Oh My

Time seems to have slipped away from me. Somewhere, I misplaced a week. You’re thinking so what, right? Well, it’s kind of a big deal to me. For ages I’ve been thinking I have a book releasing next Friday. Wrong! It releases THIS Friday. Cool!

Controlled Desires from Ellora’s Cave. This one was fun to write. Neither character has a name. All the time she spent in my head, trying to mingle me with her and she never told me. When I asked him, he said that was something I didn’t need to know. What? I’m not supposed to talk to my characters like that? I’m sure if you check with other writers you’ll find others who carry on the same sort of conversations.

Blurb

She prides herself on being an independent woman, strong and capable, but it hadn’t been part of her plan to go it alone. Then he walks into her office, a man like none she’s ever met who turns her world upside down. His every touch stirs her body into a frenzy and changes everything she thought she knew about herself.

He’s been called a control freak and a take-charge kind of guy who sees right away she isn’t the sort of woman to “take direction”. A pity. He has plenty of ideas on directing her, both in the bedroom and out of it.

It’s bossy meets obstinate in a clash of wills that burns up the sheets and sends sparks flying. Neither of their lives will ever be the same.

Excerpt

For a week I stewed. I had all sorts of retorts in my mind, should he come into my domain again. No one messed with me in my territory. I’d take care of him next time he was in. Or so I decided without once examining why I was so worked up about it. I’d never got so ridiculously bent out of shape about anything as I had about him simply commenting on my work habits. And a fairly mild comment at that. Then he showed up again and all my put-him-in-his-place plans went right out the window.

My boss was away from the site, due back in an hour or so, and it was way before lunchtime. I was happily singing along with my tunes when I happened to glance up and saw him standing just inside the door.

“He’s not here,” I informed him coolly.

“I know,” he said, steadily approaching me.

“Then why are you?” I asked, frowning.

“Because you need to be taught the value of seeing things through.”

“Oh I do, do I?” I snorted. Who was he to dictate how I did my job? I didn’t care if he and my boss were old buddies. He had no right to step in and reorganize me. Besides, I really did work better when I did several things at once and my boss never had a problem with it. Why should he?

He kept coming. One step after the other. The trailer wasn’t very large but it seemed to take forever for him to reach my desk. Only he didn’t stop on his side of it. No, he circled it. Instinctively, I rolled my chair backward. Shouldn’t have done that because it left him space to stand in front of me. In one swift move he had me yanked up out of my chair, kicking it out of the way and pinning me to the wall. I gasped just as his mouth came down hard on mine.

I’d never been kissed senseless before. By the time he raised his head I couldn’t breathe. I was stunned speechless too, another first for me. My amazement must have shown on my face because he gave me a quirky little lifted eyebrow grin. Before I could collect myself enough to react, he was kissing me again. My hands were above my head, caught by one of his. Damn, they were large! His other had already found its way under my tee shirt. But it was clenched on my side, not on my breast as I expected it to be. As I wanted it to be. I attempted to squirm to get him to touch me. Didn’t work. He had me held fast exactly where he wanted me and I was stuck until he decided to release me. Or move.

I wasn’t having any success, pressing my crotch against him either. God, I needed contact! Only I wasn’t getting it. Anywhere. He had to know I wanted it with how I was struggling. And whimpering. But all he did was kiss me as he kept me firmly in place. On and on he kissed me. Without touching me any more than he needed to in order to hold me still. Then he stopped and stepped away, leaving me panting against the wall, trembling so badly I could barely stand.

“Well, I’ll be going now. I have other things to see to,” he announced blandly.

“Huh? Wait,” I begged.

He paused at the door. “Why? Isn’t that how you do things? A little now, more later?”

Fortunately for him I was still shaking. Otherwise my aim would have been better when I threw my stapler at him. As it was, it bounced harmlessly off the doorjamb just before he chuckled and walked out.

A Harsh Reminder

I was driving home tonight and passed the Salvation Army food distribution location. There’s always a few stragglers every month. More lately than there had been. By the time I’m going by they’re usually closing up. Only tonight, there was still a line stretched down the block and around the corner full of people hoping to gather the makings of a Thanksgiving dinner.

The street is one with a light in the middle of the block. Red today so I took a moment and looked, honestly looked at the faces of those waiting. I wasn’t surprised by what I saw. Imagine the worst desolate holiday movie you’ve ever seen. This was worse and it broke my heart.

I do what I can to help where I can. All year round, not just on holidays because, believe it or not, people are hungry on days other than holidays. As are their children and their pets. This year there are more people out of work and struggling than ever so if you have a little extra, please share it. Either with friends, neighbors, acquaintances who have less or strangers by way of a local charity. Every little bit helps.

Saga Three...Yet Again

I attempted to do some laundry yesterday. Went down to stick the first load in the dryer only to find water all over the floor. Argh!

I called the Roto-Rooter since the large sum I gave them came with a six month guarantee. They could be here in a few hours or so. Believe it or not, they called, as specified. And showed up in the allotted time.

Guess who it was? Yep, Quinn’s buddy was back. He ran the gizmo through the floor drain this time. Which was a separate billable procedure but, since he hadn’t checked it the first time, he didn’t charge me. He did attempt to steal my cat but I squashed that idea.

I’m beginning to think I’m not meant to do laundry. Do you think that could be it, with all the assorted issues wash-related issues I’ve been having? Maybe I’m supposed to have a maid who deals with all this nonsense. Any volunteers?

Saga Three Continued

I called the one hour plumbers back and was told they could maybe be there in the morning. Um, no thanks. Needed a better response time than that.

I ended up with Roto-Rooter. Oh yeah. Even more costly than you’d expect. But, after an hour of grinding that sounded like the fixit gizmo was eating through the wall my drain is open. I can now move away with a clear conscience.

At least the plumber was a decent, if not bizarre individual. He wasn’t arrogant and he didn’t talk down to me when explaining the process of what he would do to resolve the problem. And, since it was raining by the time he finished testing everything, he took his shoes off when he came back in for payment.

Of course his phone/billing computer didn’t function. Apparently I jam other people’s electronics too, not just my own. It was taking so long he finally flopped on the floor to wait. Which is when Quinn decided he was there just to play with him. Damn cat who not two weeks ago attempted to maim the entire vet staff merely for giving him his yearly shots was the friendliest, most cuddly critter ever. Such a brat! He batted at the proffered pen and the billing machine sans claws like he was a meek little sweetheart kitty. He accepted unlimited petting without once turning feral as is his norm.

The Roto-Rooter man? Well I was beginning to think he’d end up sleeping on my floor, that’s how comfortable he had himself. While he was attempting to record my payment I heard his entire life’s story. Yes, I now know more about him than many of my chosen acquaintances. And here I always thought it was only the Maytag repairman who was lonely.

Saga Number Three

Do you have any idea how hard I’m struggling not to toss the purrs in Howie and just leave? I swear I’m so close to doing that at the moment I can taste it.

I went to the basement for something this morning only to discover that the drain was just starting to back up. I suppose I should be grateful that I caught it before there was a mess but I’m not feeling it just now.

I mentioned it at work and was instructed to call the city. Drains blocked at the street are their problem and they come deal with it. It only took three calls to get a real live person. Sounds easy, right? Yeah. I knew it wouldn’t be.

I came home to find a notice tacked to the door. They were there but they couldn’t do anything about it, call a plumber. Sigh. I did. Not like I have a hell of a lot of choice, do I? There’s a whole bunch of emergency plumbers listed. I called the one that said they’d respond within the hour. Un huh. Right. Like that really happened.

Seriously ready to walk…

Oh by the way, my phone's not functioning today either.

Today's Assortment

I was merrily on my way to work this morning when I passed an official looking seatbelt check sign. My first thought was that they had to be kidding. They couldn’t seriously be stopping everyone on their way to work. They weren’t. A seatbelt check in Reading consists of a cop peering at passersby as he sits in his car with the lights flashing. I suppose he’ll take off after anyone he sees without a seatbelt who’s ignored the sign. I’m safe of that one. I always wear mine.

Health alert – Dried brown wakame seaweed, a heaping teaspoon a day, will help lower your blood pressure. The theory is that is binds to the sodium in your stomach to prevent absorption. If you have a problem with crunching on dried seaweed, try kudzu root extract. A brief study done on rats showed it reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin levels. Puerarin, the nutritional element in the root may help prevent spikes in blood sugar.

Happy to report last night’s dreams were silly, not scary. I spent my non-awake time playing Chinese checkers with Kya. She won but she cheated so I’ve filed a protest. To move, she wrapped her tail around the marbles. She also batted them with her paws at the same time, shifting more than one marble on each turn. I guess I wasn’t supposed to notice that. When I woke up she was curled up against my cheek, grinning as only cats can. I suspect she had the same dream.

A tidbit for those of you who might overindulge during the holidays. Asparagus has been shown to reduce the effects of alcohol and ease hangovers. A study has shown that asparagus suppressed free radicals within the liver and more than doubled the activity of two enzymes that metabolize alcohol.

3 AM

A scream shatters the tranquility of the night.
Jerked awake though not nearly enough
Still mostly asleep
It takes a moment to grasp the one shrieking is me
Trapped in a nightmare I know is not real
The symbols are writhing
Marking his presence
They cast an eerie glow
Reflected in his soulless eyes as he stalks me.
I must escape or perish yet again
Night after night he tracks me
Waiting for me to drop my guard so he can pounce.
I cry out but still to no avail
He is closer now, caging me in
So close I can feel his fetid breath on my neck
He’ll have me soon
How will he kill me this time I wonder?
Crushed
Strangled
Shot
Stabbed
Sliced
Blown up
Burned
Drowned
Not much left.
Maybe tonight it will be something worse
Something from which I won’t recover
Something that will hold me in the depths of uneasy slumber until my waking life ends.
Repeatedly I wail but no one comes to my rescue
I am stuck, unable to rouse myself
I am alone
Once more, I die.


Yeah, I had a bad night. Back tomorrow.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I finally managed to stop coughing last night enough to get comfortable and was almost asleep when I heard the beep. You know the one I’m talking about. The low battery smoke alarm beep.

I laid there and swore for a moment, listening just in case I imagined it. Nope, it was really chirping. Around one I decided I’d had enough and needed to make it stop. I got up, turning on the light which I despise doing in the middle of the night. I know where things are in my house so I don’t usually bother but for this, I had to. I was pleased to discover I did have a spare 9 volt battery. Must remember to get more at the store next weekend.

Off I went in search of the beeping alarm. I started in the basement. It was faint so I guessed that was where it would be. Felt like an idiot standing around willing one of the two units down there to beep at me so I could switch batteries and crawl back into bed. Wasn’t one of them so I went upstairs and waited. Not that one either. I had been positive it wasn’t coming from the ones on the second floor. It wasn’t nearly loud enough but up I trudged to check them. Nope. Lying in bed I would have sworn it wasn’t coming from the attic either but I had been coughing so maybe my perception was skewed. Yeah, that one didn’t make a peep while I was glaring at it.

I was on my way back to bed, ready to turn on the radio so I couldn’t hear it when it beeped a series of times. Nothing like having smoke alarms mess with you in the middle of the night, is there? I repeated the whole process and still couldn’t determine which one was acting up so I flopped down beside the cats who by then had sprawled out in my spot and asked them to point to the right one. Never hurts to try since I’m sure it was annoying them too.

I heard it again. Coming from the open window. It was my neighbor’s, not mine. And she, naturally, is getting old and no longer hears that range so it wasn’t disturbing her sleep. Figures. Damn thing.

I haven’t heard it tonight so I’m hoping one of her kids visited today and took care of it. Or maybe it’s just waiting for me to go to bed before it starts making noise again. Yeah, that sounds more likely.

Yech!

Why is it that 12 hour cold medicine only lasts 4 hours? I suppose for the same reason that the 6 hour stuff is only effective for 2. Being sick sucks!

The Next Saga

Howie.

I was impulsive last Sunday. While out and about I decided it might be a good idea to get Howie’s oil changed. Huge mistake! Remind me never to do that again. I stopped at NTB, National Tire and Battery. I have a very picky friend who goes there and trusts them for things such as oil changes so I thought it would be okay. I thought, since there were only a few cars, that Howie could be finished within the hour and we could be on our way, on to the rest of the day. What a fool I was!

I was lounging on their curb in a sunbeam, happily reading, when the counter guy came and asked if I had trouble with the passenger window. Um, no! Never! He informed me the mechanic put it down by mistake when going for the driver’s window in order to see to pull Howie up on the ramp. And it wouldn’t go back up. Worked perfectly fine for me on Saturday. Of course he didn’t believe me. Naturally I was upset but I was much better behaved than you’d think, considering they broke Howie.

They were mean to me. Downright hateful, treating me like I was lying to them. They told me it wasn’t their problem and oh well, I’d have to get it fixed. Three and a half hours later, I left in tears. The window was wedged up but the whole door was screwed from them doing that. No lock, no alarm, no mirror adjustments.

I called Monday and spoke to the manager who was slightly less rude though not by much. When she finally accepted, with a dramatic sigh, that I wasn’t going to go away, she told me to go for an estimate and have the garage call her before doing anything.

Off Howie went, at the inconvenience of my wonderful friends who transported me for the day. The garage called and surprise, surprise, manager lady wasn’t available and counter guy was nasty to them after leaving them on hold for an extended amount of time. Even though she told me not to do anything without her approval I had Howie fixed. What was I supposed to do? Leave Howie there in pieces and beg my friends to tote me around another day? Have them put him back together and then charge to rip him apart again?

I called the national complaint number that I wrote down in the store. Should have set off warning bells, having it posted so plainly but again, my picky friend was happy with the place. The woman I got there was at least polite to me. She took down all my information, agreed I did the right thing by authorizing the repair and gave me a case reference number, saying I’d hear back within two days.

I did. Unpleasant store manager lady. Yes, they will reimburse me for the repair. But in saying that she had to get in several digs about how she seriously doubted her mechanic had anything to do with Howie being broken. I repeated that the window was fine when I used it the day before which she questioned repeatedly and sarcastically.

So Howie is fixed and paid for and I only had to put up with tremendous abuse and two wrecked days for it to happen. Who else do you know who goes for an oil change and ends up with a broken window/door instead?