Grand garden buzzes. Lights flicker. Flowers choke the air. Tables groan under feasts. Wine flows red. I’m Amélie de la Baysière de la Founette. Widow at 25. Mask on: elegant lady. Inside? Starving beast. Émeline’s wedding. My friend glows in…
Three days in this new subdivision. August heat clings like sweat. Terrace glows under twilight. Champagne fizzes. I’m in panties only. Didier too. Skin bared. Free. I light cigarettes. Hand him one. His fingers trace my thigh. Neighbors’ light flips…
Monday afternoon. Empty roads stretch through the countryside. I’m Anne, driving school boss. Curvy, auburn hair, green eyes. Usually smiling. Today? Fuming. Husband cheated. Vengeance burns hot. First student of the day pulls up. Young guy, nervous behind the wheel.…
3 PM. Hotel lot. Highway nightmare done. Left-lane hogs at 110 km Roadworks. Panic brakes for radars. Wiped out. Country road chills me. October sun kisses face. Forest explodes in reds, golds, browns. Dry leaves carpet paths. No rain this…
City pulses around us. Bustling streets. Spring sun beats down. I step out, no panties under my black skirt. Heart races. Adrenaline surges. My husband’s idea. But now? It’s mine. Control mine. We hit the shoe store. Vitrine gleams with…
The knock echoes through the castle. Vigorous. Hungry. My heart pounds. I open the heavy oak door. There he stands. Armand. Twenty-something stud. Dressed like a groom. Polished shoes. Crisp shirt. My rural king. Sun dips low. Red rays halo…
Steam clouds the mirror. I wage war on my body hair. Wax rips it clean. Tears sting, but I laugh. Genocide complete. Wax in my hair again. Whatever. Ella Fitzgerald blasts. I belt out tunes, hips swaying. Neighbors suffer, but…
City lights pulse outside my penthouse window. Daytime lawyer, fierce in court. Night? Secret Heroine awakens. Him, still sticky from his load, stumbles into my massive bathroom. Endless shower, huge sink. History soaked in these tiles. I shiver. Control calls.…
The salon buzzes near the faculty. Saturday pay day rush. Scissors flash. I wield them like weapons. Modern woman. Strong. Independent. Cutting hair, teasing clients. Philippe slumps in the chair. Lumberjack. Flannel shirt. Three-month beard. Eyes devour my cleavage. Fiery…
City pulses below. Skyscrapers pierce the night. I step out of the luxury car, heels clicking on wet pavement. Lawyer by day. Secret Heroine now. Mask cracks. Adrenaline surges like urban heartbeat. Dinner in hidden lounge. Dim lights. Fireplace flickers…