STORY EXCERPT

For an instant this morning, she’d thought about asking her sister for her advice. But she didn’t because she was too embarrassed. Making up her mind to leave had taken her several nights of sleeplessness, but after the incident before Paul had left for work, she knew she didn’t have any other options.

She folded the map back up and put it in her purse. There had been no time to eat before she had left. Now, she was famished. A good lunch would help clear her mind. She walked into the diner.

“Anywhere you’d like,” the waitress said.

“Thank you.” She sat down in a booth far from the door and windows.

The waitress brought her a glass of water and a menu. “Welcome to the Shiny Penny. Would you like to hear the specials?”

She nodded, trying to put her best smile on. It was easy for her to do having had so much practice since childhood. Her mother’s voice rang inside her head. “No matter how one feels on the inside, Mary, you must stay cheerful on the outside. Nobody wants to know your troubles. We are an important and respected family in this community. We must keep up our appearances.” Those words had been repeated to her over and over since she was five years old.

“—iced tea is included,” the waitress finished saying.

She decided on the meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

“Coming right up,” the woman said and headed back to the diner’s kitchen.

She opened her purse and brought out the photo of her, Maude, and their parents. The false smiles on her mother and father sickened her. Her smile was weak compared to theirs, and Maude didn’t smile at all the day the photograph had been taken.

Authentic. That was the word for Maude.

She had tried to get Maude to tone down her rebellion against their parents, but nothing ever worked. Maude hated their parents’ fabricated life they presented to everyone. So did she, but she had kept that to herself. Not Maude. Their parents hadn’t slept in the same bed in years, though to the clients of their law firm they seemed to be a happily loving couple with two wonderful adoring daughters.

Maude’s refusal to go to law school had been the beginning of the rift between her sister and their parents. But the gap continued to grow over the past few years. Maude was the black sheep in the family.

Until I moved in with Paul and took over that title.

Her father had glared at her. “A Kincaid doesn’t shack up, Mary.”

“I told you we were too lenient with her,” her mother had chimed in. “We should have never given into her getting her silly degree in writing.”

“It is a journalism degree, Mother, and it’s not silly.” Those were the first words of defiance she had ever spoken to her parents.

Their eyes had widened in shock.

Clearly only thinking of his and her mothers’ precious law firm, her father shook his head. “Your being just like your sister Maude. Where is my good girl? What happened to you?”

Her mother glared at her. “What will our clients think about this, Mary? Have you thought about that?”

“How will they know?”

“Springfield is big but it’s not that big. People talk. I can’t believe you are being so selfish.” Her mother’s tone had a sharp edge. “Are you pregnant?”

“Absolutely not. I can’t believe you would ask that.”

“It’s a logical question. At least we don’t have an unwanted baby to deal with. That’s some good news. We can fix this,” her mother said. “We just need to plan a wedding right away. No one will ever be the wiser.”

“I’m not ready to get married yet. This is 1980. This is how couples do things these days.” The argument had continued late into the night. She moved out the next morning. Thank God there had been no wedding. At least that was one smart decision.

“Here you go.” The waitress placed her lunch on the table.

“Looks great. Thank you.”

The food was delicious and satisfying. Finishing her meal, she spotted the payphone in the far corner of the diner.

I need to call Maude. She opened her purse and got several quarters to make the long distance call.

The operator came on and told her the amount for the first three minutes. She fed the coins into the phone, and the call connected. Ring. Ring. Ring.

“Hello, this is Maude Kincaid. Please leave your name and number and I will get back with you as soon as possible. If I like you, that will be quick. If I don’t…well, I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Maude started laughing before the beep sounded.

I can’t tell her everything on her answering machine. “Sis, this is Mary. Lots to tell you. Will try to call you later.”

She returned to the booth and found the waitress cleaning off the table.

“Would you like some dessert? We have some of the best apple pie in the entire Midwest. We were written up in Travel and Leisure magazine last year.”

Being a writer, she couldn’t resist. “I’ll have a cup of coffee and the pie.”

“With cheddar cheese or homemade cinnamon vanilla ice cream?”

“The ice cream sounds divine.”

“And it tastes that way, too.” The waitress smiled and headed back into the kitchen.

She reached into her purse and brought out the map. She unfolded it on the table.

Where to go? East or west? She had no clue except that she wanted to get far away from Springfield. Let the Fates decide for me.

Glancing around the diner, she saw several booths and tables filled with other customers. Her mother wasn’t here. She didn’t have to keep up any appearances. She could be herself, be like Maude.

She smiled and left the booth. Closing her eyes, she spun around. With her eyes still shut, she brought her finger down to the map.

When she opened her eyes, she saw several people staring at her. Some smiling. Some shaking their heads. She didn’t care. She brought her attention back to the map and saw her next destination.

“That’ll take me two days. Oh well. Wilde, Nevada, is as good a place as anywhere.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Mary turned on the taps, filling the tub with warm water. She poured in her favorite scent of bubble bath. The sweet aroma began to permeate the air. She lit the candles Carol had left for her, setting them around the edge of the tub. She placed her cassette that she’d retrieved from her suitcase in the portable player, which had also been left by her hostess. She had a wide selection of tapes, but after enjoying King Cakes at the diner, she wanted to go old school and listen to the man who inspired the breakfast dish. The songs on the tape were all soft ballads that helped set the mood for her to relax. As Elvis’s voice crooned one of her favorites, she carefully stuck her toe in to feel the water. The temperature was perfect.

She refilled her glass from the bottle of wine, another gift from Carol. When the tub was full, she turned off the taps, slipped out of her robe, and sunk down into the luxurious water.

Closing her eyes, she laid her head back on the bath pillow. She was so glad she’d met the Wildes—Carol, Tom, Will, and Jack. She had never been treated so well in her entire life. What would it have been like to have such loving parents as them? She couldn’t even imagine. Her parents were so self-absorbed and ambitious. Even though her sister was only a couple years older than her, Maude had been more like a mom to her than her own mother. They had shared a bedroom for many years. Maude made sure she would brush her teeth and get to bed early. Not her parents. Maude always read her a bedtime story to help her fall asleep. Maude’s favorite was always Little Red Riding Hood, but she favored Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Maude is going to make a wonderful mother one day.

Elvis started singing another song, and she began to drift off.

Three husbands? How is that even possible? One at time? All together?

She sighed at the sight of the infinite stars above her head. Craig brought her a rose. Dan handed her another glass of wine. And Dillon gave her strawberries dipped in chocolate. She smiled.

My three husbands. All mine.

“I love you all so much,” she confessed to them.

“And we love you,” they said together in their rich, deep, manly tones.

Dan smiled. “Do you have your camera ready?”

“Why do I need my camera?” She sat up, looking at the gate to the Wilde Ranch.

“Because it’s your birthday and we prepared something for you,” Craig said, stepping back to the gate with Dan and Dillon. God, they were the best-looking men she’d ever laid eyes on.

She smiled. “My birthday?” That was several months away, wasn’t it? November.

As the three of them began stripping out of their clothes, Elvis came up beside her with a guitar, singing one of her favorites of his.

She couldn’t look away from her three men and their perfect muscled bodies. They began gyrating like the King when he was on stage.

“Your husbands have some good moves, Mary,” Elvis said.

When she turned to agree with him, he was gone, leaving her alone with Craig, Dan, and Dillon. “This is the best birthday ever.”

Completely naked, Craig walked up to her.

She gazed at his entire body. “My, you have such a big dick.”

“Better to fuck your sweet lips with, my dear,” Craig said and then kissed her. She felt a tingle spread through her body.

Then Dan stepped in front of her.

“My, what a big dick you have, too.”

“Better to fuck your gorgeous ass with, my dear,” Dan said and then slapped her bare bottom, creating a powerful need inside her.

Dillon moved next to her.

“My, your cock is so big, too.”

“Better to fuck your tight pussy with, my dear,” Dillon said and then knelt down in front of her. When she felt his thick fingers slide across her slickened folds, she moaned.

Craig slid the tip of the rose’s petals over her shoulders and breasts, giving her sweet shivers. “God, you are so beautiful, sweetheart. You like when I do this?” He circled her nipples with the flower, causing them to tighten and throb.

“I like it very much,” she panted out.

Dan drizzled a few drops of the wine on her stomach and then began licking them up with his tongue. “I can’t believe you are ours, Mary. We’re the luckiest men in the world to have you.”

Tingles spread through her body. “I’m the lucky one.”

Dillon brought one of the strawberries to her lips. “Have a bite, my love.”

She loved the taste of chocolate with the citrus mixing together to create a wonderful treat. “Delicious.”

“As are you, honey.” Dillon pressed his lips to hers, kissing her into an intoxicating state of desire.

Dan’s kisses traveled down to her pussy. All three were taking their time, being so tender and loving with her. Her need to have them inside her and give her release began to multiply.

Kissing Dillon, she felt Craig remove the flower and replace it with his mouth. He sucked on her nipples. His hand went around her, and he began fingering her anus. Dan’s hot breath skating over her intimate flesh caused her clit to ache.

“I can’t take this anymore.” She writhed in the warm ocean they were floating in. “I need you. Now.”

“As you wish, my princess,” Craig said with a wicked grin. He pinched her nipples.

The three of them swam her to shore.

“Stand,” Dillon ordered.

A hot tremor rolled through her. She stood under the stars, and Dan knelt down in front of her and Craig behind. Dillon stood next to her, running his hands all over her body. When Dan and Craig began licking her pussy and ass, the pressure shot up inside her. They fingered and tongued her into a state of absolute abandon. Dillon kissed her again, sending his hot tongue past her lips. She melted into all of three of her men.