SecondSightDating

by Marianne Stephens

  Touching him sent shivers up and down her body. Usually, just one tiny jolt would accompany her first contact with a client. This man was different. This man revved up her system. This man could undo the “no man in my life now” code she’d followed for the past year.

  Getting her business up and operating while forgetting Alan and his betrayal had steeled her resolve to forgo any form of love life. Her self-imposed “one year, no dating” sentence had ended, but Serena avoided looking for a man. Distance from Dan would be vital. He would test her determination to fly solo if he got too close.

  Clearing her throat, she offered, “I’m seeing three letters for you.” She broke their contact by removing her hand and placed both her arms on her desk.

  “Letters? I thought your application said you’d provide one match.”

  The fingers of her left hand began drumming a cadence on her desk. “Well, usually I only see one letter. But you seem to be different.”

  “So,” he leaned in closer, “is that good or bad?”

  “Maybe it’s your lucky day. I guess there could be three women out there just perfect for you, waiting for an introduction.”

  Serena got up and walked into her outer office. She shuffled through her files, collecting those of his three possible future dates. She retained the files, but pulled out the short, unnamed and non-letter identifying bio for each woman along with their pictures. She returned to her desk and handed them to Dan. “Here are the ladies who match your letters.”

  He studied the bios and photos. An uneasy twinge of disappointment over his interest made her uncomfortable as the seconds passed before he spoke. What was wrong with her?

  “What about them? Do I come up as a match for any of these ladies?”

  “I won’t know for sure until I give you a number and interview them again. I need to touch them too in order to ‘feel’ the connection. I’ll contact them today and see when they can come in for a session. Do you, uh, have a problem with any of them? I’ll need to know that up front.”

  “No. You’re the expert here. If you say we’re compatible, I’ll give it a shot. When will I hear from you?” Slouching in his seat, her latest client smirked as if he still doubted the whole procedure.

  Perhaps speeding up his case would make him a believer. Maybe the sooner she hooked him up with one of the eligible women in her files, the quicker she’d get past the magnetic pull he seemed to cast her way. Her mind wanted to ignore the feeling, but her body was more than willing to be charmed by Dan Reese.

  “I’ll get on this right away. Let me just give you a number. Uh,” she shuffled through papers on her desk, “my list is here somewhere.”

  Embarrassment panicked her as each second passed during her frantic search for her numbers list for men. Where the hell was it? She’d always kept papers pertaining to men on the left side of her desk and ones for the ladies on the right.

  Peeking at him, she noticed his fixated stare, never wavering from her desperate quest. Having already displayed doubts about her business, he now probably assumed her to be nothing short of an unorganized fortuneteller. Great way to do business, Serena. Finally, one paper materialized from the heap, but only one number appeared on it. Strange. Where did it come from?

  “So? Is that mine?” His question came out in an impatient tone.

  “Yes.” The number was as good as any and she was positive no one else had it. “You’re Mr. ‘Four-eighteen’.”

  His eyes widened. “You have that many clients? Now I am impressed.”

  Now? Did he say now? The heck with worrying about the source of the number. Four-eighteen would do.

  “You’ll be known as that number until you meet your date. If you decide to exchange names, then it’s up to you.”

  “You won’t even call me by my name?”

  “Makes it easier if I don’t. Then there’s no chance of a slip-up on my part.”

  He shrugged. “Okay. So, do you have a letter? Are you in the files?”

  His questions caught her off guard. No one else had ever asked. The one time she’d gone with her intuition for herself, her “second sight” had made one hell of a blunder. Matching herself with a man from her client list remained her biggest mistake.

  “No. I just do this for others. This is a business. I’m not trying to find a match for myself.”

  Mr. “Four-eighteen” edged his body closer to lean over her desk. “I’d think matching someone for yourself would be an easier challenge than handling strangers.”

  On the defensive, Serena quipped, “I could if I wanted to.”

  “Would you object to proving that to me?”

  Damn. Caught in a lie. She had to go open her mouth and say she could do it when she knew it wouldn’t work. Dating Alan had proved that.

  “Look, I know you’re uneasy about being here and my arranging a date for you, but I’m running a business and I…”

  Dan interrupted, “Are you afraid to be your own client?”

  “Of course not.” His question irritated the hell out of her. Surely there would be one man in her files she could date a few times without worrying about anything long-term developing. She knew that wouldn’t happen.

  “Fine. If it’ll make you feel more at ease, I’ll do a number search for myself. Now, let’s get back to you.”

  “No.” He shook his finger at her and laughed. “That’s not enough. How will I know you actually go through with this?”

  Jerking to her feet, Serena rose to her full height and placed her hands on her hips. “What do you suggest?”

  He got up, leaned slightly forward and rested both hands on her desk. As he stared at her, he answered,“We’ll double-date. I won’t be so nervous about all this with you there and you’ll see how things go for me since I’m not your usual client.”

  A brain freezing sensation took control of her mind for a second or two. Her mouth opened, but no words popped out. Double-date?

  “I can’t go out on other clients’ dates.”

  “Why?”

  That one simple word had her thinking. He was right about his being different from all the others. Maybe she should be around to see how her matchmaking went for him—her very unusual case.

  She would arrange his date and one for herself.

  And, watch him.

  Very closely.

  Out of curiosity.

  For research on her gift.

  The sound of the cuckoo clock interrupted the silence between them once again. Grateful for the reminder that another client was due in five minutes, Serena put on her best business-like front.

  “Mr. ‘Four-eighteen’, I’ll contact one of your letters and interview her. Then, I’ll get back to you about a meeting. I’ll set up something for myself so we can be a cozy foursome as you requested.”

  One eyebrow quirked up, but other than that, his face remained unchanged. “Good. I feel better about this already. I guess I’ll just wait to hear from you. I’m looking forward to our dinner.”

  She stuck out her hand to shake his. Instant heat raced up her arm and through her system as his warmth invaded her body. Letters danced again in her mind, swirling faster as her blood pumped swiftly through her veins.

  The man was dangerous, a threat to her sanity and self-control.

  “I’ll wait for your call.” He gave her a half-smile, turned and strolled out the door.

  Serena dropped into her chair, listening to the squeaking sounds emanating from the old rocker as the chair swayed back and forth. She rested her head against the cushioned back and closed her eyes.

  Four-eighteen, four-eighteen. Why was that paper in her pile with that number on it? She only had male clients numbered into the one-hundred range. She massaged the spot between her eyes. Dwelling on this would do nothing except give her a migraine so she decided to move on. Enough about him. She had other things to worry about now.

  Her eyes flew open as she wondered what letter she could choose for herself. She had just started
double-lettering new female clients. Maybe she could choose a state and use those letters. Nothing common like KS or MO for the two local states. She needed something that would “flow”. Hmm.

  She began rocking, soothing her innermost thoughts with visions of her travels around the country. Miss “VA” made her sound like a veteran’s group. Miss “NY” or Miss “CA” really didn’t feel right. Miss “MD”, “OH” and “OR” had obvious drawbacks.

  Sighing, Serena’s eyelids fluttered closed. She let her mind drift, like fingers lightly touching a Ouija board, waiting for vibrations from fingertips and “spirits” to “magically” move the planchette and answer the users’ questions. She could see letters swimming before her, some by themselves, some coupled together.

  Suddenly, she sat ramrod straight, stilling the movement of the rocker. Letters flashed in her head, ones that must be meant for her to use.

  Yes, they’d fit into how she felt about herself. She’d been there and enjoyed her trip with all the sights and sounds of the area. Not a place she wanted to settle in, but definitely somewhere exciting and full of mystery and intrigue.

  “Miss ‘DC’. That’s me.” Serena spoke her words with the assurance of someone harboring no doubts. She’d put her plan of action into motion after the next client left. Operation “find Dan Reese a match” was about to begin.

  Chapter Two

  Serena scrutinized the woman about to leave her office. “Thanks for coming in, Miss ‘S’. I’ll get back to you about dinner arrangements.”

  In an almost apprehensive tone, the client answered, “Yes. Well, uh, I did mention that I won’t eat much, right?”

  With a smile, Serena replied, “That won’t be a problem. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Serena escorted Dan’s first future date to the door. The hazel-eyed blonde fit some of the descriptive qualities on his list.

  Except for hair color.

  Then, of course, he liked baseball and she didn’t.

  And, there was her notion that hard rock or rap beat out country music, Dan’s listening choice.

  Well, everything didn’t have to match exactly. They both did like Italian food. That could be a starting point.

  An irritating doubt poked through her composure. Would Miss “S” really fit in Dan’s life?

  When did he become Dan and not Mr. “Four-eighteen”?

  Damn, he’d gotten under her skin, bypassed her warning barriers and head alarm blaring “watch out for this one”. His name, now firmly implanted in her head, wouldn’t change back from Dan to a number without any major effort on her part. And even then, it wouldn’t work.

  She knew he had to be called Dan. Period.

  Serena rubbed her temples, trying to ward off a troubling headache. The more she denied a “sight”, the worse her head throbbed. Resigning herself to calling him Dan would start the blood flowing happily in her veins again, wiping out all traces of pain. She’d been this route before and knew the unavoidable consequences. Better to go with the option firmly implanted in her brain. She couldn’t win a battle with her gift.

  Miss “S” had seemed somewhat enthused about meeting him. He satisfied most of the qualifications on her list.

  Except for the age thing. At twenty-five, she preferred someone younger than thirty-three-year-old Dan.

  And, she had wanted someone shorter.

  In addition, she hoped to be a model and wanted to stay on her diet, but would eat Italian food. A little. To be sociable.

  “Stop overanalyzing this,” Serena chided herself aloud. Miss “S” matched one of his letters. His number didn’t exactly come up for her, but “four” did. It was part of his number. Maybe that would be close enough.

  Serena put aside their files after leaving messages for both of them to see if seven on Friday at Zio’s would work. Two days’ notice should be enough for them to decide.

  Now, she had to work on her own case and find a date. Numbers were needed. Should be easy enough to do if she’d just make herself relax and let them come to her.

  Realizing she expected no more clients for the day, Serena decided to stretch out on the couch in her office and relax. She kicked off her shoes and eased herself down into a reclining position. She took a few calming breaths, hoping to ease the tension in her body.

  “Okay numbers. Start dancing.”

  She closed her eyes and tried to wipe extra thoughts from her mind. Numbers. She had to allow only numbers to filter through.

  Dan’s face plastered itself squarely in her head, surrounded by the number four-eighteen. Scores of tiny groups of four-eighteens swirled around his smiling face. The one with the sparkling eyes, trying to look into her soul. The face highlighted with a strong, chiseled jaw and dimple on one side. The face showing a five-o’clock shadow surrounding kissable lips.

  She opened one eye, then the other, deciding to focus one at a time on the ceiling above. It was vital to wipe him out of her head in order to get on with her number search.

  Her eyes closed again and this time she took more deep intakes of breath and exhaled them as slowly as possible. After doing this a few times, Serena decided to try the numbers search again.

  Nope. Still didn’t work.

  Damn.

  Maybe she would have to just read each of the male clients’ profiles and choose someone that way. She snorted. Heck, she couldn’t do any worse than dating Alan. And she’d thought they were compatible. This would only be someone to have dinner with and get through a session of chaperoning Dan’s date.

  He’d find a match and then leave her alone.

  Maybe.

  Maybe he’d find his match or maybe he’d leave her alone? Both thoughts didn’t appeal. Why did her heart feel as if it had just hit bottom?

  She closed her eyes one last time and placed her arm over her forehead. She needed a short power nap. Mentally setting her head alarm to wake her up in twenty minutes, she fell into peaceful slumber.

  * * * * *

  Dan noticed the door to the office was ajar, so he pushed it open. On the couch was “Miss Sight”, fast asleep and resembling Sleeping Beauty. A very gorgeous one at that.

  He watched the rise and fall of her breasts as they strained against her top in a slow, rhythmic sleep-related pattern. Her hips were slightly turned in toward the sofa. Her skirt, deliciously hiked up around her thighs, offered him a great view of her long, elegant legs.

  Anyone other than a gentleman would take advantage of the scenario and tiptoe around the end of the couch for a better view of those legs. But, his mother had taught him proper respect for women and he’d stay put. However, the desire to see her, touch her, sent a message of need straight to his groin.

  Clearing his throat, Dan called out, “Hello? Are you still open?”

  Serena’s body twisted abruptly at the sound of his voice. She sat up then stood, smoothing down her skirt and pushing back wayward curls from her face.

  He longed to reach out and help, but kept his hands planted firmly by his sides. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  Sleep lines and rosy red cheeks highlighted her face. She looked adorable, loveable and kissable. Dreamy-eyed after just having awakened. She’d fit into his arms so easily.

  “Uh, sorry. I guess I was tired and… How did you get in?”

  “The door was open. Maybe you should make sure it’s locked before you sleep.”

  “Oh. I thought it was.” She coughed. “Why are you back here?”

  “I forgot to ask you something.”

  Serena walked over to her desk and sat. “Okay. Fine. Have a seat.”

  He waved a hand. “No, that’s not necessary. I’m not here to disturb you, just curious about something.”

  “Sure. How can I help you?”

  Dan took a step forward then stopped. “I just wanted to know what letters came up for me.”

  Without hesitating, she replied, “‘E’, ‘S’ and ‘X’. Those are the ones I keep seeing for you.”

  Dan g
ave her a quizzical stare. “Don’t you find that odd?”

  “Like I already told you, seeing three letters veers off my normal pattern, but I guess we can work with it.”

  Dan folded his arms. “You don’t see anything weird about those three particular letters?”

  Serena frowned, giving him a confused look. “What are you getting at?”

  “Those letters spell out ‘Sex’.”

  Long seconds ticked by before Serena could unscramble the thoughts rampaging through her brain. He put the letters together to make the word “SEX”?

  “I can assure you that I just saw them as separate entities in alphabetical order. You know, E, period. S, period. X, period. I never considered putting them together to form a word.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. “Seems odd to me.”

  “This is the first time I’ve ever gotten more than one letter.” She frowned. “I’m as confused as you are.”

  “Maybe I could sit down so we can talk this over.”

  “Sure.”

  Dan took the same seat opposite her that he’d occupied earlier. Despite the desk between them, she sensed his presence surrounding her.

  What was going on? A strange irritation swept over her. If she looked at the letters in a different order, they’d spell out something other than sex…like her initials. That, however, he’d never need to know.

  She cleared her throat before speaking. “I can’t explain it to you. Those are your letters. You need to stop thinking of them in any particular order so they spell out a word.” Another word formed in her head using those same letters and she decided to test his reaction. “You know, it could also say ‘exs’ like in ex-wife.”

  She noticed him shifting in his seat. He didn’t have an ex, or at least he hadn’t marked that on his application. Had he been truthful in filling out his form? Could that be why the letters had come to her? Maybe he had some ex in his past and she’d picked up on it.

  “Do you have an ex?” She narrowed her gaze at him. “That could be why I see all those letters.”

  Play this cool. Keep your voice level. Dan leveled a determined gaze at her and aimed for a nonchalant tone to his answer. “Nope. Never been married. Guess that brings us back to square one again.”