Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 216(@200wpm)___ 173(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Dragon Face blinked her eyes rapidly, but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off him.
The handsome man was still talking. “You realize that no person deserves to be treated with the disrespect you’ve demonstrated today, so you’ve decided to find another job better suited to you. Maybe as a bill collector or with the IRS.”
Dragon-face stuttered, “Yes, I-I think I should find another job.” Even as she said the words, her hands were busy packing up her desk. Hell, she looked confused by her own actions, but continued tossing everything into an empty Xerox box that had been on the floor next to her desk.
“Good idea,” the stranger answered calmly. “You know you need to quit because you’re a nightmare of a human being. You really don’t want all the ugly publicity surrounding a lawsuit filed against you, do you? It would not only ruin your reputation but that of this office, as well.”
He turned his back on her, took my backpack and then tucked my free arm around his, leaving my other hand available to use my cane. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kailar. My name is Keion Magnus. My brother, Alyx, has seen your file and he asked if I could pick you up to deliver you to his home for your interview. He’ll be the one actually employing you, but I live on the estate, as well. If he gives you any problems, let me know and I’ll remind him that I’m the older brother!” His voice and eyes were friendly—so different than when he’d addressed Dragon-face.
Dragon-face was still packing up her things as the stranger started to escort me to the door. She called out to him as we left. “Wait! Tell me again what I’m doing here.”
He spun around to face her. “Oh, you’re a stubborn one. Be thankful I’m not making you crawl all the way home on the busy highway instead of just packing up and quitting. You’re leaving this job because you’re totally unsuited to it. Now hurry up and gather your things. Then run along.”
She huffed but didn’t make an argument against his odd threat—as if he could make her do any such thing! Well, maybe he could, because she was going. My mind was screaming for my feet to stop walking but instead, I was allowing him to lead me around like I was an obedient puppy. I couldn’t stop myself. And the strangest feeling was coming over me. For the first time in as long as I could remember—maybe since my father died—I felt safe. It was a nice feeling, but one I knew I shouldn’t get used to. Some voice deep inside me was speaking urgently.
Never relax and become complacent. Don’t forget how treacherous your enemies are. Beware of everyone you meet. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Be careful, child.
God, where had that come from? The voice had sounded almost like…my dad’s.
I shook off the man’s arm and took a step backward from him. Regardless of how bitchy Dragon-face had been about it, the bottom line was that I really was unemployable. With my luck, I’d probably end up dying on a street corner—nobody to miss me and my stepmom would have to take care of the cat I’d brought home with me one day when I saw the stray kitten on the side of the road.
We were outside by this time, and he made a gesture with his hand to point toward an impressive black Escalade that resembled the cars the President’s motorcade used.
“Here’s our ride, Kailar. I tried to park as closely as possible. Alyx told me you had some health issues that you needed to overcome.”
The last comment did it. I pulled back on his arm to let him know I needed to stop. “See, that’s just it. I’m not going to just overcome my health issues. I think I’m probably dying, Mr. Magnus. Since I’m honest, I have to admit that regardless of what sort of job your brother has selected for me, I probably wouldn’t be capable of doing it. My strength fades a little more daily. I don’t want to waste your time or your brother’s,” I explained. Then, with a smile, I added, “But I really appreciate the badass way you handled Dragon-face. I don’t know how you managed that, because she’s not a nice person.”
“Dragon-face?” He asked with a frown…that suddenly morphed into a huge smile. “Oh! You mean Miss Collett from the unemployment office. Today was the first face to face encounter with her, but I’m in one-hundred-percent agreement that she is not a good person. Her ignorance, not to mention her rudeness, pissed me off.”
His eyes were the prettiest jade color. Why couldn’t I have met him when I’d been healthy and attractive? A voice coming from deep inside me surprised me then by saying, Keion is not for you. Your soul mate is still waiting.