EXCERPT: Fierce [Simon Peters, mm, movie star]

Title: Fierce
Frameset: Shame
Universe: Simon Peters
Genre: movie star, mm, abuse survivor

Blurb: In Shame, Simon faced a harrying experience and even after years he’s still dealing with what he went through. He’s just getting back into the world and he’s finding good friends to help him deal with what happened.

Author: I find myself really liking Colby Jackson. He’s this great guy that is reaching out to help a friend. He never flinches and he always steps up to defend Simon. And I honestly think that friendship is something Simon needs.

I wasn’t planning for Colby Jackson to be anything more than a throwaway character, but he’s made himself something more. Even if he doesn’t become Simon’s BFF, at the end of the day he’s a good friend, something that Simon never had before.

EXCERPT —

There was the scuff of footsteps on sand and he turned his head to see Colby approaching on his left.

“Hey, man, what you doin’ by yourself?” Colby asked, leaning against the control panel for the scaffold.

Simon shrugged. “Just being all broody and sad-faced.”

Colby stared off into the distance. He was dressed in jeans and a tee shirt with a pair of expensive sunglasses pushed up on top of his head. “Are you changing your mind about wanting to do this series?” he asked without even a hint of condemnation.

“What? No!” Simon shook his head. “I’m really having fun on this project. I just…” He glanced around and lowered his voice, “I was just realizing that I’m lonely.”

Colby gave him a surprised look. “I thought you were dating Adam?”

“What?” Simon’s cheeks flooded with heat. “Where did you get that idea from?”

Colby shrugged. “You always spend all your time with him. I thought it was a thing.”

Simon couldn’t help a flare of paranoia as he wondered how many other people thought he had a “thing” with Adam. That old insecurity rushed through him, that urge to find some girl to pretend to date so there would be no rumors. Then he remembered he didn’t have to hide his sexuality anymore. Everyone in the world already knew.

“I’m not dating Adam,” he said. “We’re just friends.”

“Yet you look at him like you want it to be something more.” Colby rubbed his chin. “I don’t know what to tell you. I honestly thought there was something going on between the two of you.”

“Yeah, there’s nothing.” Simon couldn’t help a twinge of regret. Adam was funny and smart and good-looking; it was Simon that was having all the trouble with thinking about being anything more than friends. “Besides, I don’t think he swings my way.”

Colby gave him a flat look. “Fishing for compliments now, are we?”

“What do you mean?”

“Please,” Colby shook his head, “I’m straight and even I think you’re really good-looking. And Adam? Well, he looks at you the same way I look at Ilsa Berman.” He whistled breathily, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

“You’re terrible,” Simon laughed. Ilsa was an incredibly beautiful model with flawless skin and long locks of white-gold hair. It was kind of flattering to be told he could be on the same list as her.

Colby looked around, making sure no one was nearby, then gave Simon an intent look. “You should ask him out. I don’t think he’d say no.”

“He hasn’t made any indication that he has any interest in me as anything other than a friend,” Simon said.

“Yeah, but that’s because you’re you.” At Simon’s expression, Colby shrugged. “Come on, man, you had some serious shit go down in your life. You’re obviously not over it yet. And Adam doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that would make a move on someone that doesn’t seem to be interested. He’s waiting for you to make the first move.”

“And how do you know that? Have you talked to him?” A nervous churn went through Simon’s belly. It was disturbing to think that there had been a secret meeting where he was the subject of a big discussion.

“Naw,” Colby waved his hand, “I would never talk about you behind your back. But even though I don’t know him that well, I know enough about the guy to realize that he has a thing for you, a real and honest thing. He looks at you like you hung the moon and the stars.”

“That’s positively poetic.” Simon brushed the hair off his forehead. “You sure you don’t want to write that down or something?”

Colby made a face at him. “There are times when I think you just can’t help being a complete and utter bastard. Have you thought about getting help for it?”

Simon bent to scoop up a handful of sand and flung it in Colby’s direction, watching as most of the grains blew away. Some hit Colby’s pant leg and stuck. “If anyone here needs help for their personality flaws, it has to be you. Dick.”

Colby grinned. “You know it.” He stepped away from the control panel and raised his arms over his head, stretching mightily. The fabric of his tee shirt pulled tight, showing off his muscular chest and arms; he’d rightfully won Sexiest Man Alive last year. “You wanna get something to eat with me?”

Simon wasn’t really hungry, but he stood up with a shrug. “Why not?”

They walked side-by-side toward the catering tent and it felt nice to know that Colby really was a good friend. The kind of friend he’d never been able to appreciate back when he was a self-involved twat.

/EXCERPT