Sunday Snippet: Dodging Reality

Yeesh. So far, May has been a very chilly month. Our high yesterday hit forty-five degrees. Brrr. I'm going to try really hard to remember this when I'm crying because it's eighty-five in October. Just saying.

I didn't quite get everything tracked down that I wanted to last week so I'm carrying it over to this week. I think I'm going to make May my month to get stuff done. And, I'll be honest, it'll probably spill over into June. Time moves faster than I like sometimes.

Pretty good work week all things considered. I closed out a project and came close to finishing the final steps two others. Finished up a copy edit on a long manuscript and started a proofread on another. I have a continuation of another project on the books for this week also. I love to be busy.

Not a bad viewing week. I got through my usual list of shows, which makes me happy. I didn't get to watch any of my back burner shows or a concert, but maybe this week.

Started out with the season-twelve premier of the Brokenwood Mysteries. Thoroughly enjoyed the episode. Love having the cast of recurring characters making appearances.

Watched the final behind the scenes bonus of Foyle's War and enjoyed seeing the effort that went into creating the battle scene. Should be starting the final season this week.

Caught the opening episode of the next Poirot season. Kind of fun to see how little Poirot enjoyed retirement. And a really good mystery also.

Finished up the two-part Silent Witness premier. A very twisty story with lots of layers. I think I'm going to like having the team work at the new Bowman Center.

Elementary ended up being really interesting. I'm enjoying the Shinwell training and the case ended up being way complicated than I thought it would be.

Watched the second episode of Young Justice and I enjoyed seeing the team come together. Looking forward to more.

Caught another episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks and, whoo boy. Gotta say Mariner got shafted. Should be fun and interesting to see how things play out over the rest of the season.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Reality, a novella that explores how a couple get together while doing their best to dodge an embedded reporter on the front lines.

Here's the miniblurb:

Take a reality show set on the front lines in space, add a brash reporter who wants the down and dirty secrets of the crew—and will stop at nothing to get them—and mix it up with a couple fighting their attraction while protecting their pilots from the ratings hound. Stir in a little backstabbing from the camera man and the outcome is Dodging Reality.

And a sneaky peek…

Caro did indeed hit the gym. She had some major aggression to work through. Halfway through her set the hatch clanged open, and the cloying scent of Monique the Menace's perfume overpowered Caro's sense of smell.

"Son of a cursed mongrel." The dumbbells crashed against each other on the way to the deck.

The bitch in heels made her entrance. "Why, Captain, you don't seem happy to see me."

"Maybe because I smelled you first. Do you bathe in that shit?"

Monique's claws came out. "Do you bathe at all?"

Caro shrugged. "Check your footage. Pretty sure you've got the proof that I do."

Monique couldn't argue with truth.

She lifted a shoulder and smirked. "Major Albright suggested I might find you here." She showed teeth with her smile. "Thought you might be a good person to start with for this week's one-on-ones."

Caro snorted. "Really? Better get your info straight, Ms. Presley." Caro finished up a rep with the free weights. "I know for a fact he told you to save me for last. Or at least put me in the slot before him." She leveled her gaze on the woman. "Care to tell me why you're not sticking to your end of the agreement?"

"Because when I asked him, he informed me you'd be here." Monique tittered. "Apparently he's got a full plate trying to deal with the lieutenant's little drug situation."

Caro shook her head. "Lady, you don't want to discuss that topic with me. When people go after my pilots, my gut reaction is to punch them in the face." She levelled her gaze on the other woman. "Trust me … neither of us want that." Okay, Caro wanted it but had promised to behave herself.

Monique arched a brow. "So hostile, Captain." She wandered about the small gym, poking around the machines. "You seem to have some aggression issues. How ever do you manage to get through the day?"

Caro shot her a look. "Quiet time in the gym helps. You're cutting into that." And she wanted to kill Vic for mentioning where she'd be.

Monique tried to appear apologetic. "Yes. It appears so." She tottered back toward Caro. "But please, indulge me for one little question." She held up a hand. "It's not about your pilot."

The woman's heels made deep pockmarks on the exercise mat and Caro wanted to be rid of her as soon as possible. Answering one stupid question could do the trick. Maybe.

She rolled her eyes. "What do you want to know?" Reaching down, she picked up the dumbbells and wrapped her hands around them.

If nothing else, they'd make great weapons.

Monique eyed the weights and took a small step back. "Just a quick answer to a simple query." Her gaze stayed on the heavy objects.

Caro sighed. "Sure, whatever." She hefted the dumbbells and placed them back on the stand. "Make it fast." Snagging a towel, she mopped the sweat off her face. "I'm between reps here."

Monique motioned the crew in, and they quickly had things rolling.

She pasted on her interview face. "Captain Williams, it's been bandied about by some of the other pilots that you and Major Albright have quite a close relationship. What's your response to that?" She held the microphone close to Caro.

Caro's jaw dropped. "My response? I'm his deputy CAG, of course we work closely together." What the hell?

Monique shook her head. "No. You misunderstand. It's not that you work closely, it's that you and he … are very, very close." She went in for the kill. "Inappropriately so." Her eyebrows waggled.

The woman wanted a certain response, and Caro wouldn't give it to her.

Tilting her head to the side, Caro pretended to ponder her answer. "My response to that would then be … it's bullshit. Major Albright and I do not have a relationship outside of the work we do." Other than a solid friendship.

Monique snorted. "Come on, Captain. The man is gorgeous. You're telling me you've never noticed?" Her tone turned snide.

Caro narrowed her eyes. "I'm telling you it doesn't matter how good his looks might be. He does the job and so do I." Usually under intense conflict.

Monique scoffed. "And you've never wanted or wished to push that further? See what all that prime flesh feels like, up close and personal?" She gave a delicate shudder.

Caro snapped back. "You know, even if I did, we have a term in the military called discipline. There's also one called regulation." She paused for a moment. "We have the definitions drilled into us for a reason." Even if there were ways around said reason.

Monique snorted. "And you've never been tempted to throw either out the airlock and just get down and dirty with the major?"

Caro blinked. "How could I be? We've got the enemy breathing down our neck and a film crew shoved up our ass. When would I have the time?" And why would she admit anything to Monique the Menace?

Monique let out a low whistle. "For him … I'd be very tempted to make the time." She made a purring sound.

Caro bit back a snarl. "Guess that's what separates the strong from the weak-willed." She turned toward the weight stand and grabbed the next size up. "Your five minutes are up." Caro started arm curls. "Unless you want to bore your audience with my workout routine, you might wanna head back out and irritate someone else." And take the hint I'm done playing nice.

Presley made a cut sign to her crew and they stopped filming.

She waited for them to start packing up then gave Caro a slow once-over with her gaze. "You might deny there's an attraction between you and the major, but anyone can see it."

Caro didn't take the bait and continued her routine. "Big difference between attraction and action. And there's no joy on that, regardless of what anyone thinks." She paused her reps. "There's no story here, Ms. Presley."

Monique gave Caro a calculating look. "No, I guess not. But it does clear one thing up for me in a big way."

Caro arched her brows. "Yeah, what's that?" As if she really cared.

Monique's mouth curved. "Major Albright is fair game." She pirouetted. "And I'm on the hunt."

Caro feigned nonchalance she didn't feel and snorted. "You're a very scary woman." She reached for the dumbbells again. "Now, if you don’t mind … I've still got some aggression to work out." And maybe a picture to find for the heavy bag.

Monique ran her gaze up and down Caro. "Yes, it appears so. I'll leave you to work on that attitude adjustment then." She waved to the crew, indicating they could exit. "Maybe I'll track down the delicious major."

Caro didn't react. Couldn't. Exactly what Ms. Perfume Overload wanted.

Instead, she huffed out a laugh. "Yeah. Good luck with that." She waited for the catty reporter and her camera man to exit then put the dumbbells away.

She headed across the gym and slammed the heavy bag with a hard one-two punch.

Find the delicious major. Geez. Who talked like that?

Ripping off the gloves, she tossed them in the bin and grabbed her towel. A nasty mood settled around her. And it involved more than having a nosy reporter on board. Monique's interest in Vic shouldn't irritate Caro, but it did.

Enough that she couldn't finish the workout. Too keyed up.  She'd hit the showers instead.

Longer than usual glimpse but this scene came together in a way I didn't expect and made me happy.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Reality

An interesting start to April with howling winds and a kaleidoscope of weather. We got a mix of pretty much everything. Rain, flurries, high wind advisory, and temperatures all over the place.

Solid week of editing. I have three projects that are moving forward at a great pace. I'm looking forward to getting these completed.

Had a decent week of television. I'm not quite back to my full rotation but I've been writing a lot more and that's not a bad thing.

Caught another episode of Wednesday. I love the lore and world building in this show. Didn't know if I'd like having Wednesday at the center of a prophecy but I like where things are going at the moment.

Watched another episode of Classic Rugrats. Always fun to catch a couple that don't always make the rotation of encores.

Enjoyed the finale of Midsomer Murders. I kind of miss when they did six to eight episodes per season, but the four we have this time around are all excellent.

Continued my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica with "Six Degress of Separation." This episode has so many great one-liners with two coming from Doc Cottle. Seriously, it's hard to top the writing and acting in this show.

Caught another episode of Peak Practice and it ended up being a bit of a doozy. I think I have five episodes left of this series and a lot is supposed to happen. Not sure I'm quite ready for it.

Watched another episode of Classic Who. I'm nearing the end of this season and I'm not sure where things are going with this arc, but I'm excited to find out.

Started the second half of Silent Witness. Nikki just can't catch a break. I'm quite interested in finding out where the twists are leading. Update next week on this.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Reality, a novella that brings reality television to the front lines of a war.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Take a reality show set on the front lines in space, add a brash reporter who wants the down and dirty secrets of the crew—and will stop at nothing to get them—and mix it up with a couple fighting their attraction while protecting their pilots from the ratings hound. Stir in a little backstabbing from the cameraman and the outcome is Dodging Reality.

And a sneaky peek…

Caro ducked into the office to find Vic scribbling notes in a file. "Is that the incident report for Jazz?"

Vic glanced up. "Yeah. Adding some notes after talking to the doc. She's out for at least two flight rotations, probably more." He went back to writing.

Caro crossed the deck to her side of the desk. "You stopped to see her then?" She should head to sickbay but didn't trust herself not to make things worse.

Vic grunted. "Yeah, figured you should keep your distance for a bit. Got the rundown from Doc Mantle." He paused a moment. "You need to know he let Presley speak with Jazinksi, but he only gave the woman five minutes." He met Caro's gaze. "No idea what Jazinski said. So be prepared for anything."

Caro dropped the after-action report in Vic's inbox. "Well, you sure made nice with Ms. Ten Inch Heels. Guess I'm not surprised Mantle did, too." She propped her hip on the edge of his desk.

Vic looked up with a grimace. "Yeah, well, he didn't have a choice. Sickbay isn't off limits. And it's not so much making nice as it is biding time. Honestly … she scares me." He tossed his pen on the open file in front of him.

Caro raised both brows. "For real? Why?" She couldn't wait to hear the answer.

Vic leaned back and pondered a moment. "She's all polish and shine on the outside." He looked at Caro. "Makes a spiffy, pretty picture."

Caro prodded. "And?"

Vic shrugged. "Eh. I don't trust it or her. The razor-sharp talons and acid tongue will eventually put in an appearance."

Caro gave a deep, affirming nod. "Ah. And you don't relish the surprise attack."

He agreed. "Nope. She'd be better off like you. I can see your claws coming from a mile away." He winked. "I like that. Know what to expect."

Caro rose. "Careful, Major. Someone might get shredded with my claws before that woman leaves."

Vic chuckled. "Now the surprise of that … I'll look forward to."

Caro laughed. "I'm hitting the gym. Maybe I'll put a likeness of Ms. Priss on the punching bag."

Vic shook his head. "Go on. Get out of here and enjoy the downtime." He lifted his chin. "You won't get much after today."

Caro gave him a mock salute and exited the office.

I think I'm close to having this one completed. I have the scenes mapped out and need to tie some threads together. Fingers crossed I can release this in the next several months.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Reality

Gotta say, the whole limiting of physical distance and having my youngest's senior year pretty much cancelled is both easier and harder than I thought it would be. I have three people in the house who are pretty much deemed essential workers. One is in food production and the other two are grocery workers. If the reins get tighter on limiting movement, I'm pretty sure they won't get a break.

For me, as someone who's worked from home for the past decade or so, it's business as usual for the most part. I have more interruptions than usual but otherwise, my routine hasn't changed overmuch. There's something comforting in that.

Had a semi-decent week of watching television. I finished up the Heart Guy from last week and I'll give it a go. I have a feeling this one is going to have messy relationships and I always like train-wreck shows.

Also caught another arc of Classic Who. It's always fun to see the effects from the late sixties and early seventies. Doctor Who isn't any better or worse for shows of its time.

Watched another episode of Peak Practice and enjoyed it. I'm finally starting to get into the relationships and getting to know the villagers. I love the scenery in the show.

Caught the livestream of the Dropkick Murphys concert on St. Patrick's Day. Terrific show and highly entertaining. I hope to catch some of the Broadway shows that are available for streaming also.

Watched the rest of season one of Danger Man. I'll be starting season two in the upcoming week.

Started episode three of Strike Back. Nice to have a familiar face back in the fold. Also, Chetri is really growing on me. She's got quite a personality and interacting more as an equal with the rest of the team. I love that.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Dodging Reality, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Take a reality show set on the front lines in space, add a brash reporter who wants the down and dirty secrets of the crew—and will stop at nothing to get them—and mix it up with a couple fighting their attraction while protecting their pilots from the ratings hound. Stir in a little backstabbing from the camera man and the outcome is Dodging Reality.

And a sneaky peek…

"I can't do it. I can't find the trap."

Captain Caro Williams watched her normally excellent pilot bring her bird down with a horrible crunch—so much for talking Lorraine "Jazz" Jazinski through the landing. Caro held back the string of expletives that rolled through her mind when the bent craft lowered down from the landing bay to the hangar deck.

She'd save the ass kicking for later. Maybe a good verbal lashing would snap Lorraine out of the funk she'd been in. Whatever the case, Jazz had some major explaining to do … if she hadn't been injured in that total crap landing.

Caro dashed out of the LSO's station and took off at a run. A film crew followed, hot on her heels.

Not an embedded crew who knew to stay out of the way when the ship came under fire. The ones who usually made award-winning documentaries about life in the military. Nope. The team her people got stuck with loved nothing more than asking lame-ass questions at inappropriate times—only to spin the answers into something unrecognizable. Led by a harpy of a woman reporter, Monique Presley, they seemed to be on it twenty-four seven.

Whoever thought making a reality show during a time of war a good idea oughtta be shot. Not that any of the top brass would ever own the decision. Caro figured they should all face a firing squad for the complete act of stupidity. Better yet, they could come out to the front lines and fly the damn missions with a camera shoved in their face. See how they liked it.

The cameraman almost caught up to Caro.

She snarled under her breath. "Catch me if you can, moron." Her face twisted in a grimace.

Caro started down the stairs to the flight deck and braced her hands on the side rails, sliding the rest of the way down, bypassing the last ten steps. She hit the ground running and figured she'd at least have a little bit of a head start before the camera crew caught back up.

Jazinski's canopy opened and the pilot slowly got up and removed her helmet. She had a scrape above her brow line but otherwise didn't appear to be too banged up. 

Caro let loose. "God damn, Jazz. What the flaming hell was that?" She signaled the waiting medics so they could treat her pilot.

Lorraine threw her helmet on the seat and glared down. "That. Was a shit landing. Where the hell was the trap?" Her gloves came off and she tossed them over the edge of her bird.

Caro growled. "Right where it always is. You missed it, Jazz."

Lorraine swayed slightly when she reached up to remove her collar. Caro narrowed her eyes. Something's off. Jazinski had a vacant look in her gaze. She's wired on something. The realization hit the same moment Lorraine bounded over the side of her ship and launched herself down the ladder.

She came flying toward Caro. "It wasn't there. The trap was not there!"

Jazz took a wild swing and Caro ducked, sending the pilot spinning around in a wild circle. The CAG, Vic Albright, caught Jazz from behind, restraining her arms, and Jazinski went crazy. She kicked out, catching Caro with a solid blow to her shoulder before she could grab both legs to keep Lorraine still.

Caro met Vic's gaze, ready for the question.

"What the hell happened out there?" Vic struggled to keep the pilot under control. She bucked and twisted, trying to break free. "Jazz never misses. Why now?"

"Because it wasn't there. I'm telling you. It wasn't there!" Jazz shouted and fought against her superior officers.

Caro yelled at the medical team. "Get over here. We gotta get her to sickbay now." The camera crew had caught up and the last thing anyone needed would be to have Lorraine's total meltdown on film.

The medics wheeled the cot up close and Vic heaved Jazz's upper body up onto the surface. Caro followed, holding her legs until they got her torso strapped to the mattress.

She nodded to Vic. "Check her pocket. Whatever this is, it's not natural."

He flipped up the scratchy opening and fished out a bottle. "Stims. God damn stims."

Caro sighed and worked her way around the cot to block the view of the camera crew. "This is not good."

Vic glanced over at the team filming everything and lowered his voice. "No. It's not. From the looks of this bottle, she's been taking these for a while." He groaned and Caro looked up to see Monique sauntering towards them, a huge smile on her face.

"Well, well, well. A little mishap on the landing from what I hear. Care to comment?"

Caro spun around and marched toward the reporter. "No. Get your crew out of here. We've got an injured pilot and she doesn't need this."

Monique craned her neck, trying to see past Caro. "Looks like she's okay, except for that nasty scrape." She made a move to get closer, wanting to ask questions.

Caro blocked her. "I said get back."

Monique huffed out an angry breath. "We're allowed on the hangar deck. You can't stop me." The medics secured the cot and started to move away.

Caro seethed. "I can if it's gonna negatively impact my pilot." The lead camera guy tried to move in for a close up reaction shot while they wheeled Jazz to sickbay. "Get that god damned camera out of my face." She balled up her fist and drew her arm back, ready to punch the guy in the gut.

Vic interceded. "Ms. Presley. They're taking Lieutenant Jazinski to sickbay. There's nothing more for you here." He gave Caro a look and she lowered her arm.

Presley jerked her head, indicating the crew should follow the med team. "Major Albright, I will interview your lieutenant. You can't stop me."

Tired of hearing that phrase, Caro let loose. "Listen, you raving bitch—" She grabbed the other woman's arm ready to forcefully haul her out.

"Caro!" Vic's voice cut through the rage. "Captain Williams. That's enough." He jerked her away from Monique. "Ms. Presley, you're welcome to see if Doctor Lohan will allow an interview." He nudged Caro toward the bent bird. "Go. Get started on the after action report."

Caro sneered in the other woman's direction but followed the order.

Monique gave Vic a rueful smile. "She's a bit hot-headed."

Caro grabbed some deck gear and pulled out a clipboard, keeping her gaze on Vic.

He flicked his eyes toward her but shrugged. "She thinks you're a menace." His gaze slid back to Monique. "And she's concerned about her pilot."

Monique inclined her head, acknowledging his point. "And you?" She trailed her manicured fingertips down his arm. "What do you think I am?"

Vic's face went flat. "Too smart to make more out of this than you should." He turned away from her. "Have a nice day, Ms. Presley."    

Caro bit back a grin. Way to go, Vic. The skill he had to shut people down with little more than a dozen words never failed to amaze her.

And the sour scowl Miss Hell in Heels sent toward Vic's retreating back made Caro's entire day.

Score one for the good guys.

This one is getting close to being finished. I have a few more scenes to nail down and get down on paper. I'm having a lot of fun with this couple.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Reality

I'm always amazed by how fast the last three months of the year fly by. I look at today's date and think, wow, Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks. Which means Christmas is only a month away, then the New Year. It's crazy.

Television didn't disappoint this week, even with election coverage on Tuesday. I did skip The Walking Dead and watched Chris Hardwick for the after show. Sometimes I need some distance from my favorite shows. LOL

Gotham had a good episode. I'm not quite sure if I like not having as much Bruce and Alfred this season. I really like their chemistry and I love the way Alfred interacts with everyone else. Looks like we'll get more of them this week.

Arrow delivered, as usual. I quite love the interaction between Thea and Quentin. With his daughters gone and her parents out of the picture, the surrogate family connection is terrific. I'm very interested in what Miss Ratings-Grabber will do with the information she has on Oliver. Didn't really expect them to address the fact Oliver didn't spend all five years on the island. Glad they've decided to work that angle in.

Legends of Tomorrow had a fun episode. I'm still kind of iffy on the whole Ray thing, but I'm hoping he finds his true footing.

MacGyver's introduction of Murdoc turned out okay. Glad Bozer's in on the whole deal and hopeful they'll start using his skills at some point. Not sure about the Nicki thing, but I'll reserve judgment.

Need to catch up on Murdoch Mysteries and I have a Killjoys season one disc to watch, but that's it for television this week.

Tonight's post is from Dodging Reality a novella that might turn into something a little longer than what I normally do.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Dodging Reality. Where the front lines meet the ambitions of a reporter bent on snagging the highest ratings… even if she has to push Vic and Caro into a compromising position to get them.

And a sneaky peek…

Vic made his way to the flight staff office off the hangar deck. Basically he shared the space with Caro, his deputy CAG. They'd lost their clerk to command staff over a month ago and a replacement wouldn't be sent. He had no idea what to do about the film crew. The constant disruptions got on his last nerve. He'd been sorely tempted to let Caro go after the viper-tongued reporter. Monique Presley had to be the worst of the worst scavenger-style news hounds. The woman had a sparkle and flash beauty that many men would find extremely attractive. Until they had a five-minute conversation with her and realized she calculated every move she made.

Who the hell wore mile-high heels in the middle of a war zone?

"Darling, there's absolutely no reason I shouldn't be dressed to kill, regardless of my location."

Vic didn't bother to point out how ridiculous she'd look if she broke one of her pointy spikes. No doubt she'd bill the military if anything happened to her precious wardrobe.

He shook his head. "I'd bet a month's pay wouldn't cover the cost of one shoe." His lips quirked.

He'd also hand over a tidy sum to watch Caro take the reporter out with one of the lady's stilettos. Actually, he might be willing to fork over a hefty amount to see Caro wearing a pair of sexy heels. Her legs would look awesome. And her ass… already filled out uniform and workout pants. In a fitted skirt or clingy dress? Vic blinked and shoved the thought aside. Before drool started dripping down his chin.

He huffed out a breath. "Definitely shouldn't go there." Besides, Caro didn't need the frilly trappings to get a man's attention.

Or to get Vic's attention.

Not that he would overtly acknowledge the attraction—especially with a camera rolling all the damned time.

Really having fun with this one. It's almost complete but needs a couple of added scenes.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Dodging Reality

So apparently there's some awards show on tonight. LOL

Not really watching the Oscars, I got sucked in to Doctor Who instead. Man, the classic episodes take me back…WAY back to my childhood. And no, I’m not even fifty yet, but I remember watching the show with my dad on the local PBS station. :D

Anyway…tonight's post is a snippet from Dodging Reality, a story set during a war on the edges of space. Writing the snappy, snarky dialog has been a thing of pleasure.

Here's the tagline:

Dodging Reality. Where the front lines meet the ambitions of a reporter bent on snagging the highest ratings…even if she has to push Vic and Caro into a compromising position to get them.

And here's a wee sneaky peek…

Caro finished up the post flight check of Jazz's bird. She had to hand it to Vic. He'd made a good call, assigning the detail work to her. Caro could completely lose herself in the mechanics of checking systems and marking boxes. Caro wondered if Presley had made her way through the entire crew yet, to get their take on Jazz's 'predicament'. The woman wanted anything—discussion of missions, internal scuttlebutt, dirt on rivalries—everything she really couldn't have. Basically, she wanted to catch the squadron with their pants down. The irony of that? She'd caught the CAG wearing nothing but a towel…and that had been after a full frontal shot of him stepping out of the shower.

Caro would bet the rating numbers would soar after that segment aired. Vic Albright happened to be one primo specimen of manhood.

Especially when he got pissed off. Normally unflappable, even he felt the strain of Monique the Menace's constant presence. Never knowing which corner she'd leap out of next put everyone on edge. It had just taken Vic a little longer to lose his patience.

The towel incident had been his final straw. He completely blasted the interviewer—on screen—for barging into their living quarters—strictly off-limits per the production agreement—and suggested that if she wanted to catch everyone with their pants down, she should schedule a date and time for the entire crew to show up and drop trou.

Needless to say that hadn't gone over well with the reporter. She took umbrage with the suggestion and stated she had no interest in seeing anyone bare-assed naked. Vic calmly informed her that if he caught her in the private quarters again, he'd have to assume she'd changed her mind and have the entire crew line up outside her suite of rooms and strip off. With a blinding smile, he thanked her for her time, removed his microphone and exited the interview room.

The way he managed to deliver a scathing set down without raising his voice always amazed Caro. Of course Monique had no clue he used that carefully controlled, overly polite tone when he was this close to losing his shit. The pilots all gave him wide berth for the rest of the day.

But Monique? Oh no. She took his words as a flirtation and batted her eyelashes and flashed her teeth and tits whenever she got within spitting distance of him. Her camera crew rolled their eyes and shook their heads. They knew she didn't stand a chance with the major.

Caro smirked. As if. The prissy reporter did not fit Vic's type. Hell, Caro fit his type better than Monique Aromatherapy ever would.

This one is almost complete. Hoping to get it polished up and ready to submit or publish in the next month or so. Wish me luck!

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

ML Skye