Her Wicked Devices

by Lee Clark Zumpe

Smiles and charms and

          naughty whispers

to tempt me into her apartment.

Kisses and caresses and

          insistent nibbles

to convince me she meant business.

Whiskey and rum and

          various uncontrolled substances

to blur my already impaired judgment.

Hungry lips and eager fingers and

          a gifted tongue

to suck all remaining inhibitions from me.

Spinning room and throbbing head and

          disproportionate expectations

to impair me as we climbed into bed

Fingernails and fists and

          unexpected anger

to paralyze me as I drifted into slumber.

Chains and shackles and

          and clever alibis

to ensure that no one ever finds me.

"Her Wicked Devices," appeared originally in Cthulhu Sex, Vol. 2, Issue 20, 2005.

Lee Clark Zumpe, an entertainment columnist with Tampa Bay Newspapers, earned his bachelor’s in English at the University of South Florida. He began writing poetry and fiction in the early 1990s. His work has regularly appeared in a variety of literary journals and genre magazines over the last two decades. Publication credits include Tiferet, Zillah, The Ugly Tree, Modern Drunkard Magazine, Red Owl, Jones Av., Main Street Rag, Space & Time, Mythic Delirium and Weird Tales.

Lee lives on the west coast of Florida with his wife and daughter. Visit www.leeclarkzumpe.com.

Cindy Rosmus originally hails from the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ, once voted the “unfriendliest city on the planet.” She talks like Anybodys from West Side Story and everybody from Saturday Night Fever. Her noir/horror/bizarro stories have been published in the coolest places, such as Shotgun Honey; Megazine; Dark Dossier; The Rye Whiskey Review, Under the Boardwalk, and Rock and a Hard Place. She is the editor/art director of Yellow Mama and the art director of Black Petals. She’s published seven collections of short stories. Cindy is a Gemini, a Christian, and an animal rights advocate. She has recently branched out into photo illustration, under the guidance and mentoring of Ann Marie Rhiel.