Page 14 of Djinn in Love

As she set her phone to the side, Veronica glanced at the flowers on her desk one more time. Their fragrance was light and delicate, and the pastel petals blended in a gentle rainbow.

She wondered again what the woman meant when she said that Jasper had put a lot of thought into them. Had he chosen exactly what flowers were in this bouquet? Or just the color scheme? Or was the woman just saying that because it sounded good?

Shaking her head, Veronica shoved that last thought out of her head. In her experiences with Jasper over the past few weeks, one thing had been very clear—he was honest to a fault. Even if it was to his own detriment.

There was no way he would have asked this woman to lie and make him look better. It wasn’t in his nature and Veronica didn’t need her empathic abilities to understand that. She only had to recall every interaction they’d had thus far.

With a quiet sigh, she pushed her circling thoughts about Jasper to the side. Right now, she had a great deal of work to do and very little time to accomplish it.

Several hours later,Veronica was just finishing up the intake interview with a new client. The woman in question was a siren named Selene. Her magic and the effect her voice had on any man nearby presented a few challenges, but Veronica was confident that they could work together to get past them. Maybe by starting off with text messages or emails. And then moving to phone calls.

A siren’s magic wouldn’t work as well on someone who cared about them. Or someone they cared about as well. Byestablishing a connection before she spoke to them over the phone or saw them in person, maybe they could mitigate any potential issues that might arise from Selene’s power.

That was the sad fact about supernaturals like Selene. And Veronica. Their magic attracted people to them, but usually not for the right reasons. Men, and women, often wanted to abuse Veronica’s power, using it for their own personal gain.

And Selene could never know if the men she spoke with in passing were truly attracted to her—her personality, her heart, and her mind. Or if they were drawn to her because of the pull of her voice and the beauty her magic had granted her.

Veronica walked Selene out of the conference room where she’d conducted the intake interview. Veronica was explaining the next steps in the intake process when the door to the office opened. They both looked up, startled by the sound.

A young man walked in with a white food container wrapped in a plastic bag in his hands. He grinned when he saw them and came deeper into the office. His eyes widened when he got a load of Selene, his gaze locked on her as he walked closer.

“Veronica Salt?” he asked Selene.

She took a step, shaking her head.

Somehow, the young man tore his gaze away from her and looked at Veronica. “You Veronica Salt?”

“Yes. How can I help you?”

He came close enough to hold out the container. “Delivery from Thai House for you.”

Blinking, Veronica found herself automatically taking the plastic wrapped container. “But I didn’t order anything.”

The boy pulled the receipt off the bag. “Let’s see. Name on the credit card is Jasper Bay…Bay…”

“Bayat?” Veronica asked.

“Yeah. Jasper Bayat. Know him?”

Veronica bit her lip and nodded. The guy was already heading back toward the door before she was able to speak again.

“Wait. Let me get you a tip!” she said.

Without turning around, he waved a hand. “Already taken care of.”

When the door shut behind him, Selene asked, “Who’s Jasper?”

Veronica carried the container to her desk and set it down. She wasn’t sure how to answer the question. She couldn’t say he was a client. That would sound unprofessional. She also couldn’t say her boyfriend because they’d only been on one date.

Selene smiled down at her. She was a tall, willowy blonde who looked like a supermodel. She also wore high heels that meant she towered over Veronica. “Is he your boyfriend?”

Veronica managed to smile back. “Not really. We just started…uh…dating,” she murmured.

“Well, he must like you a lot if he’s sending you dinner.”

Veronica’s smile no longer felt forced. “He wanted to take me to dinner, but I couldn’t meet him tonight.”

“So, he sent you dinner instead,” Selene continued.

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