Page 9 of My Demon Assistant

I nodded, and she grinned, clapping softly. "I baked some special chocolate chip cookies to celebrate."

"You did?" I asked excitedly, then tilted my head. "Wait. How did you know I would get the job?"

"I didn't. If you hadn't, I would've said the cookies were to cheer you up," she said with a wink, and I smiled.

"That is genius," I told her as I followed her into the house after removing my shoes.

The inside of Matilda's apartment was a mirror of mine at a structural level, but while mine was all soft brown furniture and stainless steel appliances, Matilda's house looked like a rainbow ate rainbow candies and then exploded. It was colorful, almost achingly so, and I loved it.

"Sit, sit. I'll bring some cookies and tea, and you can tell me how the interview went."

Matilda was what I imagined a mom would be like. All demons had once been human, but it was so long ago that I had no memory of my life. I didn't know if I'd ever had a mom, or what she was like, but I imagined she'd have been something like Matilda. Warm, sweet, cheerful, and always ready to feed you cookies.

As I heard her puttering around the kitchen, my thoughts returned to my mate, and my soon-to-be boss. Jerry, aka Jeremiah Cohen.

Today was the first time I saw him face to face—Lux had sent me a picture, but it didn't do him justice—and he was stunning. He had long, golden-brown hair he kept tied up in a ponytail, bright, twinkling green eyes, and a sharp, chiseled jaw covered in stubble. And his laugh? Damn. If I had it my way, I'd spend the rest of my life making him laugh just to hear that beautiful sound.

I wondered what other sounds he could make, then realized I was thinking so-very-dirty things in Matilda's house and shook my head to clear it just as she returned with a tray full of goodies.

Cookies now, thoughts of my sexy mate later.

Four

Eshim

Thefirstthreedaysof 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 alot, 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.

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