Short Story Collections

Two co-workers, long attracted but never acted. Over the years, he’s only spoon-fed her details of his private life. Despite their easy rapport, even with all their playful and thrilling banter, most of his true feelings remain beyond her grasp. She can’t quite tell if he's intrigued by her, or just mildly amused. Does her attention please him, or is he used to fawning female company, and so ambivalent to hers? Does he count her among his blessings or among his worries? Does he ever take her out of the context of their work relationship, or does he just take her for granted as both a colleague and a woman? They've been at arms length for years. Now they're in a hotel elevator, filled with passionate curiosity and about to show each other their true selves. And in doing so, discover more than they thought possible. Why tonight? she wondered. What changed? What made it happen?

From the award-winning author of The Fish Tales and the Venery series comes sixteen short stories that are smart and softly hardcore. If a novel is a banquet, Laqueur's anthology is a tapas course. Literal love bites that that focus on isolated moments in time. Microfiction that captures the middle of the action without worrying much where things started or where they'll end up. Each vignette touches on the notion of bravery. Because love is always worth the risk. From a joyful retiree in Bali to a chance encounter on a train, Laqueur explores erotic courage. A blind date in Manhattan. A secret crush in Canada. An ancient aphrodisiac in St. Lucia. A Brazilian street block during Carnival. A box seat at the Paris Opera. A swim with dolphins in New Zealand. How far will you go for your heart's desire? How passionate a chance will you take?