Kevin rose from his sister’s bed, his foggy brain trying to register that it was Wednesday and that Mia would be making a late-morning appearance. Grasping that, he inwardly smiled and then felt a wave of jitters surge through him, his anxiety rising as he thought of her arrival. Maya was in the shower, washing away the evidence of last night, though the bed and the smell still gave more than a whiff that they had been ha...

I was driving through the remote woodlands of Canada, heading for my holiday lodge, when a young woman staggered out onto the rough track, and I had to brake sharply. I only narrowly avoided hitting her, and leapt out of the 4x4 to help her. There was no-one else in sight, and no sound except the engine running, and the occasional call of birds. She was completely naked and seemed very agitated, delirious and incoherent w...

I heard the alarm clock, but I couldn’t find it. My swearing at the invisible bastard made me madder. Suddenly, quiet. I smelled the coffee first. Then I opened my eyes. Cynthia was holding the four-letter word object close to her. It was like she had it in protective custody. “Good morning, Lover,” she whispered. “I have your coffee here when you’re ready.” I’m looking at this beautiful smiling face holding an alarm cloc...

The air had a yellow glow like it does after a storm passes. Heavy wind and rain left tree limbs as well as millions of leaves and even a few small trees in our yard. There were larger trees down on our power line, leaving us wondering when we would have lights again. That was cool though. It was Friday afternoon and we had no plans. I did put in a call to the power company to inform them that we were without power. They...

Saturday morning was a beautiful, sunny day. The forecast was for a clear sky, a slight breeze, and a high of around eighty-five. I poured our coffee and took Loretta’s into the bedroom. Loretta was coming out of the bathroom looking beautiful. “Good morning, Baby. How did you sleep?” Loretta was looking a little apprehensive as she took her coffee. “I slept well. I love falling asleep in your arms. Are you ready for toda...

I brought Loretta’s clothes up to the apartment. She was going through them deciding what she would leave. I cleaned out one of my drawers so she had a place to start. When she got to the little stack of undies, she took a pair hugged them, and smiled. She gently put them in the drawer. “Michael, I need to take my leg off. I need to rest it and give it some attention,” she had a sad expression on her face. “That’s fine, B...

Jack and Alice asked me to join them for drinks on a Friday night. I’ve known Jack since my Sophomore year of high school. I was even a groomsman when he married Alice. Best move he ever made. He said that a very good friend of Alice's would be there as well. He even said I should wear clean socks. What a pal. He did tell me her name is Loretta and she has black hair and dark brown eyes. Sounds very nice. I arrived at the...

At eight forty-five the next morning, Chester was in Jeff’s driveway. Jeff was already at the bottom of the stairs when he pulled up in his truck. When they got to the job site, many of the workers came over to the truck to ask Jeff how he was doing. They were shaking hands and exchanging good thoughts. Then they heard from behind the small crowd. It was Andy. “Well, it took you longer than I thought it would. Jeff, what...