Page 61 of Djinn in Love

Veronica smiled, but she knew it didn’t reach her eyes. She was afraid to hope this woman would be the answer to their staffing issues. “Lovely. Well, why don’t we start off by having you fill out an application. Once that’s done, I’ll chat with my boss and see if we can do a quick interview this afternoon. Does that sound okay?”

The woman nodded. “It sounds great to me.”

She reached into her desk and pulled out one of the tablets they used to intake new clients. Veronica pulled up the employment application. This was a bit of a test. Supernaturals were often older than they appeared. Many older ones didn’t liketechnology, but it was necessary in our business because there was no way they could handle the workload without it.

She stood and realized the woman was much taller than she originally thought. Even though Veronica wore three-inch heels, she towered over her. She was even taller than Dominique.

“If you’ll follow me, we’ll get you set up in the conference room so you can fill out the application.”

Veronica led her into the room and handed her the tablet. “Take as much time as you need. If you have a resume to submit, I’ll give you my email address before you leave and you can send it to me online.”

Zelda smiled at her, her expression serene. “Of course, dear. Thank you for letting me do this without an appointment.”

“If you’re a good fit, I’m going to be thanking you. Profusely.”

Her smile widened and her eyes sparkled with humor and…magic. Veronica didn’t ask because it was the height of rudeness, but she did wonder what sort of supernatural Zelda was.

She left the conference room, shutting the door behind her, and went back to her desk. Veronica glanced at the older woman once and saw that she was navigating the tablet with no apparent issues, taking the stylus from the holder on the side and moving quickly through the screens.

Feeling hopeful, she turned back to her computer just as the front door opened again. Veronica froze completely when she looked up and saw the man entering.

He was beautiful. That was the only way to describe him. His hair was dark brown, almost black, and his eyes were a piercing blue. His face belonged in magazines and on television because the women of the world deserved to see it.

He prowled into the office with the air of a predator. He wore a glamour, but it was such a good one that she almost missed it. She could feel his “otherness” from his emotions though. Not that Veronica could get a clear read on him. He was fae, thatmuch was clear, and her empathic abilities often didn’t work on them due to her fae ancestry. Their magic interfered with her sense of them.

Honestly, if Veronica wasn’t so utterly in love with Jasper, she would have been tempted by this man. As it was, she was nearly speechless due to his gorgeousness.

Finally, she snapped out of it. “Good afternoon. How can I help you?” she asked, rising and coming out from behind her desk.

The man stopped a few feet away. “I’m here to see Dominique Proxa.”

Holy cow, his voice was just as good as the rest of him—raspy, deep, and with a hint of a drawl. He sounded like Sam Elliott’s younger, gruffer brother.

Veronica managed to speak again without stuttering. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No, but she’ll want to see me.”

“Your name?”

“Ronan Byrne.”

Her scalp tingled at the name. It sounded familiar…then, it hit her. The Byrnes were one of the ruling families in the magic realm.

“Let me see if she’s available. We may have to schedule an appointment for you later today or this week.”

His expression told her that he doubted he’d have to wait. That arrogance pierced through the spell his appearance had cast on her and Veronica barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. He must have sensed it because he smirked, as though she amused him.

Veronica went to Dominique’s door and knocked. After a moment, her boss called out, “Come in, Veronica.” She sounded distracted.

Normally, she would have just stuck her head in the door and told Dominique there was someone who wanted to see her, but she didn’t want Ronan overhearing any of their conversation. Veronica walked inside, shutting the door behind her, and came to sit in the chair across from Dominique.

“Give me just a sec,” her boss said, her fingers moving rapidly over her computer keyboard. After a few minutes, she turned toward Veronica. “What’s up?”

“There’s a man here to see you and…” Veronica trailed off. She wasn’t sure how to word her thoughts.

“Is he giving you trouble?” Dominique asked, her expression shutting down and growing cold.

“Not exactly. But he seems to think you’ll want to talk to him.”

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