Dark Valentine: My Bloody Valentine

By J.P. Bowie

FROM MULTI-PUBLISHED AUTHOR OF LGBT+ ROMANCE, J.P. BOWIE

A My Bloody Valentine story

Valentine's Night, when the line between the real and unreal becomes blurred...

New boyfriends Brandon and Ryder are invited to an upscale Valentine's party in Santa Monica. Brandon had heard how fabulous' the parties are, so he's surprised by the creepy décor, and some even creepier ghouls who seem to have taken the place of the hosts. They can't be real, can they?

An erotic cabaret that ends with one of the dancers seemingly either killed or seriously injured upsets Brandon. Ryder attempts to calm him down, but they're both horrified when they discover a dead body upstairs with a knife embedded in its chest.

What the heck kind of a party is this?

And will Ryder and Brandon live to find out?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pride Publishing
• Release date: Feb 2, 2021
• ISBN: 9781839431036

J.P. Bowie

J.P. Bowie: I was born and raised in Scotland. Moved to London and worked in several West End shows before immigrating to the United States. First port of call was Las Vegas where I worked backstage with the Siegfried and Roy Show at the Mirage Hotel as Head of Wardrobe for the legendary stars. Another move more recently took me and my husband Phil to San Diego where we intend to stay! Love sunny San Diego.

Book preview

Author

Pride Publishing books by J.P. Bowie

Single Books

The Set Up

Ride ‘em Cowboy

Ride ‘em Again Cowboy

Personal Trainers

Halloween Angel

The Officer and the Gentleman

With a Little Help from My Friends

Blood Relations

Nowhere to Hide

Trip of a Lifetime

A Ghost Story

Happy Ending

A Highlander in LA

Journey to Hope

Paris Connection

All I’ll Ever Need

Every Breath I Take

Highland Hearts

Evan Sent

Fear and Loving in Las Vegas

Breaking the Habit

Fear of Flying

Love on the Rocks

Murder by Design

The Love Between Us

The Journeyer

The Journey Begins

The New World

The Fight for Freedom

Into the West

Hot in the Saddle

Vetting the Cowboy

Teaching the Cowboy

Loving the Cowboy

Naming the Cowboy

My Vampire and I

My Vampire and I

My Vampire Lover

Duet in Blood

Blood Resurrection

Bound in Blood

Blood Lure

Blood Lust

Blood Talisman

Blood Vigilance

Blood Kiss

Anthologies

Fabulous Brits: Under the Law

Naughty Nooners: Lunches in Laguna

Friction: Cruising

Saddle Up ‘N’ Ride: Ride ‘em Hard Cowboy

Promoted by the Billionaire: Fly to Him

Heatwave: Summer Bliss

Collections

Christmas Spirits: A Present Christmas

Homecoming: Blueprint for Love

Yule Be Mine: A Special Christmas

Immortal Love: Night Wing

A Little Bit Cupid: Valentine’s Day Blues

My Bloody Valentine

DARK VALENTINE

J.P. BOWIE

Dark Valentine

ISBN # 978-1-83943-103-6

©Copyright J.P. Bowie 2021

Cover Art by Claire Siemaszkiewicz ©Copyright February 2021

Interior text design by Claire Siemaszkiewicz

Pride Publishing

This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Pride Publishing.

Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Pride Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

Published in 2021 by Pride Publishing, United Kingdom.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors’ rights. Purchase only authorised copies.

Pride Publishing is an imprint of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

My Bloody Valentine

Valentine’s Night, when the line between the real and the unreal becomes blurred…

New boyfriends Brandon and Ryder are invited to an upscale Valentine’s party in Santa Monica. Brandon had heard how ‘fabulous’ the parties are, so he’s surprised by the creepy décor, and some even creepier ghouls who seem to have taken the place of the hosts. They can’t be real, can they?

An erotic cabaret that ends with one of the dancers seemingly either killed or seriously injured upsets Brandon. Ryder attempts to calm him down, but they’re both horrified when they discover a dead body upstairs with a knife embedded in its chest!

What the heck kind of party is this?

And will Ryder and Brandon live to find out?

Dedication

Thank you once again to Claire and Becca and everyone at Pride Publishing for all your support and encouragement. Thanks to my super editor Rebecca who fine tunes my stories so well and makes them easy to read. And to Phil, who has been my very own Valentine for twenty-six years. Who could ask for anything more?

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

Trademark Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Amazon: Amazon, Inc

Dewar’s: Bacardi Limited

Duracell: Duracell Inc.

Elvira: Cassandra Peterson

Frankenstein: Mary Shelley

Freddy Kruger: Wes Craven

Grey Goose: Bacardi Limited

House on Haunted Hill: Monogram Pictures

Land Rover: Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC

Murder on the Orient Express: Agatha Christie

My Funny Valentine: Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart

Phantom of the Opera: Gaston Leroux

Quo Vadis: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

Spotify: Spotify, Inc

The Shining: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!: Miramax, LLC

TLA Video: TLA Entertainment Group

Untuckit: Untuckit LLC

Van Helsing: Universal City Studios LLC

Wookiee: George Lucas

Chapter One

December 2020

Brandon

Sitting at my desk in the offices of Barker Financial, I glanced at the calendar and noticed that it was a little more than two months until Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t sure why I cared. So far, I had no date for the festivities, only a maybe invitation to an upscale party in Santa Monica. My friend Pat said she got one every year and if she received one this year, she’d take me along as her plus one. Not a date, but at least I wouldn’t be twiddling my thumbs on the most romantic night of the year.

It had been quite a while since I’d had a date for Valentine’s. It’s not that I’m gross or anything. My mother tells me I’m too picky when it comes to men. Bless her heart. Ever since I came out to my parents, she’s been worried that because I don’t date frequently, I’ll become a lonely old bachelor. Even my protest that I’m only twenty-nine doesn’t seem to instill her with hope that I might someday meet someone who’ll make an honest man of me.

My cell chimed and Pat’s number lit up the screen. Hi, Pat, how’s it going?

Good, hon, just thought I’d let you know that I’m going on a seminar the company’s paying for, so I won’t be around Valentine’s Day. The convention starts February twelfth until the fifteenth. I know it’s a long way off yet, but just thought I’d give you a heads-up. Bummer, huh?

Yeah, I said, immediately thinking that I would be twiddling my thumbs that night after all.

But here’s the thing, Pat continued. I was over at Jack and Bob’s last night and I asked them to invite you to the party, so if you don’t mind going on your own…or if you’d like to bring a friend…they do include a plus one.

That’s nice of you, Pat, but I don’t really know Jack and Bob.

You met them once when we were out to dinner. They stopped by our table. You can’t really miss them. They, uh…well, they take up a lot of space.

I chuckled. Oh yes, I think I remember them.

Anyway, I gave them your name and address and they said they’d put you on the list, so watch out for the invitation. If you go, I know you’ll have fun.

Thanks, Pat. We should have a drink later in the week if you’re free. Pat works for a high-powered real estate company and seems to work a seventeen-hour day most weeks.

I’ll call you. Okay, hon, I have to go. See you soon.

Bye, Pat. I turned off my phone and sat back in my chair. Okay, Valentine’s might not be a total bust after all. I might even meet someone there. Always the hopeful romantic, that’s me. Someone I could be interested in for more than a couple of dates. Stranger things have happened…and Mom would be pleased.

* * * *

January 2021

The invitation Pat had mentioned, and that I’d been sort of hoping would show up in the mail, finally arrived. I hadn’t exactly been waiting for it with bated breath, because I had a feeling Jack and Bob Herman might see my name on the list, think, who the heck is this? and scratch it off right away. However, there it was, and as I opened the envelope, I felt a definite tingle of excitement that the evening might be a lot of fun. The invitation was on fancy pink stationary and printed to look like handwriting.

Mr. Brandon Malloy is cordially invited to Jack and Bob Herman’s humble abode for the party of the year to celebrate Valentine’s Day! Date February 13th, because who wants to party on a Sunday? You may bring a plus-one—and one only. We know some of you say you have more friends than you can count, but sorry, you’ll just have to break a few hearts…or perhaps have rocks thrown at your head. We don’t know the kind of company you keep, now do we?

I wrinkled my nose at the attempted humor.

9 p.m. is the allotted hour for you to arrive—not a minute sooner. When we say 9 p.m., we mean 9 p.m. Oh, and wear something mysterious, if not downright ghoulish. The theme for the party is My Bloody Cupid. Don’t let the side down by wearing jeans and T-shirts, whether or not they are covered in make-believe blood. Be adventurous, be creative, but don’t be early. The doors don’t open until 9 p.m. on the dot—and close again at 9.10 p.m. You snooze, you lose, suckers!

By humble abode of course we mean our palatial home located at

999 Via Venable, Santa Monica, California.

R.S.V.P. Regrets only.

Jack and Bob

I sighed happily and with no regrets in mind. This would be, as the hosts so proudly said, the party of the year. I didn’t know Jack and Bob well enough to envision how they would decorate their house for a My Bloody Cupid party, but I was sure it would be terrific. I’d heard through the gay-vine that every year was more stunning than the last. Pat had told