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Hi everyone! My name is Jayden Vincente (or J. R. Vincente) and I am an author of erotic fiction. I’ve been writing for over 15 years and published my first novel in 2015! I am active in the BDSM lifestyle and have been focusing my writing on Dominant and submissive relationships. My husband (and Dom), Richard, often writes with me on my blog. We enjoy writing together, but we haven’t ventured into writing a novel together (yet). Maybe someday. Please check out my published works, but also look for links across the top for long-form stories on the A to Z Challenge pages, as well as Short Story Collections I’ve written. All are guaranteed to make you squirm in your seat. 😉 Enjoy!
What would you do with the sudden opportunity to explore any facet of sexuality and BDSM with no judgment, prejudice, or dangerous consequences? In Mara’s community of Zebulon, that’s what she’s about to find out. With endless possibilities for exploration, she’s asked to work on a special assignment—an offer that will change the course of her life.
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Shit! Shit shit shit.” I just fell, and I’m pretty sure I broke something. I check my watch and it’s after 9 at night. That means the urgent care is closed and I have to go to the actual emergency room. I really don’t want to do that. I really, really don’t, but my wrist hurts a lot. A lot a lot.
I’m really not even sure I should be driving, but whatever. I certainly can’t afford to pay for an ambulance.
I struggle to get myself presentable enough for the emergency room and get in the car. “Ow, ow, ow,” I keep saying over and over again. This is just not what I wanted my night to look like.
Two hours later, I’m sitting in the waiting room, cradling my arm, trying not to whimper. It just sucks all around.
I can’t stop my foot from tapping. The pain is so bad and they haven’t given me anything. I just want to go to sleep. I’m so tired. I try to watch the people who are coming in and out just to give myself something to do. A single woman with a baby. A teenager and his disgruntled dad. And a guy on his own. Looks to be about my age (thirty). Just as my gaze falls on him, he catches me watching him. Oh crap.
He smiles a little, and I smile back. I watch in fascinated horror as he gets up and walks over to me. “Hi, I’m Xander.”
“Hi, I’m Xara. I’m just waiting for an x-ray,” I tell him, indicating my cradled arm.
“Me too,” he says. “May I sit with you while we wait?”
“Sure,” I say. He sits down in the chair across from mine so we can see each other.
“So, what happened.”
“It’s a long story,” I say.
“It looks like we’ve got time,” he responds with a smile.
I suppose we do…
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
Doing the wash is the chore I absolutely hate the most. Probably that’s because when I was married, I just did a load of laundry most nights in the laundry room that was adjacent to our bedroom. But now I’m divorced and live in a small apartment with no laundry in my unit and the laundry room in the basement of the building tends to eat quarters. (Yes, you have put in actual quarters. There’s no card swipe. And no, they don’t have a change machine. It’s obnoxious, really.)
So that’s how I found myself at the laundromat on a Saturday with enough clothes to fill four of the big washers. (I can also now tell you that I have enough underwear to get me through an entire month.)
I lug in my multiple bags of laundry and get everything started before sitting down with a book. I could probably go for a walk or something, but I just want to sit and read. Unfortunately, there’s a guy there who is going to make it difficult. I can tell already. He’s not a bad person, just a chatty person. I don’t want to put on headphones because the music would distract me, but I don’t know how else to politely let him know that I don’t want to start a conversation. It’s not him, honest. I just don’t want to talk to anyone right now.
I take a deep breath and listen as he chats away with someone who’s getting their laundry out of the dryer. I know that my reprieve of his chattiness is waning. The person he’s talking to leaves with a wave, and now we’re the only two people in the place.
He walks toward me, and I steel myself. I know it’s coming.
“Hey there,” he says.
I look up at him from my book.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see that you were reading. I hope you enjoy your book.”
And with that, he walks away down the row to an empty set of chairs and sits down.
I was not expecting that. Now I want to talk to him.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
I am only 30 years old, and my hair is falling out. I’m not sick. I’m not doing chemotherapy. I’m just a woman with unfortunate thinning hair. I’ve been mostly successful hiding it under hats or styling my hair, so it’s not obvious, but there’s only so much that can do for me. I went to the doctor, and she recommended some vitamins. So there I was, at the drug store, looking at a long aisle of pills, trying to find the one I needed.
“Can I help you find something?” a young employee asked.
It was nice of him to ask, but I was too embarrassed. So instead of saying yes like a reasonable person, I said, “No, thanks. I’m good.” He walked away, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I continued my hunt down the row of bottles. The vitamins were (at least roughly) in alphabetical order. This shouldn’t be so hard!
I decided to take a lap around the store to give myself a mental break, and then I came upon another person. Nervous as I was, this was a man I wanted to talk to. I tried to get a glimpse of myself in a mirror of some kind to see how my hair looked, but I couldn’t. I just had to hope it was okay.
I didn’t pay attention to what he was looking at. I just wandered over next to him and pretended to look at the shelf, but really, I was trying to look at him.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
My mind blanked.
“Uhh, just looking.”
“At the male pattern baldness section?” he asked, incredulous.
Oh shit. Well, “Yeah, actually.”
I turned my focus to the products in front of us, and lo and behold, there was the one I had been looking for all along. I picked it up off the shelf and flipped it over, glancing over the details on the back. And with a confidence I didn’t feel, I walked away, and hoped that he would follow me.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Uhhh,” she stood in front of the people at the bar and was suddenly too shy to say anything. She had put her name in to sing karaoke. She had been nervous but had decided to go for it. And yet, here she was, standing in front of them now, staring like a deer in headlights.
And then the music started. She looked at the screen, a countdown clock was running. Was she going to actually get the words out?
She had ignored her friend’s cardinal rule for karaoke: always pick a song people love singing along to. It makes it much easier to sing. But she hadn’t. Instead, she’d picked a love song. One that she adored, but still, it was quiet and slow, and not that entertaining. What had she been thinking? Maybe the malibu bay breeze I had made me more confident, but since that was an hour ago, her light buzz had worn off, and now she had to sing in front of all these people.
The notes played, the countdown ended, words appeared, and before she knew it, she was singing a song she loved, and people seemed to be enjoying it. She caught a few people singing along, and of course, people were chatting, but it seemed to go well. At the end, there was applause.
She nervously put the microphone back on the stand and stepped away, not bowing or making a show of herself like some of the more confident people would.
Her heart was pounding, and her palms were sweaty as she beelined for the bar. The bartender smiled at her. “You did great, Ursula!”
“Thanks!” she said in reply. She smiled.
“Do you want another drink?”
She nodded, confirmed that she wanted another of the same, and sat down on an empty stool while she waited for the bartender to mix her drink. As the bartender handed it over, a man slid onto the stool next to her and said, “That drink is on me.”
Ursula turned to look at him. “Uri?”
“Hey, Ursula,” he said with a smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“It sure has,” Uri said. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Oh?” Ursula asked. Ursula wasn’t interested in men, and Uri knew it, so she was surprised when a beautiful woman appeared next to him.
“This is Uma.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Uma,” Ursula said, extending her hand to the other woman.
“You did a beautiful job up there,” she said with a smile. “What are you drinking?”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
Spoiler: This one isn’t going to be a meet cute, just a cute scene.
– Jayden
“Scooby Doo is my favorite TV show of all time,” I say as I snuggle up against my boyfriend, Tom.
“Really?” he asks, and I can hear the smirk in his voice.
“Yeah,” I say. “What’s not to love? Funny jokes, hilarious gimmicks, ridiculous storylines, and happy endings.”
“That’s fair,” he says, and he pulls me close. He grabs the bowl of popcorn and watches with me as Dick Van Dyke in cartoon form falls into the Tunnel of Love along with Shaggy and Scooby. I laugh as he tries to find a light switch and falls out of the both.
Tom laughs, too, though not as hard, and I am grateful that I’ve found him. I want to kiss him and hug him and snuggle him forever. Maybe I’m just tired, but I fit so perfectly against him that there is nowhere in the world I’d rather be.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Did you hear about the submarine?!” my roommate, Sarah, said as she threw open our shared door. I don’t know who designed this dorm, but why they would make it so that the doors could fly open and bang against the wall, I’ll never understand.
“What submarine?” I asked.
“The one that went down to see the Titanic. They lost signal.”
“Oh, wow,” I said, still only half paying attention. I was trying to study for a math exam, and math was not my best subject. I just needed to get through this final exam and then we would be off for the summer. I was ready for it, but…
“You aren’t even listening to me,” she said, but I could hear the jest in her voice. “What are you doing?”
“Studying for this final tomorrow. I just know I’m going to fail.”
“You won’t,” she said. “You always make it through.”
I shrugged. “I’m not so sure this time.”
“Why don’t you call Sam?” Sam was her ex-boyfriend’s friend, who was a genius when it came to math. When Sarah and Chuck were dating, Sam hung around with Sarah a lot. I never really got to know him, though.
“I don’t even have his number,” I protested.
“I can give it to you.”
“I guess,” I said. “Why would he want to help me?”
She shrugged. “He’s just a nice guy. You could offer to like, pay him, you know.”
“Oh, yeah, I guess so.”
“It’s up to you,” she said, and my phone dinged with the notification that she had sent me his number.
I decided that I wasn’t getting anywhere with studying on my own and it didn’t hurt to ask. I hesitated over what to say, but finally settled on, “Hey, Sam, it’s Stacy, Sarah’s roommate. I’m struggling studying for this Statistics final and I was wondering if you might be able to help?”
I put my phone down, my heart pounding a little harder than it had been moments before. Why was I so nervous? He probably wasn’t going to even respond.
And then my phone started ringing. Ringing! Who made phone calls anymore?
It was Sam.
Oh. My. God.
I almost hit reject but then decided not to. “Hello?” I asked, as though I didn’t know exactly who it was.
“Hey, Stacy, I’m glad you texted.”
“You are?”
“Yeah!” He sounded excited. “I love stats, and I would be happy to help you out. Do you want to grab a coffee?”
This isn’t a date, I reminded myself, as I said yes, and made plans to meet in twenty minutes.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Time for… Mark and Arnie! This one should be fun. Next week I have to figure out if I’m going to try to squeeze into the timeline I set up or retcon the crap out of Mark and Chelsea’s meet cute. Also, the game day went from Bill’s house to Jenny’s. Bill and Jenny are married or something. Just roll with it.
~Richard
Arnold hummed to himself as he pulled into Bill’s driveway. He grabbed his army case and cider from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car. He let himself in and followed the familiar path into the kitchen, something spicy wafting out towards him.
“How’s it going, guys?” he asked. “Oh, you must be Pete!”
He’d never seen the guy leaning over the counter before. He was stirring a crockpot full of something orange, and he turned to face Arnold.
“Yeah. Arnold, right?” he closed the pot and held out a hand. Arnold set his cider on the counter and shook it.
“That’s me. Nice to meet you.”
Pete glanced at the beer and smiled. “Oh, cider. That’s fun. I was afraid I’d have to pick between six flavors of Pinesol.”
Arnold laughed. “Yeah, Bill and the guys like their IPAs. What’d you bring?”
“Salsa-queso chicken. Super easy, three ingredients, pretty tasty. Goes good with tortilla chips.
Arnold looked down at it. “My fiancée makes something similar. Hers is a little thicker though.”
“Yeah, it depends on how long you cook it for and stuff. Some people tell me it’s a soup, but it’s supposed to be more of a dip.”
“Well, I’ll have to have some in a little bit. Where are the other guys?”
“They’re out back taking a hit. You want to go out?”
“Nah, I’ll stick with the cider,” he put his army box case on the table and started unpacking. “What do you play?”
“I dabble. I brought Hellborne today.”
“Summon or sacrifice?”
“Summon. Sacrifice is boring in big games, you spend three quarters of the game waiting instead of only half like one vee one. What’ve you got?”
“Betrayed Paladins.”
“Nice! Do you roll an Ex?”
“Of course. Spent like a week on him.” He fished the model out and passed him over to the new guy, showing off the wyvern on his breastplate.
Pete whistled. “Nice detail on the crest. I wish I could get texture like that.”
“Thanks. It helps that it’s freaking huge. Those tiny summons are a pain to do detail on.”
“They are, I had fun with this summoner though.” He passed over a model of a woman in a blood colored chainmail bikini with firey whips.
“Was this a succubus?”
“It was, but Ariel found a nicer one and printed me one so I decided to do a conversion.”
“Cool work turning the whips into fire.”
“Yeah, that was a pain. Worth it, though. Gotta keep those Geminis in line.”
“Ughhhh, are you going to make me kill them like fifty times?”
“Only if I want to lose. I should go for at least sixty or seventy in a game this size.
Let’s see if Jaden gets this up tonight or is too busy playing her mouse clock board game…
Jayden did get it up tonight, ha!
Jayden will be back tomorrow, and I’ll see you all next Sunday!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
Romance is dead.
Or at least, it feels that way to me. I just found out that my boyfriend of three years has been cheating on me. He was so romantic, too. He was always sending me flowers, taking me out to dinner, bringing me gifts. But it turns out that all those times he was traveling “for work,” he was actually with another woman. And they were married! Can you believe it? I am so angry that I’m surprised smoke isn’t coming out of my ears. It certainly feels like it should be.
When I found out, I wanted to slap him or hit him or run him over with my car. Of course, I wouldn’t actually do that, but it was a tempting thought. How could he do this to me?
But at least we didn’t have kids. I mean, of course we didn’t have kids. He didn’t want to have kids, ever, he said, but his wife has kids. With him. He just didn’t want any more kids. But he didn’t say that to me. He just said that he didn’t want kids, and since neither did I, we just left it at that. I still can’t believe I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.
I sat down at my favorite bar, waiting for Pete, my regular bartender to bring me a drink, except… “You’re not Pete!” The words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them.
The bartender smiled and said, “I’m not. I’m Ramon.”
“Hi Ramon,” I said, trying to recover. I ordered a drink, explaining how I like it (which I never have to do with Pete), and looked over the menu I had long ago memorized, but it gave me something to do.
I ordered my food when my drink came out. It was a slow afternoon and Ramon leaned against the bar nearby, giving me enough space that we didn’t have to make small talk, but standing close enough that I could talk to him if I wanted to.
“So, Ramon,” I said.
“Yes?” he asked, sounding eager to strike up a conversation.
“Why are men so awful?”
He smirked at me. “What did he do?”
I wanted to be mad at the smirk, but I wasn’t. I got the humor in it, especially in my question that was bashing his whole gender. I launched into a tirade about my ex and the shit he put me through. Ramon listened, responding occasionally with the appropriate noises.
When I was done, he slid another drink across the bar to me without asking. “This one is on me. It sounds like you need it.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Don’t mention it,” he said with a smile. Then he leaned closer. “No, really, don’t mention it. I’m not supposed to buy drinks for the customers.” He winked at me as he pulled away, and I wondered if I should give him my number. Maybe romance wasn’t totally dead.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” I reply, not sure where this conversation is going.
“How often do you come here?” Here is the library.
“As often as I can,” I answer. I don’t work at the library, but sometimes I wish I could. I’m sure it’s not the way it actually is, but it feels like a nice, quiet job where you shelve books and very few people talk to you. I’m sure that’s not reality, and there are a lot of things I wouldn’t like, but it certainly seems ideal when I’ve had elementary school students yelling at me all day.
I am an elementary school teacher, teaching fourth grade, and my kids this year are a handful. So, as often as I can, I go to the library and sit in the peace and quiet. Of course, there are sometimes kids in the library, so I can’t always get away with that, but I do as often as I can.
The gentleman in front of me says, “I can see why. Surrounded by books, sitting in the quiet. I would want to spend every minute here if I could.”
“I do,” I say. “I’m sure I would miss the busyness of the classroom, though.”
“I’m sure,” he says. “I’m Quentin,” he says, offering me his hand. “I’m a substitute today.”
“Welcome, Quentin. I’m Quinn.”
“Q names!” he exclaims. “We’re a rare breed.”
“We are,” I agree. “Are you supposed to be subbing in the library today?” I ask. I hope the answer is yes because my hand in his is warm and I would love to spend thirty minutes sitting with him.
“No, but I’m on my lunch break, so I thought I would take a breather in here.”
“A man after my own heart,” I said with a smile.
“Well, Ms. Quinn, I am mighty glad to have met you today.”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“I can’t even spell it,” I muttered as I wrote my information on the wedding invitation. Invitation. Like I had a choice? My mom would kill me if I didn’t go to my brother’s wedding, even if I didn’t really want to.
The invitation spelled out that all of the food at the reception would be pescetarian because my brother’s fiancee doesn’t eat any meat except fish. I don’t actually have a problem with anyone who chooses to be pescetarian. I don’t even have a problem with having the wedding be pescetarian. What I have a problem with is her.
I mailed in my RSVP card and prepared myself for the onslaught of shit I would have to deal with as I got ready for the wedding. Bridal shower, bachelorette party, and on and on. At least she wasn’t asking me to be in the wedding party. I was convinced that my only brother would want me to be a bridesmaid, but I was glad that she left me out of it entirely.
By the time the wedding arrived, I was ready to be done with the whole thing. I wanted nothing more than to just skip it, but I had no choice. I donned my light pink sheath dress and matching heels. Even if I wasn’t happy about the wedding, I was going to look stunning.
The wedding itself was uneventful. I hoped that the open bar at the reception would be more interesting, but I knew that I would have a bunch of people who would ask me about my date, or lack thereof. I was not looking forward to that.
“Peach martini?” I asked the bartender. He slid one across to me a minute later, and I sipped it tentatively. It was delicious.
“Hello, gorgeous,” a voice said as I turned around, carefully watching the edge of my martini glass to make sure I didn’t spill as I went back to my table.
My eyes flitted up to the voice. “Paul?”
“Hey, Patty.”
“I haven’t seen you in…”
“A decade, at least,” he said. Paul and my brother were best friends as kids. I hadn’t thought of him in ages, but I had always had a crush on him as a pre-teen little sister. “You’ve grown up.”
“You, too,” I said.
“Want to get some air?”
“Boy, do I.”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“I play all the woodwinds,” he boasted.
Oh really? I wondered. I didn’t want to butt into the conversation the couple on the train was having, but I wanted to call him on his obvious bull shit. There are a lot of woodwind instruments.
Lucky for me, I didn’t have to.
The woman said, “Even the oboe?”
There was a pause, and I wanted to turn and look at him so badly, but they were behind me, and I didn’t want it to be obvious that I was listening to their conversation. I had one earbud in, but I had long before paused my music to listen in on the conversation. Was it wrong of me? Maybe. But they were in a public place, after all.
When I sat down on the seat on the train, I didn’t pay them much attention except to note that they appeared to be on a date. They seemed slightly awkward with each other, and there was a lot of that first date little touches that indicated they might want to take things further.
I wondered if they were going to the event at the aquarium. My stop was a few past there, so it would be obvious if they were.
Finally, he answered her, “Okay, so not every woodwind, but most of them.”
Ha.
The doors opened at the aquarium stop and he said, “This is us.” They stood and I watched them leave the train.
I couldn’t help but chuckle and wonder how the rest of their date was going to go.
I felt the brush of someone sitting down next to me, and I glanced in his direction. “I couldn’t help but listen in on their conversation,” he said to me confidentially. I raised an eyebrow at him. “Not-oboe man and his date,” he clarified.
I smiled. “I tried not to listen, but it was too hard.”
“Right? I would bet money that there won’t be another date.”
“Seems unlikely,” I said.
“What about you?” he asked, “Would you be up for a date?”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
The cookie aisle at the grocery store. It’s my most loved and most hated place in the store. There are so many good cookies, and I want to buy them all. But no, I have to pick one. That’s my rule. Everything in moderation.
And then I spy it. My favorite type of cookie: Nilla Wafers. They’ve been out of stock recently, and there’s only one more box. But just as I reach for it, another hand grabs it before me. Gah!
Oops, I let the sound come out. I honestly didn’t mean to.
And then I see that the guy who picked it up was one of the most attractive men I’ve ever seen. He reminds me of Dermott Mulrooney. He even has a little scar on the side of his mouth. I want to know what it would feel like to kiss it. I’m snapped out of my reverie by his voice.
“Sorry,” he says.
“Oh, it’s fine,” I say, waving his apology away. “I can pick a different cookie this week.”
He smiles at me awkwardly and then moves off down the aisle. A part of me is a little annoyed that he didn’t at least offer to let me have the box. I would have let him, of course, but it was the principle of the thing.
I was a little annoyed about it throughout the rest of my grocery store trip, but I had mostly shaken it off by the time I checked out.
I was pushing my cart out the door when suddenly, he was next to me.
“I’m sorry I took the last box of Nilla Wafers.”
I shrug, “It’s fine.”
“The thing is, they’re my grandmother’s favorite, and I don’t think she’ll be around much longer.”
“Oh,” I say, my whole perspective changing. I guess I should remember that I never know what someone else is going through. “I’m sorry.” My voice softens.
“It’s okay,” he says, though of course it’s not. I can tell that he’s struggling with the thought that he’s going to lose his grandmother, but also that he’s trying to talk to me… and flirt? Maybe? “Do you want a cookie?” he asks, smiling.
“I couldn’t,” I protest.
“Just a few. She won’t miss them,” he says. He opens the box and dumps out two cookies into the palm of his hand. He gestures to me, and I put out my hand. A couple of cookies drop into my palm.
“Thanks,” I say.
“You’re welcome,” he replies. He takes his hand and wraps his hand around mine, closing them around the cookies. “I hope you enjoy them.”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Monster and Cointreau,” I ordered, yelling over the karaoke singing at the bar.
The bartender raised an eyebrow at me. I knew the drink had a name. I also knew it was a terrible idea to mix a Monster Energy Drink with alcohol, but I was tired and needed the caffeine. I had tried one once, and it was tasty.
A minute later, I had my drink in hand (added to my ever-growing bar tab, of course) and was just heading back to my seat when the DJ called my name. Ah shit, My turn already.
I sipped my drink as I made my way over to the microphone. When I took it, I looked at the monitor for a hint as to what song I had put down next. I knew it was one of three picks, but I couldn’t remember which order I had put them in. I only ever do the same few songs at karaoke. Call me a creature of habit.
Ah yes, the great crowd sing-along song. Those are often the best to do at karaoke.
When the song ended, the applause took over. I smiled, handed the microphone back to the DJ, and tried to get back to my seat without making eye contact with anyone. I was pretty darn good at karaoke, but I didn’t like to be recognized for it.
Mark, the bartender, came out from behind the bar and over to my table. “Marcy, this is for you,” he said, handing me an identical drink to the one I was almost finished with.
“I didn’t order another one,” I said, secretly worrying that I had, in fact, pre-ordered another drink.
“You didn’t,” he said, “but that gentleman over there,” he nodded in the direction of a lone guy sitting in a booth toward the back, “ordered one for you.”
“Why didn’t he bring it over to me himself?” I asked.
“I think he wanted to make sure you knew your drink was safe. And listen, I know you don’t usually have more than two drinks in a night, and this one would make three. I poured very lightly on the alcohol,” he said, really emphasizing the word very.
I smiled up at him, “Thanks, Mark.”
“I got your back. And you know if you want me to tell him to buzz off, I’ll get him right out of here.”
I smiled. “Thanks, Mark. What do you think, though? Should I be nervous around him?”
“Other than the fact that I don’t know him, he seems like an all right guy.”
“Thanks, Mark. I’ll keep my wits about me.” I held up my now empty glass to him and took the much less strong one he handed me.
“Always got your back, Marcy.”
It was good to know that I was safe, regardless of whether or not this guy was a creep. But so far, I had a good feeling about the stranger in the bar.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Richard back with our next meet cute. Today, I’m doing Chelsea and Arnold, mostly because I’m tired and it’s the most straightforward of the ones I have left. I looked back and don’t think I’ve done any details for them. Or a physical description for Arnold, I’m pretty sure. I did find out I apparently had Mark calling her birdie, which I completely dropped. This will be “fun” to edit someday. Maybe.
Chelsea glared through the window of the snack stand as a bunch of girls dressed as slutty-whatevers ran screaming from the haunted house. Someone knocked on the backdoor before letting himself in.
“Break time!” he said. ‘He’ being some dingus dressed in a zombie fast food worker outfit with a goofy smile on his lightly freckled face underneath a mop of lightly fake blood-stained blond hair.
“Ugh, do I have to?” Chelsea asked.
“Do you have to go on break? I think state law says we have to give you a break, but I don’t think you technically have to go anywhere if you don’t want to.”
“Good,” she said, plopping down on a stool near the back of the shack and grabbing a caramel apple. Old Man Shaffer had a fairly lax policy about free food on break.
“Is there a reason you want to sit in here? Working on getting that popcorn smell really soaked into your costume?”
Her costume was a biker jacket with some poorly applied special effects makeup.
“Half the people out there are on a date. The other half are trying to get one. Last time I went out on my break a Frankenstein tried to proposition me.”
“Frankenstein or the monster?”
“I know the monster isn’t called Frankenstein. If you’re going to be a pain in the ass, maybe I will go for a walk.”
He pouted a little. He was cute when he pouted. Chelsea scowled again.
“Sorry. Let me start over. Your name is Chelsea, right?”
She nodded.
“I’m Arnold. Are you in school? I’m up on the hill, majoring in psychology.”
“Yeah, but I’m out at Fredrysville. Comp sci.”
“Just working here over the long weekend?”
“Yeah. Wasn’t the plan, but what else am I going to do?”
“I don’t know. What was the plan?”
“Put on a much sexier outfit than this and bone my boyfriend for 36 consecutive hours.”
“Ah. Did he… run out early?”
“I don’t know where he went. I haven’t heard from him in a month. Went to his dorm and they wouldn’t let me in. Thought about hiding in the bushes, but decided I wasn’t quite that crazy…”
“Oooh. Yeah, that sucks. You should have some caramel corn with your apple, that’s at least a two snack sob story.”
She dumped a scoop into a paper bowl.
“You’re right. How about you? Shouldn’t you be at some sorostitute Halloween party?”
“Not really my scene. Might as well make a couple bucks, right?”
“That’s almost as depressing as my story. When’s your shift over?”
“Whenever we get everyone wrangled out, why?”
“You got a ride? Or are you one of those poor carless freshmen?”
“We usually all just pile in the back of someone’s car.”
“Great. I’ll meet you here when you get out.”
“Okay… Are we going somewhere?”
“I dunno, maybe a bar, maybe a diner. We can’t both spend Halloween weekend as walking sob stories.”
You know, Arnie has that costume fetish, I could probably have used that here…
Jayden will be back tomorrow, and I’ll see you all next Sunday!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
Llama Ice Cream? There I was on a vacation to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, driving along a back country road, and there it was. Llama Ice Cream. Is it made with llama milk? Can you get milk from llamas? I pull into the parking lot and park, picking up my phone and googling the name. It’s definitely an ice cream store. And it’s definitely not made with llama milk. I have to try it, though. How can I not? With flavor names like lucuma, passion fruit, cherimoya, soursop, guanabana, dulce de leche, coconut…
I enter the small store, and it’s quaint, with just a few tables to sit at and a large counter with all of the ice creams on display. A large sign describes each flavor. I’m standing there, reading the sign, when someone comes out of the back room.
“Welcome!” she says with a bright smile.
“Hi,” I reply, brushing my long hair back from my face. I go back to looking at the flavors.
“You’re welcome to try any flavor you’re interested in,” she says.
I chuckle, “I want to try all of them.”
I glance over my shoulder at her, and she says, “That’s fine, come on over.”
Maybe it’s the fact that she’s feeding me delicious ice cream samples, but I can’t get over how cute she is.
When I get to the last one, I’m disappointed. Our almost flirty banter has been enjoyable.
“Have you picked your favorite yet?” she asks.
I have. It’s her, but I can’t say that. “Lucuma,” I say. “Just a small.”
“In a cup or cone?”
“Cup,” I reply.
She goes over, and I watch her pick up not the smallest cup and pile it high with ice cream. I’m never going to finish all of that. She brings it over and says, “This is my favorite flavor.”
I smile at her and wonder if she’s actually flirting with me. “Do you want to share?” I ask.
Her grin is unmistakable. “Yeah, let me just go take my break.”
She goes off to the back of the store, and I hear her voice but can’t make out the words, and then she’s back. She takes off her apron and says, “Do you want to sit outside?”
“Sure,” I say and follow her out onto the porch. I’m so nervous, I’m not sure I can even eat my ice cream, but damn if I’m going to turn down sharing with this beautiful woman.
Llama Ice Cream is a real place! I stumbled upon it on vacation and thought it was a fun setting for this meet cute!
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“Hello, m’lady, and welcome to Medieval Times,” a big voice greeted us as we entered the large building. It was built to look like a castle, and I absolutely could not believe we were here. My best friend since elementary school and I have always given each other experiences instead of gifts. So, for Christmas, she told me to put a particular date on my calendar, and that was all she would say. I didn’t know what we were doing or where.
She was driving along, and I was looking out the window, and I said, “Wow, that building looks like a castle.” She just smiled. “Oh my god, it really is a castle!” I exclaimed as we got closer.
Well, I was close. It wasn’t actually a castle, but it was certainly built to look like one.
We had been to Medieval Times as kids on a school field trip together, and now we were going back as adults to experience the wonder of knights and kings, and the sweet, sweet thrill of competition. Plus, delicious food, served with no utensils. Why not?!
Everyone who worked there had a character to play, and as adults in a space that feels more geared towards kids and families, it’s always fun to play along.
“What can I get you to drink, m’lady?” our servers asked. He told us his name was Kevin and that he would be helping us. By the time the meal was over, I was having serious crush vibes on Kevin.
“He’s so cute,” I whispered to my friend.
“You should ask him out,” she whispered back.
“I could never,” I said, feigning shock. We giggled like school girls and were still giggling when Kevin came back to the table.
“Are you two having a good time?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye, and I wondered if he heard what we’d said.
“Yes, of course!” I said, still giggling and nervous now that he’d overheard me. My face reddened.
He took our dishes and brought out dessert a few minutes later. As the show wrapped up, he came over to me and bent low so that only I could hear him. “I heard what you said, you know.”
My eyes went wide.
“I think you’re cute, too. I could probably lose my job for this, but if you want me to call you, leave your number on your napkin.”
He stood up and was gone before I could even process what happened, moving down the row of tables, his booming, friendly voice carrying back to me. A chill went down my spine. He was super cute, and I was super sure I wanted to leave my number.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
“We count to three and then jump,” he said.
What the hell was I doing? I wondered, not for the first time.
It was my 40th birthday, and I had decided to go skydiving. I don’t know why that’s what I had decided to do. When my feet were firmly planted on the ground, I am sure that I had some great reasons for wanting to jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but right now, I just couldn’t fathom what they were.
Is it too late to get off the plane? I wanted to say. But my tongue-in-cheek answer was, No, not at all. You’re going to jump. On the count of three, remember?
“One,” he said.
Oh fuck.
“Two.”
My mouth was dry, my adrenaline was through the roof.
“Three.”
And then we were flying. No, we weren’t flying anymore. That was the plane. We were falling. But it’s not what I expected. I thought that my stomach would drop like on a roller coaster, but I actually feel…weightless. It’s nice. And the scenery is beautiful.
I wish that I could capture this moment forever, but I know that a picture will never capture the feeling.
When my tandem jumper pulls the cord for the parachute, I do feel my stomach lurch unpleasantly. But then before I know it, we’re on the ground.
My whole body is shaking, but I’m grinning from ear to ear.
What was the guy’s name? I struggled to remember. Jack? Jason? Justin? Shit.
“You did well,” he said.
“Did I?” I asked.
“There was a moment there that I thought you were going to chicken out.” I could just see the corner of his mouth tilting up in a smile.
“I thought about it,” I said truthfully.
“But you went through with it.”
“Yeah, I did. I need a drink.”
His laugh was throaty and sexy. “Let’s return our gear and then the drinks are on me.”
Did this just turn into a date?
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
– Jayden
Lick it, bite it, I don’t care how you eat it, ice cream is my favorite thing. There’s a small ice cream stand down the street from my new apartment, and I am so excited to try it out. I think they have been there for a long time, but I’m new.
It’s only a couple of blocks, so I walk down, jogging as I cross a somewhat busy street. I go inside and order at the counter. I am taking in everything, but there’s so much new to me. There’s a sign that the cashier is Deaf, so I should speak clearly and look at her when I order. I see the menu that’s obviously fixed and a board with daily specials. The soup today is Minestrone, and the ice cream is peanut butter. Yum.
I am salivating at the thought of eating the peanut butter ice cream, but I need real food first. I order a cup of soup and a chicken sandwich. I hope it’s good.
When I’m done, I go back for the ice cream. I get it in a cone (the best way to eat ice cream, in my opinion) and sit back down at my table. It’s not uncomfortably warm in here, but it is warm enough for my ice cream to melt. And melting it is. It’s melting faster than I can eat it, and I don’t see any napkins handy. I’m just trying to keep up with the melting sweet, but it starts to drip down my hand and is about to drip on the table when a guy slides into the booth opposite me, handing me a napkin.
“Thought you could use this,” he says.
“Thanks,” I say. I must look like a mess. I am sure there’s ice cream dripping down my chin and it’s all over my hand.
He stands up and leaves me to my misery, but then a minute later, he comes back. This time he has a bowl, spoon, and wet naps. Well, this is a surprise.
“Thanks,” I say again.
“You’re welcome,” he replies. “I’m Isaac.”
“I’m Isabella,” I say.
He grins. “Both of our names start with i. Isn’t that fun? Maybe this is the start of a beautiful friendship?” His voice sounds hopeful.
“Maybe so,” I reply, but I’m blushing furiously. It’s a bit overwhelming for me to have this random stranger talk to me. I’m an introvert. This is too much. I want to hide. I take a deep breath and try to finish my ice cream.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
This one is a continuation of G is for Goo since almost the last line fit right in. Enjoy!
– Jayden
“Hi,” I said.
“I love Erin Morgenstern,” said the woman who minutes ago had given me something to wipe my hands when I put them in something sticky on the diner table.
“Erin Morgenstern is my favorite author,” I replied. I wasn’t surprised by this turn of events. Many women liked Erin Morgenstern, and the fact that I was a man who liked her was not unheard of, but it was definitely less common.
“When I read the Night Circus, I finished it, and then immediately started it over again.”
“Me too!” I said. “I couldn’t put it down, even the second time. Have you read The Starless Sea?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It took me a while to get into it the first time, but I think that was just because I only read for five minutes a night, and I couldn’t pick up the thread of the story. But once I got into, yeah…” she let her voice trail off.
“I have read it so many times, and every time, I feel like I find something new.”
“I know, it’s crazy. So many intricate details. I actually created a cross stitch pattern for the cover of the Night Circus. I couldn’t find one I liked, so I made one.”
“Wow,” I said. “I would love to see that.”
“I’m Hailey,” she said.
“George,” I replied.
“Hi,” she said, and she extended her hand for me to shake.
I took it in mine and smiled. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that my date had bailed on me, afterall.
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
Welcome to the A to Z Challenge! I am excited to share with you some meet cutes (and maybe some sexy scenes) throughout the month of April! Richard is going to be chiming in with a few of his characters from his Hallmark story, too! Here is the next installment, but stay tuned every day (except Sundays) this month for a short scene! Like and comment, and maybe I’ll continue the more popular stories in May!
Richard is picking my words for me. Goo! What a Goof!
– Jayden
“Ugh! Yuck! What is this goo?” I yelled.
I was at a diner, sitting down at a table, and when I set my hand down, I set it right into something gooey and gross.
The host seating me looked apologetic as he said, “Sorry, man. Let me get something to clean that up for you.” The diner was full, and I had waited 15 minutes for a table, so I didn’t want to ask for another table. If it had been emptier, I definitely would have.
The woman in the next booth turned around and handed me a wipe. “Here you go,” she said.
“Thanks,” I said. I didn’t really look at her, just took the wipe and cleaned up my hand. By the time I was done, the host was back with a rag. He wiped down that spot on the table and the rest of it for good measure.
“Sorry again,” he said.
“It’s fine,” I replied. Still annoyed but understanding that it wasn’t his fault and that the restaurant was busy.
I watched the host go to a server, talk for a moment, and then she made a beeline for me. I would be $100 bucks that he told her that I was already displeased and she shouldn’t make me wait.
She brought me a drink on the house as an apology, which I thought was overkill, but I wasn’t going to argue with a free drink. Then I settled back to wait for my date. A diner for a first date is terrible, I know, but it was what she wanted. She said it was her favorite diner, and that the eggs benedict was to die for, and that we should absolutely go there.
Now after the goo, I’m not sure this is the best diner, but I was still willing to give it a chance. On the other hand, I glanced at my watch, she was 15 minutes late. I checked my phone and sighed. She had texted me at least, and she was bailing on me.
Sorry, George, I really am. I just don’t think I’m ready to date yet. I thought I was, but I’m just…not.
I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. I was here, and I was taking up a table. I would hate to abandon my server with no tip. I reached into the bag I carried with me and pulled out a book. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. The cover was worn and the spine bent. I couldn’t count the number of times I had read it.
I signaled the server politely, let her know it would just be me, and placed my order. She looked at me with pity, which I hated.
I heard some movement behind me, in the booth where the woman had handed me a wipe. I glanced in her direction and saw that she was about to tap me on the shoulder. “Oh, hello,” she said with a smile.
“Hi,” I said.
“I love Erin Morgenstern.”
Check out what’s going on with other A to Z Bloggers on the Master List, and come back all month long! Leave us a comment if you’re participating, and I promise to visit your blogs, too!
J R Vincente 