**This story is long and features a lot of drama and intrigue. If you like short stories that get to the sex right away, this might not be for you. Otherwise, read on and enjoy!**
CHAPTER 1
Diana walked up the stairs carefully, taking care on each step so as not to spill the piping hot coffee inside her mug all over her hand. The pitter-pat of her flip-flops echoed in the stairwell as she made her way to the Master bedroom, coffee and iPad in tow. She was spending the morning dog sitting at Felicity's house, and Diana was about to curl up for a coffee break with a detective novel on Felicity's marvelous balcony overlooking the backyard.
As she rounded the doorway into the bedroom, she spied Zipper sprawled out on the bed. Diana smiled to herself as she walked by; Zipper was an old dog, and it showed. Normally, older dogs can be trusted by themselves, but Zipper always had the tendency to get a little neurotic when the masters were away. Felicity and Dave preferred to have someone dog-sit when possible. Being a stay-at-home wife, Diana had no problem filling in for Felicity and Dave when they were away.
Diana kicked off her sandals as she pulled open the sliding glass balcony door and stepped out onto the warm wood of the balcony. The sun spilled over her as she turned and took a seat on one of the two lounge chairs set up in the deck. Setting her coffee down on the side table, she gingerly set herself down onto the white lounge chair and slowly swung her legs up and over, crossing them over each other in a relaxed manner.
These were the little moments Diana lived for. Breathing a slow sigh of contended enjoyment, Diana leaned backwards and shut her eyes as she soaked in the morning glory. Today was an absolutely perfect day. The sun shone brilliantly across a clear blue sky, the sunlight warming-over Diana's skin into a cozy glow, almost like a warm shower. It was certainly as therapeutic as a warm shower, at least. Meanwhile, a light - almost imperceptible - breeze swept over her, softly tickling her smooth legs and feet; Diana silently congratulated herself on choosing the right pair of short khaki shorts for just this sort of weather. She fanned out her manicured toes in response to a slight gusty draft, allowing the refreshing combination of sun and wind to work its magic. This girl was going to enjoy everything the day was worth, although she always had to be mindful of sunburn and her rather somewhat fair skin.
Diana opened her eyes and leaned forward for a brief sip of coffee before looking out over the large backyard. Diana admired the lovely flowers and shrubbery adorning the edges, paying particular attention to a blooming hibiscus in the corner. Dave, being a well-off landscaping contractor, certainly knew how to design a backyard. Felicity chose well when she married Dave out of college: he was good-looking, fun-loving, and knew to work hard while playing harder.
Diana turned her attention to the iPad in her hand as she powered up and opened her Kindle app to a new detective novel that had been recommended to her by a friend. Diana had always been partial to mysteries and detective stories; unseen events and rumored intrigue, deeds in the darkness and the thrill of discovery... The thought of being a detective hot on the trail of excitement and forbidden knowledge was something that Diana always found alluring in an intellectual way. Seeing as she would probably never be a detective on the verge of danger - probably for the best, Diana thought whimsically - she could at least live vicariously through books and movies.
Not to say Diana felt any real need to live vicariously. Honestly, Diana lived a pretty happy life. She had been married to her husband, Mark, for 22 unbelievable years. They had been high school sweethearts, marrying at 18 just after graduation. Even after all this time, Diana still loved him with all the warm fuzziness of a schoolgirl whenever she saw his boyish grin. Mark had worked his way up through a local construction business, eventually becoming one of the top VPs after wowing the higher-ups with his business sense and extensive grasp of large scale construction. Indeed, his company was now one of the largest in Southern California, and certainly in Santa Barbara.
Furthermore, Mark had been a better father than Diana could've ever dreamt. They got pregnant with Helena early, when they were just 20 years old - not even old enough for a goddamn beer, as Mark would jokingly say. Their 2nd daughter Britney came not long after at age 22. Thinking back, it went by fast; before they knew it, Helena was 18 and headed off to Cal Poly, with Britney following 2 years later. The sisters were close, which certainly made it easier for them to both leave home for the first time. Of course, Mark had raised them well. He had always been a loving father who instilled them with confidence and a desire to do well. To have raised such a loving and wonderful family by the mere age of 40 was no small task, and Diana looked forward to grandchildren and great-grandchildren over the next 50 or so years.
Diana flicked the screen to the title page - "Tasting the Forbidden Fruit". Diana rolled her eyes a little and smiled while reaching back briefly to put her hair into a loose bun. She'd heard this book was good, so she'd give it a chance in spite of the cheesy name. She flicked to the first page. No "dark and stormy night" to be seen in the first paragraph. Check! At least the book might be original, Diana thought amusingly.
Suddenly, darkness. Diana stared for a moment as a small white battery icon showed on the screen. Oops. Diana hadn't noticed that her iPad was running low on power. Apparently, her coffee break was going to have a change of plans.
Diana slowly picked herself off the chair and padded her way inside, feeling the soft cushion of carpet under her feet as she walked to her friend's dresser and grabbed her iPad cord. It would only take about 20 minutes for a charge, but that would be 20 minutes that Diana would need to kill.
Plugging in the iPad and plopping it on the bed next to the sleeping Zipper, Diana suddenly remembered: she had needed to respond to an email regarding her and Dave's homeowner's insurance policy. She couldn't recall exactly what needed to be done, but Mark had sent her an email outlining instructions with some such form. Diana had a tendency to forget things like this, so taking care of that in this small interruption wouldn't be a bad way to fill in the gap.
Diana turned and spotted Felicity and Dave's desktop computer in the corner of the room. It was a high class model, with an even higher class leather office chair in front of it. Her iPad might be out, but she was sure Felicity wouldn't mind if Diana hopped on her computer for this. Felicity had been Diana's best friend since high school; they'd shared far more things than most people would guess, up to and including certain pieces of clothing. For girls, though, this sort of thing was not out of the question.