"Merry fuckin' Christmas," I said to myself as I walked across the parking lot and entered the barThe Cork and Bottle was a neighborhood joint that had a reputation for attracting a rough crowd. I wasn't worried as I could give better than I got if it came to that. It was Christmas Eve, and a lot of the places I frequent were closed, this was the only place I saw that was opened.I took a seat at the far end of the bar and...

At the time of my first marriage, my youngest stepdaughter was a very pretty slender thing. She was not aggressive or a loud mouth or a fighter by any means, but it seems she became the favorite target of a large blond female bully.These attacks were mostly due to her Hispanic blood; her biological father was Hispanic. No, she did not look it, she looked more Italian or Greek. Just the knowledge was enough to start the ha...

Traveling across the US with a group of talented actors was one of the best jobs I ever had. In between shows we lingered backstage swapping stories from our younger days. One of the funniest stories related to us came from one of the girls; it concerned her entering puberty.She had just finished her shower and was in the process of toweling off when she noticed hair sprouting on nether regions, in a state of panic she so...

A cute little tale with a hint of naughtiness...Despite my divorce from my first wife, I stayed in contact with her and her two daughters. They knew if there was a problem that needed my particular brand of problem solving that I was just a phone call away. When she discovered that the man that she was considering marrying was a closet alcoholic she canceled the plans and told him to leave, but he had all kind of excuses...

It had been one year ago that Vince entered the broadcast booth for his first show. A mixture of fear and excitement coursed through him as he placed the headphones on and slid his chair closer to the microphone to began his shift. It wasn't drive time, but it wasn't bad. For someone no experience or education it wasn't bad at all.It was fate that brought him to this point. A year and a month earlier he stopped by the lou...

As Jane was led to the back room she felt foolish for her outburst earlier. If Victor had intended to kill her he'd have done so already. They stopped in front of the tapestry where Victor slid the heavy hanging cloth to one side and opened the door, together they entered the room.  He paused at the back wall and showed her the carefully disguised finger holds. He then placed his fingers in the holds and pressed. Jane hea...

When Jane opened her eyes again, she was back on the couch in Victor's cabin. The couch had been moved closer to the fireplace so that she was bathed in the heat from the burning logs and she was wrapped in a soft blanket.   Her head hurt, and when she raised her hand to feel the wound the blanket fell from her shoulders, and she discovered that she was naked. Fear and panic clutched at her soul as she pulled the blanket...

Jane could not remember the last time she had enjoyed herself as much as she did during that day.The splint that she had fashioned before Victor found her was discarded. Using materials in his cabin, he fashioned a makeshift cast for her leg, and Jane was able to walk without pain.   At night they talked for hours about every subject under the sun, Victor was well versed on a variety of subjects. He shared stories about t...

Jane awoke with a start and a short scream and looked wildly around the room, it took a few seconds for her to remember where she was. She relaxed when she realized that she was back on the couch in Victor's cabin. Jane then began to question herself. Did she actually get up? Did she actually discover that there was a hidden back room? Did she really see what she thought saw? The last thing she clearly remembered was scre...

Just as Margo stood to leave another crack of thunder shook the house and a bolt of lightening illuminated the street giving it the appearance of high Noon for a second. She sat back down and stared at her tea cup. "Please don't make me leave," she said softly. "I would not send my worst enemy or even you out in this weather. The decision to leave or stay is strictly yours," he responded. Margo stared at the fire with a s...

Ian headed out the door of the restaurant and returned to his apartment. Once there he dug out the bottle of Wild Turkey he had received as a Christmas gift and broke the seal. He upended the bottle took a healthy slug into his mouth and soul; he hoped that the smoky burn of the amber colored liquor would burn her memory away.The weekends were the hardest on him as he and Margo had spent a lot of time together on the week...

Loni wandered around her modest apartment taking inventory. The living room furniture while old was in excellent condition as was her bedroom set. The kitchen table and chairs were from a second-hand store but also in great shape for their age. All had been purchased when money was very tight.She took a seat and poured herself a glass of wine and began to inventory what the moving company would have to haul to Florida; th...

A typical Spring storm with the usual high winds, heavy rain, thunder and lightning were ravaging the city. A traveler's advisory was in effect and folks were encouraged to stay home and that suited Ian Vance just fine. There was no place he needed to be. Earlier that week he had dropped off the tank, fenders and side panels of his Harley Electra Gide to the painter. The painter was a longtime friend that owed him big tim...

"Tell me what happened," he repeated raising his voice. "Call me when you're sober and I will consider it," she answered angrily as she reached for the doorknob. Dan grabbed her by one shoulder to stop her and she rounded on him and smacked him across the face. He responded by smacking her across her face in the same manner. They stood there just looking at each other for the longest time. She dropped her backpack and pur...

During the following week, Loni did not spend her nights or even see Dan. She had a few papers due that needed her attention, but she did call every evening, and they chatted for hours. On the weekends, she arrived on Friday and stayed until Sunday.It was during the time when he was alone and continued his packing that Dan began to have second thoughts.He was heading to Fort Lauderdale with its warm weather, beautiful bea...