Sunday Snippet: Lockdown

The Last Ship continues with its excellence. The tough love from Captain Meylan and Master Chief is something Chandler needed. I loved the twisty twist of "Hello, Fletch". I'm very interested in seeing what he does. Can't wait for tonight's episode.

Teen Wolf continues bringing old faces back and I'm so happy! At this point, I'm ready for the guidance counselor to die already. Truly, I pretty much hate her. Gerard is a love to hate character, but the counselor… not so much. She's just annoyingly irritating.

I got started on The Defenders and quite like it so far. The way the four main characters are coming together is pretty terrific and the snark is spot on. Should get at least one more episode in today.

Also started season seven of Hawaii Five-0. I'm enjoying the episodes so far. Not sure I'll be down with a season eight without Chin and Kono so this might be my last season.

I'll be starting the British show Fearless soon. Can't wait to watch Jamie Bamber on my screen again. Which means… I'll probably be binge watching the BSG marathon on Syfy next weekend. LOL

Oh! Terrific news. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is going super-sized and coming to the big screen. The crowdsourcing campaign reached its initial goal within forty-eight hours and the funds are still rolling in. Can't wait to see what the movie brings.

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Lockdown, a novella that started around a writing community prompt of building a story around a power outage. It's always fun to have a conflict out of the characters control.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Tod Langkowski and Mitzi Stahl are trapped when a power outage aboard their ship locks them in the training area. The commander and his CAG have a unique opportunity to examine their relationship—and where it should go—with zero interruptions.

And a sneaky peek…

I'm a goner.

Mitzi melted into the embrace. Kissing Tod this way far surpassed anything she'd imagined from their previous, and very brief, lip-locks. The man's professional perfectionist streak carried over into intimate endeavors.

Which made Mitzi not only hot but insanely curious. She moved aggressively, working Tod toward the weight bench. The hard line of his erection filled the space between them and Mitzi wanted an up close and personal look at what he had to offer.

She slid a hand down his chest and loosened the belt at his waist. Her usually steady fingers decided to get shaky when she popped the button on Tod's fatigues. A warm palm covered hers and she broke the kiss to meet Tod's gaze.

His expression gave nothing away, except for the darkening of his eyes. "Mitz… we're crossing a line we can't uncross here." He removed his hand, giving her the option to continue or not.

Mitzi pushed envelopes. She flouted rules. Walked her own path.

But this… needed some consideration.

She lowered Tod's zipper while meeting his gaze. "We'll face consequences when everyone finds out." Her hands moved to his waistband. "It's a given they will." He had more to lose than she did.

Tod acknowledged her statement with a lift of his chin. "It is. We'll deal with the fallout when it comes." Meaning he'd have her back… as usual.

Mitzi didn't need more assurances. She pushed his fatigues past his hips and his cock sprang free. Her mouth watered at the sight. Long and thick, the shaft bobbed and its head glistened with a drop of precum.

Tod toed his shoes off and Mitzi crouched to make short work of removing his pants. She ran her palms over his thighs, the sinewy muscles quivered under her touch. She went to her knees and leaned forward, her fingers wrapping around the hard length.

She licked her lips then flicked her tongue around the tip before engulfing the head with her mouth. A sharp gasp escaped from Tod and his hands went to her head, his fingers threading through her hair. Mitzi swirled her tongue around the shaft, going deeper, until she couldn't take more.

Tod moaned and flexed his hips. "I always knew you had a wicked mouth, Mitzi." He sucked in a harsh breath when she cupped his balls in her palm. "First time I'm happy as hell you have one, but..." He eased her mouth off his dick, a hot look of need in his eyes when she met his gaze.

A thrill ran down her spine and her lips twisted in a slow smile. "You want to be buried balls deep in me, don't you?" She rose from her position at his feet.

Tod rasped his answer out. "In a word…" He motioned for her to undress. "Yes."

She complied with happy abandon.

I'm having fun with this story. Mitzi and Tod make the writing very easy.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: The Baracas File

Hello!

Okay, no Arrow episode this week and I missed my favorite show. L But, we did have new Walking Dead and Bitten, which made me super happy. I love reading the speculation about Daryl and whether he'll fall in with those rogue survivors or play nice until he can track down Beth. I'm rather hoping for the latter. It would make a nice bookend to the episode where he more or less sent his past life up in flames.

Bitten's episode for this week has me full of anticipation. I cannot wait to see Elena's worlds collide. J Orphan Black is gearing up for next month and I'm following their instagram page with an obsession. My twitter feed is rife with speculation… to the point I'm pondering a blog post with my wish list for the season. I'll just add that to my ever growing pile of stuff that needs attention. J

Tonight's post is from The Baracas File, a novella featuring danger and intrigue and my two main characters get sucked into the vortex of trying to figure out why the contents keep getting people killed.

Here's the tagline:

Briggs Felderzon, an investigative reporter, will stop at nothing to discover what's in the Baracas File, the contents of which results in his brother's death. Myrrh Gold, his brother's partner in the Inter-Stellar Police, decides to help him… but Briggs isn't sure he trusts her.

And a sneaky peek…

Briggs asked a point-blank question. "Were you sleeping with my brother?"

Myrrh blinked, but answered. "It's none of your damned business, but no, we never had sex." She got up and paced the floor.

Briggs noted her agitation before pushing harder. "Why not? You're exactly his type. Zell wouldn't let working together keep him from going after what he wanted." One of his brother's lesser-known faults.

Myrrh snorted and spun around. "He might not, but I would." She resumed walking back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Look, Zell and I were tight, but as partners, not lovers. I loved him because he became my best friend." She stopped and pinned Briggs with her gaze. "I know you like to dig deep for the truth, but you can put your shovel away. There's nothing buried here."

Briggs tilted his head and searched for any sign she held back. Finding none, he nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Myrrh chuckled. "Frustrating to be wrong, isn't it?" She crossed the small distance separating them. "Now it's my turn."

Briggs frowned, confused.

Myrrh rolled her eyes. "Quid pro quo. I can either take you in for interrogation or…" She jerked her head toward the wingback chair. "You can have a seat and we can chat, off the record, about the Baracas file."

Briggs roughly grabbed her arm. "What do you know about it?" His suspicions went to maximum overload. "Tell me now."

Myrrh yanked out of his grasp and jammed her finger into his shoulder. "Don't ever put your hands on me again." She shoved him back then nudged him toward the chair. "If you want more information, you can sit your ass down and I might be willing to discuss the file. But you get nothing unless you understand the stakes." She paused, meeting his gaze again. "Am I clear?"

Briggs gave a curt nod and sat. He needed answers. He'd play nice until he had a better idea of where and how she fit into the murky picture.

But… if she had anything to do with Zell's death, Briggs would make sure she paid a very high price.

This novella is still pretty much in the planning and conception stage, but this part spurred the idea in the first place.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Covert Heart

Writing my blog post while watching Blood and Chrome, and I'll freely admit any typos or glitchy things are all on me. I've already seen the web episodes, but there's something very satisfying about something from start to finish in one go (um, minus the commercial interruptions anyway. LOL)

So…tonight's Sunday Snippet is from a novella that's about half way completed. Covert Heart is a mashup of Sci Fi with spy stuff. Two of my favorite genres. J

Here's the tagline:

An impossible task. A couple sworn to carry it out or die trying. One big test of the depth of their courage and love.

And here's the wee sneaky peek…

Emma Wells enjoyed her work. She didn't have deep political aspirations but the process of watching everything unfold fascinated her. When the opportunity came for attachment to the covert security force that protected the highest government officials, Emma jumped at the chance to be on the team.

She had no regrets. Whether undercover or working from the trenches, she loved what she did. She'd bumped into Rick McBride when he had a character persona, Rick Martin, fully embedded. An asshat personality, one she wanted to bitchslap within five seconds of meeting. Forced to work with him, she had to rein in the desire to kill him by the end of the first week. By chance, she'd arrived early for an event she ran security for and caught him in a conversation with the chancellor of the planetary alliance…who happened to be his father. Only she hadn't known that at the time.

A completely different man emerged and Emma wondered what the hell she'd walked into. She did some subtle digging and found holes in his credentials. Again, she watched and waited, keeping a very keen eye on his every move. If Rick stepped out line by an inch, she'd take him out.

Another week went by before she confronted him, or well, he confronted her. She'd give him credit, he didn't break cover. Instead he put on a flawless performance, walking into her office, a grim look on his face. Apparently her very quiet probe into his background hadn't gone unnoticed. He dropped the asshat persona the man she'd caught a glimpse of earlier emerged. Sharp, intelligent, and keenly aware of her mistrust, he closed her door and settled himself in the empty chair beside her desk.

Emma barely kept her jaw from dropping when he asked one simple question.

"Why?"

Fully expecting a full blown meltdown or interrogation, she had a list of answers prepped and memorized. Members of the same security team did not run background checks on each other, but she'd come up with several plausible excuses if she hadn't covered her trail. Her only problem? None of her replies could answer such a supremely vague query?

Emma quirked a brow. "Are you asking me why I think you're an egotistical pain in the ass?" As a cover it stuck very close to the truth. "I can give you the rundown in numerical or alphabetical order." She met and held his gaze. "Which do you prefer?"

Rick barked out a laugh. "Great answer." He rose from the seat. "And we'll leave it at that…for now." He crossed the office and opened the door, looking back over his shoulder. "I do strongly suggest you refrain from any more hacking until this detail is over." He left without another word.

Emma's eyes widened. By rights, he should have reported her to the chancellor and she wondered why he hadn't. His amusement puzzled her, and she didn't trust him enough to not be wary. He also hadn't quite convinced her there wasn't more to the walking, talking asshole image he presented either.

Curiosity piqued, she followed him for two days before he turned the tables on her. Again. She returned home after losing him in the throng of people outside a gala art show only to find the man sitting in her living room, drinking her best liquor.

Emma had her weapon drawn and aimed within seconds.

He raised his glass. "You've got excellent taste." He drained the contents. "And you can put the gun away. I'm not here to hurt you."

She snorted, but slowly lowered the sidearm, keeping it in her hand. "What are you doing here?"

Rick's lips curved in a half smile. "Why are you following me?" He leaned forward and poured another drink.

Emma shrugged. "I don't trust you. There's something you're not telling me and it's my job to know everything about the upcoming event." She raised a brow, daring him to deny her words.

Rick considered her for several moments. "You're smarter than you look." He kicked back, making himself comfortable.

Emma bit her tongue to keep from saying the first insulting thing that popped into her head. Instead she asked, "Meaning I look what? Stupid?"

Rick smirked. "No, not stupid. But getting past the tits and teeth to see the intelligent woman probably isn't something most men do."

She didn't whether to be insulted or complimented. "Never let the package fool you. You'll prove yourself to be the utter prick everyone thinks you are."

He laughed. "Touche. And very well said." He took a long sip of the alcohol. "You've got a meeting with Chancellor McBride at 0900 tomorrow." He finished the drink. "I strongly suggest you not miss it."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Care to tell me what it's all about?" She'd definitely make the meet, but wanted to see if he'd give anything away.

Rick placed his glass on the table. "Just be there." He rose and strode toward her front door. "And play down the beauty queen angle. The chancellor gets easily distracted." Pulling open the door, he gave her a farewell salute and left.

Emma sank down on the loveseat and shook her head. "Dickhead." Pouring a healthy amount of liquor in Rick's empty glass, she gulped it down.

She hoped her meeting with Chancellor McBride solved the enigma of Rick Martin.

She had no idea how hard that would bite her on the ass.

Emma and Rick don't have the most conventional beginning, but they do find some very common ground. Then get tossed into a ton of intrigue. Fun times. LOL

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

ML Skye