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“A thousand dollars a week, and a company car,” the child of my friend pushes the point. “And a stipend for clothing. And food. And entertainment.”

“Put the package together and submit it to my secretary,” I say. The girl is of her father’s blood. She cannot help but negotiate.

“Are you sure you don’t want to interview me first?” Melissa asks the question, then immediately looks as though she regrets having asked it.

“Yes. Yes. Perhaps I should after our business is concluded.” I turn to my business partner. “Is there a private study where we will not be disturbed?”

“There’s the blue room, or my dad’s second office, or you could try the third dining room?” The girl suggests a few options. There are endless rooms in this house, and not nearly enough activities to fill them all. Humans seem not to understand that the point of building very large houses is to fill them with family, servants, and soldiers. They knew it once, but much old knowledge has been lost over time.

I feel my gaze softening on the woman who I instantly and irrevocably know to be my mate, a beautiful creature who has asked to be judged, not knowing she cannot be found wanting.

These superficial, damsel-like creatures are so ephemeral. To our species, they are often regarded as being barely sentient. They emulate intelligence, but usually act on instinct. They build societies, cities, and technologies, but deeper wisdom and peace eludes them. I travel to this world because it contains someunique reservoirs of riches that I am attracted to. I did not imagine I would find a jewel this rare.

“Later,” I say.

“We have the Donaldson meeting later,” my business partner reminds me.

“Very well. An internship is, by nature, a trial position. You will have an interview tomorrow at nine a.m. when you present yourself at my office. I assume this one can give you an address.”

I have forgotten the name of my friend’s child. Terabithia? No. Tasmania? No, also incorrect. Fortunately, being referred to as ‘this one’ seems to delight her.

“I’ll make sure she’s there, Mr. Ornix,” she says, removing my mate from my presence.

Melissa

I let out the breath I was very much aware I was holding. My chest feels like it’s burning, my head feels light. That man had more presence in his little finger than anybody I have ever encountered in my life.

“I can’t believe it was that easy,” I say. “He’s scary.”

“He’s actually nice. Well, not nice. He’s kind of grumpy. He demands a lot. It might not be the easiest internship, but at least you’ll be able to pay those fines in a few weeks. You can stay with us while you work them off.”

“I really can’t,” I say. “It’s so nice of you, but I can’t.”

I’d love to, but at a certain point, I’m just mooching off a rich friend. I need to pay for my own place. I need to build my own life.

“You never accept help,” she says.

“I literally just got an internship with no effort,” I remind her. “Most of the graduates of our class are going to be earning nothing. I’m going to be making bank.”

“Making bank,” she smirks. “I’m glad you’re happy with it. I think I could have said five grand a week though, and then you’d only have to hold it together for a week.”

It’s impossible to be around anybody this rich without constantly outing oneself as poor.

“All you have to do is hold it together,” she adds.

“Hold it together?”

“You know what you’re like, Melissa. You can never help yourself. You always get into trouble.”

“That was Old Me. New Me is a different person.”

Tempest laughs. “Sure. Let’s get some drinks. We won’t be able to hang out as much once you’re working.”

Ornix

The girls are by the small captive body of water that would barely serve as a bathtub for my true form. I watch them lounging by the water. The human female form is soft and yet generous, and the young lady who draws my attention like a rare jewel is particularly well proportioned. She lacks for nothing. Her thighs are thick, her stomach is soft and lovely, her breasts are full, straining at the bikini that barely covers her.

A surge of possession passes through me at the idea of anyone else seeing her the way I see her now, relaxed, unaware, safely contained inside the walls of this expensive home.