When the book cover first came out, some readers thought it was hot. Others were puzzled. Some were outright pissed. Whatever the reaction, I'll say this -- PL Nunn perfectly captured the sexy conflict I felt the whole time I was writing it. It's labeled "menage" or "m/m/m" to account for the threesome aspects, but it's written as, and meant to be read as, a love triangle shaped by seme/uke/seme dynamics, and PL Nunn grokked this beyond my wildest expectations:
Sure, I could have simply left the first book, Some Kind of Stranger, with it's less-than-tidy-but-still-happy-nonetheless HEA, but noooo, I wanted to see what happened with Derek and Blue next. I fully expected (and received) negative reactions to uncomfortable territory like bullying, love/hate/guilt between an abuser and the abused, infidelity, lying, conflicted loyalties, etc. (Bullying is a very personal issue to me for reasons I won't go into here, but trust me when I say the topic affects me deeply and NOT one I take lightly as some think the book suggests.) Imagine my surprise and delight when I started hearing from readers who liked book two, some who said more than book one even, and wanted book three! Interestingly, five years after writing about Blue and his former bully Cameron in Close to Me, I'm watching a similar dynamic play out between Kurt and Karofsky on Glee. Go figure.
Sooo... page 69 of Close to Me happens to be one of the most difficult scenes in the book. Blue wakes from an almost-wet dream about Cameron, only to be reminded by his master Derek who he belongs to. Derek's method totally smacks of "non-con" because I *wrote* it to smack of non-con. I don't think I could have pulled it off in any other series with any other couple. (And no, I don't endorse dry anal penetration, but this scene called for it to be written exactly as it is.) A fellow writer once advised me "It's not your job to babysit your readers" when tackling controversial scenes, and I agree with that sentiment. However, I do want to alert those unfamiliar with Blue Ruin that the following excerpt is a rough one and should be skipped if fictional non-con or dubious consent is a trigger or turnoff.
For those of you willing to venture there on the written page (as I obviously am), here's page 69 and a little of 70 too. Check back next week for page 69 from Blue Ruin 3: Chains of Love, where things really get crazy!
** BLURB **
Blue finds pleasure in playing pet to Derek, but is eager to pursue goals outside of their relationship. When Blue starts GED classes and expands his social circle, Derek affords him room to grow, trusting their love is enough to keep his restless pet in line.
That love is put to the test when Cameron Carter reappears in Blue's life. An abusive crush from Blue's school days, Cameron is a reformed adult now and seeks absolution for old wrongs. While Blue must find it in his heart to forgive Cameron, the greater challenge lies in keeping his unrequited desire for the former bully at bay.
Derek's torn between enforcing boundaries and allowing Blue closure to heal old wounds. Meanwhile, Cameron struggles to forgive himself for the pain he once caused the boy he secretly loved. As Cameron and Blue begin the road to recovery, the sizzling chemistry between them can no longer be ignored.
Caught between two strong-willed men, can Blue prove his loyalty to one while denying his attraction for the other, or, is it maybe just possible that Blue can have them both?
Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse, BDSM (including tethering, humiliation), male/male sexual situations, menage (m/m/m), strong violence.
** PAGE 69 EXCERPT **
Blue's eyes fluttered. He found himself at home, naked in bed, his own hand between his legs where he'd grown rock hard. He sat up with a start. A hint of dawn seeped through the curtains.
"You were dreaming about him."
Blue jumped. With a startled gasp, he whipped his head around to directly meet Derek's cool gaze from where the other man perched on the edge of the bed. In a split second, Blue comprehended that Derek was freshly showered, his hair wet and smelling of shampoo, clad only in his robe while his suit, shirt, and tie hung over the footboard.
Blue's cheeks blazed. "No, I… no." He shook his head, unsettled more by Derek's frank, unaffected observation than if his partner had angrily demanded an explanation. He wondered what he'd said in his sleep, didn't want to know how long Derek had been sitting there, watching and listening. He leapt from the bed, heading for the bathroom, in dire need of a moment alone, enough to fully awaken and recover from the lingering effects of his dream before addressing the situation coherently.
"Oh no you don't." Derek's arm shot out, gripping Blue around the waist. The room spun, and Blue found himself flung back. He hit the mattress with a thud.
"Derek, Sir, please," he whimpered, scrambling to get away, his struggle futile against the stronger man's hold. One hand snaked between his thighs, and Derek's fingers curled around the base of his erection. Derek gripped tight, offering one harsh, swift stroke, wetting Blue's slit with precum.
"That was some dream." Derek pried between Blue's legs.
"It's not what you think, Sir. It's not " Blue gasped, startled at the nudge against his ass, and realized Derek's robe lay open. "What are you doing?"
He cried out as Derek answered with a rough jab past his entrance.
"Finishing what he started." Derek thrust again, his hip bones grinding hard against Blue's buttocks. Another thrust, and Blue was already on the verge of climax. He arched his head back, teeth gritted and eyes screwed tight.
"Look at me," Derek growled. He thrust again.
Blue did as instructed and managed to meet Derek's dark, narrowed eyes.
"Moan for me," his master commanded, "like you were for him."
A strangled sob escaped Blue's throat.
Derek plunged forward again, wet hair whipping around his face. "Say my name."
"Derek," Blue gasped from the next thrust, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes.
Derek pummeled into him now, the slap of flesh echoing through the loft. "Again," he hissed.
"Derek, oh God, Derek!"
The tears crested and rolled down Blue's cheeks as he wrapped his legs around Derek's waist, slid his hands inside the robe and up Derek's back. Clinging tight, his body convulsed and his muscles rippled around the cock that filled ass. Forgoing the rules, figuring he couldn't get himself into any more trouble than he already had, Blue dug his fingers into the bunched muscles of Derek's shoulders. Crying in shame, succumbing to pleasure, a piercing wail ripped from his throat as he clawed his nails down the column of his master's spine.
** Copyright 2007 by Katrina Strauss
Blue Ruin 2: Close to Me
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2 comments:
That was hot!
I remember feeling bad for Cameron at times, but I love Derek and Blue together too much for there to have been any other outcome. Sounds like Cameron is going to get his HEA eventually. :)
Thanks, Lisa! Cam doesn't have a lot of fans and even gets hate mail, but I did my best to make him as sympathetic as I could while remaining true to his flawed character. It wasn't easy, because I was bullied in adolescence. (And I'm not talking isolated incidents but a systematic, targeted campaign that lasted two years.) Yet I came to love Cam, because he realizes he was wrong and wants to apologize (something I've accepted I'll never get from my former bullies). I'm always glad to hear from readers who like Cam, too! I will write his and Dusty's book someday. :D
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