Twisted Luck

by Mia Downing

  “So?” He inhaled the last bite of his breakfast and eyed my half-eaten meal. “You going to eat that?”

  I shoved my plate toward him, and he pounced like a lion on prey. “I’m nervous because I got fired, rehired, and a promotion. I have no clue what that means. If people will be happy or upset with me, or…what.”

  He stopped chewing to frown, his brows embedded in deep furrows. “Who the fuck cares what they think?”

  “Well. Obviously me.”

  He finished chewing, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and perused my outfit. “I hope you’re not wearing that robe. Though I’d love to work there if you’re naked under it.”

  “No.” I grabbed the edges and tugged it tighter, picturing some of my co-workers leering at me. Ew.

  “Good. I want you to put on the black dress you wore to dinner last time. I think you have a red scarf. Red is a power color. Do your hair up in that sexy bun of yours and go with minimal makeup. You’ll be fine.”

  “Since when are you a fashion guru?” But in my mind, I dressed in his choice and found it perfect. I felt powerful and pretty in that dress, like I could conquer anything. The scarf would be the pop of color needed to make me invincible.

  “It’s my job to see holes in a human’s facade, to see the points of weakness. When you wear that dress, you are pretty and confident, and there are no ways into your armor, so to speak.” He slurped down his coffee and rose, his expression thoughtful. “You’re only weak when you drink, Olivia. It was the only way I found in. And even then, it took a half a bottle of tequila to break down boundaries enough for me to own you.”

  “Thank you. I think.”

  “You need to remember that and show them what I see.” His smile made my insides weak.

  I rose and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”

  I could almost swear he blushed as I went to dress.

  Right after I’d dressed and said good-bye to Leo as he left for work, a knock sounded at the door.

  I shook my head and opened it with a smile. “Did you forget your keys—” My smile froze as fear coursed through my veins. “Samuel.”

  Samuel stood in the shabby hallway, handsome as ever as he shot me a fake smile. He rocked a three piece wool suit in a devastating black with a burgundy tie against a white shirt. Every appointment was in place—the tie a perfect length and tacked properly, cuffs right at his wrist, waistcoat ending at his belt. His brown eyes, slightly lighter in shade than Leo’s, held that same intelligent calculation of a predator as he absorbed my shock with the slightest smirk haunting his lips.

  “Olivia.” He gestured to the open doorway I barricaded with my body. “May I come in?”

  I couldn’t say no. He knew it. I knew it.

  I forced my frozen smile a bit brighter to keep up appearances. “Of course. I need to hurry to work, but I have a few moments.” Thank God for work and the confident dress Leo had suggested I wear. I gestured down the hallway toward my kitchen, shut the door behind us with a nervous pause, and followed him. “To what do I owe this special occasion?”

  Hands clasped behind his back, Samuel took a turn around my dining table, taking in everything in the same, nosy way Leo had that first, fated night. His lips quirked at the arrangement of candles my mother had given me. His candles. “I had to see the magic-free zone for myself. Leo’s never been one to miss work. The fact that you held him hostage here, all weekend… It has baffled me.”

  “I didn’t hold him hostage. The door was there. He was free to leave.”

  “A lot of good a door does for someone of another realm.” He cocked his head. “Leo informs me he spent a…humanly weekend. Doing date-like things.”

  I stabbed an earring into my lobe to give my shaking hands a chore. I hoped I looked calm and at ease despite the sheen of sweat growing on my palms and brow. “It was that or have him stare at me the entire time.”

  “Well, we can’t have that.” Samuel turned on his toe and prowled my living room with even steps.

  “You spend humanly time with my mother,” I reminded him as I started on the other earring.

  He paused with his back to me as he studied a painting on my back wall over the sofa. It was one of my first, a lighthouse scene. I didn’t dare ask what he thought of it.

  “Yes, I do spend time with Muriel.” He spun on his toe to face me. “But we demons do a lot of things we don’t wish to do when sealing a deal. You’re contracted. Therefore, there’s no need for him to spend time on you.”

  Obviously, he’d forgotten our conversation in his office where all this was hunky-dory. Or he just didn’t get it. Or maybe he was jealous.

  “If you want to seal your own deal with my mother, then this time Leo and I spend together is a good thing. I know Leo has explained that to you. I don’t lie well to my mother. The fact that she hasn’t seen through the true nature of my relationship with Leo is a minor miracle. It’s not smart to push it.”

  Samuel narrowed his eyes as he sank his hands into his pockets. Damn these men for their obsession with jingling change, because his rattled at Mach five. “She’s ‘over the moon’ that Leo has come into your life. I think a few timely phone calls and dinners where she can see the two of you in action should be enough.”

  Under my nervousness, irritation took hold. I clenched my hands into fists to remind myself I needed to be calm, cool, and collected. If this were a real relationship, I’d be petitioning Leo to move far, far away from his controlling daddy. “That’s not what we discussed, and as I’ve said, that won’t work. Obviously, you don’t know my mother as well as you think.”

  “I’d say I know her well enough.” A mix of indignant arrogance and joy blended in the curve of his lips. “You see, while you spent the weekend ‘dating’, I did your job, Olivia.”

  I couldn’t keep my brows from rising in surprise. “My job.”

  “She had asked you to help her nail down wedding plans.”

  “I have been. We bought a dress. She paid for expensive chocolate for the reception.” Panic crawled up my throat, and I gulped it down. “She gave a deposit to the Costa Rica venue but wanted to pay in full after she spoke to you.”

  “Well, I took care of all of it yesterday.” He picked an imaginary speck of dust off his lapel and brushed it clean.

  I trembled, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. However, I didn’t take the bait and ask. I held my breath during the dramatic pause, waiting for him to turn his attention to me.

  He finally raised his head and shot me a satisfied smile. “Don’t you want to know? She agreed to go back to the original date we’d set, just to please me.”

  That was less than two weeks away. My breath whooshed out, and I fought to keep my composure though my world began to spiral down the drain. Damn him. I couldn’t make Leo love me in that short amount of time.

  “Yes,” he continued as if the blood weren’t draining at Mach speed from my face. “We booked the flights, the resort in Costa Rica, changed the delivery of chocolate, finished the flower details…everything.” He took measured steps toward me. “Every. Tiny. Detail. Now paid in full.”

  “She’ll never marry you.” It slipped from my lips in a horrified whisper before I could stop it.

  His jaw worked back and forth in agitation, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t mess with me, Olivia.”

  Oh God. I knew that look, the one from the office. My pulse jumped to my throat, pounding as the clock in my kitchen loudly ticked down the seconds to my destruction. I held my breath and waited for my life to end. One, two, three—

  Samuel’s stomach growled. Loudly.

  The pure rage of one without magic flashed over his handsome face, and it had to be mixing with the ravenous hunger that seemed to dominate Leo’s life. He gnashed his teeth, the grinding of his molars making me wince.

  I fidgeted under his intense glare, unsure if I should offer to cook for him, or flee, or what. I couldn’t live in my apartment under the safety of luck
for the rest of my life. This man had more than a contract in play. And I needed to be able to attend that wedding come hell or high water so I could save my mother.

  “Look.” I swallowed down the huge lump in my throat. “Let’s call a truce. My only plan is to see my mother happy.”

  “A truce?” Samuel snorted, but the tension through his shoulders eased a bit. “In your book, we both know ‘happy’ means she doesn’t say ‘I do.’”

  He had me there.

  But…

  My simple wish for luck of the good kind had wrecked havoc on their magical world. What could the right words in wedding vows do to a contract? Because the scheming, survival-mode part of me saw a possible vein of gold sparking in the darkness of the abandoned mine.

  I licked my lips. “I also want my mother safe. I’m not stupid. I realize if I want to see to her safety, I don’t have much of a choice. This wedding will happen. Am I correct?”

  The calculating smile returned with a regal nod. “Very correct.”

  “Then I’ll continue doing what I can to make sure she makes it to the altar. And that includes continuing to look like I’m happy with Leo.”

  “I see.” Samuel brushed past me toward the door and spun, nearly bowling me over. “Whatever angle you’re planning with Leo, it won’t work. Candle-lit dinners and old-fashioned dating aren’t going to enamor Leo to you.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” But it also set of a warning bell. Why would he warn me if he weren’t worried about it on some level? “Do you realize how rude and selfish your son is? He’s good in bed, but…” I gave a dramatic pause, just long enough to steady my shallow breaths. I had to be cool and calm, and I wasn’t used to swimming with sharks. “Demons don’t make the best roommates. I want him off to work just as badly as you do. This weekend should have been enough together time to convince my mother.”

  In the open doorway, Samuel shot me a cold smile down the length of his regal nose. “You’d best hope so.”

  I shut the door behind him and closed my eyes, fighting to breathe evenly without a paper bag.

  Samuel was definitely worried about Leo spending time with me, which was odd but reassuring that I was on the right track. And if my mother ended up at the altar, I was going to make sure she had the best vows ever. Vows that would twist Samuel’s contract and make him wish he’d never started down this path with us.

  For the first time, I wondered if Babu had something, and if maybe I had a prayer of pulling this off.

  If Samuel didn’t flame me first.

  Chapter Twenty

  My first morning back at work went well despite me still being rattled by Samuel’s visit. I smoothly transitioned into my new work space and jumped back into a project I knew well. Just to be safe, I avoided all water cooler chatter, so to speak.

  But Samuel’s voice echoed in the back of my mind throughout my morning, laying down his sentence of doom.

  After a few hours of not being able to shake his words, I touched base with Annie since she had wanted a report on how the weekend went. We agreed to meet for lunch at a little cafe right near the office that had the best brownies and a good sandwich.

  “What’s wrong,” Annie said immediately as she sat with her meal.

  I was already seated and picking at a turkey sandwich. “I have two weeks.”

  She gasped, and I quickly filled her in on the weekend and Samuel’s visit, from the wedding date change to his warning about not being able to “enamor” Leo.

  “Well,” Annie said thoughtfully as she finished a mouthful of tuna salad. “I can see why you sounded on edge on the phone.”

  “Yes.” I shoved my half-eaten sandwich aside, my nerves creating a tidal wave of bile in my stomach that the food surfed along. My fingers drummed on the side of my paper cup. “On top of that, I need to come up with some hefty vows that will help my mother get something good like my luck if I can’t keep this from happening.”

  “One step at a time. Focus on the enamoring and head this off before the date.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded, Annie’s calming words putting my head back in the game. “Yes, you’re right.” Since her advice seemed to work so far, I asked, “What do you suggest?”

  “Okay. I’ve been thinking about the next step and doing a little research. You need to play a little game of supply and demand.”

  I stopped nibbling on a chip, astounded. “You got that from a women’s magazine?”

  “No, Economics Weekly, which I guess can be a woman’s magazine.” She shrugged. “Why not?”

  “Not this woman.” I shook my head, baffled. “I have no clue where you’re going with that.”

  She toyed with the cardboard sleeve on her cup as if trying to find the words to explain. “You’ve been available all weekend, and he’s gotten used to a certain level of company and comfort. Now that he’s a captive audience, you need to make yourself less available to make him want you around even more.”

  This made no sense. “I’m not any good at this whole relationship game thing.”

  She waved a hand. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder. You know the saying.”

  I did. I also knew Leo had no heart. A full fridge and a TV remote would be enough for him. “I don’t think it will work. All he wants me for is sex and cooking.”

  Annie leaned forward onto her elbows in a show of earnest support. “It will work. Even if that’s all he needs you for at first, hopefully he’ll miss whatever human contact you provide.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Look, that’s what the mean girls do. They treat a guy like crap, and he wants her even more. Don’t you remember us marveling over Tara’s magical powers?”

  Recalling our neighbor from college made me nod. The bitch across the dorm hall had that formula down pat. She reeled them in and then treated them like crap. The guys left in her wake didn’t seem to mind they’d all been treated this way. Somehow, she had been worth it.

  But I wasn’t.

  I also had no other ideas. Sighing in defeat, I nodded again. “Okay.”

  “You really need to stop knocking yourself,” Annie scolded softly.

  I glanced up, surprised. “I wasn’t.”

  “Not with words, but I know where your mind was going. I know you well enough.”

  Yes, she did. Not that I’d talked a ton about my past, but Annie seemed to understand then as she did now. I shrugged as an embarrassed blush heated my cheeks. “Therapy was supposed to take care of my issues.”

  “A handful of sessions isn’t going to cure you.” Annie squeezed my hand tighter. “What happened to you when we lost touch?”

  Well, that was easy. “I met two jerks and sold my soul to a third.”

  “That’s three jerks too many. Thank the Goddess you found me again.” Annie sighed, released my hand, and sat back, taking a moment to peruse the busy sidewalk. Finally, she turned back to me with compassion and sorrow lining her pale face. “Will you at least try? Give it a day. Even two. See what happens. If nothing changes, then we’ll come up with something different.”

  I had no clue how I’d lie to him about being busy, but I could take a chance with two days. “Okay.”

  Annie patted my hand again. “Good girl.”

  ****

  “Olivia,” Leo greeted impatiently from his end of the phone when I answered later that day. “You’re late.”

  “Leo.” Surprised, I glanced at the clock. The afternoon had fled. Almost six thirty. “I didn’t realize the time.”

  The afternoon had been filled with one problem after another, and I’d spent it hunched over my keyboard and mouse, searching for solutions. I probably had another half hour before I could leave, too. I had no clue if this was luck’s way of instituting Annie’s advice, but at least I didn’t have to lie to Leo.

  I rose from my laptop and went to the corner of the conference room, away from prying ears.

  “Olivia. Where’s my dinner?”

  I brushed a lock of hair behind my ear
and tried not to flinch at the impatience in his voice. Normally, I’d apologize for my lateness, for my inconvenience. How many times had I done so with David? Instead, I drew a deep breath, girded my loins, and ground out, “It’s in the fridge, or the pantry, or wherever you find it.”

  “I don’t understand. The magic ends at six. It’s six thirty. Why aren’t you home?”

  “Because in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not governed by…” I glanced at my nosy colleagues down the conference table and amended my thoughts. “I have a work deadline I need to complete before I can come home.”

  “But I’m hungry.”

  “Cook an egg and toast. Good bye, Leo.” I ended the call and returned to my laptop, smiling tersely at the staring group. “My new boyfriend,” I explained as my cheeks flamed hot.

  My coworkers cast sly glances and waggled eyebrows at each other.

  “Boyfriend?” Gerry, the bravest of the group, smiled. “Maybe we can double date.” Gerry wanted to double date with everyone since he’d landed himself a hot model boyfriend.

  Damn. This wasn’t a real relationship. Dragging Leo on a double date with coworkers would make things awkward after the wedding. I’d taken it hard enough after kicking David to the curb. I didn’t want to ponder my mental state after this mess blew up. But Gerry would be persistent, and I’d end up caving and be miserable in the long run.

  Panicked, I shook my head and blurted out, “It’s new, and he’s not going to last long. I’m just using him for the sex.”

  My coworkers gaped as Gerry burst out laughing. “Damn, girl. Rebound sex, eh? Good for you.”

  “Yeah.” My cheeks flushed hotter as embarrassment took hold.

  “He must last longer than you think,” someone muttered.

  Everyone laughed, and I hid my face behind my laptop monitor, hoping they all got the hint.

  The phone rang a few moments later, and Leo’s number popped on the screen. I grit my teeth. “What?”

  “Olivia—”

  “Is the house on fire?”

  He huffed. “Certainly not.”

  “Are you bleeding?”