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    The Playwright
    The Playwright
    The Playwright
    Ebook76 pages1 hour

    The Playwright

    By Carolyn LeVine Topol

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    About this ebook

    The Male Room: Book Three

    Nick’s writing partner and best friend is tired of watching his buddy screw his life away to overcome the heartbreak of his first great love affair, and he also thinks that a romantic comedy playwright should actually write what he knows!  Before Nick can wriggle out of it, he finds himself begged, nagged, and cajoled into a coffee date with one of the men who liked his profile at The Male Room, an online dating service for gay men.

    No one is more surprised than Nick that the date is a success, and he’s interested in getting to know full-time news reporter and part-time theater critic Mark better. But better means closer, and the closer Nick gets to Mark, the more he remembers why he doesn't go for long-term relationships. Long term affairs just lead to heartbreak, right? Nick’s imagination runs overtime, and he’ll have to trust in his heart if he wants this love story to have a happy ending.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamspinner Press
    Release dateAug 31, 2011
    ISBN9781615819256
    The Playwright
    Author

    Carolyn LeVine Topol

    Carolyn LeVine Topol has been writing LGBT romance novels since 2009 with the overriding philosophy that “Every person deserves a happy ending.” Carolyn loses herself in writing of the loves, passions, and adventures driving her characters. With the backing of a supportive husband and her young adult children, Carolyn continues to explore the fabulous world of LGBT romance. Visit Carolyn’s website

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      Book preview

      The Playwright - Carolyn LeVine Topol

      Jan

      Chapter 1

      I CAN’T believe you did this without my permission! Nick was fuming. He couldn’t imagine the audacity of his best friend, roommate, and cowriter.

      I’ll tell you what gives me the right. I’ve been watching you work, work, work all day and all night without going on a single date in as long as I can remember. Ken stood with his hands on his hips like some put-upon housewife.

      It’s paid off, hasn’t it? We have two plays running Off Broadway and two in production. Not too shabby for two thirty-five-year-old men from Upstate New York. Nick pushed his shaggy, too-long hair off his forehead and rubbed his temples.

      But you’re a healthy man, too, and you need some companionship. I worry about you. You’re becoming a hermit.

      I’m not becoming a hermit! I went out just two nights ago.

      With our producer and his wife. Even if she is his beard, what is he, like seventy-two years old? Hardly fucking fodder.

      Give it up with the cute alliterations. I’m not impressed. Nick stared at the computer screen again. The profile of the newest, upcoming online dating service for gays, The Male Room, was plastered across the screen. Below it was the list of their newest clients. Next to his assigned number, he glared once again at the lead to his blurb: "Hot, hunky homo with fantastic imagination."

      It’s the truth. You are hot to people who aren’t your BFF.

      Stop talking in computereze. I may puke.

      Well, I may puke if I have to leave you here alone one more time while I actually have a social life. At least one of us is dating.

      I date. What about that guy last Saturday night?

      What was his name? Ken smirked, his eyes bright as he realized he was about to prove his point.

      Nick stood up from his chair at the computer desk, and crossed the room to stand directly in front of Ken. I don’t remember. We only had one date.

      It’s not a date if all you do is dance for five minutes, get a blow job, and then leave without exchanging names or phone numbers. I believe, if my off-computereze is still up to date, that’s called tricking, my friend.

      Nick ground his teeth. Shut up.

      The truth hurts, honey. Ken’s voice softened. Look, how can you write about romance and love if you never give yourself a chance to experience it?

      I guess it’s a good thing you’re my writing partner. You can fill in all those blanks. Nick brushed his hand through his hair. He really did need a haircut. His hair was too wavy to let it go this long. He knew he was beginning to look like an out-of-date hippy.

      Job security is great. But I don’t think my place in this partnership would suffer if you actually had some life experience. Ken put his arm around Nick’s shoulders. The two men stood silently side-by-side.

      I did try the love route once. You must remember. Nick bit his lip, thinking back to a time when he thought he’d found the man he could spend the rest of his life with.

      Oh, Nicky, how could I forget? That asshole was buried so deep in his self-made closet that, instead of marrying the person he loved, he married the person his parents loved. If my mother’s gossip is still accurate, his wife is pregnant with their third child.

      I can’t go through something like that again. Nick hated sounding defeated, but he knew his words and feelings were safe with Ken.

      That’s why you start with an online dating service that caters to men like us.

      And who’s to say one of these guys isn’t in the closet?

      The pictures. Everyone has to submit a picture. Let’s face it. People in the closet do not want to advertise at a homo site. They’re looking for anonymous hook-ups.

      Nick looked in a nearby mirror. It was summer in Manhattan, and his tan was perfect, achieved the old fashioned way, through hours of jogging. He was kind of hot. At just shy of six feet tall, he had a six pack, and his arms were toned. Despite approaching middle age, he even still had all his hair.

      Okay.

      Ken’s eyes brightened as if he had just won a prize. Okay what?

      Okay, we’ll see if I get any nibbles worth a dinner.

      You’ll get plenty. And then we can finally double-date like we’d always planned.

      I thought you were doing this for me. Nick grinned.

      I’m doing this for you, your writing, and our mutual social lives. Could there be a better set of motivators?

      You know, you can be such a geek. Nick poked Ken in the ribs.

      "I may be a geek, but I’m a geek with a boyfriend and a successful career. Ken winked. Now it’s time to work

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