Tricks of the Trade

Magicians are undeniably sexy—strong, sensuous, masterful, and magical. Who wouldn’t want to succumb to one? Be levitated? Be sawed in half?

Imagine being called from the audience by a dark man in a dark suit, his cape swirling like a scarlet-lined dream, wrapping his strong arms around you while binding your wrists, his heady cologne enticing and arousing you in front of a theater full of people as he leans in close and whispers some last-minute instruction. Or invitation. He holds out a box carved with ancient symbols and asks you to put your hands inside. What you feel is soft at first, but grows harder. Then, it vanishes. Was it real? Illusion? All you know is that you want to reach inside again. And again.

Well, here’s your next chance—fifteen of them, to be exact—to grab the object of your desire. But hold on fast or it might disappear….

Editor of Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top, Jerry L. Wheeler has appeared in many anthologies, including Law of Desire, Best Gay Romance 2010, Focus on the Fabulous: Colorado GLBT Voices, Bears in the Wild, I Do! and I Like It Like That, as well as online in Sean Meriwether’s webzine, Velvet Mafia. Be sure to catch his book reviews on Out in Print (www.outinprint.net).