Ellies Dream Excerpt

Ellie and Sammy completed their turn around the reservoir in Central Park. At a little over one and half miles, it was the perfect morning walk. Sammy was endlessly fascinated with the other dogs. He had adjusted to their new routine easily. Better than Ellie had. She missed CJ and Patti, even though she talked to both of them every day. She missed Charlie, but wondered if she missed him specifically or if she just missed having someone to sleep with.

Ellie grinned at the doorman as she passed. A week in New York and she was in love with the city more than ever. She pressed seven on the elevator pad. A nice hot shower and then coffee while she read the newspaper.

She let herself into the apartment and almost tripped over a suitcase standing in the hall. Was Marshall back? Sheba came out and plopped in front of her. Ellie picked her up and headed to the kitchen. She heard the refrigerator door open.

“Marshall is that you?”

She turned the corner into the kitchen and saw the most perfect male bottom ever. Firm, round, extremely touchable. It sat atop strong well-muscled legs. Ellie gasped. The naked bottom turned around. Ellie stood like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to look away. A beautiful naked man stood in the light of the fridge. His dark wet hair streamed past his broad muscular shoulders. There was a nice mat of curly hair on his chest, with pink nipples peeking out. It thinned as it traveled down his flat stomach, then got denser and coarser as it… My God. Ellie couldn’t help but stare. This guy could have a career as a porn star. She tried to look away, anywhere but at his enormous…

Wait was it getting bigger as she stared? Good grief, it was.

Finally she managed to look at his face, the guy was staring back at her, his eyes focused on her breasts. She glanced down at herself and saw her nipples poking through the thin cotton of her T-shirt.

Sammy came running into the kitchen at that moment, took notice of the guy and did what all dogs do when they see a stranger, he started to bark. He jumped up on the guy’s legs and took a good long whiff of his crotch. Sammy barked louder as if impressed with the size of the man’s parts. Did dogs have penis envy?

The man dropped the carton he had been holding. Milk spilled all over his front, on the floor and on the dog. Sammy yelped and started to shake himself, slipping and sliding. Ellie put Sheba down and made a mad grab for Sammy, which put her at eye level with the part she had been staring at. It was more impressive up close. The man backed away and tried to cover himself with his hands. He slipped on the floor and landed on his back. Ellie shoved Sammy out of the way. The guy was trying to get up but only succeeded in falling again. Ellie grabbed a dishtowel to start wiping up the milk and instead let it flutter over the man’s crotch. It made a nice little tent.

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Coming Home the Long Way - Excerpt

Daniel drove into the village to pick up some things at the market and to buy Leo more sketchpads. He deposited his purchases in the truck and headed across the square. Time for a drink. He crossed to the nearly empty café and went to the back to find some shade. There was a woman seated at his usual table. He noticed her red hair immediately. She was wearing a bright blue sundress. His eyes drifted down to a pair of spectacular legs. It couldn't be... Then he saw the tiny strawberry birthmark just above her left knee. How many times had he kissed that spot? He moved closer to get a better look.

The woman opened her eyes. "Danny." Kathleen's voice was soft as a caress. She was the only one he ever allowed to call him Danny and only when they were alone.

Daniel gulped. She said one word and he was as hard as a rock. "I thought I recognized..."

Kathleen stood and bumped against the table, sending her drink crashing to the ground. She was finding it difficult to catch her breath. Daniel--it really was Daniel--here, of all places. She stared at him as he and the waiter spoke. He looked different with his hair cut short. The thick blond waves she remembered so vividly were gone. He wore jeans and a dark blue shirt. The short-sleeved shirt showed that his arms were more muscular and well defined than she remembered. His shoulders looked broader, too. As he gestured to the waiter the sleeve of his shirt rode up and she saw a strip of much paler skin. A farmer's tan. His hands were clean but looked rough. As she took a deep breath, she got a whiff of him. He smelled different to her, like Daniel, but with no overlay of turpentine and paint. He smelled more like the outdoors? Her mind took all this in while Daniel got the waiter to clean up the glass and fetch her a mineral water. Daniel turned to her with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't mean to startle you. Maybe you'd better sit down." He gestured toward the chair.

She sat down. "I'm fine really, just kind of stunned." Her heart pounded in her ears.

Daniel nodded and closed his eyes. "May I join you for a minute?"

"Sure."

He sat down as the waiter returned with the mineral water. Kathleen poured the water into a glass and squeezed a slice of lemon. Daniel watched her closely. His hands twisted together in his lap as his eyes traveled up her body, then down again.

"So, do I need to make an appointment for a nip and a tuck when I get home?" Kathleen asked.

"No, no you look wonderful, beautiful. What are you doing here?" He fidgeted in his chair then folded his arms across his chest.

"My family and I are staying outside the village. We rented a house in the Garibaldi vineyard. It's the most beautiful place. We're really enjoying it."

He nodded. "Are they joining you here?"

"No, they're at the house. I had to run an errand at the bookstore. Maggie doesn't want to leave the pool, she really loves to swim." Kathleen took another sip of her drink.

"Maggie's your daughter?" Daniel said.

Kathleen lowered her eyes and said. "Her name is Rose Margaret, after her grammas. We call her Maggie. She's almost four."

"What, only one little Peterson running around?" Daniel said. "I figured you would have at least two or three by now."

"No, just Maggie. Would you like to see a picture of her?"

"Sure. I think I have a picture of Leo here, too." Daniel pulled out his wallet and found the picture. Kathleen dug in her purse and held out a photograph. Daniel gave her his picture of Leo. They studied the photographs in silence.

Daniel held a picture of a laughing little girl with light red hair and Kathleen's brown eyes. Her expression was full of mischief and fun. She was holding a cookie and there were crumbs and chocolate all over her face. He noticed another photo on the ground at his feet. It must have fallen out of her purse. He bent down to pick it up. It was a picture of Kathleen with an infant in her arms. John stood behind her with his arms wrapped around both of them. Kathleen's head was tilted back resting on her husband's shoulder. The smile on Kathleen's face was achingly familiar to Daniel. She had looked at him that way once.

"I saw Leo today," Kathleen said.

"Where?"

"At the bookstore. His picture doesn't do him justice. It's funny, I thought I saw a resemblance to you. He seems very sweet and sensitive. His eyes are just like yours."

"Thanks, he can be a real handful sometimes." Daniel put the picture back in his wallet.

"Is he artistic?"

"Yeah, I think so, he's always drawing or coloring and his stuff doesn't look like a five-year-old did it," Daniel replied. He realized that he still held Kathleen's photographs. He passed them back to her. "She is beautiful, Kathleen. Like her mother."

"Thanks. She can be a handful herself."

"When was the other picture taken?"

Kathleen looked down and noticed the second photograph. "Oh, they must have been stuck together. Maggie was about three months old." She put the pictures in her purse.

The waiter returned with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He uncorked the bottle and checked out Kathleen. Daniel shot him a withering look. "I'll manage, Dante, take care of your other customers,"

The café was filling with tourists. Dante took another good look at Kathleen as he ambled off. Daniel filled their glasses. Kathleen lifted her glass.

"Let's drink to the kids."

Daniel lifted his glass and clinked it with Kathleen's. "To the kids, may they not repeat all their parent's mistakes."

"Just the really good ones," Kathleen amended, a big grin on her face.

Daniel returned the grin. He took her hand and asked, "We were a good mistake, weren't we, Kathleen?"

Kathleen squeezed his hand for a moment and then withdrew hers. "I don't think of you as a mistake."

"You love John?"

"I married him," she replied, eyes downcast.

"So you're happy with him. Of course you are. Why wouldn't you be? A successful doctor, a good provider, can give you a trip like this. So have you taken up golf yet? Don't most doctors wives play golf?" His tone was bitter.

"I'm not going to explain or justify my marriage to you. It would have been a lot different if you hadn't..." Kathleen stopped in mid sentence.

"I don't think so. I don't think it would have been any different. Only took you a week or so to get over me." Daniel swallowed his wine in a gulp and poured more. His hands were shaking.

Kathleen slammed her glass on the table. "I was a basket case when you left. I didn't know I could cry that much. I didn't eat, or sleep. John was there for me."

"And I wasn't." Daniel's face crumpled.

She looked at him, eyes glinting with anger. "That's right, not a letter, not a phone call. Even if you didn't want to be my lover you could have been a friend. John was my friend and...well...I took advantage of his friendship and slept with him. I was so lonely for you and I needed...needed to be touched, to be held. I felt dead inside."

"Stop, Kathleen." Daniel stood up and threw some money on the table.

"Same old Danny, run away."

Daniel's face was a mask of pain, but he sat down. "It was better that I left. Sooner or later you would have left me, left Leo, moved on. And you did, right into the arms of Mr. All American, with a nice bank account."

Kathleen looked at him in utter amazement. "God, you haven't learned anything at all. I married him because I was pregnant. He stood by me, loved me. He didn't run away when things got rough."

She stood up and started to walk away. Daniel grabbed her arm to stop her. She looked at his hand on her arm until he removed it. "Now who's running?"

"Danny, I've spent the last four years missing you. How can you possibly imagine that I would have ever left you? That I ever got over you? I loved Leo like he was my own. I wanted us to be a family. You were never a failure in my eyes. Never. Until you ran away." She swiped her eyes and stared at him. "You have absolutely no idea how much I loved you."

Daniel grabbed her arm again. Her face was tear streaked and she needed to blow her nose. He held her upper arms tightly and pulled her to him. "I never got to kiss the bride," he said sadly. He touched her lips with his, gently. He felt her try to push him away for a second. Then she whimpered softly and kissed him back. He was in freefall, the kiss intensifying. Kissing her was better than he remembered. Her lips were soft and yielding under his. He was a goner. Then the world came back and he realized where they were. This was not his Kathleen; this was someone's wife. He broke the kiss and let her go. She stood there gasping for a moment and then slapped him hard. With that she picked up her bag and stalked off.

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