A SLEIGHT OF HAND
NEIGHBORLY GESTURES: A SLEIGHT OF HAND
A short erotic neighbors and ex-in-laws to friends-with-benefits story
Copyright © 2024 Leto Armitage – All rights reserved
Publisher: Libertalia Press
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 DEDICATION 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
I dedicate this series to Mr. Rogers. Fred Rogers taught generations to “love thy neighbor” on his children’s show. He may not have approved of all the ways they love each other, but I think he would approve of the real affection between them and the bonds they form.
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 DESCRIPTION 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
When your friendship with your sub’s husband becomes as important as the dynamic itself.
Adam’s discovered something unexpected: he actually likes Greg. He genuinely enjoys spending time with the guy. They’re bonding over Chinese martial arts cinema, discussing cultural contexts and cinematography while everyone else watches the romance develop between characters on screen.
But Shannon—or rather, Shasha—has other plans for movie night. Under the blanket, her feet find Adam’s lap. Harley notices, reads Shannon’s text, and becomes an accomplice. Twenty minutes of slow, deliberate foot work later, Adam’s ready to lose his mind.
Some friendships make everything else possible. Some communities accept what they can’t openly acknowledge. And some arrangements get messier before they get better—especially when ex-wives start making phone calls.
Neighborly Gestures: A Sleight of Hand is the fourth book in a series where male friendship becomes essential infrastructure, found family knows everything and accepts it, and group dynamics respect everyone’s agency. And a tiny bathroom becomes the setting for one of the series’ most memorable scenes.
Content: Explicit sexual content, group dynamics (MFM), exhibitionism themes, male friendship development, ex-wife complications, found family acceptance, ethical non-monogamy, compersion, mature characters with expanding boundaries. All characters are consenting adults.
Perfect for readers who love: Asexual representation, autistic characters done right, ethical non-monogamy without jealousy, found family dynamics, series that evolve beyond their original premise, geeky romance, communication over drama, and characters who surprise you by becoming your favorites.
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 EXCERPT 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
Not only was Greg a fan of kung fu movies—behind that shallow facade was a cinephile that put me to shame. We had been brothers-in-law, but I had never known the depth of his fascination with Chinese martial arts films. I have watched a lot of movies in the genre, but Greg was like an encyclopedia. He was knowledgeable about cultural contexts and passionate about the form. Having previously suspected that the man’s IQ was near that of a high school jock, I came to the conclusion that, like his wife, he had fooled me.
I was in the kitchen with Shannon and Suzy attempting to cut tomatoes for salsa. They were doing other parts of snack preparation. I had been introduced to Suzy’s husband, a man who called himself JR, not Junior. It stood for James Russell, apparently. I showed my maturity by not making any tasteless jokes about his. Considering that I didn’t even want to be married to Suzy anymore, I didn’t think letting my irrational possessiveness out would be a good idea. I shut up, shook his hand, and pushed my weird ass feelings way, way down. Maybe I should go back to therapy.
Fortunately, looking to my right at Harley, my girlfriend, helped. She bounced on the balls of her feet and I realized I could have fun tonight even if I felt like a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs. And that’s how I ended up with tomato juice squirting in my face. The knife was dull and more crushing than cutting the tomatoes.
“Shannon, do you have a sharper knife?” I asked, wiping my face.
“Let me finish the onions and you can use mine instead of Greg’s,” she replied.
“You have his and her knives?”
“He doesn’t sharpen his.”
“Where’s the rod? I’ll do it.”
She paused to look at me. “It’d probably need a lot of sharpening.”
I grinned, “Fortunately I haven’t skipped right arm day since my voice cracked.”
“What about the waif out there?” Suzy said, not looking at us. I stuck my tongue out at the back of her head.
“Right arm day is just twice a week Suzy. It helps me maintain the strength I built up from the heavy schedule I was on while we were married.”
She turned around, angry. Shannon stood between us and handed me the sharpening rod. “Really! You two! Suzy, I might expect this of Adam, but you?”
A sigh escaped her sister. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Adam just accelerates me from zero to max like nothing. Why did you invite the pig over?”
“I didn’t. Greg did.” Shannon returned to her onions.
࿐ ࿔*˖𓇼 REVIEWS 𓇼˖*࿔࿐
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