Chapter One
Gerri sighed at her filled email inbox. She couldn’t wait for her new assistant to start. Sky Adler was highly recommended by an old friend. In the meantime, Gerri had to read through every email and weed out the crazies from the potential clients. One caught her eye, she opened it to find a letter from a lady requesting a meeting on behalf of her son, Damien Grimes.
Gerri recognized his name. He was the businessman who kicked out several companies in a small town upstate and moved his businesses in. The people hated him, but she supposed everyone deserves a chance at love. It was just finding the right person who was willing to look past his flaws. She let her inner magic work on this client. This was going to be a tough case, and one she was actually excited to take on. It was time for a challenge!
But could his mate ignore the fact he put so many out of work, that he put his needs and wants above so many others? Really, not because he was a jerk, but there was a lot at play. Gerri sat back with a smile. Yes, this would be a challenge.
A knock at her door had her glancing at the time. She had been so lost in her thoughts about her client, she had forgotten her meeting with Sky, who was coming over for the first time. With an eager smile, she walked to the front door and pulled it open. Standing in front of her was a tall brunette. She was curvy in all the right places and had a stunning smile. “You must be Sky. Welcome to my home and office. I’m delighted to meet you.”
Sky smiled and nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Wilder.”
Gerri stepped back to give her room to come in. “Please have a seat anywhere you would like. Also, call me Gerri. I’d like to get to know you first, before I throw you to the wolves…. Metaphorically speaking, of course.”
Sky laughed and her eyes twinkled. “Of course. I look forward to learning a lot of new things from you. I admit I was warned to be prepared for anything…” Sky’s voice trailed off with a quirk of her brow.
Obviously, she didn’t know what she was getting into. Gerri waited until they were both sitting comfortably before she started. “I assume you know what my business is?”
Sky nodded. “You’re the paranormal matchmaker.”
Gerri nodded. “Yes, and let me forewarn you, my assistants never stay with me long. They tend to find their mates, and I wish them well.”
Sky shook her head. “I’ve no interest in dating right now or leaving you in a lurch. I’m content with life and am not planning to settle down until I’m at least thirty-five.” She scrunched her nose. “Maybe forty.”
Gerri shook her head. “Okay, you don’t have any issues with working with lions, tigers, bears, wolves or an occasional dragon, do you? Of course, I just listed a few common ones but there are plenty of shifters out there, and I have worked with all of them at some point in time.”
Sky’s mouth dropped open. “No…”
Gerri laughed in delight. “More than you were expecting, love?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess I hadn’t really thought about what shifters were before. I’m excited about meeting them though and assisting you in any way possible.”
Gerri nodded. “Wonderful. I’d like to officially offer you the job. If you still accept, I mean. We have a new client coming in this afternoon, looking for a mate for her son. Does the name Damien Grimes mean anything to you?”
Sky frowned for a moment. “I don’t think so. Should it?”
“Do some research on him, please. Dig up anything you can find. He’s going to be a special case, so I want to be prepared as much as possible. He’s been in the news over the last few years, so you should be able to find him easily.” Gerri gestured to the flat screen computer on the desk in her office. “Please use my computer. If you finish early, you can sort my email for me.”
Sky stood and started to the office. “Do you want me to create a file on this Damien?”
“No need, dear, just write down the important facts. I want to make sure I have as much information as I can before the meeting with his mother.” Gerri smiled and sat back in her chair. This was going to be an interesting meeting, she just knew it.
Chapter Two
Sky couldn’t believe another job had fallen onto her lap so easily, and one with someone as famous as Gerri Wilder. Everyone had heard of her, even if they didn’t know much about her. When she said they would work with dragons, it took all Sky could do to keep from falling off her chair. They were real!
She was surprised when Gerri put her to work right away, but excited. She hated downtime and sitting around. If Gerri had told her to come back and start in a few days Sky would have gone out of her mind with boredom. Damien Grimes, that name rang a bell, but she couldn’t recall why. She was intrigued to find out.
Sky was a business junkie. She loved everything to do with it and was always reading magazines and taking business courses online. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life beyond being a personal assistant, but the varying courses helped her when her clients needed something different.
Having worked for a journalist at one point, she was prepared to research and probably give Gerri more information than she was expecting. With a little laugh, she woke the computer and started with a simple google search. It only took a moment for results to pop up. She sat back with a sigh and looked out at Gerri Wilder. Was she serious about this guy?
“Uh, Gerri? Are you sure this is the correct person?” Sky hoped she would say no, the titles of the articles were not reflecting a good man.
“Yes, dear. Everyone deserves to find their mate. It’s not our job to judge them.” Gerri’s voice floated back to her from somewhere in the apartment.
Sky mumbled, “I guess so, but good luck finding someone to deal with this train wreck.”
She pulled out a notebook lying under a pile of papers and grabbed a pen from the cup holder sitting on the desk. She wasn’t sure what Gerri wanted, but she was going to list the offenses he had been accused of.
Removed several companies leaders/management effectively shutting them down, making room for his companies to move in and take over.
The town’s Mayor was arrested and replaced with a man of his choosing.
The Sheriff’s Office was remodeled, and he helped name the replacement for Sheriff.
Has been seen with several women, either pregnant or with small children. All assumed to be his, hasn’t married.
Deeds show he owns all of their houses and pays the utility bills in each place.
Former employees have shared stories about mental abuse, forced retirement, and payoffs.
Very few pictures are available. (Could she match someone she’d never seen?) All that are online are dark, blurry, or his face is hidden.
Sky sat back and looked over the list. She really didn’t think this guy deserved to find anyone who would make him happy. Hell, from what she read, she didn’t think he had the ability to make anyone happy.
It didn’t take long to find information about the man, but she was already disgusted with him. He gave businessmen a bad name. She decided to swap over to Gerri’s email and start sorting it. Now, all she had to decide was... What was the best way to sort a matchmaker’s email?