The Witch and the Huntsman by Rod Kierkegaard Jr J.R. Rain

candidate to act as hostess.” Here she gave me a melting smile that I guess was intended to test my lesbian love-slave potential. “Eric will take over now and show you the ropes.”
    Had I imagined it, or was there a subtle emphasis on the word ‘ropes’? Regina Jaeger spoke with a slight foreign accent, and up close I could see she was not only older, but taller than I’d thought last night, though the last part might have been due to her four-inch Manolo heels. And she was even prettier, damn her. I also noticed that even though she was Eric’s stepmother, she made it sound like the two of them were married or something—everything was ‘we’ this or ‘we’ that. Either they were having some kind of thing, or she thought she was some kind of royalty.
    Or both, most likely.
    I didn’t like the thought of her corrupting her stepson, which, okay, was a job I wouldn’t have minded doing myself, but what really bothered me most was her spooky lack of an aura. I mean, all living things have an aura, even if they’re only visible to those with my gift for seeing them. Hell, even my Toyota gives off a slight aura—I can always see at a glance when it’s decided not to start. Or if I’m going to have to take it in to the shop.
    No, I’m not crazy.
    But Regina Jaeger was different. Maybe she was some kind of zombie robot queen from outer space, like in an old B movie. But I was pretty sure she wasn’t a demon, as Millicent had thought. A demo ness , excuse me. After having met the demon that had taken over my former client Billy and his daughter face to face, I was pretty sure I could spot their kind. The evil emanations that surrounded them, their deep, altered voices, and glowing red eyes were kind of a giveaway.
    “ I told you, dear—she is something different ,” said Millicent’s voice in my mind. “ But do not underestimate her powers, even in broad daylight . She will try to bend you to her will with seductive promises ... ”
    We’d reached the point in my training interview when a normal person would have asked me if I had any questions. Regina didn’t. So, as she was dismissing me and turning away, I cleared my throat and said, “I was, um, kind of wondering...exactly what is my salary here? Mr. Schreich didn’t say.”
    But she just kept on walking out the door. It wasn’t as if I was planning to stay there forever or anything. You know, like at a real job. It’s just always nice to know how much money you’re making while you’re busy busting your chops. If any money, in this case.
    And then all thoughts of filthy lucre were driven from my head when Eric walked into the conference room. Like his stepmother, the guy was more attractive than I’d remembered. If that was actually even possible in his case, I mean. Have I mentioned his resemblance to Brad Pitt? Well, today it was even more pronounced. Except he was handsomer, taller, and more mountain man-looking in his jeans and embroidered country-western shirt. And he had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen in my life, the same color as the sky outside, in fact.
    “ Hey,” he said with no trace of any foreign accent. “You must be Allison. I’m Eric.”
    “ Hi Eric.”
    We just stared at each other for a few heartbeats. Which turned into a few more heartbeats. Long, lingering ones.
    “ Whoa ! ” he said finally, grinning and mock-shaking his head, like he was trying to wake up. “I saw you last night, but I had no idea...”
    “ No idea of what?” I felt like all the breath had just been squeezed out of me. It was a miracle I didn’t squeak.
    “ That we’d, you know. Share a moment . That’s what just happened, right?”
    Now it was my turn to shake my head. Not like, no . But more like in total confusion, right? I just couldn’t trust myself to say anything.
    He ignored it and gave me that killer smile again. “Because I wouldn’t want you to think this happened with every new hire.”
    Damn , he was smooth. The only thing