The Deal Maker (Book I)

Chapter Twenty-One - Employee Appreciation Day

Chapter Twenty-One

Employee Appreciation Day

I sat on my front steps in the dark, waiting impatiently for the driver to arrive. Matthew called me earlier in the night and said I was to see him about my newest job. Scratch that, Matthew had his assistant call me to tell me that a driver would be at my house at midnight to take me to see Matthew about my newest job. I was grumpy from exhaustion because I was starting to get used to sleeping at night instead of sporadically through the day. David was currently in bed with a note beside him saying that I went for a run. It wasn’t too crazy considering I’ve been running a lot lately, mostly to rid my mind of my dreams. Thankfully the dreams had stopped a month ago after I nearly ripped my hair out. I wasn’t getting too much sleep then.

The driver pulled up in front of the house and opened my door for me. I climbed in and leaned my head back against the leather seats. It was about an hour to the mansion, so I decided a nap was in order. I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep until the door opened again and I snapped at the driver. My legs seemed to be made of jell-o as I stumbled into the house and towards the library. When I went into the library I immediately plopped down onto the sofa right across from Matthew, who watched this with a bizarre look on his face.

“Can I get you a blanket? Maybe a warm glass of milk?” he offered sarcastically.

“I know you’re just being a jerk, but a blanket would be lovely.” I closed my eyes as if to sleep.

“Of course you do. Are your pants spray painted on? Why wear such a large tank top when it reveals that much skin? Your fashion sense is appalling.”

I glanced down at my black skinny jeans and then my loosely fitted red tank top. It really wasn’t that bad. I mean, I had a bra on underneath, so it’s not like I was flashing someone. This was actually pretty decent compared to what I used to wear. “I believe you’re just stuck in whatever time era you were born in. This is current times with a mix of edge and awesomeness. Why are we even talking about my clothes?” I sat up and faced him. “I came here to talk business.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, making me shift uncomfortably in my seat. Those dreams, although only lasting for a short time, were burned into my memory. The last dream I had had was by far the worst and the wildest thing I had ever done. Looking at him was just a reminder of every touch I had experienced in the dream. Part of me wondered if he had experienced similar dreams. Was that part of the spell? “Earth to, Anna.”

I blinked repeatedly and rubbed my eyes. “Crap,” I muttered when I realized I had smudged my makeup.

“Something the matter?”

I had to know. I had to know whether this was all just in my head or if the spell was messing with me. “Were there any side effects to the spell?”

He stared at me with a raised brow. “Side effects? Like what?”

My eyes focused on the books behind him, unable to look at him because I became flustered. “Oh, you know, suicidal thoughts, gambling, sexual dreams, the need to drive super fast.” I listed several because I couldn’t just directly tell him that I was having sex dreams about him. He’d be cocky about it.

“The spell holds no side effects. I’d see a trained psychiatrist about your issues. Maybe it’s all tied together?” He smiled as he sat a red leather book aside.

“Anyway, about the job…?” I tried to change the subject.

He stood up and grabbed another leather book from his desk before taking a seat next to me. “This is your next target. He’s a level five, so it’s a bit out of your fighting range.” He gave me a look. “He’ll be in a city about two hours away.”