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    Ghosting
    Ghosting
    Ghosting
    Ebook109 pages1 hour

    Ghosting

    By Marc Johnson

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    About this ebook

    As a stay-at-home programmer living with her loving boyfriend, Mia lives a simple but good life. Like most people, she dreams, but unlike most, she has vivid dreams about her neighbors’ lives. One day, she realizes that they aren’t dreams—what she’s been experiencing is real. Mia’s able to “ghost” into anyone she chooses, take control of their body, and make them do what she wants.

    Frustrated by the injustice and abuse she sees around her, Mia begins using her power to try to right the wrongs she sees. Her boyfriend, Amir, does his best to stop her, believing that no one person should have that much power, and that the system—or God—will bring justice to the perpetrators. Mia, on the other hand, has seen too much corruption in her life to believe in such naivety.

    However, the best intentions don’t always work out as planned. The power begins to affect Mia in ways she didn’t expect—and turns out to have consequences she never imagined.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMarc Johnson
    Release dateMar 25, 2016
    ISBN9781311518545
    Ghosting

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      Book preview

      Ghosting - Marc Johnson

      GHOSTING

      By Marc Johnson

      As a stay-at-home programmer living with her loving boyfriend, Mia lives a simple but good life. Like most people, she dreams, but unlike most, she has vivid dreams about her neighbors’ lives. One day, she realizes that they aren’t dreams—what she’s been experiencing is real. Mia’s able to ghost into anyone she chooses, take control of their body, and make them do what she wants.

      Frustrated by the injustice and abuse she sees around her, Mia begins using her power to try to right the wrongs she sees. Her boyfriend, Amir, does his best to stop her, believing that no one person should have that much power, and that the system—or God—will bring justice to the perpetrators. Mia, on the other hand, has seen too much corruption in her life to believe in such naivety.

      However, the best intentions don’t always work out as planned. The power begins to affect Mia in ways she didn’t expect—and turns out to have consequences she never imagined.

      GHOSTING

      by Marc Johnson

      Smashwords Edition | Copyright 2016 Marc Johnson

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Author’s Corner

      Copyright

      CHAPTER 1

      Max stuffed his hands into the pockets of his old coat. It was a nervous habit he had developed in his youth. No matter how old he got or how many times he ventured to the club, he couldn’t quite break that habit. What did he have to be nervous for, anyway? He got into the cab and pulled the brim of his old baseball cap down as he told the cab driver where he wanted to go. Max didn’t say a word as they drove downtown.

      It always amazed Max how bright and wondrous downtown could be. The loud traffic and the chatter of people never seemed to stop. The bright lights nearly blinded him. He had a hard time seeing these days, but downtown was always like a little Fourth of July to him.

      The one thing Max could do without was the smell. In his youth, people dressed better and the city smelled a lot cleaner. These days, people were content to wallow in their filth.

      Maybe gentrification isn’t such a bad thing, Max thought as he reached his destination and got out of the cab.

      Max stepped into the entryway of the strip club, paid, and nodded to the doorman as he went inside. He turned his head from side to side, scanning the dark room.

      One of the girls smiled at him. The usual, Max?

      Yes, please.

      Max took a deep breath. The young kids could have their Internet and their computers. The pictures and videos they got for free were nothing like the real thing. Sure, the computers had images and sound, but there was no taste of stale, stuffy air, or the feel of how soft and warm the women were. Customers weren’t usually allowed to touch the women, but being an old man, Max got some perks.

      The young lady brought his favorite drink to him—a Jack and Coke. Maria will see you now.

      Thank you.

      Max walked across the floor and headed to one of the hallways. He was thankful when he reached it and the noise level dropped. That music they played today always gave him a headache. Maria stood outside the entrance to the private room. When she saw him, she grinned and sauntered over to him.

      Maxie! she said, reaching up to him and kissing him on the corner of the mouth.

      Max hated when people called him that. Always had, always would. Yet when Maria said it, it took him back to his youth when the air was cleaner, the prices cheaper, and the people friendlier. And to a young and beautiful woman he never forgot.

      A huge grin spread across Max’s face. Maria.

      She took him by the hand and led him into one of the unoccupied rooms. He sat on the chair, breathing easier now that he didn’t have to put any more weight on his bum leg. He missed his cane, but he never brought it to the club. He didn’t want to be reminded of the old man that he was.

      They made small talk at first, about their day, but soon their words ceased. Maria began to sway her hips and dance, and she spoke a language without words—a language that aroused Max and took him to a time when he was young, strong, and full of vigor.

      Maria helped Max put his wrinkly, arthritis-filled hands to her body, and he let himself be carried away to his past.

      ----

      Mia jolted awake. She was breathing heavily, her heart pounding in her chest. She’d been dreaming of Max—the old man who lived in the apartment at the end of the hall. But she hadn’t just been dreaming about him—in the dream, it was almost like she was him. She could feel how the heat rose through Max’s body, and the weight of Maria on his lap, grinding against his pelvis.

      What a weird dream, she thought. Max was a kind old man who loved to bake. Every week there were wonderful smells emanating from his apartment, and he often went door to door on the floor sharing his treats. He walked with a cane, so sometimes Mia or her boyfriend Amir helped him to carry groceries or take out his trash. Mia couldn’t imagine him visiting a strip club.

      As she stared up at the ceiling, Mia couldn’t help but wonder why she’d dreamed of Max. Lately, Mia had been dreaming of all her neighbors—Max, Smokes A Lot Lady on the floor above her, and even that college kid who stared at her for far too long. She shivered at that last thought. He always creeped her out.

      Bad dream? Amir mumbled from deep under the covers.

      Sorry I woke you. Not a bad dream—just a really strange one.

      He stifled a yawn. Care to share it?

      You have to teach in the morning. You need your sleep.

      I know, but as of late, you’ve had a lot of fascinating dreams. He reached up and tapped her nose with his finger. She giggled. And I can see this one’s troubling you.

      "They all trouble me."

      Mia told Amir about the dream, just like she had about all the other ones. As she told it, she could once more feel the sensations Max felt. How great Maria felt against Max, and how hot it made him when she rubbed against him. It felt like more than just a dream, Mia thought, rubbing her legs against each other, her own lust rising.

      Enough talking, Mia said, rolling Amir over and climbing on top of him.

      Amir had a smug smile on his face. Are you going to show me what the dancer did?

      She stared into his dark green eyes. Oh, I’ll show you more than that.

      Mia kissed Amir and the two shook off their tiredness and stayed up late into the night.

      ----

      The next morning, Mia

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