Death Benefits

By William Holden

Victor Kane isn’t an ordinary funeral director. He’s a vampire, and not an ordinary one, either. He doesn’t drink fresh blood, but rather the lifeless blood from corpses that come into his family-run business. Despite the benefits of dead blood, there’s one side effect he hasn’t come to terms with -- dead blood caused erectile dysfunction.

Cliff a handsome young man who loses his husband unexpectedly in the heat of passion and calls After Care Funeral Home to help with the arrangements. When Victor and Cliff meet, though, it’s anything but business.

Cliff wants to feel again, and sex is his answer. Victor knows from experience that sex with a vampire is a powerful aphrodisiac and tries to keep Cliff at bay. Can Victor confess his identity to Cliff without ruining his chance for love?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Oct 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781634867047

William Holden

William Holden lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his partner of thirteen years. His writing career spans more than a decade, with over forty published stories of erotica, romance, fantasy, and horror. His short story “Words to Die By” was a finalist in the 2010 Saints and Sinners fiction contest. Holden has served as fiction editor for RFD Magazine. He is co-founder and co-editor of the website Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews, www.outinprint.net.

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Death Benefits

By William Holden

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2018 William Holden

ISBN 9781634867047

Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

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.

Published in the United States of America.

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Death Benefits

By William Holden

The night air was warm and humid. A departure from the typical Dallas weather of dry and drier. An unexpected storm from the western prairies blew in earlier that evening. By blew, I mean, short-lived and violent. What remained were the clouds and the crackling streaks of lightning cutting across the endless night sky. Thunder rumbled and vibrated against the city skyscrapers.

I backed into the driveway of my latest customer. A few drops of rain splattered across the windshield. Despite the size of my vehicle, a gust of wind came along and rocked the Mercedes-Benz. Another storm was coming. I wouldn’t have minded, I usually liked storms, except when I felt them coming. Every significant event in my life has been marked by a storm. Tonight’s atmospheric turbulence I felt deep inside my bones. Despite my past experience with Ma Nature, I ignored these warning signs and went about the business at hand.

I got out of the car and walked around the back of the vehicle, opened the door, and pulled out the tools of my trade. I butt bumped the back door closed‚ then walked along the winding sidewalk to the front door. I knocked. Lightning spiderwebbed its way across the sky. I looked up‚ wondering what else fate could do to me that she hadn’t already accomplished. Sometimes I felt as if she had a vendetta against me. The front door opened. Thunder rumbled in the distance. It was in those few seconds I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical pickup. I should have paid closer attention to the ache in my bones.

The man who greeted me looked like death warmed over. A cliché, I know, but the description fit him like a glove. His forest green eyes were bloodshot from tears and lack of sleep. His shoulder-length, unkempt burnt-orange hair matched the condition of his clothes. He was teetering on the edge and was about to fall off. Unfortunately, I could tell he was expecting me to catch him. It wasn’t part of the job, but what choice did I have?

Victor Kane, After Care Funeral Home. I handed him my calling card. His hands trembled as he took the small rectangular matte-finished card. I am sorry for your loss, I added with solemn compassion.

Thank you for coming. He tried to smile. The pain of loss was still too new for such simple expressions.

Death doesn’t have regular business hours, I’m afraid. Another web of crooked light streaked across the sky. The rip seemed to settle into my tailbone and fester like an abscessed tooth.

I’m Cliff Sanderson. He shook my hand and offered me a genuine smile. It was as if my presence somehow distracted him from the purpose of our meeting. His momentary reprieve from reality was cut short by the sight of the transport bag resting on the gurney behind me. New tears filled his already swollen, bloodshot eyes.

Please, why don’t you sit down? I let myself in,