GENRE: Gay Erotic Romance
LENGTH: 23,965 words
RATING:

Male stripper Jamie has been seeing his boss, club owner Luke, for a while now. Jamie wants a more committed relationship, but Luke is dragging his heels about getting more serious with Jamie or introducing Jamie to his daughter, Sofia.

But Sofia has had enough waiting around to meet her dad's not-so-secret boyfriend, and devises a plan to get them together.

In this sweet rom-com, two grown men find themselves outwitted by a precocious eight-year-old.

EXCERPT:
Note: may contain sexually explicit scenes of a homoerotic nature.

"Who's Jamie?" Sofia asked.

Luke coughed into his glass, trying not to choke on the orange juice he'd been drinking. He looked around to where Sofia was sitting at the table, homework all spread out. His cell phone was there too, screen up on the table, and Luke cursed his own stupidity.

"What?" he said, acting nonchalant as he wiped OJ off his chin.

Sofia gestured at the phone with her pencil. "It's lit up three times with the name Jamie." She looked around at him and frowned. "What sort of name is Jamie?"

"It's a nickname," Luke said, feeling his face heat up. "And he's someone daddy works with." He swooped in and grabbed his phone. "You finish your homework and I'll get started on dinner in a minute."

Sofia was quiet, watching him closely. Luke felt his flush intensify under her gaze, then thankfully she changed the subject.

"Can we have pasta?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed with relief.

When Sofia turned back to her homework, wriggling excitedly at the prospect of food, Luke opened his phone's lock screen to read his messages.

     4:13 Jamie: Hey

     4:25 Jamie: I miss you. Can we talk?

     4:41 Jamie: Call me when you can

Luke sighed inwardly. He'd better try get this straightened out.

"I just gotta make a phone call," Luke told Sofia. "Then dinner."

"Okay," she said absently, doing sums in her book.

She was a good kid. Luke smiled, then headed to his bedroom so he could call Jamie.

* * * *

Sofia was feeling nosey.

Her dad was great, but he could be so secretive and squirrely about things.

She quietly left the table and tip-toed through the apartment, right up to her dad's bedroom door. She put her ear close, and listened.

"Yeah, of course I want to see you," her dad was in the middle of saying. "Well, no... You gotta give me a chance here, Jamie ..."

From the sound of footsteps inside the room, Sofia figured her dad was pacing around, which made it hard to pick out every word he said, but she got some of them.

It sounded like he was placating the other person, using his patient and quiet tone of voice.

Sofia wondered what it was about, if this Jamie person was from work. Her dad was the boss, so why would he be placating anyone? Any time Sofia had heard her dad talk to work people on the phone, he used his gruff and clipped voice, giving them instructions. He never spoke like this. Now he was speaking like ...

Sofia frowned, trying to place the tone. It almost reminded her of a mommy and daddy talk, when they'd tried to keep quiet and talk about something in another room so Sofia wouldn't overhear.

But her parents were divorced now, and her mom had a boyfriend who was very nice.

It was kind of sad that her dad always seemed to be on his own. He needed someone nice too.

Sofia listened, heard him say, "I promise I'll talk to her. Of course I want you to be involved, Jamie, but you gotta give me a chance to tell her. There hasn't been anyone since her mom, okay? This is a big deal..."

Sofia's breath caught as her eyes widened. Was he talking about her? He had to be. So, did that mean...?

Sofia grinned to herself.

Her dad had found someone. Finally.