Empire of Lust

After crawling out of bed I head to the bathroom. My feet slap against the slate floor as I walk with my eyes half closed. I don’t know if I got too much sleep, or not enough, but my head is killing me. A hot shower should fix it. I moan as I catch my reflection in the bathroom mirror. My hair is a mess and I have actual bags under my eyes.It appears the older I get, the less tolerant my body becomes to travel. I run my fingers through my hair and turn the shower on full blast. My pajama bottoms drop to the floor and I kick them aside before stepping under the waterfall shower head. The warm water does its job as the stiff muscles in my back begin to loosen. I grab my luffa and a bar of soap before going to work on the cleaning process. As I wash, it becomes obvious I need to tend to some manscaping. I find that most women appreciate a man who is willing to take the time to make himself presentable. Lord knows enough women put the extra effort forward, so why shouldn’t I?My ki

*Seymore's POV*I roll around in the bed, my thoughts racing. When Ray told me someone was in my home while I was away, I didn’t know how to reply. Part of me was angry he would let strangers into my place without reaching out to me first, but I also understand how a service call can be forgotten about. He did what he felt was right and stayed in the house while the workers did their thing.But what had they done? The furnace is practically brand new, so they had to have figured out there wasn’t anything to work on when they checked it. Had they possibly gone to the wrong address? Maybe, but they would have left a card either way. I searched the house and the pile of mail on the counter, there wasn’t a single sign that any service was done. I played all the messages on my answering machine, and they hadn’t called to say they were on their way to the service call. How had they known to approach the neighbor because I wasn’t home? I roll over again, trying to wrap my brain aro

*Ava's POV*Nothing’s better than a day off work. I got to sleep in and take my time eating breakfast and getting ready for the day. Not having to rush around my condo to start my day is a relief. The only thing on the schedule for today is Yoga with Ellie. It was her idea, something new to start that is healthy and time spent on self-care. Ellie has work tonight, so I get to spend the evening in my comfy clothes vegging on the couch. As I put on my Yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt my thoughts play through yesterday’s interaction with Seymore Lewis. The man is handsome and personable, something you don't see often in the opposite sex.“Ava!” Ellie calls from the living room. “Are you ready?”“I’m getting dressed, I’ll be ready in a minute,” I yell down the hall.A few moments later, Ellie comes through my bedroom door with an energy that almost knocks me over. It doesn’t bother me, we’re best friends after all. We share changing rooms at the shopping mall and I don’t have

I walk through the door to an overly excited Zeus. He sniffs the bag of books before deciding there isn’t anything interesting enough to pursue in it. I drop the sack on the counter and walk him into the back. I pull out my phone and dial Doc.“Hey, Seymore. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon. How are things at the house?” he asks without answering with the typical hello.“It feels better since you swept the place. I was wondering if you’re busy?” I ask, watching Zeus run around the yard to find the perfect spot to relieve himself. “Not at all. Come on over, and bring Zeus,” he replies. “I miss the big mutt.”I want to correct him. Zeus is a purebred, but I know it doesn’t matter. I hang up and walk into the house, leaving the slider open for the dog. Doc had recommended getting cameras for the property, but I know too many people can hack those. The last thing I want is to give whoever is following me the opportunity to spy on me with my own equipment.I consider t

*Seymore’s POV*As Ava looks up at me with tears in her eyes, all I want to do is kiss them away. I thought it had just been luck that I stumbled upon her at the cafe, but then fate offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. When Marcus and I saw Conner pull Ava into the alley, both of us instinctively moved to protect her. I asked Marcus to stand back and only step in if it was necessary, and I’m glad he had. Not that I was worried that Conner would hurt me. Far from it. After hearing Ava cry out in pain my vision went red, and I was not going to let Conner walk away unscathed from the situation he caused. I hope Marcus gives him what he has coming to him. As I stand here with Ava in my arms, everything in my life feels like it’s falling into place. She is warm and soft against my body, causing me to want more. I start to pull her in closer when Marcus comes back around the corner with three coffees in his hands.“I was hoping you two hadn’t taken off yet,” he says, handing u