About Toy Box: Make-Up

with stories by Sue Brown, Misa Izanaki, and Syd McGinley
56 pages / 12800 words
ISBN: 978-1-61040-079-4
Ebook zipped file contains - html, lit, Adobe and Sony optimized pdf, prc, epub

Make-up is a little unusual for a guy, but with the right touch, the application can have the most wonderful effects. Just ask the characters in these stories. We start out with Lipstick by Sue Brown: this is Christian's favorite part of the whole day. The hour before he steps out under the lights, as he transforms himself into his latest character. Of course, there is a very good reason why Christian loves it so much, but he's not here yet.

In One Hell of a Day Off by Misa Izanaki, Frankie is puttering around the house. He has a day off and isn’t sure what to do with himself. He can’t even pester Aki because his lover is out shopping with their co-worker Dante. Aki comes home after Dante and an over zealous make-up counter lady coax him into trying a few things out. Aki isn’t sure about the whole thing but to Frankie it’s a real turn on. We round things off with War Paint by Syd McGinley. Classics professor Nestor knows his on-campus battles would go so much better if he could wear his confidence-boosting eyeliner. His Sir, protective bear Steven, doubts the wisdom of this strategy and suggests an alliance with Katashi Tanaka and Pol Rønne! Can Steven distract Nestor from his woes with smutty twisted tales of Ancient Greece?

Sample

From War Paint by Syd McGinley

Nestor fiddled with his rearview mirror so he could see his eyes. His faculty parking pass bounced against his rainbow air freshener. Steven had removed the vanity mirrors from the visors after Nestor had checked his eyeliner one time too many, but his Sir could hardly remove the rearview mirror even if he had banned eyeliner.

Nestor batted his lashes. It wasn't guyliner. It was far more subtle. Invisible really. But his eyes had a seductive, smoky come-to-bed look. He was sure Steven wouldn't detect the forbidden enhancement. And if he were lucky, he could get Steven so impatient for a fuck that his man wouldn't torment him as he had done for several Fridays running.

He yelped. Someone had thumped on his hood. Don't let it be that foul frat boy from his Freshman Greek and Roman Culture class, prayed Nestor as he focused.

"Shit!" He lifted his hand and faked a cheerful wave back at Dr. Pol Rønne from the Soc-Anth department. That man was so jovial! Well, that wasn't what was annoying about him. What gave Nestor screaming ninny fits around Dr. Rønne was that he and Steven were members of the same leather chapter. Liberal Arts meetings were horrid enough without having one of your Sir's friends giving you a look when you voiced an opinion. Steven had guffawed about that, and lectured Nestor about professional separation of roles, and finally reassured him that Pol would never break confidences in any direction.

Nestor puffed air up at his bangs in memory of that and re-evaluated how his eyebrows looked -- he'd had them professionally shaped earlier in the week. Steven didn't get his point about Pol -- how was Nestor meant to make a case for more funding for Greek classes when Sirs were watching him? Especially when, and here he gulped hard, the Modern Languages faculty were eyeballing the Classics department's meager office space. Katashi Tanaka was always devastatingly courteous to Nestor, but he was an utter demon in inter-departmental negotiations. If Nestor didn't stand his ground, the Greek and Latin language teachers would have only one office to share, and the barbarians would win.

"Speak of the devil," growled Nestor as a gleaming Lexus cruised out of the parking lot. He gave a feeble wave to Dr. Tanaka's boy, Tommy, who was in the passenger seat. Perhaps he should cozy up to Tommy and Rinnie, Dr. Rønne's boy? Or not, he sighed. They were both subs and faculty partners, but they were also both students. Nestor was muddled enough about his standing without forming friendships with students, although Tommy had been a delight to have in the survey course last year. He'd laughed at all the right places, and really appreciated the Priapus epigrams.

Nestor shoved the mirror back into position, and started the engine. It was Friday, his grading was done since it was only the first week of the semester, and Steven had been in a horny mood this morning. Nestor's Jetta was almost the last car in the Liberal Arts faculty lot. He zipped out of the campus, and made it home before Steven.

His Sir was a big blond bear. He looked scruffy and as if he did something constructiony. Nestor loved that about him, and had high hopes that there could be a work boots and tool belt scene in their future. Steven was actually a pediatric nurse and spent his days at the Children's Hospital, soothing little patients through appendectomies and ear tube insertions. Steven was good-natured at work so long as his one rule -- No being Santa, ever! Don't even ask! -- wasn't broken, and the doctors didn't come on too high-handed on his ward. Apparently little boys and little girls alike thought he was cuddly. Steven's partner in crime, Nurse Jasmine, told Nestor that Steven could get any child through a dark scary night in a strange place with a comforting story, and was in his element guiding a child calmly into an anesthetized state. No one panicked when Nurse Steven was holding their hand.