Mastered 2: Ten Tales of Sensual Surrender (95 page)

They both laughed.

“Listen, Officer Ford wants us to lay low. I get that. So this weekend, let’s all go to my parents’ house.” Omitting the part about Thor’s HIV, I filled them in on the conversation with my mom about seeing us on TV.

“Sounds good to me.” Lex smiled.

“Me, too!” Vive scooped Hedda up in her arm. “Leon heads back to France tomorrow. Maybe your mom can talk some sense into Taddy about staying in school and postponing her marriage.”

“Four years would be a long-ass engagement.” Lex laughed.

“Three and half,” Vive corrected.

“Maybe…” I said, realizing we’d barely gotten through one semester of school and already had so much happen in our lives.

But if anyone could talk Taddy out of something, it was my mother.

* * *

A few days later, at home in Fairfield, I laid on my bed, pulled out my gratitude journal, and wrote…

Dear Grace,

I’m grateful for…

Diego coming into my life. I’m falling for him. I’m glad he came with me this weekend to meet my family.

My new friendship with Miguel. He’s growing on me.

Thor’s mom coming to visit him today. He’s going to be just fine. And that makes me happy.

Taddy agreeing to wait to get married until after she’s graduated from college.

Vive and Lex for calming themselves down about the supposed man who’s out to kill us.

Most of all, I’m grateful for my family. I love my parents and am looking forward to the next semester at college.

XO,

Blake

# # #

Join the
XO, Blake
buddy read on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2257963-xo-blake-buddy-read
and get the dialogue going by asking the following questions:

- How would you have handled Thor’s situation?

-Would you ever tell a lie to keep your mom from worrying?

- What’s your fantasy? Is it getting tied up in bed?

Be sure to leave your review at: 
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Get Unsaid

Aren’t you dying to know who Blake Morgan got his happily ever after with ten years later?
Gurl
, I thought so. *wink* I’ll give you three clues. He’s Mexican, one of the most famous artists in New York, and back when they were in college, he never got to tell Blake how he really felt about him. Find out how Blake fell in love for the second time with
Unsaid
(
The Manhattanites #3
):
http://averyaster.com/unsaid/

Special Acknowledgments

Huge hugs to my family George, Pauline, and Adam for loving me. Thank you to my friends Shane, Julie, Sara, Kelly, Shari, Edward, Manuel, Brenda, Holly, Pat, Michele, John, Ron, Nicole, Nackie, Bailee, Hector, and Lynn for not taking it personally when I’m locked up in my cave writing.

Author love to my beta-readers Nicole and Miss Diamond. Much praise to Kristin and Becky at Hot Tree for editing this novel.

About Avery Aster

New York Times
bestselling author Avery Aster pens
The Manhattanites
, a contemporary erotic romance series of full-length, stand-alone novels, and the naughty new adult prequel companion series
The Undergrad Years
.

As a resident of New York’s Upper East Side and a graduate from New York University, Avery gives readers an inside look at the city’s glitzy nightlife, socialite sexcapades and tall tales of the über-rich and ultra-famous.

Hey. Wait!! There’s more…

You must read the next installment in
The Undergrad Years
featuring Vive Farnworth in
Always & Forever, Vive
or I’ll never speak to you again *wink*. Add it to your Goodreads TBR shelf
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20568008-always-forever-vive
and join Vive Farnworth on her New Adult adventure.

Add Avery’s Releases to Your Goodreads TBR List

http://www.goodreads.com/AveryAster

The Undergrad Years series

Love, Lex #1

Yours Truly, Taddy #2

XO, Blake #3

Always & Forever, Vive #4

The Manhattanites series

Undressed #1

Unscrupulous #2

Unsaid #3

Unconventional #4

Unique #5

Uncensored #6

A Smexy Excerpt

Read the prologue and first chapter of Avery Aster’s upcoming stand-alone, male/male erotic romance
Unsaid (The Manhattanites #3)

For fans who loved the snarky wit of
Will & Grace
and the epic love drama found in
Brokeback Mountain
comes Avery Aster's new full-length, standalone contemporary erotic m/m romance novel,
Unsaid
.

Chelsea’s hottie Blake Morgan III has reemerged from a nasty breakup. His marriage was a frigid disaster beyond repair, and he vows to be single—forever. Bruised but still hot in Prada, he creates his
Seven Desires
wish list, his sexiest imaginings. Blake soon realizes there’s only one man he may trust to make these uninhibited intentions come to fruition: his best friend Miguel Santana.

Lower East Side multimedia artist extraordinaire Miguel Santana may be known as the cocky Latin stud in the city, but all he’s wanted since college was Blake’s hand in marriage. He was livid when Blake walked down the aisle with the wrong guy. Miguel has his own list titled the
Seven Needs
which are quite contrary to Blake’s dirty-boy deeds. They involve serious commitments, which may leave his new-to-the-singles-scene buddy sprinting for the door, destroying any hopes Miguel has for happiness.

Can these two hunks conquer their intimate fears and love one another as only best friends can? Join the star-studded cast in
The Manhattanites
series and see for yourself!

Readers Advisory: Pent-up sexual tension between two best friends leads to water sports, BDSM, electricity, and fisting.

Part One

Blake’s Seven Desires

“At eighteen, I fell in love with Blake Morgan. Eleven years later, I’m still in love with him. Does he know? Nope. I hoped after a while my feelings for him would stop or I’d be able to find someone else. They didn’t and I haven’t.”
—Miguel Santana, Lower East Side

Prologue

Miguel’s Unwelcomed Invitation

Five Years Ago

Lower East Side

Miguel Santana collected his mail in the lobby at his apartment building.

Something fancy was caught between his invitations to gallery openings and his father’s medical bills. It was an ecru-colored card stock envelope. Embossed in gold by Crane & Co. stationery, the letter was addressed in an eccentric Gothic-styled calligraphy.

The paper felt important in his hands. Who was it from? Mr. & Mrs. Morgan on Meadowcroft Lane in Greenwich, Connecticut. Blake’s parents.

Blake, his best friend since college, had remained his secret crush even after all these years. But what did the Morgans send him? It was too soon for a Christmas card. The knot twisting in his stomach told him this was no holiday greeting.

Tearing the envelope open, he read his attendance was requested by Blake Morgan III as he wed Diego Oalo.
Fuck.
Diego was Blake’s boyfriend, the asshole-turned-douchebag who their friends, Lex Easton, Taddy Brill and Vive Farnworth, secretly referred to as MLD—Missy Limp Dick—for obvious reasons. Miguel had coined Diego with the nickname when they were freshmen in college. Five years later, it still stuck.

It appeared Blake was serious about marrying MLD. He questioned how he could let Blake get away from him. He assumed he’d have more time. Miguel never expected Blake to marry the first guy who’d come along. MLD was supposed to be his starter-boyfrien
d
to warm him up for the grand prize, himself.
Shit
.

His cell phone chimed, so he reached in his back pocket. The glowing screen read ‘Thor Edwards’. “Wasup?” Miguel greeted.

“Eh mah gawd.”

“Huh?”

“
O-M-G
!” Thor screamed.

“Thor, stop. What’s wrong?” He didn’t have the energy for his friend’s drama that day.
Not now
.

“Did you get that
thing
in the mail?”

“
Sí,
I have
it
right here.” Miguel paused before forcing, “Hats off to Blake for tying the knot.
Maravilloso
news, isn’t it?” His eyes rolled even on his own sarcasm.

“You high?”

“Heavens no.”

“Drunk?”

“No…”

“I’m coming over,” Thor demanded.

“Stay put. I’m busy,” he lied. His apartment was a mess. Last thing he needed was Thor Edwards, socialite amongst the foo-foo fabulous, poking fun at his bachelor-could-care-less-about-throw-pillows taste in decorating.

“Why didn’t we learn about
this
sooner?”

“Blake knows we’d probably kill him.” He also thought he didn’t have anything to do with the wedding planning.
It must be Diego’s idea
. The bastard was a gold-digging piece of shit who climbed his way to the top of Wall Street and Blake’s bed.

“Whaddya say we head over to Macanudo’s tonight and martini it up. We’ll plan a way for Blake to get out of this.”

“Not
up
for socializing.”

“Taddy and Vive are going,” Thor persisted.

“Did the girls get their invites?”

“Yup. Looks like Blake’s mother wants us all to be part of the wedding party.”

“
Mierda
.” Miguel couldn’t imagine how Taddy and Vive would take this. They, of all their outspoken diva friends, were probably ready to tie Blake up to a tree in Central Park and hit him over the head with their Waterford crystal. Maybe the girls could knock some sense into him. “What good will happy hour do us tonight?”

“A few cocktails may lessen the blow.” He pressed on. “
Cock
being the key word here. Come on, we’ll make a night of it.”

“Nothing’s going to make me feel better.”

“What’re we gonna do?” Thor asked.

“You and I are going to put on our happy faces and support Blake’s dream.” God, he felt sick even saying that.

“Don’t-cha mean our nightmare?”

“Same thing.” Miguel stared at the invitation. The words on the card blurred into one spot.

“We are so not.” He exaggerated the ‘o’ in ‘so’ and then paused for a second. “My strategy to prevent this from happening is when the officiant asks if anyone objects, you and I will raise our hands.”

“No.”

“Then let’s kidnap Blake before the wedding. Send him to Jersey. Yeah, that’s what we’ll do. No one will find him over there.”

“Thor...”

“Vive and I will drug Blake. Then throw his tight ass on one of those gay cruises which goes outta Bayonne. When the ship arrives in Barcelona a few days later, he’ll have so much Latino cock rammed up his waspy hide he’ll never think twice about MLD.” Thor spoke as if he had all the solutions.

The only Latin cock Miguel wanted going in Blake’s ass was his own. Not Diego’s, not anyone else’s.

“We have to support this. It’s what Blake wants.” He would find a way to respect his friend’s decision.

“You’re gonna have to duct-tape me to the pew during their ceremony. I, for one, want no part in supporting this union. I can’t stand MLD, and I know the girls won’t either.”

“That’s nice, considering we’re
not
the ones marrying Diego.”

“Miguel?” His voice became serious.

“
Sí
?”

“I’m sorry. I know how much you loved Blake.”

“Right.” He noted Thor spoke about his love in the past tense, as if it was behind him, and over with. It wasn’t.

“I don’t know what else to say…” His voice rose an octave.

The cell phone chimed as his screen read ‘Lex Easton’.

“Another drama queen is calling in. I’ll meet you at the club in a few, okay?”

“See you soon, buddy.”

“
Adios.
” He clicked over. “
Hola
.”

“I don’t…I won’t…I can’t…effin’ believe this.” Lex sounded as if she could barely speak but she still, as always, managed to curse. “Did you get—”

“
Sí
,” he replied, hearing the sadness in her voice. Appeared he wasn’t the only one with selfish thoughts; others felt the same way he and Thor did. But it didn’t really matter, because the marriage was going to happen. “Thor and I are going to the club. Can you meet us and we’ll talk about it?”

“Sure. I’ll ring my driver and pick you up in, say, thirty minutes.”

“
Bueno
.”

He hoped fresh air would calm his unease as he stepped outside. Could he risk not going to the wedding and stand his ground? Knowing Blake, if his friends didn’t support the wedding, he’d most likely cut them off for good. Miguel’s friendship to Blake was too important for that. Saying farewell to the hopes of making Blake his boyfriend would be a lot harder than he thought.