Monthly Archives for January 2016

Double Trouble: Chapter 60

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.

Chapter 60

Darrin glanced toward the door to his office. He thought he’d sensed someone. Someone lurking at his door. Darrin chuckled to himself at his alliteration. Mitch’s harassment about his writing must be having it’s effect, because that definitely had a Poe feeling about it.

Darrin shook himself. I’m losing it and I’m not even chair yet. You aren’t suppose to lose control before you even get the job. Right? He glanced up and discovered he’d been correct. One of the other faculty was leaning against his door frame. To make matters worse it was one of the new guys who he’d thought had his back, only to be thrown under the bus, or more accurately in this case the one-ton feed truck. He tried not to scowl, but had a feeling he failed miserably.

“Hey, Orin. What’d you need?”

The young man never looked up from the floor as he ran his fingers through his hair. Whatever it was that he wanted must have been wearing on him, because his normally perfect hair looked like Darrin’s when he first woke. He wasn’t certain if that was to his benefit, or detriment. He studied the man silently, determined to let him stew for a few minutes. Eventually, Orin cleared his throat and began.

“I guess I owe you an apology. For yesterday.”

Darrin frowned but kept his silence. He let the words hang for a few minutes before replying. “Yeah. I think you do owe me an apology.”

This time the younger man did look up, in shock. This wasn’t the typically easy going Darrin that was known as a nice guy. It took the younger man several minutes before he pulled himself together and nodded. “You’re right. I do owe you an apology, and I’m not the only one who does. We were pretty much chicken shits yesterday. So, sorry. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Darrin stood staring at the man for a long moment. But he really was a nice guy, and he just couldn’t keep Orin squirming. But he wasn’t going to completely let him get off without any questions.

“What happened? I didn’t do anything to you and you turned on me once we get to the faculty meeting.”

This time it was Orin’s turn to look disgusted. “They fooled us, the black hats. And we were too stupid to recognize we were being played.”

Darrin fought back the urge to laugh when Orin used slang term the younger faculty used for the old guard. But he refused to make this any more comfortable, he wasn’t trying to be a dick, but he also wasn’t going to let him off by saying it was nothing. “You have to watch who you trust. There are some real dick’s in this place.”

Orin sighed and motioned toward the extra chair in Darrin’s office. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Darrin cocked his head and studied the younger man. After a few moments passed he shrugged. “I suppose so.”

Orin closed the door and slid into the chair. It was easy to see what a state he was in. His hands were shaking and he never let his eyes meet Darrin’s. They sat in silence for several minutes before Darrin began to feel a little sorry for the guy. The whole conversation was beginning to feel like a student who he’d caught cheating on a test. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled. “What is it, Orin? Believe me, I doubt anything you could tell me would shock me at this point.”

Orin nodded, but still avoided looking up as he began. “You’re married? Right? To a guy?”

This time Darrin was the one cringing. This conversation he’d been involved with before, and it seldom had a good ending, And if it went the direction where he was making the assumption that he and Mitch shared their bed with anyone who wanted to play with another guy, then this conversation was going to end up pissing everyone off.

“Yes, I’m married, and yes, Mitch is very male. Why?”

Orin rushed forward and spewed out the words. “I haven’t told anyone because he wasn’t here but now he got hired by the chemistry department and so he’ll be on campus and since we’re married it will be okay but I thought maybe you’d have some suggestions I know my timing sucks but it’s been eating at me and I was hoping you’d help.”

Darrin’s jaw dropped open. Not the direction he’d guessed. Not at all.

If you’d like to see a snippet from the other Wednesday Briefs authors you can go to the groups website. Or click on the name listed below to go directly to the story.

Double Trouble: Chapter 59

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.

Chapter 59

Darrin barely made it through the door before he tossed his bag onto the table. His boots rang through the house as he made his way to the kitchen. Mitch waited, listening for the sound he was expecting. The soft whoosh of a beer bottle being opened. He put aside the paperwork he was dealing with. Nothing was going to be done until they worked out whatever had Darrin so pissed off.

He made his way to the kitchen, his sock covered feet making no noise,  but when he rounded the corner, Darrin was waiting.

“Fine. Say it. Tell me what a dumb mother fucker I am. Dense as a box of rocks.”

“Before I jump in the middle of this argument you’re having with yourself, why don’t you tell me what happened,” Mitch said.

Darrin drew back, acting as if he was about to throw the bottle across the room in frustration. Mitch stepped close, planted a kiss on Darrin’s cheek and slipped the bottle from his hand. “Okay, calm down. They can’t have fired you, not with tenure.”

Darrin’s jaw clenched and he jerked open the refrigerator door, studying the content for a minute or so. He grabbed the makings for a sandwich and tossed them on the counter. Grabbing a loaf of bread, he snatched a knife from the rack above the counter. At that point, Mitch took over.

“Here, give me the knife. I’ll make you a sandwich, and both of us will still have all our body parts.”

For a minute Mitch wasn’t sure that Darrin wouldn’t throw the knife. He knew Darrin wouldn’t throw it at him, but he wasn’t going to be surprised if it wasn’t sailing across the counter in a second. The tension was growing until Darrin let out a long sigh and then lay the knife on the table with an audible click.  But his jaw was still clenching and unclenching as Mitch made them both a sandwich.

Mitch spread the last of the mustard over the bread and cut them on the diagonal. Next he pulled the jar of pickle spears from the fridge and fished out one for each of them. He placed one on the counter beside Darrin and then picked up one of his halves and took a bite.

Darrin reached down and tapped the plate with his fingernail and looked up from the distinctive sound. “Plastic?”

Mitch shrugged. “Easier to clean up.”

Darrin gave out a little snort. “I suppose I deserve that.”

Mitch shrugged and kept silent.

Darrin picked up the sandwich Mitch had made for him and bit into it. He relaxed a little, tasting some of the special ingredients Mitch used. He finished half of the sandwich and he glanced up with a cockeyed smile. “I’m bad enough that I got the special sandwich?” He considered for a moment. “Yeah, I suppose I did come in like an F-five tornado.”

Mitch nodded in agreement. “Yeah. The house would have been matchsticks if you’d been a twister. You ready to tell me what happened that’s got you all worked up?”

Darrin’s face darkened again and he shook his head. “Not until after I finish the rest of this wonderful sandwich, and the pickle, so I can explain it without bursting into flames.”

Mitch motioned to Darrin and hopped onto the counter to sit. They watched each other in quiet as Darrin slowly finished the meal. Eventually Darrin tossed the last bite of pickle into his mouth and was chewing it slowly. Mitch waited patiently until he swallowed the last bite before asking again.

“So, what happened today?”

Darrin twisted his face in disgust. “I got tossed under the bus, and by some of the people who were telling me I should be in charge.”

“And?”

“The assholes blamed me for stuff that I hadn’t even touched. They make me crazy.”

“They haven’t voted yet. You can still change your mind.”

Darrin’s face turned bright red and he let out a snort that would have made their herd bull proud. “Oh hell no! They stirred up all this shit. I’m not going to just quietly step aside. They’re going to have to suck it up and actually vote.”

“And if they don’t vote for you?”

“God help ‘em. Cause I’m going to be pissed,” Darrin said, his face still deep red.

Mitch jumped from the counter, walked over, and kissed Darrin. “Good man. Now change clothes. I need you to help me move the heifers around.”

Darrin lifted an eyebrow at Mitch. “You think this will take my mind off the crap at work?”

“Nope, but I think you’re not going to get out of helping me just because you’re pissed off at the assholes you work with.” Mitch smirked a little. “You were the one who made your choice.”

Darrin stomped off to their bedroom, but Mitch could tell the disaster was sidelined. At least for now.

If you’d like to see a snippet from the other Wednesday Briefs authors you can go to the groups website. Or click on the name listed below to go directly to the story.

 

“Obsidian Moons” off for beta reads

Yes, believe it or not the sequel to Obsidian Sun is off to the beta readers. Actually it seems like Obsidian Sun was only released weeks ago, but it was last summer. Hopefully the sequel won’t have too many holes in it that need serious work.

So everything shifts now. Aeria moves in for the first round of edits and I’m writing on a character who’s a national forest ranger for an anthology. The ranger story has a submission deadline so we’ll see how that goes.

Double Trouble: Chapter 58

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.

Chapter 58

Darrin pulled the blanket around himself, staring into space as Mitch got ready for bed. He’d been struggling with a decision for days now. It was work, it was home, it all seemed so over whelming. He wished he could talk with Nanna, but she was gone for a few months. Something important, Jim had assured him.

Mitch walked to the bathroom door, leaned his naked hip against the frame and brushed his teeth. Darrin glanced to Mitch, but he couldn’t see any more than a dark silhouette in the light of the bathroom.

“You think I can’t make a decision.”

Mitch shook his head from side to side.

“You don’t think I can do it.”

Mitch shook a fist at him and growled through the toothpaste.

“Okay, okay. I got it. I know that was bullshit. I guess that wasn’t fair.”

Mitch shook his head in agreement and then ducked back into the bathroom. A minute or so later he reappeared at the door. He studied Darrin before clicking off the light and making his way to bed. He flipped back the quilts and crawled beside Darrin before covering then and curling against Darrin.

Darrin waited for several minutes in the dark before trying to continue the conversation. “So now you have to answer my question. How are you going to feel about being the husband of the department head?”

Mitch pressed his naked body against Darrin, running his hands over Darrin’s chest and stomach. “Let’s make out.”

Darrin began feeling frustrated and moved away. “Come on, Mitch. Be serious.”

A growl sounded next to Darrin’s ear. “I am serious. I want to fuck, and you want to talk about work. Tell you anything?”

“Hey, I’m serious. I need to decide, and you keep avoiding the subject every time I bring it up.” He scooted over a few inches and rolled into the sheet. “You’re not going to distract me with sex instead of talking about this.”

“You sure?” Mitch reached up and rolled Darrin’s nipple between his fingers.

Darrin bit back a groan and pulled Mitch’s hand away. He rolled himself more thoroughly in the sheet, only to turn back and find Mitch slowly stroking his rock hard cock.

“Good God! You’d think you just discovered that thing. Can you please stop the crap and talk to me?”

Mitch sighed but pulled the quilt around him. “Fine. But you’ve already decided.”

“I have not. I want to talk to you about it.”

“Then no, I don’t want you to do it. The stress will kill you.”

Darrin frowned and crinkled his forehead. “Oh. Okay. I guess I’ll tell them we aren’t interested tomorrow then.”

“You know, sometimes I just want to beat the shit out of you. You piss me off so much!”

“What? I didn’t do anything. You said you didn’t want me to be chairman, so I won’t.”

“Oh damn you piss me off. Since when have you ever done exactly what I wanted you to do? I don’t like it, then fucking convince me this new job is exactly what you need to do.”

Darrin started to argue, but then considered his husband. One of the things he loved dearly about the man, Mitch was always a straight shooter. If you asked a question, you were going to get the unvarnished truth. He was also quick to call bullshit if you were trying to fool yourself, and him. So he gathered his thoughts and started.

“Well for one thing, I’ve been there for ten years. If I want to try administration, this is a good time. I’ve got tenure and am past all that stuff, but I’m not at the same point as some of the old guard and just counting down my days until I teach my last class and retire.”

“Okay, I can see that. What else? Mitch said.

“Well, there is more money, quite a bit more money. I know you say it’s not a big deal. But we could take a few more vacations. Maybe go somewhere like New Zealand or something. I wouldn’t mind taking some big trips like that.”

Mitch nodded and looked thoughtful. “I wouldn’t mind taking a few trips. We should be able to leave things with Trent and Josh and do some traveling. Extra money would help with that.” He studied Darrin for a few minutes and then cocked his head to the side. “What else you got?”

Darin sighed and slumped against the bed. “I guess that’s it. Doesn’t sound very impressive.” He sighed.

Mitch pulled them tight together. “You should do it. I’ll have your back. We’ll even invite the assholes to the ranch for a barbecue. We’ll bring out every ounce of sparkle.”

Darrin wasn’t sure if he should crack up laughing or be hopelessly confused. “What? You think I should do it?”

“Sure. You have good reasons. Of course I’ll support you. And if any of them mess with my husband I’ll kick their ass.”

Darrin did let out the laughter he’d been holding. “Okay, I’m in for it then.”

“Good,” Mitch said. “Now get over here and make whoopee with your husband.”

Darrin’s laughter increased in volume. “Make whoopee?”

Mitch pushed Darrin on his back, curled down, and bite down on his nipple.

“Oh, fuck. Whoopee!”

If you’d like to see a snippet from the other Wednesday Briefs authors you can go to the groups website. Or click on the name listed below to go directly to the story.

 

Double Trouble: Chapter 57

Wednesday Briefs

For more free flash reading check out the list of authors at the bottom of this post.

Chapter 57

Darrin stepped into the barn, and Mitch looked over almost immediately. His eyebrow slowly slipped upward as their gazes met. He shook his head and went back to cleaning the horse stall. Darrin was not impressed with his husband’s response. Making his way through the dim barn, he stood outside the doorway. After a few moments it became obvious Mitch wasn’t going to get this talk started.

“There were some weird conversations today at work,” Darrin said.

Mitch tossed another pitchfork of bedding and manure into the wheelbarrow. “Yeah, nothing too surprising there. Those people are educated way beyond their intelligence.”

Darrin frowned and crossed his arms. “You know, you could suck the fun out of a wet dream.”

Mitch looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. “I think I’ve sucked several wet dreams out of you, only you were wide awake and acting like a mare in heat.”

Darrin stalked closer, but the glimmer in his eyes were a good indication of the direction this conversation was going. Darrin stopped close, body checked Mitch and pinned him against the wall. Mitch started to say something but Darrin leaned in and licked around the edge of his ear. He chewed on Mitch’s earlobe for a second before whispering. “I’ll let you play stud to my mare any time you’d like, cowboy.”

With that Darrin slipped his hand down the front of Mitch’s jeans, ran his fingers through his dense pubic hair and tugged at it once. He slipped a little lower, took Mitch’s growing cock in his hand and squeezed.

“Bitch.”

Darrin chuckled and tightened his grip on Mitch’s rapidly hardening dick. “Why would you say such a terrible thing, and to your husband.”

“Okay then. Asshole!”

“Much better. I knew you could do it if you just tried.” Darrin grabbed the front of Mitch’s jeans and squeezed. He groaned a little but then grabbed Darrin’s hand.

“Okay, this could go several directions at this point, and most of them are bad. So let’s rewind and see what you wanted to tell me from the beginning. And I’ll try to act like I don’t want to take care of them old west style.”

Darrin chuckled and then started to explain. “A couple of the other faculty came to talk to me. They want me to be the director of the department.”

Mitch turned slowly and gave Darrin a look of disbelief. “Those people drive you crazy. Some of them tried to run you off when we first got here. Those are the same people who want you to be in charge of the asylum?”

“Yup, it would be them. Although I do feel like I have to point out, mostly it was people who weren’t mixed up in my tenure drama.”

Mitch leaned against the barn door and folded his arms. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Darrin started again, “It would mean more money. And it would mean I would have a better chance at getting some of the special projects done. I wouldn’t have to go through anyone to pitch my ideas with the dean.”

“And you make yourself an even bigger target. That job is stressful enough without adding another dozen.”

Darrin nodded as he carefully considered what he wanted to say next. “I know it’s going to be a pain in the ass. But I wanted to get your opinion. It’s going to make life harder for you too. So we should make sure we’re doing it for all the right reasons.”

Mitch tilted his hat back and studied Darrin. “Well. Talk. You already know you have four or five assholes that are going to make life more difficult. You already come home ranting and raving abut the crap they dish out. Being in charge is going to make it even more stressful.”

Darrin deflated as he remembered the university politics and how he hated them. He enjoyed his research, but infighting between different faculty drove him more than a little crazy. “So you think it would be a bad idea?”

Mitch chuckled. “Oh no. I’m not telling you what to do. You figure it out. I’ll support you no matter what you decide. But you asked my opinion. You know if you ask me what I think, you’re going to get the unvarnished version.” He considered for a moment and his lips quirked. “How long does it last?”

“It’s a three year term. You can sign up for more.”

“Three years. Might not be so bad.” He arced his eyebrow at Darrin. “It also might be the longest three years of your life.”

 

If you’d like to see a snippet from the other Wednesday Briefs authors you can go to the groups website. Or click on the name listed below to go directly to the story.