Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Kresley Cole's new series is coming!
I love Kresley's Immortals After Dark series....and now she has a new one coming out soon! Get your panty liners ready!!!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Sagittary
by T.M. Sulsona
Giveaway ends December 30, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
"The Colubrii: Awakening" received 4 Tombstones from BittenbyBooks!!
BBB has posted their review of "The Colubrii: Awakening" and have given it 4 tombstones out of 5! Read the review here at BittenbyBooks!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Seasons Greeting from the Mist!
I can't believe 2013 is almost over! The time has flown by. It seems like only yesterday I was rushing to put the final touches on "The Colubrii" in order to get it out by the end of the year.
In the spirit of the season, I will be giving away a set of "The Sagittary" and "The Colubrii: Awakening" in HARDBACK! You cannot get these books anywhere as they are a special order item from my publisher. I would be more than happy to personalize the winner's copies!
The giveaway will be on Goodreads and will begin on December 7th and will run through December 30th. Please stop by and enter for a chance to win!
In the meantime, my best to all of you and your families during the holiday season and through to the New Year!
TMS
In the spirit of the season, I will be giving away a set of "The Sagittary" and "The Colubrii: Awakening" in HARDBACK! You cannot get these books anywhere as they are a special order item from my publisher. I would be more than happy to personalize the winner's copies!
The giveaway will be on Goodreads and will begin on December 7th and will run through December 30th. Please stop by and enter for a chance to win!
In the meantime, my best to all of you and your families during the holiday season and through to the New Year!
TMS
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Facebook Giveway - Ends June 30th
We are giving away a set of my books on Facebook! Just click the link below and leave a comment to be entered to win "The Sagittary" and "The Colubrii: Awakening." Your choice of paperback or Kindle/Nook. Contest ends June 30, 2013. Winner to be chosen at random. Good luck!
Click Here: Stories from the Mist
TMS
Click Here: Stories from the Mist
TMS
Thursday, May 30, 2013
"The Colubrii: Awakening" now on NOOK
"The Colubrii: Awakening" is now available on Barnes & Noble's NOOK as of June 1!! Sorry for the wait to all you NOOKers out there! I had agreed to put the book into Kindle's lending library but didn't realize it had to be exclusive for the duration.
Hope you enjoy! :)
TMS
Hope you enjoy! :)
TMS
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
"The Colubrii: Awakening" Receives Honorable Mention by The Paranormal Romance Guild
"The Colubrii: Awakening" has received Honorable Mention by the Paranormal Romance Guild for their 2012 Reviewer's Choice Award. I was honored to be in such good company in the Paranormal Romance category and thank everyone who voted for Venom. Believe it or not, he actually looks a little humbled. But shhhh...don't tell him I said that....
TMS
TMS
Friday, December 14, 2012
"The Colubrii: Awakening" is nominated for the Paranormal Romance Guild's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Award
"The Colubrii: Awakening" has been nominated for the Paranormal Romance Guild's 2012 Reviewer's Choice Award!! I share the honor with eleven other authors. Voting begins tomorrow, December 15, on the PRG website. What an honor!
Friday, November 30, 2012
The Colubrii: Awakening - Now out on Kindle!
He. Is. Finally. Here.
A year to write.
Another two years of waiting, going through a few editors.
Finally. Venom is now available to slither into your Kindle. I certainly hope you think he was worth the wait.
The book blurb:
" Malandra Trent is a woman trapped in a life that is not her own. The ward of the powerful Joseph Weston, every aspect of her life is monitored and controlled. She longs for a normal life, a normal relationship. She feels there is no way out until an accident at an animal shelter changes everything...and what she gets is far from normal…including what she is. A dark, sensual man enters her life and learns she is so much more than she could have ever suspected. He becomes her teacher, her lover, and her world."
Venom actually granted an interview on our Facebook page. The dark, broody, sexy male himself answered questions, hung out and joked around with some of my readers. His interview is available on the Stories from the Mist facebook page.
The paperback will be out shortly, as it is currently going through final review by Create/Space, my publisher. I'm expecting it to be available the first week in December, or shortly thereafter. Please keep an eye out for the announcement.
I just want to say thank you to my family, friends, the ladies and lords of The Keep, and my readers for their continuous support and incredible patience.
And yes, I'm finally going back to Toryn and Daughter of the Aire. With any luck, we'll get him done and out before the summer. Stay tuned.
*hugs*
TMS
A year to write.
Another two years of waiting, going through a few editors.
Finally. Venom is now available to slither into your Kindle. I certainly hope you think he was worth the wait.
The book blurb:
" Malandra Trent is a woman trapped in a life that is not her own. The ward of the powerful Joseph Weston, every aspect of her life is monitored and controlled. She longs for a normal life, a normal relationship. She feels there is no way out until an accident at an animal shelter changes everything...and what she gets is far from normal…including what she is. A dark, sensual man enters her life and learns she is so much more than she could have ever suspected. He becomes her teacher, her lover, and her world."
Venom actually granted an interview on our Facebook page. The dark, broody, sexy male himself answered questions, hung out and joked around with some of my readers. His interview is available on the Stories from the Mist facebook page.
The paperback will be out shortly, as it is currently going through final review by Create/Space, my publisher. I'm expecting it to be available the first week in December, or shortly thereafter. Please keep an eye out for the announcement.
I just want to say thank you to my family, friends, the ladies and lords of The Keep, and my readers for their continuous support and incredible patience.
And yes, I'm finally going back to Toryn and Daughter of the Aire. With any luck, we'll get him done and out before the summer. Stay tuned.
*hugs*
TMS
Sunday, October 14, 2012
He's Done....
OMG.....it's true. After two-plus years of waiting, Venom is finally complete. I just finished up the last of his edits this morning, and I can say with absolute certainty that he is DONE. I can finally look forward to a November 2012 release and get him off my plate. All that's left is the formatting of the manuscript and the blocking of the book cover and I can set him free.
*breathes a sigh of long-overdue relief*
A big thanks to Felecia for stepping in at the last minute and helping me put the last bit of spit and polish on the snaky one. You filled a very big pair of shoes, girlfriend.
Next up is Toryn, the big, sexy Avalar who was pushed to the back burner to get a slight overhaul and bring his story more into a 'modern' taste. It's a rewrite and hopefully will not take another year to complete. With any luck, he should hit the streets sometime in the spring of 2013.
What's on the horizon? Well...we've got Jarred, who is my sensual Green Dragon, and the Muse has whispered to me about a set of triplets....Panthers all.....who like to share. You can get an eyeful of the very first scene the Muse presented to me at The Keep.
You can also find the first Chapters of "The Sagittary" there, as well as Chapters 1 and 2 of "Theh Colubrii," and also the rough draft of the first chapter from "Three Breaths of the Dragon," which is Jarred's story. Click on the link for THE KEEP and check under the "Stories from the Mist" forum.
Thank you to all my friends, family, KEEPers and my growing reader base for all their patience and support. Love you all!!
TMS
*breathes a sigh of long-overdue relief*
A big thanks to Felecia for stepping in at the last minute and helping me put the last bit of spit and polish on the snaky one. You filled a very big pair of shoes, girlfriend.
Next up is Toryn, the big, sexy Avalar who was pushed to the back burner to get a slight overhaul and bring his story more into a 'modern' taste. It's a rewrite and hopefully will not take another year to complete. With any luck, he should hit the streets sometime in the spring of 2013.
What's on the horizon? Well...we've got Jarred, who is my sensual Green Dragon, and the Muse has whispered to me about a set of triplets....Panthers all.....who like to share. You can get an eyeful of the very first scene the Muse presented to me at The Keep.
You can also find the first Chapters of "The Sagittary" there, as well as Chapters 1 and 2 of "Theh Colubrii," and also the rough draft of the first chapter from "Three Breaths of the Dragon," which is Jarred's story. Click on the link for THE KEEP and check under the "Stories from the Mist" forum.
Thank you to all my friends, family, KEEPers and my growing reader base for all their patience and support. Love you all!!
TMS
Saturday, July 7, 2012
The Planets are Obviously Not Aligned...
My cosmic karma must be out of whack. That's the only excuse I can guess at. Or the planets are not aligned correctly. I just don't know.
Another editor has had to back off the project due to RL issues. I can well understand her position, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Poor Venom has been 'in the can' for 2 years now. He's all written and just needs to be checked over. For some reason, I can't seem to get this done. Soooo, we're on the hunt again for a new editor. Only 20 chapters left to review. That's it. So close yet so far.
I refuse to give a release estimate this time around. Everytime I do, something goes wrong and life throws a wrench into my flow.
So, hang in there, I guess. I think I say that more for myself than anyone else. He'll get out there eventually. So in the meantime, I've been writing a short story and posting it to the Grand Library at The Keep. Keeps my mind working and you all entertained.
Plodding on....
TMS
Another editor has had to back off the project due to RL issues. I can well understand her position, but that doesn't make me feel any better. Poor Venom has been 'in the can' for 2 years now. He's all written and just needs to be checked over. For some reason, I can't seem to get this done. Soooo, we're on the hunt again for a new editor. Only 20 chapters left to review. That's it. So close yet so far.
I refuse to give a release estimate this time around. Everytime I do, something goes wrong and life throws a wrench into my flow.
So, hang in there, I guess. I think I say that more for myself than anyone else. He'll get out there eventually. So in the meantime, I've been writing a short story and posting it to the Grand Library at The Keep. Keeps my mind working and you all entertained.
Plodding on....
TMS
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Editing Snafu
I should have known that Venom was going to be trouble till the end. As some of your may know, my original editor needed to take time off to deal with a bunch of RL stuff. The months stretched out into a year and I finally made the difficult decision to seek out another editor whilst my 'own' did her thang. Recommended to me, we finally got Venom into the mill and started working at a decent pace.
Then the wall sprung up.
Again.
Due to unforeseen personal reasons, my replacement editor needed to step away from the table. I stared at Venom and gave him the evil eye. What the heck was up with this dude anyway? So, now in a panic that he may never come to see the light of day, I contacted my 'own' editor again through a friend and was much relieved to find out that not only was she available again, but more than willing to jump in and save the day! *wipes sweat from brow* Thank GOD for Kimi.
So here we are, over a year after the last word was put to the page, and we are once again moving at a pace. I'm almost afraid to give an anticipated release time because every time I've put one out there, it's come back to slap me in the face. What I will say is that we have 32 chapters of 50 done; the artwork for the cover is done; and we *should* have things under control and almost ready by summer.
I really like this book...I really do. More so than Sagittary (and that's really saying something, because I absolutely LOVE Darien and his herd...). As the old 70's saying used to go: Hang in there baby, Venom's coming.
TMS
PS: We are starting up a newsletter! Be sure to sign up below so you can get the latest lowdown on upcoming releases, teasers and contests!
Then the wall sprung up.
Again.
Due to unforeseen personal reasons, my replacement editor needed to step away from the table. I stared at Venom and gave him the evil eye. What the heck was up with this dude anyway? So, now in a panic that he may never come to see the light of day, I contacted my 'own' editor again through a friend and was much relieved to find out that not only was she available again, but more than willing to jump in and save the day! *wipes sweat from brow* Thank GOD for Kimi.
So here we are, over a year after the last word was put to the page, and we are once again moving at a pace. I'm almost afraid to give an anticipated release time because every time I've put one out there, it's come back to slap me in the face. What I will say is that we have 32 chapters of 50 done; the artwork for the cover is done; and we *should* have things under control and almost ready by summer.
I really like this book...I really do. More so than Sagittary (and that's really saying something, because I absolutely LOVE Darien and his herd...). As the old 70's saying used to go: Hang in there baby, Venom's coming.
TMS
PS: We are starting up a newsletter! Be sure to sign up below so you can get the latest lowdown on upcoming releases, teasers and contests!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Cover Art for "The Colubrii: Awakening"
We have finished the cover art for "The Colubrii: Awakening" and I figured I'd post the art here for you all to see! The cover will be a similar layout design to what is on "The Sagittary." This picture is the 'insert' in the center of the cover. The remaining surrounding cover and back will be a black snakeskin.
Edits are going well; we're 20 chapters in on a 50 Chapter book. Venom is weighing in at 540+pp; a little lighter than Darien's book, but then again, you can't beat the Big Guy! Hopefully we'll have the editing done by the end of February and Venom will hit the streets by April. I'll try to keep the blog here updated as we go along.
I've got the first and second Chapters up at The Keep; as well as quite a few teasers to whet your appetite. You can visit The Keep by clicking HERE. Stay tuned and happy reading!
TMS
Edits are going well; we're 20 chapters in on a 50 Chapter book. Venom is weighing in at 540+pp; a little lighter than Darien's book, but then again, you can't beat the Big Guy! Hopefully we'll have the editing done by the end of February and Venom will hit the streets by April. I'll try to keep the blog here updated as we go along.
I've got the first and second Chapters up at The Keep; as well as quite a few teasers to whet your appetite. You can visit The Keep by clicking HERE. Stay tuned and happy reading!
TMS
Friday, November 25, 2011
"The Colubrii: Awakening" - Finally in Edits!
Yes, you heard it right. After being finished for nearly a year, "The Colubrii" has finally gone into the hands of an editor.
My normal editor, Kimi, has been dealing with some real life issues and has been tied up for most of the year. As much as I hated to have to look for another person to take on my current project, I had no choice but to move forward so I could get Venom out into the world. Enter Ginny, who has had the courage to step in and fill a very large pair of shoes. She has been wonderful, and we've gotten through the first ten out of fifty chapters. With any luck, "The Colubrii" should hit the streets sometime in January or February of 2012. Once he is free, I can then go back and concentrate on "Daughter," who should have been issued first, but due to some reworking I need to do, was put on the back burner. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that one out by the end of the year as well.
You can read the first Chapter here, or, you can visit The Keep and read chapters one and two that I have posted for my members, as well as some juicy teasers. You can catch the links for The Keep here on my blog in the side bar.
Thanks to everyone for being soooo patient with me and with Venom. Believe me, he is well worth the wait. *woof* Damn, he is one sexy male.
Hugs to all and happy reading!
TMS
My normal editor, Kimi, has been dealing with some real life issues and has been tied up for most of the year. As much as I hated to have to look for another person to take on my current project, I had no choice but to move forward so I could get Venom out into the world. Enter Ginny, who has had the courage to step in and fill a very large pair of shoes. She has been wonderful, and we've gotten through the first ten out of fifty chapters. With any luck, "The Colubrii" should hit the streets sometime in January or February of 2012. Once he is free, I can then go back and concentrate on "Daughter," who should have been issued first, but due to some reworking I need to do, was put on the back burner. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that one out by the end of the year as well.
You can read the first Chapter here, or, you can visit The Keep and read chapters one and two that I have posted for my members, as well as some juicy teasers. You can catch the links for The Keep here on my blog in the side bar.
Thanks to everyone for being soooo patient with me and with Venom. Believe me, he is well worth the wait. *woof* Damn, he is one sexy male.
Hugs to all and happy reading!
TMS
Monday, August 29, 2011
Thoughts to Those on the Eastern Seaboard
Hurricane Irene has blown through the eastern seaboard, leaving death, destruction and flooding in her wake. Thank God she was downgraded to a category 1 hurricane by the time it hit NJ. The night she hit was wild with rain and wind, power loss and flying debris. I can't imagine what the higher category hurricanes are like. While my home is in a protected dell, we were still worried about the trees. The ground was so saturated from all the rain we've been having, we were more afraid that the wind was going to take down one of the monsters that stand sentinel above my roof. We even made our daughter sleep downstairs that night as she has the attic room and would be the first to know that a tree had come down.
The next day found our street flooded, the brook that runs along side overflowing for the first time in all the years I have lived here. It was a good example of how powerful mother nature can be.
My thoughts to those in the harder hit states, hoping they can get their lives back together as soon as possible and leave Irene behind them.
The next day found our street flooded, the brook that runs along side overflowing for the first time in all the years I have lived here. It was a good example of how powerful mother nature can be.
My thoughts to those in the harder hit states, hoping they can get their lives back together as soon as possible and leave Irene behind them.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Paranormal Romance Guild: August Give-A-Way!
The PRG's August Give-A-Way has been posted! This month's featured author is Andrew Valentine, and his book is "Bitter Things." Click HERE to leave a comment and be entered to win! Good luck!
Description:
Description:
Michelle Papas vows to form a new connection with her emotionally scarred husband Scott after the gruesome discovery of two bodies in Central Park unhinges him. Just over a year later, through a seemingly chance meeting at a bar in midtown Manhattan, she discovers she and Scott share a fascination with Jong, an alluring woman who feeds on the desires of others. Michelle pursues the woman, and after the three partake in a night of passion, Michelle wakes up alone. Scott has disappeared, and what was meant to drive them together has propelled them apart. Enlisting the help of Dave Carson, her friend and confidante, Michelle sets out to find her husband. Frustrated by conventional police tactics, Michelle hires a private investigator. Instead of finding her husband, Michelle finds herself in a web of deceit where her trusted allies conspire with her hidden enemies. Michelle is forced to confront her loyalty to her wayward husband and choose between the sweet things of an incomplete life, or the BITTER THINGS of a life fulfilled by the ultimate sacrifice.
Monday, July 11, 2011
The Colubrii: Awakening - Chapter 1
Malandra Trent awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed, her heart pounding in her chest as if she had just run a marathon. Her body covered in sweat, she ran a hand down her throat and pulled it away, grimacing. This was getting a little ridiculous. She knew that she was way too young to be going through her changes but she couldn’t come up with any other reason why she would be waking up in the middle of the night soaking wet, her body heated. Well…she could come up with another reason, but it was ludicrous to believe a dream could cause these very real, physical symptoms.
Several weeks ago, she began having very erotic dreams that would show up every few nights or so. And each time it came, it added a little more to itself as if it were a living, breathing thing, evolving as it went. It was erotic insofar as the way it made her feel. It started out very timidly; nothing to really comment on other than it had stirred up emotions in her body. There were no people in this dream, no objects, nor places. Just feelings of silkiness that made her skin tingle, made her feel alive. And to feel alive is something she very much wanted, for it lacked glaringly from her life.
Twenty six years ago, her parents had been killed in a terrible accident. Having no living relatives left on either side, she had been taken in as an infant by her guardian, Joseph Weston, who was a close friend of her father’s. Joseph, while being very wealthy and affording her many opportunities that she would not otherwise been privy to, ruled her life with an iron fist. Joseph liked to own things, whether they be a person, place, or thing and once owned, you stood very little chance of him ever releasing his grip. He had an odd way about him and you could tell that he was a man who kept many secrets. She had once tried to ask him what had happened to her parents and he had reproached her, telling her that there was no reason for her to dwell in the past. Dead was dead and that was that. He was definitely not the warm and fuzzy type.
Several years ago, she had gone to him and told him that she wanted to move out of the sprawling compound that they lived in and get a place of her own. It was cold and impersonal, like living in a museum. The color choices were gray or black. Mally had expected him to have one of his trademark outbursts at her request, but surprisingly he didn’t. He merely stared at her for several minutes before finally nodding his head. You could have knocked her over with a feather.
“On one condition,” he finally demanded in that clipped tone he took when addressing something that he didn’t like. “That you allow me to pick the place of your residence.”
Eager to be free of his constant surveillance, she agreed. He finally settled on a three-story town home in a nice residential area of the city, close to the bus or train she would need in order to go to work at the company he owned downtown. Joseph had the place wired for security with a direct tie-in to his own security people back at the compound. His grip had loosened a little, but not by much.
Mally rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock glowing on her nightstand. It was 4:12am and she had another hour before she would have to get up for work. Thank god it was Friday.
Work.
That was another of Joseph’s conditions. Growing up, she had been home schooled by private tutors and when her aptitude for all things electronic and computer-wise had shown itself, she was ushered off to a private school so she could expand that area of expertise. Now, she worked at Joseph’s private company as the assistant computer operations manager. The only reason she wasn’t the manager was because Joseph’s own son, Vincent, was. He was a big, GQ-y type of guy with sandy blonde hair and a struggling goatee that looked as if he had kissed the ass-end of a ginger cat after eating something sticky. Besides being cocky, arrogant, and egotistical, he was always after her. He had this long-standing delusion that he was going to get her in bed. Fat chance. Not only was he possessive and domineering like his father, but also thought he was god’s gift to women. While other female workers in the office gave him flirty glances and fawned over him, she looked at him and just wanted to vomit. He was like her brother, for god’s sake. And even if he wasn’t, he just wasn’t her type.
Not that she knew what her type was.
Any attempts at having a social life or going out on dates were either crushed by Joseph claiming the man in question wasn’t good enough for her or Vincent crashed her date and caused trouble. After several embarrassing episodes of this type, she finally gave up dating as a precaution to keep her sanity.
Mally sighed, disgusted with her life. She had no clue where she had come from, or where her life was going. She longed to do what she wanted, when she wanted, without someone following her or telling her what to do. She longed to have a man in her life, someone to hold her, soothe her, and make love to her. Someone who would protect her from men like Vincent—and Joseph, and take her far away where she would never have to see them again.
Giving another loud sigh, Mally burrowed under the covers and pillows, covering herself from head to toe. Encased in the softness and warmth of the bedclothes around her, she felt at ease and oddly safe. As if by hiding this way, nothing from the outside world could harm her. Pulling the blankets closer to her body, her mind wandered back to the dream. There was strange music this time around to accompany that silky erotic feeling that moved against her skin and encompassed her while she slept. Just the thought of it now, caused the tips of her breasts to tingle, the empty echo of what could be if she ever found a man. Mally let the waves of feelings wash over her as she drifted back off to sleep.
The blaring sound of the alarm clock sliced through the silence of the bedroom, causing Mally to shoot straight up in bed for the second time on the same morning. She exploded from under the mound of covers and pillows, causing them to scatter onto the floor. Leaning over towards the night table, she smacked the ‘off’ button, silencing that horrible robotic siren.
“I’ve got to get a different alarm clock,” she mumbled to herself, running her hands over her face and through her hair. “Or I’m seriously going to take a hammer to it.”
Flinging back the remaining blanket, Mally climbed out of bed and over to her desk, popping on her laptop. Grabbing her robe from the back of the bedroom door, she headed into the bathroom to start her daily routine.
Showered, armpits and legs shaved and encased in a towel, she went into her walk-in closet and looked over her wardrobe. This was one of the few areas of her life that she actually had some control over. When she had hit the age of twenty, she was given a monthly allowance for clothes. The allowance was quite generous considering there were only so many clothes you could wear. What she didn’t use to buy clothes, she deposited into a savings account that she took pains to hide from Joseph. He had secrets? Well, so would she. Knowing she actually had something in her life that he didn’t know about gave her a perverse pleasure and she grinned. Sorting through several outfits, she chose a black Channel pant suit, a cream colored silk blouse, and a pair of smart heels. Bringing her selections back out into the bedroom, she laid the items over the back of her desk chair and turned to make the bed.
Once dressed, she headed to her laptop and did a quick scan of her email. Discarding the spam and ads for larger penises, she opened the first of the two remaining emails. The first was from her friend, Nibbs, asking her if she was working tonight. A smile formed slowly on her face. Like her clothes, this second ‘job’ had been of her own doing, her own choice—and it was a thorn in Joseph’s side. While she had to be all trussed up and business-like by day, at night she worked at a local animal shelter that was run by Nibbs and her walking wall of a boyfriend, Rass, who took in exotic animals besides the normal cats and dogs. Mally had a love for animals, but strangely enough, it was the reptiles she was drawn to. She liked their sleek bodies and shimmering scales. Besides the oddities that resided within the shelter, it also drew people from all walks of life—people she found intriguing and exciting, so different from her normal, laced up, white collar job. Leather-clad men with piercings and tattoos came to adopt iguanas and snakes, mixed in with the Norman Rockwell families that came to take home puppies or kittens. The running of the shelter was loosely structured and had a general feeling of ‘anything goes.’ Rock and rap music pumped throughout the shelter as well as classical; volunteers came to work the pens and clean the cages. It was a feast for her dull and protected senses. It made her feel alive…just like the dream.
Typing quickly, she sent off her reply that she would indeed be in later. Mally then opened the last email and frowned. Was it that time already? It was a reminder from the clinic at Joseph’s company that she was due for her quarterly medical examination. Like clockwork, Joseph made sure she was examined regularly at his private clinic, the doctors mainly concentrating on her throat. Apparently her mother had been prone to cysts on the thyroid and Joseph wanted to make sure that none grew unnoticed upon hers and became cancerous. The tests were always negative and she couldn’t understand his obsession with making her go through this every three months.
Clicking the ‘delete’ button, Mally shut down the laptop and headed downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee and grab a bagel before leaving to catch the train. Coffee tumbler in hand, bagel trapped in her mouth, and a black duffel bag containing the clothes she would change into later at the shelter, she went to the front door, activated the alarm, and locked the door behind her.
Mally emerged a half hour later in front of Weston Pharmaceuticals, a towering 16-story building that housed the headquarters of the Weston empire. It was located in the heart of the city, on some of the most expensive real estate available. Besides producing what its name implied, it also housed a clinic for specialized diseases on its bottom floor. It was there that she headed for first to get the examination over with. She entered through the private side door marked “Employees Only.”
Passing her ID card through the computerized card key, the green light flashed and she passed through the entryway door and down the long corridor into the elaborately decorated foyer at the front of the building. Waving a quick hello to Betsy who worked behind the reception desk, she crossed the black marble floor and entered another hallway, moving quickly along its length, the sound of her heels echoing off the high ceiling. At this time of morning it was relatively quiet; the flow of business men and general public not beginning until it neared 9:00am. Reaching the end of the hall, she pressed a hand against a glass door and entered the clinic.
“Ah, good morning Ms. Trent,” said a chipper nurse from behind the pane of glass. “Here for the usual?”
“Of course,” Mally replied with a smile. “Why else would I ever want to be here?”
The nurse smiled and pointed to the door to her left. “Go ahead in. I’m sure Dr. Yasmin is waiting for you.”
Giving a nod of thanks, Mally went through the door and into the only examination room that had its lights on. Sure enough, the good ol’ doctor was there, waiting for her. When Mally walked in, the doctor smiled.
“Good morning, Ms. Trent. I knew you’d be here first thing in the morning. I know you like to get this over with.”
“That’s the truth,” Mally said, removing her jacket and putting it around the back of a chair in the corner. Used to the routine by now, she grabbed a hospital johnny from a hook near the door and walked to where the privacy curtain was located. Pulling it shut, she undressed from the waist up, put the johnny on, and returned to the middle of the room.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Yasmin asked, patting the gurney table. “Hop on up.”
Mally climbed up onto the table and scooted back, holding one of her arms out for the doctor to take her blood pressure. Slipping on the cuff, Dr. Yasmin inflated it until it pinched tight, then slowly let out the air, listening intently with her stethoscope. Finishing, she moved behind Mally, listening to her heart and breathing.
“Everything seems fine this morning,” Dr. Yasmin advised, bringing over a tray caddy filled with phlebotomy items. Tying a length of rubber strap around her upper arm, the good doctor removed several vials of blood for testing. Carefully marking each one with a Sharpie and putting them into a holder, she replaced the tray on a side counter and went to grab the ultrasound cart.
“Lay back now,” she instructed as she began entering in the vitals on Mally. “I’ll try and get this over with as quickly as I can.” Mally did as she was told, her hands slowly balling into fists, a light sweat breaking out on her upper lip. She abhorred this part. Could see absolutely no reason for it to be done so often. Mally had done some research into it, and quite frankly, the whole situation was absurd.
“Do you really feel it’s necessary to perform this procedure so often?” Mally asked as the doctor squeezed blue lubricating gel onto her neck. “It’s not like you’ve ever found anything. I could see if there were some suspicious cells, but really—I,”
“You know of Mr. Weston’s orders,” Dr. Yasmin said a little tightly as she opened some packages on the table. “He’s been studying rare diseases for many years and I think he knows what he’s doing.”
“Well, I’m going to have a talk with him,” Mally said evenly, trying to keep the rising anger from her voice. “I don’t have a rare disease and I’ve had just about enough of this.”
Dr. Yasmin’s brows shot up. “So, you think you know better than he or I?”
“I think I want a second opinion,” Mally said curtly.
“I see,” the doctor replied coolly. “Well, you go right ahead and speak to Mr. Weston about that. In the meantime, I have my orders.”
The doctor ran the head of the wand over her neck, pushing back and forth until she had found the appropriate spot. After all these years, Mally thought, she should be able to do this blindfolded. As the doctor went to reach for something on the table next to her, Mally closed her eyes—tight.
Dr. Yasmin brought the end of a six-inch needle to the skin of Mally’s neck and slid it in. Mally cringed and uttered a small muffled cry of pain, but knew better than to jerk. Withdrawing a sample from within, the doctor removed the needle and put the ultrasound wand down. She wiped the area unceremoniously with an alcohol swab and put a clear band-aid over the small puncture wound.
“You’re finished,” the doctor said, her voice still cool. “Please leave a urine sample on the way out. Enjoy the rest of your day, Ms. Trent.” Picking up the needle and the vials of blood, the doctor turned and left her alone in the cold, antiseptic room.
Mally sat up slowly, her arms shaking from both the ordeal and anger. There was nothing wrong with her and she knew it. This testing of his was nothing more than glossed-over, unexplainable experimentation. While she may have bought his story in the beginning about his concern for her health, she now didn’t believe a lick of it. She was no longer a young, naïve girl.
Determined, Mally got dressed, picked up her coffee tumbler and duffel bag and left the clinic, not bothering to leave the requested urine sample.
Her mind was running wild with all sorts of confrontations and arguments she was going to make to Joseph once she got to his office. Stabbing the elevator call button, she drained her coffee and stared at the doors waiting for them to open. The bell sounded, heralding the arrival of the elevator. Mally shifted her bag on her shoulder and stuffed the coffee tumbler into it as she entered, punching the button for the top floor.
As the car came to a stop on the 16th floor of the building, Mally stepped out into the lavish foyer of the penthouse offices, from which Joseph ran his empire. His massive suite of rooms was at the far end of the hall down to the left. Mally headed off to the right and down the hall towards her own.
“Good morning Ms. Trent,” said the receptionist cheerfully from behind her cherry wood desk. “Mr. Weston asks that you join him for coffee in his office once you get settled.”
“Thanks Abby,” Mally said with a wave of her hand as she continued to her office. Tapping in her code on the keypad outside her door, she heard it unlock and pushed it open. Flipping the lights on and throwing her duffel bag onto the overstuffed high-wing chair in the corner, she went to her desk and perused its contents for the file Joseph was most likely waiting for. Her body was still ringing with anger and she stopped, propping her hands down on the desk’s cool surface. Mally closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to bring herself under control. She winced as the action caused the needle wound on her neck to sting.
“All right,” she said to herself. “Let’s get this over with.”
Going to Joseph’s office always reminded her of that scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the foursome was walking down that long, green hall to where the Wizard held court. It was very similar. The hall going down to the massive doors that led into Joseph’s private offices was lined with black marble columns that contrasted very modern-like with the gray marble floor. The approach was long and high-ceilinged, and would have fit very nicely into that scene from Oz if it were done in shades of emerald green. Stopping outside the doors, Mally tucked the file under her arm and took a deep breath. Being around him all her life still didn’t take away the edge she always felt when in his presence. The man was powerful. It oozed from him in pulsating waves and after all these years, she was still a little scared of him. Pulling her shoulders back, she knocked sharply on the door two times. The door opened and Vincent looked out at her, a grin forming on his face as he gave her the once-over.
“Mally,” he drawled, opening the door wider to allow her entrance. “Dad’s been waiting for you.”
“And you were just on your way out? Oh, shucks.” Mally struck a dramatic pose and then walked past him. There was a resounding crack as his hand smacked her ass.
“I love it when you get fresh,” he cooed to her. “Gets me hard.”
She threw him a steely look over her shoulder. “And here I thought only animals got you off.” Vincent licks his lips.
“I’ll have you yet,” he said after her.
“Over my dead body,” she whispered to herself as she approached Joseph’s personal secretary sitting at her desk outside his office. Mrs. Apperson had been with Joseph for as long as she could remember. She had to be well into her sixties but didn’t look a day over 45.
“Good morning, Ms. Trent,” she said in her cool professional tone. “Mr. Weston is expecting you. Please go on in.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Apperson.” Mally knocked once and then entered.
Joseph’s office was enormous and was surrounded by heavily tinted windows on all three outside walls, affording the room with a spectacular view of the city below and beyond. He had a full conference table along the right side of the room and what amounted to a ‘sitting room’ on the left, complete with gas fire pit and comfy sofas. The man himself was seated at his massive ebony and cherry wood desk, his back to her as he gazed out the windows. Mally cleared her throat quietly and waited. Through experience, she knew you didn’t address him until he addressed you first. It was several long moments before he swiveled in his leather chair and looked at her, his eyes the color of steel.
“Malandra,” he said quietly but firmly. “Come in and take a seat.”
“Good morning Joseph,” she said, glad that her voice was holding steady. “Thank you.” She took the seat he had nodded to and sat. “I’ve brought the budget you asked for on the system upgrades for the coming year,” she advised, taking the folder from under her arm and opening it.
“Put it on the desk,” he said, motioning with his head. Mally faltered for a second, having fully expected him to have her review it for him. If he didn’t want to talk about the budget she had drawn up, then what in hell did he want to speak to her about? She placed the folder on his desk before him and sat back down. He studied her for several moments, Mally looking cautiously back at him. Not really sure how old he was, she guessed he was in his late 50s, his closely trimmed hair a shade of brown with a few threads of silver running through it. He was in good shape and tall, nearing six feet. He wore an air of ‘don’t fuck with me’ like a suit.
“You went to your quarterly exam today,” he began, tenting his fingers before him. She nodded.
“Yes, as usual.”
“I understand you gave Dr. Yasmin a little bit of grief.”
Ah. So that was it. The damn doctor had gone crying to Joseph about her comments. Mally shifted in her chair as his eyes stayed steady on her.
“I guess I did,” she said, taking a deep breath.
“And would you like to voice your concerns to me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Mally fingered the hem of her jacket as she worked up her courage to stand up to him.
“I want to know why I must submit to these tests so often when there is nothing wrong with me.” There. It was out.
The eyebrow arched a little higher. “Really? You know for sure that you won’t develop the disease that your mother had?”
“I can’t stand being stabbed in the neck with a needle anymore,” she said with annoyance in her voice. “And I won’t submit to it any further until I get a second opinion.”
“I see,” he said, coming to his feet. He placed his hands behind his back and strolled out from around the desk. “Very well. I can send you to another doctor—,”
“I want to choose the doctor.” He turned and looked at her.
“Oh? You feel me incapable of choosing an appropriate physician?”
“I think your doctors will tell you whatever you want to hear,” she said, surprised at her own bluntness. He came to within a few feet of her and stared down at her. She could feel his stare upon her like a weight.
“Do you think I put you through these rigors for my own amusement? Do you want to end up like your mother prior to her death?” Mally looked up and met his gaze.
“You’ve made sure that I know nothing of my real parents and therefore can’t respond to that. Any time I ask you about them, you brush my questions aside.”
“Because bringing up the dead has no purpose. The fact that I know what your mother’s medical condition was should be enough for you, because I treated her. Have I not brought you up suitably? Given you things you would not have obtained elsewhere? My dear child—,”
Mally rose to her feet. “I am not a child anymore, Joseph!” she yelled at him. “I am a twenty-six year old woman and tired of being treated like I’m still ten! I legally became an adult five years ago!”
“Sit down and lower your voice,” he commanded, his eyes going dark. Mally knew she had just pushed him to the edge. Letting out a long breath, she sat back down into her seat. He walked around until he was behind her chair.
“Yes, Malandra, you have grown into a woman. One that certain people would try to take from me.”
“Who?” Mally asked. “I’m nobody.”
“You are my ward,” he said. “There are those that would use you to get to me. It is why I protect you so.”
“I want my own life,” Mally said quietly. “I deserve my own life, my own decisions and their repercussions.”
“Didn’t I let you move out of our compound and into your own town home?” he countered with strained tolerance in his voice.
“Yes, but it was one you picked, one you wanted me to live in, Joseph. Not one of my own choice.” His hands slid down the back of the chair and lay upon her shoulders. She hated to feel him touch her—he always felt cold.
“Don’t I let you keep that ridiculous night job?” His hands started to gently massage her. “I have no idea why you want to even step foot in a place like that.”
“Because I like it,” she replied flatly. “Because it’s different.”
“Different it might be, but you are so exposed there. Someone could kidnap you in an instant. Your father had…questionable acquaintances.”
Mally let out a sigh. “I feel like a robotic bug in a jar,” she said resigned. “I live where I’m told to, I work where I’m told to, I’m followed, and my home is monitored. I am in an invisible prison.”
His hands tightened slightly on her shoulders and she winced.
“You are ungrateful for what has been done for you, Malandra. And that’s a shame.”
“Joseph, I do appreciate all that you have done for me as I grew up. But I’m an adult now. I want to make my own way, my own life. Get married one day. Have children.” She tried to make her voice as soothing as possible. His hands left her shoulders and he came back in front of her.
“And what would you do? Go and work for one of my competitors?” he asked coolly. “Have you already been interviewing elsewhere?”
“No,” she said quickly. “And you would have known already if I did. One of your spies you have following me around would have told you.”
“My…spies, as you call them, are your body guards. And if you insist on doing these…shall we say, whimsical forays, then I insist on you having them.” He gave her a look that indicated there was to be no further discussion about the subject. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, throwing his arm across the back and crossing his legs. Could it be that he would finally let her strike out on her own? She swallowed and took a chance.
“My abilities are in demand and I could find work to support me very easily. Out of respect to you, I would not seek employment by another pharmaceutical company.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she saw by the look in his face that she was wrong.
“So now you seek to leave my employ as well,” he said tersely. “You’ve become more than just a woman, Malandra. You’ve become an ungrateful bitch.”
Mally dropped her eyes to her lap. How foolish she was to think that he was actually going to let her leave him and go out on her own. Now he was angry and there was only one way to get back into his good graces. She would have to beg his forgiveness. She could tell by his body posture that he was waiting for it.
“Joseph,” she said softly. “Please, I wish to apologize.”
“Then come here and show me.” His voice was cold and hard. The man never showed any tenderness to her in her entire life. Yet when he changed like this towards her, it was as if he took something away, something that in its own strange way was his love for her, and it made her feel terrible.
Mally rose and walked slowly to him, her eyes on the expensive hand-woven carpet. When she was standing before him, she dropped down onto her knees, placed her hands on top of the sofa’s arm, and bowed her head to her hands. She could smell his cologne coming off his body.
“I’m sorry that I’ve upset you, Joseph. I am very grateful for all you have done for me, all you have given me. I don’t seek to hurt or anger you with my comments. I just wanted—wished to tell you how I feel. I’m twenty six years old and feel like I’m going nowhere.” Mally balled her hands into fists under her chin, her eyes still cast down. “I see others getting married, others doing things that I wish I could do. I want these things not to hurt you, but to help me make my life fuller, to help enrich it. You have been the father I didn’t have. I know you have my best interests at heart. It’s just that I don’t know who I am…I feel so empty, so lost.” The last few words were spoken in barely a whisper. She hated that he was able to reduce her to this. That she couldn’t stop it from happening.
Joseph looked down at her and said nothing for quite a while. He could see her slightly shifting her weight to relieve the cramping that he was sure was setting into her legs. He watched her as she knelt at his feet, her head bowed to him. This is what he wanted from her…her submission, her total obedience. The women in the circles he moved in knew their places. But she was not one of them and as she had pointed out, she was no longer a child that he could ply, although the way in which he accepted apologies from her was still ingrained within her. She was indeed now a woman and one with intelligence; and with that intelligence would come the urge to strike out on her own, to move away from him, to want things for herself. He knew this and it was one of the reasons why he allowed her to get her own place to live and allowed her to work that absurd second job. If he didn’t, it would only entice her to run from him and he didn’t want to expend the manpower to have to hunt her down. It was much easier to just let her have her way…for the time being.
“Joseph, please,” she said in a whisper. “I am truly sorry.”
He placed a hand atop her head. “Are you now?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I want you to abandon this crazy idea of leaving the company, do you understand?”
“Yes, Joseph.”
“Your salary here is more than enough to allow you the comforts you require. There is no need to seek employment elsewhere. I want you here, where I can protect you.” He slid his hand down along the side of her face and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes. “You are my ward and I am your guardian. That is the way of it and nothing short of my death will change that fact. You seek more…diversions to help you fill your life. Is that why you choose to work at that shelter?”
“Yes,” Mally said, looking into his eyes. She was fighting like hell not to well up in front of him. That would show him he had won.
Joseph gazed at her, his eyes going over her face. “You have grown into a fine woman, Malandra. Perhaps you are right; perhaps it is time that you do find a man to care for you. I will keep that in mind the next time I am entertaining some business acquaintances. I’m sure you may find one to your liking—and mine.”
Mally closed her eyes and said nothing. As usual, it was going to be by his rules. She swallowed and opened her eyes.
“As for your exams,” he continued, “Since your results have continually been negative, I will reduce the number of medical examinations to three per year. Should anything show up in the meantime, we will move back to the quarterly monitoring. You will forget about getting a second opinion. Understood?”
Mally nodded. “Yes, Joseph. Thank you.”
“Good,” he said standing. “Now give me your hand.”
Mally put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet, her knees buckling slightly from kneeling so long.
“Go and pour us some coffee and review the budget with me. You need to get back to your work.”
Mally nodded and went to the table that held the carafe and poured out two cups of coffee. Fixing his the way he liked it, she brought the two cups to his desk, placing his in front of him.
“Thank you, Malandra.” She tried to muster a smile.
“You’re welcome, Joseph.”
Pulling the file back over towards her, she took a sip of coffee and opened it up.
“And that,” she thought to herself, “Is the end of that.”
Copyright 2011 - T. M. Sulsona - All Rights Reserved
Several weeks ago, she began having very erotic dreams that would show up every few nights or so. And each time it came, it added a little more to itself as if it were a living, breathing thing, evolving as it went. It was erotic insofar as the way it made her feel. It started out very timidly; nothing to really comment on other than it had stirred up emotions in her body. There were no people in this dream, no objects, nor places. Just feelings of silkiness that made her skin tingle, made her feel alive. And to feel alive is something she very much wanted, for it lacked glaringly from her life.
Twenty six years ago, her parents had been killed in a terrible accident. Having no living relatives left on either side, she had been taken in as an infant by her guardian, Joseph Weston, who was a close friend of her father’s. Joseph, while being very wealthy and affording her many opportunities that she would not otherwise been privy to, ruled her life with an iron fist. Joseph liked to own things, whether they be a person, place, or thing and once owned, you stood very little chance of him ever releasing his grip. He had an odd way about him and you could tell that he was a man who kept many secrets. She had once tried to ask him what had happened to her parents and he had reproached her, telling her that there was no reason for her to dwell in the past. Dead was dead and that was that. He was definitely not the warm and fuzzy type.
Several years ago, she had gone to him and told him that she wanted to move out of the sprawling compound that they lived in and get a place of her own. It was cold and impersonal, like living in a museum. The color choices were gray or black. Mally had expected him to have one of his trademark outbursts at her request, but surprisingly he didn’t. He merely stared at her for several minutes before finally nodding his head. You could have knocked her over with a feather.
“On one condition,” he finally demanded in that clipped tone he took when addressing something that he didn’t like. “That you allow me to pick the place of your residence.”
Eager to be free of his constant surveillance, she agreed. He finally settled on a three-story town home in a nice residential area of the city, close to the bus or train she would need in order to go to work at the company he owned downtown. Joseph had the place wired for security with a direct tie-in to his own security people back at the compound. His grip had loosened a little, but not by much.
Mally rolled over in bed and glanced at the clock glowing on her nightstand. It was 4:12am and she had another hour before she would have to get up for work. Thank god it was Friday.
Work.
That was another of Joseph’s conditions. Growing up, she had been home schooled by private tutors and when her aptitude for all things electronic and computer-wise had shown itself, she was ushered off to a private school so she could expand that area of expertise. Now, she worked at Joseph’s private company as the assistant computer operations manager. The only reason she wasn’t the manager was because Joseph’s own son, Vincent, was. He was a big, GQ-y type of guy with sandy blonde hair and a struggling goatee that looked as if he had kissed the ass-end of a ginger cat after eating something sticky. Besides being cocky, arrogant, and egotistical, he was always after her. He had this long-standing delusion that he was going to get her in bed. Fat chance. Not only was he possessive and domineering like his father, but also thought he was god’s gift to women. While other female workers in the office gave him flirty glances and fawned over him, she looked at him and just wanted to vomit. He was like her brother, for god’s sake. And even if he wasn’t, he just wasn’t her type.
Not that she knew what her type was.
Any attempts at having a social life or going out on dates were either crushed by Joseph claiming the man in question wasn’t good enough for her or Vincent crashed her date and caused trouble. After several embarrassing episodes of this type, she finally gave up dating as a precaution to keep her sanity.
Mally sighed, disgusted with her life. She had no clue where she had come from, or where her life was going. She longed to do what she wanted, when she wanted, without someone following her or telling her what to do. She longed to have a man in her life, someone to hold her, soothe her, and make love to her. Someone who would protect her from men like Vincent—and Joseph, and take her far away where she would never have to see them again.
Giving another loud sigh, Mally burrowed under the covers and pillows, covering herself from head to toe. Encased in the softness and warmth of the bedclothes around her, she felt at ease and oddly safe. As if by hiding this way, nothing from the outside world could harm her. Pulling the blankets closer to her body, her mind wandered back to the dream. There was strange music this time around to accompany that silky erotic feeling that moved against her skin and encompassed her while she slept. Just the thought of it now, caused the tips of her breasts to tingle, the empty echo of what could be if she ever found a man. Mally let the waves of feelings wash over her as she drifted back off to sleep.
The blaring sound of the alarm clock sliced through the silence of the bedroom, causing Mally to shoot straight up in bed for the second time on the same morning. She exploded from under the mound of covers and pillows, causing them to scatter onto the floor. Leaning over towards the night table, she smacked the ‘off’ button, silencing that horrible robotic siren.
“I’ve got to get a different alarm clock,” she mumbled to herself, running her hands over her face and through her hair. “Or I’m seriously going to take a hammer to it.”
Flinging back the remaining blanket, Mally climbed out of bed and over to her desk, popping on her laptop. Grabbing her robe from the back of the bedroom door, she headed into the bathroom to start her daily routine.
Showered, armpits and legs shaved and encased in a towel, she went into her walk-in closet and looked over her wardrobe. This was one of the few areas of her life that she actually had some control over. When she had hit the age of twenty, she was given a monthly allowance for clothes. The allowance was quite generous considering there were only so many clothes you could wear. What she didn’t use to buy clothes, she deposited into a savings account that she took pains to hide from Joseph. He had secrets? Well, so would she. Knowing she actually had something in her life that he didn’t know about gave her a perverse pleasure and she grinned. Sorting through several outfits, she chose a black Channel pant suit, a cream colored silk blouse, and a pair of smart heels. Bringing her selections back out into the bedroom, she laid the items over the back of her desk chair and turned to make the bed.
Once dressed, she headed to her laptop and did a quick scan of her email. Discarding the spam and ads for larger penises, she opened the first of the two remaining emails. The first was from her friend, Nibbs, asking her if she was working tonight. A smile formed slowly on her face. Like her clothes, this second ‘job’ had been of her own doing, her own choice—and it was a thorn in Joseph’s side. While she had to be all trussed up and business-like by day, at night she worked at a local animal shelter that was run by Nibbs and her walking wall of a boyfriend, Rass, who took in exotic animals besides the normal cats and dogs. Mally had a love for animals, but strangely enough, it was the reptiles she was drawn to. She liked their sleek bodies and shimmering scales. Besides the oddities that resided within the shelter, it also drew people from all walks of life—people she found intriguing and exciting, so different from her normal, laced up, white collar job. Leather-clad men with piercings and tattoos came to adopt iguanas and snakes, mixed in with the Norman Rockwell families that came to take home puppies or kittens. The running of the shelter was loosely structured and had a general feeling of ‘anything goes.’ Rock and rap music pumped throughout the shelter as well as classical; volunteers came to work the pens and clean the cages. It was a feast for her dull and protected senses. It made her feel alive…just like the dream.
Typing quickly, she sent off her reply that she would indeed be in later. Mally then opened the last email and frowned. Was it that time already? It was a reminder from the clinic at Joseph’s company that she was due for her quarterly medical examination. Like clockwork, Joseph made sure she was examined regularly at his private clinic, the doctors mainly concentrating on her throat. Apparently her mother had been prone to cysts on the thyroid and Joseph wanted to make sure that none grew unnoticed upon hers and became cancerous. The tests were always negative and she couldn’t understand his obsession with making her go through this every three months.
Clicking the ‘delete’ button, Mally shut down the laptop and headed downstairs to make herself a cup of coffee and grab a bagel before leaving to catch the train. Coffee tumbler in hand, bagel trapped in her mouth, and a black duffel bag containing the clothes she would change into later at the shelter, she went to the front door, activated the alarm, and locked the door behind her.
Mally emerged a half hour later in front of Weston Pharmaceuticals, a towering 16-story building that housed the headquarters of the Weston empire. It was located in the heart of the city, on some of the most expensive real estate available. Besides producing what its name implied, it also housed a clinic for specialized diseases on its bottom floor. It was there that she headed for first to get the examination over with. She entered through the private side door marked “Employees Only.”
Passing her ID card through the computerized card key, the green light flashed and she passed through the entryway door and down the long corridor into the elaborately decorated foyer at the front of the building. Waving a quick hello to Betsy who worked behind the reception desk, she crossed the black marble floor and entered another hallway, moving quickly along its length, the sound of her heels echoing off the high ceiling. At this time of morning it was relatively quiet; the flow of business men and general public not beginning until it neared 9:00am. Reaching the end of the hall, she pressed a hand against a glass door and entered the clinic.
“Ah, good morning Ms. Trent,” said a chipper nurse from behind the pane of glass. “Here for the usual?”
“Of course,” Mally replied with a smile. “Why else would I ever want to be here?”
The nurse smiled and pointed to the door to her left. “Go ahead in. I’m sure Dr. Yasmin is waiting for you.”
Giving a nod of thanks, Mally went through the door and into the only examination room that had its lights on. Sure enough, the good ol’ doctor was there, waiting for her. When Mally walked in, the doctor smiled.
“Good morning, Ms. Trent. I knew you’d be here first thing in the morning. I know you like to get this over with.”
“That’s the truth,” Mally said, removing her jacket and putting it around the back of a chair in the corner. Used to the routine by now, she grabbed a hospital johnny from a hook near the door and walked to where the privacy curtain was located. Pulling it shut, she undressed from the waist up, put the johnny on, and returned to the middle of the room.
“Let’s get started, shall we?” Dr. Yasmin asked, patting the gurney table. “Hop on up.”
Mally climbed up onto the table and scooted back, holding one of her arms out for the doctor to take her blood pressure. Slipping on the cuff, Dr. Yasmin inflated it until it pinched tight, then slowly let out the air, listening intently with her stethoscope. Finishing, she moved behind Mally, listening to her heart and breathing.
“Everything seems fine this morning,” Dr. Yasmin advised, bringing over a tray caddy filled with phlebotomy items. Tying a length of rubber strap around her upper arm, the good doctor removed several vials of blood for testing. Carefully marking each one with a Sharpie and putting them into a holder, she replaced the tray on a side counter and went to grab the ultrasound cart.
“Lay back now,” she instructed as she began entering in the vitals on Mally. “I’ll try and get this over with as quickly as I can.” Mally did as she was told, her hands slowly balling into fists, a light sweat breaking out on her upper lip. She abhorred this part. Could see absolutely no reason for it to be done so often. Mally had done some research into it, and quite frankly, the whole situation was absurd.
“Do you really feel it’s necessary to perform this procedure so often?” Mally asked as the doctor squeezed blue lubricating gel onto her neck. “It’s not like you’ve ever found anything. I could see if there were some suspicious cells, but really—I,”
“You know of Mr. Weston’s orders,” Dr. Yasmin said a little tightly as she opened some packages on the table. “He’s been studying rare diseases for many years and I think he knows what he’s doing.”
“Well, I’m going to have a talk with him,” Mally said evenly, trying to keep the rising anger from her voice. “I don’t have a rare disease and I’ve had just about enough of this.”
Dr. Yasmin’s brows shot up. “So, you think you know better than he or I?”
“I think I want a second opinion,” Mally said curtly.
“I see,” the doctor replied coolly. “Well, you go right ahead and speak to Mr. Weston about that. In the meantime, I have my orders.”
The doctor ran the head of the wand over her neck, pushing back and forth until she had found the appropriate spot. After all these years, Mally thought, she should be able to do this blindfolded. As the doctor went to reach for something on the table next to her, Mally closed her eyes—tight.
Dr. Yasmin brought the end of a six-inch needle to the skin of Mally’s neck and slid it in. Mally cringed and uttered a small muffled cry of pain, but knew better than to jerk. Withdrawing a sample from within, the doctor removed the needle and put the ultrasound wand down. She wiped the area unceremoniously with an alcohol swab and put a clear band-aid over the small puncture wound.
“You’re finished,” the doctor said, her voice still cool. “Please leave a urine sample on the way out. Enjoy the rest of your day, Ms. Trent.” Picking up the needle and the vials of blood, the doctor turned and left her alone in the cold, antiseptic room.
Mally sat up slowly, her arms shaking from both the ordeal and anger. There was nothing wrong with her and she knew it. This testing of his was nothing more than glossed-over, unexplainable experimentation. While she may have bought his story in the beginning about his concern for her health, she now didn’t believe a lick of it. She was no longer a young, naïve girl.
Determined, Mally got dressed, picked up her coffee tumbler and duffel bag and left the clinic, not bothering to leave the requested urine sample.
Her mind was running wild with all sorts of confrontations and arguments she was going to make to Joseph once she got to his office. Stabbing the elevator call button, she drained her coffee and stared at the doors waiting for them to open. The bell sounded, heralding the arrival of the elevator. Mally shifted her bag on her shoulder and stuffed the coffee tumbler into it as she entered, punching the button for the top floor.
As the car came to a stop on the 16th floor of the building, Mally stepped out into the lavish foyer of the penthouse offices, from which Joseph ran his empire. His massive suite of rooms was at the far end of the hall down to the left. Mally headed off to the right and down the hall towards her own.
“Good morning Ms. Trent,” said the receptionist cheerfully from behind her cherry wood desk. “Mr. Weston asks that you join him for coffee in his office once you get settled.”
“Thanks Abby,” Mally said with a wave of her hand as she continued to her office. Tapping in her code on the keypad outside her door, she heard it unlock and pushed it open. Flipping the lights on and throwing her duffel bag onto the overstuffed high-wing chair in the corner, she went to her desk and perused its contents for the file Joseph was most likely waiting for. Her body was still ringing with anger and she stopped, propping her hands down on the desk’s cool surface. Mally closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to bring herself under control. She winced as the action caused the needle wound on her neck to sting.
“All right,” she said to herself. “Let’s get this over with.”
Going to Joseph’s office always reminded her of that scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the foursome was walking down that long, green hall to where the Wizard held court. It was very similar. The hall going down to the massive doors that led into Joseph’s private offices was lined with black marble columns that contrasted very modern-like with the gray marble floor. The approach was long and high-ceilinged, and would have fit very nicely into that scene from Oz if it were done in shades of emerald green. Stopping outside the doors, Mally tucked the file under her arm and took a deep breath. Being around him all her life still didn’t take away the edge she always felt when in his presence. The man was powerful. It oozed from him in pulsating waves and after all these years, she was still a little scared of him. Pulling her shoulders back, she knocked sharply on the door two times. The door opened and Vincent looked out at her, a grin forming on his face as he gave her the once-over.
“Mally,” he drawled, opening the door wider to allow her entrance. “Dad’s been waiting for you.”
“And you were just on your way out? Oh, shucks.” Mally struck a dramatic pose and then walked past him. There was a resounding crack as his hand smacked her ass.
“I love it when you get fresh,” he cooed to her. “Gets me hard.”
She threw him a steely look over her shoulder. “And here I thought only animals got you off.” Vincent licks his lips.
“I’ll have you yet,” he said after her.
“Over my dead body,” she whispered to herself as she approached Joseph’s personal secretary sitting at her desk outside his office. Mrs. Apperson had been with Joseph for as long as she could remember. She had to be well into her sixties but didn’t look a day over 45.
“Good morning, Ms. Trent,” she said in her cool professional tone. “Mr. Weston is expecting you. Please go on in.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Apperson.” Mally knocked once and then entered.
Joseph’s office was enormous and was surrounded by heavily tinted windows on all three outside walls, affording the room with a spectacular view of the city below and beyond. He had a full conference table along the right side of the room and what amounted to a ‘sitting room’ on the left, complete with gas fire pit and comfy sofas. The man himself was seated at his massive ebony and cherry wood desk, his back to her as he gazed out the windows. Mally cleared her throat quietly and waited. Through experience, she knew you didn’t address him until he addressed you first. It was several long moments before he swiveled in his leather chair and looked at her, his eyes the color of steel.
“Malandra,” he said quietly but firmly. “Come in and take a seat.”
“Good morning Joseph,” she said, glad that her voice was holding steady. “Thank you.” She took the seat he had nodded to and sat. “I’ve brought the budget you asked for on the system upgrades for the coming year,” she advised, taking the folder from under her arm and opening it.
“Put it on the desk,” he said, motioning with his head. Mally faltered for a second, having fully expected him to have her review it for him. If he didn’t want to talk about the budget she had drawn up, then what in hell did he want to speak to her about? She placed the folder on his desk before him and sat back down. He studied her for several moments, Mally looking cautiously back at him. Not really sure how old he was, she guessed he was in his late 50s, his closely trimmed hair a shade of brown with a few threads of silver running through it. He was in good shape and tall, nearing six feet. He wore an air of ‘don’t fuck with me’ like a suit.
“You went to your quarterly exam today,” he began, tenting his fingers before him. She nodded.
“Yes, as usual.”
“I understand you gave Dr. Yasmin a little bit of grief.”
Ah. So that was it. The damn doctor had gone crying to Joseph about her comments. Mally shifted in her chair as his eyes stayed steady on her.
“I guess I did,” she said, taking a deep breath.
“And would you like to voice your concerns to me?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Mally fingered the hem of her jacket as she worked up her courage to stand up to him.
“I want to know why I must submit to these tests so often when there is nothing wrong with me.” There. It was out.
The eyebrow arched a little higher. “Really? You know for sure that you won’t develop the disease that your mother had?”
“I can’t stand being stabbed in the neck with a needle anymore,” she said with annoyance in her voice. “And I won’t submit to it any further until I get a second opinion.”
“I see,” he said, coming to his feet. He placed his hands behind his back and strolled out from around the desk. “Very well. I can send you to another doctor—,”
“I want to choose the doctor.” He turned and looked at her.
“Oh? You feel me incapable of choosing an appropriate physician?”
“I think your doctors will tell you whatever you want to hear,” she said, surprised at her own bluntness. He came to within a few feet of her and stared down at her. She could feel his stare upon her like a weight.
“Do you think I put you through these rigors for my own amusement? Do you want to end up like your mother prior to her death?” Mally looked up and met his gaze.
“You’ve made sure that I know nothing of my real parents and therefore can’t respond to that. Any time I ask you about them, you brush my questions aside.”
“Because bringing up the dead has no purpose. The fact that I know what your mother’s medical condition was should be enough for you, because I treated her. Have I not brought you up suitably? Given you things you would not have obtained elsewhere? My dear child—,”
Mally rose to her feet. “I am not a child anymore, Joseph!” she yelled at him. “I am a twenty-six year old woman and tired of being treated like I’m still ten! I legally became an adult five years ago!”
“Sit down and lower your voice,” he commanded, his eyes going dark. Mally knew she had just pushed him to the edge. Letting out a long breath, she sat back down into her seat. He walked around until he was behind her chair.
“Yes, Malandra, you have grown into a woman. One that certain people would try to take from me.”
“Who?” Mally asked. “I’m nobody.”
“You are my ward,” he said. “There are those that would use you to get to me. It is why I protect you so.”
“I want my own life,” Mally said quietly. “I deserve my own life, my own decisions and their repercussions.”
“Didn’t I let you move out of our compound and into your own town home?” he countered with strained tolerance in his voice.
“Yes, but it was one you picked, one you wanted me to live in, Joseph. Not one of my own choice.” His hands slid down the back of the chair and lay upon her shoulders. She hated to feel him touch her—he always felt cold.
“Don’t I let you keep that ridiculous night job?” His hands started to gently massage her. “I have no idea why you want to even step foot in a place like that.”
“Because I like it,” she replied flatly. “Because it’s different.”
“Different it might be, but you are so exposed there. Someone could kidnap you in an instant. Your father had…questionable acquaintances.”
Mally let out a sigh. “I feel like a robotic bug in a jar,” she said resigned. “I live where I’m told to, I work where I’m told to, I’m followed, and my home is monitored. I am in an invisible prison.”
His hands tightened slightly on her shoulders and she winced.
“You are ungrateful for what has been done for you, Malandra. And that’s a shame.”
“Joseph, I do appreciate all that you have done for me as I grew up. But I’m an adult now. I want to make my own way, my own life. Get married one day. Have children.” She tried to make her voice as soothing as possible. His hands left her shoulders and he came back in front of her.
“And what would you do? Go and work for one of my competitors?” he asked coolly. “Have you already been interviewing elsewhere?”
“No,” she said quickly. “And you would have known already if I did. One of your spies you have following me around would have told you.”
“My…spies, as you call them, are your body guards. And if you insist on doing these…shall we say, whimsical forays, then I insist on you having them.” He gave her a look that indicated there was to be no further discussion about the subject. He walked over to the sofa and sat down, throwing his arm across the back and crossing his legs. Could it be that he would finally let her strike out on her own? She swallowed and took a chance.
“My abilities are in demand and I could find work to support me very easily. Out of respect to you, I would not seek employment by another pharmaceutical company.” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she saw by the look in his face that she was wrong.
“So now you seek to leave my employ as well,” he said tersely. “You’ve become more than just a woman, Malandra. You’ve become an ungrateful bitch.”
Mally dropped her eyes to her lap. How foolish she was to think that he was actually going to let her leave him and go out on her own. Now he was angry and there was only one way to get back into his good graces. She would have to beg his forgiveness. She could tell by his body posture that he was waiting for it.
“Joseph,” she said softly. “Please, I wish to apologize.”
“Then come here and show me.” His voice was cold and hard. The man never showed any tenderness to her in her entire life. Yet when he changed like this towards her, it was as if he took something away, something that in its own strange way was his love for her, and it made her feel terrible.
Mally rose and walked slowly to him, her eyes on the expensive hand-woven carpet. When she was standing before him, she dropped down onto her knees, placed her hands on top of the sofa’s arm, and bowed her head to her hands. She could smell his cologne coming off his body.
“I’m sorry that I’ve upset you, Joseph. I am very grateful for all you have done for me, all you have given me. I don’t seek to hurt or anger you with my comments. I just wanted—wished to tell you how I feel. I’m twenty six years old and feel like I’m going nowhere.” Mally balled her hands into fists under her chin, her eyes still cast down. “I see others getting married, others doing things that I wish I could do. I want these things not to hurt you, but to help me make my life fuller, to help enrich it. You have been the father I didn’t have. I know you have my best interests at heart. It’s just that I don’t know who I am…I feel so empty, so lost.” The last few words were spoken in barely a whisper. She hated that he was able to reduce her to this. That she couldn’t stop it from happening.
Joseph looked down at her and said nothing for quite a while. He could see her slightly shifting her weight to relieve the cramping that he was sure was setting into her legs. He watched her as she knelt at his feet, her head bowed to him. This is what he wanted from her…her submission, her total obedience. The women in the circles he moved in knew their places. But she was not one of them and as she had pointed out, she was no longer a child that he could ply, although the way in which he accepted apologies from her was still ingrained within her. She was indeed now a woman and one with intelligence; and with that intelligence would come the urge to strike out on her own, to move away from him, to want things for herself. He knew this and it was one of the reasons why he allowed her to get her own place to live and allowed her to work that absurd second job. If he didn’t, it would only entice her to run from him and he didn’t want to expend the manpower to have to hunt her down. It was much easier to just let her have her way…for the time being.
“Joseph, please,” she said in a whisper. “I am truly sorry.”
He placed a hand atop her head. “Are you now?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I want you to abandon this crazy idea of leaving the company, do you understand?”
“Yes, Joseph.”
“Your salary here is more than enough to allow you the comforts you require. There is no need to seek employment elsewhere. I want you here, where I can protect you.” He slid his hand down along the side of her face and tilted her chin up so he could see her eyes. “You are my ward and I am your guardian. That is the way of it and nothing short of my death will change that fact. You seek more…diversions to help you fill your life. Is that why you choose to work at that shelter?”
“Yes,” Mally said, looking into his eyes. She was fighting like hell not to well up in front of him. That would show him he had won.
Joseph gazed at her, his eyes going over her face. “You have grown into a fine woman, Malandra. Perhaps you are right; perhaps it is time that you do find a man to care for you. I will keep that in mind the next time I am entertaining some business acquaintances. I’m sure you may find one to your liking—and mine.”
Mally closed her eyes and said nothing. As usual, it was going to be by his rules. She swallowed and opened her eyes.
“As for your exams,” he continued, “Since your results have continually been negative, I will reduce the number of medical examinations to three per year. Should anything show up in the meantime, we will move back to the quarterly monitoring. You will forget about getting a second opinion. Understood?”
Mally nodded. “Yes, Joseph. Thank you.”
“Good,” he said standing. “Now give me your hand.”
Mally put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet, her knees buckling slightly from kneeling so long.
“Go and pour us some coffee and review the budget with me. You need to get back to your work.”
Mally nodded and went to the table that held the carafe and poured out two cups of coffee. Fixing his the way he liked it, she brought the two cups to his desk, placing his in front of him.
“Thank you, Malandra.” She tried to muster a smile.
“You’re welcome, Joseph.”
Pulling the file back over towards her, she took a sip of coffee and opened it up.
“And that,” she thought to herself, “Is the end of that.”
Copyright 2011 - T. M. Sulsona - All Rights Reserved
I'm Such a Slacker!
Dear lord, I can't believe I haven't posted since February!!! *hangs head in shame* I'm such a slacker...but maybe not really.
Real life has been quite full and complicated lately, what with my daughter graduating High School, looking for a college, applying, financing, scheduling, etc etc etc.
I have also finished off Venom's manuscript and have been in the process of re-reading, tweaking, re-writing, etc etc etc all in preparation for sending it off to my editor so she can rip it apart and we can do all of the above all over again! LOL! Such is the way of creativity. But I'm really anxious to get him to press as I think you'll all enjoy Mr. V a whole hell of a lot. *voice drops conspiratorially* I think I like him better than D.....but don't tell him I said that.... *looks around to make sure she wasn't overheard* *clears throat* So, yes, "The Colubrii: Awakening" is completed for the most part. I am going to make my next post the first Chapter of the book so I can *hopefully* whet your appetites.
Let's see...what else. "The Sagittary" is available on Nook now, and we're working on getting it uploaded to Smashwords as well. Kindle now has it available in the UK and Germany.
Had the opportunity to meet Nalini Singh in NYC last month at the Barnes & Noble. What a fun time! She is quite humorous! And after hearing all the other women drool over her Angel series, I have put them on my wish list.
Please be sure to check out The Paranormal Romance Guild and the monthly give aways they have going for a chance to win some free books and stuff from new authors. You can check out the give away for July by clicking on this link: The Paranormal Romance Guild
Well I guess that's about it for now. Going to try and get some canning done this weekend...bought a bunch of lovely peaches and gonna turn them into jam! Mmmmm.....
Hope you all are enjoying the summer....happy reading!
TMS
Real life has been quite full and complicated lately, what with my daughter graduating High School, looking for a college, applying, financing, scheduling, etc etc etc.
I have also finished off Venom's manuscript and have been in the process of re-reading, tweaking, re-writing, etc etc etc all in preparation for sending it off to my editor so she can rip it apart and we can do all of the above all over again! LOL! Such is the way of creativity. But I'm really anxious to get him to press as I think you'll all enjoy Mr. V a whole hell of a lot. *voice drops conspiratorially* I think I like him better than D.....but don't tell him I said that.... *looks around to make sure she wasn't overheard* *clears throat* So, yes, "The Colubrii: Awakening" is completed for the most part. I am going to make my next post the first Chapter of the book so I can *hopefully* whet your appetites.
Let's see...what else. "The Sagittary" is available on Nook now, and we're working on getting it uploaded to Smashwords as well. Kindle now has it available in the UK and Germany.
Had the opportunity to meet Nalini Singh in NYC last month at the Barnes & Noble. What a fun time! She is quite humorous! And after hearing all the other women drool over her Angel series, I have put them on my wish list.
Please be sure to check out The Paranormal Romance Guild and the monthly give aways they have going for a chance to win some free books and stuff from new authors. You can check out the give away for July by clicking on this link: The Paranormal Romance Guild
Well I guess that's about it for now. Going to try and get some canning done this weekend...bought a bunch of lovely peaches and gonna turn them into jam! Mmmmm.....
Hope you all are enjoying the summer....happy reading!
TMS
Monday, February 7, 2011
Paranormal Romance Guild: February Give-Away Contest!
The Paranormal Romance Guild is giving away 3 books from the Justice Triology by Regan Black. All you need to do to enter to win is leave a comment. Just click on the title above to enter! Good luck!!
Bitten by Books gives "The Sagittary" 4 1/2 Tombstones out of 5!!
The Sagittary was a very intense and imaginative read from cover to cover. I was very leery of reviewing such an opus but was very impressed by the way it kept my attention wrapped up in their quest throughout the 740 pages. This was the main basis of my confusion as to how to review such a lengthy book, and I hope you will stay with me and understand that without going into tremendous detail, I found it hard to wrap up my summary with only a few sentences.Tessa Chiron has always had a love for mythology, and especially a fondness on the historical representation of Centaur. Working in the Literary Department at the University gave her more than the average opportunity to indulge in her passion and learn everything she could about the mythological creatures that were half-man/half-stallion, Centaurs. Waking one morning to an early delivery, Tessa finds that a mysterious person had sent her a very old leather bound book and a beautiful gold necklace with a Centauress depicted on its front in a peculiarly awkward pose. Bizarre in the fact alone that someone would send her such a valuable gift with no return address and but even more so in that the book itself was empty, the pages bare with the exception of a few yellow bookmarks within. Tessa is intrigued to find out more about her mysterious gift and finds a hint inside the cover that leads to a miraculous story appearing before her on the pages of the journal. By placing the necklace around her neck, she is gifted with the sight to read the tales put forth by several women, women who were taken from this plane and lived their lives as Mares to the Stallion, the leader of the Centaurs who reside in a beautiful valley.
The seduction by Darien, the sexy Centaur in her dreams, and the fact that the chain will not come off her neck leads Tessa to more than accept that she has found a link to a secret world that no one else had been a part of for centuries. Her dream man/Stallion needs her to find something stolen from his world then bring it to him along with herself, forever to stay in the lands of the Centaurs. Using the talents of her best friend, Carmen, and help from the Arts Department, they find the object that her dream man desires, the object that will return luck and prosperity to their lands and people. The only problem is it is owned by a handsome yet dark man who is very covetous of his idol making it very difficult to abscond with the prize and return it to the man awaiting on the other side of her dreams.
Adapting to her new life, Tessa finds that it is not easy to change from the modern woman to the rules and ways of their secluded life. Falling in love with the Stallion who claims her, proclaiming himself her sire, his offer to “wed” her and give her the title of his Mare helps to sooth Tessa’s reluctance of the situation she cannot escape. When Darien allows her the boon he promised—to speak one time to her best friend in dreamspeak—things in their little valley get even more complicated when Carmen and the mystery man appear. Struggling to accept this new wrinkle in her life, Tessa must find a way to accept another into her life with the appearance of Darien’s twin, Peiter, who finds his way into her bed and her heart, if she is to accomplish a test the God Poseidon set up for her—a test that will either solidify the Centaurs’ life for centuries to come or strip them all of what they are struggling to hold on to without a true Centauress to guide them and give them hope for future generations to come. The quest set, Tessa is finally shown her true self by the Goddess herself and given the knowledge she needs to hopefully complete the tasks before her in her position as their first Centauress and the true hope for all of their futures.
I really did not know what to expect with this book. Shock and a teensy tiny bit of negativity was felt when a 740 page opus was opened on my laptop, but those feelings soon became replaced by feelings of exuberance and captivated interest as I sped through the journey with Tessa, Darien and Peiter. To say that I have not had such an about face to the positive side in my opinion of a book in quite some time would be false. I have to say instead that I loved the book. Again, I hesitated to see how this fantasy book would handle what is basically “equine/human” sex, but it was done so tastefully and sensuously; I felt drawn into their, at times, very emotional bedroom play. I particularly was laughing out loud and begging for a bit more clarity when it came to an orgy scene between the three Centaur brothers and the two human women—especially it was speculated at their morning meal that Tessa and Carmen might have had some fun on their own with the men sitting back to enjoy the show. With that set aside, Tessa held her own with the dominant Centaur men, and the way she reacted to giving up her existence in our world to live with the men she loved was excellent writing and propelled the plot of the novel throughout their plight and their fight to save this unknown world from decimation. I loved, for the most part, all of the storyline, with only a bit of question as to my feelings for some of Carmen’s reactions/actions which came across a bit too needy and whiny. Even with the length of the novel, there was no fluff involved in cultivating the story; in fact, if anything, there were a few instances where I wanted a bit more out of the scenes. The Sagittary was one very interesting, emotional and exciting fantasy escape, and I really hope that the readers of this review take the time to plunge into this offering. It is definitely worth the time to take a chance and immerse yourself in some Mythological Centaur love.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 740 pages
- Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (October 8, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1439203210
- ISBN-13: 978-1439203217
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