The dress felt like a costume. Deep crimson silk, it was cut lower and tighter than anything Devon owned, hugging the curves of her hips and belly with a possessiveness that made her skin prickle. She stood nervously in the opulent foyer of Tonya’s apartment, her fingers itching to fidget with the simple silver key Tonya had just given her. Her key. The weight of it in her small clutch felt monumental. Tonya moved through...

Devon’s heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic drumbeat echoing in the sudden quiet of the hotel room. The door clicked shut, sealing them in a world of plush carpets, king-sized beds, and unbearable tension. Tonya leaned back against the door, her tall frame silhouetted by the faint city lights filtering through the blinds. A slow, predatory smile spread across her full lips. “Well,” Tonya’s voice was a low purr, sli...

The air in Devon’s bedroom was thick with the scent of her own panic sweat and cheap perfume. She’d been waiting, perched on the edge of her unmade bed, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs. The red and green lights from the cheap plastic tree in the corner cast shifting, devilish shadows across the walls. It was Christmas Eve, but she wasn't expecting presents. A floorboard creaked in the hall, a sound that shouldn'...