EXCERPT
 

Vacation For Desire
By
    Linda White-Francis      

Chapter One    

   Never satisfied by any of her lovers, Teri Blanchester wallowed in her sexy irrelevancies as if they were true. There were times the dreams disturbed her, but for the most part, they kept her alive, because repeatedly she found a good man was hard to find.

David Brewster’s chatty openness uplifted Teri’s spirits. Her body and mind felt mesmerized by the sweet nectar of his vibrant, sexy voice. The travel agent from Sunny Days Travel Inc. could have sold Teri a bareback trip to Alaska, yet his succulent personality had her going to exotic Cancun. She hoped when she met him, that her mind’s imaginary picture of him matched the sweetly sensual sensations she’d experienced when hearing his voice.

Ah, if only such a man could really exist, she thought, and heal the aches that reality brings. Keyed-up, and more excited than a schoolgirl going to her first dance, the complex redhead found she was more eager to meet David than going on the long-awaited journey.

“You’re worth it,” David promised. Teri winced, remembering how she told this perfect stranger she was an old-fashioned Ohio farm girl, and this was her first vacation. David thought it sweet. Teri giggled, embarrassed by her naiveté. “That just means you’re about to change your life around.” The kind gentleman schmoozed.

He had that right, Teri thought, steadying herself at the kitchen counter. I am aching for a change, glad for their faceless conversation.

“Well, let’s do it then!” Teri squealed audaciously, words piercing her ears worse than the sound of her palpitating heart. Lord knows I need a life change before the change of life takes the wind right out of my sails--why not a cruise? She would have said it if she wasn’t afraid to give away her age.

“It will be more fun than you’ve had in your entire life,” David said, a bit presumptuously. Teri doubted that, unless he’s going to be my cabin-mate she mused. “Wait until you see the moon in the midnight sky. You can almost touch the stars,” he taunted. Teri’s body trembled as visions of romantic interludes danced in her head. She could almost smell the salty breezes wafting across the swelling ocean froth, and see the two of them glued together under a sequined heaven, blissful as feral cats.

He has to be a fantastic kisser she thought. It goes with the voice. In a perfect world, he’d hold her hungrily, and she’d devour each of his kisses with the zest of a starving prisoner handed a raw steak. The rest of the night would be spent dancing in the emerald mist, long walks along the ship’s rails, and unabashedly petting under a crowded blanket on a convenient chaise lounge. Much, much later at dawn, spent, they would finally let go of each other, and then fall into bed, dog-tired.

Oh, he didn’t say it exactly that way, but I sure am praying it will happen with somebody someday. She also prayed she hadn’t read more into this brief encounter than there appeared, because the tempting images David's voice sizzled-up, whetted her appetite with more sweeping desire than she had now. Could I be misreading his sales pitch for a cheap thrill? No way. I am definitely getting some positive first-class vibes from this self-confident guy. Maybe there’s a chance here.

“I hope you’re right,” Teri answered David with reserve, wishing she could see Mr. Sexy Voice right that very minute instead of in a couple weeks when she would make the final payment on the cruise. He’ll probably forget all about me by then, and I will most likely be over my pubescent infatuation by then too

Life could be complicated for Teri, because of her own making; but she relished her prevailing world of fantasies, and dabbled in them as if she were immortal. Dom, her previous fiancé, called her frigid and impractical, but in her often-stuck-in-the-clouds head, she smoldered like charcoal in a pit, and was oh so ready for rich, fattening desserts.

Dom is cold, mean-spirited too, she stewed defiantly. I have no warm feelings left for him. He’s poison, and his practicality is smothering me, giving me a feeling of being sentenced to crackers and water for the rest of my life.

For a moment, later that evening Teri had the urge to call her friend Gina. It wasn’t at all like her to do anything as off the charts as book a cruise without consulting her work friend. On autopilot, Teri picked up the phone to call, but set it back down again. “Nope,” she reconsidered, “I’ll tell her tomorrow.” Floating on air, Teri wasn’t ready yet to tell Gina about David. The outrageous woman would go bananas.

What else is there to say? Teri concluded. Teri’s fervent wish was that the luscious gameness she felt within this strange hot-to-trot body she was trying out now would not fade by first light, leaving her feeling lame as an old horse. Teri wanted to savor the mood like a delicious crème de menthe. Eventually I will tell her, Teri sighed, but in good time, not now in the midst of the afterglow. Teri wouldn’t let Gina steal her erotic mood too soon; she was feeling too fine.

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Cruise For Desire
By
Linda White-Francis

Chapter One

Her head still in a marshmallow whirl, Teri got home half expecting to find herself waking up in her bed the next morning instead of galumphing through the door of her apartment at two in the morning. Deceptively the rousing evening’s objets d’art was surely meant to be lived by Cinderella or someone much younger than she because it all went so perfectly. Veracity intact and clued-up, she had no right to believe any of it was true, but it did happen, and it happened to her. David really was real. She’d thought she had been dreaming.

The willowy redhead had never felt so happy, so far, above the ground. Her feet had not made contact with the ground yet; her dreamboat had sailed in and docked in her heart, forever she prayed, and knocked on wood. He’s a lifeline for my battered spirits; thankfully, my muse has taken pity upon me tonight instead of casting me to the wind to drown in my own tears. Half drunk on passion, Teri smiled in the hall mirror before kicking off her spike heels. Running her champagne besotted tongue over her white teeth, she continued to savor David’s crepe Suzette kisses still clinging to her lips.

David seemed everything she had ever wanted. She learned that quickly, in one heavenly night of dining, dancing and talking. Well, kissing, petting and caressing too. She learned that she could be turned on more by this fantastic human being’s loving ways than a month of silly erotic dreams. And that was almost unbelievable. It was weird how rapidly their individual souls ignited and united under the quiet, black skies illuminated only by the obtrusive lighting of the restaurant’s parking lot. Will I wake up tomorrow feeling the same way I feel now, or will this be it? Guess only tomorrow will tell.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” kept racing through her jumbled thoughts. It was the last thing David said before she blew him a kiss and drove off leaving him looking lost in thought. A touching sight and one that gave her heart a lustful flutter. What if he doesn’t though? I’ll get over it. That’s what! It has happened before. I lived. She answered her own question defiantly, but something made her believe David told her the truth.

Sincerity was evident in his large onyx eyes and on his tender, full lips as he took her in his muscular clenches, kissing her deeply goodnight against the cold metal door of her van, and again after he lifted her gently inside. In fact, calling her again was written all over his lofty, lean, build. “Maybe he will,” she yawned “At least I have tonight for the rest of my life,” she sighed a bit too dramatically considering how long she had known the young man, all of one date, not counting the couple days she’d babysat him when she was sixteen years old.

Suddenly exhausted she stripped to her undies and climbed into bed drifting off immediately, contented for now with such a romantic interlude with this man eight years her junior. A gift from the gods, her friend Gina called it.

Teri fumbled for the ringing phone at her bedside “Uh hello,” she croaked, bleary-eyed.

“Hi Teri, did I wake you, sleepy-head? You sound a little groggy yet. Want me to call you back?”

 “Oh. Hi David, what time is it?” She grabbed her watch off the nightstand. 7 AM, um that’s promising. And I was afraid he might change his mind about calling. “No Hun, it’s okay, I was just getting up anyway. She fibbed because Sunday mornings were usually reserved for sleeping in until at least ten o’clock.

“It’s early I know, but I just couldn’t wait any longer to call. I’ve got to tell you last night was incredible. I am still reliving it. I want you to know I am dying to see you again, as soon as possible.” David ran on excitedly.

Now I am dreaming. I need a cup of coffee quick. This guy isn’t kidding. I love it!

“I can’t wait either,” Teri said sweetly shaking herself awake, dispersing the imaginary cobwebs from her head to her toes. Tiptoeing quietly to the kitchen so as not to let David know he had jolted her from a dead sleep, she made a cup of instant coffee although she hated the taste. But under the circumstances, it wasn’t as noisy as brewing a full pot. The instant would give her a leg-up, enough time to make some sense of this unbelievable situation.

“Do you think I could pick you up around noon for a picnic in the park? I will bring everything,” David asked. “It will be deli, of course, and all in little white boxes. I don’t cook, but I guarantee it will be tasty. I know this great little neighborhood place around the corner.” He got quickly to the point as usual. “C’mon, it’s going to be a beautiful sunny day. What do you think? I want to see you before I have to shove off. I have a couple of business trips back to back”

“That would be wonderful. I haven’t been on a picnic in years,” recalling her last picnic with Dom, her former fiancé, several years back. It started to rain the minute they put out the fried chicken and potato salad she’d prepared from scratch.

The fiasco turned the uptight supposedly intelligent professor into a raging idiot, and he blamed her for insisting they go on a picnic in the first place especially when the forecast called for showers.

“How long you going to be at sea?” She had to know, holding her breath for his answer.

“Around two weeks give or take, but I promise I will back in time for our cruise to Cancun in August. I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”

“Good, I wouldn’t want to go without you. Remember you talked me into it, Mr. Sexy Voice!”

“I remember,” he snickered. “I will be there. Don’t forget you are my dream come true. I am going to show you the best time of your life.”

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Not Tonight
By
Jennifer Bokal
 

Numb. I was completely numb.

My blank mind operated independently of my body, which seemed to hover over my every movement. But we human beings are resilient, and somehow my physical and mental faculties continued to work together with out my express consent.

On autopilot, I pushed open the heavy glass doors of the doctor’s office with my rump and stepped outside into the mild spring afternoon. The sweet and light scent of cherry blossoms floated through the breeze and the twitter of birds filled the air. Staggering toward my car, Mother Nature’s unfurled glory barely registered in my brain.

Mewing from her infant carrier perched in the crook of my arm, Madison waved her tiny fists in the air. I slid my free hand into her palm and gently rubbed her new, fresh skin. Looking at her angelic face, a tear slowly rolled down my cheek.

Straightening my shoulders, I searched deep down in my soul for a well of unknown strength. I had to be strong, if not for myself, then for my six-week-old daughter. I knew I had more to live for and vowed not to let the horrible prognosis destroy me. Really, what I needed was to get a grip and face this situation with a little clarity.

Taking in a deep breath, my rattled nerves began to calm. Honestly, in twenty-seven years I had never been given worse news. Nothing had prepared me for the bomb that Dr. Sullivan just dropped in my life.

Blinded by grief, I buckled Madison into the car and slid behind the wheel. Trying to focus on what to do next, my mind wandered back to my visit with Dr. Sullivan. His words came to mind so clearly that it seemed like my appointment had ended only moments ago, which I guess it really did.

Digging his heels into the floor, Dr. Sullivan, exam stool and all, slid expertly across the tiled floor. Giving my foot a pat, he said, “Taylor, you have healed nicely after giving birth to Madison.”

I sat up, pulling my feet out of the stirrups and let them dangle in front of me while I smoothed out the paper gown.

 “Thanks,” I said. Actually, I wasn’t truly thankful about my recent examination. Does anybody enjoy the “salad tong” treatment down there? If you know of someone who does, keep this information to yourself. Not for their benefit, but the world would not seem right after finding out about someone with that proclivity, you know.

But, Dr. Sullivan’s pause seemed to warrant a response and “thanks” seemed much more polite than “Touch me down there with your utensils again, and I am going to kick you in the face.”

Satisfied with my answer Dr. Sullivan started talking again. “Feel free to resume all your normal activities. You can exercise, walk, ride a bike or even lift heavy objects. In fact, Taylor, you and Rick can engage in marital relations any time you want.”

At first, everything Dr. Sullivan said sounded perfectly normal. For the briefest of instants my body relaxed, content with my clean bill of health. A little spark of suspicion entered my mind as I chewed on my bottom lip, trying to figure out what he meant by “marital relations.”

Then it dawned on me. Marital relations was fancy, medical school speak for, for…Marital Relations! 

How could the doctor think I was completely healed? A week ago, my tush was so sore that I needed a pillow to sit down. And that was on the sofa, no less.

     Now the ability to resume all my normal activities may have been good news if I were inclined to ride a bicycle to my construction job where I carried bags of roofing shingles up and down ladders all day. But since none of this applied to me except the ‘marital relations’ part, I needed to do something and fast!

Dr. Sullivan said something chipper about seeing me in a year and opened the door of the examination room ready to make a hasty escape.

“Wait,” I cried. “What do you mean by ‘ready for marital relations’? I am not ready, Dr. Sullivan. What I am is sore.”

Dr. Sullivan looked at the doorknob still in his hand and gave a long sigh. Quietly, he closed the door and sat on his spinning exam stool. He swiveled around for a moment, seemingly entranced with his easy movement and the small squeaking sound his chair made with its’ rotations.

Clearing his throat, Dr. Sullivan smoothed down his mustache before speaking, “Taylor, a lot of new moms face anxiety when they resume physical intimacy. It’s natural. There may be some discomfort at first, but that will quickly go away.”

“Some discomfort?” I repeated, not believing what I had heard. “There is discomfort when you get a splinter or stub your toe.” I noticed my voice had risen an octave or two. Okay twelve, but I doubt any glass was in danger of shattering.

 “Taylor,” Dr. Sullivan said, raising his hands. “You know, your swelling is minimal, and the stitches did their job. Everything is basically back to normal. Like I said earlier, you will notice some discomfort at first, but that will pass.” 

“Discomfort I can handle, Dr. Sullivan. Unbearable pain I cannot.” My knuckles, white, gripped the side of the examination table, and my breath came in shallow, rattled gulps. Filling my lungs, I tried to stop my pounding heart. It was then that I realized whom I was really dealing with. Yes, a medical professional. A highly skilled physician. Yet, he was a man. You know the gender that does not give birth.

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Entrapped
By
Mae Powers 

     “How are we doing today, Dr. Anderson? I see you’re alone.”

Kyleen Anderson smiled as she entered her lab, but didn’t shut the lab door behind her completely. The lab’s central cooling system had been on ‘the fritz’. With the temperature being near freezing in the hallway, she thought the coolness would seep into the warmer lab. Hopefully S.I.D.’s testing wouldn’t go wrong today due to faulty air-conditioning. Looking over at the complex machinery taking up most of the space, she chuckled. “We are doing fine, S.I.D. Do not worry, Groove-Dog and Britches didn’t follow me to work. How are your circuits today? Are you up to scan-reading?”

The three-leveled machine’s upper lights blinked on then off. “Conceivably so, Dr. Anderson. I think…I think I need some minor adjustments on the imaging input though. And a tad bit of redirection on the situation transit.”

She put on a white lab-jacket, and stood on the machine’s first three steps. “I’ll run a few diags then before we begin.” She took a few more steps up to get on the control platform. Her hands worked rapidly over the control console of the Situation Imaging Device, better known around the Hollywood-Houston Research Foundation as S.I.D.

Multi-colored sensors flickered all over the diag panels as she performed her routine checks. “Sorry, S.I.D., but nothing apparent yet. I’ll try some internals.”

The machine’s main panel blinked on then off again, and so did its facial screen. “Really, Doctor Anderson, I don’t think there’s any need for you to get so…intimate.”

Kyleen shook her head, grinning. S.I.D. seemed just too human in nature at times. Perhaps she never should have programmed him with human-like equations, er function, thoughts. “Come now, S.I.D., I’ve been with you even before your infancy. I probably know what makes you tick better than you do. But if you’re going to object to my tinkering around, I can always get Dr. Henry to look you over.”

The lights flickered excitedly. “No! No, that’s okay, Kyleen. I’d much rather have you than that bumbling excuse for a scientist any day.”

She laughed, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her lab coat. “Just don’t call him that when he’s around, S.I.D. He is head of the Foundation and can cut off my funds and your circuits quite easily.”

This time, S.I.D.’s panel shone bright red, as if in dire indignation. “That mealy old fart is just jealous because the Board of Directors put you in charge of me and not him.”

Kyleen shook her head again. “Just quit worrying about him, my friend.” Kyleen pulled a book out of her jacket pocket. It was a thick paperback picturing a man and woman held in an intimate embrace, surrounded by a circle of stars. “Let’s wait a few minutes about doing the internals. Are you up to looking at my sister’s latest romance book?”

His lights flickered rapidly. “Thank you, oh yes! I do get stimulation from reading Maeve’s novels. How is she?”

“She’s doing quite well, S.I.D., and sends you her regards. She’s going to write about you as soon as news can be released.”

The machine seemed to purr. “I’m quite flattered, Doctor. Do send her my afflictions.”

Kyleen paused in her insertion of the book into his input holder to look at his face screen. “Don’t you mean your affections, S.I.D.?”

It blinked as if in confusion. “Oh, yes. Silly me. Do send her my warmest regards. What’s this book about?”

“I’m not sure,” she said as she finished inserting the book into him. “Haven’t had time to read this one yet. But I’ll bet we’ll both be sent into dimensions of entertainment over it.”

“A strange choice of words, Kyleen.”

She chuckled. “I often get those when I think about Maeve’s books. No one writes futuristic adventure-romance like my sister, even if I am biased. Now while you’re converting the book into visual mode, I’m going to check your remote control. It needed some adjustments last time I was here.” She picked up a small, square object from a shelf on the machine, becoming quiet as S.I.D. whirred into his conversion mode.

“Oh dear!” S.I.D. suddenly said, his lights blinking wildly.

Kyleen looked up at his face-screen in concern. “What’s wrong, S.I.D.? Are there knots in your circuits again? Is the book not visually described enough for you? What…?” Small images appearing on his face-screen gave her even more concern. She peered closer at S.I.D.’s visualization screen as the images started getting larger. His security cameras were zooming outside the lab. “Oh dear, that’s Britches and Groove-dog? Damn, Doctor Henry is going to have my toosh for this. How the hell did they get here? Maeve was suppose to take them to the vet.”

She looked closer and saw a woman and some security guards running behind her. The woman was her sister. Just then, the door of the lab flew open, and two furry animals bounced in. Britches, a fairly large cat of several colors, closely followed by a fully grown Saint Bernard. The cat continued hiss-screaming while Groove-Dog barked, chasing her. Britches scurried rapidly up S.I.D.’s steps jumping suddenly in Kyleen’s arms. It startled Kyleen a little, but did not catch her too off guard.

“I’m sorry, Kyleen. They jumped out the open window when I drove up to the guard booth.” Her sister hollered loudly as Maeve and the guards came into the room. “No don’t, Groove-Dog!”

“Groove-Dog, don’t!” Kyleen screamed at her dog as he too launched himself into the air, jumping toward her.

S.I.D.’s voice began ordering the dog away, “You canine culverts. Desist immeee….”

Too late to stop the consequences, Groove-Dog’s big paws stretched outwards, and his body flew into Kyleen’s and the cat’s. All three fell into S.I.D.’s control panel. The huge machine whirred alarmingly! Sparks flew everywhere, and S.I.D. lit up like a fireworks display. Seconds later, an explosive light display filled the room, and Kyleen alarmingly found herself and her pets’ starting to diminish. The last thing she saw was the guards holding her sister back before everything disappeared around her and her pets...

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