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The Curse of the Syllogism
“So now you owe me.”
Silvia frowned, suspicious.
Jim smiled a little wider. “Now it’s your turn to gimme a couple of weeks, and come play my everyday woman in my everyday life. Not isolated in the middle of nowhere, not in the madness of a tour, not surrounded by your friends like frigging bodyguards, but my real everyday life. Don’t you think that’s the logical next step?”
He would’ve loved to feel anything like laughing when he saw her gawk first, then gasp and frown again, as she still tried to believe her ears. He kept quiet, holding her gaping eyes with his mild smile, his fingers still toying with her hair.
Silvia closed her eyes, breathing as deep as her racing heart allowed her to.
He was right, of course.
It was obvious that would be the logical next step for him.
But everything had devolved into disaster with Pat only when she’d visited him in the US. When she wa
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No Return Behind the Syllogism
That Friday, the Robinsons found themselves literally shipped away on a fishing tour for the afternoon. Jo wanted to meet with Claudia in Beltane to try some ancient Celtic recipes, and she refused to leave the brothers indoors on such a beautiful day.Silvia waved Jim goodbye, holding back her laughter at the brothers’ faces in the transfer to the harbor, and decided to make good use of that noon.The house Paola and her boyfriend had built at the end of his mother’s backyard was cozy and welcoming, just like the owners. It was only four streets away from Silvia’s office, so they had a while to talk before she went to work. Paola waited for her with mate ready and a thousand questions she wouldn’t ask.After ten minutes of casual conversation, Paola decided it was enough beating around the bush.“He’s leaving on Monday, right?” she said, still in the same casual tone.Silvia didn’t look up f
No Return Word to the Wise
The boat floated in the broad quiet bay, the lake shores at both sides covered by thick woods that climbed up the steep slopes of the mountains.Jim grabbed two beers from the cooler and strolled back toward the stern, where Sean sat, determined to hold the frigging stick until he caught one frigging trout.The tour guide had noticed right away that his passengers were into fishing as much as he was into rocket science. He’d set their fishing rods, taught them the basics and let them be. He settled them at the stern and stayed near the prow, taking his time to pick the perfect fly for that perfect afternoon.Sean thanked the beer with a grunt, mustering his patience. Jim dropped himself on his camping chair, cap down to his eyes, and sprawled out, clearly intending to take a nap. Sean didn’t recall ever seeing him so easy and contented like he’d been over the last week. And it didn’t fool him for a minute.“She’s coming
No Return The Next Song
A ringtone Deborah hadn’t heard for a while woke her up at dawn on Saturday.“About time,” she grunted, picking up.Her move woke up Sam, that saw her sit up in bed.“Lend me your phone,” she whispered. “I need to write something down.”He did. Deborah didn’t ask a single question. She just wrote down what Jim was dictating from Patagonia and disconnected with a little smile. Sam understood their plans to spend a few days in Los Cabos had just been cancelled.“Some miracle request?” he asked.“Nah, just a few calls. But I’m gonna set the Department of State on fire if that’s what it takes to have that asshole kicking my ass again.”At the other hemisphere, Jim left Silvia’s passport on the bookshelf and went back to her room. Good thing the black beast had apparently decided to remove him from the risky guest category, and was sleeping with Tobias, instead of lying across Silvia’s doorway as it’d been the first nights Jim had
No Return Downfall
It felt just so awful, the way the clock jumped back instead of moving forward as they crossed time zones to the west. And with every repeated hour of that endless night, Silvia felt she was losing all she knew and loved, to walk utterly alone into whatever the next days might have in store for her. She expected to feel that way, just like the irrational fear clutching and twisting her guts. She would’ve liked to be able to do something about her instinctive withdrawing into herself to muster her courage and breathe deep before such a leap.To make it worse, she felt oddly confined in that luxury seat that had her walled up like a baby pen. She could connect with the whole damned world, yet she couldn’t look straight at Jim on the next seat without bringing her feet down from the box under the TV shelf, sitting up and leaning in, past the ugly thing all around her head with more plugs and stuff, and the little counter between the seats.The moment she moved
No Return To-Do List
Deborah was waiting for them at LAX, to make sure with her own eyes the Robinsons were back, and mostly to assess Jim’s mood. She spotted the two couples coming out from the Customs Office and a glance was enough for her to know they were back in business. She allowed herself a heartfelt sigh. No more Jim pissed off every time she told him about a public event she couldn’t cancel. No more pressure from the label to make them play live again now that Sean had been cleared by his doctors. No more demos with nothing but gloomy songs about broken hearts. No more bizarre drunk stunts at parties. Well, at least for the next ten days, which gave Debora ten days to come up with some master plan, in order to extend the good season until further notice.Her merry welcome made the brothers trade a suspicious look, but they didn’t make any question while they followed her to the parking lot and her SUV.Deborah was surprised to see Jim didn’t get in the pas
No Return All the Sunsets
The house was quiet in the warm silence of the sunset when Jim came out of the shower, still savoring such a gratifying homecoming. He felt as good as new after a good meal, quality sex and a nice nap. Silvia had gotten up while he was in the bathroom and he didn’t hear her around. He headed downstairs, guessing where he’d find her.It felt good, being back where he could enjoy the drops still dripping from his hair, down his chest and his back, without fearing to catch a virulent flu.There she was, of course, at the deck, the place that had caught her attention the moment she’d set foot on his house. Not because of the swimming pool or the comfy loungers or the small bar counter under the hay roof, but because of the view.She was wearing a black top and a light sarong, bare feet on the floorboards, arms resting on the railing, face to the sun setting on the sea, a cigarette between her fingers, her loose hair floating softly in the ocean bre
No Return The Face of the Sun
Jim’s phone rang at nine, thirty minutes before the alarm he’d set. Silvia slept against his back, and he was trying to turn around without waking her up when her hand showed up under his arm with his phone.“Thanks,” he muttered, and picked up already grumbling, “Fuck off, Deb. I know I gotta pick you up at eleven.”“Just checking. Steve’s gonna be ready to take off at noon and—”“Bye.”“Photoshoot today?” mumbled Silvia when he disconnected and threw the phone on the nightstand.Jim pulled from her hand to round his waist again. “Yeah. And it’s gonna take all day, if I know Steve. Wanna come?”“I’d love to.”“I think I might need a little insisting to take you along.” He pushed her hand down, and jerked when it slid around his hips to grab his butt.Silvia giggled against his back. “Sorry.
No Return It's Us
Deborah got an email when they were already driving into the city.“Club opening tonight,” she said, reading it. “Feel like going?”“Yeah, why not,” Sean replied. “Let’s go, dude.”They got no answer from the backseat. Deborah looked back and saw Jim sleeping with his head on Silvia’s lap. She was asleep too, her arms around him.Sean threw a punch to his brother’s legs. “Dude!”“Fuck you,” Jim grunted, eyes still closed.“Club opening. Tonight. We’re going.”“Yeah, yeah.”Back to Jim’s house, Silvia turned pale when she learned that he wanted to take her with him that night, which meant that he would show up in public with her. She fought the temptation of pleading exhausted, reminding herself once more why she was there—to be his everyday woman in his everyday life. If he wanted her by his side f
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