The streets darkened and shadows fell across the landscape as the sun set into the horizon. Gregory Steeles zipped his jacket feeling the temperature drop slightly. This was his favourite time to walk around town, enjoying the shift into evening. A gradual change from bright, cheery sunlight to the dark, hidden shadows of night.

Ari brings a friend to poker night, but what's her real game?

Chapter 2

She looked at me wide-eyed, “I’m going to spend the next year flying with the next boss of the company? That’s wild.”

We drove to the secure parking under the office building and left our things in the back as we got into the elevator. I punched the button for the top floor.

As we rose, she said, in a very timid voice, “I’ve never been up there before, this is scary.”

I told her not to worry; Terry was a good guy and would never put anyone into a situation he didn’t know they could handle.

Jamie wakes up in the middle of the night, sweating and scared. She looks around the bedroom she is sleeping in and the pajamas she is wearing. It takes her some time to realize she is safe. She feels something wet nudge her hand. She looks down and notices it is the puppy Dakota has gotten her.

I gritted my teeth but kept a smile on my lips. While I knew this would come up in my job interview, I had hoped it wouldn’t. Even six years later I got sick thinking about it. Hope hadn’t conquered reality.

Yes, I’m the one Secret Service agent that survived that debacle. And no, I wasn’t fired. I resigned. And the reason I resigned wasn’t the death of the President and her husband. It was all the fault of the First Brat,

A Pearl Among Women
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“I suppose that I will have to tell you everything then,” she said with a sigh.

“Only if you want to,” he said. “But come back to bed. When you are back in my arms you can tell me anything you like. You know I will listen.”

“You listeners are rare among men,” she said, waving a scolding finger at him. But she flipped the covers and slipped back to where she had laid before.

“Stop whining, Alex,” she said sternly. “it is unseemly for one whose veins carry the blood of Zeus himself. I was celebate for almost 500 years before you were conceived. Surely you can manage a week between strumpets?” Alex ground his teeth. Athena sighed again and added, “Alright, fine. You can’t. How about two days?”

Chapter 1

I had, I think, the best job in the world. Most people look at an airline pilot and think, “Overpaid layabout, sitting in an armchair surrounded by beautiful air hostesses while a computer takes the controls.”

The Mallrat Chronicles

Introduction

-24-
Blood on the Plaza

According to the sun it was around the middle of the day when Oliver, as tired as he was, followed me into the center of town. I had set a blistering pace after the bandits had ambushed us, and Oliver, though he struggled, had managed to keep up with me. Oliver was covered in blood, not his blood, but blood from the bandits that had tried to ambush us. The boy's long brown hair was matted with sweat and his feet were blistered and bleeding.

It was Halloween night. The Halloween of two thousand and fourteen. I was eight years old at the time. I was a pale, sickly little boy with long, raven hair. I weighed just under eighty pounds and was a shrimp when compared to the other boys my age. I was also astmatic and prone to coughing fits that lasted for several minutes. That Halloween still comes back to haunt me from time to time. 

Sunday morning was an insane marathon. My Aunt Cat was still a little hung over from the half bottle of wine she had tucked away last night at dinner. And Uncle Sidney looked like he had already Taken Holy Communion. Coffee was the first order of business. Strong, black coffee, thicker than oil and strong enough to take the paint off the side of the house. Then showers, I went first. I had to dash through the shower, dash through shaving my legs, dry off and blow dry my hair and remove the polish from my fingernails. I managed to do all of this in fifteen minutes flat.

This has a sex scene at the end.

The next day was a blur. What was nice was that Ken brought me a cup of coffee and woke me up with a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"Thank you so much for what you are doing for us, Susan. I'll see you tonight with Mr. Yasimo."

I was stunned. No one had ever done that to me. I grew up with very little affection. That was probably why I accepted affection wherever I could.

I Love To Love You Baby
By Sabrina G. Langton

Author's note: I have published this story on two other sites. I always said it was slightly autobiographical, but reading it back it is a pretty accurate account of my summer of '88. There are only 3 things that I changed. 2 are itsy bitsy tiny details and one well that is quite big. Please send postcards with the correct answers. ha... I hope YOU like it.

*Stories from the real world 3
This story is autobiographical.

***

"Look at this spot! Right next to the room."

Getting it Wrong.
by
Angharad

It had been a wonderful evening, I had pulled a nice guy and we'd been for a meal. Then it had all gone wrong. Feeling all romantic and full of lust and dying to road test my new fanny we went off to his place for a cuddle and I hoped for more.

We cuddled and snogged for ages, swapping spit and whatever people do when they are randy. I'd always thought I was asexual but not since I had a vagina, this girl was going to make up for lost time.

I took a deep breath as I walked into the crowded sitting room. The room was filled with ladies drawn from all four corners of the Mississippi Delta. Ladies who like me wore fine summer dresses. The room was filled with chatter but the moment I walked into the room, the chatter stopped. All eyes it seemed zoomed in on me. I could feel their eyes peering at me. It was as if they were judging me.

Breakfast that morning was pan fried turkey bacon, fried eggs sunny side up, and a toasted English muffin with a bit of butter on it to make it palatable. The meal was served with a cup of coffee, strong, black coffee, unsweetened with cream, sugar or milk. I call it dishwater in a cup. My Aunt Cat said however that this was a breakfast befitting a 'Woman' of my class and breeding and that a 'Southern Belle' should always be mindful of the size of her waist. 

We left for Ken's house immediately. As we went through the main office he nodded to Shirly and she followed on behind us.

“Before you ask, she did a good job of making you look like a woman at the party, so she’s going to help now.”

Shirley gave me her lopsided grin. She was a kinky woman. I was sure she was enjoying every minute of this.

A Coy Pond and a Couple of Trees Part 4 (The End)
By Sabrina G. Langton

***

Author's Note: Thank you for making it to the end. One door closes and another one opens, and we find Bryson's plan all coming together. I hope YOU like it...

***

Friday

Bryson was lying on the bed watching me get dressed. The 'Personal Shopper' found me a beautiful dark blue dress with polka dots. It had a little black belt and it went perfectly with my heels. I hadn't worn my own clothes all week. I was thinking everyone had better taste than me.

Chapter 1

My mother was not a happy person. I’m not saying that she was angry all the time, perhaps more like sad. As I grew up I found a new word which described her, morose.

She lived a normal life, looking after me and my dad. I sometimes caught her smiling at him but she never really smiled at me. She looked like she was smiling, sometimes, but the smile never reached her sad eyes.

I suppose this is all my own doing really. I had been working as Mr. Owen’s assistant for 6 months now. I loved the job he was a nice guy. Very generous to his staff and if the company was doing well we all got bonuses. Yes, Owen tech was going places. My dream of buying a narrow boat and living free on the canals of Britain could be realized before I was too old to enjoy it.

I returned a few moments later holding the old, leather Bible. It was the family Bible, the one that recorded all the births and deaths in the family. According to family lore, the Bible had been in the family for well over a hundred years. My Aunt Cat who was in the kitchen, pointed with fingers toward my uncle's office. I nodded my head and started to make my way to the office. The door was locked so I gently knocked. A few seconds later, I heard a crossed voice from behind the door call out.