Sunday Snippet: Game of One

Some nice weather, not too hot or cold. No snow, which is always a bonus. Fingers crossed it stays mild. Of course, everyone knows not to hold their breath. It's still March.

Didn't pay much attention to The Walking Dead, but did catch The Talking Dead. Definitely going to have to check out Hardwick's The Talking because it should be loads of fun.

How much longer is the hiatus for Gotham? I'm missing the dark, crazy ride.

The Flash had another crossover with Supergirl and, I have to admit, the mash-up ended up being fun and worth the watch.

Arrow… wow. I guess I'm going to assume Oliver's last buried deep secret is finally out there for, well, the viewers at least. Kudos to that walk down memory lane. That said, I've got a crap-ton of questions and need to watch again with zero, I mean absolutely no interruptions or distractions. I do have a hope some of the bad guys are now going to ripple out from Oliver's past transgressions, especially Talia. I would love to see an Oliver / Nyssa / Talia meet up. That would be worth an entire episode, right?

Looking forward to a new episode of Riverdale. I've missed seeing my new favorite group of actors.

Finally finished Luke Cage and thoroughly enjoyed the first season. I'll admit I'm not thrilled with how it ended but I'm assuming all will be addressed soon. Continued the City Homicide rewatch and have most of season two out of the way.

Still need to catch up on a few other shows and might get to those this week.

That's it for television. Tonight's post is from Game of One, a sexy short that started with the idea of a couple bonding over a game of darts. Sexy fun ensues.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Lacie Brooks' annual Valentine's Day tradition of getting laid and letting off steam is cut short when she shoots her mouth off to the wrong superior officer. Stuck on base, she finds a way to pass her restricted time with Ren Blankenship by playing a Game of One. Too bad for Lacie, Ren decides to turn the tables on her and win for a change.

And a sneaky peek…

"I'm such a stupid moron." Lacie Brooks kicked off her boots and rolled up into her rack.

She should be out with everyone else for the Valentine's Day weekend, but nope. A nasty penchant for shooting her mouth off earned a three day restriction to base.

Note to self… Don't spout off on Thursday and lose weekend privileges.

Not that she had concrete plans like most of her unit. But getting laid had been at the top of her list. Valentine's Day… celebration for lovers. Flowers, drinks and dinner didn't exactly make her hot and bothered. No, for her, the couple's holiday meant finding a hot guy and having great sex—as long the process involved walking away the next day.

Lacie didn't want more. She'd had a great guy and lost him. Chuck Ashford died because of a stupid mistake, but he went down while seeing action. He wouldn't have wanted to go any other way.

They'd only seriously been discussing a lifetime together a couple of months before Chuck deployed. He'd known, on that last video call, something didn't feel right. Lacie foolishly promised him if something happened, she'd get back out, find someone else, and not be alone.

She couldn't do it. Why put herself out there again? She never lacked for willing partners if she had an itched that needed scratching and she always made her expectations clear. It saved a hell of a lot of heartache and drama.

So why didn't she hate missing her annual tradition more? A five-year streak of booty-calls. Shouldn't she be really pissed it would go unmarked this year? Apart from the yawning seventy-two hour stretch of nothing to do, she found she didn't care.

Maybe the whole deal had gotten a little old. The celebration for lovers marked an anniversary of sorts. Six months after Chuck died she'd found a guy on Valentine's Day, had crazy-mad sex, and decided it did the trick. But lately, she'd been feeling out of sorts, like she needed something more than a one-night stand or an occasional wild weekend.

She snorted. "Nah. Who am I kidding?" The whole off balance thing didn't mean she wanted a steady lover.

She could do without clingy, controlling, and constant contact. I never meet anyone I want to spend that much time with. Except Ren Blankenship… Chuck's best friend. Hers now.

A tuneless whistle greeted her ears and she scrambled off her bunk to spy none other than Ren, strolling toward the rec room, carrying two big file boxes. Probably looking for a spot to spread out all over the place. His desk rarely held the workload he took on.

She tilted her head to the side, admiring the way his fatigues clung to his ass. Maybe Ren would at least help break up the boredom this weekend. She could pull him away from his all work and no play, responsible to a fault existence.

A smile quirked. "He'd take pity on me and be the nice guy he is."

Only Ren would volunteer for duty the entire weekend devoted to lovers. Weird, because the guy wouldn't have trouble finding a willing woman. He had rank, chiseled good looks, a smokin' hot body.

But Ren steered clear. Not that Lacie blamed him this year. His last relationship tanked because Ren wouldn't play head games and his girlfriend could've gone pro on that front. Lacie heaved a sigh of relief when he'd escaped the potential nightmare. He deserved someone that would shoot straight and respect his great qualities.

In her book, being a kick ass friend topped the list, followed by loyalty and a sense of honor and duty. Also, in her case, putting up with a lot of bullshit and knowing when to call her on it or clean up the mess. Of course, Lacie had heard so much about Ren from Chuck, she'd been almost hard-wired to like the guy. Chuck and Ren grew up together, but Lacie didn't meet Ren until Chuck's funeral.

She turned and headed back toward her rack. "The guy walked into my life that day and never left." And she thanked the universe for him.

He didn't put qualifiers on their friendship and Lacie seriously appreciated the fact Ren never told her how to honor Chuck's memory—even if Ren didn't always agree with how she coped with her loss.

Grinning, Lacie no longer minded being stuck on base. She detoured to her locker and dragged some casual clothes out—a pair of soft workout pants, a fitted tank, and a zip-up sweatshirt. No need to stay in uniform—her restriction didn't include extra duty. For once.

Once dressed, she tidied up and bounced out of quarters to grab something to eat. "Ren, you're going to have some fun this weekend whether you want to or not."

Here's hoping Ren decides to play along. Well… of course he will. He's always down for having a good time with Lacie.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Follow Me

And we had about two inches of snow this week. Mother Nature is laughing her ass off right now.

The Walking Dead had another great episode. I always love Carol and I enjoyed Morgan's journey. The Talking Dead follow up made me happy, too.

The Flash took a turn I didn't expect and I like it. Looking forward to seeing what else the speed force comes up with to throw at Barry.

Legends of Tomorrow going to the moon proved a fun ride. Personally, I want a lot more Mick and Martin scenes. Their timing is so terrific. I'm also loving the Sarah / Rip dynamic. Love this show.

Arrow upped the tension by a zillion. His past keeps coming back to haunt him in huge ways. While I love how Adrian has everything twisted in his direction, I'll enjoy seeing him go down. At least I hope he goes down. Hard. And doesn't get back up. I'm also waiting for Felicity to land on the hot seat. Something tells me she's going to get into a mess she can't get out of.

Riverdale had a bye week, which makes me sad. No new episode this week either. Grr.

I finished up the first season of City Homicide and started Luke Cage. So far, I'm enjoying the Harlem vibe and look forward to seeing how Luke comes into his hero status.

Still need to catch up on Murdoch Mysteries and X Company. Possibly this week.

And that's it for television. This week's post is from Follow Me, an epic novel that I'm hoping to finally get finished up soon.

Here's the mini-blurb:

A 'will they' or 'won't they' wager spur Molly and Sloan to see how long they 'can' without getting caught.

And a sneaky peek…

The room plunged into darkness and Sloan finally staggered against the bulkhead. The pain slowly receded from his bruised shin and he chuckled… only quietly this time. "What the hell were we thinking… drinking that much during the card game?" At least in the inky blackness, the room didn't spin like the corridor had.

He could almost feel Molly roll her eyes before she answered. "Gee, Captain…" Her voice altered, she'd turned away. "Thought doesn't enter into anything when the booze goes down smooth."

Smooth? "More like it went down with a kick… followed by a bite." Then again, what the hell did he know? He still struggled to tell who from whom and what from what. He'd only been on board since the attacks four months ago and his brain was kinda fuzzy from the alcohol.

Damn… it had been a long time since he'd been this intoxicated. Over two years. And that had been with Molly also, but under very different circumstances. He didn't want to ponder those at the moment. In a round about way, they'd come somewhat full circle.

And circles were something else he didn't want to think about right now.

Being in the dark proved almost as bad as the brightly lit corridor. Sloan felt along the bulkhead, hoping to find the switch or a pull cord to a light. But his fingers met with smooth surface. "Dammit, I can't find the lights." He reached out again, but still came up empty.

Her head still fuzzy, Molly didn't mind the darkness. "Who needs them?" She leaned her forehead against the bulkhead. "Ah… nice and cool. Feels good against my head." She turned and propped her shoulders against the surface. "Never again, Sloan. I swear I'm never drinking this much ever again."

Sloan snorted. "You always say that, Molls." And she never stuck to it—one of the things he enjoyed about her.

Giving up finding a source for light, Sloan tried to get his bearings. "Where the hell are we?" The space felt familiar, but the walk to get there was all muddled in his head.   

Molly sighed. "Truthfully? I'm not sure, exactly. I kinda just picked a door to open." Thinking about it now, probably not her best move.

Sloan blew out an exasperated breath. "Geez, Molly, didn't you see the tag when you opened the door?" Not good. If she didn't have a clue where they were, they could end up locked in during a shift change. If they had to be rescued, so to speak, he wouldn't live it down. And he already had a hard enough time fitting in.

Molly couldn't hold back the drunken giggle. "Who can actually see anything? Er… any one thing, that is?" She giggled again even though it wasn't funny. Except it kinda was.

Sloan realized she was as bad off, or worse, than he was. And the humor finally struck him. "Uh… why do you think I was following you?" He didn't mention the fact that the view had been a thing of joy… the bits he remembered anyway.

Molly must've found that insanely funny; her bark of laughter rang out before she silenced it quickly. "Aww… I thought you were just trying to get close to me, Captain." She laughed again, quietly this time. "I think I'm rather insulted you were just using me for guidance." She heard Sloan move toward the sound of her voice then felt a heavy weight land on her foot. Ouch. "Uh, Sloan… that's me you're standing on." She dragged her foot out from her his.

Mortified, he apologized. "Damn… I'm sorry." Inching his way forward, he tried to be more careful. "I, um, was trying to get close to you…" He hadn't meant to admit that, but something about her teasing tone turned him on. Always had.

And since they were alone in a dark room, and he was just drunk enough to be brave, he decided to act on it. Regs be damned. "I still am… trying to get close to you… can't fucking see to do it though." No doubt about it, the alcohol played a big part in what he was doing, but he didn't care.

This is such a labor of love. I love my characters so much and with two follow-up novels, I've spent a lot of time with them.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Flesh and Blood

Seriously, the back and forth of warm then frigid weather is the one thing I hate about March. My sinuses rebel in a big way and it's never pretty. LOL

The Walking Dead had a great episode last week. Nice to see Rick and Michonne working together. Rosita on the warpath is also pretty great to watch.

The Flash is speeding along to the reveal of the big bad and I have a sneaky feeling I'm not going to like who it ends up being. We'll see what happens.

Legends of Tomorrow finally brought Rip back from the edge of evil… or did they? It's never one hundred percent certain with this group. Looks like a great episode coming up.

Arrow had the week off and I missed my Wednesday night fare. I'm not a huge fan of these stupid three-week hiatuses. Just show the damn episodes already.

Riverdale also had a great episode. This series is fast becoming my number two show. I loved getting some background about Fred and FP. That said, if Fred had a band in high school, why was he pretty much unable to connect with Archie about his music? Little things and details like this can make or break a show for me. Here's hoping there's some improvement there. I love sneaky Betty. Cheryl's right about Betty betting a terrible liar, but she's got some game with her clueless parents. On a side note, the seeds being planted for a messy situation with Betty, Jughead, and Archie make me happy. I'd like to see a little more Dark Betty emerge.

I finished up Jessica Jones and ended up loving how things played out. As hard as it is for my brain to wrap around David Tennant playing a raging asshole, I gotta give him kudos for being completely creepy. Started a rewatch of one of my favorite Australian series, City Homicide. I love that show. Also need to catch up on X Company and Murdoch Mysteries.

And that's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Flesh and Blood, a novella that started as a "what if" fanfiction and blossomed into its own story.

Here's the mini-blurb:

An AI that spouts philosophical mumbo jumbo, a past that may not be all it seems, and a link between both sends Peta Jones on a quest to figure out the truth. It's a good thing she's got Abe Cantrell along to act as her voice of reason.

And a sneaky peek…

"Are you insane, old man? Have you seen her?" Abe stalked after his grandfather, following the man to the back corner of his quarters where he kept an ancient desk. The old man sat down and thumped on the top twice, the bottom drawer slid open and he dug out the half full bottle of scotch.

He twisted the cap off and poured a healthy amount into two mugs. "I've seen her." The fuller of the two made its way in front of Abe. "Sit, take a drink, and calm down." He put the bottle away. "She's fine. Handled herself well under the circumstances."

Abe choked but didn't yell like he wanted to. Instead, he drained half the mug and calmly asked. "What the hell were you thinking? She almost died in there?"

His grandfather met Abe's eyes. "I'm aware of that." He heaved a sigh and Abe got it. Peta's injuries weighed heavily on the old man. And he would bear the responsibility, and the brunt of Abe's anger, because the guilt tore him up.

Williamson drained his mug. "Did you catch the footage around fifteen minutes into the interrogation?" His hand shook, only a little, when he set the cup on the desk.

Abe settled back and let the pissy attitude go. The commander didn't need Abe's antagonism right now. "The sentient stuff? Yeah. What of it?" The whole interrogation video creeped him out.

The old man pinned him with a concerned look. "It got to her there. That's when she let it in." He shook his head.

Abe thought about the tense exchange. He couldn't argue the point. Hell, even he'd been almost convinced by Bensalem One. He'd like to find the human who wouldn't be.

His grandfather heaved a sigh. "What happened to the days when the enemy was flesh and blood and bone?" He poured another finger of scotch. "I miss them."

The old man had a point. No one had seen the revolt of the AIs coming. But they should have. Complacency never won out over tech. The price paid in human blood already high, Abe couldn't see an end to it.

Peta almost became one of the casualties.

Abe leaned forward. "Peta didn't let it in, Pops. It barged its way past her boundaries." He leveled his gaze on his grandfather's. "The stuff about Peta's mom? That's not in any database in the solar system. The woman lived off the grid. How did it get that information?" Peta never volunteered personal details on official records.

Gib shook his head. "I don't know, Abe. But I'm going to find out." He laced his fingers together and studied his grandson. "The spiritual undertones of the AIs ramblings concern me. Maris Gradin-Jones was a grand dame in the guru community. Peta's well known in those circles, small though they may be, and someone could have been persuaded to provide personal details."

Abe didn't like the gut punch he got. "You think she's a target? That the AI went after her specifically?" His head jerked. "No. Not possible. It couldn't know you'd send her to interrogate it."

Williamson shrugged. "I don't know what I think, yet. But I know I don't like any of it." He leaned back in his chair. "This business about the AIs thinking they're sentient has been going on for a long time. The new twist about their Creator allowing the humans to construct them is a new avenue to explore."

Abe nodded. "What about the consciousness stuff? That they never really lose it unless they can't find something to download it into? We should have the tech crew run diagnostics on every single device that has memory, right? If you're looking for an inside source, I'd start there."

Gib agreed. "Already in the works. I'm also having everything scrubbed. If they think they come back stronger each time they download, we'll see if they can manage to get past a sweep."

Abe wondered aloud. "And if they can?"

Williamson confirmed Abe's fear. "Then we've already lost."

"Shit." Abe's shoulders slumped against the back of his chair.

Gib changed the subject. "Look, Peta got released from the infirmary half an hour ago. Go find her."

Abe already planned to do so. "And then what?" The old man had a reason, above and beyond concern for their girl.

"Just…" Gib paused and looked away. "Make sure she's not taking that thing's ramblings too seriously."

In other words, find out if Peta had bought into what the AIs wanted to sell.

Abe frowned. Spying on someone he cared deeply for didn't settle in his gut well. But his grandfather's concern might be warranted.

Abe sighed and stood. "Right. I'll track her down." He turned to leave.

Williamson called softly. "I wouldn't ask it of you if I didn't love her. And know you do, too."

Abe paused. He should've known the old man would pick up on it. And Abe would have said something if the discovery he really loved Peta hadn't just hit him. "I know, Pops. I'll watch out for her."

His grandfather nodded and poured another drink. The day's events finally catching up to him.

Abe exited quarters and headed for the bunkroom. Peta would head there first and if he got lucky, he'd catch her before she tried to hide away and lick her wounds.

Abe's not going to have an easy path in this story. Peta never makes anything simple.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Five by Five

If February in Ohio can be an angsty monster, March is its drama queen sibling. The wind is doing some wicked crazy things lately.

I'm kind of looking forward to The Walking Dead tonight. Of course, whether I watch the entire episode depends on if Negan makes an appearance. I really, really don't like him eating up screen time. No offense to the actor. He's terrific.

The Flash had another great episode. Dueling Harrisons is fun to watch. I'm truly wondering if Iris has a future on this show. I love the actress so I hope she does. That said, the CW isn't afraid to kill off favorites, so, yeah, there's that.

Arrow had another great episode. I had a sneaky suspicion about Adrian, especially after he mentioned Oliver stole his girlfriend back in the day. Season five is kind of up and down but the threads merge in ways I'm not usually expecting and I like that.

Riverdale is still holding my attention. I'm a little iffy on the jumbled up feeling I get, like there's not really a solid through-line, but I'm more than willing to hang in there and see where everything goes. I chuckle at their previously ons… I know a show that used to slip stuff that didn't make it onscreen into the previously ons… just saying.

Finished up season two of Daredevil and loved how everything came together. Looking forward to more with Matt, Foggy, and Karen. Started Jessica Jones and hit just over the halfway mark. It's not quite as great as Daredevil, in my viewer opinion, but I'm enjoying the acting and the characters. Okay, I'm not really excited about Hogarth, but eh, whatever.

And that's it in television this week. Tonight's post is from Five by Five, a sexy short that got a start with a fanfic challenge and turned into a story of its own.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vasha Eick has everything she wants. Deke Vitali would be the cherry on top. An old rival shows up, shifting the dynamic and Vash has to stake a claim or get out of the way.

And a sneaky peek…

Deke had to walk off a hard-on.

'I'm human. I like to look.'

Did Vasha have any idea what her admission made him feel? Aside from the stiff dick thing?

Hell, no. If she knew, he'd never live it down. No way. She'd home in on it and make it a point to share with the world.

He needed a little time to get some perspective.

Saying she liked to look didn't mean she wanted to get hot and heavy with him. Not that he'd mind if she did, he had a bit of a thing for Vash. He tried not to take it too seriously. They flirted like mad, got along rather well. Okay, they got better than good—when Vash didn't try to pull insane stunts, which she tended to do on a frequent basis.

The thing with her, though—she flirted with everyone. They'd served together almost a year and Deke had never seen her go out with the same guy more than once.

She laid down the rules and everyone respected them. He had no clue why. Okay, maybe he did. She'd been burned and wouldn't let it happen again.

The story bandied about by the crew—and he'd checked the facts and believed them to be true—Vasha had come this close to handfasting with her longtime boyfriend. She got early leave, two weeks before the ceremony, and headed home to surprise Brad Boardman. Let herself into their flat and found him face down between the legs of her biggest rival, Sandra Faher.

Handfasting pretty much out of the question, Vash didn't stick around to hear Brad's lame ass excuses. She threw her keys on the bed and told Sandra to enjoy the biggest dick on the planet. And she did not happen to be referring to the size of Brad's cock.

Vash went back to base, signed on with the Erinome, and never looked back. She didn't look forward either. Vasha lived in and for the moment.

Deke got her reasons. But getting why she made the rounds didn't mean he'd fall in and enjoy his one time out and not expect more. Not in his nature.

He wanted to convince Vash he'd be worth more than a single date, or a quick one-night stand. And he could do it. Deke hadn't earned the highest marks in planning and tactics for lack of smarts.

Vasha would find that fact out soon enough.

I can't wait for Vash to get over drama and give in to Deke. Stay tuned!

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye