Make the Yuletide Gay

By Addison Albright, Nicky Spencer, Nell Iris and 2 more

Sleigh bells ring—are you listening?

It’s that time of year again, and we have the perfect way to get you in the mood: A free anthology! Five holiday stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart, heat up your cold nights, and most importantly: Make your yuletide gay.

A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer

Last Christmas, Cory and Wes made a connection that left them both thanking Santa. But when Cory doesn’t show up for their first date, Wes swears he won’t make that mistake again. This year, can Santa’s magic find a way to bring them back together?

Let’s Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa

The holidays are stressful enough without Ethan’s boyfriend Nate trying to kill him with Christmas cheer. But Nate’s found a whole new way to torture Ethan when he reveals that he wants kids. Will their conflicting desires tear their relationship apart, or will they find a way to ring in the new year stronger than ever?

Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright

Two men determined to win the same treasure at a charity silent auction, a wayward kitten, grumbling tummies, and a dilemma: what’s the correct gift-giving etiquette for a first date that’s mere days before Christmas, and what could possibly go awry with this merry combination?

The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris

One rainbow Christmas tree in harm’s way and an afternoon spent eating far too many cookies, equals two men with changed holiday plans. But how does that translate into a date?

The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada

The last thing Aoi wants to do for New Year’s is spend it with his boyfriend’s parents. They were far from thrilled when their son came out. Can Aoi warm their hearts making traditional mochi or will they end up in an even stickier situation?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Addison Albright
• Release date: Nov 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370455461

Addison Albright

Rainbow Award winning author Addison Albright lives smack dab in the middle of the USA. Her stories are gay romance in contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction genres. She generally adds a subtle touch of humor, a dash of drama/angst, and a sprinkle of slice-of-life to her stories. Her education includes a BS in Education with a major in mathematics and a minor in chemistry. Addison loves spending time with her family, reading, popcorn, boating, French fries, “open window weather,” cats, math, and anything chocolate. She loves to read pretty much anything and everything, anytime and anywhere.* Weekend at Bigfoot’s was the winner in the 2020-2021 Rainbow Awards in the “Best Gay Paranormal Romance” category and was a runner up in the ”Best Gay Book” category!* ’Til Death Do Us Part was a runner up in the 2016 Rainbow Awards in both the “Best Gay Contemporary Romance” and “Best Gay Book” categories!* To Love and To Cherish garnered two honorable mentions in the 2017 Rainbow Awards!

Book preview

Make the Yuletide Gay

A holiday themed anthology with contributions by:

Nicky Spencer, Stephen Hoppa, Addison Albright, Nell Iris, Amy Tasukada

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A Christmas Party to Remember – Copyright 2017 Nicky Spencer

Let’s Not Go Crazy – Copyright 2017 Stephen Hoppa

Captain Jack and the Snack Attack – Copyright 2107 Addison Albright

The Christmas Day Date – Copyright 2017 Nell Iris

The Year of the Monkey – Copyright 2017 Amy Tasukada

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Smashwords Edition

Cover image used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

* * * *

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the authors, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

WARNING: This book is for adult audiences only. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which may be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

Published in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer

Let’s Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa

Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright

The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris

The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada

* * * *

About Make the Yuletide Gay

Sleigh bells ring—are you listening?

It’s that time of year again, and we have the perfect way to get you in the mood: A free anthology! Five holiday stories that are guaranteed to warm your heart, heat up your cold nights, and most importantly: Make your yuletide gay.

A Christmas Party to Remember by Nicky Spencer

Last Christmas, Cory and Wes made a connection that left them both thanking Santa. But when Cory doesn’t show up for their first date, Wes swears he won’t make that mistake again. This year, can Santa’s magic find a way to bring them back together?

Let’s Not Go Crazy by Stephen Hoppa

The holidays are stressful enough without Ethan’s boyfriend Nate trying to kill him with Christmas cheer. But Nate’s found a whole new way to torture Ethan when he reveals that he wants kids. Will their conflicting desires tear their relationship apart, or will they find a way to ring in the new year stronger than ever?

Captain Jack and the Snack Attack by Addison Albright

Two men determined to win the same treasure at a charity silent auction, a wayward kitten, grumbling tummies, and a dilemma: what’s the correct gift-giving etiquette for a first date that’s mere days before Christmas, and what could possibly go awry with this merry combination?

The Christmas Day Date by Nell Iris

One rainbow Christmas tree in harm’s way and an afternoon spent eating far too many cookies, equals two men with changed holiday plans. But how does that translate into a date?

The Year of the Monkey by Amy Tasukada

The last thing Aoi wants to do for New Year’s is spend it with his boyfriend’s parents. They were far from thrilled when their son came out. Can Aoi warm their hearts making traditional mochi or will they end up in an even stickier situation?

A Christmas Party to Remember

By Nicky Spencer

About the Story

Last Christmas, Cory and Wes made a connection that left them both thanking Santa. But when Cory doesn’t show up for their first date, Wes swears he won’t make that mistake again. This year, can Santa’s magic find a way to bring them back together?

* * * *

A Christmas Party to Remember

Part One - Last Christmas

Wes

I’m here! I’m here! I’m not late, I’m here!

I pushed my way through a group of bemused and grumbling tourists, headed toward the back of the hotel lobby where my best friend, and date for the evening, waited.

About time, said Georgia. The party’s on the second floor. Come on. I followed her into a sleek elevator.

How do I look? Georgia asked.

Stunning. It was the truth. She took off her coat as soon as we slipped through the doors. She wore a sparkly black dress with a fitted skirt and a looser top sewn with silver sequins, her dark auburn curls loose around her shoulders. She’d topped it all off with an epic shade of red lipstick that said just because she was showing up to the party with her gay BFF, didn’t mean she was going home with him.

Georgia leaned in to check her teeth in the mirrored walls of the elevator.

You look perfect, I told her. Relax.

Ha. Easy for you to say. She and her boyfriend Evan had broken up just weeks before. They’d been working for the same accounting firm since before they started dating, and while she was able to mostly avoid him at work since they were in different departments, she knew she’d have to see him at the office Christmas party. She had begged me to be her plus one; she couldn’t bear the thought of facing him alone.

Georgia turned around so she could see her ass in the mirror, and I fidgeted with my Christmas tie. It was my favorite; some cheap Target special that I’d picked up a few years before with cartoon reindeer all over it. Cheesy as hell but I looked forward to wearing it every year.

When we reached the second floor, we exited into a winter wonderland. The small entryway between the elevator and the conference room that her firm had rented for the evening was bordered by leafless trees that had been spray painted white and decorated with twinkle lights. Huge glittery snowflakes hung from the ceiling. All the tables were covered in blue tulle and the walkway had been littered with shimmering blue and white confetti.

There’s the open bar, Georgia said. She hadn’t stopped talking about it since she’d invited me, and as soon as we stepped through the door she made a bee-line. I smiled to myself and followed her. I could use a drink, too.

Georgia was already in deep flirt-mode by the time I reached her. The bartender was young—I wouldn’t peg him at a day over twenty-five—and apparently exactly what thirty-eight-year-old Georgia needed to take her mind off of Evan. She tossed her hair and laughed loudly at something the younger man said. I sidled in next to her, placing my hand on her back.

Scotch on the rocks, please, I said.

Wes! Georgia exclaimed. This is Sam. Sam has promised to keep me well-stocked tonight. Right Sam?

The dark-haired young man smiled. That’s right, Georgia. If you say you’re over twenty-one, I’ll believe you. He acted like he didn’t believe her, and Georgia laughed again, reaching out to touch his arm.

Wes, can I keep him?

I don’t know. Has he been treated for fleas? I accepted my drink from Sam with a nod. He winked in return.

Georgia pushed playfully at my shoulder. Stop.

I’m gonna go find a table. I kissed Georgia’s cheek and left her to flirt with Sam, making my way to an empty table near the back wall where I could keep an eye on her. She finished her cocktail, and one more, before stumbling over to me.

Sam is cute, she declared.

Very.

And young.

Yes.

I thought she was about to add something else, but then she froze.

There’s Evan, she said.

I followed her eyes to see the man in question standing in the entryway to the banquet room, a barely legal blonde with a plunging neckline on his arm.

And his rather buxom young date, I murmured.

I need another drink. Georgia moved to signal Sam for a re-fill, but I put my hand on her arm and pushed it down.

You’ve had two in less than ten minutes. Let’s pace ourselves, shall we?

Georgia scowled at me and reached for my Scotch. I pushed my chair back with my legs, holding the drink in the air where she couldn’t reach. Unfortunately I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, because I ended up pushing my chair into, and spilling my drink all over, someone who had been walking behind me.

I jumped out of my chair, spinning around to apologize to the man I’d inadvertently Scotch-bombed, who was looking down at his wet shirt.

Shit, I’m so sorry! I’m such an id…

The words died out when he raised his head, and I found myself looking up into the eyes of one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen. He was tall and slim, with artfully styled thick blond hair and matching stubble. He wore slim-fitting black slacks and a tight black t-shirt with the words At Your Service scrawled across the front. The shirt was drenched.

I tried to swallow but my mouth was dry. Uh…s-sorry, I stammered. It was my latent social anxiety rearing its ugly head; I could handle anonymous transactions with grocery store clerks and fast food workers, but put me in front of an attractive man and all capacity for speech disappeared.

S’alright, mate, he said, green eyes glittering as he smiled at me. I can be pretty clumsy sometimes.

Oh my god, he had an accent? Was he trying to kill me?

You’re not… I began, then dry-swallowed again. It was me. Fault. My fault. Epic speech fail.

The guy wiped his hands on his pants—apparently they’d gotten wet as well—and said, Lucky I have a spare shirt in the back. I better go change, but can I bring you a fresh drink? What were you drinking?

I stared at him. My mouth wouldn’t work.

He was drinking Scotch. On the rocks, Georgia interjected.

The hot blond Australian winked. One Scotch on the rocks, coming up. And then he was gone.

I looked at Georgia, my face aflame.

What just happened? I asked.

You just had the most adorable meet-cute ever, she replied with a huge grin.

Hmm?

She laughed. He was hot. Are you gonna go for it?

Go for it? The guy was completely out of my league. Besides, it had been ages since I’d last attempted anything resembling romance. I was seriously out of practice, and transitioning into charm mode took a lot of work. I had to build up to something like that, it didn’t just happen.

I shook my head vigorously.

Oh come on, Wes! He’s so cute, and he obviously liked you. When was the last time you went out with a guy?

We had a way better president, I’ll just say that.

Georgia smiled. He’s into you. And he’s coming back with a drink. Just flirt with him a little, see what happens, okay?

Easy for you to say, I muttered. At least when he came back he’d be bearing Scotch; I was going to need it.

But he didn’t come back. A few minutes later, a young girl in a matching black t-shirt brought me a fresh Scotch, and about a minute after that the party was officially underway. Dinner was served, and the CEO of Georgia’s company stood in front of the room and gave a speech. I kept looking around the room for Hot Australian but he was nowhere to be found. I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed.

Georgia had stuck to water throughout dinner, but the moment dinner ended and the DJ started spinning top 40 Christmas tunes, she headed straight back to the bar. I’d hoped to keep her somewhat sober for the rest of the night but clearly I had failed. I slumped in defeat.

What happened to your date?

The Australian accent was like liquid velvet over my skin. I shivered a little, and turned to look at him.

He had changed his shirt; he now wore a white button up, the collar open and the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He stood with his arms