Claiming Casey

by Robin Knight

♥ Opposites Attract
♥ Gay Rom-Com
♥ Short, Sweet and Sexy

Being top of the class is one thing. Being the ‘bottom’ of the class is something college nerd Casey never expected to be.

But when Casey is kidnapped by a bunch of testosterone-fueled fratboys, he soon discovers that his fate is to become the prize in a fight between two jostling jocks; whoever wins gets to ‘claim’ Casey as their personal tutor for the night to ensure the victor will pass tomorrow’s all-important end-of-year physics final.

Of course, being a study slave to anybody isn’t exactly Casey’s idea of fun… until he realizes that one of the fighters – the hunky and decidedly horny Maddox – has a secret crush on Casey.

Can Casey’s knowledge of the laws of physics help Maddox win the fight? Will brains and brawn come together to unite two study buddies who seem destined for each other? When the fight is over, who will be the one... Claiming Casey?

Claiming Casey is a steamy, opposites-attract 6k-word short story about fist-fights, physics and a sizzling physical connection. It was previously published in the short story anthology Fess Up, Fellas.

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2021

About the author

aka Geoffrey Knight

Robin Knight is the author of gay fiction novels, novellas and short stories, ranging in genre from gay adventure, gay romance, gay suspense and gay comedies.

The heroes of Robin's books love to spend their time jumping off the page, stumbling through misadventures and falling in love.

Robin has worked in advertising, politics, journalism and event management, but nothing is as fun as telling stories.

Reviews

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a quick erotica short, this one crosses the T's and dots the I's, but also has a three caveats I wasn't expecting, spoilers which also double for some CWs.

One: When the description says he's kidnapped, it meant it: the idea of being randomly grabbed and stuffed in a sack while taking a shower was a bit jarring—there are few places where I feel as vulnerable as a queer quy as a public shower, so that didn't titillate for me so much as make me shudder.

Two: The second note in the description of becoming "the prize in a fight between two jostling jocks" made me think arm-wrestling or the like, not bare-knuckle face-punching leading to spatters of blood, cuts, and knocked-out teeth. The descriptiveness of the bloody fight was not at all what I was expecting for an erotica short.

Three: The nerdy main character opens with a declaration of his straightness and so I spent the rest of the story waiting for even a glimpse of the word bisexual or pansexual or anything to offset the "gay, (but only) for you" trope that wasn't at all hinted at in the book description—the story is categorized as bisexual, but never actually uses the word. All that said, this is a reprint of a reprint of Study Buddy 2: Confessions of a Straight Guy: A First Time Straight to Gay Confession which dates back to 2015 and was released under a pen-name of similar Straight-to-Gay titles which... well. 2015 erotica shorts, I guess—I just really wish there'd been a bit more polishing for a reprint to avoid the bi+ erasure. I'm not going to hash out the harm easily done with bi+ erasing "Gay For You" plots one more time, but if you want to read it, the blog is here.

Overall, those issues left me wishing it had had another turn at being polished/updated/adjusted for something a bit more 2021 aware, but again, it's a short erotica piece and it (mostly) did what it said it was going to do on the tin.

(I'll also add I appreciated that the buff cover model representation of the nerd—that is one jacked nerd—is matched by mentions of him working out in the story.)

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Physics in Action . . .

There were a few things I didn’t think were helpful in the story. Kidnapping, especially from the shower, seemed an over-the-top way to get the “prize” who was then tied to a chair. They could probably just as easily have talked to Casey and gotten his help voluntarily. And the other distracting part was the absolute brawling to win the prize where blood, teeth, and injuries were sustained. I was expecting a more humorous setting and some cajoling, not brutality. But putting that aside, this was Casey and Maddox’s story on how they got together.

While taking a shower at his dorm, Casey was knocked unconscious by a quarterback and covered in a pillowcase. He woke up with no clothes and his hands tied behind his back in a chair that was broken and rickety. His lip and chin were bleeding. He was going to be the prize claimed to teach the lucky winner how to pass the end-of-year physics exam. (Do football jocks actually take Physics?) Two guys were ready to fight, the quarterback who had kidnapped Casey, whom he nicknamed “Buzz-cut”, and another big guy named Maddox. When Maddox turned to say something encouraging to Casey, Buzz-cut used that moment to sneak-attack and knock Maddox down, continuing to kick him in the jaw. Using laws of physics, Casey started to instruct Maddox, teaching him for the exam while getting him up and moving before Buzz-cut did more damage. This one also had Maddox step aside when Buzz-cut charged, letting the law of “inertia” he had just learned take effect when Buzz-cut couldn’t stop his forward motion and flew into the crowd. Casey then described “Newton’s third law” as a way to take Buzz-cut down hard and it worked!

Casey’s next instruction was “Newton’s second law: Force equals mass times acceleration”. He explained Maddox was pulling his punches and needed to aim beyond the target and follow through… and Maddox’s next punch sent Buzz-cut’s tooth flying! The third punch knocked Buzz-cut out completely.

I still had my original objections, but I was laughing so hard at the physics lessons, that I enjoyed the rest of their story. Grab your copy and see where it leads them and whether Maddox passes the exam.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast, fun, erotic gay tale that caters to those with a liking for jock-nerd pairings, kidnapping, first times and a bit of bare-knuckle brawling. The standard tropes pretty much suffice for character development and for a tale where the triumph depends on the laws of physics there is less accuracy here than a nerd would expect but as a fantasy tale, that's fine. It should also be mentioned that this tale features unprotected sex; but it is a fantasy, and both guys claim to be virgins. So perhaps one of those fantasies is one's ability to accept the word of a stranger.

One other niggle here... the guy pictured on the cover is beautiful. Too beautiful to be the nerd described in the text and that's the only character wearing a towel in this tale. Nitpickers may pick away but if you're just along for the fun-ride, enjoy.

This is actually short for even a short story... It might be more aptly termed a literary amuse-bouche. At just over 30 pages there's not really enough here to really judge the author's skill but they ARE pretty much able to tell a tale without getting in the the way too much. And I've an appetite for something more substantial next time.

***Note: I am voluntarily reviewing this after receiving a complimentary copy ***

[Kkhmonrai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew, this story started a bit rough, but ended on a happy note. Definitely a bit of a dystopian college setting with a run down frat house, rats, and a knock down, drag out fight between two jocks to win Casey's help on the physics exam. Blood is spilled, a tooth knocked out, and even an attack when one competitor's back is turned. It seemed more like something from an MMA combat. That said, I loved Casey's impromptu physics lessons for Maddox, and Maddox' requests that he say it again in English. Maddox has more than physics on his mind, however, and after he wins Casey, things heat up quickly. There are parts of this story that are non-con or dub-com, but nothing happens to Casey that he isn't completely on board with (except the initial kidnapping from the shower).

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and bloody with a twist in the tale

There is so much wrong with this story, from the disturbing beginning with Casey being kidnapped in the middle of his shower and tied naked to a chair, to the bloody fight over him with fists and teeth flying, but that didn't stop me reading so what does that say about me? Don't answer that!
Casey's physics knowledge helps him find a prize of his own, and the last page is what made me up my initial three stars to four because I didn't see it coming and it actually made me laugh out loud. So, thanks very much, Robin, for another story that made me smile and that's worth four stars every day.

[Amos24601 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish this was better.

I really wanted and quick and dirty read. There were some dirty elements for sure, but some of the verbiage just didn’t do it for me. “My meat” is never a sexy phrase.

My biggest turnoff was the lack of condom use. Two dudes who have never met before and have no knowledge of status? Yikes. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t work for me.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is short, steamy and entertaining. Jocks fight to keep Casey for the night to help them study for a physics exam, but one wants something else. And Casey may just be thankful enough to give it to him. While this is a short story, it's intense and sweet.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntary opinion of it.

[Janet Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! I really loved everything about the story other than where Casey is kidnapped. Casey is the prize for whoever wins. The brawling was a little over the top, laugh out loud funny at times. Casey's on the fly physics lessons for Maddox were great. But overall it was a great story.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. A quick read that manages to mix giving physics lessons and a discovery of a new relationship between Casey and Maddox. It was a nice intro to a new author to me.

[Bruce Mayhall rastrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

study bud

If you had or ever wanted a study session that went very very right, this one’s for you. Smokin’ hot!

[Twentytoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

I love the premise of short story. It's really cute-stupid and put a smile on my face. I kinda wish it was longer but it was actually kinda perfect.