"Did ya get lucky?" Megan yelled as soon as Rayne walked into the shop. Thankfully the bookstore was still closed so only she and Kalli heard Megan's comment.
"He was a perfect gentleman, this time", she mumbled the last two words under her breath. "He's coming over for dinner and a movie tomorrow night."
"Ooohhh, you should do a reading before your first client gets here. Maybe it'll give you a heads up on how the night's going to go tomorrow," Megan teased. Kalli walked around the desk holding my basket, adding her unspoken agreement to her girlfriend's suggestion.
"Fine, if it will get you two to leave me alone, then I guess I have to do what I have to do.". Rayne shuffled her Oracle deck, asking the dark goddesses to tell her more about Liam. The first card she pulled was Hine-Nui-Te-Po. "Well apparently he's had problems in the past with trust issues just like me," Rayne said as she began to draw a second card. Gaia, Goddess of creation, and finally she drew Oya the African Goddess of Deliverance and Death. "Girls, I'm not sure what to make of this. His present card indicates he's going under change or creating something new, and his future holds Oya. I'm not sure if that means death or rebirth that requires the death of a part of your life. Maybe I'll have a better idea what the cards meant after tonight.". Rayne placed the cards back on the deck and shuffled them again, gently wrapping them in the altar cloth. This is where they would remain until her clients arrived.
"Rayne, you know damn good and well that all of those cards mean something's going to happen with you two. It means a new beginning and possibly a future," Kali said. Her statement shocked Rayne, normally Kali stayed quiet and let Megan do all the talking.
The rest of the day passed quickly. Rayne had a fairly full schedule of private readings that kept her busy until well past 9 o'clock. She was the last one to lock up and leave. As she locked the door and turned to go, she noticed someone across the street that seemed to be watching her. She acted as if she had not seen the person, but stayed vigilant. As she suspected the stranger began to follow her to her car. When she reached her car door, she turned and yelled, "What?" The figure stopped for a moment, shimmered, and then disappeared.
"What the hell is going on? Two strange visits in two days? Guess it's time to strengthen the wards. I should place a few over the shop as well," Rayne said to herself. She checked the windows of her car before getting in, locking the doors, and driving home.
When she arrived at the apartment, she noticed a large raven near her window. "Blessings," she said quietly. "Be safe and be well. This is no place for a beauty such as yourself." The raven tilted his head, looked at Rayne, and flew away. She went into her apartment, locked the doors, lit her candles, and got busy resetting her protection wards, even on the bathtub since apparently, that was a weak spot. When the last sigils had faded into the walls and floors, she extinguished the candle and climbed into bed.
Rayne tossed in her sleep. She felt like someone was in the bed with her, stroking her hair, and kissing her neck. While it was enjoyable, she couldn't rest. She heard Liam's voice in her dreams. She liked the way he whispered her name into her ear. Rayne let out a small moan as she tossed under the sheets. Half awake, she felt the wetness between her legs and reached down to rub herself. She remembered the way his fingers slipped in and out of her folds that night, how she had begged him to take her. Her own fingers quickened their pace. She whispered his name as if she were still at the club, held in his embrace. She quickly felt her orgasm wash over her. She could have sworn she heard Liam say goodnight before she fell into a deep sleep.
***
The next morning Rayne woke early, feeling tired but excited. She took a quick shower and headed to the bookstore. As she pulled on the door, she had her head down looking at a book and suddenly bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," she said, still not looking up.
"I can see that. Must be a great book." a man's voice replied with a short laugh.
Rayne snapped her head up, "Liam? What are you doing here? How did you know where I worked?" she babbled.
"Actually, I didn't realize you worked here, until just now. I was looking for a book for a customer. Here, let me hold the door for you." He pulled the door inward and ushered her in as if she were a queen entering a palace. "You mentioned you worked at a bookstore, but never which one. There are hundreds in New York, you know," he laughed.
"Just random luck, I guess. Did the girls find what you needed? If not, I might be able to help. It is my job too," she giggled. She walked to the counter and put her belongings underneath. She grabbed her basket and headed to the back corner with Liam following her. When she reached the back, she pulled back the curtain to show her reading area. She began to get set up for her appointments. Liam followed and watched her curiously.
"What exactly do you do here?" He asked while looking at some of the books near her table. "Potions, spells, hexes? I have this one customer I would love to hex if you're up to it," he chuckled, "He's a real horse's ass!"
"Um, hexes really aren't my thing, but I know a gal. Then again, I don't recommend anyone mess with voodoo. Risky stuff, eek!" She bantered back at Liam. "Actually, I read fortunes. I use Oracle decks, Ogham and Futhark runes, and occasionally tarot. Of course, I also help around the store, with books, crystals, supplies, and such." She paused to see his reaction. He looked at her with fascination, his head at a tilt, much like the raven from last night. "Just what were you looking for in this particular shop? We are a bit of a niche establishment, you know."
Liam paused as if he hadn't really heard her question, then stammered, "Oh, I have a customer looking at jade pieces and she wanted to learn about Chinese mythology associated with the pieces. It is a bit out of my wheelhouse, so I found this place and a couple of others on the internet. This was actually my last stop. Your friends said they didn't have anything, sadly." He spread his hands out in an empty-handed motion in front of him. "But the trip wasn't a total loss. I got to see you again."
Rayne felt her cheeks flushing at his flirtations. "Liam, wait, can you show me the piece or pieces? I might be able to find something for you."
Liam reached into his pocket and pulled out a carved cat and rat made of jade. "They're from the Chinese Zodiac during the reign of the..."
"...Jade Emperor whose wife was the Celestial Queen Mother, both Taoist deities," she finished his sentence. "Sorry, I'm a bit of a mythology geek - all pantheons. It's an obsession really." She began to dig on the bottom shelf and retrieved a book about the Chinese New Year. "Here you go. This should please your customer. It's all about the legend where the Jade Emperor created the Zodiac by gathering all the animals and inviting them to the palace. The cat was invited, but the rat wasn't. This made the rat jealous so he lied to the cat and said he would wake him in time for the party. While the rat let the cat oversleep, the rat took his place in the zodiac. Legend says that is why cats still chase rats to this day."
"Wow, you really do know your stuff, Rayne. I didn't even know that, and I sell things like this for a living. If you ever want a second job, I'd hire you in a moment!" Liam leaned over and kissed her forehead. "This is a lifesaver!" He glanced at his watch. "Sorry to pay and run, but I have to meet that client now. Are we still good for tonight around six o'clock?" He asked as he was handing his money to Kalli at the register.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to it! See you this evening, Liam." she gave him a silly wave as he rushed out the door.
"Girl if you don't do some creating with that man, I may just have to switch teams and do it myself," Megan said as she came out from the back room. "Those eyes are solid pools of jade, and that accent...mmmm....I just want to listen to him for hours!" Kalli reached over and slapped her girlfriend's arm with a scowl on her face. "Oh, come on honey, you know I'm just playing. Kalli,...baby..." she followed Kalli to the back room, begging her forgiveness all the way.
Rayne just chuckled. Megan was right about one thing though, Liam was gorgeous. Rayne shook her head and went back to her reading area to finish getting ready for her clients. She kept thinking of his voice and how real it sounded in her dreams last night. "Oh no, better not go there. Can't do a reading if you're all wound up, Rayne," she chided herself.
When her last customer left just before four, she began to clean up. She decided to pull 3 cards for Liam again. The exact same cards showed. Hine-Nui-Te-Po, Gaia, and Oya. This is going to be a very interesting night, she thought, very interesting indeed.
Author's Notes: Date number 2 ahead, and some unanswered questions.
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