Phoenix Rising

Two dozen roses, one dozen balloons and a night with a sexy, young stripper. It’s the perfect birthday present for the man who has everything. Or is it? Because the gift Jimmy really wants can't be bought at any price.

Adam Hyland's life is in the dumps. Living in his car and stripping for his supper, he doesn't expect much when the birthday boy invites him to stay for cake and champagne, but the come-hither in Jimmy's eyes, and the fire in his kisses, dares Adam to hope for more. And for a while it seems he just might get it.

Of course, it could never be that easy. Adam's never been in the closet, and Jimmy's never come out. Adam's got nothing to lose, and Jimmy's got everything at stake. But when Adam's need to love in the light collides with Jimmy's compulsion to hide in the dark, desire alone can't sustain them. When the worst happens, and the flames of desire threaten to scorch them alive, can love rise like a phoenix from the ashes?

NOTE: This story was previously released elsewhere but has been re-edited and revised for Loose Id.