,” I said. “You ever hear from Jaime again?”


Elias chuckled. “My mom called me a few years back to say that he’d stopped by looking for me. Apparently he was given none-too-friendly a welcome by the family.” He sipped his coffee again. “Your turn.”


The moment of truth. “It’s not a pretty story, Elias. And it may sound like every other tragic tale of teenage brutality, but it’s mytale, and I still have nightmares because of it.” I shuddered and closed my eyes, trying not to throw up.


I felt his hand on mine. “If you want to do this another time, you can. I don’t want to distress you.”


Chapter 11