CHAPTER 5

Alysha

THE DAY WENT ON WITH no more incidents. Bruce had been taken to the hospital where they had confirmed he had indeed broken his leg. Which meant that I had to take over closing up the shop and opening it again the next morning. I’d tried to explain to Bruce I had class in the morning and didn’t have time to open the shop for the morning shift, but he was having none of it.

“Either be there or don’t come back in again,” he’d snarled into the phone, his words pretty slurred since he was so heavily medicated. I doubt he would even remember our conversation let alone be able to fire me. But I couldn’t take the chance. I needed this job, at least for a little while more.

I sighed again for the millionth time. Could today get any worse? No, don’t say that. It could very well get worse.

“Is he just going to sit there all night?” Jade asked me, leaning against the mop she had been using on the floor.

My eyes shot to where Mac, as I had begun to refer to him in my head, sat on a bench across the street. Ever since I had come back into the shop there’d been a tight knot between my shoulder blades. I couldn’t seem to relax as long as my new friend was around. I’d gone through the motions of making coffee and taking orders through the lunch rush, and then grudgingly through the dinner rush. Luckily, I had Jade by my side the whole time, or I wouldn’t have been able to make it through the day.

Double shifts were a bitch.

Mac sat on the bench the entire time. Every once in a while he would adjust his position, but for the most part his eyes were locked on me. I flushed at the intensity of his gaze.

His hot and cold personality gave me whiplash of an epic proportion. While I didn’t trust his sudden interest, a part of me still enjoyed it. But no matter his attractiveness, or his sudden interest in me, he clearly didn’t care for humans and wouldn’t be caught dead with one.

“Probably,” I muttered to myself as I finished counting up the till. While tired, I didn’t hurry to get the job done since after work I would have to deal with Mac and everything that came with him.

Two more wishes. I mused over that thought. What would I do with two wishes? I would have had three had I not wasted the first one on my damnable boss. But it was better that I only had the two in the long run. Less chance Mac would twist my words around and hurt someone else.

“Hey, Jade,” I paused in my counting for a moment.

“Yeah?” she angled her head to me to show me she was listening while resuming the mopping.

“If you had three wishes what would you wish for?”

Jade stopped mopping and turned around to face me. There was a pensive look on her face as she thought about my question. “I guess . . . to become a famous artist,” she shrugged, “There’s not much else I want,” Jade stopped and then smiled, “Well, except maybe a double cheese burger with loaded French fries!”

I laughed with her before going back to counting. Well, she wasn’t helpful.

I marked down the count, making note of any discrepancies before putting it in the bag Bruce used for overnight drops. Of course, since he was in the hospital it was up to me to make the drop tonight, or do it in the morning before I went to class. Since I wasn’t going to have enough time to eat, let alone go to the bank, I had to do it tonight.

“Are you about done?” I asked Jade as I got my stuff together to head out the door.

Seeing me grab my bag, Jade promptly dropped the mop back into the bucket and shoved it behind the counter. “I am now.”

I knew for a fact she’d only mopped about one fraction of the floor of the shop but I didn’t mention it. Jade was probably just as worn out as I am.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Jade nodded to the deposit bag in my hand as she put the strap of her bag over her head.

I thought about it for a moment but then remembered who was waiting for me on the bench outside. “No, I’ve got it. You go on home.”

Her eyes glanced behind me and she gave me a knowing grin before winking, “You got it, Al.”

We walked around the counter and through the front door, flipping the lights off as we go. I locked the front door and pulled the metal security gate that down over it, locking it as well.

“You know,” Jade drew out, “any guy that determined at least deserves a good squeeze of the girls.” She mockingly grabs at her chest.

“Jade!” I scowled, “I hardly know the guy. He’s not squeezing anything.”

Shrugging a shoulder, Jade said, “Your loss. I’d happily offer up my own melons, but I don’t think he’d be interested. Anyways,” she looked down at her phone as she typed something before shoving it in her pocket, “I’ve got to meet Gregory. He’s been drinking too much again and needs me to talk him down.”

“Going to burn all his stuff again, huh?” Gregory was Jade’s on-again-off-again boyfriend, who just didn’t know when to take a break. He was constantly drinking or smoking pot which lead to self-pity. Gregory threatened to destroy all of his work at least once a month, which Jade and I knew he would regret the next day.

“Yeah, so my night is pretty much a bust,” she frowned and then smirked at me, “So, you’ll have to give me all the gory details tomorrow about Mr. Hottie.”

Jade pointed a thumb back at Mac who had risen from his spot across the street and was now heading our way. Not answering her, I watched him approach. While his clothing wasn’t impressive besides the way they seem to wrap around every muscle deliciously, there was something distinctive about the way he moved. Head held high, his steps were precise and so sure of themselves, as if he was walking on the red carpet and not the dirty street.

“Finally,” Mac said as he approached us, “Do all humans work this late?”

Ignoring the questioning look Jade had at his wording, I jumped in, “Some work even later. All night even. So no complaining.”

Jade at us, obviously trying to figure out our dynamic. If I was dating anyone new she would know, and Mac’s sudden appearance was suspicious. Inhumanly so.

Before my best friend could start asking questions I didn’t want to answer, I gestured to her, “I forgot to introduce you. Jade, this is Mac. Mac, my best friend, Jade.”

Mac gave me a curious look but didn’t question my nickname for him. If I tried saying his long ass name to Jade, I’d have looked even more suspicious.

“Hi,” Jade accepted my introduction and offered him a hand. He glanced down at it as if she had handed him something from the trash bin. Reluctantly, he took her hand in his and shook it.

There was obvious tension between the two of us that Jade, thankfully, was smart enough to pick up on. “Well, Gregory’s waiting for me. So, I’ll just let you two get on with it.”

As she left, Jade made a lewd gesture behind Mac’s back which I repaid with a warning glare. She returned my glare with a smile and then headed down the street, leaving me utterly alone with my hunky salivation-worthy problem.

“So,” Mac clapped his hands together, completely obvious to what had just transpired behind his back as he rubbed them together, “are you ready to make your two wishes?”

“Is that all you ever think about?” I rolled my eyes and started down the street. I had tucked the bank bag into my purse so it didn’t look as appealing to thieves. I clutched my bag close to me, my eyes open for any suspicious characters.

“Yes,” he stated plainly as he followed beside me. His legs were longer than mine so he had to take smaller steps, which made me smile.

“Don’t you do anything else? Have hobbies? A girlfriend?” Okay, so that last part was me being nosy, but seriously, the guy needed a different focus.

He was quiet for a moment and then answered, “When you are forced into servitude like I have been, you don’t really have time for hobbies. Though, I have had many lovers over the centuries.”

“Oh,” I said. Disappointment filled me. I shouldn’t be surprised. He was a hot guy. Of course, he’d have lovers. Probably more than one at a time. While, I was just a lowly human who couldn’t even get a loan for her dream shop.

“But I haven’t found anyone who truly interests me,” he continued, giving me a sideways grin.

“Oh!” I said with a little too much enthusiasm.

He nodded slightly, “When you have lived hundreds of years like myself it’s easy to get bored. Though, I have to say I enjoy this century’s clothing much more than the previous one.”

My brows furrowed at what he’d said. Hundreds of years old? I liked older men, but hundreds of years was kind of pushing it.

Trying not to let what he said bother me, I asked, “So how many masters have you had?”

He seemed to think on it for a moment before answering, his voice unsure, “About a hundred and fifty-four, you would be a hundred and fifty-five.”

“Wow,” I couldn’t help but say, “That’s a lot of wishes.”

Mac nodded again and then tucked his hands in his pockets. “I was passed around from master to master for a few years back in the Middle Ages. That’s where the bulk of my masters came from. Which was probably why they ended up calling them the dark ages.” He chuckled, a sound that reverberated through me and settled low inside of me.

Oh, boy.

I didn’t have a chance to chastise myself for my heightened libido because we had arrived at the bank drop off. I used the key to open the box and then quickly looked around for anyone unruly before I grabbed the bank bag from my purse and shoved it in the drawer.

“Does your employer usually leave such dangerous tasks to women?” Mac asked, a disapproving expression on his face.

I shrugged, “Not usually, he’s too much of a penny pincher to let any of us handle the money, but he didn’t have much choice today since he broke his leg.” I shot him a look and he didn’t even bother trying to look contrite.

“So where to next? To your home?”

I thought about it. I didn’t know this guy. Did I really want him in my apartment? There was no telling what he could, or would, do. On the other hand, I couldn’t very well put him up in a hotel. Lack of funds for one thing. For another, it didn’t feel right since I was supposedly his master.

Sighing, I pointed down the street. “Come on, I live down that way. We have quite a walk ahead of us.”

“Why do you not have a vehicle?” his eyes went to one of the few cars that passed by.

“Because,” I started walking, expecting him to follow me, “Cars are expensive and my job isn’t that far. And I could use the exercise.”

I didn’t like having to explain my situation to him. I didn’t add the part about not being able to afford a car, or even get a loan because of my dead-beat ex-boyfriend. That was a bit too personal for someone I’d just met.

We walked down the street in a slightly awkward silence. When we finally reached my apartment, I led him through the rickety security-door that really didn’t do much to keep people out, and then up the stairs. I lived on the fifth floor and we didn’t have an elevator, so once more I did it for the exercise. Or I kept telling myself that.

When we got to my apartment, number 4A, I prepared to unlock the door, but then paused and turned to him, “Look, I’m just a college student with a minimum wage job. So, my home isn’t anything extravagant. So, there’s nothing for you to break or steal.”

I wished I had kept my mouth shut because the look Mac gave me could only be described as scathing.

He took a step toward me forcing me to move back, but when the door pressed against my back I ran out of room. Placing one hand on either side of me, he leaned down until we are inches apart. This was the second time today we have been so close together, and it had an even more profound effect on me now than it had in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Human,” he growled, “I am a prince amongst my people. I do not need, nor do I want, your belongings. I only want for you to make your wishes so I can go.”

Swallowing thickly, I licked my lips, “Alright, got it.”

When he stepped away from me, I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Turning from him, I shoved the key in the door and pushed it open. This was going to be a long night.