The English and the French!
Well they are allies now, the best of friends - although whether they actually like each other is another thing. There's a lot of history between the two and a lot of it has involved trying to obliterate each other, so not natural allies by any means.
And in Naked Hero there is another alliance between the two nations that is not an obvious or natural one. The Body Perfect Englishman, Lee Porter, teams up with French author, Marie Clement, with the objective of bringing a Scotsman and an American together. I know! You'd think this was about global politics rather than a gay romance. But they do! Each for their own reason. And they will set in motion a chain of events that will steamroll through till the end of the first book and linger well into the second.
Here's a snippet from their first conversation that came by serendipity...
They had danced around it long enough now, and Lee Porter was not someone to shy away from his cue. “Oh, I think I know about Scott. Call it a sixth sense, I can usually spot them. But how does Lewis feel? He has no idea, has he?”
Marie took that in her stride. “I would say not.”
“How did you know?” asked Lee, impressed by the Frenchwoman, “Chantal... something from his
past perhaps?”
“No. Chantal does not suspect. She is far too busy with her own dramas to concern herself with anyone else’s. My own sixth sense, I suppose, when we had dinner together. Such an awkward meal! I would have had much more fun if you had been there instead.” The compliment came with a sarcastic smile, but Marie was genuine in what she said.
Lee looked at his ally in the making: a formidable woman indeed, and one that he would not cross swords with lightly. Sure in his mind that he and his like were not what Lewis Macleod needed in his life - and sure that he could no longer play his game without concern for the impact on Lewis himself, Lee decided to go for broke and try to make everyone involved a winner. Let them all end up with a prize.
“Does Lewis want him?” he asked. “And does Scott want Lewis... I suspect he does?”
“Deep down, Lewis wants love,” replied Marie. “If Scott Taylor can give that to him... Well, it’s difficult to say - so much is speculation at present. It would be interesting to know how Lewis would react if he also was to develop a sixth sense... Very favourably, I suspect: he totally idolises the man and clearly wants to keep Scott in his life. As for Scott, yes I think he wants Lewis. Whether he wants him enough to actually declare himself to him is another matter, however. And as for making it public! Well, that might just be a bridge too far, although who can say what would happen in time... But what is it that you want? What is it that brings you here, eating humble pie for breakfast and
asking favours of Scott Taylor?”
“There’s not much that gets past you, is there?” laughed Lee in response, before taking a moment to consider his answer. Strangely enough, something close to the truth was the chosen path. “I want Lewis to be happy. I want him to succeed and win the title. If a little notoriety rubs off in the process, then that’s a bonus. Scott could make him happy, if he had the balls to be honest about what he is.”
“You’re sure that’s all you want, notoriety?”
“I’m sure,” said Lee confidently.
Well they are allies now, the best of friends - although whether they actually like each other is another thing. There's a lot of history between the two and a lot of it has involved trying to obliterate each other, so not natural allies by any means.
And in Naked Hero there is another alliance between the two nations that is not an obvious or natural one. The Body Perfect Englishman, Lee Porter, teams up with French author, Marie Clement, with the objective of bringing a Scotsman and an American together. I know! You'd think this was about global politics rather than a gay romance. But they do! Each for their own reason. And they will set in motion a chain of events that will steamroll through till the end of the first book and linger well into the second.
Here's a snippet from their first conversation that came by serendipity...
They had danced around it long enough now, and Lee Porter was not someone to shy away from his cue. “Oh, I think I know about Scott. Call it a sixth sense, I can usually spot them. But how does Lewis feel? He has no idea, has he?”
Marie took that in her stride. “I would say not.”
“How did you know?” asked Lee, impressed by the Frenchwoman, “Chantal... something from his
past perhaps?”
“No. Chantal does not suspect. She is far too busy with her own dramas to concern herself with anyone else’s. My own sixth sense, I suppose, when we had dinner together. Such an awkward meal! I would have had much more fun if you had been there instead.” The compliment came with a sarcastic smile, but Marie was genuine in what she said.
Lee looked at his ally in the making: a formidable woman indeed, and one that he would not cross swords with lightly. Sure in his mind that he and his like were not what Lewis Macleod needed in his life - and sure that he could no longer play his game without concern for the impact on Lewis himself, Lee decided to go for broke and try to make everyone involved a winner. Let them all end up with a prize.
“Does Lewis want him?” he asked. “And does Scott want Lewis... I suspect he does?”
“Deep down, Lewis wants love,” replied Marie. “If Scott Taylor can give that to him... Well, it’s difficult to say - so much is speculation at present. It would be interesting to know how Lewis would react if he also was to develop a sixth sense... Very favourably, I suspect: he totally idolises the man and clearly wants to keep Scott in his life. As for Scott, yes I think he wants Lewis. Whether he wants him enough to actually declare himself to him is another matter, however. And as for making it public! Well, that might just be a bridge too far, although who can say what would happen in time... But what is it that you want? What is it that brings you here, eating humble pie for breakfast and
asking favours of Scott Taylor?”
“There’s not much that gets past you, is there?” laughed Lee in response, before taking a moment to consider his answer. Strangely enough, something close to the truth was the chosen path. “I want Lewis to be happy. I want him to succeed and win the title. If a little notoriety rubs off in the process, then that’s a bonus. Scott could make him happy, if he had the balls to be honest about what he is.”
“You’re sure that’s all you want, notoriety?”
“I’m sure,” said Lee confidently.