SecondSightDating

by Marianne Stephens

  “Let me get your file and we’ll review what you wrote. I’m really sorry for this confusion.”

  Dan watched as she eyed him with suspicion. He returned the stare.

  Taking this case hadn’t been his idea. His boss, Morgan, was using this assignment as a revenge tactic and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.

  Serena handed him his file and suggested, “Why don’t you check what you’ve written. See if there are any changes you’d like to make. Then I’ll try to see letters for you again.”

  He took the form, fully intending to appear engrossed in doing as she requested. Instead, he let his mind wander as he cursed the circumstances that brought him there in the first place.

  When the mayor complained to the department about his daughter’s horrible experience with Second Sight Dating, Morgan had yelled Dan’s name and issued his assignment order without hesitation. Dan would be the “plant” in their investigation, a guinea pig entering the fiasco dating game using this agency. Serena’s brochures, advertising and sales pitch alleged it dealt strictly with matchmaking.

  The mayor was convinced it was more than that, some type of prostitute/gigolo “dating” service his poor daughter had stumbled across. The woman had gone out with Mr. “Eight” a few times before he’d started hinting that money for his services would be needed to ensure his continued interest.

  Embarrassed, the woman had confided in her father but didn’t want any publicity surrounding her almost venture into the shady world of paying for male attention. Hence, Morgan got a call from the mayor and Dan had been made the nerd needing help finding a love match.

  Or, the stud women would barter for. Or, the man given choices of three women who’d be more than willing to service him…for a price.

  None of the options appealed to him. Acting as if he needed help in finding someone to date made him bristle with annoyance. Hell, he could arrange his own love life but this woman staring at him probably deemed him short in the “How to Attract a Woman” category. She looked at him as someone who needed her guidance to lead him on the path to true love and happiness.

  Yeah. Right.

  He knew from past experience, his own failed marriage and a witch of an ex-wife, Laura, that real love, the forever kind, only existed in the minds of fools. No such animal roamed the face of the Earth. Even his parents’ rocky and distant relationship had proven that.

  Dan only sought out affairs, ones without clingy, starry-eyed women reaching for that brass ring of matrimony. Mutual flings suited his outlook on love. His heart, as well as his soul, would remain safe, hidden away from further damage.

  Crap. He had Morgan to thank for this mess. Shows what can happen if you beat your best friend repeatedly at poker. This revenge was a doozy. And since Morgan was his superior, Dan could do nothing but play the dating game.

  Morgan and the guys back in his department probably enjoyed laughing at his expense over his unwanted assignment. They’d all taken turns trying to “fix him up” with “nice” girls, the ones with commitments in mind. Nice for some guys, but not for him. He had no heart to give anyone. Certainly not to “nice” women.

  Getting his fuzzy brain back to the present, he focused on the application form, verifying the information he’d written, per his boss’s orders. Yep. He’d done his job. All was as it should appear.

  “There’s nothing more to add. Unless you want me to say something about pets. I noticed nothing’s here asking if I have one.”

  Serena’s pert little mouth formed a perfect “O” and he watched in amazement as it then transformed into a smile. “You’re the first person who’s brought that up. I have to admit, I never considered that particular question.”

  Dan read aloud what he’d written across the bottom of the last page, “I like dogs but not cats.” He looked up at her. “Don’t have one, though. Think that might make a difference?”

  She took the form and tilted her head as if pondering his question. “Hmm.”

  Dan placed his arm across her desk, stretching out his palm for her to touch. He waited for her warm fingers to send shivers through his body as before. Dating her would be interesting, if she wasn’t a suspect in his department’s investigation and on the mayor’s wanted list.

  Serena lifted her hand and brought it close to his open palm, an instant burst of heat radiating from it. She hadn’t touched him, but letters already started racing in her head. Blurred ones, but seemingly larger than in her normal letter visions, swam in a furious dance pattern.

  She lowered a finger and traced a path up and down his fleshy palm. The static charge caused by their contact jolted her body and should have had the effect of making her hair stand on end. Her other hand flew up to feel her head in an effort to convince herself that she didn’t look like a wild woman after a very bad perm.

  Letters became clearer, more pronounced and vivid in color. Most times, her visions would only appear in black and white. Rarely did color enter her “sights”.

  Hmm. Color. Shades of green, pink and blue, outlined the letters…the same three she’d seen the first time she’d touched him. S. E. X. Now she’d read them in that order, regardless of how they appeared to her, alphabetical order be damned. Dan’s letters were sex.

  Maybe adding information about pets made some difference, at least in the addition of hues. And, the letters were bolder, bigger and further spaced apart to give definite distinction to them as individual entities.

  He was still going to meet Miss “S”, Miss “E” and Miss “X”. Unless he and the women found some reason, or excuse, to deny fate.

  Serena’s breathing raced with every stroke she feathered on his palm. Too bad men were off-limits in her self-proclaimed celibacy. Anyway, she still wasn’t convinced he was a true believer. Staying far away from that type was an absolute necessity.

  She broke their contact, blinking as she tried to refocus on his face.

  “So? Any new letters for me?”

  “No. The same letters came again, only stronger this time.”

  Dan frowned as he slumped back into his seat. “Is that good or bad?”

  “Probably a good sign. We must be on the right track if the letters are the same. Like I said, this is new territory for me. Having the three letters, I mean.”

  “Fine. I got your message about dinner. It’s okay with me. Do you have your date set up?”

  “That’s what I’ll be working on as soon as you’re gone.” Her cheeks heated as she regretted her brusque manner in an attempt to get him to leave.

  “Oh. Sorry. Didn’t mean to overstay my time.”

  “I’m…I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I just have lots to do before Friday.”

  Dan stood then headed for the door. He winked at her and said before leaving, “I’m looking forward to our date.”

  She watched his retreating back as he walked out her office door. Nice view, even from the rear. His full, masculine frame strolled, almost strutted, away from her, displaying a swagger of confidence with every step. A man in control. Someone comfortable with issuing orders. Self-assured in the world around him.

  Why did he need her help to find a date? Did the qualities she assessed him to possess not translate to interacting with a woman? His friends gave him a certificate to her agency. They thought he needed help?

  What about his “Please. I want to do this” comment? Maybe he was shy around women. Hard to believe, since he didn’t seem to have any trouble talking with her and stirring her interest, but it could prove to be true.

  He was sexy and charming in a smooth, polished sort of way Serena figured came natural to him. Maybe, from experience. Lots of experience. Yet, he wanted her help in finding the perfect woman.

  With a giant mental shake of her head, she decided to focus on what he’d said as he left moments before. Our date? He meant his date and her date. No “our date” existed because they weren’t dating. Sure, they’d be together, but not with each other.

 
It was time to find herself a date. Procrastinating wouldn’t make it any easier. The sooner she settled on Mr. Number whatever, the quicker she could get back to running her business.

  Closing her eyes, she rested her head in her hands as she willed a number to appear. Foggy at first, then numbers started spinning in circles through her mind. Dan’s face was no longer there, but the same numbers appeared. Four, one, eight. Four-eighteen. His number. And, this time, the damn things were in color. Same shades as his letters. Same boldness. Same bigger size.

  Damn.

  “Fine. I give up.” Serena spoke aloud as she threw up her hands and flopped her head back against the headrest of her comfy desk chair.

  If those were her numbers, so be it. She’d look at Mr. “One”, Mr. “Four” and Mr. “Eight”. One of them had to be available for dinner on Friday, someone with whom she’d have at least one thing in common. A man she could parade in front of Dan, watch him interact with his date and get him off her case about dating.

  Full of anxiety, resignation and doubt, she looked forward to Friday like a teenager looked forward to going back to school after Christmas break.

  Chapter Three

  “So? Seen any ghosts yet? Is she a gypsy fortuneteller? Wart on her nose?” Morgan bombarded ridiculous questions at Dan the minute he entered the department.

  Eyeing his boss/ex-best friend, Dan cocked his head toward Morgan’s office. “Mind if we discuss this in private?”

  “Sure thing.”

  The men entered the office and Dan noted the sly grins from coworkers and curious glances. He paid particular attention to shutting the door before he said anything.

  “You do know that we’ll never play poker again. I won’t live through more revenge tactics like this.”

  “Hey, you’re my best investigator. Everyone else is either married or in some type of relationship. You’re the most likely candidate since you’re not attached to anyone.”

  “Fitzgerald isn’t involved.”

  “Sending a gay guy might not work. If she is psychic—and personally I don’t believe any of that mumbo-jumbo stuff myself but my orders come from higher up the food chain here—she could see right through his act. Hell, even Fitzgerald admits going undercover like this wouldn’t work for him. I’ve got to go with whatever I think will work. You’re the most likely, convincing guy we have available.”

  Dan flopped down in a chair, annoyed at his fate. “I suppose everyone’s been talking about this.”

  Steve Morgan eased into the oversized leather chair behind his desk. “Dan, you know you give us plenty to talk about, on or off the job.”

  In a sarcastic tone, Dan replied, “Thanks for being my friend.”

  Steve laughed. “Boy, this case is really bugging you. What happened? Is she a real witch?”

  “Nope. That’s the problem. She’s a knockout. If I wasn’t a ‘plant’ there, I’d be tempted to ask her out, weird abilities or not. And, for the record, I’m not saying I believe this ESP stuff either.”

  His boss got out of his seat and walked over to Dan, shaking his friend’s shoulder. “Rein in those hormones, Casanova. You’re supposed to be a nerd needing help. If you let loose with any of that Daniel Reese Carrington appeal women seem to fall for, you could compromise this case.”

  Dan shrugged. “I know I need to be helpless. She’s not making it very easy. I don’t seem to be her ordinary male client.”

  “How so?”

  “She has this system using numbers and letters for her male and female clients and then matches them using her ‘sight’. Apparently, I’m an unusual case. When she touches me for letter matches to her female clients, I only spell one thing to her. Sex.”

  Steve leaned forward in his seat, a frown creasing his forehead. “Your letters spell sex? Maybe that Carrington charm’s out already. Enlighten me about this ‘touching’ procedure and spare no details. I didn’t realize you’d be subjected to bodily contact, but it looks like you survived.” A grin spread across his face.

  The next ten minutes were spent with Dan explaining his encounter with Serena. It included their plans for double-dating, a ploy to cover his keeping an eye on her and her business.

  Whatever it really was.

  “Now you know how crazy this whole thing is. Are we sure the mayor’s daughter went through this dating service? Did she really meet this guy through Second Sight Dating?”

  “Yep. You read and heard what I did. Who else would call their date Mr. ‘Eight’? Miss Sight gives numbers to the guys, right?”

  Dan’s cell rang, the special one he’d been issued for this case. “This has to be her. I haven’t given out this number to anyone else.”

  He plugged a wire into the bottom of the phone, connecting it to a recorder before answering. “Dan Reese.”

  “Mr. Reese, or I should say, Mr. ‘Four-eighteen’, this is Miss Sight. I wanted to let you know we’re all set for Friday night.”

  “So, who’s my first date with?”

  “You’ll be meeting Miss ‘S’. You might remember her as the blonde who lives in Overland Park.”

  “Yeah, I remember her. Fine. I’ll be at the restaurant at seven. You gonna be there, too?”

  “I’m still working on that.”

  Time for some feigned begging. “I’ll feel a whole lot better about this if you do come.”

  “Yes, well…uh…I’ll be there.”

  “Good. I’ll really feel more confident with you by my side. See you then.”

  Dan ended the call as he watched Steve turn off the recording device.

  “Guess I’m having dinner on Friday with date number one. Or, should I say, Miss ‘S’.”

  “What about Sight? Will she really show?”

  “I think so. I assume I sounded needy enough to want her to come along.”

  Steve shrugged. “Sounded that way to me. What do you know about Miss ‘S’?”

  “Blonde, wants to be a model. Real easy on the eyes. Practically falling out of her untied top in her picture. Probably a publicity shot.”

  “Or invitation to check out future offerings. For a price.”

  Dan rubbed his hands over his face before replying. “Yeah, well, I guess I’ll find out.”

  “The insurance company’s on notice to field calls about your ‘new’ job. Good thing my wife’s a VP over there and they cooperate with us.”

  “Thank her for me.”

  “So, all you have to do is make sure you play up the drooling, shy guy role.” Steve slapped him on the back. “Practice in front of a mirror or something.”

  “I’d wipe that grin off your face if you weren’t my boss. I’ve got work to do. Mind if I slam your door shut when I walk outta here?”

  Steve’s laughter echoed throughout the room. “Hey, be my guest. That’s better than bloodshed. Especially if it’s supposed to be mine.”

  Dan exited the office, swinging the door closed with a half-hearted but audible whack.

  Once back at his desk, he reviewed the short glimpses of information he’d studied for his three possible dates, the ones “head-picked” especially for him by Serena Sight. Hell, he knew her last name was just for show. The department was checking into her background although everything seemed to be in order and all legal.

  She’d given him mini-bios for each woman. Good thing he had an almost photographic memory and could remember practically everything he read.

  “Miss “S”, soon to be his first date, was eager to be a famous model. Younger than him. She’d written down that she loved to entertain and help people have a good time. Could be interesting if she didn’t expect to be paid and included sexual forms of entertainment as good times on her list of favorite things.

  Yep, that body could be an entertainment center all by itself. So much for his first bachelorette candidate.

  His next candidate, closer to his age, was a bright, red-haired beauty, looking for a career change. Now a dog groomer, she looked toward enriching her life, me
eting new people and making more money. Her words, not his.

  Hmm. He’d noticed her long, elegant fingers on the hand she’d demurely splayed by the open “V” of her blouse. Those fingers washed dogs, but would do a hell of a massage and more, for a man. Sex for money was a lucrative way to increase her income. His bachelorette second date.

  And, his last future date was also a younger woman. The sultry-looking woman had light brown hair highlighted with blue and purple streaks. One year of college before she decided to become an actress. Worked with some local theatre group and studied colors, costuming, all things to fantasize and create the allure that acting encompassed. Again, what the lady wrote.

  She could be well-equipped with outfits to suit anyone’s desires. Another great body to deal with. Lots of men would pay plenty to act out their sexual fantasies. And she would be his third and final bachelorette date.

  Thinking of the fantasies he might enjoy, Dan realized one woman came to mind and none of his future dates were involved. Right at the moment, they seemed to star his prime suspect, Serena, “Miss Sight”.

  Damn.

  * * * * *

  “Just pick up the freaking phone.” Serena ordered herself to call Sean, her Mr. “One”. Getting this over with as soon as possible would be the best way to deal with it.

  As she dialed his number, she looked over his picture and application once more. There had to be something she could label as a common interest for them.

  He was blond, an Adonis by the standards of some women, but just too pretty for her tastes. He reminded her of a preening peacock. She’d caught him gazing at his own reflection in her office mirror many times and considered him vain.

  Mr. “One” wanted someone petite, maybe someone he could tower over. Serena’s matching his height didn’t exactly place her on his choice list.

  Music. She liked country and rock. He liked rap and heavy metal. She shrugged. Probably wouldn’t be time to listen to any of their desired types of music at dinner in an Italian restaurant.