Solomon's Ransom

Then he gets kidnapped by space pirates. He definitely didn't see that coming.

Remma never meant for Sol to come to any harm. Now that Sol's held captive by his associates, he knows it's his duty to set things right and get Sol home again -- but that's easier said that done. As his bond with Sol deepens and the pirate captain's treachery unfolds, Remma has to confront the shadows of his past to protect the man he's fallen for.

This 38,000-word novella features birthday cake, a sentient spaceship, stolen lube, and one very, ahem, large alien.