September 22, 2016, Fortis Beach, Florida

As midnight neared, a gibbous moon partially lit the fall equinox evening in a silvery glow. A warm breeze whispered across the cemetery's rolling hills, stirring the leaves of the ancient oak looming over the two young women.

"Justice delayed is justice denied."

Marie turned to the woman, her elegant form a stark silhouette against the moonlight. The woman’s sharp voice hung in the air. She was statuesque and striking, the rustle of her smart skirt and the soft sheen of her silk blouse barely audible. Her long, black hair framed a dramatically beautiful face. Marie asked, “What did you say, Val?”

Valeria stopped and turned to the twin sister of the woman she had loved. Val sighed heavily, hearing the voice that sounded so familiar once more. “Nothing, Marie. Just something I heard a lawyer say the other night on the news.” She considered Marie standing there meekly and locked onto the pretty face surrounded by long blonde hair. Marie resembled Anna enough to make Valeria’s soul ache, but she wasn’t her. I’m glad they weren’t identical twins. I’d go crazy.

Marie was dressed in jeans and a soft gray sweater, her cute shape subtly evident. Marie wasn’t the curvaceous woman Anna had been, but she was still very attractive. Valeria thought Anna had looked younger than her twenty-three years, while Marie somehow looked a little older, a little more…worn. But most different, Marie’s blue eyes were no match for Anna’s emerald green ones.

The most painful thing, though, was that Marie sounded just like Anna. Every time Marie called her cell, Valeria’s heart would leap for a second at the sound of that voice before crashing into the reality of loss once more.

Marie turned away uncomfortably from Valeria’s gaze and picked up a leaf from the ground, twirling it in her slender fingers. “I know why you said it,” she intoned softly. “The justice thing.” Marie sensed Val’s longing and the pain of lost love in her deep brown eyes. She could not hold the striking Latina’s gaze; the guilt she felt made it impossible.

Marie knew now that Valeria had loved Anna deeply and completely. More completely than Marie had ever loved or been loved by any man. The things she’d said about Valeria and about Anna the last time she spoke to her sister replayed endlessly in her mind, torturing her with regret. She knew she was wrong when she said them, and now the pain of those words spoken in the heat of the moment, filled with judgement and jealousy, echoed in her mind. And I can never take them back. Never apologize…to Anna.

Valeria resumed pacing impatiently under the tree. “Speaking of waiting. Where the hell are they?”

As if on cue, the rustling sound of the leaves mingled with distant thunder as a rusty Volvo sedan pulled up behind Valeria’s sleek BMW.

Flora stepped out of the old car. She looked like she could be fifty or seventy, but it was hard to tell. The witch moved uncertainly across the uneven ground, her long dress billowing in the wind and her silver hair trailing behind her like a cape. She carried a large burlap sack, and as Flora approached the two young women, her breathing was labored.

Valeria asked sharply, “Where’s Harriet?”

Flora set the sack down and hugged Marie tightly and then Valeria, still catching her breath. “Hello to you, too,” she said with a mischievous smile. “Harriet’s visiting her sister in Miami.”

Valeria glanced at Marie, who recoiled slightly upon hearing Flora’s words. She said coldly what Marie was thinking but was too sweet to say, “At least she has a sister.”

Marie touched Valeria’s arm as if to hold her back and then smiled tentatively at Flora. “It’s fine. Thank you for coming tonight.”

Flora’s kind eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Turning to Valeria, the witch’s voice was sweet and gentle. “Harriet’s a dutiful sister.” She then looked at Marie and smiled. “Just like you, Marie. She does everything she can for her sister, just as you are trying to do all you can for yours.”

Valeria sighed, chastened but still unhappy at the second witch’s absence. “Well, I still think Harriet should be here.”

“Her magic is with me, Val. Speaking of…” Flora then opened the sack and removed an old backpack and held it out to Marie. “It’s ready. Are you?”

Marie nodded nervously and took the old pack, clutching it tightly to her chest. “Yeah. Val and I…”

Valeria interrupted, asking Flora pointedly, “Are you sure this will work?”

Flora said patiently, and not for the first time, “It will work if it’s meant to work. Charms like this…magic like this…it is not an exact art. But the dissonance around you is evident. There is a spiritual imbalance here. I am confident the goddesses will help.”

Marie, still hugging the familiar purple backpack, wiped her leaking eyes. “It has to work. This last year has been hell. She is…She was my twin. It’s like half of me is gone.”

“And the person who took her from us is still out there. It’s not fair. Anna was…” Valeria shook her head angrily, then said loudly to Flora over a gust of wind, “So, how will we know if…when can we…”

Flora remained patient. “The timing is up to…the spirits. It might be tomorrow, or it could be a year…or longer. And it may not work as you expect…as you hope. The circumstances have to match what the goddesses require to restore balance, and it is within the magic to decide how to regain that equilibrium. You must have faith, and you must be patient, and you must accept what the spirits decide is right.” She then looked at both of them with focused-intent. “You may benefit from what might happen, but you are not the only ones involved. This is bigger than you. The echoes of what has happened reverberate outward.”

Valeria, shaking her head impatiently, grumbled. “A day? A year? It’s just….It won’t be soon enough.”

Flora reached for Valeria’s hand. “Faith and patience, dear.”

The witch nodded at Marie, who then faced the tree and set the pack against it. The shy blonde then looked down at her perfectly manicured hands. Marie had been rubbing at her nails so hard that night, the glossy pink polish was dulled.

The other two women stepped up and stood on either side of Marie, staring at the innocent-looking worn pack.

Flora took their hands and closed her eyes. “Let’s begin. We need to finish before another midnight’s missed…”

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Midnights Missed

Chapter 1: The Pack

Nine years later…September 26, 2025

 

It was at the halfway point of Linus’s 45-mile cycling loop when he conceded that this was just not his day. Having a flat tire while out for a ride was part of being a cyclist, but two flats on the same ride? That’s when you know karma was unhappy. And now, only ten minutes after re-mounting the wheel, he’d be repairing the tube on his rear tire…again. Rain was forecast for later in the day as well. He could just see himself getting caught in a soaker. The joys of road cycling, he thought.

At the first flat, he’d changed the tube to his spare. But now, with his spare tube also holed, he’d have to patch either the one he just removed five miles ago or patch the one on the rim now. The hole in the first tube was small, so he opted to fix the one already off the bike and rolled the bright green Bianchi over to a shady tree to do the work. The early fall Florida day was warm, and Linus had worked up a sweat in the uphill climb to get to “Oak Ridge” or what he called “Cemetery Ridge.” No, there had been no wars fought there, but there was a sprawling pastoral cemetery right where he’d had his second flat. And there was a notoriously dangerous blind curve here as well; a fact illustrated by makeshift crosses and faded plastic flowers along the roadside.

Linus leaned the bike against the stately old oak. The trunk had seen its share of action. Deep scars in the tree’s road-facing side were visible where countless cars had missed the sharp blind curve over the decades and found the oak waiting to stop them. He noticed a small shrine beside a long-healed blemish in the stately tree. The small memorial comprised a piece of charcoal, a bottle of nail polish and a drawing, all of which had been there for a while, it seemed. Those are odd things for a memorial. He examined the drawing. It was faded, and the paper had obviously been in the rain. It seemed to be…or had been…a charcoal sketch of a heart with initials inside. But Linus couldn’t make out what the initials were or the sentiment underneath.

He replaced the faded drawing and then went to work repairing his tire. Linus removed the first bike tube and a patch kit from his little rider pack. He’d done this tire repair at least a hundred times, so in no time he had applied the rubber seal decal. It was simply a matter of waiting until the adhesive set and he could swap out the tubes and be on his way again. He laid the repaired tube over the seat and decided to walk the perimeter of the shady tree to stay loose.

To everyone else, Linus looked like he had it all. Tall. Handsome. Kind. Smart. Successful as a corporate attorney and on track to make partner at his firm before he turned forty. Looks were deceiving, though. Ever since his ex-wife had cheated on him and then left him, he’d been deeply depressed. Following the acrimonious divorce, during which he’d learned the excruciating details of his wife’s betrayals, he’d felt empty and adrift. Beth had been everything to him. All he did was for her and for the marriage. He’d wanted kids. She didn’t. Fine. No kids. He wanted to practice environmental law and help the less fortunate. No, Beth wanted him to be the big-shot corporate lawyer with the fancy house and car. So, a corporate asshole he’d be.

But something had happened. Maybe she’d realized he was only pretending to be what she wanted. Maybe she thought he was weak for giving in to her constant demands. Maybe it was meeting Conrad Stephenson Jr. Whatever it was, she moved on. Long before he knew about the affair…affairs, he knew he was losing her. He’d redoubled his efforts to make her happy. New car. Trips to Europe. But it seemed the more he tried, the more distant she became. Nothing he did made her happy.

And now, nothing made him happy anymore, either.

It wasn’t just Beth leaving. Linus had made choices he regretted to please her, and many of those choices seemed irreversible. He was going through the motions of living. Much like he was just going through the motions of enjoying this early autumn day on his bike. Just like he was mindlessly walking around the edge of this old cemetery, not paying attention. Not caring. Not hearing the birds or smelling the flowers. His mind was wandering to nowhere because that’s where he was emotionally; nowhere.

But his sharp blue eyes were engaged. And they saw it. Just beyond where he’d leaned the bike, on the other side of the little memorial, was a small purple backpack that he swore hadn’t been there a moment before. It looked to be a worn hiker’s pack with patches and trinkets applied and attached to show where its owner had been. At first, Linus was going to leave the pack there. Surely the owner was somewhere nearby.

But he had nothing to do while his tube patch cured, so an inexplicable curiosity overcame him and he picked up the pack. He looked for an ID on the outside but found nothing. He unzipped each pocket and peered inside to try to determine who the pack might belong to.

No luck finding a name inside the worn bag, either. But it wasn’t empty. In fact, there was quite a lot in the little pack. Linus found an empty water bottle, a pair of bright purple nylon shorts, a tampon, an expensive pair of vintage Oakley sunglasses, house keys on a rabbit’s foot chain, a worn pair of Teva sandals, an apparently new skimpy bright yellow bikini still with the tags on it, an Ed Sheeran “x Tour” T-shirt, a bottle of pink nail polish, and a bottle of suntan lotion. But no wallet or ID.

Linus felt around the main compartment more and hit something flat and hard at the bottom. He pulled the object out of the bag, thinking it might be a phone. But it wasn’t. The object was larger than a phone but smaller than an iPad. It was in a light red leather case that at first appeared almost new. But as he turned it over, he found the back had a gash down the middle as if cut by a knife.

Opening the device’s case revealed that what Linus had found was an eReader. Although they’d become less popular since iPads, these monochrome devices were still better for reading in bright sunlight. His ex-wife had one similar to the one in his hands now that she took on every beach vacation during their six-year marriage. Toward the end, Beth would hide behind it so she didn’t have to talk to him while they were together. He could hear her sharp admonition. “Shut up, Linus. I’m reading.” He shook his head sadly at the memory as his hand rubbed the cut in the back of the case.

Inside the cover he saw the name “Anna B” written in a beautiful flowing script with a cute drawing of a bumblebee inside the bottom of the “B.” No last name, though, so it wasn’t much help. Linus tried to switch on the device, but the battery was apparently dead. Shrugging, he put everything back in the pack and leaned it against the tree where he’d found it. He took out his phone and took a picture so he could post on Facebook or Nextdoor in case anyone was looking for it.

Twenty minutes later, the tire was back on and inflated. And just in time, too. Dark, heavy clouds had rolled in with low rumbles of thunder, and it was starting to rain. If he didn’t get a move on, he’d be riding twenty miles through a downpour. Linus put on his helmet, gloves, and sunglasses. He was about to snap back into his pedals and pull away when something stopped him. He just couldn’t leave the little purple backpack behind. The rain would surely ruin its contents, and since he was already going to post about it on social media, there was no reason to leave it out in the storm.

Linus took out his thin emergency rain jacket and draped it over the pack, potentially sacrificing his own comfort to save this pitiful old bag. As heavy drops began to come down, he asked himself, why am I doing this? Why do I care? He stuffed his tiny rider pack inside the found purple one. As best he could, Linus tied the jacket around the purple pack to protect it. As he went to put the pack on, he had to adjust the straps on the pack; this Anna B must be a tiny thing.

Linus soon had it on his back and was on the way. The gods were still not on Linus’s side, though, as the torrential rain came in waves and the winds pushed him to and fro. He made it home safely, but soaked to the skin and chilled. At least there were no more flat tires. Somewhere along the way, the incessant winds had undone the rain jacket, though, and it was gone. He and the pack were both soaked.

After a hot shower and a snack, Linus dried his bike and put it on the rack stand in the garage. He took the old pack into the kitchen and went through it again more thoroughly. Amazingly, no water had penetrated the worn nylon, and its contents were completely dry. He shook his head in wonder. Guess I could have left it after all.

Linus examined every object, looking for a last name, or address, or phone number. But other than the reference inside the eReader case to someone named “Anna B,” he found nothing else. The last thing left, then, was to charge up the eReader and check there for the owner. I just hope this thing isn’t locked.

He found an old micro-USB cable and plugged it into the device. It powered on immediately, its e-ink newsprint display looking decidedly primitive compared to modern phones and tablets. There was a fingerprint symbol in the middle of the screen. He touched his index finger there. Nothing happened. He tried the password button, and a prompt came up. To his surprise, the password was already filled in. So he pressed Enter, and the screen unlocked.

On the reader, he found a full library of books. This Anna must be quite the bibliophile. He searched in the settings for an email address or name and caught a break. There was an email! AnnaB92@keemail.me

Quickly, he opened Gmail on his phone and shot off a message, including the photo he had taken by the tree. “Found your backpack by the tree at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Email or call me at 954-555-3254. Linus Newcombe.” He experienced a thrum of excitement, something he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever. It seemed like destiny was at work. He chuckled at the silly notion. Right. Destiny. It’s just a backpack.

Linus started to switch off the device while he waited for this Anna B to respond. He knew that playing with the eReader was almost like snooping on a stranger’s phone. But as he made to close the case, he thought, What’s the harm in just checking out what she’s read? Though alone in his kitchen, he guiltily looked around as if making sure no one was looking.

Linus scrolled through the device. Familiar titles ranging from “Little Women” to “The Martian” to the entire “Leeth Dossier” series to “The Goldfinch” were loaded on the reader. He laughed when he saw Anna even had a copy of “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Pages and pages of titles; some familiar and some unknown to him.

But it was one title near the very top that caught his eye; “ANNA’S JOURNAL.” It was the only title in all caps, so Linus figured it had to be what the title indicated. He’d already found her contact info, so there was no reason to go any further in investigating the device, but something made him want to know what was in this woman’s diary. Something like the curiosity that prompted him to open the pack by the tree, but much stronger. It was a compulsion he couldn’t resist, but he rationalized it was innocent curiosity. What does a young, well-read female hiker have to say?

His finger hovered over the journal icon as this compulsion and his morality wrestled with each other. But before this epic willpower battle was settled, Linus sneezed. And when he did, his finger bumped the icon. Linus felt a sharp tingle in that finger and then a momentary searing pain behind his eyes. What a sneeze! The pain passed quickly, though the tingle in his finger remained.

When Linus looked down again at the reader, Anna’s journal was open to her last entry. It was dated today, September 26. But no, that wasn’t right. The journal was dated September 26, 2015. Ten years ago! Must be a typo.

September 26, 2015, 9am.

Going for a hike up Winding Lane and around Oak Ridge. Supposed to be a clear, cool day today with no chance of rain. It seems like an age since I went on a hike, and I’ve missed it so much. Full of nervous energy, and need a relaxing walk as a distraction. Taking my eReader along. Going to see “The Martian” tonight with Valeria. Want to finish the book before I go so I can impress her. :-) She is incredible. So smart. So sexy. Getting wet just thinking about her. I hope she’s finally the one. Waxed my legs and bikini area yesterday. The wax kit I bought said “pain-free hair removal.” They lied! Have to admit that the pain of waxing my legs is worth it, though. Can’t believe how soft and smooth they are. Hoping I can rub them against Val’s. Wish me luck, diary! Hope the goddesses are with me.

Linus blushed and closed the case on the reader with a snap. He was ashamed. He felt like he’d invaded this young woman’s privacy. He was also a little disappointed that this Anna was apparently into girls. But he was also turned on, much more than he should be. Much more than he had been in a very long time. His breath quickened, and he flushed red. It had been a year since his divorce was final, and he hadn’t had an actual date in months. Work at the firm kept him so busy and tired. He was still trim and attractive at thirty-five, but felt like the world, and love, were passing him by. His friends kept trying to set him up with women, but none of them interested him so far. If I could only meet a woman as passionate as this Anna.

Linus ate a light dinner and opened a bottle of Smithwicks; it was Friday night after all, might as well have a beer. His finger continued to tingle, and he remained turned on by Anna’s journal entry, a buzz of energy coursing through him. He thought about the journal’s date. It had to be a typo, but when he Googled it, he found that “The Martian” did premiere ten years ago exactly.

After his second beer, he was tempted to go read more of the journal telling himself he was only trying to solve the date mystery. But Linus stopped himself. Instead, he grabbed a squirt of hand lotion on the way to bed and, before going to sleep, imagined what Anna looked like and what those smooth legs would have felt like against his muscular, hairy ones. Judging by the intensity of his orgasm and the resulting moan, her legs must have felt pretty good!

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Chapter 2: Smooth

Saturday was the only morning that Linus allowed himself to sleep in. He’d have to prepare tomorrow for a Monday client meeting, but today he’d relax. The rain that came in at the end of his ride stuck around, and it was going to be an ugly gray day, anyway. Staring at the ceiling above his bed, he smelled the coffee he’d programmed the night before and got up to pour a cup. Something felt off as he walked into the kitchen in his boxers, but he couldn’t figure it out. Is the house cooler than normal?

The eReader lay on the kitchen counter, and he eyed it as he poured the Colombian blend he loved into a mug. Linus laid his hand on the device’s bright red cover. He turned it over, again tracing the gash there with his calloused fingertips, wondering how such violent-looking damage could have happened. His curiosity was still piqued, but the guilt from the night before remained. Linus decided that instead of snooping in her diary, he’d see if AnnaB had emailed him. That’s the right thing to do.

Back in the bedroom, he picked up his iPhone from the table beside his king bed and checked Gmail. Nothing. No answer. Well, it’s only been fifteen hours. Linus read the news and sports on his phone and absentmindedly scratched his leg through the cotton sheet. He was in the middle of an article about how AI was revolutionizing traffic management when a sensation struck him as odd. He scratched his leg again. Something didn’t feel normal.

Linus reached down to his leg once more, this time inside the sheet. “What the heck?” He threw back the sheet and stared in disbelief at his legs. They were smooth. Not just smooth, but silky smooth with the glow of youthful health. Not a hair to be found. The normal thick, coarse mat of fur that covered his strong biker legs was gone; replaced by shiny and very soft skin. He stroked his thigh with his rough hands, and his cock jumped to life. Am I going crazy? No, I must be dreaming. That’s it. I’m dreaming about having smooth legs because I read Anna’s journal.

This dreaming theory was interrupted and then refuted when Linus’s phone rang. It was his friend Isaac Matthews. Linus let it go to voicemail. His mind was too busy dealing with the reality that his legs were suddenly velvety smooth and completely hairless. No, I’m not dreaming!

A tone indicated Isaac had left a message, and then Linus saw a text. “Call me. We are going for a ride tomorrow! No excuses!”

Isaac would have to wait. Linus needed to figure out what the hell was going on with his legs first. Convinced now that he was awake and his legs were, unbelievably, void of any hair, he tried to figure out exactly when he’d lost his mind. He entered the bathroom first to see if there was a razor by the tub or something. But nope. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

He stripped off his clothes to see if anything else was going on. But there wasn’t anything else amiss. Well, that wasn’t true. There was his crotch, too. Linus had what appeared to be a perfect Brazilian wax job, leaving only a thin strip of hair around his rapidly hardening manhood, but everything else above there looked completely normal. It was like some giant dipped him in hair remover up to his waist while he slept. Linus studied his legs further. They were still muscular, but…hmm. Without hair, it was hard to see if anything else had changed. But they looked…off.

He stood before his shaving mirror looking into striking slate-blue eyes, his hand on his still hairy chest, and talked to himself. “Are you going nuts?”

Linus Googled “sudden leg hair loss” and a dozen variations on that phrase, but nothing he found made sense. Besides, if it just fell out during the night, he should have found hair in his bed. And the strip of hair remaining around his cock was obviously intentional.

Dressed in jeans, Linus tried to watch college football to take his mind off this morning’s discovery, but he had difficulty concentrating. Every time he moved his legs, the feel of the rough denim on his skin reminded him of this sudden change. He switched to shorts, but that was worse. Now his legs seemed destined to slide against each other in a most arousing way, and his hand kept wandering to his smooth thigh as well. Finally, he put on a pair of soft cotton sweats and could concentrate a little on the University of Central Florida football game. Though if you’d asked him the score later, he wouldn’t have been able to recall.

Isaac kept pinging him during the day, and Linus finally picked up on his friend’s fourth call.

His loud co-worker jumped through the phone. “It’s about time, asshole! Are you avoiding me?”

Linus answered quietly, “No. Just got some stuff going on.”

“Well, you better get that stuff done today, because we’re going for a ride tomorrow.”

“A ride?” Linus considered it. He’d been trying to push himself physically lately, and Isaac always challenged him for pace when they rode together. A ride would be good. But then his hand found the cool soft skin of his calf, and he changed his mind. “Look. Isaac. I don’t think so. I had a weird thing happen today.”

“Linus, buddy, you don’t understand. I met the two hottest twenty-five-year-olds last night at Streamer’s. Two young flight attendants with Delta. Can you believe it? They are in Fortis Beach for a week for some safety training shit at Fortis Tech, and they want us to take them along the Gulf on bikes tomorrow. They even brought their own road bikes. And the one I think you’ll like has, get this, a Bianchi just like yours. I just texted you a pic from her Insta page.”

“I don’t think so, Isaac. Like I said, something weird happened, and you know I’m meeting with Gulf Coast Financial on Monday...too much going on. Sorry, buddy. But hey, you can handle two women, right?”

“Don’t do this to me, Linus! C’mon. I need you! These girls are so hot, and I can tell they are going to be fun.”

“Nah. Just not a good time.” As he spoke, Linus’s mischievous hand slipped into his sweats to “catch a feel.” A moan escaped.

Isaac ignored the moan and persisted. “Okay. Okay. Let me help you. Are you worried about Gulf Coast? Forget that. You’ve got those guys nailed.”

“No, it’s personal.”

“Personal, huh? Tell me what happened. What’s got you so freaked out? Don’t tell me that bitch ex-wife called you! You’ve paid her off, and you don’t have any kids. Tell that shrew to pound fucking sand!”

“No, it’s not Beth. I haven’t heard from her since she moved to L.A. with that nip/tuck jerk from Boca.”

“Then what is it? Tell me. Let Dr. Matthews fix it.”

“Well, I woke up…” Linus hesitated. How could he tell his friend that he had woken up this morning with no hair on his legs? So he took a different tack. “You shave your legs to ride, right?”

“Oh, man! You’re still hung up on that shit?! That’s your reason for not wanting to ride? Because I shave my legs?”

“No. No, I don’t care about that. I was only giving you a hard time the other day.”

“Then you’re worried because you don’t shave yours? You’re worried these girls will see your woolly mammoth legs and run away?” Isaac laughed. “I don’t think you need to worry. This girl, Scarlett, seemed to be all over riding with a stud like you. I showed her your picture from the charity ride last month on my phone. She didn’t seem to mind your legs at all! She stared at your photo. Took the phone even. Then she gave it back. But like a minute later, she asked to see the pic again. I’ll guarantee you she wants you, bud. And her name is Scarlett! C’mon. This is fantasy stuff. Once in a freakin’ lifetime!”

Linus sighed. “I don’t know…”

Isaac played his trump card. “Don’t make me call Conrad! I know that horn-dog would be up for it. If you don’t go…”

“That’s a low blow, asshole! Don’t drop that fucking name on me! Don’t even joke about him.” Linus’s stomach filled with acid at the mention of Conrad Stephenson, Jr’s name.

“Fine, then. It’s settled. I won’t mention…him…and you’re going riding with us. Pick you up at 8:15 tomorrow. Be ready.” With that, Isaac hung up.

Linus thought about the call. At least Isaac confirmed that he, Linus, didn’t shave his legs. So at least his memory was right. But it still didn’t explain what happened to him or why or how. But he was a logical person. Somehow, he must have shaved his legs without remembering it. He returned to the bathroom once more and looked around. His regular facial razor was beside the sink. I could have used that on my legs and put the razor back, right? I had two beers last night. Could I have gotten up in my sleep and shaved them, and could I have shaved them this smooth? As preposterous as that sounded, it seemed the only answer that made any sense.

He checked his email several times during the day, but nothing from AnnaB92, and by the time darkness fell, he’d given up on her answering that day. During supper, Linus finally gave in to temptation and turned on the eReader again. It was still open to Anna’s journal, but strangely, there was a new entry. But it wasn’t “new” at all.

September 27, 2015, 3pm

What a night…and morning! Valeria is amazing! We saw the movie…well we went to the movie. But I barely saw Matt Damon. :-) It may have been a movie about Mars, but I was the one getting probed. ;-0 This woman is so luscious. She told me she was getting lost in my green eyes, but that was because they were wide open in amazement all night. But hearing they “sparkle like emeralds” was nice and such a turn-on!

After the movie, things really heated up. I invited her back to my place. We took a minute to figure out who was in charge in bed. I’ve always been a pleaser before and wanted her to tell me what to do. And so she did at first. But then she pushed me to take control. And you know what; I liked it! I didn’t know I had that in me, but it was kind of a power trip. I might get used to that.

 My sheets may never be the same. My nipples are still engorged and sore, and my clit is raw. And I’m exhausted! Have to start working out more to keep up with her. I need more endurance, or maybe I just need to make her do all the work! ;-) We are going out again on Wednesday. Hope I’ve recovered by then.

The entry wasn’t there yesterday. Linus was sure. But it followed the one he’d read the day before. He tried to scroll or flip the page, but it was frozen there. He could still see the one from the day before, too, but only those two entries.

Despite being frustrated with his day and more than a little spooked, Linus was again turned on by Anna B’s journal entry. His imagination went wild thinking about Anna and this Valeria girl. What does Anna look like? This time, he brought the whole tube of lotion with him to bed. He touched his chest as he replayed the diary’s words in his head and rubbed his silky legs together as he exploded into the tissue held over his cock. Linus was panting and sweating as he came down from the climax, and shivered as his nerves reset, feeling goosebumps over his whole body and his manly nipples harden. The orgasm was exhausting, and he barely had time to put the sticky tissue on the nightstand before he was fast asleep.

Linus dreamed that night of a hot Latin cyclist girl with amazing legs and deep brown eyes. And sometime during the night, he exploded in ecstasy again in his sleep.

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Chapter 3: The Girls

Linus awoke to his phone ringing beside the bed. He looked over and saw it was Isaac. His meaty finger stabbed at the answer button through bleary eyes and spoke sleepily into it. “What?!”

“You aren’t awake? C’mon man! Get a move on! I’ll be there in thirty. Picking up the girls at the hotel now. You better fucking be ready.”

“Wait, Isaac…hello.” His friend had hung up.

“Shit! I feel worn out, but I slept all night.” Linus noticed the slimy feel of drying cum on his bare legs as he pushed the cover back. “Ooo. Gross! When did I do that?”

Barely awake, he stripped the bed and threw the soiled sheets in the laundry. As he walked, Linus felt sore. His cock was tingling and felt raw. How hard was I going at it last night?

He stripped out of his yucky boxers and turned on the shower. He ran it cool but not cold, hoping it would wake him up. And it did. As soon as he stepped in and the water hit his chest, Linus let out a scream. “Fuck! My chest is so tender! Why are my nipples so sensitive?”

And then he noticed. Not only was his chest tender. It was also, like his legs, completely hairless. Shaking his head in disbelief, Linus finished washing and turned off the spray. He screamed again when he ran the towel too hard over his chest. “Damn that hurts!”

Once dry, he found his stick of “Glide.” This was a product for runners that men applied to keep their chests from getting raw while jogging. Looks like I’ll certainly need it today!

Linus quickly got dressed in black riding shorts and carefully pulled on his favorite team riding jersey. But the jersey was too coarse and so he resorted to a soft gray cotton T-shirt. His junk still throbbed and felt raw as he adjusted his still-aroused cock and hoped it would be okay for the ride. Linus prayed the Glide would keep his chest calmed down, too.

He returned to the bathroom to shave his face and made to leave. As he did, Linus noticed a box in the bathroom trash can. On the side it read, “Pain-Free Home Waxing Kit.” He picked up the box and stared in disbelief. In the trash, too, was a jar that had apparently contained the wax and many strips of cloth. Where did this come from? This was not here yesterday. Caught in the cloth and dried wax were fine light hairs, not the dark wiry hair that he usually sported on his legs. WTF?

But there was no time for such questions. Isaac would be there in a few minutes, and Linus had to get his bike ready. He grabbed two energy bars, eating one as he went and putting the other in his shorts pocket. He just made it outside with his bike as Isaac pulled up. The rain clouds had parted, leaving a bright, cloudless morning, and Linus’s eyes reacted strongly, as if suddenly more sensitive. He quickly slipped his Tifosi sunglasses on against the unusually intense glare.

His friend jumped out of his black Range Rover and ran up to Linus. “They are even hotter than I remembered from Friday. Wait till you see Scarlett! Boy, you are going to owe me, buddy!”

Linus looked over at the SUV, and a pretty blonde waved at him from the front passenger seat. He waved back. Isaac commented. “That’s Amber. She’s mine. Yours is in the back.”

Linus put his bike on the rack at the rear of the vehicle, right behind a nearly identical Bianchi, and climbed in the back door. Isaac wasn’t kidding. The woman he saw across from him in the back seat was incredible. Long dark hair and piercing almond-shaped brown eyes. Linus’s cock immediately reacted, causing a sharp pain as his very tender organ rubbed against the inside of his shorts. But he managed to smile. “I’m Linus. Linus Newcombe.”

She presented a perfectly manicured hand. “I’m Scarlett Jensen. Nice to meet you. Ike has been telling us all about you.”

Linus smiled for the first time in a day. Isaac hated being called Ike.

Isaac drove to one of the Fortis Beach public parking areas by the Gulf. When they exited the car, Linus got a look at all of Scarlett. Her face was just the beginning. Scarlett’s body was even more stunning. Tall, with large breasts, a tiny waist and a firm rear, all enclosed in a very tight one-piece riding jumper. He couldn’t see her encased legs, but the shape of them was perfect, he knew, under the pale blue spandex.

Despite his discomfort, Linus rapidly hardened at the sight. He discreetly turned his back to her as he adjusted his shorts and unloaded the bikes. The pain in his inflamed and engorged member was causing him to break out in sweat, and they weren’t even pedaling yet.

Scarlett watched him from behind. “Ike told us you two both shave your legs for biking. I must say, yours look amazing. I’m jealous! I’d kill for legs like those.”

In his discomfort, Linus had forgotten about his new, smooth legs. And what she said made no sense. He’d talked to Isaac yesterday about how Isaac was the only one who shaved for riding. But rather than correct her, Linus just answered. “Thanks. Isaac, um Ike, says it helps with aerodynamics.”

Scarlett apparently couldn’t resist touching his bare thigh. He jumped at her touch as she cooed, “But so smooth. Do you shave or do you wax them?”

“W…Wax.” He was so choked and rattled he could hardly speak.

She whispered in his ear. “I like-y.” Her hot breath was intoxicating.

By now, Linus had a full, raging, and painful hard-on going. Scarlett noticed. “Well, you seem pleased with what you see as well. I think we’re going to have some fun.” She walked away to get her helmet and gloves, making a show of oscillating her full, womanly hips as she went.

Isaac stepped over to Linus, pulling him down toward the water’s edge. He whispered conspiratorially, “Didn’t I tell you? And she wants you, man. Bad!”

Linus was fidgeting and squirming, his crotch on fire. “Yeah, Ike. She’s amazing.” He meant it, but the pain he was in made it difficult to sound enthusiastic or to laugh at Isaac’s reaction to the hated nickname.

Isaac flipped him off and then motioned at Linus’s chest. “What’s going on here?”

Linus looked down and gasped. His nipples were fully erect and tenting his riding shirt. “Shit. I don’t know. They were sore this morning…I guess they got irritated from my ride in the rain Friday.”

Isaac laughed. “And excited because of Scarlett?”

Linus pressed on the two points, feeling an electric tingle. “What? Yeah. Maybe so.”

His friend shook his head. “Well, tape them down or something. They look…weird. And for God’s sake, stop playing with them!”

Linus shrugged, causing his nips to rub against his shirt and become even more prominent. “I don’t have any tape. I’m sure they’ll be okay once we get riding.”

“I hope so. Don’t blow this for me, dude! They are a package deal. If Scarlett doesn’t like you, Amber won’t hang with me. So be cool. Got it?”

“Sure, Ike. I got it.”

Isaac ignored the taunt and looked at his friend’s legs. “At least you remembered to wax. That’s good. I know Scarlett said she likes them smooth.”

Linus’s hand touched his thigh again. “Yeah. I, um, waxed them just for the occasion.”

Isaac tilted his head as he continued to peer at his friend’s legs. “They look good, but…you might need to get back in the gym, bro. Your legs are looking kind of, I don’t know, soft.”

Linus’s head jerked downward. Sure enough, his legs seemed a little less cut. A little more…shapely. They still looked good, but he was sure they didn’t appear as muscular. Even since yesterday. Must be the lack of hair.

They started the ride on the bike path that ran parallel to the Gulf. Isaac led, followed by Amber and then Scarlett. Linus brought up the rear. It was typical for guys riding with girls to be at either end; some kind of symbolic protection macho thing. But today, this order was both a blessing and a curse for Linus. It was a curse because the more Linus followed Scarlett, staring at her incredible body from behind, the more aroused he became. And the more painful his raw crotch and nipples. The Glide was not working. The blessing was that no one could see his difficulties.

Though the path was flat, Linus was having to expend more energy than normal to keep up with the group. His legs just weren’t as strong. Amber and Scarlett were in great shape, but surely he shouldn’t be having this much trouble matching their pace. I do need to get back in the gym.

This first stint was supposed to be the warm-up. Isaac had planned for them to ride for three hours, get lunch at a bistro on the beach, and then ride for a couple of hours more. But by the time they returned to their starting point, Linus had had enough.

He pulled Isaac aside to make an excuse to leave. “I’m sorry to do this, buddy, but I need to get back home. I have to be ready for the presentation tomorrow. And I feel a little off today.”

 Isaac was staring at Linus’s still erect nipples, and Linus could see the wheels turning in his friend’s head before he responded. “Look. I can tell you aren’t yourself today. So, I’ll make a deal with you. You ride on home and finish your presentation for Monday and get some rest. I’ll keep the girls entertained for the rest of the day.”

Linus felt relief. “Thanks, buddy. I’m sorry to wimp…”

Isaac cut him off and roughly grabbed Linus’s shoulder. “I’m not done. You finish what you have to do by six o’clock and swing by their hotel. We’ll have dinner at the restaurant there together, and then you and Scarlett can go do…whatever. I’m going to take Amber, and we are definitely going to do a lot of ‘whatever’.”

“I don’t know, Isaac. I’m really tired and sore.”

“Don’t care. ‘You-know-who’ wouldn’t miss this, and neither will you.” He put a finger in Linus’s face. “Unless you’re dead, you better be at their hotel by six-thirty. It’s the Westin. I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” Isaac gestured at Linus’s chest. “And wear something that hides those nipples. Please!”

The “You-know-who” was Conrad, and even the nonspecific mention of the man caused Linus to clinch his jaw in anger.

With that, Isaac went up to the girls and told them the plan. Scarlett looked toward Linus, her supple lower lip stuck out in a pout, “Oh, such a workaholic. Can’t you stay with us?”

He glanced at Isaac, who gave him a hard look. Linus smiled defiantly before answering Scarlett. “I’ll be ready for tonight. We can still have fun. Don’t you worry.”

She came over and kissed him hard on the mouth and pressed her breasts into his manly chest. “I’m going to hold you to that promise, big boy.” Scarlett took the opportunity to run her hand up the inside of his thigh. “See you tonight.”

Linus made the six-mile ride home without issue. He still felt exhausted, and his Garmin watch reported that his heart rate was twenty beats per minute higher than normal for a ride at that speed. Weird.

He worked on his presentation but found it hard to concentrate. His sensitive chest and sore cock kept him distracted, and his smooth legs were always finding excuses to caress each other. Finally, at 5pm, Linus gave up. He hopped in the shower for a quick rinse, remembering to protect his sensitive parts as he went.

This time his chest wasn’t as painful, but still felt sensitive, and his nipples would not calm down. Likewise, his dick was less sore, but despite being alone for the last several hours, he was still horny and hard. Linus dressed in a casual pair of linen slacks and a button-up shirt. Even wearing an undershirt, his nipples were still trying to pop out…unnaturally. So he put a sweater on over his shirt, and that seemed to make it all okay, at least from the outside.

He checked email again, the fourth time since he’d gotten home. No email from this Anna person.

The feel of his linen pants against his slick legs was so arousing that he contemplated changing to another pair. But he finally decided he could survive. One thing was for sure: arousal was only a step away; literally.

The dinner was nice. Scarlett turned out to be quite a conversationalist, besides being the hottest woman Linus had ever seen. By the time dessert came, Linus had forgotten about his legs and his sensitive points. After they ate and shared a drink, Scarlett had a second stiff Scotch. Linus wanted to be sure he could perform, so limited himself to a single beer. Following the drinks, Isaac gave his friend the code word they’d agreed to in the lobby, and the two couples went their separate ways.

Isaac took Amber to the deck overlooking the Gulf while Linus and Scarlett stepped out to walk around the neighboring city park. Though taking different paths to get there, both couples ended up in the two girls’ separate hotel rooms. Linus and Scarlett made out on a park bench like a couple of teenagers, and things got intense in the elevator. By the time she opened her hotel room door, both were panting. Scarlett wasted no time in getting out of her tight dress, and Linus didn’t keep her waiting in bed long, either.

They went about it tentatively at first, each feeling their way around the other. But eventually, they found what made each other happy. His cock was still painfully sensitive, but the pleasure overcame the pain. She commented on the smooth skin of his thigh as she ran her hands down it. Linus thanked his last two nights of masturbatory release as he held on longer than usual, despite the gorgeous woman under his six-foot-two frame.

In fact, it wasn’t until she pinched his ripe nipple, after a long buildup featuring her having two intense orgasms, that Linus finally released his load into her. A squeak of pleasure escaped from his lips as he spasmed on top of her goddess body. They lay side by side in bed, panting for several minutes, holding hands. Scarlett finally got up and went to the bathroom. She returned, freshened up and carrying a blue pill and a glass of water, asking him, “Are you ready for round two?”

Linus looked at her sideways. “You always bring Viagra for your dates?”

“Only for my deserving dates. And you, sir, are certainly deserving. And it’s not only for my dates. It works for both of us, you know.” She closed her fist around the pill. “Now, if you’re telling me you don’t need it, I’ll save it for someone else.”

He considered her question and his soft cock just beginning to wake up again. “Well, I wouldn’t want to take a chance on disappointing.”

She placed the pill on his tongue and held the glass to his lips for him to sip. Scarlett smiled. “There’s a good big boy taking your pill.”

“Just doing as the lady asks.”

She crawled in beside him and put her hand between his legs. “I wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to this big boy.”

Ten minutes and some very encouraging stroking of Linus’s “big boy” later, he was more than ready for her. Scarlett took a sip from his water glass and then took his manhood in a perfectly manicured hand. “How about I drive this time? You’ve had a long, hard day of working.”

Beth had never taken control like this. He liked it. Something about surrendering to his woman was a huge turn-on. “Lady’s choice,” he said with a wide smile.

She climbed onto his lap and slowly lowered her sopping wet sex onto his rigid member. She sat there on top of him for several seconds, not moving. She moaned, asking, “Have you ever wondered what a woman feels like? What it feels like to have a rigid shaft filling you like you’re filling me?” Her tone was so sultry, dripping with lust and heat. Nothing like the perfunctory “move there. Do that,” he used to get from Beth. This was so hot!

“No,” he groaned, “not really.” He fought to maintain control. Linus had never felt so turned on.

Scarlett moaned again and shifted slightly. “You’re missing out. You feel soooo good inside me.”

Linus was losing it. He was about to erupt.

She felt his excitement and cautioned him, squeezing him with her vaginal muscles. “Now don’t blow it. You’ve got to pay for that blue pill.”

God, she was sexy! He nodded, eyes closed as she began to move in a calculated rhythm, humming softly. Linus noticed how she shifted, trying to maximize his stimulation of her while she avoided overstimulating him. This was obviously not her first rodeo, and he imagined her having a “boy” in every city as she flew around the world with the airline. He thought I could be her boy in Fortis Beach. But that thought had to be forced aside. Baseball. Liver pudding. Painting my house. Doing my taxes. Root canal. Linus tried to think of anything to keep himself from “blowing it.”

After her first loud orgasm, he could feel her fluids leaking down under him. Scarlett smiled at him and said between labored breaths, “Not bad. You might even earn another blue pill. But I’m not done with the first yet.” She rose, and he slipped out of her momentarily before she dropped back down and impaled herself on his shiny shaft.

Scarlett’s second orgasm came with a moan, and the third with a whimper. She said after the last one, this time with emotion in her voice, “No one’s ever gotten me to three like that. I’m moved. Your stamina…Your stamina deserves rewarding.” With that, she shifted again and moved with a different motion, this time clearly intending to give him pleasure. She took Linus to the edge twice before finding his erect nipples to push him over the edge into the type of ecstasy that he didn’t know existed.

They lay back on the sheets again for a long quiet while after, perspiration covering them, exhausted. He was still unaccountably tired, but utterly sated. Her taking the lead and being on top helped them both reach maximum pleasure. She seemed to sense that his nipples were the key, and she teased him until she was ready to let him go. As soon as she leaned down and licked his engorged nip, he exploded in a loud exclamation of joyous release. He understood why she’d been emotional.

A little before 11:30pm, Linus stood, moisture still clinging to his crotch, and began to dress. “I have to go. Have a big presentation…”

She waved him off. “I know, I know. Gulf Bay or something. She picked up his sweater, smelling it. I’m keeping this to remind me of you.” Scarlett then stood, her naked body still glistening as well, and kissed him. “I do have two questions for you before you leave.”

He smiled confidently. “Oh? And what might those be?”

She licked the salty perspiration from his smooth chest and neck and whispered into his ear. “First question is, when will I get to see you and those dazzling emerald eyes again?”

“Well, I guess…” His mind seized up. “What did you say? Emerald?” He was confused again.

She thumped his head. “Are you cock-blocked? I want to fuck your brains out again. Judging by Mr. Happy there.” She squeezed his already-recovering manhood. “I trust you feel the same.”

His face contorted in confusion. “No. I get that, and I want it just as much. But what did you say about my eyes?”

“Oh, come on, Linus. Don’t play coy. You have the prettiest green eyes I’ve ever seen on a man. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear you were wearing colored contacts.”

He turned to look at his reflection in the hotel room mirror. Sure enough, his eyes were pools of green. Bright, very large, and expressive. They were framed by long, thick lashes. The eyes transformed his masculine face. Linus was silent, blinking at his reflection, unable to understand how his normal slate-blue eyes could have changed to look like this.

She stroked his back and then leaned her breasts into him, whispering, “When you took your sunglasses off on the ride, I almost orgasmed on the spot. Those eyes are a seduction weapon. Women would pay anything to have them, and I want to keep staring into them.”

He turned to her. His confident swagger of moments before had evaporated. Linus was almost panicking now. First his legs and now his eyes. Not to mention the weird things going on with his chest. He glanced down at Scarlett. She was still looking up at him, waiting for an answer. “I, um. Thanks?”

She thumped his forehead playfully again. “Don’t thank me. Tell me when. When can we resume our adventures?”

He snapped back to her main question. Something popped into his head. “How about Wednesday?” Why Wednesday? Where did that come from?

Scarlett sighed. “I guess I can wait until then. Just promise me you’ll save all your…energy…till we meet.”

“Sure. Sure I will.” He was still wrestling with what was happening and fighting the urge to run.

He kissed her, still distracted, and started toward the door, desperately trying to calm himself.

She stopped him. “Wait. You can’t leave yet. I haven’t asked you my second question.”

Something told Linus he didn’t want to hear the question. But he paused at the door and turned tentatively to her. “What is it?”

She crossed her arms under her large bare breasts and asked, “Who’s Valeria?”

Valeria? Why do I know that name? Then it hit him, and his new dazzling eyes opened even wider in wonder. Oh, no! The journal!