A newly divorced woman tries to have a simple vacation by herself. She meets the perfect man. Of course, it gets complicated. Written for the ROMANCE Summer Fling Contest, won second place! Thanks guys!

When Ari hires new girl Scarlett he thinks he's just hired someone he can have a hot office fling with but the stakes are much, much higher than he knows. For Scarlett Ari starts off as just another mark but the line between work and play blur quickly. What starts off as a fun gig pretending to be an office paralegal ends up being a deeper examination of sex, office politics, fidelity and lust. A little bit about Scarlett: I've never felt as though I fit the description of "most women". Most women, I've been told, don't think about sex as much as I do, don't pursue it as a game the way I do. Most women crave monogamy and have sexual drives that are lower than their male partners. So, either that isn't true, and it is one of many convenient lies that men tell themselves so they can sleep at night, or I'm an anomaly. I'll leave it up to you to judge.

Highest Rank #6 in poetry #4 in prose Status: COMPLETE I believe one of the greatest gifts of all is to be able to express oneself through poems - compromising your own personal emotions and words that speak your heart. To be able to share a vulnerable side of me with people I've never met in person, I dare say, is a form of bravery in itself. Thanks for reading Essence Of Blue.

This is about living, loving and libido. About life and death and a few other things in between. A reflection on life and the perils of it all. This is a work in progress. I would love to have your feedback. Please tell me what you think!