Paranormal Fantasies: A Promotional Collection of 14 Erotic Supernatural Stories by Annabel Bastione Page A

was
absolutely no chance of sneaking out to a club that night. Matt was
going to have to find a way to arrange anonymous sex in the middle
of the day, somewhere other than his apartment.
    He posted on the local sleazy personals site the next morning,
as soon as he’d figured out the wording.
    Fit, experienced bottom looking for a good time this
afternoon. Must host. Pics for pics.
    Short, simple, and to the point. Matt hoped desperately that
it would yield results; he was beginning to feel like his skin
would crawl off if he didn’t get some dick.
    He did get quite a few messages, but most of them never
responded after he sent a hastily-snapped picture of his torso and
his (by now) near-constant erection. He told himself it was just
cold feet, but he was beginning to feel discouraged; he stood for a
few minutes in front of the full-length mirror, naked, examining
himself, trying to imagine what a potential one-night stand might
find wanting. Well. One-afternoon stand.
    He decided to go back into the listing and add the picture in
directly. At least that way he wouldn’t be fielding messages only
to be disappointed. After carefully cropping the background to
remove any sense of place, he added it in and hastily jerked off to
some of the listings before going back out into the living room to
check on Archer.
    He’d taken his pages of typewritten notes and was typing on
his laptop now; it was all part of his mysterious artistic process,
which Matt never questioned too deeply for fear of going insane. He
ordered them some take-out from Archer’s favorite Chinese place
without even having to ask, because that was how well he knew this
asshole. It was upsetting if he thought about it too much. Over
lunch, Archer shared some of what he’d been working on, and Matt
made suggestions, leading to a lively discussion about a particular
plot point that Archer loved, but Matt dismissed as unrealistic. By
the end Archer had completely revamped a section of the book,
complaining the whole time, then finally admitting that it was
better this way.
    “ Here’s to another successful collaboration,” said Archer,
cracking open his fortune cookie. “I really appreciate your
feedback, Matt. Have I ever told you?”
    Matt’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong with you? Did something
fall on your head?”
    “ I just thought I’d let you know, is all. I was just kidding
before, about you not having a life. I know you have a life. I know
you put it on hold every time we have to work together, because I’m
needy, and I’m sorry. And, you know, if you wanted to have someone
over for anonymous sex…I don’t mind at all.”
    Fuck .
    “ What?” Matt snapped, trying his best to look like he didn’t
know exactly what
Archer was talking about.
    “ Oh, you mean this isn’t you?” Archer spun his computer around. “I know you
think I’m stupid but give me some credit. I can see that painting on your wall
through the crook of your elbow.”
    “ Shit. Is it that recognizable?”
    “ Only to people who know what painting you’ve got in your
bedroom. So…” Archer left this statement trailing, eyes fixed on
Matt, absentmindedly chewing on the wrong end of a
chopstick.
    “ And only to people who are trawling for gay sex on the
internet,” Matt said, triumphantly.
    “ Research,” Archer responded immediately. “It’s all for the
book.”
    “ Oh, really? Do tell me about this scintillating plot point
that we haven’t discussed at all, which I’m sure will fit
seamlessly into your magnum opus.”
    “ Fine. I was reading them for fun. Which is more than I can say
for you, ‘experienced bottom.’”
    “ This isn’t really any of your business, you know.”
    “ I can help you.”
    Matt stared. Archer met his gaze evenly, still gnawing gently
on the chopstick, his lips wrapped obscenely around it -
    Oh, no, this was bad. This was very bad.
    “ What do you mean, ‘help?’” Matt stood and tried to back away,
but his body