Showing posts with label Five by Five. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Five by Five. Show all posts

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Sunday Snippet: Five by Five

I spent the past week wondering where half the year has gone quickly followed by feeling like it's been a decade since January. Anyone else have that experience? It's kind of insane how weird this year has been.

I did get a few shows watched while I worked on several projects. I had a week where I wanted some good background noise and got multiple episodes of Danger Man in. I truly enjoy this classic show.

I also started another episode of Blue Heelers. I'm almost through the second season of the show and I'm enjoying how things get changed up. I also love seeing how rural Australia is portrayed.

Have almost all of Riverdale's "Tangerine" in the watched column. Man, lots of reveals and good stuff in this episode. As much as I loathe and dislike Hiram, I kind of loved how Veronica sticks it to him. That said, I dread her storyline revolving around one-upping her dad all the time … if that's the direction the story goes in. Cheryl's situation with her mummy dearest ended up being a load of fun to watch. Archie's vigilantism biting him on the ass ended up being better than I thought it would be. Also loved Jughead finally getting to the bottom of the whole deal with his grandfather and the mystery books. And Betty … not quite sure how I feel about everything going on with her. I do have a theory about who's doing what to whom and I can't wait to see if I'm right.

Last but not least … I finally watched "Fadeout", the finale of Arrow. I have to say I couldn't have asked for a better end to the series. I'm so sad to see this chapter of the Arrowverse close but I'm also thrilled to have been a part of the experience from the very beginning. I got to watch the characters grow and change and become who and what they're meant to be. I think my favorite thing about this whole season are the callbacks to previous seasons and the cavalcade of familiar faces from the past—seriously, I don't think they missed anyone—and how they made Oliver's send-off worth its weight in green arrows. The fadeout with Oliver and Felicity in Moira's office ended up being pretty much a perfect endcap to the entire series. My glass is raised and my pile of tissues is testament to the emotional journey I took with the cast and crew of one of my very favorite shows ever.

Whew. I'm actually getting a kick in the feels all over again.

And that's a good note to wrap up television for this week. Tonight's post is from Five by Five, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Vasha Eick has everything she wants. Deke Vitali will 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…

"I almost pulled it off." Vasha sprinted down the corridor, the thought still rolling around in her head.
Almost. But too-smart-for-his-own-damned-good Deke figured her sleight of hand out. Because of course he did.
Vasha made a quick turn, her side starting to ache from the crazy-mad run. She'd given escape her best shot, but Deke caught up just outside the head. Vasha ducked inside, breathless from the chase. Grabbing hold of the metal mesh of the lockers, she tried to catch her breath. Damn Deke and his wicked long legs.
He entered and stood with his arms folded over his chest. Between her and the exit. Well, hell. She hadn't thought a plan through at all. She straightened and slid her gaze toward the hatch. Wondered if she had enough time to get across the floor to duck back out before Deke could grab her and exact revenge.
Sensing her thoughts, he reached back and slid a wrench through the release, effectively locking them in. Shit. The man knew her too damned well.
She met his gaze and a triumphant smile edged over his features. She didn't think she quite liked his victorious grin. Deke could be scary creative when he had the upper hand. He slowly advanced toward her and she turned to face him fully. Not like she didn't deserve whatever he planned to dish out. She'd take it like the solider she'd trained to be.
Deke stopped, inches away from her.
She raised an eyebrow. "So, you caught me. Now what?"
He dropped his gaze and his eyes did a slow head-to-toe perusal. Sweaty, face flushed, she doubted her appearance looked very good. Tilting his head to the side, he studied her for several moments. Took everything she had not to squirm under the intense scrutiny.
His head straightened and he asked one simple question. "Why?"
Okay. Not what she expected. A blazing setdown for cheating, an angry blast for having to chase after her, she anticipated those.
Confused, she queried back. "Why what?"
He lifted a brow. "Naked briefing?"
A slow smirk crossed her face and she treated him to head-to-toe once-over. "You're kidding, right? If I have to explain that one to you, you're hopeless." Did the guy never look in a mirror?
He flushed, but acknowledged the backhanded compliment with a shrug. "Why cheat?"
He appeared more upset about the quick-change card thing than standing in front of a roomful of pilots without a stitch on? Wonders would never cease.
She chuckled, but dropped her gaze. "Hey, I'm just doing my bit for the female crew members." She tilted her head. "You do know they fight over who gets to shower at your usual times, don't you?"
His brows knit. He hadn't known. Of course, he wouldn't. Not in Deke's make-up to stay up to date about who lusted after him.
He shook his head. "They do? What the hell?"
Vasha's laugh came out sultrier than she intended. "Deke, you're hot. Of course they do."
He wondered aloud. "So the fact you're always in the shower at the same time?"
And again, Mr. Intelligence latched onto the one thing she'd rather he not. But whatever, she owed him an honest answer.
She admitted the truth. "I'm human. I like to look."
He grew thoughtful. "Interesting." His gaze pinned hers. "And good to know." He turned, yanked the wrench out, and released the hatch.
Leaving? Just when the conversation got good? And with zero retaliation?
She had to ask. "So … no payback?" Relief felt better than it should. He could still claim his win. "You're letting me off the hook?"
Deke shot her an unreadable look over his shoulder. "You're safe." He pushed the door open and walked through, but his voice carried back. "For now."
Vasha shuddered, a delicious shiver hitting all her hot spots. She ignored the implied threat and focused on the something different in his tone. A suggestive undercurrent, promising something more … but not what.
Or when.
Vasha had a feeling routine ship life might be a whole lot more fun in the near future.

I have so much fun writing Vash and Deke. This story started out as a little conflict-free romp but took a turn when the sages introduced the idea for a nemesis. I'm excited to see how it all comes together.



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

ML Skye

Sunday, March 5, 2017

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

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Sunday Snippet: Five by Five

Greetings! Finally got a great day of weather today! *throws confetti*

Tonight's snippet is from Five by Five, a completely fun to write story about Vasha and Deke. They're well on their way to their happy ending. With a roadblock or two to get through first.

Here's the tagline:

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 here's the sneaky peek…

Vasha Eick grinned. "You're on. I call."
Deke Vitali's hand couldn't be beat…at least not by much. For once, Valkyrie would go down in flames. A red letter day and no one else would witness it. Deke decided he could live with knowing he'd finally beat her. And he'd have bragging rights…couldn't forget that.
He displayed his cards, one by one, on the table. Then leaned back, with confidence, and sent Vasha a smug smile. Her turn. He couldn't wait for her to show hers. And collect a long awaited payoff.
It took everything he had not to rub his hands together with anticipation. A hot kiss, with tongue, from Vasha…in front of the entire crew. He'd put the wager on the table, never dreaming she'd accept and he'd end up the winner.
If the damn fool woman ever laid her cards down, he'd be one step closer to claiming his prize. His brow lifted and she sighed, shuffling the cards in her hand around. Stall tactics. He had her beat.
His first clue should have been the slow smirk her mouth curved into. The second, the way she laid her cards out with a flourish, one by one. But the final straw? Vasha holding the last card between her thumb and forefinger, flipping it back and forth. No reluctance, only a teasing little grin, before she dropped it beside the others.
Oh…no way. His mouth dropped open. She did not…
With a blink Deke sat up. Fuck it all. Her hand topped his.
The word 'No!' echoed through his mind. Several times. He'd been so damn certain he had her beat.
Deke stared at the cards placed on the table. "That's just…wrong! There's no way you could have a hand that good." He couldn't believe he'd have to pay up.
And it would be a doozie of a show, too. He'd have to…shit
He should have known. Never, ever bet against Valkyrie unless you had five by five, the best hand in the lot. Apparently not even four on the floor would be good enough when playing against her.
Mouth still hanging open, he glanced her way. She sat across from him, a gleeful grin on her face.
It just couldn't be. Now he'd have to…
Looking down at the cards again…something clicked. His eyes shot back up to hers and he stood, rifling through the discard pile until he found it…a duplicate to one she'd played. There shouldn't be one of those.
"You cheated?!" Disbelief shot through him.
Vasha's laugh burst out in full-blown glory. "Hell yes, I cheated…" She caught the incredulous look on his face and quickly added. "Sorry, Deke…couldn't pass that up." Standing up, she snagged the extra card from the table…probably because she might just need it again. "There's not enough entertainment around here…and a chance for the entire crew to watch you give your next briefing naked? Well…" She let the excuse hang and glanced toward the exit.
Oh, no. She didn't get to escape. Vasha Eick, ace pilot and card shark, had some big ass explaining to do. Deke started around the table and Vasha beat a hasty retreat toward the door.
She stopped and shrugged. "Hey, you can't blame a girl for trying." She dashed out into the corridor to haul ass away from him…laughter bouncing off the bulkheads.
Evil wench. Deke shook his head and took off after her. "Oh…yes I can."

Vasha jumped right into the fire by trying to pull a fast one on Deke. Then again…she's sort of known for doing exactly that. LOL



Hope you enjoyed!

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

ML Skye