Phil Mitchell pours his heart and soul into his job as manager of Speedy Mart, a local convenience store. He loves his work and he loves his fellow employees, but when it comes to his personal life, Phil is lonely and depressed and still pining for his long-departed ex.
He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.
Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.
First step in his plan… do something about his love life.
Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil’s team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.
As is Brandon, the local cop…
And Mark, the homophobic boss…
Perhaps, with a little… luck, the next week will be better.
He embarks upon the week from hell where anything that can go wrong does. It begins with a truck crashing into his outdoor sign and only goes downhill from there.
Add an asshole homophobic boss hell bent on seeing him fired and Phil realizes he needs to put into place a plan to save himself and his job.
First step in his plan… do something about his love life.
Meanwhile, Ezra, one of Phil’s team members, is dealing with his own roller coaster ride of a week.
As is Brandon, the local cop…
And Mark, the homophobic boss…
Perhaps, with a little… luck, the next week will be better.
I loved how the chapters in this book were done, each one was done on several characters within the book, so you know everything that was happening, but you never get confused or lost. I have to admit that I wanted to reach into the book and hit "Vince", who is a totally horrid person, although he thinks he is a gift to the whole of mankind!
This book was full of a few surprises along the way!! We meet Phil who is someone who puts everything into his job, but this means his personal life is a total mess, in fact he doesn't have a personal life as all his time is spent at work.
The week from hell starts like any other week for Phil, as manager of a Speedy Mart, until the day that has the truck crashing into his stores outside sign..... his ex-boyfriend ringing asking for a loan..... his night staff are held up in an armed robbery...... and the district manager telling him to fire his best night employee..... a car on fire on the garage forecourt and the icing on the cake is that Phil is put on an action plan, even though there is no reason for this.... it all seems to stem back to Phil giving an interview about his helping out the local LGBT and he then finds out he has a homophobic district manager who now wants to get rid of him.
Phil doesn't seem to realise that Humberto, who is one of his customers, is trying to get his attention to ask him out!! Phil was supposed to ring him one evening, but after an eventful day at work, he went home and fell asleep - prompting Humberto to think he didn't want to go out with him. So Phil is convinced that he has driven Humberto away.
Ezra is in a quandary as he knows he should talk to his best friend Justin about his boyfriend Vince, as Ezra knows Vince is playing around and is not loyal to Justin at all. Ezra really does care for Justin, and I don’t think he actually realises how much he does care….
Vince shows no commitment to Justin, and quite often throughout the book you find out he is with somebody else, and doesn't seem to care about anything other than how people look at him, and the next hot body he can have. One of the people he decided to take out was the Policeman who responded to his accident, but to make matters worse, although he lives with Justin, he asked him to make himself scarce while he brought his date home..... however, on their arrival at the house, Justin is there and not in a good way......
Doreen, another of the staff, frequently mentions a dungeon at home, but nobody really believes that she has one..... but oh yes she does, and learn about what happens in her dungeon!!
Mark, the district manager, decides to go for a drink after the week from hell and ends up at the gay bar in the town. Here he meets Jeremy, and although Mark is married, he agrees to go home with Jeremy……
Things all come to a head, when both Mark and Phil are called into the head office of Speedy Mart, and the events that happen there are not what you expect to happen.
Is Mark a closet gay?? Does Phil ever manage to apologise to Humberto and go on a date?? What has happened to Justin?? What has happened at the meeting at the head office?? Will Ezra ever realise what his feelings for Justin are??
This book was full of a few surprises along the way!! We meet Phil who is someone who puts everything into his job, but this means his personal life is a total mess, in fact he doesn't have a personal life as all his time is spent at work.
The week from hell starts like any other week for Phil, as manager of a Speedy Mart, until the day that has the truck crashing into his stores outside sign..... his ex-boyfriend ringing asking for a loan..... his night staff are held up in an armed robbery...... and the district manager telling him to fire his best night employee..... a car on fire on the garage forecourt and the icing on the cake is that Phil is put on an action plan, even though there is no reason for this.... it all seems to stem back to Phil giving an interview about his helping out the local LGBT and he then finds out he has a homophobic district manager who now wants to get rid of him.
Phil doesn't seem to realise that Humberto, who is one of his customers, is trying to get his attention to ask him out!! Phil was supposed to ring him one evening, but after an eventful day at work, he went home and fell asleep - prompting Humberto to think he didn't want to go out with him. So Phil is convinced that he has driven Humberto away.
Ezra is in a quandary as he knows he should talk to his best friend Justin about his boyfriend Vince, as Ezra knows Vince is playing around and is not loyal to Justin at all. Ezra really does care for Justin, and I don’t think he actually realises how much he does care….
Vince shows no commitment to Justin, and quite often throughout the book you find out he is with somebody else, and doesn't seem to care about anything other than how people look at him, and the next hot body he can have. One of the people he decided to take out was the Policeman who responded to his accident, but to make matters worse, although he lives with Justin, he asked him to make himself scarce while he brought his date home..... however, on their arrival at the house, Justin is there and not in a good way......
Doreen, another of the staff, frequently mentions a dungeon at home, but nobody really believes that she has one..... but oh yes she does, and learn about what happens in her dungeon!!
Mark, the district manager, decides to go for a drink after the week from hell and ends up at the gay bar in the town. Here he meets Jeremy, and although Mark is married, he agrees to go home with Jeremy……
Things all come to a head, when both Mark and Phil are called into the head office of Speedy Mart, and the events that happen there are not what you expect to happen.
Is Mark a closet gay?? Does Phil ever manage to apologise to Humberto and go on a date?? What has happened to Justin?? What has happened at the meeting at the head office?? Will Ezra ever realise what his feelings for Justin are??
After nearly three hours’ preparation, Phil stood in front of the full-length mirror sporting the exact same set of clothes he’d first tried on. An enormous mound of shirts and slacks lay behind him in a disheveled heap atop his bed. He straightened his posture and sucked in his tiny belly. He checked his hair and teeth; then he turned around, trying to crane his neck far enough to scope out the reflection of his ass in the jeans. He sniffed his wrist, concerned he’d used too much cologne... or not enough. Should he wear a necklace? A single gold chain. No, silver. No, none at all. Sneakers, dress shoes, Dockers? A sweater? Oh fuck, he would hyperventilate if he didn’t quit. He eased back onto the mattress as he glanced over to the digital clock. 7:42. Humberto would be here in less than twenty minutes. He took a deep, cleansing breath, then stared his reflection directly in the eye. “You look okay,” he said with confidence. “Not drop-dead gorgeous, but... I don’t know, attractive in a nerdy sort of way, maybe? Anyway, you look fine, and you should be thankful a guy like Humberto even.... “No, wait.” He shook his head. “You look good. Damn good. Jesus Christ, how many thirty-five-year-olds can boast they still have a thirty-inch waist? And you still have a youthful face, and you have beautiful eyes. Humberto should be proud!” In spite of himself, he giggled, then waved his hand dismissively. “Nah. I didn’t buy it either, but it was worth a try.” He stood back up and re-hung each of the clothing items in his closet. He then selected a pair of casual, slip-on shoes and walked down the hall to his living room. He picked up his cell phone, which he’d plugged in earlier to charge, and double-checked his messages to make sure Humberto hadn’t called and cancelled. It was already 8:02 and he hadn’t yet arrived. Perhaps Humberto would stand him up, maybe as payback for Phil having blown him off on Tuesday. Phil could already feel the deflation, the crushing embarrassment. He’d allowed himself to get so excited, hyped up for his big date—his first time out with another man in over four years. Wouldn’t that just be the perfect ending of a perfectly miserable week? As he slumped into a chair in his living room, feeling depressed and defeated, he heard a vehicle pull into his drive. Leaping to his feet, he rushed over to the front window in time to catch his sexy suitor climbing out of his truck. Phil’s heart stopped. Humberto wore sleek black slacks that fit him like a glove. His silky red button-up dress shirt remained partially concealed by a black leather vest. Not even a hint of construction worker/handyman strode up that sidewalk to Phil’s front door. Immediately Phil realized how absurd this whole idea really was. He wanted to dash back into his bedroom and quickly change into something dressier. No, he really didn’t own anything that could compete with the likes of Humberto. He stepped over to the front door and steeled himself, holding his breath, until the booming sound of Humberto’s knock restarted his heartbeat. “Humberto,” Phil pulled the door open and gave his date an apologetic look. “I guess I should have....” As he took in the sight in front of him, he couldn’t finish his sentence. Humberto smiled. “Mmm,” he said, nodding his head. “Muy guapo.”
He had to be joking. He’d just complimented Phil, saying he was very good-looking. Phil laughed and shook his head. “Look who’s talking.” Phil stepped back to allow Humberto entry, and he moved confidently into Phil’s personal space. He inhaled the nutty scent of Humberto’s manly cologne, and a warmth spread across Phil’s chest. When Humberto leaned in and kissed him softly yet squarely on the lips, Phil felt as if he’d swoon. He grabbed hold of the man’s biceps, steadying himself, and Humberto responded by intensifying the kiss. He slid his arms around Phil and pulled him in as he tilted his head slightly to the side and delivered a tiny bit of tongue. Phil received him and responded in kind. His cock shot to full mast.
He had to be joking. He’d just complimented Phil, saying he was very good-looking. Phil laughed and shook his head. “Look who’s talking.” Phil stepped back to allow Humberto entry, and he moved confidently into Phil’s personal space. He inhaled the nutty scent of Humberto’s manly cologne, and a warmth spread across Phil’s chest. When Humberto leaned in and kissed him softly yet squarely on the lips, Phil felt as if he’d swoon. He grabbed hold of the man’s biceps, steadying himself, and Humberto responded by intensifying the kiss. He slid his arms around Phil and pulled him in as he tilted his head slightly to the side and delivered a tiny bit of tongue. Phil received him and responded in kind. His cock shot to full mast.
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JEFF ERNO began writing LGBT fiction in the late 1990s. Although an avid reader and amateur writer from a very young age, Jeff pursued a career as a retail store manager in Northern Michigan. When his first gay-themed novel was published, he was shocked that anyone would even want to read it. So far, he's published over thirty novels. Jeff lives in Southern Michigan, where he works part time at a convenience store.
Jeff's writing credits include a variety of themes and sub-genres including male romance, Young Adult, Science Fiction, erotica, and BDSM. He is the winner of a 2012 Rainbow Award and an Honorable Mention in 2011. His style is unpretentious and focused upon emotionally-driven, character-based stories that touch the heart. Jeff is especially passionate about young adult literature and combating teen bullying and youth suicide.
Email: jeffaerno@gmail.com
Website: http://www.jefferno.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jefferno
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeffErno
