The Beast In The Castle

by Daniella Wright

  “Davey?” she said. She sounded strange.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “They’re taking me to the hospital,” she said, sounding confused, scared. My heart began to pound. I shot up in bed, already looking for my clothes.

  “What happened?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied automatically, which made me believe otherwise.

  “You can’t be fine if you’re being taken to the hospital,” I replied, pausing for a moment. “Who is taking you?”

  “Lula,” she said. “We were watching our stories, when suddenly, I just felt so funny. I told her that I’d be just fine, I just needed a glass of water and a moment…but she took me to the ER, and now they say that I have to stay.” She sounded miserable.

  “What did the doctors say is wrong?” I asked her.

  “They say it’s something or other with my heart.”

  “Auntie, that’s pretty serious,” I said. “I’m on my way.”

  “Take your time,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.” We ended the call. I was in the process of pulling my pants on.

  “Hey Aunt Anna,” I said.

  “Hey what?” she replied.

  “I’ve met someone I wanna marry,” I lied. “I’ll bring her around to meet you soon.”

  “Oh, Davey, that’s wonderful! Really?”

  “Really. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  “I’m feeling better already.” We ended our call.

  “What happened?” Miss Thing wanted to know what was going on. For someone who I had just met, she seemed very concerned.

  “My aunt is in the hospital. I have to go.” I zipped up my fly.

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “Uh, no. You get some rest sweetheart, and I’ll give you a call.” I kissed her on the forehead, turned and pulled my t-shirt on. She looked pretty with her mussed sex hair and her kiss-swollen lips. Anything else could have waited, and I would have gladly stayed with her. But Aunt Anna was seriously ill. She was looking at me like she wanted to say something. I arched an eyebrow questioningly.

  “So…do you want me to leave my husband?” she asked me. I suddenly remembered when I met her…she had been with a bunch of her girlfriends…all married women. They had looked at her like she was crazy.

  “Huh? Of course not.” I said. She shot out of bed, launching herself at me, and slapping me across the face.

  “That’s cold, ice cold.” I had nothing to say to that. I turned and left quickly, texting the apartment building’s security guard in order to make sure that she left.

  Chapter Two

  Marielle, my admin ran into the office, breathlessly. She was dressed in her typical preppy outfit—J. Crew fuchsia blazer, navy pencil skirt. She had a silk scarf tied around her neck. Her hair was pulled into a neat topknot.

  She waggled the fingers of her left hand at me excitedly. On her left ring finger, sure as sugar, a massive diamond ring glittered. I had seen this, of course. The thread of Mari’s Fate had shown it—it wrapped with that of David, her now fiancé. I squealed excitedly, standing up and taking her hand to inspect the ring.

  “I knew it!” I said.

  “David and I are just dying to take you out to dinner to thank you for your assistance in getting us together.”

  “Oh, no. I couldn’t.” I replied, waving a hand.

  “We’ve made a reservation at Mariano’s,” she raised her eyebrows. Mariano’s was the most exclusive restaurant in the city. It took quite a lot to get a reservation… and it was worth every penny (no pun intended).

  “Well, when you put it that way,” I said, and we giggled. “So, have you picked a date?”

  “Sometime in the spring,” she said, “Probably May.” I did the calculations. In nine months, I would need a new administrator. This always happened. I had, so far, set up exactly six admins, all of them were currently happily married. Exactly four had kids, and one had a little bundle of joy on the way.

  I turned and began plumping one of the cushions on the waiting room sofa. Mari turned the computer on, and began to compile the day’s schedule.

  “Oh, we have a new client coming in today,” she said. “Super premium.”

  Before she got a chance to tell me who this super premium client was a man walked in. I was immediately attracted to him, which was a red flag. I felt the prickle of the spell that I had cast when I was twelve. The last thing that I needed was another romantic entanglement. My most recent fiancé had only recently contacted me to let me know that he had finally gotten out of his full-body cast after the horrible accident that had happened during his bachelor party—he had been hit by an oncoming car as he left a bar the night before our wedding. To top off my nice string of horribly injured or disfigured fiancés, business was a tad slow after a certain news article about the aforementioned string of fiancés. It had been titled “Un-Lucky Penny.” So this guy was to be the next, I supposed. The spell always knew. I couldn’t place my finger on where I knew him from. Mari recognized him immediately.

  “Davey Allred!” she squealed. He looked shocked for a second, and then his face smoothed out into a self-confident grin. My stomach dropped. Davey Allred, mega-superstar actor, had walked into my matchmaking service, Lucky Penny Matches. If I nailed this match, then it could, potentially, get me back on top of my game.

  I stepped forward, holding my hand out to him, and glad that I had chosen to wear my low-cut black Balmain mini to work today. I shook his hand confidently.

  “Welcome, Mr. Allred,” I said.

  “Davey, please,” he replied.

  “Penny,” I said, giving him a wink. “Step in to my office.” I looked at Mari as I ushered the actor into the office. She gave me a double thumbs up.

  “Please, have a seat,” I said, gesturing toward a pink wingback chair that I have for clients to sit in. He sat down, then gestured toward the door.

  “So, another success story?” He smiled. He was talking about Mari. I sighed, forcing a smile.

  “Exactly.” In my mind, I was actually going through my index of “safe” men to bring as a date to Mari’s wedding. The unfortunate thing was, my last single gay friend was now happily married. He had been my admin before Mari. I had matched him to the love of his life last year. They had adopted a little girl several months ago, and he had no time to fake date me anymore.

  “You look distracted,” Davey said. “Did you want me to come back later? With an appointment?”

  “I thought you were the appointment,” I said, confused. I looked at my computer, seeing that I had two cancellations, one which had just been sent through from Mari at the front desk. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, I was mistaken. That is later today.”

  I looked at him, sitting across from me. He looked perfect—like, model perfect. He had a handsome face with artful stubble and piercing blue eyes. His cheekbones, jaw, and nose were perfectly sculpted. I had to swallow. I was so attracted, I was beginning to sweat. I had never been so nervous around someone before. He wore a tight-fitting black t-shirt, his arm and chest muscles were built. I wondered how this guy was having trouble finding a woman. The fact that he was gay flickered through my mind. Shouldn’t be a problem—this is the 21st Century, after all.

  “I must admit. I am surprised that you of all people need assistance from a matchmaking service. So, Davey,” I said, gesturing toward him. “How can I help you?” He smiled at me, a little flustered, it seemed.

  “I want to find someone that I can grow old with,” he said. “I’m at the point in my life where everything’s…you know, good. My career is on track. I own a home. It’s time.”

  I nodded. It was the usual spiel. He went on.

  “I just want to find the right woman, and soon, you know, like this month. I feel like that would be good.”

  “Well, these things sometimes take time,” I explained, wondering what the rush was. I could feel myself getting flustered.

  “I’m sure it does,” he replied s
eriously.

  “Um, why don’t you tell me more about yourself, and, like, your interests,” I said, taking out my clipboard and reminding myself to stick to business.

  “I’m your usual guy,” he said. “I like sports and stuff.”

  “You want to be more specific?”

  “I like nice things, like nice dinners,” he said. He rubbed his chin, and I felt my mouth almost drop open at how attractive that mannerism was. “I like to go to the beach. I like to hike. Sometimes I go to the mountains and snowboard for a couple of days.”

  “Do you go out a lot?”

  “Sometimes,” the evasive way that he said it made me think that he went out often. I knew that he had the reputation for being a playboy. I let it slide. I was trying to magically assess of my clients, what threads he was connected to. It was like he was in a haze, and that was seriously concerning, since that only happens with men that I myself get serious about. And then, because of a spell that I cast when I was twelve, those men end up brutally injured…or worse.

  I was too attracted to him to see him in a rational light. I would need to force myself to get over it. I needed to see the women who were in his life at present before bringing someone new in. Maybe there was someone that he himself was overlooking—see whose threads moved to him. I placed my pen down on top of my clipboard and bit my lip. Davey leaned forward, placing his chin in the palm of his hand. The way he was looking at me made me flush red.

  “I’ll need to shadow you for a couple of days—get to know who you associate with and what you’re like,” I said, looking him in the eye. He cocked an eyebrow. I had done this many times—it always worked like a charm.

  “I would have to spend more time with you, but I’ll get over it,” I said. He looked taken aback.

  “That’s a rather weak pickup line,” he replied. “The money that I’ll pay you isn’t enough to find someone?”

  “Look at my last string of engagements,” I snapped. “Including the guy who got hit by a car the night before our wedding. He was in a full body cast for the past five months. As a public service, I have officially taken myself off of the market.” I stood, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “Additionally, even if I was on the market, a man as full of himself as you are wouldn’t have a chance with me.” He leaned back in his chair, looking at me.

  “Full of myself?” he hissed, “I am one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Women throw themselves at me. The wrong ones. How the hell am I supposed to find the right ones?” I leaned forward, placing my hands on my desk.

  “I will give you back every last penny,” I snarled, “If you don’t find true love.” He nodded.

  “That’s all I wanted,” he replied shortly, standing up and leaving the room. The door to my office slammed shut behind him. I slammed my hands down onto my desk in frustration. I had totally let him get under my skin. I knew full well that my magic only worked if the person for whom the matchmaking was being done was ready for love, and if the person for whom they were meant was ready for love, as well. It wasn’t an exact science; it had a lot to do with luck and timing. Often, it would take several months to find the right person. In a very few cases, it had been years…those were definitely clients that I had lost. My business had been so successful because by the time that clients showed up at my door, they were at a place where they were ready to find love.

  Davey, on the other hand, despite what he said to the contrary, was not, in fact, ready to find love. He still wanted to play the field—I could sense it. He was still unsettled—which was why his threads were so obscured, I reasoned. I wondered why he was so insistent upon finding “the one,” and in such a short time. I sighed. I would have to do my best. If I settled business with this type of high profile client with success, then business would be booming again. Since I clearly had nothing but my work to look forward to anymore, that was going to have to be enough.

  Chapter Three

  I immediately began researching Davey’s romantic history, and if the tabloids were to be believed, then I was in dire straits. He had been in a long thread of very public relationships that ended explosively. He had also been involved in many relationships with married women, luring them to his bedroom, and then breaking it off as soon as they left their husbands for him.

  Marielle popped her head in to the office. She grinned.

  “I am so excited about this new client,” she said. I gestured toward my screen.

  “He’s going to be impossible,” I replied. “He can’t even date a girl for more than a few weeks. How am I supposed to find someone for him to spend the rest of his life with?”

  “If anyone could do it,” she said confidently, “it would be you. You make miracles happen, Penny.”

  “And horrible accidents,” I responded.

  “It’s not like you will fall in love with him,” Mari said. “I mean, he broke up with that one actress—Kerry Stonestreet, and she’s supposed to be the sweetest person.”

  “Exactly my point, Mari,” I said. “How am I supposed to find true love for a serial playboy?” I was definitely going to have to shadow him in order to figure things out. In his case, the threads of Fate were so blurred that I would need to probably handcuff myself to him. With the amount of people that he surrounded himself with, I was going to have to see his interactions with everyone.

  “I’m going to have to set up a shadow.”

  “Are you doing that for your job, or to rub elbows with the rich and the famous?”

  “Both,” I replied sarcastically and pulling a face at Mari. I picked up my phone, dialing Davey’s number. It rang a few times, then went straight to voicemail.

  “Hello Mr. Allred,” I began. “This is Penelope Harris. I am calling to set up a time for me to shadow you so that I can get a good feel for your life style and the type of person with whom you would be compatible before I can set you up with some potential matches among my clients. Please give me a call back. I believe you have my number.” I ended the call and looked at Mari. We both shrugged.

  “If I can pull this off, I bet I’ll be set up for life in the matchmaking business.”

  ~*~

  My phone rang. I looked at the display, noted that it was Penny Harris from the matchmaking agency. She had tried calling me to set up a time for her to trail me during my everyday life. I wasn’t sure if I wanted that. I pressed the mute button, and then focused my attention back to my agent. She was an attractive woman—she was five foot nine, blonde, and in her late forties. I would have boned her years ago had she not been such a ball buster. Not to mention, she didn’t sleep with clients. I respected her for that. We got along.

  She sighed deeply as she took a sip of her Twinnings Earl Grey—I never saw her drink anything else. She always brought her own teabags to the restaurant in case they didn’t carry it.

  “So, Davey,” she began. “About your little fling last Friday evening.”

  “How do you know I didn’t spend last Friday night behaving myself?” She looked at me sternly, one eyebrow raised.

  “Because I know your every move,” she replied dryly. “She just so happens to be the wife of one of the execs for the studio that is handling your current project.”

  “Oh?” I said. “I didn’t know that she was married.”

  “Yes you did,” she said. “Basically, you need to save face here. You need to demonstrate that you are not currently dating his wife. He doesn’t exactly believe her that the two of you aren’t in some long term type of thing.”

  “Well, if she’s been cheating on him, I imagine not.”

  “Right. So you need to be seen publicly with someone who is without a doubt single, and respectable.” She pointed a finger at me. “No call girls. I don’t want a Pretty Woman situation to deal with.”

  “Understood.”

  “Please make my job just the tiniest fraction of a bit easier.”

  “Yes ma’am.”

  “I mean it. You could lose your spot on
this project.”

  “So do I.” I toyed with the idea of telling her about the matchmaking business that I had gone to—the one with the attractive and feisty matchmaker, but decided against it. She looked more than a little tired.

  Chapter Four

  I was stuck at a table with two immensely happy couples of my own design. As none of my “safe” male dates was available, I was the fifth wheel.

  “So, Penny,” one of the wives, Bethany, began, and I knew that it wasn’t going to be good. “How is the fiancé?”

  “Ex-fiancé.”

  “Oh, no,” she looked aghast.

  “He’s out of the full body cast,” I said. “But we ended up breaking it off.” I took a large gulp of my martini. The two couples looked around awkwardly, as though they were trying to find some thread of conversation. I stood up, deciding to give them some time without the fifth wheel.

  “I have to run to the ladies’ room,” I said, noting the looks of relief on their faces. I would stay until enough time had passed for them to finish discussing the sad state of my affairs and move on to another topic of conversation.

  There was a line to get in to the ladies’ room, so I stood outside in the hallway, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. I glared at the floor, a neat parquet pattern.

  “Hey,” I looked up to find myself face to face with Davey Allred. Despite the fact that he had been dodging my calls, he looked happy to see me.

  “Please, can you do me a favor?” he asked me, his face solemn. “Just put it to your billable hours.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need you to meet my agent,” he said. “I don’t think she’d believe me otherwise.” I nodded, sighing deeply before following him through the restaurant. He led me to a table where a beautiful blonde woman sat. She looked regal, mid-forties, and was well-dressed in a cream-colored suit. She sipped a cup of tea elegantly. She looked at me questioningly as we walked up to the table.

  “Penelope Harris,” Davey said. “This is my agent, Veronica Lane.”