#the sexy tension will be resolved in chapter 52

[since0202]

Sneak Peek—Fifty Two

Not that easy

Sneak preview below the cut...

Maya quickened her pace across campus as her navy blue floral mini dress. The thin material clung to her hips and she had thrown on a light wash jean jacket over the delicate tied shoulder straps to prepare for the likely chill of the over air conditioned lecture hall. She had pulled her hair half up and tied a ribbon matching the color of her dress. With the last sweltering days of summer clinging to New York, the less clothes the better. 

Maya readjusted her leather tote on her shoulder ladened down with notebooks and her laptop. She planned on getting some pre-semester work done after the orientation if she could. Her junior year was vitally important to the networking stage of her degree. She’d be busier than ever attending events and gladhanding. Luckily, she had Arden and now Dr. Bronnard in her corner singing her praises, but still, the thought of securing a high-value internship this year sent a nervous thrill through her. 

“Maya!” a familiar voice shouted across the quad. Maya slowed and turned to see Arden in a light t-shirt and some slacks. The heat was really getting to everyone. She paused and smiled waiting for him to jog up to her. “I thought that was you,” he said a little breathless, “Are you alright?” he readjusted his bag on his shoulder and reached out to gently graze her arm with his other hand. 

“I’m fine,” Maya shook her head, slightly embarrassed and looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry I disappeared on you last night, I—” she looked up to see Arden shaking his head gently. 

“You don’t have to apologize, it’s alright,” he said almost knowingly. Maya heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Really?”

“Really,” his smile was warm and kind. And again, Maya wondered how no one had fallen in love with it yet. But maybe that was it, maybe someone had, “I told you, I see you. I get it,” he promised. Maya nodded and couldn’t help leaning into his hand when it cupped her cheek. “Are you ready?” he nodded over her shoulder toward the lecture hall letting his hand drop. 

Maya looked over her shoulder and then turned eagerly back toward him with a wide smile, “Absolutely.” Arden nodded his assent and wound his hand down her back and gripped her hip as they walked toward the front doors. He grabbed the door and held it open for her as she slipped through. 

The TA’ship was completely informal. Only her and two other undergrads were selected by professors to shadow their grad courses and grade papers. They wouldn’t be teaching anything, but it was a special opportunity to get a head start on some upper level material, work closer with grad students who were starting their research and even have the opportunity to work with their professors on their research. 

Arden of course had selected Maya for the position and she was thrilled to be sandwiched between two studious looking grad students in the lecture hall as head of the TA program droned on about expectations. Being Arden’s unofficial TA meant that she would most likely be spending more time in his office again with him. The thought made her chew her lip in worry and excitement. Without the dull ache present in her belly, Maya was able to consider a life of possibilities without the imprint tugging her attention away. 

But still, she was worried. If the ache was gone, that had to mean that Paul was nearby. But so far, he was keeping his distance. 

After the orientation, Maya laughed as Arden led her down the staircase from the front doors, regaling her with yet another story about a mishap that happened in his lab prep last week that had resulted in several thousands of dollars worth of regent test strips getting ruined. 

Maya leaned into Arden’s side as she held her side in laughter, her jean jacket hanging loosely from her hand as the sun washed over the bare skin of her shoulders and neck. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Maya lifted her head and wiped a stray tear that had escaped her eye from laughing so hard and was halted to a stop. 

Arden looked down at her, his hand resting on her lower back confused at her sudden stop and lifted his eyes to where she was staring. 

Standing off to the side against the brick wall of the adjacent building was Paul. His massive arms were folded across his chest clad in a black t-shirt. His face was pulled into a grimace as he watched Maya sway uncertainly. He didn’t move though. 

Maya looked up at Arden, her eyes swimming with confusion and a plea of understanding. He glanced at Paul and then smiled comfortingly down at Maya. “You going to be okay? Or should I wait for you?” 

Maya let out a solid breath and let a small smile break over her face. “Thank you,” she said softly, “I’ll be fine. I’m just going to see what he wants,” Maya said, her voice only slightly wavering. Arden watched her for a moment, not sure about leaving her but ultimately, after another glance in Paul’s direction he conceded and gave a brief nod. He squeezed her arm gently and said “I’ll be in my office. Text me if you need me,” before heading off across the quad toward the science building. 

Maya didn’t move for a moment, her eyes glued to Paul’s across the way. He looked furious, as he most often did now with each of their meetings, but Maya’s lips tingled with the remembrance of his mouth on hers last night. Resolved to not lose her way this time, she swallowed hard and walked purposefully toward Paul. His eyes watched her every movement: the soft sway of her hips, the soft fleshy tremble of her upper thighs that peaked out of from under the flimsy fabric of her dress as she walked, the subtle bounce of her breasts, the swing of her arms, and the curl of her fingers into gently fists. 

What he wouldn’t give to rip that dress off of her and remind her of who he was. 

Maya stopped a few paces away from him, her brain already fogging from his heady scent. She fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest, mirroring his position. 

“Hi,” she said gently, the wind blowing her hair across her shoulders. Paul’s intense gaze held her and he just gave her that wicked smile, one that promised he’d wreak havoc on her heart if she let him. When he didn’t say anything, she rolled her eyes and swore she heard a soft growl come from him in response, “What are you doing here?” she said with more impatience. 

Paul pushed off of the wall and walked a little closer to her. Maya stiffened. 

“I was going to take you to lunch,” he said, his voice a rumble of pure temptation, “If you were hungry.” Maya stayed stock still, worried that any movement would draw that lustful gaze and set her on fire. “Unless, you were busy with…something else,” he said the last part through gritted teeth as he glared pure malice over her shoulder where Arden had disappeared into the science building. 

She didn’t have plans…but, “Just lunch?” she asked tentatively. She desperately wanted her voice to come out stronger and not with that tinny undercurrent of need currently coating it. Paul’s eyes snapped back to her and he fought back a scowl at the distrust he found on her face. 

He gave her one solid nod and Maya relaxed, taking a deep breath. “Fine,” she said. “But I need to be back here by 2:30 for a meeting,” she lied. There was no meeting but at least it gave her a deadlined to adhere to. She worried if she didn’t set an end time for herself, she’d never leave his side with the imprint itching at her brain like this. 

He held out his hand to her in agreement and Maya hesitated only slightly before slipping her hand into his. His warm, reassuring palm sent an electric shock through her and she swallowed the gasp that fought up her throat. They started down the quad together and Paul reached around her to grab the bag off of her shoulder so he could carry it. Thankful for the lack of weight, she stepped closer to him, pressing her side against his arm as they walked toward one of the campus parking lots. 

Though they walked in silence, the tension buzzed through Maya’s body, tightening her nipples into hard peaks and swirled in agonizing lightning between her legs. When they reached the sleek black Mercedes, Maya hesitated again. He opened the passenger door for her and quickly walked around to the drivers side, depositing her bag into the backseat first. Maya bit her lip and hesitated at the open car door. 

“Paul,” she said quickly. He looked at her, that fire still brimming in his eyes. If looks could kill… “Just lunch, right?” she heard herself nearly beg. Paul openly scowled now and rolled his head back. 

“Maya, I’m not going to fucking kidnap you. Just get in the car,” he said harshly. Maya frowned. It was not outside of the realm of possibilities that he would placate her and then steal her away—he’d done it before.

When she didn’t move, he placed both of his arms on the top of the car and leaned forward, “You already ran away once, what would be the point of me dragging you back to the rez if I know you’re just going to run from me again the first chance you get?” His voice dripped with anger but there was also regret. Maya pursed her lips and then nodded getting into the car without further protest and quickly snapped on her seatbelt.

Guess she'd just have to trust him.

#taking time #chapter 52 sneak peek #6k words into chapter 52 #brace yourselves for some HOT HOT HOT AND HEAVY stuff #paul lahote #paul lahote smut #the sexy tension will be resolved in chapter 52 #if you know what i mean #the blue dress is important #idk why #but i spent an hour looking for that inspo #so you're welcome?

[tessatechaitea]

The Ray #6

He's still fighting his father, isn't he?

For a kid who had a dad, this fucking kid sure wishes he had a dad. I don't fucking get it. He lived 18 years with a man who was his dad but then that man died and said, "I'm not your real dad! There is another!" and this fucking kid is all, "I want my daddy!" Man, I only have the one dad and I couldn't give a fuck! Just go out and get a dog, you needy bastard! Also get a fridge. You fucking still need a fridge, you stupid asshole. Have I cursed at The Ray enough? It's not like he deserves it; I've just grown bored with this series and I'm acting out. Luckily this is my last The Ray comic book before I get to move on to Kid Eternity written by Ann Nocenti. Fuck yes! Who knew I'd read Ann Nocenti before her run on The New 52 Green Arrow?! I wish I could remember what younger me thought of it. Three kinds of comic books exist in my past: those I loved so much that they became an integral part of that chapter in my life (Elfquest, Transmetropolitan, and Shade the Changing Man), comic books that I thoroughly enjoyed and can still remember a good percentage of plots and themes (Suicide Squad, The Demon, and Justice League) and comic books I read in five minutes and completely forgot about (apparently The Ray, Kid Eternity, Scarab, and so many more that I can't list because I completely forgot about them). I could probably break those categories down further into dozens of other categories but you were probably already bored at the beginning of this paragraph so I'll just move on.

The issue begins with Black Canary penning a letter to Justice League Human Resources.

The Ray decided to take a day off from being an adult and also a super hero to explore the underwater wreckage of a 1940s cruise ship. This brings up so many questions! How did he know it was there? Did he stumble upon it by accident? Is he exploring the Bermuda Triangle?

How does an 19 year old in 1994 know about The Poseidon Adventure?

Okay, that last question was unfair. I was barely twenty-three when this comic book came out and I'd watched The Poseidon Adventure at least a half-dozen times on local stations during rainy Sunday afternoons. But you also have to wonder, "If he's familiar with the movie, why is he comparing himself to Shelley Winters?!" For a fad disaster movie of the time, I'm surprised how it was able to blow my mind. Sure, I was super young and everything was fucking blowing my mind every Goddamned day because the universe is a fucking LSD trip full of unexpected miracles (at least until you've pretty much seen them all five million times and you slowly sink into the mire of bored cynic (I wish I'd known enough in my youth to not sink slowly but to rage, rage against the dying of the wonder. Fucking stupid kid me)). But there's that moment in the movie where the protagonists are going toward the back of the ship and they pass by another group of passengers going the other way. And it's like, "Whoa. Holy shit. We could be watching their story! They could be the ones who survive! Why are they any less important than the people whose stories we're watching?!" It's a fucking great cinematic moment that not only ratchets up the tension by suggesting the protagonists might be heading the wrong way but also introduces the idea that the "protagonists" are only that because we're focused on them (and because some of them are the ones who will live, I suppose. But as an inexperienced kid, you're secure from the cynical understanding of narrative choices). If we root for our guys to be going the right way, does that mean we don't give a fuck that the other people are heading to their deaths? And why does the movie's point of view dictate to us who we care about living and dying? It's a lesson that stayed with me for a long fucking time (and one you'll see I apply occasionally when reviewing super hero comic books) and probably why I fell in love with the writings of Kurt Vonnegut. Because Vonnegut might have a "protagonist" but he's also constantly aware of the idea that the other people in the story aren't just window dressing. They're other people with stories of their own and they shouldn't be treated like just another prop. Again, it's one reason I almost always despise big action movies, especially natural disaster kinds. Because the plot always boils down to "a whole lot of fucking people are going to die on screen and it's going to be horrible but this person the camera is following will live so that will make it seem like a happy ending." While exploring, The Ray is attacked by Death Masque. What?! But how?! Death Masque was only a computer program! What is going on?! So unexpected! The Ray barely survives and then just chalks up the attack to some quirk in his program. He flies home to debug and to also think about how strange it is that Black Canary has yet to write him back. Cue a scene change to see what Black Canary thinks of his advances! Spoiler: it's the best part of the comic book so far.

Now I'm paranoid that every woman I've ever had an unrequited crush on has a note like this in her journal about me.

Hell, I'd be lucky if the women I've had crushes on noticed me enough to even mention me in their journal! Their entry would be more like, "Saw that creepy fucker staring at me in the library again. Fucking going to get a punch to the throat if he doesn't knock it the fuck off." Black Canary's currently trying to save a young girl taken hostage by a terrorist. But when she goes into the building to save her, she discovers a portal to another world with laser-wielding demons and increased gravity. Being that she's just a martial artist with no real powers (even if the artist depicts her flying in one panel but I think that's a mistake, right? She could never fly (and, no, it's definitely not a depiction of her "flying" by using her sonic scream. I don't think she even has the sonic scream at this moment in her history), she fucks right off to get help (probably from The Ray, right?! Green Arrow won't be any use in this situation). Back in wherever The Ray lives (Philadelphia, I think? Site of one of my all-time favorite books, The Boomer Bible (which I should reread again since, thematically, it couldn't be more relevant to our current political woes)), he's busy buying his fridge! Except this is only Issue #6 so you really didn't expect that plot point to be resolved so soon, right? Because it's not! Instead of buying the things he needs (being an adult and all), he buys a life-size Superman cardboard stand-up and a stereo system. Who needs a fridge anyway? I don't imaging there's anybody in America who buys a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and saves some for later! The Ray gets a message on his old school voice mail machine from Dinah and he instantly zips off to Seattle to help her. Is she taking advantage of his feelings toward her or does she actually think he's the best person to call in this situation? Maybe she didn't want to call Superman because he'd get all the credit. Or maybe he's dead. And Batman has a broken back. And Green Arrow, you know, uses a stupid bow. Turns out Black Canary called in The Ray because he has light-based powers and she surmises he can open closed portals that have disappeared from reality. It turns out she's right because what kind of shitty narrative choice would Priest have made if she were wrong? The Ray arrives, can't open or find the portal, shrugs and then Black Canary breaks down crying because she didn't save Mercy. Oh wait. That's not a crappy narrative choice at all! The Ray could have comforted her and they would have bonded emotionally and Green Arrow would have walked in on them bonding and flipped the fuck out. Sure, Mercy would be dead, but who is Mercy anyway? Nobody I give a shit about! She should have thought about readers caring about her before she chose to be a background character. The Ray turns into a raging Hulk version of himself as he passes through the portal, flying off and leaving Black Canary alone. Apparently Black Canary suffered some trauma recently in her comic book or Green Arrow where somebody pointed a gun at her and said, "I'm not afraid of you!" Now everybody keeps pointing guns at her and she imagines they aren't afraid of her. But she's super afraid all the time, even when she's being sexy.

This is a depiction of female masturbation, right?

The issue ends with the hostage taker pointing his gun at Black Canary and screaming, "I'm not afraid of you!" He's holding a young girl who is probably Mercy. And it appears younger me cared so little about Mercy's welfare that I decided I wasn't going to purchase the next issue. The Ray #6 Rating: C. I'm vaguely disappointed that I don't have the next issue. While I'm not curious about what happens to Mercy, I do sort of want to see the final confrontation between Black Canary and The Ray where she tells him she loves him like a younger brother and he's never going to see her tits. Maybe younger me knew seeing that confrontation would be too emotional for him as he pined over somebody who probably just wished he'd leave her the fuck alone.

#The Ray #DC Comics #DC #Christopher Priest #Robert Jones #Howard Porter #Black Canary