Flash: boobs

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Rating: Mature (Language)

The woman screaming below woke him from his near coma. Why Kryler remained with the harridan Andre did not understand. Likely arguing about him staying the night … again. Hopefully they wouldn’t wake Mia since he crashed in baby’s room when they pulled an all-nighter.

How late were they up last night programming for the new game? Disorientation clouded his mind; every muscle in his body ached. He hadn’t felt this bad since he jumped a foot in height when he was fifteen. He went from the shortest in the school to the tallest in six months.

Cripes, he felt worse than when he stayed over for seven days working on the Rainbow expansion to keep Kryler’s mind off Natalie … leaving … wait …

Who was screaming below if not Natalie?

Why was gravel and stone digging in his skin?

Andre struggled to open his eyes, which seemed glued together. The expansive vista of ocean and cliff faces set off vertigo and he slammed his gummy eyelids shut.

“Come on you mother-fucking bastard! Tell me you haven’t died on me you asshole! Be alive! Oh God, be alive! Help! Come on Andre talk to me!”

That would be Jane. The spy.

Memory started leaking. The normal pickup when government security break-in happened. This time to investigate instead of as one of the suspects. Following up the foot leads, because the hacker was a master the coffee-house login, a pattern similar to what he had pulled off as a kid. The fights, guns, and dozens of other things a nerd like him had no business being in followed until now.

Something tightened around his ribs. … Right, the rope connecting to Jane. … A couple of ribs felt broken.

He opened up his gummy eyes again, supposing the sticky was drying blood from a head wound and the bullet in his shoulder. A series of fence posts kept him from being pulled off the overlook. For once he was grateful of his insane height. His fourteen year old size would have been pulled right off the cliff.

Scrambling against non-existent toeholds below him swung Jane. Her only support was the rope and his weight.

“Stop screaming!” He yelled, or tried too. The fit of coughing prevented him from saying anything. Pain raised through him; broken ribs grated and simulated sensory nerves in ways he had never experienced before.

She screamed pure terror as the rope shook with his coughs.

“Quiet!” He finally managed to get out.

Silence followed for a few seconds. “You still awake?” Drifted up from below.

She jogged his elbow while programming, why did he think she would shut up now? “Yeah.” He said as loudly as he could, without breathing deeply. The ribs hurt with each breath.

“The bastards left us for dead. Don’t know why they didn’t push you off.”

“Wedged.” Andre decided short answers would work. “Little time.”

“Right, that count-down worm you put in. They would need to fix it.”

“Phone.”

“What phone? You think they could solve it with a phone?”

“No.” Andre tried to shift. The boulder behind his hip held him in place and he had no strength in his wounded shoulder to push free. “My phone.”

“God, are we starting that argument again?” Jane had confiscated his phone when they realized the bad guys were trying to trace them.

“Put battery back … phone.”

“And let them know we are still alive, are you nuts?”

“Put battery in.” Andre took as deep a breath as he dared. “NOW!”

“Alright. What do you got in mind bright boy?” He watched Jane twist and turn. One foot was caught in the rope, balancing the weight drag on her waist, but unbalancing her and preventing her from getting a firm attachment to the rock face. He heard the battery snap in place. Funny how he heard tech noises before anything else.

“Dial 7734 star.”

“7 – 7 – 3 – 4 – star. Sure you don’t want 911?”

“Dial it.”

“Dialed bright boy. What next?”

“GPS – turn on.”

“Roger.” Her soprano voice carried up the confirmation. “Done.”

“58008 star pound”

“5 – 8 – 0 – 0 – 8 – star – pound – Dialed.”

Satisfied he had done all he could, Andre wiggled to relieve some pressure and rested. After a few moments, Jane shouted up. “Andre, bright boy. What next?”

“Done.”

“Done what? What did I just do bright boy?”

“Friends coming.” Andre watched her tuck the phone into her spy suit. He had a few fantasies about getting her out of the men-in-black look. He took one out to play with. There was time to kill. “Wait” He let her know.

“Wait? Wait for what?”

“Wait.”

“Of course wait,” she muttered. Her voice was approaching tech level in his ability to tune only into it. “Stupid bastard can’t explain shit about shit. I’ll just hang here like a piñata while we wait. Ass…”

He must of passed out, because he had lost time. Jane’s talking had changed.

“Yes, this is a real woman on Andre’s phone. … What do you mean, no way? … Boobies’ emergency code?”

“Rescue.” Andre projected as loud as he dared. His ribs hurt worse. He barely heard himself.

“Look just come in get us. Shipwreck outlook. If you got guns, you might want to bring them.” Andre heard the phone beep off. “Some Chrysler guy is on his way .. and said something about Effie and willing guns being close behind.”

Will shotgun with Efran driving in his mother’s car might beat Kryler. Only 30 miles away. “Twenty.” Andre said, trying to let her know rescue would be here in a mere score of minutes. Boobs was the highest of the rescue codes they put together for conventions – everything from “leech fan” to “sex-fiend.” Boobs was for Kryler, back when he had a marriage to value. He was the only one to have women throw themselves at him; being an artist helped toned down the gaming-computer-developer-nerd factor. If one counted graphic artists as artists, which at least four women had at various times. Boobs meant drop everything and come save me now.

Got to love his friends.

(words 1,022 – first published 11/6/2013; republished new blog format 4/1/2018)

Flash: Relocate

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In 2013, I started as series with Kryler and Natalie on the old blog. I’ve republished them here in 2018 during tax season. I didn’t know where it was going and decided to have my fans decide the conclusion to Kryler’s and Natalie’s relationship arc. The flash timeline for their relationship would be: (1) Presentation, (2) Ride, (3) Take-out, (4) Labor, (5) Argument, and now (6) Relocate. Read on to find out if you guys and gals decided if they get a happily ever after or decide to end it.

 **************************

Dice clattered as Natalie made her way down the steps into Kryler’s man-cave. She made no sound as she went down the steps barefoot, her shoes left at the entrance. The basement, which ran the length and width of the house, had changed somewhat over the eight years since they started dating. The biggest change happened at the beginning of the second year of their marriage shortly after the birth of their daughter Mia; the area where his extensive gaming console had been located had been converted. A toybox, child’s book case, and babydoll crib now resided in the old boy toy area. The smelly, purple couch had been thrown out, the 72-inch television donated to Goodwill, and he set up the section of the basement closest to the steps for his programming.

The central gaming table where he played D&D and other time sucks remained.

Today four folding tables crowded the room, with a half dozen different laptops, cell phones, and three-hole notebooks strewn across them. But the Lost Boys, as she thought of them, were not diligently at work like Kryler promised they would be. Instead her personal Peter Pan had the three others gathered around the central table, playing, again.

All four were in uniform, the black Rodger’s Retrieval T-shirts overtop jeans. At least they had the brains not to sell merchanting rights when they gave NotGolfHobbies distribution rights. Still, she and Kryler never saw a dime from that either. The man’s damned generosity handed over all income to Andre, Efren and Will. His 401K was filled, he owned the house outright, didn’t owe anything on his car, and was debt free. Never mind they lived in a small two-bedroom, their cars were both pushing ten years, and the last of her student loans still had three months left. His friends needed the money more.

It was always about them, not her. Why the hell hadn’t he just married them?

Eventually Andre noticed her, or at least admitted he noticed her. Efren and Will were total misogynists. They gave up even pretending to like her years ago. Once Andre drew Kryler’s attention to her, his dull face lit up.

Kryler’s face never had been anything great. Sharp cheekbones, brown eyes, and floppy hair. Best she would call it is pleasant. Once or twice, maybe more, she would admit it beautiful. Like right now, love shone from his eyes.

“Hey Firebrand, welcome home.” Kryler tossed his dice behind the screen and made his way to the staircase. “Where’s Mia?”

“She’s staying with your mom tonight.” Natalie crossed her arms, first staring at him as his smile faltered, returning his face to just pleasant. He just turned twenty-nine, soon fat would overtake that gorgeous body of his; when that happened, she had no idea how she would find him sexually attractive. Her eyes then burned into the boys behind him. Her voice dripped in sarcasm, “How’s alpha testing going?”

Kryler ran both hands through his hair. The hair immediately flopped over his eyes because he yet again forgot to get it cut professionally like she constantly asked him.

“Well … it’s going well. Better than we hoped.”

“I can see that.” She continued to stare at the Lost Boys. Really, this has gone too far for too long. “Leave. Now. Just get out of my house.”

The losers didn’t even argue, too used to answering to their mommies.

Will picked up his backpack first. Efren jumped over to the tables and snapped close his computer and shoved two phones in his pockets.

Andre touched Kryler on his shoulder, not bothering to pick up anything. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Yeah, you do that Andy.” Natalie stepped aside to let the boys stream out. “You can finish the games tomorrow.”

“Can you not do that?” Kryler’s fists clenched, though his voice stayed soft. He always stayed soft; he had no fight to him.

“Do what? Tell your pals they can come back and play tomorrow? It’s not like anything I am going to do is going to stop that.” Natalie turned to storm upstairs.

Kryler’s light step followed. “We were only playing, waiting for the last of the beta testers to sign up.”

“I thought you were on alpha testing.”

“Efren already ran the full battery of the tests, plus had two alpha testers run through everything.” Kryler’s soothing tenor, perfect for calming frantic toddlers but not as good on full-grown women, followed her from his base of operations to the living room. A room set aside for the few times she needed to bring guests home. No movie posters adorned walls, no bookcases tilted from book overloads, no stupid electronic games tucked into corners. The carpet had no wear to it, no child spit up, no stains. “We learned a lot from Rodger’s Retrieval. The alpha tests he ran only needed two patches. Ebony’s Rainbow will be in beta tomorrow as soon as Andre approves the last of the fifty testers and releases it.”

“That is wonderful, baby.” Natalie’s voice could cut glass, and stopped Kryler’s needy explanations short. Listening to his constant apologies churned her stomach. She didn’t like excuses at work, she didn’t like them at home.

He shifted his feet. “So how did the presentation go?”

“Perfect.” Her voice dripped with artificial honey. “Perez liked it so much he is taking over the project.”

“Oh, beautiful. I am so sorry.” Kryler moved to hold her.

“It gets better.” Natalie stepped away from his comfort. Part of her wanted to seek it out. Just to be held and cry, but there was no point in that. “Since Perez is coming back to the US, someone will need to cover the Mexico headquarters. They chose me.”

Kryler frowned. “So, we are relocating to Mexico?”

“No, stupid boy, I’m relocating to Mexico. You stay here with Mia. No way am I going to have her start kindergarten in Mexico.” Natalie smiled, and Kryler’s heart shriveled as hope left it. “In a year, we can get a divorce without a problem. With the promotion to Vice President, and the out-of-country bonus, I should be able to easily pay child support. Don’t expect any alimony though.”

“You’ve thought this out.”

“I’ve been thinking of asking about the Mexico position for a while now. Perez has been unhappy.” She shrugged in her teal silk shirt and gray wool business jacket. “I would prefer to keep my project after working on it so long, but a promotion is a promotion.”

“Yeah, that is great.” Kryler’s face twisted. She could see he was truly happy she had gotten the promotion. The boy was such a dud.

“I’ll go pack.”

Kryler grabbed her arm. “Wait, what?”

“Perez wants to get me up to speed before he comes here. I am flying out tomorrow morning and staying the week. After that, I will make final arrangements with my project and take over by November. They want everything in place before the beginning of the year.” She shrugged off his loose hold and went to the stairs going to the bedrooms.

“What about Mia?”

“I already visited her on the way home, telling her I’ll be on another one of my trips and asking your mom to keep her another day.” Natalie projected down the step when Kryler didn’t follow her up. “You can explain the other stuff tomorrow or whenever.”

Kryler looked at his left hand and started twisting the silver band off. “Yeah, simple as pie to tell a five year old her mother is abandoning her and her daddy.” His voice was soft as it always was.

He threw the ring across the room violently. It bounced out. He heard it roll down the tiled hall, then little pips as it bounced down the wooden steps into the basement.

(words 1,303 – first published 10/16/2013; republished in new blog format 3/11/2018)

Flash: Argument

“So the boys are coming over tonight.” Reported Kryler as he rinsed the breakfast dishes.

Natalie rolled her eyes. “For video games or playing D&D?”

Kryler shoulders tensed as he put his hands either side of the sink. Blood vessels popped on his arms, despite his wiry frame. His preferred form of exercise was running after their daughter. He inhaled, picturing Mia’s laughter. She had been at his mom’s this week so Natalie could concentrate on today’s presentation, which would either make or break all the efforts she had put in for four years. With the five-year old out of the picture, the fractures in his marriage had gone from simple cracks to huge gaping holes.

“For setting up the alpha testing of our next video game product.” He was surprised the words were recognizable since his teeth remained gritted the entire time.

Behind him the chair scraped as Natalie stood. “Planning on actually selling this one or giving it away like the last time?” The sneer dropped his wife’s voice an octave.

“For the last time, NotGolfHobbies was a legitimate games distributor by every resource we had available.” He turned around, crossing his arms protectively in front of his chest. “Only after they got Rodger’s Retrieval did they stop paying anyone.”

“Which you didn’t figure out for nineteen months!”

“It takes time for video games to find legs and royalties to come back.”

“When you first decided on playing games as a career, you said feedback was nearly instant.” Natalie walked towards the front door where everything she needed was precisely laid out.

Following her, Kryler dug his hands into his elbows. “Yes, feedback is instant. But, as I have since learned and I keep telling you, royalties are not.”

Natalie snapped open her briefcase for one last check. “Well, I can’t keep being the only one bringing in money. Would it kill you to find a real job?” She snapped the briefcase shut.

“We agreed I would do programming until Mia is in school.” Kryler eyes stared off to the side; he blinked back tears of pain. “That way one of us would be home.”

Shifting the briefcase to her left hand, Natalie turned the doorknob with her right. “Well, it’s July and she starts school in two months. Why don’t you start working on that resume?”

The door slammed between them.

(words 393 – originally appearing at Breathless Press 9/8/2013 for the 2/12/12 Sunday Fun (original photo of unknown copyright so not posted here; republished in new blog format 3/4/2018)

Flash: Labor

Natalie gripped Kryler’s hand so tight, he felt bones move out of position. Finally, the contraction released and his wife’s quick panting filled the room. Grabbing a tissue, he moved to the head of the bed to dab her sweat-covered face. If he could take the pain from her, he would. Instead he did what every man has ever done, offer external support while covering all his internal worry.

Their daughter was coming too soon, nearly a month early after weeks of spotting. The doctors had sentenced Natalie to bed rest for most of the final trimester to reduce stress, and discovered instead her levels went through the roof.

When her job first found out she was pregnant, they pulled her off the fast track and moved her into the mommy track.

Not officially.

But the Spanish classes, they had been underwriting. Poof. So, sorry, budget cuts. Strangely no one else was removed from the tuition program. The mentoring program changed her mentor to “better suit her personality.” The vice president with whom she lunched weekly was assigned a new protégé and Natalie’s new support person was a manager in the customer service department where he worked. Wasn’t even the best customer service manager, but the one restricted to nights because there was less to screw up. The one he worked under.

His ball-busting, type-A, inferno of ambition stormed into HR and nailed the director to wall. All her privileges were restored within hours. Her vice president, reassured of her dedication, was leveraging a special project for her to head as soon as her maternity leave was over.

Bedrest had pulled her away from the moving and shaking. And she stewed. The doctors eventually relented and let her work half-days in the office, if he drove her in, and the balance of the day remoteing in. Her stress levels dropped to manageable levels.

Her breathing took on a regular pattern.

“My fireball.”  She was the most beautiful, bravest, incredible person he ever known. He leaned over and kissed her, barely brushing her lips from his upside down position.

Natalie smiled weakly. “You really shouldn’t have turned in your resignation yet.”

Always figuring the best angle, the best benefit. He shook his head at his wonderful wife. “Two weeks notice. Gives you time to recover and then I will be home with the baby.”

“You sure you want to stay home? I’m sure we could get your mom to sit.”

Walking back to the side of the bed, Kryler removed the ice water glass the nurse had dropped off last time she passed through the labor room from the bed stand and placed the straw on Natalie’s lips. “I’m sure. We just about have Rodger’s Retrieval ready, and the guys already are bouncing ideas for our next game around. Can’t wait to start animating it. Trust me. Between the game and the baby, I will not be bored.” He smiled at her confidentially.

Suddenly her eyes grew round. Dropping the glass, Kryler nearly missed the surface of the stand. He pushed the glass until it was balanced.

Natalie’s hands unerringly found his as another contraction took her.

He looked at the clock as she screamed in pain. Too long. Had she been in labor too long? He had no reference.

(words 549 – originally appearing at Breathless Press 9/9/2013 for the 5/20/12 Sunday Fun (original picture of unknown copyright, so not copied here); republished in new blog format 2/25/2018)

Flash: Take Out

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Rating: Mature

Natalie pulled into Kryler’s driveway with every nerve ending throbbing. The first meeting of the day was with Gustavo, and his Spanish accent and Latino looks set her off. Usually part of the day was spent in a pleasant daydream of sandy Mexican beaches, sipping Fuzzy Navels and being fed chocolate by cabaña boys and a Latino lover.

Today, the daydream would start with her tanning, her bikini top untied. Behind her, someone would pour warm oil over her. When she looked over her shoulder Kryler would be there, smiling, rubbing the oil in, moving his hands lower in a sensual massage. The daydream disintegrated time and again to making love in the waves, making love on an empty stretch of beach, being carried into a hammock under palm trees and having amazing sex.  Anytime she had a few non-thinking moments – standing in line for lunch, walking down the hall, waiting for the computer to save – her mind would return to the beach and Kryler.

The drive from work had every daydream from the day replay with phantom strokes touching her back, her breasts, between her legs. She was so wet and ready, she was shaking.

Natalie used her key to get in. Must be nice to inherit a house from an aunt. With no student loans, since he dropped out of college, Kryler was home free monetary-wise. Half of his paycheck went to his 401K. The man was so lucky, he drove a car he won answering one of those “come in today, you have already won contests” from a dealer.  The type you go and get a new water bottle or screwdriver; the type only one person in the United States is going to go home with a new car he didn’t pay for.

Still she couldn’t complain about his generosity. His one-year anniversary gift to her for dating was paying off a student loan. One down, only seven to go. Maybe she should consolidate, but if she did she would lose some of the special privileges offered for student loans. Consolidation switches the loan to a bank loan.

Frowning she tucked her shoes beside another four sets in the entrance way. Drat, he wasn’t alone. Her typical luck.

She looked in the designer-home quality kitchen. Copper pots hung over the cooking island. Not a dirty dish to be seen. He and his three guests hadn’t broken for dinner yet.

She removed a few bills from her purse as she went deeper in the house to the man-cave basement.  Sounds of rolling dice welcomed her as she made her way down the steps. Four boys were gathered around the table with stacks of paper, pencils, a couple of weird screens, and dice. Kryler declared, “The goblin found a kink in your armor and his rusty knife bites deeply. You take 10% damage.”

“Shit, I already was down to 50%.” Efren shuffled papers around. “During my next round, I will be using a Nightingale bandage to close the wound.”

“Sounds great, you won’t need to check for tetanus if you heal the wound with magic.”

Andre, who had been facing the staircase, greeted her during the lull in action. “Hey, Natty, what’s up?”

She hated being called Natty. Kryler’s friends were an immature, irreverent bunch of computer geeks, constantly over playing games. Not a single one of them had a girlfriend. She wasn’t even certain Efren or Will had ever kissed a girl, though Will was pushing thirty.

But while they might not know what to do with a real woman, she did know what to do with them when she wanted alone time with Kryler.

And she really, really needed alone time with Kryler right now. God, just one good stroke and she would cum screaming.

“Sorry to interrupt boys, but I need Kryler for a moment.” Her high heel pumps, tight skirt, and overly sensitive clit kept her hips swaying as she made her way to Kryler’s chair.

“Oh, no.” … “Damn.” … “But it was just getting good.” Went around the table.

“Here’s twenty-five dollars. Go do a pizza run.” She tossed the money out as she leaned over to bite Kryler’s ear.

Andre picked up the money as Natalie slid her hand inside Kryler’s shirt when he leaned back into her nibbling. Her Peter Pan pulled her face closer to kiss her firmly on the lips.

The three lost boys started making their way up the stairs. She could feel the uncomfortable waves rising off of Will and Efren and smirked as Kryler pulled her into his lap. Soon she would have him to herself.

Andre spoke for the group. “Umm, we will be going then. The pizza will take about an hour since we aren’t calling ahead.”

Arranging herself astride Kryler’s lap, so he could feel her wetness against his stiff jeans, Natalie replied, “And boys, get a pizza with plenty of meat for my man here. He is going need some protein by the time you get back.”

Kryler slid his hands under her rump, arching her cleavage into his mouth. Over the hurried pounding of the leaving boys, he whispered, “You do realize you just solidified my rep with them for all time.”

Natalie laughed. “Now you just need a solid rep with me.”

He lifted her onto the table, pushing over a screen. Several dice bounced noisily onto the floor, rolling towards his overpriced game console. She pulled off his “STAND BACK, I’m about to do science” T-shirt, tossing it after the dice. He yanked off her underwear and pushed the skirt high before unbuttoning his fly.

“Well, I have a hard rep right here.” His rigid cock rubbed against her throbbing slit. “Ready to believe?”

“Convince me.”

(words 959 – first published 9/12/2013; republished new blog formation 2/18/2018)