Need to catch up?<\/p>\n
What is The Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp?<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n Trasket Tower loomed over Manhattan as a gaudy gold slash against the sky. The family name rose in blinding white letters sixteen feet high against the top of the building and, in case it had been missed, in slightly smaller letters above the massive, two-story entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n Fiona shuddered in revulsion as she passed through the gilded lobby; her father had come from nothing, as he\u2019d been fond of telling everyone. Truthfully, that \u201cnothing\u201d had been more than most people could have claimed. Private schools, Ivy League universities, a high-ranking position in the family business; Trasket Sr. had taken those advantages and reinvested them in his children as if they\u2019d been strategic business moves and not his own flesh and blood.<\/span><\/p>\n Which explained why her brother viewed her that way, now.<\/span><\/p>\n Only one elevator led up to the private family quarters and of course, it was the most conspicuous. Two guards stood on either side of the gaudy gold-plated doors. They stepped aside with courteous nods.<\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps the only thing Fiona and her brother had in common was their mutual hatred of their father\u2019s taste. Nouveau riche, Blayde called it, though Fiona wasn\u2019t sure the term applied to a man who\u2019d come from a long line of wealthy, but not megarich, men. Their father had simply loved to flaunt his fortune, even if it was a child\u2019s cartoonish idea of luxury.<\/span><\/p>\n It was some small comfort to know that though her brother hated the decor in his inherited fortress, it couldn\u2019t be changed, per the conditions of their vain father\u2019s last will and testament. Blayde was forced to reside in a tacky tower of greed, while she was free to live as she pleased, in a townhouse without a single glimmer of gold to be found.<\/span><\/p>\n Tonight, though, she had to make her report and endure the monthly dinner that kept her allowance rolling in.<\/span><\/p>\n When she stepped off the elevator, her shoes clicked on the spotless Italian marble floor. Alabaster busts of generic ancient Romans lined the long entry hall. They weren\u2019t originals, as far as she was aware. Like everything about her father, it was only the appearance that mattered.<\/span><\/p>\n The butler, a tall man with a long face and bushy brow approached from the archway at the other end. \u201cMistress Trasket,\u201d he said with a deep bow.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cArnold.\u201d Mistress Trasket, indeed. There was nothing noble or royal about them, no matter how her father might have wished there had been.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYour brother and his guests are assembled in the drawing-room for drinks before dinner. Shall I show you in?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n Most likely, he\u2019d been ordered to do so. Blayde\u2019s wife loved putting on airs and graces as much as Father had. The formality also served to remind Fiona that Trasket Tower was no longer her home. Julia had made it clear from her wedding day that she, not Fiona, would reign over the Trasket kingdom.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, thank you. I know the way.\u201d <\/span>I\u2019ve been here longer than you, prick.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n \u201cI should announce you,\u201d he began, but she quickened her pace and ignored him.<\/span><\/p>\n Even the drawing-room appeared exactly the way their father had left it. Blood-red velvet curtains framed the windows and mahogany paneling shrunk the space visually to claustrophobic proportions.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFiona,\u201d Julia said, rising from her place on the hunter-green leather sofa. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know you\u2019d arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPlease, don\u2019t blame Arnold. He suggested he should announce me.\u201d She didn\u2019t make any excuses. Julia could stew about Fiona\u2019s blatant disregard for the house rules all night if she\u2019d like.<\/span><\/p>\n Blayde sat in his usual spot, the high-backed black leather wing chair that her father had once used as a throne. \u201cFiona, we have a guest joining us this evening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A figure emerged slowly from the shadows. Even the light of the fire in the hearth couldn\u2019t warm the tone of the man\u2019s pale skin. His long hands, each topped with a gnarled black talon, rested on the front of his elaborate black silk robes, and his long raven hair blended seamlessly into the void-like fabric. He moved with predatory grace toward her and extended his clawed hand.<\/span><\/p>\n The man chilled her to the core of her being.<\/span><\/p>\n His eyes flashed red.<\/span><\/p>\n He was no man.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis is our newest board advisor, Erlik of Tartarus,\u201d Blayde said with a smug smile. He so delighted in catching her off guard. Julia raised her eyebrows as she sipped from her wine glass, clearly enjoying the moment, as well.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cMr. Erlik,\u201d she said, holding the stranger\u2019s boiling red gaze. She wouldn\u2019t give her brother or his awful wife the satisfaction of a reaction. \u201cArnold mentioned that my brother had a guest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOh, then he spoiled our surprise,\u201d Julia simpered with feigned disappointment.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd where are you from, Mr. Erlik?\u201d Fiona asked, making the same small-talk she\u2019d made in these situations for her entire life.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cElrik, please,\u201d he said simply, a slow-growing grin spreading to show dagger-sharp teeth. \u201cAnd Tartarus should have been…obvious.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAh. So, you\u2019re a…demon?\u201d <\/span>Ah, so you\u2019re in synthetic textiles?<\/span><\/i> They may as well have been the same sentence, from her politely interested tone.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou won\u2019t impress her, I\u2019m afraid,\u201d Blayde said, lifting his rocks glass of amber liquid to gesture to her. \u201cShe works with astrals.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The demon\u2019s grin widened, reaching almost to his ears. The papery skin at the corners of his mouth bunched up sickeningly. \u201cI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve seen far more interesting sights, then.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPerhaps you\u2019ll share them with me, sister. After dinner, perhaps?\u201d Blayde took a long drink, allowing his order to hang in the air.<\/span><\/p>\n The hell she would sit down at a table with a demon. \u201cYou know I would normally love to, but I fear tonight I won\u2019t be staying. I hate to be rude to your guest, but something rather important has come up. You did say earlier that you wanted to speak to me privately?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A flicker of annoyance crossed Blayde\u2019s face, but he quickly disguised it. \u201cWhat a shame that you won\u2019t be joining us. You\u2019ll be missed, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Julia tossed her gleaming red hair over her shoulder. \u201cI\u2019m sure Erlik won\u2019t mind if you step away for a moment. I\u2019m more than capable of entertaining him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Fiona was certain that Julia was.<\/span><\/p>\n The thought of it made her skin crawl.<\/span><\/p>\n She followed Blayde from the room, down the long, black-marble and gold hall to what used to be their father\u2019s study. Only weeks before, she\u2019d stood in the same room, helpless as her brother blackmailed her with threats to her closest, dearest friend.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHave you heard from Larkin?\u201d Blayde asked casually as if he\u2019d read her mind.<\/span><\/p>\n Fiona hadn\u2019t. In fact, the last time she\u2019d spoken to the pixie had been to warn her that she wouldn\u2019t be in contact for a while due to some family business. How could they spend time together when Fiona was betraying all astrals by spying for her brother? How could she risk him getting more \u201cevidence\u201d with which to blackmail Larkin?<\/span><\/p>\n But she answered, \u201cOf course. Even with her busy tour schedule, we make time to talk.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAs close as lovers,\u201d Blayde mocked her.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBetter than a demon.\u201d The words shot out before she could consider the fallout they would cause.<\/span><\/p>\n Her brother\u2019s shoulders stiffened. \u201cMy relationship with Erlik is purely business, I assure you. I don\u2019t have a taste for monsters.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Your wife does<\/span><\/i>. Fiona shuddered, fighting against the vivid imaginings her too-creative mind conjured.<\/span><\/p>\n A biometric scanner unlocked the door to the study, and Blayde ushered her inside. Once the door was closed behind them, he dropped any pretense of small talk. \u201cIf you\u2019re not staying for dinner, tell me what you know and get out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t have to come to dinners at all, you realize,\u201d she reminded him. \u201cYou\u2019re the one holding the threat of bankruptcy over my head.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThen perhaps it\u2019s a good thing you have your cushy new job.\u201d He paused. \u201cWait, I got that for you, too. And I can take it away.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhy would I want it?\u201d She scoffed in exasperation. \u201cI work in a tree. A sentient tree that can read my thoughts. It knows why I\u2019m there, Blayde. You were so out of your depth, thinking you could use such a clumsy ruse to spy on them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHas this \u2018sentient tree\u2019 told anyone?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d she admitted hesitantly. \u201cI bribe it with chocolate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI sent you there to punish you and you\u2019re living out one of your childish <\/span>Alice in Wonderland<\/span><\/i> fantasies.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTo punish me?\u201d Of course, that had been his aim. \u201cI thought I was there to save the Trasket name and protect the glory of our legacy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThat, too. But I know how it galls you to lie.\u201d He smirked, quite pleased with himself.<\/span><\/p>\n When had he become such a bastard? She could remember a time when they\u2019d gotten along. They\u2019d ridden bikes together through the cold halls of their father\u2019s palace, gone on day trips with their nanny to the indoor beaches and domed parks where the most privileged children in the city played. There had been virtual reality games, evenings with cocoa and animated films from their parents\u2019 childhood.<\/span><\/p>\n Then father had stepped in to take over Blayde\u2019s \u201ceducation.\u201d The change in him had been swift and now he grew worse every year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re just like him,\u201d she managed, choking back despair.<\/span><\/p>\n Blayde\u2019s face transformed in fury. \u201cDon\u2019t you ever compare me to that…that…freak of a half-man!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He thought she compared him to John Johnson? Her brother could only wish to run a company as smoothly and successfully as Chiron Corp. All Blayde could do was threaten and wield his power like a cudgel. \u201cNot him. Father.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Coldly, Blayde replied, \u201cThank you. He was a great man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u201d She refused to venerate him for her brother\u2019s edification. \u201cWhat do you want? I\u2019m tired.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cYes, having to do a day\u2019s work is likely exhausting for you,\u201d Blayde snapped. \u201cWhat do you think I want? Information. That\u2019s what I sent you for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd here I thought it was to punish me.\u201d No. She wouldn\u2019t let him draw her into a petty fight that would only result in Larkin losing. \u201cI\u2019m still working on the bioluminescence project.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n He shook his head in frustration. \u201cI told you, bioluminescence isn\u2019t what I\u2019m after. Anyone could tell me about Chiron\u2019s electricity elimination initiative; it was in all the holobriefs weeks ago. I need something more or else I\u2019m wasting my time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNo, you\u2019re wasting <\/span>my<\/span><\/i> time. I don\u2019t know why you believe I\u2019m somehow going to become privy to top-secret information within weeks. There\u2019s only so much I can do.\u201d For which she was exceedingly thankful. She didn\u2019t want to betray the astrals when everything they did, they did for the Earth.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere is something you can do.\u201d He tapped the edge of his desk, lost in thought. \u201cSurely there must be someone there who would be interested in exchanging information for the privilege of sleeping with a Trasket daughter. Imagine how triumphant they would feel, knowing they were deflowering the daughter of their enemy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Fiona\u2019s hand balled into a fist that she deeply wished she could let fly. \u201cYou misjudge them. You can\u2019t see anything beyond your human perspective. They aren\u2019t ruled by lust. They have eternity to slake theirs. They aren\u2019t motivated by profit, either. All they want is to heal the planet and keep us from dying.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWell. Look at that.\u201d Blayde smiled cruelly. \u201cYou had information, after all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n She didn\u2019t like feeling as though she\u2019d been tricked. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf all they care about is saving the planet, then they won\u2019t care what I\u2019m up to.\u201d He waved a hand over the holopad controls on his desk. A schematic appeared. It took a moment for Fiona to realize that she was looking at a battleship.<\/span><\/p>\n Reveling in her confusion, her brother continued. \u201cWhile you\u2019re off frolicking with the fairies, I\u2019ve been exploring other options. The denizens of Hell, as it turns out, are interested in profit. That\u2019s why we\u2019re signing a contract with them. We supply the steel, they supply the clean-burning brimstone, and we sell these revamped Destroyers to the Navy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cFeeding the war machine.\u201d Her stomach went hollow. \u201cWhy are you so determined to hurt the astrals? They\u2019re just trying to help us!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHelp us straight into communism,\u201d he argued back, and in his words, she heard the voice of their father.<\/span><\/p>\n She shook her head. \u201cWhat happened to you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cCommon sense,\u201d Blayde snapped. \u201cWe were born to this privilege. This status. It\u2019s our birthright, and you\u2019d give it away for the promise of some fairy-winged future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf the astrals hadn\u2019t helped us, if they weren\u2019t working so hard for our survival, you\u2019d have nothing to spend your fortune on!\u201d She shouldn\u2019t waste her breath, she knew; she\u2019d had this fight with her brother before, and with their father before him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Earth would have healed. There was no proof\u2014\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe seas swallowed whole countries!\u201d she shouted. \u201cThey\u2019re only just now rebuilding. How has your worship of our father made you so ignorant?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Blayde took a deep breath and paced behind his desk. \u201cI had hoped it would not come to this. I\u2019d hoped that preying on your affection for your friend would be enough to move you to act in the family\u2019s best interest. But I see more…drastic measures are necessary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n A chill gripped her limbs as if someone had opened a window onto a wintry night. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Blayde nodded, not to her, but someone behind her. She turned; not fast enough.<\/span><\/p>\n The demon\u2019s clawed hands closed over her head before she could scream.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Need to catch up? What is The Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp? The Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Prologue The Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Chapter One\u00a0 The<\/p>\n
\nThe Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Prologue<\/a><\/span>
\nThe Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Chapter One<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Chapter Two\u00a0<\/a><\/span>
\nThe Business Centaur’s Virgin Temp: Chapter Three\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n