Pegasus in Peril Read online

  “I’ll admit you have a point. I know you get some interesting cases. Are your usual people the ones they are behind on?” Pru wondered.

  “Actually, they are. I just dropped to three days, and Sophie dropped to four.”

  “Yeah, I forgot everyone’s expecting. Must be in the water.” Pru joked.

  Since she was done eating, she headed into her office. Her car was a sports car, a small and fast one. She was at the office in fifteen minutes. It was her family business, so it had been built close to the family home. Walking through the lobby, people nodded to her, but no one spoke or did anything to delay her. Once she got to the office, Clive sat at his desk looking busy.

  “So you finally made it in, Sweetheart?” Clive said. Handsome, sweet Clive who was her PA. At work, he kept her together.

  “I’m what, one minute late?” Pru said after she’d made a big deal about looking at the clock.

  “Tell me gorgeous, are you still stewing over that male? Anders and I will make you forget all about him.” Clive said speaking about his sexy roommate. They were both hot and bisexual. She’d considered taking them both out for a spin a time or a hundred, but she loved Clive too much to risk the friendship she depended on. “We’ll even give you a mani and a pedi afterwards while we trash talk that horse hung beast.” Pru laughed. She couldn’t help it. “What? Don’t tell me he’s not hung like a horse or I’ll cry.”

  “Oh, he’s hung like a horse alright. He just has no sense of loyalty or honesty.” Pru admitted.

  Clive snickered. “Maybe he thinks size overcomes all.”

  “You better behave,” Pru said.

  “You know you like it when I’m naughty. Anders likes it too.”

  “I’m not sure what Anders likes. Is he still in personnel?” Pru asked.

  “Yes, but he’s the head of the department. I’m surprised you don’t know that.”

  “You do all the dealing with personnel for me, and I like it.”

  “See, you recognize talent when you see it. I’m truly sorry he disappointed you like that.” Clive said as he held his arms open for her. She threw herself into them and dissolved into tears. “If you want me to, I’ll kill him for you.”

  Pru giggled. “I bet you would too. You know you’re my best friend.” She knew her behavior was all over the place. Herk had really done a number on her, and she was an emotional mess. Only Clive truly knew how bad it was.

  “It’ll get better, Baby,” Clive said, but she could see that he was uncertain if that was true.

  Love, was supposed to be a gift, not a curse. “When I go to lunch later, I’ll not be back for the day.”

  “Taking some time off?” He asked approvingly.

  “No, I’m helping out in the field. Maybe getting back to the basics and helping people will calm my spirit.”

  Pru headed to her office to do her usual work. Clive was in the outer office, a buffer to anyone that wanted to see her. It was no surprise when lunchtime came, and no one had gotten past Clive. He was an excellent PA and guarded her well. She’d actually managed to get a fair amount of work done, and now she was ready to enjoy a good lunch.

  “You coming with?” Pru asked as she exited her office and looked at Clive.

  “I’d gladly escort you to lunch. Is Anders welcome too?”

  “Why not? The more, the merrier.”

  Clive chuckled. “You’ve never said that before.”

  Pru smacked him on the arm. “You are terrible.”

  “No, I’m amazing, and you just need to try it to like it.” Clive offered.

  Pru didn’t know if he was teasing or not. She never really knew with him. It didn’t matter because even though Herk was an ass, she couldn’t contemplate the thought of any other males. At least not as a lover, not until she got over him. If that ever happened.

  Clive led the way to personnel where Anders was waiting. He grinned at her with mischief in his eyes. “Is she finally going to make us happy?” He asked.

  “She’s holding out, but she’s willing to have lunch with us. Why don’t we go to Pear Tree?” Clive suggested.

  Pru had heard of that restaurant. It had opened six months ago and was the latest place to be seen in the area. Two male chefs had opened it together, and she’d seen them on a cover of one of the hot magazines. Both were gorgeous. Not like Herk, but not bad.

  “Why not? I bet Pru will love it. JC and Fred are the best. It’s not just pretty and full of flavor, but it is hearty too.” Anders explained.

  Clive had one arm, and Anders had the other as they pulled her to the door. “What should we go in?” Clive asked. “Pru’s not coming back with us.”

  “Why don’t you ride with her so she doesn’t desert us and I’ll follow?” Anders suggested.

  Pru got in her SUV with Clive riding shotgun. She knew where Pear Tree was and had wanted to try it for a while. It would be a great distraction. The parking lot was ten minutes away and when they arrived, it was nearly packed. She found a space, but Anders pulled into the owner’s parking.

  “Something I should know?” Pru asked with a smirk.

  “I invested in the business along with several others,” Anders admitted. “Now come on and let us show you a good time.”

  “Lead the way.” She directed.

  Anders led as Clive took her arm and they followed. She entered the restaurant and looked around seeing bar style seating with the kitchen exposed behind it. A huge grill or possibly several grills spread across the front of the kitchen. Regular seating was spread out against the far wall with tables seating anywhere from two to ten.

  Clive led her to the bar and helped her into her seat. Anders sat on the other side of her. It was hard to deny she felt quite special sitting between two such handsome males and being the center of their attention. One of the males ordered her a drink and a sample platter.

  “You’ve just got to try some of these foods. This is the best way to try several at a time. You may have heard, but they serve international foods here. The sample platter has a dish from each of eight countries and two appetizer samples.” Clive explained as it was set in front of her. She swatted his hand as he tried to help himself.

  “Get your own sampler platter.” Pru directed and Clive chuckled at her. “Males. Can’t live with them, can’t kill them.”

  “You probably have killed some of them.” Clive guessed.

  “I’ll never tell if I have, but I’ve certainly considered it,” Pru admitted.

  “Lately too I’ll bet,” Anders observed.

  Pru moaned. The chicken Bolognese was to die for. The chicken Annamarie was excellent, and the Jager schnitzel was the best she’d had. Pork fried rice, chicken fried chicken, beef enchiladas, Hungarian goulash, and Teriyaki beef all tasted marvelous although she would have taken larger servings than the small samples.

  “Don’t worry, Sweetness. We’ll help you enjoy yourself.” Clive offered.

  Pru certainly believed he’d try and so would she. Everything seemed to be going well until she saw someone. “It can’t be!” She whispered but around so many supernaturals she might as well yelled.

  “What is it, Baby?” Clive asked as his eyes followed where she looked. “Is that the horsey hunk? Damn, you weren’t kidding. He’s sex on a stick.”

  “He’s also an asshole.” Anders reminded. “And not the kind we like to fuck.”

  “Don’t be jealous darling. You know you’re my special one.” Clive responded. “It doesn’t matter where I get my appetite as long as I eat you at home.”

  “I think you messed that up just a little,” Pru said pulling her attention away from her faithless mate who sat with a pretty young thing. Why did it have to hurt so bad? At least he’d not seen her, and he didn’t know how much pain he’d caused.

  Clive and Anders moved closer to her almost hugging her. It also prevented anyone from seeing her. Thank the goddess for these two males and the plates of food that just kept coming to distract her. The food was amaz
ing, and she would come here again.

  “Take a bite,” Clive said as he held out a fork with meat on the end.

  “This is good. What is it?” Pru asked.

  “Grilled beef. JC does the grilling and the barbeque. Fred does the baking, desserts, and both do other things as well. Those two are multitalented.” Anders declared.

  “So where do you know them from?” Pru asked.

  “Fred is my first cousin. You know we use them once in a while for office parties. The other ladies go wild when they come in person. I’m surprised you weren’t aware of it.” Anders mentioned.

  “I don’t hang out with the office crew. Early on I discovered many use the parties as an excuse to ask for favors or complain about policies or other employees. That takes all the fun out of the party.” Pru explained.

  “I can see how that might happen. Many feel you, or possibly Gertie will end up running the company someday. It seems more likely since your dad has stepped back. Your mother never showed much interest in running things before. Although I must say, she’s had some good ideas.” Anders explained.

  “Honestly, while Mom has great ideas, her best quality is she listens to the suggestions of others. As far as field work goes, Annie is the best. Many of those ideas were hers. The high ranking staff all made suggestions, I’m sure you did? Mom took many of those and implemented them. Those that work and make or save the company money will result in bonuses for those who submitted them.”

  “Your dad would have just taken the credit,” Clive said.

  “True, but he was cursed at the time. Who knows how different things would have been had we known.” Pru noted.

  “I thought that was just a rumor,” Anders said.

  “No, it was the truth, but now it’s been removed. It affected him severely. He’s still not recovered.” Pru admitted.

  “These are hard times,” Anders observed. “Hopefully we’ll get through them in one piece.”

  “I’m not sure all of us will. The war looms ever closer.” Pru admitted.

  “Here, have a meatball.” Clive pushed it into her mouth. He never liked discussions to get too serious. It was his way to make jokes and distract everyone from difficult times. “It’s Italian. My balls are American, but Anders is Swedish. We like ours sucked but not chewed.”

  Pru smacked him on his shoulder. “Stop the sexual comments. The horse is gone anyway.”

  “I’m sorry, Sugar. He’s such a bad boy, but not in a good way.” Clive admitted.

  “It’s alright. We all have things to deal with. Put the meal on the corporate card and give the boys a good tip. I enjoyed myself, mostly. Right now I need to get to work before I go crazy.” Pru said as she gave Clive a kiss and a hug. Then Anders demanded the same, so she gave in. It was good to have friends when life kicked you when you were already down.

  Now it was time to work. She left the two males behind as she headed out to work through a list of unusual clients. The first was a new one who lived in a rural community about thirty minutes away. She answered the door right away.

  “I’m Tammy. Agnes Jones recommended your company.”

  “My name is Pru. What can I help you with?”

  “I need a health potion. I’ve not been feeling well.”

  Pru dug in the case she carried. “You understand I can’t guarantee results? The health potions only work on certain conditions.”

  “I’m desperate. The doctors haven’t a clue.”

  “Take this at bedtime and be prepared to sleep in. It’ll work as you sleep and it will probably make you sleep longer than usual.”

  “That would be a relief. I’m having trouble sleeping.” Agnes informed.

  “Let us know what your results are, good or bad. It helps us improve our potion.”

  “I will. I hope this will help me.”

  “You have a nice day. I’ll see myself out.” Pru wondered how Annie could work with such desperate people every day. It was heart wrenching and made her glad she usually worked in the office. Maybe Annie wanted her to appreciate the fact that her job matched what she could handle. That was the way she was beginning to feel.

  The next two were what she expected, but the third wasn’t a nice man. “I thought Annie would come. Maybe you’ll be more useful. I dealt with the man she said was responsible and things got better. Now I have a new problem.” He said as he stepped forward with his hand out. She took it and saw this male was evil. A troll, she would guess.

  “Do you have the list?” She asked.

  He placed it in the ashtray for her. She set it on fire and saw his son wanted to take over the company. The son was even more ruthless than his dad. His name formed in the ashes and the old man collapsed into his chair.

  “That’s what I feared.” He whispered his face a mask of pain.

  “I’m sorry.” She said as she turned to go. Pru only felt a little sympathy since the boy was as the older male had made him.

  She’d had enough field work to last her a while. It had helped them catch up but had brought her little joy, only showed her she was in the job she was best suited for. Hurrying home, she relaxed in a bubble bath then took a sleeping potion. Pru was out like a light.

  Annie was there for breakfast again. Pru felt better seeing her sister there. It shouldn’t matter so much, but it comforted her. She pulled out the paper again and looked to the stars. “This never matches me. It’s always wrong!” Pru complained.

  “You were born on the cusp. Maybe you should check Aquarius too?” Annie suggested.

  “What do you mean?” Pru asked.

  “Sometimes when you’re born close to the next sign, you get some or all the characteristics or actions from the next sign or a mix of both,” Annie explained. “Aquarius actually fits you better if you read up on it.”

  “I don’t want to be Aquarius. While a lot of them are trailblazers and recognized for their accomplishments, you’ll find more of them in mental institutions than any other sign.” Pru declared.

  “That I didn’t know. Have you been studying signs?” Annie asked.

  Pru snorted. “No, but it’s an interest Clive has, and he talks about it all the time. He was just studying Aquarius, it’s what Anders is. Clive was giving him a hard time saying he’d probably go nuts and end up in the crazy house. You know how Clive is about teasing people.”

  “Everyone who spends time around him knows that,” Annie admitted.

  Pru looked to see the characteristics of Aquarius, she just couldn’t help herself.

  Aquarius are born January 21 thru February 19. While they are friendly and humanitarian, they can also be contrary and intractable. Many are honest and loyal, but also perverse and unpredictable. Often they can be original and inventive, but pursue success to the point of being unemotional and detached.

  “Oh, my goddess! That sounds a lot like you.” Annie screeched.

  “Does not,” Pru said.

  “Hm, contrary,” Annie whispered.

  “Shush!” Pru said as she continued to read.

  They fall into two main types. One of those is the shy and gentle type that has infinite patience and sensitivity to all. The other type is the opposite showing much excitement even to the point of being an exhibitionist, possibly hiding the depths of their character and abilities under a shell.

  Annie let out a whistle. “They know you. You are just like the exhibitionist. I remember when you and that guy got caught. I remember he was hung like a horse. That must be your type. Can’t remember his name though.

  “Julius. His name was Julius.” Pru noted.

  “I guess his memory stuck with you.” Annie teased,

  “That was a few years ago. He was hot as hell. Julius never told me what he really was. I suspected demon kind. Not sure which kind but he was incredible.”

  “What happened?” Annie asked,

  “He was lucky enough to find his mate at such a young age. I was happy for him when he told me.” Pru admitted. “Can someone really wal
k away from their one?”

  “I’ve heard some do if they feel their reason is good enough,” Annie admitted. The look she shot Pru was sad and sympathetic.

  “I guess I will have to hunt down the son of a bitch and find out what’s going on. I can’t move on until I’m sure there’s nothing there. You understand, don’t you Annie?” Pru knew she looked miserable, that was because it was the way she felt.

  “I truly do understand. Finding the beast will be the problem. If he sees you, all he has to do is fly away.”

  “Maybe I’ll go to the place Sophie saw him and camp out until he shows up.”

  “Can you take that long off work?”

  Pru shot her a disbelieving look. “I’ve got a year or more of vacation built up. Maybe it’s time to use some. First I’ll find him, and then I’ll find a male to lose myself with. Sounds like a plan, huh?”

  “It certainly does. I wish you luck. When are you leaving?”

  “Starting tomorrow, you can have breakfast with your male every day again.”

  “I’ll see you later Sis. I hope it all works out.” Annie wished.

  Pru hoped it all worked out too, but what were the odds of that?

  Chapter 3

  What Goes Around

  “What do you expect Big Bro?” Halifax the youngest of eight brothers to Herk asked.

  “I thought she’d wait a little while. Besides, two males?” Herk said as he spoke of seeing Pru at Pear Tree.

  “It takes two to replace you.” His brother teased.

  “Not funny. I wanted to tear them apart. Only Sarah stopped me.”

  “Little Sis doesn’t like violence.” Hal said.

  “No, she blames me. She said she always wanted a sister and I ruined everything. Whatever Pru does is my own fault.”

  “And you disagree?”

  “Yes, no. Hell I don’t know. I’m trying to protect her.” Herk said.

  “I’m sure she’d be happy if she knew that.” Hal said and it sounded sarcastic.

  “Whose side are you on anyway?”

  “Are people taking sides?”

  “Yes, and they’re all against me.” Herk admitted with frustration.