Mag-log inMy reader on my nightstand told me it was almost eleven when I heard the television go off, then Dan's door close across the hall a few minutes later.I giggled to myself when I wondered if my brother would agree to wearing a bell while he was at home. The floors at our parents' house creaked, and I knew each and every place they did, so I could always tell where people were moving around.Apparently our condo has better construction. Dan's movements in the living room, hallway, and his bedroom were silent.The minutes crawled by. I heard the shower come on, then stop. Dan's walk-in closet had opened and closed. My reader told me eleven-thirty had passed, barely.My struggle to control my ragged breathing seemed to be a losing battle, so I gave up, twisted the knob and pushed the bedroom door across from mine open and stepped inside."Rae?" Dan whispered."Hey," I giggled."Is everything okay? What's wrong?""I can't sleep 'cause, um, I want to talk. Can we?""I can't sleep either, bu
The police had come. An ambulance followed, then another. Dan was stressed out. I could hear it in his voice, but his focus and confidence impressed me. He had everything under control before I could even figure out what had happened.I wished I could have seen him play basketball instead of just listening to it.Then, as the descriptions of events that I had missed unfolded, I went from giddy to shaken to terrified.By the time Dan insisted they let him take me home, they had taken away the man I was told tried to grab Boston and pushed Heather down. They took Heather, too. They wanted to keep an eye on her because they thought she inhaled enough pepper spray to be dangerous.I didn't even get a chance to thank Heather, or her parents.I wondered how I had managed to ruin what I wanted to just be a nice dinner with Dan, and how angry with me he must be as he helped me into the passenger seat of his car.We had walked in silence the city block to where he parked before the disaster. I
Boston stood and carefully backed away from Raven's lap and she raised her knees toward her chest.Of course, I was on my knees in front of my sister, so her legs rising toward my face got my attention, and drew my eyes downward.I immediately pushed her knees together then down to the floor."Danny?"She still wasn't covered, so instinctively my hand grabbed the hem of her dress and pushed it down between her legs and I leaned my body forward to cover her."I think I should lift you up so you can keep your legs, um...""Dan..."Raven's tiny hand slid over mine, and I suddenly realized my hand wasn't pushing her dress down to cover her. What I felt against my palm and fingers between her legs, wasn't her dress, but her hair."Now might not be the best time to touch me there."I didn't know which was worse, the fact I had my hand on my sister's vagina and she was telling me to move it, or that we were the center of attention in a crowded room and I had my sister's vagina in my hand.I
I didn't remember what I had planned, or even why or if I actually had a plan for keeping my career away from Dan.The fact that he knew now filled my head and overwhelmed thoughts of whatever that plan might have been.I figured I had two choices. I could pretend he didn't know and ignore the whole thing, hoping it would just go away, or I could give him the excuse I was a teenager when Mom and Dad signed my first two book deals because I was a minor and I never thought to mention it to him.The first choice absolutely wouldn't work, and the second one was so lame that even Dan wouldn't buy it, even with it being half true, just not the half that I never thought to mention it. I did think about telling him, almost every day, but it had gone on too long for it to be excusable. I had even avoided telling him when he gave me the perfect opening today."Well, that cat's out of the bag, isn't it?" I muttered as I searched for my champagne flute that I knew was somewhere nearby.I found my
"I know it doesn't seem like you could, but you did. I was ready to give up on school and ever learning anything. I wanted to just die. I have dyslexia really bad, and I could barely read. Everybody was talking about Robin and how brave and amazing she is. She seemed to be able to do anything, and she was blind. I wanted to read about her, but I couldn't. I couldn't even read kindergarten books and I was nine years old.""Sweetheart," Raven murmured."I asked Mom to read it to me," Heather whimpered. She looked and sounded like she was about to cry."Robin is so brave, and strong, and being blind has to be worse than just having silly dyslexia. If she could..."Heather's voice cracked and she really started crying then. Raven was crying, too. I was just getting more confused the longer their conversation went."Robin's my hero, so I wanted to be like her," Heather moaned. "I decided to try Braille, like Robin. It was hard, at first, but I tried real hard. Mom noticed, and got a teache
"Would you like a Braille menu, ma'am?"Raven looked surprised for a split second before her deep red, pouty little mouth turned into a grin."You have Braille menus?" she almost giggled."We do. They're pretty new," the hostess informed us as she put a plain white piece of heavy paper in Raven's hand. I could see the bumps on it.Raven leaned toward me as the hostess left with a promise of Bernice being there soon to take our drink orders."This might be my favorite place in Cincinnati already. It feels so nice, and smells good, and they have Braille menus!""I hear their steaks are pretty good too, Raven," I grinned at her.Raven's expression changed. She was reading the menu, and she looked puzzled."This place is called Hoosier Steaks , right?""Yep. There are a few of them in Indiana, and this is the first one in Ohio. Why?""Nothing really. Just wondering.""Raven," I started. There was something I couldn't stop thinking about, and had been since we left home."Yeah?" Raven gigg
Mom and her two sons play a wicked game of chase & tickle. (Enjoy)>>>>>>>>>>>>Angie, aka The Queen, crept toward the stairs, holding the long wooden match aloft. Its feeble light barely pierced the inky darkness of the castle's basement as she paused halfway across considering how they might be w
Cindy pretended to be exasperated with her overly exuberant wife. "Mitch, honey. When were you thinking?"I finally spoke up. "Next weekend?""Oh, sweetie, we have plans with Mitch's parents next weekend. How about the weekend after?"I looked up at Iryna, eyes wide with the question, and she nodde
"Hmm, I think maybe you have earned a bit of playtime in the tub since you did so well in letting mommy wash you up.""Yes, please, pretty please, Mommy.""OK, but what would you like to play with. I'm afraid I really don't have any bath toys anymore as once Bobby got older I got rid of them all."
Jill handed me one of those little plastic cups they always have at functions. I sniffed – Jill has a nasty sense of humor – but it was just water, so I sipped gratefully."Well, that wasn't too bad," she murmured, watching Judy's back retreating across the room."Not too bad," I agreed. "We'll hav







