Kathryn worked through the crowd in the hotel lobby, berating herself for staying until the end of the last conference session of the day. How on earth have I ended up working in the security industry? Why come to another conference that bores me stupid? Kathryn often felt frustrated at failing to find a career that motivated her. She pushed towards the lifts to rescue at least some time for dealing with the afternoon’s i...

I was sitting in my favourite pub in Wimbledon enjoying a pint. I was with no one and had no plans to stay late. I was minding my own business. A very attractive brunette lady of my age came up to the bar and looked around. She was obviously looking for someone. We looked at one another and held each other's gaze for a few seconds. When I said nothing, she moved away.  I was weighing up whether to head home or have anothe...

Just a few pawns and a king is all that’s left. The game is made from moves of steel, seemingly meaningless.One of the pawns turns itself into a queen.  Oh, how the game has changed.  The swish of the dress, the sparkling eyes, her scent. The knowing smile that overtly predicts his downfall. The king is lost, he knows it. She glides towards him, taunting him, playing with him. Calling on the assistance of a few more pawns...

Oh, such sweet satire!The tease which framesThis amorous pyre,Becomes the most precarious of games.And we, now engulfed in the flames,Play along with unchaste desire. And, speedily the moments drip past,With unyielding, passionate decay.Even the words of love seem crass,Till there is nothing left to say.But, these feelings won't go away,And the heart shatters like glass. Then the knife still stainedWith the onions scent,S...

Dear God! Was this what being drunk always felt like afterwards? It was late when I finally opened my eyes the following morning. The rest of the night had passed in a fitful sleep which had done nothing to refresh me. My head was thick, my mouth dry, my tummy heaving. I hadn’t actually been sick; if I had been more experienced in the world of drinking I might have made myself vomit; I would have forced myself to consume...

They say pride comes before a fall. I can tell you it’s true. I had always hated my husband’s conferences. I had always hated having to play the ‘Little Woman’ whose sole role in life was to support her big, strong husband in his glittering career. It wasn’t that William, my husband didn’t have a glittering career; he most certainly did and if things went well at this particular conference, they would be even more glitter...

When I was a child, I wanted to be a beautician. My mother stomped on that dream. She told me it was hard work and you’re always standing on your feet. She was right of course. She told me to go to secretarial school and become a secretary.She said I’d never have any trouble getting work. After high school, I went to Berkeley Secretarial School. The certificate that I went for was an intense class which would be finished...

The days had passed slowly but they had eventually passed. It was Saturday - THE Saturday. The night my wife was to become a whore! It was ten thirty in the evening. I was sitting in the same booth in the same bar in which Julie, Gary, Alice and I had started our New Year’s Eve celebrations but this time the bar was barely a quarter full and I was sitting there alone, apart from a tall glass of ice cold beer. My tummy was...