Ranging from the prophetic to the surreal, these stories demonstrate Stanislaw Lem's vast talent and remarkable ability to blend meaning and magic into a wholly entertaining and captivating work.

    Saying goodbye to her naughty ways, she moves into a quaint gated community in Serene, New Hampshire. But these gates are locked at sunset...The town's dark sensuality rocks Jaclyn's insatiable appetite to the core-and stirs desires that are... inhuman. That's because Serene is home to demons, witches, vampires, lycans, and panthers, for whom primal exploration comes naturally. Especially for shape shifter Slyck, the cunning panther who's pushing Jaclyn to the brink of erotic possibilities and making her feel wildly...feral. As tension between species rises, Jaclyn learns she must draw on all her feminine wiles and join forces with Slyck if she wants to make it out alive.

    Lia was in magical limbo. That's what you get when you piss off a witch! How was she to know that the man she threw Pixie dust on was the witch's lover? He had seemed interested and she had been in the mood to play. Now she's stuck in the human realm with no magical powers. She had to break the curse, but she was running out of time. If the curse wasn't broken by midnight on Christmas Eve, she would be stuck human forever.Nick and Dale had been friends forever. They had grown up together and had been there through each trial the other had endured. Nothing could separate them. Until they met Lia. The stunning petite woman was everything each of them had ever wanted.Would their friendship survive if only one of them won her heart?Lia didn't know what to do. She had finally met someone she believed she could love. But that wasn't the problem. She had met TWO men that tugged at her heart strings. Would one or both of them love her back by Christmas Eve? And if so, what happens when her powers return?Warning: Contains graphic sexual encounters, oral, anal and menage.

    Except she misses one tiny word in the advertisement and ends up at a week-end for over-sixties at Bedlingham Manor.After sexy hotel manager Jake casts Daisy as a nun in the murder mystery, she is ready to scream and call the weekend off. But then Jake shows up dressed as a priest and it seems he can't wait to uncover the red lace beneath the nun costume.Jake and Daisy don't expect to fall in love but they discover that their weekend of hot sex might be much more than they bargained for.Bless me, Father, for I have sinned…or I'd really like to.

    Her only constant is an online community called CatNet—a social media site where users upload cat pictures—a place she knows she is welcome. What Steph doesn’t know is that the admin of the site, CheshireCat, is a sentient A.I.When a threat from Steph’s past catches up to her and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered by outsiders, it’s up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save her.

    Kyla knows she's lucky to have a guy who uses all his tricks to keep her happy in and out of bed. Jordan knows he's lucky to have such a hot, adventurous girlfriend. But neither of them knows that their best friend, Cassie DeSantis, wants them both. Cassie's painful past has taught her not to wear her heart on her sleeve. She keeps quiet, afraid that revealing her feelings would mean losing the two people she cares for most. Things change one night when an impulsive kiss leads to the three of them spending an incredibly hot night together. When the couple wants more of Cassie, problems arise from disapproving family and Cassie's inability to lower her guard. Their triad relationship will only survive if they all stand together to prove that three is the perfect number—when all three are in love. PLEASE NOTE: This is a re-release of a previously published title which has been expanded and re-edited.

    Robbed of her self-esteem during a loveless marriage, recently divorced Lyssa Markham allows her best friend to drag her, costumed as Salome, to a masquerade. She's shocked then intrigued to discover the participants are members of an exclusive sex club. Hiding behind her mask, she permits her long-submerged sensual side to re-emerge as erotic sights and sounds bombard her. Seeing a darkly sexy gladiator inspires her to dance for him, seductively removing one veil at a time until she falls naked into his hot embrace. Days later, she learns her ex has neglected to fulfill an urgent financial stipulation in the divorce decree. Unable to reach him, she storms into his lawyer's office to resolve the problem and comes face to face with her gladiator. His first words, "Lift up your skirt.Salome." Robert Savidge is everything a woman could want-rich, handsome, successful. Should she obey her impulse and run from him? Or can she find the courage to explore her nascent sensuality with this man who so obviously wants to teach her?

    The elements are in balance, passion is tamed, and the young queen is the heartbeat of it all. But in these two all-new stories of elemental steam, nothing is ever as it seems.Earthly DesiresDemeter “Dare” Senedal is the Queen’s Chalice-her protector and closest companion. So when the queen goes missing, Dare rushes to locate her, even though the search leads her straight into trouble.A gentleman who trades in secrets and sin, Bodhan revels in carnal delights, but when a naked and bound woman appears on his shore, he finds his hunger to possess at odds with his need to protect. As Bodhan shares his knowledge of pleasure, Dare must decide if she can trust him, both with her mission and her heart.Fiery TemptationsSeraphina always lands on her feet. After all, she is a Felidae-more feline than human-and an excellent thief. There has never been a job Phina wouldn’t take or a man who could tame her…until she meets Cyrus Arendal.As the Queen’s Sword, Cyrus should have known better than to fall victim to a beautiful bandit. Now, to find and retrieve the moonfire dagger, he’ll need to convince Phina not to judge a man by his station, but rather by how completely he can satisfy her desires.

    Get ready to go to war.Vivian Sweet. She's the most ruthless corporate lawyer in the world.I'm the King of Wall Street. We're both gunning for the most exclusive condo in New York.The kind that comes with fame. Status. And power.She thinks she's going to beat me in getting it.Man did she pick the wrong dude to mess with.The only problem?We may have bought it at the same exact time.So now we're both moved in, trying to wait the other out. Whoever moves out first gives up their claim to the place. Sure, she's got some tricks she's going to pull. But I can play just as dirty if I need to.It's a dangerous dance we're doing here, baby.Because if we're not careful, our two alpha personalities will just fall into f&%^ing love And New York City's premier condo that's being shared by two people?Will soon be shared by three.

    But he loved his nephew and spent the next fifteen years of his life devoted to raising him like his own. Now, with Ethan soon graduating from college, loneliness and the desire for intimacy is starting to catch up with him. Alex, Ethan’s best friend, is expecting to spend the holidays alone. When Ethan invites him to stay with him and his dad for the two week winter break, he’s hesitant. His attraction to older men has gotten him into trouble in the past and he’s sworn off dating anyone more than a few years older than him. But with Ethan’s insistence, he goes anyway. The moment Alex and David meet, a bond begins to form. David doesn’t see how a guy like Alex would be interested in him, and Alex is afraid he’ll get hurt again. When David kisses Alex for the first time, they both decide to give in and see what happens. Things between them heat up quickly as a winter storm moves in just days before Christmas. Being snowed in together might be exactly what they both need… This gay romance, stand-alone novelette features content intended for mature audiences. Read other gay romance stories by Savannah Brooks: Finding His Forever Guy Letting Him In Just One Kiss Falling for his Best Friend Never in a Million Cross My Heart

    Too bad it paired my childhood sweetheart with my worst enemy. She's the one who got away. The girl who should have been mine. When I was younger and seething with ambition, I let her slip through my fingers. Big mistake. Now I want her in my bed, writhing beneath me, my name burning her lips. When I win her back, I'll carry her to my bed, strip her down and finally savor a sweet seduction. She'll know I own her the moment I claim her tight, wet heat. Mismatch is a STAND-ALONE, full-length contemporary romance. There are no cliffhangers, and a happy ending is guaranteed!

    

    Robots have descended on us from outer space, escaped from top-secret laboratories, and even traveled back in time to destroy us.Today, scientists are working hard to bring these artificial creations to life. In Japan, fuzzy little real robots are delivering much appreciated hug therapy to the elderly. Children are frolicking with smiling robot toys.It all seems so innocuous. And yet how could so many Hollywood scripts be wrong?So take no chances. Arm yourself with expert knowledge. For the sake of humanity, listen to serious advice from real robotics experts. How else will you survive the inevitable future in which robots rebel against their human masters?

    John Mandel, Charlie Jane Anders, Paolo Bacigalupi, Madeline Ashby, Mark Oshiro, Meg Elison, Maureen McHugh, Deji Bryce Olukotun, Hannu Rajaniemi, Annalee Newitz, Lee Konstantinou, and Mark Stasenko—Future Tense Fiction points the way forward to the fiction of tomorrow. A disease surveillance robot whose social programming gets put to the test. A future in which everyone receives universal basic income—but it’s still not enough. A futuristic sport, in which all the athletes have been chemically and physically enhanced. An A.I. company that manufactures a neural bridge allowing ordinary people to share their memories. Brimming with excitement and exploring new ideas, the stories collected by the editors of Slate’s Future Tense are philosophically ambitious and haunting in their creativity. At times terrifying and heartwrenching, hilarious and optimistic, this is a collection that ushers in a new age for our world and for the short story. A partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University, Future Tense explores how emerging technologies will change the way we live, in reality and fiction.

    His new sister, former Marine Eve Marcori, promised his dead mother she'd look after him. To her that means family, home--her interstellar freighter--and a solid future. In four years she has trained Taro extensively; the next step is college. Taro would rather be shot, but he never forgets his debt to Eve, so he means to honor her plans or die in the attempt. When Eve rescues former joy-boy and current layabout Rafe Ballard, death seems the likely outcome. Rafe is so apparently useless that Eve calls him 'the baggage' and appoints Taro his custodian. Irritated into disobedience by his carefree charge, Taro tries to get rid of Rafe. Instead he gets them both kidnapped by the jealous husband Rafe was fleeing. Though they are off-planet before Taro can act, his training may be enough to bring them safely through--but now he has bigger problems. Forced into partnership--and freedom--with Rafe, Taro begins to see him differently. Kind, funny, and caring, Rafe is everything Taro never knew he wanted. And all he can't have. Eve's plans leave no room for a playboy boyfriend who can never measure up, and Taro can't let her down. Caught between the sister he'd die for and the man he's beginning to live for, Taro decides it's time to start making his own plans. And if the new skills aren't enough, he'll give the old ones a try.