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48: Negotiations
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2024-10-29 19:42:56It was dark in her room when Evelyn awakened. Inhaling deeply, she breathed the warm tobacco-y scent surrounding her. Rubbing her cheek over Andrew’s chest, she let the light sprinkling of fine hair there tickle her, then pressed a soft kiss into his warm flesh. It earned her a pleased sigh of relaxation as reward.
Careful not to wake him, she slipped from the circle of his sheltering arms and from underneath the thin blanket he’d thrown over them. She perched on the side of the bed.
Dear God, I’m exhausted. She had no idea what time it was, but over the low drone of the fans even the street noise had diminished enough that she could hear the pitter-patter of light rain. In the dim light from the open window, she could see the trail of their clothes leading out of the bedroom and smiled.
Forcing herself to her feet, she collected their discarded garments. She did her best to brush out the
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World of Tomorrow 49: Entertainments
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World of Tomorrow 50: Perfection
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World of Tomorrow 51: Battlefields
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World of Tomorrow 52: Apology
Evelyn buried her tear-streaked face against his chest, listening to his emotion-roughed apologies.“I’m so sorry, Evelyn. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m a fool for imagining anything so stupid and a bigger fool for saying it out loud.” His words rasped with the barely-checked passion behind them.Through his fine clothes, she felt the heat of his body, the strength of his arms around her, but she couldn’t stop shaking. Unintentionally, he’d hurt her before, but that pain was nothing compared to what she felt now.“I let my temper get away from me. I got carried away, but it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I love you and I can’t do without you. Please,” he begged humbly, brought to his knees by his own folly, “forgive me.”In her wildest imaginings, Evelyn had never guessed how mercilessly he could batter a tender soul, how horribly he could shatter a loving heart. She’d heard the rumors, of course. She’d known the ruthless brutality he was capable of with his acerbic words
World of Tomorrow 53: Proposal
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World of Tomorrow 54: Mystery
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World of Tomorrow 55: Commotions
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World of Tomorrow 56: Unexpected Surprises
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World of Tomorrow 139: Epilogue
“Stop, Peter!” Sarah exclaimed, whirling to face behind her. She shot her brother an angry glare. “Peter, for pity’s sake, don’t throw dirt clods at your sister,” Andrew called over his shoulder, shifting his swaddled, sleeping son from his right shoulder to his left as they walked the long, tree-lined drive that led to the James’ estate, perched with its back on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Gulls rode the ocean updrafts in the afternoon sun above the glistening water, occasionally diving when something of interest caught their eye. On the opposite side of the tree-lined drive, his wife’s tiny orchard of glossy-leaved oranges in full bloom left a sweet scent drifting over the drive on the warm, salty breeze off the sea. Not far away, Evelyn's gated garden was growing lush with upright stalks of corn, twined in the loving arms of pole beans with the wide leaves of squash spreading in a carpet at their feet along the ground in one row. In another, her tomatoes were already d
World of Tomorrow 138: Sound and Fury
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World of Tomorrow 135: Plan of Attack
The dancing had worked like a charm. For a couple of hours. Andrew had managed to get just shy of another couple hours on top of that, burning time off the afternoon by alternating between listening to the orchestra rehearse, dancing, and finally, by slipping a bribe to the broadcasting staff to show Evelyn their equipment set-up and to take their sweet time about it. After that, she’d become too fretful to do much beyond distractedly, which had quickly spoiled the ballroom option for both of them. They’d retired to their drawing room, taken afternoon tea, then Evelyn’s pacing had begun again in earnest. He had to admit, watching her as she combed through her drying hair at the dressing table, it might be time to worry about Will a little. It was going on eight o’clock. Late by any business standard, but certainly well past the time when most diners catering to the kind of clients they’d seen at the DeBaliviere Diner and Waffle House would be visiting
World of Tomorrow 134: As Luck Would Have It
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World of Tomorrow 133: Black Tuesday
The hotel’s ballroom was a gently baroque style. Its elegant space was replete with all manner of luxuries one would expect of a high-profile hotel, no matter where one might visit in the world—custom paneled with artfully etched-mirror and plaster walls, gold-leafed accents and intricate crown moldings. Above the near-magical dancefloor, which was lit from below, hung in the decorative ceiling, a ponderous crystal chandelier lit the warm wooden dancefloor beneath it. Along the periphery, undulating balconies supported by Corinthian pilasters gave an air of classicism to the space, but one not overly staid. These generous galleries provided seating for those who had only come for a meal, to watch the dancing or to listen to the orchestra. They’d dressed for a late dinner, but though the orchestra played, their music broadcast exactly as Evelyn had always dreamed of experiencing, she and Andrew hadn’t danced. In fact, they hadn’t stayed much longer than
World of Tomorrow 132: Miserable Monday
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World of Tomorrow 131: Arrival
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