Dreamscapes and Beyond
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Dreamscapes and Beyond Excerpt The story that really caught the attention of the tearoom set was the one that marked him as a "closet homosexual." This story quickly spread like wildfire--backed up by "irrefutable evidence." He was a man in his thirties who had never married, nor been engaged (this from a reliable source). He seemed to spend more time in the company of men at the social functions, than with the women. The most damaging evidence of all, he had been seen dining in the company of a black man at various restaurants around town. This man, undoubtedly, was his lover. When it was pointed out that he was also seen in the company of many women, this only reinforced the storyteller’s contentions. They countered he never seem to prefer one over another; and, undoubtedly, the women he escorted were being used as his "cover" to hide his true sexual nature. Of course, these stories got back to Jack, and he was furious. There was not a grain of truth to any of it, and the black man they referred to was Jerry Stern, his best friend, whom he had roomed with in art school. He dated a lot of different women because his sexual nature--if it could be called that--demanded lots of sex without having to make a long-lasting commitment to any one woman to get it. But he had no way to defend himself without having to explain his personal habits--and he wasn’t about to do that. Fortunately for his reputation, a couple of the women he dated came to his rescue. The reason they did so was because they were incensed that anyone would think of them as acting as a "cover." It was, after all, an insult to their desirability as a woman. If the old gossips wanted a story, they would see that they got one closer to the truth. The two ladies who took the lead decided to put aside their rivalry for Jack’s attention long enough to plot together how to squelch the story. Each invited over to tea one of their closest "confidants," known to never keep a secret--no matter how much they swore to the contrary. Tea was never the inducement of cocktails, but when the purpose was known, the "confidants" came on the run. The intimate details of the two women’s relationship with Jack varied very little--which, further, added to the story’s credibility when the "confidants" later compared notes. If Jack did have a thing for men, he certainly was no slouch in the lovemaking department when it came to women. Despite the supposition that a date with him ended with a casual goodnight kiss at the door before he rushed off to be with his lover, this was far from the truth. His embrace at the end of the evening was usually a prelude to a night of passionate sex that only ended with the dawn. What’s more, he was not only a voracious lover, but also a perfect gentleman. Without fail, he called the next day, and followed up his call with flowers with a really sexy note that made the recipient blush, and eagerly look forward to their next date.
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About the Book
This first time author of a romance novel takes on the provocative challenge of writing about such timely and controversial issues as homosexuality, spousal abuse, impotency, and interracial relations. These, in one way or the other, serve as the backdrop for the events that eventually propel the main character down a path leading to self-destruction. Whether this character is a villain or a victim is up to the reader to judge, but one thing for certain: he is no ordinary man. He is a talented artist of some renown among New York art circles, noted for his exquisite depictions on canvass of bewitching nudes. He also has all of the physical attributes that make him sought after by women, and being highly sexual by nature he is perfectly suited to fulfill their innermost desires as well as his own. His need for perfection drives him in everything he does. His major failing is he cannot tolerate physical flaws in anyone. This is reflected in his dream life when an incident from early childhood periodically returns to haunt him. Yet he never manages to connect these dream episodes with the dramatic occurrences--mostly related to women--that dog his life. His story takes a circuitous route from the time he is returning home to America, after having lived in Paris for almost a year, to the moment he departs the ocean liner determined to put back together the shards of his broken life. Flashbacks account for the intervening years when he was growing up, attending the art academy, working as a model on the continent, and his affairs with the women who dominated his life.
About the Author
For the past twenty years, the author has been a management consultant heading her own firm. She also has served as an adjunct professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan; and directed research projects on such diverse contemporary issues as work-related stress, community corrections, families and crime, substance abuse, and women’s career aspirations. More recently her activities have focused on research and writing about gender issues in the workplace. The resulting series of seven volumes, entitled Setting the Record Straight, examines the progress of women in specific professions, including academia, accounting, engineering, law, medicine and science and technology. The introductory volume has already been released, and others in the series will soon follow. The author holds the following degrees from Wayne State University: B.S.B.A, M.S.W, and Ph.D. She has been twice profiled in Who’s Who Of American Women, 13th and 14 th editions.