Flash
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Flash Fire Ch. 02 free porn video
After all the promises, here’s the next chapter. Life happened to my editor and I need to find another one. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Still self edited. Please remember to leave a vote and comment! ^_~
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Joe, Vicky, and I were in the office we shared above the restaurant. We had meetings as needed depending on the restaurant’s requirements. This meting explored adding a bakery. Vicky and I were supportive of Joe’s idea and we ironed out the details — the potential impacts, how many people should we hire, and how to interview potential bakers.
Vicky and Joe, in fact, were talking about those things. I was eyeing the invitation waiting for me on my desk. It was for tomorrow, Saturday, and I had the day off. I always insisted on having two days off from the library every week. I wouldn’t have a life otherwise.
Our office was spacious. We had three cherry wood desks facing the center, black leather desk chairs at each, and a black leather couch lining the remaining wall. The waning light cast ominous shadows over the office. It feathered eerie fingers over the furniture and barely touched the edge of the invitation lying on my desk as if pointing to it.
The voices of my friends faded into the background as my vision narrowed until all I could see was the invitation. Accepting would be a big step. I hadn’t dated in years. All those months watching Matt from afar and I never imagined I would get to this point. I warred with myself. Instinct wanted me to deny the invite and hide. Curiosity begged me to accept.
I picked up the invitation and ran my thumb lightly over the embossed letters. It was such an ornate invitation for a casual occasion. Then again, this was the famous Firemen’s Picnic. I sighed heavily wondering whom I was trying to kid. Of course I would go. I was not a chicken and the curiosity would eat me alive if I didn’t.
The invitations were coveted and I wanted to know why. As for the date, I would take it one day at a time even though I was apprehensive. ‘Why not be seen on the arm of a handsome fireman?’ I reasoned to myself. The invitation wasn’t the only thing coveted by the town, single women would kill to bag a luscious bachelor fireman too.
–~~–
‘Picnic’ wasn’t the best description for what I walked into. ‘Wedding reception’ would be more appropriate. I felt awkward dressed in a blue sundress with sunflowers on it. My hair was in a ponytail and I had my star necklace on. I wore sunglasses and yellow flats that matched my cute wide-brimmed hat.
Meanwhile, the men were dressed in tuxes and suits. Some had taken their ties off and untucked their shirts for comfort. The women were all wearing extraordinary dresses in blue and purple. Everyone was appropriately dressed for a wedding reception while I was not.
The picnic was decorated in blue and purple irises accented with baby’s breath. Although some of the decorations were ruined by the children running around. Girls were chasing boys for kisses and — I squinted my eyes against the glare of the sun — a little girl no more than six years old looked like she was eating the floral arrangements. A tall blond haired, blue-eyed man managed to stop the girl before she nibbled through a whole flower petal.
Men and women were standing around in socializing clusters. It seemed like a hodgepodge of social chaos with a positive twist. I saw a tall, burly man with burgundy hair carrying a beer. A slightly shorter, balding man was chasing him. I studied the bald man for a second. He would have been handsome if he hadn’t let his looks go by growing a beer gut. I couldn’t say why they caught my attention. Maybe it was the giant’s good looks or the agitated bald man. Curious, I moved closer to hear their conversation.
‘Please,’ groaned the balding man, ‘it’s not too late to annul the wedding. You don’t want to be married into this family. They’re all lunatics!’
The burgundy haired Adonis sighed into his bottle of root beer. ‘Tessa’s lunacy is what I love about her,’ he smirked. ‘I’m lucky she was so tenacious pursuing me or else I would have lost her.’ His stature wilted slightly with the weight of what could have been.
‘That’s beautiful, Duncan, really. Did you ever stop to consider marrying the girl also means marrying the whole family? You could have had it all — the girl without the psycho family. I wasn’t so lucky. My wife’s father found out about us and hunted me down.’ The balding man snorted, ‘I was literally marched to the alter with a shot gun centered on my back.’
‘By the way, Ted. How is your wife, Myra, doing?’ asked Duncan.
Ted blanched and then sighed. ‘She’s wonderful. Like always.’
‘You love her?’
Indignant, Ted straightened to his full height. ‘Of course I do!’
‘You better look it because she’s coming this way,’ Duncan motioned to a woman in the distance with his bottle.
I looked with Ted and my jaw dropped. How in the world did a balding man end up with THAT?! Myra was poetry in motion as she sauntered toward both men. She was tall and leggy with traditional black Irish looks. Her black hair was shinny and straight hanging down to her swaying hips. She had a serene smile on her perfect lips and deep blue, soulful eyes.
A cute girl of seven years old was holding her hand. The little girl looked like a porcelain doll in her frilly light blue dress. It was riddled with bows, ribbons, and puffy sleeves. Her dyed blond hair had fat ringlets framing her chubby face. What mother in their right mind would let a little girl dye her hair? I had to admit her uncommon complexion and blue eyes made the black rooted blond hair work.
‘Leave Duncan alone.’ Myra’s sultry voice was demanding.
Todd turned to his wife with a big smile. ‘I wasn’t bothering him, dear.’
‘Actually he was trying to convince me to annul my marriage,’ Duncan said casually. I could tell he was enjoying Ted’s discomfort.
A delicate eyebrow rose and Myra crossed her arms. ‘Really?’ The little girl mimicked her mother’s stance. ‘Why were you doing that, Ted?’
Ted panicked as he struggled to find something to say. He glared at Duncan. I stood there amused wondering what he would say.
I spotted someone new walking toward the group before Ted could answer. It was another leggy feminine beauty who looked like Myra with a capable quality to her manner, and a less graceful gate to her walk. She was dressed differently than the rest of the group. Instead of half-hazard formal clothing, she wore jeans, t-shirt, and sneakers. She seemed to be limping.
She passed behind me and stopped at Duncan’s side. She put her arms around him and snuggled affectionately into his chest. A contented smile graced her lips as Duncan placed a small kiss on top of her head.
‘What’s Ted done now?’ she murmured in a low, tired voice. It sounded sexy, sultry in a lounge singer kind of way.
Duncan’s eyes softened and turned into liquid pools of devotion. My heart stalled in my chest at the blatant display of love. I envied their connection and wished I could have something like that despite my cynical beliefs. My eyes watered and I valiantly kept from crying.
Love was rare and beautiful. Only a select few could be happy in love. I instinctively knew Duncan and Tessa’s marriage would last.
I looked at Ted and his elegant wife. Love was there in Ted and Myra’s eyes even though they were fighting. It seemed Tessa’s family was blessed with true love matches. I sighed knowing I wouldn’t be so lucky.
There was a light touch on my shoulder bringing me out of my envious thoughts. Matt found me. His scent was one I recognized from the other day. I took a deep breath to control my thoughts and emotions and turned to look at him with a smile. He was just as handsome in dry clothes, but he was mouth-watering sexy when soaking wet. His tux was undone like most of the men. His shirt was untucked, his tie untied, a
nd his jacket missing. All men looked great in tuxes, but few could pull off a messy tux.
‘You made it. I was afraid you would turn down my invitation,’ his perfect baritone pitch was a potent aphrodisiac.
Of course he would have a perfect voice. All heroes in romance novels had perfect voices. It was good to know real heroes had them too.
I closed my eyes and relished the shiver his voice caused. My smile turned languid.
‘Turn down an invitation to the super top secret Firemen’s Picnic? I wouldn’t be that big of an idiot.’ Yes I would if it had been another man. ‘Everyone in town’s been wondering what you guys do here, and Joe wants to know all your secret recipes. He’s constantly complaining that you guys steal his business with all the take-out orders you get.’
He looked at me curiously, his violet eyes flashing like amethysts in the sun. This stud muffin was so sticky sweet that I feared my eyes would get cavities. I pushed my sunglasses up my nose hoping they would keep out more than just UV rays.
‘Joe?’ he questioned. Then he brightened. ‘As in Joe’s the restaurant?’
‘Yea, that Joe,’ I confirmed. ‘Didn’t I tell you I was co-owner of the restaurant?’
A big smile formed on Matt’s face. ‘I was wondering how you pulled off that discount. Lucky girl, having an in with Joe.’
I gave him an evil grin. ‘Why do you think the food’s so good? I taste test it all and I won’t allow anything mediocre.’
He laughed, one of those big infectious belly laughs everyone loved to hear. I looked around to see people staring at him and smiling. A flash went off and I turned. A guy with an expensive camera grinned and then moved on. I made a mental note to get a copy of the photo. A memento of our date, something I was starting to enjoy.
Matt put an arm around my shoulders and steered me toward the group I was previously eavesdropping on. He gave me a brief hug like we were already boyfriend and girlfriend. Pleasant warmth spread through me.
‘Hey, Duncan. Joe from Joe’s restaurant sent a spy to discover our secret ingredient,’ Matt joked.
Duncan smiled big as he eyed me. Tessa chuckled. Her vivid blue eyes seemed to spark as she looked at us.
‘He did?’ Duncan asked. ‘We should feel honored the town’s top chef is showing interest in our food, but our secret isn’t really a secret. We lace our food with marijuana. Kinda like magic brownies, only with a good home-cooking twist to it.’
That made me pause. A joke about illegal drugs? I approved.
Tessa smacked his arm. ‘There’s no marijuana, silly. It’s cocaine.’
I chuckled at their playful attitude.
‘Marijuana and cocaine? Where?’ A woman with fat spiral blond curls and a petite curvy physique walked up toting another giant, muscled man with a scarred face. He had short-cropped brown hair and the sweetest green eyes. ‘Who’s not sharing?’ She went to stand next to Tessa. She let go of the scarred man, who promptly clasped Duncan’s hand while the woman threaded her arm through Tessa’s.
These people were my kind of people. I had to admit, going on this date was the best decision I made this year.
‘Jessie and Danny, I would like you to meet Matt’s date…’ Duncan trailed off in confusion. ‘You know I’m so bad that I forgot to ask her name!’ He chuckled.
Matt jolted as if waking from a dream. ‘I’m sorry!’ he said. ‘That’s rude of me. This is Elaine. She works in the town library and is co-owner of Joe’s.’
I laughed nervously. ‘I’m actually the Administrator of the library.’
Judging by the looks on their faces, they didn’t hear me. They were all looking at Matt with the same expression — shock with a dose of…relief? Jessie’s big doe eyes teared.
Danny walked up to grasp Matt’s hand in a shake. He leaned in and gave Matt a manly hug and whispered something in Matt’s ear. It killed me not knowing what he said. I admired Matt, Duncan, and Danny as they stood in close proximity of each other. They grew them like redwoods in this town.
Danny looked seriously into Matt’s eyes and asked, ‘Friends?’
Matt ‘s cheeks bronzed and nodded in agreement. I’ve never witnessed a man blush before and wondered what embarrassed him. Danny patted his shoulder twice and went back to embrace Jessie.
‘What was that all about?’ I whispered to Matt.
He cleared his throat. ‘I’ll tell you later.’
Shrugging, I looked to his cozy group of friends. ‘Sorry to be rude, but I’m starving. Mind if I…?’ I gestured to the huge buffet.
All types of delectable goodies were spread out on three huge tables. Every variety of meat you could imagine took up one table. I wondered how many cows they slaughtered for the bounty. Then there were all the side dishes and desserts. My mouth watered just looking at it.
‘Of course!’ Tessa said. ‘Help yourself to all the illegal delights.’ She shot me a wink.
I gave her a grateful smile. My stomach growled causing everyone to laugh. I excused myself and made my way to the three-tabled feast with Matt following close behind.
It took some maneuvering and Matt’s help, but I managed to get four packed plates plus a small dessert plate to a vacant table under a shady tree.
‘You’re amazing,’ Matt said in wonder. ‘Not only did you get all these plates here, but you brought a cup filled with soda by holding the rim in your teeth!’
Vicky told me once that my proclivity for pigging out at an ‘all you can eat’ affair would be unattractive. At the time, I told her I could care less, but I found myself blushing from the roots of my hair to my feet.’
‘Don’t take that negatively,’ he rushed on. ‘I really like a woman with an appetite, not to mention a bit of dexterity.’
I cleared my throat, hating the uncomfortable feeling. Desperate to change the topic, I went for something equally uncomfortable to him. Deflecting was a good skill of mine.
‘Thanks,’ I mumbled. ‘What was all that going on with your friends and…Danny? It’s like you guys were resolving a fall-out or something.’ I pulled two plates closer to me. One filled with meat and the other with a variety of usual picnic side dishes. It’s a good thing I work out regularly.
Matt’s sigh was heavy. ‘I tried to date Jessie.’
My eyes widened. ‘While she was with…Ummmm….’ The name escaped me again.
‘No. Not while dating Danny.’ He took a thoughtful bite of hamburger before continuing. ‘Danny had transferred to our firehouse the day I had a date with her.’
‘So the new guy swoops in and takes your girl?’ I asked around a mouth full of food.
‘No. Turns out I was trying to take his girl — prior claim from their high school days. Love that never quite left them and stuff like that. She kicked me out on the first night. I said some really stupid stuff to her so I don’t blame her.’ He kept his gaze on his food as if he couldn’t look me in the eye. ‘Of course I didn’t blame myself either. I blamed Danny.
‘A week later Danny was walking around Jessie’s neighborhood. He saw a house on fire and ran to save a woman and child trapped inside. When we got there, he was passed out in a room. We pulled him out of the house, and discovered he wasn’t breathing. While the others were putting the fire out, it was up to me to perform CPR.’
I looked at him in awe. ‘You saved the life of the guy you were competing with? That was very big of you, Matt.’
‘Yes I saved him, but altruism had nothing to do with it. There was a second or two when I considered not saving him, to just let him die waiting for the ambulance. I can’t believe I considered something so…vile. Another man’s life depended on me and I seriously wanted to let him die so I could have Jessie. For the longest time I couldn’t look at Danny or Jessie. I didn’t want them to know how much of a monster I was…still am.’
I stopped eating at his admission. ‘Did you tell them? Did you tell anyone?’ I asked.
Matt picked
at his food. ‘I told Duncan, but I haven’t told Danny or Jessie. That scene you witnessed is them feeling guilty because they’re back together and I’m still single.’ He looked up at me and gave me a sad smile. ‘I was on a mission to get married. I still am, but I’m trying to be smart about it. Think before I speak.’
A man who actually wanted to get married baffled me. Yet that wasn’t what I should center on.
There was his guilt. He should tell Danny and Jessie about the incident if he wanted to feel good about himself. Get things off his chest.
I looked over at Duncan and Tessa. He had a proprietary arm around her and she had eyes only for him. Maybe purging himself of his guilt would allow Matt to find someone to make him happy. Then he could have a marriage like his friends.
I switched my empty plate for a full one and said, ‘You should tell them.’
‘What?’ he asked stunned.
‘Tell them about your guilt. Purge yourself of the feelings by having a long, cleansing talk with Danny. Have a beer with him and just blurt it out or something.’
‘Him and Jessie would never talk to me again!’
I looked over at the couple in question. ‘At first, they might hold it against you. People need time to sort out feelings and digest the information. Afterwards, I’m sure they’ll find they’ve forgiven you and will try to be friends again.’
He viewed me quizzically, his food forgotten. I was sure I said the right thing. Aside from getting rid of the guilt, I was certain Danny and Jessie would forgive him. If not, they wouldn’t have cared for his happiness or the fact he brought a date. My heart beat rapidly with the reminder that I was on a date.
‘I’ll think about it,’ he conceded. ‘You’ve made a good point.’
His admission shocked me. Men were phobic when it came to touchy feely stuff, and my suggestion was no different. I was proud that I gave him good advice and, hopefully, helped him out.
‘Let’s dance.’
I was busy with my pride so his suggestion took me off guard. How long had it been since anyone asked me to dance? I took his hand and accompanied him out to the dance floor.
It scared me to take his hand. I couldn’t dance, but I wanted to try. I had no clue why the butterflies in my stomach acted like they were on speed nor why my heart decided to do a tango.
He held my hand with a firm yet gentle hold as if afraid I would run. Admittedly, there was no other place I wanted to be. His hold was warm and comforting. Heat raced up my arm and found a home in a small, empty space in my heart.
The fear started to rise to my throat. All the emotions I’ve felt since coming to the picnic were too much too soon. How could a man I knew as a boy — barely know as an adult — have a strong effect on me? My body tensed to break from his hold and run.
‘Sh….’ He calmed me like a skittish kitten. ‘Relax. It’s just a dance.’
I half expected him to pet me so I’d purr while my body did as he asked. Men were safe at a distance, but they were lethal while touching. It was the first time I relaxed within a man’s embrace who was not related to me.
He was right of course. I was getting freaked out over nothing. He gently took me in his arms like I was made of glass. His cedar scent surrounded me and his warmth seeped into me. I melted into him. The DJ started a slow, jazzy song with a romantic beat and a seductive edge. The words were smooth, sliding down my spine and loosening every tense muscle along the way. I was lethargic and comfortable dancing with Matt. I wanted to stay here forever feeling warm and inhaling his intoxicating smell. Then he started to sing along with the song and I was lost to everything but him.
His voice complimented the song. He sang the words as if he begged me to look deeply into his eyes. I answered the hidden call. Fear had no hold on me now within the satin melody of the song and his voice.
Matt sang the lyrics and made them his own. The words tripped off his lips in a physical caress, telling me he liked me just as I was. Yes, another wrote the song, but his soul wrapped his sincerity around me like a blanket. No man had ever told me they liked me just the way whether in a song or using their own words. They always wanted me to be someone I wasn’t.
Aeryn
- 25.12.2020
- 11
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