The golden sun lights up the sky. A new day is raising its head to view the fleeting moments of its existence. On a bench, in a park, a young man sits engrossed in the object held in his hands. With his shoulders hunched, his lower legs are drawn back hard against the seat. On any other day, he would be in bed wrapped up with his partner. Her slender body usually pressed against him, rousing him slowly to a sensuous aware...

She sits, enjoying the early morning misty air, on a slatted bench. The park around her seems deserted. There is the solitude she craves, away from the sharp fragments of life. Beside her is a single bottle of milk. The girl strokes the bottle with her hand, enjoying the coolness against her skin. She strokes her fingers up and down the length of it. The condensation on the clear glass wets her palm. The woman on the benc...

 Consciousness comes to me in hazy waves. It is dark. As my eyes adjust to the gloom, I see unfamiliar surroundings. Then I see a shadow moving. This spectre glides closer to where I lie. Because I am awake, I know this is no nightmare.  The figure stands over me, shrouded in mystery.  "Who are you?" I ask.  "Amshe," a haunting whisper answers.  "It's you. You have arrived," I say to the spectral being.  "Hush," she repli...

I roll over and over. I tumble and fall. I wake with a shock. My head hurts. I am lying on the floor. Disorientated, I take in my surroundings. Everything seems very familiar. I realize I have fallen out of bed. Looking at the clock on the bedside shows me it is time to get up. I arrive at work fed, washed and dressed. The morning passes in a pleasant enough fashion. A little before lunchtime I get a phone message. ‘Hi on...

I wake to the smell of fresh coffee and the faint sounds of movement. I take a moment to orientate myself. I am in Rose's bed. Her fragrance surrounds me on the pillow. I stretch. I yawn. I begin thinking about last night, remembering how she teased the fuck out of me while she was locked in the car. The door opens and Rose walks into the bedroom. In the half-light of the blinds, I can see that she is gloriously naked. Sh...

I arrive at the Blue Moon club at about quarter to eight. The journey had been easy, so I decided to wait inside.  I join the few early customers at the bar. The guy serving remembers me when I say I am hoping to catch Rose.  "Not yet," he replies, "You don't seem like trouble."  "Just a friend," I reply.  "Enrico keeps a close eye on his staff," he says, in a way that has all the hallmarks of a warning.  "I don't know En...

I hold Jen close as she sobs. I make empathetic noises, although I feel at a loss in how to help her. Her tears soaked through my thin shirt, causing momentary irritation on my part. “Cry as you need then tell me why you are so upset,” I say to the girl nestled on my shoulder.  Jen had appeared at my door a little earlier, clearly distraught. She had told me briefly that she was having some personal problems. I had held h...

I listen as Karen teases me.“There could be dark shadowy strangers following every footstep we take,” she says in a breathless voice.Nonchalantly, I reply, “Ready to materialize noiselessly and slip telephone numbers into our pockets.”We hurry along. Karen seems in a rush to get to our destination. She offers tantalizing comments about the person waiting for her.“I do think you will remember, there was the orgy you came t...

I frequently run late on a Friday. Today is no exception. Now that I am finally home, I have time to think. I can regain my space after being on a crowded train. My brain slows, as it eases into a less frantic gear. I decide to make a nice cup of herbal tea and then have a quick shower.Freshly showered, I sit down to drink the lemon and ginger infusion.The first sip I take brings a mild nirvana. My moment of bliss though...

I paused before hurrying back down the stairs and called my secretary Anne.“Hi, Anne just letting you know I am in the building, and on my way to the basement about some information I need,” I said.I headed down the stairs towards the basement. Without knowing why, I began recalling a trip to Paris, arranged by Madeline. She worked in a hotel where my stay had been spoiled. As compensation, I was offered a free stay in a...

On my way back to the office from a lunch break, my shoelace came undone. As I bent to fasten it a shadow spread itself over me, enveloping me in a lemon bouquet. I knew that scent. It was a sensual smell, fresh linen and earthy musk. Lifting my eyes up I saw looking down at me Karen, the chief auditor in the firm.She clenched her teeth and whispered, "No need to kneel before me big boy," lifting her skirt far enough to l...

Tuesday. Never a great day. There was a realisation that Monday cast a gloomy shadow on the long week ahead. A week that had already begun in fruitless frustration. The mission on Monday had been to discover how I came to have a scrap of paper in my pocket with a carefully written telephone number on it. The question nagging at my brain was: could the number belong to a colleague? There had been a group of us out the nigh...

I woke, I felt confused. I had memories of the night before, but there seemed to be gaps, and fragmented images. There had been alcohol. There had been sex, conversation and, somewhere, nagging at my mind, a presence. There were shadows from the evening, lurking at the edges of my mind. My recall of Bob, my work colleague, was sharp enough. He had told me about the walk he'd taken with Karen, who had needed fresh air beca...

My head felt woozy, and the music hammered hypnotic rhythms into my head, as I walked back towards the table where my friends were. Passing the bar, I noticed the barmaid had a sexy smile on her lips. I thought it was just for me, but, before I could make a fool of myself, a voice in my head told me I was letting my imagination run away with me.'Drink can play hell with your thinking' I thought to myself, as I sat down at...

There she was just dancing in the club, swaying and playing to the swirling sounds. This girl had me entranced. Her hair was long, black, almost blue, and she shook it like a mane. 'She could whip me with that,' I thought, as I watched her lush, lithe, body gliding to the beat. I was there with work friends. We had agreed a night out, as a chance to mix. It was different to the work mode we were usually in.  Bob leaned to...