An Idol for Others

Gordon Merrick

Sep 2014 · Open Road Media

About this ebook

From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Lord Won’t Mind comes the story of a man whose marriage of convenience will never keep him from taking what he truly wants

Before he has even hit his twentieth birthday, Walter Makin has already earned a red-hot career on the stage and a reputation as a Boy Wonder. From afar, he is truly a man who has the whole world at its knees and a bright future ahead of him. Still, he has one weakness—other boys.
 
Set in the 1940s, An Idol for Others follows Walter’s internal turmoil as he tries to follow society’s norms by marrying Clara, a wealthy, forceful heiress who is as enamored of Walter’s status as she is of his body. In spite of Walter’s efforts to refuse what he truly wants, he finds comfort again and again in the beds of other men—men who understand themselves and what they want in ways Walter can only dream of. However, when he meets and falls for a beautiful young writer, he can’t deny who he is any longer. Now he must tell the world, regardless of the consequences.

About the author

Gordon Merrick (1916–1988) was an actor, television writer, and journalist. Merrick was one of the first authors to write about gay themes for a mass audience. He wrote fourteen books, including the beloved Peter & Charlie Trilogy. The Lord Won’t Mind spent four months on the New York Times bestseller list in 1970. Merrick’s posthumously published novel The Good Life, coauthored with his partner, Charles G. Hulse, was a bestseller as well. Merrick died in Sri Lanka.