Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #40 (10.3)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

They say things happen for a reason, and maybe that's true, but what was Roy thinking when he laid a liplock on Dustin? See what's going on in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #40 (10.3)

Dustin’s lips were surprisingly soft. Why wouldn’t they be? Lips were lips, right? Didn’t matter if they belonged to a man or a woman. Dustin’s tasted damn good, too. Too good to stop what he was doing. Upping the ante, Roy lightly teased at Dustin’s mouth with his tongue. When his lips parted, Roy slid his tongue inside. He felt the moan that reverberated through the other man.

They pressed closer together as they continued to kiss. So close that Roy was more than aware that Dustin was very hard, and so was he. He’d never felt a man’s body against his like this before, but somehow with Dustin it just felt right. Just because he’d never wanted a man before didn’t mean he couldn’t want one now. This one, anyway.

Never breaking the contact between them, Roy maneuvered backward until his legs hit the back of the sofa, and he dropped onto it, pulling Dustin into his lap. Only then did Dustin break the kiss, breathing hard, his eyes large and filled with disbelief.

“Do you want me to stop?” Roy asked.

“Hell no. I just never thought… I mean… not in a million years…”

“Thought what?” Roy pushed back a strand of Dustin’s blond hair, behind his ear.

“That you even liked men,” Dustin blurted out. “Much less me.”

“I’ve never kissed a man before,” Roy confessed. “But I wanted to kiss you, so I did. And quit talking like that. You’ve got more going for you than you think.”

Roy traced the contours of Dustin’s mouth with one finger, fixing him with his gaze. “I’ve learned a lot about love and people ever since I met Lee and Marshall. That and hanging out at Partners.”

“Like what?” Dustin asked softly before he caught the tip of Roy’s finger between his lips and began to suck at it gently.

Goddamn that felt good. Almost, but not quite, like having his dick sucked. Just thinking that way was setting all his nerve endings on fire with the strongest desire he’d felt in a long long time.

“Like loving someone doesn’t depend on what sex they are, but who they are inside. I’ve been with a fair number of women. I like them yeah, I won’t deny that. But I like you too. And I like the way this feels, and goddammit, if you keep doing that, I might just have an accident, right here and now.”

Dustin released Roy’s finger slowly. “Are you saying that I turn you on?”

Roy took Dustin’s hand and pressed it against his crotch. “This answer your question? I guess the next question is do you want me?”

“Very much,” Dustin said, sliding further up into Roy’s lap until their erections rubbed against one another.

 Roy couldn’t believe how much friction two men could generate.

“Take me into the bedroom?” Dustin whispered.

In response, Roy claimed Dustin’s mouth once more, and this time Dustin’s tongue battled with his own, thrusting and sucking and exploring. Roy wanted Dustin, no doubt about that, yet he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation either. Was this a violation of some kind of ethics? He couldn’t think straight, his nostrils filled with Dustin’s scent, intoxicated by all-consuming lust. But he had to be stronger than that, had to stop thinking with his dick.

He pulled back this time, his breath coming in ragged gasps. “I don’t want you to think you have to do this. I told you I’d help you, no matter what. This has nothing to do with it, okay?”

“Okay,” Dustin agreed. He reached for Roy’s shirt and began to unbutton it. Roy made no move to stop him. He realized that Dustin had more experience than he did, at least in this respect, and he was happy to let him take the lead. For now.

“Seriously,” Roy persisted as Dustin’s fingers pushed the material aside, caressing the flesh he’d bared. When he touched Roy’s nipple unexpectedly, Roy gasped.

“You like that?” Dustin asked, his voice growing stronger, more confident. Lee’d probably say that’s because he had home field advantage.

“God yes. No one’s ever… I mean no woman….”

Suddenly Dustin pushed the shirt back farther and bent his head, sucking Roy’s nipple into his mouth.

Roy thought he’d just died and gone to heaven.

to be continued

Now go visit the other Briefers and see what's up!

Cia Nordwell

Carol Pedroso

Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #39 (10.2)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

In last week's chapter of The Sheriff, Roy received a surprise from the mayor of Burnham, when he offered to give Roy a real sheriff's office. Will Roy have a surprise for Dustin this week? Find out in this week's The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to! Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #39 (10.2)

Was he dreaming or did Melvyn just offer him an actual office? Roy found himself at a loss for words, something he wasn’t accustomed to.  Which is probably what made the mayor start laughing.

“Took you by surprise, did I, Roy?”

“Well, yeah.” Roy found his tongue at last. “I never expected to hear those words, to be honest.”

“Between you and me, I wasn’t sure it would ever happen, either. Burnham’s a small town. We don’t exactly have a large tax base or anything. Not like Tucker Falls. But we do okay for ourselves.”

“I was grateful you even gave me a job,” Roy said. “I just didn’t think the town could afford anything too permanent.”

“Thanks to Pete, now we can. Roy, I don’t think we say this often enough, but we really appreciate having you around.” Melvyn glanced toward Dustin. “This man has single-handedly made Burnham a safe and secure place to live.”

“Damn, Melvin, you’re gonna turn my head, talking like that.” Roy laughed, self-consciously.

“I’m not saying anything that isn’t true. Before you came along, people treated this town with disrespect, like we were nothing but a bunch of country bumpkins. You made them sit up and take notice, and you let them know we wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior here.”

“He’s the kind of lawman I’d like to be someday,” Dustin blurted out.

“He’s a heck of a role model. You know what, maybe it’s time you got yourself a deputy. Part time, at least for now. Let me run over the budget and get back to you, okay? Right now, all the paperwork’s going through having to do with Pete’s place. In the meantime, maybe you can go over there and kind of figure out what needs to be done to turn it into an office. I know Pete kept it in good shape. I’m not sure if we can outfit it with an actual jail cell, at least not right away, but we still have Tucker Falls for that.”

“True. It’s not like we get many of those anyway. Most people just get tickets and go on their way.”

“Amen to that,” Melvyn said. “Well, I won’t keep you. I just had to deliver the good news in person.”

“I appreciate that,” Roy said.

The mayor turned to Dustin. “It was nice meeting you, see you again.”

“Thank you, Mr.—I mean Melvin,” Dustin hastily amended. He reached out a hand, and the mayor shook it then headed out the door, leaving Roy and Dustin alone once more.

“Well, I’ll be damned, Roy said softly. He headed toward the kitchen, Dustin trailing him. “Never thought I’d hear those words.”

“You’re happy about it, aren’t you?” Dustin asked.

“Hell yeah.” He reached into a cabinet, drew out a can of coffee. “Been living here for more than eight years. I was hoping I could put down roots here, make this permanent.”

“I can understand that,” Dustin said softly.

Roy turned toward him. Dustin looked so damn vulnerable, so…. attractive? Roy had to fight the urge to grab him and hug him. He wasn’t entirely sure he had altruistic motives for that hug. His libido was extremely confused. “Want some coffee?” he asked. “Then we can take a ride over to Pete’s place and see what we can see.”

“Coffee sounds good, yeah.” Dustin nodded. “So does going over there. You think the mayor was serious about you getting a deputy?”

“He wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t mean it. Is that something you’d be interested in?”

Dustin’s face lit up, like someone had just given him the best gift ever. His blue eyes shone, and his smile was almost blinding. But then his face fell, and the smile was gone.  “You’re being nice, Roy, but with all this trouble I’m in, I don’t see that happening.”

“We’re getting you out of that trouble,” Roy reminded him. “Tomorrow night. I thought you were interested in law enforcement? At least that’s what you said.” He took a step toward Dustin, his eyes trained directly on the younger man’s.

“I do, I absolutely do,” Dustin said. “But things never work out for guys like me. I’d hate to see you get hurt because of something I did. I’m a born fuck-up—“

Acting on pure instinct, Roy stemmed the damning words the only way he knew how. He pressed their lips together , even as he slid one hand to the back of Dustin’s head and held onto him for dear life.

to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers are up to!

Cia Nordwell

Carol Pedroso

Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #38 (10.1)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

After leaving the diner, Roy takes Dustin by his house, where they find the mayor waiting. Is something wrong? Are they in trouble? Find out in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #38 (10.1)

Dustin’s first irrational thought was that the mayor’s being there was something to do with him, but he dismissed that idea quickly. It was obvious he had business to discuss with Roy. He hoped it wasn’t anything bad.

“Want me to wait here while you talk to him?” Dustin offered.

“No need for that,” Roy assured him. “Nothing you can’t hear. Let’s see what’s going on.”

They both got out of the truck. The mayor was already heading in their direction. Judging by the big grin on his face, Dustin didn’t think he had any bad news. That was a relief.

The mayor was about five foot six or seven, and his gray eyes sparkled with good humor. Dustin couldn’t help but wonder if his thick black hair was naturally wavy or if he had to use something to get that effect. He had a touch of gray at the temples, but it didn’t really make him look old or anything. He wasn’t near as good looking as Roy, though.

“Hey, Roy, I was just thinking about leaving you a note.” He nodded at Dustin, who nodded back.

“No need now, since we’re here. Let’s go inside.” They followed him inside the house. Dustin noticed Roy didn’t need to unlock his door. He couldn’t imagine doing that at the apartment. Burnham must be a much safer place than Tucker Falls.

“Want a beer or something?” Roy offered.

“Another time,” the mayor said. “Thanks, anyway.”

Roy turned to Dustin. “Want one?”

Dustin shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Before I forget my manners again,” Roy said with a knowing grin, “Dustin, this is our mayor, His Honor Melvyn T. Callendar.  Melvyn, this is Dustin Johnson.”

The mayor held out his hand and Dustin shook it. “Glad to meet you, Dustin. Any friend of Roy’s is more than welcome in Burnham.”

“Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Nice to meet you too.”

“Shoot, just call me Melvyn. Everyone does.”

“Okay, cool.” How neat it must be to live in a place that was so friendly, Dustin thought. Roy’s a lucky man.

“So, what’s up, Melvyn?”  Roy asked. He waved toward a chair, but the mayor shook his head and remained standing. “Nothing wrong, I hope?”

“Well, I’m afraid Pete Jackson passed on.”

“Damn, sorry to hear that.”

Unsure what to say, Dustin didn’t say anything.

“Pete was our oldest resident,” Roy said softly in explanation to Dustin. “Just turned one hundred a couple months ago.”

“Sorry to hear that,” Dustin said.

“He had a good long life,” the mayor said. “Outlived his wife and both of his children. Didn’t have no other relatives.”

“He was a good guy,” Roy said. “We’ll all miss him.”

“Amen to that.” A moment of silence followed.

“There wasn’t anything suspicious about the way he died, was there?” Roy asked.

“Oh no, not at all. The visiting nurse said she went in to check on him, and he must have passed in his sleep. Very peaceful.”

“Well, that’s good. I thought maybe that’s why you were here. Must be something else, though.”

“A related matter, yeah. I got a call from Pete’s lawyer.”

Roy’s eyebrows arched in surprise. “Already?”

“Apparently, Pete had this all worked out a long time ago,” the mayor explained. “You know where his house is, don’t you?”

“Yeah, sure. Nice little place over on Grover Road. Don’t tell me someone’s already broken in and vandalized it?”

The mayor laughed. He winked at Dustin. “Roy always thinks like a sheriff, doesn’t he? No, no, nothing bad at all, I promise. Roy, how’d you like to have an actual sheriff’s office?”

Dustin glanced up at the handsome sheriff. Roy seemed not only stunned, but speechless.

to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers have been doing!

Johayan

Cia Nordwell

Carol Pedroso

Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #37 (9.6)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

As you'll recall, we left Roy and Dustin having lunch with Lee and Marshall. A lot has changed for these four, but more changes may be in store, if these stubborn men ever decide to open their eyes. See what's going on in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they're up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #37 (9.6)

After having finished their cake and pronounced it delicious, the four men headed toward the door. Lee extended an invitation to dinner the following night. For both of them.

“You should take him up on that,” Marshall said with a grin. “He’s gonna barbecue.”

Roy patted his stomach. “I never turn down good food, especially not Lee’s que. Guess we’ll see you then.” He held the check for their table in one hand. Lee had tried to claim it when the waitress brought it, but Roy had been too quick for him.

“See you then,” Lee agreed, and he and Marshall took off, leaving Roy and Dustin at the cash register.  Milly rang them up, took Roy’s cash, then returned the change.

“Y’all come back now, y’hear?” she drawled.

“Of course,” Roy said. “Best food in town, ma’am.”

“Don’t ma’am me, Roy Landry.” Milly laughed. “You’re just trying to butter me up so I’ll keep giving you those extra large  portions you’re so fond of.”

“Doesn’t make me stupid, does it?”

“Your food is very good,” Dustin spoke up. “Everything was great.”

“Glad to hear it.” Milly smiled. “You’re always welcome here, any time. My name’s Milly, by the way, since the sheriff here seems to have forgotten his manners.” The wink she gave Roy belied any potential sting in her words.

“I can’t help it if your food makes me sleepy and stupid,” Roy said, unfazed. “Besides, we were just here for breakfast. I forgot to introduce you, that’s all.”

“Nice to meet you, Milly. I’m Dustin.” He held out his hand and Milly took it.

“Likewise,” she said. “Now shoo, I’m sure there’s a crime wave somewhere with your name on it, Sheriff Landry.”

Roy snorted. “I’m sure there isn’t, but we do have to be going. Talk to you later, Mil.”

Leaving the diner, they got back into Roy’s truck. “That woman sure can cook,” he commented. “Good thing, since I’m not so great at that, myself.”

“Neither am I,” Dustin confessed. “I’ve always wanted to learn, but no one ever wanted to take the time to teach me.”

Roy shot him a surprised look. He wouldn’t have figured Dustin to be interested in something like that. Sounded like he’d had a difficult life, all the way around. It was time someone gave him a break. He patted Dustin’s leg, as if trying to impart some kind of comfort through his hand, then took it back and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Maybe between us we can figure out something for dinner. If you want to try, that is.”

“Really?” Dustin’s voice held a note of hope Roy hadn’t heard before. He turned his head to glance at him, and couldn’t help but notice the way his blue eyes lit up, turning his normally sullen look into something almost breathtaking. Roy quickly looked away.

“Really,” he replied. His voice had thickened for no apparent reason, so he coughed to cover it. Once he felt himself on steadier ground, he added, “Let’s run by the house and see what’s in the fridge, then pick up some groceries.”

“Thanks, Roy.”

Just when had Dustin scooted across the seat, close enough that their legs touched? Roy wasn’t sure if the warmth he was feeling was the heat of their bodies being so close, or… He didn’t finish the thought.

“I don’t have any cookbooks or anything,” he warned Dustin.

“No problem. We can look stuff up on my phone. You can find anything on the Internet if you look for it.”

“That’s true too,” Roy conceded.  The next moment thoughts of dinner were forgotten as he pulled up to his house. A familiar vehicle was sitting at the curb. A man leaned against it, looking at his phone. He looked up at their approach.

“Wonder what the mayor’s doing here?” Roy muttered, half to himself, as he threw the truck into park.

to be continued

Now visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to!

Johayan

Cia Nordwell

Carol Pedroso

Wednesday Briefs: The Sheriff #36 (9.5)

Good morning and Happy Hump Day! If it's Wednesday, then it must be time for more flash fiction from the Wednesday Briefers! We're a group of authors who bring you our finest flash fiction every week, 500 to 1000 words, inspired by one of our prompts.

Roy has decided to remove Dustin from harm's way, keep him safe in Burnham until it's time to put the plan to catch Jordan into effect. They run into Lee and Marshall at the diner and have lunch with them. Will things get awkward again? Find out in this week's chapter of The Sheriff. Don't forget to visit the other Briefers and see what they've been up to. Their links follow my tale! Enjoy!

The Sheriff #36 (9.5)

The four men took a booth together back in the corner. Dustin found himself sitting next to Roy on one side, Marshall and Lee across from them. Nobody stared at him, but he knew they had to have questions. Luckily, Roy took the lead. Once they’d placed their orders with the waitress, he explained what was going on, beginning with the burglaries in Tucker Falls, and ending with Jordan’s probable involvement.

“This guy is real bad news,” Roy said. “A real asshole. He needs to be put away for a long long time.”

“Wow,” Marshall said. “That is unreal. Are you okay, Dustin?”

Dustin glanced at Marshall, and what he saw in the other man’s eyes was nothing but compassion. “I’ll be fine,” he said.  “Thanks for asking.”

“No problem, man.”

When Marshall smiled at him, Dustin noted with some surprise that it didn’t affect him the way it had before. That was a relief. He could be friends with Marshall now, and not let the other stuff get between them again. If Marshall was willing, of course. That remained to be seen. And there was Lee to consider too. He didn’t blame the older man for being distrustful of him, he deserved it.

“That’s why I’m keeping Dustin out of Tucker Falls until tomorrow night. Things’ll be better once we get that little jackass behind bars. Him and his stooges.”

“You think maybe they can get him for more than just the computer store?” Dustin wondered. He was afraid Jordan might not get much time for just one robbery, but if they could prove there was more than that…

“Didn’t you say his friends aren’t all that bright?” Roy asked.

Dustin snorted. “That’s a definite understatement.”

“Then it should be easy to get one or both of them to roll on him,” Roy said. He turned to Dustin and gave him a quick wink.

Dustin felt himself go hot and cold at the same time. For one insane moment, he had the crazy impulse to grab Roy and press their lips together. He had to get that man out of his head or this wasn’t going to work.

Luckily, the waitress arrived with their food, and the clatter of dishes and utensils shook him out of his strange mood as everyone settled down to the business of eating.

They conversed as they ate, nothing in particular. Dustin was content to let them talk while he listened. They seemed to comfortable with each other. He wondered how long they’d been friends, and how they’d met. Probably an interesting story there. He’d have to ask Roy about it sometime.

Everything was very tasty. Dustin’s burger was just the way he liked it, with onions and cheese and hot sauce, and mustard for his fries. Denver used to tell him he was weird for doing that, but Dustin said he’d heard of worse. In some place they liked to dip their fries in mayonnaise. Both agreed that was even stranger than mustard.

The waitress came back to take their dirty dishes and get them out of their way. “How’d you boys like some dessert?” she said with a grin. “Milly made some of her chocolate lava cake, and I’m telling you it’s to die for.”

“Lava cake?” Dustin had thought he was full, but his mouth watered at the sound of that.

“Oh man, her cake is to die for,” Marshall all but moaned. He and Lee exchanged glances, and Lee laughed.

“Go ahead, you know you want to.”

“Like you don’t?” Marshall snickered.

Dustin looked up to find Roy’s eyes on him. “What do you say, shall we make it unanimous?”

“Well, it does sound good,” Dustin admitted.

“That’s right, sugar, you know what’s good, don’t you? All righty, boys, be right back with four big hunks of that cake.” She turned and sashayed away.

Dustin couldn’t help but wish this was his real life, and not something temporary, until they got Jordan put away. He could get off on coming to Milly’s Diner to eat, spending time with Marshall and Lee. And most of all, hanging out with Roy, playing deputy to his sheriff.

He stifled a sigh. Might as well enjoy it while he could.

to be continued

Now go see what the other Briefers have been up to!

Johayan

Cia Nordwell

Carol Pedroso