EXCERPT and GIVEAWAY
Thirst Trap
by Zachary Ryan
Thirst Trap by Zachary Ryan is currently on tour with Xpresso Book Tours. The tour stops here today for an excerpt and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
Tragedy comes in all forms, and you never know how you’ll deal with it. Four friends have all dealt with their fair share of struggles. Dillion, an aspiring writer with writers block because of his brothers sudden death, Jesse the emotional stunted drink thanks to his boyfriend’s suicide, Ivan the abused victim just looking for a place to call home, and Leo the stubborn romantic trying to get his friends to open up, while keeping his issues close to his chest.
With these four friends, they avoid all their elephants in the room like a death card agreement between Dillion and Jesse, Ivan completely hoping his abusive lover with change or even Leo focusing on his friends problems instead of his own. Can these four friends learn to embrace and accept their own tragedy or will they be stuck in the past?
Thirst Trap is a humorous coming of age novel dealing with sexuality, tragedy, substance abuse, and the most beautiful insane friendships.
Excerpt
Chapter One
Dillon
I hadn’t expected to be here so shortly between my visits, but when you feel a burn downstairs, you need to make sure you didn’t catch anything. I looked over at the stupid sign promoting safe sex, and rolled my eyes. I knew damn well the gay scene in Chicago didn’t believe in condoms. I wanted to blame barebacking porn, but I knew it was just because I was too lazy and impatient for the guy to wrap it up.
A guy came and sat next to me. He looked nervous, and I could tell that he was having a mini panic attack. His left leg was vibrating, and he was constantly checking his phone. The guy kept turning toward me. He had dirty blonde hair, a little bit on the heavier side, and had nice blue eyes. He would be more Leo’s speed than mine. I could tell the guy kept checking me out.
I was used to people checking me out. I knew that sounded cocky, but I made my money dancing on top of bars in nothing but a thong. I had to make sure I had my body in shape, my brown hair perfectly styled, and my hazel eyes needed to scream that I was going to rip your asshole apart later that night.
I smiled at him. “First time?” I asked.
He glared at me. “I’m just here for a checkup.”
I leaned back and put my hands behind my back. “Don’t worry.
You will quickly be able to push aside the internal shame of getting tested, after your fourth or fifth time.”
He didn’t say anything else. He just got up and walked across the room. I rolled my eyes. I knew he couldn’t take a joke. Maybe that was why I wasn’t a stand-up comedian. I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out to see it was a text from Jesse, asking if I was still coming in for a drink. He had texted the group, which consisted of my other two best friends; Ivan and Leo.
“Mr. Nelson?” The nurse came out with a clipboard. I raised my hand. “That’s me.”
The nurse looked me up and down. I knew they weren’t supposed to judge you, but I could tell that she remembered me from a couple of months back. I got up to follow her, turned to the guy that hated me. “Don’t worry, they’ll get to know your name soon enough, too,” I winked, and laughed when his hookup app notification went off.
I followed her into a room, and she asked me the same questions that I’m always forced to answer. She wrote down my answers and tried her hardest to keep her mouth shut, when I told her that I hadn’t used condoms my last couple of times. She drew some blood, and told me that they would have the results in a couple of days.
I walked out of the building to the brisk chill of a fall day. I had the night off, and I was planning to forget about this whole day and hopefully, end up in bed with a stranger for the night. I felt my phone go off, and it was my mother.
I forgot that it was our weekly phone call. “Hey mom, this isn’t a good time,” I said.
“Really?” she asked. “You continue to tell me that every time I call you. I know you don’t have class right now. You’ve sent me your schedule, and I don’t see anything at this time.”
If she only knew that I dropped out of college two years ago. “I just wanted to get this new short story done for my fiction class.”
“I’m happy to hear you’re focusing on writing instead of drinking,” she said.
I had always wanted to be a writer, but life had caused me to go in a different direction. “You’re right, mom. I spend all my nights at home being a loser,” I said.
“I can hear the sarcasm in your voice. I’m glad you only have two more semesters until you graduate college. My baby boy graduating from college.”
I could make things better and tell her that I technically have a degree in twerking and making my ass cheeks clapping together, but I knew that wouldn’t go down well with her. “You need to stop bragging about me. I think the other housewives might get pissed at you.”
Thirst Trap
She sighed. “It’s refreshing knowing that you’re doing better after everything that happened with Wade,” she said.
I knew she always wanted to bring him up, but I didn’t feel the desire to get into it. “Mom, I have to go. I’m sorry that I have to cut this short, but I see my professor coming,” I said.
“Always focusing on your academics,” she said. “I love you. Talk to you soon,” she paused. “You also need to give your dad a call.”
“Can’t you relay I’m doing well?” I asked.
Hi mom and dad, I know you’re cool with me being gay, but I dropped out of college to be a homosexual thirst trap. You still love me, right?
I rolled my eyes at the thought. “I will. Love you.” I hung up before she could say anything else.
“You had better be on your way to the bar. There’s a couple of cute boys here, and I know damn well you have nothing else going on,” Jesse had said in a text.
I responded that I would be there in a couple of minutes. I needed a good drink, and an even better lay. I didn’t want to think about the clinic, my parents, or even worse, Wade.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“All four main characters are well fleshed out. The supporting characters are shown with depth also. I liked that it was not a Harlequin style book. Each man needs to own his issues and stop evading the causes.” ~ Richmond Reader
“If you need a group of friends story with all the feels, this is IT. I was instantly immersed in the world this group of four exists in and while it's really rough, it's also really REAL.” ~ AurenRose
“I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a lot of emotional highs and lows in their reads. If you enjoy stories about people learning what it means to “adult” in an often times cruel and unforgiving world, where even the smallest moments of happiness have to be fought for, you will enjoy this one.” ~ Sharonica
“It was enjoyable, engrossing, emotional (be prepared), and I had a hard time putting it down. Each character has their time in the spotlight, and no one overshadows another. It's a story about growing up, coming of age, and so much more. You have to read this one for yourself.” ~ Maria V.
“This is the 2nd book I've read written by Zachary Ryan; he has done a great job at writing a good book; I will definitely be reading more of his books. The story line caught my attention at the very beginning and kept me interested throughout the entire book. I loved the characters.” ~ Jeanne Richardson
About the Author
Zachary Ryan grew up in a black-and-white box in Maryland, before moving to Chicago to start a new life. There, he found that he was accepted for his misfit status–and learned that it’s perfectly normal to spend your twenties feeling lost and confused.
After a disastrous sexual encounter, Ryan stumbled on a group of true friends, or “soul cluster”, that he connected with. Through his writing, he hopes to help other broken souls out there find comfort amid the chaos.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.
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