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A Short Story : Chapter 1

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“Annis.” Gwen sucked in a sharp breath. “This is too much.”

“Hardly. Since I took your advice and offered the option to order gift certificates electronically, and I had the website updated, like you suggested, the store is more profitable than ever. You deserve this, and I won’t hear another word about it. Now go home. You worked your ass off today.”

Tears burned Gwen’s eyes. “Thank you for everything. This job, the bonus, your support…”

“Don’t you dare make me cry.” Annis sniffed and blinked. “Get your butt home and relax. And enjoy your day off tomorrow.”

Gwen embraced Annis, kissed her cheek, then left for home.

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With her key out, Gwen approached her apartment. From halfway down the corridor, she heard sobbing within, and her …show more content…

“Let me start at the beginning. Leon made a beautiful Christmas dinner. We had a swiss and spinach quiche, a tomato and mozzarella salad, and a flourless chocolate cake for…never mind. You don’t need the entire menu.”

“I want to hear everything.”

“It gets a little risqué.”

“So? Those are the best parts. Carry on.”

“Fine.” Mithian made space on the couch beside her, and Gwen sat close. “We finished cleaning up, then we hung around in his kitchen sipping eggnog. Leon put a tiny splash of rum in there, and it was so good. It was a perfect moment, with the candles, the Christmas music, and him, all gorgeous and grinning like he’d won the world’s best prize by having me there. Then, to make it even more perfect, he told me he loved me.”

“What a bastard.”

Mithian chuckled but carried on. “Basically, I threw myself at him. We ended up all over one another, tearing off clothes right in the kitchen. Once we were undressed, he seemed to hesitate, so I asked him to take me to the bedroom. He was adorably nervous, but he carried me there and settled me down into bed.”

Gwen nodded, encouraging Mithian to go on.

“I told him I had protection, that you forced a row of condoms on me the first week I started seeing him. Then Leon said that his friend Pellinore from his old job gave him a sampler tin of a hundred condoms when Leon’s divorce was final. And that he’d had no occasion to open the tin. Until then.”

“You two are adorable

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