Page 11 of Heat Me

I forced a tight grin. "Some things are just hard to explain."

Ragu studied me for a moment, then tilted his head like he thought Iwashiding something. Maybe I was.

"I can see you’re still angry," he said finally.

How perceptive of him, duh!

"I thought we weren’t dwelling on the past," I shot back. "I’m here to listen. That’s all."

"Fair enough." He huffed, his tone shifting to something a bit more serious. "Look, I think you’ve got almost superhuman intuition when it comes to matchmaking. Maybe it’s because you’re a purple. There are so many urban legends about your subspecies’ special skills. Whatever the reason, I’m hoping you can repeat what you’ve done before. We need you to take a look at our unresolved cases. If you help us, we’re ready to reinstate you—not just as a matchmaker, but with a raise."

Wow. So, the cards were finally on the table. And they looked… tempting. I swallowed hard, sizing him up. Was this my chance? Or was I setting myself up for disappointment again?

Mr. Ragu’s face got even more serious. "We’d really appreciate your help, Storm. These customers have been waiting for months, and frankly, we’re looking at penalties of a few million dollars if we don’t find matches soon."

He really looked desperate as he slid a contract across the desk. This was it—not just metaphorical cards on the table, but a literal piece of paper spelling out just how screwed they were without me.

I picked it up and skimmed through it. Standard terms. Non-disclosure agreement. Responsibilities. But the pay? Oh, the pay was good. Damn good. I furrowed my brows, pretending not to care even though I did.

"I’ll sign it," I said finally, trying to sound casual.

But then—of course—the bastard pulled the paper away, and my jaw dropped.

"Not so fast, Storm. This is the deal: if you help us close at least three out of these four cases, you’re in. If you handle all four, I’ll even bump up your pay a little."

Oh no, here we go… it was simply too good to be true. I clenched my jaw, feeling a wave of frustration.

"What the fuck? So for now, I get absolutely nothing? Until I prove myself?"

His face was cold as stone.

"Exactly. Four tough cases, Storm. Then you’re back with us."

The fucker—he almost let me believe it would be that easy. Almost.

"What about my work at Dark Dreams for Mr. Ragu—I mean, for your husband?"

"That’s up to you. If you want some extra cash, you can take his commissions. You’ll handle those at night, and during the day, you’ll work for me."

"That sounds likea lotof work."

Mr. Ragu’s eyes were like steel blades as they bore into mine.

"Only if you doubt your abilities, Storm. Do you?"

That was a low blow, and it hit. I winced.

"I’ll be honest with you. There’s someone I… care about, and he wouldn’t be happy if I kept working in… well, the sex industry. I really need this job—any job—to prove to him, I’m moving on from that. I can’t work at Dark Dreams anymore."

Ragu’s expression remained absolutely cold—the same face I remembered so well from the day he fired me.

"Don’t push it, Storm. I’m taking a leap here."

Asshole. I crossed my arms over my chest. Maybe they were desperate, but I certainly wasn’t—notthatmuch, anyway. I had a good education. I could search for a new job or find another matchmaking agency.

Narrowing my eyes, I smirked. I could afford to risk a little here, so I decided to go all in.

"I think you needmemore than I needyou, Mr. Ragu. There are other matchmaking agencies out there. So, I’ll ask again: What can you offer me while I work on these cases? It can even be something temporary. I just don’t want to go back to Dark Dreams." I remembered all too well the prospect of meeting Johansson again. Uhhh!

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