One person's art is another person's erotica, is another
person's pornography. Viewers of a one-woman show of
paintings of ménages, genitalia and nudes speak tastefully
of humour and anger expressed in the paintings. Restrained
blonde Sydney Warren accepts praise gracefully; her erotic
art is selling very well in Washington. Her art-dealing
partner Max Boudain is confined to a wheelchair and rumour
has it that he hires men to make love to the artist. Can
this be true, or is it just GAMES PEOPLE PLAY?
Colm Hennessey, no art connoisseur, watches Sydney at the
gallery. He's been hired as a gigolo, and she doesn't know
it yet. Next time they meet, he's at her home posing - in
two senses. He's pretending to be an art model. The
relationship between Sydney and Max is fraying badly, but
Max is a Svengali-type who wants to keep control. He orders
Colm to seduce Sydney. If the lady refuses Max will feel
safe asking for marriage. For her part, Sydney dislikes
working with just one male model and can't understand why
Max is so keen for her to start before other models are
hired. Colm sees her as just one more beautiful, neglected
woman... and then it becomes personal.
Sydney comes across to me as a complex person, who is aware
that sex sells better, and wishes to make enough money to
gain independence, so she can truly paint what she wants.
If she left wealthy Max she would have to find premises and
work harder to get into galleries, so she is trapped by
finances as much as loyalty. I did feel sympathy for Sydney
but much less so for Max. While he was unfortunate to have
been injured in a climbing accident, two years after he and
Sydney got together, nothing gives him the right to be so
domineering, calculating and possessive. He tells Colm
that if Sydney falls for his trap, he will see that she is
ruined as an artist. This is hardly the motivation of
someone who loves the lady.
Colm takes the role of impartial observer. We also get to
know Colm and why he has been working this emotionless
escort job for three years. The issue of lonely women
hiring male company is seldom raised - some of them are as
devoid of human contact and intellectual stimulation in
their lives, as of physical pleasure. Shelby Reed has
written a slow, artful erotic romance in which GAMES PEOPLE
PLAY can make or break lives.
Sydney Warren is a successful painter of erotic
landscapes—just the artful fantasies of a woman whose
own life has been stripped of passion. Though she has
stayed loyal to her boyfriend, Max, he's unable to ignite
the sparks they once shared, leaving Sydney wanting. Then
comes the stranger, a work of art himself, and everything
changes.
is what she's getting...
With chestnut hair, mesmerizing green eyes, and the
perfect body, Colm Hennessy is every woman's fantasy. He
too is aroused, and more intrigued by the beautiful artist
than he expected to be—because it wasn't supposed to
happen this way. For there's something about Colm that
Sydney doesn't know...
in the ultimate game of control.
Colm is only pretending to be a model. He's been hired
by Max to seduce her—a twisted scheme to test her
fidelity. But Max never imagined that Colm would feel
something real. As Sydney and Colm's intimacy grows, as
passions neither expected are unleashed, the stakes in a
cruel game are raised—and desire isn't the only thing
set to spiral out of control.