The summer had turned to a crisp-aired fall, which seemed to lift the spirits of the West Virginians around me and make the miners frisky when they came into the club. But it depressed me, and not only because I came from a hot, tropical climate. Buddy had deserted me. He had used me, finding a way around not paying for it while making me feel alive and want...
Life was little different in the mansion hugging the snow-clad mountainside at Snowshoe than it was in Hoagie's inn. Less demanding—in terms of service both at table and in the bed—and the surroundings certainly more sumptuous. But very little different in terms of feeling owned and controlled—and isolated, all alone in the world. I cursed Buddy nearly daily...
I pulled on the worn jeans D requested. It was a little nippy so I put on a long sleeve thermal that was a second skin. I really wanted to be with D; to spend time with him. I missed J too. My phone buzzed; D was down stairs out front. I flashed a grin at myself in the mirror. I dashed down and outta the house, trailing a jacket. He was leaning against his c...
Mikey's hands covered his face after he propped himself up against the headboard the next morning. Out the window, his building cast a commanding shadow across the street and halfway up the next row of structures. Otherwise, the sun shone new and bright, completely unimpeded. "Oh, god," he said into his palms. "Last night. I can't believe we did that." He...
A/N: So the rest of the story will be from both Ryan and Alex's perspectives - though I'll identify when it switches between them. Enjoy :-) * * * * * Alex After that night, our first real kiss, things settle down. We haven't started anything, not yet, although I know we will, it's in the air. But what I want more than that is to get to know him proper...
"Look, there it is again," Jerrod said, turning his tablet around so that Kyle could see the screen. "It's the same cruise. And, look, it says they are prepared to be very generous, based on performance. I wonder what generous means." "I wonder what performance would mean," Kyle said, unwrapping the cashmere scarf from around his neck, rolling it up, and la...
Gabe sat in his office, finishing up his work for the day. He had been at Bartley, Fitch and Meade for over two months and though he loved the work, Gabe felt that it was sometimes too much for him. He was going over the few accounts they had given him to review when his supervisor knocked on his open door. He looked up and smiled. "Hey, Paula." "Hey Gabe....
The plane journey from Sydney to Zürich Airport, including the stopover in Dubai, was like running in an endurance race and Oliver was feeling totally washed-out. He stood up as soon as he could, shortly after the plane had landed; removed his carry-on from the overhead bin and waited in the aisle for the disembarking to commence. Lost in his own thoughts,...
Jake thought I was concentrating on his typically long-winded explanation of why the Singapore office hadn't sent in their section of the Arnold proposal, but I wasn't. I was sitting there, rocking back and forward in my leather chair, with my back to the whole spread of the Baltimore Inner Harbor from my eighteenth-floor World Trade Center office and lookin...
I was looking for an apartment in the city, sort of a bachelor pad. One of several criteria was that it be in an area close to theater and restaurants. The city has several neighborhoods that are really interesting but one area is outstanding. There is an abundance of restaurants with menus ranging from moderately-priced comfort food to exotic offerings like...