Work in Progress ♣ Handle with Care (April 2018)

Word Count 57k

So Cynthia had this to say about Liam:

I'm in love with this guy and it was kind of hard for me to find his image (which is not a bad thing at all, it makes him interesting!). He's had a hard life and he is tough, but has a 'soft' side and he is submissive too.

I took some elements from the photo you sent - especially mouth, brows, maybe the face shape - but also added my 'touch'.

The haircut had to say 'tough but soft' or 'rebel but submissive' and I'm not sure I got it but I came up with this conventional/unconventional style :P

His height and weight are similar to mine, so I figured that, for a guy, he would be rather slim.

​I imagined him running from trouble, being scolded by one of the gang members, biting his nails because he is nervous and also happy because after all he is a nice guy with a big heart, and that's what I draw.

I thought the way Cynthia portrays Liam is brilliant! She captured him in ways that I didn't think was possible. He does have that complexity going on. She did amazing on both Liam and Kai. I personally think she's improving her style.

If you look at the last update, the shading between Kai and the young boy is amazing. The poses Cynthia did for Liam show so much of his personality and as I'm writing the story I have had these images in my mind. So very cool! 

Word count is slow going. I felt stuck at the middle. (It happens) I knew I was missing something. Or felt like I was missing something. Then, I found John Trudy. His workshops have broken loose the scenes. They were all in my head and I was trying to hold them in memory instead of writing them down and letting my mind relax. 

Now the summary of scenes are written down and in order. I'm ready to go!

​Here's another favorite scene of mine:

Excerpt from:

Handle with Care

© S.N.McKibben
No part of this story may be reproduced or transmitted without written prior permission from the publisher. This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, events, incidents and places are of the author’s imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living persons or events is merely coincidence.

If you find any grammar, spelling or punctuation errors, please let know via the comments!! I may not get to them right away, but I will get to them. Thank you!

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Handle with Care (Chapter One)

Chapter 5

Jumpy little thing. Liam hopped around the room like a bundle of nerves standing on a live wire. I spoke soft and kept my words to a minimum. When I had come back from searing the steaks, I thought he had changed his mind and ran off. He was brave. Coming in here, asking to reside in my house. He had no idea who I was. If he had, he would not have stayed.

It was dangerous for him to be with me. Our connection was not a fluke. I could not look at him. Those eyes burned my soul. I was unworthy of his admiration. His hero worship made me want to be the person he thought I was, but if he knew the truth, it would crush him.

Bite after bite of steak, I wondered how Liam would taste. I stopped myself from imagining anything further. He was under-age. I resigned to think of him as the child on Labrador Street. But what we had, this thing, linking us together sent pulses of electricity through me. My spine felt it, my stomach felt it, my cock felt it too. A natural reaction to someone so attractive, for Liam had become a desirable specimen. That is what I told myself and ignored the ache between my legs.

Liam picked up his plate and returned his dish to the sink. I would have to meditate tonight.

“May I take your plate?” He was next to me looking down with that penetrating hazel gaze. Magnetism. If I described him in a word, that was his adjective. Mine were “dirty” and “cheap”.

“Yes. I am finished.”

He took my left-overs as a thousand questions flittered through my mind. How long would he stay? Why did he come find me? What did he expect from me? Was I a father figure? A friend? I would go no further than that. The bedroom needed to stay out of our relationship. But glimpses of imaginations tore through my resolve. Improper images… an arm reaching for me, his legs around my waist.

I stood, the chair scraping against the floor as I rose.

Silverware clanked against plates. His eyes were large and round as a doe’s. 

“I am retiring for the night. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.” I could scarcely look at him. “You are my guest. Take what you need. This place is yours.”

“All right.” His voice soft. Reluctant.

“And thank you for cleaning up.”

“It’s what I do.” He smiled.

I wanted more. To find out his reason for coming here. Why he came to find me. But I gave him a shallow bow and rushed to my bedroom.

The ache between my legs only proved my procrastination to take care of myself. Since Moriel and I last spoke, I had not felt any need to sate myself sexually. I told my old friend I would not bother him anymore and I planned to keep that promise. Hard to admit, but Moriel was well taken care of. With his lascivious ways, having two lovers was perfect for him. And I had to learn to move on. His rejection was not surprising. Denied of making things right ripped my heart out. It seemed there would be no need for sexual release again in my lifetime. Then walked in Liam. He opened the locked door of my heart as easily as he had slipped into my home. Not just my heart. My thoughts. My soul.

Now Liam preoccupied my body parts.

It was unacceptable. He was a minor. Off limits.

I removed my suit and put on the black and gray kimono. The light and easy assembly helped clear my mind and center myself. I would have tea, as usual, and that meant going downstairs. For a moment, I hesitated. Liam might still be down there. Irritated at my reluctance I pushed out of my dawdling and went down stairs to prepare my tea.

“Ay, caramba!” Liam face palmed. He sat at the kitchen table, books open, papers sprawled, binders spilling out of his school bag.

I waited at the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to bother him.

“English, why do you have to be so stupid.” His words laced with a Spanish accent I had not heard out of him before.

I padded over. “Can I be of assistance?”

Liam jumped in his chair. He took a breath and ogled me up and down.

“Hooaaaiiii.” His adorable shocked face made me want to smile. I did not allow my lips to curl, but I wanted to.

“Hai.” I nodded. “Can I be of assistance?”

He scanned me up and down, his mouth working but nothing came out until…

“Haaa… I… bah… haaa… uuuuhhh…” Liam blinked his eyes. “English! Yes. English.” He patted the books and papers. “I was working on English. Paper. Report. Yes.” He looked up at me. “Huh?”

The lift in my lips could not be helped. “English is my second language. It was difficult to learn so I can relate to its difficult inconsistencies. I blame English for my reserve in words. However, I have mastered the language. I can help you, if you desire.” Communication was not lacking within me now. Liam could get me to admit things without even asking. So very dangerous.

He stared at me as if I had not said a word. “What are you wearing?”

“A kimono.”

“Are you a samurai?” He smiled.

“This is traditional dress in Japan. While formal, it is comfortable.” I had one pair of jeans. Three t-shirts and the rest of my wardrobe were suits. “Before bed, I meditate and take tea. Care to join me?”

“Do I have to wear a dress?”

“No.”

“Do you wear this every night?”

“Yes.”

“Is this what you sleep in?” His mischievous smile charmed me. He was acting like a kid jabbing at an old man.

“I don’t sleep in clothes.”

His pupils consumed his hazel iris’s. If I were a lesser man, I would have told him to close his mouth before drool spilled out. But I was humble and subtle. I filled the tea pot with water and put it on the burner. I gathered my set on a tray and turned around.

Liam’s eyes snapped up. His cheeks blazed red. His admiration put me in a dark mood. Off limits. I told myself he was comparing himself. Not admiring me.

“Would you like to join me?”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’ve got a report to finish.” He patted the papers before him.

I was a distraction. “Is that a no? You would like to join me, but you have other obligations needing your attention?”

“Yes.”

He had been giving me half answers and changing subjects all night. He needed to understand that I expected honesty. Full disclosure. Yes, he had a private life and things he wanted to keep to himself, but with me—unacceptable. He could not hide from me. 

“Liam, when I ask a question, I would like for you to answer me truthfully. Do not use avoidance tactics.”

He shifted back in his chair. “Yes sir.”

“I want to know your likes and dislikes. This is how I get to know someone. Please, my name is Kai. I work for a living. I am no noble. I am no sir.”

“Yes…Kai.”

“Good.” I nodded took the kettle off the burner and put it on my tray. “Goodnight.”

​I carried my ritual set back to the tea room where I tried mercilessly to not recall his blown-out eyes filled with desire and strove to reach a state of mindless calm. I was unsuccessful. 

Beginning of the Notice Me Senpai Series

Next Update for Handle with Care

That's it for today!
Happy reading!
~ Stephy

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