Can A Man Be Sensual?

Greetings folks! I’d be the less snarky and more sensual one, Rawiya, half of the BLRawiya writing team of the Triad that also includes, Michael Mandrake.

As you may or may not know, we’re all fans and writers of gay male romance. We love the tension, the stories of the struggle for two men to be accepted in a society that frowns upon homosexual relationships. It makes for great stories many readers enjoy and some of them really love it when there’s more sensuality between the men.

What does that mean?

 

First, define sensual: In the dictionary, it means a multitude of things. Arousing or exciting the senses is the one that caught my eye. When we think of sensual, we usually equate that with females, because we like more of the complete picture. We’re more than just visual. We like to feel, taste, and sense the emotions in our characters just as if we were there with them.

A lot of female readers who are picking up gay romances want the men in the stories to be sensual with one another and to show how aroused they are. No wham bam, sex. Give them the tender kisses, the touches, massages, the tugging at clothes, the nuzzling of necks, WHEW! I like it all and so do BL and Michael. We refuse to be writers that don’t show every little bit of emotion between the men in our books. A lot of them might do it too much which might be nauseating to some but I think the majority appreciate it.

Why do people think men can’t be sensual? I mean, in my hetero relationship, I’m happily married to a fairly sensual male. Some days, he just holds my hand, touches my face, gives me a back rub. Yes, usually it leads to more but isn’t that supposed to happen? Is every man supposed to be this hair grabbing, fuck you senseless with no emotion kind of individual? Hells no. If mine was, I can tell you, I’d show him the door. The key is balance. Can he grab you and manhandle you and still be tender at times, tells you he loves you, adores you, and still be all man?

Yes! Definitely!

Our ideas of how men are or should be remain skewed. The men’s perception of themselves is even worse, when they equate being soft and sensual to be femme. Maybe that’s why we, as females, love gay men and their stories because a lot of them realize they have a soft sensual side and accept it. Nothing wrong with that at all and straight men, if you have it, embrace it.

The women, like me, will love you for it.

So, in closing, be sensual, show your feelings. It doesn’t mean you’re any less of a man. It means you’re human. Stop thinking you can’t do that and not be all male. In my opinion, when you show your sensual side, it makes you more of a man to me.

Blurb: Matthew Davidson wants a MAN! The setting shifts away from the America’s to Britain where Matthew and his childhood friend, Devon Peartly attend a cooking school to obtain their cooking certificates. The young man wants a partner so badly, he decides he’ll try an online dating service in hopes of finding a black man that can take care of and satisfy him romantically.

He finds that man, Antwon Bantu on an online dating site and is instantly intrigued. Little does Matthew know that Antwon is involved in a “convenient” marriage and is seeking a younger partner so he can finally get on with his life. Instead of confessing the truth, he decides to hide it, fearing he’ll lose the chance with Matthew if he informs him. To complicate things, Antwon’s wife claims to be in love with him. Antwon must choose what’s more important; loving Matthew or saving his impeccable reputation as a top barrister in the London courts?

Which will he choose?

In this scene, Matthew is expecting a called from Antwon and can’t help but be nervous.

After school, Matthew did everything he could think of to keep himself busy until nine pm. He cleaned, did all his homework, cooked dinner, and talked Devon into leaving for the evening even though his good friend wanted to stay and hear the conversation. He couldn’t wait to hear that voice. Just thinking about the rich deep tone made his hardened muscle swell underneath his sweats. “Damn, what time is it?”

Nearly eight thirty; just a half an hour till he’d hear the voice of his potential new man. It didn’t matter if he wasn’t into Caucasians at the moment. Matthew assured himself he’d make Dlovr change his mind very quickly.

Matthew went into his room, trying to relax and get his wits about him. He lay on the bed he’d just made up, holding the phone in his overly busy hands. “Damnit, I’m so nervous.”

It had been awhile since he was this overjoyed about talking to someone new.

He just has to be the one.

All the signs pointed to him being the one he’d been searching for, with the only tiny detail being his preference for black or Latino. Nothin’ against men of the colored variety but I’m quite entertaining.

Gripping his cell tightly, he smiled to himself and stared at the screen. What would Dlover sound like? Matthew hoped he’d have a deep voice like Barry White, along with a slow hand. “Mhph.” A face like Denzel wouldn’t hurt! Although Matthew did say that looks didn’t matter that much, he had to wonder if Dlover was at least an average looking bloke. What if he’s butt ugly but real sweet? Just the thought made Matthew shudder. “We’ll cross that bridge when I see the picture.” He bit his lip and placed the handset face down in his lap. “C’mon nine o’clock.” This waiting period made Matthew even more uncomfortable. One by one, he began biting his nails on one hand while the other fidgeted with his curls. All kinds of what ifs ran through his brain. What if I’m not able to sway him? What if he’s pissed when he sees I’m not the man in the photo? What if he is butt ugly? Matthew shook his head and sighed. This had to be the longest half hour of his life. “Maybe I should call him, maybe…”

Jarred from his deep thoughts, Matthew nearly jumped out his skin when his phone blared the simple ring tone. His palms slightly moist, he wiped them on his trousers. Attempting to relax, he took a deep breath, and pressed the green button. “Hello?”

“Hi there, is this Choco?”

Matthew grinned and drew up his lips. A slight bit of guilt came over him. Choco eyes and hair but not skin. “Yes it is, is this Dlover?”

“It is indeed. How are you?” The smile came through the headset making Matthew’s smile grow wider. Not quite Barry White but still sexy. He licked his lips and propped his cell on his shoulder. “I’m good. My name is Matthew by the way. And yours?”

Silence then the voice came through once more. “Antwon. It’s good to talk to you, Matthew. I have to say I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Yeah me too.” Making himself comfortable on the couch, he shifted and stretched his long legs out over the coffee table. “I have to be honest, I’ve been quite nervous about talking with you all day.”

“Same here. Maybe we could calm each other down. It’s not like we’re meeting one another in person… yet.”

The last part of that statement caused Matthew’s heart to skip a beat. Yeah they weren’t meeting but what would occur when they did?

Hopefully he’ll still like what he sees.

Amazon, Are, Smashwords NNP

Check out the rest of the series here on Amazon

RAWIYA is the more sensual erotica writer in the BLRawiya duo. She loves multiracial characters who overcome obstacles other than race. Sweet, sassy, and spicy would be the best way to describe her work. Happily married mother of two, loves music, computers, and travel. She blogs regularly at Wicked Sexy Writers. For more please visit the Rawiya's blog on Wordpress