An invitation by Jay Northcote

Short Story / 5870 words

Buy links: Amazon US | Amazon UK

The blurb

“I should put you over my knee and spank you for teasing me…”

Jake’s new boss, Cal Mackenzie, is hotter than hell. Fortified by a little liquid bravery on a work night out, Jake makes his move and finds out that Cal is interested too. To Jake’s dismay, Cal makes it clear that nothing is going to happen as long as they work together. Fortunately for both of them, this is just a temp job and there’s only a week left in the contract.

Cal admonishes Jake to behave while he waits, but as the week drags on, Jake can’t resist flirting and teasing. When Friday finally arrives, Cal shows Jake what happens to people who can’t follow his rules. Jake learns a surprisingly enjoyable lesson over Cal’s knee—one that he won’t forget in a hurry.

This short story was originally published in the Juicy Bits anthology from Dreamspinner Press. It has been re-edited but no major changes have been made.

My thoughts

I have to be honest and say that short stories can be a bit hit or miss for me. All too often they appear rushed and leave me either wanting or with questions by the time I reach the, in my eyes, premature conclusion. I am very happy to say that Jay Northcote’s ‘An Invitation’ was most definitely a hit for me.

There are few frills to this story. What you see in the blurb is what you get and it is as hot as it sounds.

It was hard not to feel a little sorry for Jake. He is so very attracted to his temporary boss, Cal, he doesn’t quite know what has hit him. And fighting the impossible-to-ignore pull is much harder than it should have been.

“Jake tried to squash it down and lock it away, but it felt as though he were trying to push his desire into a space that was too small for something so powerful.”

Unfortunately for Jake, the situation doesn’t become any easier once he approaches Cal and discovers that the attraction works both ways. Seven days shouldn’t be a long time to wait for anything, but when you want something as much as Jake wants Cal, a week might as well be a lifetime.

“It wasn’t that Jake was inexperienced – far from it – but none of his previous flirtations or relationships had even come close to the raw desperation that Cal inspired in him.”

Of course this wouldn’t be a Jay Northcote book if things didn’t get very interesting and very hot as soon as Cal lifts his embargo. Jake is in for a little bit more than he thought he might encounter, but he’s not complaining. Under Cal’s more than purposeful hand, Jake discovers new desires and pleasures and I must admit I enjoyed every single moment of his awakening.

As I’ve come to expect from a work by Jay Northcote, this story was well written, populated by fun yet realistic characters, easy to read, great fun, and very steamy. Reading ‘An Invitation’, turned out to be a truly delightful way to spend my lunch hour (even if I’m not sure stories like this should be read in public).