Excerpt from my novel "The Hunt"
Excerpt from “the Hunt” © 2006
"Amy, where is this professor we have to meet, I am beyond ready to get out of here." Selena looked around for a place to surreptitiously dump the pasty heart sandwich and champagne glass. She needed to get back to her labs. She needed to put in a few more hours. She needed so much right now.
"There's two we have to meet," Amy said absently, as she scanned the room, rising up on tiptoe to do so."And you just got here, so give up any ideas about scooting, got it?" Even in three-inch heels, Amy barely came up to Selena's chin. How she thought she could see through the milling crowd was beyond Selena.
"I can't see anything ‘Lena, let's go over to the open bar area, there is that little step platform thing I can stand on."
Selena shook her head and pushed the stray wisp of hair behind her ear. Amy, while quite bright in reality, could easily pass for anyone's idea of a dumb blonde. Especially in tonight's get-up. Three-inch red heels and a short red halter dress that looked like it might have come from one of Amy's favorite stores--Music Shop?, Hot Shop? Hot Music? Something like that. Something where the music was loud and the clothes gaudy. Amy called it Goth. Selena called it tacky. She preferred Anne Taylor herself.
"Selena!" Dr. Aaron Pointer, Head of Cryptobiology, boomed in her general direction. She felt her ears recoil, even in human form. She instinctively narrowed her eyes, bringing him into shadow-focus. Selena made a moue of distaste. His form looked muddy, fetid.
Dr. Pointer bore down on her, stopping only to socialize momentarily with the Provost’s wife and son. Always looking to make himself look good, she thought. Why could no one else see through him?
Dr. Pointer's cold grey eyes met hers over Miriam Bledsoe’s shoulder. He finished whatever butt-kissing speech he had been imparting to her and took his leave. Miriam looked after him with the bemused, vapid look of yet another Pointer dupe. He covered the remaining distance, his eyes casually inventorying her. She felt distinctly polluted by his gaze. Selena felt the scrutiny physically, his gaze an unpleasant weight on her face and body.
"I am so glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence. To what do we owe this singular pleasure?" he said when he reached her. His feral smile matched his cold grey eyes. Most people bought the kindly professor act. Dr. Pointer had a habit of focusing intently on you whenever he spoke; giving the impression he was kind, caring, compassionate and deeply interested in whatever was coming out of your mouth, be it a theoretical treatise of the merits of greenhouse lettuce germplasm to the latest shoe fashion trend. What a crock. Selena knew better. She delicately snorted out the smell he brought with him. She pulled her lips back unconsciously, breathing through her mouth.
Amy butted in before Selena could answer. "You sent out the memo, the one that said that this was mandatory. I made Dr. Jager come even though her work is..."
"Amy", Selena said.
"But I was just going to tell him...oh..." Amy's bright red lips slowly closed. Selena willed them to stay that way. She pushed her intent at Amy before turning to Dr. Pointer.
"I thought it would be pleasant to take a short break and meet our new professors, Dr. Pointer.” Selena lied.
He examined her, his cold grey dead-fish eyes feeling like slime. She knew she looked the same tonight as she did every day, khaki pants, tailored shirt, flats, she had not bothered to change from her work clothes, except to leave her lab coat in her car.
"Yes, see that you do,” he drawled. She was sure he was purposely letting his gaze linger over her, knowing how distasteful she found it. He straightened his immaculate black jacket, emphasizing his shoulders and emerald cuff links.
Selena held her breath, his miasma polluting her. Instinct rose, she willed him to go away, taking nothing more from this conversation. Her heart thrummed and her spine itched like spiders were line dancing down the length of it.
His flat gaze gave away nothing to Selena. She stood her ground, shielding her mind, compelling him to go, to have no desire to see her, her notes, her work. His insistence on supervising her work was more than frustrating, it was insulting and dangerous.
"Amy, where is this professor we have to meet, I am beyond ready to get out of here." Selena looked around for a place to surreptitiously dump the pasty heart sandwich and champagne glass. She needed to get back to her labs. She needed to put in a few more hours. She needed so much right now.
"There's two we have to meet," Amy said absently, as she scanned the room, rising up on tiptoe to do so."And you just got here, so give up any ideas about scooting, got it?" Even in three-inch heels, Amy barely came up to Selena's chin. How she thought she could see through the milling crowd was beyond Selena.
"I can't see anything ‘Lena, let's go over to the open bar area, there is that little step platform thing I can stand on."
Selena shook her head and pushed the stray wisp of hair behind her ear. Amy, while quite bright in reality, could easily pass for anyone's idea of a dumb blonde. Especially in tonight's get-up. Three-inch red heels and a short red halter dress that looked like it might have come from one of Amy's favorite stores--Music Shop?, Hot Shop? Hot Music? Something like that. Something where the music was loud and the clothes gaudy. Amy called it Goth. Selena called it tacky. She preferred Anne Taylor herself.
"Selena!" Dr. Aaron Pointer, Head of Cryptobiology, boomed in her general direction. She felt her ears recoil, even in human form. She instinctively narrowed her eyes, bringing him into shadow-focus. Selena made a moue of distaste. His form looked muddy, fetid.
Dr. Pointer bore down on her, stopping only to socialize momentarily with the Provost’s wife and son. Always looking to make himself look good, she thought. Why could no one else see through him?
Dr. Pointer's cold grey eyes met hers over Miriam Bledsoe’s shoulder. He finished whatever butt-kissing speech he had been imparting to her and took his leave. Miriam looked after him with the bemused, vapid look of yet another Pointer dupe. He covered the remaining distance, his eyes casually inventorying her. She felt distinctly polluted by his gaze. Selena felt the scrutiny physically, his gaze an unpleasant weight on her face and body.
"I am so glad you finally decided to grace us with your presence. To what do we owe this singular pleasure?" he said when he reached her. His feral smile matched his cold grey eyes. Most people bought the kindly professor act. Dr. Pointer had a habit of focusing intently on you whenever he spoke; giving the impression he was kind, caring, compassionate and deeply interested in whatever was coming out of your mouth, be it a theoretical treatise of the merits of greenhouse lettuce germplasm to the latest shoe fashion trend. What a crock. Selena knew better. She delicately snorted out the smell he brought with him. She pulled her lips back unconsciously, breathing through her mouth.
Amy butted in before Selena could answer. "You sent out the memo, the one that said that this was mandatory. I made Dr. Jager come even though her work is..."
"Amy", Selena said.
"But I was just going to tell him...oh..." Amy's bright red lips slowly closed. Selena willed them to stay that way. She pushed her intent at Amy before turning to Dr. Pointer.
"I thought it would be pleasant to take a short break and meet our new professors, Dr. Pointer.” Selena lied.
He examined her, his cold grey dead-fish eyes feeling like slime. She knew she looked the same tonight as she did every day, khaki pants, tailored shirt, flats, she had not bothered to change from her work clothes, except to leave her lab coat in her car.
"Yes, see that you do,” he drawled. She was sure he was purposely letting his gaze linger over her, knowing how distasteful she found it. He straightened his immaculate black jacket, emphasizing his shoulders and emerald cuff links.
Selena held her breath, his miasma polluting her. Instinct rose, she willed him to go away, taking nothing more from this conversation. Her heart thrummed and her spine itched like spiders were line dancing down the length of it.
His flat gaze gave away nothing to Selena. She stood her ground, shielding her mind, compelling him to go, to have no desire to see her, her notes, her work. His insistence on supervising her work was more than frustrating, it was insulting and dangerous.
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