Sky Rockets in Flight

"Jesus, Peter, hold that thing steady," she grumbled. The image from the drone stayed in position.

Erica took a deep breath, picked up the mic, and thumbed the "Transmit" button. Her eyes locked onto her script. "Ladies and gentlemen, may we ask you to direct your attention to the big screen. Your host, Nadine Blanton, and her Shrub Foundation associate John Dekker are about to make a presentation." She hit the pre-typed text on her phone: Visual confirmed. Go.

The screen erupted in bursts of light and color as the carefully-concealed fireworks around the guest house ignited. Some spun on the ground, spraying sparks and flame around the gardens. Others shot skyward, exploding over the rooftop. One smashed through a window. Thunderous detonations rolled across the lawn, causing Erica to wince. If they were this loud where she stood, then they must be deafening for the two lovers.

She laughed. Wonder how much they're enjoying their "afternoon delight" now?

She looked outside. The benefit-goers alternated staring at the screen and at the show going on over the roof. At a lull in the detonations, she heard someone yell, "Over there! Come on!" A handful of the attendees hurried away. The bulk continued to stare at the screen and a clever few, perhaps having the foresight that unpleasant shit was about to go down, headed for the front of the estate and their waiting vehicles.

The firework show continued unabated. Peter had wanted to air the interior cameras as well, but aside from running afoul of revenge porn law, Erica had pointed out the film of Nadine and John would make excellent leverage for Edward and Amanda in their divorces. Peter had ceded the point.

Even so, I hope his firework guy is getting his money's worth. It won't break my heart if that footage goes public after the court cases are settled.

Two people burst into the tent. The first was Julie Hastings. The other was the media tech. Hastings looked around, spotted Erica, and blinked in surprise. "You? What are you doing out here?"

"Working," Erica replied.

"Who the hell are you?" the young man growled.

"Erica. I work for Mr. Blanton."

"She's the goddamn maid," Hastings spat. Her face wrenched in anger. "She's ruining our benefit. Chris, fix it."

Chris puffed his chest out and scowled, trying to look dangerous, nearly eliciting a laugh from Erica. She dipped her hand in her pocket and palmed the heavy object. He stepped toward her. "Out of my way."

"I work directly for Mr. Blanton," she said. "He's paying for all this, it's his property, and he approved what I'm doing. You need to back off."

"Chris!" Hastings's voice rose to a shriek.

He reached for her.

Erica raised her arm, jammed the stun-gun against him, and pulled the trigger. There was a hum and Chris went rigid before slumping over.

Hastings screamed. "You killed him."

"He'll be fine in a few minutes," Erica said with a snarl. "He didn't want to get zapped, he shouldn't have tried to put his hands on me."

"You ... you ..." Hastings pointed a shaking finger at Erica. "You'll be fired for this."

Erica raised the device and took a step towards her. Hastings yelped and fled. She lowered the stun-gun and sniffed. "Good riddance."

Movement on the screen drew her attention. The front door of the garden house opened. Nadine and John stumbled outside. He was still trying to put on his pants, she button her blouse. The camera zoomed in on the couple and it was plain to anyone watching that she carried her wadded-up bra and in her hand. Anyone with half a brain could tell what they'd been doing.

As if a switch had been thrown by their exit, the fireworks ceased. Erica chuckled. In a way, it had, since she was sure Peter had hit the kill switch.

Nadine and John froze, staring at something. Edward, Amanda, and their companions appeared at the edge of the screen as the camera pulled back. They approached the disheveled lovers, stopping fifteen feet away.

Though there was no sound, the benefit attendees stared at the screen, rapt at the spectacle unfolding before them.

A man and woman in smart suits stepped to Nadine and John. Each held out an envelope, one to John and one to Nadine. As soon as she looked at it, Nadine collapsed to the ground. John, however, moved toward Amanda. She shouted at him, waving her cane. Edward pointed at John and said something. John froze and even from the lower resolution of the drone camera, Erica could tell the blood had just drained from his face.

Then John's face twisted in anger. He took another step but the huge man with Amanda got between them. The man's hand moved to his belt, where a pistol holster was clearly visible. John hesitated, then turned and ran. Nadine remained a heap on the ground. Edward gave her one last disdainful look and—supporting a now-crying Amanda—turned and left his soon-to-be-ex-wife weeping on the garden grounds.

Erica glanced past them at the scorches and low fires burning around the gardens—the remnants of numerous firework detonations. She sighed. Scorched and ruined just like their reputations, two marriages, and who knows what else. She flipped the V/SRC dial to the OFF position and the feed vanished.

On impulse, she broke from the script and keyed the mic again. "While we appreciate your generosity to the Shrub Foundation, we ask that you please give Mr. Blanton and Mrs. Dekker-Wallace some time to deal with today's events. Thank you and have a nice day."

Shell-shocked guests drifted toward the front of the house. Erica grabbed her phone, stepped over the moaning Chris, and texted, All done.

Yep, came the response. Can I show you my appreciation now?

She grinned and a heady flush heated her skin. Her fingers flew. I'm counting on it.

#

Erica stared at the slowly spinning ceiling fan. The cool air bathed her glistening skin. Her breaths came with languid ease and her entire body felt wrung out. The notion brought a smile to her face.

That's what happens you get fucked properly.

Just the thought made her shiver. Peter had been as good as ever, tonguing her snatch until she was screaming, then driving this thick cock into her waiting embrace. She'd come twice from intercourse alone, something that rarely happened with previous lovers.

The faint patter of falling water reached her ears. Erica rose, padded naked across the carpeted floor of her bedroom, and opened the bathroom door. Peals of mist wafted in the air current. Peter stood in the shower, head down, as the steaming water poured over his scalp and shoulders. She took in his muscled back, narrow waist, and firm legs. Her loins twitched, so she popped open the shower door and slid in with him.

Peter blinked. "Hey. Thought you were too hot for a shower."

She put her arms on his shoulders. "You're too hot for me to stay away."

They kissed. Her lips caressed his and she was pleased to feel his erection growing between them, poking her in the belly. Erica picked up the bar of soap in one hand, rolled it in her palm a few times, then replaced it. Her slicked fingers found his cock and began to stroke.

Peter groaned and closed this eyes. His voice was thick and eager. "Jesus, woman, didn't you get enough already?"

"You know what they say about eating Chinese? An hour later you're hungry again? Same thing."

"Is that a crack about my mom's side of the family?"

His hardening dick pulsed in her hand, eliciting a spasm from her own pussy. Erica faced the shower wall, placed her palms on the tiles, and bent over. "Oh, shut up and fuck me."

Peter's hands grabbed her hips. "As the lady demands."

His cock poked at her entrance. Erica inhaled sharply—which became a gasp as his girth slid inside. Peter began to plow her with steady, forceful strokes. Each thrust of his hips against hers spread a ripple of pleasure through her body. She leaned her cheek against the wall and moaned through her next orgasm as he took her, then again when he reached his.

A short time later found them in the kitchen, Peter wearing a pair of cargo shorts and Erica in a long button-down shirt. They stood side-by-side, assembling a couple of sandwiches. Erica kept stealing glances at him. He met her eyes and smiled. She blushed and went back to applying mayo to slices of bread.

Who would have imagined it would turn out this way?

She had feared that without the mutual antagonism toward their employers, their contact would cool and return to normal. Even as Nadine Blanton still wept on the lawn of her soon-to-be former estate, Erica wondered what would become of her and Peter.

Peter, however, had evidently had no doubts. The moment he saw Erica back at his apartment after the events that day, he had grabbed her under the arms, picked her up, and spun her about, laughing at the success of their coup. The moment her feet touched the ground, Erica had thrown caution to the wind and smashed her lips against his—and to her delight, he'd reciprocated. They'd left a trail of clothes to the bedroom, for what turned out to be the first of many lovely sessions. Since then, Erica had practically lived with him.

She'd been worried about her son's reaction but as it turned out, without concern. Peter and Brady had hit it off instantly and gotten along great, spending time flying Peter's drone and talking about Elon Musk's latest space ventures. Brady had even said to her, "Too early to be sure, Mom, but I think he's a good one."

Erica smiled at the memory. Her son had been cool or indifferent to past boyfriends, which only made her feel all the better about Peter.

She glanced at the clock and her smile diminished. After eating, she would reluctantly have to go, since the next day was Monday and would signal the start of a new work week for both of them. Technically, Peter was on-call round the clock, but his duties had decreased significantly since John Dekker had been booted from the family. Similarly, Erica found her job much easier without Nadine hanging over them. The divorces were ongoing, and ugly. Nadine had begged Edward, saying it was a mistake, but he'd been adamant. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, she'd turned to trying to break their pre-nup, though with Edward's money and experience, she hadn't had a prayer. Last she heard, Nadine had signed the decree in exchange for a lump sum before disappearing. Frannie said Nadine had gone to the east coast but Erica didn't care, so long as she was gone.

John had been much more belligerent, smearing Amanda and her family in public and social media. That lasted until he turned up beat to a pulp in the parking lot of his cheap apartment. From a hospital bed, he'd said—well, Erica thought, he wrote it, since his jaw was broken—that Amanda's father had set goons on him but nothing could be proven. Their divorce was winding through the courts, though since Edward had fired John immediately after the benefit, John's money and options were running out.

They'd all also been questioned by the police regarding the firework display and complaints from neighbors. Erica and Peter pled ignorance, as did Edward and Amanda. The estate's security cameras had just happened to have developed a glitch that day and nothing was recorded. Erica thought the police knew more than they let on but since it was a one-time incident that took place on a wealthy estate, the only damage occurred to that estate, and no one was hurt, she suspected the police were inclined to let it go rather than invest resources in an investigation that would be stonewalled from the get-go.

Erica sighed. Even with all the commotion, both she and Peter still did have to work. Houses had to be cleaned and employers driven places. They'd both be too busy to see each other much during the week.

I guess that's just life, right?

As if reading her thoughts, Peter said, "Going to be a long week. When can we get together again?"

"Probably not before Friday. Brady has an award ceremony Wednesday. I took some time off for that, so I'll be a little tight the rest of the week."

"The engineering scholarship presentation?"

She smiled. "Yes. He told you?"

"He asked me to come. He also said it's going to take a lot of financial pressure off you."

"It is."

"I congratulated him. Unfortunately, it's at the same time as I need to drive Amanda to one of her appointments. Brady understood and said we'd hang out later."

Erica leaned against him. "I'm glad you and him are getting along so well."

"He's a good kid. He had a good mom to raise him." His arm encircled her shoulder and squeezed. Content, Erica sighed.

A knock sounded from the door. Peter furrowed his brow. "Wonder who that is?" He went to the front.

Conscious that she wore a shirt and nothing else, Erica hung back. She heard brief voices. The door closed and Peter returned, looking confused. He clutched an envelope. She pointed. "What's that?"

"Courier delivery. I don't know what it is but it's addressed to both of us."

Erica's senses went on high alert. "Who would know we're here together?"

"Let's see."He picked up a knife, slit the top, and dumped the contents. A folded page and a smaller envelope tumbled out. Peter unfolded the page and held it out so they could read it together.

To Erica and Peter--

We apologize that we cannot do this publicly; we would love to openly thank the persons who alerted us to our spouses' betrayals. Unfortunately, there is ongoing litigation for both of us and our divorce proceedings are going to be tied up in court for a long time—not to mention the police investigation as to who set off numerous illegal fireworks in a residential neighborhood—so it's better if we keep this under wraps. We both hope you understand how much we value loyalty and wish to reward such. Rest assured that when the dust settles and there is no more scrutiny of our finances, both of you will enjoy a raise and increased benefits.

We both had suspicions but never thought our cheating spouses would be so bold or disrespectful, so we thank you for bringing this to our attention, and allowing us to prepare a suitable response. We can't say we approve of the fireworks—whoever set those off.

Erica blushed but Peter just grinned and said, "They know but they're just saying that to cover their asses." She nodded and kept reading.

In the meantime, we agree that you should be compensated for your difficulty. Please accept this as a small token of our appreciation—and please be discrete about it, until such time as we can discuss it openly.

With our respect and thanks,

EB and AW

Peter said, "Hmm. Edward Blanton and Amanda Wallace."

Erica picked up the small envelope. "What's this?"

He offered her the knife, handle first. "You do the honors."

She opened the top and pulled out two slips of paper. "Pay to the order of—" She gasped.

Peter frowned. "What?"

Erica could not control her trembling. "Peter ... these are checks for fifty-thousand dollars each."

"What?" He took them from her. "Holy ... this is wild."

"It's a hell of a bonus."

"Maybe." He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed. "But it means your money problems for Brady are over."

Realization dawned and Erica could not help herself. A smile spread over her face and tears filled her eyes. She took the check and clutched it to her chest. "I never expected this. I just wanted to do the right thing and help."

"Me too. Who knew we'd find a prize at the end of the rainbow?"

She squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. "I found so much more than that."

His answering smile set her tingling all over again. Erica laughed and said, "Okay, let's finish these sandwiches."

Peter scooped her into his strong arms and lifted her, causing Erica to giggle. "The hell with dinner. If I have limited time with you, I know how I want to spend it."

Content, she nestled her head in the crook of his neck as he carried her down the hall. Her stomach rumbled and she giggled again. Quiet, I'll feed you later. More important things to do now.

Peter carried her into the bedroom and gently closed the door.

END

I did say it was far-fetched, right? Thanks for reading!