Persephone in Winter – Chapter 9/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Waiting in the chilly car was no easier this time than the last. Consumed with agonizing images of his wife with the dark stranger, he sat unmoving behind the wheel, staring into the darkness, hoping to find an answer there,...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 10/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 10  The shock that woke him was as though he had been dropped into the car seat from a great height. When he opened his eyes, he found himself strangely energized, in spite of the lucid details of his dream....

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 11/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

"She does love you. Perhaps too much."  Simon's voice still carried the same self-confidence that Steven remembered from the only other time he had heard it. His thumb hovered over the "End" button, an instant away from silencing him. Instead, he...

Persephone in Winter – Prologue

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

 Prologue Elyse waited patiently by the open trunk of the car as the boy placed the last bag of groceries inside. She found herself smiling, for no particular reason. The sun was warm on her face, and a slight breeze played...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 1/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 1 It wasn't quite as though she was cheating. He had known for some time. And she knew he knew. She couldn't help crying out a bit louder when she came. She had always been quiet, her small throaty moan...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 2/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 2  The house was one of many hidden behind dense hedges and wide iron gates along the endless avenue. Finding it was painfully slow. The camera's cold, glass eye found them, internal elements shifting with precision, then stared unblinking at...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 3/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 3 She sat some ten feet away from Simon in the walnut-paneled library. Glasses of brandy rested on identical cherry tables beside each richly upholstered wingback chair. He was unusually quiet this evening, taking time to savor the rich, dark...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 4/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 4 "If only others could see you as I do." He paced slowly as he spoke, eyes feasting on white flesh against the crimson sheets under her. The bed, a heavy four-poster with a canopy frame, was positioned at the very...

Persephone in Winter – Chapter 5/11

"A marriage shaken by neglect sends Elyse on an odyssey of submission with a mysterious stranger."

Chapter 5  He woke slowly, first to the constant hiss and sizzle, then to the familiar smell of bacon, teasing him from his sleep with a hint of a perfect breakfast made just as she knew he would want it. Sleep...