Title: The Gift
Author: Andrew Grey
Series: Standalone
Genre: M/M Contemporary
Publisher: Dreamspinner
Press
Release Date: Oct 12 2015
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Theatrical agent Payton Gowan meets with former
classmate—and prospective client—Beckett Huntington with every intention of
brushing him off. Beckett not only made high school a living hell for Payton,
but he was also responsible for dashing Payton’s dreams of becoming a Broadway
star.
Aspiring actor Beckett Huntington arrives in New York City
on a wing and a prayer, struggling to land his first gig. He knows scoring
Payton Gowan as an agent would be a great way to get his foot in the door. But with their history, getting the chance is
going to be a tough sell.
Against Payton’s better judgment, he agrees to give Beckett
a chance, only to discover—to his amazement—that Beckett actually does have
talent.
Payton signs him but can’t trust him—until Payton’s best
friend, Val, is attacked. When Beckett is there for him, Payton begins to see
another side to his former bully. Amidst attempts by a jealous agent out to
sabotage Beckett’s career and tear apart their blossoming love, Payton and
Beckett must learn to let go of the past if they have any chance at playing out
a future together.
“Claude would like to see you in his office,” Millie said as
she passed with an armload of files. She was Claude’s overworked assistant.
I stood and relieved her of the files, carrying them to her
desk. Then I knocked on Claude’s door before going inside. The one thing that
always surprised me about Claude’s office was that it wasn’t much bigger than
mine, just much more richly appointed, with two sculptures on the credenza
behind him and lighted abstract paintings on the walls.
“Close the door,” he said without looking up. I did as he
asked. “Since things didn’t go your way yesterday, I’ve decided to give you an
opportunity.” He lifted a small stack of files from his desk, and I stepped forward
to take them. “These are the clients of Jane’s that we will be transitioning to
you. I have already asked Millie to notify them, and you can arrange to meet
with each of them over the next few days to get acquainted.” Claude caught my
gaze. “Now these,” he said as he handed me another small stack, “are the few
people from Jane’s dog pile that I believe are worth pursuing further. Those
are working actors.” He pointed to the first stack. “These are people with
potential. The remainders are in the Seussian stack that Millie will send
letters to. Like I said, these are your challenge, especially the one on top.
He has real potential. Jane saw him in”—Claude wiggled his fingers in the
air—“something, and said he was good. Reminded her of Schwarzenegger. If it’s
too much, you can ask Garren for help.”
That guaranteed I would do whatever it took, because he knew
I would never again give Garren another chance at anything that was mine.
“Thank you.” I looked at the folders I held in my hands. I
wasn’t sure what else to say. Claude had already turned his attention back to
his desk, so I left the office, closing the door behind me. I passed Millie’s
desk—she was already sifting through the pile of files so she could send out
the “we’re sorry” letters. The woman never stopped working.
I hurried to my office and closed the door. I looked over
the call list for my new clients. I’d have to call each one and set up
appointments. Then I picked up the file for the guy Claude had shown an
interest in. I opened it and a head shot and then a name screamed out at me:
Beckett Huntington. “Son of a bitch!” I groaned, grateful the door was closed.
I was tempted to throw the file across the room. I mean,
fucking hell, it seemed I couldn’t get away from him, even though I’d moved
halfway across the country. I was not going to take on that asshole as a
client. This was my life and my chance to make something of myself, and Beckett
Huntington was not going to be a part of it. Hell, maybe I could pass the file
on to Garren. Of course that would also mean Claude would know, and I’d be in a
world of hurt. He had given me the file, after all. I smiled and set the file
aside. Maybe Mr. Huntington could just sit in my file drawer and rot. The
bastard had made my life hell for months. I sure as shit wasn’t going to do a
damn thing to help him.
My phone rang and I answered it.
“You were gone early,” Val chirped.
“And you got in very late. So much for that ‘I’m not a slut’
crap.”
Val snorted. “We stayed out, talked, lost track of time, and
I got back just after midnight, thank you very much.” There was a definite
dreamy quality to Val’s voice. “He was really nice.”
“Are you going to see him again?” I asked, playing naïve.
“We have a date for a week from Saturday. This weekend he’s
competing, and I have to work second shift at the IT help desk during the week,
but he already asked me out and said he would call me during the week just to
hear my voice.” I suspected Val was dancing around his apartment like a
ballerina at that very moment. I could almost see him. “What did you get up
to?”
“Nothing much. I had to be in the office early. I got some
new clients from Claude this morning, along with some prospects. And guess
who’s at the top of the prospect list? Think gorilla.”
“No way!” His voice was so loud I had to move the phone from
my ear. “That thing can act… well, something other than dumb?” He cackled, and
I laughed along with him. “What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I was so angry when I saw the file I nearly
tore it to shreds.” Hell, I still wanted to. I reached for it, fighting the
impulse to turn the fucking thing into confetti. “The last thing I want is to
be anywhere near that piece of shit.” I kept my voice down, but I wanted to
scream. I waited for Val to say something, but he was quiet. “What?”
“Don’t cut off your face to spite your nose, or however that
saying goes. Do you think he recognized you?”
“I doubt it. There was almost nothing behind his eyes at
all. I think his brains might have liquefied at some point. When I saw the file,
I swear I had smoke coming out of my ears.”
“Okay. Calm down and think. You have a job to do, and you’re
a good guy. Unlike me. I could throw him in the trash easy, but you’d always
wonder if you did something wrong. So meet with him. If he has real talent,
then make yourself a boatload of money off him. If he doesn’t, get his hopes up
and then dash them so you can watch him fold like a house of cards.” Val
laughed like the Grinch. “Either way, you win.”
“Remind me never to get on your bad side.” I chuckled,
feeling a little better. “I need to go.”
Talk about your
convention experience. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
I have been to a myriad of conventions over the past seven
years. Most of them have been an amazing
experience. However in that time I have been to hotels that had no idea what
they were in for. Last year the hotel at
a convention gave the organizers grief for the posters in the halls. Not that there were posters in the halls, but
that they had shirtless men on them.
What did they expect from a group of romance writers? Rainbows and unicorns? Maybe My Little Pony?
I have been to conventions in Europe that did an amazing job
their first year out. I did a tiny
convention a few years ago. There
couldn’t have been more than 50 attendees, but I still have friends form that
convention that I see all the time and completely adore. I’ve been to marge conventions and felt
completely lost in the crowd. But I do
have some advice for romance convention goers, each convention is what you make
of it. Don’t complain, just have fun and
if it’s a little dull, then make your own party and become the life of it. Everyone will remember
you and that’s the name of the game.
Andrew grew up in
western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved
to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled
throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.
Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and
leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when
writing) He considers himself blessed
with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive
and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle,
Pennsylvania.
Facebook
Group All the Way with Andrew Grey
Thank You for hosting Between Love and Loathing by Andrew Grey for your readers.
ReplyDelete