Thanks for the hints on dialogue tags. There probably isn't a perfect solution to them. They kind of have to be there so the reader knows who's talking, but they can really break up the rhythm. I like H Dean's suggestion of just edited them so they sound less stupid. *s*

I will defer to Rhabbi on whether 'sacrifice' was the right term. I'm not much of a chess player, but I know the basic rules (don't ask me about 'en passant' or whatever). There's something very sexy in a D/s sense about chess, because unlike almost every other game there's no spinner or dice or cards to draw. Whatever happens to one in the course of the game, one does to themselves - can't use bad luck as an excuse. Also lots of probing and thrusting and such *s*

I don't play much, but I do remember the sense of accomplishment I felt as a 9th grader when I beat my dad for the first time, with him playing his best.

So thanks.

And by the way, how come nobody wants to see MY tits? *pout*

-Trish