Josh, a lonely trapeze artist, thinks he’s cursed. It’s an old family superstition. He can’t have sex on a day he flies or he’ll fall. Maybe that’s why he’s never had a steady boyfriend, though sometimes he dreams of one. In his show, a strange melody plays in the background. It follows him and surfaces from time to time on the street. When Josh’s uncle hears about the music, he tells his nephew to bring the old ring, passed down from generations since the time of the curse. Steve is a realtor who always reaches his goals, in sales or otherwise, and he moonlights as a dancer in an all-male review on The Strip. All his friends his age are married, and his best friend’s wife Genie wants to see him hitched, too. He’s a little bit challenged in the relationship department, though. He has some growing up to do, or maybe it’s his problem in bed, where he’s somewhat one-sided. Steve and Josh meet one crazy night when Josh breaks all the rules used to protect him from the curse. After that, he runs. If it wasn’t for Genie’s matchmaking, Josh and Steve might never see each other again. Though not yet ready for a boyfriend, Josh does need a realtor. What a good way for he and Steve to get to know each other, while Josh works up the courage to tell Steve about the curse. Still unaware of Josh’s problem, Steve falls in love with him. When Steve finds out about the curse thing, it’s a big disappointment, but he wants Josh anyway. There’s no doubt Josh is worth the wait. Maybe the curse isn’t real after all. Can lonely Josh overcome his fear of it? Can horndog Steve handle a curse? Is the answer in the ancient ring?

The Curse of Flight

His belly button called for a rub, and his balls itched. He tended to them. That’s what he needed tonight, a little me-time.


Josh went home after the show and lay in bed, where he read a new romance. He put down the book. Steve hadn’t called today. Strange. Steve always called him. Why not today? Of course, the phone worked both ways, and he could call Steve as easily as Steve could call him. It was nicer, though, from Josh’s point of view, to receive the call than to give it.


It occurred to him that this habit might cast him in a traditional gender roll, a dated definition of man and woman. Men were assertive. He was not. Though he disliked labels, it was undeniable. He picked up the phone. As assertive as the next guy, he hoped to be insertive as well. The ring stopped short with a click of his finger. He wasn’t desperate. Let Steve call him. If that guy was a top, the least he could do was call, and if he didn’t, so much the better.


Chapter 44