The Catbird Seat — Neil Plakcy

Neil Plakcy's South Beach is filled with sun, sand, sex, and romance â€" with just a touch of magic. In these stories, all previously published only in e-book format, men find each other and fall in love, all against a backdrop of Art Deco architecture and the sparkling Atlantic Ocean. The Catbird Seat: South Beach Romances offers a calendar full of M/M love affairs, starting in February with “Lights Out, Valentine.” South Beach hairstylist Ryan hates Valentine's Day. But will this day of roses and chocolates end with him giving his heart away to his favorite client once the lights go out? Spring continues with “The Catbird Seat.” Yacht captain Rashid is immediately attracted to Bjorn, the sexy new sailor at the Miami Beach Marina-- but will Bjorn's secret destroy their budding romance? Is their romance just a quick sunset sail-- or is there a long-term berth for Rashid about Bjorn's catamaran? Then it's time for Father's Day, and “Waves of Gold and Smoke.” Richie and Gabe meet by accident---when one of Richie's two adopted sons beans Gabe in the head with a soccer ball. There's an immediate attraction---but Gabe, who's still a boy at heart, though nearing thirty, is reluctant to take on a ready-made family. That is, until he runs into Richie again and their mutual attraction takes over... In “The Six-Year Itch,” Spencer and Armando have built a beautiful world-- a two-story apartment atop a building they own on South Beach, full of sensual domesticity. But is that enough to keep them together, during a hot summer when things start getting stale, and they begin keeping secrets from each other? Can their love survive the handsome men and daring distractions of South Beach? In honor of Veteran's Day comes “Mixed-Up.” Can young therapist Ken Levinson help returning vet Paul Wainwright with his PTSD-related nightmares? Or will the growing attraction between the two -- which violates Ken's professional ethics---derail Paul's healing and leave them both more alone? In the Hanukkah story "Third Night,” can Joe reconcile his belief in the tenets of Orthodox Judaism with the religion's disapproval of his sexual orientation? Or will his crush on his friend Yehuda ruin their friendship and leave him ostracized by his community? In “Noche Buena,” the men of South Beach get together to celebrate Christmas Eve with a traditional Cuban party. Sean McCartney gave up a computer career to work as a carpenter on South Beach, but the real estate downturn has left him unemployed and questioning his decisions. He's spending his free time in the pool with the other guys from the Miami Beach Gay Swim Team. The team's coach, Gaspar Fuentes, is single and forty-five, and feeling lonely at Christmas. So the guys decide to surprise him with a real Cuban Noche Buena, Christmas Eve. Because he has free time, Sean is roped into organizing with Magnus Anderson, a real Type-A personality who's constantly hounding Sean to do this, do that. Sean can't stand him, and he gets the impression Magnus thinks Sean's a real loser. But neither of them can deny the sexual attraction between them. Can they make it as a couple? When the party's over on Noche Buena, will they open their presents together, or go their separate ways? The capstone of this collection is the novella “The Guardian Angel of South Beach,” which begins with out-of-shape computer geek Leo, who is so focused on trying to build the body he dreams of that he doesn't realize there's a great guy right in front of him. When he overhears a couple of buff guys at the gym talking about a strange old man who mixes up some magic pills, Leo pays him a visit -- and Leo's body blossoms. But even though he's developing a killer body and having lots of great sex, he's not happy, until he begins to change his personality, too. Can becoming The Guardian Angel of South Beach, protecting the weak, weird, and drunk from predators, make him happy and help him hook up with Dan, the barista who's got his number?