Sunday Snippet: Killing Time

Ugh. My daughter had her first fender bender already. I haven't even made the first car payment yet. LOL

She's fine, which is all that truly matters. The car isn't completely wrecked and that's also a good thing. Whew.

Needless to say, I had a lot of distractions this past week. That said, I did get a few good viewing sessions in.

I started Luke Cage's second season and liked the first episode. I'm very interested in seeing what happens with everyone. Also caught two episodes of Killjoys and one of Wynonna Earp. Still behind, but I'll get caught up eventually.

Started the limited series Driven from Passionflix. So far… definitely so good. I'm so happy to be a founding member of this venture.

I ended up getting an episode of The Dresden Files in along with the tenth episode of Canal Road.

On DVD this week, I caught Batman: Assault on Arkham and the Veronica Mars movie. Enjoyed both!

Also did my usual marathon viewings of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night. Got in an episode of Peter Gunn, too.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Killing Time, a sexy short that started with a prompt of writing a story involving a sexy stakeout.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Landry comes up with a great idea to kill time while on a stakeout with her hot co-worker. Her biggest challenge? Getting Thryn to participate in a lively game of truth or strip.

And a snippety peek…

Landry Shade grimaced when she caught the caller ID but answered her phone on the third ring. "Hey, boss. What's up?" Dread filled her gut—he'd only be calling to bring her in.

Dammit.

Sometimes working private security meant never having a weekend off. But she wouldn't trade her job with Nagle Protection for anything.

Her boss, Jason, gave it to her straight. "I need you to work a surveillance detail from seven pm to seven am."

Landry groaned. "Ugh. What did I do to pull this crappy work assignment?" She'd been good lately, keeping a low profile.

Flying under Jason's radar, especially after bucking orders and getting her ass chewed recently.

Jason chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong, Landry. I pulled randomly from the roster. Your name popped along with Dane Mason, Brad Hamilton, and Thryn Bowery." Before she could sputter objections, he clarified. "I've got you teamed up with Bowery. I remember my promise." The one where he'd never make her sit inside a contained space with Dane or Brad.

Ever again.

Both men had solid skills, but Dane always slept at least ten out of the twelve hours of their shift. The first time, she let it slide. The second, not so much. Dane ended up on the receiving end of an ice, cold water bottle over his head. Brad… had no filter. Between phone sex with one of his girlfriends and trying to use Landry to break up with another one, she'd had enough of being dragged into someone else's drama. She'd rather spork her eyeballs out than run surveillance with either guy again.

She breathed easier. "Thanks, Jason. I'm sure Thryn and I will get along fine." After ending the call, she started getting stuff together for a long shift.

At least Thryn could carry a conversation. Landry didn't get to work with him much, but he had a terrific rep. And a smoking hot physique. The man topped Landry's list of fellow employees she might break her no-sexy-times-with-coworkers rule for.

She laughed. Actually, her imaginary list only had his name on it. Landry wouldn't mind seeing if they had a spark.

"I just need to figure out how."

Honestly, this one is fun. I love the dynamic between Landry and Thryn.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Justice is Served

Yeesh, another crazy-busy week. And it's allergy season for me, so… yay. Not.

I had a particularly lengthy manuscript with formatting issues so my viewing schedule dwindled again this week. As usual, I caught marathons of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night as background for much of the week.

I caught a CW Seed pilot called Cupid's Match. Gotta say that one looked kind of interesting. Also watched Pensacola: Wings of Gold and another episode of Lexx.

I ended up starting and not finishing another Hallmark Movie. I apparently like the mysteries way better than the meet-cutesy ones. Still… I'll keep sampling.

On DVD, I caught two Batman movies. Bad Blood and The Killing Joke. Both were pretty decent and I enjoyed the more adult-oriented storyline.

Finished season four of Strike Back and I'm geared up for season five. Looking forward to seeing if I like the new cast as much as I loved the previous one.

I'm almost finished with season six of Chicago Fire. I truly love where the cast is right now. Of course, there's a major shake-up for season seven so I'm not sure how I'll like that.

Caught a sci-fi marathon of original series Battlestar Galactica, Kolchak, the Night Stalker, Lost in Space, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea last night. I love revisiting some of those classic shows.

And that's it for television this week. I'm behind on Wynonna and Killjoys, but should catch up this week. Fingers crossed. Tonight's post is from Justice is Served, a novella that started with a writing community prompt of writing a story where the main character is wrongly convicted of a crime and the other main character is part of the legal firm that helps on the case.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Derby Stack is a cold-blooded killer, but not by choice. She's convicted for her crime, but Nate Mobius's specialized legal firm takes an interest in her case. Nate gradually wins Derby over and together they uncover a sinister trail leading back to her childhood therapist.

And a snippety peek…

Nate Mobius stood outside the boardroom, waiting for his next assignment. At twenty-seven, he never dreamed he'd be one step away from full-partner status in a law firm. Then again, Overwatch didn't exactly do anything by normal standards.

Probably why Nate landed on their radar five years ago.

His right-place-right-time luck had him finished with his undergrad courses by twenty and law school by twenty-two. Not the usual path for hopeful attorneys.

The doors opened and Mac Douglas greeted Nate. "We're ready for you." He ushered Nate into the conference room and closed the regular world out.

Here… in the private chambers on the top floor of Overwatch's building, regular blended with fantastically covert. Nate appreciated the ability to work behind the scenes within the bounds of the law. Secretive didn't have to mean illegal.

He took his place at the small table facing a three-seat semicircle of partners. Mac settled into his spot in the center of the group. Peter Lang and Sam Straight flanked Mac on either side.

The shades lowered on the windows and a projector flashed the image of a young woman on the paneled wall.

"This is Derby Stack, twenty-two, convicted of seventeen counts of murder." Mac's voice captured the severity of the crimes. "We've taken an interest." On a split screen, he moved through a series of pictures showing clean kills, but gruesome nonetheless.

Nate tried to reconcile the lean woman depicted in the photo with the still shots of death. His brain whirred. Interest could mean anything from believing Derby innocent to wanting to recruit her for a position at Overwatch.

Nate opened his attaché case and pulled out a legal pad. "What's the interest here?" He glanced at the photo of Derby.

Dark, wispy hair framed a face with deep-set brown eyes. He pictured being snared in her gaze, which appeared sharp, intelligent, and watchful at the same time. She didn't look big enough to commit the crimes she had, but Nate discounted the initial impression. Small in stature didn't mean light of strength.

Mac steepled his fingers. "She's not a typical hard case." He brought up a series of childhood images.

Peter put up several documents, showing court-ordered evaluations and other discovery items. "No mental issues discerned by the psychologist, but she's a victim of the system. Bounced around foster homes until she finally settled into one six years before she aged out." He nodded approval when Nate jotted the notes down.

Sam took over. "Her case fast-tracked through the courts and the conviction came back quick."

Nate had plenty of experience with the fast track. He'd been recruited by Overwatch, specifically by Mac Douglas, before he'd passed the bar. In Nate's situation, the interest of the partners provided him opportunities he wouldn't have received on a traditional path.

Derby's experience showed how the opposite. The wheels of justice moved with an almost inhuman speed to imprison her. The big question? Why?

Nate's gut instinct kicked in. "Is there coverage from the trial?" If the partners had an interest, there had to be more to the story.

Peter shot Mac a quick glance and a knowing smirk. Nate resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He's passed another unknown test.

Mac gave a nod to Sam, who depressed a button on the table. A television glided out from a recessed area in the wall. A travesty of injustice unfolded on the screen during a surprisingly short-lived trial.

When the footage ended, Nate sat convinced Derby Stack had been railroaded into a prison term with a death penalty verdict. So much had been wrong with the way her defense handled the court proceedings. No wonder the partners had an interest in her case.

Nate picked up his pen again. "What's my objective?"

The three men gave him wide smiles.

I'm having so much fun writing this one, I'm hoping to write versions for my alter egos, ML Skye and Skye Ritchey. We'll see what the sages come up with.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Just One Moment

The start of the school year looms closer for my last kidlet. She'll be starting her junior year but she's already been involved in fall activities. Band camp for two weeks and three-day-a-week practices in the evenings. The golf season officially started and she had her best eighteen-hole round this past week with an eighty-eight on a par seventy-two course. In between all that, she worked a part-time summer job at our local pool, got hired and trained for a new part-time job at a local restaurant that opens in a few weeks, and got her first car. GAH! Okay, the husband and I are actually paying for the car, but she's involved in so much we decided she needed a vehicle. She'll be contributing toward the payment and her insurance with the part-time job and banking the rest of her paycheck in her shiny new checking account.

The struggle is real… my wee one is fast approaching adulthood.

So… the busy week of car loans and new editing projects kept me from my usual viewing schedule. I did a lot of Murder, She Wrote and In the Heat of the Night marathons. I did catch a few other shows.

Wynonna Earp. Watching everyone grieve for Dolls broke me a little. It's Wynonna Earp so of course there was nothing standard for the process. And we got quite a bit of plot momentum and new secrets. This show… never a dull moment. Ever. And one of the best fight scenes ever in the history of fight scenes on Wynonna Earp. Just saying.

I'm behind on Killjoys, which makes me very sad. I'll hopefully catch up this week. Fingers crossed.

I caught another episode of Garage Sale Mysteries, which I'm rather fond of. I like the dynamic and mix of characters. And in the mystery category, I caught the first episode of Midsomer Murders season thirteen. Moving right along on the episodes I haven't seen yet.

Also caught some more The Dresden Files and remembered by I enjoyed this show so much when it originally aired.

Caught another episode of Canal Road and I gotta say I have a theory on who either killed Spence's wife or ordered it done. I'm totally going to freak out if I'm correct. Australia has some kick ass television… just saying.

I watched two Batman DVDs this week. Gotham by Gaslight ended up being a terrific experience, topped only by a rather grown-up for animated DC fare of Batman and Harley Quinn. Seriously, I'm down with the kid version, but I'm completely there for a more adult-oriented movie.

Caught another episode of Babylon 5, basically the opening of the first season after the initial pilot. I'm looking forward to rewatching the entire series. Also caught most of another episode of The Sarah Conner Chronicles.

And that's about it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Just One Moment, a sexy short bonus scene featuring Kiernan Darby and Lars Rademacher from the South of the Border series.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A life-threatening situation and a couple in love. Just one moment to say everything that needs to be said for Kiernan and Lars.

And a snippety peek…

Kiernan Darby loved sex. Especially with Lars Rademacher. The man had turned her world upside down. He might as well rock it, too.

And he definitely had the skill set to shake her foundation on a fundamental level.

"Did they teach you how to wow a woman during covert forces training?"

"Learned that on my own." His mouth paused over hers. "You know this isn't typical, right? You broke all my rules." His chin raised and he met her gaze.

Kiernan could get so lost in the depths of his eyes. "I broke all mine, too." She didn't make connections.

Her parents taught her not to at an early age. Hence the reason I'm stuck between a rock and the proverbial hard place. With no one to have my back except Lars.

His lips brushed over hers. "Stay with me, Kier. Don't go back to the past." He moved between her legs, settling his forearms on either side of her shoulders.

She sent him a wide smile. "Definitely like the present way better." Her thighs splayed wide, ready to accommodate him.

Lars didn't disappoint, shifting forward the head of his shaft nudging between her labia. His head lowered and he caught her mouth in a steamy kiss right before he thrust deeply, seating in to the hilt. Kiernan groaned. The length and girth of his cock filling her to capacity. She'd never get tired of taking him over and over, again and again.

She'd never get tired of loving him.

The thought terrified and soothed in equal parts.

Terrified because she didn't really know how to live with a man like Lars. One who protected her and actually gave a damn about her life. He'd scared the hell out of her when he showed up started asking questions about her small operation outfitting pleasure boats with high-end upgrades. Didn't take long for him to turn her into his informant and take her under his wing.

He demanded total honesty and she delivered the whole ugly story of her childhood in record time. A complete first for her. No one in her life had the total beginning, middle, and end of the Kiernan Darby tale of woe.

Except Lars.

He soothed the raw hurt she'd carried around with a rock-solid understanding of where she came from and a refusal to judge how she ended up working for a criminal enterprise. The falling for each other thing took both by surprise, but Kiernan wouldn't shy away from how she felt about him. Even if the idea of sharing her life with someone scared the hell out of her.

Lars stopped moving within her. "Kier… present tense." He flexed his hips, driving deep inside her. "Unless I'm losing my touch and you're getting bored." His eyes narrowed and he quirked an eyebrow.

She lifted her chin to ghost kisses along his jawline. "Not bored. Just amazed you haven't given up on me yet." Everyone else usually did.

Lars shook his head. "Never will, Kier. You've gotta remember that." He pulled back and thrust forward again, creating a delicious friction against her clit.

She focused on the sensation, shoving everything else but him aside. "I love you, Lars." Forever and a day.

He increased his speed. "Love you, too. Always."

I can't wait to finish this up and post it for readers to enjoy!

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: Imagination

Wow… it's August. Almost time for school to get started again and the fall sports season to get underway. For me, this means feed the team for one of my daughter's golf matches and getting ready for football games and band competitions. Oh… and homecoming. We got the dress picked out and ready to order today. Yeesh.

Had a low-key week in television. Got kind of busy doing other things and ended up watching a lot of binge scheduling of Murder, She Wrote.

On DVD, I finished up Batman: The Brave and the Bold and got the second half of The Batman's season five episodes. Really enjoyed both.

Finished up the second to last episode of Strike Back's fourth season. Caught a Chicago Fire episode and also watched the season one finale of Sense8. Man… I'm completely sucked in to this show. I was going to watch the second season of Luke Cage then watch season two of Sense8, but I need to know what happens next. LOL Sorry, Luke… I'll be there soon.

Started Patrick Melrose but it didn't grab me. I'll watch it sometime later. Had a binge watch of The Saint on regular television. I'll be hunting down the entire series in the near future. Really love the show.

I'll be watching Wynonna Earp and Killjoys later this week. Had too much stuff going on Friday night to watch live.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Imagination, a sexy short that got its start with a writing community prompt of "using a blindfold".

Here's the mini-blurb:

Holland Dukes and Rand Allerdyce love to play games. When Holland decides Rand needs to stimulate his imagination, she uses a blindfold and makes him rely on his other senses. Rand loves her creativity and promises he'll return the favor when she least expects it.

And a snippety peek…

Holland shivered, anticipation licking along her spine. "Put your arms around me and hold on." She adjusted his hold on her, sliding his hands to her waist.

She guided him to the bedroom, carefully avoiding furniture along the way. His lips curved when she stopped at the bed, the thick soft duvet brushing the back of his legs.

"From your grin, I'll assume you know where we are." She loosened his tie, removing and setting it aside.

Rand gave a nod. "Mm-hm. My favorite room in the house." He started on his buttons, but Holland pushed his hands aside.

She'd been waiting to strip him all day. "Uh-uh. Your mine to unwrap tonight." Easing the fabric from his shoulders, she helped his shrug out of the shirt.

Her lips and tongue traveled from his sternum up to his collarbone. Her mouth ghosted over his skin and along his throat before reaching his jawline. She blazed a path to his lips and caught them in a steamy kiss. She worked the button of his trousers open and shoved the material past his hips. His long shaft wedged between them against her stomach and moisture gathered between her folds. The man made her hot with anticipation.

Rand broke the embrace. "Holland, I'm a patient man, but you're killing me. What's next?" His hands found her hips again and gave a squeeze.

Holland smiled. "Next is coming very soon." She nudged him backward. "On the bed with you."

He caught himself on his elbows and swung his legs around to lay flat. Right where she wanted him. She reached for the nightstand and chose a boa to start the next phase of her game.

Trailing the fluttery feathers over him, she purred. "Can you guess what this is?" She made a line from his chin to his cock, teasing the head with the wispy garment.

His dick bounced, responding the stimulant. "Mmm. The boa you wore for Christmas? The red and green one?" His hand snagged feathers and he brought the boa to his nose, taking a deep whiff. "Ahhh. Still smells of your perfume and sex."

Her inner core clenched. They'd had fun with the sexy accessory on Christmas Eve. Rand had a creative flair she hoped to top tonight.

Reaching for her next item, she confirmed his guess. "You'd be right on the boa. Let's see if you get this one." She trailed a nylon thigh-high stocking along the side of his face, over his torso and again teased the end of his shaft.

It bobbed in response and she quite enjoyed eliciting a small groan from Rand.

He cocked his head to one side. "Light and wispy… a pair of panties?" He reached forward, but she pulled the stocking away before he could grasp it.

A small chuckle escaped. "No. But you're close." She repeated her action of trailing the thigh high over his skin.

He huffed out a breath. "I'm stumped on this one." She wrapped the nylon around his palm and he laughed. "Ah! A stocking! I should've got that one."

She retrieved the final item from the nightstand. "Last one. You should get this without trouble." Taking the belt of her silk robe, she traced circles on his chest then dragged the fabric downward stopping at this cock.

Winding the material around his length, she gave the tip of his dick a nice, hard suck.

Rand's hips bucked and he growled a warning. "Holland…"

The raw need in his voice turned her on so much. "Soon, Rand. What's the last item?" Her mouth ghosted kisses over his stomach.

Rand blindly reached out, hooking his hands under her shoulders. "The sash from the silk robe I gave you for your birthday." He hauled her up and pinned her to his chest. "Is it time yet?"

She wriggled her arms free and cupped his face. "Almost." Her head lowered and she caught his lips in a lingering kiss, her tongue tangling with his. "I've got one article of clothing on. Can you guess what it is?"

Having so much fun with this one. Making use of the senses and imagination is a treat.

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin