Maui

By Martin Delacroix

When Ishmael Fanning is dumped by his Florida boyfriend, he relocates to the Hawaiian island of Maui. To heal his heart. There he quickly finds himself involved with two young men: Spencer, who works in a skateboard shop, and Corey, a professional surfer. Spencer is sensitive and a bit needy, while Corey is supremely confident and could be mistaken for a fashion model. At some point, Ishmael will have to choose between the two, but it's not an easy decision for him to make.

• Language: English
• Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
• Release date: Jan 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781947904859

Book preview

A NineStar Press Publication

Published by NineStar Press

P.O. Box 91792,

Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87199 USA.

www.ninestarpress.com

Maui

Copyright © 2018 by Martin Delacroix

Cover Art by Natasha Snow Copyright © 2018

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely 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. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at the physical or web addresses above or at [e-mail]

ISBN: 978-1-947904-85-9

Printed in the USA

First Edition

January, 2018

Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content, which may only be suitable for mature readers.

Maui

Martin Delacroix

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

About the Author

Chapter One

I CAME TO Maui to heal my heart.

My partner of seven years, Christian, a pediatrician, had left me for another guy, a professional tennis player who earned ten times my teacher’s salary and looked like a fashion model. The breakup was nasty, too. We owned our home and bank accounts jointly, our investments as well, and the whole thing ended up in court, an embarrassment for us both. I walked away with a five-figure check, my financed car, some clothing and books, and little else. After all, as the judge pointed out, Christian had been the moneymaker in our household.

I couldn’t stay in Melbourne Beach, or anywhere in Florida, really. Too many memories lurked there, and I’d be close to Christian and his tennis player, something I couldn’t handle.

I’d surfed since I was a kid, and a friend and fellow shredder, Andy Barnes, told me about Maui. All kinds of breaks, he said, from gentle to monster barrels, and the island’s a freaking paradise.

I did Internet research on Maui. With a population of ten thousand, the town of Lahaina seemed my best choice. There were two public elementary schools and a Catholic academy. And if I couldn’t find a teaching job, I could wait tables at one of the town’s many restaurants.

My folks weren’t happy with my decision.

Ishmael, my mom said, it’s so far away. We’ll only see you at Christmas.

But I had to leave.

Losing Christian had devastated me.

I’d met him at age twenty-two, shortly after I came out of the closet, and he was my first boyfriend. Five years my senior, he seemed wise and stable, just the sort of guy I wanted for a partner. And sex with him was unlike anything I’d experienced. Each time he took me in his arms and every time we made love, it felt special. I believed I belonged to Christian and he belonged to me. I thought things would always remain that way.

When Christian told me of his tennis player, and when he insisted we separate, I thought I would lose my mind. How could he do this? After telling me he loved me, he would cast me aside? He’d dump me because the tennis player was better looking and enjoyed a measure of fame?

I told myself, I could never do something like that.

Christian’s a selfish bastard, Andy Barnes said. You’re better off without him.

I took a leave of absence from my teaching job. After moving in with my folks, I spent weeks doing nothing but sleeping and crying in my bedroom. I lost interest in food and dropped twenty pounds; I looked like a scarecrow. Evenings, I sat before the television, drinking rum-and-colas until it was time to go to bed.

Andy finally got me out of the house and onto the water.

Your life is not over, he told me, taking me by a forearm and literally dragging me out the door.

We brought our boards to the break at Ocean Boulevard, where the surf was firing. When I caught my first ride and carved the face of a wave, my despair suddenly lessened. The warm water, sunshine, and the roll of