A Get Witch Quick Scheme
Bewitching the Rich Guy, Book 1
Michelle Francik
© 2020, Michelle Francik
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Sweet Promise Press
PO Box 72
Brighton, MI 48116
Contents
About this Book
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
More Peach Plains Paranormal
More Sweet Promise Press
More Michelle!
About this Book
Stella Spinney is not your average witch. Warts and green skin? Ick, no. As a former heiress, she is all about that glamorous life, even if she doesn’t always have the money to make her dreams a reality.
Speaking of reality, there’s a new dating competition coming to town, and it’s housed in the mansion that was stolen unjustly from her great grandmother. She calls in the rest of her Rich Witch clique, ready to sabotage the competition and regain her birthright.
But then she meets the show’s designated bachelor, and he kind of checks all her boxes. Can she resist his mega-watt charm long enough to focus on her not-so-secret mission? And what will happen when bodies start to drop, and when she and the other contestants find there’s no way to get out alive?
Looks like you’re going to have to read A GET WITCH QUICK SCHEME to find out… Happy haunting!
Author’s Note
The Bewitching the Rich Guy series consist of four books: A Get Witch Quick Scheme, Filthy Stinking Witch, Poor Little Witch Girl and Striking it Witch. Each book is a stand-alone story, but the four together tell the full story of what happens when four witches decide to enter a dating reality show. Each book focuses on one of the four witches and tells the story from her perspective. Together, they tell the full story of what happens when Four Rich Witches compete in Catch of a Lifetime! Enjoy!
1
Stella Spinney closed her gaping mouth with a snap. “No way,” she whispered. Her black and white cat, Onyx, purred as she absently stroked his fur, her mind spinning, considering the possibilities this could open up for her. “This is perfect! If we all audition, I’m sure at least one of us will get in. I’m calling an emergency meeting of the Four Rich Witches.” She picked up her phone and started texting.
On the TV screen in front of her, a handsome man with dark hair that was a little too long, stood talking with a reporter. He grinned and the reporter blushed, obviously charmed by him. “We’re going to commercial now, but if you’re interested in being on The Catch of a Lifetime, and getting a chance to date the irresistible Chadwick Crawford, don’t go anywhere! We’ll be right back with all the details on how to enter!”
Stella lifted Onyx off her lap and kissed him on the top of his head as she set him down next to her. She scooted to the edge of her leather sofa and leaned forward, towards the glass and teak coffee table. She snapped her fingers and a notepad and pen appeared.
“I’m ready,” she told the TV, wishing she could snap her fingers and make the ad for hemorrhoid cream go away. “Patience, Stella, patience.” The reporter appeared on the screen and Stella scribbled the information onto the paper. The last shot was of Chadwick smiling at the camera, his green eyes sparkling and his smile wide, showing off front teeth that were just the slightest bit crooked.
She set the notepad on the coffee table, sat back and grinned. Life had been a bit boring lately, but this was sure to spice things up. But more importantly, she might finally be able to solve the family mystery and clear her great-grandmother’s name. Her phone started buzzing and she checked her texts. The others would be here soon; things were about to get interesting.
“Why didn’t you record it?”
“How cute was he?”
“Are you nuts? Why would we want to be on a reality show?”
Stella sighed. She loved her three friends but, honestly, they didn’t always see the big picture the way she did. Her job seemed to be explaining things to them that should be obvious. It was exhausting, really, but someone had to do it.
“All right already. Sheesh. Sit down and let me explain.” She waved her hand and four glasses of champagne appeared on the coffee table. Amidst the oohs and ahhs, she heard a whisper of movement and suddenly, a tray of chocolate truffles joined the champagne. She nodded at Fiona. “Nice touch, Fi.”
Fiona shrugged, her dark brown eyes shining with excitement. “I can’t wait to hear more. Do tell, Stella.” She sat down on the arm of the leather sofa, facing the others, an expectant look on her face.
Stella looked over at Poppy and Raven. They too were looking at her, but their expressions were more skeptical than excited. “Yes, do tell, Stella darling,” Raven mocked. A quick flick of Fiona’s wrist made Raven’s hair go from black to white. “Seriously, Fifi, can’t you think of anything more interesting? You made my hair white last week.”
Poppy, the nicest of the four witches shook her head. “Raven quit teasing Fiona. Fiona, don’t be so sensitive.”
Stella flicked a finger at Fi, freezing her in place before she could react. “Poppy, you know how Fi hates it when you tell her not to be sensitive.”
The witch looked at her friend with wide eyes. “Did I say that out loud? I meant it to stay inside my head.” Her blond hair bounced as she turned to apologize to Fi. “Sorry, Fiona.”
Stella cautiously released her friend, worried that things might have gone too far already. The last time the four had a fight, the apartment they’d been living in had burned to the ground. She liked her condo too much to let that happen today; Fiona’s glare and Raven’s taunting expression had to be stopped.
“Enough! I called an emergency meeting because this is something we absolutely must do!” she had their attention now, and she meant to keep it. “I’ve been very bored lately and my search for a real job has not been going well. It seems that people want experience and references and silly things like that.”
She made a face and Raven looked at her quizzically. “Why would you want a job when you can make anything you want, when you want it?”
&n
bsp; Stella sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to see if I can do something myself. Without using magic.” She looked from one confused face to the next and realized they just didn’t get it.
“Okay, here’s the deal. This new show, The Catch of a Lifetime, is different than other dating shows. For one thing, the bachelor is from old money, he’s handsome and hot and seems like a genuinely nice guy. He’s doing this show to raise money for the animal sanctuary he oversees. They save animals that are old or have been abused. He wants them to end their days feeling safe and loved.”
“I can see the appeal, but a dating show? And what makes you think any of us could get an audition let alone get on the show?” Fiona’s question had the other two nodding their heads.
“They’re looking for women that are classy, sophisticated and smart, as well as attractive. We all meet those requirements.”
A loud burp interrupted her, and Poppy’s face turned red. “Sorry. I think I drank that champagne a little too fast.”
“As I was saying, most of us meet the requirements,” she smirked. “And if we get on the show, we get paid to be there. Even if we don’t win, they pay for everything while we’re there. And there are prizes besides getting the rich guy.”
“Like what?” She could always count on Fiona to want to know what she could get.
“Like a new car for the winner and the two runners up. And $500,000 cash for the first-place contestant. The runners up each get $200,000.” She paused to let that sink in. Being a witch didn’t pay very well and even though they all came from wealthy families, they hated asking their parents for help. The money was a huge enticement.
“And here’s the kicker. Instead of having a group of women competing together, they’re going to have Chadwick spend several days in a row with each contestant. That way they’ll get to know each other a little better. And when they’re not spending time with him, the other women will be staying at a mansion, here in Greveswood.”
“No way! You’ve got to be kidding,” Fi sputtered.
“Yes way! I couldn’t believe it either.”
“What?” Poppy asked. “What are you two blathering on about?”
Fiona answered. “We’re talking about how the contestants get to stay at Marwood Manor.”
“Marwood Manor? Why does that sound familiar?”
“Because it’s Stella’s family home. Or at least it was, until Mable Marwood stole it from her great-grandmother.”
Stella looked around at her friends stunned faces. “There’s more to the story, but the gist is this. Mable tricked my great-grandmother and was able to get the title to the Manor as well as most of the jewelry that had been passed down from generation to generation. When my family tried to get things back, Mable and her family hid everything in the Manor. We know it’s all there, but we haven’t been able to do anything about it.” She paused and took a deep, dramatic breath. “So, you see, this is the perfect opportunity to get inside the Manor and do what I need to do to get even.”
2
The discussion had gone from the reality show to Spinney history and Stella knew she needed to get things back on track for her plan to work. “I wrote down the date for the cattle call, er, um, I mean casting call.” She saw’s Fiona’s grimace, but kept going. “We have to show up, get the producers’ attention, and hopefully, they’ll pick us to audition. I went on the website after I texted you and the auditions will be next month, so we need to move fast.”
“Okay, I understand why you might want to do this, but why should all of us try out?”
Trust Raven to be difficult. The witch was an expert at it. “Because that way we have a better chance of getting at least one of us on the show.”
“But what if I get on, or Poppy. How is that going to help you? From what I understand, they keep the contestants separated from the rest of the world for the length of the show. Even if we got into Marwood Manor, we wouldn’t be able to contact you.”
“Well, that’s for me to worry about. First we need to get on the show.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too difficult. We’re witches after all. We can cast spells to have them pick us.” Raven rubbed her hand together gleefully.
“Actually, no. No magic. We can’t use magic to get on the show or to make Chadwick choose us.”
“Why not?”
“Because the manor is enchanted. You have to be invited in without magical manipulation. If you use magic to get on the show, the house won’t allow you in,” Stella explained.
“How do you know that?” Poppy asked.
“Because that’s how they’ve kept us from taking it back all these years.”
“If we can’t use magic in the house, what’s the point of getting in?”
“Once we’re in, we can use magic, sparingly. From my understanding, the seal was placed to keep other witches out, but they still wanted to be able to use it themselves. I say to use it sparingly because we all know we can sense the presence of other witches when they use their magic. If we’re careful, they might realize they’ve let a witch in, but they won’t be able to figure out who it is.
“My plan is to steal back the jewelry Mable stole from my family and sell it. That should bring in a tidy sum of cash that will keep us all going for a while. And when the Marwoods realize the jewelry’s gone, they’ll know who took it, and I’ll get my revenge.”
“Again, though, why should we help you?” Raven was getting on Stella’s nerves but before she could place a hush spell on her, Fi piped up.
“If you won’t do it to help Stella, then I’ll dare you to do it. If you get on the show and I don’t, I’ll match what they pay you. If I get on the show and you don’t, you have to apologize to Stella for being such a twerp.”
Raven considered for a moment, then agreed. “Fine, I’ll do it. But I’m only going along with it to help Stella.”
“Agreed.” All four witches held their hands out towards each other, and lightning crackled between their outstretched fingers.
“What are you wearing?” Fi asked Stella as she entered the apartment.
“Why? Is it too much?” She looked down at her evening gown. It was a shimmery white floor length gown with a black strap that went from one shoulder down across her back. She wore her favorite long white gloves and had curled her hair, so her bangs swept across one side of her face. “Onyx thinks it’s purrfect,” she said, rolling her r’s and giggling.
Fi looked down at the cat and he tilted his head to the side as if he was considering what Stella said. “That’s not the vibe I’m getting.”
“What do you know? You’re a dog person. You don’t understand the language of the feline.”
“Why are you talking like that?” Fi asked. “Are you sure you’re up for this?”
Stella sighed. “I don’t know, to be honest. It seemed like a great idea at first. Now, I’m worried. What if none of us get picked to be on the show? I’ve got my hopes up that I can get inside that mansion and find the missing piece of the puzzle.”
“Why haven’t you told Raven and Poppy what you’re looking for?”
“It’s personal, Fi. You’re my best friend. I confided in you because I trust you.” She hesitated, biting her lip. “I trust them, too, but I’m just not ready to share this.”
“I understand. Raven gets overexcited and Poppy takes things too seriously sometimes. They might not be able to keep your secret.” She placed her hand on Stella’s. “It’ll be okay. I know it will. One of us will make it on the show and we’ll come up with a plan to get the manor back in your family.”
“Or at least clear Great-Grandma Willow’s name. Thanks, Fi.” She smiled at her friend, then took a deep breath. “You ready to do this?”
“Lead the way,” Fi grinned.
“Cattle call was right,” Stella mumbled under her breath. “Where did all these women come from? I didn’t think there were this many women in all of Georgia, let alone here in Greveswood.”
“Qu
it complaining,” Poppy chided her. “This is so exciting. We all look amazing and we need to be on our best behavior, so they’ll pick us.” She bounced up and down and clapped her hands, making Stella grit her teeth.
“Behave,” Fi whispered. “She’s just excited. That’s a good thing in this situation.”
Stella regretted her decision to wear the evening gown as soon as they arrived. She’d imagined being ushered into a large waiting room with comfy chairs and iced tea and lemonade. If she’d known they’d be standing outside, in line, for hours, she’d have worn jeans and comfortable shoes.
“All right. Could we please have numbers 2030 through 2100 move to the front? Wonderful. Follow me, ladies.” A young woman with a headset spoke into a microphone, then headed off into the building.
Stella was number 2099, so she waved goodbye to her friends and joined the mass of women moving to the next step. They were ushered into a large room with benches and mirrors. “Help yourself to a cold water, iced tea or lemonade,” the woman called out. “If you need to use the restroom, fix your makeup or whatever, do it quick. We’ll be calling random numbers and if you don’t respond immediately, you’re out.” She bounced off down the hallway and there was a collective groan of relief as women who’d been standing for hours finally got to sit down.
A Get Witch Quick Scheme (Bewitching the Rich Guy Book 1) Page 1