My novel The Escort’s Tale is a bisexual romance, told from the perspective of the sex worker Jasper Dylan, who sees clients under the working name of JD Pierce. One day Alethia Ballantine contacts Jasper; her husband Nick has suffered a spinal cord injury, is in a wheelchair, and can no longer walk or make love to her. Alethia and Nick have decided to hire a professional escort in an attempt to deal with the issues in their sex life.

Chapter Three describes Jasper’s first meeting with Nick when the escort arrives at their apartment, from Jasper’s perspective. The thoughts, fears and hopes of Nick Ballantine in that first meeting seemed like a story worth telling, though. Each stop on my blog tour for The Escort’s Tale contains a section of Nick’s story, in something I had to call…

The Husband’s Tale

by M.J. Edwards

Part 7

[Previously] JD glances at me, and the flash of fire in his eyes quickly changes to concern.

Ali looks over too, and I watch her physically withdraw from JD. I’m fucking this up for her, but I don’t know what to do. My hearth thumps painfully. This was a terrible idea, and I’m a terrible husband for putting her in this position. For holding out hope that she’d have a man fuck her like she hasn’t been fucked in eighteen months.

JD rises from the sofa, then crouches again to rest a hand on Ali’s knee. My pulse pounds until I hear blood rush in my ears. This is it. He’s touching my wife, and my face flushes with heat. I grip the wheels of my chair, jealousy and fear shaking me to my soul.

And then quiet descends like the first snowfall of winter. Heart rate slowing, my eyes drift to my right wrist. JD has reached out and wrapped his fingers firmly around me there. The warmth and strength of his grip soothe me into forgetting my nerves. I glance up and realize that the three of us now form a circuit, JD connecting me with my wife in a new and unlikely configuration. His touch drains away my fear and leaves behind it calm.

Underneath that, I feel a low thrum of anticipation.

“I know this is new to you,” JD says softly, looking between Ali and me. “And what’s new can be a little frightening. But I’m here for you. For both of you. You’ve talked about this, and you’ve decided this is an experience you need to try. Together. Right?” Ali nods, and JD stares into my eyes. “Right?” he prompts.

I swallow hard around the lump that tries to reappear in my throat, but I make myself nod. He’s right; we need to try. In the end, it’s just an experience. If we don’t like it, then we don’t repeat it. Simple as that.

“Good,” JD says. “I want to make something clear. I have no expectations. I’m here for the two of you. We go as far as you are comfortable, and no further. Maybe we do nothing but kiss.”

I look at Ali, and our eyes hold. I hear everything that she’s telling me with her silvery gaze. She loves me. She’s attracted to JD. She wants to see this through, but she won’t go forward if I’m not sure. We can find another solution, or try this one again some other time. With some other man, who doesn’t raise unsettling questions in my head, and who doesn’t make Ali so excited.  

No. Ali’s ready to try. I started this with my fall, with my ruined spine, with my insistence that she let another man give her what I can’t. JD’s hand on my wrist gives me the courage to nod at her. We’re Nick and Alethia Ballantine, badass husband and wife. We’ll see the next step of our path through together.

JD’s grip on me relaxes slightly, and I see a smile glimmer in his blue eyes. Somehow I think he knows what Ali and I just said to each other with an exchange of glances. I like to think he’s happy at our decision.

The escort rises to his feet. “Why don’t we go into the bedroom, and see what happens?”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into the head of Nick. If you’re intrigued and want to know more about my sexy couple and the man they’ve hired, follow the buy link or check out The Escort’s Tale at my website.

To read the rest of Nick’s story, you can follow the links for each prior stop of my blog tour:

12/10 IndiGo (Part 1)

12/10 MainelyStories (Part 2)

12/11 Bayou Book Junkie (Part 3)

12/11 Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author (Part 4)

12/12 Love Bytes (Part 5)

12/13 J. Scott Coatsworth (Part 6)

12/14 The Blogger Girls (Part 7) Continue reading →