Melinda and her husband Mike used to go all out at Christmas time, decorating every inch of the house, inside and out. It was her favorite holiday. One of the traditions Melinda brought from her childhood was the family setting up the tree the first Sunday of December. Nowadays it was not just their kids, but grandkids as well. The sounds of children giggling, a serenade of Christmas melodies, make that day extra special....

Pretending Ch. 09 © 2009 All Right Reserved Connie let the water run down on her from the shower head after she'd finished. The hot water felt wonderful after such a long day. She turned off the water, wrapped her hair in one towel and grabbed another for her body. While she'd been in there, she'd gone back over what Emily had said. Her sister was right. She needed to tell him, and tell him now. She tucked in the corner o...

Pretending Ch. 08 © 2009 All rights reserved Emily proved prophetic. Despite Simon's grandiose claims, John had wiped out both him and Edward in a few short hands. He was more than happy to see Emily and Connie return. Lydia came in a few moments later, and headed into the kitchen to make coffee and tea to go with their pumpkin pie. Overstuffed from dinner, there had been unanimous agreement to save the pie until it could...

Pretending Ch 07 © 2009 All Rights Reserved "Connie!" Emily shouted at her sister happily while sitting on the front porch. Connie grinned as she stretched. She hadn't seen Emily in months. She got a shock, though, when Emily stood up—Emily was pregnant! "Em!" She ran over to hug her sister. They embraced, then Connie stepped back, looking at Emily's slightly rounded figure. "When did this happen? How far along are you? W...

Pretending Ch. 02 © 2009 All Rights Reserved Sunlight peeked through the blinds and prodded Connie awake. She took a moment to orient herself. I don’t have piles of books on top of my computer, she thought. Then she remembered where she was and turned her head. Simon lay behind her, his hand on her waist, sleeping like a log. Her first instinct was to jump out of the bed, but she resisted. That would wake Simon up, and sh...

Pretending Ch. 05 © 2009 All Rights Reserved "Rachel! Rachel, look out!" Connie was shouting and pointing, but nothing was coming out. The SUV loomed larger and larger as it approached from behind. Connie had seen it in the side mirror and watched in horror as it grew and grew, until the grille filled the little glass. Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear, she thought with dread. Suddenly the little Corolla w...

Pretending Ch. 04 © 2009 All Rights Reserved Neither of them mentioned the kiss after that. They did agree to Simon's idea of going on dates and acting like a "real" couple. Connie found she couldn't keep her guard up all the time. More than once she realized she had forgotten the "pretend" part of the whole thing, and she gave up on trying to keep a mental buffer. She rationalized that it would make things look more conv...

Pretending Ch. 03 © 2009 All Rights Reserved Dinner and a movie did wonders for both Connie and Simon. Connie felt much better that she'd told him, and Simon was relieved to find he hadn't done anything to offend or scare her. The weekend was too cold to do much, although they did get out for groceries. Simon teased her and said she should cook for the next week to make up for him having to live on ramen noodles while she...

Pretending Ch. 2 © 2009 All Rights Reserved Simon was frustrated over the next few days. Connie went to lengths to avoid him, although since they lived together, she couldn't avoid him all the time. After three days, frustration turned to a strange sort of admiration. It was impressive how she managed to see him for the barest minimum of time every day. She left early, came home late, then went straight to her room. He wo...

Pretending Chapter 1 © 2009 All rights reserved "Simon, would you get that?" Connie called from her bedroom after she heard the knock on the door. Her date was probably here and she wasn't quite ready. "No problem," came the reply. She turned back to the mirror and decided this was the best she could do. Her black hair was swept back into a braid, and she wore dangly silver earrings. She wore a flower-print blouse with bl...

Desire makes for a wave-lashed bedOn which we writhe and crack and cleaveSpritzed and sprayed with sea and sex,Tangled with tidal love we weaveWith no rest, no respite. KissesCross like sodden clouds, an endlessStorm of scorching dew. Lust’s nestLeaves its tenants a mucky mess.These sleepless eyes blink leaden lidsAnd greet a score of kisses more.A weary wriggle’s my poor signalFor rough relief where you’ve left me soreAn...

En Vacances 3: Grant     “I want a drink.”   My words sound petulant in my ears like a small child demanding a treat; and my tongue, unused to forming words, feels thick in my mouth. It had seemed like a good idea holidaying alone, ten days in the sun, an opportunity to relax and recharge my personal batteries away from the daily grind, but a holiday can be a lonely place and I’ve spent three days lying alone, eating alon...

En Vacances 2: The Bar     Embarrassment consumes me; my entire being flushing crimson as her hungry eyes watch my little girl body quivering with pleasure, fixed on the twin digits that have slid so effortlessly into the soaking wetness of my pussy. My whole body is burning up with shame; heat radiating through every atom of my being, capillaries engorged and swollen, visibly causing my lightly tanned skin to glow violen...

En Vacances 1: Poolside         Mid-morning Mediterranean sunshine flashes across the cyan pool waters as I tiptoe between the half empty lines of sun loungers towards my own. Quickly, I drape my towel across its padded bed, grab an ashtray from a nearby table, unlace the 4” sandals from my feet and plop myself down for another day hiding behind my sunglasses.   This is how I holiday; my body gently basting in finely appl...

I’m a winter girl, I cannot lie(I could give you 13 reasons why).If this were the Christmas season, what a jolly apparitionYou’d find me to be in my yuletide condition:Cropped and tight in a warm ribbed sweater,I might even break out the high-waisted lycra,Christmas makes me feel so discofied and friendly:Everyone’s being so jolly.We could make a date underneath the holly,Set out for some of the hardy perennialWatering ho...