Sunday Snippet: Quick Draw

Happy Independence Day if you're in the US. If not, I hope you're having a terrific weekend. Our weather is very pleasant and mild so I'm not going to complain about that. I will express frustration with random people letting off fireworks, but only because our doggos hate them.

Had a truly jam-packed, great television viewing week. Started and ended the week with No Offence. I finished up the series and I'm not disappointed at all. What a experience!

Also watched Silent Witness and I'm almost through the second episode of the two-parter. I watched the first part at the end of last week and should have this one finished up by the time I'm ready to post this blog entry.

Caught another arc of Classic Who. The fifth part of the key has been found so I'm almost ready for season sixteen to come to a close. So far, I've been on the fence with this season but it's enjoyable.

Watched an episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. This one dived into the cover-ups in the US. I'm always fascinated by how much this show reminds me of the X-Files. I love it.

Enjoyed two more episodes of The Muppet Show. Rudolf Nereyev and Elton John were the guest stars. Really enjoyed Elton.

Caught an episode of Peak Practice. I'm starting to like the new doctor. He kind of rubs everyone the wrong way but I truly feel for the guy coming to a small village where the residents are all used to things being a specific way.

The Hardy Boys had a terrific episode. I'm kind of interested in how the boys are dealing with starting at a new school and uncovering their mom's past there.

Dove into another Master Class with David Carson. I didn't think I'd get much out of the whole collage lesson but I did walk away with a few ideas about how textures and colors work together on a physical level.

Watched Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and, wow, Sabrina definitely had a bomb blow up in her face. I'm kind of glad to see it but also now wondering how everything is going to play out. Still not a big fan of Wardwell.

Caught another episode of Street Legal and thoroughly enjoyed. I'll be honest … I'm not always a fan of Olivia but I enjoyed her interaction with Emily. I'm also really interested in the dynamics of the partners. Definitely going to enjoy watching the rest of the episodes.

The Ready Room had a great recap and family reunion with Wil, Jonathan, and Brent. Such a fun episode and really looking forward to the next one.

Caught an episode of Chicago Med and really enjoyed it. I'm totally down for the rivalry between Halsted and Rhodes but I'm looking forward to when they're really great friends too.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers. I'm kind of interested in how this one plays out because Nick has been getting on my nerves lately. We'll see if that improves or not.

And that's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Quick Draw, a sexy short featuring characters that get off on the wrong foot.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Utah Slace has a constant stream of male visitors coming and going from her apartment and Hoyt Lancelot, her neighbor, draws the quick conclusion he's moved in next to a prostitute. Utah decides he needs a lesson in why making snap judgments is not a good idea.

And a snippety peek…

Hoyt Lancelot crawled into bed a little after midnight. "Never fails. I always move during bad weather." He pulled the sheet up, setting a mental reminder to actually make the bed when he got up.

The play of lightning on the walls kept him awake for a while. The rumble of thunder getting closer. During the quiet moments, he listened to the sounds of his new apartment.

Rolling to his side, he tucked his hand under the pillow. "Always takes a while to settle in to the vibe of a new place." He closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.

A loud pounding woke him up. Glancing at his phone, he squinted to make sure he had the time right. One thirty a.m. What the hell? Throwing the sheet off, he got up and went to his front door, looking out the peep hole. A tall, skinny man stood with his head resting on the door of the apartment across the corridor. The paneled wood opened to reveal a woman wearing a kimono over a tank top and … a pair of cutoff scrubs?

He blinked and shook his head then checked again. "What a combination." Right, like his metal band T-shirt and boxers ranked high on the fashion charts.

The woman wrapped her arms around the guy then tugged him inside her living space. Hoyt narrowed his gaze then went back to his bedroom. Flopping down, he heaved a sigh. He had a feeling it would be a weird night.

Around five a.m., the utter quiet woke him. No more rain or thunder. He got up to take a leak and glanced outside the window. Heavy fog lined the street, the powdery yellow light from the lamppost barely visible.

On the way back to bed, he heard knocking out in the hall again. He changed direction and glanced out. A woman in a scruffy jacket shuffled her feet her fingers clenching and unclenching. The door opened to reveal his neighbor wearing the same attire from earlier. Hoyt stepped away, his mind spinning. He looked out one more time and the woman withdrew a crumpled up handful of bills and handed them to his neighbor.

Hoyt's stomach dropped. "What the hell is going on next door?" He tamped his curiosity down. "No, don't go there." None of his business anyway.

He eased back into bed and closed his eyes. Too amped up to sleep, he grabbed his phone and scrolled through some news sites. Thirty minutes later, his eyes got heavy and he yawned. He'd read another news bit then try to rest some more.

At eight thirty, he jerked awake with his phone on his chest. Blinking to clear his vision, he sat up and stretched, wincing when his shoulder hitched for a moment. Damned injury.

Rubbing at the spot, he got up and made his way to the kitchen. "Need coffee and a hot shower." He set the pot to brew and ducked into the bathroom.

The heat from the water helped loosen up his shoulder and by the time he got out, he could move freely. He'd have to ice it later then maybe head to the station house to make use of the whirlpool. He hadn't caught up with the guys in over a week.

Throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, he poured a cup of coffee and put two pieces of wheat bread into the toaster. "Gotta finish unpacking the rest of the kitchen so I can actually cook something." The toast popped up and took the butter and jelly with him to the table.

He had another month of rehab before he'd be cleared to return to duty at the fire department. At least he'd picked up some extra shifts behind the counter at Boscoe's. The bar featured his drag queen sister as the headlining act and she'd put in a good word for Hoyt.

He grinned. "I'm a better bouncer than a bartender but that crowd takes care of its own." And he'd been included as family even before he started working there.

Scooting back, he rinsed his cup and washed the knife then grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone to head out for some groceries. When he exited his apartment, he almost bumped into a guy wearing camo fatigues and a black T-shirt. On the way down the steps, he heard the guy knock on his neighbor's door.

Exiting the building, Hoyt glanced up to the row of windows on the second floor. "Geez, she gets a lot of visitors."

I think I might live next to a sex worker.

I love how this story is coming together. Hoyt's first impression is so off the chart wrong and it's going to be fun when he has to shift gears after he meets Utah.

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin