Hero for the Holidays

By Charles Payseur

Cody travels from Metro City to the Caribbean island lair of Dr. Devious to look after the place while the supervillain is in space for the holidays ... and maybe to mend his broken heart. With Christmas fast approaching, Cody is desperate to avoid reminders of his recent disastrous breakup, and a few weeks of sun and relaxation sound perfect -- until a drunk (but very cute) superhero crashes the party by literally crashing onto the beach.

And that’s just the start of Cody’s problems -- angry shark-men, mysterious lava creatures, and a malfunctioning AI all make his holiday getaway anything but relaxing. Amid the chaos of his adventures in lair-sitting, though, Cody might find just what he needs -- a new chance at love, and a chance to be a hero for the holidays!

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Mar 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685503918

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Hero for the Holidays

By Charles Payseur

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2023 Charles Payseur

ISBN 9781685503918

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.

* * * *

Hero for the Holidays

By Charles Payseur

Come down to the Caribbean, Sanjay had said. Take your mind off things. It sounded almost too good to be true.

Cody’s stomach lurched as the jet’s propulsion pushed him back into the plush cushion of his seat. There was no way this was legal. Not when the small, egg-shaped craft had landed on the roof of his apartment building in Metro City. Not when a pleasant, robotic voice had asked him to kindly step inside before any local superheroes arrived to stop them. Not with the ground blurring below him, the craft ripping a path through the sky, the gentle hum of an impossible engine the only noise to distract him from his rushing thoughts.

Was it normal to think of an ex when hurtling toward maybe-certain-doom? Cody cursed himself and tried to put all images of Craig and his carefree smile and his sexy butt and his mischievous eyes and…what was he doing again? At least he was leaving winter behind, and with it the memories of his and Craig’s last Christmas. Rented cabin in the woods. Boxes of wine. Entire sample kit of lube and toys. Cody shook his head.

Getting out of Metro City was a good idea. No little things to remind him that his relationship had just imploded. No having to see the café where they would go to people watch, or the park where they had once built a snow fort. Just warm sand and…and…and lair-sitting for an infamous supervillain. Definitely a good idea.

Cody looked down at the landscape rushing beneath the jet. It certainly beat dealing with airport security. In what seemed like minutes, land disappeared and everything was the blue-green expanse of water. He sucked in a breath. He’d never been that far from Metro City—certainly never traveled out of the country—and the sudden change dropped like a weight in his gut. Working in advertising, much of his time was spent arranging ads, for everything from cologne to dog shampoo, that featured happy people on the beach, but he had never even been to the ocean.

And with that, the gravity of the situation finally sank in. What was he doing? On a jet bound for the island fortress of Dr. Rex Devious, one of the most nefarious villains the world had ever known. And okay, so, yes, Devious was also the boyfriend of Sanjay, one of Cody’s dearest friends, but still. This was in an unsanctioned aircraft probably breaking dozens of international laws, which made Cody a criminal now, too, and all for what? Why had he agreed—

Onboard scanning indicates a spike in heart rate, a robotic voice said, cutting off his racing thoughts.

Cody started, looking around.

Please don’t be alarmed, the voice said. I’m Audrey, Dr. Devious’s assistant. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable. My apologies that I didn’t get to ask before if you had any phobias or anxieties that might make the trip unpleasant.

Cody swallowed. Just…nervous, I guess. I’ve never done anything like this.

Well, there’s a first time for everything.

Cody flinched. Uh…

Was that not the right expression? Audrey asked, emotion pushing her tone past neutral and into annoyed. My apologies. I’m in the process of splitting my consciousness into two parts and preparing for interstellar travel while making sure every cape, freeze ray, and massage oil is packed for a month-long trip to Alpha Centauri and back. Here, have some peanuts.

Cody opened his mouth to speak but squeaked instead as a small packet bounced off his head and then landed on his lap.

"In the meantime, you’ve almost arrived at your destination. You’ll be passing over Isle Devious in fifty-four seconds. Please ensure your tray table is up and in the locked position, and your bag is securely held.