PAYOFF

TITLE: PAYOFF

AUTHOR: L.A Witt & Aleksandr Voinov

Pages: 52

Date: 04/02/2014

Grade: 4+

Details: no. 6 Market Garden

            Received from Riptide Publishing

            Through Love Romances and More

Own / Kindle

The blurb:

“Tristan and Jared have got it made. When they aren’t raking in the cash together at Market Garden, they’re burning up their own sheets and getting closer by the day. But something isn’t right. Tristan’s on edge, and Jared doesn’t understand why.

Before Jason can hash things out, their services are requested by none other than Rolex. And Rolex doesn’t just want to be a bystander this time. He wants Jared while Tristan watches, and he’s more than willing to pay for it.

But Tristan’s reached breaking point, and even a huge wad of cash might not be enough to keep tonight’s arrangement from crashing and burning.”

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My thoughts:

It hasn’t been that long since I first discovered L.A. Witt and Aleksandr Voinov, and I’ve spent most of my time since then trying to catch up with their writing. These two authors together create wonderful and very hot stories – although I have to add that their individual novels are equally as good.

This is the second ‘Market Garden’ story I’ve read and I have to admit that I’m falling head over heels for series. At first glance it might appear that maybe the world of rent-boys isn’t the most likely place for love stories. First glances, however, can be deceptive since ‘If it Fornicates’ and ‘PayOff’ most definitely are romances.

Jared and Tristan have been working as a team for a while now and are good at it. Whenever they work a client together they are able to make far more money than they could individually. On top of that the two men have grown close. They share their bodies not only with or for their clients; they find their biggest pleasure in private, just the two of them together for the joy of it.

Lately things haven’t been that great though. Something is troubling Tristan and Jared can’t put his finger on what might be wrong but fears his partner might want to end what they have together. And whatever is wrong with Tristan, he is disinclined to talk about it.

When a favourite client of theirs hires them for the night things come to a head. The man wants to bed Jared while Tristan watches. It is not the first time something like this has been suggested or even delivered, but this time Tristan can’t stand it. Interrupting proceedings may well anger the client and upset Jared, but Tristan can’t deal with the jealousy he feels while watching the man he’s developed feelings for with the client they call Rolex.

What follows is inspired, beautiful, hot and not something I’m inclined to say more about. You should read the book and enjoy it for yourself.

I enjoyed this novella. It is a short and quick read but that doesn’t mean that the reader is short-changed. We are given enough story and insight into the characters to get lost in their feelings. Tristan’s tension and his inner struggle when he finds himself torn between the demands of the job he has loved for so long and his sudden reluctance to share Jared with anyone is palatable. And Jared’s confusion at the sudden and for him inexplicable changes in Tristan is understandable, as is his fear that Tristan might be losing interest in their off-the-job relationship. The scenes that follow once the two men have revealed their feelings to each other were inspired and sexy to the extreme.

I love how these authors have managed to take a setting and subject that might well have been sleazy in the hands of lesser mortals, and create an enticing world filled with interesting and charming characters. Witt and Voinov don’t try to make the rent-boys’ work sound like anything other than what it is. Yet the reader never gets the feeling they’re dealing with something shameful or anything other than recognisable personae with feelings we all experience.

If I have one regret where ‘PayOff is concerned it is that it wasn’t a little bit longer. Not because the story was rushed, incomplete or unsatisfying. Quite the opposite in fact. This story and the characters in it charmed me so much that it would have been a delight to spend more time with them. Fortunately I haven’t read all the titles in this series yet. One of these days I will find the time to read the ‘Market Garden’ titles I’ve missed and I have no doubt that it will be wonderful reading experience.