Dragon Love

Chloe heaved a sigh as she leaned into the mirror with lipstick in hand. She’d been summoned to Marcus’ office. She assumed he’d taken objection to the report she’d submitted the day before. He’d expected her to close the case by now and she had. She’d met the deadline, but not the expectations.  She just hadn’t come up with the evidence he expected, or possibly even needed. It was a tough case that left her feeling depleted and disappointed.  She didn’t like falling short on the expectations placed upon her. It rarely happened; which was a good thing, since she beat herself up so much for her own failures, there was no need for Marcus to utter a word.  He would, of course.  In fact, she was certain he’d utter a slew of words before he was done.She smoothed the lipstick she’d applied with her fingertips and placed the cap back on the tube.  Shoving it into her cosmetic case and

Chloe was grateful for the brisk pace Jim set as he led her a few blocks west of the coffee shop to Raul’s House of Beauty; Raul being the owner and also his friend.  It forced her to pay attention so as not to lose him in the bustling street rather than fester over his rudeness.“Jim Lancer, you sly dog.  Where have you been hiding?” Raul purred as Jim leaned forward to accept a light kiss on the cheek.“Raul Diego, may I introduce Chloe Kensington, my coworker?” Jim said as he pulled Chloe into the space between them.Raul was an average looking fellow beneath the glitz and glitter of his flamboyant getup.  Being of equal height to Jim, Chloe felt small and insignificant as she craned her head to look up at his delicate and quite feminine face.The salon owner was as she expected; arrogant and one-hundred-percent positive that he knew the perfect look for her.  A battle of wills ensued for a considerable

Chloe entered the elevator of the twelve-story office building and pressed the button to take her to the eleventh floor.  She’d managed to convince Jim that her idea of applying for a job with Antoh Sudnik was the better idea, since she’d need far less tutoring to pull off her role in the ruse.  As luck would have it, they were open to another assistant in the lab.  To her surprise, delight, and ego, she was hired on the spot.  To her disappointment, it was accomplished via an office manager. She’d never once seen the infamous Dr. Antoh Sudnik.Now, on her first day of work, she was to report to the corporate office, where she would be given her instructions and then sent to the lab for which she was hired.  She’d been told that the lab was not in the city due to the codes that restricted the research being done by Sudnik Research for Humanity.  She saw no other option than to follow through with her plan and hope that Dr.

Try as he may, Tristan just couldn’t bring his surroundings into focus.  His mind was foggy.  It took considerable effort to remember who he was, where he was, and why he was there.  Visions of his years growing up in Manthella floated inside his head.  They’d been happy years, filled with fun and pleasure right up until he was old enough to choose which faction he’d join.  His parents were both physicians and wanted him to be the same, but his personality and constitution leaned more toward the military.It was his limited exposure to medicine that gave him an understanding of what was happening.  He’d been injected with a serum that would incapacitate him so that his captors had the freedom to do as they wished with his body.  Although barely aware of his senses, he was able to feel a poke and a jab now and then.  An electric rod was used on more than one occasion to elicit a positive or negative response. 

The pounding of her soft soled shoes on the highly polished tiled floor competed with her breathing as she raced from room to room, calling for the doctor.  She found him in a room at the opposite end of the facility.  He was observing an unusually tall, half-naked man in a glass cubicle that was similar to the one in her own laboratory.Chloe was so taken aback by the sight of his perfect body and handsome face as he moved closer to the glass upon her arrival that she nearly forgot why she was there.   She also forgot to make note of the fact that he was shackled at the ankles and clearly being held prisoner. - It wasn’t until she lay in bed, later that night, that the memory came to mind.It took the doctor demanding to know why she was there for her to come to her senses and tear her eyes off the gorgeous specimen of a man.  She breathlessly explained what was happening. He said something to the attendant in the room and then quickly h