Sunday Snippet: Fair Play

Not a bad week. I made excellent headway on the two projects I'm editing and got some writing of my own done. The weather has been so nice and comfortable. Not quite chilly enough to be considered fall but also not the sweltering yuck we often have this time of year.

I'm finally more or less back on my regular viewing schedule. I might be dropping one of my streamers because they're going to paid only and, frankly, I'm not that interested in the content to pay five bucks a month for it. We'll see how it goes.

Caught several episodes of Classic Rugrats. I'm into season four and trawling through the memory banks. I love reminiscing about sitting with the kids and watching this when they were wee little ones.

Watched maybe the last episode of Chicago Med for me. This is the streamer that's going to paid only and I'm not that interested in continuing to watch. I'll see what happens in a few weeks.

Enjoyed two episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. I have so much love for this series and tend to rewatch on a semi-frequent basis. There's a very good stable of villains and the animation is great.

Caught another episode of Ted Lasso. Gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed Ted losing his shit with Rebecca. I also loved the whole method of breaking the curse. This is a great show.

Watched the season eight finale of The Brokenwood Mysteries. I have a behind the scenes episode to watch then another wait for new episodes. Looking forward to seeing what Mike had to say to the proposal at the end.

Enjoyed the second part of Silent Witness. Looking forward to seeing what season twenty has to offer. I'm loving the dynamic between the characters.

Finished up season twenty-five of Classic Who. Not a bad way to end the season. I also discovered there's at least one more so I'll start it this week.

Caught another episode of Strangest Things. I liked the segments in this episode. A hoax and a spectacular way-before-its-time device caught my attention.

Loved the episode of The Book of Boba Fett. It featured the return of the Mandalorian and I'm a little spoiled for season two of The Mandalorian because of this, but I'm totally okay with that.

Enjoyed another episode of Only Murders in the Building. This show. I have a lot of love for it and can't wait to jump in to season two.

Watched the season eight finale of Peak Practice. A lot of moving pieces and setting things up for next season. I'll be starting nine in the near future.

Caught another MasterClass lesson with Roxane Gay. She focused on the business of writing and I ended up getting some good information from this lesson.

Umbrella Academy ended up being great. I'm really loving this show. I very much enjoy finding out little bits and pieces about the characters and the pacing is excellent.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Fair Play, a sexy short follow-up to Imagination.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Rand Allerdyce takes Holland Dukes by surprise, bringing their sexy games to her office when she's working late one evening. Rand plans to engage Holland's voyeuristic side and give her the thrill of possibly being caught. Holland loves the idea as much as she loves Rand.

And a snippety peek…

Hollace glanced up from her laptop. "Janie, did you get the email about the seven p.m. call with the Seattle office?" Why did they want to push the four o'clock phone meeting back today of all days?

Janie popped her head inside Hollace's office. "I did and Jones Lawrence just pinged me on our instant messenger to apologize. Apparently one of their partners is getting in late due to a delayed flight." She shook her head. "They don't want to reschedule to a different day because they need your input for a client meeting tomorrow." Janie hesitated a moment. "Do you need me to stay? Or come back?" Her gaze went to the clock, ticking toward three p.m.

Hollace waved her off. "No. I'll have them send the summary of the meeting to you via email. It'll be the least they can do for notifying us at the last moment." She grabbed her phone from her desk. "I'll stick around. By the time I get home, I'd have to turn around to come back in for the call." Her dinner plans with Rand would have to happen on another night.

Janie arched her brows. "Are you sure? I'll call the daycare center if you need me."

Hollace shook her head. "Uh-uh. Tim's working nights this week, right?" When Janie nodded, Hollace continued. "No way then. Head out at your normal time. No sense racking up additional fees." Especially when Janie hoped to become a homeowner soon.

Janie flashed a smile. "All right. But if they change the call to an earlier time, I can stay until six before I'm charged extra." She ducked back out and settled behind her desk.

Hollace swiped to her contacts and hit Rand's number.

He answered on the second ring. "Hello, beautiful. What do I owe for this midday call?"

Hollace pictured him behind his desk, jacket off and sleeves rolled up. "A rain check on dinner tonight. I have to stick around for late call from our Seattle location."

Rand tsked. "Rain check it is. We'll shoot for Thursday. I've got a light week."

She smiled. "Thursday should work. I'll grab some takeout on the way home. The Asian place around the corner has the best dumplings."

Rand hummed. "Mmm. Sounds great. I'll see you later." He signed off. "I love you."

Hollace returned the sentiment. "Love you, too." She ended the call and sat back in her chair.

Maybe she and Rand could have their cuisine in bed and dine naked.

I have an idea for a couple more stories with Rand and Hollace so this might end up as a small series. Yay!

 

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin

Sunday Snippet: How to Tell Off the Boss

Greetings,

Whew. Wild week in TV. Arrow, of course, amped up the tension and drama with a total shocker at the end of the episode. Okay, maybe not a total surprise, but wow, I'm dying to see what happens next. S.H.I.E.L.D went to great places and planted some new seeds for a future season (I hope!) and Orphan Black delivered another taut hour of viewing pleasure. I have several things I want to see happen with Rachel, but I'll save those for a fandom blog post. LOL I'm honestly not sure about the whole Helena/religious cult dealio, but I'll keep watching to see what happens.

Writing wise, the week ended up being way more productive than expected, in a truly odd way. I've been updating my Works in Progress page and the exercise is shaking off some cobwebs and getting the creative juices flowing again. I love it when that happens. J

Tonight's post is from How to Tell Off the Boss, a novella where my main male character has to grow a set… with a little help from a new co-worker.

Here's the tagline:

Orin Murdoch's boss, the newly installed VP of Sales, is driving him insane with new promotions that just don't work. Edda Case, an upstart marketing whiz, takes Orin in hand and teaches him how to tell off the boss with style.

And a snippety peek…

Edda crossed her arms over her chest. "Orin, what would you tell Linna if you had the chance?"

Orin shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe, bug off." He tossed the pen across the desk.

Edda snorted. "Bug off? Are you five?" She crossed his office and placed her palms on the smooth oak surface covered with files. "The response is, 'Shut the fuck up, bitch, and leave me alone."

Orin quirked a brow, but leaned back in his seat, pondering the idea.

Edda waved a hand. "Go on. Try it out." She dragged one of the client chairs forward and settled down on it.

Orin straightened. "Shut the fuck up and leave me alone." He spoke clearly and used just the right amount of inflection to get his point across.

Edda nodded. "Good tone. Authoritative without sounding menacing." She chuckled. "You couldn't quite get the bitch part in, could you?"

Orin lifted one shoulder. "Hey, it's the VP of sales, Edda. A little decorum has to be used."

Edda rolled her eyes. Whatever, Orin. I'm sure she'll remember your tact and diplomacy when she orders you to do something stupid again." She added. "And she won't lay the blame at your doorstep when we start tracking the spectacular lack of sales when her new brand of promotions generates nothing but headaches for Accounting and Production." Edda pushed a little harder. "Look, I know you're not me, but covering your ass is always smart. Don't give Linna the opportunity to fry it when her lack of research comes back to smack her in the face."

Orin studied Edda for a moment. "Okay, you've got a valid point, except telling Linna to shut the fuck up will only go so far." He frowned. "She's ignoring the sales projections for a reason, but I can't figure out why."

Edda snorted. "Figure that one out and three departments will throw you a party."

Orin leaned forward. "What are your plans for the evening?" A sly smile crossed his face.

Edda tilted her head to the side. "Why?" She hoped like hell he had something sneaky planned.

Orin met her gaze. "I'm going to dig around and find out why. I could use some help."

Edda's lips curved. "I'm game… if you throw in dinner."

Orin stuck out his hand. "Deal. Korean or Thai?"

He'd remembered her comfort food?

Edda tamped down a zing of excitement. "Surprise me." She stood and made her way to the door. "Meet in the parking garage after work?"

Orin nodded. "That's a plan. I'll see you then."

Edda exited his office and grinned. Subterfuge with a hot guy. Her night just took a turn for the unexpected.

She couldn't wait for five o'clock.

And five o'clock doesn't disappoint. J

That's it for this week. Happy reading!

Skylin