Excerpt from For the Love of the Courtesan

Below is an excerpt from my manuscript, For the Love of the Courtesan, currently seeking a home with an epublisher.

The loud, firm knock on the door resounded through the atrium startling the yellow songbirds in their cage. They flew off their perch, chirping, their wings fluttering. Chloe’s own heart leapt though she had been expecting this summons, had been waiting for it. Belthus, her longest-serving slave, emerged from a side room but she waved him away and hurried to the heavy door. She knew who it was even before she opened it. A tall, slender man the color of burnt almonds stood in front of her. It was the third time he’d come. The third Monday morning in as many weeks.