The Barter System (58 page)

Then he suddenly stood tall,
gathered her in his arms, and kissed the daylights out of her.  Both women
stood still for a moment, in stone cold shock, before chanting softly, “We’re
gonna be sisters for
real
!”

They danced one another
around the guests then line-danced with the entire ‘country’ crew before their
men caught them up.

A long time later, Riya
stood in the shadows, watching the lives that had touched hers over the last
year as they laughed and talked and danced.  The men who’d been part of her
research had touched so many aspects of her life and how she saw herself, in
ways she’d never expected. 

The people now connected
simply by touching one group to another.  The marriages and babies.  Fresh
lives and futures.  Possibilities.  The healing of her father and maybe him not
being so lonely now.

Her own happiness.  Being
loved by two of the best men on the planet and knowing they were all hers, for
her to love in return. 

“I’ve never been happier, in
my whole life combined, than right this minute,” she said aloud hugging
herself. 

“Well that is very good to
hear.”  She startled a bit then smiled brightly as Max and Micah came to stand
beside her.  “I love you, Riya.”  Her men said at the same time. 

She turned to them, wrapping
her arms around their necks, “I love you so much.  Thank you for helping me
grow into the person I was meant to be all along.” 

“The pleasure, darling Riya,
is always ours.”

About the Author

Shayne McClendon is an erotica author
and blogger who has received rave reviews for her premiere novel “The Barter
System”.  Other projects being released this year are: “In the Service of
Women”, “To Everything”, vampire erotica “Revenge is Best Served Hot”, and
novella trilogy “Command”, “Bound”, and “Submit” that take place in an
imaginary adult hotspot called The Playground.

Shayne believes love crosses all
boundaries, social castes, races, genders, and belief systems.  If you are
lucky enough to find soul-deep love, you should fight for it.  She currently
lives in Oklahoma wrangling teenagers, opening doors for her pets, and running
her content writing company.  She dreams of peace, quiet, travel, and always
having plenty of coffee.

Keep checking back for Shayne’s upcoming
*non-fiction* work that discusses sex and relationships in the real world.

Shayne loves to hear from her fans.  You
can contact her by email at [email protected] or visit her website
Always the Good Girl (
www.alwaysthegoodgirl.com
).

All of her work is available on Amazon.