“I’ve tried smiling more, varying the speed of my bell-ringing, provoking eye contact, avoiding eye contact, humming carols. Nothing seems to make a difference.” Mary sipped her cocoa, the fireplace’s brilliant flames reflecting on her eyes. “Maybe if I play Christmas songs, it will soften people up.” “It’s impossible to get folks to part with their money, nowadays,” replied Mary’s husband, turning the page of his magazin...

I came into the den and Auggie was sitting on the couch, scrolling through pictures on his phone. He startled when I touched his shoulder. “It’s just me,” I said. I sat down in my robe and nightie, feeling like the snake in my dream. “Lift your legs up, please.” I pulled the oversized ottoman to the edge of the couch so we could stretch out, and I spread a blanket over our legs. “Comfy?” Auggie was still scrolling through...

My breasts are naturally big for my body type and I’m constantly catching younger men looking. Whether I’m buying chilis and gelato at FoodWorld, browsing physiology texts at the library, or shopping for a new skirt downtown, if I’m mid-stride, their pupils are magnets and my nipples are the North Pole. Fridays, I wear a tight shirt with thin material and a transparent bra to make sure the boys have a clear view of my gir...

Emilie unfolded the compact emergency shovel from her backpack. The cold mountain air numbed her nose and cheeks, as she utilized her frustration and anger to dig a grave in the snow. She tugged Joe’s beanie down over his eyes, cinched his jacket’s hood, and pulled his rigid body into the pit. Each shovelful slapped against the material of her ex-lover’s parka and blue jeans, as she hid Joe from the foxes and mountain lio...

After clocking a new personal best time on the outdoor FBI training course, Nora Phoenix walked nude across the stony locker room, toward the communal showers. She cranked a faucet handle and stood aside the cascading water, waiting for it to warm. She could feel eyes, like overly soft water, leaving a film on her skin. Two men were showering directly across from Nora. The first agent, soaping his balls, turned to the sec...

You’re almost two decades older than me. You were as old as I am right now when I had to be carried from room to room and set down and cried when I was tired or hungry or shitty. A lot of people think an old man chasing a young girl is disgusting. I guess the idea does get boring. When I notice head after head after head after head turn as I walk by, I feel really sad for men and their rabid attention usually makes me fee...

I came into the house and Jeni was lying on our leather sofa. When my eyes fully adjusted to the indoors, I noticed her toenails were painted watermelon pink. “Nice bag,” she said. “Thanks.” I set the leather attache on an old expensive chair. “Lydia made fun of me when I carried a backpack. She said it made me look like a nontrad communications major.” Jeni laughed softly. “That’s specific.” The house was dead quiet. Usu...

My wife was going to a conference in Denver for six days, so she paid the girl next door to watch our two kids during the day, while I was at work. This was back in the ’90s, when jeans rode low on girls’ hips and held tight against their asses. I taught English composition at a state university in the southwest. The square-yardage of midriff I observed on a daily basis was almost too much. As I walked across campus to my...