He stared down at his bed and smiled, brushing the fingertips of one hand over his lips. His brother lay on his stomach, nude and pale against the dark backdrop of his bedsheets, and looked up at him demurely through his eyelashes. Diogenes laughed shrilly and then sighed. “What a surprise.”

A flush rose on Aloysius’ face, but he said nothing. Diogenes stepped forward, loosening his tie and stripping off the suit jacket he’d worn to school. “Home for the weekend? Do Mother and Father know you’re here?”

“Yes,” Aloysius said softly as Diogenes knelt and used his necktie to bind his brother’s wrists in an intricate knot.

“You like to take risks, don’t you? Big brother?” He held his brother’s chin and tilted his head up, forcing him to make eye contact. Aloysius said nothing, and Diogenes leaned forward to for a brief, light kiss before standing again. “Won’t this be fun?”...   read more »

“Diogenes, I cannot move a muscle like this. I am completely at your mercy. Please be gentle.”

He gave her a condescending smirk, seeing right through her plea. “Gentle? That's not what you really want,” he purred, the tone of his voice dropping as he leaned in closer, eyes fixed on hers. “Or need.” Their lips almost met in a kiss, but he pulled away at the last instant, laughing as she strained against her bonds to follow. “I may hurt you, but you'll beg me not to stop.”...   read more »

-October 15, 2006-


Heavy velvet drapes covered the windows, blocking the hazy autumn sky of the New York skyline. The forest green lounge seat covered in files and paperwork was empty. A soft indention in the only section free of paper disclosed of a recent occupant. The missing occupant stood in front of the fireplace, with his hands spread delicately across ornate mantle moldings.

Pale milky blonde hair perfectly combed back from his face, only slightly showed the signs of a restless man in need of sleep. Pale blue marred the delicate skin around his eyes. The jacket normally closed at the waist was unbuttoned, hanging around his trim frame like limp wings. His expression betrayed no emotion but pain revealed itself in the depth of his gazing eyes.

Aloysius quietly let out a sigh as he looked into the depth of flickering orange flames. The past few days had felt like...   read more »

Dearest Digi,

You are a very hard man to track down, you naughty scamp! If I didn’t know better I would think you were trying to avoid me!

You can’t imagine how distraught I was when you left our love nest so hastily. I must have cried for nearly two minutes straight! Shame on you for making my eyes puffy, Digi. However I understand how your career requires you to travel at a moments notice, and I know how much your work means to you. Still, a note would have been nice as I have quite a collection of farewell notes from men, and would like for it to be as complete as possible.

I have just gotten back from being an Egyptologist in Egypt. Technically I am there for the ancient manuscripts but it’s always nice when one finds a bone on the side....   read more »

Viola walked up the path in the growing darkness, looking down at the small scrap of paper in her hand. She continued walking until a cottage became visible through the trees, its general appearance one of neglect and desertion. Undismayed, she tucked the paper into her pocket and turned down the overgrown track that led toward it.

She rapped on the door and waited. Nearly a minute passed before she heard the sound of someone on the other side.

The lock scraped and a dark patch appeared, opening into an interior even more gloomy than the dusk outside. “Why, Viola!” The man glanced past her into the darkness, then turned his attention back to her and smiled, swinging the door wide. A glint of red flickered in his good eye. “I see you received my note. Do come in; I hardly imagined you would respond...   read more »

Ave, mater
Ave, pater
How’s my righteous, boring frater?
Camp is over
Shortly, I fear
But I’m penning this to ask if I can stay here.

All the busboys
Hate our money
And they say my
Eyes look funny.
Now we have to
Do our own dishes
Busboys last as long as pets of Aloysius.

And the counselors
Are all female
I think I’ve found
The holy grail.
All the pretty
Ones I’ve raided
Cause with cutlery they’re easily persuaded.

So I take them
To the woods
Tell them I wanna
See the goods.
Then I strip them
Of their illusions
Often leaving them
In need of blood transfusions.

Let me stay
We’re doing nature skills today.
I’m learning how to follow trails
And how to set a trap...
And how to build a fire.

Let me stay
Don’t interrupt my work, I pray.
Why, I’m about to undertake
A study of anatomy
With Bambi and his mom.

I’ll be gracious
I’ll be gentle
I’ll try not to
Be too mental.
I’ll cut out the
Necrophilia.
I will even eat the treats from Aunt Cornelia....   read more »

“You have the most enchanting eyes, my lovely little pet...” Diogenes Pendergast’s voice trailed off, straining to see the color in her wide eyes. His hand was entangled with hers, running his long fingers over the thick rings on her hand. She could see the want in his eyes, and she felt the electricity rolling off him in waves. The air was still, as it is before a lightning storm, and with one look, she reassured his heavy heart.

When he looked away, she cast her eyes downward upon the table. Her filet was half-eaten, it was too rare for her tastes, but she had sat through the meal as Diogenes ate every morsel of juicy steak. The wine washed down her throat in slow, fermented trickles.

He pulled her hand close now, speaking to her, but delighting in the expensive manicure he had bought for her. To her, it was the...   read more »

The make-shift cell had all the illusions of luxury. It was a spacious room, and if Pendergast had not been shackled at his wrists and ankles, it would have seemed a lovely place.

He was chained to a handsome mahogany bed, wearing a black silk dressing robe. His body was clean, but he had no recollection of how it had gotten that way.

The last thing he remembered was finally losing consciousness after a long struggle in Fosco’s make-shift grave. Someone had saved him, only to imprison him again. It was all very perplexing.

Pendergast tested the strength of his shackles. All of his lock-picking instruments had been unsurprisingly removed from his person, and even his thin wrists were tightly bound by this pair.

On further inspection of his surroundings, the only thing he noticed about the room was how conspicuously bare it was. There were two doors, one presumably leading to a...   read more »