I need a "why" for this story

[davion2308]

Here's my idea:

Gay female "needs" to have an established romantic relationship with a male. She's faking being hetero for some reason.

Female's roommate, who's female and really is hetero, is in on the secret and ends up having a sexual relationship with the guy.

It's at first just release for him so he's not 'cheating' on the gay female but they develop a relationship.

My focus is on the couple's teasing and flirting and subtle play when they're out and how it leads to passionate sex when they're alone. How do the two manage having him be with one girl when he wants to be out with the other?

My sticking point: "Why would the gay woman have to have a boyfriend?" Family expectations? She's proving a point to someone for some reason? I need something at least somewhat realistic and I'll take it from there.

What are your thoughts? Thank you.

 

[SimonDoom]

She's young and in financially precarious circumstances but she was the editor in chief of her university newspaper and she's gotten an offer she can't refuse from an extremely conservative publisher of religious books. He won't hire or retain anyone who doesn't live a conservative and moral lifestyle, and he's strongly anti-gay.

Here's the challenge with your scenario, though, as I see it:

Who is the hero of the story? The gay woman? The roommate? Or the fake boyfriend?

If this is to be an erotic story, then ideally the hero is the person who has the interesting erotic experience.

But the way you have set this up, the gay woman is a bystander to the relationship between the female roommate and the fake boyfriend.

This is a scenario with a lot of interesting, fun, and comic potential, because it's based on misunderstanding, a classic comic premise.

My suggestion: make the central POV character the hetero female roommate.

She's a well-meaning, but somewhat nosy, busybody, matchmaking sort, like Jane Austen's Emma. She helps her roommate get the job and helps her get the fake boyfriend.

But she's actually got the hots for the fake boyfriend.

Dramatic and comic possibilities arise because she can't keep her hands or body off the "boyfriend" but there's a need at all times to preserve the appearance that the "boyfriend" and gay roommate are having a (perfectly moral and appropriate) romantic relationship.

Wrinkle: the super conservative publisher becomes suspicious that our heroine is a lesbian and is trying to "convert" the gay employee to lesbianism, when in fact he has it backwards. He gives pamphlets to his (gay without his knowledge) employee about how to convert her friend, who he thinks is in danger of losing her soul.

 

[sirhugs]

Lots of scenarios:

~ Grandpa gives each grandchild $1 million dollars upon hetero marriage. Already an example of him NOT giving to Brad who married Chad, so she needs a blind.

~ as SD already suggested, the conservative employer

~ needs medical coverage and guy friend is the only one who offers (if only she lived in Canada)

~ offered a job as a "mommy blogger" after interviewer assumes she has a husband.

~ moving to a Muslim country for work

~ Mom is anti-gay, desperately wants to throw her a big wedding. Mom now has terminal disease.

 

[Carnevil9]

Yeah, the "religious employer" angle was the first one I thought of. Church office, religious publisher, Catholic hospital, etc.

A more twisted possibility: she herself is a conservative blogger, writer, motivational speaker, whatever. (There are gay conservatives, you know.) But she doesn't think her fan base would accept her if she weren't in a traditional relationship. Alternatively, she could be a campaign manager for a very conservative candidate for some office, and doesn't want the candidate (her boss) to know about her lifestyle.

 

[sirhugs]

Or the tentacle monster in the basement threatened to eat her if she didn't...

 

[Carnevil9]

Or the tentacle monster in the basement threatened to eat her if she didn't...

And not in a good way!

 

[bigtallman]

I know not all of these 100% fit, but just tossing stuff against the wall

Wants to put off her womanizing boss by being in a relationship?

Wants to adopt a child, but all the adoption agencies are hetero couples only?

It's a handmaiden's tale dystopia where men control everything and being lesbian means going to the gulag?

Is going 'deep undercovers' to write an expose on hetero married life for a gay newspaper?

Spy, and the man is her target?

Knows the roommate is infatuated with the guy, but she wants the roommate for herself so she gets in the way and then tries to make the guy look bad.

 

[Lost_Yonder]

It's pretty standard practice in a lot of cultures that have conservative attitudes about sex and marriage. Often it is two gay people - a man and a woman - will marry one another for the public eye and family, but know each other will be involved with other people.

Perhaps she comes from such a culture where the pressures of marriage is high and homosexuality just doesn't exist as an option.

Perhaps she comes from a conservative Evangelical christian background and was never comfortable with being gay, thinking being involved with a guy will help her go straight.

Perhaps she is an immigrant who wasn't able to get her visa status renewed and needs to marry someone to get her citizenship.

...

 

[Maloufokker]

Here's my idea:

Gay female "needs" to have an established romantic relationship with a male. She's faking being hetero for some reason.

Female's roommate, who's female and really is hetero, is in on the secret and ends up having a sexual relationship with the guy.

It's at first just release for him so he's not 'cheating' on the gay female but they develop a relationship.

My focus is on the couple's teasing and flirting and subtle play when they're out and how it leads to passionate sex when they're alone. How do the two manage having him be with one girl when he wants to be out with the other?

My sticking point: "Why would the gay woman have to have a boyfriend?" Family expectations? She's proving a point to someone for some reason? I need something at least somewhat realistic and I'll take it from there.

What are your thoughts? Thank you.

What you have is an unusual triangle:
A gay (lesbian) woman who wants kids to meet family pressure and chooses traditional sperm donor to avoid coming out re her sexuality.
A bisexual woman who likes to play both ways but doesn't want kids.
A straight guy who doesn't realize the nuances and intricacies.
Perhaps the two women initially pull the wool over his eyes as to who is lesbian and who is bisexual?

The story could lies in his transition from uninformed stud to willing member of a triad raising the child.
All sorts of combinations possible when you include side flings and threesome adventures.

Enjoy writing.

 

[sirhugs]

Or there might have been a drunken bachlorette party to Vegas. Hubby is a stripper/limo driver/waiter...

she'd get an annulment, but there is that bun in the oven...

 

[Wilson Spalding]

...My sticking point: "Why would the gay woman have to have a boyfriend?" Family expectations? She's proving a point to someone for some reason? I need something at least somewhat realistic and I'll take it from there.

What are your thoughts? Thank you.

Interesting trio you set up; great possibilities!

Good rationales in here, too.

Alternately, you could go the most realistic: she was raised in a conservative family and suffers self-loathing. She knows her sexuality and is simply in the closet.

That kind of plain background gives a great opportunity for her come to terms with it herself, with huge narrative potential for growth, character arcs and a positive message as she learns to accept it (even if family doesn't). Can also sprinkle in some humor and hijinks with the guy and other gal.