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Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025 12:24

Podcast: Lunes 16 de junio de 2025 - Noticias con Calle - Aprieta la AEE contra LUMA y el manejo de fondos federales AGARRAN asesino de Minnesota Se dispara dramáticamente el precio, y baja luego - CNBC Listo PR si mandan a trabajar a los que cogen Medicaid/Vital dice Salud - El Nuevo DíaMotorizada propone a Rivera Schatz como gobernador - El Nuevo Día Disparada la inflación de precios de asuntos energéticos y va a subir más - El Nuevo Día Irán ha lanzado sobre 350 misiles a zonas civiles de Israel - FTIsrael quería asesinar al líder religioso supremo de Irán, el Ayatollah - CNNNetanyahu lo negó India el gran productor de nuestros iPhones en vez de China - QzVan a poner tech en carreteras de PR para avisarte cuando ocurra un incidente - El Vocero Cambio en policía no ha cambiado el rezago - El Vocero Desarrollar viviendas para viejitos es un paradigma inevitable - El Vocero Murió Violeta Chamorro de Nicaragua - Primera HoraElectores por primera vez votaron en mayoría en muchos sitios de forma mixta o candidatura - El Nuevo DíaUPR reclutara estudiantes extranjeros - El Nuevo DíaCasas de PR están sin seguro en su mayoría - El Nuevo DíaMás enmiendas al presupuesto - El Nuevo DíaPor recobrar 27 millones que la Contralora ha identificado y que el gobierno pagó mal - El Nuevo Día HOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR.¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO!¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

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The most important skill in entrepreneurship (that no one can teach you)

music creator entrepreneurship teach tap skill fault content creation bus mmm business mindset mea personal accountability entrepreneur podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025 12:03 Transcription Available

This episode is about personal accountability in entrepreneurship, There's no boss. No manager. No one watching your screen. So why are you still waiting for someone to make you do stuff?This week's episode is part personal story, part loving kick in the butt. I'll regale you with some stories about being accountable to myself to a FAULT in hopes that we can all find a happy medium and show up for ourselves (without burning out over it).Inside, I'm sharing:The wild lesson I learned performing unrehearsed onstage at 9 years old

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 9

Learn Italian with LearnAmo - Impariamo l'italiano insieme!

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 16, 2025

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 9 The real world crashes down on Andy Rook. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Andy felt an involuntary shiver of delight at her calling him that. He couldn't help himself. But she'd also said she wanted to be "loved like a princess" at the end, and he didn't want to disappoint her, because this memory was going to be seared in her brain. He pulled his hips away, sliding his cock out of her, hearing an unsatisfied whine melting from her lips for just a moment before he flipped her over onto her back, his hand closing around her neck for just a moment, giving it a tiny squeeze, watching her eyes widen as she nodded at him before his hand slipped away from it. Her slender legs lifted up to wrap around his waist, the soft fabric of the stockings smoothing along his skin as he moved to line himself up once more, pushing his cock back into her snatch, hearing those sloppy noises when he did. Her heels were pressed into his body, not letting him pull too far back, as if she didn't want to feel his cock slipping out from her twat even for a moment, so mostly he was just churning his cock inside of her. "Tell me you're at least as half as good a man as you seem like you are," she whispered, his forehead resting against hers. "I try." "Tell me you're going to be a good husband for Sarah, and also for me." "I promise to try my best." "Tell me you'll love me at least half as much as you love her," she said, taking Sarah's limp hand within her own, folding their fingers together. "I'll love you both with all of my heart." "Then kiss me, and cum in me, and we can claim each other. You've made me into such a wanton slut for you, but now make me an honest woman. Make me your honest woman, your slut, your wife or whatever in between. Bring me into your wonderful fucking family. Cum inside of my needy little cunt so hard you feel like I do, like this is all you've ever wanted your entire fucking life. I love you, Andy Rook, I love you so fucking much, so just claim me already!" Her lips shoved against his, one of her hands still holding onto Sarah's, the other squeezing the back of his neck as she clenched onto him with her stocking clad legs, her tongue demanding the presence of his as his body finally could resist no further, and he blasted a barrage of spurts of cum into her twat, a rat a tat series of jets, her feet giving frantic little kicks of her heels against his ass as her body accepted the injection of cum, and the process began, although she stayed locked in a vice around his waist for much longer than he expected her to. Eventually, however, the process did what it always did, and her limbs fell limp and slipped away from him, as she sunk into the bed like a dead weight. She was, naturally, mumbling "imprinting" over and over again, but unlike any of the other women he'd imprinted before now, she had a broad smile from ear to ear on her face while she did, her fingers still intertwined with Sarah's. As much as he wanted to lay down and fall asleep with them, it wasn't even dark outside yet. He glanced at his watch and saw it was barely past 2 in the afternoon. He felt like could just sleep for a short nap if he tried, but his curiosity got the better of him, and so slipped off the bed and moved his way over to the door, standing right at it before he opened it suddenly, swinging it inward, finding Niko and Aisling standing there, big grins on their faces. Niko immediately sprinted past him, her phone in her hand, as she slid up on the bed and immediately took a photo of Emily and Sarah's unconscious faces, framing it so their intertwined hands were framed right in the middle of it. "God, she's smiling while she mumbles!" she said, not lowering her voice at all, because she knew how completely unconscious the two women were. "I've never seen that before. They even wore the Dagger Academy outfits for you. Fuck me, you lucky bastard." "Emily asked her to take a picture of them while they were imprinting, so they could see what they looked like adrift on bliss," Ash said to him, giggling at how wobbly he was standing. "Looks like they did quite a number on you, though. You about to fall over?" "Oh, don't pretend like you weren't listening outside of the door," he grinned. "We weren't, until Emily was yelling loud enough for the whole damn house to hear." Niko moved to pull up a sheet over the two women, then the comforter, to make sure they wouldn't be cold while the vaccine and Andy's semen mixed inside of their bodies, bonding them to him on a cellular level, fundamentally altering their very biology. She slipped back and off the bed, moving back over to Andy. "If you aren't crawling in bed with that mass of pale perfection tonight, then I sure as fuck am," she laughed. "If I'm honest, I think Sarah would be worried if she didn't wake up with me in bed with her and Emily, so I'll come back and crawl in bed with them later tonight. You're both welcome to join me, obviously." "I am physically incapable of saying no to that," Niko said. "Same," Aisling echoed. "But Phil's going to be here in about an hour, so you should probably go and get another shower in. As much as I personally like you smelling like high end perfume and wanton cunt, I think he'd rather you'd washed up first." Andy laughed and nodded. "Yeah, fair enough." "We'll come shower with you," Niko said. "We both want to hear all about the Hollywood additions to our family," Aisling added. "Okay, but if you touch my cock and it breaks off, you two have nobody but yourselves to blame." Chapter 21 When Phil showed up, he looked crestfallen. Andy's first impression was that his friend had bad news for him, but he wasn't sure how bad of news, because Phil looked more bleak than Andy could ever remember seeing him. It was either Phil winding him up for some epic prank, or the kind of horrible news like he couldn't possible even imagine. "Jesus Phil, you look like shit," Aisling said to him. Andy was glad that it wasn't just him who was rattled by his friend's appearance. "Yeah, thanks for that," he grumbled. Phil had bags under his eyes, like he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a week. He gave Charlotte a soft smile, his weary face growing kind for a moment. "Heya, Doc. I hear you're going to be happier with me, so I hope you don't end up regretting that." "Thank you for agreeing to take me in, Mr. Pak," Charlotte said to him as he walked up to the porch. "Andy's a sweetheart, but I'm simply not attracted to white men. You, on the other hand," she said, moving to wrap her arms around him. "I'm going to take you home and gobble you up whole." Phil laughed a little bit at that, leaning down to kiss Charlotte, only for a moment, and clearly not for as long as she would have wanted. "I need to talk to Andy for a little bit first. I'll be back in just a little bit." Now Andy was beginning to get very worried. It wasn't a prank. It was damning bad news of the worst sort. He was starting to wondering if one of their mutual friends had died and he just hasn't heard about it yet. "What's going on, Phil?" he asked him. "Let's go for a walk," Phil said to Andy as Charlotte pulled away from him, starting to load her things into the car. "Yeah, okay." The two men started walking along the side of the house, heading towards the back, when Phil suddenly said "You got a private place we can talk for a bit? Some place where nobody will find us?" "Sure," Andy said, as he led Phil into the house. One of the places that Andy had discovered and kept to himself about the house was that there was a private study with a small balcony. The study was concealed behind a bookcase that popped out to reveal a secret passageway. He hadn't told any of the girls about it yet, simply because it was something he'd discovered on his own, and found it a nice little getaway. He'd only used it once or twice, and never for more than a few minutes, but for the time being it was still his private space. He'd tell the girls about it soon enough, although he was tempted to let them just discover the space like he had. The study had a couch, two chairs and a desk, and the balcony was concealed from the ground level, so that if you didn't know it was there, it would be completely overlooked. On the desk when he'd found it was a simple bottle of incredibly expensive whiskey, two crystal glasses and a note that read "good luck" on it. He still wasn't sure who'd left him the bottle or the note. He didn't recognize the handwriting, and he asked Nicolette about it, and she hadn't known either, although she had known about the presence of the room. She'd been the first to arrive at the house, a day before Katie and Jenny, and three days before Andy had showed up. She'd agreed to keep the room secret for the time being, just to give him a little hideaway. "We going to need a drink for this?" Andy asked him. "Yeah, and don't be skimping on the pour." Andy poured a large glass of the whiskey for Phil, and a smaller glass for himself, holding out the small one to Phil, but his friend reached over and took the lesser glass instead. "You're going to need the bigger one." "I don't drink that much, Phil." "Trust me on this." "Okay. Phil, now you're scaring me. What the hell is going on?" "So let me give you the good news first, so you know that there's something to hold onto," Phil said with a sigh. "They've developed another vaccine, one that can be transported cheaply and is going into mass production, unlike the one you and I have been getting for some time delivered second hand from our partners." Phil shrugged a little. "It's progress, I guess. We'll be getting shots of that vaccine too, and as long as the population goes and gets vaccinated, the quarantine will start to slowly get lifted in about three or four month's time. At this point, Congress is so desperate to keep people alive that they're going to do anything they can think of, what's left of Congress, anyway." "That's great news, Phil! So why are you so glum?" "They're going to announce that vaccine next week, and people should start getting shots in about a month, but with that news, they're going to also release the death tolls, the actual death tolls, and it's very, very bad." "Like, how bad, Phil?" Phil lifted the glass and drank all of the whiskey. He waited for what felt like an hour before he spoke again. "Three million women dead. Eighty million men dead." Andy poured Phil another glass worth, because he didn't even know what to say to that. He could feel his jaw wanting to drop to the floor. "That's, that's over half the men in America dead. How the hell have they been keeping all this quiet?" "Lots of suppression at the hospitals, of the media. Anything they can do to prevent a panic. Shit, I know I'd panic. I am panicking. Fuck, I panic each and every day. I mean, fuck, we're having to do mass cremations just to prevent the whole fucking system from collapsing. Too many people refused the first vaccine and those people each became a Typhoid Mary, infecting thousands of others. Hell, like a third of Congress is dead, although let's be honest, we won't miss most of the fuckers who died there from their own fucking stupidity. Teach them to say the whole goddamn thing will just disappear one day. Fucking morons." Phil was clearly getting angry about the whole thing, not that Andy could blame him. Phil had had a front row seat to all of the political backseating that had gone on for months now, hearing all the mistakes people had been making in the reactions to the virus, and Andy suspected it had been eating away at him. For months now Phil's temper had grown shorter and shorter, and wasn't allowed to talk about it. Hell, Andy was certain Phil wasn't supposed to be telling him any of this, but his friend had clearly boiled over and just couldn't bottle it in any more. Before Andy could say anything, Phil continued. "Why couldn't they just do their fucking jobs, just fucking tell people to stay the fuck at home, and we could've weathered this whole thing with only a couple of thousand people dead instead of this Shit!" Andy was half afraid Phil was going to throw the glass to the ground. "Is it, is it this bad around the world?" Phil shook his head. "Most places took this threat fucking seriously!" he shouted loud enough that he was sure people in the house could hear him, although he doubted they could make out what he'd said. "They hunkered down, bubbled up and took the advice of their fucking doctors! Doctors know more about medicine than braindead politicians! So in the parts of the world not run by fucking morons, we're looking at most countries losing only about five to ten percent of their male population, although there are a few outliers. India has numbers like ours, UK's got about half our losses per capita, maybe more, and China, well, nobody fucking knows what's going on in China, but the working theory is they're about as fucked as we are, if not even more so. Nobody will fucking tell us anything, though. The phone keeps ringing and ringing at their embassy but nobody's answering, so that's fucking scary as shit,” Andy took a deep pull off his whiskey. "Goddamn, who's going to recognize this fucking country once we're on the other side of this? Hell, how does this fucking planet go on from this?" "None of this is public information yet, so don't go talking about it to anyone outside of your household. You're still going to probably get a few more girls added to your household before all of this is done, if for no other reason than to start bringing our population numbers back up. A lot of the surviving males in this country are currently under sixteen. The children, it seems, could handle the virus better than us old farts. The country's going to go through a whole 'Give Birth To A New Generation To Save This One!' campaign soon. It's post World War 2 on crack. Polyamory's going to be the lay of the land with the announcement late next week, encouraging men to be married to multiple women and to be getting them pregnant as soon as possible. They've already got the rewritten laws ready to be passed as soon as the announcement hits. Our generation, the generation before us and the generation after us are all mostly wiped out. Pretty much anyone we went to high school or college with is probably dead." "No wonder it's been impossible to get a hold of people for the last few months," Andy muttered. "There's nobody fucking out there." "Yeah, all of which brings me to the real reason I'm telling you all of this, Andy," Phil sighed. "Conner and Samantha are okay, your mom's fine, but Matty died this morning. I'm so sorry man." Andy didn't know what to say to that, so he took a long draw from his glass of whiskey. "Do you know anything more?" "Shit, Andy, I shouldn't even be telling you this much. I know it was quick and he didn't suffer. He was barely in the hospital 48 hours before he passed," Phil said. "They had him on a ventilator for a bit, but his body just couldn't take it. I know you've often told me you guys weren't all that close, but he was still your brother." Andy wanted to cry, scream and collapse all at the same time, but the varying emotions kept conflicting with one another and he found he couldn't process any of them. "He was nine years older than me, and he went off to college out of state when he was 16. Smartest son of a bitch I ever knew, but that meant I was seven when he left, so we never really bonded like proper brothers." Andy slumped back in his chair. "He was a good man, though. Always called on Christmas, or my birthday, and always trying to find new things I might like. He always told me he was so proud of chasing my dreams and becoming a writer. He was always a little pissed at himself for staying to the safe route, selling real estate and not chasing his dream of working for Nasa and going into space, but his family was so goddamn important to him. Christ, Conner's only eleven and now he doesn't have a fucking father anymore? Goddamn this fucking virus. Do you know how he caught it?" "One of his neighbors was trying to get their storm doors shuttered before a lightning storm and he went out to help them. Apparently caught it from them." Andy sighed, rubbing at his eyes, knowing they could burst into waterworks at any moment, but the shock was still too great. "Typical fucking Matty. Always willing to help out, never quite thinking it through before he did. I assume Sam knows? And my mom?" "They've both been told. Your mom's in intensive care herself, but it looks like she's going to come through it relatively okay. She's on a breather, but she's showing steady signs of improvement. That's why I'm here telling you instead of her telling you over the phone. Sam's a total mess, and said even talking to you would set her off crying all over again. She and Conner will come out okay on the other side." Andy nodded. He couldn't find much more in terms of words. "Well, I guess I'm glad the news came from you, then." The two sat in silence for a couple of minutes. "You going to be alright?" "We weren't close, but he was still my fucking brother, Phil." Andy threw up his hands. "No, I'm not fucking alright. I'm fucked in the head!" He drew in a deep breath, held it as long as he could, then slowly let it out. "It's a fuckload to take in." "I'll come by in a couple of days and make sure you're coping as best you can. We can play poker if you want." Andy laughed a touch bitterly at that. "Let's take a few weeks off from poker, alright?" Phil echoed his laugh, immediately understanding why. "I mean, you're never going to get a prize like that ever again. You're banging Emily Stevens, which I would love to break your legs over, but I can't say I fault you for." "Did you know she and Sarah Washington are already a couple? Like, they were together long before they got here?" "What?!" Phil chuckled, thankful to take Andy's mind off of the pain for even a split second. "No! And you landed them both!" "Well, Emily made sure I landed Sarah and then was delighted to see she came along for the ride. I'm sure she'll tell you the story at some point, but she had more of a hand manipulating things than I think any of us knew, even Niko, who had her fingers in stirring that pot as well." "At least you're going to have plentiful beautiful bodies to drown your misery in." "I suppose. Eventually," Andy frowned. "Right now, I just want to break down crying, and yet I can't feel the tears coming." "You're in shock, man," Phil said, giving Andy a hug. "You're just in shock. There's no one set way to grieve. It'll sneak up on you, or it'll hit you in waves, or it'll just come at you a little bit at a time again and again and again. Nobody can tell you that you're grieving wrong. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you'll get through it, day by day. And tell the girls. Tell them what's going on, what you're going through. Don't hide any of it from them, or try and underplay it." Phil patted him on the back. "You'll get through it, even if we have to carry you through parts of it. That's what friends are for." Andy patted Phil's back in return. "Thanks man. I'm going to sit and have a think for a bit, if that's okay? You know the way back?" "You kidding? Finding your way out of here's got to be easier than finding your way in. You want me to send any of the girls up?" "Nah, I'll be down soon enough and talk to them then." "Got it. Sorry to have been the bearer of bad news." Andy shrugged. "Better you than some stranger." Phil headed back down the stairs and then opened the bookcase door, closing the door behind him, leaving Andy alone with his thoughts. For a good ten minutes, Andy had himself a good cry. He wasn't ashamed of it, he wasn't embarrassed by it, but he needed to let it all out before he could regain his composure. He spent a couple of minutes on the balcony, and he could see Phil's car driving off. He expected Phil had stopped and told the girls the news, and was glad they didn't come racing to try and find him. The sun was starting to set over the tree line, and Andy regretted most of all that he'd never be able to talk to his brother again. He couldn't remember the last time they'd talked, or what they'd talked about. It had probably been about Conner, Matty's son, Andy's nephew. Ash had talked to him a few times via Facetime, and Niko and Lauren had both talked to him just the once, but not for all that long. They'd all looked forward to seeing each other on the other side of the pandemic, something that was never going to happen now. After another ten minutes or so, Andy slipped back down the hallway and opened the bookcase, stepping out, closing it behind him. He wasn't sure he wanted to see anyone, but he also knew that hiding and sulking wasn't good for him, so he wandered down towards the dining room area, since it was getting close to dinner time. As soon as he set foot in the room, Aisling and Niko immediately rushed him, both of them wrapping their arms around him, hugging him tightly, refusing to let him go. "We're here for you, babes," Ash said to him, kissing his cheek. "And we're never letting you go, okay?" "I mean, none of you even got to meet him in person," Andy sighed. "One of the only people who knew me growing up, and he's just, he's just fucking gone." He was trying hard not to cry, but both Niko and Aisling started crying, which set him off as well. He was a bit of a zombie throughout dinner. It was lovely, Jenny had made chicken fettucine alfredo with prosciutto, one of his favorite things ever. But even with the marvelous food, Andy was sleepwalking, shell-shocked from the news. Lauren and Taylor came in later, and obviously either Ash or Niko had called them earlier and told them, because neither of them talked much, other than to check on where Andy's head was at, a question he couldn't really answer. They even made an exception and let Taylor eat sitting at the table, although Lauren still hadn't let her put clothes on. Asha, Emily and Sarah were all still very deep into the imprinting process, and it looked like Piper hadn't finished either, even as they were getting ready for bed, which surprised Andy. His general estimate these days was that the imprinting process took somewhere between 12 and 18 hours, but Piper had been deprived of completing the inoculation and imprinting process longer than anyone was supposed to be, so maybe she needed longer for everything to take hold in her system. When it came time for bed, Niko made sure Andy stripped bare, not letting him grab pajamas, and then Ash pushed him in between Emily and Sarah. Niko then moved to roll Emily partially onto his chest on one side, while Ash pushed Sarah on the other. Then both girls climbed into the bed and also wrapped their arms around him, followed by Lauren and Taylor, until Andy was basically being smothered in girl flesh, all of them hold onto him tight, until everyone fell asleep until morning. Chapter 22 In the morning when he awoke, Andy had expected that the girls would've scattered some around the bed, but instead, found all of them had moved in much closer instead. Sarah's face was against one side of his neck and Emily's face was against the other. One of his hands was folded into Niko's and the other was folded into Aisling's. Amusingly enough, Lauren and Taylor had actually slept toe to head with him, and were hugging his legs and each other. The biggest problem was that he desperately needed to take a piss. He started by drawing his legs in, gingerly slipping them out between Lauren and Taylor's arms without waking either of them. Two down, four to go. Andy slowly drew his hand out from Niko's, skating his arm slowly back towards him, working to roll the two women back, which he found he was able to do without too much trouble. He was about to do the same to Emily and Aisling, but saw that Aisling was awake and gave him a little wink, letting go of his hand and pulling Emily back and away from him enough for him to slip out, standing up, placing his foot on the headboard, using it as a sort of precipice, stepping up just long enough to pivot out and reach the edge of the bed, hopping out of it quietly. Aisling moved to lay Emily against Sarah, then moved to follow him into the bathroom, where he was already sitting on the toilet. They'd long ago gotten comfortable enough to talk to one another while they peed, although she still closed the door behind her, mostly to keep their conversation from waking the others. "Feeling any better?" she asked him. "Still mostly in shock," he sighed. "I mean, it's not just my brother. Basically any of my guy friends from high school or college is likely dead. That's a hell of a thing to lay on a person, and not be able to tell anyone." "Sure, but that's too big a thing to think about, so your brain's focusing on Matty, love," Ash said to him. "And that's okay. He sounded like a great guy, even if you two weren't that close." "He was. I was really looking forward to introducing everyone to him. I don't really have much family left at this point, other than this one, I guess. At least my friend Xander is staying safe back in Cleveland." "You talked to him Monday on FaceTime, remember?" Ash reminded him. "He was giving you shit about watching 'The Ipcress File' again." "God, I have to call him and tell him about all of that mess out there," Andy laughed, standing up, flushing the toilet. "He's probably going to fall down laughing." Aisling grabbed the back of his neck, forcing him to bend down enough for her to kiss him. "Good. Mourn your big brother, but don't lose sight of the good things in your life either. Everyone's taken the day off work today, so everyone will be around if you want to talk or fuck or cuddle or whatever. You should do some of all of that." "You want to hop in the shower with me? There's something else I wanted to talk about with you." "Awright, love," she said, reaching in to turn on the warm water. "What's on your mind?" Andy stepped in and did a little adjustment to the water temperature, turning it down just a little bit. For some reason, most of the girls loved it searing hot, while Andy didn't want it quite so scalding. "So, there are more changes coming with the announcements next week that I don't know if Phil told you about." Ash stepped in to let her fiery mane pass under the water, getting it good and soaked. "Just about the mass US casualties and that your brother was one of them. I immediately called home to make sure all me family was fine, but all my kin's staying boarded up, so they're safe." He moved to wrap his arms around her, holding her in a firm hug. "They're going to change some of the fundamental laws here in the states, and encourage things that would've been heresy just a few months ago. And Phil was encouraging me to think about the future, about what life's going to look like going forward." Ash looked over freckled her shoulder at him with a wry smile. "Sounds like some heavy shit." Andy laughed a little. "I suppose so. The whole polyamory thing is going to be codified in laws, so pods will be actual families and such. Anyway, uh, well, damn, you know I never thought I'd be doing this in my life, but Aisling Blake, will you marry me?" She immediately spun around in his arms and kissed him harder than she ever had before, her body pressing against his like she was afraid if she let go of him, all of this would disappear in a dream. That kiss lasted for a long moment before she finally pulled back, smiling up at him. "So, is that a maybe or...?" She reached around and swatted him on his ass. "Of course I'll marry you, you utter git!" she giggled. "But I do have two conditions that are completely non-negotiable." Andy smirked, tilting his head a little. "If one of them involves you getting to peg me with a strap on, this marriage is over before it's even started." "No, you big dummy!" she said through laughter and tears. "One is that you have to ask both Lauren and Niko today, like today today. If we're going to be an actual family, it's not right that I get to be your wife alone." "Of course," Andy said. "I was going to talk to them over the next few days, but I can make it today. What's the other?" "You have to promise me you won't feel bad if Lauren says no." Andy arched an eyebrow. "You think she'll say no if I ask her to marry me?" Aisling sighed a little. "I think you need to talk to her first. I think she wants to marry Taylor. She loves you, don't get me wrong, but it's a different level of love than what she feels for Taylor. If you bring it up to her, I think she's just going to want to remain your concubine or fuck buddy or whatever, and then her and Taylor get married. But when it comes to soul to soul connection, I think she feels a little guilty that she's not as close to you as Niko and I are, and that's not her fault, not your fault, not anybody's fault. I don't want you to guilt her into this next level." He nodded. "It's okay, there have been signs of that over the last few days. I know she said that she's moving her and Taylor into another bedroom since she gets up so early, but I also feel like it's to give them a bit of space on their own. I'm not mad. I'm genuinely not. I get that. And I suspected that something like this might happen when I saw how angry Lauren got at Taylor's arrival. You have to really care about someone for them to get that far under your skin." Ash squeezed him a little more. "On the plus side, Niko's totally going to say yes. She said she's been suspecting that men were going to have multiple wives sometime soon, so as soon as she finds out that it's happening, she'll fall over herself to accept." He leaned down and kissed her again. "We'll wait for the ceremony until we're on the other side of all of this, but we may want to do all the legal stuff as soon as we're able to." "Mmm," she said. "And then wait for all of us to have one giant ceremony, you and your multitude of wives." "Two's not that many." Aisling giggled again, rolling her eyes. "You're an idiot, you know that, right, love?" "What do you mean?" "Sarah and Emily are absolutely going to demand to marry you as well, and that's just for starters. Who knows how Piper, Asha, Hannah and whoever's next is going to feel?" Andy shook his head. "You're awfully confident that Sarah and Emily will want to marry me." "Of course I am, you daft git," Ash smirked. "I saw how Sarah looked at you yesterday, and, shit, we all heard Emily say as much last night. So you've got at least four wives already in the wings. And I'm never going to say this again, but I'll always know I'm the first," she giggled, kissing him once more. Fifteen minutes later, they were getting out of the shower, and Andy peeked his head back into the bedroom, seeing nobody else had woken up yet, so he quietly grabbed some boxers, some jeans and a t shirt, got dressed, and slipped out into the house. Behind him, he could hear the sound of the hair dryer turning on, even though the bathroom door, and he suspected the other girls would slowly be getting up. The first thing Andy did was walk down the hall and peek his head into Piper's room. She was awake and dressed, having clearly slept for a long time, dressed in a t shirt and shorts, reading the letter he'd left in her room. "I didn't want you just to awaken in a strange home without some idea of what was going on," Andy said, leaning against the doorframe. "You were so out of it that " She rushed him suddenly, clutching at him in a firm hug. She was crying a little, but the way she was holding onto him said they weren't tears of sadness. "Thank you for rescuing me from that bastard," she whispered. "I woke up a couple of hours ago and have mostly just been reading and rereading this letter you left me." In the letter he'd left in her room, Andy had explained who he was, and how she'd come to be in his home. He'd detailed her experiences with Covington, in case she couldn't remember them, and how he would've like to just taken her away from him and gotten her to choose a man of her liking, but that she had been in such a lust rage that he hadn't had that option. He'd also explained how his arrangement with the staff of the house worked, and that if she simply wanted to have that distant level of engagement with him, he would completely understand. "I'm sorry we had to meet this way, but here we are," Andy said. She turned his head and kissed him, soft, tender, vulnerable, but for a long moment before pulling back. "It's, it's all a lot to take in," she mumbled. "I don't have to make a decision now, do I?" Andy smiled warmly at her and shook her head. "You've got plenty of time to figure out what you want to do here, and how you want to engage with me and the rest of the household. How are you feeling? People aren't supposed to wait that long to get imprinted, so we were a little worried there might be unforeseen complications." "Not that I noticed?" Piper said, still mostly whispering. "Although there's one thing,” "If there's a problem, definitely let me know and I can call my friend at the base. We can have some of the doctors check you out." "It's not a problem so much as just a weird thing,” she said. "I could, I could smell you? Coming down the hall? Like, I knew it was you, because the smell made me feel warm and tingly inside. Like, a little buzzed, in a good way. But it kinda makes it hard to think clearly? Maybe it'll pass. But I feel a definite connection to you, like I'm safe around you? I don't even know you, but I feel safe. How weird is that?" Andy shrugged a bit. "It might just be some part of the imprinting process that's functioning on a deeper level because of what you went through. I don't know. One of the doctors who's responsible for developing the process is now the partner of a friend of mine, so we'll have her check you out." "Is it okay if we wait a few days before we fuck again?" she asked. "I know I have to do it regularly, but I want a few days to clear my head, if that's cool." Andy pulled back and kissed her forehead. "You have at least a week before you'll feel any real need for my cum, and if you're still not ready by then, you can just blow me, or have one of the girls jerk me off into your mouth. Whatever's easiest for you." "Oh, I'm ready to fuck you right now," she laughed. "Maybe it's just the process, but I was ready to fuck you the second I smelled you walking down the hallway, but I want a few more days so I'm not in so much of a daze the first time we fuck. Well, the first time that we fuck that I remember." She had an easy grace about her, a sort of stoic confidence that he had to admit he found attractive. "Your letter makes me sound like I was quite a handful the night you rescued me." "Yeah, you can ask Niko about it, but you basically just pinned me down, climbed on top of me and rode me like I was an oversized sex toy." She giggled fiercely at that, blushing a dark red. "Well, I'm sorry about that, I guess, but, not gonna lie, it also sounds fucking hot. I'll talk to Niko about it." She looked at the room then looked back at him. "So is this my room for good then?" "If you want it to be, or you can move into the master bedroom as well, if you want. And you don't have to do just one or the other. You can have this as your personal room, but sleep in the main bedroom any time you want." She nodded. "Okay, I'll sleep here for the next few days while I'm sorting my head out. I need to call my friends and family and explain what's happened and where I'm at. Is that okay?" Andy gave her another short hug then pulled back. "Absolutely. Do whatever you need to. The letter included a list of everyone who's in the house right now and a short description of them. If you need help finding something, feel free to ask Nicolette. If you're hungry, just tell Jenny what you want and she'll whip something up for you." "Thank you again, Andy. I have a feeling I'm going to be saying that a lot in my life moving forward." "Call your family. We can talk more later." Andy headed out of the room and stepped back into the hallway, heading downstairs, where he found Lauren having a breakfast complete that Jenny had put together for her. Over the next few minutes, while Jenny made him a breakfast burrito, Andy talked to Lauren about her and Taylor. Andy mentioned that he had asked Aisling to marry him. Lauren agreed that she wanted to marry Taylor eventually, but was glad that Andy had asked her nonetheless, and reiterated that while she still loved him, she wasn't in love with him the way she was with Taylor, and she appreciated his being understanding about that. After that, Andy went to go write for a while It helped clear his head, and his two cats seemed to have made his office their regular sleeping spot. Whenever he was there, they moved to sleep closer to him, by his feet, on his legs or nestled into the excess room between him and his chair. A couple of hours later, he saved the file and got up, heading towards the kitchen to get lunch when he ran into Niko, who pulled him aside, saying she wanted to check up on him. They headed into one of the lounges and as soon as they were in the lounge, Niko dropped down to one knee. "Andy Rook, will you marry me?" she said, holding up a small ring box. Inside the box was a simple titanium band with a folded cabling pattern on it. Andy's jaw was on the floor, then he started laughing. "Of course I'll marry you, Niko, as long as you're okay sharing me with Ash, and maybe more." He hadn't even thought to get rings for Ash and Niko, but it was definitely a thing he needed to do soon. "Oh, sharing you is not a problem," she said, kissing him as she slipped the ring onto his finger. "I know Emily and Sarah are definitely going to insist on it. I thought I'd just ask you quick and take the pressure off. I take it Lauren's hitching up with Taylor instead?" "Yeah, I think we all saw that one coming. It's fine." "Is it fine or is it fine?" she asked him. "It's completely fine," Andy laughed. "Genuinely. To be honest, it means one less anniversary present I have to worry about." "I'm torn between wanting my own wedding day and wanting to share it with all the other girls," she teased. "Oh please, god, let me just have one giant ceremony, so that I only have one anniversary to remember," he pleaded, which made her laugh. "Alright, but only because it means I get to watch all of your two starlet fuck-pets' friends look on in jealousy when we're all marrying you." "Wow, are you optimistic," he muttered. "I haven't asked either of them yet, so there's no guarantee " "Andy. Andy!” They're both gonna say yes. Shit, Sarah might cum just from you asking her, based on how she's been any time I've talked to her about you. I had to avoid telling her I was involved with you, but she was rereading a copy of 'The Trouble With Were Bears' when she arrived at the base." "Why is it the crappiest book in the series sold the most fucking copies?" Andy groaned. "But let me tell you, Emily is one clever lady." Over the next few minutes, Andy explained to her what Emily had done, how she had manipulated all sorts of people to ensure that Sarah would be paired up with Andy in the end, and how she was incredibly thankful to be with her as well. "See?" Niko said. "Emily even said you should marry her, so she's going to definitely say yes. So that's two more. A five person wedding sounds wild, but a lot of fun. You given any thought about talking it over with Piper or Asha?" Andy shook his head. "Piper's awake but I don't want to overwhelm her, so we'll let her get comfortable with the house in her own time, and Asha's too young to be ready to make that kind of decision." Niko tasked him. "You're gonna have to get over that, Andy. She's part of your family now, so the only question becomes how and at what level." "Fine, I won't rule it out, but we're certainly not bringing it up to her for at least a few weeks until after she's settled. I'll talk to Em and Sarah about it over the next few days, since they've both made it extremely clear how they're feeling about it." "And don't forget, you've got Hannah showing up tomorrow." "And we'll see whatever other surprise Watkins has planned with her arrival." The rest of the day was quiet. It had begun raining around lunchtime, and the rain kept falling into the evening, when Andy finally held a group dinner, the entire family having a big meal, using the largest ballroom they had, the banquet dinner table having enough seats for sixteen. With the three on staff, they were at twelve already, so Andy made the decision in his head not to grow the family by more than three more, one of which was already reserved for Hannah. At dinner, Andy told the gathering that he'd proposed to Ash and Niko, which Niko corrected saying that she had done the asking. Regardless of who asked who, Andy told them, the three of them were going to get married eventually, at which point Emily and Sarah had chimed in, asking Andy to marry them as well, to which he immediately agreed. Lauren also told the gathering that she and Taylor had agreed to marry each other, but that didn't mean they were leaving the family. Neither Piper or Asha chimed in, both looking content to wait and see how things moved forward before jumping in feet first. The dinner turned into a sort of get to know each other party, and the girls intermingled a bunch, talking to one another, trying to spend time with everyone, although all of them made a point to come back and check on Andy regularly. He felt weird, being at the center of a party exclusively populated by beautiful women he'd all fooled around with, and they were all getting along. He even saw Niko lean in and kiss Emily, both of them smiling and blushing afterwards. They all talked shit with one another well into the evening and eventually when Andy decided it was time to head up to bed, the girls were still talking and said they would be up to join him in bed eventually. Andy must've looked a little sad at that, because as he turned to head upstairs, Niko and Ash both darted over to walk up with him, and the three climbed into bed and fell asleep together. Chapter 23 The next morning, Andy woke up to a bed far less filled, although certainly just as appealing. Niko had needed to go to the base for the day, so she'd gotten up early, and Aisling had decided to have a nice early day as well, planning to FaceTime her family back in Ireland. That left him sandwiched between Emily and Sarah, who had immediately closed ranks and tightened in on Andy as soon as there was space available. Both of them were awake around the same time that he was, and he awoke to Emily nibbling on one of his ears, Sarah nibbling on the other, each of them smoothing a hand across his hairy chest. "Good morning, Andrew," Emily whispered. Andy shook his head. "Nobody calls me Andrew unless they're mad at me." "We're a little cock mad," Sarah giggled. "Does that count?" "I have to meet Hannah today, and she may want to join the family, so I don't know if I really should." "I'm not sure you could distract us even if you wanted to, Mr. Rook." He grinned a little bit. "I could distract one of you pretty easily." "I somehow doubt that," Emily said, "but you're welcome to try." Andy sat up, and slid out of the bed, a smug look on his face. "Sarah. In the basement living room, the big one with all the couches, there's a box off to the side with the letters ARC on the top. That's got the advance reader copies of 'The Doppleganger's Dilemma,' the next Druid Gunslinger book that's going to finally come out in December. If you want, you can " He didn't even get to finish the sentence, as Sarah was already darting out of the room in her silk negligee, sprinting towards the stairs, giggling ferociously. Andy turned to look at Emily, who rolled her eyes at him with a matching amused smile. "Touché, Mr. Rook," she said to him, "touché." "How fast does she read?" "She'll be done with it before dinner, I'm sure, but she may forget to eat lunch." "Good lord, what have I done?" he laughed. "Made her very very happy," she said, before looking over at the doorway, seeing Nicolette standing there. "Looks like someone wants to talk to you." Andy waved, grabbing a pair of boxer shorts, tugging them on as well as a t shirt, before walking over to talk with Nicolette, who was, as always, rocking her maid's outfit. "Hey Nicolette, what's up?" "Might I speak with you for a couple of minutes, Master?" she said, her hands folded together nervously. "Hey, I told you, you don't have to call me that," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "But I like calling you that, Master." He shrugged. "Fair enough. Let's walk and talk. I'll see you downstairs in a bit, Em?" "Naturally," Emily said, hopping out of bed, heading towards the bathroom. Andy and Nicolette started walking down the lavish hallway, although Andy did notice she was staying a step or two behind him. It was her decision, and he knew he was going to have to get to used to it, but it still felt weird to him. "What's on your mind?" "Well Master, the rest of the staff and I were talking, and we would like, with your permission, to remain a bit more distant with the family," she sighed. "I know you're trying to make Jenny, Katie and I feel like family, but we very much want to keep our emotional distance from the family, sir, and being invited to dinner felt like a step too far. Katie and Jenny didn't know how to broach the subject with you, and suggested I talk to you, so you understand that we do not mean any malice or discontentment by it, simply that we want to keep that level of detachment." "I understand why Jenny and Katie want that," Andy said, "but you do as well, Nicolette?" She looked up at him and smiled shyly. "Look, Master. I know you're still adapting to all of this, but this is what I want. I don't want you to think of me as a partner. I get off on being submissive and subservient. That turns me on in ways I cannot even being to explain. In fact, the next time you want to gift me with your seed, you should just bend me over, flip up my skirt, tug my panties aside and fuck me without so much as a word. I would find that incredibly stimulating. In fact, I've envied the treatment that Taylor has gotten over the past few weeks more than a little. I had hoped the fact that I prefer calling you Master would've conveyed some of that to you, but it hasn't, so I'm going against my nature and trying to be more direct so you know that treating me as a piece of meat isn't just acceptable, it's wanted, even desired. In my free time, I'll take care of my personal life, and my own mental needs, but it's very important to me that you understand this isn't something forced upon me; it's of my own choosing. Whenever you are feeling like you want to let your dominant streak out, you should think of me first, if none of your wives are in the mood. You cannot be too rough or forward with me. Because that is what I want. Is, is that okay?" He stopped and gave Nicolette a firm hug. "Of course it is. I don't think I realized quite how much it was bothering you, being asked to straddle that line between family and functionary, but now that I know, I can make sure I reserve my most forceful side for you and Taylor." She let out a deeply held sigh of relief. "Oh thank you, Master. I was so worried it would upset you. Because while I love when you fuck me, I'm much happier sleeping alone in my own bed." "No worries, Nicolette. Now I know." "Yes Master. Thank you, Master." "You know, I didn't see Sheridan at all the last couple of days. She wasn't at lunch or dinner yesterday. To be honest, in the chaos of the last few days, I sort of lost track of her, and I feel bad. I need to talk to her and let her see about getting imprinted." "Oh, I don't think you need to worry about her, Master," Nicolette said. "I saw her Tuesday evening and told her about your loss, and she said she didn't want to intrude." "Sure, but she still should've joined us for dinner last night, at the very least." "Well, yesterday around lunchtime, she was complaining to me about starting to feel, ahem, the need, starting to gnaw away at her, so I gave her something to tide her over." Andy suddenly felt the pit drop out of the bottom of his stomach. "What do you mean?" "Well, the rest of the staff and I have kept a bit of your semen bottled up, so we can use it to take the edge off in weeks where you're particularly busy, so I gave Sheridan a bit so she could sip." "Fuck!" Andy shouted. "Which room is she in?" "She's the last room down on the left," Nicolette said, nervousness growing thick in her voice again. "Should, should I not have done that?" "She hasn't been imprinted yet, so basically you primed the process but didn't give her enough for the imprinting to start." Andy had heard from Phil a number of times, over and over again, how important it was to imprint someone quickly after letting them get primed, but Phil hadn't been specific about what would happen if he didn't. Andy had never thought he'd need to find out. "Christ, she's probably out of her fucking mind by now with need. It's going to be Piper all over again." Piper poked her head out of her room as Andy and Nicolette were walking by, heading towards Sheridan's room. "Did I hear my name?" The brunette was wearing a cutoff t shirt and a pair of loose shorts, clearly still in her morning workout gear. Andy stopped and turned back to look at her. "Look, I get that I have no right to ask you this, but I may have a woman in some distress and could probably use a hand, if you're okay with that." "What kind of distress?" "The kind you were in when I first met you a few days ago." Piper nodded solemnly. "You need someone to help you hold down a fuck delirious woman for her own good, got it. Let's go." "Don't hurt her," Andy said. "She's not going to be thinking clearly." "Is it really all that bad, Master?" Nicolette said, as they reached Sheridan's room, the door closed shut. Andy opened it, and Sheridan lay in the center of the bed, completely naked, the bed sheets shredded, ripped to tatters, as the blonde's body writhed and squirmed, whimpering loudly. "Make it stop. Make it stop make it stop make it stop," she kept repeating over and over. He slowly walked across the room, trying not to make any sudden movements, Piper flanking him to one side, Nicolette to the other. "Easy, Sheridan, I'm here now." Sheridan's head whipped suddenly at the sound of his voice, and he could see her lips were dry and cracked, as if she'd been licking them for days. "Andy. Andy. You have to fucking fix this, dude," she groaned. "It's like a horrible itch all over my fucking skin and I can't sleep and I can't think and I can't even walk and if fucking hurts so fucking much,” The room reeked with the scent of her arousal. Piper gasped as they got close enough to see that Sheridan had scratched herself up pretty good, tiny red gashes on her skin along her arms, thighs and belly. Andy was almost nervous to touch her, but Sheridan reached for his hip as soon as he was within arm's length, pulling him closer to her. Her skin was warm to the touch. "Fix this, Andy. Fucking do whatever it takes. Fix this or fucking kill me already." "Whoa!" Andy said loudly. "Nobody's killing anybody." "I haven't slept in a whole day, Andy," she moaned. "And I can't get myself off. It's like I'm stuck on the edge and I can't get myself to cum, and that's not fucking fair. Am I broken?" "You're not broken," Andy said, slowly peeling his sh

Come Fare la Recensione di un Libro in Italiano: Il Caso de “Il Gattopardo”

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025

Ti sei mai chiesto come si scrive una buona recensione di un libro in italiano? In questo articolo, lo scopriremo insieme, analizzando uno dei capolavori della letteratura italiana: "Il Gattopardo" di Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Recensisci Come un Critico Letterario: una Guida Pronto a diventare un critico letterario? Allora, iniziamo questa avventura! 1. INIZIA CON LE INFORMAZIONI DI BASE La prima cosa da fare quando recensisci un libro è fornire le informazioni essenziali. Pensa a questo come a presentare un nuovo amico: nome, cognome e qualche dettaglio importante! Esempio con Il Gattopardo: "Il Gattopardo" è un romanzo storico scritto da Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, pubblicato postumo nel 1958. L'autore, un aristocratico siciliano, morì prima di vedere il suo unico romanzo diventare uno dei libri più importanti della letteratura italiana del XX secolo. Curiosità: sapevi che il titolo si riferisce allo stemma della famiglia del protagonista, che raffigura un gattopardo (simile a un leopardo)? 2. RACCONTA BREVEMENTE LA TRAMA (SENZA SPOILER!) Riassumere la trama è come raccontare una barzelletta: devi dire abbastanza per incuriosire, ma non troppo da rovinare il finale! La trama de Il Gattopardo: Il romanzo è ambientato in Sicilia durante il Risorgimento italiano (1860-1861) e segue le vicende del Principe Don Fabrizio Salina, un aristocratico che assiste al declino della nobiltà siciliana mentre una nuova classe sociale, la borghesia, emerge. Il nipote del Principe, Tancredi, si adatta ai cambiamenti sposando Angelica, la bella figlia di un nuovo ricco. Don Fabrizio osserva con malinconia questi cambiamenti, consapevole che "tutto deve cambiare perché tutto rimanga come prima" – forse la frase più famosa del libro! Prova tu: riesci a riassumere l'ultimo libro che hai letto in 3-4 frasi? Non è facile, vero? 3. ANALIZZA LO STILE E LA LINGUA Parliamo ora dello stile dell'autore. È come descrivere il modo di vestire di qualcuno: elegante? Casual? Eccentrico? Lo stile de Il Gattopardo: Lampedusa scrive con uno stile ricco e dettagliato, quasi pittorico, che trasporta il lettore nella Sicilia del XIX secolo. La sua prosa è elegante ma accessibile, con descrizioni vivide dei paesaggi siciliani, dei sontuosi palazzi nobiliari e dei personaggi complessi. La lingua è raffinata ma non pretenziosamente accademica, con un sapiente uso di termini siciliani che aggiungono autenticità al racconto. Che tipo di stile preferisci quando leggi? Semplice e diretto o elaborato e descrittivo? 4. ESPRIMI LA TUA OPINIONE PERSONALE Ecco la parte divertente: dire cosa ne pensi! È come quando dici a un amico se ti è piaciuto il ristorante dove hai cenato ieri sera. La mia opinione su Il Gattopardo: Personalmente, trovo "Il Gattopardo" un romanzo affascinante che offre molto più di una semplice storia. È un'opera che invita alla riflessione sul cambiamento sociale e sulla resistenza umana ad esso. La figura di Don Fabrizio, orgoglioso ma consapevole dell'inevitabilità del declino della sua classe, è straordinariamente ben costruita. Ciò che mi ha colpito di più è come Lampedusa riesca a rendere universale una storia così specificamente siciliana e italiana. 5. IDENTIFICA I TEMI PRINCIPALI Ogni buon libro ha dei temi importanti. È come trovare gli ingredienti in un piatto delizioso: "Mmm, sento un po' di amore, un pizzico di morte e una spruzzata di ribellione!" I temi de Il Gattopardo: I temi centrali del romanzo sono il cambiamento sociale e la resistenza ad esso, il declino dell'aristocrazia, il passaggio di potere tra classi sociali e la natura ciclica della storia. C'è anche una profonda riflessione sulla morte e sulla mortalità, simboleggiata dalla contemplazione del Principe delle stelle e dell'eternità. La Sicilia stessa diventa un personaggio, con la sua bellezza, il suo caldo opprimente e le sue tradizioni immutabili.

caso xx libro casual che xix italiano prova mmm pensa principe sicilia allora lampedusa curiosit semplice come fare recensione esempio risorgimento tancredi la sicilia giuseppe tomasi don fabrizio eccentrico

Bemästra Tillväxtstrategin 2025 – Supply Chain, Marknad & Content - Anton Peterson, NOOS #308

Framtidens E-Handel

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2025 78:30

Anton Peterson, VD och grundare NOOS, gästar podden Framtidens E-Handel och pratar om antalet plattformar, ekosystem och den makroekonomiska oron för tullar, geopolitik & inflation som påverkar dagens digitala handel. Därefter går vi steg för steg igenom hur du designar ditt e-handelsföretag för hållbar lönsamhet.3:42 – Lägesrapport e-handel maj 2025: krig, inflation, tullar och återhållsamma investeringar.7:02 – Kaos driver snabb förändring och skapar nya möjligheter för den som agerar snabbt.8:12 – Teknikskifte (AI, plattformar) kräver att bolag väljer vilka tekniker att satsa på.9:55 – Introduktion till strategier för lönsam tillväxt 2025.12:22 – E-handelns utveckling de senaste 20 åren: djupare mätmetoder och fler nyckeltal.34:59 – Välj SaaS-ekosystem genom att kartlägga systemintegrationer..40:25 – Förhandling, marginalarbete, ledtider och sortimentsbredd påverkar prognoser och lager.44:07 – Samordna inköp och marknad: prissättning, kampanjer och prioriterade produkter.46:25 – 80/20-regel i sortiment: identifiera ”Rising Stars” och fokusera rätt.55:11 – Marknadskommunikation & Content: balansera performance och varumärkesbyggande.59:11 – Sätt KPI:er för branding, använd MMM och prova kreativa offline-insatser.64:36 – Content-struktur: olika format kräver olika dramaturgi för plattformar.70:33 – Ledarens roll: balansera kortsiktig performance med långsiktig varumärkesbyggnad.73:45 – Kontrollera balans mellan branding och performance med MMM och nya kundflöden.Här hittar du Anton & NOOS:https://www.linkedin.com/in/anton-peterson-6872b2b8/ https://noosdigital.com/ Sponsor:https://www.alvie.io/ https://www.ohjay.co/ Följ Björn på LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/bjornspenger/ Följ Framtidens E-handel på LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/framtidens-e-handel/ Besök vår hemsida, YouTube & Instagram:https://www.framtidensehandel.se/ https://www.instagram.com/framtidens.ehandel/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEYywBFgOr34TN8NtXeL5HQPoddproducent och klippare Michaela Dorch & Videoproducent Fredrik Ankarsköld:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaela-dorch/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankarskold/ Tusen tack för att du lyssnar!Support till showen http://supporter.acast.com/framtidens-e-handel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

acast bj saas supply chains stra peterson anton rising stars kpi kaos mmm vd bes tusen tillv marknad kontrollera noos

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 5

The Big Breakfast with Blandy - Triple M Fraser Coast 103.5

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 5 More Chaos. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 14 It was a short drive into the community's center, a sort of tiny mini township surrounded by elaborate estates. Niko had insisted on driving, and it let Andy text both Phil and Eric that he was going to see the place, if they wanted to join him. Eric shot back that he'd be there within the hour, and Phil answered that his and his family were already there, having lunch at the diner. C'mon and join us said the text, just as Niko was pulling the Tesla into a parking spot in front of the 1950s themed diner. "I can't say I'm thrilled with the theme," Niko grumbled as she turned the car off. "But I guess I'll manage." "If they try and make you use a different drinking fountain, Niko, we'll raise hell," Andy said. "Damn straight," added Aisling. "Now let's go say hi to Phil and see how many women he has in tow." "More than he can handle, I'm sure," Andy chuckled. "He was barely okay with just Audrey." As soon as they got into the diner, it was relatively easy to spot Phil. Unlike diners of yore, where booths had typically held four at best, the interior of this particular 50s styled diner was lined with booths designed to fit as many as ten people each, with a few booths looking as though they could hold in upwards of 20. The booth Phil was in wasn't full, but he certainly had more people with him than the last time Andy had seen him. Sure, Audrey was there, snuggled right up against his side, but there were also two other women that Andy didn't recognize, a fit blonde woman with tightly cropped hair in camo and a curvy young black woman with her hair tightly braided. "Hey Phil," Andy said to him as he approached. "Audrey. You already know both Lauren and Aisling, but this is Niko. I know Niko's met Phil before, but I don't believe we've met your other two companions." "I've met one of them," Niko said, as she slid into the booth, offering half a salute to the blonde. "Captain." The blonde nodded in return. "Lieutenant. Hi Andy, I'm Linda, and this is Tamika," she said. "2nd Lieutenant Red Wolf and I are stationed together, although I suppose we're both stationed here now." Tamika seemed mostly interested in her cellphone, not even looking up to say hello. "Yeah, if you don't mind me asking, Captain, what are we going to do?" Niko said, scooting until she was right next to the captain. "They're moving all our work within the walls, so I guess we'll have a tiny base on site before month's end." "Roger that." "How you holding up, Phil?" Andy said, sliding in next to Niko, Aisling sliding in after him, Lauren moving in last. "I know you weren't originally planning on having multiple partners." "Well, the world's not up to what I want any more, Andy," he sighed. "But I'm making it work, even if I am a bit more tired than I used to be." "We had to set up a shift schedule of who gets intimacy time with Phil," Audrey said, giggling a little bit about it while poking Phil. "I'm surprised you haven't had to set something up like that." "Andy's learned that we keep his best interests in mind," Aisling laughed. "And we know about what his limits are, and rarely try and push him past them." "How's the new place?" Phil asked Andy, as Linda and Niko started having a quiet conversation with one another. "Bet it blew your mind when they drove you up there." "I still don't think I really need a mansion, Phil." "You say that now, but believe me, in about two week's time, you'll be thankful for all the room. There's going to be an influx of new partners quickly, as we're struggling to get as many people vaccinated as we can as quickly as we can, which means there isn't as much time as we'd like to let everyone get acclimated." "Mmm," Lauren sniffed. "The newest member of our family showed up just before we got here." "You sound unhappy, Lauren," Audrey said. "Well, she's my ex girlfriend who cheated on me, but we'll work it out, I guess." "Ouch. That sort of thing's not supposed to happen, but I suppose sometimes it slips through the cracks," Phil grumbled. "Everything's gotten so much harder to manage now that we're moving at warp speed. The death rate spiked on the east coast, and everybody freaked, so people who were hoping to get a later version of the vaccine without the, ah, side effects, are now practically storming the facilities, demanding to get injected with it, no matter what it does to them, as long as it protects them from the virus." "Yeah, I saw reports saying that a European company thinks they're close, but nobody's ready yet," Aisling said. "Are we shipping this vaccine anywhere else?" "Hell, Ash," Phil sighed, "we've barely got enough for the west coast right now. They're struggling to get more manufactured for the rest of the US, but we aren't in any state to be able to provide it to other countries right now." "I only ask for my brother back in Dublin. He desperately wants to leave the house, but I keep telling him, stay inside and stay safe." "That's all most people can do right now," Phil nodded. He glanced to the door and smiled. "Hey, look who's here! Slide into the bench, Eric." Eric had been standing in the doorway, with the familiar faces of both Lily and Jenny next to him, as well as a short, mousy Midwestern looking woman dressed in a giant t shirt, with denim shorts poking out from underneath them. "Hey everybody!" The new woman's name was Sarah, and she was Eric's new partner, only having arrived yesterday, so her head was still a little cloudy. When the waitress arrived to take their orders, the three households had been sure to divvy up the checks upfront. For the next couple of hours, everyone was trying to settle into their new normal. Andy, Phil and Eric got to talk in person, while all the women slowly started to figure out who out of each household they liked and wanted to avoid. It was a float of conversations, so many different discussions going at one point, that when Phil said he was going to step outside for a few minutes to vape up, Andy and Eric happily agreed to go with him, just so they could here each other clearly. "You holding up okay, Eric?" Andy asked. "You look a little overwhelmed." "Let's just say I'm a bit in social overload. That and trying to get settled in the new place is doing my head in." Eric leaned his back against the outside of the diner, stretching his arms over his head. "And I'm sore from all the fucking. And I miss the cats." "Why don't you guys come over next Saturday then, and we'll all hang out. Have ourselves a party like we used to. Any of the other members of the old gang getting moved into the complex?" Phil nodded. "Ari and his five women will be moved on site before the end of the week. He had plenty of space before, but when they offered him a free trade up, he didn't say no. Oh, and I don't know if you knew Jenna or not, but she's part of a family now, and they're being moved here next week, so a couple more people and the whole board game group will be back together again. We can play Ascension again, or poker, or both!" Eric nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." "Cool. We'll consider it a party, then. Oh, hell. We can even make it a costume party for Halloween. I don't imagine we'll get much in the way of trick or treaters here." Phil waggled a finger at him. "You'll get trick or treaters, I'd bet on it. There's nearly a hundred children here in the village, so they'll make a point of hitting every house they possibly can." "All the better then." "So are you really doing okay with Lauren's ex being added to your household?" Phil asked. "I figured you might not have been able to speak your mind in front of her, so I thought I'd ask now that she can't hear." "It came as a bit of a shock, but we're making it work, I guess, or, rather, Lauren is," Andy said with a shrug. "I told Lauren that whatever she came up with, I'd go along with, whether that be sending her back to the Air Force or inviting her into the family. She, that is, Taylor, Lauren's ex, is being punished for what she did to Lauren before, but she'll eventually be allowed into the family, as per Lauren's decision." "Do I even want to ask how Lauren's punishing her?" Eric said with a laugh. Andy joined in the laugh. "You do not." He stopped, scrunched up his face, then smirked. "Well, you might, but let's just say don't fuck with the ladies of the Rook household. Payback is a,” "Hey!" Niko said, having just stuck her head out the door. "Get your asses back in here. They're bringing us desserts!" After a truly decadent sundae, everyone said their goodbyes, many of them excited about the prospect of a Halloween party, although a few of the girls complained that two days wasn't enough time to put together a proper costume. Everyone agreed they'd make it work, though. Phil and his family were heading home, while Eric and his family needed to go grocery shopping. Andy and the girls decided to walk around a little bit before heading home. In addition to the diner, there was a Safeway, a Target, a few restaurants (a Greek restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, and an Ike's Sandwiches), and, to Andy's personal delight, a bookstore, which they had to immediately stop in. It wasn't some chain book store, but clearly a local mom'n'pop establishment, and bore the mark of a highest quality bookstore, there was a cat living in the store. They decided to browse the bookstore for a little bit, and just before they were about to leave, the store clerk snuck up on him and asked for an autograph, which Andy gladly granted. The owner also asked if Andy would be kind enough to do a signing when the newest Druid Gunslinger book finally came out, and Andy was happy to acquiesce. They headed back to the house after that, with plans to come back tomorrow to get groceries. Andy felt exhilarated, being able to walk anywhere without a mask, being able to shake hands and hug friends. Barring the sea of gorgeous women around them, it had been nice to have a touch of normalcy. "Are you fully recovered from your time with the staff this morning, Andy?" Lauren asked him as they all walked from the garage into the house proper. "Yeah, I think I'm good to go. Why? You jonesing for a fix?" he said with a laugh. "We all are. And I want to show to Taylor what she's missing." She leaned down to kiss his cheek. "That okay?" "Sure, let me go check on Katie and Jenny and then I'll meet you ladies in the bedroom, okay?" "Don't take too long," Niko grinned. "We're, voracious today." "I won't, I won't," he laughed, waving his hand, hearing Lauren calling to Taylor like one would a pet as she walked towards the stairs. Andy moved to the pool house and poked his head in, finding Katie and Jenny still entwined together, asleep beneath the blanket he'd left them under several hours ago. He knew the imprinting process took several hours, but he'd never been sure exactly how long it took. He suspected the two might wake up in the middle of the night and head back to their room, but they'd be fine in the pool house if they slept there overnight, which was all Andy wanted to be sure of. He headed back into the house and walked upstairs. The door to the bedroom was closed, but a post it note on the door said "Cum in." He appreciated the pun, and opened the door. Inside, Taylor was on her knees at the foot of the bed, with Lauren's hand on the top of Taylor's head, Aisling and Niko sitting on either side of her. "Now, bitch, you're going to watch what a real man is like. Andy, come over here, would you?" All of the women had already stripped naked, so as Andy walked over, he kicked off his shoes, tugged off his socks and pulled his shirt up and over his head. When Andy neared the edge of the bed, Lauren raised a hand. "Stay there." She slid off the bed and moved to kneel in front of him, reaching her hands up to smooth them along his stomach before she reached over and pulled Taylor's hair to drag her close. "Here, I want you to get a front row seat to all of this, whore, but don't you dare stick out your tongue to sneak a taste, otherwise I'm doubling your time like this, you understand?" Taylor quietly nodded, as Lauren tugged Andy's jeans and boxers down, letting his cock slap her in the face with a girlish giggle. "That never gets old," Lauren said as Taylor let out a quiet little whimper. Lauren wrapped her mouth around the head of Andy's cock and then pushed her face all the way down until he could feel the tip of his cock sliding into her throat, Lauren trying hard to stifle the gag reaction before drawing back, taking a deep gasp of air. "You can smell my man's cock, can't you whore?" Taylor meekly nodded once more. "Don't even think about touching yourself. You're going to sit there and watch this. I want you to fucking drool, you want it so bad." Lauren started to push her face back down onto Andy's cock, and he was expecting a long, slow blowjob, but Lauren clearly had other ideas. She forced her face down until his balls were resting against her chin, then drew back suddenly before pushing her face down once again. It was fast and determined, and Andy almost jumped when he felt a hand cradling his nuts before realizing that Aisling had moved to one side of him, her fingertips holding onto his ballsack. "She was so apprehensive the first time, but look at her now," Ash whispered into his ear. Another hand reached to smooth along his hip, as Niko moved up along the other side of him, nibbling on his earlobe, her tongue lashing against his earlobe. "You're so going to be dead by the time we're done with you tonight, baby," Niko purred, curling her fingers to rake her fingernails against his hip. "You don't have to hold back, babes," Aisling giggled into his ear. "It's not gonna make us go any easier on you." Lauren's deep blue eyes peered up at him, and he glanced over at Taylor, whose eyes were fixated on Lauren's mouth thrusting up and down on his cock. It was an intoxicating sight, and Lauren's lips were clenched so tightly on his cock that he wasn't going to last long. Her cheeks caved in as she sucked hard on him, and before he knew it, his body was tensing up as he spewed a hot load of cum into Lauren's mouth. He was leaning back into the bodies of Aisling and Niko, who were keeping him from falling back, as Lauren finally drew her head back, her mouth full of his spunk, as she turned to show it to Taylor, who whined and whimpered, before Lauren closed her mouth and swallowed it all, licking her lips to make sure none of that treasure remained. He was a little surprised, because typically the girls liked to share a load, to ease all of their needs at least a little, but it seemed like the girls had other plans for today. "C'mon, you need to lay down now, Andy," Aisling said. "We're driving today." Andy let Aisling and Niko guide him over to the bed before he laid down on his back in the middle of the massive bed. Lauren had climbed off her knees, moving to help Taylor get up onto the bed, but immediately making sure she was on her knees off to the side of him, a good two or three feet of distance between them. Lauren then reached and grabbed one of the pillows, pulling it over, sliding it under Andy's head, as Aisling crawled on her hands and knees until she was looming over him. She moved to straddle his waist with a smirk, as she rubbed that fire furred snatch against his cock, sliding back and forth across it. "You're a good man, Andy Rook," Aisling said to him, "tolerating all the shit we're going to put this bitch through to make sure she's learned not to fuck with us." Niko slid along the far side of Andy and moved up along her knees until she was near enough to Aisling to grab the redhead's mane of hair, pulling her lips to press against her own, giving the other girl a ferocious kiss, tongues tangling with one another for a long moment, before breaking, giggling once more. "I can't tell who's more turned on by that, Andy, you or Lauren's fuckpet." Andy was about to answer, but Aisling had lined up his cock and thrust her hips down with a quick snap, stuffing his cock deep inside of her cunt, a sultry groan escaping his throat. "That's my fucking cock," Aisling moaned. "That's what I fucking wanted." Niko grinned, sliding one hand down to rub her thumb against Aisling's clit while the redhead bucked on his cock. "That's it. Show the fuckpet what a good slut looks like." She moved to kiss Aisling again, and this time the kiss was even more sloppy and sticky, tongues exposed as Ash bounced on his cock, thrusting down hard before drawing back up. Niko and Aisling continued making out while Andy, Lauren and Taylor all watched, but after a minute or so, Aisling reached down and grabbed Niko's hips, pulling her over until she was straddling Andy's face, and he knew what was being suggested, so he let his tongue stick out and began to lap at Niko's cunt, her hips grinding down onto his face, almost suffocating him, she was shoving against him so eagerly. "Fuck, Andy, lick my cunt while your first slut's bouncing on your cock, trying to milk your load out of you," Niko whimpered before kissing Aisling again. Aisling's pace was itchy, impatient. Other than the small amount of his spunk that she'd licked out of Nicolette's cunt yesterday, it had been almost five days since she'd gotten her fix. She'd decided to let off on her promise to milk a load from him every day when it turned out she was going to need to share with so many women, but now, Aisling knew it was her turn at bat, and as much as she was enjoying herself, she also wanted her fix, moaning whorishly into Niko's mouth. Lauren smirked a little bit, leaning in a bit closer. "I wouldn't keep your slut of a girlfriend waiting, Andy, otherwise she's likely to break this fucking bed. Look at her go, Taylor. She's already cum once, but I think she's about to do it again. Go on, daddy, give your good little whore her dose of spunk and blow her fucking mind when you blow in her fucking cunt. Do it, Andy! Cum in her!" He couldn't resist as he latched his lips on Niko's clit and buzzed them hard, his hands holding onto her hips as his back arched, pushing his cock towards Aisling's twat as much as he could, that orgasm blasting from him, firing shotgun sprays of hot cum into Aisling's cunt, setting off a third orgasm inside of the freckled Irish girl. When he finally started to come down from his orgasm, he slid his head down a little to see that Niko and Aisling were basically holding each other up in an upside V above him, a dry little chuckle rolling from his lips as Niko slowly moved to lower Aisling to one side, her body still going through aftershocks, trembling a bit in the afterglow of her orgasms. Andy's cock started to soften a little bit, even as Niko moved off of his face. "Oh no," Niko said to him. "You're not done yet." Andy sighed softly, letting out a heavy breath. "The mind is willing, Niko, but I don't know if the flesh is up to it." "Oh it will be," Niko said, a sly grin spreading on her lips. "Because today's the day." She crawled on her knees downward on the bed, reaching to stroke his cock. "This needs to get nice and hard for your little enlisted slut, Daddy. She has a need for it." "I'm telling you, Niko," Andy said. "I just don't know that I've got it in me to pump out a fourth load in a single day." "Sure you do," Niko purred. "Because today's the day I'm gonna take you in the ass." Andy's cock twitched, which made Niko smirk more broadly at him. "You haven't pressured, and I've been thinking about it every time Lauren or Ash does it. I kept wondering what kind of special day would be perfect to let you slide that thick cock of yours up my virginal asshole. Should it be an anniversary, or your birthday? But no, I wanna show off in front of the house pet. I wanna see her face when I take your fat cock up my untouched Asian asshole, wanna see that look of envy on her fucking face when I'm struggling to stretch and take you. Do I have to beg, Andy? Can you get hard so I can shove your cock in my perfect little asshole? So I can give you the last of my holes, so that you own every fucking inch of my body?" Andy's cock had already stiffened back to a full hard on, and Niko was slowly stroking it, a wild smile on her face. "Let me ride it, Daddy, so I can make sure I don't overwhelm myself, okay?" Andy nodded to her, as he saw Niko straddle his waist, but she was in reverse cowgirl, as she reached between her legs to grab his cock. "Fuck, I hope I'm fucking ready for this." "I came so hard my eyes rolled back into my head when I did it," Lauren said, moving to smooth a hand along one of Niko's thighs. "And you, Ash?" Niko said, lining the tip of his cock up against the pucker of her ass. "Oh, I squirted," Aisling giggled. "I'd never done that before, but it was so fucking intense. You're probably gonna cum just sliding it in." Niko's face frowned in amusement at Ash. "I somehow douo wow wow Oh Fuck!" she said, turning into a shout as the head of his cock popped inside of her tan asshole, Niko's whole body starting to spasm as Lauren and Aisling moved quickly to brace her and keep her steady so that she didn't overwhelm herself by dropping down onto his cock suddenly. He could feel Niko's entire body shivering atop of him for a good ten seconds or so before her voice pierced the air again. "Fuck., fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Niko finally panted out. "I think I just touched fucking God," she whimpered, her breathing shallow and ragged. "I don't, I don't, I don't know if,” Aisling smirked. "Silly slut. Never leave a job half done. Lauren?" she said, looking around Niko's body, as the tall blonde nodded, and both women started to push down on Niko's hips, forcing her to slowly take inch after inch of Andy's ruthlessly thick cock into her ass. "Oh fuck, oh fuck, that's such a fucking big cock in my ass, in my tight little virgin ass, oh fuck, oh fuck fuck fuck, I can't stop fucking cumming. Daddy, your little slut can't fucking stop fucking cumming from your big fucking cock up her tight young fucking ass oh fuck!" Just when she finally pushed down far enough for her asscheeks to rest against his hips, her body seized up and a clear jet of liquid squirted from her cunt into the air, splashing all over Taylor, who audibly moaned in excitement. "Please, daddy, please cum in my tight fucking ass., cum in your good little girl's virgin fucking ass, cream me up, baby, fill my virgin ass, I want your fucking cum, cum in my ass. Cum! In! My! Fucking! Ass! Please! Cum!" Andy's body finally yielded, and as soon as he started to cum in Niko's ass, he felt her muscles clamp down hard on him, the rest of her body shaking and vibrating before finally slumping back, Aisling and Lauren making sure to keep her from slamming the back of her head into Andy's face, helping to lay her down on the bed. "Fuck, we need a shower," Niko whimpered. "We all need a fucking shower right fucking now so fucking bad." "In five minutes," Andy grumbled, feeling Niko slide under one of her arms, Aisling under the other as Lauren moved to push a wide eyed Taylor off the bed and back to the floor, although Andy could see that her snatch was glistening something fierce. "But I'm not fucking anybody at all tomorrow. Got it?" Everybody laughed at that. Chapter 15 In the morning, Andy was woken up by the feeling of Niko getting out of bed. She tried to be as subtle and quiet as she could, but Andy still felt her slipping away. She smiled when she saw him with open eyes looking at her naked form as she pulled on her underwear. She brought a fingertip up to her lips, motioning for him to remain quiet, as she moved back over and kissed him on the lips, soft and tender, before she waved. "Go back to sleep," she mouthed at him as she pulled a set of fatigues from the closet. Today was going to be her first day on the base within the enclave, so she wasn't going to be late. Andy knew that and was glad to see she'd found a way to ensure she woke up in time, doubly glad that she'd done it without waking the whole household. Andy practically drifted back to sleep as soon as she started walking into the bathroom. A few hours later, he started to wake again as he felt Lauren starting to slide out of bed. Taylor was curled up on the floor at the foot of the bed, but Lauren had draped a blanket over her at some point in the night, so she wasn't cold. Andy found himself wondering if Lauren was already softening a little in terms of her anger towards her former partner, but certainly wasn't going to bring it up first. Aisling was stirring next to him, and he could hear Lauren turning on the shower in the bathroom. "Where is everybody?" Ash asked him, snuggling her face into his shoulder. "Lauren's in the shower, Niko headed off to the base early this morning and Taylor's asleep on the floor, so we have the bed to ourselves," he laughed. "Although we should probably get up anyway." "What about,” "You touch my cock, Ash, and it may very well fall the fuck off." She giggled a little bit mischievously. "I mean, I guess you did satisfy five women yesterday, so I suppose I can let you off the hook for today." "I mean, I'm not even sure if it's working any more. Here I am and no morning wood." "I feel like I'm letting you down, babes," she sighed. "I did tell you that you weren't going to go a day without giving me a load, and here I am, agreeing to let you have an entire day without it." Andy laughed, waving a hand in the air. "No no, I'm good, I promise. No sex today, so my cock can continue to function later." He started to stretch a little bit, seeing Lauren coming out of the bathroom, one towel around her torso, another tying up her hair. "The bathroom's steamed up, but I didn't leave it as a total mess for you two," Lauren said, as she smiled at them. "I gotta get toweled off and head to the training camp the '49ers set up in town, so I'll see you guys for dinner, okay?" Lauren looked over at Taylor, who hadn't woken up yet. "Don't let her off easy. This is a month of punishment, so I want her to feel it. My wrath isn't to be taken lightly, and if you got light on this daffy bitch, she's only going to make us regret it. No clothes, no plates, no utensils, no exceptions, got it?" "Yes ma'am," Andy said, waving in her direction, as she headed into the large walk in closet. "We should go and get showered, Ash." Aisling groaned before she made an over exaggerated noise and then pulled back, sliding to the edge of the bed, reaching over to tug on Andy's ankle, as he moved to follow her. Their time in the shower was relaxing and Andy saw Taylor wake up when Aisling turned on the hairdryer. As Andy tugged on the boxers, he decided he should probably talk a little bit to Taylor, especially since she wasn't going to start any conversations under orders from Lauren. "You must've really pissed Lauren off something fierce, Taylor," he said, as he grabbed a pair of jeans. "She is the most gentle kind soul I've ever met, but you brought out an anger from her I didn't even know she was capable of, and we've been living together for almost two months now. I know you cheated on her, and that's horrible enough to start with, but there's more going on here. So what happened?" Taylor frowned, shifting a little bit beneath the blanket. "I fucked up. Sir." Andy cocked his head to one side before pulling the t shirt down over his head. "That's not an answer. Not good enough. What. Happened." Taylor's bright blue eyes watered up a little, as if she was going to break out into tears. "Lauren and I had been fighting. We'd both been so busy that we hadn't really had time for each other in weeks. My ex boyfriend was in town. We went out drinking, I drank too much and I, I just needed cock." A single tear dropped from one of her eyes before she took a deep sniff in, trying to steel herself up. "It's not an excuse. It was a mistake, a horrible one. I should've talked to Lauren about my needs, told her that I found myself needing a man's touch, but, like I said, I fucked up." "You understand that if you join this family, the only cock you're going to be getting is mine, right?" "I do, sir." "And you're okay with that?" "I am, sir." "What's changed?" She frowned a little, looking at her hands before looking up at him as the blow dryer went off in the bathroom. "I've grown up a bit. It's been half a year, and I've had a lot of time to think about it. That whole time I've missed Lauren crazy mad. And I just really like both men and women, so with your family, sir, I'll get both. Lauren was the best thing that ever happened to me, and if you make her happy, and it sure seems like you do, I know you'll make me happy as well." "Did you like what you saw last night?" "Yes, sir. Very much sir." "And are you horny right now?" Aisling asked as she walked into the room, completely in the buff. "Yes ma'am. Very much so, ma'am." "You're not going to get it today," the redhead said as she tugged on a thong. "You know that, don't you?" "Yes ma'am." "Good girl." Aisling smirked wryly, looking over at Andy. "What do you think of her, love?" "It sounds like she's learning, so that's something." It was a little odd to be talking about Taylor as if she wasn't in the room, but Lauren had made it clear that they were supposed to keep Taylor from being comfortable the whole time, and Andy couldn't think of anything that made people more uncomfortable than being talked about in front of them. "Quite the cracking body on her too, I'd say. Pint sized in height, but Jaysis, I'd kill for tits like hers." She pulled on a sports bra, shifting as she got it adjusted. "The advantage of youth, I'd guess. I'm surprised you're even old enough to go drinking, Taylor. How old are you, slut?" "I'm twenty five, ma'am." Aisling laughed and grabbed her towel, throwing it at Taylor. "Oh fuuuuuuuuuck you!" Aisling was giggling, shaking her head. "I'm only two years older than you." "I'm, sorry, ma'am?" "Oh, hush," Aisling said, shaking her head with a sly smile. Andy walked over and tugged the sheet off Taylor, who didn't blanch at all, staying on her knees, folding her hands behind her back to proudly jut those firm, natural double D tits at him. The pink nipples that capped them were stiff like pencil erasers. Taylor kept her eyes lowered, even as Andy reached a hand down at cupped one of Taylor's tits in his hand, hearing her breath catch when he did. "Lauren didn't say I couldn't touch her, did she Ash?" Aisling shook her head. "She said nothing goes in her cunt for the month, and that she wasn't going to get fucked for about a week, but I think that was the extent of her rules for you in regards to touching her." "I'm not usually the kind of man drawn to overly big tits," Andy said, "but I have to admit, it just sort works on Taylor." "Thank you, sir," Taylor whispered, each word almost strained. Andy couldn't help himself, and pinched one of Taylor's nipples, hearing a high pitched squeak emanate from her before she held very still and then forced a breath out, shivering quite visibly as she did, her skin covered in goosebumps. "Holy shit," Aisling said. "Did you just cum from that?" "Yes ma'am," Taylor whimpered. "Sorry ma'am." "You couldn't control it, so I suppose just good on you." Andy's hand left her nipple and then he scrunched his face up before he crouched down. He pushed Taylor's thighs a bit wider apart and then slid his hand between them, his fingertips just below her cunt, and then waited. A second or so later, he felt her drip onto his hand. "Dripping wet." "Yes sir. Sorry sir." Andy smirked as he brought his hand up to his lips, licking the taste of her snatch from his skin. "I think the only thing you really have to be sorry about is that you're going to be making a mess on the floor for a while now." "May I ask a question, sir?" "You just did, but go ahead." He thought he saw a slight smile from Taylor at that, as if the point was made. "May your worthless bitch clean herself up with toilet paper?" "Go on then," he said, as Aisling tugged on some yoga pants and one of Andy's t shirts. She had plenty of her own clothing, but had to wearing his t shirts as often as she could. "We'll meet you downstairs for breakfast. Yours will be in a bowl." "Yes, ma'am." Taylor headed into the bathroom as Andy and Aisling headed downstairs. After a quick breakfast (even though it was closer to lunch than morning), the two hopped into the Tesla and headed into town to get groceries. Andy was a little surprised it was a Safeway, but suspected that whoever had built this community had decided to go for convenience over rustic. Andy found the whole experience surreal. The people he saw coming and going were a weird mix of high fashion and modern style, and there were a lot more women than men, although he wasn't all that surprised by that. With the number of women that each man was expected to be paired with, he knew their little village was going to have a sizable imbalance, and he saw that reflected in the people walking through the lanes. As expected, there were many hot young women, but he was also pleased to see several older good looking women in their fifties and sixties. A community comprised solely of young fit gorgeous women would've made it all even more awkward than it already was. They were mostly done getting their groceries when Aisling tapped Andy. "Hey, I know her! Lisa! It's Ash!" Walking towards them was an older man in a ridiculously expensive looking suit, and a woman in a tight tube top and hot pants quite younger than the man she was accompanying. The woman, a stunning brunette, offered a slight wave, but didn't say anything in response. The man, however, immediately addressed Andy. "Hello good sir! Arthur Robert Covington the Fourth. You must be new to our little colony." He offered a hand out to Andy, who almost didn't want to shake it, but did so reluctantly. Some things were almost just reflexive. "Andy Rook, and this is my first partner, Aisling." "Nice to meet you," Aisling said, reaching out to shake the man's hand, but he'd lowered his hand to his side, so her hand hung awkwardly in the air for a moment before she finally took the hint and lowered her own. "I didn't know you were here, Lisa. I haven't seen you in, what, five or six years? Andy, Lisa was in a bunch of classes with me in college." "Oh, Lisa doesn't talk out in public any more," the pompous git said to them. "It's for both of our benefit. I find it's much better if women are just seen and not heard, don't you agree, Andy?" Andy immediately wanted to beat the shit out the pompous prick. "Can't say that I do." Everything about the man screamed old money, and it was taking all of Andy's willpower not to just walk away from them right now. Clearly Ash had some familiarity with the woman, and he wanted to support Aisling any way he could. "I find it's best to treat everyone you meet like an actual person, rather than some sort of fashion accessory." "That is so modern of you, young man," Convington said. "And so en vogue. You don't have to pretend here, though, young man. In this community, though, we don't answer to anyone but each other. You certainly are quite a bit younger than the majority of people who have been brought here, and perhaps you are expecting that you need to blend in to the modern times." The older gentleman smiled at Andy with a condescension that made him want to punch the guy until he was lying on the floor. "But you are among friends now, and we the elite men of the world have always been best supported by our women with their support and their stoic silence." "I couldn't disagree more, old chap," Andy said, trying to make it clear by his tone that he was mocking the man's arrogant tones. "While I understand that it's not very traditional, at least in the western world, for a man to have multiple wives, but I'm never going to ask them to be silent in public. I value their opinions all the time, and I see them as equals, not lesser people." "Well," Covington sniffed. "I imagine you'll come around eventually, but even if you don't, we're all entitled to our own lifestyles. Good luck to you both." Then the man, who had to be at least sixty, walked off with his twenty something woman, who offered a tiny wave to Aisling before walking away. Once they were around the corner, Aisling punched him in the shoulder. "If you think I'm better seen and not heard, you are in for a world of trouble, fella." "You heard me say that I didn't agree with him, Ash. Sexist pig." "Still. Don't want you getting ideas." Andy sighed. "I sort of suspected we were going to find some people like that here, but I can't say I'm thrilled about it. And we can't try and rescue her, because they're already bonded." "Do you believe Phil when he said the bonds are permanent?" "Phil's usually right about these kinds of things, so I don't think he'd lie to us about it." "Then I suppose I'm just happy that I'm not bonded to a total git." Andy and Aisling decided to spend a little bit more time getting additional groceries after the experience, mostly to cool off. They'd gotten a list of things from Jenny, which covered most of what they would be having for meals. Jenny had even told them that she would be happy to do all the grocery shopping, but Andy had insisted they wanted to see the town a bit more anyway before they left, so Jenny had made it clear that this was going to be an exception, and prepared them a list that she was strict they pick up all of. Most of what they picked up at the end were some comfort foods to go along with everything off Jenny's list. Candy, soda, chips, the kinds of things he suspected Jenny wouldn't approve of too much, but he wasn't ready to let go of his sugar addiction quite yet. As they picked up food that clearly wasn't good for them, Andy kept his eyes on the other people he saw coming and the mismatch of young and old he'd seen with Aisling's friend and the stuffed shirt seemed to be the norm. The men could occasionally be found chatting with each other, but for the most part, the women remained silent, although he did spot a couple of women following the same man talking between themselves. Andy was a little used to feeling like an outsider. When he'd gone and done his first sci fi convention, some of the older writers had thrown a lot of shade his way about his books. Many of them felt like urban fantasy was something of a slum compared to either high fantasy or pure sci fi. In fact, more than a couple of people he used to called idols had called his particular strain of fiction "juvenile," even going so far to describe the Druid Gunslinger books as "starter fantasy, for unsophisticated minds." It had almost made him want to not do any more conventions, but after a little bit of searching, he'd found a group of similarly minded writers, people like him who looked at genre boundaries as a roadmap of what rules to break and how. What he loved most of all, though, was that the fans didn't give a shit. Sure, there were detractors to his writing in the crowds, but they'd get booed down by the rest of the people who were there to learn more about where his books were going and what kinds of secrets he'd been leaving off the page. Most of the fans believed he lived in San Francisco proper, but Andy certainly hadn't made enough money off the books to justify that kind of lifestyle. There were other things about his books that had drawn people to his audience, he wasn't afraid of writing sex scenes in his books, some of the supporting characters were gay or bisexual, but the main reason they kept coming back was that the books were unpredictable. He'd killed off main characters mid book, he'd changed the city the protagonist's base of operations was in multiple times and one of the villains he'd introduced in one of the first few books had gone through a surprising redemption arc in the most recent book, something that the early readers had raved about how much they hadn't seen it coming. All that had instilled him a sense that he never had to go along with something just because it was what was expected of you, and he certainly didn't plan to change the way he treated people now because a bunch of blue blood uppity vampires thought he should join their little club. "It's so weird," Ash whispered to him. "Seeing all these beautiful women, being forced to walk a few steps behind their men. All of this pretentious bullshit, these assholes thinking their money makes them invincible. It used to be the stranglehold they had over women was figurative, financial. Now it's literal. They're literally dependent on these assholes for their survival. If they don't get their fix, they're going to go out of their minds. I mean, what are we going to do if you leave us? Or if you get taken away from us? Or get sick and die?" "I'm sure they're working on something to stabilize it, Ash, but until then, you're alive, I'm alive, and that's all that matters." Andy sighed. "But I'm still alive, unlike ten million other American men. And the death rates are starting to climb around the world too. So anything that keeps me alive, I'm going to take that as a win. Speaking of which, how is your brother doing?" "He's sheltering in place with the rest of my clan, luv. You don't really know my mother yet, but when you meet her, you'll learn how much of an iron fist she's got on the whole family. They'll do whatever it takes to survive. Your brother?" "He and his wife are doing the same. She ventures out from time to time, but other than that, they don't dare leave the house." Andy waved his phone over the credit card machine, and heard the telltale ding that meant the bill was paid. "Martial law got declared in Kansas City, though, and I know the tanks rolling down the streets have them more than a little spooked." "Whatever it takes to get through it, luv, we're gonna do it." "Well, not if it takes me turning into that asshole." Aisling giggled. "Oh, Andy, you're not built to be a snob." "Suppose you're right." When they got to the car, Andy couldn't help but start laughing a bit as he replayed the earlier conversation in his head. Aisling asked him what he found so funny. "I mean, he's the Fourth in a long line of pompous assholes, Ash. Why don't we understand how important that is?" That set her off laughing too. Andrew Rook continues to protect his family. Chapter 16 The day of the party felt like it came much faster than it should've. While everyone had a few days to prepare, they all felt like they were struggling to get their costumes together. Most hysterically, all the girls had made some sort of tacit agreement not to tell Andy what they were dressing up as for the Halloween party. They were all a little surprised he wasn't dressing up as the Druid Gunslinger himself, but they seemed okay with it. He told them he'd done the gear next year, but he'd literally worn the costume last year, and despite all the changes they'd been through over the past several months, he didn't want to do it two years in a row. While none of the girls may have seen him in it, he knew that both Eric and Phil would've given him an endless amount of shit for it. He loved vintage sci fi costumes, so for this year, he'd decided to be Logan from Logan's Run, the 1976 film he'd adored growing up. It was a relatively simple costume, a black turtleneck with white trim and a large white stripe over the chest, as well as a blinking red palm flower crystal. When he'd done the costume as a teenager, he'd had to use a bike light, which took over so much of his hand, but now he could achieve the same effect with a simple L E D light attached to a battery. It was much more convenient. A few hours before the party was to start, Andy was banned from entering his own bedroom as the girls had set up a sort of base camp there, working on all their costumes away from his prying eyes. The staff had decided to dress up as Clue characters, so Nicolette was back in her Yvette costume, Jenny R. was dressed as the cook (from the movie, not the board game) and Katie was dressed as Mrs. White. They had been a little surprised that they were invited to the party once the food was laid out, but Andy had been adamant that he wanted them to feel like members of the family as much as staff. He was glad to see they accepted that without too much of a fuss, although Jenny was insistent that she and Nicolette would be tending to the food all night, even while they were mingling. Surprising no one, none of the girls who weren't staff were ready by the time the first guests showed up. Andy wasn't shocked that it was Eric who arrived first, along with his whole group. Eric was dressed as Han Solo, with Lily as Princess Leia, Jenny C. as Luke Skywalker, Sarah as Chewbacca, and two other girls who'd recently joined his family “ Lara, a tall, statuesque blonde, and Nikki, a tiny little plump brunette “ were dressed as C3 P0 and R2 D2 accordingly. Phil and his family arrived next. They were all dressed up as characters from the video game Street Fighter, with Phil as Ryu, Audrey as Chun Li, Linda as Cammy, Tamika as Poison and a new girl named Yuko, who was dressed as Sakura. Andy, much like both Phil and Eric, had never been big on large social gatherings, but this felt entirely different. Perhaps they'd been so starved for company, or perhaps they'd been trying to make sense of the new normal for so long, it was nice to have a touch of the old normal, even if it was only a shadow of how it used to be. Dressed all in costume, the boys sat down to play poker. After Phil showed up, Andy's girls descended down the staircase and made a grand entry for themselves. Aisling had dressed up as Amy Adams' portrayal of Lois Lane from the Superman movies, in a white open shirt with a black vest, her hair done up in a smart ponytail, a black lanyard hanging around her neck that said "Daily Planet." Lauren had dressed up as the Black Canary, from the Green Arrow comic books, a leather jacket she'd stolen from his closet, a black leotard and ripped black fishnets that Andy couldn't deny made her pop even more. The biggest surprise, however, was Niko. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was dressed as, and as soon as he did, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor. She was dressed in a white lab coat, with her hair up in a bun, held in place with chopsticks. Beneath it, she wore a deep purple shirt. It all looked vaguely familiar, but then she turned her head and it all clicked as soon as he saw that coloration done to her hair. While most of her hair was still jet black, on the right side, there was a blue stripe, followed by a violet stripe, and his heart stopped a beat. She was dressed as Doctor Erika Shirow, the coroner who often worked with the Druid Gunslinger in his novels. Around her neck hung a pendant of a celtic cross, exactly as he'd described it in the most recent novel. Shirow had been a regular recurring character, but she was easily what fans would've called "a deep cut." When he'd first introduced her in the second book, he suspected she was a character he would come back to, but hadn't planned her to have much impact on the overarching storyline he had in mind. Now, some nine books into the series, she'd actually appeared in more of them than any other character other than Dale Sexton, the titular Druid Gunslinger. Most of the time, she usually only appeared in a chapter or two, but now, seeing Niko dressed as her, he wondered if he'd been subconsciously building a relationship between Dale and Erika over the course of the novels. He made a mental note to ask Niko about it later. The girls wandered into the room and took their time showing off their costumes for everyone, but as soon as they did, Niko moved over to slide down into Andy's lap, sliding an arm around him. "You like?" she asked him, a mischievous smile on her lips. "No, I absolutely hate it," he laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. "You look stunning. You all look stunning." "Lauren worried she was too tall to pull off the Black Canary, but I told her that in those fishnets, you wouldn't give a fuck." "You would absolutely be right." Niko gestured for him to tip up his hole cards so she could look at them, which he did, and then tipped them back down. "Looks like you're doing well." "Ah, we're mostly playing for fun," Eric said. Niko winked over in his direction. "Sure. That's why your chip stack is so utterly small." "Absolutely," Lily said, moving to stand behind Eric. "And it certainly isn't because my man has no poker face whatsoever." Audrey moved to stand behind Phil. "Phil's usually pretty good at poker, though," she said, kissing his cheek. "Although I heard Andy's always been better." Andy shrugged. "I'm not bad. I mean, I wouldn't drop ten K of my own money to enter the World Series of Poker, but I usually come out at least a little bit ahead at poker nights." "Go easy on them then, I guess, Andy. How high are the stakes?" Niko asked, clearly wiggling her ass in his lap, trying to distract him off his game. "Are we rich yet?" Andy cocked his head to one side, mocking a frown upon his face. "Have you missed the mansion we now live in?" "Sure, but that's not money money," she teased. "What're you playing for?" Eric laughed. "Big, big money." He looked left, looked right, then leaned forward, putting his hand over one side of his mouth, stage whispering to her. "Twenty dollars is the buy in." He widened his eyes and nodded in her direction, like it was his life savings they were talking about. Niko rolled her eyes. "Forget what I said about going easy on them. Take them for everything they're worth." "Oh, and the loser has to buy dinner for the next game night," Phil said. "Or, at least, they used to have to, but that was before we all got our own private staff." "I can't remember the last time Andy bought dinner," Eric grumbled. "I don't know that he ever has," Phil sighed. "I think it's all the rest of us just passing the buck around." The doorbell rang, and Niko slid off his lap. "Who else are we expecting?" Phil rolled his eyes upward in thought. "Ari and his family are coming. Jenna's hooked up with some guy named Gary, so they said they'd stop by. Mel told me he couldn't make it this time, but would try and catch us for the next get together." "I'll go see who it is." Niko headed to the door and Andy could hear from outside the door as soon as she opened it a chorus of children shouting "Trick Or Treat!" They'd just resolved the hand, so all the guys got up and headed to the door to see five children, all dressed up in Minecraft costumes, holding out buckets, into which Niko graciously dropped a couple of candies each. There was a woman standing behind the children, back at the foot of the walkway up to the house, waving at them. It wasn't anyone that any of them recognized, but Andy was glad to see the children weren't out by themselves. For the next hour or so, every ring of the doorbell would bring either another gaggle of children, or another of the group's mutual friends, until the house felt like a booming party. The parade of trick or treating children eventually slowed, and it was almost ten pm when the doorbell rang again. Andy went to answer the door, holding the pot of candies, and as soon as he opened the door, he tensed up a little, even as he heard the shout of "Trick Or Treat!" There were only two children standing there, a girl dressed as Hermione from Harry Potter, and a slightly older boy, dressed as Draco Malfoy. But the children weren't the problem. Behind them stood Arthur Robert Covington the Fourth, dressed as Napoleon. Andy had to mentally tell himself not to curl his hand into a fist. "Ah, Andrew!" Covington said. "So this is where you live. I did wonder which of the open houses they'd assigned you to." Andy dropped candies into the outstretched bags of the two children. They shouldn't be punished for what an ass their father was. "Yes. Well. Here we are." He couldn't wait to get this

#150: What “1 Billion” Scrum Classes Taught Us About Team Culture (and Captain America) with Cort Sharp & Laura Kendrick

Agile Mentors Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025 46:11

Laura Kendrick and Cort Sharp hijack the mic to share what it’s really like behind the scenes at Mountain Goat. From Zoom bloopers to unexpected team bonding, they unpack how a fully remote team built a thriving, human-centered workplace. Overview In this special takeover episode, Laura Kendrick and Cort Sharp pull back the curtain on what goes into running hundreds of Scrum and Product Owner classes virtually—and why Mountain Goat's remote team still feels so close-knit. With stories of early tech headaches, Slack banter, hilarious costume moments, and the quiet rituals that keep the team connected, they explore how remote work can actually foster strong relationships and top-tier collaboration. If you’ve ever wondered how to make a distributed team work (or just want a peek at some Zoom-era growing pains), this one’s for you. References and resources mentioned in the show: Laura Kendrick Cort Sharp #61: The Complex Factors in The Office Vs. Remote Debate with Scott Dunn #147: The Power of Quiet Influence with Casey Sinnema Run a Daily Scrum Your Team Will Love Subscribe to the Agile Mentors Podcast Join the Agile Mentors Community Want to get involved? This show is designed for you, and we’d love your input. Enjoyed what you heard today? Please leave a rating and a review. It really helps, and we read every single one. Got an Agile subject you’d like us to discuss or a question that needs an answer? Share your thoughts with us at podcast@mountaingoatsoftware.com This episode’s presenters are: Cort Sharp is the Scrum Master of the producing team and the Agile Mentors Community Manager. In addition to his love for Agile, Cort is also a serious swimmer and has been coaching swimmers for five years. Laura Kendrick is the producer of the Agile Mentors Podcast and a seasoned Scrum Master who keeps virtual classes running smoothly. Outside the podcast, she helps clients apply Scrum techniques to their marketing and business strategy, bringing structure and momentum to big, creative ideas. Auto-generated Transcript: Laura Kendrick (00:00) Welcome in Agile Mentors. As you may have noticed, I am not Brian Milner. I am Laura Kendrick, and this is Cort Sharp. And if you have taken a class with us at Mountain Goat in the last five years, there is a good chance that you have met one or actually both of us. Cort Sharp (00:19) I think it's like 90 % chance, 95 % honestly. We've been in so many of these classes. Laura Kendrick (00:26) Definitely, and oftentimes together too with one of us TAing, one of us producing, sometimes one of us teaching court. Cort Sharp (00:33) once in a while, once in a while. Yeah. Laura Kendrick (00:37) So we thought we would come on over here and hijack the podcast to share a little bit about some of the insights that we have gained from doing about a billion, maybe a little exaggeration. Cort Sharp (00:49) Roughly. Roughly. We've done roughly a billion classes with Mountain Goat. Yes. Laura Kendrick (00:56) We have seen a lot in the certifying of Scrum Masters and product owners and advanced product owners and Scrum Masters and all of the evolution of the classes that we have done. We actually hold quite a bit of insight into what is happening in this world. And so we thought we would come in, steal the podcast, and share a little bit of what we have seen, learned, observed, and really just kind of Honestly, some of the laughs and fun that we've had along the way. Cort Sharp (01:25) Also, I think, I don't know, just your intro right there is talking about, hey, we've seen the evolution of these classes. That just got my brain going of like, remember the first class that we did? Way like 2020. I mean, I was in my parents' basement with really terrible internet. It was a struggle. Laura Kendrick (01:40) Yeah. Cort Sharp (01:49) But we were working on like Miro boards or mural. One of the two, forget which, which tool it was, but that was, yeah, that was before team home. And then we got to see the first version of team home. We helped do a little testing with it. And then we've seen it grow all the way into this awesome tool that we have nowadays. And I don't know, just, just to me, I think it's cool to see how we've been iterating and be part of that process of the iteration process, um, to develop these classes and these courses into. Laura Kendrick (01:52) Mm-hmm. Mural. Yep. Mm-hmm. Cort Sharp (02:20) the truly awesomeness that they are today. Personally, I'd rather take a virtual class than an in-person class with Mountain Goat at this point. Laura Kendrick (02:27) It's funny that you say that because I notice actually the iteration of the experience like outside of the tech piece because you know, that's where my brain goes. Here's the difference between court and I. I'm noticing the interactions. But I've noticed, mean how people are interacting a little bit differently in the online space, how even our team interacts, like all of those things has become so much more sophisticated and amazing and Cort Sharp (02:39) Yeah, just a bit. Laura Kendrick (02:54) I mean, honestly, we sometimes talk on our team between like the producing and TA team where like I've referred to it as a perfect game if we don't need anything from the outside team, which occasionally we need a lot of support from the outside team, but we've we've got this down at this point. And it is it's become those first classes. I remember them being super stressful, like, my gosh, the breakout rooms and all the things and just being like, I mean, you couldn't do. Cort Sharp (03:17) Yes. Laura Kendrick (03:21) It was almost like learning how to drive where you felt like if you turned the radio knob up, you might actually turn the whole car. And it was like, so much anxiety. Cort Sharp (03:31) I mean, but we just didn't know Zoom then. Zoom didn't even know itself then, right? What Zoom is, ⁓ for those of you who don't know, we host all of our virtual classes on Zoom. And learning that platform, like I'd used it once maybe for some just, yeah, here's Zoom exists in one of my college classes. That was about it. But yeah, totally. was like, man, what does this button do? Hopefully it doesn't end the meeting and kick everyone out. Laura Kendrick (03:34) Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's so true. Yeah, no kidding. But you know what's really interesting too, though, is that it's been over five years now for both of us being part of the Mountain Goat team. And we all work remotely. And other than you and Mike for a little while being right down the road from each other, none of us had any actual interpersonal interaction with each other outside of Zoom email and Slack and the occasional, know, fretted text message of like, are you late? Where are you? Cort Sharp (03:58) Absolutely, yeah, totally. Yeah. Laura Kendrick (04:26) But other than that it like we truly were of and still are a fully remote team and the crazy thing about it is we have at this point once gotten together as a full team in person and it was such an interesting experience being having been fully remote and then being in person and in particular the team that is live on the classes Cort Sharp (04:39) Yep. Yep. Laura Kendrick (04:51) It was a very different interaction because we have this time built into our classes where the team gets on the Zoom call 30 minutes earlier than the students do. And we get this time to just honestly have like water cooler chat and like friend chat or occasionally see Mike get on and you can't hear him, but you can see that he is quite angry at his very elaborate tech system that is not working correctly. Cort Sharp (05:14) you That does happen. Yes, it does. ⁓ Laura Kendrick (05:21) these moments, I feel like they really bonded us together. Because when we got together in person, it was old friends. wasn't even fast friends. It was old friends. And the banter even that goes on in Slack is fun and engaging and not rigid and confining. Cort Sharp (05:31) Yeah. Yes, absolutely. I agree with that. I mean, I'm just thinking back to like the first time because that was the first time I met you in person. aside from being like, wow, she's a lot shorter than I thought she would be. Laura Kendrick (05:47) Mm-hmm. shorter. By the way, court is like 6-4. Cort Sharp (05:55) Yeah, yeah. Not that you're short. But I've just always ever seen like, the profile like the profile picture. That's all that it's really ever been. So I'm like, yeah, you're like, what I would consider normal height, which you totally are. But in my mind, I was like, yeah, it's weird seeing, you know, your legs. That's funny. ⁓ Laura Kendrick (06:14) We digress. Cort Sharp (06:15) But aside from that, was like we've known each other for three, four, four years because we've had that time to get to know each other. We've had that time to talk about just life events, what's going on, where we live, what's happening, what the deal is going on with life. Because we've been very intentional about having that time with that. The 30 minutes before each class were originally very much so used to take care of any tech problems. As the years have gone by, we've for the most part figured out the tech problems. Sometimes, you know, we'll change something out. Laura Kendrick (06:48) Except, hold on, except last week in Lance's class, we were talking about his dog and suddenly it looked as though Lance in his entire room did a cartwheel because the camera just fell. This is not a small camera. Cort Sharp (07:02) It said, nope, I'm out. ⁓ man. Laura Kendrick (07:06) So we still occasionally have the tech problem. Cort Sharp (07:09) Yes we do, yes we do. That's why we still do the 30 vimits. Laura Kendrick (07:14) The crazy thing about that is that when we landed at this in-person meeting, there were members of the team that at that time, and I in particular had never had any interaction with. so like other than the odd email or Slack message, so it was like really knew their name, but didn't really work with them up until that moment. And it was really interesting because at one point, the way that the leadership team had mentioned of like, well, if you need somebody to step in and talk to Mike for you, if you're not comfortable. And I remember looking at court and being like, Mike's the one I'm most comfortable with in this room because of that 30 minutes. I feel like I know Mike. I feel like we have an actual interpersonal relationship where I have no problem speaking up and saying the things that I need to. And that has made like those little water cooler times, those little Cort Sharp (07:54) Yeah. Laura Kendrick (08:06) bantery questions, them asking about my kids or hobbies or whatever. And just knowing those things made a huge difference in our team functioning. The communication across time zones was so much better and easier and safer. Cort Sharp (08:24) Absolutely. We were talking a little bit before we were recording about just people who want pure in-person no matter what. I think at this point, I will always push back on that and say, you might not get that quote unquote collaboration time that's naturally built in, but if you're intentional about it and you provide the space and provide the resources, Laura Kendrick (08:32) Hmm. Cort Sharp (08:50) And also, kind of push people along, have some, I don't know, working agreements or something of, hey, our cameras are on whenever we're talking with each other, unless something like drastic is going on or something's happening, right? Which I think we're going to get into in a little bit, but it's massive. It's crazy. Laura Kendrick (09:03) That's huge. Yeah, I mean, it is. I think we can definitely speak to that in our own experience because we've had, of course, there are moments where people don't have cameras. There are moments where people have bad connections and we'll encourage them in class, like turn off your camera, save your bandwidth. But there are also moments where we are doing private classes for companies. In particular, we've done some with companies that work with like Department of Defense. So there's like real security. issues there and so they don't turn their cameras on. Their cameras are totally disabled on their computers. And it is, I have to say those classes are some of the most like energy draining classes I'm ever present in because I'll be there with the trainer and I feel like I have to give all this emotional feedback because when you are talking to a black screen, that's, it's really hard to just. Cort Sharp (09:47) Hmm. Laura Kendrick (09:58) survive that because you're not getting any feedback from anyone. So you don't know what's happening and you're constantly questioning and the kind of banter in your own mind is like, God, is it landing? Is it not? And you're just not getting any of that physical feedback. So I feel like when I'm on a class with a trainer like that, I feel like I have to be like, that's funny. I'm like, yeah, good point. Cort Sharp (10:19) Yeah, you're kidding. Laura Kendrick (10:21) I'm tired Cort Sharp (10:22) You No, I get that. And I've had some pretty similar experiences too. I might not be as in tune with the emotional side as stated earlier. So I might not help the trainers out nearly as much as I probably should. But I do think cameras on just can make all the difference. And again, situations where it's just not possible. Absolutely understand that. One of our trainers, Lance, he Laura Kendrick (10:39) Mm-hmm. Cort Sharp (10:47) He always likes to throw out the phrase, look, let's approach everything with grace, patience, and mercy. So I like, which I really appreciate, and I like that he throws that out there. But I think that's a good thing to keep in mind of like, know, even though you have the company policy, you have the working agreement, whatever it is that says, look, camera's on all the time, sometimes it's just not possible. Sometimes it just doesn't happen. I recently had to figure out internet in the middle of nowhere, because that's where I live now. Laura Kendrick (10:52) Mm. No. Cort Sharp (11:15) And I was worried for a while that I wouldn't be able to put my camera on. But, you know, if if they came down to that, I know that it would be, hey, you know, it's a it's a unique situation. It's something different. And we're going to do we're going to work the best that we can with it and try to figure out maybe you can turn your camera on for any time you're talking or just any time you have something to say or, you know, if you're agreeing with something, you could briefly turn your camera on to show like, yeah, I'm nodding. I'm agreeing. I'm doing whatever. Right. But Laura Kendrick (11:45) Honestly, I think recently I had a very busy day and we communicate in back channels, of course through email, but also we use Slack as a team. And so I sent a direct message to court about something and I just like, I sent it in a voice? No. And court's response was, didn't know you could do that in Slack. But in those moments, I think there are other ways of doing it too, where you can bring the humanity out, where it's not just words. Cort Sharp (12:01) Yeah. Laura Kendrick (12:09) So often I'm actually thinking about there was one time that you and I were talking about something and I misread it as like, I like kicked something, like some hornet's nest in there. Like you were upset with me, but you were like, no, that was not my intention. And it's an amazing thing that that's only happened once in five years. There was that subtle nuanced miscommunication of I thought I had offended in some way and I hadn't. Cort Sharp (12:18) So. Yeah. Laura Kendrick (12:34) Just keeping that in mind though, in written word, tone is interpreted because probably what happened is I like offended my kid or my partner and was bringing that into the conversation with court. And it had nothing to do with what was actually happening, but adding in those personal things of your face, your voice, those things really do help move that human connection, which enables the teamwork that we've seen at Mountain Go. Cort Sharp (12:42) Yep. Yep. Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (13:00) I mean, it's amazing the way this team functions and it is not perfect. There are definitely communications missteps. There are definitely like, oops, forgot to leave that piece out of the information packet. It happens. It happens to everybody, but we're able to recover really quickly or even it's a safe enough space to be able to speak up and say, I think I got left out on this. And it's responded to in a really gracious and amazing way. Cort Sharp (13:26) It absolutely is. I mean, Mountain Goat's been remote for longer than the COVID stuff, the pandemic stuff happened. Laura Kendrick (13:33) Yeah. Well, Lisa's been with them for what, 10 years? I think it was nearly 10 years when we started, maybe 15. And Hunter's around the same. So yeah, they've been spread for a long time. Cort Sharp (13:42) Something like that, Uh-huh. ⁓ I know that they had an office space and that office space changed just in case people wanted to like come in, come to the office. I think at one point, one of them was in Colorado, which is kind of funny because several people live on the West coast. And then it's like, okay, yeah, come on, come on, swing by the... Colorado office on just a random Tuesday. Yeah, fly in, have fun. I don't know. Yeah, why not? I don't know what the deal was or what it was like, but they've been fully remote. And I think with the kind of runway that they've had leading up until the time where everyone had to be fully remote has really benefited Mountain Go in a lot of ways, because a lot of those early, like, how do we work remote? How do we do this? Laura Kendrick (14:09) I'd do that. Yeah, let's do it. Cort Sharp (14:31) kind of was ironed out, but back to your, your point to just like, it's, it's incredible how much support there is. It's incredible how much, how well communication again, it's not perfect, but how well we're able to communicate with each other and how well we're able to just say, yeah, let's, let's hop on a call real quick or here. I think most of us have like personal phone numbers. We, we use that as a very much so last resort type deal. Laura Kendrick (14:57) Yeah. Cort Sharp (14:59) But even then, it's nice to just have those open lines of communication and know that those are always available, but also know that people are kind of in our corner all the time too. And I think you have a pretty good story about this one. Something happened in a class a few years ago. Laura Kendrick (15:09) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. It was early on we had, it was a non-Mike class. So it was one of the other instructors and there was a student who was just challenging. And in the end, it didn't go well in the moment, to put it, just to kind of like not go into grave detail about it. But Mike wasn't there, right? And so The thing that was interesting though is the first piece of communication that came from Mike, which was before that class even broke, right? Because it was one of those things of like, we have to share. As a team, we can't hide it. We have to share that something happened in class that was less than ideal. And so we did. And the immediate response from Mike was in support of the team. And later on, he did go and review the tape of the, because the classes are recorded, not for this purpose. They're recorded actually so that the students get a recording of the class afterwards and can return to what, you know, all the things that they learned because it's a lot to take in in two days. But in this one instance, it was beneficial in this way because Mike could actually see rather than taking people's words, what happened. And I think the important thing is not even what happened after, but what happened in the moment. that he instantaneously was like, I've got you. Like no matter how this goes, we're a team and I'm gonna support you as well. And that was actually, that was pretty early on for me. And it was in a moment where I didn't know Mike that well yet. And it was actually this very solidifying moment for me that was like, I'm in the right place. Like I am part of this team, not just a minion or an employee. Like they care about all of us. Cort Sharp (16:48) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (16:56) and we're in this together, even if it turns out that we're in some form of trouble, it's still going to be thoughtfully managed and handled rather than just the kind of lashing out that can happen in so many environments. Cort Sharp (17:12) Right. And, and that experience, cause I think we were all included on that email. Like I, I wasn't in the class when it happened, but I do remember getting that email and it just was a clear communication from kind of head honcho Mike, right? A top dog saying, yeah, no, we, we got your back. on, we're on the same team. We're all working towards the same goal. And when I, when I read the email, I was like, wow, that was an eventful class. but. Laura Kendrick (17:26) Mm-hmm. us. Cort Sharp (17:38) My second thought, my second thought was, huh, this very similar to what you were saying of like, wow, this is a great place to be. This is a great company to work for. These are great people to be working with and alongside. ⁓ but also like, I know so many people whose managers, whose higher ups would say, Nope, you're in the wrong. You should have done better. Your toast, blah, blah, blah, blah. Like putting all the blame on you. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Laura Kendrick (17:52) Mm-hmm. Yeah. The knee jerk. Yeah. Yeah. Cort Sharp (18:07) And it just, makes me think all the time of like one really blessed, like very fortunate to be here, very fortunate to work with mountain goat. but also people don't quit jobs. They quit managers. They quit leadership more often than not. And, not that I'm talking about quitting mountain goat, but, neither, neither of us are throwing that out there right now, but just like, Laura Kendrick (18:20) Mmm. Yeah. No, but interestingly in five years, I've not seen anybody quit. I mean, we've had people kind of go down separate paths, but nobody has been throwing their hands up and been like, I'm done. I can't be in this. There have been people who have taken other opportunities that they needed to take for their own businesses. But yeah, nobody's quit. In five years, no one has quit, which speaks volumes to the culture that is created in an environment where Cort Sharp (18:37) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (18:57) And I also want to be clear that that response from Mike also, it wasn't disparaging to the other party either. It was simply a, like, it just let us know that I see you and this, you were in a hard moment in the moment and you had to react like a human being and you as a team, I've got your back and this is, you know, great. And to be fair to that was like in the heat of COVID. Cort Sharp (19:24) Yes, yeah It was yeah Laura Kendrick (19:27) good times. But there's also been a lot of fun that's happened in class too, which is, I think that makes a big difference. Like where we are, I don't want to say allowed because I don't think that's right, but like part of the culture is to have fun. Like Mike is a pretty funny guy. Brian's a pretty funny guy. Like honestly, the whole team is quite humorous and it's, we're allowed to like make these really fun things and Cort Sharp (19:48) Yes. Laura Kendrick (19:52) in response to like when we see them in class, like, we foster those two and it becomes this really fun working environment, not only for us, for our students. You brought up one that I had totally forgotten about with the costume. That was good. Cort Sharp (20:06) ⁓ yeah, I, I, yeah, I'll, I'll get into the costume thing, but I think the word you're looking for instead of allowed is enabled. Like we're, we're enabled to have fun. We're encouraged. Absolutely. Yeah. A hundred percent. If you ever hung out with Mike or, or taking a class with him, you've probably heard some funny stories. Laura Kendrick (20:13) Yeah, Encouraged, in fact. And my gosh, the one class too where Mike was asked how long they'd have access to like the videos and stuff. my gosh, Mike ended the class and it was a super engaged Chipper class. Everyone was laughing and Mike brought it down. Cause he did his usual thing where he talked about, what does he say? You have access as long as the internet exists and I'm alive. And then he went into great detail. great detailed speculation about what will happen once he's not alive. It went on for like five minutes. Cort Sharp (20:58) Yeah, where where he's like, yeah, you know, my kids will probably be like, what's this? What's this old website that dad's still hosting? Guess we'll we'll close that up 10 years down the line or whatever. Laura Kendrick (21:09) Dumbfounded. It was so good. But anyhow. Cort Sharp (21:13) man. But there was, I don't even remember why this happened in the class. don't think it was around like Halloween time or something. think the person, actually, I think the person does this to go to like local children's hospitals or local hospitals and just visit. But I get on and I'm normally the PM producer. So I normally hop on in the afternoon. And I took over from Laura and Laura Kendrick (21:22) No, it wasn't. think so. Cort Sharp (21:39) Laura was like, yeah, you know, pretty normal class. This happens, whatever. We're good. And I hop on and people start turning their cameras on. And then all of a sudden there's this dude in a Captain America costume. Like what? He's got the mask. He's got the, the, the uniform. He's got the shield and everything. And I was like, what is happening? What is going on? Come to find out he was telling his story. Laura Kendrick (21:50) Like full on math. Cort Sharp (22:04) Yeah, I do this. This is cool. And Mike was like, that'd be awesome to see. He went out, put it on and took the rest of the classes Captain America. So we have certified Captain America. Laura Kendrick (22:12) Awesome. We've had, there was the guy who was put on like a crazy hat for the first session and then came back for session two with a different crazy hat. And then other people started wearing crazy hats. And by the end of it, like by the final session, almost the entire class was sitting there with some like their kids stuff on their heads. it was. Cort Sharp (22:34) You Laura Kendrick (22:36) But was this one, like it stands out of the billion classes we've done. It stands out in our minds as these really fun moments. I remember the class where it was a private class, so it was for a company or team. And there were, it took me until the very end to, it was early on, so it took me until the very end to get up the gumption. There were five mics in the class. And finally I was like, I'm just gonna put them all in the same room and see if anybody notices. Cort Sharp (22:36) People just... Yes. Didn't they notice like right away, they all came back and they're like, team Mike is back in action or something, right? Laura Kendrick (23:04) I don't think they said anything, but they did. The instructor went into the room and like, yeah, they noticed. Good. My passive aggressive humor worked. Cort Sharp (23:10) Hehehehehe It's fun. It's all good. But it's also like going back to us being able to do this before I figured out kind of my background situation, I would always put up virtual backgrounds and I would just change your background every time and see if people noticed. And it wasn't, it was a lot of Disney. Yes. Laura Kendrick (23:23) Mm-hmm. Disney. That's the thing though. That also, that kind of stuff built a little bit of a relationship as well. like it was, court was always going to have something for Disney. I had one that I would, when I finally found the one I liked, I kept that one for a long time. And Mike would occasionally, when I wasn't in a class, he would send me a screenshot of somebody via email and be like, somebody's in your house with you. Cause they would have the same background. Cort Sharp (23:52) Yeah! Laura Kendrick (23:56) those little tiny things make the relationships and make the team function and make us giggle. So I'd be like out with my kids and see an email and be like, oh no, Mike, what does he need? And then click in and be like, you know, actually more often than not, it would probably be like, am I missing class? See, I'd be like, oh, that's funny. But you know, it builds that relationship. And I think it's why this remote working has worked so well for us. And I'm totally with you where I, when people are Cort Sharp (24:13) You Yeah. Laura Kendrick (24:26) railing against it because of my experience. like, you're crazy. This is great. Cort Sharp (24:31) Exactly. I'm like, how can you not want to just chill out, hang out in your home, chat with some people, get some work done, and like, you're good. Who despises that? Who doesn't like that? don't know. It's, Exactly, yeah. But I do think it does, it comes down to being intentional with it. We were talking about that 30 minutes before that used to be primarily tech troubleshooting. Laura Kendrick (24:47) I know, you get to do things on your own time too. Cort Sharp (25:01) but has since kind of evolved into, okay, so everything, like, I don't know about you, but the vast majority of time, unless a camera's fallen, the vast majority of time, it's, all right, does everything look good? Yeah? Cool. Sure does. Whoever I'm working with, awesome. So, what'd you do this weekend? how was this? ⁓ sorry, sorry that the Avs lost to the Dallas Stars. Yeah, I'm sorry too. Stuff like that, right? Where it's just, Laura Kendrick (25:19) Yeah. It's water cooler talk. Cort Sharp (25:29) It's fun, but we're very intentional with having that time to do that. And I think if you're not intentional in setting up that time, whether if you're working remote hybrid, you're not going to get it. And it's not just going to naturally happen because it is so much more difficult to produce. it's impossible for it to just kind of naturally pop up without taking away from some other intentional time. so I think in, in this this world that we're living in where there is the option to work remotely and there is this really big push to go back in person. I'm saying stick with remote, take your 15, 15 minute daily standup, and turn it into, you know, say, Hey, I'll be on 10, 15 minutes early. If anyone wants to come hang out, come chat. And make it worth it. Make it a valuable time because that is the time to connect and that is the time to say, yeah, cool. How are the kids? How was your weekend? Did you grill up some good hot dogs during this last weekend? What'd you do? Like, what was going on? ⁓ Build up that stuff. Laura Kendrick (26:23) Yeah. We also have Slack channels too, that are like that. Like there's a Slack channel for our team that's just movies, books and TV shows. That people, it'll get active at certain times and it'll be totally dead for a while and nobody's cultivating it. It's simply that somebody will pop in like, I just watched this and it's great. And they've set up also like the automatic bots, cause Mike's a big fan of James Bond. So like if somebody mentions James Bond, the Slack bot will say something quippy and it- Cort Sharp (26:39) Yeah. ⁓ Laura Kendrick (26:58) But it adds that little, like, little bit of humor, little bit of humanness to even though, like, the people that we have time to interact with like that is the team that's in class. So I don't, I mean, it wasn't until we were in person that I met our CTO. He was kind of an enigma, you know? Cort Sharp (27:10) Yeah. Mm-hmm. He was just in the background. Things just magically showed up digitally. Laura Kendrick (27:23) It was in my email and my Slack sometimes, but it creates that thing of like, now I know things about Hunter. Yes, of course it was because we were in person. I heard lots of stories and all that fun stuff. But also I know about like some of his like TV watching stuff. I know occasionally like what his wife likes to watch because sometimes he'll like pepper in something that, she dragged me into this and not my cup of tea. But it's those little bitty things that you start to learn about the people. Cort Sharp (27:39) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (27:50) that makes them human and gives that space. And I also, think it's important to have it be a little bit of white space. so often we talk about cultivating the conversation and like, can you have icebreakers and get people engaged? And yes, those things are so important, but when it's with a team, you need to do those things, but you also need to create the empty space where maybe you have that daily standup or that... weekly meeting or monthly meeting, whatever that is for your team. And maybe at the end of it, it's just leaving the call going and allowing people to just talk. I mean, we did that as a producer team that we would have a meeting as producers that would be very structured and then kind of the official meeting would end. And there would be times where as a team we'd be on that Zoom. I'm like, thank goodness nobody needs this channel. Cause like we'd be in there for like two and a half hours. Cort Sharp (28:26) Yeah. Yeah. Laura Kendrick (28:42) just talking. And of course, it wasn't, you know, it wasn't billing time. It wasn't, you know, it was just us being friends and hearing each other and sometimes ranting and complaining and doing the things of like, this part was hard and like, yeah, well, people need the space to do that and feel seen and heard. And the only place they're going to get that is in the white space. Cort Sharp (29:01) Yep. Exactly. Yep. And where my head went when you were talking about the white space, I love where you just went to because that's absolutely very true. But where my mind went was the newest kind of Slack channel that that's been set up, which is the artificial intelligence. Yeah. Where we just we just it's cool because I'm interested in AI. I think everyone's interested in AI right now. Things are things are going in all sorts of wild directions with it. There's there's all sorts of possibilities that we can do with it. Laura Kendrick (29:17) ⁓ Yeah, that one's Yeah. Cort Sharp (29:32) And Hunter just threw out, who wants in? If you want in, cool, I'll get you in. If not, and you're not interested in AI, let me know when you are, because it'll be at some point, I was going to say. It's just another full group one. Yeah, we just. Laura Kendrick (29:39) Yeah. Pretty sure the whole team's in there. But it is fun. Like Hunter and Mike do deep dives and Brian too. And I'm like, wow, I just get to swim in that pool. It's really Cort Sharp (29:50) Yes. Yeah, yeah. You just kind of get a glean from what's posted in there and say, oh yeah, I am really interested in the automation side of AI. I want to do, I think I threw in there one time, like this whole GitHub repository that has just from zero to hero AI, here's a two week crash course. And I've been working my way through that. It's taken a lot longer than two weeks for me. I've been working my way through that. And it's opened my eyes to say, okay, now this awesome thing, think Mike just threw in there something about someone using it at Disney, I think it was, and how they were using it at Disney to propose, here's a cool way that we can use AI to help our proposals go faster or help our marketing campaigns go faster or whatever it is. And just learning and seeing and... Laura Kendrick (30:38) Yeah. Cort Sharp (30:44) growing together as a team as well and having that space of, yeah, you know, here's what here, here are these articles that I'm reading. Here's the ones that stuck out to me. And to have that space, I think also is, is really interesting to me too, not just because I like learning, but it's also like, I feel like, okay, I can talk with Mike about AI. I can talk with Hunter about AI. I can talk with whoever about it. And we're all relatively on the same page because we're all relatively getting the same information. Laura Kendrick (31:14) Yeah, yeah. I feel like having the Slack channel has been really helpful and all the white space and even honestly the in-person event, there was white space built into that too. There was definitely a lot of structured meetings because of course when you are bringing everyone in from all over the country and actually the world, have a team member who is in the UK too. Cort Sharp (31:26) yeah. Laura Kendrick (31:37) flying a great distance and being in a space together, it's got to be structured. You have to make that worth the time and effort and investment. But also there were dinners, there were shows that happened, there was fun built into it, and there were options of not just like, I'm forcing you to go to this, but like, here's a choice. Would you like to do this or that? And those things have made a huge difference in breeding the like belongingness. Cort Sharp (31:55) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (32:05) and the feeling like we are actually a team. And even though there are definitely times where the frustrations arise, of course, I mean, who doesn't have frustrations, but it's a space where they can be vocalized, they can be talked through, and it's all due to that togetherness that we have, that connectedness that has been built through, honestly, Cort Sharp (32:05) Yeah. Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (32:30) just being in these like casual fun spaces is where that comes from in my opinion. Cort Sharp (32:36) Yeah, I agree with that. Just having the space to talk about whatever. But I think it's all rooted in communication, right? So in various methods of communicating and various ways of communicating too, where it's not just exclusively Slack, email, written text, we have that space there. But we do still run into some communication problems, right? There's... Laura Kendrick (32:41) Yeah. For sure, for sure. Cort Sharp (32:58) there's all sorts of communication problems that we're gonna run into because especially we are text-based heavy, but we're not exclusively text-based. But I think you were talking about a story where Mike was late one time or Mike's late story about communication and what was going on with that. Laura Kendrick (33:12) he tells it in class. He tells a story in class with that. It's one of his examples that he will pull into fairly frequently with an experience with a team where somebody was always late to the daily standup and they realized that it had to do with the fact that they had to drop their kid off at school. And so it was that simple communication shift of asking instead of assuming, asking which... They've put into practice too, like I recall early on hearing like, do you prefer to be communicated with? And like we've had these conversations that court and I have a tendency to be more slack people. But Brian has stated that for him, like when he's teaching slack is like his emergency line. And so like knowing that I'm not going to send him something through slack unless I desperately need him to see it when I can land it in his email versus Lisa and Laura are much more Cort Sharp (33:43) yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (34:04) they're going to be in the email. Like that's just where they live and they are less likely to be in Slack. So it's just knowing those things have also helped us build the right kind of streams of communication. I'm pretty sure Hunter is everywhere all at once. Like he's omnipresent. You can get him anywhere. I know it. I'm in New York and he's in California. I'm pretty sure if I whispered his name, he's hearing it right now. Cort Sharp (34:06) Right. my gosh. He's the enigma. He's the enigma everywhere. I was gonna say, I'm surprised he hasn't popped into this. We've said his name three times. It's, he just knows everything and he's always got everything coming through and no matter what you need, he's any message away. Slack, email, could be carry your pigeon. I don't know, something like that, right? Laura Kendrick (34:43) Yeah, his next Halloween costume needs to be Beetlejuice, so I'm sending that to him. my goodness. But I think at the end of the day, the practices that have been put into place that you may have felt in our classes too, have helped really grow this team into what it is. There's a lot of strength here. There's a lot of fun here, but there's a lot of hard work here too. And a lot of, there have been hard moments where we've all just kind of put our heads down together and moved through the hard moments as a team with a lot of support and a lot of. Cort Sharp (35:12) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (35:15) Just trying to be in it and be like kind of move things where it needs to go. I don't know what the right word is as a team. It's redundant. Cort Sharp (35:22) I think it. Yeah. But I think that that does show in our classes a lot, right? You and I have both taken a class outside of the mountain goat sphere, ⁓ and I'm not I'm not dogging on anyone. I'm not trying to talk down on anyone. But I got out of that class. I was like, man, we are light years ahead of that. Laura Kendrick (35:30) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Cort Sharp (35:49) that kind of interaction and that kind of experience. was the information that I got out of that class was awesome, superb. It was great. But just the amount of energy and effort and time that has been invested into these Mountain Goat courses, it's far and away just, it shows. And it shows how much of a level up it is to take a class with Mountain Goat. And I do think partly, you know, I'm boosting my own ego here. But I do think partly it is because we are surrounded with some awesome people and we have some awesome people working together and awesome support on every call, every class that you take with us, right? You don't have to, like the instructor can focus on just instructing. And we, more often than not, we are typically in charge of everything else. Make sure that any tech problems, any issues, anything that's going on, right? Yeah. Laura Kendrick (36:32) Yeah. Yeah. I remember the early days. Like you just brought up a memory that apparently I had stored in the trauma bank. I remember the early days though being, because I would often, because I'm on the East Coast, court is in mountain times. So, often I would be the early person just because it's easier for me. was mid morning for me. we would start class and it would be just, especially honestly when like people were figuring out Zoom and all this stuff, it was... stressful. Like they were just, it was just question, question, question, problem, problem, problem. And we would get to the first breakout and I would send everyone away and the instructor would be like, that was great. And I'm like, was, you know, just totally frazzled. But the point was, is no one else felt that. And it was, I was in my Slack and working with the team, working with Hunter, things fixed, working with Lisa, making sure the person was in the right place. Cort Sharp (37:20) Yeah, glad. Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (37:33) and doing all these things. And though that has died down because we've all gotten very good at our job and the systems in place are amazing at this point, it still is like, that's the whole point. We worked as a team so that the instructor could deliver an amazing class and be present with his students. And we could be here or her, because we do have hers too, I should say. They're students. And we were here taking care of the things that needed to be taken care of, which was, yeah. Cort Sharp (37:54) Yes. Laura Kendrick (38:00) Though I had forgotten about that. Thanks for that. Cort Sharp (38:02) Yeah, sure. Yeah, it's gotten easy, right? ⁓ Laura Kendrick (38:04) Yeah, it does. But that's at the end of the day, that's how a good team is. I think that we can kind of end it with this thing of Mike has created this environment and it definitely comes from him. Like it's is rooted in the founder for us because we're a small team, small but mighty. But he it's rooted in his like engine of creativity, efficiency, and just love of innovation. And that has kind of Cort Sharp (38:18) Mm-hmm. Laura Kendrick (38:34) folding that in with seeing all the people as humans, and with flaws and different talents and all those things and human interaction is messy and folding all of that in has actually been what has bred these amazing class experiences for our students and also this rewarding and fantastic team experience for the people behind the scenes as well. And I think the lesson Cort Sharp (38:39) Yes. Yep. Laura Kendrick (38:59) comes from that, that if we can fold those things in together and make space for humans to be humans and also have this amazing expectation of creativity and innovation, then it's all going to happen. Cort Sharp (39:06) Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, absolutely. I 100 % agree with that. I mean, it does come down to Mike and Mike is a fantastic leader. It's awesome. I also want to raise Mike, but. Laura Kendrick (39:28) Nice. Not passive aggressive at all. On that note. Cort Sharp (39:29) Yeah, you know. No. I'm just joking, right? We're able to have fun. We're able to joke around. But it does come down to leadership, right? And I think that's true on any team. And we have just we've been so fortunate to be able to experience it firsthand and go through this awesome transformation from being in person to fully remote, even in the class teaching stuff. And it's been really, really fun. really, really enjoyable. I, you know, you don't love every day. There are jobs, right? It's a job. But I'm not gonna lie. I'm not gonna lie. It has been fun. It has been enjoyable. But I don't look back on it and be like, wow, these last five years were just all terrible. No, it's we've had great leadership. We've had great interactions with with everyone. And I think Laura Kendrick (40:05) You should have just left it at really, really fun and enjoyable. Mic drop, goodbye. Cort Sharp (40:28) It's just come down to the people that we're working with and the people that we're engaging with consistently. And our leadership, Mike, has fostered an environment very, very well that is around fun, around communication, around enabling us to grow, to learn, to try new things, to move forward. And I really feel bad for companies who don't have that kind of leadership. that's, it's a tough spot to be in, but, I'm really, we're really blessed and really fortunate to, to be able to work here. And I hope this, this little peek behind the curtain, kind of encourages you to you, the listener, guess, whoever, whoever's out there to take a, take a little step back and say, okay, what, what am I doing as a leader within my sphere of influence to help my team be a little more human and embrace the humanity side of stuff? Not just pushing for more, we need more, more productivity, more AI, more everything, right? Yeah. Use AI, make it a tool, but just remember you're, building stuff for, for people. You're working with people all the time. And I think that's something that Mike has never forgotten and never will forget and never will let fall to the wayside that we're all people and we're all here working with each other. Laura Kendrick (41:43) Yeah. Couldn't agree more. Well, on that amazing note, thank you, Cort, for joining me in this hijacking of the podcast, the Agile Mentors podcast. And we're going to turn it back over to Brian, who's going to walk you right on out. Cort Sharp (41:54) Happy to.

Where is Google Headed with Measurement?

Measure Up

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025 48:58

Google Marketing Live 2023: Key Announcements, AI in Search, and the Future of MeasurementSimon and Jim unpack the highlights of Google Marketing Live 2025. Fresh from the conference, Simon "delves" (yes, AI was a big part) into key announcements, including AI in Search, AI Max for Search, VEO advancements, and measurement challenges.They discuss the excitement around AI mode, scenario planning in Google Analytics, and the evolving landscape of Marketing Mix Modeling (MMM).Additionally, they touch on insights from Google's new tools and partnerships, underscoring a shift towards more integrated and accessible marketing strategies.▶️ Watch on YouTube00:00 Introduction and Casual Banter00:15 Google Marketing Live Highlights01:23 Shaq and T-Pain at GML03:19 Measurement Announcements at GML05:13 Incrementality Testing13:01 Google Analytics and Attribution20:44 Meridian Scenario Planning25:21 Making MMM Accessible: A Double-Edged Sword25:57 The Complexity of Tagging and MMM28:14 Validation and the Dangers of Simplification32:11 AI's Role in MMM and Marketing37:48 Google Marketing Live: Key Announcements38:53 The Future of AI in Search and Advertising42:42 VEO and the Evolution of Creative Development47:37 Final Thoughts and Community Engagement

NRL Round 15 Maroon's Preview and Tips

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2025 6:40

Thanks to Interspor,t Boat Harbour Drive Hervey Bay, MMM's Guru of League joins Blandy every Thursday in The Big Breakfast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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2025 MM+M Agency 100, explained

The MM+M Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 10, 2025 32:27

The 2025 MM+M Agency 100 has been released!For this week's episode, the MM+M editorial team unpacks the 2025 MM+M Agency 100 list.Editor-in-chief Jameson Fleming, managing editor Jack O'Brien, pharma editor Lecia Bushak and reporter Heerea Rikhraj discuss the agencies that moved up and down the revenue chart as well as key trends like the advent of AI and the evolving relationship between agencies and clients. Step into the future of health media at the MM+M Media Summit on October 30th, 2025 live in NYC! Join top voices in pharma marketing for a full day of forward-thinking discussions on AI, streaming, retail media, and more. Explore the latest in omnichannel strategy, personalization, media trust, and data privacy—all under one roof. Don't wait—use promo code PODCAST for $100 off your individual ticket. Click here to register! AI Deciphered is back—live in New York City this November 13th.Join leaders from brands, agencies, and platforms for a future-focused conversation on how AI is transforming media, marketing, and the retail experience. Ready to future-proof your strategy? Secure your spot now at aidecipheredsummit.com. Use code POD at check out for $100 your ticket! Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.

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The perspective shift that changed my sister's LIFE

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 9, 2025 10:55 Transcription Available

As a business owner, it's totally normal to feel frustrated with client interactions... Next time you get a negative comment, refund request or unpleasant sales call, try this powerful technique for reframing negative thoughts and stories we tell ourselves. By shifting your mindset, you can lower stress, feel more fulfillment by your business and client relationships... and ideally have a laugh instead of an existential spiral.Get Strategic Stories: The 5 Day Instagram Challenge!➡️ https://magicmarketingmachine.com/strategic-storiestakeawaysThe stories we tell ourselves can significantly impact our emotions.Reframing negative thoughts can lead to a more positive outlook and a better business owner mindset.It's normal to feel frustrated with client interactions; how you respond matters most.Engagement on social media can fluctuate; it's important to not take it personally.A tip for your planning your next promotion on social mediaRefund requests are a natural part of scaling a business, and a reframe so you don't get so upset about them.Creating content is easier when we remove the pressure of perfection.We often make assumptions about others' actions without knowing their circumstances.Finding humour in frustrating situations helps alleviate stress.✨Tap here to watch a FREE masterclass on “How To Get Clients From Instagram (without wasting hours glued to your phone)" https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/evergreen-webinar-registration/ Tap here to get your free Posts That Sell Template (This caption got us 10 sales calls in 3 hours) https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/10-sales-calls-new

Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 1

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 8, 2025

A pandemic survivor accidentally forms a harem.Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Chapter 1Around day eighteen of the quarantine, Andy was starting to lose his damn mind. The governor of California had gotten on the television and announced that everyone who wasn't essential was under house arrest, essentially. Sure, the grocery stores were open, but restaurants were only doing delivery, and every bar in town was closed. The most time he'd spent outdoors in the last week had been walking out to the mailbox cluster for the complex down at the end of the street.Despite the fact that both of them had decent paying jobs “ Eric as a software engineer and Andy as a marketing writer “ neither could afford an entire place to themselves, so Andy paid rent to Eric, who owned the condo (or at least was paying it down).Andy also had a side hustle as a novelist, and was getting frustrated as hell that the quarantine was keeping him in place meant that his newest book was being pushed back. There was a warehouse full of fifty thousand copies of his next novel, and they were all just sitting there."They'll come out eventually," his agent had told him, but the whole thing felt very much like a death sentence to his literary ambitions. Andy even had a box of copies sitting on their kitchen table, along with a movie poster styled promotional in a frame."Did you get the mail today?" Andy asked his roommate."Nah," Eric said. "Didn't see the point.""Fair enough."Wham wham wham."You order food?""Nope. You?"A voice came from outside their front door. "CDC. Open the door, please."Eric moved to the door and peered through the peephole. On the other side, he saw a man in a biohazard suit, covered completely from head to toe. He raised one covered hand and waved. "I'm perfectly safe, as you can see. We're going door to door and testing people for the virus."Eric looked back at his roommate and shrugged. Andy grabbed his two cats, scooping one up in each arm as Eric opened the door. It was like something out of The Andromeda Strain, seeing the man in the yellow hazmat outside, a small box in one hand. "CDC?""Yeah. I'm Dave. Invite me in?"Andy shrugged and Eric laughed. "Sure, c'mon in. We just need to close the door behind you so the cats don't get out.""Sure sure, I get that. I'm here to test if you guys are clear. Is there some place I can set up?""Go ahead and use the kitchen. You want us together or one at a time?""The test only takes fifteen minutes and I can run up to four of them at a time, so come on. I can run you both." He lugged the kit with a world weariness, as if he'd been doing this thirty times a day since the lockdown had started. "Paperwork says you've got two guys living here “ Eric Yang and Andrew Rook. That you two?""That's us.""Nobody else in the condo?""Nope. Nobody else.""Cool," Dave said as he set the kit down on the kitchen table. He glanced up at the movie poster promotional on the wall above the kitchen table. "Oh hey, you guys are fan of the Druid Gunslinger books too? I fucking love those things."Eric laughed a little bit, sitting down in one of the kitchen chairs, rolling up his sleeve. "I mean, you could say that, I guess. He writes'em.""What? No, they're written by some guy named Blake Conrad." He glanced at Eric and grinned. "I don't need blood, man. Here, just rub this swab on the inside of your cheek for a bit."Andy smiled a bit sheepishly, putting the cats down. "Yeah, that's me. It's a pen name.""Why the hell would you want a pen name when you've got an awesome last name like Rook?""I'm friends with Arthur McStevenson. You know, the guy who writes all those thrillers you see on sale in the airports? Anyway, he told me that he wished he'd have taken a pen name before he got started, so people just couldn't look him up and track him down at home."Dave took the cotton swap that Eric handed him and put it into one of the four slots on the little machine he carried with him. "Oh hey, I'm sorry man. I don't want to bother you about it.""Nah, you didn't come tap on my window in the middle of the night or anything. What do I care?" Andy waved his hand before taking a cotton swab from him, rubbing it along the inside of his cheek, and then handed it back to the man in the bio suit."While this is running, I just gotta ask you guys a few other questions. Do you guys each have a twin bed?"Eric rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? Ask him about his bed. Just ask him."Andy crossed his arms over his chest, as if this was a discussion they'd had a number of times. "Eric's got a queen sized bed and I've got a California king sized bed. Even though I've got the smaller bedroom. But what can I say? When I got out of college, I bought a big ass bed, so I'd always be comfortable, and never wanted to give it up.""Why do you ask?""They're starting to force people to house additional people in their places, so we can keep the uncontaminated together, at least for a while.""What?" Eric said, his face scowling. "There's no way that's legal.""It's temporary, and we're doing everything we can to make sure people are at least okay with it. At this point, we're just doing what we can to get people through it. But the death toll is starting to stack up. I mean, have you seen the footage coming out of New York City?"Andy nodded. "Trailer trucks stacked full with body bags. It's terrifying.""Besides, it's not all that bad. The virus seems to be targeting men a lot more than women, so guys are scoring with women way out of their league. And the women seem to be a little friskier once they've developed an immunity to the virus. I'm sure you'll see eventually."Andy arched an eyebrow in the man's direction. "That sounds ominous."The man in the biohazard suit waved a hand dismissively in their direction. "Not at all. Just relax and enjoy the ride. That's all I should say about it. So when's the next Druid Gunslinger book coming out? It's really soon, isn't it?"Andy stepped over to the fridge, opening it to take out a can of soda, using the fridge to hide his sigh, although he wasn't entirely successful. "It was supposed to be out in three weeks, but because of the virus, the publisher's pushing it back to the fall. I mean, I understand. I get a lot of additional sales off of in store appearances and whatnot. I get it. And I'm already working on writing the next one. But it's always rough having a book release pushed back.""Man, that sucks. I was really looking forward to reading it during my downtime when they're driving us between locations.""Y'know what, you're a fan, so let me do you a favor. I better not see this show up on eBay or the internet though, otherwise I'm gonna know who it was." Andy moved over to the box on the kitchen and opened the top of it, taking one of the books out. "They call these advance reader copies. They send me a few boxes of them so I can sell them at appearances or give them away to friends and such. I haven't even sent my family copies yet. I think the only other person than my agent and my editor who's read the book is Eric here."Eric nodded. "It's not as good as 'Have Totem, Will Travel' but it's one of the better books in the series, I thought. Way better than 'The Trouble With Werebears,' but then again, that's not hard.""Everyone's a critic," Andy said, grabbing a pen from near the box. "Fair, though. I had to bang that one out in five weeks because the publisher just wanted to cram another one onto store shelves while it was hot. I wasn't satisfied with it either, but it still sold okay. You said your name was Dave, right?""Yeah," Dave answered.Andy opened the front cover of the hardback ARC and wrote in the front of it, "For Dave, Jake thinks you're one of the real heroes. Yours, Blake Conrad." He blew over the ink for a second, making sure it was dry, before closing it up and offering it to Dave. "There you go. Autographed, personalized copy months in advance of when you can get it in stores.""That's awesome, man!" Dave said, genuine enthusiasm in his voice. The machine on the table beeped, a cheerful tri tone medley. "You guys are both 100% virus clear. And let me pay you back for this," he said, patting the book on the table next to him. He flipped a little toggle switch on the machine and then pushed the large green button on the side. A small little printout scrolled out of the machine. He tore it off and then pushed the green button again. "Okay, this one is for you," he said, holding out the receipt to Eric. "And this one is for you, Mr. Conrad," he said with a laugh, holding out the second slip to Andy. "You need to go onto the website today and fill out the questionnaire. I know it's going to seem weird, but just answer the questions honestly and openly, and go through the whole thing. You'll be very glad you did later, okay?""What's it for?""It'll help you be happy with your pair ups when we bring them by in a few days. You know that giant condo complex a mile or two over?""What, the 30 story skyscraper?""Yeah. That's being converted into a triage hospital, so all the tenants are being evicted. Lots of people who are going to be relocated. There's a range of five possible questionnaires that uninfected men can get, and it's at the test giver's discretion. Most people, we just give them level one or two questionnaires.""What did you give us?""Welcome to level 5, fellas. It's mostly reserved for medical professionals and high rollers, but it's my discretion, and this little baby's going to keep me from losing my mind for the next few weeks, so I gotta make sure we're square," he said while patting the book. "This should more than even us out.""It makes that much of a difference?"Dave smiled like a Cheshire cat beneath his biohazard helmet and nodded. "You'll see. Just trust me on this. Go fill it out right away, though! They'll probably have someone here tomorrow or the day after, and you want to be ready." The scientist picked up the book in one hand and his testing kit in the other. "And with that, I'm off! I won't be able to get started on this tonight, but I'll see if I can swing by on one of the drop offs and let you know what I think of it.""Hey, it's always nice to meet a fan," Andy said. He moved to scoop up the two cats into his arms again before he and Eric walked him to the door.Dave shuffled toward the door, as Eric opened it for him. "Remember guys, the questionnaire is completely confidential and no one's going to judge you on any of it, so be completely honest. Got it? Completely. Honest.""With all the hyping you've been doing, I can't wait to see this questionnaire," Andy laughed. "Go on, go! You've got more people to be saving, I'm sure.""Take care, fellas!" Dave said.Eric closed the door on him, then flipped the lock, and then the deadbolt before putting the chain on. He liked to make sure it was secure. "So I suppose we both better go take this thing, huh?" he said to Andy, who was putting down the cats again."Guess so."Eric's desk was in the living room, while Andy's was part of the adjacent dining room. They'd been known to politely yell at one another from their desks. Andy typed in the website on the slip and hit return. A rather bland looking government website popped up. There Andy entered his name, his address, his social security number and address."He wasn't kidding when he said this quiz was unorthodox," Eric called over to him, clearly ahead of him in the process. "These are not the kind of questions I expect a government website to be asking me.""Oh yeah? I can't wait to find out." Andy typed in the personalization code at the bottom of the slip. It was a long series of characters, a mix of numbers and letters, both capital and lower case, with a variety of special characters mixed in “ 25 characters in all. Andy had to enter the series twice because the first time he hadn't realized it was case sensitive and the site had rejected it.The first question immediately surprised him. "Are you attracted to: Women, Men, Both?" It wasn't at all what he expected, but he checked "women" and the site moved onward. There was a small button marked back, in case he made errors, obviously.The next page asked him what ages of women he was attracted to. There were two little slider bars, with the low end going as far down at 18 and the high end going up to 70+. Andy was nearly 40, but the words of Dave rang through his head. "Be honest." Andy shrugged, leaving the low end set to 18 and brought the high end to 35.He was a more than a little caught off guard by the next question. "Would you consider yourself: Monogamous, polyamorous, no preference?" He had to think about it for a long moment, but eventually clicked "no preference." If he was truly honest with himself, if he found himself with a girlfriend who had another girlfriend, he wouldn't have been bothered by it.For the next twenty minutes, Andy continued to work through the website, filling in all the options about what he was and wasn't attracted to. Height, weight, race, hair color, hair length, eye color, nationality, education, physique, the questions went on and on and on. After he went through any given category, he was then given a follow up page to rank all of the things from most attracted to at the top down to least attracted to at the bottom.Towards the back half, he started to understand what Eric had found so surprising. The quiz had a page with a seemingly limitless collections of fetishes and kinks. At the top was the message "Click all that apply." Following that, all of the things Andy had clicked on were in another list he was expected to order.When he had to order all of his turn ons, he became more than a little aware how at odds with each other some of them were. In fact, he had aggressive women and submissive women next to one another in the ordered list. He wondered what the algorithm would make of that.The last page was the same fetish and kinks list presented again with a different message at the top. "Click all those that are hard turn offs for you. Be thorough." It was this page that Andy found himself clicking a lot of buttons.He also had to look up a handful of the terms that did not include clarification. He was sure there were people out there who liked pissing on each other, but he certainly wasn't one of those. He also had to make sure to reject women who were allergic to cats. He wondered if all this information was just going to ensure no one showed up.All in all, the whole thing felt a little like a thing he'd taken in college called the Purity Test, a thousand question party game where people who had been drinking would compare sexual histories.The final page was all the information he'd entered presented in an ordered list, with a message in large friendly red letters at the top. "Review all the information below for accuracy! Once you hit submit, you cannot revise this information!"After a final pass to make sure he hadn't marked anything incorrectly, he hit submit. The screen went blank for a second before a confirmation message popped up. "A copy of this has been mailed to the email address you provided. Thank you for helping us keep California safe!"Andy closed the web browser and rose up from his seat, heading over to talk to his roommate. "Okay, yeah, that was definitely weird.""What did you say to the polyamory question?" Eric asked him."I put no preference.""Really? Man, I couldn't click the monogamous button fast enough. Last thing I want is a girlfriend who's shacking up with another guy."Andy smirked. "What if she was shacking up with another girl?""Ah shit, I didn't even think of that."He shrugged at Eric with a wry smile. "Like it's going to make any fucking difference anyway. I'm sure the whole thing is just an optimistic pipe dream. When was the last time our government brought any real change with a website?""Heh. Guess we'll see.""Yep, suppose so."And that was the last they talked about it for the rest of the day. But it certainly wouldn't be the last time they talked about it.Chapter 2It was a little past noon the next day when there came a knock at the door. "Open up! CDC!" the voice on the other side shouted at them. "Delivery and I don't have time to fuck about so let's go."Andy was in the living room working on his laptop, and glanced over at Eric, who was hip deep in a conference call. "Don't worry, I got it. They probably just forgot some questions yesterday or something." Eric waved his hand as Andy set his laptop aside, carrying on with his conversation with his coworkers.Andy rose from the couch and made his way over to the front door, opening it without thinking to look through the peephole. The cats were both upstairs asleep, so he didn't worry about them. When he opened the door, there were three people outside of it, not the one he'd expected. The person in the middle looked a lot like Dave had, except for the face. The man inside this biohazard suit was a black man in his late forties. He looked a lot less jovial than Dave had.To the left and right of the man in the biohazard suit was a woman covered from head to toe. From the clothing, it was almost impossible to make out any details other than the woman to the left of him was short and the woman to the right was tall. Both of them wore hoodies with the hoods pulled up. They wore ski visors over their eyes and scarves over their noses and mouths. Both wore long sweatpants and had those fuzzy lined boots he'd never thought were fashionable. He couldn't see an inch of skin from either. Each of them had a small roller suitcase with them, the kind of travel bag someone takes for a holiday no longer than a week. They also each had a large bag under their arm, an oversized purse maybe, or a laptop bag. The whole appearance was almost like Berkas by Gucci."You Eric or Andy?" the man in the gear asked him."Andy.""Copy," the man said, tapping at his little pad with a stylus that dangled from it. He let the stylus drop and then opened a pouch on the outside of his suit, upholstering a bottle of Lysol. He sprayed the surface of the tablet for a few seconds then held it out to Andy. "Just use your finger to sign on the line. Any day now. I've got another seven deliveries to make today, and people are on the bus waiting so let's go."Andy lifted a finger up and signed an approximation of his name on the tablet's surface. "So how long is this for? That these people are staying with us?""Which room is Eric's and which room is Andy's?" the shorter of the two women asked."Upstairs and turn right for Eric's room and left for my, uh, Andy's room," he said, as the two women immediately brushed past him and ran upstairs. "How long?""The fuck should I know, pal? I just deliver them." He took the tablet back from Andy and glanced down at it. "Anyway, that's it for this batch. I'll see you again in a few days, maybe a week or so, with the next one.""The next one?" Andy asked, but the man had already turned and started walking back to a school bus that was idling in the street. "What do you mean the next one?" But the man had already moved on, and either didn't hear Andy or didn't care. Andy suspected it was the latter. Behind him, up the stairs, he heard both his and Eric's bedroom doors shut.He closed the door and locked it, then turned the padlock and put the chain back on. Andy looked over his shoulder, then glanced and Eric, who shrugged. He moved upstairs and knocked on his own bedroom door. "Uh, hello?""Five minutes please!" a voice on the other side of the door said to him.Andy sighed, turned around and walked downstairs. His roommate looked over at him, having just wrapped up his conference call. "She wants five minutes."Eric laughed. "We've been kicked out of our own rooms. Great."Andy moved back over to the couch and picked up his laptop, sitting back down and starting to write again. He was curious, though. Insanely curious about what was happening in his own room. Neither of the cats were complaining so he imagined it couldn't be too bad. His roommate had wrapped up his conference call, but had clearly turned on his music, because Andy could hear the tiny noise flare ups, even though Eric was just wearing earbuds. He did love his death metal loud.He spent a while trying to work but trying to focus felt damn near impossible. He popped into his company's Slack channel, to let them know what was going on.“your partner showed up?” his boss typed. “take the rest of the week off. you're going to be busy“They said they're going to be back later with another delivery. What the hell does that mean?” Andy typed into the channel.“oh shit” his boss typed back. “how big is your bed? queen sized?”“King sized.” Andy replied. “California king, actually. Don't know what difference that makes though. The news said one partner per person.”“u have a king bed tho” his boss replied. “did the site ask u the polyamory question?”“Yeah” Andy typed. “I put no preference”“shit” came the reply. “okay take off the rest of the week and let me know when you get another partner and we can do the same again as many times as you get partners”“Wait. What? How many partners can they give me?”“depends on what level the tester gave you”“He said level 5. He was a fan of my novels so I gave him a signed copy of the new one”“Oh, shit” his boss answered. “then u can be assigned up to 4 partners with Cali king bed”“Now you're just fucking with me” Andy sent back with a laugh.“noshit my dude” his boss answered. “ok we play it by ear then but dont check out any new tasks until monday, k?”“Am I still getting paid for the time?”“new partner adaptation time dude its all covered”“Okay then, I guess.”“level 5, L O L, u fucking suck” his boss typed. “u dont deserve that level of woman”“Wait. What do you mean?”“LOL u didn't read how the levels system work fuck u go enjoy winning the lottery”And with that, his boss set Andy's status to Out Of Office.From upstairs he heard both pairs of doors open, although he didn't think either of them opened fully. "I'm going to take a shower if that's okay with Eric," a voice called down."He's in the zone working, so that should be fine," Andy called up."Thank you!" And then Eric's bedroom door closed again."Okay Andy, come on up," a different voice said. "But close the bedroom door behind you, okay?" And then his own bedroom door shut.His work day was done. He found himself a little nervous at the idea of going into his own room, but he realized waiting wasn't going to make it any easier. Time to face the music. He pushed his laptop back into his laptop bag, zipped it up and set it on the coffee table.Andy walked up the stairs and came to his bedroom door. It was odd, staring at this side of his bedroom door. He knocked on the door, and a soft giggle came from the other side. "You don't need to knock, silly. It's your room. Come on in."He wasn't entirely sure what he expected to find behind the door. But he did as he was told to do, opening the door, stepping in and closing the door behind him.Sitting on his bed was a lovely redheaded woman in her mid to late twenties. He suspected the coppery color of her hair was natural as he could see a generous dusting of freckles on her cheeks and arms. She had it done up in a sporty ponytail that hung down to the small of her back. Instead of all the layers he'd seen her in just a few minutes ago, she was dressed now in simply a sports bra, a pair of booty shorts and a pair of thigh high leather boots. She had her hands behind her on the bed to thrust her perky tits up in his direction. She was fit, pale, strikingly beautiful, and had a playful smile on her face."Hallo Andy," she said, an Irish tinge to her voice. "My name's Aisling. It's pronounced Ashling, but spelled A i s l i n g. I'm from Dublin, but after I finished uni, I got a job out here working as a graphic designer. I'm your new partner. I hope I'm to your liking.""Oh!" Andy said, as if the whole situation was just dawning on him. "Oh, I'm "Aisling couldn't contain herself any longer and sat up and rushed him, throwing her arms around, clinging to him firmly. "We can touch," she moaned into his ear. "Touch! It's been so fucking long since I touched anybody. And I'm going to touch the fuck out of you nonstop, you beautiful bastard."He was slightly taken aback at how tightly she was holding him. "I mean, you don't have to ""I don't have to do any fucking thing I don't want to," she whispered into his ear. "But it is taking every bit of willpower I have not to drop to my fucking knees and rip those pants right off you. Because that's what I desperately want to do right now."Andy could feel her nipples pressed firmly against his chest through the sports bra, and her breath was hot against his skin. "Wah, why?""We've been in isolation for months," Aisling said as her hand grabbed onto his ass through his jeans. "They gave us injections to help us build our immune system against the virus, but they said it was going to stoke our libidos a bit. God, wasn't that a fucking understatement." She nibbled on his earlobe for a moment. "They showed me twenty pictures of men with a bit of description beneath each of them on what they wanted and didn't want, and I picked you."His hand moved along the small of her back, trying to keep it from going anywhere inappropriate, but she reached behind herself to grab his arm by the wrist and push his hand down onto her ass, which invoked another moan from her. "Why did you pick me?""You like gingers, which I am obviously. I'll be sure to show you it's natural in just a smidge," she said with a smile. "But you like both submissive and aggressive women, and I can be both. You're open to polyamory. I like both men and women, and I know that polyamorous men with large beds get multiple partners, so that's something to look forward to. I consider myself a switch, so I'm looking forward to having another girl to play with, one I can order around a bit." Andy started to try and pull his hand upward a bit, and she rubbed her hips forward a bit more insistently. "If you're lifting that hand up, it'd better be to slip it under my shorts onto my bare ass.""Is, is that what you want?""For an appetizer," she purred. "But you know what made me want you most of all?"Andy lifted his hand just to the top of her booty shorts, hesitating for just a second before he slid his fingertips beneath the hem of them. He realized he must've been hesitating a bit too long, because she reached back and pushed his hand down firmly until he had a full handful of toned butt in his grasp. "What's that?""Out of that long, long list of sexual turn ons and offs, the thing you put that turned you on the most, was dirty talk," she practically moaned at him. "I fucking love dirty talk. I am an absolutely filthy little slut. No," she giggled, licking her tongue along the shell of his ear, "I'm your filthy little slut now. I am going to beg you to fuck me stupid over and over again. I can't wait to suck on that cock of yours, to make you fuck my face until there are tears rolling down my eyes and I can't breathe. God, that makes my little cunt clench. It's tight, too. I've only fucked two guys before, and each of them only a couple of times. But you are going to fucking plow that gash of mine so much I may have to etch your name into it. You are going to fuck your little whore so much that you fall asleep inside of my cunt more often than not, and wake up to me sucking your cock clean to get you ready for another round." She turned around in his arms, which made his hand slide up to her stomach, her head leaning against his shoulder. "Here," she said, taking his hand on her belly, pushing it down the front of her shorts. "Feel just how sopping wet a bitch you own now, sir. Should be it sir? Master?" She giggled a little, wiggling her eyebrows. "Daddy?"Andy stuttered for a second, as his fingertips pushed through a small strip of hair before reaching the most drenched snatch he'd ever felt. "Fuck, you are soaked,”"Umm," she said with a nod. "So I'll just use all three then.""Not,” Andy sputtered, "not in front of my roommate.""The other guy? Oh, he's going to be more than a little distracted. I talked with Lily a little bit on the way over here “ Lily's the girl waiting for him in his room “ and she's more worked up than I am. And your roommate likes them to be a little dominant with him, so I don't think he'll have time to say anything, but if it makes you feel better, sir, I'll just call you Andy when we're out in the common areas. Or honey or baby. Something innocuous. As long as you're going to hold up your end of our deal.""My end?" Andy said, as he pushed a fingertip inside of Aisling's drenched cunt, feeling her clench down on it as she shivered slightly."You owe me one load of spunk every fucking day," she said, grabbing his other hand to push it up and under her sports bra to cup her tit, feeling how hard her nipple was against his palm. "I don't give a shite where you put it “ on my face, down my throat, across my tits, up my cunt, you can even stuff it up my virgin asshole, something I can't wait to feel the first time “ but you don't fall asleep at night without making sure I got my daily dose of your jizz. Think you can live up to that?""God, I hope so," he said, lifting her bra up to her collarbone, as her hands moved to pull it up and over her head, tossing it aside. "You really want that?"Aisling giggled again, a sound that sent shivers up Andy's spine every time. "I honestly can't wait to get started, Master. I want you to fuck me so bad, I can feel it trickling down my thighs. You've got yourself a needy little slut on your hands. How do you want our first time to be?"Andy's hand slid up from her shorts and brought his fingertips to his lips, licking them clean, seeing her nuzzling her face against his neck, so he offered his pointer finger to her, which she wrapped her lips around and suckled hard on before letting it pop from her mouth. "You were going to prove to me you were ginger, weren't you?""Hmm, I'm sure you can see the freckles all over my tits," she said, crossing her arms at the wrists in front of her to push them together and up towards his eyes. "But you want to be sure you've got an honest slut on your hands, hmm? Boots off or on, you think?""The boots are dead sexy, but let's have them off.""You like them though, yeah?" she asked as she put one foot up on his bed, and started unzipping one of the boots."Oh yes, they're fantastic. A lot of forethought in thinking to bring them.""We were allowed to made a list of things to get packed up for us, so I've got all sorts of little surprises in my wheelie bag, but I'll tell you one, I've got a plaid skirt in there, back from my days at Mercy College. Every man around the world loves a schoolgirl." She pulled her other boot off and set it on the floor next to its companion. Then she unbuttoned the front button of her jean shorts, unzipping them before bending forward over the corner of Andy's bed. She pushed the shorts slowly over the curve of her ass and down her thighs before stepping out of them, leaving her in a tiny silky red thong. "Like the view?""God you're fit. I feel like a bit of fat man in your presence, I'm afraid.""Don't you worry, lad," she purred. "You and I are going to be doing a lot of exercise." She slid on her belly further onto the bed and then rolled onto her back. "I'll fuck you back thin, daddy." Aisling pulled her thighs back to her chest, reached down and drew her thong up along her legs. As soon as she lifted the fabric upward, Andy got his first view of her cunt, and she was glistening. With her ankles to the side of her head, she drew the thong off and tossed it to the side before spreading her legs wide. True to her word, there was a neat shaved triangle of copper curls just above her snatch. "See? Ginge minge. Now what're you gonna do about it?""Aren't you sweet as candy?" Andy slowly crawled onto the bed next to her. He didn't have shoes to kick off “ he'd barely put them on since the lockdown began. "You're down for anything?"Aisling rolled onto her side. "You want the first time to be something particular? How sweet. What did you have in mind?""Something simple. So you can show me what you like. You on top. That okay?" Andy said as he pulled his shirt up and over his head.She giggled a little bit, reaching a fingertip over to brush it along his chest. "Tattoos? You're full of surprises. I wouldn't have pegged you as a man with ink." Andy had a tattoo of a griffon starting on his right pectoral going down to his stomach, done in an elaborate and detailed style. It had been the better part of two days worth of work ten years ago. "I like the look of it, though. And if you want our first time to be me riding you, I say giddyup partner. Any other surprises down here I should be looking forward to?" Her fingertip moved to smooth down over the swell of his cock through his jeans."You can have a looksee for yourself after you do one more thing," Andy said, with a little laugh."Tell me what it is, so I can see the thing that's going to change my life." She was rubbing the palm of her hand firmly against that buldge now, her eyes looking down at her hand before bringing those green eyes up to meet his gaze, a girlish smile on her lips. "Stop teasing and tell me.""I've never shown my cock to girl I haven't kissed before," he said with a wry smile. "I don't intend to stay"Andy didn't even finish getting the sentence before Aisling had crawled all over him, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was intense, more intense than he'd ever remembered before. It came on strong and kept getting stronger, her lips parting after several seconds to let her tongue slip into his mouth and spiral around in a hungry dance. After a few minutes of making out like a couple of teenagers, she pulled back just an inch or so. "God, I hadn't realized how much I missed kissing someone. You're a great kisser." She pressed her lips against his once more and this time didn't wait to push her tongue in. After a few more minutes, she pulled back again. "That what you wanted?"He laughed softly. "You really want to see it, don't you?""See it, touch it, taste it, fuck it. I want to do everything you can think of with that cock, and once we're done with all of that, we can do it all over again." Her fingertips plucked at the button of his jeans, popping them undone. "Can I see it now, daddy?""I'm no porn star, Aisling, so I wouldn't get your hopes up," he said. "But yes, you can see it." He felt her drawing down his zipper and lifted his hips up so she could tug his jeans down and off, but she made a point of grabbing his boxers with them. "See? Not any longer than the average man.""Jaysus," she said quietly, "maybe not any longer, but certainly thicker. A lot thicker. That is a great big fat ol' cock you got there, Master." Her voice was one continuous purr as her slender fingers wrapped around the base of his cock and started to slowly stroke it. "Thicker than any cock I've ever had inside of me. Can I?""Hop aboard." The whole thing felt vaguely dreamlike. He wasn't sure she was real, wasn't sure any of this was real. He half expected to wake up and for everything to disappear at any moment. But that didn't happen."Gladly," she said, as she straddled one leg over his hips. She snaked a hand between them to grab the base of his cock, angling it properly, setting the tip against wet snatch before sinking down onto it with one continuous motion. As soon as her hips touched down against his, his cock bottoming out inside of her cunt, he felt her entire body slump forward atop him in a colossal shiver, her cunt spasming and clenching on his shaft. A tiny moan burbled from her lips, one that bubbled over into a breathy laugh against his neck, desperate and delirious. "Fer fuck sake. I've never cum that hard in my entire fucking life, and you just put the fucking thing inside of me. Nothing more. Just from putting him in.""Do you want to stop?""Are you out of your fucking mind?" she giggled, placing both of her hands on Andy's chest. "I haven't gotten my daily nut yet, daddy. And your girl wants what's coming to her. And by hook or by crook, she will fucking having it." Her arms pressed together to push her tits out even more, as she started to snake her hips backwards only to thrust them forward again. "It's been two years since I got properly fucked last. How long's it been for you?""You'll only laugh at me," Andy said with a slight frown."I promise I won't," she purred. "Has it been longer?""A lot longer.""How long?""Over a decade."She leaned down and kissed him again, this time a bit more softly and tenderly. "Well, you're never going to go a day in your life without fucking ever again, so it'll be alright." She had a magical way of swaying atop of him, shimmying back and forth on his cock. Her body ground down onto him over and over, sweat glistening off her freckled pale skin.His hands latched onto her hips, trying mostly to hold on. His fingertips clenched onto her smooth skin, pressing her down a little more than she'd been trying to push onto his cock, as if he felt like he wanted to contribute something to her effort."C'mon. Make me your girl, claim your whore, daddy," she whimpered, her face looming over his. "I wanna feel it. Gimme that cum. Own me. Own me. Cum in her tight little cunt. Paint it. Take it. Fucking own me, Master. Own. Me."Just outside of his room, he heard Eric's door open and then slam shut again, but it was only a momentary distraction, as Aisling continued to bear down on him, her ass slamming against the top of his thighs.It wasn't long before he could feel that release building up on him, and much sooner than he'd have liked, his body was shuddering in the throes of an orgasm as he started to spew hot cum inside of her tight young twat. As soon as he started to orgasm, however, it was almost like Aisling had been struck by lightning, her whole body violently shaking as a guttural sound was wrenched from her throat, primal and whorish, before her body collapsed on top of him, her body trembling for a long moment before she lay still atop of him.After a few minutes, he slowly moved her to one side of him so he could slip out from under her. She was completely unconscious, and he was almost certain he could her hear whispering nigh imperceptibly the word 'imprinting' over and over again.He didn't want to wake her, so he went and showered, then headed downstairs to grab himself a bit of dinner. The two cats sat at the foot of his bed, peering at the unconscious redhead in his bed, wondering what the hell was going on.The madness had barely even gotten started.Chapter 3When Andy woke up the next morning, he was almost certain he'd been dreaming yesterday. But he felt an odd sensation and lifted his head to look down. There he saw Aisling's coppery ponytail bouncing over his crotch. And he could feel her lips sealed around his cock, as she continued to face fuck herself on his shaft.Andy had never woken up to being blown before, and it certainly was a delightful experience. He tried to pull her head up, to give her a break, but she reached up and pressed his hand away with her own, a delightful little giggle rolling from her lips onto his cock.He thrust his hips towards her face because it seemed like the thing she wanted him to do, and sure enough, she kept pushing her head down again and again. She wasn't letting up until she got what she needed.In the end, resistance was futile.His body tensed up and his back arched as he felt her lips around the base of his cock, the head lodged in her throat as he started to spew cum. When he did, he could feel her body shake and quiver against his thigh.A few minutes later, both of them had regained their composure, and she'd snuggled up alongside him, her face nestled in the crook of his neck as she laughed almost deliriously. "It's actually true. The taste of your cum gives me an orgasm. Each and every time, harder than I'd ever known before I met you," she purred. "You really do fuckin' own me, daddy.""You say that," Andy said, "but eventually you'll get bored of me, and you'll come to resent me, resent being attached to me like this."She rolled over a little bit, pressing one of her arms against his chest as she shook her head, a crooked smile on her lips. "I woke up in the middle of the night and looked around the room while you were asleep. There are bookcases everywhere. My first boyfriend was a footie player who dreamed of going pro when he could barely get up in the morning. My second boyfriend? He was a shitty musician who claimed he was being artful when he couldn't carry a tune. You're surrounded by books. Have you read all of them?"Andy shrugged a little. "Maybe half of them. But I like having books around, knowing that when I'm ready for another, it's right there.""See?" she giggled. "I've never been with anyone so smart before. And I've never been with someone who'll let me be myself and not force me to hide it.""Hide what?""What an absolute slut I am," she said, kissing his neck. "Your absolute slut, if I'm honest." She wasn't trying to wind him up, just more of delighting in learning all the nooks and crannies of his body. "And I don't have to pretend I'm a good Catholic girl who'd never let a boy put his hand up her skirt when I'd rather be bent over getting my tight young gash plowed. You'll have to do that next, have me on my hands and knees, your good little proper bitch."Andy laughed. "You sound rather eager for that."" Umm," she mumbled, nibbling on his ear, "you want me to beg again?""Let me do it later," he said. "We should get up, shower, and we should meet our new roommates.""I talked to Lily a bit on the ride over. I'll tell you about it in the shower."Each of the bedrooms in the condo had an attached bathroom so they didn't even have to get dressed to get up and move to the bathroom. She scooted ahead of him quickly, and he could see the inside of her thighs were damp as she climbed out of the bed and moved into the bathroom.It was the first time he'd had a woman in his bathroom in a decade, and so he was a little embarrassed about the state of it. "Of course you don't have a hair dryer," Aisling giggled, as she ran her fingertips over Andy's shaved head. He'd started developing a bald spot in his mid twenties, so he'd been shaving his head every since then. "Don't worry, I've got one in my suitcase. Speaking of which, you're going to need to give me one drawer in that dresser to myself. That okay?""You're really in this for the long haul, aren't you?" He turned on the water in the shower as he closed the top of the toilet.She leaned in and folded her hands behind his neck, pressing her body up against his. "What did I tell you? You. Own. Me." She kissed him briefly in between each of the last three words. "But that means you belong to me as well. Whenever you go, I go. And I need to take care of you. And you need to take care of me.""I can clear out a drawer for you, no problem, Aisling.""See? It's not that hard to pronounce, is it?""But hey, this is your bathroom now too, so feel free to make it home.""Oo!" she said suddenly and darted back out into the bedroom. Andy could hear her unzipping her little suitcase before she sprinted back in, a giant tricolor beach towel which she set on top of the toilet. It didn't even take him half a second to recognize it was the colors of Ireland's flag. "Little bit of the home country. Now let's get wet. I've never taken a shower with another person before." She lifted her fingers and pressed them against his hair chest, almost shoving him back into the shower.It was rather a long shower, where they got dirty before they got clean again.About forty minutes later, they'd both gotten dried off and dressed and headed downstairs, Aisling bringing her laptop bag with her. Sitting on the couch was a Japanese woman dressed in sweatpants and a baggy t shirt typing away on her laptop while Eric was sitting at his desk on the other side of the room."Andy, meet Lily," Eric said to Andy as he walked down the stairs. "She's my new partner.""S'up," Lily said, not even looking up from her typing."She's kinda in the zone right now. She's a coder with DoorDash.""We talked a bit on the ride over here," Aisling said. "Hi, I'm Aisling. I'm Andy's first partner.""First?" Lily said, stopping typing and looking up and over her shoulder at them as they reached the bottom of the stairs.Andy scowled. "She didn't mean it like that. I wasn't a virgin."Lily snickered a bit. "I know. I'm fucking with you," she said, looking back down to her laptop. "So how was he Ash?""Fucking amazing," Aisling said. "How about yours?""I have a name you know," Eric said."Good but not great," Lily said. "But I'll train him to be the best ever. Best for me, anyway.""Hi Eric," Aisling said, shaking Eric's hand. "Nice to meet you.""I cleared off the dining room table behind Andy's desk to give you a bit of work space, Ash," Eric said. "Lily said you're an artist?""Graphic designer for Alphabet."Andy cocked his head as he and Aisling started to cross the living room, heading towards the dining room. "I didn't know you were a Googler.""I'm a contractor for them, so they don't really consider me a Googler," she sighed. "They might move me from contract to full time at some point, but it's just as likely they're going to just keep giving me new contracts over and over again.""Welcome to life in Silicon Valley," Andy laughed. "Everything's forever, for exactly five minutes."Aisling pulled her laptop out of her bag and set it on the table, noticing the box pushed off to one side. "Blake Conrad, huh?" she said, taking a book out from the box. "My older brother loves these books, but I've never read any of them. Are you a big fan?"From the other room, Eric couldn't help but laugh. "Go on!" he yelled at Andy. "Tell her."Andy rolled his eyes. "Look inside the back flap."Aisling took the hardcover and opened to the back of it, looking at the inside flap where Andy's picture peered back at her. "Wait, are you Blake Conrad?""It's a pen name.""Oh my god! I'm shagging Dermot's favorite pen!" she giggled. "I can't wait to phone him and tell him.""Mmm. I can even autograph a copy of the new one for him and you can mail it out to him, as long as he's not going to be mad that I'm sleeping with his sister."Aisling pulled out a Wacom tablet from her laptop as well as a power cord, plugging it into the wall. "Andy. You're a bloody hero to him. He'll be over the moon.""He's not going to be upset that you're shacking up with a guy you just met? Or that he's going to have, other women?"Aisling kissed him for a long moment, soft and tender. "You're sweet, Andy. But this is the way the world works now. And you're a good man, so Dermot'll be happy that I didn't end up with someone crazy or ugly.""Oh, you don't think I'm ugly?" Andy grinned impishly, as Aisling pushed him back down into his desk chair."Look fella," she teased. "If I thought you were ugly, I'd have said so. Now don't you have work to get to or something?"Andy turned on his computer and the two monitors on his desk sprung to life. "Well, yeah, but theoretically I'm on new partner leave, so I don't really have to be working."She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I don't get any such luxury as a contractor, so I need to get some work done today. How does a novelist get partner leave anyway?"He sighed a little. "That's just my side hustle. My day job is as a marketing writer for Netflix."Aisling's face scrunched up in cute confusion. "The books don't pay enough?""Not until they get optioned, which my agent seems to think will happen eventually, but hasn't yet.""I'll have to read them then." Andy tried to mask the look of surprise on his face, but apparently wasn't great at concealing it. "What? I said I hadn't read them, not that I didn't want to read them.""Fair enough!" Andy grabbed his headphones and pulled them onto his head, clicking on iTunes to bring up his music. He wasn't allowed to check out new tasks for his day job, so he figured he might as well get a bit of writing in on his next novel.After a few minutes, Aisling tapped him on the shoulder, so he pulled the headphones off. "What's up?""What're you listening to?""Right now? Post rock band called God Is An Astronaut, but I usually just put my music on shuffle and let it ride.""Can I listen too?"Andy nodded. "Sure, as long as you've got headphones with a long cable and a USB plug.""Certainly do!" she said, holding out the cable.He plugged her in, did a few clicks on his computer, and then they were both listening to his music, just a few feet apart.Andy found it a little hard to focus on his writing, so he decided to take a bit of time to read up on the level system. His boss seemed to know a lot more about it, so he figured it didn't hurt to see what was coming down the pipeline.The virus, it seemed, was hitting the coasts hardest, with N Y C being the biggest disaster area, but the Silicon Valley wasn't far behind. Isolation was the best path, but the bodies were still piling up, so the country was looking to build some stability into people's lives. That meant pairing the single people up. Men were dying at a significantly higher rate than women to the virus, so protecting them had become extremely important. The virus had a mortality rate that was fifty times higher in men than it was in women.Because of that fact alone, it had been determined that virus free men would be ranked on a scale of one to five in terms of their importance to society, and that the higher a man was ranked, the more that person's personal needs would be tended to. So level 1s, which it seemed like was most people, would simply be given the barest amount of effort to find someone to pair with their basic desires. 80% of the men were classified as level ones. Level twos were essential, low risk workers such as construction engineers, clerks, judges and the like. Level three was law enforcement. Level four was figures of high impact. Mark Zuckerberg would've supposedly been a level four if he wasn't already married, one article said. Level five was the front liners in the fight in the virus and those who had made extraordinary contributions to society. They made up a fractional amount of people in the pool, less than half of one percent.A kind of hushed up mythology had been built up around level fives from what Andy could find on the internet. There were stories of emergency doctors who were on the best of days a six in any woman's estimate getting partnered up with women who would never be any less than a ten.Andy scoffed a little bit until he started looking at some of the pictures, and noticed that there were endless pictures of ER doctors and genetics researchers with women way, way, way, way out of their leagues.It was on the fifth collection of photos he spotted a familiar face. There was Dave, the man who'd tested them just a few short days ago, with his arm around a Hispanic knockout who couldn't have been pressed closer to him. And in the group shot with Dave, there were nearly a dozen other similar pairings of schlep and stunner.Once paired, men were being kept in isolation for an indeterminate amount of time. They were allowed to go out for walks, but had to keep fifteen feet away from anyone else. They weren't even permitted to go into stores to go shopping. Andy and Eric had been living on food delivery for weeks now. They'd even had groceries delivered and left on their doorstep. The receipt said the person who delivered them was named Silva, but neither Andy nor Eric had seen them. Andy wondered which of the two women would volunteer to go and get groceries first.During the middle of the day, Eric wanders over to take their orders as he placed a food delivery, but none of them had any chance to talk until dinner, which they also had delivered. Lily got free deliveries working for DoorDash, apparently, so both lunch and dinner had been brought that way."So how did you guys meet?" Lily asked as she was bringing in the bag of food that had been left on their doorstep.Eric laughed. "You want to tell them or should I?"Andy waved his hand, turning his desk chair around so it was up against the dining room table. "You're looking forward to it, so you tell them."Eric grinned as Lily started to take the food “ cheesesteaks it seemed “ and put it out on the table. "He was trying to bang my sister.""I was trying to date your sister," Andy said as Aisling giggled. "There's a difference.""Date her so you could fuck her, let's be clear."Andy rolled his eyes. "That was over a decade ago, so it's probably time to let it go.""She's married and lives in Florida down with her husband and their four kids, so we never really see her much anymore," Eric said."But Eric needed a roommate and I needed a place to live, so I moved into his spare room, and we've been flatmates since then," Andy said. "Aisling's from Dublin, but are you local Lily?""Second generation Bay Area native," Lily said as Eric set a beer in front of her. "My parents live up in Petaluma these days. Are your parents still around here, Eric?""They retired and moved down to Santa Cruz, although they spend half their time out in Florida with their grandkids. I'll introduce you to them over Facetime when they call next.""They going to be happy you hooked up with a Japanese woman?""They'll be happy I'm happy," Eric said. "Beyond that, I don't think they care.""What about you, Andy? You got local family?"Andy shook his head. "I'm from Ohio originally, but I've been out here for longer than I was there. My dad died a few years back, but my mom's still out there, as is my older brother with his wife and their son.""How old's your nephew?" Aisling asked."Conner will be 11 in July. I generally go back every year for Christmas, but this year seems like that's probably out."The Irish girl cocked her head slightly. "How much older is your brother?""Nine years older than me.""No siblings in between?""Nope," Andy said. "You said you have an older brother named Dermot. That your only sibling?"Aisling almost snorted she laughed so suddenly. "Jaysis no. Dermot's the eldest, then me, then my sisters Aoife and Niamh, and the last one is my baby brother Colin, who's about as old as your nephew. What about you, Lily?""Only child, thank fuck," she grumbled. "So, Andy, I understand Aisling's not going to be your only partner. What makes you think you deserve more than one partner, hmm?"Andy raised a hand defensively. "Hey now, I never said I deserve anything.""She's fucking with you, love," Aisling said, poking him with a grin."Spoil sport," Lily said, sticking her tongue out. "I don't really care as long as you're not going to take a pass at me.""You're Eric's partner, Lily. I'm going to respect that.""Good, and I'll make sure he keeps his hands off your girls.""I would never " Eric started to say before Lily raised a finger in his direction and he felt silent."Good boy," Lily said with a smirk. "I'll get him trained yet."Andy had never seen Eric get cowed quite so severely before, but he could swear his flatmate was blushing a little."I'm actually looking forward to seeing who else we get to play with," Aisling said."How many names should I expect to have to learn?" Lily asked."It's a fookin' huge bed, Lil," Aisling giggled. "So I expect a few more.""What I was reading about on the internet says I'm supposed to share my bed with four partners," Andy said, "but that can't possibly be right can it?""Umm. I can't wait," Aisling purred.She didn't have long to wait.To be continued in part 2, by CorruptingPower for Literotica.

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PODCAST: LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 6 DE JUNIO DE 2025

The Ops Experts Club Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2025 19:06

PODCAST: LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 6 DE JUNIO DE 2025 - Trump se reuniría con Elon Musk cuadrado por asesores de Casa Blanca - Politico- JGo admite entregó info a federales de los dominicanos desde enero - Redes JGo - Guerra de contratos deja desnuda a PRITS - Cuarto Poder - A radicar contra conductor en accidente donde murieron 3 jóvenes estudiantes - Siempre habrá construcción en la PR 30 - El Nuevo Día- Seguirá operando dueños de Genera mientras el FERC investiga los permisos - El Nuevo Día- AEELA compra el Combate Beach Resort - El Nuevo Día - Emergencia de plomeros, no hay - Primera Hora- Dicen que futuros médicos no serán afectados por atrasos en resultados de reválida, pero hasta Yovín está esperando y hay flata de transparencia - Primera Hora - Culpable Guayacán - Primera Hora- Sheriff boricua y el tumbe de 21 millones de billetes - Metro - Oficial de Corrección tenía drogas en carro - Primera Hora- Junta pide crear especialista de fondos federales en OGP - El Vocero - Más violencia en residenciales públicos resportada - El Vocero - Accidente entre motoras, muerre uno y dos heridos - Policía- Proyecto daría más comercio al BDE, incluyendo marihuana, préstamos comerciales y tarjetas - El Nuevo Día- Congreso pelea para que la Junta pague más de la deuda de PR y en PR no es noticia - El Nuevo Día- Gobierno de PR no habla transparentemente sobre la petición de federales - El Nuevo Día- Niegan cierre de Isla de Mona - El Nuevo Día- No hay más chavos para municipios - El Nuevo Día HOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR. ¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO! ¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

68. How to Stay Focused on Your MMM (Main Money Maker)

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 23:11

SUMMARY: In this episode, Aaron and Terryn tackle a common challenge for entrepreneurs: staying focused on what drives the most revenue. With 33-34 clients under their belt, the duo dives into the art of avoiding "shiny object syndrome" and keeping the main thing the main thing. They discuss how visionaries often get distracted by new ideas or peer influence, pulling resources away from proven revenue streams like Collab's bread-and-butter retainers—helping businesses identify team gaps, create SOPs, recruit, and onboard effectively. Terryn shares strategies for grounding visionaries, emphasizing the importance of data-driven decisions over gut instincts. From using the EOS Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) to align new ideas with your core focus, to leveraging rocks to assess team capacity, they explore practical tools to filter out noise and prioritize high-ROI initiatives. The hosts also highlight the value of respectful pushback, maintaining a change log to track past experiments, and using decision-making matrices to quantify the value of new ideas. Tune in for actionable insights on how to stay laser-focused on your best money-makers, balance visionary enthusiasm with operational reality, and build systems that ensure sustainable growth. Minute by Minute: 0:00 Introduction 4:06 What visionary says the MMM is vs the data 6:27 Vision traction organizer 13:42 You need to cut out all the noise 20:25 Mondays can be tough

vision operations roi profitability collab stay focused mmm sops moneymaking moneymaker terryn

2025 Episode 14 - Taco Tuesday and Thibodeau OUT with the Knicks

The Adam Gravitz Sports Show

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2025 32:30

What a glorious Tuesday to munch on some soft, soft chicken tacos. Mmm mmm good! Despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks parted ways with their coach, Tom Thibodeau. Was it the right call? Adam likes the prospect of his Florida State Seminoles baseball team traveling the entire country to play in the Super Regionals. Trump continues to do and say the worst things.

donald trump new york knicks eastern conference finals taco tuesday mmm tom thibodeau florida state seminoles thibodeau super regionals

Emily and Mike talk about the ad world's new obsession with models, and whether brands are too trusting of AI ad buying

Next in Marketing

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 21:05

Emily and Mike talk about the ad world's new obsession with models, and whether brands are too trusting of AI ad buying.

What to post on Instagram when you think you're “Too Boring” for Content

music business creator entrepreneurship storytelling engagement small business tap boring digital marketing content creation social media marketing mmm business storytelling

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 13:12 Transcription Available

This episode tells you what to post when you have no idea what to post... I'll share 3 tactical strategies for bringing your business to life on social media... Along with the necessary shift you need to make when approaching your content in order for this to work to drive sales.You'll hear:A hilarious client story involving vaginal rejuvenation (yes, really)Why redefining “entertaining” content is the key to standing outHow B-roll can make even your most “boring” tips look scroll-stoppingWhat to do when you feel like you have no stories (spoiler: you do)A backyard greenhouse tale that turns into a masterclass on content creationPlus, you'll get practical examples of what to film—even if you live in the suburbs, have kids, work 9-5, and feel like nothing “cool” ever happens.This one's packed with story, strategy, and inspiration to help you see your everyday life as content gold.✨Tap here to watch a FREE masterclass on “How To Get Clients From Instagram (without wasting hours glued to your phone)" https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/evergreen-webinar-registration/ Tap here to get your free Posts That Sell Template (This caption got us 10 sales calls in 3 hours) https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/10-sales-calls-new

Marcus's Monday Motivational: Perspectives From Gratitude

Marcus' Monday Motivational

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 15:46

For this week's MMM segment, I'd like to invite you to wrestle with the following statement: Gratitude can help bring matters back into perspective.Follow me on...Instagram: @reverendgainsMedium: @reverendgainsTwitch: twitch.tv/uncle_revEmail me: askrevgains@gmail.com

gratitude perspectives motivational mmm

Recognizing AAPI Month in medical marketing

The MM+M Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2025 25:24

As part of MM+M's coverage of AAPI month, reporter Heerea Rikhraj sits down with Sheldon Zhai, president and head of technology and AI at Supreme Group, to chat about his journey as the founder of Supreme Optimization, as well as the future of marketing and AI. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.

ai marketing digital advertising pharma aapi mmm medical marketing

PODCAST: Las noticias con calle de 27 de mayo de 2025

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025 8:41

PODCAST: Las noticias con calle de 27 de mayo de 2025 - PR apagado porque hay medio millón de focos de las carreteras con problemas - El Nuevo Día Apretaron los federales buscando inmigrantes sin registración en PR - Noticel El perdón de Wanda Vázquez en Washington negocian caso - Primera HoraLas armas fantasmas al fin en la mirilla de la policía - El Vocero Pelea por plan de reclasificación en AAA podría terminar en huelga- El Vocero Gallera clandestina con 31 indocumentados - El Nuevo DíaJSF dice que no a añadir pensiones cuando funcionario público muere - El Nuevo DíaPolicía mata a un veterano de Irak que estaba teniendo problemas mentales en Utuado - Primera HoraSenador republicano dice STOP a Trump - CNBCPutin lanza bombardeos sin misericordia sobre Ucrania - NYT Alemania le permite a Ucrania usar sus armas a la profundidad de Rusia - FT Aon dice seguros están perdiendo demasiado dinero para poder mantenerse ante cambio climático - El Nuevo DíaDDEC dice que hará misiones comerciales 1 vez al mes - El Vocero Venezuela quiere porque sí el Esequibo donde hay minerales y petróleo de Guyana - Primera HoraMensaje de la gobernadora este jueves - Cuarto PoderHOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR. ¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO! ¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

washington pr mayo aaa noticias irak ucrania calle mmm asado podcast las el nuevo d wanda v esequibo

Lost in Eros, The Return: Part 2

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2025

Clubbing & SwingingBased on the work of BradentonLarry, in 6 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.Shelonda was next and explained that she had been Toshia's counterpart, picking up discarded towels from a different part of the Temple. "I was bending over all the time, and people kept squeezing my butt and playing with me. I liked it at first, but I got really horny very quickly. Fortunately, a guy stopped and started fucking me. I was really getting into it, and soon a bunch of guys and a woman were all over me." Shelonda provided all the details requested, but by now it was clear that everyone was getting frisky enough that they would need to go find a room to enjoy or start playing right there in the banquet room.Fortunately, Nicole didn't have anything much different to report than the others. She had been assigned the job of masseuse's assistant: fetching miscellaneous supplies, helping guests off the table after they were thoroughly relaxed, assisting with making sure everyone had a happy ending, etc. Of course, she'd had a wonderful time, and seemed to have actually done less work than anyone else.Then they had to decide where to start their free exploration of the Temple of Venus and Aphrodite. "I have to admit," Toshia volunteered, "that I'd like to see what an orgy that's been going on for seven years looks like.""And I'd like to check out that 'dark room' whatever that is," Don added."A bit of an orgy sounds good to me," Amy said with a grin.Toshia took Don's hand as they headed for the door, and said, "Then we'll check out the dark room."The main orgy room was easy to find. It took up almost the entire fourth floor. There were copious cushions scattered all over the floor, which had soft, luxurious carpeting anyway. Chairs, couches, loveseats, chaise lounges, day beds, and ottomans were abundantly available. Here and there steps led up or down to slightly different levels. Everywhere, though, there were naked bodies pleasuring each other."Fun!" Amy declared. Everyone agreed with her and immediately started looking for places to join in. Amy took Victor by the big hand and led him into the orgy. From where she was Toshia saw Amy dropping to her knees in front of Victor, eagerly taking his big cock into her mouth.Toshia grabbed Don by the arm, pulled him in the direction of Amy and Victor, and pulled him with her down to the floor. The knelt facing each other as they kissed. Don's hands moved greedily over her back, finding their way down to her ass and squeezing it tightly. Toshia laughed happily as Don's mouth descended on her neck and her hand wrapped around his already stiff cock. Then Shelonda and Nicole joined them, one on either side, Shelonda on Toshia's right, and Nicole on her left. The two black girls proceeded to kiss and caress Don and Toshia everywhere they could reach. Shelonda's right hand slipped in between Toshia and Don and found its way down to Toshia's crotch. Soon Toshia felt fingers slipping up inside her and brushing over her clit. Don was still kissing, sucking and biting at her neck, Nicole was pinching her nipple, Don was squeezing her ass, and Shelonda was fucking her fingers in and out, pressing her hand against Toshia's clit, and Toshia... Then Toshia was coming hard, gasping, shaking and moaning between her friends.Those friends gently laid her down on the floor, and then Don was between her legs, slipping his hard cock up inside her ready pussy. Toshia smiled up at him and pulled him deeper into her best embrace. "Fuck me, love," she said. "Fill me up with your cum."Don leaned down and kissed her. It was just a peck at first, but became a long, passionate, fiery kiss as he moved in and out of her there among the other naked bodies. For a while it was just the two of them, alone on the edge of a sea of writhing, gasping, grunting people. They were part of the orgy that had gone on for seven years, but for now it was just the two of them making quiet intense love. Don gave her another sweet, slow orgasm before she felt him pressing more urgently into her. Then he was thrusting hard as he pumped and pumped his cum into her pussy just as she'd asked. He trembled in her arms and buried his face in her shoulder. Toshia held him close to her and caressed his back and held his head to her. They lay like that for several long, sweet moments sharing their loving intimacy.Then, they became aware of their surroundings. First there were the now familiar sounds of Shelonda and Nicole enjoying themselves fully, and then there were the hands that were moving over their bodies. Toshia felt a hand slipping up along the length of her leg and another that brushed against her hand where it lay on Don's back.Don raised his head to look around, only to have a young woman with straight brown hair and startling white teeth pull his head back so she could lean over his shoulder and give him a long, passionate kiss. When she finally let him go, Don laughed and said, "Well, it's nice to meet you too.""Hi, I'm Brandi," the woman grinned back at Don and then down at Toshia. "Mind if I cut in?"Neither Toshia nor Don were sure who she was asking, but when they didn't object, Brandi assumed they didn't mind, and said, "Great!" She then wormed her way in front of Don to lower her mouth to Toshia's. Suddenly Toshia was kissing this beautiful, aggressive new woman, whose hand was already moving across to cup Toshia's tit firmly. Toshia found herself reaching up to hold Brandi's head in place so she would keep kissing her. As Don pulled away, Toshia murmured her disappointment but continued to kiss Brandi. She was happy to feel Brandi's fingers moving down over her belly and then slipping between Toshia's legs where they found Don and Toshia's mingled juices spilling out. Without hesitating, Brandi pushed her fingers and a healthy helping of those juices up into Toshia, who arched her back and moaned into her new lover's mouth.Toshia was still lying on her back, with Brandi kneeling over her almost perpendicularly to Toshia's left, kissing her Toshia and reaching down to finger Toshia's pussy. This left Toshia's right breast exposed, and someone got his or her mouth in there and fastened upon Toshia's erect nipple. As this mysterious new mouth sucked and pulled on Toshia's tit, Toshia felt this person, who she was now sure was a woman, caressing her ass, and then sliding her hand around to join Brandi's in playing with her. Two more fingers pushed up into Toshia's pussy, and Toshia began to moan around Brandi's tongue. When those second two fingers pulled out of her Brandi worked a third of her fingers into Toshia, and then the mystery woman pushed her slippery two fingers slowly up Toshia's ass. This pushed Toshia over the edge, and she began to shake and cry out with an intense, long orgasm.Brandi finally broke their kiss and Toshia realized from the gentle swaying of the girl over her that Brandi had been getting fucked from behind almost all the time she had been fingering Toshia. Toshia smiled back up at the pretty woman's face and noticed that she also had beautiful full breasts, and Toshia couldn't resist reaching out with her left hand to catch one of Brandi's tits in her hand. Then, she looked down to see the lovely, dusky hued woman or Iranian or Indian descent who was still fingering Toshia's ass. Toshia grinned at this woman, who smiled back. Toshia began to work her body around clockwise, taking a moment to carefully throw her right leg over the dark-eyed beauty, and being careful not to dislodge those probing fingers, until she was able to scoot under Brandi's body to play with those beautiful firm tits of hers. The beautiful brown woman fingering her ass moved in between Toshia's legs and began to lick and suck at her pussy and clit, while Brandi lowered herself so Toshia could get her mouth on Brandi's nipples, one at a time. All while someone steadily fucked Brandi.Toshia could tell from the way Brandi was moving over her that the man behind her was fucking her harder and harder, and then knew he was coming inside her. When Brandi began to shift and threatened to pull away, Toshia reached up to grab her waist and pulled her closer. Brandi got the hint, smiled down at Toshia and carefully moved into position with her pussy over Toshia's mouth. With her hands still on Brandi's hips, Toshia pulled the pretty woman down until she could get her tongue up inside Brandi's cum-filled pussy. Toshia drank down the thick, sweet jizz and promptly began to lick at Brandi's clit. Meanwhile, the woman licking Toshia's clit and fingering her ass had pushed her thumb up into Toshia's pussy, and was flexing her wrist so that Toshia's pussy and ass were being steadily fucked by her digits. Soon Toshia's back was arching up off the carpet as she came long and hard between the two women. She didn't stop licking at Brandi, though, and was soon also rewarded with feeling the pretty woman sitting on her face trembling and shaking as Toshia brought her off.This seemed to be the signal for their little threesome to dissolve. As soon as she caught her breath, Brandi carefully got off Toshia's face and without another word moved off to find fun elsewhere. Toshia also felt the woman between her legs pulling away, but Toshia sat up and caught the woman's head in her hands and pulled her up toward her. They met with a long, playful kiss, mingling the tastes of Toshia's and Brandi's pussies as well as traces of Don's cum and that of whoever had fucked Brandi."I'm Toshia," she said as she leaned back, pulling the other woman back and over her."I'm Nadja," said the other woman with a smile. Her fingers and thumb slipped out of Toshia's ass and pussy, but she immediately pushed her fingers up into Toshia's wet and grasping pussy, pressing the heel of her hand against Toshia's clit, as she lay down on top of Toshia and continued to kiss her.Toshia moved her hands over Nadja's petite frame, over her back and down to her tight little ass. She was unsurprised to feel a man's hands also exploring Nadja's backside. Then, whoever the man was, his hands moved up to Nadja's narrow waist and pulled her up a bit. Nadja stopped kissing long enough to say, "I believe I'm about to be violated.""Mind if I watch?" Toshia grinned."As long as you do it while you kiss me," Nadja said, lowering her mouth to Toshia's again.Sure enough, Nadja's motions on top of Toshia indicated that she was being slowly and steadily fucked. Toshia worked her left hand up between them until she could feel the hard cock sliding in and out of Nadja's pussy, and then began to stroke Nadja's clit with her fingers. Nadja kept working her fingers in and out of Toshia pussy while kissing Toshia and being fucked from behind. Toshia found the whole scene incredibly erotic, particularly as Nadja began to come without taking her mouth off Toshia's. The tiny woman moaned and trembled between Toshia and the man behind her without pausing in her passionate kissing and fingering.Toshia thought she might come again, but the man fucking Nadja beat her to it. Nadja murmured approval into Toshia's mouth, and Toshia felt warm cum on her fingers. As the man pulled out of Nadja, spilling more cum over Toshia's hand, Nadja looked down at Toshia and said, "Now that was delightful."Toshia grinned and said, "I'm not done with you, yet. Sit on my face.""If you insist," Nadja laughed. With almost startling enthusiasm, she pulled her fingers from Toshia and crawled up until she was kneeling over Toshia's face.Holding the tiny girl's ass in her hands, Toshia pulled her down to her mouth, where she began to lick up the man's cum and then to lavish her oral attention on Nadja's hard clit. Nadja pressed down on Toshia's mouth, and leaned back a bit, squeezing her small tits tightly. As Toshia sucked on Nadja's clit and then went back to tonguing it firmly, she thought, This must be what people really mean when they talk about Heaven.As Don pulled away to let the new girl, Brandi, get acquainted with Toshia, he decided to have a look around to see what everyone else was up to. He carefully stood up and took a couple of steps to get out of the actual orgy.He spotted Amy on her back, her head on a good-sized pillow. Straddling her chest with his hands on her head and his cock sliding in and out of her mouth and throat was a trim East Asian guy with his black hair buzzed almost down to his scalp. Amy's legs were parted and ready for someone to get between them. Nearby, Victor was standing over an athletic white guy with short, curly reddish hair, who was sitting facing the same way as Victor and who was sucking on Victor's big cock and fondling his balls, all while Victor flexed his knees, pushing that schlong of his in and out of the other fellow's mouth.Don noticed that an adorable woman was now joining in on Brandi and Toshia's little session, and that a man had begun to fuck Brandi from behind. Near this scene, Shelonda had secured the services of a tall, fit black guy with short hair, who seemed as young as the Nymphets to Don. The young man was sitting on the floor, leaning back on his arms and with his knees slightly bent. Shelonda was sitting on his cock, leaning back, supporting herself with her arms and riding up and down on the cock inside her. Meanwhile, an athletic woman, with large tits, long legs, a tight ass and long straight black hair, had her mouth on one of Shelonda's tits and seemed to have a hand down playing with Shelonda's clit.Before he could locate Nicole, Don felt a warm hand slide up his arm and then squeeze his shoulder. He turned to look into the face of a very pretty woman, who he would guess to be Chinese. She had short black hair, an impishly coy expression and surprisingly blue eyes. Before Don could ask her name or even properly appreciate her slender frame and long legs, this beauty smiled and sank to her knees in front of him. She stroked his cock with her long fingers and kissed the head before sucking it into her mouth. Don gently reached down to caress her hair and watched as she began to bob her head up and down on his quickly hardening shaft.Looking up from this perfect vision for a moment, Don spotted Nicole. The petite young woman was on her back, basically in a missionary position, a muscular white guy with long, curly, brown hair fucking her steadily. However, Nicole's legs were extended out straight, in a V aimed at the ceiling, and there was a tall, caramel skinned woman with a spectacular ass and long, wavy black hair with a bit of gray in it sitting on Nicole's face. In front of this second woman, making out with her, was an athletic Polynesian-looking woman with large breasts and long, wild hair who was in turn sitting on someone's face.By now the mysterious woman in front of him was sucking Don's cock with enthusiasm, and he was again rock hard. He noticed that Toshia was moving around to get under Brandi's body, while the other woman kept her hand between Toshia's legs. Don realized there was too much going on in this huge sex-filled room, and he would simply have to focus his attention. He didn't have to deliberate long to decide where to direct that focus first.Pushing her gently back from his sex, Don bent down, took the Asian woman's face in his hands and kissed her. She responded warmly. After taking the time to really enjoy the sensations of kissing a new and very friendly woman, he said, "I'm Don.""And I'm Liu," she smiled."I'm very pleased to meet you, Liu," Don smiled. "Now, why don't we lie down so I can give as good as I'm getting?""That sounds wonderful," Liu grinned and backed away a bit to let Don lie down on his back. She wasted no time then in getting into position over him. Don felt her mouth on his prick again, as he reached up to pull Liu down so he could get his mouth and tongue on her moist, delicious sex. He ran his tongue from her clit up along between her lips, tasting her sweet pussy. She was short enough that his arms were behind her legs, so Don had to lean up a bit to get his mouth on her, but it also meant that he could easily use his hands to caress her ass and spread her cheeks a bit as he pushed his long, strong tongue up inside her. He was aware of her mouth and hands on his cock and balls, but Don concentrated on what he was doing. When he began to focus on her clit, sucking and licking on it, he pushed two fingers up into her pussy. Apparently Liu loved this because she promptly pushed back on Don. He obliged her by pushing his fingers deeper, and then adding a third finger, fucking them in and out of her as he continued to tongue her clit. Soon Don was working his fingers in and out of Liu vigorously and she was shaking and gasping on top of him as a long orgasm wracked her slender body.As she came down, Don slipped his fingers out of her vagina and gave her clit and pussy lips tender kisses. He felt Liu sighing happily, and then she decided to change positions. She pushed herself up so that she was kneeling over him, and quickly moved down, so that she was straddling his pelvis. Don basically lay back and watched as Liu took his rigid cock, wet with her saliva, in her hand, raised it until it was pointing straight up, and then pushed the fat head into her tiny pussy. He reached up and held on to her hips as she slowly sank down on him. Don found himself admiring the muscles of her back as Liu began to move on him. He caressed her lovely ass as she rode slowly up and down on his cock. Once she was comfortable with him in her, Liu began, very slowly, to lean forward, pushing Don's cock "down" further than it was used to. It was uncomfortable at first, and a bit painful for a moment at times, but Liu eventually worked herself down so that her feet were up by Don's shoulders, she was supporting herself with her hands between his legs, and she was leaning low while she worked her body back and forth getting Don's hard shaft to move inside her pussy in an unusual and delightful way. Don was able to squeeze and caress her ass as she rode him. He slowly pushed his thumb into her exposed asshole which made Liu cry out happily.Don was so intent on fucking Liu that he was actually surprised when Amy's face appeared over his. He barely had time to notice that the pretty blonde's face was, as was so often the case, covered with pearly cum before she was kissing him deeply. Don found himself laughing as he returned Amy's enthusiastic, playful, and rather sloppy kiss. When she finally pulled away, Amy said, "Who's your friend, Professor?""Liu," he grinned as he wiped his face with his forearm. "Why don't you introduce yourself?""Good idea!"Looking down over Liu's backside as she continued to writhe back on his cock and thumb, Don watched Amy kneel down in front of Liu and just lean forward and kiss the pretty Chinese girl.Then, as if he'd followed Amy, or been carried along in her sexual wake, Victor came over and knelt down by Amy, who noticed him right away. Don could tell there were introductions made and a brief discussion, but since it all took place down near his feet he couldn't make out any of the details. He later found out that what happened next was all Amy's idea. With Amy's help, Liu pushed herself up, relieving the interesting downward pressure on Don's cock. With a brief, luminous smile over her slender shoulder at him, Liu slowly pushed herself up off Don's thick shaft. Amy's hand wrapped around Don and kept him pointing straight up for Liu. The two girls quickly positioned woman and cock so that Liu could lower herself slowly so that Don pushed up into her exquisitely tight, hot ass."Oh, that feels so good!" Don heard Liu say."It sure does!" he agreed as he slipped his hands around her thin waist.Liu leaned back then, and Amy coaxed Don to bring his legs together. Don helped support Liu as Victor straddled Don's legs and pushed his big cock down so the fat head could press against Liu's waiting pussy. Don felt Liu tense as Victor slowly eased his thick organ into her.Amy leaned over Victor's shoulder with a grin and said, "How's that feel, Liu?""So good!" was the answer.Don felt Liu shuddering as Victor kept filling her with that large prick of his. Liu wrapped her long legs around Victor's hips and her arms around his neck, while Don supported her from below and Victor began to fuck in and out of her, simultaneously working her up and down on Don's cock.It was now Shelonda's turn to make an appearance. She crawled up next to Don, kissed him on the cheek and said, "That looks like fun.""It is!" he grinned. "I hope you've been having a good time.""Of course I have," she smiled. "I can't help but notice you're not really doing any work here, Don."He laughed and said, "What did you have in mind?"She gave him another quick kiss, this time on the lips, and then promptly moved around to back in and kneel over his face. With practiced ease, Shelonda lowered her pussy down to Don's face. He happily and greedily began to lap at her sweet pussy and clit, careless of the fact that at least one man had obviously come inside her before now. Don focused on giving Shelonda the tongue lashing she so richly deserved while also enjoying the sensations of having his cock inside the tight embrace of Liu's ass while Victor gave her pussy a vigorous fucking. The first one to come was Liu; Don felt her ass clenching on him as she shook and trembled in his grasp. Victor was next; feeling the big cock inside Liu swelling and pumping cum into her pussy was an interesting feeling for Don. By this time, a man had come up in front of Shelonda as she knelt over Don and she was giving him a nice, deep blowjob, but this didn't keep her from having a long, loud orgasm as Don turned his head a bit from side to side and tongued her clit firmly.Shelonda was still squatting over Don's mouth and well on her way to another orgasm, when Victor slowly pulled out of Liu's pussy. A small flood of warm fluid ran down over Don's balls. Don couldn't see what was going on down there, but in only a moment his legs were nudged apart and he felt an undeniably feminine tongue licking and sucking the cum from him and Liu. After several delicious moments, the mouth shifted from Don to Liu.Don was vaguely aware that Shelonda had managed to coax an orgasm from the man in front of her, and then Don succeeded in making her come again with his tongue. As Shelonda carefully extricated herself from the little foursome that had Don and Liu as the nucleus, Liu began to come again, crying out and shaking. Don let her fall back on him as she whimpered with delight.Don had assumed that the woman who had been licking Liu was Amy, so he was surprised to see a new woman kneeling between their legs. This was a beautiful, middle aged black woman with gray eyes and a lovely bald head. She smiled at both Liu and Don and then started to stand up, but Liu stopped her."Don't go. I need a little break and I can tell Don here isn't ready to stop playing just yet," Liu said."Well, OK then," said the other woman with a warm smile and the barest hint of a Southern accent.Liu managed to gently pull herself off Don's hard cock and then twisted around to kiss him goodbye before crawling out of the action.Soon Don was looking down into the beautiful bald woman's smiling face as he steadily fucked in and out of her pussy. Her pelvis was rolled back and her legs were up, resting on Don's thighs which were spread out. One of her hands squeezed and pinched at her breast while the other reached down to stroke her clit. Don was leaning forward on his outstretched arms."I really should get your name," Don said."I don't see why," she laughed. "Now shush; I'm about to come."Don kept going without coming through three more encounters. Liu caught up with him as a cute little blonde, who had just rode him to three intense orgasms as he knelt holding her in his arms, kissed him goodbye and crawled off to find another lover or two. Liu bent down and kissed him, saying, "You don't ever stop, do you?""Why stop?" he grinned back. "Are you ready for more?""Uh-hum," she said. "Do you want me all to yourself or find some more playmates?"As Don pondered this dilemma, he caught sight of Toshia for the first time in about an hour. Off to the side of the orgy, a tall, fit white guy with short brown hair was laying on his back and his head on a thick pillow. His legs were spread so Toshia could lie on her belly between them and, supporting herself on his thighs, give him what looked like an intense blowjob. Her feet were up in the air, which Don thought was just adorable. Don stood up and said, "I definitely want to get you to myself, but let's go play with those two for now."Hand-in-hand, they crossed to Toshia and the object of her oral attentions. Don gestured Liu to the man on his back, and he knelt down by Toshia and the man's legs. He ran his hand over Toshia's back, and, as he reached her ass, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "There you are. I hope you've been a very naughty girl."She took her mouth off what Don now realized was a surprisingly long cock, swallowed, took a breath and said, "I certainly have. We weren't supposed to be keeping count were we?"

How to make $500 with a Freebie Funnel

Marcus' Monday Motivational

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 13:21 Transcription Available

File this episode under: Things you'll wish you knew sooner about. This episode is all about generating revenue from a freebie/lead magnet. I didn't know about tripwires until YEARS into my online business and here I am to save you from being as unaware as I was. While we're at it, I'll share a bunch of other things I wish I knew sooner.☀️ TAP HERE TO GET YOUR TICKET TO FREEBIE IN A WEEKEND:https://parkdale-republic.thrivecart.com/freebie-in-a-weekend-eb/

Marcus's Monday Motivational: Honoring Moments

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025 14:59

For this week's MMM segment, I'd like to challenge you to sit with the following thought: Make space to honor the moments that you experience.Follow me on...Instagram: @reverendgainsMedium: @reverendgainsTwitch: twitch.tv/uncle_revEmail me: askrevgains@gmail.com

honoring motivational mmm

Discovering Amy: Part 2

Steamy Stories Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 26, 2025

Amy gets fingered for the first time.In parts, by Djmac1031- listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Tommy sat by the edge of the pool, alone with his thoughts as he waited for Amy to come back out of the house.Both of them had made it back unseen and unquestioned from their little secret getaway into the woods.He had just gotten back poolside when Amy's best friend Cindy came over to him.“If you're looking for Amy, I just passed her in the house a minute ago,” Cindy said. “She looked kind of strange, and freaked out a little. You two love birds aren't fighting or something are you?”Tommy sighed inwardly. Cindy was a good friend to Amy, but she was always so damn nosy. She'd been “shipping” the both of them since long before “shipping” had become a catchphrase, and a stupid one at that, Tommy thought.“No, of course not,” Tommy replied, as casually as he could. “I haven't seen her since the Marco / Polo game broke up a while ago and everybody wandered off.”Cindy looked skeptical. “Thought I saw you two still chatting after I got out of the pool,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You sure somethings not up? You better not have upset my bestie!” she growled.“I don't know what you're talking about,” Tommy said, a little too defensively.“I'm gonna talk to her about it later tonight, ya know. I'm sleeping over. I'll get her to dish, whatever it is, you know that right?” Cindy claimed boldly.Tommy shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “You guys have fun, talk about whatever you want, I don't care.”Cindy gave him a look that said she didn't quite believe that, then spun and walked away.Tommy watched her leave, relieved she was finally gone. He caught himself looking at her plump ass as she retreated, then quickly averted his eyes.Cindy was cute, even beautiful he had to admit. If he was being honest with himself, he found her attractive sexually. But he certainly didn't have any feelings for her. Not like he had for Amy.Tommy's thoughts drifted back to Amy, and their time alone in the woods, and what they'd done together, a series of firsts for both of them.He thought of her final words to him before she left the wooded path for the house: “I love you too.”Was it love, he thought? It was certainly more than just some teenage “crush.”Was it just sexual? No, he thought. He'd had feelings for her long before what became their first sexual explorations together this evening. He was just finally getting around to admitting it to himself, and understanding that Amy had these same feelings too.It was all so new, so confusing. But exciting too, he had to admit.He sat there alone, feet in the water, thinking about all of that, and trying not to think about the handjob Amy had given him just minutes ago, or about seeing and touching her breasts for the first time. The last thing he wanted was to pitch another tent right there by the side of the pool.He looked up from his thoughts and saw Amy's mom heading into the house.Tommy had a moment of panic. He hoped Amy was done doing, well, whatever she was doing in there. She'd been gone awhile.But he supposed she had to clean up the mess he'd made. She was probably washing her suit and towel out, making sure no telltale stains were left behind.He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until he saw Amy bound out the door and down the steps into the yard, and he let it out in a rush of relief.She looked happy and carefree enough, so if she'd encountered her mom it must have gone okay.Amy paused, looking around, and her face lit up in a radiant smile when she spotted him.Amy had to keep herself from running over to Tommy. She felt like she was floating over the grass, not simply stepping across it as she walked towards him, butterflies in her stomach.He stood as she approached, and it struck her, not for the first time, just how handsome he was.His eyes were a strange but beautiful combo of green and brown, with yellow flecks you could only see up close.His hair was a darker blonde than hers, although it was lightened now by the sun and spiky in a short summer cut.His body was lean and lanky, with wide shoulders and long legs. While not super muscular, what he had was lean and firm and strong from the various forms of physical work he always seemed to be doing.Amy's eyes traveled down his hairless chest to his stomach, then (not for the first time) to that hint of a V shape that started just under his abs, pointing the way towards his,“No, stop, not now,” Amy thought. “That way madness lies,” she laughed to herself, remembering her Shakespeare.She hoped he hadn't caught her looking, then realized maybe she wouldn't mind so much if he had anyway.His eyes seemed fixed on her as she approached, and they were speckled moonlight.Amy felt her heart flutter and a tingle between her legs. “Oh girl,” she thought. “If this is love, you're in trouble,” she groaned inwardly.Then they were together, standing face to face.Amy desperately wanted to hug him, to kiss him, but they both knew they couldn't risk such open displays of affection just now.So she instead simply spoke, “Hey there.”“Hey,” Tommy replied, almost a whisper.They both stood there, smiling like, well, two young lovers. Neither knew what to say next. Tommy broke the silence. “Wanna get a snack?”“I'd love to,” was her reply.They spent the rest of the party almost entirely by each other's side. Oh they socialized, chatted with their other friends, even played horseshoes for a while. But they we're always at least close by, making eye contact and sharing secret smiles.The party eventually started to wind down, and people began saying their goodbyes.Tommy kept a respectful distance as many were approaching Amy to congratulate her and say goodnight. She stood for a while with her parents, thanking each guest in turn for coming and for their thoughtful gifts, etc.He felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. It was his mother.“Hey sport, I'm gonna go. Do you want a ride back with me or are you staying for a bit?” They only lived a few blocks away, an easy walking distance, but his mom had driven so she could bring over the food she'd volunteered to make and the graduation gifts they'd gotten for Amy.“Is it okay if I stay a bit? Amy's parents said it was okay if a few of us stayed and watched a movie,” I explained. “I can walk home after, no problem. It's a nice night.”Mom looked at him and grinned. “Wanna spend more time with Amy, huh?” she said knowingly. “Don't think I haven't noticed how much time you two have been spending together lately.” Tommy gulped but said nothing.His mother relented. “Well, okay. I trust you, and I trust Amy's parents. You won't get into too much trouble I think. Just behave yourself, you hear? Be a good gentleman. And be home by midnight.”Tommy smiled and nodded. “Sure mom, you bet. Thanks.”“Just remember: God is watching you.” And with that she turned to make her goodbyes to Amy and her parents.“Yeah, well, we gave him a hell of a show earlier then,” Tommy thought to himself, and had to stifle a laugh.The popcorn was made, some fruit juice poured, (“You guys have had enough soda for one day” Amy's mom had said, stern but kindly) and they were settling down to watch the movie.The only person who wound up staying besides Tommy was Cindy, who of course was sleeping over.Amy and Cindy were on the center couch. Tommy sat alone in a recliner chair off to the side, as Amy's parents came in from the kitchen.“We're heading up to bed now,” Amy's dad started. “We expect you kids to behave yourself.” Amy's mom turned and looked directly at Tommy. “I expect you'll be a gentleman and show respect for our house?” she asked him.“Yes ma'am, yes sir,” Tommy replied, addressing both parents.Mom nodded, then turned to Cindy. “Cindy, you're chaperone. Keep a watch over these two. They've been making eyes at each other all night.”“Mom!” Amy cried, embarrassed.“What? You thought we didn't notice? We're not as blind as you think we are,” her mom shot back.Amy flushed crimson, but said nothing more.“Cindy?” Mom continued, “you heard me right? You're on guard duty. Understand?”Cindy barely contained her eye roll but nodded and replied, “Yes ma'am, of course.”“Just remember,” Dad said suddenly, “leave room for the Holy Spirit,” and looking directly at Tommy, dropped him a wink and smiled.Tommy gulped. He had no clue what to make of that at all, so he simply nodded.Mom threw dad a sharp glare and his smile quickly faded. “Straight home after the movie young man, you understand me?” Mom said.“Yes ma'am, I understand,” Tommy replied.Then they both gave Amy a kiss on the cheek and went upstairs to their bedroom.The room was silent for several moments after they left, finally broken by Cindy. “Well that was awkward,” she blurted.They all laughed, breaking the tension.They'd all changed into some dry clothes earlier, (Tommy had only just remembered to fetch his from his mom's car before she left) and Tommy couldn't help but notice how cute Amy looked in her sleepwear; a pink Hello Kitty pajama top and matching shorts.It was, as all her outfits were, modest, but it left her shoulders bare and he could see the tan lines made by her bathing suit. Suddenly he was thinking about her breasts, exposed and pale in the moonlight, as she'd slowly slipped down the straps,He was snapped out of this memory by a voice. “Tommy? Earth to Tommy!”It was Cindy. “You can't see the TV well from there. Come sit on the couch with us. I'll scoot over, you can sit next to Amy.” She smiled wryly, and Amy elbowed her good naturedly, but put up no further argument.“Yeah, sure, makes sense,” Tommy said casually, trying not to sound too eager.The girls scooted over and he sat down next to Amy, who was now in the middle, Cindy to her left at the other end.Their hips touched as he sat, and he awkwardly tried to figure out what to do with his left arm. He decided to put it around Amy's shoulders. He made sure to keep his hand up on the couch, a safe distance from the tempting curve of her breast.Amy settled her head on Tommy's shoulder, sighing almost imperceptibly in contentment. Cindy heard it though, and this time did not contain her eye roll, but smiled knowingly.They watched the movie like that for a while, in silence. It was some rom-com the girls had picked out, one of their favorites. Tommy didn't really care what they picked. He wasn't there for the movie.It was a PG film and a pretty tame one at that. No sex or nudity of course. Although there were a couple of kissing scenes and during them Tommy could feel Amy shifting slightly under his arm, and knew exactly what she was thinking.About an hour into the movie, Cindy suddenly stood up. Making a show of stretching (Tommy could not help but notice the way her large breasts pushed out from her less modest tank top, despite himself) and, mock yawning, turned to address them.“I'm tired, I think I'm gonna go to bed,” she announced, looking slyly at Tommy for a second. Then to Amy she added, “your parents bedroom is right across the hall from yours. Keep your cell phone nearby. If I hear them stir, I'll text you.”Turning back to Tommy, she said, “There's about 30 minutes left in this movie. If Amy's not upstairs and in her bed in 35, I'm personally knocking on her parents door and waking them up.”“I know your parents told me to chaperone,” she continued, “but I figure if God sees all, let Him keep an eye on you two.”And with a sly wink and a totally knowing grin, she turned and went upstairs.Tommy and Amy both sat silent and shocked as they watched her go.Tommy broke the silence. “I, I can't believe she just did that,” he muttered.Amy just sighed, cupped his face with her hand, turned it towards her own, and whispered, “she's a good friend.”And just like that they were kissing.Tommy's mind was spinning happily. She smelled so good, clean and fresh after her earlier shower. Some kind of floral scented shampoo, he thought, and he also caught a hint of what he guessed was perfume; a light, almost fruity scent. Her hair was loose, wavy, and flowing around her face and neck.He could taste her lip gloss, sweet with a hint of cinnamon.It wasn't long before the arm he still had half on the couch dropped to a more comfortable, intimate position.Breaking the kiss a moment, he looked at her, head tilted, eyes questioning. No words were needed. She simply nodded her consent and shifted herself into a better position for his hand to gently cup her breast.Again he felt her hard little nipple underneath her shirt, already swollen. He could see her neck and what little skin that was exposed just above her chest flush with excitement as she squirmed under his touch.His hand then slid under the soft cotton fabric and found the bare skin of her breast beneath. He was surprised she wasn't wearing a bra, but supposed the top was generally modest enough that she didn't need one.Or, he speculated, she'd left it off on purpose.Amy rested her head back on the couch and closed her eyes, focusing on the incredible sensations, as his hand explored her firm young flesh. He was so gentle, and every time his fingers found her nipples her body jerked as if shocked.Tommy's voice broke through her trance, whispering. “Amy, are you okay? Tell me if I hurt you, or,”“I'm fine, just, sensitive,” she stammered. She opened her eyes, imploring, “don't stop, please.” She leaned in, finding his lips again.As they continued making out, he felt her hand land on his upper thigh, slowly moving towards his crotch.The loose fitting shorts he was wearing were containing his throbbing erection, but just barely. Then her hand was over it, feeling it's length for the second time that night.Suddenly she was tugging at his waistband, trying desperately to free it.It took all of his willpower to grasp her hand and remove it.“Amy, we can't. It's too risky. And too, messy.”She groaned and frowned. “I know, but,”Tommy lifted her chin up to face him, and spoke softly, lovingly. “Amy, I want it too, but we have to be smart. If your parents walked in on us with my pants down, or if I made a mess again all over your couch,” he paused, removed his hand from her breast, and with one finger made the “throat cutting” gesture across his neck.She nodded, regretfully. “Yeah, you're right. Dammit.”They sat quietly for a moment, just holding each other.She looked at him suddenly, with a determined glint in her eye.“Would you,” she paused, licked her lips, swallowed nervously, started again:“Would you, touch me, somewhere else?” Her voice was a weak whisper.“Where?” said Tommy, not getting it yet.Amy smiled shyly, looked down, and slowly parted her legs.Understanding dawned in his eyes. A huge grin spread on his face, but was quickly replaced by gentle concern.“Are you sure?” he asked sweetly. “Because I don't want to pressure you, or make you feel like you have to,”Amy cut him off sharply but lovingly. “Tommy, if you don't touch my Kitty right now I'll wind up screaming in frustration. Please. I need this.” Her voice was a harsh whisper that contained a desperation he'd never heard from her before.Tommy was utterly taken aback by this outburst. Then he broke into a goofy grin. “Your kitty?” he said incredulously.Amy flushed with embarrassment. “It's what, it's what I've always, called, it. I know, it's silly.”“It's adorable,” said Tommy, “and so are you.”His hand went to the bare skin of her right thigh, slowly caressing her soft, tan skin.Her breathing became heavier as his hand slid higher up her thigh, finding the hem in the leg of her pajama shorts, then slipped under it.His fingers found the edge of her panties where they met her thigh, then paused.She moaned, put her hand on his, pushed it further. “Please,” she groaned, “please keep going.”His fingers started to work their way under the edge of her panties when she suddenly stopped him.“Just don't, just don't push your fingers, inside. Not all the way, okay? I'm still a virgin, and I wanna stay that way for now. At least till we're ready to,” she stopped herself, then shrugged, “, well you know. Touch anywhere else you want, just don't push inside, okay?”Tommy nodded, understanding. He knew enough about the female anatomy to understand what the hymen was and how it could be broken. He certainly didn't want to push Amy beyond what she was ready for.“Don't worry, I don't ever want to hurt you, Amy. Please tell me if I do. And stop me if I go too far. I've never done this, and I want it to be right,” he said.“Just touch me,” she hissed. “I'll guide you if needed, okay?”Without further hesitation, his hand slid up again, finding her panties, but instead of going under them he suddenly changed direction and went over the fabric, cupping her entire “Kitty” in his palm.What he found was warm, almost hot, and he could feel moisture seeping its way through the gusset, warm and slippery like a lotion or oil.He looked at her with happy confusion, and she smiled. “It gets that way sometimes. When it's, excited.” She winked at him wickedly. “But you're torturing me, Tommy. Here, let me just,”With a quick move, her hand was suddenly inside her pajama shorts, and with a jerk she pulled her panties aside, allowing him easier access. He instantly felt the hot wet flesh of her virgin cunt under the palm of his hand.He wasn't sure who gasped louder at the moment of contact, him or her.Amy's eyes rolled back in her head as his fingers started to explore her soft folds.Tommy was mesmerized by what he was feeling. His fingers gently probed and explored her swollen labia, then found where they separated as his fingers slipped between them, locating the entrance to her vagina.He stopped there, remembering his promise not to probe too deep.Cautiously, he stuck a finger tip in, then looked at Amy. “This okay? Not too much?”Her breath was hitching, as she struggled to keep quiet despite the immense pleasure. “Ya, yes, it's fine,” she stammered. “Juh, just a little deeper. There, stop! Now just slide it in and out a bit.”He followed her instructions and she closed her eyes again, imagining, as she had when she'd masturbated earlier, that it was the tip of his cock sliding in and out of her virgin hole.She felt like a fire hydrant the way she was gushing from the gentle fingering. Tommy felt it too.“It's so wet,” he said, his voice a low marvel. “I know, sorry,” she stuttered, barely able to speak.“Don't be,” he whispered in her ear. “I got you way messier earlier, remember? Besides, I'm assuming this means I'm doing a good job, right?”“Oh, yes, yes you, oh, oh God, don't stop, a little faster, oh, oh Jesus, I'm gonna,” Amy suddenly bit down on her lip so hard she thought it might bleed, as she felt the wave of her orgasm hit her, knocking her head back against the couch, her arm squeezing Tommy's waist so tight he could barely breathe, her other hand flying to her mouth to cover her scream as her body shook uncontrollably.“Don't stop don't stop don't stop,” her voice came muffled from under her hand as she felt a fireball of pleasure spread outwardly from her vagina, simultaneously up towards her head and down to her toes. Then her sounds were no longer words, but high pitched squeals. Her body rocked forward, then back, then shook with what looked like a convulsion. Her eyes rolled back in her head.Amy gives her first blowjob.Amy had been sitting with her eyes closed in a state of utter relaxation, wrapped in Tommy's strong embrace. Suddenly they opened, and looking down, she saw Tommy's erection, still straining against his shorts.“Oh, Tommy, I'm so sorry, I totally forgot about, that,” she gestured to his crotch. “Are you sure I can't, you know, help take care of it? It seems so unfair to leave you that way.”Tommy glanced at the TV. There were maybe ten minutes left in the movie. Plenty of time, really. But he was still worried.“Amy, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to. But I'm just concerned about making another mess all over you, or worse, on your parents couch!”Amy looked sad, then thoughtful. She looked up at him suddenly, with a gaze that was both shy yet determined.“I have, I have an idea,” she said, her voice shaking, “but I don't know what you'll think of it.”Tommy looked at her quizzically, so she continued, “I could, I could, you know, put it in my, in my mouth.” She blushed at her own brazen words.Tommy's eyes went wide. “You mean,?”Amy simply nodded. Her face still flushed but also filled with love and determination. “Yes,” she answered. “I want to please you that way. Please?” she begged, pouting.Her plea broke any remaining willpower he had left to resist. He kissed her, then smiled. “How could I possibly refuse that pretty face?” he chuckled.He sat back, loosened his shorts, then slid them down. His cock sprung free immediately.Despite having seen and touched it in this state earlier that evening, Amy still couldn't help but giggle at how his penis bounced and twitched all on it's own.“What would be the, you know, best way to, you know, do that?” she asked, suddenly feeling bashful.“Um,” Tommy thought, “maybe on your knees? On the floor?”Amy nodded and slid down to the floor, placing herself between Tommy's legs.This seemed like a good position, she thought, as she got her first really good, close up look at his penis. There was a long, thick vein that ran up the underside of it, from the bottom of the shaft up to the strange indentation of flesh just under the tip that reminded Amy vaguely of her own folds just above her clit. She observed his balls again, in their strange little sack of flesh, covered in small dark hairs.“It's all such a strange looking thing,” she thought to herself, “but somehow beautiful, and arousing.”Amy took his throbbing member in her hand, feeling it pulse in her grip, then started to lean forward towards it.Just as her lips approached his swollen head, she froze. Letting go, she looked up at him, suddenly afraid.“I,” Amy started, “I don't, I don't know what I'm doing,” she stammered. “What if I hurt you?”“You don't have to do this, Amy, we can stop right now,” Tommy said, concerned.“No, no, I'm just, I wanna do good,” Amy smiled weakly, “just afraid I won't be.”“Relax, take your time, go slow, you'll be fine baby. I'm so worked up this won't take long anyway,” he laughed, calming her. Then he echoed her earlier words, “I'll guide you if needed, okay?”She nodded, smiled, then advanced once more towards his throbbing cock. She felt Tommy's hand touching her face in gentle reassurance, then brushing her hair back away from it. She met his gaze and smiled.Her lips found his head and kissed it tentatively. As before in the woods when she touched it for the very first time, it suddenly started bouncing up and down like a diving board someone just leapt from.She suppressed her mirth this time, determined to get down to business. Again taking his thick shaft in her tiny hand, she held it steady, as she kissed the tip more confidently now. Tommy gasped, feeling the warmth of her lips make contact with his sensitive glans.Feeling bolder, Amy parted her lips and slowly took the tip in her mouth.Tommy winced suddenly, and whispered through his clenched jaw, “mind the teeth!”Amy's mouth let go immediately, and she blurted, “Shit, sorry! You okay?”“Fine, I'm fine, just, it's okay baby, try again,” Tommy said reassuringly.Amy's cheeks flushed hot, but she nodded and slid her lips over the tip of his cock again, this time making sure to keep her teeth clear.She got past the tip easily enough, then took another inch or so. Here she paused yet again. She had no idea how far she should or could go, or what to do next.Sensing her confusion and hesitation, Tommy spoke to her softly. “Only go as far as you're comfortable, baby, then just slide it in and out, kinda like what you did with your hand earlier, but using your mouth instead. Does that make sense?”“Mmm hmm,” Amy replied through her full lips, the vibrations causing a groan of pleasure from Tommy. She made a mental note that he liked that.Slowly, Amy started to move her head, up and down, feeling the hot flesh of his cock sliding across her tongue, feeling the ridge of his tip passing in and out of her lips; a very strange yet pleasurable sensation.She was starting to get the hang of it. Using her right hand to hold his cock steady, her grip gentle yet firm at the base, Amy continued to bob her head up and down over his cock, although she still only dared to take about a third of it.It was incredibly hard, yet also felt somehow soft and spongy in her mouth. She was surprised to realize it had no real taste to it at all besides a hint of salt.She was so busy concentrating on what she was doing that she barely remembered to check to see how Tommy was handling it.Looking up, she saw him covering his mouth with his hand, trying to contain his groans and gasps. But his eyes spoke volumes as to the pleasure he was receiving.Their eyes met again, and Amy somehow managed a smile despite having the first penis she'd ever seen, touched, and now sucked in her mouth. She started humming again softly, grinning up at him with a wicked sparkle in her ocean blue eyes.That sent Tommy over the edge. These sensations were all too new to him, far more intense and pleasurable than anything he'd ever managed to create with just his hand. There was no way he could hold back for long.Amy suddenly felt his penis swell in her mouth, like it was expanding somehow. The earlier handjob she'd given had clued her in on what this meant of course; his climax was imminent.Now was the moment of truth, Amy realized. Would she be able to handle him squirting all that thick, sticky stuff in her mouth?Despite being completely inexperienced, Amy was a smart girl. She decided the best course of action in a split second.Quickly she lifted her head up so that her mouth now only held his throbbing cock head. Her lips sealed tight around the ridge forming a vacuum. The hand that had been gripping his base now started to stroke his shaft up and down as he'd taught her before, jerking him while applying gentle suction with her mouth.If she was going to try to catch all of his squirt, she decided she should treat his cock like a straw and try to suck it out. That's just what she did, and she felt the first blast pushing its way up his shaft under her hand, forcefully shooting out the tip.It hit her tongue; hot, salty, but also sweet somehow. The texture was thick and creamy, like some strange combo of yogurt and egg whites. Amy tasted it for only a microsecond before acting on instinct and working the slimy glob to the back of her throat and swallowing.Just in time for the second blast. This one caught her less prepared, and she choked slightly, then kept going.But there was simply too much to keep up with. Her mouth was filling up faster than she could swallow, and with horror she realized some of his cum was leaking out past her lips despite her best efforts at containment and about to drip on the couch.Suddenly she felt a hand just under her chin. Tommy, thinking quickly, had grabbed some fortunate nearby napkins and was using them to catch the run off oozing from her lips and down her chin.She took the napkins gratefully, and quickly mopped up her chin. Amy pulled her mouth back until her lips were resting just over the slit of his tip, then slowly stroked his still hard shaft, feeling the last few drops squeeze out on her tongue.She rolled his cum around on her tongue a bit, savoring the taste this time. It didn't taste bad, nor did it taste good, she thought. Just, odd. But it certainly wasn't terrible or anything. And just the notion of what exactly it was, and just how it had wound up in her mouth, sent pleasant little shivers through her.Amy looked up at Tommy, the tip of his penis still on her lips, and grinned proudly. She'd done it! She'd actually made him squirt with her mouth! And managed to keep it from getting truly messy by actually swallowing almost all of it.Amy felt his penis starting to soften slightly in her hand. She marveled at the fascinating biology of it all for a moment before deciding on a whim to lick him completely clean of the last few splashes of cum that were stuck to him.She heard Tommy moan, and felt his body tremor, as she gently finished cleaning his shaft and head with her tongue. Then, giving it one last kiss, she reluctantly let go of his slowly deflating penis.Amy then felt a sudden pang of guilt. Not for giving her first blowjob, no. She actually felt proud about that. She just felt bad for being so focused on what she was doing that she'd totally missed out on seeing most of Tommy's reaction.She looked up at him again. His face was flushed, but grinning ear to ear. She noticed with some alarm that his lower lip was bleeding, and called his attention to it.“Really?” Tommy muttered, as if coming out of a trance. He tentatively touched his lip, saw the blood on his fingers, then chuckled softly. “Well, it was either bite my lip or scream so loud I'd wake your parents. Small price to pay, I guess,” he said laughing. “It's not bad, it'll be fine, don't worry.” He dabbed his lip with a fresh napkin, wiping off the blood.Amy got up off her knees and sat beside him on the couch, then simply wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug that he returned in earnest.“That was beautiful, Amy. Absolutely amazing. Thank you so, so much,” he whispered in her ear, followed by, “I love you.”“I know,” she whispered, grinning again. Tommy laughed. “Well played, princess.”Looking up, Tommy noticed the credits were now rolling on the movie.“Shit, I better get moving,” he sighed, reluctantly letting go of Amy and reaching down to pull his shorts back up.“Wait,” whispered Amy, “just a second, I just wanna, ,” her hand wrapped around his now soft penis and gave it a gentle squeeze, “say goodbye.” Then she giggled. “It's so strange how different it feels when it's soft,” she marveled.“Yeah, well keep that up and you'll wake it up again,” he said, only half joking. He already felt it starting to stir despite having just had his second orgasm within a couple of hours.“Take a last look,” he cracked before pulling his shorts up and adjusting everything back to normal.Their eyes met again, and Amy gently kissed him, taking care not to put too much pressure on his sore lip. But it had already stopped bleeding and he didn't wince at her kiss, simply returned it.Finally they broke the kiss, and Tommy stood up. “Time for me to go, babe, sorry.”Amy nodded, then suddenly looked troubled. Noticing the look, he asked, “What is it? What's on your mind?”Amy took a moment to gather her thoughts, then finally spoke. “Tommy, I, I've really, enjoyed everything we've, done together tonight. All of it. And I don't feel guilty or shameful about it. Does, does that make me, a slut?” she asked with a gulp.“No, God no,” Tommy gasped. “Do you love me?” he asked her, looking in her eyes.“Yes, so much,” she replied earnestly.“I love you too, Amy. And I don't think it's wrong for two people who love each other to, to do these things, to, to make each other feel good. To, please each other,” he said, “no matter what some guy in a collar says from a pulpit.”Amy's face relaxed and broke into a warm, grateful smile. “Thank you,” she said softly, “that makes me feel better. Because I feel that way too.”“I gotta say,” said Tommy, “It kinda surprised me the way you swore when you were orgasming. It was, it was kinda hot.”Amy blushed but grinned. “Yeah, that surprised me too, actually,” she said, then just shrugged.They shared one last embrace, a quick final kiss, and then Tommy was out the door.He turned to look back at her, waved, and whispered loudly, “I love you. See you again soon.”“I love you too,” she mouthed silently, blew him a kiss, and closed the door.&l

Discovering Amy: Part 1

Steamy Stories Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2025

Two life long friends start to explore intimacy together.In 4 parts, By D j mac 1031 - listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The pool party had been going on for several hours, and it was well after dark, when Amy asked me if I'd wanted to go for a walk in the woods behind the house.She was 18, I was 19, but we'd known each other since we were toddlers, our families being very close and part of the same church group.The party was to celebrate her high school graduation (I graduated the year before) and was mainly our families along with some of our mutual friends from church and school.As I said, we'd been friends for a long time, but it was only in recent months that things seemed to change between us.Talking about our futures, our questions of what we wanted to do with our lives, our secret bonding over our mutual distaste of our parents' particular brand of religion, had brought us closer together as friends, but also somehow felt more than ‘just' friends.I'd certainly started noticing her beautiful body more recently as well.Amy was blonde, with curly shoulder length locks, now damp around her face. Blue eyes that almost matched the pool water we were currently floating in.Her one-piece bathing suit was modest (I'm sure her parents had some say in that) but still couldn't help but highlight the curves of her perfect apple sized breasts, or the roundness of her ass that hadn't quite lost its “baby fat” yet.She was well tanned of course; it was her pool and she spent a lot of time sunning herself when she wasn't actually swimming in it.We'd been playing Marco Polo for awhile along with our friends, and there was the usual silliness, splashing, and occasional “accidental” groping of random body parts as we all chased each other around the pool, taking turns being the “blind” player.My hands had found Amy's body on more than a few occasions when it was my turn. I was starting to think she was letting me catch her just so my hands could brush against her hips, her back, and yes once right across her round bubble ass.We'd been taking a break from the game and just floating nearby each other, catching our breath, when she asked about going for the walk.Most of our friends had left the pool already, getting snacks or drinks or just drying off.“You really wanna?” I asked, surprised. We'd been spending a lot of time together recently, but both of us having very religious conservative parents made it difficult to actually pursue any kind of true dating relationship.We weren't girlfriend and boyfriend yet, not by any stretch, but had certainly progressed beyond mere childhood friends in the past several weeks.I still remember my surprise when she kissed me right on the lips at her graduation ceremony just a few days ago.Oh it was quick, and she'd been hugging and kissing lots of folks. But it wasn't accidental on her part and it certainly didn't feel platonic.“Yeah, come on, it'll be fun, I promise,” she replied. The smile on her face was mischievous to say the least.I was a bit scared honestly. Both our parents would freak out if they caught us sneaking off together. I honestly couldn't wait to get out of my house and away from all the religious nonsense. But until then I had to put up with their repressive bullshit that made it incredibly difficult for me to even consider dating any girls on a regular basis, let alone get laid.We climbed out of the pool, grabbed our towels, and took a look around.Our parents all seemed busy, chatting away with some of the other parents in attendance, drinking, laughing, and playing some card game.I didn't think they'd notice us.“ Okay, let's go, lead the way I guess. You know these woods better than me.”Amy didn't hesitate. She took my hand and led me to a little path that was barely visible in the dark.As we got to the edge by the tree line, we both took one more look around, saw no one noticing us, and quietly slipped through the trees and down the path.We hadn't gone very far when we came to a little clearing. A few stumps marked where some trees had been cleared, and a small pile of wood to one side, apparently the remains of some makeshift fort.“My brothers cleared this spot years ago; they used to have sleep-outs in their fort. They never let me come here with them but I've always known about it. They eventually forgot about it as they got older, but I never did. It's a nice spot to just get away and be alone for a while,” she explained.“Yeah, it's pretty cool I guess” I said, then, awkwardly, “not that many bugs here.”She laughed. “I keep it clear here so it doesn't get overgrown. And I sprayed some bug killer here earlier this afternoon. Just in case.” She had that mischievous grin again and a twinkle in her eye I couldn't fathom.“In case what?” I asked stupidly. God, the cluelessness of a teenage boy.“In case this” she said, and suddenly she was in my arms, her lips pressed to mine.I froze for a moment, but thankfully, instinct took over, and I kissed her back.She broke the kiss after a few seconds, almost reluctantly. "I've been wanting to do that forever, you know. I've been waiting so long for the right moment.“I smiled, hoping she couldn't see how red my face was in the moonlight that shone down on us."Wow. Well I'm, I'm glad you did Amy. That was, that was really, that was really nice.” I stuttered around the words like an idiot.“I'm glad you liked it. Because I wanna do it again.” She smiled, looking at me in anticipation.This time I made the move, pulling her gently by the waist, leaning down a bit (she was shorter than me) and moving in for another kiss.She met me halfway and once again our lips connected.We were both inexperienced, but we got the hang of it quickly. I tested her lips with my tongue; they parted and accepted it. She offered her tongue in return, and we explored, if a bit awkwardly, the art of French kissing.We'd break the kiss only for a few moments to look into each other's eyes, smile, then right back at it.My hands up until that point had remained on her hips. Her arms were up around my neck and she was standing on her toes to help get some height.I decided to be a bit bolder, and slowly started moving my hands. First just slowly up then back down her sides. I repeated this move a few times and her body seemed to respond positively, so I got braver.My hands went back to her hips, then slowly around to her back. While the front of her suit was modest, the back was mostly open, allowing my hands to gently caress her soft, perfect skin.She broke the kiss and giggled, “that tickles!”“Sorry,” I said, lying.“I didn't say stop, did I?” She replied softly, then started kissing me again.My hands continued rubbing her back, but now I was moving them in small slow circles, lower, and lower still, stopping just above her ass.I could feel her wriggling, trying to stand taller, and realized she was trying to actually move her ass UP and into my hands!I took her signal and went with it, sliding my hands down and finally cupping the perfect teen bubble ass I'd up until then been able to admire only with my eyes.“Mmm,” she moaned as she broke the kiss. “Finally. Took you long enough,” she giggled again playfully.“I was trying to be a gentleman,” I joked.“Well stop trying so hard” she shot back playfully.“Oh yeah?“ I said in mock annoyance. "Well then,” and with that I playfully grabbed her ass harder.What happened next happened quickly. My pull on her ass threw her off the balance of her toes, and she fell forward, right into me, our bodies touching fully for the first time.And that's when I realized I had a massive erection.I felt her lower stomach lean right into it when she slipped, felt the simultaneous jolt of pain from the impact and pleasure from, well, the contact.She was laughing at first, then suddenly went quiet as she looked down, confused for a moment.Then her eyes went wide as she looked up at me.“Is that, is that your,” Now she was the one stuttering. "Is that what I think it is?“ She managed to get out.My face went beet red. "Yeah, um, look, sorry, I,”“It's okay” she cut in. “Did I, did I hurt you?”“No,” I replied. (it had hurt, but only a little really and I didn't want to make her feel bad.)“Oh, okay, good.” She said, biting her lip.We stood there in awkward silence for a moment. But she didn't back away, and I certainly didn't want her to. My cock was throbbing, straining against the fabric of my suit, and while separated by my suit and her own, I still enjoyed the contact of another person, especially my beautiful friend Amy, touching up against my penis, even if only indirectly.I didn't want the moment to end. But I didn't know how to continue.Amy finally broke the silence. "Is that, because of me?“ She asked shyly."Yes” I managed.She pulled away from me and I almost groaned. I didn't want her to move.But she only pulled back far enough to look down to see the tent pushing up from my swimsuit.Her eyes again went wide. “Wow. I mean I knew they got, bigger, when guys got, uh; but I didn't think they'd get that, big, or,” She stopped, looking both confused and excited.I was embarrassed, yet also feeling a sense of pride, and excitement. My life-long friend was seeing my erected penis for the first time, even if it was covered by my suit, and it was giving her a good show.“Have you never seen a guys, you know, thing before?” I asked, hoping mine was truly her first.“Well, no, not really. A picture in a textbook once. but it was just a drawing, and not this big, or,” she paused.“Hard?” I finished for her.“Yeah,” she laughed. "I never saw a hard one, or a real one.“ She gulped."Yeah, they're usually smaller and soft, normally. But get much bigger and harder when, excited” I explained simply.“So you're, excited, because of me?”“Yes,” I replied, “Amy, you're so beautiful, and I'm so happy to be here, kissing you, and touching you. I've wanted this for a long time too, and now that it's happening, I can't help but get, well, turned on. I hope this doesn't upset you.”“No, not at all. I, I love it” she said, grinning widely.“Can I, can I touch it? She stammered.My heart jumped. This is gonna happen? My brain screamed silently in joy."Of course,” I managed to say, “I'd, I'd love that.”She came in closer to me again. I could smell the chlorine in her hair, but also just, well, her. Her bright face shined in the moonlight, beautiful, without a stitch of makeup on.Her left arm went around my hip to my back, and with her right, she slowly, tentatively, reached out and placed the palm of her hand over the bulge of my suit.My cock jumped immediately at her touch, and she was startled, pulling her hand back in surprise.“It moved!” She gasped. “Wait, it, it moves?”“Yeah it does that,” I smiled, begging silently for her to touch it again.She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that's great! It moves!” She laughed so loud I was afraid the whole party behind us would hear.“Shush,” I whispered, and she tried to contain herself, finally quieting to the occasional giggle.Her hand reached out, more boldly this time, and again my throbbing member jumped at her touch, but this time she didn't pull away.Instead, she started gently rubbing it with the palm of her hand. It bobbed and twitched with her movements and she smiled brightly, like a kid on Christmas with a new toy, enjoying how it responded to her touch.I was enjoying it too. Not exactly the way I did it on my own of course, but hell, any touching was good touching, when it came to a beautiful girl with her hand on your cock.“Does that, does it feel, good?” She asked shyly.“Oh god yes, Amy. It feels amazing, so so good! Please don't stop.” I begged.She smiled such a beautiful smile, and continued exploring.“I want to, I wanna see it” she said suddenly.I felt I must be dreaming. If so, please, whatever you do, God, be merciful, please don't wake me up now!I couldn't even manage the words so just nodded, and she slowly tugged down my suit, struggling a bit to get it over the protruding obstacle, until I helped by undoing the string and tugging with her.It suddenly popped out, springing upward in all its full glory.She had to stifle another laugh; not a cruel one, mocking me, but a joyful, playful excited laugh that spoke to how thrilled she was to finally see it.“Wow! Holy crap!” She whispered. “It looks even bigger in person! And so, veiny! Are you sure that's not painful? It looks so swollen!”“Not painful at all, it actually feels really pleasurable, and very sensitive to, being touched” I said, hinting at what I hoped she'd get back to.She grinned wickedly and took the hint, and her hand again reached for my cock. Within moments I was feeling, for the first time ever, the incredible feeling of skin on skin contact from someone other than myself touching my cock.Now, she was using her fingers, running them up my shaft, tracing their way to the tip, then, back down. My body was literally shaking in bliss.Suddenly she giggled again.“What's so funny now?” I asked, not harshly.“I just now noticed your, what's the word? Testicles, right? They're, don't be mad, please, but they're just silly looking. Like little balls in a sack.”“Yeah well that's why we call them balls,” I laughed. "And it's okay, I'm not mad. They are kinda goofy looking.“Her hand cupped them gently, and she looked up at me, questioning. "Is this okay? I don't wanna hurt them, I know it can really hurt a guy getting hit there.”“You're fine, just be gentle with them, don't squeeze, just rub,” I said.She gently rubbed them for a few seconds, feeling their weight, being very careful.“What feels better, touching your, balls, or your,?” She must have felt embarrassed to say penis or cock or whatever other term, because she just gestured at my twitching member.“My cock?” I said, seeing how she'd react if I said it.She flinched at the word, not used to using or hearing the “dirty” words too often I suppose.“Yeah, your, cock,” she repeated, trying out the word, then deciding she liked it.“Your big hard cock.” Her face had that wicked grin again.“Yeah touching my cock feels better, honestly,” I grinned back. “Especially when you are touching it.”She took that as an invitation to continue.“Tell me how to, to touch it the way, the way you like,” she asked nervously.“Okay. Well,” I paused, then continued, “what you were doing felt really good, but it's better if you, well, here, let me show you.” And with that I took her hand and guided it into the more familiar grip around my shaft, then showed her how to stroke it, pulling the skin gently up around the tip, then back, the way every guy figures out how to do as soon as he hits puberty.She got the hang of it pretty quickly and I let go, allowing her to continue at her own pace.“It feels so warm,” she gasped, “and, I can feel your pulse in it” she marveled.Suddenly she looked up at me. “It's, beautiful.” She said, then kissed me.I pulled her in close as we kissed, her hand never letting go.I was close to cumming, I knew I wouldn't last much longer if she kept going. I grabbed her hand and made her pause, trying to extend the moment. She looked up at me questioningly.“Just needed a pause for a second.” I explained. Suddenly, I had a thought.“Can I,?” I stammered, as I moved my hand towards her beautiful firm boobs, waiting for her consent.She bit her lip, then nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.I touched her breast gently, my hand over her suit still, heard her gasp, felt her shudder. I could feel her nipple, stiff and swollen, poking through the fabric.Her hand suddenly left my cock, and I looked at her, curious. She simply smiled then reached up and slowly slipped the shoulder straps of her bathing suit down.She hesitated for only a moment, then continued, exposing to my delighted eyes her firm, young breasts for the first time.They stood, perky and oh so round, their pale pinkness a sharp contrast to the rest of her tanned skin. Her nipples were tiny points sticking up from the middle of her light pink, puffy areolas.My face must have been interesting; with my mouth agape and my eyes wide, because she giggled again, nervously.“Do you like them?” She asked quietly.“They're beautiful. Just like you Amy,” I replied lovingly. She blushed but smiled.With my left arm still holding her close, my right hand again found her perfect tits.I went from one to the other, alternating between a gentle caress and soft squeezes. I could feel her heart racing beneath her left breast. I gently rolled her left nipple between my fingers, then gave it a slight tug. She gasped in surprise and (I'd hoped) pleasure.“Was that okay? I didn't hurt you?” I asked, concerned.“No, I'm fine, it felt good, just, sensitive,” she managed to say, breathing heavily.We kissed again, and then I felt her hand return to stroking my throbbing boner.After about another minute or two of this, her stroking my cock, me playing with her breasts, I felt the familiar sensation of my climax approaching, knowing I would not be able to hold it back any longer.“Amy,” I gasped, breathing heavy, “you're going to make me, oh God, I can't hold it back,” I moaned, tried not to scream my pleasure, and managed to get out “Please, just don't stop, don't stop, don't,”My cock swelled; she gasped but didn't let go, kept stroking, as the first blast of hot cum shot from the tip of my cock.It hit her right between her exposed breasts. She jumped but stayed close, still not letting go, still jerking me steadily as blast after sticky blast continued to burst from my straining organ.Cum went everywhere; more squirted on her suit, her hand, her arm. Some dripped on her feet, and I could hear her squealing and giggling.Her eyes met mine, confused and questioning. "Just a little more, please, I'm begging you.“ I groaned, and she kept her grip, milking the last remaining drops, watching them ooze out the tip to drip to the grass below.Finally, I could take no more, and grabbed her hand gently, pulling it away from my still hard but finally satisfied cock."So, so good, Amy, that was so good, thank you, oh thank you,” I struggled and finally managed to control my breathing as I repeated, “Oh, thank you.”“You're welcome,” she said gently, and her lips found mine once more.That kiss lasted, seconds? Minutes? A lifetime? Forever?Finally it broke, and we both laughed. We shared a mutual mix of embarrassment and excitement at the state we found ourselves in. My cock, hanging there, slowly deflating. Her breasts still exposed. Cum everywhere.“Holy shit that was a mess!” She exclaimed. “I knew, I knew something would, you know, come out, but, wow, holy shit!”I realized with horror the mess I had made on her. “Oh god, Amy, I'm sorry, really, it just happened so fast, I wasn't thinking, I,”She cut me off. “It's okay. I, I loved it. I loved making that happen. I loved that you felt good. I loved that it was because, because of me.” I could hear the pride in her voice, like a sense of accomplishment.“Shit, we better clean up” she gasped suddenly. She then grabbed the towel she had brought and started desperately wiping away the spunk from her boobs. “Take one last look” she said as she fixed her suit, covering up her breasts to my dismay.She then continued cleaning herself, mopping up the jizz that had splattered on her suit, hands and feet.“It's okay, don't worry,” she said; to herself or me I wasn't sure. “I'll clean most of this up and in the dark no one will notice the stains, and I'll jump back in the pool real quick and that should,” She paused, looked at me, still standing there, cock deflated now but sticky with my cum, then laughed and threw me the towel. "Here, clean up and put that away,“ she said quickly, ”we gotta get back before someone notices we've been missing.“I quickly wiped myself down, and noticed her eying my penis one last time."It's, softer now.” She whispered.“Yeah, you, you tired it out.” I winked and smiled. She laughed, again looking pleased with herself.We quickly finished cleaning up, did a double check on each other, adjusted our clothing to make sure everything was back in place, then shared one last, lingering kiss.I looked her in the eye, resolved to tell her my feelings. “Amy, I, I lov,”“Hush.” She said, cutting me off. “We gotta go! Now!”We crept down the path, back the way we came. I could hear the sounds of the party again as we came to the end of our tree cover.We stopped, peaking out cautiously, seeing who may be looking in our direction.It looked clear, and I was about to step out when Amy stopped me.“Wait,” she whispered. “I'll go first. My mom knows I like to visit that clearing alone sometimes. I tell her I pray out there, but I really just go to get away from them and be alone sometimes. If she or someone else sees me coming out alone, that's my story, that I slipped away for a quiet moment of prayer.”You genius, I thought as I smiled admiringly at her.“You wait a few minutes. If I get back without questions, I'll head right for the house, wash my suit off better and make sure to rinse this towel out. Wait till I'm in the house, then come out. If anyone questions you, tell them,” Here she paused, hesitated.“I'll tell them I had to pee and the bathroom was occupied. Embarrassing, but better than the truth” I whispered back.She smiled. “That will work, good thinking. Okayhere I go. Oh one last thing,”She paused, kissed my lips quickly, touched my cheek gently,“, I love you too.”Then she turned, and stepped out from the trees, walking slowly back towards the yard.Amy cleans up, then has a few minutes of alone time..Looking around, the coast was clear, and she made a beeline up the stairs and towards the bathroom. In the hallway, she almost plowed into her best friend Cindy, who had just exited the bathroom.“Hey, there you are,” said Cindy. “I was looking for you earlier. Where were you?”Amy panicked for a moment but quickly collected herself, and managed a calm, casual reply. “Oh just went for a walk, needed some quiet time to reflect, be with God, ya know?” Amy then made a move to get around Cindy, trying to reach the bathroom before Cindy noticed anything suspicious.But it was too late. “You look, flushed. Nervous. You okay? Something wrong?” Cindy asked.“No nothing,” Amy spat out too quickly. “Just, just really gotta pee.” She tried again for the bathroom.Cindy caught her up again. “Something is up, I can tell. Come on, dish!” she pleaded.“I'll, I'll tell you about it later, I promise,” Amy stammered.“You better, bestie,” Cindy called after her as Amy finally made it to the bathroom and slammed the door.“Whew, finally,” Amy whispered to herself. She double checked to make sure she locked the door, then turned to examine herself in the mirror.Her face broke into a huge grin. “I can't believe we just did that,” she thought, recalling the recent time she'd just spent alone in the woods with Tommy.Her good Christian upbringing told her she should be feeling guilt and shame, like a wanton little slut that men would never respect, let alone marry.But she didn't really believe any of that. Instead, all she felt was the joy and excitement of a young woman discovering both love and the pleasures of the flesh at the same time.She composed herself quickly; can't dwell on that just yet. Things to do first.She examined her bathing suit in the mirror. Despite her best efforts, she could still see the dried remains of Tommy's, sperm? Semen? She knew there was a difference but couldn't remember what. It had dried to dark patches on her light blue suit.“I'll have to change it,” she thought. “I'll tell mom I spilled something on it.” She quickly stripped off her suit and as she did so, noticed another stain. This one in the crotch.“Wow, girl, you really got yourself excited, didn't you?” she thought. The gusset of her suit was damp and sticky, and as she held it up closer to examine it, she caught a strong whiff of the scent of her vagina that not even the pool chlorine could drown out.It wasn't an unpleasant smell. She'd smelled it before of course, during her relatively recent discovery and explorations of the pleasures of self pleasure. She found herself wondering if Tommy would enjoy her scent.Masturbation was a “sin” her parents would condemn, no doubt, but she'd felt no shame in touching herself, in discovering how her body reacted to the exploration of her fingers over her most intimate parts.Almost absent mindedly, Amy ran her hand over the fine blonde pubic hair covering her mound. Slipping downwards between her legs, she discovered the slick warm wetness that still lingered there. She felt the pulsing and throbbing of the little bump at the top that she knew would give her incredible pleasure if she just,“Not now, dammit,” she swore to herself. “Get this done, quick.”She stooped, still naked, and quickly washed out her suit along with the towel she'd used to wipe herself down earlier, making sure to get all of Tommy's sticky stuff off of both.Looking down, she noticed a faded drop of, cum, she decided to call it, a word she'd heard before somewhere, dried now but still visible on her left breast.She touched it, tentatively, then smelled her finger. On a sudden whim, she tasted it.The taste was faint, but tangy and salty. She wondered for a moment what it would be like to taste it fresh, and her vagina throbbed at the thought.“Not now!” she thought again, and quickly jumped in the shower, soaping and rinsing her whole body as quickly as possible. Her private parts begged her to linger over washing them. She ignored it.Finished bathing, Amy grabbed a fresh towel, dried off, and wrapped herself in it. She then scooped up the wet suit and soiled towel. She'd put them in her bedroom hamper, and hopefully remember to do her own laundry first thing tomorrow.She cracked the bathroom door and peeked out. All clear.Her bedroom door was just a few steps down the hall and she made it through and behind it in seconds. Again she quickly locked her door.She walked over to her bedroom window that overlooked the yard where the party was still going on and peeked out through the curtains.Her parents were still playing the card game they'd been at with the other parents when she and Tommy had first snuck off to the woods for what turned out to be way more than just the kissing she'd planned on.She looked around for Tommy, and saw him sitting alone by the edge of the pool, dangling his feet in the water, looking lost in thought.She had a sudden overwhelming desire to knock on the window, get his attention, and flash him her boobs. A desire she quickly squashed. “If my parents saw that they'd chain me in the basement for a month with a rosary,” she said, grimacing at the thought.She would go back out and join him soon, she thought. Hopefully get to talk privately but if not, at least spend time with him, basking in their secret shared stolen moments together.“But first,” she thought, “God help me but I need to take care of this first.”Amy closed the curtains, making sure they were completely covering her window. She doubted anyone could see anything that high up, but she was taking no chances.She walked over to her bed, dropped her towel, and lay naked over the bedspread.“I've only got a few minutes or I'm gonna need another story to tell,” she thought.But a few minutes was all she'd need really.Amy had only truly discovered masturbation last summer. It was her 18th birthday party, another pool party, and of course Tommy had been there.They'd been swimming of course, along with the usual horse play.Nothing had happened between them then, but at one point while she was sunning herself on the deck, Amy saw something.Or at least, she thought she did.Tommy had just climbed out of the pool near her, and as he stood up, his suit was clinging to him tightly, and Amy, who was lounging in her pool chair, sunglasses on, saw quite clearly the outline of his, well, she was pretty sure it was his penis.It only lasted a second, as he adjusted his suit and the fabric fell away from it, but that moment locked in Amy's mind.She'd suddenly become fascinated with seeing it again, and found herself, over and over again throughout the day, stealing glances at his crotch when she thought he wasn't looking, keeping her sunglasses on so she wouldn't be obvious about it.Every time he moved, everytime he bent or even walked, she looked for any telltale signs of it under his suit, to the point she was probably over imagining every curve of the fabric of his bathing suit.That night when she crawled into bed, that singular moment of him stepping out of the pool, suit tight and clinging around the outline of his genitals, was replaying over and over in her mind, not allowing sleep to come.She'd touched herself before that night, off and on, even though she'd been taught that was a sin of course.But that night, she felt a hot ache between her legs she'd never experienced before, an ache that begged to be touched, massaged, fondled, fingered.She'd experienced her first true orgasm that night, and in the months since had figured out the best ways to bring that incredible feeling over and over again.And almost every time, she wound up thinking about the outline of Tommy's penis in his bathing suit.Now though, oh, she had so, So much more to think about!She'd kissed him. Made out with him!She hadn't just seen the outline of his penis this time. She'd actually seen it fully hard and erect and literally making a tent in his suit.She'd actually touched it! First over his suit, then actually took down his shorts and literally saw and touched it fully exposed!It even moved, like it had a mind of its own! Oh how that had made her laugh with delight.And best of all, she'd made him squirt! Everywhere!Amy's mind raced with all of this as she rubbed her clit furiously. She had no time for a slow build up and didn't need it.Her vagina was on fire; swollen, slick and dripping as she rubbed herself.She never used her fingers too deeply, wanting to keep her virginity intact, but explored deep enough to imagine the tip of Tommy's cock, (“Yes, cock, that's what he called it,” she remembered) pushing its way into her tight virgin opening.

考级英语听力材料（专四）38 对话

高效磨耳朵 | 最好的英语听力资源

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2025 3:15

2017年英语专业四级听力对话1Conversation One对话1Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.请根据对话1回答第1题至第5题。Good afternoon, this is B.E.S. customer service line. Maggie speaking. How can I help you?下午好，这里是B.E.S.客户服务热线。我是麦琪。有什么可以帮助您的吗？Yeah.Yeah. Look, it's about my computer I bought of you one month ago.嗯。是我的电脑，一个月前从你们公司买的。Yes.What seems to be the problem?好的。出了什么问题呢？Well,I was transferring my files to it from my flash drive and they got lost.Everything!嗯，我从闪存盘往电脑里传文件的时候，文件丢失了。全丢了！Okay.Now, don't worry. I'm sure we can sort something out. First, can you give me a few details? The computer has lost all your data, you say?好的，您别着急。我们慢慢解决。可以先告诉我详细情况吗?您刚才说，电脑弄丢了您所有的文件是吗？Yes.But you don't understand. It wiped everything of the flash drive as well.对！你不知道。连闪存盘里的东西都全没了！My whole life! My whole life was in those files!那可是我的命啊！那些文件就是我的全部生命！Oh.My goodness. Are you sure? Sounds like the problem is with your flash drive.天呐。您确定吗？好像是您闪存盘出了问题。Of course not. There is nothing wrong with my flash drive. I've had it for years.And I used it yesterday in my office, in another computer.不可能！我的闪存盘没问题。我都用了好几年了，昨天在办公室里还插在另一台电脑上用过。Okay.I can understand how upset you must be. Now, I don't think we can deal with it on the phone, so I'm going to send a service engineer to see if they can retrieve your data. Can you give me your product reference number?好的。我知道您一定很着急。我们在电话上也不能解决问题。我这边会派客服工程师去看看能不能帮您恢复数据。可以给我您的产品参考号吗？Mmm. Ah, yes. Here it is. It's RF40101.嗯，好，是RF40101。Thank you.谢谢。I'll be expecting a total refund and compensation if this can't be fixed.修不好的话，我想退全款，并要求赔偿。I'm sorry. But we are not authorized to give refunds. What I can do is to send you abrand-new computer. How would that be?对不起。我们没有权利帮您退款。我只能给您换一台新电脑，您看怎么样?But mine is supposed to be a brand-new computer. You think I want another one of these?After what the last one did to my files?可是我现在这个也算是新电脑啊。你觉得我还能再接受一个这样的电脑吗？这个电脑都把我文件弄丢了。Well,let's see what our engineer can do. Hopefully, it's not quite as bad as you think. Now, I've got your address here in your customer file—No.23, Bond Street,right?好吧，那我们等工程师的处理结果吧。希望，事情并没有您想象的那么糟糕。我这边从您的客户档案里找到了您的地址，庞德街23号，对吗?Yeah.Right.对。And it's a Mr. Adams, isn't it?亚当斯先生，对吗？Yes.是。Right.Mr. Adams, we'll have an engineer with you early tomorrow morning. And I'll ask him to bring a new hard disc with him. Will you be at home?好的，亚当斯先生。明天上午我们的工程师会到您那边。我会让他带一个新硬盘过去。您到时候在家吗？Yes.But not before 8:30.在家。八点半以后在家。Okay.Our engineer will contact you before he comes. Can you be reached by this number---6574-3205?好的。我们的工程师到之前会联系您。您的号码是6574-3205对吗？Yes.Sure.是的。Well.Best of luck this afternoon. I hope we can solve the problem for you.好的。祝您下午好运。希望我们可以为您解决问题。Well.Thanks. Ur...Good bye.好的，谢谢。呃..再见。Goodbye, Mr. Adams.再见，亚当斯先生。Questions 1 to 5 are based on Conversation One.请根据对话1回答第1题到第5题。Q1: What's wrong with the man's computer?第1题：这个男士的电脑出了什么问题？Q2: How will the man be compensated if the computer can't be fixed?第2题：电脑修不好的话，这位男士会得到什么样的赔偿？Q3: How did the man feel about the woman's offer of compensation?第3题：这位男士对这位女士提出的赔偿方案满意吗？Q4: When will the service engineer come to fix the computer?第4题：客服工程师什么时候来修电脑？

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Willie The Whit and His Cadillac Boat

BH Sales Kennel Kelp CTFO Changing The Future Outcome

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2025 62:07

Day Two (May 23, 2025): Willie the Whit & Anticipating the "Memory Engines"UPCOMING LIVE WORKSHOP ON 5/25/25 WITH DR. ANTHONY METIVIER ON MEMORY ENGINES!!!Today, we're building on the foundation laid by previous Magnetic Memory workshops. Willie the Whit isn't just guessing what the "Memory Engines" are; he's using his already established understanding of Magnetic Imagery and Memory Palaces to anticipate how these new encoding "engines" will fit into and enhance his existing framework. The upcoming workshop isn't a completely new language, but a deeper dive into the grammar of effective memory input.Willie the Whit's Pre-Anticipated "Memory Engines" (Informed by Past MMM Workshops:Given Anthony's focus on "poor encoding" and "Magnetic Imagery," these "Engines" are likely mechanisms for making those images more effective at the crucial point of input. Willie knows:HE IS A FICTIONAL DETECTIVE IN MY DEVELOPING BOOK THE GREATER PORTLAND CRAB CAPER!*******He's a student of The MMM Courses in MY BOOK!!Willie's Mnemonic Acrostic Phrase:Witty Images Touch Numerous Essences: Sensory, Motion, Emotional, Absurdity, Conceptual, Location, Generation, Vividness!Sensory Multiplier,Motion (Kinesthetic) Engine,Emotional Amplifier,Absurdity (Exaggeration) Creator,Conceptual Hook,Location Linker,Generation Gear (Rapid Generation),Vividness Validation,Revised Mnemonic for the 8 Anticipated "Memory Engines":Willie knows the E.N.C.O.D.I.N.G. is key! Exaggeration,Newness (Absurdity/Uniqueness),Conceptual Clarity,Outlandish (Exaggeration),Dynamic (Kinesthetic),Immersion (Sensory),Nexus (Association/Location),Generate (Rapid Generation),This mnemonic uses "ENCODING" itself, perfectly tying into Anthony's core message.???Person: Edgar Nimbus (EN) - A brilliant, eccentric inventor, perhaps with a cloud of ideas floating around his head.Action: Creating Operations - Designing complex processes and systems.Object: Digital Input Network Grid - A futuristic, glowing grid where information seamlessly flows and takes form.The P.A.O. Scene for Willie's ENCODING Engines:Imagine Edgar Nimbus (P), with his cloud of ideas, feverishly creating operations (A) on a massive, humming Digital Input Network Grid (O). As he works, each "engine" lights up a section of the grid, showing how information is precisely and powerfully woven in.Today's focus is on how previous MMM knowledge prepares us for the deep dive into encoding.Daily Mnemonic (May 23, 2025): "P.R.E.P. - A.R.E."Past: Previous workshops provide the foundation.Ready: I am prepared for new insights.Encoding: The core focus of this workshop.Practical: Skills I will immediately apply.Anthony: The master guides my learning.Real-Time: Applying techniques live.Engines: Building powerful memory mechanisms.Visualize Probing Robots Exploring Portals, then Anthony Radiating Energy, ready to activate the "Engines."(Day 2 - Refined Focus):Willie The Whit-contemplating?#MemoryEngineAnticipation,#MagneticMemoryEvolution,#Anthony Metivier raining,#EncodingExcellence,#BrainBuildingBlocks#CognitiveProgress,#WillieTheWhit,#GrandpaBillPodcast,#BHSalesKennelKelpHolisticHealthHour#MemoryMastery,#AdvancedMemory,#MemoryInput,#LifelongLearning,#HolisticBrain,#MagneticImagery,#PreWorkshopDeepDive,#MemoryMethods,

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A medical marketer turned mental health warrior aims to pulverize stigma

The MM+M Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 58:52

Jon Nelson first appeared in MM+M's coverage in December 2021 when he penned an op-ed about his patient journey with mental illness.Over the ensuing years, Nelson has dedicated himself to mental health advocacy and — in his words — the mission of “pulverizing” the stigma around depression and mental illness.Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, Nelson joins the show for a conversation with managing editor Jack O'Brien about his more than decadelong patient journey and the need to incorporate lived experience into the medical marketing process.And for our Trends segment, we're talking about former President Joe Biden's aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis and how SNL skewered pharma ads this season.The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. Check us out at: mmm-online.com Follow us: YouTube: @MMM-onlineTikTok: @MMMnewsInstagram: @MMMnewsonlineTwitter/X: @MMMnewsLinkedIn: MM+M To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.

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Episode 69 Christian Bullitt, Raymond James

Middle Market Musings

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2025 50:36

Christian is a Managing Director in Raymond James' Private Capital Advisory Practice. He finally runs out of excuses and ends up squinting under the hot lights of the MMM studios. A discussion with two old friends hits the usual stops – Philadelphia roots, Trinity College, early career in PR before getting into finance – yet still manages to find plenty of opportunity for esoterica. Listeners will learn about Christian's short-lived acting career, the merits of pickleball vs. padél, and his frequently threatened lawsuit against Charlie. More substantive insight into the evolution of private equity business development, Christian's transition from the buyside to investment banking, and his current role working with equity sponsors in the burgeoning private capital advisory arena.

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11 - Wanted William Bradford Bishop

Missing Trenny Gibson

Play Episode Listen Later May 20, 2025 64:06

In this episode, Crawlspace Media's Tim Pilleri & Lance Reenstierna speak with Laura Riste about the disappearance of William Bradford Bishop. Bishop disappeared in 1976 after slaughtering his family. If you have any information please contact your local FBI office. This episode was previously published on May 1st, 2023 on Missing. Thank you to Laura Riste for her help on this episode. Please check out her site about Trenny Gibson at ⁠https://www.canadiangurl77.com/⁠ and check out the new FB page for Trenny's case: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/searching.for.trenny⁠. Check out our Missing subscription service where we have a bonus show and ad-free episodes! ⁠https://missing.supportingcast.fm/⁠ To hear the Generation Why's 4-part series, follow Generation Why wherever you get your podcasts. Go to ⁠https://airdoctorpro.com/⁠ and use promo code MMM and, depending on the model, you'll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Follow Missing: TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@missingcsm⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/missingcsm⁠ IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/MissingCSM/⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/MissingCSM⁠ FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/MissingCSM⁠ Check out our entire network at ⁠http://crawlspace-media.com/⁠ Follow Private Investigations For the Missing and please donate if you can: ⁠https://investigationsforthemissing.org/⁠ ⁠http://piftm.org/donate⁠ ⁠https://twitter.com/PIFortheMissing⁠ ⁠https://www.facebook.com/PIFortheMissing/⁠ ⁠https://www.instagram.com/investigationsforthemissing/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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PODCAST: Las noticias con calle de 19 de mayo de 2025

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 12:10

PODCAST: Las noticias con calle de 19 de mayo de 2025 - Trump ya nos ha tumbado mil millones, quita 127 millones adicionales para renovables - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Hablan hoy a las 10 Trump y Putin - NYT ⁃ Crisis de Vivienda en China se pone peor, USA lo ve como buena señal en su guerra - Bloomberg ⁃ Harán gestión de inventario en la Parguera - El Nuevo Día ⁃ FBI interesado en los cabilderos - Noticel ⁃ JGO contratará más para hacer background checks de sus nominados - El Nuevo Día ⁃ A frenar las corridas de motoras con enmiendas a la ley - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Emergencia energética de PR decretada por el gobierno federal - El Nuevo Día ⁃ La muerte lenta de Proyecto Dignidad tras decisión Suprema - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Cáncer de próstata pasó a huesos del expresidente Biden - Economist ⁃ Pelea de Legislatura y gobernadora es más frontal que nunca de acuerdo a exgobernadores - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Arranca hoy el tren urbano - WUNO ⁃ Alcaldes quedarían con menos fondos todavía - Primera Hora ⁃ Cannabis en PR en serios problemas - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Menos migrantes sin registración entrando a PR - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Demasiada lluvia y desde mañana llega ola de calor - SNM ⁃ Genera niega que intente hacer un monopolio - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Descuadrado Educación por 200 millones - El Nuevo Día ⁃ Partido por la mitad el MVC - Cuarto Poder ⁃ Aprieta situación con plan 8 y vivienda - El Vocero ⁃ JGo le huye a la Legislatura, no tiene en fecha mensaje de estado ⁃ Empresa boricua monta operación de labs en Costa Rica - El Vocero • ⁃ Rusia aprieta su ejército en frontera con Finlandia - NYTHOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR. ¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO! ¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

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Why Lead Magnets Flop (and how to grow your list with instagram)

music social media social creator hands small business tap digital marketing marketing strategies online businesses flop email marketing social media marketing freebie freebies mmm lead magnets guesting

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 13:54

Wanna grow your email list? Turn up the volume because I'm sharing the secrets behind how I became the queen of email list growth—and how Instagram played a huge role in it. We're digging into what actually grows your list (hint: it's not fancy graphic design), why most people overcomplicate their lead magnets, and major mistakes to avoid when you're creating the next freebie to grow your business.Prepare to attract more leads with way less effort.Plus… I spill the details on Freebie in a Weekend, our brand-new live event where you'll create, launch, and promote a list-growing freebie in just 48 hours. If you've been sitting on a lead magnet idea forever or your current one's a snooze fest, this is for you.

10 - Dennis Martin - Missing in the Smokies

Missing Trenny Gibson

Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 73:32

In this episode, Tim Pilleri, Lance Reenstierna, and Jennifer Amell speak about the mysterious disappearance of Dennis Lloyd Martin from the Great Smokey Mountains National Park on June 14th, 1969. And we play clips from a conversation with researcher ⁠Laura Riste⁠ about Dennis's disappearance. This episode was previously published on May 4th, 2023 on Missing. Thank you to Laura Riste for her help on this episode. Please check out her site about Trenny Gibson at ⁠https://www.canadiangurl77.com/⁠ and check out the new FB page for Trenny's case: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/searching.for.trenny⁠. Check out our Missing subscription service where we have a bonus show and ad-free episodes! ⁠https://missing.supportingcast.fm/⁠ To hear the Generation Why's 4-part series, follow Generation Why wherever you get your podcasts. Go to ⁠https://airdoctorpro.com/⁠ and use promo code MMM and, depending on the model, you'll receive UP TO 39% off or UP TO $300 off! Sources: ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Dennis_Martin⁠ ⁠https://charleyproject.org/case/dennis-lloyd-martin⁠ ⁠https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/foia/upload/1969_GRSM_DennisMartin_dissapearance_REDACTED.pdf⁠ ⁠https://vault.fbi.gov/dennis-martin/dennis-martin-part-01-of-01⁠ ⁠https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/local/2019/06/06/dennis-martin-missing-smoky-mountains-disappearance/1338089001/⁠ ⁠https://www.canammissing.com/page/page/8396197.htm⁠ Follow Missing: TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@missingcsm⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/missingcsm⁠ IG: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/MissingCSM/⁠ Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/MissingCSM⁠ FB: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/MissingCSM⁠ Check out our entire network at ⁠http://crawlspace-media.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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S12 E6: Redefining Media and Marketing Measurement (with Michael True, CEO of Prescient AI)

Limited Supply

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 41:42

Real-time tracking might be fading, but media measurement is entering a new era. Nik's got Michael True, CEO of Prescient AI on this week's episode to talk about how modern brands can confidently allocate budget, quantify impact, and optimize media spend using Media Mix Modeling (MMM). It's about top of the funnel measurement. How do you use the data the right way? What's a halo effect? What does Cardi B have to do with this? From building predictive models for the music industry to managing $200M+ in monthly media spend across e-commerce, retail, and CPG brands, Mike shares why MMM is no longer a once-a-year tool. Plus, Nik explains why good reporting = good storytelling. And for brands, this is a NEED when it comes to breaking it down for others. Prescient AI is the world's smartest marketing decision engine, powered by the most dynamic MMM. Forecast, test, optimize, and scale top-of-funnel spend with confidence. Visit ⁠https://prescientai.com/limited⁠ Want more DTC advice? Check out the Limited Supply YouTube page for more insider tips. Check out the Nik's DTC newsletter: https://bit.ly/3mOUJMJ And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the Limited Supply Slack Channel for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts. Follow Nik: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma

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MMM Distraction

Muslim Moms Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 2:52

These are short and sweet reflections on everyday joys, Islamic insights, and real talk about being a Muslim mom. It's a quick pause in your busy day giving you a chance to reset, reflect, and celebrate the moments that make motherhood meaningful. To support this podcast, join our Muslim Moms Productions patron for exclusive content you'll only find there.Join my Patreon!Check out my Instagram!Visit www.MuslimMomsProductions.comEmail us at mmp@muslimmomsproductions.comDon't forget to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!

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Grandpa Bill's Mental Makeover

BH Sales Kennel Kelp CTFO Changing The Future Outcome

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2025 23:33

Alright Grandpa Bill, is crafting a short narrative for The BH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour, highlighting the value of the MMM program through my experience and connection to Dr. Metivier. Grandpa Bill: Welcomes back one and ALL to the BH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour,! Sometimes we all can utilize a guide to navigating the sometimes choppy waters of life with a bit of wisdom and a whole lot of heart. Now, as many of you know, I'm a firm believer in keeping the mind sharp and engaged, especially in these golden years. That's why I've been diving deep into the fascinating world of memory improvement through the Magnetic Memory Method program.It's been a real journey of discovery, learning how to build these incredible "Memory Palaces" in my mind – almost like creating a mental filing cabinet for all sorts of information. And guess what? It's not just for remembering where I put my reading glasses! This program, developed by the brilliant Dr. Anthony Metivier, has given me tools to better organize my thoughts, recall important details for the podcast, and even enhance my overall mental clarity.Speaking of Dr. Metivier, I've had the pleasure of hosting him twice on our little show here! His insights into how our minds work and how we can actively train our memory have been truly eye-opening. He breaks down these powerful techniques, like the pegword method he talks about on his website – linking numbers to rhyming words to create memorable associations – in a way that's easy to grasp and, dare I say, even fun!For me, as a student of the MMM program, it's more than just memorizing facts. It's about creating stronger connections to the information, making it more meaningful and accessible. It's about taking an active role in my cognitive well-being, which I believe is a crucial part of holistic healing. By engaging with these techniques daily, I'm not just improving my memory; I'm exercising my mental muscles, fostering creativity, and keeping my mind vibrant and alive.So, if you're looking for ways to boost your brainpower, keep your mind engaged, and maybe even learn a new trick or two in your retirement, I highly recommend checking out the Magnetic Memory Method. It's been a fantastic addition to my daily routine, and who knows, maybe it'll unlock some hidden mental potential for you too!Workouts for Geriatrics,Good for ALL Kids from 1-92, Everything About Health & WealthGrandpa Bill Says:Remember to nurture your mind as well as your body and spirit. #MagneticMemoryMethod,#MemoryImprovement,#MnemonicTechniques,#MemoryPalace,#Peg word Method,#Anthony Metivier,#GrandpaBill,#BHSalesKelpKelpHolisticHealingHour,#RetirementLife,#BrainHealth,#MentalWellness,#Podcast,#LearningInRetirement,Sharpening the Mind in Retirement: My MMM Journey with Grandpa BillUnlocking Memory Power: A Student's Perspective on the Magnetic Memory MethodGrandpa Bill's Mental Makeover: Exploring Memory Palaces and MoreBeyond Forgetfulness: How the MMM Program is Enhancing My RetirementTwo Talks with Dr. Metivier: My Adventures in Memory ImprovementThe Peg word and Beyond: Grandpa Bill's Mnemonic MusingsHolistic Healing for the Mind: My Experience with the Magnetic Memory MethodKeeping Sharp in the Golden Years: A Look at the MMM ProgramFrom Forgetful to Fantastic? My Journey Through Memory TrainingGrandpa Bill's Brain Boost: Discovering the Power of Memory TechniquesGB is attempting to discover what best resonate with the tone and focus of your specific issues? I think this narrative effectively weaves in my personal experience as a student, highlighting Dr. Metivier's contributions, and connecting it to my podcast's theme of holistic well-being.

The Magic Castle Memory Palace

BH Sales Kennel Kelp CTFO Changing The Future Outcome

Play Episode Listen Later May 13, 2025 36:29

Coeval & Balbutient.Grandpa Bill's Location Idea: A Grand Castle.THIS IS ALL BASED ON MY BEING A 3 YEAR STUDENT OF THE MAGNETIC MEMORY METHODS STRUCTURED ONLINE COURSE AND PARTS OF PARTICULAR ASSIGNMENTS THERE!!Here's how GB is adapting the objects to guide someone through the castle and ultimately to my location within it:CO (Company of Coalas): Imagine a group of identical, cuddly "koalas"(bears) (representing "coeval") gathered in the Castle's main Courtyard. They are all facing a specific archway or doorway.E (Emerald Green Vests): Each koala wears a vibrant Emerald green vest. On the back of each vest is a directional arrow, all pointing towards the same inner part of the castle.VAL (Identical Valises): Each koala holds an identical small VALise. These valises are not just filled with treats, but each has a small, identical map peeking out. When the maps are pieced together ( they each hopefully will show a different section), they will be revealing the specific room or area where GB's examples are located within the castle.So, someone following this mnemonic journey would:Encounter a company of coeval koalas in the castle courtyard.Noticing the arrows on their emerald vests pointing inwards.Examining the maps within their identical valises to piece together my exact location within the castle, as depicted in MY fictional Mnemonic Memory Palace.Again this is to coincide with a specific assigned Word Tracker project as part of my being a student of MMM this is my adaptation of next up "Balbutient" STAY TUNED!!Creative Solutions for Holistic HealthcareTo our esteemed agencies and potential guests, Grandpa Bill here, host of the BH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour Podcast (airing today, May 13th, 2025).For the past eight years, as part of my retirement Goodwill Ambassadorship, I've greatly valued the opportunity to host diverse voices on the show.Please note that for the next three months, commencing immediately, I will be taking a temporary hiatus specifically from accepting and scheduling new guest appearances. This focused period will allow me to dedicate time to writing my Mnemonic Fictional Memory Palace novel, deeply rooted in the history and locales of my home city, Portland, Maine.The BH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour Podcast will continue its regular programming during this time. I look forward to resuming guest bookings in the fall.Thank you for your understanding.Sincerely,Grandpa BillBH Sales Kennel Kelp Holistic Healing Hour Podcast

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PODCAST - LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 12 de mayo

Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 12:31

PODCAST - LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 12 de mayo - 90 días 35% de USA contra China y 10% China contra USA USA cierra frontera a animales vivos por miedo al gusano tornillo o barrena - USDA Prende la unidad de Costa Sur 5 otra vez - Genera Barcazas descartadas por posibilidad de huracanes - JGo dice que Garffer cumple con los requisitos para Estado - El Nuevo DíaEn USA la gobernadora por la cumbre de Select USA Cese y desista contra Genera poner plantas sin permisos - El Nuevo Día Le compran 311 millones para peakers a Watsilla - El Nuevo Día Nadie vio los 53 trabajadores ilegales en PR - Cuarto Poder Genera quiere pulmón y riñón, exigen le den más billetes para combustible - El Nuevo DíaAcaban las compras de casas cash sin información adicional - Cuarto PoderTrump nos corta fondos para el café, 28 millones menos pa Agricultura - El Nuevo DíaZar de energía dice que no le debe chavos ni a LUMA ni a Genera - Primera HoraSiguen buscando al meón de restaurante de Bad Bunny - PolicíaTrump va a recibir regalo de sobre 400 millones para sus cosas privadas luego de ser presidente - BloombergGuerra de cabilderos por contratos de seguridad en Educación, dos cabilderos a matar - Metro Primera neurocirujana en años dice que se quedará en PR, gracias Adriana Vázquez - El Nuevo Día Nos tumban millones para el café y para justicia ambiental de la EPA tras contaminar por montones - El Nuevo DíaNEPR amenaza con multas a Genera - El VocerHOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR. ¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO! ¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

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Re-arrange your weekly schedule to make more revenue in your business!

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Play Episode Listen Later May 12, 2025 17:20 Transcription Available

Bye-bye busy-work! This episode is calling you out, and swapping you for revenue generating activities.➡️ Get your Early Bird Ticket to FREEBIE IN A WEEKEND https://parkdale-republic.thrivecart.com/freebie-in-a-weekend-eb/Today we chat about:5 Revenue-Generating activities for your businessHow different you'd act if a drone was chasing you (that'll make sense later)A challenge for self-employed people to try this week to get more clients flowing into your businessAnd don't forget! After this episode, give your business a little review... Out of all the actions you take in your business this week, how many of them are geared toward GROWTH?How many marketing tasks did you complete? How about cold outreach? What about collaborations? Get real with your time and you'll get real with your revenue.✨Tap here to watch a FREE masterclass on “How To Get Clients From Instagram (without wasting hours glued to your phone)" https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/evergreen-webinar-registration/ Tap here to get your free Posts That Sell Template (This caption got us 10 sales calls in 3 hours) https://parkdale-republic.lpages.co/10-sales-calls-new

EPS 246 | Buffets Last Dance and Earnings from Europe and the US Companies

Dividend Talk

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2025 70:20

In this episode, we dive into Warren Buffett's succession and legacy, the philosophy that built Berkshire Hathaway, and what the future might hold under Greg Abel. We also break down recent dividend news, from Apple's modest hike to Wendy's surprising cut, and share our own May dividend income.We cover earnings from some major names like Novo Nordisk, Archer Daniels Midland, Ahold Delhaize, and Legrand, plus explore the intriguing possibility of Shell acquiring BP. Listener questions spark some great discussion, including what football clubs would be as dividend stocks, whether our podcast can move markets, and which companies have the strongest moats.

Attribution is Broken: Understanding MTAs, MMMs, and Incrementality

eCommerce Evolution

Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 47:31 Transcription Available

In this insightful episode of the E-commerce Evolution Podcast, host Brett Curry sits down with Tom Leonard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasbleonard), a fractional marketing leader who specializes in operationalizing Media Mix Modeling and incrementality testing. They dive deep into the often confusing world of marketing measurement. Tom and Brett will debunk myths about attribution and we reveal what truly drives customer acquisition. For ecommerce brands struggling to understand where their marketing dollars are actually working, this conversation offers practical insights on how to move beyond misleading platform metrics.—Sponsored by OMG Commerce - go to (https://www.omgcommerce.com/contact) and request your FREE strategy session today!—Chapters: (00:00) Introducing Tom & Marketing Measurement(06:30) Understanding Multi-Touch Attribution (MTA)(12:22) The Case for Incrementality Testing(22:20) Exploring Media Mix Modeling (MMM)(27:30) Navigating Budget Cuts and Marketing Spend(32:17) Understanding Incrementality Vs. Attribution(35:45) The Importance of Cost Per Incremental(40:16) How to Get Started with MMM(44:09) Final Thoughts—Connect With Brett: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thebrettcurry/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@omgcommerce Website: https://www.omgcommerce.com/ Relevant Links:Tom's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasbleonard__Past guests on eCommerce Evolution include Ezra Firestone, Steve Chou, Drew Sanocki, Jacques Spitzer, Jeremy Horowitz, Ryan Moran, Sean Frank, Andrew Youderian, Ryan McKenzie, Joseph Wilkins, Cody Wittick, Miki Agrawal, Justin Brooke, Nish Samantray, Kurt Elster, John Parkes, Chris Mercer, Rabah Rahil, Bear Handlon, Trevor Crump, Frederick Vallaeys, Preston Rutherford, Anthony Mink, Bill D'Allessandro, Bryan Porter and more

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S12 E5: Creative Chemistry and Building a Beverage Brand (with Aaron Nosbisch of BRÉZ)

Limited Supply

Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2025 40:29

How do you market a non-alcoholic, elderflower, THC beverage? If it sounds like a lot, it's because it kind of is: Nik's got Aaron from BRÉZ on this week's episode to talk about creativity, positioning, and advertising in a broad space like the beverage industry. You might have a creative product, but how do you get it to stand out when people may not be familiar with THC products? Aaron explains how the brand tackles this and what problem they're aiming to solve in the space. And, how do you advertise a THC drink on platforms like TikTok and Meta when there's restrictions on cannabis products? The answer might lie with AppLovin, or even using creative language to get around certain words. Plus, Aaron mentions not playing the price game—how you price products has an effect on branding. Why should THC beverages think about avoiding “cheap” pricing? BRÉZ is about having a good experience, and the price should reflect that. Prescient AI is the world's smartest marketing decision engine, powered by the most dynamic MMM. Forecast, test, optimize, and scale top-of-funnel spend with confidence. Visit https://prescientai.com/limited Want more DTC advice? Check out the Limited Supply YouTube page for more insider tips. Check out the Nik's DTC newsletter: https://bit.ly/3mOUJMJ And if you're looking for an instant stream of on-demand DTC gold, check out the Limited Supply Slack Channel for Nik's most unfiltered, uncensored thoughts. Follow Nik: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/mrsharma

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PODCAST - LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 5 DE MAYO

Play Episode Listen Later May 5, 2025 17:50

PODCAST - LAS NOTICIAS CON CALLE DE 5 DE MAYO - Destruyen a Yovngchimi en tribunal federal - El Vocero - Lluvias desatadas en PR siguen destruyendo pueblos declarados en emergencias - Noticentro - 5 muertes violentas en 16 horas con todo y lluvias - El Vocero - Vienen más arrestos en cárceles dijo Cuarto Poder y ahora El Nuevo Día - Juran PR pasará por otra quiebra tras recortes federales - El Nuevo Día- Bonistas dicen que la Junta es la mala, el gobierno no es tan malo como la Junta con ellos - El Vocero - Vuelve laboratorio de cannabis que habían quitado misteriosamente - El Nuevo Día - Supuestamente van a traer bombas que se prenden solas en momentos de inundación - El Vocero - Récord de venta de placas solares - El Nuevo Día - ahora es que vienen a demoler escuelas destruidas por terremotos - El Nuevo Día - Demandas por turbios contratos en Salud por tecnología extraña - Metro - Un riñón pagar los peajes - El Nuevo Día - Demasiado caro morir en PR - El Nuevo Día- Van a estudiar hoy en reunión el impacto de aranceles sobre PR - El Vocero - Estudiantes empezarán a pagar préstamos estudiantiles hoy, piden a gerencia UPR enfocarse en fondos no en baños - El Nuevo Día - Demasiados quieren conseguir edificios para negocios, pero no hay para comercios e industrias - El Nuevo Día - Gobernadora se entrega al petróleo, retira demanda - Guardian - PR full a gas natural para sustituir todo el sistema eléctrico - El Nuevo Día - Gobernadora no va a pelear por los 365 millones que nos congelaron de energía renovable, pide los usen para otras cosas en PR - El Nuevo Día - Gobernadora desafía a la Junta y no va a enviar órdenes ejecutivas antes de aprobarlas - El Nuevo DíaMención Lune 5 de mayo: HOY SE ORDENA DE MARTINS BBQ LA BOLSITA DE SABORDONDE SIRVEN AHORA EL POLLO ASADO. HOY PUEDES ORDENAR EL MEJOR Y MAS SABROSO POLLO ASADO SERVIDO EN LA CLASICA BOLSITA DE LA RECETA ORIGINAL PARA MAS FRESCURA Y SABOR. ¡AHORA LLEGA A CASA EL POLLO CALIENTITO Y JUGOSITO! ¡LLEVATE TU POLLO DE MARTINS EN LA BOLSITA DEL SABOR!MMM...HOY VOY PA MARTINSBBQ...ASADO, JUGOSO, SABROSOIncluye auspicio

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180. Mystics and Money

Moon to Moon

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 70:02

This one came through HOT! It feels incredibly liberating to share my words on this topic with you. In the episode, I focus on the 3 primary qualities of the mystic, and I invite you to claim the name for yourself if it resonates with you. Mystics Making Money is my new project. It's a series of workshops that I will be hosting the next 2-3 years. One workshop on one topic per season. The first MMM workshop is May 14, 15, and 16. LEARN ABOUT MYSTICS MAKING MONEY HERE! Enrollment begins May 7. Be sure to stay tuned via my newsletter for updates about door opening and early bird discounts. +++ E M E R G E N C E A S T R O L O G Y ⁠⁠https://brittenlarue.com/ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@brittenlarue Order Living Astrology Join my newsletter here Check out my new podcast CRYSTAL BALLERS on Spotify, Podbean, and Apple. +++ Podcast art: Angela George. Podcast music: Jonathan Koe.

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PODCAST - Las noticias con calle de 28 de abril de 2025