Jake Wesley, known by the screen name CameraGuy2K, had been struggling to come up with new material to post on his internet website. In his current state of mind, there are only so many ways to perform the good ol' horizontal mambo, experience carnal knowledge, have coitus, fanning the sheets, jumping bones, getting laid, bumping uglies, rolling in the hay, and the dreaded and unremarkable - making love. Well, you get the picture. There are probably more ways to describe having sex using slang terms than there are actual sexual positions listed in the Kama Sutra. I don't know about that last part for sure, but I'd be willing to bet it's close.
While taking a break to work on his latest novel and a spec screenplay, his erotic short stories have taken a backseat. Snooze, ya' lose if one doesn't practice every day. His stories seem to sustain him and keep him occupied and at the keyboard. There's no money in it as there could be in eBooks or screenplays. It's just fun. And yet, these short stories give the most joy. People DO read them, and they hit the "like" button sometimes.
Sometimes, going to industry conventions can reenergize a career - create some new excitement for their craft. Watching someone more successful present new and exciting ideas -- or ideas never heard -- for other newbies can be uplifting. There is always something new to learn or ways to reinvent oneself in their chosen hobby or career. Maybe some new software has been invented. Perhaps some new consumers are emerging for the stories we write. There are always options or new ways to profit from our words. Those efforts take learning and connections. The bottom line is to be read and have one's thoughts and words enjoyed by nameless others. We write because we must. Writing or expressing ourselves is in our DNA. We communicate, but we can't do that alone in front of a keyboard. The reader must be involved. That's our job. Be respectful of our readers and grateful for the time they spend reading us. That's huge.
So, here was Jake at the Erotica Writer's Convention being held in a swank hotel in the heartland. It's Thursday afternoon and the convention classes begin tomorrow morning. He knows absolutely no one else attending. Some writers are more sociable, but Jake is not so much. It was a huge stretch to call Jake's work "literature". They were amateur short stories with a little bit of nastiness to them. Let the readers judge.
In the hotel restaurant, Jake was about to take the first bite of his strawberry shortcake dessert when a delightful interruption sashayed directly his way.
"Excuse me. Are you that CameraGuy2K? The Literotica short story writer?"
"Yes, I suppose I am. How would you know? I'm not wearing a name tag on my back, am I?"
"Oh, I'd recognize you anywhere, even without your fedora. You look like a man who appreciates a good Scotch and listening to jazz music until the wee hours of the morning. I'll go so far as to say you'd probably close the bar and still be dancing in the dark with a lover. Wouldn't you?"
"I've been known to. I wrote a short story about that once. It wasn't one of my most popular stories, but it was heartfelt. I felt like I'd lived it before, in another time. Men, it seems, don't like to be reminded to wear a condom. Most of that story was fiction, of course. Point of fact in those days, I was probably too drunk to get up and walk out, let alone have a woman with me. You know writers ... 10% truth, 90% fiction."
"Maybe so, but I could tell from your story, you were in love with me?"
The man looked at her, gazing at her figure up and down - not like low hanging fruit, but more in honest appreciation of the wonders of nature and feminine beauty.
"See? You're doing it again. You DO love me. Don't you? I know that look."
"Miss, I'm sorry, but I believe you are mistaken. We have never met. I'm sure I would have remembered you!"
"Of course we have. You know where I live, the color of each of my nightgowns, and ..." she began whispering. "... especially what I like in bed, under the covers, between the sheets." As she whispered, she sat herself down at the table across from him.
The man motioned for the waiter. "My guest would like a strawberry shortcake with French Vanilla ice cream on the side, please."
"So, what brings you to the Writers' Convention, Miss ...?
"Debbie. My name is Debbie. You should know that. You wrote me, remember? I came here so I could find you. I dance at the Burly-que around the corner from Jake Blue's Jazz Club. It's where we met and eventually fell in love. You name is Tim, and I'd know you anywhere, except you aren't wearing your beaver fur fedora like you always do. I'm here to see you. You never wrote an end to our story. You just sort of left us hanging. You never wrote that we were happy ever after. Speaking of which, how are you hanging? Miss me?"
"Uh, Debbie. I'm sure you're looking for someone else."
"Debbie slipped her right foot out of her heels and stretched her leg under the table and wiggled her toes into Tim's crotch waiting for a reaction."
Embarrassed and not wanting to create a scene, he tried to remain still. And yet, under Debbie's toe manipulations, Tim's cock grew hard.
"There he is. I'd recognize the feel of that cock anytime, anywhere. I hope you've been saving it for me because I'm always your girl. I hope you got a room here at this hotel. I think we're going to need our privacy soon."
"Wait a minute. I don't know you at all?"
"Timmy, Timmy, Tim-Tim. You know me inside and out. In fact, I'm wearing those black, lacy panties you bought me for our six-month anniversary."
"Maybe we should dance first. Ya think? I think the bar has a small quartet during happy hour."
"Ooh, Timmy. You read my mind."