The Final Dream I lay naked on the bed, unwilling to get up. I knew that if I got up, Damien, my dream lover, would be gone for another day, and, let’s be honest, that thought was depressing. My chest ached just below my collarbones on both sides. I could see the two purplish marks now resting on my pale white skin. They were large, sensitive, and each one very distinct. But how are they here? In the real world, when did...

Starting a new job is always nerve-racking. Especially as you get older, here you are with all this experience and knowledge, and you are not able to show your talents because your boss is two decades younger than you and might consider you a threat, as opposed to what you are: a damn good worker. This time would be different, Pepper told herself as she accepted the job that was offered during her interview. A first for h...

Working fourteen-hour shifts is grueling most of the time, but it's only three days a week, which isn't too bad. It gives me plenty of time to think about Damien, even though I admit I often rely on that to get through the long hours of my shift. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing; when you perform the same tasks every day in the same routine, you don’t have to consciously think about what needs to be done—your body takes...

He was no ordinary man, and this wasn’t just some random meeting between two people. We knew each other—I mean, really knew each other. We were friends, even co-workers at one point in time; let’s be honest: Damien was more than just a co-worker; he was my boss—one of the managers at the restaurant I worked at - and of course, off-limits. That concept, however, never factored into my thought process because there was some...