I was mulling over the ending to a little story when Emma came into my office. She was carrying two things and she was naked. “Look what I found,” she said. “I think it’s perfect for your wall.”

“Where did you get it?” I asked. “And what happened to your clothes?”

“I took them off,” she said. “Dust. The attic. Can you put it up now?”

“I’m near the end of a story,” I said. “It’s kind of a tricky part. Couldn’t we do it after I finish?”

“No,” she said. “Maybe the picture will help you figure out the ending. She set a book of crossword puzzles on my desk and held the picture against the wall. “Right about here. I’ll go get a hammer and nail while you get naked.”

“Why do I have to get naked?”

Emma rolled her eyes. “When a cute girl tells you to get naked you ask questions?”

I got naked.

We put up the picture. Mushrooms. “The caps are kind of cute. Kind of like the cap of your penis.” She read from the text at the bottom of the picture: “Death Cup. Amanita Phalloides. That means cock, doesn’t it? Cap 3 ½ inches. Stem 7 ½ inches. Her fingers circled my penis. She squeezed. “Mmm. Sounds about right. Got a ruler?”

“No,” I said. “I mean not right now.”

“Okay, I’ll find some other way to measure.”

The measuring was coming along great, and then she stopped.

“Emma,” I wailed, albeit softly. “Why did you stop?”

“You’ve got a story to finish,” she said. “The tricky part. I’ll just wait here while you work. Maybe do a crossword. I found this old book near the picture in the attic.”

“It was my grandmother’s,” I said. “She loved crosswords. Sometimes she let me help. I was like five or six, so I wasn’t much use, but I learned some words. Gnu spelled G N U. Aloe. Alee. Asea.”

“Get to work,” Emma said, swatting my butt with the crossword book. “Do you have a pen?”

“You want a pen for crosswords?”

“Yup,” Emma said. “Red if you’ve got it.”

She lay on my office floor with the crossword book. I tried to work on the story, but I couldn’t. The view of Emma’s ass was too alluring.

“How’s the crossword coming along?” I asked, after a few frustrating minutes.

“Done,” she said. “Would you like to check my answers?” She showed me her puzzle.

The story never did get finished.