Tag Archives: #fiction

A little insight into things to come….

As it’s almost Christmas, I thought I’d share something a little sparkly and new with you this week.

As last week’s poetic blog alluded to, for the past couple of years words haven’t flowed as smoothly as I would like. I’m loathe to describe it as writer’s block as the storylines were still there for my current book baby along with ideas for future book babies. There are a dozen things that I could blame this word drought on but every time I go to type the words here, they sound like excuses to me and I’m not about to make excuses for not being able to park my backside at my desk and write as easily as I have in the past. Life happens and over the past couple of years it has thrown a few roadblocks in the way of creative progress. There’s been a lot of shadow work done in the background to clear the path. Let’s leave that thought there…

Now, I am feeling a little more confident that the word drought is finally over and thought I would share a short excerpt from Book Baby 9. The first draft started out as Book Baby 8 three years ago then, as the words weren’t flowing, I decided to publish Beginnings , my first collection of poems, so it became Book Baby 8 while I pulled it together in early 2024. When I returned to the book baby in the photo above, it naturally evolved into Book Baby 9. My first draft is not quite finished yet but I’m close enough to the end, to feel comfortable enough to share an excerpt from the start with you.

What you see in the photo is what Book Baby 9 looks like at present but there are roughly 30 000 of those words already typed. When I felt that I couldn’t write, I typed instead. It is my intention that Book Baby 9 will finally see the light of day and be set free in 2026. It’s still nameless as I type this and its naked too as I’ve not got as far as thinking about a cover design. All in good time.

For now though, for those who have been waiting so patiently for word of a new novel, here’s a little taster of what’s to come. Be gentle with these words. They are new and at present un-edited.

Streaks of spring sunshine filtered through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the trail as she walked. She had been walking for hours, lost in her grief; lost in her thoughts. Beside her Storm and Lily walked patiently, occasionally touching her hand with their noses as if to say, “We’ve got you.” Both dogs seemed to be empathising with her emotional state.

Ahead of her, further down the trail, she could see the large flat rock at the viewpoint. Trying to gauge how much daylight was left, she decided to rest for a minute or two before walking the last couple of miles back to the studio house.

With a sigh of relief, she sat on top of the rock, drinking in the spectacular view before taking a long chug on her water bottle. At her feet, Lily let out a mournful whine.

“I know how you feel,” she said, reaching out to fondle the wolf dog’s ears. Suddenly, she felt a weight on her thigh at the other side as Storm laid his huge head down, his gaze fixed on her.

“Just give me a minute then we’ll head home. I know you guys are hungry. I am too. Didn’t mean to walk you as far but…oh, you understand, don’t you?”

By the time she reached the final section of the trail the light was fading fast. Dusk had settled quickly as they had descended. In the distance she could just see the twinkling lights that were strung round the patio at the rear of the house, and she thought she could smell a whiff of BBQ on the breeze. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of food. Breakfast had been her last meal and, apart from a few fruit snacks, she hadn’t eaten all day.

“Ah, Miss Johnson, I presume,” quipped JJ from his reclined position on the hammock. “I thought you’d got lost.”

“Sorry,” apologised Riley quietly as she sat her empty water bottled on the table. “I didn’t mean to be gone all day.”

“No harm done” he said, wriggling to sit up and get his feet on the ground before the hammock tipped him out. As he stood up, JJ said, “I’ll sort the dogs and you can start dinner. The chicken skewers are in the refrigerator.”

“Sure. These guys have been good company today, but they must be starving. I’d guess we’ve walked about fifteen miles.”

“Easily done when you’re following your thoughts as well as the trail,” he commented. Snapping his fingers, he called the dogs to heel and led them round to their enclosure.

Soon Riley had the chicken kebabs on the grill and the table set for supper. She had fetched some salad and coleslaw along with a bag of tortilla chips plus plates and cutlery.

“Smells good,” complimented JJ stepping back out of the house. “Dogs are settled for the night. They were ravenous. I guess they didn’t hunt while they were with you. Storm usually snags a rabbit or two on a long hike.”

“Poor babies,” said Riley turning the skewers on the grill. “They’ll sleep well after that.”

“But will you?” he asked, handing her a beer.

“I hope so. I barely slept a wink last night.”

“You want to talk, Miss Riley?” prompted JJ softly.

Busying herself transferring the chicken onto a serving plate, the little green haired girl dodged the question until they were seated at the table. Keeping her gaze on the plate in front of her, Riley said, “I know he was old. I’d guessed he was sicker than he was letting on. Recognised the look in his eyes. My Grammy had that same look.  Wish I’d had the chance to thank him and say goodbye.”

Tears fell onto her plate as her grief crashed through her.

The Measly Jar of Motivation – Daisy

Despite the number of art classes that she taught in a week, Friday evening’s, at the close of the day, were Daisy’s favourite. For the past few years, she had willingly given up her time to teach a class at the local hospital. There were no age or ability stipulations, resulting in the class attracting a wide range of students. It ran on a drop-in format so from one week to the next, she never knew who was going to be there.

Balancing her large plastic craft boxes in her arms, Daisy headed down the hallway to the lounge that she had been allocated for the class.

“Allow me to open your door for you,” offered a young man chivalrously as she stood struggling to balance the boxes on one arm.

“Thanks,” she replied with a smile as she sidestepped past him into the room.

“Is this the art group?” he asked shyly.

“Yes, it is but class isn’t for another half hour. I’m just in early to set things up.”

“Need a hand?”

“That’d be great, thanks.”

As they set up each workstation with the requisite arts and crafts supplies, they chatted about the class and the type of mediums it was able to offer the budding artists. From the plastic wristband just visible under the cuff of his sweatshirt, Daisy confirmed that he was a patient. When she had started teaching the classes, she had been asked not to ask the patients why there were in hospital. Many of them, usually older women, openly told her but she sensed that there was something this young man was hiding, and she respected his privacy.

“I’ll be back in five,” he said a few minutes before the class was due to start. “Save me a space.”

“Of course,” replied Daisy. “And thanks for the help to get set up.”

“Pleasure,” he said as he flashed her a smile.

True to his words, he returned just as the class was starting. He sat quietly working on a small sketch for the two hours and at the end of class he handed it to her.

“For you,” he said shyly.

It was a beautiful drawing of a daisy.

“Thank you.”

Each week for the next six weeks, he was there waiting for her. They fell into an easy routine where he helped her to set up the room then nipped away for a few minutes before returning to take part in the class. Out of all the students/patients that she had taught, his sketches showed the most talent. Some weeks he would paint but mainly he preferred to sketch. After a couple of weeks, he asked if he could borrow some supplies to use during the week. Without hesitation, Daisy gave him a sketch pad, a box of pencils, some paints and a couple of brushes.

One Friday, the hallway was empty when she arrived and there was no sign of him in the class either. Her heart sank a little. She’d been looking forward to their Friday catch up all week. As time had passed, they’d formed a friendship that she secretly hoped they could continue when he was no longer one of the patients. It suddenly struck her that he’d never told her his name.

“Oh well,” she thought as she passed out the art supplies to the rest of the group. “Perhaps he went home.”

Two hours later, as she was packing up, Daisy became aware of someone standing in the doorway. It was a middle-aged man, but he had a familiar look about him. He was holding a sketch pad and a bag of art supplies.

“Hi,” she said with a smile. “Class is over for tonight. Sorry.”

“I came to give you these back,” said the man stepping into the room. “And to say thank you.”

“Thank you? I don’t understand,” began Daisy then the penny suddenly dropped. These were the art supplies that she had loaned to her missing student.

“My son passed away this afternoon. Cancer. Allergic reaction to his new meds caused a cardiac arrest they say,” the man’s eyes filled with tears as his words faltered.

“Oh, I am so so sorry,” gushed Daisy reaching out to touch the man’s arm.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, “You’re the first person I’ve told.” He paused then cleared his throat before continuing, “Storm loved your classes. They were all he talked about these past few weeks. He hadn’t painted in a long time, but you gave that pleasure back to him.”

“He was very talented,” complimented Daisy, thinking to herself that Storm had been the perfect name for him.

“He had made you something. Think he had been planning to bring it along tonight. Thought I better pass it on,” he paused. “And return the art things.”

“He made something for me?”

Storm’s father nodded as he handed her the sketchpad and the bag. “It’s in the pencil box.”

Accepting the things, all Daisy could think to say was, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’d best be going. Family to call. Arrangements to sort out. Nice meeting you.”

He turned to leave, adding quietly, “A parent should never have to bury their child.”

“No, they shouldn’t,” empathised Daisy, remembering her own young daughter’s white coffin vividly. “Can you please let me know the arrangements when you have them? I’d like to pay my respects.”

He nodded then turned and walked down the hallway, shoulders slumped, and gaze lowered.

Feeling her own emotions in turmoil, Daisy set the things down on the table. On impulse, she flicked through the sketchpad. It was filled with sketches…sketches of her! Each one had a daisy emblem hidden in it somewhere. In one it was a flower in her hair; in another it was a flower on her T-shirt. Closing the book, she reached into the bag for the pencil box. Inside the box, nestled among the pencils she found a flat blue stone.  It was a lapis lazuli palm stone. Turning it over, she saw that Storm had painted a tiny daisy chain round the edges and in the centre had written “A little pocket hug from me to you.”

Tears flowed silently down her cheeks as she slipped the stone into her jeans’ pocket.

Throwback Thursday…..Stronger Within

Throwback Thursday…..

His inbox was crammed full of unread mails – most of which were advertising junk. Before this infuriated him further, he tweaked his junk mail filters, then returned to his inbox. There was one email from Maddy that caught his attention. The subject heading was “Silver Lake album and merchandising artwork.” He opened the message, scanning the details about a band meeting scheduled for Friday to discuss the attachments. Jake opened the first of four attachments to reveal the three draft designs for the album cover, each significantly different. Instantly his eyes were drawn to the distinctive signature on the drawings. He opened the other three attachments and found a variety of other designs tagged as t-shirt proposals and miscellaneous. One proposed album design caught his eye – a dragon, with its wings spread out nestled inside an intricate Celtic knot. The twist of its tail reminded him of the Celtic trinity that was in the band’s logo. When had Lori found time to complete this portfolio? Why hadn’t she told him? Suddenly, he desperately wanted to talk to her, but it was four o’clock in the morning. Smiling for the first time since Monday, Jake reached for his phone and turned it on. A barrage of text alerts pinged through – he ignored them for now. Quickly he typed, “Love the designs. Love the Celtic dragon knot. Love you. J x”. He hit send.

(extract from Stronger Within, book 1 in the Silver Lake series)

If you want to read more then check out the Silver Lake series today

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Looking for something to read this week? Have you checked out Ellen?

“It’s fine, Rocky,” said Ellen, praying she sounded calmer than she felt. “Luke, I’ll make a deal with you. One error and I’m gone. One from you and the result’s the same. You go.”

Want to know more? Check out Ellen on Amazon today.

Amazon.com link

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYHKR44

Amazon.co.uk link

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYHKR44

Will you be spending the weekend with Jake and Lori?…

The weekend …the perfect time to sit back and relax with a good book. Pour that coffee, wine, beer, pink gin , curl up and meet Jake Power…. I think you’ll like him.

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

That First Proof – Throwback Thursday

I read a Facebook post the other day on one of the writing pages I follow where the indie author was sharing her feelings about holding her first ever novel in her hands. It struck a chord.

I’m still recharging these creative batteries, so I reached for my Continue the Story journal (love it!) and picked a prompt- She knew she’d remember this moment for the rest of her life.

She knew she’d remember this moment for the rest of her life. The Amazon man had dropped the parcel off and left it with a neighbour while she’d been at work. When she arrived home, the neighbour brought it over as she got out of the car, joking, “Is this a copy of your new best seller?” Politely she smiled and thanked him, saying, “You never know.”

She set the brown package down on the bed and stared at it for a few minutes, unsure about opening it. Her heart was pounding in her chest; her hands were trembling. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Carefully, she eased back the tear off strip to open the box.

Oh! There it was inside!

Oh! It was thicker than she’d expected.

Nervously, she eased it out, scared to look at it.

It was real!

That was really her name on the front cover and spine. Those were her words filling page after page. It was a dream come true moment.

In her hands, she held the first paperback proof copy of her debut novel.

Never in a million years had she thought that she would actually see her name on the cover of a book yet there it was.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she savoured the feeling of holding her book baby, her first born book baby, in her hands.

That moment was six years ago now and I’m six books into this dream come true journey. Every time that first proof copy arrives, I relive that moment. Holding each book baby for the first time is a moment that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

Now to re-focus and finish writing Book Baby 7 so that I get to “meet” it next year.

If you want to read more then check out my book babies you can find them on Amazon

Silver Lake series

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Ellen

Amazon.com link      https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYHKR44

Amazon.co.uk link   https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FYHKR44

One Twist Of Time To Change Everything…..

Holding the ornate, old-fashioned timepiece in her small trembling hand, she paused. Her fingers were on the tiny ribbed winder. One turn backwards and she could restore the life that once was; one turn forwards and she’d move beyond the current hell into a new unknown life.

“You need to make your choice,” a ghostly voice whispered in her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the winder……..

(image sourced via Google – credits to the owner)

Lunch with Riley J ( a Silver Lake inspired interview)

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In early November, I was fortunate enough to be in the audience at the Gramercy Theater, New York, for Garrett Court’s live show to launch his new album, Young Hands, Old Hands, Same Strings.
It was an amazing night of music from Garrett and, in fact, from all the musicians involved. I mean, who can resist Silver Lake’s Jake Power?
One incredible new talent to take to the stage that night was a young lady called Riley Johnson. If you weren’t lucky enough to hear Riley sing on the night, check her out online. You can’t miss her with her distinctive emerald green hair!
After a few enquiries, I managed to track this mystery songbird down and arranged to meet her for a chat. Much to my surprise, Riley suggested that we meet up at Garrett Court’s music store in Greenwich Village.
It was around lunchtime when I arrived at the store and I quickly spotted Riley behind the cash desk. Seeing that she was busy with a customer I took a few minutes to browse the various instruments on display. If you’re in the market for a new guitar, you could do worse than drop by. Garrett’s Store is a veritable Aladdin’s Cave!
Eventually, Riley was free. At her suggestions we headed to a nearby diner to chat over lunch. (I’ll not lie- I was disappointed not to be invited up into the infamous Gothic Palace above the store.)
Sandwiches and coffees ordered, we settled ourselves at a secluded corner table.
“So, Riley, tell me how you came to be appearing on stage last November with the legendary Garrett Court?”
“A combination of luck and a lot of help from Dr Marrs and Jake,” she revealed quietly. Up close Riley is younger than she appears on stage and is a rather shy young lady.
“That’s some pretty big names. Tell me more.”
“Back home, I took a summer school music workshop last summer,” began Riley. Despite her youth, Riley has an amazingly warm husky voice. “Jake was the teacher and, as part of the workshop, he took us out to JJL to record the songs we’d written. There were ten of us. That’s where I met Dr Marrs and Garrett. Garrett helped out for a day while we were in the studio.” Pausing to take a bite out of her sandwich, Riley continued, “A couple of weeks later, I got a call from Dr Marrs asking if I’d like to sing some vocals for Garrett’s record. Trust me, he didn’t need to ask me twice. I jumped at the opportunity. The following week I spent a couple of days out at JJL recording some stuff. It was just Dr Marrs, me and the sound engineer. No Garrett. I recorded four or five songs over the two days. One made it onto the record.”
“Which one was that?”
“Black Heart Dark Mind.”
“Then I guess it was Garrett who invited you along to perform at the show at the Gramercy?”
“No,” revealed Riley with a smile. “It was Jake who set that up. He was up here helping Garrett out. They needed a vocalist and Garrett mentioned some “green haired girl” that had sung on the record. Up til then I don’t think Jake even knew I’d been involved with the album. He recognised me from Garrett’s description. Reached out through my high school principal and, well, here I am.” The teenager giggled. I must say, Riley has a very infectious laugh.
“And now you’re working in the music store?” I enquired, curious to learn the full story here.
“Not so much working as helping out,” Riley replied a little evasively. She paused then said softly, “It’s complicated.”
“Complicated?”
“Things at home weren’t great,” continued Riley, keeping her head bowed. “When Jake called to invite me up here, I grabbed the opportunity. I saw it as my chance for a fresh start. I talked to Garrett. Explained my situation and we reached an agreement. He’s agreed I can stay on at the Gothic Palace, arranged for me to finish up school here. He was real strict about that part. In turn, I help out in the store. I’ll also be going on tour with him later this month.”
“I assume Rehoboth Beach was home? Why couldn’t you go back there?”
“That’s personal. I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Apologies. I didn’t mean to pry.”
“You’re a journalist. It’s your job to pry.”
Riley is a very astute young woman. Changing the subject, I asked, “How is it living with a music legend?”
“Quiet,” giggled Riley. “Garrett is a creature of habit. You could set your watch by him. He’s happy for me to stay but there are a few golden house rules. It’s kind of cool living there though.”
“And what about Jake? Are you still in touch with him?”
“Yes! He’s been awesome. So has his wife. I spent Thanksgiving with them at the beach. They treated me like family.”
“So, would you say Jake was your mentor?”
“Definitely,” Riley replied without hesitation. “I’m going back to stay with him this summer. He talked to Dr Marrs and I’m booked into JJL to record some stuff. The hope is we can pull together an EP or something. We’ll see where that goes.”
“So what does the immediate future hold for you. What’s next?”
“After the tour later this month, I need to focus on finishing school. One of the conditions of staying in New York with Garrett is that I maintain a B+ grade average and graduate from high school.”
“Sounds like a sensible condition. You’re in sensible hands there.”
“Oh, I am!” Riley gushed. “Garrett is more strict with me than my Dad ever was. Jake also keeps a close eye on my grades.”
“And where do you see yourself a year from now?”
“Singing, playing and writing music,” replied Riley before draining the last of her coffee.
“Thanks for your time today.”
“And thanks for lunch. This has been fun.”

I walked Riley back across to the music store. As we walked and talked, she let slip that Garrett was also giving her music lesson and that she had an essay to finish for her History class.
This young rising star is somewhat of an enigma. On the one hand, she’s a very confident musician then on the other, she’s a normal teenage girl fretting about her homework assignment. If she puts as much dedication into her studies as she did into her performance last year on stage at the Gramercy Theater then she should have no issues maintaining and exceeding that B+ grade average.
Details of Garrett Court’s forthcoming tour are available on his website and tickets are on sale now. I’ve already got my ticket and strongly advise you to grab yours before these shows sell out.

20200104_171554

(images sourced via Google – credits to the owners)

Twisted Silk – a dark tale (adult content)

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The text message had been quite clear. She knew the rules, knew how to play his game.  Christ, she should after twenty-five years of marriage. Only this time, she planned to add a few moves of her own.

As instructed, she arrived at the hotel at four thirty, entering the room with the key card he had given her at breakfast. Room 413- his favourite suite in the small boutique hotel. They’d spent many anniversaries in that room and she knew it intimately.

The room looked identical to it had the year before as she entered. With a smile, she removed the black wig she had worn and shook her red hair free. She stuffed the wig into the side pocket of her overnight bag then set it down on the floor. Carefully, she hung her coat up in the wardrobe. She kept her long satin gloves on.

A bottle of champagne sat in the ice bucket beside the bed, two lead crystal flutes on a silver tray beside it.

She had an hour to finalise her preparations. Keeping her gloves on, she began to undress.

 

By five thirty, she was sitting on the edge of the bed ready to greet her husband. She had spent a little extra time on her makeup, ensuring that it was perfect. The black silk lingerie that he had requested that she wear wasn’t exactly what she felt comfortable in but she knew the role she had to play.

Behind her on the bed lay the “toys” he had requested that she bring from his personal collection at home.

She had opened the champagne, poured two glasses, ensuring that the additional “surprise” in her husband’s glass was fully dissolved. To calm her nerves, she drained half of her own glass in one gulp then topped it up before adding the rest of the powder to the bottle, wiping the neck clean.

The click of the key card in the lock caused her to jump. Could she pull this off? She owed it to herself to try.

“Good evening,” she purred as her husband stormed into the room, slamming the door behind him.

He barely grunted his reply as he dropped his phone and car keys onto the dressing table.

Praying her hand stayed steady, she passed him his glass of champagne.

“Happy anniversary, master.”

“If you’re a good girl, it will be,” he stated before draining the glass, just as she had hoped he would.

“I’ll be good, master. I promise,” she replied, taking his empty glass and refilling it.

He took a sip then set the glass down.

“Allow me to help you, master,” she suggested.

Slowly she slid his suit jacket from his shoulders and hung it carefully over the back of the chair. She loosened his tie and draped it over the jacket. With trembling gloved fingers, she undid the buttons of his crisp white shirt. As she slid it off, she allowed her fingers to caress the backs of his arms just as he preferred.

Without a word, he took another mouthful of champagne, then sat on the bed and invited her to remove his shoes. Slowly, allowing him to savour his view of her full breasts, she bent to slip the Italian leather loafers from his feet. Ignoring the pungent aroma, she removed his sweaty socks then gently massaged his feet.

“Enough,” he barked standing up.

“Of course, master,” she replied, her tone dutiful but not overly submissive.

She unfastened his trousers and slid them down his slender thighs. He side stepped out of them as the material pooled on the floor at his feet.

Carefully, she folded them and laid them on the chair beside his jacket.

Before she could return her attention to him, he’d reached across the bed, selected his “toy” of choice, a riding crop, and smacked her hard across her ass. The blow stung and she gasped, biting her lower lip to prevent herself from squealing. A squeal would earn a second, third or even fourth blow.

“Too slow,” he growled as she turned to face him.

“Sorry, master.”

Already she could see his cock hard and erect in his boxers.

“Bend over.”

Obligingly, she bent over the bed, baring her bare butt cheeks to him. Her black silk thong hid nothing and offered no protection. She bit down hard on her lip as he cracked the crop across her buttocks twice more.

“Resume,” he commanded before draining his glass.

“Yes, master,” she replied.

The black silk negligée had slipped, revealing more of her breasts and the crests of the dark areola that surrounded her nipples.

Smoothing out her long satin gloves, she sensuously slid his boxers down his long legs. His erect penis stood proud as she bent down to fully remove his shorts. He staggered slightly as she lifted his feet in turn for her.

For a split second, as he stood naked before her, she was reminded of how attractive he could be. Without being asked, she refilled his glass.

She handed it to him. As he drank deeply, she saw him sway a little.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Change of plan,” he declared, setting the glass down and lifting two silk cords from the bed. “On the bed on all fours. Hands on the bedstead.”

Obediently, she moved into position, staying stock still as he tied her wrists to the wrought iron bedframe. His knots were loose and sloppy, she noted with relief.

Crack went the riding crop as he whipped her across the butt once more, leaving another fresh red welt among the many.

Roughly, he grabbed the thin fabric of the thong, ripping it off with ease. His coarse hands roughly shoved her legs further apart. With a primal grunt, he thrust into her hard and deep.

Clutching the bedframe tightly she felt him lean over her. Felt his breath hot and stale on her neck.

“Happy anniversary,” he hissed before biting her hard at the back of her neck.

Totally disregarding her pleasure, he continued to thrust his erect penis into her hard and fast. His movements were clumsy and rough.

In her heart, she began to panic. Had she misjudged this? Was her plan about to fail?

Suddenly, she felt his weight slump down onto her back and his cock slide from inside her. Quickly she shuffled up towards the top of the bed, allowing her husband’s drugged body to collapse on the clean white linen duvet.

Time was now short.

Swiftly she wriggled her wrists free and removed the cords from the bedstead. Using all of her strength she wrestled the naked form of her husband onto his back, his un-satiated erection going flaccid in front of her.

She reached under the pillow and withdrew the knife, selected from their own knife block that morning. Placing the knife in his left hand, she wrapped her own gloved left hand over it and guided the knife over his right wrist. The sharp blade slit through the thin skin of his inner wrist with remarkable ease, opening the vein as planned. Breathing hard, she switched hands and repeated the action with the right, slashing deep into his left wrist. She let his hand fall to his side, the knife still loosely in his grasp.

Blood poured from the open veins soaking into the duvet.

She paused for a split second, then lifted his right hand along with blood stained knife for a second time. Leaning her body weight to it, she drove the knife into his abdomen.

Blood oozed from around the edges of the blade.

Time to tidy up.

 

Luck was on her side. There wasn’t a drop of blood on her or her gloved hands. Methodically, she wiped her own empty glass clean and set it back down on the silver tray. She gathered up the sex toys and returned them to her overnight bag.

In the bathroom, she removed the remains of the black silk lingerie, stuffing the tattered fabric into her bag. Using her make up remover, she wiped away the thick layer of foundation, revealing her natural pale complexion complete with cigarette burn scars on her cheek. As she dressed, she caught sight of her thin body in the mirror, wincing anew at the dozens of cigarette burns, some old some fresh, on her body and her breasts. She ignored the pain of the bruising on her ribs to twist round to inspect the bite on her neck. His teeth marks were clearly imprinted in her skin and were already turning a deep purple colour.

It was finally over.

Meticulously, she tucked her long red hair up into the black, bobbed wig. She lifted her coat from the wardrobe and slipped her arms into its warm soft sleeves. With her Jackie O sunglasses on to hide her face, she lifted her bag and left the room without a backwards glace.

Freedom awaited in the hallway.

 

One week later, she sat in a different hotel in a different city reading the newspaper that had arrived along with her breakfast tray. On page seven, she found the article she had been looking for – “Business Tycoon Takes Own Life As Company On The Brink Of Collapse.” The by-line detailed how he had been found by a member of hotel staff. The coroner had ruled that his death had been caused by an overdose of tranquillisers mixed with alcohol and multiple self-inflicted knife wounds. A statement from his lawyer confirmed that the IT firm was in ruins and that he had been on the brink of bankruptcy. The journalist went on to reveal that the family home had been saved from the business collapse as it had been in his reclusive widow’s sole name. He continued that the mansion had recently been sold to a mystery buyer and that the grieving widow had been unavailable for comment.

Sitting back, she closed the newspaper and smiled.

 

(image source via Google -credits to the owner)

 

Dying Is Easy -Coming Back Is When Things Get Tricky (flash fiction)

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Inspiration for these weekly blog posts comes from all angles and on occasion some unlikely thought processes.

But here we are at Wednesday ( I wrote this last night) and inspiration has yet to strike this week……drums fingers impatiently.

Part of me has been itching to write a piece of flash fiction but again the inspiration bank was shut tight.

  Hmmm…..time to Google  “writing prompts”.

The screen lit up before me with a multitude of ideas. I read through several screens worth then one finally caught my eye

“Dying is easy. Coming back is when things get tricky.”

I gave myself an hour to come up with something inspired by this statement.

Here’s the result:

 

Dying is easy -Coming back is when things get tricky

 

Everything around her was totally still and calm. As she sat at the picnic table staring out across the river, there wasn’t a ripple on the water. A sea of tranquillity.

Inside, she felt far from still or calm or tranquil. So much had happened over the past week. So much had changed. Her mind was racing with thoughts of the things she still needed to do but time was against her.

From the position of the sun and the length of the September shadows, she guessed it was around four o’clock. If that was the case, she had less than half an hour….. time was slipping through her fingers like grains of sand.

“Just one more goodbye to say,” she thought to herself as she turned to go.

The warmth of the autumn sun had brought people outdoors and she passed close to several couples as she made her way along the road. No one gave her a second glance as she walked by.

Silently, she wished she had her phone. At least if she had that with her she could check if she was going to be on time. Both of them were creatures of habit and she prayed that this was one of the days that they were in sync with each other. Part of her realised that it was unlikely considering how events had unfolded over the week but she had to try, had to hope.

Her energy reserves were dwindling. It had been a manic forty eight hours.

“So much to do, so little time,” she thought as she walked along in the sunshine.

When she reached the next grassy area, she was relieved to find both the benches were vacant. Ever conscious of the time, she decided to sacrifice a moment or two to take a seat. Around her, she could hear birds singing in the bushes and seabirds calling down on the shore. Resting wasn’t helping and she felt even more drained as she hauled herself to her feet one final time.

The next section of the road was in shadow and cooler. Up ahead, in a patch of sunlight, a flash of colour at the bend in the road caught her eye. As she reached the spot, she stopped. The area around the bent signpost was covered with floral tributes and mementos.

Rooted to the spot, she read over each of the cards nestled among the flowers; read the messages of farewell; read poems; read stories of shared memories; smiled at the photos cradled in amongst the flowers.

Who knew so many people cared?

Images flashed before her eyes. The silver 4×4 taking the corner too fast. The squeal of its brakes. The crunch as the vehicle struck. The screams as she was thrown forwards before being crushed against the pole.

Then nothing…..

Then the searing pain of separation as her soul tore itself free from the broken body.

Unseen, her soul had watched the scene unfold; watched an ambulance arrive, closely followed by two police cars. As the paramedics had worked on her badly injured body, her soul had slipped quietly into the ambulance, fearful of being left behind. She had watched over the body she had inhabited as they transported it to the local hospital, operated on it then waited in the corner, invisible to her family, as the hours ticked by in a small private ICU ward.

Almost forty eight hours ago, her broken body had surrendered it’s fight for life. Just as panic was about to set in, she had seen an old woman enter the room. No one else reacted to this new arrival.

“Come on , my dear,” coaxed the old woman gently. “Time to go.”

“Go where?” she had heard herself ask.

“Well. Some folks call it Heaven. Others think its Hell. I prefer to think of it as home.”

“But I can’t! I’ve not said goodbye to everyone. I need more time!”

“Your time has passed, my dear. Time to move on.”

“Please,” she had begged. “Just a few more hours. Let me see the people who mean the most to me one last time. My children. My family. My friends.”

The old woman faltered then shook her head, “Highly irregular but, if it helps you to settle in your new home, I’ll give you two days. Not a second more. Two days to the minute of your physical death.”

“Plenty of time.”

“Is it?” asked the old woman. “We’ll see.” She paused then continued, “When the time is up, I’ll come back for you. Be warned, you’ll start to weaken as the time passes. When I come back, you need to come with me. No more begging. No pleading. You just follow me.”

“I’ll come,” she heard herself promise.

 

As she stood reading the messages, she acknowledged that forty eight hours had been too short. It had broken her heart to see her family grief stricken, knowing she couldn’t reach out to comfort them. Only the cat had sensed that she was there. She had watched helplessly as friends arrived at the house to offer their condolences. Neighbours kindly delivered meals to the family as they too dropped by to express their sadness over their loss. It had touched her to see that so many people cared.

The flowers and messages spread in front of her reinforced that once and for all.

She knew her time was almost up but there was still that last goodbye to be said. Squinting into the sun, she looked along the pavement, praying that her instincts were correct. She thought she saw a movement in the distance, a familiar outline approaching at a steady pace.

Behind her, she heard a soft cough.

Before she turned round, she knew it was the old woman come to escort her home. With one last lingering glance into the sun, she waved and whispered, “Till later.”

Everything around her faded to nothing.