One Night Stand * Clare London

T

EDDY

rolled on to his back, panting. The mattress dipped underneath

him, the creak of the springs sounding like a moan. The bed felt very
soft; the sheets snagging under his ass were surely thicker than usual.
A muscle twitched in the dip above his left buttock and a dribble of
sweat ran down between his thighs, tickling the underside of his balls.
What a dream! It had been astonishingly vivid, immersing him
completely and waking him abruptly like this, gasping and with a
racing heart. A passionate dream, a wet dream. Dammit, wet beyond
belief! His cock nestled at his groin, half-hard with morning arousal,
and he didn’t need to touch himself to know it still throbbed from the
memory of a fierce climax, a swelling, a bursting, a filling…

His head throbbed and his wrists ached. The physical feelings

brought other memories rushing back. He’d held himself up on his
arms, muscles tensed, flesh hot and damp with sweat, and he’d driven
into the body beneath him, thrusting deeply, again and again, taking
his satisfaction for as long as it took.

“So good. So fine. Please….”

There had been fierce, ugly sounds—his—and grunts and moans

of unfettered desire. It had been his hand that had clutched the sheets
inside his fist; his fingers that had bruised the skin beneath him with
their desperate grip. It hadn’t been nonconsensual, he was sure, but
he’d barely recognized the sexual aggression released from him.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

“You. Take it. Take me! More.”

Teddy stretched his left leg out and groaned quietly. His thigh

was cramped, the muscles weary as if he’d been through a heavy
session at the office gym. It had been a while since he went there on
any regular basis, not like Marshall, his boss, who worked out most
days. Tremendous commitment, but then Marshall was determined
like that. Very assertive. Great body, too, of course. Yes. A great body.
Still very sleepy and half-aroused, Teddy felt a flush run all over his
skin.

Marshall always invited his staff team along to the gym with him,

if they wanted to take advantage of the subsidized facility. When
Teddy dropped out of the routine, Marshall had made a deliberate
effort to coax him back. Came around to his cubicle at the end of the
day and everything. Stupid thing was, Teddy thought Marshall had
looked genuinely disappointed when Teddy explained he wasn’t really
interested in going. Ridiculous, of course. Clerks like Teddy Newman
didn’t have any effect on managers like Marshall Craig,
disappointment or otherwise. Teddy had turned away, clearing his
desk, afraid that Marshall would hear Teddy’s lie in the nervous tone.
The visit wasn’t personal; of course it wasn’t. His boss was just being a
good team manager, one of his many skills, and Teddy greatly
admired Marshall for being so considerate and confident. He always
had. Admired him, that is. Teddy smiled drowsily, his thoughts hazy.
Anyway, thank God Marshall had given up on asking him after that;
he’d have run out of excuses eventually.

He stretched the right leg out as well. It was just as stiff. Dammit,

he needed something like the gym, really. His promotion to Marshall’s
team had been a great opportunity, but it’d been stressful too. In all
sorts of ways.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Dreams… laughter and satisfied smiles. Another successful deal,

the praise enthusiastic, the future plans shared. A gaze turned to him,

warm, encouraging. A lingering handshake, an arm around his
shoulders…

He’d been coming home from the office every day with tension

knotted into the muscles of his shoulders. That was bound to take its
toll on the whole of his body. Still cocooned in his half-waking state,
Teddy wrinkled his nose. Amazing how the sleeping mind could
impose such realistic physical symptoms!

Someone coughed gently. The body beside him in the bed shifted,

the springs barely acknowledging the movement.

Teddy was suddenly, totally, shockingly awake. God. Not a dream

at all!

A wave of horror washed over him. He lay as if paralyzed, trying

to calm his thudding pulse, swamped by instinctive fear. Where the
hell was he? What had happened last night? His muscles flexed,
spiking the cramp afresh, reminding him exactly what had happened.
Fierce sex: greedy and athletic. Incredibly great sex.

But with whom?

Teddy felt his whole body tense up again with self-disgust. He

hadn’t had a one night stand since he left college. It’d been tacitly
accepted in those days between young guys who were coming out
sexually yet still growing emotionally. He’d found it all desperately
exciting though confusing, too, as he started to discover what his body
liked.

Memories… young, sweaty bodies, laughs, growls, the smell of skin

that wasn’t his, the taste of seed on his fingers, still warm…

Of course, he’d been glad to leave that wild scene behind him.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Hadn’t he? Casual liaisons unnerved him. They encouraged his more…
passionate side. But didn’t he still need some attention sometimes?
Dreams weren’t all necessarily sweet, and Teddy ignored the nagging
ache inside him. It wasn’t as if he’d missed out on longer relationships,
though admittedly there hadn’t been anyone special for a long time.
But overall, it was easier and safer to show discretion, to keep himself
to himself. Like Marshall did. The man was so cool about it. Being gay.
No one ever teased him in the office like they did Teddy. Well, that
wasn’t so surprising, Marshall being such a great guy and Teddy
himself being rather, well, shy. But he wasn’t always shy, was he?
There’d been that evening a few months ago….

Teddy had an annoying itch just below his left buttock, but he

really didn’t dare reach down to scratch it. His heart was still
thumping, and he tried to quiet his breathing even more. Short of
suffocating himself, he wasn’t sure how he could. Was he going to find
suffocation a viable option?

Remember. That evening? Yes! It had been just after he joined the

company and in those days, he went to the gym after work with his
colleagues. Okay, so he’d had a couple of beers too many, he wasn’t
used to drinking much, but it had been a great evening with new
friends. He didn’t notice when the others left, but suddenly finding
himself alone with Marshall Craig had been… well, fine. Maybe he
wasn’t thinking about being nervous of his new boss right then.
Marshall had been friendly and attentive and chatted easily about his
experiences when he first came to the city. He had great advice on
places to eat and good shops, seemed to have watched a lot of the
same movies as Teddy, listened to similar music. And he hadn’t
seemed to mind when Teddy kept bumping into him as he leaned over
the bar counter. He even suggested where the better apartments could
be found, though Teddy had been embarrassed, realizing he’d been

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One Night Stand * Clare London

rambling on about the shitty little room he currently lived in, the
screaming neighbors and the homophobic landlord…. Yes, Marshall
had been astonishingly tolerant of him. Even when Teddy leaned one
time too many and spilled half his beer all over him.

God, how mortifying! The beer had splashed over Marshall’s

presumably very expensive clothes, staining his jacket and soaking his
shirt. The thin material had stuck to Marshall’s torso, showing the fine
definition of his muscles. Teddy remembered that quite vividly.
Marshall had just laughed, shrugging off his jacket, pulling the shirt
out of his jeans. He’d put a firm hand on Teddy’s arm. “No problem, it
was an accident. It’ll wash. Dammit, Teddy, don’t look so distraught.
I’ve got a clean sports shirt in my bag.” He’d gone to change, and
Teddy had looked around wildly for some help, for someone to
distract him, for—oh God—the exit! But Marshall had come back
before he could escape, smiling and looking much more relaxed in a
very smart polo shirt that tightened across his shoulders, the fabric a
green color that accentuated his eyes. Teddy remembered that quite
vividly too.

Marshall got them fresh beers, and then, after Teddy had

apologized for another hundred times, they just talked. For ages!
What the hell had got into him that night? Teddy had talked about a
whole damned lot of stuff. Being a klutz, surprising his family—and
himself—with his bold move away from his hometown, loving his new
job, loving the buzz of the city despite getting lost on the metro at least
once a week, eating too much pizza while he learned to cook for
himself, trying to find easy-build furniture for his apartment instead
of living out of packing cases. Yeah, lots of nonsense. It wasn’t like him
at all; he was usually happy to stay in the background. Most of the
details he’d since forgotten… or his nervousness had pushed them to
the back of his mind. But during the course of that evening, he’d

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One Night Stand * Clare London

discovered what good company Marshall could be. And how attractive
he was. The man’s voice was warm; his company was reassuring.
Teddy remembered thinking things were going to be really good in
the city after all.

It was only when they both got up to go home that Teddy

realized what a stupid mistake he’d made. Marshall offered him a ride
back to his apartment—it was on his route—but Teddy had started to
refuse politely. At that same moment, he’d seen a flicker of discomfort
in Marshall’s eyes. Oh God. Just how embarrassing had he been? Yes,
Marshall was gay as well, but that didn’t entitle Teddy to inflict his
loneliness and hopes on him, did it? And what was worse, Teddy
realized just how close he’d been to creating hopes that were entirely
inappropriate. Marshall was his boss, goddammit. He was just taking
pity on the new guy. Marshall Craig inevitably had a cute man at home
already, nothing like Teddy, but good-looking and witty and mature
and brilliantly successful, who probably played competitive sports
and cooked gourmet meals and could put up flat-pack furniture like
Teddy’s new bookcase with one hand tied behind his back, rather than
stabbing his thigh with the screwdriver and having to support the top
shelf with a scrunched-up cover from a men’s magazine and half a
tube of wood glue. Like Teddy had.

Anyway, Teddy couldn’t get out of the sports club fast enough

that night. Luckily, a cab had been passing right outside, and he almost
leaped through the door on to the seat. He never looked back, afraid of
the relief he might see on Marshall’s face. God, that evening had
warned him to keep things on a strictly professional footing for the
future.

The bed springs moaned again, and Teddy gritted his teeth.

He must have been stupendously evil in some former life to

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One Night Stand * Clare London

deserve this humiliation. And just how smug had he been, thinking
how well he’d managed the professional thing, at least so far. Dammit,
nowadays he was a mature, sophisticated city guy! Well, trying to be.
He hardly ever got lost on the Metro, he had a great job with recent
promotion, a small group of good friends, his own, miniscule
apartment located in one of the better areas Marshall had so kindly
identified and, oh yes, a whole bunch of grown-up financial
commitments. He wasn’t as naïve or needy, like he was in the past. Not
needy at all.

He might not be the kind of guy to parade around with rainbow

flags or draw attention to himself, but he wasn’t ashamed, either. He
was just himself, and he was determined to lead his life in a fairly
modest but rewarding way. And that meant a casual fling wasn’t for
him, not then, not now. Nothing wild, nothing out of his control. He
was sure there were plenty of men who felt the same way, if he could
just find them. It wasn’t just the sex he was looking for.

Though—oh God—that’d be good too.

The annoying itch on his leg started to burn. His fingers twitched,

desperate to reach down. Beside him, there was another cough:
someone clearing his throat as he also began to wake up.

A casual fling wasn’t for him.

Who was it?

But Teddy knew who, even as he turned his head to risk a quick

glance for confirmation. The dark curls on the pillow were very
familiar, the muscular hand outstretched above the sleeping head was
one he shook hello most mornings. Marshall. Oh God.

For a few seconds, Teddy genuinely thought he was going to

throw up. And then he realized he was ashamed, deeply and horribly.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Marshall Craig was a man who deserved his respect, who might have
become a close friend. Marshall had supported Teddy at work and
encouraged him. He’d never made a big thing of being gay. In fact, he’d
never made any move on Teddy, never subscribed to stupid jokes and
sexual innuendo like most of the other guys at the gym, never led
Teddy to believe he considered him as anything more than a colleague
with a promising career. He was discreet, just like Teddy himself.
Mature, like Teddy wanted to be.

But, dear God in heaven, it was obvious Teddy had failed in all

that, hadn’t he? And pretty spectacularly.

His cheeks burned as he tried to distract himself by recalling

where he was. The hotel. Of course. The company always provided
overnight hotel accommodation for the staff after the annual
Christmas party. Morning light seeped in under the drawn blinds, and
Teddy glanced around the room. It was small, as befitted a junior
member of the team, but it was clean and had all the refreshment
facilities and a good-sized shower room. Oh, and by the way, a big-ass
king-sized bed with a soft mattress and far better quality sheets than
Teddy could afford for himself.

Oh God.

He briefly closed his eyes. His head still throbbed painfully, and

not just from mortification. There’d been a hell of a lot of beer drunk
at the bar while they waited for the food, and then wine at the table.
He didn’t usually drink much—though how many times was he going
to say that and then proceed to make a complete ass of himself?—but
he’d been encouraged to join in the fun because of the season. All the
rules seemed to be different at Christmas. He’d been with friends and
colleagues, and they were all celebrating the end of a really good year
for the company. And Marshall had been beside him, laughing quietly

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One Night Stand * Clare London

and occasionally turning those sparkling dark eyes on Teddy like he
was really interested in what Teddy and only Teddy had to say.

Teddy groaned to himself. Now he was delusional. He tried to

slide away from Marshall, to get out of bed without disturbing
anything. But his lower body was tangled up in the sheet, and the
other end of it was trapped under Marshall’s left thigh. Teddy glanced
over again. Marshall’s naked left thigh: he’d thrust his leg out from
under the covers. Fascinated, Teddy watched the pulse twitch under
the flesh. The calf was tanned from all the time Marshall spent
outdoors in shorts. He’d occasionally told Teddy how he liked to work
on his old boat at weekends. The hairs were dark and curled around
his knee, thinning out as they ran up toward his paler hip. Then bushy
again, farther up, as they clustered around…

Teddy’s cock stirred against his own thigh, thickening. He

swallowed heavily. “Oh God” had definitely been overused this
morning, but it kept coming to mind. Things couldn’t get any worse,
could they? Self-suffocation was looking more and more attractive by
the second.

He let his head fall back on the pillow. He’d been drunk, that was

it. That was the only excuse he could think of, pathetic though it was.
He had no damned head for alcohol, but he just never learned to keep
away. Fucking Christmas parties, he thought with some venom. What a
cliché they were! He’d been looking forward to the event, because this
year his team was in the running for the “Best Campaign” staff award.
The company had hired a smart hotel in the center of town to host the
evening, and there’d been speeches and jokes from each division. He’d
even been personally mentioned a couple of times, for the success of
some of his ideas on the larger client accounts. And in the end, they
made a close second place! It had all been very exciting. He was also
excited to find that Marshall was on the same dinner table—right next

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One Night Stand * Clare London

to him, actually—and Marshall had seemed really pleased to be there
with him. He’d grasped Teddy’s arm for quite a long time when they
were all congratulating each other, thanking Teddy for all his hard
work. His eyes had been very bright and his expression rather intense.
Yeah, that had been exciting too.

Pleased? Intense? Exciting?

Teddy tried to push those thoughts away. The food had been

great, the band lively, and the wine kept on flowing. Some idiots from
Data Processing had been heavy-handed with the bottles, filling up
glasses almost before the last mouthful went down. He hadn’t stood a
chance. And the atmosphere had been so agreeable. Marshall had been
great company, had been so approachable, had looked so… well, good.

Marshall grunted in his half-sleep, and his knee nudged against

Teddy’s leg.

Teddy didn’t think it was possible to blush over the whole of

one’s body, but there wasn’t any other explanation for how hot he felt
now. Dammit, the man had looked gorgeous! He had broad shoulders,
where Teddy’s were narrow. He was graceful, where Teddy was lanky,
charming where Teddy was still nervous on these formal occasions.
Marshall’s leg had brushed up against him time and again under the
dinner table. On one occasion, he’d caught Marshall’s gaze, and they’d
laughed about it. But Marshall hadn’t moved away. In fact, he’d looked
flushed and unusually bemused. Teddy had obviously been
embarrassing the man all damned evening, when all he’d wanted to do
was please him.

And that’s where the real problem lay, wasn’t it?

Teddy groaned to himself again. Why the hell couldn’t it have

been someone else? Why couldn’t he have fallen for anyone else?
Since the day he joined the company, Teddy’s admiration of his boss

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One Night Stand * Clare London

had slowly but inexorably slid into total crush. He thought he’d kept it
well hidden, all this time: the increased heart beat when Marshall
entered the office, the delight when Marshall smiled at him or praised
something he did. The sudden, embarrassing hard-on he got
sometimes when Marshall was too close for comfort. Yes, he genuinely
thought he’d kept it under control.

So what had gone wrong last night? Too tired from late nights at

work? Too many beers? Being caught unprepared for seeing Marshall
out of the office surroundings, so blatantly hot, so totally relaxed?
Maybe he could brush this off as one of those casual sexual
misdemeanors that happened at Christmas parties that neither of
them really remembered and both wanted to forget. Maybe his
juvenile crush was still a secret. Maybe…

His own words—harsh, urgent whispers—echoed in his

memory. “You. Take it. Take me! More.”

Oh yeah, things could get much worse.

Marshall shifted again on the bed, blowing out gently through

pursed lips, stirring the hair that had tangled up around his ear. Teddy
stared at that hair, watching it brush gently with each breath against
Marshall’s lightly stubbled jaw. He tried to tear his gaze away. Okay,
so none of this was offering up a decent defense, was it? The only hope
he had left was to blame the champagne.

A large bottle had arrived late in the evening on their table. Most

of the other guys were away, either at the bar or dancing and mingling
with other colleagues. Teddy and Marshall were the last two left
sitting. The waiter explained it was a gift from Secret Santa; he’d
grinned as he told them, enjoying the joke. Teddy didn’t know much
about these things, but it looked like a very expensive brand.
Privately, he thought they’d received it by mistake, but he wasn’t

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One Night Stand * Clare London

going to turn it down. He and Marshall poured themselves a glass and
chinked their glasses together in a self-conscious toast.

“Happy Christmas, Teddy,” Marshall said. “Here’s to a great year

and an even better time in the next.” His voice had sounded a bit
hoarse, which Teddy blamed on the late hour and having to shout
conversation over the sound of the band. He’d nodded in return,
guiltily letting his fingers trail over Marshall’s as they held the glasses
together. The champagne tasted extraordinarily delicious, a rare treat
for him! He’d savored it on his tongue, letting its fruity aroma and
sparkling beauty seduce his senses. But it was obviously far stronger
than he realized. By the time he poured himself another glass,
Marshall had been leaning against him, a strong arm across his
shoulders, a warm hip brushing against his own.

And then what? His mind raced, his memories tumbling

suddenly past as if they’d been freed from Pandora’s Box. The
elevator; the corridor; the room; the bed.

Fierce sex: greedy and athletic.

Teddy clamped his eyes shut again. God, God, no! He daren’t look

at Marshall again. He was no child, thinking that if he couldn’t see, he
couldn’t be seen. But he could hope for a Christmas miracle, couldn’t
he?

The body beside him yawned, a definite waking-up noise.

Teddy’s heart sank. No, no miracle for him. He wasn’t a child, he

knew that, and he was stupid to think he wouldn’t have to face the
consequences of what he’d done. Miserably, he clenched his fists at his
sides. To hell with it. So he’d been supremely, stunningly stupid, but
he’d be honest with it. Marshall deserved that from him, at least. He
opened his eyes and looked over at the other side of the bed.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Dark eyes looked back at him from under a clear brow and

tousled brown hair. Marshall had rolled over on to his side and was
staring at him. Teddy couldn’t help but ogle: the sheet covered very
little of Marshall’s naked body. A bead of sweat glistened in the hollow
of his throat and small, pebbled nipples jutted out from the dark hairs
on his chest. His upper leg was bent over the lower one, but Teddy’s
gaze could still follow the trail of hair down over his belly to the nest
at his groin. And there rested Marshall’s cock, half-aroused and
promisingly thick, lying comfortably on his thigh…

Teddy tried to look away. He really did, but it just didn’t work.

He had no idea what to say. Any apology would sound insincere. Any
excuse, trite. His gaze flickered over the flushed skin of his bedmate;
he felt lustful excitement clench in his groin, and he was disgusted
with himself, all over again.

“I’ll go,” he said. He wondered if he could somehow get out of bed

without exposing his swollen dick, thickening with every glimpse of
Marshall, with every sound he made even in sleep, with the very smell
of his skin. Teddy didn’t know where the hell he’d left his pants or
where his socks were. How could he worry about such mundane
things? This was all a living nightmare.

“Teddy?”

He was struck dumb, just staring longingly at Marshall’s mouth.

Couldn’t help himself, could he? He’d wanted to know what that
mouth tasted like, since… well, since that night in the bar, when
Marshall had chatted and smiled and occasionally licked his lips
without realizing he was doing things to Teddy that had no place in
the staff induction manual. Those lips were now damp with saliva,
dark red and ragged in the corner where someone had bitten through
the flesh. Oh God. That hadn’t been him, surely?

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One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy.” The mouth twitched gently, as if Marshall had some

idea of the agonizing thoughts tumbling around in Teddy’s mind and
found them amusing. He certainly didn’t look in pain. “It’s your room,
remember? If anyone should go, it should be me.” His voice was
slower than usual, still sleepy. “But I wasn’t planning on it just yet. Did
you want me to?”

Teddy just continued to stare. He realized how much he loved

the familiar sound of Marshall’s voice. Very soft but very clear. Rich in
so many ways. Laughing with him, talking through work problems,
agreeing about things. Murmuring in his ear in the dark…

Marshall yawned and his bare torso stretched up out of the

sheet. “Sorry, I’m pretty tired.”

Teddy flushed so hotly he could feel the heat rising up his neck in

waves. “No! I mean… I’m the one should say sorry. Don’t go. I mean, I
don’t want you to go. But you should. I should. I mean….” What did he
mean?

“What’s wrong?”

He wondered where the hell he’d start. To admit he’d behaved

like some horny teenager and Marshall had been the unfortunate
victim of his lust? That he’d abused a friendship he’d secretly hoped
would be more? That he’d never intended to act on that hope, not until
Hell proverbially froze over? Teddy had never realized that
humiliation could be so sharp or so painful. “I’m… I behaved
appallingly. You don’t… you didn’t deserve that.”

Marshall was silent for a moment, just watching him. He was

frowning, the skin creasing above his nose. Teddy felt the slow chill of
sweat cooling on his body, and his limbs still ached. He wanted to pull
the sheet up to his chin, to cover himself completely, but knew what a
ridiculous gesture that would be. And pointless, now.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy.” It wasn’t a question or even annoyance. In fact, Teddy

had never heard his name in Marshall’s voice in quite that way.
Marshall shifted again, moving even nearer. Teddy could feel the heat
radiating from the other body; he could feel Marshall’s hand wavering
around Teddy’s hip, like he wanted to draw him closer. Teddy’s
reawakening desire begged for another touch. Another? He tensed up,
hating himself and his traitorous libido in equal measure. “Don’t!”

Marshall’s frown deepened. He lifted his hand away, holding the

palm upward, as if placating. “It’s okay. Teddy, calm down.”

How could he? This was what he’d always dreaded. Dammit, this

was why he’d given up going to the gym! Not so easy to keep lust
under control when the subject of it stripped off his damp, sweaty
shirt in front of you, threw you a towel, and nodded you into the
shower alongside him. And he’d definitely avoided being left alone
again with Marshall after a game, when he was tired and relaxed but
the adrenaline still hummed along his nerve endings. God knew what
other intimacies he might have shared on later evenings. What illicit
needs he may have let slip. His passionate side just couldn’t be trusted.

Marshall gave a soft, impatient sigh. His breath was warm, the

touch of it on Teddy’s shoulder a sexually charged caress. Yes, Teddy
admitted to himself, this was also what he’d dreamed of. And the
conflict had gradually become agony. Tension across his shoulders
after a day in the office with Marshall Craig was the least of his
problems.

The man beside him shifted as if getting more comfortable.

Teddy hoped to God he hadn’t said anything out loud. “Look, Marshall.
I’m just so very… sorry.” It didn’t sound any more satisfactory than
before. When Marshall lifted his hand again, Teddy tried not to flinch
away. But Marshall didn’t touch him. Instead, he pushed his tousled

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One Night Stand * Clare London

hair away from his forehead and moistened his lips.

“You don’t need to apologize.” He spoke slowly and carefully in

that soft, rich voice. “I think that you behaved….” He smiled then, so
slightly that Teddy wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been staring at
his mouth with hopeless fascination. “You behaved superbly.”

Teddy stared. “I shouldn’t have.” Dammit, he sounded like some

school boy now.

An unidentifiable emotion flickered in Marshall’s eyes. “You

didn’t want to?”

Teddy flushed even more. His cock stirred between his legs, hot

and heavy.

Marshall smiled more broadly. He must have seen the sheets

shift at Teddy’s hips. “Thank God for that.”

What the hell did he mean? Teddy was awash with an irrational

fury. The rest of his memories of the previous evening chose that
moment to return, flooding in, vivid and sensual. His head started to
ache again, the pain stabbing insistently at his temples. He recalled
sitting at the dinner table, crowds of people around but only one man
of interest, for him at least. He remembered the lights on the huge,
artificial Christmas tree in the corner of the room reflecting in the
pupils of Marshall’s eyes; the music from the band loud but indistinct,
just a sound in the background of their conversation. The smell of
Marshall’s cologne; the frisson of champagne bubbles on his tongue.
“Look, I don’t really know what happened.”

Marshall raised an eyebrow. He stretched out his arm along the

mattress. “You don’t?”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “Dammit, of course… well, of course I

know that. I just mean… at dinner.”

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Marshall looked at him steadily for a few more moments. “When

the band was packing up for the night, you touched me, under the
table. You put your hand on my leg.”

Teddy felt the muscles of his thighs tighten up, trying to pull his

legs together. “It might have been a clumsy accident - reaching for my
napkin.”

Marshall nodded but still smiled, as if he knew the game Teddy

was playing. “Yes? But you slid it down between my thighs.”

Oh God.

“You leaned in and whispered to me, ‘We should leave right

away.’” Marshall’s voice was breathy, hoarse. “We left the dining room
together, your hand in the small of my back, guiding me in the
direction of our floor. We took the elevator. You said you didn’t want
to take time up the stairs.”

Teddy recalled the muted lights, the seductive atmosphere of the

hotel elevator: its richly padded walls, the mirrored surfaces from
ceiling to waist height. He remembered standing close to Marshall,
watching in the mirrors the way his eyes widened, staring over
Marshall’s shoulder. He’d been breathing very heavily. There’d been
no need to stand so close; there were no other passengers.

“You laughed a lot. We laughed a lot.” The skin around Marshall’s

eyes crinkled when he smiled. He pushed the hair back off his
forehead again, the muscles flexing under his arm. Teddy couldn’t take
his eyes off them. Off any of it.

“Your room was nearer. That’s what you said.” Marshall’s voice

was lower, softer. “You kissed me in the corridor, Teddy. Up against
the wall. God. You held me tightly and you kissed me.”

Teddy couldn’t pretend he didn’t remember now. His feelings

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One Night Stand * Clare London

were as sharp as if he were still there, in the deeply carpeted corridor,
a few feet from the door to his hotel room. Pushing Marshall against
the wall, hard enough to make a nearby painting of a historical
maritime scene shudder in its frame. Not caring if anyone saw them or
if anyone was scandalized. Such fierce kisses, pressed on to Marshall’s
mouth again and again as if a dam had broken inside him, the
astonishing, beautiful, sweet taste of Marshall’s lips. The sudden rush
of desire that consumed him, burning his throat, blurring his eyes.
He’d felt the swollen shape of his cock press against Marshall’s groin,
and all he’d wanted was to have more of it, of him, of the man he’d
admired for so long and desired for only slightly less.

“Shit. Marshall.” Teddy felt his whole body wracked with misery

and horror. Had that really been him?

Marshall pulled the sheet back up to his waist. He moved

reluctantly, slowly. He hadn’t taken his gaze off Teddy all the time he
was speaking, and his eyes had darkened. “It was so damned fine. Kiss
me again, Teddy.”

“Don’t mock me!” Teddy snapped, hot and angry with fear of

himself. He’d humiliated them both, of course! It was all too, too clear.
The time between unlocking the door to his room and thrusting
Marshall’s naked thighs apart on the bed had been a matter of
minutes. He’d barely loosened him enough, barely spoken a word of
request before taking what he’d wanted all evening. No, strike that,
what he’d wanted for months. The time for hypocrisy was past.
Perhaps his job was too. And more tragically, so was his friendship
with Marshall.

He swallowed hard and said, “You’d better go. I made a hideous

mistake.”

But Marshall made no move to go. Instead, he spread his hand on

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One Night Stand * Clare London

the tangled sheet beneath them both, looking down at his lean fingers.
“I’m not mocking you. I don’t know how you can think that. After last
night—”

“But it’s not just that, is it?”

Marshall didn’t look up but somehow, Teddy felt that his eyes

were still staring at him. “What is it, then?”

“It’s what I did. How.” Don’t make me say it aloud, he silently

pleaded. Don’t make me remember.

Marshall did look back up then, and Teddy was startled by the

sudden flare of anger in his eyes. “Stop that.”

How could he stop anything? He’d already done the damage. “I

all but attacked you. I was like an animal!”

“Yes, you were.” Marshall’s smile was lopsided, as if he didn’t

know whether to laugh or grimace. “And you know what? You were
magnificent. Strong. Greedy.”

Teddy was shocked at the description. “But I’ve never been like

that in my life.” Had he? No… never. No one had ever made him feel so
desperate, so out of control. “I’d drunk too much. That champagne gift,
the stupid thing from Secret Santa, or whatever they call it. Something
in it went to my head—”

“I said, stop it!” Marshall’s tone was sharp. “I only drank a glass

of it. You barely finished your second. Don’t look for blame where
there is none.”

Blame? Teddy was momentarily speechless.

“Isn’t that what you meant?” Marshall pulled himself up on an

elbow so that he leaned over Teddy, and the sheet slipped down his
body again. “You didn’t want it? You didn’t enjoy it? The champagne

20

One Night Stand * Clare London

made me do it?”

Teddy stared up at him. He was painfully aware of Marshall’s

bare skin against his own and the muscles of Marshall’s leg pressing
against his. He could feel hot breath on his face, and his body was
stirring in eager response. “My God, no,” he gasped, honesty spilling
from him on waves of desire. “I wanted it—too, too much! I wanted
you. I always have. I enjoyed you.” He turned his head away, half-
closing his eyes again, to shut it all out. “Don’t you see? That’s the
problem. I used you.”

There was a moment’s silence. The bed dipped and Marshall

moved away at last. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the
mattress. He was going, just like Teddy had told him to. What did I
expect?

He never expected to hear Marshall laugh, even though the

sound was shaky. He was still sitting on the bed. “And I thought we
used each other.”

“What?”

“Did I say no, Teddy? Was I too drunk on champagne? Did it look

like I didn’t enjoy it?”

“No.” Teddy felt relief trickling through his misery. “No, of course

not. I’d never have done anything you didn’t want.” What’s more, he
knew without doubt that was true.

Marshall still had his back to him. “So, it was between the two of

us. Consenting adults. No apologies needed, no guilt.”

Teddy bit his lip. “But I took you. I never asked. I never….” His

whole body burned again with embarrassment. Was he really talking
about top and bottom with Marshall? His head dropped, and he
actually started to draw up his knees, trying to curl into a ball under

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One Night Stand * Clare London

the sheet. “Marshall, I don’t know what you like, where you want to be
touched, whether you wanted me inside you or not. I didn’t… I can’t
remember asking permission. Asking anything.” A further, horrific
thought struck him. “Condoms! Oh, dear God. Did I…? We…?”

Marshall twisted back, the mattress bouncing under him, and he

grabbed Teddy’s arm. “Teddy, stop it, I said. Teddy? Look at me.” His
voice thickened. “Properly, goddammit!”

Teddy snapped his head back up, startled.

Marshall looked very flushed too. “Before you panic any more, I

can tell you it’s okay. You went on and on about using a condom. Not
that you had one on you, but that was why you were so insistent. You
wanted me, you said. You really wanted me. But nothing more than
kissing and touching, not without protection.”

Teddy let out a sigh of relief. But his dream…?

Marshall was still talking, quickly, as if he didn’t dare let Teddy

interrupt. “You know, I don’t know what you like, either. You’re good
fun to be with, but you seem very private too. Enthusiastic and hard-
working, but also sensitive about what to say and do. I really like that
combination. Well, to be honest, I really like you. When I first met you,
I hoped….” He shook his head. He looked annoyed with himself. “Well,
it was just that once, when I felt you opened up to me. In the bar that
night at the gym, I don’t expect you remember. I had a great time with
you until I stepped over the line, offering you a ride home. I was too
obvious, dammit. I’d assumed far too much, just on the strength of our
friendship.”

“Marshall?”

He didn’t seem to hear. “And after that, you pulled away again.

There was no way I wanted to lose you as a friend or make you feel

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One Night Stand * Clare London

uncomfortable at work. But I assumed you didn’t want any other
attention from me, that I’d offended you in that way, somehow.
Pushed things too quickly, too far.” He shrugged and looked away.
Teddy watched the movement, Marshall’s whole body seemed
resigned, disappointed. “I didn’t know what else to do. It’s… well, it’s
not always easy, getting to know a guy. Letting him know I’m
interested. I’m out of practice, you see. Always so busy at work,
whatever.” He bit his lip. “Who am I fooling? I’m just crap at it.”

Teddy stared at him. He didn’t really understand what he was

hearing.

“Then, last night.” Marshall smiled, a little sadly. “Hell, you were

a different man! You were much more relaxed; you actually seemed to
want my company. That speech you made when you collected the
second-place award—”

“I did?” Teddy felt nauseous.

Marshall nodded. “Just a few words, I know, and I was only sorry

people weren’t really listening. But you were confident and witty
and… you smiled right at me.”

“I did.” Teddy nodded to himself. His cheeks felt like they glowed.

“I was going to confess I changed the seating plan so I was sat

next to you, but by then you didn’t seem to mind anyway. You did put
your hand on my knee, you know. Couple of times, actually; I’d
thought the first one was a mistake, like you said. It felt so good.” He
groaned, softly. “It was just… look, if there’s any blame here, some of
it’s mine.”

“Tell me,” Teddy said. It didn’t sound like his voice at all. It

sounded suspiciously like an order.

“I was stupid, I know. I was indiscreet at a company event.

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One Night Stand * Clare London

Taking advantage of my position as your boss, I’m sure some people
would say.” Marshall shook his head again. He bent down and picked a
sock up off the floor, but he didn’t do anything with it, just sat on the
bed beside Teddy, nursing it absentmindedly on his thigh and not
meeting Teddy’s gaze. “Look, to be totally honest, I was the one guided
us into the bedroom. When you pushed me against the wall in the
corridor, I was pulling you just as much, thrusting my tongue down
your throat. When you fumbled with the key card, I just grabbed it out
of your hand and let us in.” He made a sound of strangled protest.
“Don’t you remember? I was the one broke the zipper of your pants,
pulling them off so fast.”

So good. So fine. Please…

Teddy’s memory supplied the other details. The door slamming

shut behind them, locking out the rest of the hotel. The sound of
Marshall’s panting, the thudding of his own heart beat in his ears. He
couldn’t remember turning on any lights in the room. Instead, he’d
held Marshall close in the dim moonlight, enough illumination
sneaking through the blinds to see and feel flesh and desire, watching
his own excitement reflected in Marshall’s pupils. Had he realized that
was what he was seeing at the time? He recalled their harsh, urgent
breathing, the clumsy struggle to get his clothes off fast enough, his
desperate need to get Marshall equally naked. His first touch of
Marshall’s skin, hot and smooth down his muscled back, the dark,
crinkled hairs on his chest. His impatience as he pushed Marshall back
on to the bed, creasing the smart bedspread, sending the ornamental
cushions tumbling onto the floor. The fierce grip of his fingers as he
reached for Marshall’s legs, pushing them apart, watching Marshall’s
cock bob up from his groin, thickening against his belly, trailing soft,
sticky pre-come against both his and Teddy’s hairs. Wriggling
between Marshall’s legs, panting, pushing, possessing….

24

One Night Stand * Clare London

“Teddy?” Marshall looked quite pale. Teddy didn’t think he’d

ever seen his boss nervous before. “I was the one who had the
condoms, wasn’t I? I don’t know what the hell you thought of me.
Think of me. I told you I didn’t expect to use them. I had no
expectations at all. Just… hope, one day. Stupid, I know.”

Something eased inside Teddy; relief washed over him. The

excitement he’d felt the night before was suddenly far more important
than his embarrassment. It swelled inside him again, a strong,
stimulating feeling. “You’re not stupid,” he said quietly. “I’ve never
thought you were. Far from it, in fact.”

Marshall still looked uncertain. “But you think I should go…?”

“No,” Teddy said. He thought he sounded far more assertive than

he felt. “Please don’t.”

Marshall’s expression was still wary, but he slowly lowered his

naked body back on to the bed. “This is okay?”

“Of course it is,” Teddy said quickly. Damned right it was!

Marshall wasn’t bothering to keep anything covered. His leg brushed
against Teddy’s hip as he wriggled to get comfortable. The sheets
shifted even farther on Teddy’s lap, but he didn’t bother trying to grab
them back. He liked the way Marshall’s gaze ran down his body. In
fact, he realized he wanted to give the man something more to look at.
Much more.

Marshall cleared his throat. His eyes flickered from Teddy’s torso

to his face. His pupils looked a little dilated. “You didn’t offend me or
bully me in any way at all, you know.”

Teddy flushed. “Well, I don’t know. That’s the problem. I don’t

know anything at all, about most things.”

Marshall made a soft sound of protest. “That’s nonsense. If you

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One Night Stand * Clare London

only realized—”

“You don’t have to patronize me.”

“I’m not!” Marshall made a noise of frustration, half under his

breath. He tugged the sheet away from Teddy’s waist, and the fabric
slipped on to the floor, exposing the whole of his body. Marshall
stretched out his hand and stroked at Teddy’s thigh, and Teddy
moaned, unable to stop the pleasure shuddering through him. “You
see?” Marshall’s eyes were very bright. “I know you like this because
when I do it, you make that sound. God, that sound… it drove me wild
last night. You don’t turn away: your body reaches for me. I know
neither of us knows much about the other, at least not intimately. But
this is how we find out about each other, by being there. By trying.”
His voice shook. “If that’s what you want.”

He ran his hand across Teddy’s legs, trailing along the line of the

muscle. Teddy felt his cock jerk up, swelling even more, jutting out
from his groin. His back arched instinctively, and he gasped, an
incoherent, needy sound. Marshall moved again, closer this time with
his mouth back at Teddy’s ear, whispering, his words urgent, his voice
hoarse. “It’s what I want, Teddy. You took charge last night, and it was
fabulous. You made me come so hard, and it was the best time I can
remember. I came twice. My dick aches just from the memory of it.
You sucked me off, and then you fucked me, my dear Teddy, and it was
magnificent.”

“Good God.” Teddy’s body was alive again with desire and need.

He’d never been so aroused before, never heard anyone tell him such
things.

“But more than that, I wanted you,” Marshall’s voice continued,

lapping across Teddy’s nerves, following the path of the man’s
fingertip caresses. “I wanted you, and I have done for months. Do you

26

One Night Stand * Clare London

believe me? I still want you, Teddy. It’s all okay. This is just the
beginning.”

In that moment, Teddy knew just how much he wanted Marshall

in return. He turned his head so that his lips brushed Marshall’s cheek,
and he traced a kiss on the browned flesh. His ran appreciatively
down Marshall’s body, and he reached to pull himself closer. But
sudden shock made him pause.

“I hurt you!” Teddy blurted it out. He couldn’t make it sound any

less terrible, could he? He’d seen the dark discoloration on the taut
skin of Marshall’s hip. Shit. He’d never raised a hand to anyone in sex
play, never marked them. And to do that to Marshall, of all people….

Marshall growled from deep in his throat. “For God’s sake. Don’t

be afraid of this. That’s not how I see you; that’s not how you truly are.
Do you really think that’s all it’d take to hurt me? You have no idea.”

Teddy flushed. “No, I think we’ve both established that.”

Marshall leant over him, kissing him firmly, sucking Teddy’s

words into his mouth and making them sound more like moans.
“Magnificent,” he whispered. “But sometimes you’re a fool, Teddy
Newman.”

“Yes,” Teddy muttered back. “I think I am.”

“But I like that in a man.” Marshall’s whispered laugh tickled its

way across Teddy’s throat. “Give it a chance, Teddy. Us. Will you?”

Teddy swallowed heavily. He thought please might sound even

more needy, but he couldn’t remember now why he’d ever wanted to
leave all that neediness behind.

“So how do you feel about it?” Marshall was kissing the edge of

his mouth. He was panting lightly.

27

One Night Stand * Clare London

“It?”

Marshall pulled himself up on his arms, gazing down at Teddy.

His groin nudged against Teddy’s, pressing their cocks together. “I
want us to fuck again. And maybe again after that. I want to use you,
and you must use me. We can set our own rules.” He bent down and
nipped at Teddy’s shoulder, just a little too hard to be playful.

Teddy felt the thrill run all the way down his body. “That sounds

damned good.”

“Do you mean it?”

Teddy felt that rush of excitement and relief again. “Oh God, yes.”

He reached up and tugged Marshall down for a kiss. Dammit, the taste
was as good as he remembered. Better than the dream. Better than…
He pulled back suddenly. “Ugh. Morning breath. Marshall, God, after
the champagne and everything—”

“Shut up. I’m probably no better. You think I’m letting go of you

now?” Marshall laughed and pushed back against him, his tongue
sliding once again into Teddy’s mouth. Teddy didn’t think the morning
breath thing was any problem at all. Actually, he didn’t think much
about anything at that moment, he was too busy feeling good. He
tightened his arms around Marshall and felt the warm pressure of the
other man’s cock against his thigh.

Marshall grunted. “You don’t want me to fetch the rest of the

bottle, do you? It won’t taste too good by now, though you carried it
all the way up here with us last night.”

“Did I?” Teddy felt a bubble of laughter in his throat. “A gift from

Secret Santa, they said.”

“Don’t tell me you still believe in Santa?”

“I believe in anything or anyone that brings me a gift like this,”

28

One Night Stand * Clare London

Teddy said quite simply.

Marshall stilled in his arms. “Dear God,” he said very quietly.

“You’re no fool at all.”

Teddy nuzzled his face against the crook of Marshall’s neck.

Excitement was coiling deep in his belly again, goose bumps running
along his skin. “Marshall, did you order the champagne for us?” For
me?

But Marshall shook his head. “I wish I had. To treat you, of

course. But also, if I’d known the effect it’d have on you….”

Teddy laughed. “Maybe we’ll never know where it came from. Or

maybe it was Santa.” When Marshall rolled his eyes, Teddy leaned up
and whispered in his ear, “You said you had condoms. Plural?”

Marshall moaned. His eyes sparkled in anticipation. “Yes. A

couple left.”

Teddy frowned. “I expect total honesty from a senior manager,

you know.”

Marshall flushed. “Maybe more than a couple.”

“Good. I’ll need them,” Teddy replied. A fierce kind of power

flowed through him, mixing up the sexual thrill of Marshall in his bed
with the delight of just being with Marshall, with their familiarity.
Their banter. Their bodies. “But first… about that morning breath
business. I could do with it someplace else.”

Marshall chuckled, pushed Teddy on to his back, and wriggled

his way down the bed. Teddy groaned when Marshall’s mouth slid
over his cock. Groaned loudly. But he wasn’t going to worry about the
fact he’d never made much noise during sex before. Why the hell
should he? Especially when Marshall’s lips tightened on him, his
tongue dragging up and down the shaft. Hot and rough, licking over

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One Night Stand * Clare London

the slit and then down again. His teeth grazed Teddy but only very
slightly; his lips tugged at the curled hairs at the base of his dick.
Teddy’s dream flickered to life in his mind again, but this time it was
so much better. He could appreciate and savor the passion that spiked
in his belly, uncurling itself as if it had been sleeping but was now
wide awake and demanding its due. It was just like those wild old
days when he’d been at college…

But yes, oh God, so much better!

Marshall was breathing very heavily. He continued to suck, and

he slid his hand under Teddy’s ass, his fingers caressing the sensitive
skin of his taint. One fingertip dragged along a thin, soft trail of saliva,
dampening him. “Teddy….”

“No.” Teddy spoke quietly but firmly. As Marshall’s eyes

widened, he steeled his voice even further. “Roll over for me.” He met
Marshall’s gaze. “If that’s what you want.”

The flush on Marshall’s face and the sudden flame of need in his

eyes was fabulous to see. Teddy rolled Marshall over on to his belly,
enjoying the sound of his soft moans. He spread open Marshall’s legs
and settled on his knees between them. When Marshall arched up his
hips, Teddy ran his mouth down the line of the man’s spine. Sleep-
flushed skin, warm and salty. He prised open Marshall’s buttocks,
licking carefully down between them, where the smell was hot and
masculine and the sparse hairs tickled his nose.

“Oh God, Teddy.”

Teddy laughed. That was his line, surely? Marshall gasped and

groaned as Teddy’s tongue flickered around his puckered entrance.
His outstretched arm fumbled with things on the bedside table and
flicked a condom package on to the bed. A bottle of massage oil
followed, settling by Teddy’s knee, the hotel crest displayed on the

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One Night Stand * Clare London

front.

This is just the beginning.

“Please,” Marshall whispered.

Teddy was physically tired. He was also emotionally drained and

still a little confused, but he was fiercely aroused again. He rolled on
the condom and slicked himself up, then slid an arm under Marshall’s
belly and pulled his hips toward him. Marshall braced himself and
spread his legs apart for Teddy to move closer. Teddy pushed into his
new lover, the sensations familiar from the night before, yet fresh
with the promise of the new morning. And hopefully so many more to
come.

“I won’t break, Teddy,” Marshall whispered. “Don’t hold back.”

Teddy had no intention of it. “I think I’ve had enough of talking

now,” he grunted. “Be quiet and let me find out what else Secret Santa
has for me.”

Marshall gasped, and his gorgeous body shuddered with

anticipation, his ass tightening around Teddy.

You’re no fool at all, he’d said.

Whether he was a fool or not, Teddy thought fleetingly, it didn’t

really matter. Because he was a needy, greedy, damned happy one.

Oh God, yes!

31

Got

Mistletoe Madness?

The Dreamspinner Press 2009 Advent Calendar is available at

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com.

C

LARE

L

ONDON

took her pen name from the city where she lives,

loves, and writes. A lone, brave female in a frenetic, testosterone-
fueled family home, she juggles her writing with the weekly wash,
waiting for the far distant day when she can afford to give up her day
job as an accountant.

She’s written in many genres and across many settings, with novels
and short stories published both online and in print. She says she likes
variety in her writing while friends say she’s just fickle, but as long as
both theories spawn good fiction, she’s happy. Most of her work
features male/male romance and drama with a healthy serving of
physical passion, as she enjoys both reading and writing about strong,
sympathetic, and sexy characters.

Clare currently has several novels sulking at that tricky chapter three
stage and plenty of other projects in mind… she just has to find out
where she left them in that frenetic, testosterone-fueled family home.

Visit Clare’s web site at http://www.clarelondon.co.uk and her blog at
http://clarelondon.livejournal.com/.

One Night Stand ©Copyright Clare London, 2009

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of
the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any
means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal
prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally
loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the
express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact
Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
December 2009

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-324-7