Bread, Salt and Wine

Some wounds never heal. George Zajac grew up in a religious family with a father who beat "the swish" out of him. At thirty-eight he's a troubled man. Escaping his miserable life as a banker in New York, he moves across the country to start again in Los Angeles as the catering chef for a prestigious French Restaurant. Kenny Marks, a writer who's currently waiting tables, is everything George cannot be-flamboyant, proud and sexually confident. Enthralled by Kenny, and against his own better judgment, George agrees to a date. Sparks fly. The sex is amazing. But even after the two get close, George is crippled by humiliating sexual hang-ups. Still haunted by his childhood, he lingers in the closet and can't commit to a relationship with Kenny. Love is the great healer, but is it enough? George's emotional scars could drive Kenny away, and with him, George's last chance at happiness. This story was previously published by Loose Id Press in 2013