Bruce was walking down the hall at the agency when his cell rang. The caller ID said it was Boon Nickels. Bruce and Alec had worked with Boon at the DC Headquarters before they transferred to Tampa.            “Hey, Boon. What’s up? I haven’t heard from you in months,” Bruce greeted.            “Yeah, I know I hadn’t called lately. I’ve been working sixty-hour weeks for what seemed like forever. But this isn’t a social call.”            Bruce stopped walking and leaned against the wall. “What’s up?”            “Carter Mitchell has been more discrete with his business dealings for the past four

            Alec gathered her in his strong arms. Heavy breaths escaped from both of them during the searing kiss. Layla wrapped her arms around his neck.            His touch felt so familiar, so safe, so . . . passionate. As Alec pried her mouth open with his tongue, flashes of their relationship appeared in her mind; they had gone on a picnic, they had hung out in clubs with Bruce and other college friends, and they had laughed together. She could see every kiss, caress, and touch they had shared.            She tightened her hold around him as his tongue swirled in her mouth. Then he began to slowly pull his lips away. As he was, he lightly captured the tip of her tongue between his teeth. The sensation of his teeth dragging to the very tip of her tongue made her whine with want. Then he gave her a su

            Layla stared at the dark reddish blotches on her neck and chest in the bathroom mirror. She tried thinking back – did she eat something yesterday that she had an allergic reaction to? “Hmm, yesterday I had eggs, ham, muffins; lunch was salad with eggs, onions, French dressing, and tomatoes. Dinner was leftover meatloaf which I had the day before and nothing happened,” she mumbled out loud as she touched the bruise on her neck. The rashes were a little sore, too. Layla wondered if she should go to the Emergicare. Then it struck her. Layla’s mouth dropped open. They were hickeys. “Oh shit,” she hissed with horror. How was a thirty-two-year-old married woman going to explain hickeys all over her when her husband was out of town? “How long is this going to last?” she asked as she glared at the blotches in the mirror.After fifteen minutes of frantically combing throu

            It took Layla half the therapy session to tell Victoria what had transpired since her last session. She was hesitant to mention that she and Alec had made love and now she was seeing him on the side. But in the spirit of being transparent, she opened herself up to be judged.            “Layla, please keep in mind that I’m not judging you. It’s your life, and I’m not your mother. I’m your therapist who wants to help you recoup your memories and help you to live they best life possible afterward. With that being said, are you sure you know what you are doing with Alec?”            She nodded. “I am.”            “Are you in love with him?”     

            A colleague of Damien’s had two extra tickets to Georges Bizet’s Carmen that was debuting at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts tonight and had asked if Damien and Layla wanted to come with them. Another couple was supposed to go, but they had to cancel.            During intermission, they had run into Valerie and her husband, Godfrey Young. They were there with family members who lived abroad. Valerie’s sister had married a British earl. They were already familiar with Damien and Layla’s host and asked if they wanted to grab a late snack at the Tampa Palms Country Club. Since Damien wasn’t on call at the hospital this weekend, they had accepted the invitation.            “Will this be on separate accounts?” Alden, the maître