The book was just out of reach, Kellie Laskey stood on the very tips of her toes, fingers stretched as far as they could go and she still couldn’t reach the damn book. It—the book—was one the wrong shelf, and it was her job to put the books where they belonged.

She fell back to the flats of her shoes, put her hands on her hips and glared hatefully at the book. A second later she stuck her tongue out at the book and turned to find one of those little stool things.

“Were you trying to reach that book? I can get it for you if you like,” Kellie...   read more »

Charles Duchamp POV

I pinned Aloysius’ hands to the wall and above his head as I forced a kiss on his unresponsive lips. He tried to turn his head away but I wouldn’t allow it, he needed to be brought into his power before it went away completely. Diogenes had already had his audeur awoken a few years ago, but Aloysius had been keeping his sex-magic under-wraps. Their mother had asked me to awaken it before it was too late. Aloysius wasn’t so keen on the idea; he’d been pushing me away all night, even though I had explained the situation.

“I don’t want to be ruled by the audeur.” He’d said.

“You won’t be, but Aloysius, if you don’t come into your power you’ll be an empty thing; a...   read more »

She opened the door to allow her good friend, Special Agent Aloysius Pendergast, to leave as he usually did after the tea was drunk and whatever pastries she had baked for him were eaten. But this time, it seemed, was going to be different. He softly closed the door and looked her full in the face with an expression almost of pain mixed with weariness.

“Not tonight,” he murmured softly into her ear. “I’m not leaving tonight.”

She was surprised. After all this time, she knew he liked her as a friend — someone to talk to and share common interests with. But this was not what she had ever expected from the reserved and oh-so-proper Special Agent.

She sighed not quite sure what do to next. Or what to expect.

“I... I wasn’t... I didn’t think you... were interested in anything more than company,” she replied not daring to look into those incredible...   read more »

Pendergast watched as Morgana flipped through the new issue of the Museum Journal. She absently sought for the glass of wine he had placed before her on the cherry wood coffee table. With one long graceful hand, he took the glass and handed it to her, their fingers touching, causing their eyes to meet and she saw he was flushed.

“How do you find the wine?” Pendergast asked, not caring but not wanting Morgana’s attention to stray.

“It is very good Aloyisius. You have the finest taste as usual,” she said smiling, playful, wondering at his seeming discomfort.

Pendergast moved closer to Morgana, and cautiously, tenderly brushed a strand of hair from her forehead. Morgana’s eyes widened but he saw the desire in their deep brown depths, causing a stirring in his loins.

“This is hard for me Morgana, as you know we have an unusual history. Suffice to say I have not been...   read more »

Short backstory: The heroine (Sheridan Keyes) is an artist whose bread-and-butter work is restorations. She was hired to redo an 1890’s Museum painting on the ceiling of one of the halls. During her research, she went through some unmarked papers and unknowingly turned up a rough draft of Leng’s immortality formula. Fairhaven found out. He searched her apartment; kidnapped and tortured her lover, Jackson Lisle. When that didn’t turn up the formula, he went after Sheridan in the Museum in his Surgeon guise, but she escaped. He held Jackson as hostage, but she circumvented him by hiding the formula and turning herself in to a couple of cops sharper than Braskie. Unfortunately, Fairhaven killed them—and after a prolonged nasty chase through the Museum, grabbed Sheridan. She refused to reveal where the formula was, but was too badly-injured for him to torture her. Fortunately, his attention was distracted by Smithback poking...   read more »

The blow came from above. It was relatively painless, at first, more a physical shock than pain. Pain came later; right on the heels of it, actually, as if my head needed a moment to accept it was being assaulted. I was not totally surprised by the attack; I had been warned after all.

As the pavement rose toward my face, all I could think was, “Well, hell.”



The call came on a Saturday, around 11:30. I had just finished my last set and was in my dressing room removing my make-up when the phone rang. I paused, washcloth to my chin. No one knew that number except my agent, Tommy, and the owner of the club. I had just seen Tommy not ten minutes before, and Derek was on the floor. I looked into the mirror and met my own eyes. The anxiety might never pass. Several years prior, I...   read more »

Sophia desperately wished he would say or do something. The sexual tension in the rose-colored sitting room was overwhelming, as she stood face-to-face with Pendergast. His smooth skin and rigid posture made him seem like a statue wearing a black suit. A shudder of pleasure quaked through her body when at last he placed a pale hand on the small of her back and pulled her a few inches closer to him. She looked into his unusual eyes and saw a battle between reason and passion being waged. One long finger found its way to her full lips and gently traced their outline. She moaned when his mouth finally descended to hers. His kiss was tender and lingering. Pendergast lost control of himself for the first time in her presence, when she responded by pressing her whole body against him. His barriers broke, and passion won the war against reason.

Aloysius...   read more »

She is lying in the warm, swirling water of the oversized whirlpool tub which is sunken in the middle of the bathroom floor in the Pendergast Dakota apartment. Her long, brown curls are pinned up, and she is drowsing from the heat of the water and the delicious swirls enveloping her body. The steam carries a faint fragrance of lavender from the soap she has used. She hears the door open softly but hears no footsteps padding across the room which is bathed in deep amber from the glow of the dimmed lighting. Presently, she hears a deep Southern purr asking, “Would you care for some company, my dear?” “Mmmmmmm,” she murmurs, “that would be nice. That would be very nice.” A small smile of expectation blossoms as she hears Aloysius step down into the tub and feels him gently lay next to her in the golden-rippled water. She opens...   read more »