KELLY

I love Valentine’s Day. The decorations, the chocolate, the romance! All week I’ve had customers coming in, looking to buy a special gift for their significant others, and it’s just infectious, you know? The heart coffee mugs were selling great and the Valentine wind chimes sold out yesterday. The ceramic roses are almost gone, and the heart-shaped jewelry boxes have probably been my best sellers.

One couple came in the other day, probably in their early twenties, and they were just so cute. They held hands the entire time, whispering sweet nothings to one another as they walked around the shop. You could tell that they were so madly in love, and it was then that it hit me; I’m not alone this Valentine’s Day! I have the most wonderful, kind, intelligent and sensitive man in the world and just the thought of him makes my heart skip a beat. Mmmm, Jeff Wigand. His corny jokes make me smile and the sound of his voice when he’s speaking soft and low is the most potent aphrodisiac I know.

Problem is, we haven’t been able to fit in much time together over the past several days. Hmmm, wait … it’s even been longer than that! Oh my God, has it really been four whole weeks since we … well, you know … slept in the same bed? 

Maybe we need to take a mini vacation. Someplace warm … spring break’s coming up. I wonder if Jeff would consider maybe going to Vegas or some place fun like that? Provided that I can get someone to help cover the shop, that is … 

GEMMA KANE

I checked into the 1876 Manor Inn at Mount Mansfield early, hoping to be quiet about it. Last year it was easy for me to travel and do my research, but ever since the show won two Emmy Awards, I can’t seem to go anywhere unrecognized. Luckily, the sweet woman at the registration desk seemed clueless and I was able to concentrate on what I needed to concentrate on. And from the moment I drove my rental onto the property … I knew. This Inn is exactly what I’m looking for as a feature for my show.

NATALIE

Valentine’s Day, and all I could think about was sleep. Restful, peaceful sleep and how I was never going to have another night of it ever again for as long as I live … until the next century … well, you know what I mean. Believe me, there is no tired like new baby tired … particularly when there are two new babies. Jack was a saint and tried his best, even getting up with me for the two AM feedings to keep me company. But, poor guy just couldn’t keep his eyes open. Let’s face it; taking care of babies was never his thing.

Claudia stopped by this morning to check in on the babies and me. Another saint, so patient with my questions and worries; like my frantic call late the other night. Catherine’s eyes were crossing! Claudia calmed my fears. Catherine’s eyes were just trying to focus; nothing to worry about at all. At any rate, after looking over the twins, she commented on how harried I looked. We talked a bit about the trials of caring for newborns and much to my surprise; she suggested taking the twins for the afternoon. I was dubious. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, absolutely.” She bounced Catherine on her knee. “You need the break, Nat. And I’d love to spend some time with these little ones.”

“Well, if you think it’s okay, then let me pack some stuff for you.” I set about loading diaper bags with any supplies I thought she might need and helped her carry them and the babies to her room. “You’re sure, Claudia? You can change your mind, you know. It’s alright.”

She grinned and cuddled Catherine. “Absolutely sure. Go have a good time. Go out to lunch with Jack or go shopping. Just get out of the Inn for a bit. You need a sanity break, Nat.”

“Thanks, Claudia. I really appreciate this.” I gave her a hug and kissed the babies goodbye. Upstairs in my apartment, I closed the door and sighed. Jack was still at his meeting with Kevin about our house, so I did something I’d been fantasizing about for several weeks now. I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over me until all the mirrors in the bathroom were foggy and steamy.

JACK

Kevin and I had a very successful meeting concerning the Maine house. All the changes I had requested had been put into place and we settled on construction beginning at the end of April. It was with a happy heart that I entered our apartment. Placing my keys on the table, I began to remove my boots when I became aware of a strange atmosphere. Quiet. It was quiet. No crying Chelsea. Puzzled, I looked into the nursery and found nothing but empty cribs. “Nat,” I called.

“Jack! You’re home,” she answered from our bedchamber across the hall.

Opening the door, I beheld a vision … my naked wife standing with her back to me studying the contents of her closet, her hair damp and her body smelling of her favorite lavender soap. Her figure had changed since giving birth, and while she would not agree, I had to admit she was changed for the better. Softer. Rounder. Warmer. Delicious curves that invited one’s lips to nibble. I reached out for her, but caught myself. We had been warned against lovemaking too soon after birth and I had no wish to cause her discomfort, regardless of my desires. And desire her I did. But alas, it was surely still too soon. I turned my attention to the matter at hand.

“Natalie, dear one, where are the children?”

She turned, smiled and walked into my arms. “They’re with Claudia, Jack. She insisted on watching them this afternoon.” She began to untuck my shirt.

I took her hands and kissed her knuckles gently. I was certain she didn’t understand what her actions aroused in my loins. If she did, she certainly would not have continued and risked any activity contrary to her doctor’s advice. She smiled sweetly and removed her hands from my grasp. I reached for her robe, but she held me back. “Jack,” she asked, “don’t you know what this means?”

Puzzled, I was unsure. “Means?”

“It means we’re alone. And it’s quiet.” She unbuttoned my shirt, her fingers tender against my chest. “There’s no one to interrupt us.” She unbuckled my belt and unzipped my trousers.

My desire for her became evident. “But, the doctor …”

“He’s not here to interrupt us either, Jack.” She knelt on the floor and took me into her mouth. My fingers wrapped themselves in her hair and I hissed as her tongue and lips massaged my member to rigid attention. “Are you sure, my dear? I don’t wish to cause you any harm.”

“Jack,” she admonished quietly, “if you don’t take me to bed now, then you will cause more harm than you can imagine ... and it won’t be to me.”

Well, what is a good husband to do if his naked wife insists?

ANTONY

It was nearly two in the afternoon when I managed to get away from the monitors. This strange holiday for lovers had somehow made the Inn a most active destination. We had stationed several young men at the main door to park cars for the many diners and the lot was nearly full before noon.

I had purposely worked the overnight shift to cover security so that I could have some time alone with the woman I call my lover. My relief arrived on time and I left for my room, thinking that it was surely time for Claudia and I to locate a proper residence. The room was cramped and most of Claudia’s things were in storage. As I walked through the lobby, Marla called to me. Handing me a bunch of roses she grinned.

“Uh … thank you?”

“They’re not for you, silly. I figured you were too busy to get flowers for Claudia so I ordered them for you. They just arrived.” She stood and tucked the bill into my shirt pocket, patting my chest with a grin. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Antony.”

I promptly tugged on fragrant long stem bloom and set it across her keyboard. “And a most pleasant Valentine’s Day to you as well.”

Since the beginning of time, even the gods and goddesses were aware of the need for romantic endeavors to ensure the future of their race. This Valentine’s Day must also serve that purpose and I most fervently decided that it was important for me to become more aware of the traditions of this time and place. On this occasion, lovely Marla had come to my aid. What might have happened had she not been so considerate? I might be ‘in the dog house’, as Biebe often describes when he has neglected something his wife expected.

And with that thought came … expectations. And I began to ponder what would my lovely Claudia have in store for me this delightful, romantic afternoon? I wondered if she’d ever been bitten by a moray eel … and it was thoughts of Atia and a hot Roman bath that filtered through my brain as I neared my door.

But before I could reach for the latch, I heard a howling squeal that shot terror through me. Inside, all ideas of a sexual or even romantic nature fell ponderously to the floor and a different kind of terror even a Roman General couldn’t manage shook me to the bone. I dropped the flowers without thought onto the dresser.

“Claudia? What are these wailing infants doing here?” Jack was nowhere in sight. Natalie was not there. Only two kicking, screaming tiny bundles on the bed I’d hoped to share with my woman and several loaded bags of baby needs.

Claudia was managing one bottle in one child’s mouth as the other shouted her great discontent. That one had kicked free of her soft cotton blanket, her little bare legs shivering and her bottom, most dangerously uncovered.

“Here, please …” Claudia begged, cuddling her charge tenderly close to the breast I was meant to have this day. She tossed me a strange paper diaper I’d often seen these children covered with and after several attempts, the shouting tiny girl was sufficiently enclosed. I wrapped her in the blanket and brought her to my shoulder. She quickly silenced as I paced the room, humming to the child.

“Shall I guess?” I said quietly, not wishing to again unleash hell. “This one is Chelsea?”

“I’m not sure.” My poor Claudia appeared most overwhelmed, a state I had never seen her in before. Perhaps this was more than she was prepared for? I grinned kindly. I, like Jack … most unfortunately … have had experience with twins. Cleopatra was most gracious in providing me with a rather instant family in that manner; but then, in the Egyptian palace, we seldom dealt with infant discontent or the difficulties of covering one or the other’s behind. There were nursemaids for such tasks.

“Can you tell me why these children are here?” I sat on the chair, careful not to jostle or disturb Chelsea. Claudia reached out and handed me a bottle and I offered it to the child. She suckled and watched me with big blue eyes, her face still wet with tears.

“I swear, I thought I could handle this. I’ve managed entire wards of sick people and nothing ever prepared me for babysitting the Aubrey twins! I offered, Antony. I actually offered to watch them this afternoon! Thank God you’re here. There’s no way I’d have gotten through this alone! At least no way and still be sane when it’s over.”

“You offered to watch over these children? Are you already mad, Claudia? What would possess you to do such a thing?” Remembering Biebe and the ‘dog house’, I was most gentle as I offered those particular words.

“Oh Antony,” a tear slid down her cheek. “I’m so sorry. Really.”

I moved to sit with her on the bed, reached my free arm and tugged her and her bundle close. I kissed my Claudia’s sweet, soft lips. “My dear, there is no reason for you to apologize.”

Claudia sighed and lean against me. “I wanted to give Natalie a hand. This is tough enough for her. I’m concerned that she may be facing post partum depression and in her case, according to her medical records, that’s a really bad thing. I told her to spend the afternoon with Jack, go into town for lunch, have a good time. How was I to know it would cost my sanity?”

“Hush now. We are two able, reasonable people. We can surely handle two tiny infants. Do not concern yourself, we will prevail.”

Little Chelsea’s bottle fell from her mouth and she screamed. I swear, the babe seemed more upset that I had given Claudia a moment of my undivided attention than because her meal had popped free of her lips.

EMILY

Arrrgh! Have I ever mentioned what a royal pain in the ass Mr. Barrett can be? Okay, okay, I’m his assistant, and it’s my job to do whatever it takes to make his job easier. Yada, yada, yada. Problem is, he seems to think it gives him carte blanche to send me all over town on a wild goose chase. Is it MY fault that the distributor didn’t send the shipment of fax paper or printer cartridges as promised?  Kim signed the requisition form and I personally placed the order online two days ago, but there I was, having to chase down these items on my lunch break. 

I tugged on my boots and was in the process of buttoning up my coat as I left the office and walked out towards the parking lot. I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going and I ended up barreling head on into Ben Wade, of all people. He was standing near the shuttle stop that took guests from the Inn into town or to the slopes and he laughed as I plowed into him, his arms catching me before I fell back onto my butt in the snow. 

“Whoa, little girl! Where’s the stampede?”

His eyes looked down into mine as he held me at arms length and I was overcome with the urge to giggle. Good gawd, he’s such a handsome man and there was something in his eyes that reminded me of the big bad wolf. I was more than happy to be Little Red Riding Hood.

“Oh Mr. Wade, I’m so sorry!” Okay, so I lied. Running into him was the highlight of my day.  “Hey, did you need a ride into town? I have to run an errand and I can drop you off – it’s no problem.” Let’s see, spend some time in the company of this incredibly handsome man or drive into town all by myself? Gee, that’s a no brainer.

“Why Emily, that’s mighty nice of you.”

He let me go and I was actually sorry. “Where would you like me to take you?” The moon, the next town over … hi, I’m Emily, fly me …

“I need to visit the bank on Main Street. You sure it ain’t out of your way, darlin’?”

“Oh no bother at all, Mr. Wade. I’ll be driving right past there. Do you also need a ride back?”

We started to walk toward my car and he casually placed his hand along the small of my back. Do men have any idea how sexy it is when they do that?

“Darlin’, call me Ben. I’d like the sound of it coming from your pretty lips.” When we reached my car he took the keys from my hand and unlocked the driver’s door, opening it with a dramatic flourish as he placed them back into my hand. “And don’t worry about my needing a ride back. My errand may take a while.”

He walked around to the passenger side and I leaned over to unlock his door. His eyes caught mine through the front window and he gave me a flirty wink. I think I must have smiled and giggled during the entire drive into town. That man sure has some interesting stories to tell and I was sorry when the bank came into view. I would have much rather spent the day running errands with Ben Wade than running errands for Mr. Barrett.

BEN

For four days now, I sat at that coffee shop watching the bank. Today, I’m goin’ a bit further. I’ve seen how the place works from the outside, now I needed to get a good look at the inside. I gathered the paperwork John gave me documenting what he called ‘my financial worth’ and decided to transfer it all to this small town bank. Granted, I’ll be robbing myself when I do this job, but it’ll still be worth it.

I climbed out of sweet Emily’s car on Main Street; looked up at the carved words over the door. The Stowe First City Savings and Loan was about to meet Mr. Ben Wade.

The place almost felt familiar. Set up a lot like I remember banks. There were a few differences though; the metal bars at the teller windows were now glass and there were several of those cameras, just like the ones Antony watches for security at the Inn. Taking the bank might be a little tough, knowing someone was watching, but I wasn’t worried.

I nodded real polite to the guard at the door. An old man, grey and wrinkled. His gnarled hands didn’t look strong enough to hold and aim that gun he had buckled at his waist. Easy, real easy to take him down.  I was directed to a pretty little thing at a desk. She nicely opened my new account and I was sure to be extra sweet to her.

John had told me that money is wired from bank to bank these days. Imagine that? But as I watched tellers pass and receive cash through their glass windows, I knew there was probably more than enough back in that big safe.

I left the bank and saw the shuttle coming down the street, right on time. I climbed on and sat, thinking about how I was gonna do this. Putting aside the obvious difficulties this century presented, I was still sure I could do it. Do it in broad daylight, do it alone and get away clean. Might not be as much fun as I remember, but it’ll still give me that thrill I’m lookin’ for. I wanted to stick around at that coffee shop and watch the bank again, just to see if there was anything else I could learn about the place. Next week I planned to get a clear idea of when that steel truck comes and goes. That’s cash they’re carrying in and out of that bank. Maybe there was something to that, something I could do to take it too.

But for now, I had to get back. Tracy was comin’ early this weekend for what she called Valentine’s Day. There was a spark in her eyes when she talked about it and I knew what she was thinking. Knew that look real good.

As I stepped off the shuttle at the Inn I had to grin. A pending robbery and one exciting woman … could an outlaw ask for more?   

KIM

I know that Emily was pretty ticked off when she left the office during what should have been her lunch break, but when she returned an hour later, she was smiling and humming the theme song from the old TV show, Bonanza.

“Hey boss, they gave us a deal on some extra rolls of fax paper.”

I leaned back in my chair and watched as she removed her jacket and boots. She took a quick glance at her reflection in the mirror that hung over the credenza and fluffed hair, continuing to hum the annoying, but catchy tune. 

“You seem to be in an awfully good mood.” Okay, I was curious. So sue me.

She gave what could only be described as a dreamy looking smile, her eyes going all soft and gentle as she went over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup of coffee. “I gave Ben Wade a ride into town. You know, he is such an interesting man. I’d sure like to become better acquainted with him.”

WHAT?! Emily taking a liking to Ben Wade? Not if I could help it. “He’s far too old for you.”

She looked at me as if I was crazy. “Oh please. Older men are sexy and interesting. Too old would be someone, like, in his sixties.”

“He’s far older than you think.” Little did she know.

“Actually, I think that younger men can learn a few things from the older gentlemen.”

Oh no, no, no, no, NO! “Emily, he’s a total philanderer. You don’t want to get snarled up with a bloke like Ben Wade, trust me.”

She just laughed. “Gee, you make it sound like I want to run away with the guy. I just think that he’s quite interesting and I enjoyed driving him into town. You’re acting like you’re jealous or something.”
 
Jealous? Moi? “Hey, who you choose to associate with is entirely your business. I just happen to know him a little better than you do.”

“Oh, you do? Have you two taken to hanging out together or something?”

Bloody hell, why did I even bother trying to save her from what could only lead into trouble? “Listen, you do what you want. But I don’t want him coming around here to the office. If you want to cultivate a friendship with Ben Wade, do it on your own time.”

She laughed again. “Calm down. Geeze, I really think you’re blowing this whole thing way out of proportion. Don’t worry, any time I do speak to Ben, I’ll make sure it’s far away from this office and not during business hours. Happy?”

Shit. She’s on a first name basis with the man. And she’s obviously planning on pursuing him. This is bad. I think I may need to have a private little talk with Mr. Ben Wade.

JEFF

Maybe I’m becoming a curmudgeon, or perhaps I’m just getting old.

All week I’ve been surrounded by giggly teenage girls who’ve had nothing on their minds besides Valentine’s Day. Seems that every year, St Ursula’s has a tradition of
inviting the boys from St. Timothy’s over for their annual St. Valentine’s Day dance. I’d realized Thursday morning that getting the girls to concentrate on their studies was pointless, so I pulled out a pop quiz. There was the usual moaning and groaning about how I hadn’t given them any warning, but it quieted them down and gave me some peace and quiet. Who knew the saints so loved a party? I was thanking my lucky stars that I wasn’t approached by Sister Victoria to attend as one of the chaperones. 

However, after lunch I wasn’t so sure. I had just sat down at a table in the teachers’ lounge to a cup of minestrone and a ham sandwich when Christy Grayson came bustling into the room, wearing a red sweater with little white hearts across the front. Her cheeks were all pink and rosy form the walk across the campus and her hair was pulled back in a loose braid, making her look as young as one of my students. She smiled as she greeted everyone, handing out little pink boxes of candy hearts and laughing as she grabbed her lunch from the refrigerator and made her way over towards my direction.

“Hey Doc, would you mind some company?”

Her enthusiasm was working its magic and I caught myself smiling back. “Only if you have a box of candy hearts with my name on it.”

More of her dazzling smile. “Of course I would never forget you.” She pulled out a chair and sat her purse down on top of the table, scooting in close. Reaching into her purse she pulled out another little pink box and a small white envelope. “You, my good Doctor Wigand, get candy and a Valentine’s Day card.” She sat them down in front of me, her eyes dancing as she watched me examine them.

I was charmed. Inside the envelope was a Sponge Bob Squarepants Valentine, the kind you’d buy in a box of twenty from the dime store. Printed across the front was the message, Happy Hearts and Bubbles Day! Underneath this, Christy had signed her name, followed by several X’s and O’s.

“I hope you don’t think it’s too silly, but I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you.”  She winked and leaned in closer. “Are the girls driving you crazy yet with all the excitement over tonight’s dance? Sister Victoria talked me into attending as one of the chaperones. I guess she figures since I’m one of the younger staff members that I’ll be more successful with keeping everyone in line. I didn’t have a date for tonight, so I figured, oh why not? Any chance that maybe she hit you up for chaperoning honors as well?”

I began to feel a little disappointed that I hadn’t been asked to attend. “Trust me, the last thing I need is to play chaperone to a bunch of teenagers with overactive hormones.”

Christy was undeterred. “Aw come on, you’d probably enjoy yourself. I always have fun learning the new dances that the kids come up with. Didn’t you say that you’d attended a Catholic high school?”

I was surprised that she’d remember something that I’d mentioned briefly in passing. “I’m too old for that sort of thing anymore. Could you just see me trying to do the Electric Boogaloo or whatever it is the kids do now days?”   

“The Electric Boogaloo? Gee, Doc, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that one before. I’ll bet that you can slow dance with the best of them, though. I miss that with guys my age; they think slow dancing means hugging and making out while standing up and swaying in time with the music.”

“To be honest Christy, I haven’t danced in ages.” That wasn’t entirely true; Kelly and I had gone out dancing around Christmastime.

Her eyes lit up and she placed her hand on my arm. “Oh, then you should show up tonight then! I would love to share a dance or two and you could keep me company.”

For some reason, the invitation almost appealed to me, but I had other plans for the evening. “Maybe I’ll take you up on a rain check one of these times. Seems I already owe you a drink as well.”

If she was disappointed, she didn’t show it. “Never mind me, Doc. Of course you have plans. Your girlfriend would have to be crazy to let you out of her sight tonight. Tell me, did you buy her flowers?”

Actually, I didn’t. Wigand, you’re slipping, my friend.

“No, but I’ll probably pick some up before heading over to see her tonight. But what I’m curious to know is why you don’t have any plans for the evening besides serving as a chaperone? I can’t imagine that no one’s asked you out for a romantic dinner or something like that.”

Her smile turned into a pout. “Jeff, I wish I knew. I’ve had my eye on this one guy, but he’s kind of a hard nut to crack, so I just watch from afar. Maybe one day he’ll come to his senses.”

“Honey, if he doesn’t come to his senses, then it’s his loss. You’re a lovely young woman and any man would be proud to spend time with you.” Poor kid; stuck on wanting someone who sounded unworthy of her attention when she was attractive enough to have just about any man her heart desired. 

“I keep hoping he’ll see the light, Doc. I keep hoping.” She looked at me with a rather strange expression, but then she reached for the brown bag and pulled out an apple, biting into it with a loud crunch.

Whoever this guy is, the mere mention of him seemed to alter her mood significantly. We chatted as we ate our lunches, the topic of conversation switching over to more mundane matters that had nothing to do with relationships or expectations.

Around three PM I got a phone call from Kelly, begging off from our plans for the evening because of some problem at the shop. I hate to admit it, but I’m starting to wonder if maybe we’re approaching an impasse in our relationship. I don’t want to think this way, but we never seem to have any time for each other any more.

I almost considered showing up at the Valentine’s dance to keep Christy company, but I figured misery loves company and I wasn’t quite ready to give in to misery just yet. Maybe I can talk Kelly into taking some time away from the shop during spring break. Vegas might be fun …

PULLO

At eight PM I carried my sleeping, most dear young daughter into the Inn. I climbed the stairs to the suite John had kindly given us and tenderly laid her on her bed. Pulling the blankets to her chin I stood, watching her soft face. Silently, I pulled a chair close to the bed and sat. My poor, poor dear child.

It had been a difficult day, but it was not my intention. Weeks had passed since Lesley’s death and I’d been extremely busy with arrangements for our continuing lives, the renovations for the old farmhouse at my vineyard and simply coping with loss. This sweet day made for love and pleasure was planned in my mind to be a special reconnection between myself and Valerie.

I stood at the lobby doors when her school bus arrived. In my hands, a small bouquet of daisies and a toy bear holding a box of chocolates that the kind woman at the Inn’s gift shop assured me Valerie had been admiring. The child squealed with delight and we sat in the quiet parlor. She excitedly showed me all the Valentine cards she’d received at school and talked about her day. This tore at my heart and I realized that I had not been a part of her life over the past weeks. It was time to explain myself.

Valerie listened quietly as I told her of my decision not to return to Lesley’s house as our home. I explained that we would remain at the Inn until the repairs were finished at the vineyard and described the plans for the changes at the old farmhouse. I had hoped she would be pleased as many considerations were made on her behalf. But the child’s expression was stricken, pale, frightful.

“We’re never going home?” her voice was small and her lip trembled.

“Sweetheart, I fear it is for the best that we do not.”

Expecting a rebuttal I had carefully prepared for and rehearsed, I was startled by her sudden reaction. Valerie leapt from the settee, leaving her cards and book bag, the flowers and toy bear and sped out of the Inn. Even her coat was on the floor and I scooped it quickly and followed only to discover she’d climbed into the shuttle and it had begun to pull out of the main gate!

I ran to my car and followed, praying my powerful emotions would not affect the wrong reaction on my part. Valerie had been alone for the most part since the funeral, and very likely had a very different plan in her mind than was brewing in my own. Remaining far enough behind the shuttle bus, yet close enough to see if she left it, I drove with a heavy heart. This could never happen again. The child had a right to know and understand my decisions … and she would soon be of an age to participate in decisions made regarding her life.

I watched the shuttle turn from its normal route and held back a shudder of fear that the driver was not the best of men and might have ugly ideas where my young daughter was concerned. But my heart was set to ease as I saw the bus stop at Lesley’s driveway. Valerie stepped out and waved to the driver before running to the front door. She flipped the welcome mat and retrieved the key, then disappeared inside.

I parked and waited, giving her time alone and wondering how I should handle this. The sun slowly set, painting the snow covered landscape with long shadows from bare trees and a wash of gold and pink that mellowed into a purple as dusk took over. I walked to the front door, simply opened it and stepped inside, unsure what I would find.

Nothing had been removed from the house; everything was as we’d left it. All arrangements to store or donate items were to happen early next week. I walked slowly, gazing up the stairs and wondering if Valerie had locked herself in her bedroom as she did the night Lesley died. The house was dark and I would not have seen the small girl if I had not heard the soft sniffle.

Valerie stood, painfully alone and small in the center of the living room. Her face rose to me and the remaining light floating into the windows reflected the sparkle of tears on her face.

“My mommy’s not here,” she whispered and slowly walked into my opened arms. “She’s never coming home.” And she sobbed pitifully.

For several hours I held her on my lap and listened to her talk, speak painful memories and explore her misery. But slowly I sensed a change, a subtle acceptance and understanding. “Daddy,” she sighed, her head on my chest. “It’s just you and me, isn’t it?”

“Yes, my little love.”

“Are we going to take care of each other now?”

I was deeply touched, not realizing that I too needed care and astounded at her ability to understand something I had not even grasped. “Yes,” I felt myself choke with grief and joy and so many emotions that had gathered heavy in my chest. Valerie’s small hand rubbed a circle over my heart and I released a sob I’d held tight for days and days.

“Then … we’re going to be okay. I think mommy knew we could take care of each other.”

JOHN

You know, sex is sex, it’s good and all but most times I don’t think a whole lot about it unless I got a shot at getting some. Valentine’s Day by nature seems like a possibility, ay? But Tuesday night with Riles seemed to fulfill whatever we needed from each other. Nice, hot, kinda fun, a little dirty, you know; a once in a blue moon exploration of things unspoken but wanted real bad. It was damn good. Sometimes it works that way. Needless to say on Thursday, the official Valentine’s Day, we were both so fucking busy, we didn’t get a chance to even talk to each other until late that night.

I was sitting in front of the TV, flipping channels and looking for HBO’s Real Sex, hoping I could catch at least some of it. Riles had just put the baby down for the night and plopped beside me on the couch as I finally managed to locate what I wanted. Damn if she didn’t take the remote and start searching for something else!

“Hey!” I took it back. “I wanna watch this.

“Why?”

I took her hand, set it on my aching hard cock and grinned.

“Jesus, John. Didn’t you get enough the other night?” She took the remote and again tuned it to the directory. Needless to say, that quarter sized screen in the top right corner wasn’t showing enough for my taste. I could kinda make out there were two naked bodies, just couldn’t really tell what the hell they were doing. Took the remote again and removed the directory.

“You’re a pervert, John.”

“Tell me something. Did you have fun the other night?” I grunted and looked into her face. Whatever she said, I could already see she had as good a time as I did.

“It was … different. Yeah, it was fun. Can I please find the show I want to watch, John?”

“I wanna watch Real Sex.”

She sighed, one of those quiet oh you’re in so much trouble, buddy sighs. I slid close and wrapped an arm over her shoulder until she snuggled against me. “Baby, aren’t you just a little curious about …”

“What? Dirty sex? John, are you missing that old way of life?”

“The Game? Before we got married?”

Riley pulled away. “Yeah. Back then you could have a variety of women who would do a whole lot of … different … things with you. You missing that?”

Sometimes Riley just pisses me off. “Maybe you’ve forgotten a few things about back then … Riles.” I growled. Yeah, yeah, I shouldn’t have been like that but she was making me mad. “It wasn’t me who had the variety.”

“Alright, I was a tart, I’ll admit it. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t miss it. What the fuck is so wrong with wanting to have variety with my own wife? It’s interesting sometimes. You know, you used to be a lot more fun, Riles. I remember a night in an amusement park a few years back …” I watched her expression soften. She actually sighed. Now that was one hot sexy night, God sakes! “Baby, we’re always so fucking busy I’m lucky if I get to kiss you once a day anymore. I just wanted a little spice. That’s all.”

“Spice,” she said softly, rolling it on her tongue and I felt my deflating cock come to attention again. “What kind of spice?”

Man, a bonging alarm went off in my head. This could be good. “Well, I was thinking,” I shuffled on the sofa and squared myself to her. “I was reading about this sex club in New York. A really cool, very private kinda thing. You can watch people have sex through these one-way mirrors, see what they do, let people watch you.”

“You want people to watch us have sex? Jesus, John.”

“Riles, it could put some fire in our sex life. There are a thousand ways to have sex we haven’t tried, probably don’t even know about.”

“Buy a Kama Sutra.”

“Fine,” I turned away, pressed the heel of my hand against my melting cock and watched the TV. “Forget it.”

It took about two minutes but she finally snuggled close. “Alright, John. When do you want to do this … Sex Club … thing?”

“You mean it?”

“Sure. But promise me I don’t have to bring all my silk scarves for you to tie me up again. God sakes, we ruined two of my favorites the other night.”

I kissed the top of her head. “Can we go next weekend? I think we need reservations. We’ll stay at the Plaza.”

“Can’t we just talk about dirty sex then have straight sex?”

“No,” I knew she was joking but maybe she didn’t expect my response. “We’re doing some serious exploring. That’s that.”

“And …” she reached for the remote. “You really think I’m going to go for this dominant/submissive thing?”

“A man can hope, can’t he?” 

“You’re nuts.”

“But we’re gonna go, right?”

“Yes,” she groaned. “We’ll go.”

Man, I dove for her mouth, my hand slid under her blouse as HBO grunted and groaned in the background.

“Ah, John?”

“What?” It was a muffled question, I had to take my tongue out of her cleavage to ask, slithered right back in though.

“Can you hold this thought for about a half hour while I watch this show I wanna see?”

“Huh?” She was kidding, right?

“Just thirty minutes … and I promise we’ll get out the KY jelly and the chocolate sauce and the silk scarves, whatever you want.”

Thirty minutes? Okay, I could do that. I settled beside her while she changed the channel. Damned if it wasn’t some show about inns. Fuck, do we have to think about the business all the time? Then I saw the opening credits and sat straighter. “What the fuck is this?” The show was called, The Ghost is Inn.

“I never saw this show before but people are always talking about it.” Riles was excited. “That lady there, Gemma Kane … she’s a famous psychic and she travels all over the world checking out supposedly haunted inns. Then she takes a film crew and does a show about it. I hear she gets some amazing stuff on video.”

“So?” I had to put off sex for this?

“So, silly. She’s here. Gemma Kane is here at our Inn, registered in room twelve. Do you think she’ll want to do a show on us?”

“Fuck, I hope not. I don’t want a fucking camera crew here disrupting everything.”

“But John, imagine the exposure! Imagine how it’ll help business during the off season! And we need to start promoting again, with the addition being built this year and all. We really should be nice to that woman, she can change our lives.”

Oh, and that sex thing? Didn’t happen. My cock slipped into oblivion at the thought of all this shit. Ah well. I was clear. I said ‘no way’. But then again … Riley did make that comment about not willingly being submissive. I just may lose this one.

EMILY

9PM, later that evening.

PrimaVera: NYSE, I’ve been thinking about what you were suggesting a couple of weeks ago…

NYSE411: Are you referring to your wanting to tell your boss to take a hike?

PrimaVera: No, silly. Do you still want to meet?

NYSE411: Really? Are you sure? What made you change your mind?

PrimaVera: Oh, I don’t know. Maybe I’m tired of being too cautious and I don’t want to  cheat myself out of meeting the one person who really makes me smile.

NYSE411: I don’t want you to feel like I’ve pressured you into meeting me before you were ready. What if you don’t like the way I look?

PrimaVera: Unless you have two heads and fish scale skin, I really don’t care what you look like.

NYSE411: What if I weigh 450 lbs?

PrimaVera: DO YOU????

NYSE411: Of course NOT. But what if?

PrimaVera: Doesn’t matter. You still make me feel good.

NYSE411: You really ARE serious, aren’t you?

PrmaVera: Are you having second thoughts about this?

NYSE411: Not at all! It’s just weird to think that I’ll finally get to see you in person. Do you think that maybe we should both sleep on it first?

PrimaVera: I will if you think it’s a good idea.

NYSE411: I just want you to make sure that you really want to do this.

PrimaVera: I’m sure ,but I’ll sleep on it and let you know what I think tomorrow. Sound like a plan?

NYSE411: I’ll be anxiously awaiting your answer, but don’t feel embarrassed if you change your mind. I’ll understand.

PrimaVera: Not much chance of that.

NYSE411: Listen, I’ll let you go, because I need to get my beauty sleep if we’re actually going to go do this.

PrimaVera: You’re a nut – that’s supposed to be MY line.

NYSE411: You have sweet dreams, Prima. I’ll be anxiously awaiting your answer.

PrimaVera: Expect the answer to be yes, just as it is now. Good night NYSE.

PrimaVera: Signed out