Handsome Film Stars and Brooding Directors
Hi Wendy, and thanks for having me here again! The Gin & Jazz series is set in the prohibition era of Hollywood, but it wasn’t just gin that was prohibited. Men seeking the company of another man had to be extra careful not to be caught, despite the looser atmosphere of the Celluloid Kingdom. Pansy clubs were one of the ways gay men could meet one another.
Not much different than the secretive speakeasies where the general public hankering for a gin martini or a brandy smash might go for an evening’s entertainment – complete with said Jazz – pansy clubs had the distinction of being strictly for men only. As the liquor flowed, so did the carousing, and it wasn’t unheard of for men to avail themselves of a dark corner. It was safer than being caught somewhere less understanding.
In Casting Call (Gin & Jazz 6), impossibly handsome film star, Will Carmichael, is holding a torch for the brooding and intense director, André Chenard. There was an initial spark of interest from André, but Will’s nerves derailed the encounter. Now André will have nothing to do with him. Despondent of ever catching the director’s eye again, Will decides to take his fun however he can get it, and forget about romance for a while. On a side note, this is a standalone story, so it’s not necessary to read all the other installments first. Although, if you like this one, you may want to *wink*. The following excerpt takes place at the pansy club:
The bartender handed him the double shot he’d ordered. He downed half of it and it went straight to his head. An older man of perhaps forty sat down next to him. His wavy brown hair was similar to Andre’s and he also chose not to wear pomade. But the thing that really struck Will was the glasses. They weren’t exactly the same—they were tortoiseshell—but the look was similar.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Oliver was well in hand—Leonard had arrived. It was clear that they only had eyes for one another—Will would be nothing but an annoyance, an interloper.
In his peripheral vision, he noted that the stranger was eyeing him. A funny, swimmy feeling had permeated his entire body from the alcohol. He felt his cock twitch at the thought of it encased in a man’s warm, wet mouth. Perhaps this man?
“Is this your first time here?”
The stranger needed to work on his opening approach, but Will’s hardening dick was feeling charitable. Will turned towards him.
“Lord, no. Although I’ve been rather absent of late.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Family obligations and all that. But now here I am, ready to make the most of my evening.”
Will held the man’s gaze as he raised his glass, then took another healthy swallow. The stranger narrowed his eyes at Will.
“My God. You’re Will Carmichael.”
“Ah, yes, that I am. And you are?”
“Richard. Richard Petersen.”
Will waved his drink at Richard in acknowledgement then knocked the rest of it back. There was a curl at the corners of Richard’s mouth.
“Now that you mention it, I was hoping to make the most of my evening too.”
It was still early and Will had no intention of leaving the club right away with a stranger. However, since he was feeling particularly adventurous for a change, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t find somewhere private to dally.
Will leaned in and spoke next to Richard’s ear. “Shall we enjoy another cocktail or two before the band begins?”
His potential playmate raised his eyebrows once Will had settled back on the stool.
“And once the band begins, what is it that you propose?”
There had been times when Will had been more brazen than others, but never had he jumped straight to the heart of the matter. He enjoyed drawing the experience out, letting his hopeful lover chase him around, work to convince Will that they should tryst. The only time he ever went right to the finish was at the end of the night when he spotted someone he already knew. Like Geoffrey.
He winked at his admirer. Thoughts of the dreadful night with Geoffrey did nothing to spur him on, so he signalled to the bartender. Once the man had poured him another drink, he leaned in to Richard once again.
“I propose that we help one another make this as pleasurable an evening as possible. Perhaps in one of the darkened corners, behind a screen?”
Richard chuckled. “My, aren’t you the coy one?” He lowered his voice and got very close to Will. “Well, I propose we go there now. I have a friend waiting. He could finger you while I suck you off. Would you like that, Will?”
Will gulped, the heat in the room beginning to get to him. He had never been with more than one man at a time. He had never attended any of the orgiastic lavender romps that were so popular amongst the gay crowd, nor had he entertained more than one man in an evening. Richard placed his hand on Will’s knee, softly stroking the inside of his thigh with his thumb. Will hardened almost at once.
“What do you say, Will? We can make you feel very good.”
Will took a sip of his freshly made drink, his hand trembling. Richard wrapped his fingers around Will’s to steady him, lowering the glass back to the bar.
“Let’s go, Will. I know you want to.” He lowered his eyes to Will’s lap, then raised them up.
Clutching his drink tighter, he dipped his head once in agreement. Richard smiled at him, lacing his fingers through Will’s, then led him away from the bar towards the back where all of the screened off areas were. Since his friend Oliver had never dallied in public either, Will made a point of averting his gaze as he and Richard strolled past his table. He had to admit that he was nervous, but excited at the same time.
As they ducked behind the screen, Will immediately saw Richard’s friend. He seemed to be near Will in age—it was hard to tell with only one candle lamp in the corner—but he was quite beautiful. Except for his short hair, he could have been mistaken for a very pretty young girl. The colour of his blond locks was a few shades lighter than Will’s own honey-coloured ones. He was very slight of frame, but had long legs, which led Will to believe that he and the beautiful man might be of a similar height. It was difficult to tell that either, since he was reclining on a large velvet sofa, his pants undone, cock in hand.
Fuck.
Will set his drink down on a small round table next to the sofa right as Richard yanked him forward. Richard gestured for him to sit next to their third who was in the process of eyeing Will as he licked his lips and stroked his member. Gingerly taking a seat, he still maintained a few feet of distance from the fey young man. The unexpected turn his night had taken had sobered him up somewhat, so he twisted around for his gin. Richard grabbed it and handed the drink to him. Nodding, Will took a generous swallow.
“This is Felix.” Richard chuckled. “As you can see he’s begun without us.” He looked at Felix with mock severity. “That’s a very bad boy. Now you will have to suck his cock after I’ve had my taste.”
Good Lord.
****
Casting Call is available now at Totally Bound
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