Title: Whatever He Needs by Mia Kerick
Publisher: Mia Kerrick
Genre: Contemporary, New Adult, Gay, Romance
Length: 268 pages
Summary:
When both lovers have daddy issues, it gets complicated.
Heir to the McAllister Construction fortune, Liam is focused on maintaining the myth that he is exactly the son his father wants. When he falls for Dimmy, a heavily inked go-go dancer, he fears revealing the romance, certain it won’t go over well with his upper-crust family—especially his father, who seems obsessed with building a family legacy.
Dimmy’s father, Gregory, is bent on making Dimmy earn his keep by any means, no matter how unsavory. He puts his barely legal son to work dancing provocatively at the seedy bar he runs and finds Dimmy work on the side providing masseuse services—and more—to club clientele. Gregory has Dimmy twisted into believing he can do no better, and Dimmy does it all in hopes of a pat on the back from his dad.
Though Liam is but a few years older, Dimmy sees him as a man who might take care of him as his callous father never has, and reluctantly lets his guard down. But Liam, though he’s falling hard and fast for Dimmy, still hides his blossoming relationship from his family. A crisis ensues when a clash between the two fathers’ business interests puts Dimmy at serious risk.
When the right side of the tracks meets the oh-so-very wrong side, will Liam set his priorities straight in time to keep Dimmy from harm, or will fear shatter their lives?
Trigger warning: Whatever He Needs includes instances of physical and emotional abuse, sexual assault, and kidnapping.
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Purchase Link: Amazon
Excerpt
“Dad says I haven’t got potential for doing better kinds of jobs. So basically, it turned out the same as if I’d stayed in school—I shake my ass in a club for tips. I do some other nasty shit too that I don’t want to talk about. But you should face it because I have—I was never gonna be a doctor or a lawyer.”
I search his face for signs of despair but see none. “That’s not true. You just haven’t had an opportunity to figure out what you’re better suited to do for work…and to find out who you want to be.” In this single regard, we’re the same.
“Nope. Wrong. I can’t be too picky about the jobs he gets me. I got to pay my own way in life.” Dimmy puts his hands on his hips, and I see a shade of the defiance I’ve come to expect whenever our conversations get complicated. “Some kids aren’t wanted, Liam.”
“What about your grandparents? Or aunts and uncles?”
“There is nobody but Dad, so I make it work.” He snatches the plate out of my hands.
“You struck a deal.” With the devil—his own father.
“Yeah. That’s pretty much what I went and did.”
I shake my head. “But you’re an adult now.”
“I’m not ready to go it alone.” Dimmy tilts his head, and though he seems to be staring my way, he isn’t seeing me at all. For a moment, he’s lost. “I need my dancing job and my room over the bar, but I’m gonna talk to Dad real soon. Because there’s some shit I just can’t do anymore.”
“Jesus, Dimmy.” I want to know what “some shit” is as much as I don’t want to know. But it’s well past time for a lighter subject. “Come on, let’s eat lunch on the deck. We just need to grab the buns and the salad, and I’ll get you a soda and myself a beer.”
This time I follow him to the granite staircase. “My life—it’s n-not so bad really,” he says, glancing over his shoulder at me. I don’t miss the tremor in his voice. “And Dad loves me. He just wants me to stay busy working, so I don’t get into trouble.”
The crack in my heart grows wider. Dimmy’s trying to convince himself that he deserves such a life. But nobody deserves to be used by a parent. And for him to be made to doubt his intelligence is criminal. Dimmy may not be book smart, but there’s no doubt he’s smart. I find myself at a momentary loss for words.
“I think Dad’s gonna come around to see how hard I work for him.”
I don’t have the heart to refute his claim. We gather everything we need for lunch, carry it out to the table on the deck, and sit beside one another, facing the lake.
Author Bio
Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children–all named after saints–and five nonpedigreed cats–all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don’t ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.
Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.
Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.
My themes I always write about:
Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.
Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia’s stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.
Author Links: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon Author Page * Goodreads * Instagram
Giveaway
Enter for your chance to win a $10 Amazon gift card and an ebook of Hide Your Love Away by Mia Kerick!
Captivating and intriguing.
Mia’s stories are always so thought-provoking!