Here is a list of all the authors flashing this week, along with a brief snippet from their latest free work. Click the link after the snippet to be taken to the complete story on the author’s home page.

Moving Forward #37 (8.5) by Julie Lynn Hayes

The cruise boat returned all too soon.  As they shuffled single file back on the boat, along with the other passengers, Marshall was grateful Lee had insisted on slathering a lot of suntan lotion on him. Some of the poor tourists resembled boiled lobsters. He noticed some of these poor souls headed straight to the bar, probably to anesthetize themselves again the pain with a little liquor.

Now that everyone had had a chance to relax in the water, the real fun began. The calypso band began to play again, as the tour guide announced it was time for some barefoot dancing. Marshall wasted no time in losing his shoes, and sweet-talked Lee into doing the same.  People of all ages joined in, dancing with one another, and gyrating to their hearts’ content. No one cared how well they could or couldn’t dance. It was just for fun.

Bolero by Sarah Hayes

The apparition appeared a few minutes after midnight, when the sky was void of stars and the moon had taken cover behind a thick mass of clouds. In its path, grass grew wild and vines crept across the sidewalk to sink deep into the earth’s foundation.

Dylan was perched at the window, thick dreads hanging long over his Spanish guitar, which he’d spent the past five minutes tuning. Most of the time, Dylan did not appreciate the solitude of his summer residence, a row house thirty minutes from the nearest city, isolated by forest and looping dirt roads and a lack of public transit. The other rooms in the row house had been abandoned as soon as the summer heat hit, and the landowner lived in an air-conditioned apartment in the city. But now, when his guitar was ready to sing, Dylan enjoyed being the only human to hear its song within a ten-mile radius.

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Mine!: Chapter Three by Cia Nordwell 

Kraig wrapped his hands around mine, pressing them to his cheeks.

“The doctor did this,” I said grimly. “And he was using the samples he took from us to do more tests and experiments on Kraig. I killed him and his wife and was going to kill the intruder who thought he could become an alpha through science… but that wasn’t what was going on. I found Kraig.”

I gently turned his hand over so I could stroke his wrists. The antiseptic properties in my saliva had helped, but the wrist he’d sliced open tearing it free from the manacles

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Buy One, Get Two and Three, Chapter 18, By Carol Pedroso

Daniel

“I can’t believe you got him up on stage.” Silas was bouncing on his toes as Toby led the way into their home.

Daniel blushed red. “I didn’t even think about having an audience. You both know that I love that song and dance routine.” He’d only remembered the crowd when the song had ended and he’d just wanted to get off the stage as soon as possible. He’d been so grateful when Master Carlos had lifted him down.

Shaking off his thoughts he turned to look at his smirking brothers. “I’m heading for bed.

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Thirteen Black Cats: Chapter 4 by Louise Lyons