The sea breeze, with its salt and coolness, tangled in Avery's hair as she sat on the edge of a cliff towering majestically over a turquoise-blue sea. The sun, in its golden descent, draped the horizon with a cloak of warm and serene lights, cruelly contrasting with the pain Avery felt within. Avery was weeping, but not with silent tears; it was a heart-wrenching cry, the kind that seems to tear apart the soul of whoever...

The Mojave Desert Though thought to be arid and lifeless, the Mojave held many secrets. With Vegas and its outwardly spreading fingers, it served a purpose: to contain the city's sins and hide the evidence. However, for whatever reason, the desert coughed this one up. Detective Aiden West rested on his haunches and surveyed the corpse—or what was left of it. Unfortunately, the vultures had been the first to discover him....

In the weeks following Beckett's death, the mourning of everyone in Oliver's house seemed to coalesce until it took on a presence all its own. Sadness followed me from room to room, and every time I saw Damien's grief-stricken face, my own pain grew even more wrenching. Beneath our despair was a sense of expectation, almost as if we were all holding our breath. Everyone, but especially Phil, had an ear to the ground, and...

As more time passed, I succeeded in convincing myself that I could remain oblivious to the nature of Oliver's work. I clung to the illusion that it was enough to be vaguely aware of the danger, even when I didn't fully understand the risk. But the events of a night in early October obliterated my illusion. Oliver had left earlier that evening, accompanied by Ted, Beckett, and several other members of his security team. I...

The first time I fucked Tallulah, she straddled my hips and humped me halfway through the mattress. "Slow down," I yelled. All yelling got me was a slap across the face. Next thing, she used the heel of her hand to push my face sideways on the bed. "Come on, Alfie,” she snarled. "Fuck me, Texas style. Do it, you sonofabitch!” She started waving an arm over her head like she was riding a rodeo bull, so I tore the front of...

It is the year 2069, and if the Military doesn’t control it, the Mega Corporations do. Average people scrape by in the meat grinder of power struggles. People are treated like commodities by those in power. The last half of the century has been rough on the planet. Worsening natural disasters and drought have wreaked havoc on mankind and their cities. A third world war has come and gone. National borders have expanded whi...

"I hate you!! You ruined my life!!" "What? Say it again if you dare!!" "I absolutely hate you! I always will!!" These were the last words before our latest separation in the courtroom... He was going to get out of the detention center that day. It was shocking for me; indeed, shocking, but also heavily dramatic. More dramatic than anyone can even imagine. After nearly ten years of 'imprisonment,' now, he would come back t...

Franco Cassetti grunted as Blondie 1 (she had stated her name when they met and Cassetti had promptly forgotten it) ran her velvety tongue sharply up the shaft of his thick, stumpy cock. Aside from the grunt and a twitch in one of his pale blue eyes, Cassetti never moved. His right hand remained where it was, propped against his craggy face, fingers beside his temple, elbow on the armrest of the luxury leather chair he ha...

“I said closer,” Asma said in a low voice, the sound of her words amplified with a strange energy Gabriel knew but could not quite place. The tall, handsome Hispanic man blinked and tried to remember what he was about to say. His fingers worked at one of the buttons of his black sport coat as he tried to recall. Gabe meant to glance at Asma. Only glance. She seemed to subtly glow in the parlor’s mood lights, reflected gle...

My name is Waxy; and the map to my life is on my face, bodyand hands: a patchwork of scars and badly healed fractures. I first got pinched when I was eleven; stealing fruit from the back of cart vendors as they moved through the neighbourhood and then selling it on for a dime a piece. It was as honest as work as I could get and when you’re born into poverty; right and wrong don’t factor in life too much. That is, unless i...