“The girls can’t make it tonight.” I was stretched out on a chaise lounge at the edge of the swimming pool, enjoying the sun after a swim. I sat up at that news, putting a hand to my chest to ensure that my loose bikini top didn’t fall down. Five men were seated or standing around me. They were dressed in street clothes. All of them were farangs, as the Thai call people from Western countries. “There are riots in the stre...

My son Robert and I may be the only surviving humans among all the billions of people in the world. The plague came suddenly to the island where I lived with my husband and Robert. My husband died, as did all the hundreds of people who lived on the island. Except for Robert and me. Perhaps we had a rare gene that protected us. I was thirty-two at the time of the plague; Robert was twelve. Communication with the mainland c...

Doug was fucking me. It was afternoon and sun flooded through an open window. Outside a coconut palm swayed in a gentle breeze. We were both sweating. The beach cabin was not air-conditioned and it was hot. I like sweaty sex. Glistening wet bodies fit together better. I like the feel of slippery skin as I run my fingers over my partner’s body, exploring crevices and crannies. I like the salty taste of sweat as it drips of...

My first thought on waking up in a sun-lit unfamiliar room was, "Where am I?” Then I remembered the night before. On the beach. A man was curled around me. A hand was on one of my breasts and his leg was draped over mine and I felt the hardness of his penis on my thigh. “You’re awake,” he said. “I want to fuck you again.” “Who?” I thought. “Oh, yes, Andrew! A lawyer from Boston.” My head hurt. “A hangover.” Andrew rolled...

“Hello, Agnes.” Agnes looked up from where she was kneeling in her vegetable garden. It was the spirit of Burt, Mayor of Heavenly Aden. It was hot and she was wearing only a pair of shorts and a sleeveless blouse. He was shirtless. Her hands were soiled with dirt. “Hello, Burt,” she answered. “Welcome!” She stood up, brushed strands of light brown hair out of her eyes, rubbed her hands together to clean off the dirt, and...

Sister Agnes felt both apprehension and excitement as she prepared for the Friday Fuckfest. The word “fuck” still rolled off her tongue with difficulty, but she had lost her life-long virginity at her first Fuckfest – and it had been fun. What awaited her at her second? Another sexual experience, to be sure, that was the rule. But with whom? As the sun declined in the sky, she contemplated what she would wear. God and his...

The spirit of Sister Agnes met a bearded, white-robed figure with a benevolent smile standing just outside the pearly gates. "Saint Peter?" she asked. She was wearing the same kind of white robe which, frankly, was a bit thin and translucent for her taste. "Call me Pete. We don't stand on ceremony here," he answered. "I am as you wish me to be. At your service, Sister Agnes. May I call you Agnes?" “Yes, of course...uh...P...

"So, how was Kevin?" Sam and Daisy were building a fish trap, carrying coral rocks out into the sea, and building a wall. The idea was that fish would swim over the wall during high tide and be unable to escape during low tide. "You shouldn't be asking that, Sam," Daisy admonished him. Thirty-five-year-old Sam and nineteen-year-old Daisy spent hours together every day foraging for food and they had become close friends. S...

The Cessna 180 came down hard on the water, the waves causing it to buck and pitch. The landing might have been successful had not a pontoon brushed against an unseen outcrop of coral just below the water's surface. The airplane lurched onto its side, perching on the coral and rocking unsteadily. "We have to get out of here now," shouted the pilot, whose name was Gaston, as he attempted to open the door. One of the passen...

The announcement came over the public address system: “We regret to inform you that flight 215 from Johannesburg to Istanbul has been canceled. Passengers with confirmed reservations will be booked on the flight leaving Johannesburg at the same time tomorrow.” “Shit!” said Maggie to nobody in particular. “Damn!” The speaker was a young U.S. Marine in uniform sitting beside her in the airport lounge. “I was ordered to arri...

"Fantasy Fest is fun," Chloe said. "What?" asked Maggie. "It's in Key West, Florida. Thousands of people show up and parade through the streets and party all night. It's illegal to be nude in public, but even a string of beads counts as clothes. Lots of strange people. Homosexuals, bisexuals, straights, old, young, etc. Go with me. You need a break. "Plus, I have a hotel room," Chloe added. "It's not easy to find one duri...

"I have been fucked to exhaustion," announced Emily. She was stretched out naked on the futon in her loft apartment. Her roommates, Doug and Jason, also both naked, lay beside her. "I'm still in the mood," said Doug. He was the aggressive one of the pair. "I could do it again, Emily, but whatever you want is fine with me," said Jason. He was the cupcake, warm, loving, and wimpy. "The two of you are too much for me," she r...

Roommates Doug and Emily were in bed together in her loft apartment. It was a rare night together. They had sex about once a week, and it was usually quick and almost violent. Doug liked to take her suddenly, unexpectedly, in the hot tub, in the kitchen, once on the front steps of their townhouse late at night. It was all over in a couple of minutes. She enjoyed it -- but she also missed the slow, casual, loving, chat-bet...

Doug and Emily lolled naked on her futon during the half time of the football game, resting from their sexual exertions the night before, that morning, and earlier in the afternoon. His cell phone rang. “Hi, dear,” he said. A pause. “Yeah, I’m free. I’ll be right over.” He hung up the phone. “Sorry, I have to go," Doug said to Emily. "My girlfriend is back in town.” With that he got up, put on his pants, leaned over, kiss...

In 2010, Emily Revard, age twenty-eight, received her Ph.D. in physics from a very good university in New York City.  She was among the few women at the university who earned a Ph.D. in physics that year. Ten years of hard work and near-poverty came to an end -- because she also was offered and accepted a job at that same university.   It was in her field of particle physics and with the salary of a grown-up. The girl fro...