The demons started to surface after we moved into our new penthouse. But, on reflection, I may have suppressed them for the whole of my married life of twenty years to develop an image of respectability. Our new home occupied the entire top level with floor-to-ceiling one-way glass windows and a balcony that offered fabulous 360-degree views. To the west were the beach and ocean; to the east, the city and hills. We could...

Diary of Lina Anderson Sunday, June 5th Growing up in the midwest, I’m well versed in what summer in Southern California should look like from the movies. Roller skating in Venice Beach, settled in the hot sand of Malibu as the sun’s rays turn pale skin golden, and bonfire nights listening to bongos and waves crashing against the shoreline. It’s been something I’ve dreamed of but never thought I’d experience firsthand. I’...

“Do you want to have sex?” Those were the words that started my sexual relationship with Jill. We were in the middle of a chess match, both lamenting our uninspired love lives. Jill’s question shocked me, mostly because her tone was so casual. Two months prior, I was at a house party in South Tampa. A mutual friend introduced Jill and I and we struck up a conversation. At twenty-four years old, Jill was exactly my age. Sh...

Chapter 4 The Present... A Trash Dumpster "Rambo, I'm in," I broadcast to my partner while reveling in the cooler air flowing from the room I'd just spent two very hot days and nights tunneling into. The WHOOP! and YEE-HAW! I got in response was deafening through my earpiece. "Settle down, Rambo. I've got a lot of stuff to get inside. Let me know if a guard stands up even to scratch his ass!" "Will do, Sugar Tits. You are...

It was a typical rainy Sunday afternoon, and I had the kids with me as their Dad was away with his new woman. We found a coffee shop just before the heavens really opened and a seat just inside the door for some refreshments. The kids were having fun playing a card game they’d been handed by a waitress and I was simply deep in my thoughts about life in general and the work week ahead, when the door opened and a guy wander...

Lily parked her car and Wayne opened the door for her. She took Wayne's offered hand and he helped her out of the car, where they embraced and kissed briefly before he turned saying, “Let me show you my humble apartment before we head out for lunch.” She flashed him a smile and they headed for the door of his apartment. The apartment was sparsely furnished and still in some disarray as Wayne began to explain the remodel o...

AT THE WINDOW It had been three years since we had moved into our house on the secluded estate. Our children had left home and now in our mid-forties, we decided we needed a smaller place. Our three-bedroomed, three-story home was perfect and the large garden suited my wife who was plant mad. Like most of the houses in the area, we also had a large sunroom at the back with double doors leading out into the garden. The sun...

Chapter 2: A Trip to the Shops. It only took a handful of weeks for my problems to rear up their ugly head. Once back home, with work routine taking over, and not daring to play on our own turf because we feared that someone we know could catch us in a compromising situation, it was only a matter of time for the vicious circle to start over. If the memories of our summer vacation had initially been enough to get me into t...