It had been three weeks since we said our goodbyes off the cruise and back to reality. Still, I caught myself checking my phone, waiting for their names to light up the screen. I missed him. I missed that connection, the way it had swallowed me whole. I would never want to break up a family; the thought alone made me sick. It was wrong—morally, painfully wrong—yet I couldn’t shake him. We used to talk about forever. About...

I'd walked Annie home the previous evening, though it was probably early morning before we'd reached her house. 'How do we play it at work?' She said as we walked slowly. She'd taken hold of my hand as we'd left my house, and I saw no reason to stop her. "Someone is bound to work it out." 'No fuss, I think, just act normally. If someone asks, then try not to blush. It's not like we spend all day together, is it?' 'No, tru...

Lucy couldn’t get the phone call out of her mind when Pedro’s calm, commanding voice asked her, “Are you ready?” His unexpected announcement that he could visit that very afternoon sent a rush of anticipation crashing through her. Without hesitation, she called the office to announce she wouldn’t be coming back that day. Back at her place, she took a hot shower and dabbed a hint of perfume. She turned the bedroom lights d...

"In your yeshiva, this would be a sin, right?" "Yep. And in your African Methodist Episcopal seminary?" "Uh-huh." "My rabbi says if you just run from temptation, it will just follow you. You have to turn and face it." "My minister says if you want to wrestle the devil to the ground, you have to grab ahold of him first." Isaac rolled over to face Ashley, who put her arms around him and kissed him as he thrust inside her. T...

It was actually the night before the wedding, but we came to call it 'Our Wedding Night' nonetheless. We had promised each other to wait, but sometimes enthusiasm gets the better of you, doesn't it? And anyway, on the actual wedding night, she would most likely, let's say, have other fish to fry. That wasn't the only wedding tradition we disregarded, either. Instead of bringing her maid of honor with her for all the plann...

There's a significant difference between ‘alone’ and ‘lonely.’ Before the toxic relationship ended, I was lonely, lonely in a couple where neither party wanted to be with the other anymore. On the Friday that she went, at my insistence, I was alone, but a great weight had lifted. I cleaned the house, my house, from top to bottom over the weekend; changed the locks and packed up the remains of her things. Monday could have...

Gregory came home to find Catherine in the kitchen, humming along to a song on the radio. She was putting the finishing touches on dinner, which included baked salmon and Brussels sprouts. She stood at the counter with her back to him, wearing a skimpy apron and heels. The heels accentuated her well-turned calves and shapely rear end. Her blonde ponytail fell to her waist. Gregory let out a low whistle, and Catherine turn...

It seems strange, at least strange to me. You see, I met a great guy in college and married him. We’ve had a great marriage, and sex with him has been a joy. I was twenty when we tied the knot. Now I’m thirty-two, and I still love Gregory. We talked about having kids, but that wasn’t high on our to-do list. We were having too much fun the way things were. Anyway, what is strange is that suddenly I began having these fanta...