Black: Black Leather

by Vic Winter

Two years ago, the lead singer for Axel Grind died of a drug overdose. Now, the label has brought the band back together and given them a new lead singer -- a young hot shot named Ricky. Ray, the band's lead guitarist and the man who writes most of their songs, has been given the task of being Ricky's babysitter. If anything goes wrong, it'll all be on Ray.

With a lead singer who has enough stage fright that he's puking before the show, and three original band members who resent the hell out of the new kid, what could possibly go wrong? Add in Ray's attraction for Ricky and he figures it's only a matter of time before things get messed up. In the meantime, Ray's going to ride the high performing brings him for as long as he can and maybe find a little love while he's at it.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Gay

29 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Heat in real life is the bane of Vic’s life, whose favorite season is winter, and Vic’s life is far more mundane than fiction. And when it comes to fiction, the hotter the better is Vic’s motto. Make it romantic, make it sexy, make it erotic, but definitely make it hot.

Reviews

[JenMcJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was nice short story (26 pages .pdf) but it could have really been so much more. The backstory was rushed through, the diva behavior by the new lead singer, Ricky was never explained and never showed back up after the first instance. The relationship between the two could have unfolded more slowly or we could have ridden it out for the tour instead of bouncing ahead a few months.

The band Axel Grind is a pretty good name but at least on one occassion it was misspelled - Alex Grind. Spell checker just can't catch everything. :)

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Axel Grind is a rock band who has been resurrected with a new lead singer 2 years after the former died of an overdose. Ray has been charged with making sure the new young pup stays out of trouble. Ray is NOT thrilled, the kid is cocky, annoying, and he does not want to be anyone's keeper. Before their fist gig Ricky is throwing up when Ray "calms him down" by giving him a blow job. Things are going well, the band is more popular than ever, and he's finding the more time he spends with Ricky he finds he's not as annoying as he thought and his bluster covers up a lot of insecurity. Ricky also admits he's gay and wants more from Ray than just before show BJs. It was an okay read and it was interesting how Ricky starts off as a total asshole and you get to know the real him, as it's all told from Ray's POV.

[Cryselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

In twenty-six pages, Vic Winters turns broken dreams, lost love, and substitute singers into some real magic. Ricky, who’se never fronted a band before, has replaced the previous lead singer, dead of all the classic rock star excesses, and he’s now Ray’s responsibility. While we’re seeing the evolution from Ray’s eyes, it’s Ricky who changes the most, starting out with a nasty bravado that’s hiding some real vulnerabilities, and becoming both a rock star and a really decent person to have around. This story is a look at dreams crushed and revived, and some dreams that work out better than the dreamer could imagine.

The language is rough, gritty, and perfect for Ray, who has a very direct way of looking at the world, and lets us share his joy in his music, his band, and Ricky. 4.5

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steamy short m/m romance about a band that's touring for the first time since the previous lead singer overdosed. The lead guitar player isn't looking forward to being in charge of keeping the new lead singer in line...

[Ro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, rock star story. I wish it had been longer, because I really liked the characters of Axel Grind. Ricky, seeming belligerent diva, isn't what he seems. It's a compressed vision of a band story, but gives enough to make you like them.

[Indigo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rockstar short. Nice.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars