2003: L. D. Jansen stood on the steps of her apartment house, hands thrust into pockets as she watched the departing taxi glide down the block and turn the corner. She turned abruptly and strode purposefully into the building. Her concentration was such that she did not hear Dodge, the doorman as he bid her a good evening. Jon Dodge found the enigmatic wom...
Ah, summertime in Atlanta, Georgia! Could there ever be a more perfect time of the year? I'm sitting out on our back patio on a summer evening, working on my second glass of wine and messing around with my laptop. A few feet away, my husband, Gary, is about to put the steaks on the grill (he's really a great cook!). What's that old song from "Porgy and Bess"...
I dragged myself to the dining hall for breakfast feeling very tired. I'd not slept very well because of the heat and the weird dreams of being chased along a muddy riverbank by a group of cats and dogs. In one part of the dream, Jane had been dressed in a loin cloth swinging through the trees like a female Tarzan. The most disturbing scene featured a rather...
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: This takes place after the events in "A Desperate Caress" and "Rolling Shadows of Night". (2008) After re-reading this, and after much rumination, I felt that I needed to re-edit this story. While I appreciated, and still very much appreciate, StogieMon's help in developing the story, I felt it had gotten too far away from what I initially in...
Chapter 3. Nests I had two office affairs, Joanna and Jo, both during my time at British Airways. Not together, that would have been mind-blowing. Jo was first and lasted during a week long business trip to Beijing. We sat together on the long flight chatting about office gossip and our lives. Cockney Jo was bright, a first class honours graduate, petite...
Six years ago... As of this particular moment, the single general thought flowing throughout the house was relief. The interrogation would surely come later, but right now everybody was just happy Anthony was home. Everyone had been beside themselves with worry; he was supposed to have returned from his camping trip five days ago. But the worry was over now...
"Unhhhh," I groaned as I tried to finish my 40th pushup of the set. Isabelle was "giving me a day off" by only making me do half of my normal workouts since I was fighting today. The blonde woman was watching from above me with her arms crossed, clearly not impressed. My arms were exhausted and sore from yesterday's workout and I was having to arch my back t...
Chapter 1 The Beginning of Salvation As I lay on the ground I felt weak, I felt useless, like my will to do anything had vanished along with any hope I had left. Mother told me to hide, I was always good at doing that but she never told me what would really happen or what It meant for me. That day would be the last day I would ever hear her or my father say...
1875 Annabelle breathed deeply as her eyes opened. With a level of vigor she never thought she would ever feel again, she sat up in bed. Impulsively, she began to laugh. She felt... strong. Revived. Alive. The fever that had ailed her for days, that had already claimed the rest of her family, was gone. She was herself again. No, that wasn't quite right. Sh...
"Oh I know!" Ingrid was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I have to make you an outfit for your modeling." Ingrid pulled out some measuring tape from her purse. "First, lets see those measurements. It's easier for me to get those broad shoulders if I do you from behind." At first, I was worried she was going to squeeze past me rubbing up against my bare c...