Disclaimer: This is unbetaed and practically unproofed work. The whole concept of NaNoWriMo is to kick start the creative juices without regard to editing. That can start on December 1st after NaNo ends! There are some references to a homosexual relationship in this story, although nothing graphic, but if that offends you, caveat emptor! And Mei Mei is a reference my red chow of the same name not my screen name!

Excerpt #3

James wondered if he should be wearing a helmet as he poked his head around the door to Sandra’s office. Or maybe a cup and he wasn’t talking about the Starbucks one in his hand… He wasn’t sure that the venti Starbucks vanilla cappuccino, with whip cream on top, of course, would protect him where it would really hurt. She had really been pissed when she called yesterday.

“Good morning,” he said warily, a smile plastered on his face.

“What’s good about it, traitor?”

Yeah, a cup might be needed. “I brought you coffee!” he said brightly as he moved around the doorframe slowly. Best not to make any sudden moves, it might set off the beast.

“Humph! I guess that you are trying to make me prostitute myself for coffee!”

“You know that’s not true! I didn’t realize just how much you, er, liked Colin. I wouldn’t have asked you to go out with him if I’d known.” He slowly placed his peace offering on her desk.

“Liar! Yes, you would have! If you thought it would help Jeff!”

He bowed his head in guilt. “Okay, I probably would have,” he mumbled contritely. “But only cause I love him…” He made his voice sound pitiful and stuck his lower lip out in a pout. He risked a glance at his friend to see her trying to keep a smile off her face. “Forgive me,” he wheedled, his head still down and his lower lip stuck out pathetically.

The smile finally won and then succumbed to a grin. “You are incorrigible!” She sighed. “I guess you’re forgiven. But make sure lover boy keeps that card well stocked because you got a lot coffee fetching in your future!”

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!” He saluted her with his coffee cup and turned to go get to work. “Lunch?” he asked over his shoulder.

“Of course,” she replied.

~~~

“So, dish, girl, dish,” James said over sushi and salad at lunch. Sandra rolled her eyes at him.

“There’s nothing to dish about. Colin and I went running, chaperoned by Mei Mei, I might add, on Saturday morning. Saturday night we went to a local Italian food place. Nothing fancy, I even wore jeans and sneakers. And I went home alone!”

Sandra watched as James rolled his eyes back. “Not Saturday! I heard all that when you were ranting on the phone. Yesterday! Did you go running again, did you call him to go running? Answers…” He waved his hand in a rolling motion.

“No, I did not call him!”

“You didn’t go running, either, did you?” James set his chopsticks down and looked at her, daring her to say otherwise.

“No, I didn’t! But not because of him. I must have pulled something Saturday.” Sometimes she really regretted that James knew her so well. She sighed, “Look, I like him. So shoot me. But it is way too soon for me to even think about another relationship!”

“Why? Your marriage has all but been over for the last two years. You don’t need a final decree. If you like Colin, and he seems to like you, why not take a chance?”

Sandra sighed. James just didn’t get it. “James, in my mind, yes, I knew it was over at least six months ago when we tried that awful reconciliation. But in my heart, it ended two weeks ago. I’m just not ready.”

“Sweetie, I’m not saying you have to sleep with him. You don’t have to pull a Samantha. You can be Charlotte. You date him. Go to dinner, go running, talk… Sex can wait.”

Although amused by his Sex in the City references, Sandra shook her head emphatically. “Nuh uh…” she mumbled as she tried to keep from talking with her mouth full. Swallowing quickly, she continued, “You don’t understand! When I’m around him, I’m more than willing to be Samantha! It was all I could do last night not to jump him in front of the apartment building. We would have been doing the whole ‘sex in the elevator scene’ if I had let him step one foot in the building! I can’t trust myself to date him!”

His napkin over his mouth, James was beside himself laughing.

“It’s not funny! I’ve spent that last two sleepless nights so sexually frustrated that not even the damn vibrator could take the edge off!” The volume of her voiced increased in frustration.

James was choking now, his hand flailing about, pointing around the restaurant. Sandra looked around to see who all had heard her last comment.

“Oh, great! Now I’ll never be able to come back to this restaurant!” She threw her napkin at her giggling friend. “Oh, shut up!” she hissed as she reached for her purse and called for the check. Even the little Japanese waitress that barely spoke English appeared amused. It was probably too much to hope for that she was laughing at James’ hysterical fit.

Disclaimer: This is unbetaed and practically unproofed work. The whole concept of NaNoWriMo is to kick start the creative juices without regard to editing. That can start on December 1st after NaNo ends! There are some references to a homosexual relationship in this story, although nothing graphic, but if that offends you, caveat emptor!

Excerpt #2

James heard the phone ring but ignored it. It was too early on a Sunday for him to deal with it. By the third ring, he felt Jeff lean over him to grab the offending piece of technology.

“What,” he growled as he flopped back down on the bed. James turned and snuggled up to the warm body. “It’s for you…” Jeff mumbled, his voice gravelly with sleep. James felt the phone drop onto his body as Jeff rolled out of bed.

James was whining before he picked up the receiver. “It’s Sunday…” he moaned. “Who’s this?”

“It’s Sandra. And you, my once upon a time friend, are a dead man.”

“If I’m dead then I should be able to rest in peace without early morning phone calls…”

She continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “I should never have let you talk me into going out with Colin last night! I can’t believe I did that! I can’t believe I let a little Starbucks coffee influence me like that!”

James really was trying to listen but it was difficult. He had the mildest form of a hangover, just dehydration really, and it was making her words sound like a foreign language.

“Slow down, Sandy…”

“I’ve told you not to call me Sandy! Add that to the list of reasons why you are going to be miserable for the rest of your career!”

“Sandra…” he whined. “I just woke up… I’ve only had…” he glanced at the clock. “Shit, I’ve only had four hours of sleep and why the hell would you even think to call me at seven in the morning, I’ll never know. Can we talk about my imminent demise later?”

“I haven’t had any sleep either! And misery loves company, so WAKE YOUR ASS UP!”

James sighed, rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed. The aroma of coffee brewing at least helped him get his eyes opened before he tried to stand. “Hold on a minute,” he yawned as he stumbled toward the kitchen. The sound of her voice continued as if she hadn’t heard him or didn’t care. Handing Jeff the phone, he whispered, “Growl at her for a minute. I need the bathroom.”

James could hear Jeff saying hello but that’s all he managed to get out. Evidently, Sandra was tearing into him also. She seemed to have a lot to say because all he could hear from Jeff was the occasional ‘But, Sandra…’, ‘I know but…’. She was definitely on a roll.

James staggered back into the kitchen and took the phone from his lover. He held it out away from them as he kissed him a quick good morning and accepted a cup of coffee. Sandra’s voice droned on the entire time. She didn’t seem to need a response, not air either. It didn’t sound as if she had taken a breath through the entire tirade.

“I thought you’d want to go back to sleep,” James whispered to Jeff.

“Nah, I’ll get some work in this morning for a little while and then maybe we can go find brunch somewhere.”

“Good idea,” James whispered as he stole another kiss. “I guess I should try talking to her,” he said as he glanced at the phone in his hand. “Did anything she said to you make sense?”

“Not much but from the context, I would say that she’s got a serious case of the hots for our friend Colin.”

“Oooh, I can work with that,” James said with an evil grin. Moving the receiver to his shoulder, James winked at Jeff as he asked, “So are you trying to tell me you got laid last night?”

Jeff nearly snorted his coffee.

Disclaimer: This is unbetaed and practically unproofed work. The whole concept of NaNoWriMo is to kick start the creative juices without regard to editing. That can start on December 1st after NaNo ends! There are some references to a homosexual relationship in this story, although nothing graphic, but if that offends you, caveat emptor!

Excerpt #1

Sandra woke to the realization that the loud noise was the ringing in her head. And that she was definitely not in her own bed. As a matter of fact, after cautiously opening her eyes, she was able to determine that she wasn’t even in a bed. It was a couch. She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. It wasn’t her couch. One hand slid up on to the couch from where it had been hanging. Slowly, it checked the state of her clothing.

“Oh, thank God,” she mumbled as she came to the conclusion that she was indeed still clothed. But where the hell was she? Last night was a bit of a blur. A piano bar. In the Village. Jeff and James. Okay, bits and pieces were popping into her head.

Her thoughts stopped with her breathing when she heard a groan. So evidently, someone else was here. Well, duh… It wasn’t her house. There had to be someone else here. Okay, logic and hangovers didn’t mix well. A moan followed the groan. Were they sick? Did they need help? And most importantly, would they share space over the porcelain? Another sound followed and then the words, ‘Oh, God, yes!”

Okay, she could officially die now. It appeared that illness was not the problem. She was eavesdropping on someone having sex. Before her alcohol soaked brain could put two and two together, the door across the room opened. James emerged looking far too sexy and a little flushed.

“You’re awake,” he said far too cheerfully for her taste. “I’m surprised you’re alive after all the vodka you put away last night. The bathroom is over here. I’ll be out in a sec.” He opened the door he had indicated. “Oh, by the way,” he said without looking back at her, “your legal bill is paid.”

Sandra wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole as she remembered James’ comment about what Jeff wanted in return for representing her in her divorce.