Sunday Snippet: Matchmaker's Men

Happy Valentine week to those who celebrate. I'll throw in Galentine, friends with benefits, and all things hearts and flowers, too. February is a short but sometimes brutal month. Celebrate whatever you can.

Very busy work week with some great projects. Ran into a few glitchy things in a manuscript and that slowed my flow down. I actually enjoy that sometimes. Makes me stop and think about the story and how to suggest better changes.

Semi-decent viewing week. Made it through my shortened list of shows but had no time for my rewatch of Battlestar Galactica.

Started off with the season three opener of My Life Is Murder. Still enjoying this show so much. I think three is the last season so I'm going to savor it.

Started a new two-part Agatha Raisin. Very much enjoyed the antics of Wilkes and I'm a little bummed that Bill and Toni aren't really connecting. Also kind of wish Roy had more to do.

Watched the season twenty-five opening episode of Silent Witness. Kind of cool to see Sam Ryan again. I think this season is focused around one main case and I'm kind of excited to see where it goes. Also kind of great to see Nikki and Jack maybe get their bookmark on the same page. We'll see how that goes.

Caught another episode of Death in Paradise. Very interesting premise for this one. Enjoyed the unraveling of the case to find out who did it.

Enjoyed another episode of Elementary. I like Joan's resistance to staying with Sherlock but it would be more interesting if she actually said why she didn't want to stick around.

Watched another episode of The Batman. I'd forgotten about this one and kind of loved how Barbara figured out who Batman is then decided she had it all wrong. Fun episode.

Caught another episode of Classic Rugrats. I have vague memories of the two vignettes and rather enjoyed both.

Got another episode of The Secret Life of Amy Benson in and pretty much loved it. The story is moving along and I'm excited to get more details to her past.

That's pretty much it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Matchmaker's Men, a sexy short that's somewhat Valentine's adjacent.

Here's the miniblurb:

Nova Anell and Matz Yarmacher belong together, but neither wants to be the first to admit it. But when their crew mates start working behind the scenes to put Nova and Matz together, they have no choice but to face what they feel and decide what to do next.

And a sneaky peek…

Matz only wanted to ask if she understood what he meant.

He almost swallowed his tongue instead.

Nova Anell stood in front of him completely naked. No way is that a mistake.

Of course, he'd seen her nude before. The military didn't designate between sexes. A soldier either got with the program or they got pushed out. But showering after a shift didn't have the charged atmosphere of truly seeing her and taking a good, long look.

She fit his ideal picture. She had a toned physique but also had soft curves that complimented the angular lines defined by the physical toll of their work. Not perfect because why would anyone want a cookie-cutter partner. He sure didn't. He wouldn't change one thing about her.

Am I dreaming? Did the air suddenly get sucked out of the room? The pressure in his head exploded outward, filling his entire being with a combination of lust and full-on admiration. How is this really happening? And how long had he actually wanted something more with Nova?

Long enough to avoid thinking about the idea lest the universe would implode. He wondered if the deck would drop out from under him if he moved … because his luck would run in that direction. But his feet itched to challenge reality even if he woke up from whatever strange dream he lived in right now.

Unable to resist testing the theory, he slowly headed in her direction. So far, so good. No faded imagery, no obnoxious alarm buzzing to wake him, and no mushroom cloud hovering in the background.

Stopping inches away from her, he held her eyes. "You're sure?"

He needed her to understand he couldn't go back. He wanted her to be okay with the change in dynamics. There would be a lot more than a shower happening from this point onward.

Matz lifted his chin. "Be really sure…"

I love this story. It's fun to write a group of friends and colleagues pushing two people who belong with each other together.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Matchmaker's Men

It's been a weird week but also a productive one. I can't quite believe March is almost over. My middle kid has gallbladder surgery on Tuesday and my youngest kid has a long weekend coming up and I'm kind of excited to have everyone home.

Very slow work week so I got to focus on writing again. Made a lot of progress on the back end with a good bit or organizing and updating files. I got some new projects launched and made a big dent in some older ones that have been on the back burner. It's always nice to feel productive.

Also got some cleaning done, which is terrific and long overdue. I've been setting a timer and sticking with one area for that timeframe. Seems to be working well so far. I pick a room, set the limit, and get busy. Makes the job seem less daunting.

On the television front, I got three arcs of Classic Who watched this week. I'm almost finished with season fourteen and I miss Sarah Jane but Leela is pretty fun. I don't think I've seen any Leela episodes so it's kind of fun to see new fare.

I also watched several more episodes of The Muppet Show. I'm about halfway through the first season and other than remembering how annoying Miss Piggy's karate chops are I'm having great memories.

Caught the second part of Silent Witness and finished out the ninth season. I'll be starting ten this week.

Got another episode of Peak Practice in and should have one more for the second season then ready to start the third. I'm not sure how long Jack and Beth will be sticking around but I'm really enjoying this show.

I also got to catch an episode of Murdoch Mysteries. I'm behind on the new season, but I like to binge this show so I'll get caught up soon.

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Matchmaker's Men, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nova Anell and Matz Yarmacher belong together, but neither wants to be the first to admit it. But when their crew mates start working behind the scenes to put Nova and Matz together, they have no choice but to face what they feel and decide what to do next.  

And a sneaky peek…

Dammit, he's right. She hadn't thought to ask if he wanted any of the crap she'd been doing. "Why didn't you say something?" She propped her butt on the table.

Matz shrugged and sat next to her. "Good for morale. Everyone was having so much fun … I didn't have the heart to stop it." He nudged her shoulder with his own. "Sorry about that."

Nova snorted. "Yeah, well, they were enjoying themselves." At her expense, too. How often did that actually happen?

Matz turned toward her. "You don't have to do this, you know." He glanced at his watch. "Your forty-eight hours ended about fifteen minutes ago."

Nova opened her mouth to correct him when it hit her. "You were late on purpose." He didn't deny it and Nova didn't know how she felt about that. Kinda pissed actually, especially after working herself into a damn frenzy over the whole thing. "Why?" An unpleasant thought hit her. "Wait … you don't want the whole shower thing, do you?" As much as Nova hated to admit it, the idea disappointed her.

Matz answered honestly. "No." He frowned and realized that must've come out wrong. "Wait, I mean yes." He winced and his mouth worked, opening and closing. "Geez … what I mean is having you as my personal shower assistant wouldn't be a bad thing." His lips quirked up in a half smile. "As if." Rising, he turned toward his locker and yanked his tanks over his head. "But if you're gonna play that role, I'd rather it not be a payoff for a debt." Lowering his shorts, he stepped out then turned back around.

She'd quickly made a decision about how to proceed but needed to see his reaction to see if she'd made the right one.

His head cocked sideways and he blinked … probably wondering if he might be seeing things.

Nope. He's definitely not.

I like this story and it's a lot of fun to write Nova and Matz. And their crowd of friends sticking their noses in where they don't belong.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Matchmaker's Men

Ugh… what a week. I've been down with a combination of cold / flu symptoms. I'm pretty sure I've pulled at least three different muscles from coughing, sneezing, and blowing my nose incessantly. Bleh.

Not a bad week for television viewing. The Flash had a girls night out that brought Felicity Smoak over from Arrow and entertained in a big way. Legends of Tomorrow kind of disappointed me by bringing Damien Darhk back, even if the fight sequence proved to be very entertaining.

Arrow also had a great episode. Loved getting to know Dinah's former partner and have some background there. I'm fond of the actor who's in the role and look forward to seeing more of that storyline play out. Also liked having Oliver work with Slade. I'm excited to see where that goes, too.

Riverdale turned things up to triple digits. I'm still liking my theory about who the black hood is. Alice's past coming out and her reaction made the whole show for me. I want to see that story explored a little more. My one true hope? The snake charmer ends up being Alice's long, lost sister. How much fun would that be?

Once again, I have to catch up on Gotham. The whole cold / flu thing had me napping when it was on. LOL

The holiday movie overload is ongoing. I thoroughly enjoy the cheesy, sappy, happy fare. I've even watched a couple of them more than once.

Looking forward to more terrific TV this week. Tonight's post is from Matchmaker's Men, a sexy short with two characters who have a whole crew trying to set them up.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Nova Anell and Matz Yarmacher belong together, but neither wants to be the first to admit it. But when their crewmates start working behind the scenes to put Nova and Matz together, they have no choice but to face what they feel and decide what to do next.

And a sneaky peek…

Matz had waited for something like this. Frankly, it shocked him she'd taken this long to reach the point of a meltdown. He'd wondered if she'd make the full forty-eight hours before she lost her grip and went bug ass gonzo on the crew—or worse—on him.

Looked like he got the prize. And he hadn't even come up with anything for the list. Hell, in all likelihood, he'd have let her off the hook and called things even. Enough for him that he'd won.

Probably why the crew had their ideas readily available. Matz tried not to play favorites and cut everyone slack, but he had a soft spot for Nova. She got away with shooting her mouth off more than anyone else. But she usually had valid points and they helped keep him in check.

The others got to have their say if they needed to get something off their chest. Matz had an open door policy and he let anyone enter and exit as often as necessary. But Nova never used an easy entry when she could take aim and blast through a wall instead. Proprietary be damned.

She paid the price—brig time, reprimands, revoked passes—as often as she got off the hook. Nova went to the mat when she had a strong opinion and while it earned her the respect of the regiment, it didn't do her any favors with the brass. She walked a very fine line sometimes.

And backed herself into corners to save face. Like now. The crew got their licks in. They loved her but also had gleeful moments when she went down a peg or two.

Pushing away from the bulkhead, Matz spoke quietly. "First… you lasted a hell of a lot longer than I thought you would. I gave it maybe twenty-four hours before you'd decide to say fuck it all and be done." He slowly advanced in her direction and she backed up, looking skittish, and bumped into the table behind her. "Second… no one, not even you, bothered to ask me what I wanted you to do for me." He stopped a few feet away from her and waited for her response.

Matz catches Nova off-guard and it's fun to write her reactions. Looking forward to seeing this one completed and ready for public consumption.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Matchmaker's Men

July 21, 2013

Whew. Whirlwind weekend in Columbus, Ohio. My husband's region won their company's highest honor and we got a lovely dinner with fun entertainment and a night in a downtown hotel. Caught up with some old friends and finally, finally got to see my brother's house just south of the Brewery District. He's only lived there ten years and it's my first visit. LOL

Tonight's post is from Matchmaker's Men, a short, sexy story about two pilots who really need to be together and how the crew makes it happen. So much fun to write. :D

The tagline:

Nova Anell and Matz Yarmacher belong together, but neither wants to be the first to admit it. But when their crew mates start working behind the scenes to put Nova and Matz together, they have no choice but to face what they feel and decide what to do next.

And the sneaky peek…

Standing outside the head, waiting on Matz to arrive for his post-CAP shower, Nova verged on thinking the whole thing beyond a bad idea. On a good day she could cut the sexual tension between her and Matz with a knife. Gods damn Hot Sauce for recognizing the pull and running with it.

She shouldn't be tense with anticipation. Nothing would happen between her and Matz, right? She shouldn't be this anxious over a shower, should she?

A small sigh escaped before Nova could stop it. She shouldn't be…and she knew it. She didn't want to screw things up with Matz…they were at a great place. If only she could convince her body it would only be a shower—things would be peachy. And yet, she had a standing on a bunch of hot coals feeling—jittery and jumpy.

Pacing back and forth only added to the anxiousness, but standing still proved worse. It gave her brain too much time to conjure up images she didn't need to have in her head. Argh!

Turning to walk the short distance back across the corridor, she smacked directly into Matz, muttering a startled curse. "Shit, sorry about that." Backing away, she noticed he had his shower gear in hand. "'Bout time you showed." She didn't mean it to sound bitchy, but it did—even to her own ears.

Gods, she needed to get a grip.

Matz's quick smile of greeting faded to a questioning glance.

Nova made another hasty apology. "Sorry." She spun around and entered the head, not relishing the idea of having an audience watching her come completely unglued.

Having no choice, Matz followed her in, dogging the hatch behind him. It took Nova a few moments to realize he hadn't started undressed or anything to get ready for a shower. In fact, he hadn't moved at all, except to lean back, his shoulders braced against the bulkhead.

The bland look on his face only irritated her more. "What? Do I really have to undress you, too?" She took a step toward him, but stopped when Matz held up his hand.

I always enjoy writing characters that fight their attraction and get help from others to move things along. :D

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

ML Skye