Unlike Gordon, I felt little remorse from our deception. After all, I'd purposely set out to seduce my father-in-law. But even as our relationship steered into deeper, more treacherous waters, shame eluded me. I figured that prior to our affair, Gordon had considered himself an honorable man, and a good husband and father. But me? I'd never made much effort to convince myself of my own decency. Maybe a flawed character wa...

It wasn’t the first time they had been together, just the first time they’d bothered with a hotel room. Previous encounters had been brief, tawdry romps in the back seat of her SUV in the parking lot of whatever taverns they met at for drinks. Clever fingers and talented tongues provided hurried, lusty orgasms for two lovers who needed release. It had always been decadently delicious. But tonight, they wouldn’t need to ru...

I knew it was pathetic to be jealous of Gerald, but as I stood at the backyard grill on the Fourth of July, I found myself glowering at my neighbor's son. While I was supposed to be making sure I cooked the hot dogs just the way Mom liked, I was much more interested in watching George, Gerald, and Gerald's girlfriend. They were sitting on George's back porch, sipping from glasses of iced tea. I'd already exchanged friendl...

“Oh…my…God,” Amelia gasped, a hand flying to her mouth with the shock of realisation. My heart dropped like a stone. A choking sensation seized my throat and there was a loud ringing in my ears as the panic of discovery hit me. A look, a hesitation for a fraction of a second too long, a shift in my body language, all had given me away when she made an off-hand comment about how amazing Dion must be in bed. “Oh…my…God, Cla...

Chapter 1 Pausing our game of Fifa, Jack got up from the couch to greet Paige, his girlfriend. Paige was also the only real friend I had aside from Jack himself. Seeing as we were twenty-five years in age, having a sum total of two good friends might seem like a poverty-stricken existence but I valued what I had. I laid down my game controller while the duo shared a passionate kiss. I stared at them deliberately so as to...

Livi tied the black-and-gold mask behind her head and took one last look in the mirror. The gown was painted onto her curves, her strappy Jimmy Choos laced tight, her lips a wicked shade of red. She looked like every rich man’s fantasy. And she hated herself for giving Brad exactly what he wanted. She’d put up with his degrading shit for years, let him bankroll her med school debt, let him chip away at her confidence one...

Doing my best to be patient, I waited for a sign that Joy was sleepy. A couple of times during the movie, she stifled a yawn, then offered me a guilty smile. I knew my best friend almost as well as I knew myself. As hard as she tried to stay up till eleven, her natural sleep cycle inevitably won the battle. The film still had thirty minutes left when she grudgingly rose from the couch. Turning toward her dad, she leaned t...

After fifteen years of marriage, you feel like a stranger to me. I watch you lift a wineglass to your lips during dinner, a gesture you've made countless times in my presence, yet it's now utterly unfamiliar. Because you are. When did it start? Months ago? Years, maybe? I can't pinpoint the exact moment you began drifting away. We don't fight about sex or money; we have plenty of both. There's no obvious wedge between us....

I turned nineteen in late January, not long after I went back to school. Dad promised to celebrate the occasion the next time I was home for a weekend, but Gabe insisted on taking me out to dinner on my birthday. He'd made reservations at a restaurant I'd never heard of, and the moment we stepped inside, I understood why it was unfamiliar to me. The place was ostentatious, with a formal dress code. Wearing my finest dress...

Maria leaned on the counter, her eyes scanning the aisles of the Brigham City Petco for any signs of trouble. It was closing time, and the last few stragglers were always the hardest to get out the door. The bell chimed as it swung open, letting in a gust of cool evening air. Her outfit was meticulously chosen, a testament to the comfort she sought in her workplace. The dark brown polo shirt she wore clung to her slim fra...