HC

  "Yes, that’ll do nicely,” I hummed to myself, patting my screen. My wife had asked for a murder mystery, and I wasn’t one to disappoint Paddy.

  I grinned at my pad. Yes, I, the best-selling sapphic author HC Merrin, had written a short story for the love of my life. She’d shop all day with our friends Sam and Rhoda, then come home to a treat composed just for her. A good day all around.

  I grabbed a coffee and sat down for one last proofread of my silly tale, chuckling to myself about the not-quite-murder-mystery I’d just written in honor of three shopping gals.

  Dedication

  To my wife, Padma,

  My beta-reader, Ayela,

  And our friend Rhoda.

  The three of them wanted me to write a murder mystery,

  and who am I to let down such inspiring women?

  A cheeky bastard, for sure.

  ?

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Something smelled amazing.

  It always did when I got home from work, but as I twisted the doorknob to our townhouse, I couldn’t deny that whatever my wife was cooking for dinner had me heading straight for the kitchen. Except Harley, said wife, was not having any of that.

  “Nope!” she said, waving her arms, blocking my view of the kitchen, and jumping up and down. I tried looking past her, but that only made her more determined.

  “To the bathroom with you!” she sang out, directing (nearly pushing) me to the side, away from the heavenly aromas.

  “I don’t need to pee; I need dinner!” I complained.

  “No, you need a nice, hot—“

  Harley broke off as my eyes took in what she’d prepared for me in the bathroom. The tub was surrounded by lit candles and filled to overflowing with bubbles.

  “— bubble bath,” I sighed, finishing my wife’s sentence.

  I felt her arms around my waist and her chest against my back, fingers swiping ginger hair from my neck as she whispered against my ear, “Happy birthday, Red.”

  “Thanks, Harley. This looks perfect.”

  “So, you get comfortable because dinner is going to be a little bit—“

  I cut her off, spinning in her arms, and wrapping one hand around the back of her neck.

  “Coming home to you is always bliss, Har.”

  I lingered a minute, watching her eyes widen and focus. Harley’s eyes always held my attention because the slight violet tint to the blue made me think impossible thoughts. Then I usually forgot everything else because the two of us together were a magic of our own.

  Tonight was no different.

  My nose found hers. My lips were next, covering her upper with mine, tongue sneaking a lick. A taste of red wine, tomatoes, and pure Harley.

  She groaned against my mouth, arms tightening at my waist. I pushed into her, but she stepped back, breaking the kiss.

  My eyebrows narrowed.

  “You: bath. Me: kitchen,” Harley ordered, chest heaving.

  “Well, at least I reduced you to two-word sentences.”

  “Oh, you’ve still got it, Red. Six years of marriage isn’t enough. Now obey, or you won’t like the consequences.”

  “Admit it, Har, there are no consequences.”

  “There will be when I think them up,” she laughed, picking up a wine glass from the counter and pushing it into my hands.

  As my wife backed outta the bathroom, I whispered, “Thanks, Har. This is perfect.”

  Her face bloomed in a smile as I knew it would. Harley loved taking care of me, but praise and spoken words were one of her love languages too, even though I wasn’t always great at them.

  “You’re welcome, Muriel.”

  “Best birthday ever!” I called at her retreating back, pulling the plus-sized, long-sleeve green tee over my head. The bathroom floor swallowed the rest of my clothes, and I slipped into heaven. Bubbles that smelled of lavender and chamomile; water so hot it almost burned.

  Closing my eyes and leaning my head back, I let the day melt away, and with it, the tension of long hours at the keyboard.

  “Thank you, Harley. Peace and quiet after a long day,” I sighed softly to myself.

  Ha, ha, ha. Famous last words.

  Discordant, don’t miss this story where the character gets trapped in Royal Road’s WriteAThon. There’s a lot to love about a story that’s sort of like our lives as web serial authors! I had so much fun reading it, and the author included ME in the book!