Pheefs

Scrooge has compelling reasons for hating Christmas, for rejecting his fiancée and his precious nephew, and for employing Tiny Tim’s father, despite his obvious incompetence. He is a doting uncle, beloved brother, successful businessman, and passionate lover, but a dark secret puts both him and his loved ones at risk. Scrooge struggles to embrace his true self and live in defiance of the Victorian era’s repressive moral standards.

I get crushes the way some people get seasonal allergies. And sharing a house with four hot roommates is like being stuck in permanent spring. Too bad I keep getting friend-zoned. But it’s senior year now, and I’m done pining for the impossible. Time to live it up and go out with a bang. Or a lot of bangs.

Ever since we met two years ago, Eden Burkehammer has made everything better. The big defenseman sets me at ease. He’s a beast on the ice—brutal and physical—but when it’s the two of us, he turns to me with these unexpectedly soft brown eyes. This gravelly laugh that makes my whole body smile. And yeah, I might have thrown a glance his way a time or two in the steamed-up locker room showers—you know, just curious. But he’s my best friend. My teammate. Roommate. I don’t want to mess with that. Just the thought of losing him sends a cold zap the full length of my spine.

Conor: It starts with a drunken text pic. The kind I would normally never send. Only, instead of it going to the flirty hotel bartender, it goes to some random stranger who actually responds. Wells: The first thing I notice about Conor Newell when he sits down in my high-rise conference room is how delightfully nervous he is. Then I see his tie. The same geeky tie that’s held hostage on my phone. The one that belongs to my anonymous late-night texter. And it changes everything.

In all of my years as a professor, never did I imagine I'd end up getting a lap dance from a student. But I did. What's worse? He's my new TA. And the icing on top of the cake? I can't stop thinking about it. Can't get him off my mind. I'm Dr. Silas Sinclair. Respectable educator and a man with his head on his shoulders. I don't break the rules. I don't cross boundaries. And I certainly don't stalk students.

I'd been waiting my whole life to run. When I uncovered hidden papers detailing my inheritance, I knew my time had come. I packed my trunk full of plant babies, black nail polish, and determination. With my demons in the rearview mirror and my trauma for company, I made my way to Elmwood. The remote Maine mountain town is home to my future, a potential love interest, and a lot of really weird, possibly deadly secrets.

Kai: the bad boy I broke my rules for, who stomped all over my heart—twice. He’s arrogant, annoying, and, worst of all, he doesn’t even remember what he did to me. He’s also my new presentation partner. I want nothing to do with him, but the more time we spend together, the more I realize he’s not the monster I’ve made him out to be. I want to keep hating him, but it’s hard when he’s made it his mission to get me to like him. As if things weren’t messed up enough, enter Mr. Wrong.

I didn’t mean to stow away on the yacht, I swear. My first mistake was going home with the jerk at the bar, but in my defense, Prescott said he owned the Worthington - 90 feet of sleek, yachty perfection - and if I could get the chief mate’s job, I’d have an excuse to stay on board and keep avoiding my family and my future. How was I supposed to know he was the owner’s cheating, gold-digging almost brother-in-law, or that I’d end up stuffed in a closet when the ship left the harbor?

Seeing my best friend West happy with his fiancé opened my eyes to things I’ve been missing in my own marriage. My divorce, which was amicable, followed. Strangely, at West’s wedding, I find myself confiding in Darren, the straight, confirmed bachelor and star quarterback of the Atlanta Lightning.

When I left home, I swore I'd never hide anything about myself again. From college, to law school, to the United States Senate representing California, I've done it all as an out gay man. So, when I'm in DC and see a beautiful guy at the hotel bar, I don't hesitate to proposition him...right before he runs out on me, leaving his sunglasses behind like my very own Cinderfella.