Page 5 of I Summoned A Demon For A Date?!
"Hey Charlie," I answered, trying to sound more normal than I felt.
"Rosie Marie Thompson," Charlie's voice cracked through the speaker. "I just drove by your apartment building and saw the eviction notice on the door. Why didn't you tell me it had gotten this bad?"
I winced. "It's not that bad." Crap. The eviction notice? I hadn't even seen that yet.
"Not that bad? Rosie, you're about to be homeless! That's pretty fucking bad in my book. Pack your shit, you're moving in with me. No arguments."
"Actually," I picked up the credit card, running my thumb over the raised numbers. "I got a new job. And an advance on my salary."
The silence on the other end was deafening.
"What kind of job?" Charlie asked slowly. "Because if this is another sketchy Craig's List posting, I swear to all that is holy I will come and smack you."
"It's not!" I protested, then paused. Was selling my soul to a demon lord better or worse than that time I almost fell for a pyramid scheme? "It's complicated. But legitimate. Very legitimate." Right?
"Uh-huh." I could practically hear her brow raising. "And does this legitimate job have anything to do with the mysterious date you're bringing to Stephany's engagement party?"
Oh god. How was I going to explain Aldaine to Charlie? 'Hey, remember that demon-summoning spell we joked about last month? Well, funny story..'
"Sort of?" I squeaked. "He's, uh, my boss."
"Rosie!" Charlie screeched. "You're dating your boss? After what happened at your last job?"
"No! Well, not exactly. We're not really dating. He's just pretending. For the engagement party. It's complicated."
"Everything with you is complicated," Charlie sighed. "At least tell me he's hot."
The memory of Aldaine's demon form sent a shiver down my spine. His skin, an unusual shade of dark magenta, was a stark contrast to the bright horns that adorned his head. His sharp angles and fierce expression were enough to make anyone cower in fear, yet there was something oddly captivating about him.
His human form also left me breathless. With skin that seemed to soak in the light around him and eyes that were a deep, mesmerizing brown, he looked like he'd been sculpted to perfection. Just thinking about him made my mouth go dry and my heart race.
I shook my head, trying to clear the image from my mind. This wasn't the time to be daydreaming about a demon, no matter how attractive he might be.
"Rosie, are you still there?" Charlie's voice snapped me back to reality.
"Yeah, sorry," I felt my cheeks flush. "I was just thinking." I managed to clear my throat. "He's hot." Sizzle baby, sizzle.
"Good. You deserve some eye candy after dealing with Stephany's bullshit. But this doesn't get you out of explaining everything to me. Dinner tonight?"
I looked at the credit card again. "I need to go shopping for the engagement party. Want to help me spend my boss's money?"
Charlie's squeal nearly deafened me. "I'll pick you up in twenty minutes. And you're telling me everything over lunch."
After hanging up, I leaned against the bathroom counter and closed my eyes. How the hell was I going to explain any of this to Charlie? 'Sorry bestie, can't tell you about my new job because my boss is literally from hell'?
At least I wouldn't have to lie about one thing. Aldaine was definitely hot as hell. Punabsolutelyintended.
I had just finished getting dressed when Charlie's signature horn blast, three quick honks, echoed from the parking lot.
"Coming!" I yelled out my window, though I knew she couldn't hear me. I grabbed my purse, the credit card burning a hole in my wallet, and took a deep breath. Charlie was my best friend. If anyone would understand summoning a demon out of desperation, it would be her.
Right?
Right.
I locked my apartment door, wincing at the bright orange eviction notice that was indeed plastered across it. Wonderful. Nothing says "I've got my life together" quite like being kicked out of my home.
Charlie was leaning against her old Volkswagen Beetle, her blue-streaked black hair pulled into a messy bun. She took one look at my face and crossed her arms.
