Chapter 1

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" I asked my former sister-in-law for the third time.

"It's a free place to stay." She replied. "Just because Marv and I couldn't live together anymore, doesn't mean you should have to pay for a hotel room while you search for a place in town."

"Thanks Abby." I said checking my watch. "I should be pulling in around 7 does that work?"

"Perfect. I"ll have a little something ready for you to eat when you show up."

"You're a peach. See you soon."

I ended the hands free call, still marveling at all bells and whistles in my new Charger. For the past twenty years I'd lived a Spartan existence, letting the Army pay for my expenses and pocketing almost all my pay and bonuses. To celebrate my retirement at 38 I splurged paying cash for this car.

Now that I was out I was looking to start the next chapter of my life with a new job using the security skills I learned during my twenty years of active duty. That sounds really hardcore, but truth is most of those skills are all computer based. The company that hired me gave me a choice of five cities to live in. I had already chosen New Orleans when my Mom told me that Abby was living there now.

I remembered Abby as a cute little Asian girl who lived next door before I enlisted out of high school. She grew up almost a part of our family as she dated and then married my brother Marvin. I still had their wedding picture where they will always be the happy smiling couple barely out of their teens.

When I was sent overseas, she was the one who kept me anchored to the family with daily emails, Facebook posts, and arranging Skype session with my technology impaired parents. It was a shock to everyone when Marv came out, ending their marriage a few years ago. Marv stayed near the family home in Atlanta, but Abby left to find a fresh start. She and I lost touch as she started her new life. I hoped that would change now that we were going to be in the same city.

I got stuck in the end of the evening rush hour traffic and then my GPS managed to get me lost along the surface streets around her Bywater neighborhood. At 31, Abby had her own design studio in a converted warehouse overlooking the river a few blocks from the French Quarter, catering to the new arts sceen that had sprung up after Katrina as well as locals who hung around. She came in right before the hurricane and made a name for herself during the rebuilding. When I found the address she gave me I was surprised by the sign Nguyen Design. Seems she went back to her maiden name after the divorce.

I took it as a good sign when the garage door in the warehouse rolled open when I drove up. As I pulled in my headlights flashed across Abby's smiling face framed by long silky black hair.

Getting out of the car I was nearly bowled over by her warm hug. "Oh my God Tommy, it is so good to see you. How are you? Do you want a drink? Do you want a shower? There's a towel in the bathroom." Her friendly chatter was as welcome as her arm round my waist and her full breast brushing against my arm as she helped get my luggage up the stairs to her second floor apartment.

"I'm better now, rum and coke, yes and thanks." I replied laughing at her. Abby was as full of energy as she ever was when she was just the nosy neighbor kid. She and Marv were a pain in my butt when they kept trying to see what "big brother" was doing. The seven year age difference that was such a big deal then didn't seem like a big deal looking at the beautiful woman hanging on me now.

"OK. Sorry, the only working shower is through my bedroom in there. Hope you don't mind all my girly products. Use them if you don't mind smelling like white tea and ginger. Go on in." She said pointing to a door as I stopped to grabbed some clothes from my duffel. "I'll get the drinks."

I stepped into the bedroom and noticed the faint aroma immediately. A pleasant musky tang hung in the warm room and even though it had been a few months since I was with a woman, I knew that smell straight away. The faint lingering smell was, well ... was the smell of a recently excited female body. But it took me a few moments to notice the body-shaped depression in her duvet where she had obviously recently been laying. Despite my long drive, I felt more than a little tingle of excitement course through me thinking of what she must have been doing there.