CHAPTER 8

Mac

AFTER THE INCIDENT BACK AT her Aly’s home, I walked beside her in silence as she headed out to look for a place to. If Aly noticed my lack of conversation she didn’t say so. Instead, she kept prattling on about what had happened that day.

Not that I minded.

It was nice to have someone to talk to. My other masters weren’t talkative types. At least not with me. I had spent the majority of my time alone. Or in my bottle. Hearing Aly talk about her day was a refreshing delight.

“This is my favorite place in the whole town. I’m sure you will just love it,” Aly exclaimed animatedly as we came up on a building.

The building, painted deep red with large windows, didn’t seem that impressive. Even more so the large triangle which sat on the top of a sign reading, “Leo’s Pizzeria.”

“You have had pizza before, right?” Aly quirked a brow at me, an inquisitive interest on her face.

“Pizza?” I pondered the word for a moment. I’d heard of it, but whether or not I had actually partaken of such a food, I couldn’t recall.

“Yea!” Aly did a little jump in place. “It’s the most delicious food group in the world and Leo makes the best in the state!”

I nodded in agreement though I didn’t know who this Leo was or how a food could be a group of its own.

Aly led us through the glass doors and into the restaurant. The inside wasn’t any more impressive than the outside. Obviously meant to be a family establishment, large tables filled most of the floor space while a few small booths sat along the walls. Black, white, and red decorated the place, the seats shining in a plastic like covering. I forced myself not to curl my nose up in disgust. Aly liked this place, which meant I had to like it too.

My master led us up to the counter were a tall man with large shoulders yelled into a window leading to the kitchen. He had dark hair which was cut long on top and tight on the sides. His goatee didn’t do much to cover up his large guppy-like lips or the scar that covered one side of his face. The name tag on his button-up shirt said, “Leo.” And I could only assume this was the man Aly had been talking about.

When Leo stopped yelling at his cook, he turned to the counter, mouth twisted in a scowl which was immediately replaced by a delighted grin at the sight of Aly.

I took a step closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me in question but didn’t move away. Leo noticed my movement and his grin faded for a moment before he forced it back into place.

“Hey, Aly,” he greeted my master, his eyes never going to me, “I haven’t seen you around for a while. What have you been up to?”

Aly smiled at him in a way that made my jaw clench. “Oh, you know, school keeps me pretty busy and when I’m not there Bruce has me working like a dog.”

“I heard he broke his leg. That true?” Leo’s gaze briefly brushed me before he turned his attention back to Aly.

My master’s back stiffened under my hand at the mention of her boss’s accident. A sudden wave of guilt came over me for my part in it. I pushed the feeling away and gave her shoulder a little squeeze.

Her dark eyes glanced up at me and her lips lifted up slightly before she answered Leo’s question. “Yeah, he tripped over a ladder. He’s going to be out a few days. Which just means more work for me, sadly.”

Leo shook his head, clear displeasure on his face, “You let that guy run you ragged. One of these days it’ll be you in the hospital. You need to take better care of yourself.”

“That’s what I keep telling her,” I jumped in causing Aly and Leo to shoot me a surprised expression.

“Who’s this guy? Your new guy?” Leo gestured to me with one hand, his face too guarded for me to tell if he approved or not.

Strangely enough, a part of me was anxious about Aly’s answer. Why did I care if she told this guy I was her boyfriend or not? I didn’t have any stake in her. I was only getting close to her to try and get her to make her wishes. She was my master, I, her genie. Nothing more.

“Mac is just a friend,” Aly offered Leo a smile and pushed my hand on her shoulder off, “Can we get a booth? I’m starving.”

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Leo grabbed two menus and led us over to a booth next to a family of five. Two adults and three toddlers to be exact. Dinner was not going to be quiet.

“Thanks Leo,” Aly took her seat and menu with a smile, “Can I get a coke and…” her eyes moved to me in question.

I glanced down at the menu. Thankfully, the human language was similar enough to my own that I am able to find the drink options. Everything was sugary and carbonated. My stomach twisted at the thought of drinking such a concoction.

“I’ll just have water,” I answered finally, looking up to meet Leo’s waiting face.

Leo wrote something on the little pad of paper he’d pulled out of his pocket. “Did you want your usual?” this question was directed at Aly, who chewed on her bottom lip before glancing up to me.

Not wanting to try and figure out the menu myself and hoping to get some points in, I said, “I trust your judgment.”

Aly visibly relaxed and handed Leo her menu, “The usual is fine then, but make it a large this time.”

Leo took both of our menus and gave a mock salute, “You got it, doll.”

Once Leo went back to the counter, I asked, “So, what is your usual?”

“I thought you trusted me?” she teased, placing with the fork in front of her.

I smirked, “I do to a certain extent, and you are my master after all. If you weren’t trustworthy, I wouldn’t have been able to come to you.”

She paused mid-spin of her fork and asked, “Is that how it works? You have to be worthy to have a genie? But what about all those other masters you had who took advantage of you?”

I shrugged, “Even the most trustworthy can turn. Having power changes people, and most of them for the worst.”

“I’m not like that.”

I watched her face as she said it. The rock solid determination in her face almost had me thinking she might be telling the truth. But I’d been burned enough times to know humans. They might have good intentions but they often led to the misfortune of others. And sometimes even themselves.

“I’m sure you aren’t,” I said carefully, and then tried to change the subject, “So, you are quite the popular woman,” I nodded to Leo who couldn’t stop looking over at our table.

Aly’s eyes followed mine and then she shrugged as if it was nothing. “Leo’s a good friend but we’ve never dated . . . if that’s what you mean. I was with Jared since high school, and after that I wasn’t interested in getting with anyone else.”

“He hurt you bad, didn’t he?” It wasn’t really a question. I’d seen the way she had looked at him. It was the same way I had looked at my father when he had betrayed me to this existence. Though, I was finally able to realize it hadn’t been a betrayal, but a lesson. I highly doubted this Jared had the same intentions.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Her voice was small as she stared hard at the table.

I opened my mouth to try to push the subject, but just then Leo returned with our drinks and a round wooden platter. Steam rose from the top and the smell of it filled my nose. My stomach rumbled in response.

“Thanks Leo,” Aly shot the big man a blinding smile. She had meant it as a friendly gesture, but by the besotted look on the man’s face, I could tell he had taken it as more.

Not bothering to point out Leo’s admiration, I glanced down at the food before us. A bread-like substance covered the platter. The center of the bread held a dark red sauce layered with cheese, meat, and some yellow fruit.

I eyed it reluctantly and Aly laughed. The sound of it went straight to my groin. By the gods she had a great laugh.

“What?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound irritated but my desire for her overpowered it.

Still laughing, she pulled a piece of the pizza from the platter, “The look on your face . . . it’s almost like you expect it to you jump out at you.”

“I’m not scared of this food,” I waved a hand at it, “In fact, I’m sure it is delightful.” Cautiously, I slid my hand underneath the edge of the pizza as Aly had done, and pulled a piece of it off. Picking it up, my mouth watered even as I took a large bite of it. Which was a mistake. My hand shot up to my mouth at the sudden heat and I tried to fan my mouth off while trying not to spit the bite out.

“Sorry, I should have told you it was hot,” Aly frowned and handed me a napkin. I snatched it from her hand gratefully and spat the piece into it.

“Hot?” I cried out in disbelief, “More like molten lava.”

Aly rolled her eyes, “Stop being such a baby. It’s not that bad,” To prove her point, she took a bite of her own pizza and easily swallowed it, “See.”

“Mine must be defective,” I glared down at the food on my plate, “Let me try yours.” I leaned over the table and before she could protest took a bite of the cheese monstrosity in her hand.

“Hey!” she pulled the pizza out of my reach so I couldn’t take another bite.

I sat back in my seat and grinned. “Yours is far superior to the slice I had. The Leo man must have done it on purpose.”

“Oh, yeah right,” She rolled her eyes again, “Because he cares so much about burning your mouth he kept your half in the oven longer.”

“He cares for you,” I pointed out with a raised brow, “And why shouldn’t he? You are a hard worker.”

“Ha.”

“A great baker.”

“You’ve never even eaten my food,” her lips pressed together in doubt, but the edges fought not to smile.

I placed my elbows on the edge of the table and leaned forward as I murmured, “And a fantastic pair of tits.”

“Mac!” she cried out, her eyes darting around the room as a blush covered her face.

I shrugged, “It’s true.”

“Still, we are in a public place. With children for god’s sake,” she gestured wildly around her, but the smile on her face showed me she wasn’t as upset as her words indicated. “Besides, you weren’t supposed to see them anyways.”

“Shouldn’t have or not, they are still the highlight of my millennia and is very nearly putting you at the top of my list of favorite masters.”

“Really?” her eyes widened and I couldn’t help but grin.

“Most definitely,” I gave a short nod as I took a cautious bite of my pizza, which had now cooled to an acceptable temperature.

“So, what would make me hit the top of that list?” the eagerness in her voice made me harden painfully. My mind imagined hearing that eagerness as she asked me for something else entirely. Something best not thought about around children.

Adjusting myself beneath the table, I picked up my water and mock saluted her, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”