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    He slid behind the massive wooden desk and turned on the banker's light, making the room slightly less dark and gloomy. He sat down and put his feet up on the desk, the wooden office chair that was nearly forty years his senior creaking in protest as he tilted it all the way back. Chloe sat down in another wooden chair, one without wheels, but featuring a thick cushion on the seat.      “So what did you want to talk about?” she asked as the muted music switched to an even more aggressive beat.    Jacques smiled and raised his hand, “Give it a moment.”    Chloe frowned, thinking that the music was loud enough t

This was written well before I divided the book into three sections, and it was at one time going to be in book II. Eventually, it got edited out and pushed to book III. I was working on the later today, and have been considering cutting it out altogether. I'm of two minds about this, as it neatly answers the question "Why did Chloe begin calling Tanita a Kentauride?" and gives us a bit of insight into Chloe's personality, yet at the same time, it shows Tanita in a way that I'd like to think she's evolved beyond. The thought here is not romantic, but simply about friendship. What do you think? Should I keep trying to fix this, or just cut it

An excerpt from Book III of "The Kentauride" Breath billowing in a cloudy vapor, she galloped over the rise and reacted instantly as she sensed the threat, bare moments before she actually saw it. Instinct taking control, she veered sharply to her left, kicking up the freshly fallen snow. It was still light and fluffy, and fell back down like heavy dust. She notched an arrow and let fly before the red dot managed to swing around and find her, hitting her target in the throat and knocking him backwards. Smiling to herself, she charged through the woods as quietly as she could, searching for tracks in the snow and listening for any sounds of m

As Jacques entered the old train station, he could hear the tinkling twang of a classical guitar playing softly from the massive vintage stereo speakers he had brought from his apartment in Montreal a few weeks earlier. He hung up his coat and was startled to find Tanita sprawled on the floor of the main hall, hidden by the big sofa they'd recently bought at a local thrift shop. She'd dragged the old gym mat in front of the antique cast iron stove, and adjusted the air vent to obtain the maximum amount of heat. She lay on her side, her upper torso flat on the mat and her hair spread all around her head like a walnut crest as she stared at the

Tanita's phone rang, waking her, and she reached for it without getting up. Pulling the big, orange, nineteen-sixties era handset under the blankets, she purred sleepily, “Mm'low?” “Wow that's sexy,” came the voice from the phone, along with the encryption beeps. “Mark?” she asked, becoming more alert. “Yeah,” he replied, “did I wake you?” “What time is it?” “It's about seven-thirty. In the morning. I couldn't reach Chloe, but she said she'd be with you.” “Chloe?” Tanita said loudly. “Jimmy? Anybody?” She lowered her voice and sai

Anik arrived home from school, removed her winter coat and boots and went straight upstairs to her room.  She turned on her laptop computer, checked her email, and then logged into her school website to do her homework.  An 'A' student, she finished her French and English lessons quickly.  Math took a little longer, but in less than an hour she was done and submitting her homework for evaluation.  After checking for a confirmation email that all of her assignments had been submitted and were 100% correct, she logged into art (https://www.deviantart.com/art) DeviantArt.  Her last deviation, a picture she had taken of he

The two attorneys, at opposite ends of the table in the captain's chairs, nodded to each other. Chloe left the bus to give them privacy, and William Emerson opened the discussion. “Thank you for meeting us here, I understand this is irregular, but since neither of our offices are accessible to Miss Gaines, this seemed like the most appropriate location. I believe you have a revised offer for us?”   The aide opened her briefcase and took out three copies of a legal size document around thirty pages thick. She handed one to her boss and the other two to Tanita and her attorney. They began to read in silence, Tanita frowning in conce