The Joys of Being a Dilettante, by Lisabet Sarai

As soon as I checked out this blog, I knew I was in the right place. “Eclectic” is definitely the word for me. When I was in high school, I placed second in the science fair, wrote poems for the school newspaper and danced in the Senior Talent Show. In college I took chemistry, physics, ancient Greek, Russian literature in translation, statistics, a Shakespeare seminar, experimental psychology and computer programming. I've had a variety of different careers, ranging from research scientist to editor – not to mention my secret life as an erotic author or my brief stint as a professional belly dancer!

Some people argue you'll never get anywhere if you don't focus all your energy on one particular goal. I'm not so sure. True, I'm not rich or famous. I haven't won either the Nobel or the Pulitzer prizes. (Yet!) Perhaps, in terms of external measures, I'm less “successful” than some of my peers. But I've accomplished quite a bit in my nearly sixty years. More importantly, I've had a fantastic life so far, full of variety, adventure and both intellectual and emotional satisfaction. I wouldn't trade my existence as a happy dilettante for wealth, power or prestige.

When it comes to my writing, I'm pretty eclectic as well. Like Brenda, I've tried my hand at a wide range of genres: contemporary, paranormal, historical, steam punk, BDSM, ménage, science fiction, multicultural, Rubenesque, heterosexual, lesbian and gay. About the only branch of erotica/romance I haven't tackled is Western. The down side of all this variety is that I really don't have a gbrandh. About the only constant in my work is a strong emphasis on the psychological facets of the erotic. My tagline is Imagination is the ultimate aphrodisiac, and I'm firmly convinced the mind is the most sensitive erogenous zone of all. That doesn't mean my work isn't explicit – I can make my readers blush and sweat with the best! - but I find purely physical sex somewhat boring.

 Anyway, I'm here today to share a bit from my new M/M science fiction romance, Quarantine –  my first major M/M title in almost three years. I'm really excited about this book. It's dark, suspenseful, and steaming hot!

Quarantine

by Lisabet Sarai

Available from Total E Bound

When love is forbidden, the whole world's a prison.

Dylan Moore will do anything for freedom. Seven years ago, a gay plague spread to heterosexuals, killing millions and sparking brutal anti-gay riots. The Guardians rounded up men who tested positive for the homogene and imprisoned them in remote quarantine centres like desolate Camp Malheur. Since then, Dylan has hacked the camp's security systems and hoarded spare bits of electronics, seeking some way to escape. He has concluded the human guards are the only weakness in the facility's defences.

Camp guard Rafe Cowell is H-negative. He figures the lust he feels watching prisoner 3218 masturbate on the surveillance cameras must be due to his loneliness and isolation. When he finally meets the young queer, he discovers that Dylan is brilliant, brave, sexy as hell – and claims to be in love with Rafe. Despite his qualms, Rafe finds he can't resist the other man's charm. By the time Dylan asks for his help in escaping, Rafe cares too much for Dylan to refuse.

Dylan's plan goes awry and Rafe comes to his rescue. Soon they're both fugitives, fleeing from militant survivalists, murderous androids, homophobic ideologues and a powerful man who wants Dylan as his sexual toy. Hiding in the Plague-ravaged city of Sanfran, Dylan and Rafe learn there's far more than their own safety at stake. Can they help prevent the deaths of millions more people? And can Rafe trust the love of a man who deliberately seduced him in order to escape from quarantine?

 

Excerpt

A rickety staircase led to the basement. Here, in a tiled maze of passages, the sex was far more public. One man pinned his partner to the wall, wrists captured overhead, jerking himself off while plundering his companion’s mouth. Another couple, one man deeply tanned, the other pale, writhed on a bench in one of the alcoves, hips pumping in synchrony. Further down, they encountered two burly biker types sharing a slight, bookish-looking man with a dark ponytail. Their victim bent over a stool, with one cock buried in his ass and another in his drooling mouth. Bold tattoos rippled over the bikers’ muscular backs as they pounded into him. The bliss on the younger man’s face made it clear that he was a willing participant in this scene.

Dylan glanced at Rafe, checking his reaction to this raunchiness. The black man’s full lips were parted in a pant. His eyes simmered with lust. His erection distorted the towel, a wet spot growing at the tip. Grinning, Dylan unknotted his own towel and swung it around his neck. His cock arched towards the ceiling, eager for action. 

He caught and held Rafe’s eyes. Don’t be afraid, he broadcast to his lover. I’m here. The other man seemed to get the message. Slowly, without breaking the visual connection, he unwrapped his hips and set his massive erection free.

Dylan was suddenly dizzy with need. He sank to his knees, mouth open to receive the glorious hardness waving in front of his face. Rafe, however, pulled him back to his feet.

“Not here,” he said. He half-dragged Dylan through an open doorway into a vast, empty room that smelled faintly of chlorine. The rectangular depression in the centre was an old swimming pool, empty now save for an algae-scummed puddle at the deep end. Rafe settled on the ledge that ran along the wall and spread his legs wide. His dick reared up like a snake, the single eye charming Dylan into a motionless trance.

“Suck me,” Rafe commanded. Dylan didn’t need a second invitation. In two seconds, he was kneeling between those corded thighs.

Ignoring the chill, slimy tile under his knees, he leaned forward and swallowed Rafe to the very root. He buried his nose in Rafe’s wiry pubes. The rich man-musk drowned out the smells of mould and rotting wood. The spongy knob prodded his palate. He drew back, sucking hard and wringing a groan of appreciation from Rafe. “Your mouth is so damn hot,” the black man moaned as Dylan slithered his tongue along the silky shaft, then engulfed it once more. “Oh, God! Yes!” 

Usually Rafe took control, fucking Dylan’s mouth with the same ferocity he lavished on his ass. This time, though, he let Dylan do the work of pleasing him. Dylan played with the fat log of flesh, alternating between teasing his lover and devouring him. He pursed his lips over the bulb, tongued the weeping slit, flicked at the sensitive frenulum, until Rafe was begging for more. Then he plunged down, turning on the suction, immersing his lover in wet heat.

Finally, Rafe couldn’t hold back. He seized Dylan’s head, holding him fast. His blunt fingers clutched handfuls of Dylan’s hair as he drove his cock down the other man’s throat. The slight pain made Dylan’s own prick even harder. He relaxed, opening himself to everything Rafe gave him.

He forgot about the camp. He forgot about Hammer. He completely forgot where he was. Rafe was his only reality―hardness and heat filling his mouth, salt and bitterness on his tongue, ripe sweat in his nostrils, smooth ebony skin rippling in front of his half-closed eyes.

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I want to thank Brenda for having me as her guest. This post today is part of my Quarantine blog tour, which will run  through the 24th of July. I'll be giving away an ebook to one commenter at each stop on the tour. So leave a comment – and don't forget to include your email address so I can contact you!

I'll also be choosing one commenter from the entire tour to win the grand prize – a $50 All Romance Ebooks gift certificate. Meanwhile, all comments at my own blog Beyond Romance during the tour will also go into the drawing for the gift certificate.

You'll find the schedule for the tour in my July newsletter.

You can check out the Quarantine trailer here. And if you're interested in getting your own copy of Quarantine, just go to Total-E-Bound.

Bio: More than a decade ago LISABET SARAI experienced a serendipitous fusion of her love of writing and her fascination with sex. Since then she has published four single author short story collections and seven erotic novels, including the BDSM classic Raw Silk. Dozens of her shorter works have been released as ebooks and in print anthologies. She has also edited several acclaimed anthologies and is currently responsible for the altruistic erotica series COMING TOGETHER PRESENTS.

Lisabet holds more degrees than anyone needs from prestigious universities who would no doubt be embarrassed by her chosen genre. She loves to travel and currently lives in Southeast Asia with her highly tolerant husband and two cosmopolitan felines. For more information on Lisabet and her writing visit Lisabet Sarai's Fantasy Factory or her blog Beyond Romance.