Kevin strolled the exhibition floor, glancing at each booth he passed. The booths were advertising various services and hardware for pharmaceutical development. This conference would likely be the biggest sales day of the year for many of these companies, and the exhibition floor buzzed with the excitement. A few vendors recognized him. “Mr. Canidae!” exclaimed a young man seated behind a table of swag, the booth behind h...

Bah humbug, God! You’re kidding, right? Like, I’ve confessed. Done my penance. On my knees daily, the whole nine yards. You, however? Christ, you’re an all-knowing hard arse. You’ve heard me constantly praying: Lead us not into temptation. Foresaw the Midnight Mass choir’s opening hymn, O come all ye faithful, messing with my mind. Knickers too. For God’s sake, you’re like she was last Christmas. Getting your jollies spot...

(Mid 1980s) Taking not much more than the head in my mouth, I sucked it like a straw. He was excited, but that didn’t last. The mood turned. Knowing something was wrong, I tried sucking harder, as if from a frozen beverage, but this only made things worse. I was probably close to giving his penis a hickey when he stopped me. Nearly on the verge of tears, I confessed that this was my first time. I had for years been explor...

The Queens Road Christmas party was a grand affair; or so it seemed from the vantage of my study. Imogen and Simon spared no expense and initiated their preparations well before the frenzied onset of Michaelmas. By the time the first clouds of autumn rolled in, commencing the barometric malaise that shrouds the city until Spring, Simon had once again imperiled his diminutive frame installing cords of glittering lights alo...

“Okay, we need to prepare for the next show," Sam said authoritatively. “Sara, start heading to the green room. We'll start shooting in fifteen minutes.” Sara took Jake’s hand and started to head toward the room. Melissa followed behind them and explained that her clothes were in there and that she would get dressed while they were getting ready. Nick pulled on his underwear, decided to wear a robe, and waited to get dres...

Late in the evening, my steps echoing on the footway were the only sound. I peered in front carefully, fearful of tripping on a raised slab. Passing along a row of parked cars on my right and a line of terraced houses on my left, I glanced at the sky, where a few bright stars pierced the town's scattered light, and it was this singular movement that allowed me to catch a flickering on the edge of my field of vision. I pau...

Kevin stepped into the hotel hot tub, grateful for the opportunity to relax after a long day at the pharmaceutical industry conference. The hot tub was empty except for a single woman, reclining with her eyes closed. The jets partially obscured her frame, but he could tell she was middle-aged, perhaps 40, with a slender build. Something seemed a bit off about the stranger. The way she shifted every few seconds, arching he...

(Mid 1990s) I woke to voices from the next room. I first thought it was Mark and Brandon, the guys who were letting me use their office as my apartment while going through my divorce. Pretending to still be sleeping as their conversation continued, I became aroused by the idea that they may pass my open door and discover me naked on the bed. “Is she here?” A question came from a voice I didn’t recognize. Holding my breath...