“Thanks,” she mumbled.
“For kissing you, or something else?”
“Walking me to my door?” She sounded unsure.
“Anytime. Give me till this afternoon to get a new phone, and I'll give you an update on Weston.”
She nodded vaguely and grabbed the door. Leif wore a similar expression to the one she imagined on her own face. A “W.T.F just happened?” expression. He turned for the elevator, and she shut the door at the same time. The awkward stiffness after coming to a barely agreeable arrangement to work together to find Weston had shifted to over the top sexual attraction. Great. She turned, blinked at her apartment not seeing anything in focus, and shivered. The pulsing between her legs was an inconvenient distraction… but she could handle it. Leif Andersen could be handled just fine. As long as she found a way to not let his crazy amazing kissing skills distract her too much.
Chapter Eight
“MR. PRIVATE EYE is back already?” Willow asked as soon as Tori walked into the reception room of her office.
“You saw him leave?”
“I couldn’t miss him! He’s scrumptious… I’m going to shut my mouth now before I say something else inappropriate and awkward.”
“Go right ahead,” Tori teased. “I’m positive whatever you say hasn’t already crossed my mind at least twenty times.”
“Nope. I’m done.” Willow shook her head and pressed her lips together. “It’ll be too weird after you start dating him. You’ll remember I said he has the sexiest eyes I’ve ever seen.”
“Goddess in the Summerland, they are, aren’t they? Crazy gorgeous. And he has absolutely no magic in him whatsoever.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
“He’s a total skeptic. I’ve been doing all kinds of minor magic in front of him, and he doesn’t believe his own eyes. It’s unreal.”
“But you still like him.”
“There must be something wrong with me. You know, I don’t normally date regular guys. They’re always such a bore.” Tori sighed, remembering the kiss. His lips erased her brain and made her lady parts dance a pulse-pounding tango. She could only imagine what other, more stimulating, parts of his body would elicit.
“Obviously Leif’s not a bore. My mom always swore there was no difference between men with magic and men without. She says any two people can fall in love if their mind, body, and souls connect.”
“Thanks for the reminder. A deeper connection is exactly what I don’t want. Leif can help me find Weston. If a temporary fling is in the cards, so be it. Otherwise, I’m definitely not looking for a relationship.”
“Tori,” Willow said with a sigh. “You’re a diehard cynic to the end.”
“Don’t start on me. You’re familiar with my family history. I’m not cynical, I’m a realist.”
“You should ask the cards and let them decide.”
“Hardy, har, har. My cards will be staying in my desk drawer where they belong. Speaking of my desk, I should tidy up before Mr. Montenegro gets here for his appointment.”
Willow glanced at the clock. “Five minutes. Oh, and Taylor Cummings canceled.”
“Another missed appointment? What is with my schedule lately?” Tori tried to remember if or when was the last time she had a cancellation at all, let alone two within a week.
“Taylor emailed saying she had a family emergency and couldn’t make it. She asked if her cousin could take her appointment.”
“Did you say yes?”
“I did. I hope that’s all right. I know you like to keep a full schedule on your work days.”
“Yeah, that’s perfect.” Tori stood next to her open office door waiting for Willow to finish giving her the daily office update.
“Strange thing is, Taylor didn’t say what her cousin’s name was. I emailed back to ask, so we at least have a name, but she hasn’t responded.”
Tori liked to have the name of her clients ahead of time if she’d never met them in person before. A name said a lot about someone. She was sensitive and psychic enough to extract details about someone by name alone. She frowned, pursing her lips and contemplating the situation. “Well, don’t bug her. She did say she’s dealing with an emergency.”
“That’s what I thought as well. Don’t worry. I’ll screen the cousin before he/she has a chance to enter the sanctuary.”
Exasperated and amused, Tori shook her head at the way Willow said, sanctuary. Her office wasn’t a sanctuary. It was an office with a desk, chairs, shelves, coffee table, massage table, and a witch’s closet. The clients weren’t allowed in the closet, but it came in handy when she needed certain supplies and items that the general population of non-magicals need not see.
“You can sneak out the back if I don’t like this person,” Willow suggested.
“Right…” She drew out the word. “And how are you going to tell me if I need to bail? Have you been honing your telepathic abilities?”
“I don’t need to use telepathy, silly.” Willow picked up the cell phone sitting on the desk near to hand. “Texting.”
“Telepathy would be faster.”
“Not if you don’t pick up on my brainwaves. I could send you a message all day long, and it would fly right by your head.”
“True,” Tori admitted. Telepathy definitely wasn’t on her list of skills. It wasn’t on Willow’s either for that matter.
“Okay, then. Text me. But I’m sure it won't be necessary. Taylor’s great. She wouldn’t send me a flake or a stalker.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Willow glanced toward the exit. “Baxter’s here.”
Tori looked toward the outer entrance door even though she couldn’t see it from inside the office. Willow must have heard something she didn’t. She rose from her chair to go let the client in. No one was allowed to walk straight in off the street unless they lived in the building. It was a precaution she took since she bought the building, and now with Gerard’s behavior, one she was glad of.
“My desk is a mess from yesterday.” She scurried into her non-sanctuary and grimaced at the accouterments left out since her last appointment. How distracted has she been after her last session to leave her tools lying about? Her brain backpedaled trying to remember, but her last appointment didn’t instantaneously come to mind. With Baxter walking in, she couldn't waste time on thinking about why some days she had the memory of a flea and the attention span of a two-year-old.
Tori pointed her index finger and used a levitation charm to stack the notes and move them to a shelf. The rose quartz sphere on its stand slid to the corner of the oversized desk to sit as a decoration. Because of their delicacy, she manually picked up the crystal wand and the prism pyramid and carried them over to the bookcase. Willow and Baxter chatted amiably in the outer office. His voice carried with a resonating boom, and she could tell he was in a great mood.
The surface of her desk clear again, Tori walked over and invited Baxter Montenegro inside. He turned from the coat rack where his long raincoat hung. Was it raining already? She glanced out the window at the fine drizzle clouding the view. She was glad she got her run in before the rain. Baxter strode across the small waiting area grinning like he’d just won the Powerball. Immaculate and refined as ever, Tori saw not a hair out of place or a wrinkle on his dress shirt, tie, or slacks. His two thousand dollar shoes shone even brighter than the smile.
“How are you today?” Baxter asked as Tori closed the door behind him.
She gestured to the chair. Before she moved to the opposite side of the desk—her appointments with Baxter were usually professional and never required therapeutic bodywork or more intimate council—he spun around and took her by the shoulders.
“Would you like to marry me?”
Tori bristled only slightly and held back an uncomfortable grin. She straightened her shoulders and raised her brows. “I don’t believe Mrs. Montenegro would be too thrilled with the idea.”
Baxter released her. “Right, right,” he agreed. “I do love m
y wife. Actually, Carla mentioned that she wants to adopt you.”
“Is that so?” Tori said and found her seat.
Baxter wasn’t acting like his normal commodities trader self. Rather than his typical businessman persona, exuberance radiated from every cell in his body. Despite his mature years, and the silver hair peppering his temples, he glowed as if he were an excited child on Christmas morning.
“What is going on with you today? You look like you’re about to burst.”
“I am! Tori, I can’t hold it in any longer.” He touched his chest before leaning forward in the chair and placing muscled forearms on the desk. Baxter interlaced his fingers and looked as if he were about to divulge the secret of the millennium. He hesitated. Tori didn’t think it possible but his smile actually widened enough to show his tonsils—or nearly so.
“Are you okay?”
“I am more than okay,” he said and ran a masculine hand over his clean-shaven jaw. “Do you recall our last appointment?”
Was this a trick question? Why was her morning challenging her in so many ways related to the efficiency and reliability of her mind? This wasn’t fair. Would there be a test later? Is this the test now? If so, she was definitely failing. She would do what she did back in her school days—pretend she knew what the hell is going on.
“We talked numbers, and I gave you my insights.” That was the gist of every appointment with Baxter. Except once, when he wanted a healing treatment for the ankle he twisted while playing tennis with Carla. Now that she thought about it, they talked numbers and stocks even during the swollen ankle appointment. Although she couldn’t honestly recall every second of their last meeting or the one before that, Baxter always scheduled another session with her, so she figured, he must be a satisfied client. His wife, Carla had consulted her a time or two as well. If she recalled correctly, Carla’s sessions revolved around more social subjects. Like whether or not her daughter was bisexual, and who would or wouldn’t be attending their Christmas party and why. Tori tried her hardest not to over-think her client’s choices concerning how they spent their hour with her. Her absent-mindedness was usually for the best, and she forgot the details of her sessions to save her own sanity. Yeah, let’s go with that reasoning, she thought.
“Yes, we certainly did! You are a gift from God Almighty!” His voice rose with the declaration.
“Um... Baxter? You should settle down a tad before we start.” Tori spoke in a hush hoping her lowered voice would bring down his near yelling timbre. “I need to be able to concentrate when I focus on your questions.”
“I’m so worked up, I can’t help myself! You made me a fortune, Tori! The last tips you offered brought my firm to a new level. I made so much money from consulting with you, that I gave all of my guys bonuses. And today, I have a bonus for you!”
Tori blinked and sat back in the chair. Bubbles of satisfaction percolated through her. A mildly surprised, but pleased, smile graced her lips at the affirmation of a job well done. “You always pay me well for my time, Baxter. I don’t need a bonus.”
“Phhftt.” He waved a dismissive hand with uncharacteristic noise. “Everyone deserves a bonus sometimes.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plain white envelope. Baxter placed it in the center of the desk. “A gift for you from the wife and me. She really wants you to take it. If you don’t, she’ll be insulted.”
Nice way into guilting her into a cash gift, she thought, and didn’t reach for the envelope. “Thank you, Mr. Montenegro and thank the Mrs. as well, but it isn’t necessary.”
“I want you to take it. It is nothing compared to the millions you made me. Truly.”
Tori tried to restrain her raised eyebrows at the mention of millions, but her eyes popping wide couldn’t be held back. Millions?! It was slightly shocking. She knew he traded stocks, but she hadn’t considered how she could influence his business to such a degree.
“The bonus cash accompanies my jet and personal pilot. Carla and I would like to give you a vacation anywhere you want to go. It is a small token of our gratitude for what you've done for us.”
“No, I don’t think so. I appreciate the offer, but I can't take time off work to go on a vacation. Really,” she added, holding up a hand to stop further argument and making her feel guilty for not accepting such a generous gift.
Baxter found his feet. “Carla said you wouldn’t want our gift and I didn’t believe her. You would think I would have learned to listen to my wife a long time ago.”
“She’s incredibly intelligent. And a keeper for sure.”
He winked. “I actually did listen to her this time. But, you don’t need to mention that next time you meet with her. She thinks I never listen and I like to keep it that way. I’m off track.” He cleared his throat. “I will not accept no as an answer. The contact information for my pilot is inside the envelope. Call Peter at your convenience. He will take you anywhere you would like to go. Any time that is convenient for you. He’ll take care of the charges for your room or resort and put the bill on the company account. The cash is play money when you decide where you would like to go.”
Baxter walked around the desk, plucked her out of the chair and tackle hugged her. With arms pinned to her sides, she stood rigidly, face smashed against his immaculate shirt and breathed in his cologne, waiting for him to finish. Baxter had never once been so touchy-feely. Tori needed to consult her calendar. Mercury was in retrograde, but were the other planets in an unusual alignment? Where were Venus and Jupiter? She hadn’t consulted the witches’ calendar in a couple of weeks. That’d teach her to ignore the universe. Saying there were strange happenings in her life was putting it mildly.
He backed up but still wore the huge cheesy grin. Apparently, he had won the Powerball or at least its equivalent. “Take a vacation. We can all use a break from this overcast, damp weather.”
He was right about that, but he was wrong about flying. Tori didn’t fly. She tried it just once, and that was one time too many. The single flight only convinced her she would die young.
Tori patted his arm. “Thank you, Baxter. I’ll consider it,” she said, hoping it would placate him enough to drop the subject. “Are we ready to start? Maybe we can make you another cool million this week.”
“I really am going to marry you, I mean adopt you, someday.” Baxter moved back to his seat and crossed an ankle over his leg. “What do you think about Libra Mining Incorporated this week?”
Tori brushed stray hairs off her forehead and turned her focus to what she did best, read the future and help people lead better lives. “The gold exchange is strong in the coming weeks of spring, but a shift toward Intel Synergy will be beneficial as the moon moves into the Planting Moon. The second day of the full moon would be the most opportune for you and your business.” The prediction fell from her lips with little to no effort. Words like these were the most trustworthy. They came from a source higher than her conscious mind. The mention of the seasons was another reminder to consult the calendar and do it soon.
Baxter scribbled down her suggestions. “What month is the Planting Moon?” he asked for clarification.
“May.”
Thirty minutes later, an incredibly happy Baxter Montenegro strolled out of the building. Tori stood in her office staring at the envelope stuffed with cash and wondered if she would let herself take a vacation on Baxter’s dime. She hadn’t been on a real vacation that lasted longer than three days in at least two years. Her business kept her busy and close to home. Now that she thought about it, her clients consumed most of her time. Except for the weekends when Tori went out dancing and partying with friends. There were occasional trips home to visit with her mom, aunt, and cousin but she only ever stayed in Lane County for two nights at the most. By Monday, she would be faithfully back to her appointment book. It might be time for a break, she thought and went to brainstorm the idea with Willow. Willow and Skyler should take a vacation with her, or at least split the bonus money. Maybe take a w
eek off together. Since she didn’t fly on airplanes, she would be restricted to locations within reasonable driving distance, which was doable.
To her surprise, Willow stood outside the door, phone in hand, and purse strap over her shoulder.
“Skyler’s school called. She’s not feeling well. I need to go pick her up right now.”
“Did they say what’s wrong? I can prepare a remedy and have it ready for her by the time you return,” Tori said.
“They think it’s a stomach bug.” Willow moved to the door.
“That should be easy enough to handle.”
“It should, but don’t worry about whipping up anything. Chances are I already have something premade in my apartment. And the guest client should be here any minute. Oh… Goddess… I’m not going to be able to check her out for you. I’ll wait until she gets here and then go pick up Skyler.”
Tori shooed Willow into the hallway. “I’ll be fine. Just go. She needs you right now, mom.”
Willow appeared torn between returning to her station behind the desk and walking out the door.
“Staying to greet a new client isn’t even an option. Go get your daughter. When you come back, take her straight upstairs. I don’t want a sick kid in here.” She hoped her face looked more stern than worried, but in actuality, she was more worried about Skyler’s health than exposing her clients to a flu virus. She just wanted Willow to stop fussing over office matters. Tori was fully capable of working alone.
“Um… well... if you’re all right,” Willow acquiesced.
“Of course I am. I’ll check in with you later. Or you can text me if you need me to bring her anything. That way you can stay by her side. She needs her mommy when she’s sick.”
A grateful and slightly worried smile lifted the corner of Willow’s mouth. “We’ll be right back.”
With Willow out of the office, Tori sat down at the computer and opened her schedule. She relied on Willow to keep her organized and she did an excellent job. But it didn’t hurt to peek at the files and master schedule. Everything looked in order, and there wasn’t anything else to do until Taylor’s cousin arrived. And then the power went out.
A Witch's Fate: Witches of Lane County Page 9