Opportunity Knocks [Dark Eden]

A Dark Eden Press Publication

www.darkedenpress.com

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Opportunity Knocks Copyright© 2008 Edited by Lee Morris Cover art by Renee Rocco Electronic book Publication: January 2008 This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Dark Eden Press, Inc.® 8824 Jeanes Lane, Alvarado, TX 76009

This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

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Ericka Scott

Opportunity Knocks

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS PROLOGUE Once upon a time, there was a girl, a stepmother, two evil stepsisters, and an invitation to a party. Sound familiar? Well, this particular party was being thrown in the honor of a talent scout for a major recording company. If Cindy could do nothing else, she could sing. Which is why I was here, to ensure Cindy went to the party, and got that recording contract. The stepmother and stepsisters left for the party earlier in a long black stretch limousine. I waited until they were safely ensconced and had disappeared from sight before I approached the front door. I rang the doorbell, and knocked until my knuckles were raw. Where in the world was Cindy? Instead of drinking punch and hobnobbing with the rich and famous, I cooled my heels there for over three hours. Needless to say, I was foot-stomping mad about it. At one minute ‘til midnight, Cindy came strolling up the walk, smiling, and humming to herself. She stopped, eyeing me suspiciously. “Who are you?” “Why, I’m your Faerie Godmother, here to take you to the party. We’d better get a move on, you’ve only got a minute left to impress that talent scout.” “Faerie godmother? What do I need one of those for? Opportunities don’t just sit around waiting for you to open the door! You have to grab them before they pass you by. I went to the party and signed a recording contract. My name may be Cindy Rella, but I wasn’t born yesterday.” With that, she slammed the door in my face.

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Chapter One “Zuzanna!” Now, normally, I like the sound of my name as it echoes through the kingdom. Mixed with the sweet song of the birds singing in the trees, it usually heralded my successful return from a guardian mission and was music to my ears. But today, the pissed-off tone in Prince Foster’s voice made me cringe. Shit. Not polite speech for a faerie, but it summed up my feelings after last night’s debacle. Obviously my immediate supervisor, Foster, also had words to pile on top of my already large dose of chagrin. “Zuzanna!” I scurried off to bow and scrape in front of him as he sat on his throne in the shade of the largest apple tree in the orchard. The tree was in bloom, and the apple blossom scent was intoxicating. I resisted the urge to sink down into the grass, but stood instead, my head bowed. “There you are.” Foster’s voice was sharp as a rose thorn. I looked up into his eyes. Their green depths glittered with enough frigidity to freeze the titties off my faerie body. In response, my nipples puckered tight against the fabric of my gossamer lace dress. I suppressed a shiver. “Yes.” “This is the third guardianship you’ve botched in less than a year.” “Yes, my liege.” I gritted my teeth. It wasn’t my fault Foster only assigned me teenagers. All faerie godmothers agreed that to do a good job, you had to take children under your wings while they were impressionable, while they still believed. But, arguing with the liege prince would only make things worse. He’d had it in for me for years, the unforgiving imp. When he was a child, he’d misled a human. The poor man was only trying to reach his ramshackle cottage before it burned to the ground to save the lives of his wife and children. Behind Prince Foster’s back, I’d lead the human back home in the nick of time. When Foster found out, he’d run to the King, who had only laughed at his temper tantrum. When Foster had been put in charge of the faerie godmother division, he could finally do something about his feelings for me. He’d proceeded to make my life miserable from the very first day he’d taken office. “You do remember at the beginning of the year I only gave you three chances to improve your performance.” “Yes, I remember.” I bit my lip to keep from speaking further, and found my hands were clenched so hard my knuckles were white. “Well, Cindy Rella was your last chance.” Foster’s voice was gleeful. “As of midnight, you will be stripped of your powers and banished from the kingdom.” “What?” I’d expected to be punished, perhaps be put in charge of some willful rich child in Hollywood or even demoted to being the scheduling secretary, a miserable and stressful job. But this was beyond imagining. Very few faeries had ever been cast out of the kingdom. My heart stuttered in my chest. With no magic, I would be…mortal. The thought was horrifying. “But I am the only faerie godmother for the entire western region!” I protested. 2

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“We’ve had to downsize. Times have changed, children have changed. Faerie godmothers are out of date and old-fashioned. You can personally attest that they aren’t needed anymore. Just be grateful you have a chance to make a fresh start.” A fresh start? As a mortal? Was he nuts? I opened my mouth, but from the look on Foster’s face, I could see there was nothing I could say to change his mind. Then I took a closer look at his expression. I couldn’t decide on an appropriate adjective for his look – contemptuous, ludicrous, or just insane. I guessed it really didn’t matter. He was the faerie in line to be King. However, it would be a cold day in the garden of Hell before I, and many of my fellow faeries, allowed him to take the throne. He needed to mature. A lot. “You are dismissed until the circle convenes at midnight.” Foster flipped his hand at me. I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue at him. Dismissed until midnight? That was hours from now! What in the world was I going to do until then? Stew in my own dread? Then, I got an idea. A really brilliant, awful idea. Oh, I would leave the kingdom all right. I’d be gone long before midnight. And, I was taking my wand with me.

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Chapter Two No one warned me how cold it would be in Chicago in November. The wind whipped through the high-rise buildings, whistling demonically as it snatched at coats, hair, hats, and umbrellas. Yeah, no one warned me about the rain either. Chicago wasn’t my first choice of places to hide. Hawaii, California, now that would be the life. I sincerely wished I was strolling along Rodeo Drive shopping for shoes. Chicago is no place to be at five o’clock on a Friday afternoon with no garden to call home, however, I was on the run with my heavy suitcase miniaturized in my pocket. I needed to hang out where no one would be looking for me. Cold, windy, Chicago fit the bill. I took shelter in the front of a large office complex while I thought about what I was going to do. I’d had many a hare-brained idea in the past, but this one… What was I thinking? I glanced at my watch. Sure, I could go crawling back to the kingdom. I’d make it long before midnight. But then what? I’d be back in Chicago or someplace worse by dawn, and this time with no resources and no power. I straightened my shoulders. I was staying. Behind me was the spacious foyer of an office building. Heat puffed out the frequently opened doors as employees exited through them like aphids running from a scourge of ladybugs. Inside the building I could have taken refuge from the wind, and sat in the comfort of a plush chair. However, a big burly man stood guard, discouraging anyone from entering. He was just doing his job, but damn, it was cold out here. I pulled my coat a little tighter. What was I going to do? A glass bus enclosure in front of the building blocked some of the wind. I stood with a small group of humanity waiting for the bus. I sure hoped when the last one came by later, I wouldn’t be desperate enough to throw myself in front of it. Then I heard a sound I never expected to find amongst all the business suits. It was a child’s voice. “Daddy!” I turned to see a small tow-headed boy dash out of the building. He was following a man in a multi-pocketed overcoat open to the elements and my perusal. Oh, he wasn’t just any man. He was the most gorgeous human male I’d ever encountered, even in Hollywood, where beautiful people were plentiful. The man was tall and well-built, with wind-tousled brown hair, eyes the color of liquid chocolate, and a lightning bright smile he bestowed upon the little boy. Unfortunately, his smile didn’t touch his eyes. They held a note of some indefinable sorrow. “Hey, where’d you come from?” His voice was husky. Although he wasn’t speaking to me, his voice slid over me like a caress. “Damn it, Phillip. You’re going to blow us off again, aren’t you?” A tall blond man standing by Mr. Gorgeous lightly punched him in the arm. “I don’t have a choice. Hey, Jamie.” Phillip swung the boy up into his arms and chucked him under the chin. “Where’s your nanny?” The little boy ducked his head. “She left me here, and said to tell you she quit. The building guard said he’d watch me until you came out. You walked right past me. I want to go home.” 4

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“Oh, Jamie. What happened? Were you mean to this one too?” “I didn’t think I was. She took me to the snake house at the zoo. I thought she liked snakes. I didn’t know she wouldn’t like it when I brought Gertie, the class pet home from school.” “Did you leave Gertie in her cage?” The little boy hung his head but I noticed a sly smile lifting the corners of his lips. Phillip shook his head and heaved a big sigh. “Well, looks like you and I have a weekend to find a nanny.” Phillip’s friend pulled up the collar of his overcoat. “If you change your mind, Phillip, we’ll be at the Lucky Chance Bar.” “I’ll be lucky to get a nanny for work, let alone a sitter for tonight,” Phillip replied with a slight smile, his eyes still fastened on his son. “Well, this could have been your night,” The man chided. “You might have gotten lucky.” “I wish I could get lucky, in more ways than one.” Phillip laughed as if to cover the look of disappointment etched on his face, and lifted his hand in a small wave as his friend walked away. That was all I needed to hear. I walked right up to Phillip and his son and smiled. “Excuse me. Are you Phillip Hatch?” “No, I’m sorry.” “My daddy’s name is Phillip Denton,” Jamie informed me. “Oh, maybe I got the name wrong. The agency sent me to replace a nanny for Phillip Hatch. Perhaps I got the last name wrong.” “Sheila called for a replacement before she left?” Phillip’s left eyebrow lifted, giving him an incredulous look. “Awfully considerate of her, under the circumstances. I appreciate it. It’ll save me a lot of phone calls and worry this weekend.” Then, with a look of relief, Phillip shifted his son to one arm, and held out his hand for me to shake. Unobtrusively, I dropped the heavy miniaturized suitcase I held as I reached for his hand. As the case hit the ground it materialized into a large, oversized suitcase and bumped against my knees, knocking me forward into Phillip. The warmth of his hands as he caught me seared through my thin coat, and I had unfaerie-like thoughts about having him touch other parts of my body. With effort, I stifled the urge to release strong attraction pheromones. No matter how attractive he was, it felt like I would be taking unfair advantage. Besides, if a man had a son, he probably had a wife. “I’m Zuzanna, um, Garden.” I fibbed, since faeries didn’t have last names. Still, I needed a place to stay, and this man needed a nanny. Heck, it couldn’t be any harder than being a faerie godmother, right?

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Chapter Three It was the longest hour of my three thousand-odd years. Trapped in a small capsule of metal hurtling across the ground at eighty miles an hour was scary enough. Then, everything stopped. The automobile inched forward, trapped by a line of other automobiles that stretched as far as the eye could see. I studied Phillip’s profile as he drove. A strong jaw touched by just a whisper of stubble, the dimple that danced in just one of his cheeks, and his scent was heavenly. Musk mixed with a hint of masculine sexuality. I’d forgotten how good human men smelled. Nothing like male faeries, who always smelled a little like clean dirt. Being in such close proximity to Phillip caused heat to rush to my pussy and I shifted uncomfortably as I smelled my own desire. Hopefully human noses weren’t as sensitive as faeries’. Sighing, I itched for someone to wish us out of this traffic. Believe me, I’d have managed it somehow. But on second thought, it was best if I avoided using magic. So, I chewed my fingernails instead. Jamie turned on the radio, and I found myself smiling and tapping my toe to the beat of the best song I had ever heard. Something about empowering yourself, and living your dreams. It made the time spent trapped in the automobile almost tolerable. Then, the announcer interrupted to say this was the first hit of a rising new star named—you guessed it, Cindy Rella! Phillip dropped Jamie, me, and my two-ton suitcase outside his condominium, and started off for his night out with the boys. Jamie and I were left to our own devices. Luckily, Jamie had the Friday night routine down. He dropped his book bag in the foyer, and planted himself in front of the television set while I set about the first order of business for the night. Finding Gertie. The snake was curled up in the guest bathroom sink, sound asleep. Luckily snakes and I go way back. I was able to coax her back into her plastic reptile home, but only after I promised her a meal of fresh caught minnows. Then, I tackled fixing dinner. Jamie wanted pizza. I would have gladly ordered one from the multitude of pizza delivery coupons hanging by the phone; however, I had no money. Oh, I could have conjured some up, but how in the world would I survive as a mortal if I couldn’t last an evening without magic. So, Jamie had to be content with what I could find in the cabinets. Chili and corn chips. Something he called a pepper belly, although I’ve never encountered a pepper with a belly! I was feeling downright human by this point. I’d cooked dinner, and cleaned up the kitchen while Jamie watched a totally ludicrous new cartoon on television. Something about pastel colored faerie godparents who flew around granting a little boy’s wishes and making a total mess of everything. My goddess, no wonder children didn’t value their faerie godmothers! We were portrayed as incompetent boobs. I shuddered as I put away the bowls in the cupboard, and made a note to myself to find out how to get more food without the use of magic to restock the nearly empty kitchen cabinets 6

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“Come play a game with me,” Jamie begged. He dragged me by the hand to his bedroom. I was definitely familiar with little boys’ rooms. But, this one was different. Oh, there was the typical little boy messes, dirty clothes piled on the floor in front of the hamper, and little green army men lurking in the carpeting to attack unsuspecting bare feet, but there were also pictures posted all over the walls. Oh, not of transformers and movie characters, these were pictures of a woman, either alone or with a much younger Jamie and Phillip. “Is that your mother?” I asked. “Yes,” Jamie looked at the pictures with an adoring expression. “Isn’t she beautiful?” “She is indeed,” I said truthfully. Now I knew where Jamie got his blond good looks. Although we appeared to be approximately the same age in human years, all similarities stopped there. Like most faeries, I’m small even in human form, barely five feet tall. I have short straight dark hair cut in a pixie cut, and the typical green eyes of a faerie. However, Jamie’s mother was everything I’d always wanted to be, tall and statuesque, with large blue eyes, and a riot of curly hair the color of sunshine. “So, when will your mother be home? Does she have to work late every evening?” I asked. “Mommy’s an angel. She died when I was four,” Jamie said matter-of-factly. “She had car trouble. A man offered to help her so she followed him. But he led her around so much that she got lost. Then, another a bad man killed her.” “Oh, I’m sorry,” I replied and put a gentle hand on Jamie’s shoulder. I truly was. Being jealous of any human was childish, and any faerie of my age and maturity would be ashamed of the thoughts. There was nothing to envy about humans, their lives were so tragically short. “Did they ever find the man who hurt your mom?” I asked, wondering how much healing Jamie had accomplished in the three or so years since the loss of his mother. “Before she died, she told the police that a man tried to help her but she still got lost. Then, another man hurt her. The police drew pictures of what the men looked like and printed them in the paper.” Jamie looked over his shoulder and then opened his drawer. He foraged under his clothes until he pulled out a folder. He opened it and solemnly passed the folder to me. Inside was a faded article. I started. The police rendering of the assailant was just of a man in a black hood. He could have been anyone. However, the sketch of the man on the left, the one who had tried to help her, was Foster. I couldn’t be absolutely positive, but the resemblance was there in the shape of the eyes and the sensual pout of his lips. Damn him. Why was it faeries felt the need to play such cruel tricks on humans? Jamie’s voice dropped to a whisper. “They never found the men, but I look for them everywhere I go.” “I’m sure you do.” I cleared my throat of the emotion that unexpectedly clogged it and tried to change the subject. “What game would you like to play?” “Life or Monopoly,” Jamie replied. He cast one last look at the pictures, closed the folder, and then tucked it back in the drawer. 7

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“Life sounds good.” Hopefully I’d learn something during the course of the game, for if Prince Foster ever caught up with me, I’d end up being mortal whether I wanted to or not. So, I might as well see if I could pick up a few pointers. An hour later, I had three car loads of children, and no money to my name. Jamie declared I’d lost, but the defeat wasn’t very bitter. How could it be? I ended up with thirteen children. When it was finally time to tuck Jamie into bed, we bid goodnight to Gertie. I left them both dreaming under the pictures of Jamie’s angel mother. Right before I shut the door, I remembered my promise to Gertie. Her beady black eyes didn’t even blink when three small minnows suddenly appeared in her water dish. Oh, if every wish was so easy to fulfill. ***** Back out in the living room, I collapsed into a plush recliner, put my feet up, closed my eyes, and sighed. Oh, I had every intention of learning to live like a mortal. I knew the stack of newspapers had to be picked up by hand, and thrown into the trash bin. I was quite excited to find the condominium had an automatic dishwasher. I’d be the first faerie in the kingdom to know how to use one! But, not tonight. Instead, I just wished everything clean. I’d start practicing doing the housework tomorrow. Tonight, I wanted to learn all I could about my new charges. I couldn’t get comfortable in the chair, so I set off down the hall to the guest room where my luggage was occupying a proud spot on the middle of the guest bed. But curiosity got the best of me, and I took a detour to the master suite. Now, I’ve mated with my share of humans in the past, but when I became a faerie godmother, the dealings with human children dampened my libido. Phillip awoke longings I’d almost forgotten. I walked through his bedroom, breathing in his scent, and feeling the punch of lust deep in my belly. Better yet, I wasn’t a faerie godmother anymore! I opened drawers in the dresser, and snooped to my heart’s content. I learned he wore boxer briefs under his three piece suits, and kept an open box of condoms in the nightstand drawer. Imagining what it would be like lying with Phillip, I plopped down on the bed, laid back on the pillows and stretched. The bed’s black satin sheets were cool against my skin, and I longed to be naked between them. The bedroom door swung open. It was Phillip. I jumped guiltily, then decided to brazen it out. Phillip’s eyes widened when he saw me in his bed. I waited until he blinked, and then wished myself into a sexy red negligee. Hopefully, he was too intoxicated to notice the transition. “Is this a dream?” Phillip’s voice was husky with drink and desire. “Only if you want it to be.” Phillip walked over to the bed and ran his finger from my shoulder to my wrist, raising goose pimples in its wake. I shivered and felt my nipples tighten under his gaze. I resisted the urge to hit him with a burst of pheromones, for I could feel waves of indecision wafting from him. I was his son’s nanny. It went against convention to fuck the 8

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help in charge of caring for your children. He started to turn away from me, and I thought his sense of propriety had won out. Then, his back straightened as he turned back to me. His gaze raked my body from head to toe. “What would you like?” I knelt up in the bed in front of him. “Would you like me to do this?” I said in my best butchered Swiss nanny accent. I slid my hands up his thighs, brushed past his cock, up his abs, and paused at his collarbone. He still wore his tie, although it hung loose. I unknotted it, and tossed it over my shoulder. Phillip began to grin. “Or perhaps you’d like me to do this?” I unbuttoned his shirt to the waist, then pushed it off his shoulders. Phillip started to push the spaghetti straps of my nightie off my shoulders, but I stopped him, wagging my finger in front of his nose. “Now, Master Phillip, you must let Nanny do it.” I batted my eyelashes and he dropped his hands to his sides. Under his tailored blue oxford, he wore a ribbed t-shirt. Instead of pulling it off and over his head, I exerted just a tiny bit of faerie magic, and with a swift pull, I tore the shirt open. His gaze was hooded, and his breathing labored. I could see the hard thick ridge of his cock, but I wasn’t quite ready to let it out to play. I reached up to cup his face, and let my lips brush his. When I deepened the kiss, he grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me closer. He moaned as we kissed. Hot, hungry, nibbling kisses that had liquid heat rushing to my core. I answered his kisses with my own, need fueling their urgency. I wanted so much more than just his kisses. I let my mouth drift, the stubble on his chin rough against my skin. Then I kissed lower to suck on the pulsing vein at the base of his neck. “I wanted you the minute I saw you,” he said. “But men don’t just go around fucking their kid’s nanny. I thought going out and having a few drinks would take the edge off my desire. Then, I came in, and found you like a wet dream in my bed.” I sucked hard on one of his tiny nipples, feeling it tighten under my onslaught. I let my hands wander down to his waist, and began to work on loosening his trousers. He gasped, and fisted his hands into my hair. His trousers fell to the floor, and I realized I was wrong about one thing. He didn’t always wear boxer briefs under his pants. Today, he’d worn nothing. “Commando,” I whispered. Lord, he had a beautiful body. Wide shoulders, thin waist and hips, tight muscles, and a long, thick cock. Once he was undressed, he pushed my head down toward his erection. My pussy creamed in anticipation. I flicked my tongue out to taste the small drop of pre-cum glistening on its tip. I opened to admit the bulbous head, then flicked my tongue out to caress the crease on the underside of his penis. He groaned, and I opened my mouth to slip his length inside. He thrust his hips, pushing his cock deep until it stroked the back of my throat. Slowly, he pumped in and out as I let my tongue roam over its silky surface. I bobbed up and down, sucking in time to his thrusts. When my fingers slid between his legs to fondle his sac, he stopped thrusting, and his breath came in desperate pants. “That feels so good, but I don’t want to come. Not just yet,” he said. I released his cock with a loud popping sound. 9

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“Please let me touch you.” His voice was husky with desire. I dipped one shoulder until the strap of my negligee fell loose. It slid down my arm, taking the slip of silk with it. My nipple tightened as his head lowered. He caught its tip between his teeth and bit gently. When I gasped, he took the nipple into his mouth, and began to suck. I pushed my breast forward as each pull of his mouth sent a jolt of desire straight to my pussy. He pushed the other strap of my negligee down, and then moved to the other breast while his fingers plucked at the wet nipple he’d left behind. “Phillip.” I moaned his name. The silk slip puddled around my knees. He pushed me back onto the bed, then reached down, and pulled my negligee all the way off. For a long moment, he just stood looking at me. His cock jerked, and I knew he wanted to bury it deep inside me. I spread my legs a little to give him a better view. “I’m guess I’m not the only one who went commando,” he remarked. His eyes were almost black with desire as he looked at the small crush of curls at the top of my thighs. “You’re beautiful.” I held out my arms with a wanton smile and he collapsed on top of me. I spread my legs, the hair on his legs tickling my thighs. But he didn’t immediately take me. Instead, he nuzzled my neck while I squirmed underneath him to grind my wet pussy against his hard length. He chuckled, a deep husky laugh, and pulled himself lower, out of my questing reach, while his mouth kissed down my body. Lower and lower he kissed until his tongue swept over my clit. My hips bucked, and he grabbed them, holding me still while his tongue flicked and teased me. I dug my head into his pillow, tossing from side to side as he continued his sweet torment. He fucked me with his tongue, delving deeper and deeper into my wet folds until I was panting and sobbing his name. I wanted him. All of him. Lifting himself off my body, he fumbled in the nightstand for a condom. It wasn’t necessary, but I wasn’t going to tell him our mating wouldn’t result in any offspring unless I released the eggs from my ovaries right after mating. Not to mention faeries are immune to the sexually transmitted diseases running rampant through human societies. Instead, I watched, my heart pounding in anticipation, as he rolled the rubber onto his cock. Now the moment had come, Phillip suddenly seemed shy. He reached out and stroked my cheek, his eyes full of unfathomable emotion. Then, he positioned himself on top of me. I felt the tip of his penis as it brushed against my nether lips. As we stared into each other’s eyes, he thrust into me. For long seconds, we just stared into each other’s eyes. Then, he closed his eyes and drove into me. I dug my fingernails into his back, and matched him thrust for thrust. His sac slapped against my ass. I groaned. Then, he shifted his weight, and pulled my legs up and over his shoulders. Faster and deeper he rode me while his fingers plucked at my nipples. For long moments, the only sound in the room was our ragged breathing and the wet slippery sound of flesh meeting flesh. Then, when he moved his hand from my breast and rubbed his thumb over my clit, I pulled the pillow up from behind me and used it to stifle my scream as I came. “Oh, god, I love a screamer,” Phillip said and then drove into me one last time. He 10

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moaned, and I could feel his cock throbbing deep inside me as he came.

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Chapter Four Six days of blissful nights and hellish days followed. Thankfully, Phillip worked all day long, so I was able to carry on with some semblance of normalcy. Even after he got home, we lavished attention on Jamie and paid scant interest to each other. But at night, as soon as Jamie was asleep, we couldn’t get naked fast enough. I was washing the dishes one evening, the sink full of soapy suds when Phillip came up behind me. He lifted my dress off over my head, letting his hands roam over my neck and back. I hardly even noticed when he unhooked my bra, and let it fall loose to the floor. He filled his hands with filmy bubbles, and then put his hands over my breasts, teasing my nipples with his wet, slick fingers. I leaned back into him, feeling his cock pressed hard into my cotton-covered bottom. He had just begun to slide my panties down when the doorbell rang. “Shit,” he hissed out through clenched teeth. I quickly dressed as he headed for the living room. All my senses went on high alert. I hadn’t used my magic except for a couple of times since I’d come to Chicago, but despite that, I knew Prince Foster had found me. “Yes?” Phillip’s deep voice carried clearly. “I came for Zuzanna.” Prince Foster pushed his way through the doorway, and stood looking around him with a sneer. “What do you want Foster?” I tried to sound calm despite the fluttering of fear in my chest. Under normal circumstances, I would be required to stand with my head bowed. But damn it all, not today. I lifted my chin and stared into Foster’s cold green eyes. If Foster was startled by my stance, he didn’t show it. His tone was imperious. “You know what I want. You are to come home.” “Do you know this guy?” Phillip’s gaze darted from my face to Fosters. I don’t know if he noticed the resemblance all faeries seem to share. “Yes, I know him,” I choked out the words. Foster walked into the room, and circled Phillip like a shark sizing up its prey. “But do you know Zuzanna?” He mocked Phillip. “Or, more exactly, do you know what Zuzanna is?” “Please, don’t,” I begged. I wasn’t sure what Foster intended to do, but it had to be bad judging from the wicked smile on his face. “Zuzanna, I’ll call security if you need...” Phillip began. His voice cracked and died when he saw Foster’s handiwork. Instead of showing me in my true faerie form, Foster had decided to age me in human years. Aches and pains shot through my joints. And I was sure every line and wrinkle of my three thousand years was etched on my face. I caught sight of my own reflection in the darkened television screen. I could have been cast as Quasimodo’s twin sister judging the hump on my back. “Oh, God.” Phillip stumbled backwards, and sank down into the recliner. He buried his face in his hands. “Are you ready?” Foster demanded. “So you can do what? Shame me by stripping my powers from me in front of 12

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Opportunity Knocks

everyone? No. I’ll give you my wand willingly. Just leave us alone.” “Do you think he’ll take you back after he’s seen your beauty?” Foster’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. I glanced over at Phillip, already knowing the answer. There would be no going back to the relationship we’d enjoyed. “Probably not,” I conceded. “But, I’ll just start over.” “What if I won’t change you back?” “What? You can’t leave me like this? That would be too cruel.” “I can do what I want to do. I’m crown liege. Or have you forgotten?” “No, Foster. I haven’t forgotten the spoiled rotten brat you were as a child, nor the immature buffoon you’ve grown up to be.” The words shot out of my mouth before I could wrap my mind around the repercussions. Before Foster could strike back, I kept talking. “Misleading humans. That’s your little bit of fun. Well, you know, faerie fun gets humans killed. It’s not just a game to them.” “So I shorten their little lives by a few years. They aren’t like us. Besides, they kill each other too.” “You’re right. There are bad humans, just like there are evil faeries like you.” I stalked over to a picture on an end table and picked it up to thrust it under Foster’s nose. “You mislead this poor woman. She ended up in a neighborhood she didn’t know and you practically served her up on a platter for the man who raped and killed her. You ruined Phillip’s world, and left his son without a mother. And you call yourself a prince.” My voice had risen to a shout when I heard the snick of a door. Jamie! Oh, no! He’d heard everything. His small boyish body came flying out of the bedroom, and he hurled himself at Foster, beating him with his fists. Foster picked Jamie up, and held him at arms’ reach, a look of distaste on his face. Jamie lashed out, kicking. Phillip flew to his son’s rescue. Foster dropped Jamie and thrust out his hand, throwing Phillip across the room. A look of stunned surprise crossed Phillip’s face when he hit the wall, then, his face crumpled as conciousness fled. I gasped, and ran to him. However, Foster grabbed me by the arm, his fingers dug into my flesh as he held me back. I struggled and cried to no avail. Oh, please don’t let Phillip be dead! Jamie ran over to kneel by his father as Foster dragged me toward the door. “Enough!” The voice was loud as a thunderclap. It rattled the windows, and made my eardrums ring. A sudden bright light shone in my eyes. Foster let go of me and knelt, head bowed to the floor. I felt my knees collapse under me. It was the King! “What in Tinkerbell’s name is going on? I just found out tonight the entire godmother division was disbanded and Foster had taken off to Chicago on a personal vendetta.” The king paced back and forth. Then, he noticed Jamie, cowering with fear by his father. With a wave of his wand, he took us all out of time. He ruffled his hand through Jamie’s hair and then bent down to touch Phillip’s forehead. I knew when time resumed its course, their memories would be mercifully blurred. “Let me explain…” Foster began. “I don’t want to hear it from you.” The King bellowed. Windows rattled in their casements. I hoped the neighbors thought it was a freak thunderstorm. 13

Ericka Scott

Opportunity Knocks

As succinctly as possible, I recounted my story to the King. When I finished, there was a deep and sudden silence in the room. I stared down at my wrinkles and age spots with despair. The King was a just faerie, but we were talking about his son, the crown prince. The king sighed, causing a breeze to rush through the room. Down the hallway, a door slammed. Looking down at my clenched hands, I watched in relief as they regained a youthful skin tone. I took a quick glance up at the king’s face. “Foster, you are to go home while I ponder a serious enough punishment for you.” The king held out his hand, and pulled me to my feet. “As for you, dear Zuzanna, you’re needed back in the kingdom. That damn new cartoon on television has caused an uproar in the kingdom. Every kid in America wants a faerie godmother, and the godmother division needs a new supervisor.” I looked over at Phillip and Jamie. Tears filled my eyes. I couldn’t even say goodbye.

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Ericka Scott

Opportunity Knocks

Chapter Five There were so many reasons I should be grateful to be a faerie. Being with Phillip and Jamie had awakened emotions I’d spent hundreds of years subjugating. So, in a way, it was almost a relief to be back at the job. I was needed. Besides, after centuries of experience, I was very good at matching needy children with opportunities... And, there was the magic. No more dealing with traffic congestion, I could just wish myself where I needed to go. The Chicago metropolitan bus system was welldesigned, but it never went where I wanted to go when I wanted to go. Not having to do housework was a blessing. Housework was worse than slavery. The dust in the room came back the minute it was swiped off the countertops, the vacuum was a nasty noisy smelly machine, and the washing machine! As useful as it is, the clothes still had to be dried, folded, and then put away! No, I should be grateful to be a faerie. But I wasn’t. In the end, it was the magic that swayed my decision.

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Ericka Scott

Opportunity Knocks

Chapter Six Even in the Spring, downtown Chicago can be bitterly cold. It was the third day in a row that I stood outside this office building. The first two days, Phillip just dashed by me. I could have stepped in front of him, tripped him, or just touched his arm to get his attention. But I didn’t. He wouldn’t have remembered me anyway. Although for me, the days we’d spent together had opened my heart to him and his son. Those same six days were nothing but a blissful blur in his memory. If he did ever think of me, he probably thought it was a dream. Or a nightmare. I looked over at the clock hanging on the bank. Five minutes until five o’clock. I hoped I hadn’t given up my magic for nothing. But it was beginning to look like a lost cause. Just because I’d fallen in love with Phillip didn’t mean there was any future for us. “Really, Claudia. I’ll be okay.” It was an adult tone coming out of a seven-year old mouth. Jamie! I felt my heart leap into my throat. I wanted to run, throw my arms around him, and pull him tight. But, like Phillip, he didn’t remember me. Just some crazy lady on the street, I’d be lucky not to be arrested for suspicion of some heinous act against a child. “The snake was the last straw Jamie,” the buxom blond woman shook her finger in the boy’s face. “It could have bitten me. How do you know it’s not poisonous?” Jamie began to patiently explain how the school would never, ever have a poisonous classroom pet, but I could see the woman wasn’t listening. She pulled on the doorman’s arm, and explained her plight. The doorman nodded, and gave Jamie a big wink. I suppressed a smile as the woman brushed past me, her high heels tapping out an angry tattoo as she walked. When Phillip and Jamie collided in the doorway a few moments later, I stepped up to them with a smile. I already knew my line. “Hello, are you Phillip Hatch?” I asked. “The agency sent me over to replace your nanny.” An enigmatic look crossed Phillip’s face. “No, I’m Phillip Denton. The agency must have gotten the name wrong.” Then, he paused, staring at me. “How odd,” he said. “I have the strangest feeling I’ve had this conversation before.” I no longer had a wand to wave to make sure he didn’t remember, but I trusted the King knew what he was doing when he placed the spell. Then, the moment of danger passed. “I guess I’ve just hired too many nannies recently. I think you’re the fourth or fifth in two years.” Phillip held out his hand to shake mine. “That many?” I crinkled my nose in disbelief. “That means you just haven’t found the right one yet. Let’s give this a try, shall we?” I smiled at the pair of them with identical smiles on their faces. Out of the corner of their eyes, Jamie and his father exchanged a long look. Then Phillip turned to me. “The only question I have is—do you like snakes?” THE END 16