Ink and Paper

By Megan Derr

Enitan is a simple clerk in the stationary shop owned by his stepfather. He spends his days as an underpaid stock boy, forbidden to do anything else in the shop that he and his mother built.

Then the beautiful Rem walks into the shop in search of ink, and flirts shamelessly with Enitan, inviting him to spend the Royal Carnivale with him, an elite event that someone like Enitan could only dream of attending.

As the Carnivale carries on, and Enitan grows closer and closer to Rem, he finds himself wishing for things even more impossible than owning his own shop.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Megan Derr
• Release date: Dec 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005870041

Megan Derr

Megan is a long-time resident of queer romance and keeps herself busy reading and writing it. She is often accused of fluff and nonsense. When she’s not involved in writing, she likes to cook, harass her wife and cats, or watch movies. She loves to hear from readers and can be found all over the internet.meganderr.compatreon.com/meganderrmeganderr.blogspot.comfacebook.com/[e-mail]@meganaderr

Book preview

Enitan is a simple clerk in the stationary shop owned by his stepfather. He spends his days as an underpaid stock boy, forbidden to do anything else in the shop that he and his mother built.

Then the beautiful Rem walks into the shop in search of ink, and flirts shamelessly with Enitan, inviting him to spend the Royal Carnivale with him, an elite event that someone like Enitan could only dream of attending.

As the Carnivale carries on, and Enitan grows closer and closer to Rem, he finds himself wishing for things even more impossible than owning his own shop.

Ink & Paper

By Megan Derr

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the publisher, except for the purpose of reviews.

Edited by Samantha M. Derr

Cover designed by Megan Derr

This book is a work of fiction and all names, characters, places, and incidents are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, places, or events is coincidental.

Second Edition Copyright © 2021 by Megan Derr

First edition published March 2010 by Less Than Three Press

Printed in the United States of America

Ink and Paper

Megan Derr

The shop was blissfully quiet.

It had been a busy day, even more so than usual, and the current state of the shop showed that.

Nor was it quite closing time, though it was close enough that his stepfather had permitted him to begin cleaning the place up. A half hour more and he would finally be alone. Every now and then he could hear the rumble of voices, as his stepfather and stepbrothers discussed the day's business, profits and losses, the various customers.

The smell of food wafted out, making his stomach growl, but he knew better than to ask if he might share a bite. Once they left, and the store was clean, he would slip out to find some food of his own.

Until then, he cleaned.

First the inks—bottle after bottle, in a variety of colors and types. As he rearranged them, he jotted down notes as to what would have to be pulled from the backroom stock later. He dare not do it now; his stepfather detested being interrupted in any way when he was doing the counting—and seeing his bothersome stepson counted as an interruption.

He hummed softly while he worked, moving from inks to papers, then on to the quills and penknives, to writing cases and all the other miscellany which filled the little shop his mother had bought years and years ago—and which now belonged to his stepfather, something which still hurt.

At least his stepfather had not simply kicked him out, as he had feared would be the case. The shop would never be his now, as he had always hoped and thought, but he still worked there.

If only as a shop boy, and not a proper clerk…

Sighing, he pushed his morose thoughts aside and went back to dusting and polishing, and slowly the humming returned, bringing a soft smile to his face.

A dark auburn curl slipped free of the bit of leather he'd used to bind it back, and he pushed it impatiently away as he carefully cleaned the glass cases which held the finest of the shop's offerings.

Outside it was a quiet night, in complete contrast to the bustling day. The street lamps had been lit only a little while ago, and one stood almost right in front of