Writing prompt: Continue the story, and introduce a juicy twist as well as a cliffhanger. 150-300 words.

She had been in the singles scene for a long time. Now, though, she felt her biological clock ticking. It was like a pressure in her red-tinged belly, an ache for something that wasn’t there. What a surprise, the desire for a brood of her own. She would have to set up a nursery, find enough food to sustain her while she waited and watched until the birth. And her search for a suitable partner took on a whole new dimension.

She needed someone strong, of course, but also someone smart. Someone fiercely protective, but also someone subservient. These were her children on the line. The usual bar scenes or corporate offices wouldn’t do anymore. Then it came to her – an arachnologist would be perfect. He might recognize her, of course, but that was a chance she would have to take. A few well-placed messages to the Department of Agriculture got her in touch with just the person she needed.

She dressed down for the occasion, relying on a black jumper and leggings with a red choker around her neck, and, of course, the scent of her strong intelligence wafting from every pore. They spent hours together in his lab, looking over his collection, discussing his research, moving closer. She took every opportunity to reach over to him, take his hand, look in his eyes. He laughed and joked and became thoroughly absorbed in her extensive knowledge of his topic.

When he looked at the clock near the end of the day, she asked, “Surely you don’t have any place else to be?”

“No,” he replied, letting her lead him into the storeroom, feeling her legs wrap around his waist.

She was almost sad that he would never see his children born.

(c) 2017 Miriam Ruff All Rights Reserved