Sunday Snippet: Quelling Hunger

Happy Solstice season! I did start to get in the spirit last week and I'm kind of feeling better about things in general. We're very low-key for holiday celebrations anyway. The good news is because I finally got some shopping done, I had to do a cleanout of my space, which is a very good thing. Got those urges started again and I also did more clearing and decluttering in other areas. Yay!

Ohio is still trying to figure out what it wants to do with the weather. We got a little more snow and a bunch of rain then plummeting temps. Thankfully, we also had a ton of wind before the drop, so we didn't have icy conditions. Whew!

Had a decent work week. I finished up some last-minute changes on a proofread, completed a copy edit, and had a client meeting over Zoom. I'm getting into some deep edits on the memoir and getting ready to start a new proofread and developmental edit over the holiday break.

I had an okay viewing week. I didn't make it through the bulk of my shows, but I'm kind of needing a brief break. I'm changing things up a little for the holiday season.

I did start over with Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and enjoyed the rewatch. There aren't many episodes left before I'll be moving on to a new show.

I also got a partial episode of Foyle's War in. Since this season's episodes run a little longer, I might break them up into two parts. The Americans have finally arrived in England and it's going about as good as can be expected … which isn't great.

I started a new season of Silent Witness and part one ended up being very interesting. I really wish we got a little more info on where the other characters ended up going. Jack's niece in particular. The new head of the Lylle is kind of different and I like that. And it's always good to see Sean Pertwee show up in any show.

Watched another episode of Poirot and enjoyed the intrigue. Also fun to see super young actors that have gone on to starring roles in their own series. In a weird twist of fate, the actor playing Japp had a guest starring role in the episode of Foyle's War.

Also did a minimarathon of the holiday episodes of Death in Paradise. Both featured Neville. I might dive back into the new inspector's episode this week.

I also plan to watch Madame Blanc's holiday special this week. Stay tuned for more on that one.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Quelling Hunger, a novella about a couple trying to keep the peace during a crisis.

Here's the miniblurb:

When a storm destroys the food warehouses in the city, Rita Steed and Fletch Lancaster are tasked with keeping the peace while half-rations are necessary until the rooftop gardens can produce more crops. Heading up the sector patrol, neither is certain they can maintain the status quo when quelling hunger seems to be impossible.

And a preview snippet…

Rita paced back and forth, waiting on Fletch to return from the briefing. "I know he's gonna bring bad news. It's stupid to add another holding facility unless something's wrong." Her heart sank when she thought about more trouble.

Fletch entered their space. "Well … you were partially right." He heaved a sigh. "They're not cutting rations again but they're anticipating more conflict because there will be a slight delay in the harvest." He raked a hand through his hair. "No, it's not really a delay. More like the processing time is going to be longer than they thought." Sinking down onto the futon, he kicked his feet out.

Rita plopped down beside him. "So, the new holding center is to hold more people who just want to eat?" She shook her head. "Actually, maybe that is the route to go. If they're inside, they'll be served their share of food and can't hurt anyone or wreak havoc anymore." Damn … didn't make their job any easier though.

Fletch snorted. "That seems to be the prevailing thought. The one piece of good news is they've brought more field officers on board. At least temporarily." He met her gaze. "You and I? We've got two days of training them in between callouts." He held up a hand when she got ready to protest. "Yeah, not great news but…" He patted his lap. "We have the rest of today off." Grasping her hand, he tugged her over to straddle his thighs.

Rita leaned in close to him. "How did you manage that?" Her lips grazed the column of his throat.

Fletch grunted. "Told them they needed a day in the field, so they understand what's going on." His hands cupped her ass. "And if they didn't take my suggestion, they would be adding combat pay to our weekly salary."

Rita made a low humming sound. "Not that I'd turn down more wages, but your solution is better." She rocked against him. "Having a full day to rest … and do whatever…" Working her hands between them, she lifted the hem of his shirt upward. "Sounds really great right now." A brief respite from the chaos outside.

Fletch grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked it over his head. "Thought you might appreciate my genius there." His fingers worked the button of her pants lose.

Rita pulled her shirt over her head and slid back to drop her fatigues. "You'd be right about that." She reached forward and helped Fletch get out of his pants.

Then she dropped to her knees and swiped her tongue over his cock.

Fletch thrust his fingers into her hair. "I aim to please." He groaned when she drew most of the length into her mouth before pulling back again.

Rita glanced up to meet his gaze. "Yes, you do. And so do I…"

I like writing this one because there are variations on the title theme. Rita and Fletch are a fun couple even if they're living through a dark time.

 

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye