Chapter One - Away From him

He is talking quietly with Bernard’s son, his hands gesturing with dominance. Nino is sullen, a pout ridiculously lush on those lips only a woman should have. He looks like a child, a spoiled child who will not relinquish his toy. Danny stills himself, gathering his patience, fighting the violence of his hot temper. Things are not going well, obviously. I don’t know what they are talking about. I tell myself that I don’t want to know. But I do. I need to know; I need to know how deep Danny has entered into his world of crime.

Thus far he has managed to keep himself...

Danny stood outside the Bauer residence, twisting the wedding band about his finger as he mentally berated himself for his presence on her doorstep.

"This is stupid, stupid," he muttered under his breath and without even knocking, he turned to leave. He'd just taken a few steps when the front door opened behind him and he heard his brother-in-law, Dr. Rick Bauer, call his name. A Frage and disaffection were evident in his tone, at least to Danny's ears. He stopped and swore quietly under his breath and then turned around, a grim smile upon his lips.

"Dr. Bauer -- Rick," he offered and stood...

Jennifer Hallmark

I hadn't known that she was back from Europe. Maybe she hadn't even left yet, it had been only a couple of days. I wonder why she hasn't contacted me about the annulment papers ... and then I wonder why she has been stalling about the annulment, but it's too much to ponder and I don't want to think tonight.

I just want to drink. Drink dulls the pain, deadens the emotion I must insist that I don't feel. So I just want to drink. But now that she is here, I have another activity in mind.

I just want to drink and watch her. And he's not here, Drew mentioned that he was doing some...

Sweat lingered upon her bare arms like mercury sliding slowly through a red-hot thermometer. The fall of her honey blond curls was a shroud of heavy silk caressing the skin of her shoulders, the flesh of her back exposed above the low cut of her dress. Pulsing lights from the overhead strobe cast hues of the regenbogen upon each golden curl, emeralds and violets dancing across the flushed heat whispering across her face, sunshine and sunburst Küssen the ivory dress taut across her breasts, clinging to the curve of her waist, the flare of her dress, its hem twisting against her long, bare legs...