The Art Of Notice

"Her lips brushed Belle’s—soft, tasting of champagne and danger—before she deepened the kiss with an authority that made Belle’s knees weak."

The TerraceKatarina leaned against the stone railing of the terrace, her silhouette cut sharply against the twilight sky. At fifty-two, she possessed a stillness that only came with time—a confidence that didn't need to shout to be heard. Her hair,...

Tan Lines

"I watched a yacht sail by in the distance, and I wondered if they could see me making love to myself."

Our friends, Julia and Amy, owned a place in South Beach, a Miami Beach neighborhood renowned for its early-20th-century architecture. The condo was located in the Art déco Historic District, within one of the old, pastel-colored buildings off Ocean Drive....

The Sanctuary And The Canvas

"The final stroke of the whip landed with a flat, echoing crack, not born of rage, but of absolute reverence for the boundary we had both crossed."

The ArrivalElizabeth arrived on a flight from Spain on Sunday afternoon, marking the beginning of a ritual we had anticipated for weeks.I collected her from the airport and drove us immediately away from the city lights, toward the solitude of...