Destined for Love, page 9
She stepped into the bathroom and grabbed the robe from behind the door. The cold tiles under her feet gave her a slight chill. Tying the cord to hold the robe together, she hurried from the room and into the hall.
After turning the corner into the kitchen, she found Mark and James standing side by side facing the counter and talking softly. Mark had on his navy blue boxers while James was still naked. A grin spread across her face upon seeing James’ cute butt. The temptation to pinch one cheek prodded her. Fighting the urge, she walked up behind them with her arms outstretched.
“What are my two favourite men up to?” She came to a stop between them, with her hands on their hips.
“Fixing you a sandwich,” Mark said grinning.
“Oh? What kind?” She glanced at the counter. Three mammoth-sized cold cuts lay on three dishes. Her jaw dropped at the mountain of meat stacked between the pieces of bread. She assumed he’d fixed one sandwich per person.
“I prepared a salad, too. I thought you might be hungry. You haven’t eaten a decent meal since yesterday afternoon.”
She was hungry, but not starving like a lion. Maybe the reason he’d put together such a hearty meal was because he hungered for all the food himself.
“It looks good,” she said, eyeing the meat suspiciously. There was no way she could eat all of it. She doubted she could eat half and a salad.
“But?” James prompted.
“It’s a bit much.”
James chuckled and poked his elbow at Mark. “Told you.”
Mark grabbed a knife from the counter and pushed it into the cold cut, slicing it in two. “Yeah, yeah.”
“Well, let’s not waste it. If you’re hungry, dig in. Don’t let me stop you.”
James reached for one of the plates. Mark abruptly smacked his hand, forcing James’ hand to retreat. The brown-haired genie glared at his partner in crime.
“Could you at least put some shorts on?” Mark said.
Amusement flashed on Val’s face and she shook her head.
“Fine.” James took a step back. “I don’t see what the big deal is.”
“Well, we clearly do,” Mark said.
James turned, but he hadn’t made it out of the kitchen when the phone began ringing. He stopped and spun to face them.
Val reached over the food and lifted the receiver. “Hello?”
“Hey, Val. It’s Terri. How are you?” She sounded cheerful.
“I’m good. Getting ready to grab a bite to eat.” Val smiled at Mark.
“It’s almost three-thirty in the afternoon. Are you just now eating lunch?”
Val twisted to look at the microwave above the stove. The time showed three twenty-four. She stared in shock at the digital display. Had they spent that much time in bed?
“Val?”
“I’m here. I was checking the time.” She twisted to face Mark and noticed James was out of sight.
Terri laughed. “Did those two hunks keep you busy?”
“Yeah, a bit.”
“Are they still there?” The excitement in her tone matched that of a child at a candy store.
“Well…”
Terri gasped. “They are, aren’t they?”
“Let’s just say that we are getting to know each other well.”
Laughter burst from her. “Woo-hoo! Good for you. Those men are hot.”
Val couldn’t stop herself from chuckling. “Yes, they are.”
Mark took two dishes and headed towards the dining room.
“I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you. And thanks for taking me last night. I had a really good time.” Val strolled from the kitchen and into the dining area. Mark passed her after he’d left the two sandwiches on the table.
“Oh, I’m sorry we didn’t spend much time together. But it seems like you might have found someone or more.” She giggled softly.
Val pulled out the chair to sit down. “Yeah, they’re really nice guys. Very compassionate and caring.”
“Oh my. Sounds like you’re really getting to know them.”
Val sat and slid the plate closer, scraping the table softly. “We are getting to know each other very well.” And it wasn’t a lie. Although she hadn’t known Mark and James more than a few days, she felt very comfortable with them and she was confident they shared similar feelings. She’d been honest with them, and vice versa. Did they truly know each other? No, but they had shared enough that she believed they could have a lasting relationship, one filled with love, compassion and hot sex.
“Really?” Terri sounded surprised.
“They’re great guys, through and through.” Val picked a piece of meat from her sandwich then ate it.
“Are we talking about sex, or their personalities?”
Val grinned, though her friend couldn’t see it. “Both, actually.”
“That’s so fucking awesome, Val. I’m envious.”
“Thanks, but I still don’t have a job or a home in thirty days.”
Mark headed towards them with the other sandwich and two bowls of salad in his hands. He appeared in deep thought with his gaze lowered. As if he sensed Val watching him, he looked up and smiled. He set the food on the table then returned to the kitchen.
“Which brings me to the other reason for my call.”
“Oh?”
“I was thinking at breakfast time and came up with a plan that may help get your job back.”
James strolled into the dining area from the living room. He wore a pair of red boxers and held a calm look on his face. At the same time, Mark returned with another bowl and salad dressing bottles. He set everything on the table. James took the seat across from her while Mark sat in the one to her left.
“A plan? What kind of plan?”
“I’m going to ask to speak with top management in the morning.”
“Why, Terri?”
“Because I can’t sit idle about what happened to you. Letting you go was wrong. So, I came up with a top ten list why they need to hire you back and gave examples for each one. I’m going to present it to them and respectfully request your reinstatement.”
Valerie’s heart stilled at her friend’s thoughtfulness. If Terri were in the room, Val would’ve reached out to hug her.
“Terri, you don’t need to do that.”
“You’re not going to talk me out of this. I’ve made up my mind.”
Terri’s determination resembled that of a mad bull running at Pamplona. Val knew it all too well, having lived with her for a couple of years. Since she had no way of changing Terri’s mind, she didn’t bother to argue.
“Please be careful. I’d hate for them to turn a cold eye towards you.”
“Oh, I don’t care. If they do, I’ll look for another job. Sam makes enough to support both of us, so I could manage for a while without a job if I had to.”
Val looked at Mark and James. They were leaning towards each other and saying something she couldn’t hear.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. I know how much you like it there.”
“We are a family. We spent years together, which is why I truly think they made a mistake in laying you off.”
Val reached for another piece of meat. “Well, I wish you luck on winning them over, and hope it doesn’t cause any problems for you.”
Both men turned to face her. A second later, as a cool breeze brushed over her, she realised what she’d said. She’d used the word wish.
“Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ll call you after I meet with them and let you know how it works out.”
Val swallowed hard. The word had slipped from her lips so easily. She hoped and prayed she’d brought good luck to Terri and not the potential for harm. She’d seen too many movies where a person made a good wish but it backfired and brought chaos instead. Staring at James, she wondered if she could take her wish back.
“Yes, call me and let me know. Good luck, Terri.”
“Enjoy your day with those two gorgeous men.”
“I plan on it.”
Terri chuckled lightly before she said goodbye.
Val set the cordless phone on the table. “Please tell me nothing bad will happen to her.”
“We’re not the kind of genies that bring death and destruction,” Mark said.
She paused for a few seconds. Did bad genies exist? She wanted to ask, but veered back to her current problem. “I guess I’m very cautious. My intentions were…honourable, to bring her good luck. I’d hate for something horrible to happen, like I get my job back, but she loses her job as a result. That wouldn’t be right.”
James lifted one of the salad dressing bottles. “Fate will take its own course. We give it a boost, but what happens will always depend on the person making the wish.”
Val chewed on his words. She’d made the wish, so the outcome would depend on her. It made logical sense. If she wished for a million dollars, it would be up to her to spend it wisely so she didn’t go bankrupt. If she asked for a new car, she’d have to take care of it and drive safely to avoid accidents. Everything had a consequence dependent upon her choices. So, if the scenario she gave came to fruition, she could probably save Terri’s job if she denied reclaiming her old one.
“It was a good wish,” Mark said as he poured dressing over his salad. “Your intention was a good one.”
“It was.” She reached for one of the halves of her sandwich.
James stabbed at the lettuce in his bowl. “Then you have nothing to worry about, except making your last wish.”
“Which means we need to worry,” Mark said in a low voice as he looked at James.
Val gave them a confused look. “Why do you say that?”
They both lowered their eyes. As the silent seconds ticked by, Val suspected something was wrong.
James pushed the food around in his dish. “After you make your last wish, we have to leave and you have to return us to the spot you found us.”
How could she have forgotten? The last wish meant they had performed their job and had to go. But she didn’t want them to leave. There had to be a way out.
“Do you really have to leave? Why can’t you stay here until—?”
“That’s not how it works. The spell forces us to return to our home where we will wait until the next person finds us.”
“But there has to be a way to break the curse.” Her tone held a hint of desperation. She didn’t want her favourite men to leave. Moreover, she hated the fact that they were doomed to travel for eternity without enjoying their own freedom.
“There is one, but the spell prevents us from telling you,” James said.
Val set her food back in the dish. As she leant back in her chair, rubbing her hands together, she thought about how to break the curse and set them free.
“What if I broke the bottle? Would you have to stay in the living world?”
Mark chuckled as he chewed on his food.
“No, the spell would simply place us in another one,” James said with a grin.
A horrible thought came to her mind. What if they magically appeared in a bottle and it sat there for months before she noticed them. “How would I know which bottle you went to?”
James lifted his fork in preparation of eating the salad he’d gathered on it. He held it over the bowl. “We'd probably end up in a bottle somewhere else, not here, since the curse takes us to whomever needs our help. But we can come back and visit before the next person frees us.”
“You can visit?” She couldn’t hide her excitement.
“We’re only allowed to visit for two minutes an hour. And we can only pop in and out while we are waiting. Once someone finds us, we will not be able to come back anymore.”
She stared at him. Two minutes? How did they know?
“We had plenty of time over the centuries to test how long we could stay out of the bottle,” Mark answered, as if he’d seen the question written on her face.
Two minutes wouldn’t allow them any time to really chat. It wouldn’t give them any time to touch, kiss, or love each other. Two minutes would bring nothing but heartache. No. There had to be a way to release them from their confines.
Val noticed the grim expressions while the two men pushed around their food. She was hungry, and without a doubt they were too. But the mood had dived south. She wanted them to stay, and clearly they wanted to remain with her. As long as she didn’t blurt out a wish, everyone would be fine.
Thankfully, she didn’t know what else to wish for. Sure, she needed a job and a home, but she wasn’t going to wish for them. She wasn’t going to make any wishes for as long as possible.
“Well, you don’t have to worry, I don’t have any plans for making another…” She pressed her lips together so she wouldn’t say the word.
They both lifted their eyes to her.
She shrugged. “I have everything I need, besides work and a place to live. I’m confident I can resolve both by browsing the classifieds online, which I plan to do after lunch.”
“We’re here as long as you want us,” James said as a smile slowly breached his lips.
I want them until I can’t breathe anymore. Does that count? If only I could wish for their freedom and we could live happily ever after. But it can’t be that easy. Nothing ever is.
Sighing, she chewed on her sandwich. After a thorough search on the computer, she’d ponder over a way to end their eternal curse and draft a list of possibilities to present to them. While they couldn’t tell her how to break the spell, they might be able to give her clues. She hoped. Until she discovered the answer to release them, she would think first before speaking to avoid another slip of the tongue. It was the best plan she could conjure.
As for Terri, Val prayed her wish would bring only good luck. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d find out. And if Terri did lose her job, Val would have to seriously consider if her last wish should go towards helping her best friend or the two men who deserved freedom.
Chapter Eleven
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” said a soft voice.
A gentle caress glided along her arm and sent a chill through her. She slowly crawled out of her sleepiness and opened her eyes. Mark lay in front of her with his head on a pillow. He was staring at her. His hazel eyes were the kindest and most inviting she’d ever seen on a man.
“Hello, beautiful.” He gingerly ran his finger down her nose. “We’ve missed you.”
She inhaled a deep breath. “What time is it?”
Behind her, she felt the bed move.
“Almost ten a.m.,” James said.
She rolled onto her back and found him on his knees, looking down at her. “Ten?”
Val recalled spending hours at the computer, searching and applying for jobs. She’d spent a few of those hours looking for a place to live and sending inquiries. Then she’d taken a break for a shower and had grabbed a bite to eat. The two men had tried to convince her to chat with them for a bit and snuggle on the sofa. She’d resisted their tempting bodies and sparkling eyes and had headed back to her room to make a list of possibilities to free them from their curse. Well, she’d ended up back on the computer, researching. Hours had passed and she’d only been able to compile a small list. Shortly after sunrise, she’d decided to take a nap on the bed. It now seemed she’d dozed off for several hours.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked with a yawn.
Mark pressed his elbow into the pillow and prompted his head up. “Because you looked cute, and you’d worked for hours.”
“You needed the rest,” James added.
Maybe they were right. Since they’d spent countless hours tangled together over the last couple of days, she’d burned plenty of energy. But all of it was well worthwhile.
Val sat upright and noticed her tank top and thin pyjama bottoms were still on her. Mark and James must not have slept with her. If they had, she would be naked.
“Would you like some coffee?” James brushed the hair away from her face. “We have some waiting for you, and Mark is willing to fix an omelette if you’re hungry.”
Nodding, she said, “Both sound good.”
Mark leapt out of bed. “I’ll get the food ready.” He left the room before she’d taken her next breath.
Val rubbed her eyes as she yawned again.
“Are you all right?” James asked.
Avoiding his gaze, she nodded and forced her jaw closed. “I’ll be fine.”
Truthfully, she was worried for them and Terri more than she was about finding a job or a new home. She had applied to over twenty openings and had fired off emails to nine people regarding apartment vacancies and rent-to-own properties. She held high confidence someone would contact her regarding both. As for Terri, she had no idea what would happen to her friend during her meeting with management. Concern over how to free Mark and James weighed heavily in her mind, too. All the anxiety was probably making her sleepier than normal.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” He crawled around her and pushed the pillows aside.
“You’ve done enough already. I feel spoilt with all the special treatment you’ve given me the last couple of days.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently massaged her, pressing his thumbs and fingers into her flesh. She straightened her spine, yet relaxed under his calming touch.
“In case you couldn’t tell, Mark and I enjoy taking care of you. It’s been pleasurable for both of us.”
She equally enjoyed the pleasure and dreaded thinking about them leaving. Yet, it was a strong possibility if Val had to use her last wish to help Terri.
“I’m going to miss you and Mark.”
He gently massaged her back. His breath grazed over her shoulder as if he’d sighed heavily. “Not as much as we will miss you.”
She found his words difficult to believe. They’d travelled for centuries and probably slept with thousands of women. Surely she was below average compared to the women they’d entertained. They were hot men. Any woman would take comfort from them, and more. She suspected they wouldn’t miss her for long.
