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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

Deze week staat in het teken van grote veranderingen. Hoe pak je een eerste zoen aan op je 21ste? Is Bram van zijn liefde voor voeten af? Wat te doen als alles wel is gezegd in je relatie? En kun je als student nog steeds naar een ordinair zuipoord? Dat en meer hoor je in de nieuwste aflevering van Koffietijd voor Mannen! Shop de instax printers van 13 juni tot en met 14 juli op https://instax.nl/printers/ en maak gebruik van de korting! #Take10 wordt elke 60-90 minuten aanbevolen voor een fris en helder hoofd. Gebruik je 10 minuten om jezelf op te frissen en te resetten. Via muziek, lezen, socializen ... om het even. Pak een van onze Starbucks® Chilled Classics. Klaar voor de start ... chill! Koffietijd voor Mannen is onderdeel van Dag en Nacht Media. Heb je interesse om te adverteren in deze podcast? Neem dan contact op met Dag en Nacht Media via adverteren@dagennacht.nl! Instagram: koffietijdvoormannen TikTok: koffietijdvoormannen Contact: koffietijdvoormannen@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Quaranteam – Book 1: Part 7 The ramifications of Covington's poker game play out.. Based on a post by CorruptingPower, in 25 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels. Chapter 19 The decision was made that whoever was dealing would sit out for those five hands and simply focus on the dealing. They also drew cards for seating order, lowest card dealing first, highest card starting with the big blind and the second highest being the small blind. Andy drew low card, which didn't bother him at all. It would be a chance to watch the others without having to divide his attention between his cards and his opponents. "So I can't help but notice that you said even the last place person takes home a woman," Andy said as he took his seat in the dealer's chair, "but your count doesn't have someone for sixth place. So which is it?" While he started to deal cards out to the players, Covington sighed, nodding. "I know, Andrew, I know. There is, in fact, a thirteenth girl in the pool, but I don't think anyone would want to take her over the other lovely women we have presented." He grabbed his phone from his pocket, tapping it to load up a picture. "She arrived on my doorstep last week, but when I told her what was expected of being part of my house, she refused. So I locked her up and she's been stewing, but even in her sexual frenzy, she's still refusing me, so I will give her as a prize to the person who comes in last." "Any woman in the pool should be in the pool, if you ask me," Andy said, dealing the last card. The man passed his phone over to Andy, a photograph of her on the screen. "If you insist, Andrew, then I suppose that will be fine. She is an athlete of some kind, and was supposed to be going to the Olympic Games, so she is quite fit, but she is extremely willful and stubborn, so she may be more trouble than she's worth." Once the cards were out, Andrew picked up the man's phone and looked down at the picture, recognizing her immediately. "Yeah, that's Piper Brown," Andy said. "She's a member of the woman's volleyball team. Hell, I think she won a gold medal in the last Olympics." He passed the phone over to Watkins, who looked and then passed the phone down the line, so everyone could get a look at her. A muscular, toned brunette with a stern look in the photograph, it was a marked change of how she often seemed in interviews, where she seemed warm and inviting. She looked like she wanted to beat the shit out of whoever was taking the picture, and the room she was in seemed spartan at best, barely more than a closet. "She definitely goes into the pool if you don't want her." "Agreed," Watkins said. "I'd likely take her over several of the other women on offer." "Even with her being a pain in the ass?" Covington asked. "Not all of us have such draconian house rules as you, Artie." Covington shrugged, then glanced at his hole cards. "Then into the pool she goes, I suppose. Check." The thing about televised poker is that many viewers don't realize is that the show is almost always a collection of highlights over a longer event, and that about sixty percent of poker hands have little to no action, other than the two players who have blinds in the pool debating which of them has the less crappy hand. Over the first five hands, only about a few thousand in chips changed hands, and Andy's first read felt like it was going to stand. Covington and Watkins were good card players, Vikovic played loose, Jacobson played tight and Haunton was an "any two'll do" kind of player, who was going to throw money into the pot on pretty much any hand with his tells written large across his face. After the fifth hand, Andy moved from the dealer's seat to his own chair and Covington moved to sit down at the dealer's seat. His first hand out, Andy drew Jack Ten suited in hearts, so he decided to stick around in the hand, since he was already the big blind. "Raise, one thousand." It was a bet designed to scare off anyone who didn't have a decent hand, but to Andy's amusement, all four other players decided they wanted to see a flop, so everyone called him. He was a little surprised to see Jacobson staying in, but he suspected the table might just be collectively testing the new guy. With the pot right, Covington deal out the three cards of the flop, nine of spades, seven of hearts and the queen of hearts. That gave Andy both an open ended straight draw and a flush draw, although he didn't have either the king or ace of hearts, so that made him a little nervous, but he decided he wanted to take the measure of his opponents, so he pushed another two thousand into the pot. Haunton and Jacobson both stayed in, but Watkins and Vikovic both folded, leaving three people in the game. The next card, the turn, did absolutely nothing to the board, a 2 of clubs. Technically, Andy was holding nothing, but he felt like his odds were decent to make something out of it at the river, and he wanted to come out guns blazing. So he decided to trap, and checked. Jacobson also checked, but Haunton thought he smelled weakness, so he added another thousand to the pot, a string bet designed to just pull a little more money out of what he thought was opponents in a weak position. Andy suspected the man was holding top pair, or maybe three queens if he was lucky, but he thought that Haunton would've thrown a lot more into the pot if he'd flopped trips, so Andy called, and Jacobson decided to fold, leaving just the two of them in the pot. The final card, the river, flopped and Andy felt the smile he was stifling behind his eyes. The King of Diamonds. He'd made his straight, and there wasn't a flush on the board. The worst he could do was split the pot. And Andy knew exactly what Haunton was going to do, so Andy simply checked. Haunton figured he had Andy on the ropes, so he pushed five thousand into the pot, and Andy smirked a little bit, and raised another five thousand in return. Haunton flinched visibly, but at this point, decided he was pot committed and clearly wanted to know whether or not Andy was bluffing, so after a minute or so of deliberation, he called. "Straight, king high," Andy said, flipping over the cards. Haunton flipped over the cards, even though he didn't have to, revealing that he'd stayed in with two pair, queens and kings. "Damn, you got me, new fish." The stack of chips was pushed over in Andy's direction, and Andy nodded. He'd just taken nearly twenty percent of Haunton's stack on the first hand. It might have been too strong an opening, but sometimes you just had to play the cards as they laid. For the next hour or so, players took turns mostly slowly redistributing the chips, although towards the end of the hour, Haunton made a very bad odds call, and went all in on two pair against Covington, who had limped into the pot and flopped trip deuces. Because Haunton had figured his two pair was rock solid, he groaned when Covington turned up his cards and took Haunton out of the game. Without so much as missed a beat, Haunton immediately said "Rebuy." A note was made and another stack of chips was brought forth and put in front of him. "Last place tonight's like not even playing at all, so might as well give it another go. Besides, I want to at least finish third one of these nights." He was next in line for small blind, so counted out the amount needed. "I wouldn't bank on that, the way you're playing," Andy said to him. "You need to learn how to evaluate your hand better, and stop making such loose wagers." "Shh," Covington said to him. "Nobody likes being told how to play better, Andrew." "Speak for yourself, Artie," Watkins said. "The minute you stop moving forward, you might as well be dead. Any tips for me, Andy?" he asked with a glimmer in his eye. "Yeah," Andy said, counting out his big blind. "Quit playing with your food so much. It's unbecoming. You had the mayor dead to rights two hands ago and everyone at the table knew it, and you still spent at least a minute's worth of all our time making a show out of it before you called him" Watkins, who was taking a turn at dealer, chuckled. "I see your point, although I do need to take my fun here and there when I can." "Fun has no place is business or poker," Vikovic said, glancing at his hole cards before matching the big blind. "I'm in." Covington and Jacobson stayed in, and Haunton, sensing an opportunity, raised on small blind, the value of the pot, a move Andy didn't think the mayor was capable of. All the players were sitting on decent hands, but at least half of them were hoping to go fishing, wanting to see a flop for a chance to pick up a decent sized pot. Now that the pot had grown, however, it was time to see who was going to stick around when the price went up. Andy glanced at his hole cards for the first time. When he was the big blind, he never bothered looking at his cards until the action came to him, mostly so that there was no possible way to give anything away to his opponents. He peeked at the two cards and found pocket cowboys waiting for him, two kings. So Andy matched the bet and said "Call." Vikovic matched the bet, to no one's surprise, as did Covington, but Jacobson folded, clearly having a questionable hand that only got more questionable with this much money in the pot. Andy put him on a low set of suited connectors, maybe a 7 8 or so. Watkins, as the dealer, was out of the hand. One of the other reasons Andy had suggested that they each take turns as dealer was that it would cut into bad streaks, giving players who were on tilt a moment to deescalate their frustrations and get their head back in the game. The flop hit, and Andy was a little annoyed by it. Three of hearts, eight of diamonds, jack of spades. The fact that it was a rainbow flop meant that anyone hoping to get a flush was seeing their odds rapidly dwindling, needing the next two cards to be of the same suit (and to be holding two of that suit) to hit. It also wasn't great for a straight, although Andy could see Haunton or Vikovic staying in with a nine ten suited, which would leave them sitting on an open ended straight draw. There was also the chance that one of the other men was sitting on fishhooks (a pair of jacks) and had just flopped a set, but neither Vikovic or Haunton seemed visibly excited enough to have done that. Covington was still a pain in the ass to read. Haunton decided to play it cool. "Check." Andy saw no reason to turn up the heat, so he followed. "Check." "Raise 2k," Vikovic said. "Call," said Covington. "Call," said Haunton. "Call," said Andy. It was a value bet, adding to the pot, but certainly not causing him to get scared, as Andy felt like he was still sitting on top hand. All of the chips were pushed into the center, and then Watkins flipped over the turn card. "King of Hearts." Andy did his best to keep his expression as neutral as possible, although on the inside, he was doing cartwheels. He'd just hit a set, and now he felt like he was definitely the best hand on the board. He wasn't first to act, though. "Check," Haunton said. "Check," Andy repeated. He could've bet here, but the best thing to do was to let someone else make the first stab at the pot. He suspected either Vikovic or Covington would try and push a large bet in, fronting as if they were sitting on a pair of kings, or maybe a king and a jack. Best to let them make the first move and then come in to take it from them. "Raise 20k," Vikovic said. There it was. Someone clearly trying to buy the pot, hoping he could bluff strength into players who were displaying weakness. "Fold," Covington said, tossing his cards to the dealer. That brought the action to Haunton, who had literally just rebought his way into the game a few minutes ago. The mayor thought for a long moment before he pushed the entire stack forward. "All in." Andy sighed for a moment, and looked again at the board, making sure he had a solid read on it. If he called Haunton and lost, the mayor would more than double up if just one player called him and lost. Vikovic had made a big push, but Andy was almost certain he couldn't wait to fold, just to get away from this disaster of a hand before it got worse for him. Which meant Andy would be taking in about 80k if he took down the hand. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was that Haunton had being playing cool when he'd flopped trip jacks, and in doing so, had bought Andy enough daylight to see the king to make his own set for next to nothing. It felt like a long wait, but eventually Andy spoke. "Call." "Too rich for me," Vikovic said, mucking his cards even as Andy was speaking. "I fold." "Shouldn't have tried to buy the pot," the mayor said, laughing as he turned over his cards. It wasn't a pair of jacks, but a jack and a king, giving him two pair. "Two pair. Nervous yet, new fish?" Andy smirked. "A little, but not that much," he said, flipping over his pair of kings. Haunton immediately got up from the table, tossing his hands into the air. "C'mon, you gotta be kidding me! Come on, jack! Come on, jack!" "Odds aren't good for you, Mr. Mayor," Covington said. "Enough discussion!" Vikovic said. "Give us a river." Andy was a deadlock. Haunton was wrong. If a jack came up, he would still win the pot, as it would simply give both men a full house, and Andy's would still be better. Haunton was drawing dead, and he simply didn't see that. When the last card was flipped, it was the six of diamonds, not changing the board at all anyway. "Fuck!" the mayor shouted, before getting up from the table. "I should've bet on the flop." "It wouldn't have mattered," Andy said as he pulled the mound of chips his direction. "I was still holding top pair at that point. I would've called you." "Take a few minutes and go get a drink, James," Covington said to the mayor. "As for the rest of you, we have ourselves a new chip leader. And thankfully, his streak will be interrupted now by a turn at the dealer's seat." Andy grinned. "Sure, give me just a minute to get my chips sorted and stacked." All said and done, Andy was clearly well ahead, sitting on a little over 225k of the 650k chips in play. Covington was in second, with 145k, Watkins in third at 120k, Jacobson at 90k and Vikovic at the bottom with 70k. Over the next five hands, Covington did very well for himself, knocking out Vikovic, who rebought in, bringing the chip pool up to 700k, moving himself within spitting distance of Andy's pool. And just after Vikovic bought back in, it was time to change dealers again, and Andy moved out of the dealer's seat, and Covington moved to take it. "I thought you said not to buy back, Vikovic," Andy said, moving back to his stack of chips. "It's what you call a value bet, yes?" Vikovic said. "In fifth place, I would simply have one woman. I can get one woman. And last pick is of no desire to anyone. So if I go home empty handed tonight? Is okay. I take my stab at glory." Two hands later, Andy made a big bluff and got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, costing him 40k, but he immediately turned it around, and the following hand busted Jacobson out. Jacobson declined to rebuy, happy to go home with someone rather than empty handed. On Covington's last hand as dealer, Vikovic decided to make a last stand, and Watkins called him on it, knocking Vikovic out in fourth. "With only three of us left in the game, might I make a suggestion?" Covington said. "At this point, I think we should simply rotate between the three eliminated players as dealers, while the three of us remain in the game at all times. Is that acceptable to everyone?" "Sure," Watkin said, "the more action the better." The mayor sighed, bringing his glass of scotch over to the dealer's chair, sitting down. "Yeah, okay. No offense, Rook, but I hope Artie busts you hard." Andy shrugged. "Can't make friends with everyone." He was thirsty, but he would be damned if he was going to make the girl behind the bar do an ounce of work on his behalf. "So c'mon, let's get some cards out." Around ten thirty, Andy was starting to get nervous. He'd dropped down to third place after a couple of unlucky river cards in a row. Then Watkins went all in on Andy. Andy clearly couldn't cover the spread, but Andy called, and Covington decided to get out of the way instead of making a side pot. Thankfully, when the cards were turned over, Andy held the better hand, and the river finally flowed his direction. That doubled him up and put him back in the game. Watkins confidence was shaken, and over the next hour, he never really recovered, playing a bit too reckless and loose. Once Andy and Covington smelled weakness, the two honed in, taking turns chipping away at him until finally Watkins went all in, and just before midnight, Andy took him down. "You want to rebuy?" Covington asked him. Watkins laughed, shaking his head. "Taking three from the pool is more than enough for me. You two titans have fun duking it out." "You ready for this, Andrew?" "Don't you worry, Arthur," Andy said. "Let's see who hits felt first." With only two players, they were always going to be trading turns between little blind and big blind. As soon as Covington looked at his hole cards, he immediately called "All in." Andy smirked a little, not having even looked at his own cards yet. He'd suspected Covington would've tried something like this, just constantly firing at the blinds, trying to chip them away, using his big stack to bully Andy's weaker stack. He glanced at his cards, then nodded. "Okay. Call." Covington blanched. He turned over his cards, revealing Jack eight, not even suited. He'd expected Andy to just back off and let him chip away a set of blinds, and was not happy that Andy hadn't done so, growing even more frustrated when Andy flipped over a pair of nines. "How do you start with a pocket pair?" "Maybe it's a hint you shouldn't go so aggressive right out the gate," Andy replied as Watkins dealt out the flop. As soon as the cards were upturned, Andy could practically feel the anger boiling out of Covington. Andy had flopped the nuts, a six and the other two nines. At that point, it was a formality of just dealing out the last two cards, as Andy was guaranteed the winning hand with four of a kind. Right out of the gate, Andy had doubled up. As the next hand was being dealt out, Covington hadn't even seen his cards and immediately said "All in." He was fully on tilt, and wanted to try and reclaim his confidence. He didn't even look at his two hole cards, simply staring Andy down, practically daring him to get into the hand. Andy knew the stakes were a great deal higher on this hand, and so he took the time to look at his hole cards, a slight laugh escaping his lips. He couldn't try and read his opponent so he had to decide if his hand was good enough for the risk. And the two cards he had were affectionately known as Big Slick, Ace King suited, this time in spades. It wasn't a pair, but playing against two random cards, his odds were good. "Sure, let's dance. Call." "You don't respect me, do you, Andrew?" Andy grinned, giving a little shrug. "You didn't even look at your cards, Arthur. How am I supposed to respect that? If you aren't going to respect your opponent, why should he respect you in turn? And you're just firing into the pot, hoping that you can buy a few blinds to chip away at my stack. But you have no idea what's under there. And I've got Big Slick." He flipped over his cards. "How about you?" Covington was turning almost scarlet red with anger, and turned over his cards, revealing just a six of spades and a three of hearts. "This is ridiculous." "Artie," Vikovic said, "you didn't even look at your cards. What are you thinking?" "I'm thinking this shitstain has been a pain in my ass all night long and I wanted to bury him." "And that's the problem, Arthur," Watkins said, putting out three cards for the flop. "You aren't thinking about the cards and you're thinking about your opponent." The first card on the flop was the six of hearts, giving Covington a pair and a moment's hope, but the second card immediately dashed that, revealing the Ace of Hearts. The third card, a ten of clubs, didn't affect the board at all. With the turn came the three of spades, putting Covington back in the lead for a moment, with two pair, until the last card came out, the King of Hearts, pairing Andy up to two pair as well. Covington practically snarled as he counted out the chips, pushing them over, his stack now a quarter the size of Andy's. "You've got more luck than a goddamn leprechaun, Rook." Watkins stood up, and Jacobson sat down to take a turn at dealer, washing the cards through he Shufflemaster again. Typically the break as the dealer changed was enough to let a player cool off, but Covington was still off balance as they started up again. When the next set of two cards were dealt, Andy was back on the small blinds, and so was the first to act. He'd glanced at his cards and said, "Call." Covington was gunshy now, and simply said "Check," as he was desperate to see a flop and get more information. The flop came down Ace of Hearts, seven of spades, three of clubs. Immediately, Covington said "All in." Andy stopped and did the math in his head. "Yeah, okay. Call." "Two pair," Covington said, flipping over the Ace of Spades and the three of hearts with an angry gusto. "Take that, you lowbrow piece of shit! Time for me to get my money back." Andy shook his head with a wry smile. "Not so fast, Arthur." Andy turned over his hole cards, the seven of hearts and the seven of clubs. "I like my odds here." "Another goddamn pocket pair! This is ridiculous!" "I probably would've folded if you'd bet at the blinds, but you let me see a flop for cheap, so midlevel pocket pair seemed okay." Jacobson turned over the turn card, and Covington immediately let out an undignified cheer, as the three of diamonds. "Yes! Full house! Suck it! Give me my money!" "He still has a few outs, Artie," the mayor warned. Andy was actually leading, but Jacobson just couldn't see it. He was sitting on a full house, sevens over threes, and Jacobson was sitting on threes over aces, which was the lower hand. Players tended to get wound up, so they often refused to think about everything, but Watkins had that knowing smile, so Andy knew he had spotted Jacobson's error as well. Jacobson needed either another three or another ace to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. "No! I refuse to believe I'm going to get blown out by some random river card!" "So show us river already," Vikovic said. And Jacobson placed down the last card with a thump that resounded throughout the room like a clap of thunder. The seven of diamonds. That meant that Covington had a full house, threes over aces, but Andy's four of a kind had blown it out of the water. "The absolute luck on you," Covington growled. Andy had gone from 110k to 220k to 440k, making him the chip leader now. He could, if he wanted, use Covington's own tactics against him. But Andy liked to play smart. On the other hand, Covington was so tilted now, he could probably be goaded into a sloppy play. And if Andy could get Covington to go all in again, he'd be down to the felt and this stupid game would be over. Maybe, just maybe, it was worth the risk. It seemed like the time to goad the millionaire a little more, just to see if Andy could completely tilt him. "Maybe we should see how strong my luck's running right now then, huh?" Andy said as new hole cards slid in front of him. "Tell you want, Artie." He figured this singular use of the man's nickname would give him even more of a severe nudge. Andy had been calling him Arthur all night long, but now, the nickname Artie sounded condescending as fuck. "I'll look at one, just one, of my two hole cards here, and if it's higher than a eight, I'll go all in without even looking at the other card. How about that?" "You do whatever you want, boy, and I'll show you how a real man plays cards." Covington was blind with rage, and there was a carelessness flaring up behind his eyes, as Andy lifted up one of the hole cards to peek under at it. "Okay," Andy said. "All in." "You're bluffing!" Covington said, slamming his fist on the table hard enough to knock the stacks of chips loose. "Call!" "Now Artie," Andy said, smug grin on his face, "are you sure that  " "I Said Call Goddamn It!" Andy flipped over the one card he'd looked at, the Ace of Hearts, but left the other card face down, as Covington flipped over his cards. The man had looked at them this time, and was sitting on a pair of sixes. "Aren't you going to turn over your other card?" Andy shrugged, that sly smile on his face. "In a minute. Let's see the flop." The flop came down six seven ace, giving Covington a set, while Andy was sitting on a pair of aces. The turn was next, a deuce, no help to anyone, and the river, well, the river was the two of hearts. Looking at the board, Andy's odds weren't great, but he wasn't out either. The seven and the six on the board were both hearts, which meant Andy needed his other hole card to be another heart. "It's Schrödinger's hole card now," Andy said, tapping his fingers lighly along the felt. "Maybe I've got a winning card, and you're out, or maybe you've got me dead to rights and have doubled up back into the lead. What you've gotta ask yourself is, do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?" The grin on his face was broad, as he gave the man his best Clint Eastwood impression. Vikovic was the one who finally made the move. He leaned across the table and grabbed the last card, the one Andy had never even touched, and flipped it over. There in all her glory... ...was the Queen of Hearts. Andy had made his flush. "Son of bitch," Vikovic said, letting out a low appreciative whistle. "You want to rebuy, Artie?" "Fuck that! This guy is on a streak. I'm out. Game's over!" "Are you sure, Artie?" Andy said. "The! Game! Is! Over!" Covington fumed. The older man stood up, inhaling a long breath before letting it out slowly, trying to regain his composure. "Alright, let's sort out the winnings. Andrew, you have seven picks from the pool and get to pick first, as is your right as the winner." "Alright, let's see," Andy said, as all the men moved back into the parlor with the videowall they'd been in before. He'd hoped just to win with no rebuys from anyone, as it would've made his decisions simple, but seven, seven was a lot of women for any one man to handle. The thirteen faces sprung to life on the big wall, as Andy looked over them carefully. "Alright, I suppose I'd better just pick then. Charlotte Varma, Asha Varma, Piper Brown, Emily Stevens,” "Damn," Jacobson grumbled. "Oh hush. If he hadn't taken her, I certainly would've," Covington said to him. "Sarah Washington, Sheridan Smith and,” Andy looked over the wall of faces, trying to decide who else he would pull from this den of vipers, and yet, he just couldn't bring himself to care about rescuing his ex Erin. It was a sea of beautiful faces, but none of them evoked any stronger reaction than another, so he was forced to read the small text beneath each of them, sorting out people he wouldn't want to spend long periods of time with. He was a little tempted to give his seventh pick to Covington, but couldn't bear to let anyone decent be bound to the loathsome toad. There were a couple of Republicans he nixed immediately. Andy was a lifelong Democrat, and anyone who'd still identify as a Republican after the last three years of madness wasn't anyone he wanted to let into his home and family. A few others struck him as from far too wealthy of families, the sorts of people who would do much better with Covington and his ilk. But there was one, Deborah Barnes, a blonde veterinarian from Los Gatos, originally from Kansas, and she seemed warm and caring in the notes about her. ", and Deborah Barnes, I guess." "Erin Donegal was originally one of yours," Covington said. "Don't you want to take her back?" Andy shook his head. "I would've sent her back to the base if it weren't for this little game of yours. If you want her, you can have her. She doesn't like my writing, and anyone who doesn't like my writing isn't welcome in my house." "If you don't want her, I won't take her either," Covington sniffed. "I'll take Janice Flowers, Eloise Childs and Teresa Kenzington." "I'll take her then," Watkins said. "Donegal and Nina Choi." That left Jacobson with Ariel Smith, since Vikovic and Haunton had both rebought in, and left with nothing. Andy sighed. "So how do we relocate them?" "A car will arrive tomorrow to pick everyone up and drive them to their new locations, although you're welcome to take the Varmas and Miss Brown with you tonight, since they're here, and you are as well. Tomorrow afternoon, everyone will have what's coming to them. You may need to tend to Miss Brown's needs before you leave, however, Andrew," Covington said. "She's in quite the state. I'll have the other two meet you upstairs by your car when you're done with Miss Brown." "Can you send my partner, Niko, down to meet me? I'm strong, but carrying an unconscious Olympic athlete up some stairs by myself is probably more than I'm capable of." "Of course. Let me go get her. Veronica, would you take Mr. Rook over to Miss Brown's room please?" The servant brought Andy out of the parlor and took him to wait outside of a room where the door was clearly locked. She unlocked the door, but didn't open it. "You may wish to wait for your partner, Master Rook. The woman in there, she's not well," she said to him, a look of concern on her face. "Ah, here's your woman now." Andy turned around and Covington was escorting Niko down to meet him. "Here you go, Miss Red Wolf. You two should be strong enough to carry Miss Brown out when you're done with her. You know the way back?" "I do," Niko said to him. "Thanks." Both Covington and Veronica walked up the stairs, leaving Andy and Niko alone together outside of the door, neither quite bringing themselves to open it yet. "So you won?" she finally said to him. "First place. Seven women. It's going to be a trial." "Maybe you could donate one of them to Eric or Phil if it scares you that much," she said with a laugh. "So are Charlotte and her daughter behind this door?" "No no, they'll be upstairs waiting for us at the car after we're done here. There were actually thirteen girls in the pool, not twelve. This is the thirteenth. Her name's Piper Brown." "Wait, that cute volleyball player with the little pregame warm up dance who went viral a few years back? That Piper Brown?" "The very same." "Well let's go get her. Why's she down here?" Niko started to reach for the door, but Andy put his hand on it. "She's been here for over a week, so she's pretty heavily in the throes of need right now," Andy said, not letting her open the door yet. "Covington said she'd be in quite the state, so I'd need to imprint her here, and you'll have to help me carry her upstairs afterwards." Niko's face fell. "Jesus, what a fucking asshole," she sighed. "A whole week of waiting for imprinting after she's been vaccinated? She must be out of her fucking mind with need by now. Okay, we'll let's get to it, stud." Andy shot her a disappointed look before he lifted his hand and opened the door. The room was poorly lit, a handful of lights on their lowest setting, as Andy and Niko stepped into the room, closing the door behind them. On the far side of the room, sitting in chair, looking almost catatonic, was Piper. She was naked, sitting in an armchair, her brunette hair draped over her tits, a vacant look on her face. She was muscular, in far better shape than Andy or Niko. It almost looked like she was drooling on herself from across the room. "God, is she dead?" Niko whispered to him as they started to walk over to her. "Ms. Brown?" Andy said. "Piper? I'm Andy Rook. I'm here to take you away from here." Suddenly, Piper's head whipped and her blue eyes focused on Andy with a terrifying intensity. Before Andy could even react, she lunged out of the chair and raced over towards him. Niko tried to step forward to slow her down, but Piper shoved her out of the way sharply. As soon as she was at Andy, she pushed him back to the wall with an irresistible strength, forcing his back against the surface before she dropped down to her knees. "It's okay, Piper," Andy said to her, but the woman seemed completely oblivious to his words. She practically ripped his pants open and immediately brought her mouth around his cock. Andy wasn't hard, but Piper's tongue was demanding, even as Niko moved back to her feet and walked over to him "God, was I that bad?" Niko said, her hand reaching down to stroke Piper's hair reassuringly. "You were at least verbal," Andy said, as he felt Piper's mouth humming on his cock, making it swell. "I feel a little bad, taking advantage of her like this." Niko shook her head, leaning in to kiss Andy. "This girl's got a need and you need to fill it, Andy. Just let her have it, and we can go. Besides,” Niko giggled, nuzzling against his neck. "It's kinda hot, the way she's just feasting on you, cavewoman style." "Yeah, well, it's hard to keep an erection with the stink of this room. I think they kept her trapped in here all week." "But she's good at sucking cock, isn't she?" "She's certainly voracious." "Don't hold back, then," Niko said, taking one of his hands in hers, trying to reassure him. "No need to be all gallant for this time. You can save that for the first time she'll actually remember." It didn't take long, and sure enough, a minute or two later, Andy was firing a blast of cum down her throat, which was when the strangest thing happened. Piper didn't suddenly slump over. No, instead, after she swallowed his hot sperm, she tugged him away from the wall and pushed him down to the floor, not so much as a droplet of spunk escaping her lips. "What the hell?" Andy exclaimed in shock. "Why isn't she imprinting?" "Fuck, I hope she's not stuck like this because he waited too long!" Niko said, trying not to panic. "Maybe you didn't have a big enough load?" "When the fuck has that ever mattered before?" Piper's wild eyes still darted left and right, but as soon as she had pushed Andy onto the floor on his back, she crawled over him, her hand tugging on his cock once more, as she straddled him. "I think she definitely wants more, Andy," Niko laughed. "Hit her again." "I dunno if I can give an encore this soon, Niko!" Andy whispered. Piper cut him off, shoving her lips against his in what had to be the most primal kiss he'd ever encountered, almost like she was claiming him instead of the reverse, her tongue forcing its way into his mouth, her athletic body keeping him in place. Niko moved behind Piper and snaked one hand around the Olympian's waist, moving to rub her fingertips against the brunette's cunt, a small triangle of pubes above it, as Niko started stroking the girl's clit. "I don't think she's going to give you a choice, Andy." Niko smirked, her other hand reaching to tweak one of Piper's stiff nipples, finding the bud as hard as a rock, eliciting a groan from the athlete, who was dragging the head of Andy's cock across her snatch. Within a moment, he was stiff enough for her to slam her weight down onto him, forcing his cock deep into her cunt, finding it drenched and achingly warm. Andy didn't so much do anything as provide a dildo for the woman to ride upon, her hips bouncing in his lap, her lips attached to his, refusing to let go, even while she fucked him. After a few minutes, Andy felt a familiar tingling in his balls, and as Piper squirmed and wriggled down on him, he fired a load of cum against the back of her twat. This time, it seemed, it was enough to take, and the toned woman spasmed in one sharp and violent quake before slumping deathly atop of him, murmuring "imprinting" over and over again, so quietly Andy could barely even hear it. He more felt her lips moving than heard her, as her face was buried in the nape of his neck, his body pinned underneath her. "A little help, please?" Andy said, and Niko only laughed that much harder. Chapter 20 After Niko helped Andy get Piper off of him, they scrounged around the room before they simply gave up and put Andy's jacket on her. There wasn't any clothing in the room, not even a bedsheet. Just a bucket in the corner, filled with excrement. She wasn't difficult for them to carry, although neither of them had much experience carrying an unconscious person before. Once they got her up to the car, Andy regretted that they had brought the roadster. The vehicle did have four seats, but the back seat was very cramped, and they were going to have to lay Piper over people's laps, because he refused to put her in the trunk, even if she was unconscious. Waiting at the car was Dr. Charlotte Varma and her daughter Asha. "Thank you for saving us from this, Niko," Charlotte said to her, the woman's accent definitely French. She was dressed in a long flowing summer dress, with a jacket thrown on over it, billowy fabric over her womanly figure, her long blonde hair swept back behind her ears, hanging down to the middle of her back. She looked less like a doctor and more like a hippie, but she had a warm smile that put him at ease. "And you, Mr. Rook." "Please," he said, "call me Andy." He unlocked the car, then popped the trunk to load Charlotte's suitcase into it, followed by Asha's and Piper's, which one of Covington's servants had clearly brought up while Andy was tending to the athlete's needs. "Let's get out of here, and we can talk on the way over to the house." As Asha got in the backseat, she bumped fists with Niko. "Thanks, Neeks," Asha said, her accent definitely British, despite her exotic looking features. Her long wavy black hair was drawn back into a ponytail that barely hung past the nape of her neck, the tie high on her head, her skin several shades darker than her mother's. She wore black knee high leather boots, black pantyhose, a black leather skirt that was playfully short and a purple silk shirt that was still tight enough on her that he could the outline of her lacy bra through the material. It was also cut high enough to show some midriff, including a little silver musical note belly piercing. "Good looking out." They laid Piper atop of their lap before Niko got into the front passenger's seat and Andy got into the driver's seat. Before, the driveway had been a showroom of deluxe and expensive cars, but now everyone else had already gone home. The house's external lights were still on, but it was clear that Covington had already gone to bed, so it was with no fanfare that Andy slowly drove the electric car off the property, heading back towards his place. It was approaching one AM and as Andy felt the cool breeze blowing across his shaved head, he definitely regretted bringing the Roadster. "So this is your old man, Neeks?" Asha asked. "And he's gonna be my old man too? A'ight, I can get wit' tha'." Asha's accent was mostly British, but Andy could hear hints of her mother's French accent, as well as what he imagined was probably hints of her late father's Indian accent. Niko had told him that the Varmas had only moved to the US a year ago from London, and that Charlotte's late husband had died in one of the first fatalities to the virus. "You'll like Andy, Asha," Niko said to her. "He's the best man I've ever met." "He's also sitting right here," Andy said with a soft laugh. "I wanted to talk to you about this, Niko," Charlotte said. "I am very thankful that you did rescue us, but I think it is rather unbecoming for a woman to share her lover with her daughter, don't you?" Andy let out a soft sigh of relief, speaking before Niko did. "Absolutely. If you would rather, Dr. Varma, I could talk to one of my friends and see if they might be a better home for your daughter, so you might avoid that situation." "Oh. Ah. Oh. Yes, I think you've misunderstood me, Mr. Rook," Charlotte said, a hint of embarrassment on her face. "I think my daughter should definitely stay in your company, but I'm not attracted to white men. Not to be ungrateful, but I was hoping maybe I could be paired up with your friend Mr. Pak. He's always seemed like a very nice man. Very strong and muscular." She giggled a little, a sound almost uncharacteristic of a woman in her early forties. "And gossip is that he is quite well endowed." "I can't speak to that part, but I'm sure Phil wouldn't mind," Niko said. "Andy or I can give him a call in the morning and arrange it." "I might have to owe Phil a favor or something," Andy said, "but that's okay. He can just put it on my tab. I probably owe him only a couple hundred at this point." "Wait," Asha said, just picking up on Andy's misunderstanding, "what's wrong wit' me that you don't want me?" It was Andy's turn to blush. "That isn't what I meant to say." Niko smirked, reaching back to pat Asha on one of her thighs. "He's afraid either he's too old for you, or you're too young for him. I love Andy to death, but he's a little insecure from time to time." Asha reached one of her hands forward, curving her arm around the seat to smooth her fingertips along Andy's chest through his shirt. "I'm old enough to know better, but too young to give a fuck, luv," she purred. "In fact, if my mum wasn't in this car, I'd give you a bit of the ol' road head so I didn't have to wait until I got home." "Don't let my presence stop you, Asha," Charlotte said, a warm smile on her lips. "I feel that need in my belly quite fiercely so I imagine it is rather remarkable in yours, seeing as it affects younger women more quickly. If you want to go after Andrew right now, I don't see why not. This community is extremely open about its sexuality." Asha's eyes widened a little, her deep tan skin darkening with red, as if she wasn't sure which she was more embarrassed by, being called out by her mother or backing down in front of her mother. After a moment, though, it was clear the hunger inside of her won out, as she moved Piper's unconscious form to sit up, then laid her back down on the seat behind her, as she started to worm her way between the seats, as Andy slowed the card down, bringing it to a stop at a local streetlight that had turned red. "You have to kiss him first, Asha," Niko said to her. "Otherwise he's not gonna let ya." "I haven't said I'm going to let her anyway," Andy said, defensively. Niko reached over and patted his thigh, a playful smirk on her lips. "Oh, you are, Andy. I know you too well. And I know Asha. She's a voracious little slut when she wants to be. And she's gotten jealous from all the stories I've been telling her when she's been around to visit her mom." Before he could reply, Asha turned his head and pressed her lips against his hungrily. She tasted of cinnamon and spice, as her tongue insisted on visiting the inside of his mouth before they parted the kiss. "I'm not sure you want to do this now, Asha," Andy said. "I just fucked poor Piper back there a little bit ago, and she hasn't bathed in a week. My cock probably smells of dirty cunt." Asha smirked at him, sliding her hand down to unbutton his jeans. "Then your newest teenage fucktoy had better clean i' off for you, sir," she purred, kissing at his neck. "Eyes on the road, and don't go too fast now." Andy thought she was kidding, but as the light turned green, she stopped and nodded for him to go, even as she was drawing the zipper down. As soon as he started the Tesla in motion again, Asha's lean fingers reached into his pants, pulling out his cock, stroking it slowly. "See, if I do this now, then you can't reconsider," she said, her fingers moving along his shaft. "You can't get in your own head about it, you can't be worried if I may be too young, too wild, too out of control, too feral. So I will get i' out of your head by giving you the best damn head of your life. It'll be fine." She slipped her head down and wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock, letting her tongue slather over it slowly, as a sultry, wanton moan poured from her throat over his cock. "No turning back now, hon," Niko purred at him. "She's gotten a taste of you. She's gonna latch down like a leech until you give her what she's owed." Her hand brushed along Asha's ponytail, pushing her head down a bit more. "She's a Rookie, through and through." "Oh god," Andy groaned, shaking his head. "You've got a nickname for yourselves. Next thing you'll be unionizing." "We already have, dear," Niko giggled. "We're Local Amalgamated Cocksuckers, Chapter 69." Andy rolled his eyes, turning the card at a stop sign, heading into the section of New Eden that housed his mansion. It was growing increasingly hard to focus, as Asha bobbed her head in his lap, pushing and pulling her face along his cock, her tongue lashing over every inch of it as she hummed, her fingernails sinking into his inner thighs. "Who is it she reminds me, Charlotte?" Niko asked, looking back over her shoulder. "A lot of people say she looks like a younger version of one of the people who was on Great British Bake Off." Niko nodded. "That's who it was. How's it going, Andy? Need me to take the wheel?" "You, ah, you might have to," he said. "I don't know how long I can keep my head clear." Asha popped her head off his cock and turned her brown eyes up to look at him. "Then don't, daddy," she moaned at him. "Let me have wha' I want. Let me have that cum in my belly. Claim me. I wanna feel the best orgasm of my life." She looked back down and pushed her mouth onto his cock once more, forcing it as deep as she could into her throat, humming on it, and finally he just couldn't resist, and fired a load of cum into her mouth. Her whole body thrashed, but as she pulled her head up and off his cock, she swallowed that load, laying her head down against his thighs, his softening cock laying across her nose, as the girl began to murmur "imprinting" quietly for a few moments before falling still. Niko helped him ease the car to a stop long enough for him slide Asha back into the back seat once more, two slumped girls braced against one another as Charlotte tried to keep them from falling over too much. Then Andy tucked his cock away, tugged up his jeans and started the vehicle moving forward once more. "I appreciate you being understanding about this, Andy," Charlotte said to him. "I didn't know how to tell Niko that you weren't my type without risking the chances that you wouldn't try and extract us from Mr. Covington's household." "Not gonna lie," Niko said. "I don't enjoy being lied to, Charlotte. But I still would've tried to get you out even if you'd told me in advance." "And I am sorry about that, Niko, but I simply couldn't risk it. You've met Covington. You can only imagine what kinds of depravity he would've subjected myself and my daughter to." Charlotte shivered, the thoughts searing her brain for a moment. "It's extremely unpleasant even to think about it." The car reached the gate, and Niko pushed the button to open make it open. Unlike many of the other homes in New Eden, Andy couldn't stand the thought of having security on the premises. Even the idea of an automatic gate wasn't pleasant, but it had come with the home, and he'd wanted to avoid kicking up a fuss until he was better settled. As he brought the car up the driveway, he saw Aisling was sitting on the front porch in her pajamas, a blanket pulled around her, keeping her warm from the cool November air. Andy brought the car to stop by the front door, as Niko hopped out and moved over to Ash, giving her a hug. "Did the good guys win?" Aisling asked. Niko nodded, holding Ash in the hug for a long moment before pulling away. "Andy got them out safely. Charlotte's not going to stay with us, though." "Oh no!" Aisling said. "Why not?" "She's not into me," Andy said as he hopped out of the car, leaving the door open so Charlotte could slide out, leaving the two unconscious girls in the back seat for the moment. "Had to happen sooner or later," he chuckled, "and frankly, I'm surprised it took this long." "Her loss then," Aisling giggled, moving over to the car, peering in the back seat at the slumped forms of Piper and Asha. "Looks like you got two hot young things to add anyway." She cocked her head to one side, looking at Piper for a second. "Why do I know her?" "Imagine her doing a little wiggle dance before she goes to play volleyball." Ash narrowed her eyes for a second, then those blues widened suddenly as she gasped, bringing her fingertips to her lips. "Shut up! What is even happening!" Andy popped the trunk and pulled out Charlotte's suitcase, then Asha's, carrying them into the house before coming back out. "I'm gonna need a hand hauling them into the house, though." Ash nodded. "Where are we going to put them? In the master bedroom?" Andy shook his head. "We've got plenty of extra bedrooms upstairs, and Piper was nearly catatonic before I imprinted her, so the last thing I want is her waking up surrounded by tons of unfamiliar people. We'll let her have a bedroom to herself, although I think you should probably give her a shower quick before you put her into a bed." Niko nodded, helping Aisling pick Piper up. "Good idea. She really is pretty ripe right now. C'mon Ash, let's go hose her down." The two women lugged Piper into the house, leaving Andy with Charlotte and Asha. "If you can give me a hand, you and your daughter can crash for the night in one of the spare bedrooms and in the morning, I'll give Phil a call, and we'll get him over for you to join his family." Charlotte leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Andy. You and Niko will be good for Asha. Don't judge her too harshly. She's still young and that means she can tend to be reckless. She'll love you with all her heart, but she's going to have moments of sadness about her father, so please be understanding about her mood swings." "I'll do my best," he told her, as the two moved to scoop up Asha. She was light enough and small that Andy was able to carry her on his own. "That's all anyone can ask." After getting Charlotte and Asha squared away in one bedroom, Andy headed in to check on Aisling and Niko, who were sliding Piper into a bed in one of the bedrooms no one was using. When they'd moved into the mansion, Andy had told all the girls that if they wanted to claim one of the bedrooms as their own, they should do so. Ash had insisted she never wanted to sleep anywhere Andy wasn't, and Niko and Lauren had agreed, although Niko had converted one of the bedrooms into an office space that all three of the girls shared. But that still left several bedrooms that were decorated, and Andy checked four of them before he found them, as they pulled the sheets up over Piper's unconscious body. "Everything go okay?" he asked them, as they headed towards the door. "Sure, no problem, but she definitely needed to be hosed

Také tento týden otevřeme novým vidcastem, v němž na vás čekají dvě témata. Těsně před herními akcemi jsme přemítali o jejich proměnách a smyslu. Pak zavzpomínáme na japonské eskapády Petera Molyneux. Naším hostem byl Pavel Šandl, se kterým jsme si povídali o Skywindu, tedy konverzi Morrowindu do Skyrimu, a jeho lokalizaci. A nechybí samozřejmě ani závěrečný mišmaš. Seznam témat 00:00 - Start 05:11 - V očekávání herních akcí a je to ještě svátek? 34:40 - Peter Molyneux a jeho japonské eskapády 53:54 - Rozhovor s Pavlem Šandlem o Skywindu a jeho překládání 1:17:01 - Závěrečný mišmaš

Deze talkshow wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door MSI. Alle meningen in deze video zijn onze eigen. MSI heeft inhoudelijk geen inspraak op de content en zien de video net als jullie hier voor het eerst op de site.Het weekend staat voor de deur. Wel ietsje minder warm dan de afgelopen dagen. Want wat is het heet in de studio tijdens de opnames van de nieuwe editie van Einde van de Week Live. Drie hosts werken zich in het zweet om samen met de community al het game-gerelateerde nieuws van de afgelopen week door te nemen. Achter de desk zitten dit keer JJ, Koos & Skate. Zij gaan het hebben over onder andere de eerste speelsessies met Resident Evil Requiem, 48 jaar Capcom, het succes van de Switch 2 en de verwikkelingen rondom de launch van MindsEye. Dit alles en vele andere topics komen voorbij in de Einde van de Week Live van vrijdag 13 mei 2025.Resident Evil Requiem doet de boel flink opschrikkenNaast het vele gamenieuws hebben de drie ook nog een portie Cool of Serious Uncool voor jullie in petto. Te samen levert dit een volle show op die vooral positief en leuk nieuws bevat. Met andere woorden, een heerlijk begin van het weekend.Profiteer van fijne kortingen en maak kans op 250 cadeaukaart bij de ‘Upgrade Jouw Zomer' actie van BOL en MSIDe ‘E3'-periode is een speciale tijd. Een waar zomers spektakel voor gamers. En dus dachten MSI en Bol, hoe kunnen we deze mensen extra blij maken? De uitkomst is de ‘Upgrade Jouw Zomer actie'. Wat houdt de actie in? Heel simpel. Bij de aankoop van een MSI laptop met een RTX 4070 videokaart of hoger aan boord (en ja, de 50-serie hoort daar ook bij), pak jij fijne kortingen EN je maakt kans op een zomerse Bol.com cadeaukaart ter waarde van 250 euro. Kun je mooi een nieuwe zwembroek, een koelbox of parasol kopen. De actie is hier te vinden. Have fun: https://msi.gm/S67F9AF0.Krijg maar liefst 40% exclusieve korting bij aanschaf Philips Hue PC Gradient LightstripPhilips Hue heeft een mooie, exclusieve aanbieding voor jou klaar staan. Het betreft de eersteklas Gradiant LED-strips die elke ruimte verlichten. Je kunt ze net als Boris, Daan en Koos achter je scherm of monitor verwerken en ze kleuren mee op de vibe van de game of film. Interesse? Pak hier exclusief 40% korting op jouw PC Gradient Lightstrip: https://ap.lc/BDDgR . Vul daarvoor de code 'Gamekings40' in bij het afrekenen. Ja toch...     Check het concert van Nine Inch Nails op 29 mei in de Ziggo DomeOp 29 juni aanstaande kun je in de Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam het concert van de brute en door Jelle, Steven en JJ gewaardeerde band Nine Inch Nails bijwonen. De muziek van de groep van frontman Trent Reznor, zal veel gamers bekend in de oren klinken, want het zit in meer dan 20 videogames. Van de Call of Duty - en Batman franchise tot Doom en Dead Island, de beukende sound van deze band heerst er. Check hun tracks hier maar eens. Wil je bij dit concert aanwezig zijn, dan kun je hier de kaarten scoren: https://www.mojo.nl/concerten/nine-inch-nails .Timestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:02:00 Huishoudelijke mededeling: MSI00:06:45 MindsEye review, betaalde stream afgebroken 00:12:24 PlayStation lineup 00:18:51 Metal Gear Online wordt Fux Hunt 00:20:38 The Witcher 3 komt met nieuwe DLC in 202600:24:43 Bloober Team bezig met Silent Hill remake00:26:01 We weten wat meer over Resident Evil Requiem00:30:24 Nintendo Nederland cliamt niet snelst verkopende console aller 00:35:41 Total War reeks bestaat 25 jaar00:38:34 Oktober vol met toffe games 00:41:30 BULLETTIME00:44:00 2026 ook niet slecht 00:48:01 Sonic Crossroads is een contender voor de mensen die Mario Kart World minder leuk vonden 00:50:54 The Expanse: Osiris Reborn 00:54:44 Stellar Blade PC record aantallen 00:56:45 Red Dead Redemption II next gen update 00:58:51 Capcom 48 jaar geleden opgericht 01:02:16 Wie te kiezen bij Mario Karty World 01:03:55 Elden Ring eindbaas01:08:00 BULLETTIME 01:12:00 COOL SERIOUS UNCOOL

India Hit a Space Asset | India vs China Conflict Inevitable | China, Pak, BD | Col Mayank Chaubey

Li Tirkiyeyê niha 396 girtîgeh hene ku ji bo 299 hezar û 924 girtî hatine lêkirin. Lê niha, 409 hezar û 617 girtî di van girtîgehan de cezakirî ne. Rewşa girtîgehan hukûmetê mecbur dike ku jibo barê girtîgehan sivik bike gavên nû bavêje. Hukûmeta Dad û Geşepêdanê (AKP) li ser navê 10emîn Pakêta Dadwerîyê dixwaze guhertinan di hin yasayan de bike. Lê wusa xuya ye, pakêta ku pêşkêşî parlamenê kirin, ne li gorî dilê opozîsyonê ye. Bêtir di raporta Hatice Kamer ji Amedê heye.

Pivoňky, latinsky Paeonia, jsou nenáročné trvalky, které vydrží na jednom stanovišti desítky let. Půvabná květina kdysi bývala u každého domu. Lidé měli vysázené celé řady pivoněk. Pak se na ni zapomnělo, ale teď se vrací.

Pivoňky, latinsky Paeonia, jsou nenáročné trvalky, které vydrží na jednom stanovišti desítky let. Půvabná květina kdysi bývala u každého domu. Lidé měli vysázené celé řady pivoněk. Pak se na ni zapomnělo, ale teď se vrací.Všechny díly podcastu Radioporadna můžete pohodlně poslouchat v mobilní aplikaci mujRozhlas pro Android a iOS nebo na webu mujRozhlas.cz.

Get ready for some fire

We moeten beter naar elkaar luisteren! Minder polarisatie, meer gemeenschappelijke deler... Maar hoe? Kan tech ons daarbij helpen? Stijn van der Vat, founder van Deepler heeft wel een idee. Voor bedrijven, maar ook voor de Nederlandse maatschappij.Meer tech ondernemers horen? Pak deze playlist erbij: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5r1RuOYU1vGrESYL7WMYlF?si=WvrXr2lrRYqYUB8aGjQlFAOpgenomen in De Podcastjungle te UtrechtHost & Productie: Jos Hummelen | Montage: Maik Prooi | Muziek: Rinze Voorberg | Podcastvoice: Maud VermeulenDeze aflevering wordt mogelijk gemaakt door StartupUtrecht Region, Impact033, Dotslash Utrecht en ROM Utrecht Region.

Na een koude kille week van afwezigheid zijn we weer terug! Vandaag is Bram een tikkeltje rechtser geworden, klapperen de eierstokken van Sam en geeft Muk zijn Snapchat-tactieken eenmalig prijs. Dit wil je niet missen! Dat en meer hoor je in de nieuwste aflevering van Koffietijd voor Mannen! #Take10 wordt elke 60-90 minuten aanbevolen voor een fris en helder hoofd. Gebruik je 10 minuten om jezelf op te frissen en te resetten. Via muziek, lezen, socializen ... om het even. Pak een van onze Starbucks® Chilled Classics. Klaar voor de start ... chill! Koffietijd voor Mannen is onderdeel van Dag en Nacht Media. Heb je interesse om te adverteren in deze podcast? Neem dan contact op met Dag en Nacht Media via adverteren@dagennacht.nl! Instagram: koffietijdvoormannen TikTok: koffietijdvoormannen Contact: koffietijdvoormannen@gmail.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Luister hier naar de Borrelpraat Extra aflevering van deze week.#Take10 wordt elke 60-90 minuten aanbevolen voor een fris en helder hoofd. Gebruik je 10 minuten om jezelf op te frissen en te resetten. Via muziek, lezen, socializen ... om het even. Pak een van onze Starbucks® Chilled Classics. Klaar voor de start ... chill!Zie het privacybeleid op https://art19.com/privacy en de privacyverklaring van Californië op https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode we discuss the curry toil, Cedar cladding, Birthday wishes, Gripes, Corde, Betting tips, Macron, JRE good guests, FBI lying, PAK v IND, Cashmere wars, Tapanui, NRL, Greg Reece and much more. Support The Joel and Tim Show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=74670148 Support us with caffeinated beverages at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thejoelandv  

První půlku červnových Filmů v síti zabralo naše zamyšlení nad tím, proč je na Netflixu tak málo sequelů jeho zaručených celovečerních hitů. Pak jsme přidali dva vlastní tipy a šup už jsme museli nabrat tempo, protože nám na červnovou nadílku zbývalo pouhých pětadvacet minut. Ve filmech je možná slabší, ale u seriálů je rozhodně z čeho vybírat. Tak si nás pusťte, protože tentokrát je to mimořádně pestré. A možná dorazí i Predátor!  FILMY Predator: Killer of Killers, 6.6., Disney+ K.O., 6.6., Netflix Deep Cover, 12.6., Prime Video Echo Valley, 13.6., Netflix SERIÁLY Druhá šance na Greenu, 4.6., Apple TV+ Přeživší, 6.6, Netflix  Země gangů, 9.6., SkyShowtie FUBAR 2. řada, 12.6., Netflix We Were Liars, 18.6., Prime Video The Waterfront, 19.6., Netflix Ironheart, 24.6., Disney+ The Countdown, 25.6., Prime Video Hra na oliheň 3. řada, 27.6., Netflix

I love this idea the Commerce Commission and the Grocery Commissioner have come up with, of supermarkets giving us everyday low prices instead of the ever-changing, so-called “special prices”. The supermarket specials that really brass me off are the ones where you might see meat in one of the fridges, and they'll have a sign showing the price per kilo. That means absolutely nothing to me. Maybe there are some shoppers who know all the ins-and-outs of prices per kilo, but I'm not one of them. The other thing about specials is that, most of the time, it feels like the supermarkets are yelling “special special special” at me, but it doesn't look like much of a special. I'll be the first to say that I'm in the lucky position of not having to rely on supermarket specials. That's a financial thing, but it's also because I'm no longer at a stage of life where there are three kids at home and where it's not unusual to kiss goodbye to $400+ a week at the check-out. But I've never been one of those people who buy their bananas at one place because they're cheap and my mandarins somewhere else because their cheaper. And, when I see and hear the ads about specials, they pretty much don't register with me. And it's not just because I can afford to pay what I have to pay. And it's not just because the supermarket shops are cheaper these days because there aren't three kids living at home. It's also because I see supermarket specials in the same way I see cafes with signs outside saying “great coffee”. They can tell me what they want as much as they like, but whether I believe it or not is another thing. The other week I went into Pak 'n Save and when I hit the fruit and veg section there was a sign telling me that the 99 cent broccoli heads were an amazing special. I wasn't that convinced because they seemed pretty small to me, but I grabbed a couple anyway. But as I kept moving around the fruit and veg section, I saw another bin of broccoli heads —again with the sign saying 99 cents a head and “amazing special”— but these things were about twice the size of the smaller ones at the start of the fruit and veg section. What was that all about? And it's little examples like that —as well as the one I mentioned earlier about specials being based on price per kilo— that demonstrate how much of a rort this whole “special” thing is. So I agree with Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden who is saying that doing away with specials and having everyday low prices instead would be more straightforward and transparent. He also thinks it would allow any new operators coming into the market to put real pressure on the existing supermarkets. I'm not as sold on that bit, because I don't think there are any foreign supermarket companies interested in coming here. But if he thinks that, that's fine. The only problem I've got with this idea is that it's going to be voluntary —for now, anyway— whereas I think it should be compulsory. The Commissioner says they'll give the supermarkets a year or so to get with the programme, but I want to see this happening ASAP. So does Consumer NZ. Its boss, Jon Duffy, says: “We know New Zealanders love a special. We also know there's not much that's special about supermarket specials.” He's spot on there. He says: “Everyday low prices would benefit all shoppers, so would price transparency. Right now, it's so hard to know what's a fair price because the prices of certain goods fluctuate so much.” And that's the nub of it right there. If you go to the supermarket today and see all these signs saying special here, special there, all you can do is take their word that it somehow is a special. And like the sheep most of us are, we think ‘aww, on special…I'll get a few of those”. But how do we know we are actually getting the best deal? We don't. Which is why the Grocery Commissioner and the Commerce Commission think the days of the supermarket special should be numbered. I think so too.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

„Dlouhou dobu jsem si myslel, že jsme mírumilovná firma, pro niž je válka špinavou věcí. Pak přišel rok 2022 (pozn. red. v únoru téhož roku podniklo Rusko invazi na Ukrajinu) a situace se změnila. Titíž lidé, kteří ve vojenském sektoru nikdy pracovat nechtěli, za mnou přišli s požadavkem, abychom i my nějak pomohli. Napadlo mě tedy, že pro naše radary najdeme nové využití,“ říká v Agendě SZ Byznys ředitel společnosti Meteopress Michal Najman.Meteorologické radary od české firmy sbírají pro klienty data o počasí na pěti kontinentech světa. To je ostatně původní zaměření Najmanova podnikání. Společnost v odvětví způsobila před pár lety malou revoluci, protože dokázala za nižší ceny a s lepšími výsledky vyvinout technologii dodávající stejně kvalitní výsledky jako konkurence.U tržních soupeřů stojí samotné zařízení pro sběr dat, jeho instalace a spuštění dva až tři miliony korun. V případě Meteopressu se cena pohybuje kolem 1,5 milionu. Pro vstup do obranného průmyslu vyvinuli ještě levnější variantu stroje a mají pro ně podle Najmana ty nejlepší předpoklady.Agenda. Rozhovory s top lídry českého byznysu, zakladateli firem, odborníky. Čtvrthodinka o byznysu z první ruky.Každý všední den na SZ Byznys a ve všech podcastových aplikacích.Odebírejte na Podcasty.cz, Apple Podcasts nebo Spotify.

Welcome to a new episode of the podcast! We are happy to have a friend of the show, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ram joining us. Games Covered IPL 2025: Qualifiers. ENG v WI: ODI series. PAK v BAN: T20i series wrap-up. Other news Faruque Ahmed removed as BCB Chairman, Aminul Islam elected as his replacement. ICC's new playing conditions have come into effect from 1st June, 2025. AUS' Glenn Maxwell announces ODI retirement. ACC's Women's Emerging Asia cup postponed due to inclement weather. SA's Heinrich Klaasen retires from international cricket. ______________________________________________________________________________ Listen to us and get in touch: On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Podbean⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pocket Casts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ On ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠RadioPublic⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠E-mail⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please do subscribe to our podcast and let us know what you think in the comments section of the podcasting app, via mail or on social media. Leave us a 5-star rating on any platform or app (like apple podcasts) you use to listen to us. Thanks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Spolu s bratrem založil obchod s elektronikou, který nesl jejich jméno a svého času byl dvojkou trhu. Úspěšně ho prodali.Pak opět spolu založili on-line lékárnu – ta jednu dobu vystřelila k ohodnocení téměř pět miliard korun. Jenže na konci tohoto příběhu ji se stomilionovou ztrátou převzal podnikatel Tomáš Čupr. Teď se Petr Kasa, už bez bratra, pustil do nového byznysu, investoval do společnosti Lokni a buduje trh a pověst filtrované vody. „Došel jsem k názoru, že to je něco, co bude mít zajímavou trakci,“ říká dnes už investor a výkonný ředitel Lokni v Agendě SZ Byznys.Agenda. Rozhovory s top lídry českého byznysu, zakladateli firem, odborníky. Čtvrthodinka o byznysu z první ruky.Každý všední den na SZ Byznys a ve všech podcastových aplikacích.Odebírejte na Podcasty.cz, Apple Podcasts nebo Spotify.

„Je mi devět let a mám mámu jen pro sebe. Jsme na všechno dvě. Pak se narodí brácha. A všechno je najednou jinak. Vím, že nejsem sama. Skleněné děti jsou všude kolem nás — tiší pozorovatelé, kteří se učí žít ve stínu nemocného sourozence.“

„Je mi devět let a mám mámu jen pro sebe. Jsme na všechno dvě. Pak se narodí brácha. A všechno je najednou jinak. Vím, že nejsem sama. Skleněné děti jsou všude kolem nás — tiší pozorovatelé, kteří se učí žít ve stínu nemocného sourozence.“

Modi Won t Spare Anyone - Wait and Watch | Supreme Court, Pak, Trump, Congress | Bhau Torsekar, OCN

Máme pro vás další vidcast, který nám trochu neplánovaně přetekl až do třetí hodiny... Ale budiž, užijete si úvodní mišmaš, závěrečný mišmaš a mezi tím? Samé dobroty! Nejdřív se podíváme na opravdu pěknou knihu artworků z Kingdom Come: Deliverance II. Pak si Jirka představil skvělý cestopisný kvíz s poznáváním map z her (a je skvělý, protože Zdeněk věděl téměř vše, pozn. Zdeněk). A pak pro vás máme rozhovor s autorem deskovek Tomášem Holkem o hrách vlastních i hrami inspirovaných. Příjemnou zábavu! Seznam témat 00:00 - Start a úvodní mišmaš 12:31 - Listujeme artbookem Kingdom Come: Deliverance II 48:04 - Jirkův vypečený kvíz se slepými mapami z videoher 1:42:31 - Rozhovor s autorem deskovek Tomášem Holkem nejen o Seti a Pilgrims 2:21:55 - Závěrečný Mišmaš

Deze talkshow wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door MSI. Alle meningen in deze video zijn onze eigen. MSI heeft inhoudelijk geen inspraak op de content en zien de video net als jullie hier voor het eerst op de site.Het weekend loopt zo je leven binnen op deze vrijdag. En we zijn er zoals zo vaak best aan toe. Even een paar dagen vrij en genieten van het vrije leven en wie weet een potje Elden Ring Nightreign. Dus laat maar komen die zaterdag en zondag. Vrijdag is ook het moment waarop jullie een nieuwe editie van Einde van de Week Live voorschotelen. De talkshow waarin drie hosts het game-gerelateerde nieuws van de week doornemen. Achter de desk zitten dit keer Jelle, JJ & Koos. Onderwerpen die de revue gaan passeren, zijn onder andere het cancellen van Black Panther, een bizar nieuw besturingsmechanisme voor de iPhone, een ‘blokkerige' trailer van GTA 6 en de tegenvallende kijkcijfers van The Last of Us 2, Dit alles en nog veel meer kun consumeren in de Einde van de Week Live van vrijdag 30 mei 2025.Eerste seizoen The Last of Us Season 2 verliest 50% kijkersWat velen van ons op de redactie een meer dan briljante game vonden, slaat op de TV een stuk minder aan. De laatste aflevering van The Last of Us Season 2 is echt stukken minder goed bekeken dan de laatste episode van het eerste seizoen. Waar komt dat door? De heren gaan erover in beraad. Ze kijken ook naar een bizarre PC mod die EA probeert weg te houden van The Sims 4. Wat is daar aan de hand? Plus klopt het dat mensen betaald worden om de game MindsEye van GTA-creator Lesley Benzies te slopen? Je krijgt de antwoorden in deze video.Pak 100 korting op deze powerhouse: de Vector 16 HX AI gaming laptopMSI zet deze week de Vector 16 HX AI in de spotlights. Deze fijne en zeer krachtige gaming laptop bezit een Intel Core Ultra 7 Processor (series 2), een NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti videokaart, een 240Hz QHD+ display, een 1TB SSD en een 24-zone RGB toetsenbord. De Vector 16 HX AI is op de website van MeGekko verkrijgbaar met een korting van 100 euro: https://msi.gm/SCE20CD6 . Je krijgt er als bonus ook nog Dying Light en Civilization 7 bij.Check het concert van Nine Inch Nails op 29 mei in de Ziggo DomeOp 29 mei aanstaande kun je in de Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam het concert van de brute band Nine Inch Nails bijwonen. De muziek van de groep van frontman Trent Reznor, zal veel gamers bekend in de oren klinken, want het zit in vele games. Van de Call of Duty en Batman franchise tot Doom en Dead Island, de beukende sound van deze band heerst er. Wil je bij dit concert aanwezig zijn, dan kun je hier de kaarten scoren: https://www.mojo.nl/concerten/nine-inch-nails .Timestamps:00:00:00 EvdWL van 30 mei00:07:55 Huishoudelijke mededeling: MSI00:10:39 De nieuwe Cyberpunk is officieel in pre productie. CD Projekt Red toont wie aan wat werkt binnen studio.00:13:55 The Last of Us 2 serie raakt 50% kijkers kwijt00:22:53 EA stopt ontwikkeling Black Panther game en sluit de studio Cliffhanger. 00:28:31 Apple protocol over iPhones, iPads en Vision Pro besturen met je hersenen. 00:33:17 Nieuwe trailer van MindsEye. 00:37:18 Zelda film00:40:18 Sonic franchise brengt 1 miljard omzet naar Sega.00:42:33 GTA trailer met behulp van Lego 00:53:30 Ex Bethesda medewerker: Starfield voelde te steriel aan 00:55:26 BULLETTÎME: Nine Inch Nails 29 mei Ziggo Dome01:04:18 Releasedatum van Pokémon Legends Z/A is bekend.01:09:00 EA gaat de strijd aan met een opvallende mod…01:12:07 Clair Obscur: Expedition 3301:15:10 Crimson Desert 01:18:14 Project Milo01:23:33 COOL OF SERIOUS UNCOOL

Text Kristen your thoughts or feedback about the showWhat do neuroscience, web design, and cake have in common? For Grace "Grey" Pak — everything!In this episode, Grace shares her powerful and unconventional journey from the world of science and tech to becoming a sought-after cake artist whose creations go beyond delicious dessert and head straight into fine art. Grace opens up about the pressures of cultural expectations, the internal reckoning that led to her career shift, and how she discovered a deeper purpose through creating cakes.We talk about the business side of being an artist, the healing power of creativity, and Grace's mission to use cake as both an artistic medium and a tool for emotional connection. From running her business to leading art therapy-inspired workshops, Grace is redefining what it means to follow your passion — and what it takes to turn that passion into a profession.Learn more at DuchessofCameron.com or follow on Instagram.*** Freebie alert! Build Your Lead Management Fairytale Workflow with 17hats Say "goodbye" to inbox chaos and "hello" to streamlined lead management that saves time and boosts your business. This free guide will walk you through how to build a lead management workflow with 17hats'.

In deze indringende aflevering van Burn-out Talk ga ik in gesprek met een bijzondere vrouw die ongelooflijke veerkracht laat zien. Ze deelt openhartig hoe rouw, geboorte en trauma haar leven compleet op zijn kop zetten — en hoe ze zichzelf stukje bij beetje weer terugvond.We praten over het moment waarop alles instortte, en de lange weg terug naar herstel. Hoe kom je thuis bij jezelf na alles wat je bent kwijtgeraakt? Wat gebeurt er als je lijf ‘stop' zegt, maar je hoofd nog door wil? En wat als zelfs je werk, na herstel, opnieuw een bron van uitputting wordt?Hoe rouw, geboorte en trauma zich opstapeldenHet belang van luisteren naar je lichaamSamen herstellen als partners: werken als een team met je manGrenzen voelen én communicerenDe invloed van de buitenwereld op je herstelDe impact van een werkomgeving die niet bijdraagt aan je welzijn“Ik herstelde... en toen maakte mijn werk mij ziek”"Ik dacht dat ik er weer was… totdat mijn werk me opnieuw ziek maakte."Zelf door een burn-out, rouw of ingrijpende verandering gaatIemand in je omgeving wil begrijpen die hiermee worsteltWil weten hoe je als stel sterker uit een moeilijke periode kunt komenPraktische én eerlijke inzichten zoekt over herstel, grenzen en veerkrachtInfo #ECHTINBALANS herstel traject: www.echtinbalans.nl/programmaGun jezelf het allerbelangrijkste: hersteltijd!Je hebt al genoeg geprobeerd. Podcasts geluisterd. Boeken gelezen.Misschien zelfs al coaching gehad. Maar wat je mist, is een totaalbenaderingdie écht werkt. Het ECHTE herstel.De #ECHTINBALANS methode is speciaal ontwikkeld voor jou: gevoelig, zorgzaam, en te lang op wilskracht doorgegaan.Dit is jouw moment om op een diep niveau te herstellen. Met praktische tools, persoonlijke begeleiding met jouw persoonlijke herstelplan.Klaar om weer met energie op te staan en aan het einde van de dag ook nog energie te ervaren? Pak mijn hand en wij gaan direct van start!—--------Je krijgt méér dan een programma – dit is jouw herstelpakket:- 1:1 laser coaching momenten – speciaal voor jouw situatie-  Live-sessies – diepgaande begeleiding waarin jeécht gezien wordt.-  Praktische video's & werkboek – zodat je alles op je eigen tempo kunt doen- Besloten online community – steun van gelijkgestemden die je begrijpen, herkenning, steun, inspiratie en motivatie,- 24/7 hulp en coaching via whatsapp - snel schakelen is sneller herstellen- De #ECHTINBALANS box - alles wat jij nodig hebt voor balans-momentjesBonussen t.w.v. €699:LIFETIME toegang tot alles - ook tot de wekelijkse live online coaching (onbetaalbaar)Masterclass "Rust in je hoofd" - Voor rust & positieve gedachten30 begeleide lichaamswerk sessies - Kalmeer zenuwstelsel, verlaagt cortisol, leer ontspannen in de onrust en prikkel je natuurlijke ENERGIE.Masterclass "Jouw dag in balans + printeble planner en to-do listSkinyoga door holistisch coach - Ontspannen hoofd, gezicht en kaken.

V životě jí prakticky nic nechybělo. Měla dobře placenou práci, milující rodinu a často cestovala. Pak ale přišla tragédie, kterou nechce zažít žádný rodič – její jediný syn v necelých 21 letech zemřel. Zdrcena touto ztrátou se Petra Votavová obrátila k alkoholu i práškům, a aby alespoň částečně unikla černým myšlenkám, vypravila se během Vánoc na Réunion. Pobyt na odlehlém ostrově v Indickém oceánu jí pomohl víc, než sama čekala, a tak se do exotického ráje po mnoha úvahách nakonec přestěhovala. O tamním životě i vlastním znovuzrození vypráví v podcastu Slepá mapa.

Po hnutí Stačilo! a STAN zveřejnili obrys svého programu i Piráti. Jen hnutí ANO nadále mlčí a ústy svého předsedy Babiše tvrdí, že s programem voliče seznámí až tři týdny před říjnovými volbami. Zatím je patrné, že volební trendy určují leví nebo praví populisté. Jsou to oni, kteří šermují nulovou sazbou DPH na potraviny (Jana Bobošíková), čímž strhávají ostatní strany k nápodobě. Volební sliby jsou rámovány evropským způsobem uvažování ve stylu musíme víc zbrojit a současně nepřestat zavádět ambiciózní Green Deal, a pokud možno nezvyšovat daně. Výsledkem nemůže být nic jiného než nástup plíživé inflace, která sníží zadlužení států. Druhým extrémem je redukovat politiku na marketingové kejkle. Politický marketing je ve skutečnosti způsob, jak účinnou formou sdělit voličům svůj program. Není to však obsah, jen forma sdělení. Bohužel část politických stran, jako ANO nebo STAN, zaměňují obsah za formu. Pak se přitom dopouští populistického nadbíhání svým socialisticky myslícím voličům, anebo sklouzávají k morálnímu kýči, jako hnutí STAN svým videem, v němž se snaží okázale pomoci rodině se třemi postiženými dětmi. Je samozřejmě správné, když politici využívají své známosti k podpoře dobré věci. Je eticky nepřijatelné a navíc kýčovité, když využívají bezmoc těchto lidí v předvolebním boji. Zdá se, že letošní sněmovní volby budou festivalem populismu.

Deze talkshow wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door MSI. Alle meningen in deze video zijn onze eigen. MSI heeft inhoudelijk geen inspraak op de content en zien de video net als jullie hier voor het eerst op de site.Er staat ons een, hopelijk, fijn weekend te wachten. Lekker uitslapen, even ergens op een terras een kopje koffie drinken of een biertje pakken. Misschien wat vrienden bezoeken of gewoon op je gemak je back catalogue wegwerken. Dit vooruitzicht gaan we verder opvrolijken met een nieuwe aflevering van Einde van de Week Vrijdag Live. De talkshow waarin we elke week het belangrijkste game gerelateerde nieuws van de afgelopen zeven dagen met de kijkers doornemen. Huey, Jasper en Jelle zitten klaar om te kletsen over topics zoals de bizarre uitspraak van Randy Pitchford over de prijs van Borderlands 4, de nieuwe Cyberpunk game en Senua's Sage Hellblade 2 dat naar de PS5 komt. Plus retro fans kunnen aan de slag met een hele bups aan arcade classics via Game Pass. Dit alles en meer ga je zien en horen in de Einde van de Week Live van vrijdag 21 maart 2025.Randy Pitchford vindt vragen over prijs Borderlands 4 gezeurIn deze editie van onze wekelijkse afsluiter, gaan de drie ook in gesprek over Veo 3 van Google. Een nieuwe AI tool om video's te maken die er kwalitatief griezelig goed uit zien. Zijn de filmers, vormgevers en editors straks allemaal hun baan kwijt?Pak 160 euro korting bij aanschaf MSI Cyborg 15 gaming laptopDeze week zet MSI de alom bekende Cyborg 15 in het zonnetje. Deze gaming laptop is namelijk met dank aan de vakantiegeld promoties van Bol hier afgeprijsd naar 839 euro: https://msi.gm/S7B41F68 . En wat krijg je dan? Een laptop met aan boord een 13e generatie Intel Core i7 processor, een RTX 4060 videokaart, een 512GB SSD, een 144Hz Full HD panel en een 4-zone RGB toetsenbord.Timestamps00:00:00 Einde van de Week Live van 23 mei00:00:17 Huishoudelijke mededeling: MSI00:02:30 Wat hebben we deze week gedaan?00:09:53 Elden Ring gaat verfilmd worden (live action).00:18:23 Randy Pitchford over 80 euro voor Borderlands 4.00:22:53 Cyberpunk 2077 krijgt nieuwe stad, die aanvoelt als ‘Chicago gone wrong'.00:37:20 PlayStation stopt met het loyaliteitsprogramma PlayStation Stars.00:40:26 Senua's Saga Hellblade 2 komt deze zomer naar de PS5 (was Xbox game).00:51:30 Mario Kart Worlds was oorspronkelijk bedoeld voor de Switch.00:56:48 Openings cutscene Metal Gear Solid Delta Snake Eater is vrijgegeven.01:00:30 PAC-MAN bestaat deze week 45 jaar.01:04:08 Volgens insiders komt er een Bioshock aankondiging aan deze zomer.01:06:39 Embracer wil het komend jaar 76 verschillende games in de winkels leggen.01:10:11 Drie vormgevende mannen aan tafels geven hun mening over het nieuwe logo van Naughty Dog. 01:14:46 Google Veo 3 werd deze week geshowed.01:23:30 Wat zegt deze tweet je?01:25:37 94% van alle games die Capcom in 2024 verkocht waren digitale versies. Op PC was dit aantal bijna 100%, console 78%01:30:14 Nu te spelen op Game Pass, de Retro Classics van Activision.01:33:14 Durf jij dit of toch geen vertrouwen in zelfrijdende auto's?01:34:47 Welke heb je liever (beide controllers zijn vanaf deze week te koop)?01:36:01 Goede vraag...

A version of this essay has been published by firstpost.com at https://www.firstpost.com/opinion/shadow-warrior-india-fights-alone-narrative-wars-western-gaslighting-and-a-missed-opportunity-13891339.htmlFrom the 1st of May until the 20th I was traveling in the US, and thus had to depend on western media (mostly Twitter/X) for news about Operation Sindoor and the aftermath. It was self-evident that there was no point in reading things like the NYTimes, Wapo, the Economist, etc. because one look at their headlines confirmed that they were “manufacturing consent”.Soft PowerGiven the difference in X posts that I read in the US and those in India, I think the algorithms were deprecating posts for me in ways that are hard to detect. In other words, there is a narrative war where India has no say, but lots at stake. India's soft power is seriously wanting. Joseph Nye, the academic who popularized that phrase, passed away this week: following in his footsteps, it behooves India to make a concerted attempt to improve its story-telling.It faces an uphill battle, because Western, especially American, media has shown an ability to gaslight at scale in three major stories in the recent past: the COVID panic, the “Trump-is-a-Russian-stooge” meme, and the “Biden is mentally sharp as a tack” story. They are good at it, have no love lost for India, and so India needs a long-term plan to get its own propaganda story out, for instance developing an Al-Jazeera-style global footprint or an X-style social medium.The entire Western narrative, for self-serving purposes, continues to be against India, for good reason: they do not wish to see India grow into a peer-level competitor at the G3 level. In this, both China and the West are of one mind, and it shows. Besides, the West has every incentive to try to block India from becoming a major arms exporter: they would prefer India to continue to be one of the biggest importers, preferably from them.Narrative warfare is a Western specialty, as I said in Information Warfare, Narrative-Building: That Kind of Warfare. In addition to kinetic warfare, India needs to up its game here too. Narratives have real-life consequences.The Pakistanis have been quite successful in their own narratives, riding on Western media: here is an example from the Nikkei (which owns the Financial Times) from a Pakistani journalist. This is typical of the stories created by Pakistanis and amplified by western media: basically that India took a major hit, with five or six high-end aircraft downed by Pakistani/Chinese weaponry. The story was repeated so many times that it essentially became the Truth.A step change in aerial warfareMy personal belief is that India won a victory on the ground and in the air, humiliating Pakistan, attacking it at will and exposing its Chinese armaments as below-par. Some thoughtful neutral experts support this view: See Calibrated Force and the Future of Indian Deterrence. India also demonstrated surprising competence in the new age of electronics-based warfare. It may no longer be expensive fighter jets (and by extension, aircraft carriers) that tilt the balance, but missiles, drones and integrated air defense.This must be emphasized. There are periodic step-functions in warfare that render earlier, victorious technologies/processes less valuable: this is similar to disruptive innovation, where the ‘insurgent' firm nullifies the apparent advantages of the ‘incumbent' firm. Often that means a point of inflection. An example is the arrival of the longbow in medieval times that made hitherto unstoppable heavy cavalry stumble. Another is the arrival of air power itself.Today there may be another point of inflection. Experts have suggested that warfare going forward will be software-driven, including drone swarms that can autonomously reshape their formations (reminiscent of the murmurations of flocks of starlings). Presumably, there will be plenty of predictive AI built in as well. Given India's poor track record in software products, it was generally assumed that India would not do so well in such a new environment.In reality, there appears to have been a clever integration of indigenous and imported technology to create an “iron dome” of sorts against Pakistan's Chinese missiles, of which an advanced variant, PL-15, was apparently shot down intact.More interestingly, it appears that Lakshya and Banshee drones were programmed to masquerade as Rafales, Sukhois, etc. by emitting their radar signals, thus attracting enemy fire towards themselves. This might explain the claims of five or six Indian aircraft shot down by Pakistan, whereas in reality they may have simply shot down the phantom, mimic dronesThe implications are large: in effect, India was able to attack Pakistan at will: video evidence shows significant damage to terrorist sites in the first round, and to military sites in the second round, including to key Pakistani air bases, as well as, it is said, the entrance tunnel to the nuclear storage facilities in the Kirana Hills. Indian air dominance appears to have forced the Pakistanis to beg for US support to suggest a cessation of hostilities.This skirmish was proof in the heat of battle for India's indigenous weapons, especially the BrahMos (although of course that is a joint venture with Russia). It may result in a number of serious queries from prospective customers especially in Southeast Asia, who will be interested in battlefield performance against Chinese missiles and aircraft. This would be a win for India's arms industry.Conversely, there is a singular sore spot: fighter jets. For a variety of reasons, most especially the fact that the Kaveri engine has not been allowed to complete its testing and development phase, India is still dependent on others for advanced fighters. And this is just fine as far as they are concerned, because the Americans want to sell F-35s, the French want to sell more Rafales, and the Russians want to sell Su-57s.Here's a twitter comment by a military historian who suggests that India's fighter jets are inadequate. He deleted his further comment that indigenization is fine as industrial policy, but it doesn't work for advanced weaponry. This is a typically sniffy attitude towards India, which is grist to the mill for the Chandigarh Lobby's successful efforts to trash local weapons and gain lucrative middleman deals for foreign weapons.Strategic Dilemma: To push on or notThere is also a strategic dilemma. India has an unfortunate habit of wasting its soldiers' hard-won victories at the negotiating table due to bad political calculations. The epitome of this is of course, Indira Gandhi's 1971 give-away of 93,000 Pakistani PoWs in exchange for essentially… nothing. There is some reason to wonder if something similar happened in 2025 as well. A tactical victory was possibly converted into a stalemate, and the old era of hyphenation and the nuclear bogey has returned.What we saw in 2025 was that the Pakistanis were taken by surprise, and India had a massive advantage. But now that cat is out of the bag, Pakistanis and Chinese will regroup and figure out corrective tactics. Thus India has, to use an American expression, “shot its wad”, and the element of surprise is gone forever.The end game for India is the dissolution of Pakistan into four or five statelets, which, one hopes, will then concentrate on Pakistani Punjab as the root of all their troubles. In that case, they will keep each other occupied, and India can live in peace without regular terrorist attacks. Of course, that may be a pipe-dream, given the Ghazwa-e-Hind formula many entertain, but the collapse of the Pakistani state is anyway desirable for India.Should India have continued its offensive? Forget the murky issue of the nuclear assets in Sargodha. Should India have moved the Line of Control forward into some areas, perhaps into Gilgit-Baltistan (with Sharda Peeth and the Kishenganga) and up to the Jhelum River in Pak-occupied Jammu and Kashmir? The problem though, is that once you start moving past the border posts, you have hostile civilians to contend with, and your supply lines start getting stretched.Even though it is tragic to let go of an opportunity to thrash an enemy that's on the back foot, and Pakistan will inevitably use the truce to rearm itself and come back ever stronger (the Treaty of Hudaybiyah is not a meme in the Islamic world for nothing), it is not clear to me what India could have done to militarily make the LOC irrelevant and make Pakistan implode, especially in the context of American pushback.The role of the USWhy was there pressure from President Trump? One of the things I observed during my US stay is the total absence of DOGE and Elon Musk from the headlines after Trump's 100 days, very contrary to their ubiquity early on. Similarly, the security implications of Trump's recent embrace of Syria's President Al-Sharaa contradicts Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's views on Syria as evidenced by her tweets. Further, there are U-turns on tariffs.This means Trump is being mercurial as ever. Furthermore, there might be something to the idea that his family's embrace of crypto may have endeared Pakistan – which is making noises about supporting crypto at scale – to him. All this is red-pilling many about Trump. Indeed, he may be allowing short-term, commercial considerations to drive policy, which may return to haunt the US: that is exactly what Clinton, Bush, Obama et al did with respect to China.On the other hand, there are longer-term considerations, too. Pakistan is essentially a Potemkin nation, which has no particular reason to exist, other than it is being propped up. Initially, it was a British project for the Russian Great Game; then it was taken over by the US Deep State in order to fend off the Soviet Union. Pakistan was a “major non-NATO ally” (MNNA) according to Obama if I remember right, and earlier it was a member of CENTO and SEATO.The IMF loan to Pakistan, approved in the middle of the hostilities, is not surprising, either: this has happened before. In a way, it is a complicated money-laundering activity. Funds from somewhere (possibly Qatar) are channeled to Pakistan, which then buys American arms. Thus the Deep State Military Industrial Complex is the winner.With the end of the Afghanistan wars, Pakistan offers no obvious geographic and strategic value to the US. Unless, of course, the target is no longer Russia, but India. Perhaps in anticipation of its being a check on India, the US had helped Pakistan nuclearize, according to this archived article from the NYTimes: US and China Helped Pakistan Build Its Bomb, from a time when it was possibly more truthful. I am indebted to Brahma Chellaney for this link.This may suggest that Pakistan's nuclear ‘assets' are not theirs, but are managed by American crew. On the other hand, though, the greater possibility is that such assets are loaned by China. Pakistan is a fantastic force multiplier for China.Abhimanyu SyndromeThe bottom line, then, is that India is on its own: sort of an Abhimanyu Syndrome, with nobody to help. The most obvious ‘friend' is Japan (because of the China threat), but it is severely constrained by American red lines: see how there was not a murmur from the Quad after Pahalgam. India's very possible rise is in fact encouraging other powers to put it down: grow so much, but no farther.There really is no alternative for India but to industrialize, manufacture everything possible for its large internal market, and increase the level of strategic autonomy in everything it makes: no more dependence on third parties, which may feel free to use kill switches, or deny spares or components at will. In this round, India did surprisingly well with indigenous technology, and it has articulated a strategy of escalating deterrence. To put teeth into this, innovation at home must continue.Here's the AI-generated podcast about this episode from notebookLM.google.com: 1975 words, 22 May 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

#cuttheclutter Pakistan has a long and recurring reliance on International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailouts—25 times since 1958. IMF continues to support Islamabad and suggests that Pakistan's economy is showing signs of recovery. In Episode 1664 of #CutTheClutter Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta breaks down the latest $7 billion Extended Fund Facility and stringent conditionalities IMF has imposed on Pakistan, including tax reforms, subsidy cuts, agricultural & power sector overhauls. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To read Pakistan media's coverage on the IMF bailout & conditionalities https://profit.pakistantoday.com.pk/2025/03/29/agri-income-tax-collection-to-begin-july-2025-with-retrospective-effect-from-january/ https://www.dawn.com/news/1872430 https://www.dawn.com/news/1845301 https://www.brecorder.com/news/40352324 https://www.brecorder.com/news/40352324 https://www.dawn.com/news/1730732 https://www.dawn.com/news/1847797 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To watch CTC on Pakistan's 24th bailout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzAPl00DlVo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To watch CTC on Pakistan's economic condition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITcmCa-O-wI --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To read IMF reports on Pakistan: https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/profile/PAK https://www.imf.org/-/media/Files/Publications/CR/2025/English/1pakea2025001-print-pdf.ashx https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/CR/Issues/2025/05/17/Pakistan-First-Review-Under-the-Extended-Arrangement-Under-the-Extended-Fund-Facility-567021 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To visit ThePrint Store: https://store.theprint.in/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Produced By: Mahira Khan

Pakistan Impact: China, Turkey, American Defence Industries Collapse | American Rescue of Pak

Pakistan Impact: China, Turkey, American Defence Industries Collapse | American Rescue of Pak

Plánujete cyklistické výlety po Šumavě? Pak vás možná potěší, že od nadcházející sezóny vás cyklobusy Plzeňského kraje zavezou i na bavorský Velký Javor.

Máte občas těžkou nohu a jezdíte i ve městě rychleji, než povolují pravidla? Pak právě vás by mohlo zajímat, že v Plzni se chystá další úsekové měření rychlosti, a to hned na několika místech.

(0:00) Intro(2:08) Insaan par Aazmaish aane ki wajah kya hai?(5:11) Kaainat ka wajood kyun aur kaise hua?(6:45) Non-Muslim ka Sochna(7:48) Urdu se Rishta(8:55) Zamaane ke baray mein ghalat fehmi(13:54) Light jana Pakistan mein normal(14:04) Pakistan ko India se masla nahi?(14:40) Heart Attack kaise hota hai?(19:23) Insaan aksar kis umar mein tauba karta hai?(22:02) Gym mein bodybuilder ki death(23:21) NASA Videos aur “Sooraj ki garmi”(30:00) Machhar ki dunya(31:53) Allah ki be-aib takhleeq(33:56) Masjid committee ke Sadr bhai ki lambi zindagi(35:09) Ma'azoor bachon ki pedaish(36:03) Aazmaishon ki wajah kya ho sakti hai?(38:45) Aazmaishon ki 2 qisamain(39:35) Ijtimai aazmaish mein sabr kaise kiya jaye?(41:45) Pakistani Mentality during war(42:54) Mufti Sahab ko Pak Army ki fazilat bayan karne par -ve feedback(46:41) Indian Drone na girne par aitraz(47:59) India ne civilians par attack kyun kiya?(48:14) War mein mulk se ghaddari se bachne ka tareeqa(49:22) Wagah border par Mufti sb ki aamad(50:51) Indian Muslims ki miserable life(51:27) Modi ke zulm(52:25) War ki aazmaish(53:47) Ghar mein shishtem(54:52) Current Indian Govt se Pakistan dushmani(55:15) India-Pak war par Mufti sb ki naseehat to Pakistan(57:07) Fasadi khawateen ka tajziya(57:54) Mufti sb ke ghar mein war jaisa waqia(1:02:40) War ke dino mein positive soch rakhna(1:04:22) Khulasa bayanSawal Jawab(1:04:51) Rafee Bhai ke 2 sawalon ka jawab(1:09:53) Barri umr ki aurat ke liye kam umr mard ka rishta?(1:12:24) Jhooti qasam khane ka kaffara?(1:12:59) Baghloon ke baal saaf karne ka sunnat tareeqa(1:13:52) In 2 hadithon ka matlab?(1:15:02) Leetne se wudhu toot'ta hai?(1:15:44) Namaz qubool hone mein vehmi hona?(1:16:33) Wrestling se kamai halal hai?(1:17:31) Debit card par discount lena?(1:17:55) Lay palak bache ka masla(1:19:58) Brailvi imam ki peeche namaz parhna?(1:21:24) Mufti sb ka channel India mein ban(1:21:37) Pak-India war mein baandiyan(1:22:12) Martial arts ki dressing aur earnings?(1:24:17) Indian channels ke jhoot(1:26:39) Elections mein vote ka tareeqa (Pak-India)(1:27:56) Pak war memes — Mazahiya ya be-adabi?(1:28:50) 3 Sawalat(1:31:50) Hafiz ya Imam agar darhi na rakhe to?(1:33:56) Mufti Abdul Raheem sb ka recent bayan on Ghazwa-e-Hind(1:35:08) Qabar par tilawat ki niyyat se jana(1:36:20) Ghazwa, Jang aur Syria(1:37:05) Aise alfaaz se talaq ho jati hai?(1:38:48) Pak-India war mein Indian Muslims ki shahadat(1:40:55) 2 More Sawalat(1:43:00) Rukhsati se pehle talaq ka case(1:46:31) Jihad ka mauqa milne par(1:46:58) Agar dost beizzati kare to kya karein?(1:47:54) Burai se bachne ke liye shaadi(1:49:21) Hostel mein Brailvi roommate ko namaz padhne ka kaise kahain?(1:50:24) Mobile mein Qur'an padhna(1:50:29) Walaikum Assalam WRWB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Volili jste v roce 2021 pětikoalici, tedy koalici Spolu, nebo PirSTAN? Jste z výsledků své volby zklamáni? Dokonce zklamáni tak, že byste nešli k volbám do sněmovny, kdyby se konaly nyní? Pak podle dat agentury Kantar patříte mezi velkou skupinu bývalých voličů pětikoalice.

Joining us this week on Select is Peter Al-Khabout, aka PAK, an emerging selector who has been recently making noise in the electronic music scene across Syria and Lebanon with his genre-blurring sets, packed with bold track selection and unexpected twists. For our Select the 330th, PAK takes us on a deep hypnotic journey of fresh grooves, heavy basslines, and dramatic, but also euphoric, buildups. His mix moves through lush house, relentless techno and atmospheric electronica. Think Dorisburg's deep textures layered up with DJ Koze's serpentine-like twists, and a dash of the driving energy of Ben Block. The set features a selection of eclectic tunes such as Shiffer's ‘Magnum', Aera's ‘Running Hot' and Luke Alessi's ‘Walk On By'.

ਭਾਰਤ ਦਾ ਤਿੱਖਾ ਜਵਾਬ ਜੰਗ ਦੀ ਸ਼ੁਰੂਆਤ!ਪੰਜਾਬ ਚ Pak ਨੇ ਰਾਤ ਕਿੱਥੇ ਕੀਤਾ ਹਮਲਾ!

Chaos in Pakistan - People Rush to Banks/ATMs | Did Indian Jets Enter POK? | SumitPeer Latest on Pak

„Těsně před začátkem pandemie covidu-19 mi zřejmě na covid zemřela maminka. Pak se u nás na JIPce objevil známý první pacient ,taxikář‘, kterého jsme pak převáželi na VFN na Karlově náměstí a nakonec zachránili,“ vzpomíná na první dny pandemie lékařka Martina Koziar Vašáková. Její specializací je vnitřní lékařství, pneumologie, alergologie a také klinická imunologie.

Kom je ooit af van je jeugd, ook al passeer je de vijftig? We denken van niet – je jeugd kan zich zelfs op celniveau in je lichaam nestelen. Opgetrokken schouders bij stress of tegen jezelf zeggen dat de ander maar een berg moleculen is.Deze inzichten kwamen tot ons door het boek 'Autobiografie van mijn lichaam' - en ze blijven aan ons plakken. Of we tot een oplossing komen, weten we niet zeker, maar erover praten laat onze schouders al iets meer zakken.In deze aflevering liegen we jullie transparant voor, want we doen ons best om op dit moment door te gaan als lokale Italianen die staand espresso drinken in een bar. Dat neemt niet weg dat Aaf een walging heeft ondervonden van een nieuwe culinaire hype waar zelfs de Italianen van zouden gruwelen.De eindbaas der Nederlandse vlinders beschikt over een lichaamsdeel dat we in geval van nood ook zouden willen inzetten. Pak je penetrante ananasparfum er maar bij en activeer je zweetklieren – dit wordt stinken geblazen.

The Indian response is brewing as Pakistan spirals into chaos. With 40 Pak soldiers killed by Baloch fighters and jets hidden in fear, has the action already begun? Sanjay Dixit breaks it down.

Dr Pak Androulakis-Korakakis guests to talk about several popular muscle hypertrophy concepts and help sort the social media hype from the body of evidence, while dropping a lot of real world application and nuance into the discussion. This is a master class in navigating what matters for getting jacked. Dr Pak shares:-Why “strict” technique may not matter as much for muscle building.-Nuance on the “high vs low volume” camps and narratives online.-The nuance and problem with citing popular bodybuilders as anecdotes to support a training approach. -Fatigue's role in hypertrophy training.-Does training frequency matter?-Nuance on the free weights vs machines debate for hypertrophy.-Are lengthened partials just hyper?-And much more01:04 Debunking Fitness Myths: Strict Technique vs. Cheat Reps08:16 Training Volume and Muscle Growth12:31 Low Volume Training: Myths and Realities22:48 Genetics and Realistic Expectations in Fitness26:28 Fatigue Management in Training30:56 Effective Rep Ranges for Hypertrophy31:07 The Debate on Heavy Lifting and Form33:56 Training Frequency and Muscle Building39:24 Free Weights vs. Machines44:49 Stability in Machine Use for Muscle Growth52:30 The Hype Around Lengthened PartialsI've been putting a lot of time and effort into making these new episodes valuable for you. You can help me get these great guests and their knowledge in front of more people by:-Subscribing and checking out more episodes-Sharing on your social media (please tag me - I promise I'll respond)-Sharing with the friend you think of who needs this episodeFollow Andrew Coates:Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@andrewcoatesfitness⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join My Email List:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.andrewcoatesfitness.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get the RP App at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.rpstrength.com/coates⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - use the code COATESRPUse Code ANDREWCOATESFITNESS to save 10% off at ⁠https://justbitememeals.com/⁠Use Code ANDREW for extended free trial of MacrosFirst Premium ⁠https://www.macrosfirst.com/

Ještě před pár měsíci to vypadalo, že hnutí SPD je na konci s dechem a nahradí ho noví sekáči: Motoristé nebo Stačilo!. Dnes je Tomio Okamura zpět v plné síle. Konkurovat mu nemůže ani europoslanec Filip Turek se svým sebevědomím.Turkova aféra s dvousetkilometrovou rychlostí je něco, co ještě česká politika nezažila. „Nikoli proto, že by nikdo nespáchal daleko horší věci. Ale doposud se nikdo při porušování pravidel sám nevyfotil a veřejně se tím nechlubil, jaký že je machr,“ říká v podcastu Vlevo dole reportér Václav Dolejší.Filip Turek, oblíbenec exprezidenta Václava Klause a europoslanec za Motoristy, teatrálním porušováním předpisů jako kdyby symbolicky vyzýval k odporu proti dnešní přeregulované společnosti. „Dostává se mu za to překvapivě velké podpory od skalních fanoušků, kteří hazardují se životy, když se ho snaží na silnicích následovat,“ dodává reportérka Lucie Stuchlíková.Každopádně ani zběsilá rychlost a nadživotní sebevědomí Filipa Turka nevede k tomu, že by se Motoristům dařilo. Poté, co v loňských eurovolbách senzačně získali 10 procent hlasů, se aktuálně v průzkumech pohybují kolem pětiprocentní hranice života a smrti. Místa ve Sněmovně nemají jistá. A kromě Filipa Turka, jemuž se z pohodlí unijního parlamentu zatím do Prahy moc nechce, ani nemají další výraznější postavy.V opozičním táboře teď vidíme, že vedle dominantního hnutí ANO je hodně živo a dochází k rychlému přelévání přízně voličů. Původně odepisovaný šéf SPD Tomio Okamura narozdíl od Turka našel opravdové „turbo“, kterým své preference nakopnul.Spojenectví SPD se Svobodnými, Trikolorou a PRO se mu totiž vyplácí. „Evidentně příznivci jakéhokoliv politického směru oceňují spolupráci, pořád je tu reminiscence na úspěch koalice Spolu z minulých voleb,“ myslí si Dolejší.Okamura v rozjeté kampani trochu upozadil téma imigrace a nově sází na boj s inflací - slibuje levnější energie, bydlení a potraviny. Snaží se zároveň vyvolat dojem, že tentokrát jen nekritizuje, ale že má řešení i „odborníky“, kteří vědí, jak na to.„Ale nepřeceňujme to. Možná jde jen o krátkodobý přeliv voličů od ANO k SPD. Počkejme si, až Andrej Babiš nahodí své motory a rozjede kampaň na plno. Pak se k němu hlasy od Okamury zase třeba vrátí,“ dodává Stuchlíková.Kteří politici v minulosti porušovali zákon o silničním provozu? Byl Václav Havel lepší řidič než Tomáš Enge? A jak rychle jezdil Masaryk na koni? Přibrzděte a poslechněte si čerstvou epizodu Vlevo dole!----Vlevo dole řeší politické kauzy, boje o vliv i šeptandu z kuloárů Sněmovny. Vychází každou středu v poledne.Podcast pro vás připravují Lucie Stuchlíková (@StuchlikovLucie) a Václav Dolejší (@VacDol), reportéři Seznam Zpráv.Další podcasty, ale taky články, komentáře a videa najdete na zpravodajském serveru Seznam Zprávy. Poslouchejte nás na webu Seznam Zpráv, na Podcasty.cz nebo ve své oblíbené podcastové aplikaci.Své názory, návrhy, otázky, stížnosti nebo pochvaly nám můžete posílat na adresu audio@sz.cz.Sledujte @SeznamZpravy na sociálních sítích: Twitter // Facebook // Instagram.Seznam Zprávy jsou zdrojem původních informací, nezávislé investigace, originální publicistiky.