White Picket Fence Motel (ePub)

Displaced by Superstorm Sandy, Jenny Keefe finds herself - as well as her family and friends - homeless and panicked. When the man she once dated and turned away - John Rizzo - shows up and takes her in, asks her to move in, all is right with their worlds. Love is theirs for the taking. But soon that world would turn very dark for Jenny.

The dark side of sexual politics comes into play two months later, and Jenny soon discovers that John is heavily into sado-masochistic sex, hidden well behind his squeaky clean public and somewhat political persona. His S & M proclivities are something Jenny is willing to try at first, but she quickly decides that they are unsatisfying and distasteful. As they escalate into more severe acts of humiliation, Jenny realizes she has made a horrible judgment call by moving in with John. John on the other hand, reveals more and more of his need to humiliate and debase women and is determined to "teach" Jenny the connection between pleasure and pain.

This story of manipulation and control masked by kindness and selflessness is told from Jenny's point of view; a strong but flawed woman who finds herself in an untenable situation. John senses this disconnect and decides to re-romance an ex girlfriend under Jenny's nose. John's daughter meanwhile, is an at-home drug addict, sleeping the days away until she finally realizes she needs rehab. Jenny, with ten years of sobriety herself, and his daughter, form a strong bond.

The characters are richly and boldly developed, likeable and unlikable at the same time, woven into a story that begins with disaster and sexual experimentation and ends with displacement, disillusionment and ultimately, a woman's journey to developing true self-esteem.