Four
Eshim
T he first three days of my new job, I didn't really have much direct contact with Jerry. I spent most of it learning the ins and outs of their systems from Carol, and learning about Jerry's schedule and how best I could help him function smoothly.
I also learned that Jerry worked a lot , and part of my duties would be to make sure he didn't overwork himself.
Before I applied for the job, I'd spent an evening filling my brain with knowledge I'd need for this job. It wasn't the type of magic I generally used, but other than a faint headache that lasted two days, I came out of it unscathed with administrative knowledge and general facts about the industry. Jerry and his friends owned a successful advertising firm that mostly worked with hotel chains, fancy apartment complexes, shopping malls, and other such businesses.
I was confident in my ability to help Jerry, and when Carol declared on day three that I was 'ready for the job,' I couldn't help the rush of pride that filled me. I was going to be the bestest assistant Jerry had ever had. Sorry, Carol .
When Carol went into Jerry's office to say goodbye, I couldn't help eavesdropping a little, which wasn't that hard with my demon hearing.
Jerry sounded sad, which I did not like at all. He was clearly close to Carol, and as much as I was looking forward to this job, I hated that her leaving was making him sad.
I wasn't going to let that last, though. Jerry had a beautiful laugh, and I was going to make sure I got to hear it tomorrow.
The next day, I was at the office bright and early, and Jerry somehow still beat me there.
Matilda had given me a box of her special 'cheer up' choco-chip cookies, and I plated two with Jerry's usual coffee—one cream and sugar—before taking it into his office.
He glanced up when I walked in, a smile already in place that dimmed slightly when he saw me. I didn't take it personally, since I was sure he'd just remembered Carol wasn't here. Instead, I smiled at him and placed the coffee and cookie on an empty spot on his desk.
Other than his laptop, the desk had a second, bigger screen, a stack of files, some framed pictures—of Archer and Kat mostly, with a couple that included Lux, Gunner, and Fressia too—an iPad, a paper notepad, and some pens and pencils. I wondered if Jerry enjoyed drawing for fun, or if he only did it for work.
"Good morning, sir. The cookies are homemade," I said, and his smile softened a little.
"Did you make them?"
"Ah, no. My neighbor did. My expertise in the kitchen starts and ends at boiling water, unfortunately," I said, and he gave a soft chuckle. Yes!
"Well, thank you for these," he said, and I nodded, then hovered for a minute, uncertain.
"Let me know if you need anything," I finally said, and he nodded, eyes returning to the desktop screen.
I went back to my desk outside his office, then settled into my chair, humming to myself as I turned on my laptop. I'd never used one before coming to the human realm, but the knowledge I'd downloaded into my brain helped. Of course, I didn't think I needed all the technical know-how I'd ended up with, but who knew? Maybe I'd get a chance to impress Jerry in an emergency.
I worked quietly for a while, replying to emails and forwarding the important ones to Jerry, adding conferences to his calendar. It was interesting work, but I always kept an ear out for Jerry in case he needed anything.
I glanced up as a woman with strawberry blond hair, bright blue eyes, a curvy frame, and the stink of a certain demon clinging to her approached, and smiled. Kat. She was Jerry's best friend, ex-wife, and ex-roommate. She was also mated to Fressia, one of the most intimidating demons I knew.
"Hello!" I greeted her, and she smiled hesitantly.
"Hey. Eshim, right? You're Jerry's new assistant?"
I nodded quickly, then debated over it for a moment before saying, "I am. I'm also a friend of Fressia. And Calux." I'd told Lux not to tell the others—except Archer, because I couldn't ask him to keep secrets from his mate—yet, but I thought it would be a good idea to get Jerry's friends on my side.
Her eyes widened, and she perched on the edge of my desk, leaning closer to whisper, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
I squinted at her. "Mind reading is not one of my powers."
She snorted, then asked, "Are you a demon?"
I nodded, and her eyes widened. She peeked up into Jerry's office, then eyed me curiously. "Is Jerry..."
"My mate," I confirmed, and she whooped. Loudly.
"Shit!" she mumbled when a woman passing by dropped her folders, and Jerry called her name from his office. "We're talking about this later," she informed me before she stepped into Jerry's office as I went over to help the poor woman she'd startled.
I was glad Kat was already mated, or I would've been supremely jealous of how close she and Jerry were. As it was, I knew Fressia was even more possessive than me, so I had to wonder if she'd been a bitch to Jerry because of it. I'd have to warn her off if she had.
I didn't like that Jerry was the only one in the dark about demons, and I knew he'd have feelings about it when he found out. When I told him. Yikes. That wasn't a conversation I was looking forward to.
Kat returned a few minutes later, a smirk on her face. She didn't stop to talk to me, but she did give me a wink. I guess I had another person in my corner now.
I'd met Archer yesterday evening when I went over to Lux's place, and he was just as excited as Kat about me being Jerry's mate. Clearly, his friends hated keeping secrets from him. I was glad he had such good friends.
Now that I had the job and was getting used to my work, my thoughts turned to the next step in my plan. I wanted to get to know Jerry better, to form a bond with him.
Being mates wouldn't automatically make us fall in love. It wasn't a love-at-first-sight thing. Being mates just meant that out of all the people in the world, Jerry and I would have the best relationship with each other if we put in the work.
According to Lux, Jerry wouldn't want to date his employee, which meant I'd have to work extra hard to woo him. Maybe the internet would have some advice on how to flirt successfully?
Jerry
I pressed the intercom button, my eyes on my new assistant through the glass front. He'd been working diligently since he came in, and so far, I had no complaints. I was actually surprised by how well he was doing, and Kat seemed delighted by his presence, though I had no idea why.
"Eshim," I said, and he jumped in his chair, then glanced at the phone, then at me through the glass. Biting back a smile, I continued, "Can you get me the Parker file from Archer? He should be done with it."
While we had our own copies, I'd asked Archer to look at some stuff and leave his notes. We could just as easily do it digitally, but I was an old-school paper-person, something Kat never stopped teasing me about.
"Sure thing, sir!"
I watched as Eshim hopped to his feet and headed off toward Archer's office, and turned my attention back to the screen, making a few notes for Kat—who, of course, refused to work on paper simply to drive me crazy—in the proposal she planned to submit to a potential client.
Business had been doing well for a while, and I had faith in Kat's abilities. She wouldn't usually ask me to double-check her work, but this was a big client, and if we managed to get this contract, it would be a huge deal for our company.
Footsteps made me glance up, and Eshim smiled at me as he held out the file, peering at me with his big blue eyes. "Here you go, sir."
I took the file with a murmured thank-you, and his smile widened, but he didn't look away. My brows furrowed as he kept staring at me, his eyes boring into mine until I jerked my gaze away, tingles crawling over my skin.
"Thank you, Eshim. You may go now," I murmured, gaze on the file I flipped open as my heart raced. What the fuck was that?
Eshim lingered for a moment, just like he had earlier when he brought me coffee and the most delicious cookies I'd ever tasted, then left the room, closing the door behind him and resuming his post outside.
I exhaled loudly once he was gone, then shook my head. Seriously, what was that about?
Turning my focus back to work, I pushed my new assistant to the back of my mind. Work. I needed to focus on work.
Of course, that was the moment Tom decided to wake up from his nap.
He'd been sleeping in my closet—I kept a few spare clothes here in case I needed a change of clothes for a meeting or something—all morning, but now he nosed his way out, tail wagging as he walked up to me.
"Hey, Tom. Did you have a good nap?"
He gave a soft 'woof,' then pulled himself up, nails digging into my thigh as he stood up on two legs.
"Hey, those are my good pants," I complained, but of course he didn't care. I scratched behind his ears, and his tail wagged faster.
Then he hopped off and raced to the door, scratching at the glass.
Eshim turned to look, and then glanced up at me. I waved him inside, and he grinned as he jumped to his feet and came in, careful not to let Tom escape.
"Sorry, Eshim. Could you take Tom on a walk for a bit downstairs? Just ten minutes."
"Of course," he said easily, his eyes on mine the entire time. What was with the sudden eye contact?
I grabbed Tom's leash from a drawer and held it out to him, ignoring the way my skin heated up when our fingers brushed.
"Come on, Tom," Eshim said, then gave me a smile. "We'll be back in a spiffy!"
He was out of the office before his words clicked, and I laughed to myself as I turned my attention back to the file. He tended to do that a lot, mix up his words and phrases, and without even realizing. My new assistant was a fascinating man; that was for sure.
When he came back ten minutes later, both he and Tom were in high spirits.
Tom immediately raced off to his water bowl, while Eshim folded the leash before holding it out to me.
This time when our fingers brushed, I could swear he lingered for a moment before pulling away, his eyes peering into mine like he was trying to read my mind.
Once he'd gone back to his desk, it took me a few minutes to get my mind back on track.
The rest of the day went similarly. Every time Eshim came into the office, he lingered. Every time our eyes met, he drew the moment out until I looked away.
When the work day ended, he lingered until I packed up, and I had a feeling Carol had advised him to do that. She never let me work overtime, and it seemed she'd passed on that knowledge to Eshim.
We stepped into the elevator together, and it closed with just the two of us—and Tom—inside.
"Did I do good today? Do you have any suggestions or criticism?" Eshim asked, peering at me with his soulful eyes. He reminded me of a golden retriever, and the thought made me smile.
"You did well. I don't have any suggestions yet, but ask me in a week," I said, and he nodded quickly.
"I won't give you any reason to complain. But if I do, I'll make sure to do better," he promised, his expression earnest.
Maybe I'd imagined the whole awkward eye contact thing, because there seemed to be none of that happening now.
"That's good to hear."
The elevator chimed as the doors slid open, and I stepped outside, Eshim close at my heels.
"Did you drive?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"I walked," he said with a smile, and I blinked.
I opened my mouth to ask why he'd ridden down to the parking level with me before snapping my mouth shut. Never mind.
"I'll see you tomorrow," I said, then glanced down at Tom, who peered up at me with his tail wagging.
"Yes, sir," Eshim said, and I quickly headed to my parking spot.
Putting Tom into his travel crate, I slid behind the wheel, then glanced in the rearview mirror. Eshim was already gone. He must've ridden the elevator back up to the lobby.
Shaking my head, I started the car, then shot Tom a glance. "He's a strange one, isn't he?"
Then again, I was talking to my dog, so maybe I was the strange one.