Silver Flash: Lust Never Sleeps #15: How Long Has This Been Going On?

Twas' the night before Thanksgiving, and all through the house... well, close enough. It's Thanksgiving Eve day, and also Hump Day, which means it's time for another Silver Flash! This week Guest Prompt Diva Brenna Lyons makes her second appearance on our stage with this gem:  “Did you ever notice that the things people hate about you are the same things you hate about them?”

I offer these alternate prompts: Use these three words: White Castle, cyanide, evolution  or "A thing of beauty is a joy forever" or have a character use a foreign accent, one that isn't his own and finally, our special Thanksgiving prompts: turkey, stuff, wing and pilgrim or immigrants, Led Zeppelin and thanks

Don't forget to visit all the Silver Flashers whose links you'll find at the end of this post. This week I offer you another chapter of my series Lust Never Sleeps. Enjoy!

Lust Never Sleeps 15: How Long Has This Been Going On?

The music wasn’t the only thing that was heading in a southerly direction. So was Sawyer’s hand. It caressed Darryl’s ass, his arm thrown possessively about Darryl’s chest, his breath warm in Darryl’s ear.

Darryl had to remind himself to breathe.

He was drawn back to reality by Amandine’s sarcastic voice. “Seriously, Sawyer, is that necessary? Are you so worried about someone stealing your precious that you have to put on a show everywhere you go?”

Sawyer never faltered in his attentions murmuring loud enough for everyone to hear, “Did you ever notice that the things people hate about you are the same things you hate about them?”

Darryl wasn’t sure what the other man meant. He turned toward Sawyer, his eyebrows raised, a question on the tip of his tongue, but the words were stillborn as he caught sight of his lover’s unaccustomed pallor. He felt a slight tremor running through his body.

Acting quickly, he drew Sawyer to the nearest couch, opposite one in which sat Amandine and Brushton. He seated him on one of the plush red cushions. Immediately, Sawyer pulled Darryl into his lap, and circled his waist tightly.

“Don’t worry, dear, he’ll get over it once he gets his sea legs.” Amandine’s tone was less than sympathetic, although her eyes seemed to soften as she glanced toward her ex.

“Paging Doctor Freud! Paging Doctor Freud!” Brushton declared in what had to be the worst Viennese accent Darryl had ever heard. “Nurse, get a couch ready for Sawyer Thomas. Stat!”

Amandine snorted. Sawyer lifted one hand from Darryl’s body long enough to give her a one-fingered salute, before clutching him just as tightly as before.

The organ music abruptly stopped, as Elias swiveled about on the piano stool. Darryl watched with fascination the way the Fu Manchu seemed to hang suspended on the air, as it wafted toward its owner, settling into his lap in a contented ball. Almost as if it possessed a life of its own.

“You’re so crude, darling,” Amandine smirked. “You can’t keep your secret phobias hidden from Darryl forever. Certainly not here. They’re too obvious, don’t you think?”

“Never mind me,” Sawyer said, his voice betraying none of the agitation which his body had evidenced. “We’re here for the greater good. Everything else is extraneous.”

If they’d been alone, Darryl would have questioned Sawyer until he discovered what the problem was. Or problems. But he didn’t wish to give Amandine the satisfaction, or cause Sawyer the discomfort of asking him in front of them. He’d no idea how long they were going to have to be here. Perhaps there’d be a better, more private, moment to deal with the questions which were racing through his mind.

“Second wave might take a while.” Brushton thoughtfully plucked at one of his udders, until Amandine smacked his hand away.

“Will you take that thing off? You look udderly ridiculous.”

Brushton started to argue with his sister, a huge grin breaking over his face as he cackled in delight, pointing at his sister with a waggling digit. “I get it! I get it! Very clever, Mandy. Very clever play on words indeed.”

“Don’t call me that!” she hissed, her cheeks suffusing crimson.

Darryl felt that a change of subject was definitely in order. He cast about in his mind for something completely different.

“Would somebody mind explaining what’s going on?” he asked. He’d been wondering that for some time now. He suspected that the answer, much like Sawyer, was multi-layered, and not a five minute tale. “I mean, I feel like I’ve walked into the middle of a film, and I’ve got no clue as to what the plot is.”

He heard a heavy sigh, felt Sawyer lean his head against his back. “It’s… complicated, love.”

Big surprise there.

“I’d settle right now for knowing who’s attacking us and why. I mean, what were those things? They were… terrifyingly disgusting.”

“That they are.” Brushton shuddered.

“They’re the inventions of the Polar Extreme,” Elias offered.

Darry furrowed his brow. “Don’t believe I know that name. New political group?”

“Not exactly. More like a scientific community gone mad.”  Sawyer lifted his head, kissing Darryl’s neck. “Don’t worry. They do this on a regular basis.”

“They do?” Darryl turned his head, casting horrified eyes on Sawyer. Careful not to dislodge those very talented lips.

“Don’t worry, love. We’ll spend very little time here, I assure you. Once I retrieve what belongs to me.”

Darryl found Sawyer’s use of the word we very comforting. It sounded like a declaration that he meant for them to stay together. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew that he didn’t want to be just a one night stand to this man. He wanted to try to make it to forever. However long that might be. Given the current situation, it might not be as long as he hoped for.

“You’ll spend a lot more here than you’d like if Salisbury and Schrodinger catch you going after their diamonds.”

“My diamonds,” Sawyer snarkily corrected his ex wife. “And they won’t.”

“Do Salisbury and Schrodinger work for the Polar Extreme?” Darryl tried to circumvent the potential explosion he saw in the making.

“Not exactly.” Sawyer waved a vague hand in the air. “S and S are part of the Guild. But they basically do as they wish. The Guild fathers leave them be as long as they behave themselves. More or less.”

“That’s because the Guild fathers are afraid of those two.” Amandine indelicately snorted.  “Like most of Lust.”

“I’m not afraid of them!” Brushton declared, puffing out his chest. In the cow suit, though, he only managed to look ridiculous.

“What about those things that attacked us?” Darryl tried to steer the conversation back on course.

“Well, you see…” Sawyer began, taking the hand with the red heart, and kissing it reverently. “It all began back in the day…”

His words were cut short as they were suddenly plunged into blackness.

 to be continued

Don't forget to check out the other talented Silver Flashers:

Sui Lynn    (m/m)

Lily Sawyer    (m/m)

Lindsay Klug   (m/f)

West Thornhill   (m/m)

Elyzabeth VaLey    (m/f)

Pender Mackie    (m/m)

Freddie MacKay   (m/m)

Julie Hayes     (m/m)

I hope that everyone is enjoying the Silver Flashes! Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

http://freddymackay.blogspot.com

Silver Flash: Dallas in Wonderland #2

Happy Hump Day/Silver Flash Day! This week, we have only three Flashers, myself, Sui Lynn, and West Thornhill, but we aim to please! I was Prompt Diva this week, and I gave this:  June is busting out all over


My alternate prompts were:

Use these three words:  dagger, relaxation, hair net

or

two princes kneel before me

or

darker than the Bat Cave at midnight

I'm continuing this week with Dallas in Wonderland - enjoy!

Dallas in Wonderland #2

The dream began in the usual way—a seductive Quentin beckoning to Dallas with that familiar come hither expression in his pale blue eyes. At one time, Dallas would’ve followed the sexy brunet anywhere, and in his dreams he still did. There was never any rhyme or reason to the locations; tonight’s was no exception.

HOSPITAL the flashing red neon lights proclaimed, but when Dallas pushed open the doors to what should have  been the emergency room, it was eerily silent, not a doctor or nurse in sight. Not a single patient either.  Not even a zombie. Last night’s dream was filled with them, so that was a blessed relief.

Giggling at the end of the corridor. There he was. Quentin Mandrake. Ex lover and present torturer. Dallas trotted down the empty hallway, almost knocking over a cart full of medical supplies in his haste to reach the end. And Quentin. But the bastard managed to stay just ahead of him. Dallas caught a glimpse of his mop of dark curls, and rounded the corner, sure he’d caught up with him.

Another dead end.

Nowhere to go but through a set of double doors marked OR.  Normally, Dallas wouldn’t dream of invading an operating room, but nothing about this was normal; it vibrated with a surreal intensity. Resolutely, he pushed open the doors and was greeted by blackness. A complete lack of light. It was darker in that room than the Bat Cave at midnight.

Dallas had watched the series and every version of the movies ever made, so he understood about the Bat Cave.

Suddenly, as if a switch had been thrown, the room was flooded with light. There before him stood not Quentin, but the mysterious Dr. Samuel Levi, behind an operating table. He wore traditional surgical garb—scrubs, mask and latex gloves. His long braid hung over his shoulder; a single lotus blossom was tucked behind one ear.

“Welcome my lovely one,” the doctor intoned in a breathy voice.

Dallas grew hot and cold as that voice washed over him. Hot and cold and quite hard.

“Come over here, you can be my assistant,” the doctor beckoned.

“I’m a chef, not a surgeon, Dr. Levi,” Dallas protested.

“Today you can be my nurse.” Dr. Levi smiled, his glance raking over Dallas. Dallas looked down to find he was wearing a nurse’s uniform, complete with white Dr. Scholl’s and white lace stockings. He touched his head—yep, even a hair net. His eyes went wide. He found himself obeying doctor’s orders and joining him on the other side of the table.

“Scalpel, please, Nurse Dallas.” The pseudo-surgeon held out an expectant hand.

Dallas had seen enough medical shows to know that there should be a tray of instruments close at hand. He glanced about him, searching for them. He couldn’t help but notice that the doctor’s legs were clad in black fishnet stockings.  A shiver ran through his frame. Forcing himself to focus, he found the gleaming surgical tools, and reached for a scalpel, trying not to think about what might be under the scrubs. As he handed the instrument to Dr. Levi, it suddenly changed into a dagger.

 The doctor didn’t seem fazed by this turn of events. He smiled, revealing glistening white teeth. “Will you please administer the anesthesia?”

Now I’m the gas passer too?

As if he could read Dallas’ mind, Dr. Levi solemnly handed him a cartoonishly large mallet.

“Hammereetis?” Dallas heard himself ask. When the doctor nodded, he struck the patient with the hammer. Clonk! Cuckoo birds flew above the man’s head. He was obviously out for the count.

“Shall we begin with the heart?” Dr. Levi raised questioning brows at Dallas.

Heart? What?

“An eye for eye. A heart for a heart. He stole yours, now we’ll take his.”

His? Whose?

Dallas turned horrified eyes to the man on the table, seeing him for the first time. Quentin’s frightened gaze looked back at him, mouth covered in duct tape. He was bound to the table with day-glo straps which made movement entirely not optional.

“I know a lovely recipe,” the surgeon continued. “All we need is a little chianti and some fava beans. Unless of course you prefer  a merlot? Your choice.” He took the dagger in both hands and raised it above Quentin’s body. Dallas’ ex screamed with his eyes. Dallas found he could not look away from the sight, as the dagger plunged into Quentin’s body. Blood splattered on him, as well as on Dr. Levi.  Reaching into the gaping wound, the surgeon scooped out the heart, and one-handedly presented it to Dallas.

“Would you care to deal with this?”

“What should I do?”

Dr. Levi grabbed Dallas’ hand with his free hand, and pressed the bloody bit of flesh into it. “It would make a wonderful aphrodisiac,” he said, bringing his face closer to Dallas’. Dallas moaned, his lips parting in breathy anticipation. Doctor Levi’s face floated closer… and closer…

Dallas sat bolt upright, his heart hammering in his chest. His bedroom was dark, save for what moonlight filtered through the lightweight curtains. He fought to bring his breathing under control, trying to remember the relaxation technique his sister had taught him once. Something akin to Lamaze. Minus the baby.

Maybe a glass of water would help.

He threw back the sheet; it clung to his body. Frowning, he noticed that it was unaccountably wet. When had he undressed? He never slept in the nude. And he hadn’t had a wet dream since adolescence. Until tonight.

He rose and yanked the sheet off the bed, a moue of distaste crossing his face. He headed to the bathroom to clean up the residue from the odd dream. And then he heard it again. The scrabbling noises over his head.

He was going to have to insist that Mrs. Persepolis do something about those rats, or he might just have to buy some traps and take them up there himself.

 to be continued

Don't forget to check out the other Silver Flashers:

Sui Lynn   (m/m)

West Thornhill (m/m)

Join us again next week when the intrepid authors of Silver Publishing take on the Silver Flash prompts!

Until then, take care!

♥ Julie

Silver Flash: Lust Never Sleeps #14: Welcome to the Grand Illusion

Happy Hump Day, Happy Wednesday, and welcome to another Silver Flash, brought to you by the authors of Silver Publishing! This week, our lovely cover artist Reese Dante was our Guest Prompt Diva, and she gave us:   Nope, wasn't listening.  Too busy thinking about...

The alternate prompts are from me and they are:  bell, book, candle  or things that go bump in the night (either figuratively or as a phrase) or  He was so full of shit that his eyes were brown....

This week, Lust Never Sleeps continues. When we last left them, our heroes and their party were seeking a safe house on the docks. But what sort of place is it? And what sort of man is Elias Dickory?  Enjoy!

Lust Never Sleeps 14: Welcome to the Grand Illusion

Darryl stared at the man who’d hailed them. He’d never seen a Fu Manchu quite that long before. It stretched from its starting point around the man’s mouth, and fell down the front of his body, dropping below their line of sight, presumably ending somewhere near his feet. It had to end somewhere, right?

“Hello, Elias, mind if we come aboard?” Sawyer shaded his eyes with his right hand, staring at the apparition as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. Darryl reminded himself not to be silly. There were far worse things in this world, including all of those that go bump in the night. And those monstrous flying things which had just beset them. Speaking of which… he glanced about nervously. Not a sign of any flying thing about. Not even a bird. How very peculiar. At least he assumed it was. In Lust, apparently anything was possible.

“You, Sawyer? Seriously?” The man threw back his head and began to laugh, a mirth which spread and was taken up by Amandine and Brushton. Brushton practically rolled on the ground in a paroxysm of guffawing; Amandine was a bit more genteel about it. Sawyer scowled at them both, before answering the question.

“Yes, old chap, I fear I’ve no choice. As my dear, lovely ex informs me, yours is the only safe house close at hand, or else I’d not be here. And if you wouldn’t mind hurrying, I suspect another wave is about to start. Unless, of course, you simply wish to be blown to kingdom come? I, for one, do not.”

“Keep your pants on!” came the rejoinder. “Lust wasn’t built in a day.” But the man began to move, nonetheless, bending down, his finger pressing something unseen. Instantly, a metallic object began to extrude from the strange vessel. It rose straight up, then took a bend in mid-air, and continued to slide toward the dock on which they stood. To Darryl’s surprise, it resembled a ladder. Rungs and all.

“Amandine, please don’t just stand there, get aboard,” Sawyer instructed her through gritted teeth.

“Your concern for my welfare is touching, my dear,” she murmured, giving him a knowing smirk before she began to ascend the ladder, Brushton just behind her. Darryl marveled at her ability to even climb the thing, what with those spiked heels she wore, but she seemed very much at home, and never missed her footing once. At the apex, she turned and backed down, disappearing from view into the interior of the strange object, followed by her brother, still wearing the bulky cow suit. The walrus-moustached man had bobbed out of sight, and was nowhere to be seen.

Probably too tight a fit for two people, Darryl reasoned.

“Your turn, lovie,” Sawyer prompted him, jarring Darryl from his reverie. He gave Darryl a pat on his derriere, as if to aid him. Darryl realized they’d no time to waste, glancing nervously at the sky again. Did it seem darker, or was that Darryl’s fears manifesting themselves?

He began to climb the ladder, clinging to the fragile stairway tightly. When he reached the top, he turned, and was surprised to see Sawyer still on the dock. “Sawyer?”

“Coming, love, coming,” Sawyer assured him. He took a deep breath, and set his foot upon the first rung, then paused. “Maybe I’ll just…”

No sooner had the words left his mouth then a hideous sound filled the air around them, a roar which made the previous awful buzzing seem like the whisper of tiny insects.  Time was now officially up.

“Right. In we go.” He began to ascend the ladder at a quicker clip. “Hurry, love, hurry,” he urged Darryl, who turned about, the hideous noise fueling his descent. He wasn’t sure what awaited him inside this thing, but it had to be better than what was about to assault them from outside of it.

The sound grew fiercer, more ominous. It vibrated through Darryl’s very being. He was fairly sure he didn’t want to see the cause. He dropped down the ladder as quickly as he could, waiting for Sawyer to join him. Once he felt the reverberation of Sawyer’s feet touching the floor, he grabbed him and held onto him for dear life, breathing heavily. As they were so engaged, the light began to recede above them.

“We’re submerging,” Sawyer explained. “It’s the only way.”

“Are you alright?” Darryl asked, running his fingers through Sawyer’s short blond locks. His eyes were trying to adjust to the dimness in which they found themselves.

“Of course. I’m with you, what could be wrong?” Sawyer answered lightly. “Come, let us join the others before Amandine gets it into her head to come after us. Something I’d rather avoid.”

He turned, holding onto Darryl’s hand, leading him through a long narrow passageway. On either side of them were what appeared to be port holes. Darryl paused to look through one of them, peering intently into the darkness. The next moment, a pair of giant eyes looked back at him, and he jumped back.

“Don’t worry, lovie,” Sawyer reassured him. “It can’t really see in. It doesn’t know we’re here.”

“Good to know,” Darryl murmured, although he wasn’t really sure how secure he felt, knowing something lay just outside wherever they were.

Where were they?

Oh yes, under the Lost River. Lovely.

Wait a minute. His mind began to resist the evidence of his eyes. The glimpse he’d gotten of whatever this thing was indicated a sphere, and not a large one at that. How was this possible?

He didn’t get a chance to ask, as Sawyer tugged on his hand, pulling him into a… he rubbed his eyes, and stared around him.

It appeared to be a drawing room filled with elegant furniture and glittering chandeliers. Against one wall sat an enormous pipe organ. Elias sat at the keyboard, fingers in place. As Darryl watched, he began to play.

The music shot straight down Darryl’s spine.

to be continued

Don't forget to visit the other Silver Flashers and see what they've been up to:

Lily Sawyer     (m/m)

West Thornhill  (m/m)

LM Brown     (m/m)

Pender Mackie  (m/m)

Julie Hayes (m/m)

Pia Valeno  (m/m)

Be sure to come back next week for more of the Silver Flash, and tell your friends!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie

Silver flash; Lust Never Sleeps 13 - In an Octopus' Garden

Happy Wednesday and welcome to another Silver Flash, brought to  you courtesy of the Flashers of Silver Publishing!  This week's Prompt Diva was Heather Lin, who gave us:  "That boy is a monster." or "This is better than a bagful of candy."  (her tribute to Halloween!). I gave these alternate prompts:

Use these three words:  red, buoyancy, terra cotta or Lovers such as I (my Richard Harris tribute) or "How dare you toy with my affections?"

Be sure to visit all the flashers and see what they've been up to! Their links follow my flash fiction!

This week, I continue with the saga of Lust Never Sleeps. When we last left our heroes, they were under attack!

Lust Never Sleeps 13: In an Octopus' Garden

 

There’d been other casualties, Darryl noticed, as the roadster/flying machine careened through the emptying cobbled streets. People whose bodies were stuck at strange angles, limbs twisted, faces contorted in painful grimaces. No one paid the dead any heed, racing past them in a blind panic.  Everyone that could was running for shelter: ducking into the nearest doorways or through open windows, racing down the steps into the tube stations, hiding beneath the thickest bushes they could find. Anything was preferable to remaining in the open, a visible target for the enemy.

Whomever that might be. That was one point on which Darryl had yet to be enlightened. And now did not appear to be a good time to ask.

He sat up front, as close to Sawyer as he could get, one hand upon the other man’s muscular thigh. Amandine and Brushton were crowded together in the narrow backseat. Darryl turned his head to find Sawyer’s ex clutching at her top hat, which appeared in imminent danger of blowing off. She glared at Darryl, eyes narrowed.

“What is it, sister dear?” Brushton asked. He had filled his pockets with food he’d filched from one of the wrought iron tables, and now he nibbled at it, while darting fearful glances about them.

“That boy is a monster!” she shrilled indignantly. “I’m telling you, he burned my hand…”

“The beast!” Brushton added his glare to Amandine’s, playing the dutiful brother. Even as he stuffed another handful of food into his face.

Darryl turned around again, ignoring her nonsensical tirade, his attention focused on Sawyer. He cast pensive glances up into the sky, but there was no sign of the little beasts, whatever they were. He couldn’t get Sawyer’s words out of his mind though: That was just the first wave. First of how many? Were they all like those vicious flying things? Or did something worse lurk in the wings?

“Do you and this… Elias person… not get along?” He leaned in to Sawyer, utilizing his need to whisper as a reason to do so. But truth be told, he simply wanted an excuse to inhale Sawyer’s fragrance, to reassure himself with the blond’s scent.

“No, we get along fine,” was Sawyer’s non-responsive response. He turned his head, and his lips met Darryl’s and any other questions he might have had fled from Darryl’s brain.

It was impossible to maintain any sense of his bearings in this strange place, what with all the twists and turns that Sawyer took, in and out of an assortment of side streets and alleys and unsavory looking thoroughfares. It was enough work for Darryl just to keep his balance. The more the car veered, the tighter he clung to Sawyer. He wasn’t complaining, although he could have wished it were under other circumstances. Naked circumstances, to be precise.

It wasn’t until the car took an unexpected turn, squeezing between two tall buildings that seemed to loom ominously closely on either side that they emerged at last alongside a river. This must be the docks Sawyer had spoken of. Now to find the safe house.

Sawyer parked the car in the shadow of one of the tall buildings. On close scrutiny, it seemed old and abandoned. In fact, the entire area looked distinctly uninhabited, Darryl realized. What sort of safe house were they going to?

Brushton jumped from the car as soon as it stopped, reaching his hand to assist his sister out of the vehicle. She dusted off the back of her trousers, regarding Sawyer with a certain amount of impatience. “Well? You don’t intend to sit there all day, surely?”

“Of course not,” he muttered. “Sorry to inconvenience you.”  He stepped out of the car, drawing Darryl after him. He kept him close, one arm tight about his chest at all times.

“Fah!” Amandine muttered, stamping her booted foot against the cobblestones. She glared at Darryl, before stomping off, Brushton close behind.

“I say, wait up, Sister!”

“Is she this way with all your… I mean… with all your lovers such as I?” Darryl tried to find the right words, before blurting out his question.

“Only you, lovie, only you.”

“Oh. Well, I’m glad I’m so spec—“

Sawyer interrupted his sarcasm. He pulled Darryl to him, pressing their lips together so tightly Darryl quickly forgot where they were and what they were doing, until a well-aimed missile caught him in the back of his head and he pulled back with a yelp. They both glared in Amandine’s direction, but she gave them a guileless look.

“Come, love,” Sawyer sighed. “Can’t put off the inevitable forever.”

Amandine turned on her heel, stalking toward the docks in high dudgeon, Brushton at her side, Darryl and Sawyer following close behind. Darryl’s eyes surveyed the docks. They were old and rickety-looking. And quite empty. He was having qualms about this safe house. Where the deuce was it? There weren’t even any boats about—not a dinghy or canoe to be seen—which left out the idea that maybe the safe house was actually a houseboat.

The nearer they drew to the water, the murkier it looked. “What river is this?” Darryl asked.

“It’s the Lost River,” Brushton answered.

The Lost River, inside the city of Lust. Interesting.

“Why do they call it Lost?” Darryl asked.

Brushton shrugged. “I forget.”

“Because those who drink its water become lost in their own minds,” Amandine supplied.

Don’t drink the water. Important information to possess.

Shadows seemed to lurk just beneath the surface. As well as something of an unknown shape and size. Darryl peered at it, but the shifting darkness of the water served to obscure his vision.

“What is that down there?” he asked.

“The safe house,” Sawyer replied, just as the water began to bubble and the object in question broke the surface, bobbing alongside the dock.

Metallic, somewhat spherical in shape. As Darryl stared, a hatch opened, and a strange figure appeared.

“Ahoy maties! Welcome aboard!”

to be continued

Now go take a look at the other Flashers!

Sui Lynn  m/m

Lily Sawyer  m/m

West Thornhill  m/m

Heather Lin  m/f

LM Brown   m/m

Freddy MacKay   m/m

Thanks for stopping by, hope you had a good time! See you next week for another edition!

Until next time, take care!

♥ Julie