The weird times of the UK lockdown found me and my boyfriend, Ryan, hunkered down in his apartment for two straight months. With my family miles away, it was just the two of us, save for his parents occasionally dropping off cooked meals—a lifeline in more ways than one. Our vibrant sex life was a major factor in keeping us sane, along with the two-person parties we hosted every single night in our living room. Early in t...

I adjusted my veil and looked down from the bay window, my hands on the windowsill. The wedding planner continued to fuss at the caterers as they finished with the tallboys. I heard the door open and close, plus the distinctive click of the lock. I knew it was Ben. I bit my lip as he raised the back of my gown. I cringed at the sound of his lowering zipper. He spit; no doubt lubricating his cock. I felt him slide my thong...

The day was just another warm, bright Tuesday afternoon in the middle of July. I was doing some yard work and long long-overdue cleanup as my kids played nearby. My oldest daughter, Gina, usually lost in her own little world, was sunbathing on a blanket in the backyard. While she will always be my little girl, she was a fine young woman in every regard. As was typical when I was working, my mind was off on thirty differen...

Chapter 1 Vacation It was the summer of my eighteenth year. The feeling of being at a threshold, on the edge of something new. Father, Mother and I were to go on vacation. But, Father had to back out at late notice because of an unforeseen work contingency. A faraway locale, a continent away. So, there we were, in a place we knew nobody, blissfully anonymous. Liberating, though I couldn’t really say for what. *** It was a...

The letter from the lawyer had arrived like a whisper from the past, pulling me out of the quiet routine of my days at the library. Aunt Lydia, whom I'd barely known beyond childhood visits and holiday cards, had left me her remote cabin in the woods of upstate New York. No explanation, just the keys and a vague note about it being a place for 'solitude and secrets.' At forty-three, with Mason off to grad school and the h...

It was just after 10 p.m. when I pulled into the driveway. The night had been a bit of a letdown, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. I had pulled my key to unlock the door when it swung open. “Hi Daddy!” my twelve-year-old greeted me, arms open and face beaming with delight. “Hello, Pumpkin,” I beamed back, erasing the furrow from my brow. “Why are you still up? It’s late.” “I missed you and wanted to see you before I...

Carol woke to the sound of silence. The house felt unnaturally still, the kind of quiet that pressed against her ears and made her skin prickle. She lay in bed for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling, her mind replaying the events of the previous night over and over. The kiss. Annie's lips on hers. The way John had looked at her, his hazel eyes wide with shock and untamed lust as they worshipped his manhood. It a...

The next morning, I woke with a knot in my stomach, and the memory of last night’s kiss was still fresh. My dad was gone on a business trip, and I couldn’t escape my guilt. I pictured Mallika still on the couch, her blue eyes blazing with anger, ready to tear into me for crossing a line that should never have been touched. I stayed holed up in my room, too scared to face her, too ashamed to go to college. The thought of h...