Fur Real

By Alex Winters

Gray Hunter is working behind the bar at his first Cyber Con, hosting a horde of aliens, astronauts, and, a giant, furry squirrel from his favorite sci-fi series, Cyborg Clones. When the giant squirrel is surprised the big, burly bartender recognizes him, sparks fly, drinks flow, and the fake fur on the cosplay costume isn’t the only thing feeling warm and fuzzy all of a sudden.

Troy Cavendish runs a successful trading card company, but Cyber Con is his one weekend every year to dress up like his favorite cybernetically-enhanced space squirrel and, hopefully, strike up a conversation with some random stranger. He’s never had any luck until this year, when he meets Gray, the sexy bartender with an almost encyclopedic knowledge of Cyborg Clones.

Will the unlikely pair make it out of their squirrel suits and into bed? Or will nerding out have to be enough for the sexy strangers?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: Mar 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685507039

Alex Winters

Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him at www.awintersromance.com to see what stories are brewing up next!

Book preview

Fur Real

By Alex Winters

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2024 Alex Winters

ISBN 9781685507039

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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.

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Fur Real

By Alex Winters

Chapter 1

Gray

Have you ever worked a Cyber Con before?

Gray Hunter paused from wiping down the bottles of cheap well liquor beneath the bar and turned to his boss, smiling uncertainly.

No, he confessed, polishing the rum bottle and reaching for the gin next. He waved the bottle amidst a flurry of spooky fingers. Is it, like, really creepy?

Chaz Greyson rolled his eyes, faded and blue beneath his weathered brow. Hardly, he murmured, scanning his ever-present clipboard while schooling his newest employee on the ins and outs of the upcoming science fiction convention being held in the Harlow Hotel’s auditorium next door. Mostly it’s a bunch of theater geeks acting out their midlife crises, but for some reason they’re all rich and spend a ton of dough, so…I’m just letting you know to be extra super special nice no matter how kooky or weird they get, okay?

Gray rolled his eyes and waved at the empty barstools, currently feet up on his weather-beaten bar. Weirder than the usual bunch of regulars we get in here? he teased.

Chaz arched one salt and pepper eyebrow. Like who?

Gray chuffed amiably. Well, for instance, the old lady who always sits at Bar 10 and talks to her dog about the weather?

Chaz did a waving motion with his clipboard. Who, Gracie? She’s come in as long as I’ve worked here.

Gray held his hands up in mock surrender, waving his bar towel like a white flag. Okay, well what about the one dude with the parrot? Correction: the stuffed parrot?

Chaz frowned at last. Herb? Yeah, I don’t like him. Still, these sci-fi geeks? Way worse.

Than a guy with a stuffed parrot?

Chaz nodded somberly.

Gray’s side work was mostly done for the night. The bar long since closed, the background music turned off, the servers all gone home. He was just killing time before heading back to his lonely loft apartment for another lame night of ramen noodles and cheap beer. I take it you’re not a fan?

Chaz gave a little huff. Hardly.

Gray gave his bar manager a good once over: mid-fifties, in decent shape, thoroughly hetero,