The Ghost in the Penthouse
Hiram Sussman is haunted.
For the last decade, Hiram has holed up in his family’s penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side. On the eve of his thirtieth birthday, his parents finally decide it’s time for Hiram to move out, ghosts and all. If he can’t fend for himself, they’ll find a place for him somewhere bright, peaceful, and medicated.
He has a contingency plan for just such an event. Unfortunately, one thing stands in his way; Hiram Sussman is in love.
James Manderly is a hick from California, who escaped to Manhattan to remake himself in a place where no one knows him. Hiram’s the kind of gay guy he’d never meet back home, campy and ridiculous, except James doesn’t think he’s a joke. He thinks Hiram is the most ethereal, untouchable, irresistible man he’s ever met.
Four years down the hall from each other, and they’ve never even kissed. Because Hiram is crazy and James doesn’t sleep with men he actually knows, let alone rich recluses who tease him mercilessly but never make the first move. When James’s little brother (and his buddies) show up without warning, James can’t explain why he’s not with Hiram, and he definitely can’t claim he doesn’t want to be.
Hiram’s been hiding for far too long, but if he wants a future with James, he’ll need to beat back his ghosts and conquer the past.