<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"><channel><title>The Sweet Count on Gromet's Plaza Archive</title><link>/authors/the-sweet-count/</link><description>Recent content in The Sweet Count on Gromet's Plaza Archive</description><generator>Hugo</generator><language>en-us</language><lastBuildDate>Sat, 30 May 2026 20:13:47 +0000</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/authors/the-sweet-count/index.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title>Bind of the Magi</title><link>/stories/2006/02/09/bind-of-the-magi/</link><pubDate>Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2006/02/09/bind-of-the-magi/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;The new fallen snow crunched under Mary’s white boots as she made her way
briskly down the freshly ploughed streets that led to her home. Her breath made
frosty puffs of fog in the crisp December air as she strode down the sidewalk,
shopping bags in each gloved hand. She wore a red woollen coat that reached down
to her knees, with a grey-black faux fur collar bundled tightly around her neck
to keep cozy. Brightly coloured Christmas lights gleamed through the snow decked
tree branches around her. The cool, clear air left a little tickle in the back
of her throat and she fancied she could almost smell the turkeys roasting, the
warm spices of mulling cider, the tang of mandarin oranges, and the sweet scent
of peppermint springing forth with the warm glow from each passing window.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Auction Part 4</title><link>/stories/2005/12/12/auction-part-4/</link><pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2005/12/12/auction-part-4/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;continues from &lt;a href="auction3.html"&gt;part three&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Part 4 - Luggage&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&amp;lsquo;Today’s the day&lt;/em&gt;&amp;rsquo; Karen thought. All week long Zoe had been promising something special. In her usual cryptic way, she would not give any details, just telling Karen to keep her weekend free and her bladder empty. &lt;em&gt;&amp;lsquo;One little ‘I’ve gotta pee’ incident and she’ll never let me forget it&amp;rsquo;.&lt;/em&gt; This morning was even more frustrating. Zoe had practically pushed her out of the apartment insisting that she go to the gym then get some breakfast because Zoe had work to do. Could Zoe have changed her mind about today?&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Return the Favor</title><link>/stories/2005/06/12/return-the-favor/</link><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jun 2005 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2005/06/12/return-the-favor/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Packaged Story Contest 2005 Entrant&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;Ding-Dong&gt;!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Oh my god.  She&amp;rsquo;s here already!  Is everything ready?&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;I can&amp;rsquo;t believe this is really happening.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Jerry rushed down the hallway, stepping carefully along rich brocade
rugs that lay over the polished hardwood floor.  Stopping in front
of hallway mirror, he took a moment to collect himself, patting down a
few loose hairs and tucking in an errant shirt tail.  Through the
lead glass window behind him he could see his green expanse of lawn (just
mown this morning) sloping down gently to the shop.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Package Deal</title><link>/stories/2004/03/01/package-deal/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2004/03/01/package-deal/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;“Mmmmphh…. mmmpphhh MMmmmmPHHH!!” Muffled grunts were all
that came out as Carolyn feebly tried kicking at the lid of the crate that
held her snugly in its confines.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Even if her legs had not been buckled
into the leather straps, the foam rubber which lined the inside of the
box wrapped so tightly around her naked form that she would not of been
able to get much leverage. Not that she would have much chance of breaking
free she thought as she remembered the thick steel bands which braced the
lid of the crate and the sturdy latches which sealed it shut. As
she tried one more kick she heard a muffled CLICK and realized that Greg
had locked her in. Now there was no escape until she got back to
the warehouse.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Package Deal</title><link>/stories/2004/03/01/package-deal/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2004/03/01/package-deal/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;“mmmmphh….mmmpphhh  MMmmmmPHHH!!”  Muffled grunts were all
that came out as Carolyn feebly tried kicking at the lid of the crate that
held her snugly in its confines.  Even if her legs had not been buckled
into the leather straps, the foam rubber which lined the inside of the
box wrapped so tightly around her naked form that she would not of been
able to get much leverage. Not that she would have much chance of breaking
free she thought as she remembered the thick steel bands which braced the
lid of the crate and the sturdy latches which sealed it shut.  As
she tried one more kick she heard a muffled CLICK and realized that Greg
had locked her in.  Now there was no escape until she got back to
the warehouse.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Happy Birthday</title><link>/stories/2004/01/14/happy-birthday/</link><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2004 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2004/01/14/happy-birthday/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;Carmen and I had been dating for about two months. I was at a party
at my friend’s dorm lounge the first time I saw her. Long dark hair, flowing
down her back, gorgeous curves, but what really drew my eye was the boots.
Tall, smooth, and tight, they came up past her knees, with two-inch platforms
that only added to her sexy stature. Layers of laces interwove all the
way up her gorgeous taut calves. It must have taken her half an hour just
to put them on. They had a tough, Doc Martens line to them but they were
pure white, leading the eye up to her tight white shorts and faded jean
jacket that she wore unbuttoned over a pink baby tee. As she turned around,
I saw the words “Naughty Girl” in white script on the front of her shirt.
Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed an extra beer from the fridge and made
my way over to her. Offering her the bottle I let my eyes drift down to
the writing on her chest then slide back up to stare into her brown eyes.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Audition</title><link>/stories/2003/09/20/the-audition/</link><pubDate>Sat, 20 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2003/09/20/the-audition/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Casting Notice:&lt;/strong&gt;
Female (20-30 years old);
Young wife/homemaker type for non-union
national commercial.
Must be under 5’2”, flexibility a must.
Multiple spots, $20,000 buy out.
Open call, bring photo/resume
134 King St. East. Saturday 9:30am&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;It almost seemed too good to be true. Michelle had come to the city
six months ago, hoping to follow her dream of becoming an actress. In those
six months, she’d lived in seedy apartments, worked crappy jobs, and had
door after door slammed in her face. She couldn’t get into the union; she
couldn’t even get an agent. It wasn’t that she wasn’t talented and she
certainly had the look.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>The Attic</title><link>/stories/2003/09/05/the-attic/</link><pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2003 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/2003/09/05/the-attic/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;“Come on! Last one in the house sucks pond slime!” Keri smacked the
back of Todd’s bathing suit and dashed for the back door of the cabin.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“Oh, you’re going to pay for that one!” Todd chuckled and took off after
her. He tiptoe-jogged across the sharp gravel of the driveway in his barefeet.
“Damn!” he thought “I should have brought thongs like Keri”.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Watching her long gorgeous legs race across the lawn, he realized he
probably wasn’t going to catch her before the house. They were both still
a little damp from their plunge into the lake, she in her cute little peach
bikini, him in his blue swimming trunks. Charging after her, he took the
steps up to the porch three at a time, finally catching her as they raced
through the French doors on the back of the house and tackling her down
onto the living room couch.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Auction</title><link>/stories/1/01/01/auction/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/1/01/01/auction/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Part One - The Auction&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Karen made her way slowly up the creaky old stairs to the loft of the
magnificent old horse barn. Motes of dust hung in the air, caught in the
beams of late summer sunshine, which peeked through the grainy windows.
The barn smelled of fresh hay and old leather. Reaching the top of the
stairs she peered around at the merchandise before her.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Karen stood 5’8” with shoulder length black hair drawn back into a ponytail
and blue green eyes that changed colour depending on what she wore. She
wore a pale blue hooded sweatshirt and jeans that had been well loved and
hugged the graceful curve of her hips. Cycling and yoga had given her firm
and graceful legs. At 21, she was young to be studying for a master’s degree
but school had always come easy for her and her program of directed studies
had given her much needed moments of free time like this.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Auction Part 2 - Locked Inside</title><link>/stories/1/01/01/auction-part-2-locked-inside/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/1/01/01/auction-part-2-locked-inside/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;continues from &lt;a href="auction.html"&gt;part one&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Part Two - Locked Inside&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Karen lay on her back in the trunk. It had been several hours since
Zoe had gone off to bed and a soft shaft of moonlight lay across the trunk.
Karen could see the moon’s blue glow peeking in through the crack where
the lid joined the rest of the trunk. Stifling a yawn with her fist, she
drew her knees up towards her chest and curled up on her side, trying to
get as comfortable as possible in the tight confines of the chest. Gradually
she drifted off to sleep, dreaming…&lt;/p&gt;</description></item><item><title>Auction Part 3 - Bagged &amp; Packed</title><link>/stories/1/01/01/auction-part-3-bagged-packed/</link><pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>/stories/1/01/01/auction-part-3-bagged-packed/</guid><description>&lt;p&gt;continues from &lt;a href="auction2.html"&gt;part two&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Part 3 - Bagged &amp;amp; Packed&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;“So with your advisor away, you’re pretty much free all week, aren’t
you Karen?”&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Zoe sat across the table from Karen, nibbling at the pasta Karen had
made. Zoe’s eyes still had the wicked gleam they had held ever since
Karen had released her from the trunk that afternoon. It’s her own
fault she ended up in there, Karen thought. Still, she shuddered
to think of the revenge that Zoe was surely plotting.&lt;/p&gt;</description></item></channel></rss>