Change comes to all of us. For Theo Bascopolis, the first time is when he's fifteen. He finds his life falling apart when his father discovers Theo is gay and orders him to become straight or leave. Having no choice, in spite of what his father might think, Theo leaves. But where can a fifteen-year-old go? Especially when it starts to rain. He thinks things are looking up when he meets a striking man named Franky, who seems very attracted to him. However, once again Theo's life changes when he learns all Franky wants is for him to hustle. And so Theo becomes the rent boy Sweetcheeks. However, Franky underestimates Sweetcheeks, and the results of the ensuing fight sees Sweetcheeks fleeing to Washington DC, where he crosses paths with a group of rent boys who take him in. Finally Sweetcheeks has a family, a home, and an additional source of income in the form of apartments they're able to rent out. His life changes again a few years later when a mysterious tenant by the name of Mark Vincent becomes the reason behind the assault on one of Sweetcheeks's boys. Vincent visits the boy in the hospital, bringing with him his equally enigmatic trainee, William Matheson. The instant attraction blindsides Sweetcheeks. In spite of knowing love isn't for rent boys, he hopes Matheson can see beyond the body he's offered to so many. But Matheson has secrets of his own. Can Sweetcheeks overcome his insecurities enough to believe in the quiet man who's come into his life? Can Matheson keep his actual occupation a secret without it jeopardizing their budding relationship?

Pick Up the Pieces

“Theo. Theo.” He ran a hand through and over my hair.


“What…” I swallowed. Franky would only have been in his early forties. If he hadn’t died because I’d stabbed him…. “What was the cause of death?”


“Terminal stupidity, from what I could gather. One of the boys told me another pimp—I didn’t get the name, but he was supposed to be a big guy, nasty disposition—lost patience with Franky and had him offed.”


Haskell. It had to be Haskell. He’d pretty much run things in that section of town, and that sounded like something he would do. The man had scared me when I’d first seen him, and that had been from a distance. I couldn’t see his disposition getting any sweeter in the ensuing twelve years. I took a deep breath, then took another one and licked my lips.


“I should have told you…” Wills was back to rubbing my back. “I was going to, but then I got that message on my answering machine and it made me so crazy everything else went right outof my head. Are you okay?”


Chapter 93