A Haunting in Paradise

By GA Hauser

Get ready for a terrifying Halloween ride!

In episode 87 of the Action! Series, we catch up with the men of Paradise and LA as they gather at the estate. The Nation’s Top Male Model, Mark Antonious Richfield, entertains thirty guests at the manor house. While the adult gay men enjoy games of their own, Mark hosts a party for his two young boys, Jacob Bentley Richfield, and Isaac Milton Richfield. Eleven of their classmates visit the manor for a fun-filled afternoon.

Unknown to the guests sleeping in the mansion, as well as Mark, and his husband Steve Miller, Steve’s teenage niece Chloe, and Mark’s former fiancée, Sharon Tice’s daughters, Chelsea and Elizabeth Ann, use a spirit board to call the dead master of the house to come for a visit.
Mark’s deceased father, Milt Richfield, stirs up demons, making for a nightmarish horror-infested weekend. During the day, the home is filled with love, laughter, and light, but at night, in the dark... things take a turn for the worse.

Each guest has nightmares that emerge from their darkest fears.

Boo! Enjoy this wicked, scary haunting for your Halloween fun!

Come back to the men from LA and Paradise for more sexy adventures!
All of the Action! Series books can be read as stand-alone novels but are much more fun as a series! Or watch Capital Games the movie, on demand, the pilot episode of the series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: GA Hauser
• Release date: Oct 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215882573

GA Hauser

About the AuthorAuthor G.A. Hauser is from Fair Lawn, New Jersey, USA. She attended university at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC, and has a BA in Fine Art from William Paterson College in Wayne NJ where she graduated Cum Laude. As well as degrees in art, G.A. is a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). In 1994 G.A. graduated the Washington State Police academy as a Peace Officer for the Seattle Police Department in Washington where she worked on the patrol division. She was awarded Officer of the Month in February 2000 for her work with recovering stolen vehicles and fingerprint matches to auto-theft and bank robbery suspects. After working for the Seattle Police, G.A. moved to Hertfordshire, England where she began to write full length gay romance novels. Now a full-time writer, G.A. has penned over 200 novels and short stories. Breaking into independent film, G. A. was the executive producer for her first feature film, CAPITAL GAMES which included TV star Shane Keough in its cast. CAPITAL GAMES had its Film Festival Premiere at Philly's Qfest, and its television premiere on OutTV. G.A. is the director and executive producer for her second film NAKED DRAGON, which is an interracial gay police/FBI drama filmed in Los Angeles with the outstanding cinematographer, Pete Borosh. (also the Cinematographer for Capital Games)The cover photographs of G.A.'s novels have been selected from talented and prolific photographers such as Dennis Dean, Dan Skinner, Michael Stokes, Tuta Veloso, Hans Withoos, and CJC Photography, as well as graphic comic artist, Arlen Schumer. Her cover designs have featured actors Chris Salvatore, Jeffery Patrick Olson, Tom Wolfe, and models Brian James Bradley, Bryan Feiss, Jimmy Thomas, Andre Flagger, among many others.Her advertisements have been printed in Attitude Magazine, LA Frontier, and Gay Times.G. A. has won awards from All Romance eBooks for Best Author 2009, Best Novel 2008, Mile High, Best Author 2008, Best Novel 2007, Secrets and Misdemeanors, and Best Author 2007.G.A. was the guest speaker at the SLA conference in San Diego, in 2013, where she discussed women writing gay erotica and has attended numerous writers’ conventions across the country.

Book preview

A HAUNTING IN PARADISE

an Action! Series Book

By

G.A. HAUSER

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © G.A. Hauser, 2023

"When you need an answer, look over your left shoulder and ask your death."

Carlos Castaneda

A HAUNTING IN PARADISE

Book 87 of the Action! Series

Copyright © G.A. Hauser, 2023

ISBN Trade paperback: 979-8860-14671-6

© The G.A. Hauser Collection

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or business establishments, events or locales is coincidental.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WARNING

This book contains material that may be offensive to some: graphic language, homosexual relations, adult situations. Please store your books carefully where they cannot be accessed by underage readers.

First The G.A. Hauser Collection publication:

October 2023

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Chapter 1

Halloween had come to Paradise.

The 31st was on a Tuesday, but Mark Antonious Richfield, the Nation’s Top Male Model, invited his friends and family to his estate in Paradise, California to celebrate the weekend before.

His sons, Jacob Bentley and Isaac Milton were having a party for their chums from school on Saturday afternoon, and Mark was hosting thirty adult friends and family members for the weekend, and eleven of the boys’ classmates for the party.

Plus, one looney dog.

The Friday before the weekend, Mark and his manservant, Warren, hung spooky decorations around the home. The front of the huge thirteen-bedroom manor house was adorned with orange pumpkin lights, skeletons, webs and spiders, fake grave markers, and a dozen jack-o-lanterns carved by some of the men living at the home as well as Jacob and Isaac.

Sadly, Mark’s daughter, Lily Hayden, wasn’t expected, although she was scheduled to see him again soon.

Mark’s ex-husband, Stan Bergman, and Stan’s second husband, Bryan Fuller, two New Yorkers, were looking to buy a home in Southern California.

Mark couldn’t be happier to have his lovely daughter closer to him. Bryan, a Broadway theater producer, and Stan, an actor, decided to give the west coast a try. Stan lived in West Hollywood when Mark had met him. The handsome young man worked as a chauffeur and was a struggling actor at the time. But with Mark’s connections, including a talent agent Adam Lewis, Stan had become a big movie star.

Stan’s family, his parents, and sister lived in Manhattan with Stan’s extended family in Brooklyn. Last June, after he and Stan discussed what was best for their children, since they were from a broken marriage and were suffering, Stan’s decision to move to California thrilled Mark.

The last time he had seen his daughter was in June, and it was bittersweet parting with her. Not to mention the boys missed their daddy Stan.

Hunter Rasmussen, a captain with the Butte County fire department and former LAFD, was on the ladder helping Warren hang the orange lights which spiraled around the enormous white columns adorning the entryway.

This was the first holiday party his boys were having at the manor house. Mark was reluctant to invite Jacob and Isaac’s schoolmates because of the disparity in income. Not many parents living in Paradise owned a massive mansion with two Olympic-sized pools, one indoor, one outdoor, a spa with a jacuzzi, gym, and sauna, a theater room, and a library. Nor did they have a gourmet chef, a chauffeur, and a groom taking care of eight horses. They also had basketball and tennis courts, and a meadow that extended five miles across the land up to the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. Not to mention a cement helistop on the meadow for commuting to Sacramento with his private pilot.

But, after his middle son, Isaac’s friend, Byron Arness, had spent many nights sleeping over, and his son’s thrill at being able to enjoy his best mate at the home, Mark gave in.

It was Friday evening, and the adult guests were scheduled to arrive any minute. Louis, his chauffeur, had rented a van to accommodate the Los Angeles crowd being flown to Sacramento from Burbank’s airport in his private Learjet.

His husband, Steven Jay Miller, exited the front of the house with yet another pumpkin he had carved. The boys were thrilled to help, old enough now to create their own jack-o-lanterns.

Sierra was busy roasting the seeds with holiday spices, making cupcakes and treats for the coming party as well as a gourmet dinner for the guests.

Steve placed the carved orange gourd with the other pumpkins already on display. He looked up at Hunter, who was fearless on the extension ladder. Warren, an older gentleman with thinning hair, held the base for him, also guiding him on where to hang each strand.

Steve backed up with Mark to see the effect of the spooky decorations.

Nice. Steve laughed, his blue eyes sparkling like a child in awe.

Mark was very pleased as well.

Jack Charles Larsen and his husband, Adam Paul Lewis, both residents of the manor house with Mark and his husband, exited the home with more decorations.

Jack had been a close friend of Mark’s since they attended Stanford University, Mark for architecture, Jack for law. They met whilst playing baseball wearing cardinal uniforms.

Jack worked with him and Steve at their garment manufacturing firm in Sacramento, Richfield-Miller International. The clothing company had offices in London, Paris, New York and in Sacramento, where the three of them had offices.

Mark’s father, Milt, had created the business after working in his father and grandfather’s tailoring shop, turning a mom-and-pop corner store into a mega conglomerate that made Milt a multimillionaire.

His father built this mansion here in Paradise, raised thoroughbred horses for racing, and married Mark’s British mum, Leslie, when he met her whilst he was in the military and stationed in London.

Blake, Hunter’s firefighter husband, was now Mark’s nanny. The mature, handsome man exited the home with more pumpkins.

His two sons, Isaac who was nearing nine and Jacob who was turning eight soon, were growing up so quickly, Mark couldn’t keep up.

The two young boys kept running in and out of the house with more decorations. Blake had spent time buying things online and thankfully they had arrived before the weekend festivities.

Jack helped arrange the variety of carved pumpkins on the large stoop, as Jacob, a sweet blue-eyed blond boy created after an illicit affair Mark had with his ex-fiancée Sharon Tice, spun around to see what the home looked like.

Isaac was Mark’s son, his blood, after impregnating a surrogate, Becca McKenna, who was a close friend of Stan, Mark’s second ex-husband.

Isaac, with his very long brown hair and green eyes, looked exactly like Mark’s eldest son, Alexander Mark Richfield.

Mark’s son Alex was born after Mark had an affair with a stripper, Iris Lehman, a young woman working her way through college. Mark was only nineteen at the time. Alex showed up at his door at age eighteen, after finding out who he was.

Alex, who was now thirty-five, was married to an LAPD lieutenant, Billy Sharpe, a man twenty years his senior.

Daddy! Isaac’s green eyes were wide. The house looks so spooky!

Isn’t that the point? Mark drew Isaac in front of him to hug.

His young man was growing taller every day.

Jacob spread his arms out like an airplane and raced around the front sod lawn. A high hedge surrounded the property, hiding it from view.

They had built an annex, detached from the main house. It had a four-car garage and four bedrooms atop to accommodate more guests.

The main house had a four-car garage, which held his purple-blue TVR Tuscan, Jack’s maroon Jaguar, Steven’s black Mercedes, and Adam’s black BMW. Hunter’s white pickup truck and the black stretch limousine were the only two cars occupying the annex garage space.

Hunter climbed down from the ladder and he and Warren inspected the hanging pumpkin lights.

Isaac ran up to the big fireman. Hunter? How about more webs there? He pointed to the stoop’s spotlights.

Adam found the bag of decorations and handed Isaac the fake spiderwebs.

Mark took a few deep breaths, calming down, since this weekend was going to be very hectic. They hadn’t had this many guests at the manor house since last Christmas.

And this was the first time he hosted a children’s party.

Although he was anxious, his two sons appeared to be over the moon.

~

After the flight on his dad’s Learjet, Alex sat with his husband, Lt Billy Sharpe. On Billy’s lap was their crazy white saluki-mix mutt, Lady. Lady panted as she sat with them. She had napped on the plane, also on Billy’s lap, and whimpered as if she knew where they were going. Lady loved the estate and running with the horses. Alex was sure his dog was in love with a Percheron-mix horse, Bollward’s Tempest. The two seemed to really like each other.

The drive from Sacramento’s airport to his dad’s home in Paradise was around an hour. It was why Steve opted for a chopper ride. The former cop hated the driving commute.

Alex looked around the large ‘bus’ transport. There were twenty-one people on this thing.

Although he enjoyed visiting his dad in Paradise often, he wasn’t keen on some of his father’s guests. Particularly, Joe Scarbino and Henre Ward.

Joe, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, had an affair with Billy when the two of them worked together in SWAT. Billy had been Joe’s lieutenant.

Once Alex found out about it, he seduced Joe, also screwing him. Then, when Billy found out, he beat up Joe. So, Alex got his revenge.

But…

Last June, his hunky lieutenant had a brief affair with ‘straight’ Henre Ward, Sharon’s second husband.

Alex wasn’t keen on Billy and Henre sleeping in the manor house at the same time. Billy promised Alex he’d never cheat again, but both he and the lieutenant had made those promises to each other before and ended up having affairs anyway.

Alex starred with so many hot celebrities, he was constantly tempted. Two closeted celebs came to his mind right away. Diesel VanDen and Hugh Beckett. Yum. Not to mention how many hunky movie extras Alex had enjoyed. Too many to count. Yeah. He liked to fuck big, macho men. So sue me.

And as for Billy? He just had too much testosterone for anyone’s good.

Brushing back his shoulder-length hair from his eyes, Alex gazed at his fifty-five-year-old army veteran police husband. Yeah. He was hot. Billy worked out so hard, his body was solid and huge. Not to mention how handsome Billy was, with his blue eyes and square jaw. The man was so masculine and strong, he made Alex’s mouth water. The hot ‘daddy’ was propositioned by young gay recruits from his academy class constantly.

Listening to the chatting occurring around him, Alex was glad Tadzio Andressen-Nolf, his best friend and housemate, also came this weekend. The transgender, Swedish actress/model costarred with him and Henre on a new cable TV series, Room at the Top.

She was here with her police officer husband, Matt Nolf, Billy’s nephew.

So at least Alex had a friend to confide in, if… if Billy did anything to upset him.

As they drew closer to the estate, Alex felt his heart beating faster, because seeing his dad and being around his peers usually left him feeling isolated. Oh, well. Here we are.

~

Hollywood actor and late-night host of a major network talk show, Carl Bronson, held his actor husband, Keith O’Leary’s hand while seated in the large van headed to Mark’s estate.

They had brought along their chef, Erin ‘Coco’ Cochran. The nineteen-year-old graduate of the Culinary Institute of America had been here once before. He helped Mark’s chef, Sierra, cook for the horde.

It wasn’t just a working weekend for the adorable man. Coco was sleeping with him and Keith in the same room. They’d been having three-way sex, and Carl certainly couldn’t complain.

Coco was a wonderful addition to his and Keith’s life.

As they drew closer to the estate and the delightful weekend of great food, sports with the guys, running across the meadow, and all the amenities the manor had to offer, Carl was thrilled to be here.

He squeezed Keith’s hand, making his hot, blue-eyed blond hunk glance at him. Keith leaned closer, kissing his lips, also looking excited for a great weekend retreat.

~

LAPD community police team officer Joe Scarbino sat with his husband, Hollywood movie star, Jeremy Runner. While Jeremy gazed out of the window at the passing traffic on the highway, Joe looked around the interior of the bus. The usual suspects.

LAPD homicide lieutenant Jeff Chandler and his robbery detective husband, Mickey Stanton, Josh Elliot, former lifeguard, now internet sensation with his bathtub interviews of naked celebs, his former LA lifeguard husband, Tanner Cameron, also making a living from the internet as an exercise guru.

Joe saw Sharon Tice and her gaga-gorgeous French husband, Henre Ward. Henre modeled with Mark for Mark’s Dangereux Cologne ads and also costarred with Alex and Tadzio on that lawyer cable TV show.

Sharon’s two teenage girls were here, Liz and Chelsea, as was Steve’s family, his mom, Susan, now in her late seventies, Steve’s sister Laura, her husband, Barry, and their daughter Chloe, a good friend of Sharon’s girls. Two of the young ladies were already in their first year of college.

Tadzio and Matt were here for a change. Matt worked most weekends. So Tadzio didn’t come if he wasn’t available.

Then, Coco, the blond twink, Carl and Keith’s chef, he was also here.

It was a huge houseful, and Joe figured every bedroom would be occupied. He and Jeremy usually slept on the second floor of the manor house, near Mark and Steve’s room, but who knew this time.

As long as he wasn’t in the master bedroom… where Milt and Leslie, Mark’s dead parents had slept, he was fine.

That room… brrrr! So haunted!

And it’s Halloween! Gaaak!

Jeremy must have sensed Joe’s trepidation, because he nudged him. What.

Halloween with Uncle Milty. Joe comically expressed his terror.

Jeremy didn’t believe in ghosts, so he just laughed. But Joe knew better. He’d lived in a haunted house in Van Nuys before he met Jeremy. Yeah. He believed.

He’d seen some shit that terrorized him.

And I’m a cop!

Joe took a deep breath and crossed his fingers that Milt wouldn’t play his usual tricks, because, come on! It’s Halloween time! It’s already scary enough!

~

Steve gazed at the pink and black checkerboard lane leading from the street to the house. The thought of it being painted orange and black for Halloween made him laugh. No, they didn’t do that.

The original rose quartz had been delivered in error. Many moons ago, the pink quartz was the only colored gravel on their driveway. After the annex was constructed, it had been torn up by the trucks and crew. So, instead of replacing the pretty pink rocks completely, Mark had the men turn it into a checkerboard pattern with black obsidian or whatever it was. It shimmered and shined in the sunlight. Mark knew his dad, Milt, would detest it.

Ya know. Pink. The color of fairies.

A flash memory of giving Tadzio a rose quartz beaded necklace passed through his mind. He had married the transgender model for a short time. In reality, it was to stop her from being deported.

He loved Mark.

Always had.

Always would.

Just as he thought about Tadzio, the bus driven by Louis pulled into the lane.

Zak and Jake went nuts, shouting and jumping.

Mark held the boys back until the van pulled in front of the columned entry.

Yeah, this is great. The whole gang is here for the weekend. Awesome.

Steve approached the van once Louis shut the engine. He saw his mom and sister in the front seats. Barry and Chloe were helping his mother gather her things.

Steve met his mom to assist her down the two steps from the bus to the ground. She was looking older… what can ya do?

Hi, Mom. He kissed her soft cheek. Susan had her gray hair pinned up behind her head and wore a rust-colored sweater, one that looked hand-knitted, over polyester pants, brown, and her white nurse’s shoes.

Hi, Stevie! his big sister Laura greeted him. She still looked pretty with her long brown hair and infectious smile.

Steve hugged and kissed her, and her UCLA professor husband, Barry, then saw his niece, Chloe. She was with her pals, Elizabeth Ann, and Chelsea, Sharon’s girls.

Uncle Steve! Chloe hugged him, and Steve couldn’t believe how much she had grown. She looked like her mom.

Hey! Ready for Halloween at the estate? Steve asked.

You bet! She asked Warren, Are we in the annex?

Warren nodded. Yes!

The three teenage girls said hello to everyone residing here at the manor, and then raced to the detached building to put their items into a bedroom.

Steve smiled as the mostly gay couples exited the bus. Josh, Tanner, Jeff, Mickey, Joe, Jeremy, Carl and Keith with Coco, Tadzio with Matt, Sharon and Henre, Billy and Alex… it was amazing to have them here again. It had been since Father’s Day weekend. And, boy, was he happy to have everyone back.

~

Billy set Lady on the ground once he was outside the transport van. She ran around the sod lawn like she had been set free from a cage. The two young boys raced after