Sunday Snippet: Gotta Make a Living

Wow. Only two months left in 2015. Where did my year go? LOL

TV round up… pretty great this week. I have a feeling The Walking Dead is going to blow my mind. I couldn't watch Doctor Who due to a crazy, insane, busy weekend, but I'll catch up soon.

Gotham and Sleepy Hollow were quite good. I love how Gotham is all about the rise of the villains and the focus on the new crop, but I'm really enjoying Nygma's slow burn. I'm pretty excited to see where things go there. And Sleepy Hollow's crossover with Bones ended up being pretty fun.

The Flash and Arrow are still ranking high on my 'can't miss anything' list. Both seasons are kicking serious ass and I hope it continues.

Agents of SHIELD had what I think will end up being one of my favorite episodes of the season and I'm pretty excited to see more. I don't know, even with all the various different plot threads vying for attention, I feel like this season is actually better and more cohesive than last season. This is not a bad thing.

Lost Girl is almost over. *sniffles* I'm dying to see how it ends even though I'm going to miss the show so much. And The Murdoch Mysteries had a great episode last week. I'm looking forward to more this week.

That's it for now. I'm still trying to figure out if I love The Romeo Section or not. Will keep everyone posted.

Tonight's post is from Gotta Make a Living, an urban noir novella where my main characters meet over a dead body.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Niles finds Claire standing over a dead body and can't decide if he should call the cops or haul her into his arms. Claire makes the choice easy by asking him if he sees any smoking guns. They decide they better work together to find the killer before Claire is framed for a murder she didn't commit.

And a preview snippet…

Claire fixed her face into a serene mask. "Certainly, Niles." She arched a brow. "Or would you prefer Mr. Chesterfield?"

He let go of her hand and put a little distance between them. "Niles is fine." His shoulders remained tense. "My family is off limits. Our working together doesn't include you making stops at the one-twelve for any reason." He pinned her with his gaze. "Clear enough?"

Claire nodded. "I think you put a shine on it and made it sparkle just enough for me to understand." She didn't like being at cross-purposes, so she'd play nice.

For now.

Claire had a good deal of experience reading people and retaining random facts. Niles wanted his rank and file relatives left out of their investigation. She intuited he'd bring in whomever necessary once they cracked the culprit, but he'd want every last detail nailed down before bringing his brother, or any one of his other family members with influence, in.

She had an uncanny knack for remembering things. She didn't know that much about Niles, but he thought she did. She'd read an article mentioning the black sheep of the Chesterfield family—Niles—and the scathing burn of the rebuttal his brother Nelms provided. Niles might not be part of the police force, but he did his part to keep the city safe.

Now, reading between the lines, Claire figured Niles for a loner, one who didn't care to play by the rules and didn't mind stretching the lines of the propriety when necessary. She rarely misinterpreted her gut reactions.

Considering she spent a good bit of time walking through murky shades of grey when it came to getting what her employers needed, she thought having Niles in her corner could only help.

Claire rose and crossed around the desk, stopping just shy of Niles. "Now let me get something off my chest." Her hand smoothed a nonexistent crease from his tie. "You'll find me more agreeable if you ask instead of demand. I don't like men who underestimate my intelligence or ability to cooperate when there's a reason to do so." And she really wanted to like Niles.

He grasped her fingers, removing them from his chest. "I don't think you're stupid, Claire. Far from it. You know a hell of a lot about me. I know jack all about you." His voice went sexy smooth. "I like balance, and we're not there yet."

She smiled. "What else would you like to know about me, Niles." She'd pretty much become an open book if he wanted her to.

And she rather hoped he did.

The cat and mouse game between Niles and Claire is so much fun… and when they join forces it gets even better!

That's it for this week.

Cheers!

Skye