Reese watched Jess’s tight naked ass strolling out of the bathroom and realized she couldn’t look away. Wow. He is completely naked, and it doesn’t even phase him. Maybe she did overreact a tad. She was honestly afraid she’d given the poor elderly man a heart attack. He honestly startled her, and it didn’t have anything to do with him being naked. More of her being naked and a strange man in the shower. What a mess. She was starting to get a headache and rubbed her forehead. Hopefully, Jess would find them some clothes, and they could get out of there, go to the police station and get some freaking sleep. Where the hell was she going to sleep? A couch at the police station? Looking around, she wondered if Sun Meadows had any rooms available. The nakedness was optional. Right?
Good lord, how did I even get here? The events of the night are my punishment for what? Flirting with an attractive, intelligent, funny, guy wasn’t a karma crime, was it? Any romantic notion whatsoever seemed a distant possibility until tonight and while the circumstances are less than ideal, she had as her Mom would say the warm fuzzies.
It would be at most a one-night stand, maybe two nights depending on how long to took to get a new car.
Oh my god, my car! What the hell am I going to do? I need to call my insurance company—crap where is my phone? Shit, my stuff is in my purse or my car under five feet of water. What if I can’t get a replacement car and I miss work? What day is it? Is my rent due this week? I don’t have insurance on my cellphone, and I am going to have to replace it. I don’t have the money for that! If I don’t have a cell phone, Ethan can’t reach me, and I’ll lose my job. What if Ethan tries to call and needs me for something before, I get a replacement phone?
“Reese, what’s going on?” She heard Jess ask in the middle of her swirling panic. “Talk to me.”
Reese blinked, focusing on the crease in Jess’s forehead realizing just how handsome he was. Chiseled cheekbones, a strong jawline with a hint of scruff, a distinctive narrow nose, and beautiful brown eyes. She swears she saw specks of gold mixed in the multiple hues of brown. Tousled short brown hair that fell over his forehead when he wasn’t brushing it back. “Reese.” He said her name again, she felt his hand covering her cheek, and she leaned into it closing her eyes. “I found us some clothes. Here are a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Do you want to change in the bathroom?”
Reese didn’t have the energy to respond. She took the clothes and moved on autopilot into the bathroom. Mind numb, she tugged on the clothing and didn’t even bother to look in the mirror. Walking out to the central area, Jess waited. His neon pink t-shirt said relax in big black letters, and his pants were shiny blue spandex. The outfit was made complete with a pair of brown work boots. Reese burst into laughter. “Yeah, I know, but it’s all they had in my size.” She continued her hysterical amusement, tears forming in her eyes. “Seriously, Reese?”
* * * *
Come Find Me!
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All Dillon wants to do is flirt with his crush. Too bad his family keeps getting in the way.
It’s Saturday night and nineteen-year-old beekeeper Dillon should be at home enjoying game night with his big family, but he can’t resist another trip to the strip club. It’s the only night he gets to see Cal, who stars in all Dillon’s fantasies and has no idea he’s been using a fake ID to get in to see him.
But making fantasy a reality? That’s difficult, especially when Dillon’s family can’t see him as an adult, let alone someone capable of dating a man twice his age. And that’s only the beginning of the complications that seem determined to keep Dillon and Cal apart.
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Excerpt ~
Dillon
There were probably a million things I should have been doing instead of going back to Gents to watch the guys dance. It was a Saturday night. In my family that meant game night. We’d get together at my cousin Gavin’s house and sit around and play Risk or Clue or Ticket to Ride or something. They were probably wondering where I was now, though no one had started texting me yet. My two older brothers would be there, along with my three cousins and Gavin’s ex-wife, Cindy, and his kid, Kyle.
But I’d be missing game night this Saturday, just as I’d missed it last Saturday too. I couldn’t play it off like I’d forgotten what day it was or anything like that either. We all had the reminders on our phones. I should have been there with my family.
Instead I was at Gents, because Saturday nights were the only night, as far as I could tell anyway, that Callum worked. He was probably at least thirty and his reddish blond hair was curly and hopefully naturally that color. I’d seen him almost completely naked over my last few months of coming here so I was pretty sure he didn’t do a thing to change the color of his hair. I was really glad about that.
In my fantasies, of which I’d had plenty featuring him already, he spoke with a deep Irish accent. He also wore a kilt though, and a sash, and sometimes even a dagger. He never took any of it off. I hadn’t gotten that far in my daydreams of him yet, but I’d been undressed by him plenty.
Callum came on the stage, accompanied by some song I didn’t know. It had a fast beat with a high-pitched female voice screaming out. I tuned the song out as much as possible. I wasn’t next to the stage, two tables away from it actually. I didn’t want to be caught staring, even though I was. I looked at my hands on top of the table often. Pretty much every time Callum looked at me, I glanced down at my hands. I couldn’t handle his smile that seemed like it was only meant for me. I couldn’t look at him and find him looking back at me. I was trying to be invisible, while still being there. I didn’t want to be off in a corner somewhere where I couldn’t see him at all. I’d paid the cover and I’d already ordered my two beers for the two-drink minimum. I’d probably only have one of them. That’s what I did most of the time at least.
My phone vibrated and as much as I didn’t want to see it, I pulled it out anyway. I wasn’t surprised to see a text from my cousin’s ex-wife. Cindy was Kyle’s mom and she and Gavin got along most of the time. Better than I did with any of my exes anyway, but then again, I didn’t have kids with my exes and Gavin was over a decade older than me.
You’re not here. Are you sick?
I sighed. If I said I was sick, someone would have driven by my house to check on me. If I said I was busy, someone would have offered to help so that I could get done faster and get to game night. I didn’t know what to say but I knew I had to lie.
Had something else to do tonight.
Liar.
I pursed my lips and put my phone away. I wasn’t lying. I did have something else to do. Staring at Callum’s ass was at the top of that list. He had on a green thong and black chaps. I didn’t know if they were real leather or fake from here but I wanted to know. He’d worn them last week, too, and I’d wanted to know then as well.
Trying not to stare at him was getting me nowhere. I simply wanted him too much. A man I didn’t know anything about, or even if Callum was his real name. I couldn’t stop tipping him either. It was a good thing that my honey harvest had been so good last fall because I wasn’t used to blowing through money like I was.
I was going to do even more tonight. I’d turned him down for a private dance before, but tonight I was ready. I’d paid off my bills for the month and I knew how much I could afford. I wasn’t cheap, but I wasn’t rich either and I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t know what he was worth. I wanted him. Badly.
When his set ended and he came around this time, he stopped at my table just as before.
“Having fun?” he asked me.
I nodded. His accent was there, though only slight, and it could have been completely my imagination. “Can I have a dance tonight?” My voice wasn’t nearly as strong as his was, but I was just glad that I’d managed to get the words out at all really. I was nervous, and maybe even a little worried that he’d reject me, but I was mostly excited, especially when he smiled at me and offered me his hand.
“I was going to ask you if you wanted one,” he said when I slipped my fingers over his palm.
His skin was softer than mine. I used long gloves whenever I worked with the hives, but I still had callouses. I loved the work though. Even down to the sanding of the hives when I finished building them. I didn’t use an electric sander. I liked the feel of the paper under my fingers.
~
Come Find Me!
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In Small Town Oklahoma the Zombie Apocalypse hits in the middle of English class...
Mrs. Warden’s lecture about the proper punctuation for a compound sentence faded away like a movie transition. My mind instead focused on the image of Aria’s smile. My niece Aria was born three months ago and ever since I found myself in a constant state of distracted. Her laugh, her smile, the way her eyes gleamed in unknown amusement when she looked at me would randomly pop into my mind at the most inconvenient times. I never thought being an Uncle would be such a huge deal.
“Zack,” I jumped at the sound of my name. The images slipping away. “Zack Romine are you with us?”
“Yeah,” I said, straightening my back in the hard chair. “Yeah, I’m here. For compound sentences, you use a comma before coordinating conjunction connecting two independent clauses.”
“Did you memorize that from Google?”
“Yep.”
“That’s great,” she smiled, and I felt vindicated. “So now let’s move on to the current topic of dangling participles. What does Google have to say about them?”
Crap. Vindication gone, swept away like a dried leaf in the wind.
“Dangling participles are adjectives that—” the feedback from the school loudspeaker shook the room and we all winced.
“All Students and Faculty, this is Principle Garroutte. A national emergency has been declared as 2:15 PM today.” I looked at the clock on the wall it read 2:27 PM. That was quick. “An epidemic has hit the United States. The CDC has asked all residents to return home immediately. You are to lock your doors and board up your windows. The zombie epidemic is upon us.”
I started laughing at the absurdity of the statement. Wow, nice joke. Principle Garroutte always did have a great sense of humor. I wondered if coach Key was in on it as well. Then like a siren in the middle of a tornado our cell phones started blaring with shocking unity. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. Before I even had a chance to look at the message chaos erupted. Students were rushing to the door, shoving each other to the side in an attempt to get through it first. Mrs. Warden had her oversized purse laid out on the top of her desk tossing the contents of her top drawer into the bag.
The thought of asking for the cannabis baseball cap she confiscated at the beginning of the year ran through my head, chased by the what the hell are you thinking! The Zombie apocalypse is starting. You don’t need to ask, just grab it!
Immediately going back in my thoughts, I need to get home to Aria and Mom. Make sure they are safe. Mom takes care of Aria during the day while my brother and his wife work.
I dumped out my backpack into the garbage debating the usefulness of the contents. Nothing worth saving. I looked around scanned the contents of the now empty room. My eye landed on the meter stick laid across the bottom of the whiteboard. Grabbing it I headed to the doorway. I stepped into the hallway and stood in awe. A typhoon swirl of red and black filled the hall. Tonight, was the pep rally for the launch of football season and the students and faculty were dressed accordingly, wearing red sweatshirts with huge Zebras on the front, ballcaps, girls with their hair tied up neatly in Zebra striped ribbons. Now students and teachers pushed, slammed and clamored toward their freedom or safety depending on their frame of mind. The celebration of the day fizzled away into panic, anger, tears, and hysteria. As I walked, I saw more and more discarded hats, limp ribbons, and torn Zebra memorabilia littering the floors.
My mind went into hyperdrive, like the millennium falcon navigating the universe with the Empire hot on its tail. I headed to the common area, my mind still buzzing. The quickest way out and the quickest way home. Wait. If the Zombie apocalypse had truly begun that meant there were people already infected. Who knew how many and where? I need weapons and armor.
Watching the Walking Dead had taught me a few things and the hundreds of hours watching and re-watching the series was now a useful encyclopedia of knowledge imprinted in my brain. The biggest variable in the equation now was how intelligent and or fast these real Zombies were.
Reaching the common area, I searched for anyone I knew. I see no one. All my friends no doubt had plans to get home and to their families. I would no doubt meet up again with them soon. Making a beeline to the kitchen I see my band buddy Shane rummaging through the utensil drawer.
“You find anything?”
“Serving spoons, tongs, and a few spatulas nothing useful.”
“I’m gonna check the fridge.”
“Dude, you can eat later,” Shane mocked.
“The first thing people are going to do is clean out the stores. Guarantee Walmart, Reasors and the five Dollar Generals are empty by dinner time tonight.”
“You’re point?”
“My point is why go to the grocery store,” I open the walk-in freezer to reveal a plethora of food. Bags of chicken nuggets, stacks of frozen pizza, frozen hamburger patties, bread, buns, corndogs and every other kind of lunch or breakfast item a high school could serve. “When you can feed your family for months on free cafeteria food?”
“Wow.”
“And this is just the freezer. The fridge is stocked as well.”
“What happens when the power goes out. You know it’s going to happen.” Shane cocked his head.
“Let’s deal with reality as we know it right now. Right now, we have power – wait doesn’t the chem lab have dry ice?”
“Nice.”
“First things first. I’m gonna load up my backpack. Wait –” a thought occurs to me and I walk out of the kitchen and into the common area seeing several discarded backpacks laying on the floor. “Hey Shane, how much can you carry?”
Shane stood beside me his eyes scanning the area. “As much as humanly possible.”
***
Come Find Me!
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