Free Glorious Sunset by Ava Bleu Page A

not primitive. My people were cultured. We were educated and educators. Far from primitive.”
    â€œSo that whole comment about missing a digit?”
    â€œAn exaggeration, of course. We only extricate limbs and digits from men.”
    â€œI see. Look, can you hang out while I make a few more calls?”
    â€œDo I have a choice?”
    â€œNope.”
    Taka moved to sit in the chair opposite her and she stared at him until he got the message.
    â€œI see. I am to wait in the main room with the snake and her lizards. Fine.” He opened the door and out tossed a smug, “It’ll give me a chance to gently persuade your assistant of the error of her ways. And there is a young man I saw looking at your backside. I will have a word with him as well.”
    Violet fumbled the handset and as the voice on the other end said, “Hello? Hello?” she contemplated hanging up to deal with Taka. But she saw him leaning casually over the desk, no apparent physical intimidation happening, and finished her call.
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    â€œI do not know you or this place or your ways but I say once and no more, if you do not respect Violet Jackson I will return. Every day I will watch you and every day I will report to her the type of person you reveal yourself to be. Perhaps you feel you would pass this type of scrutiny but if not, I strongly suggest you curb your negative tendencies and become the professional assistant she pays you to be. And you!” His voice caused a cessation of movement behind him and he didn’t bother to turn to speak to the passer. “A gentleman does not visually ogle a queen.”
    â€œQueen?” the crackly, young male voice said, uncertainly. “I was just ogling Violet.”
    Taka pinched his lips to hold in his temper and turned to look at the young man who froze under his glare, dropping a sheet of paper but too petrified to move. Taka had that effect on lesser men.
    â€œOgle her again and it will be the last ogle you ever enjoy.”
    â€œYes. Yes, sir!”
    The youngster shuffled off into another room and Carol was sufficiently subdued when Violet emerged, looking around dubiously as though she expected he’d torn the place to pieces. He read the relief on her beautiful face and took in the sigh that moved her beguiling chest under her blouse.
    Yes, he was ogling. But a king was within his rights to ogle his queen.
    â€œOkay,” she said on a smile, briskly heading to the door. “Let’s go.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.” He followed.

Chapter 7
    Violet squinted up at the sky. It was a beautiful day, but the calls she’d made had robbed her of some of her previous joy. They had more customers now than ever, but sometimes it was getting the new ones that cost the money. Advertising and entertaining, just plain having the materials to show potential customers: it was all expensive. She always ended the year in the black, but throughout the year it seemed the money went out faster than it came in. That meant she wouldn’t be able to hire a new manager like she’d wanted. Maybe Carol? She snorted to herself. Maybe not.
    She looked at the large man beside her who was similarly enjoying the beauty of the sun despite the fact that she wasn’t rich yet like she was supposed to be. He was a genie. She’d made the wish, right? What was going on?
    â€œI called the bank. Where’s my money?” she fairly snapped at him and was rewarded with a squint of annoyance from him. She had to use her hand as a visor to see his shadowed face.
    â€œHow should I know?”
    â€œLook, you’re supposed to have the inside scoop. If the wishes aren’t happening you need to follow up.”
    â€œDo not tell me what I need to do. My job is to set the ground rules. It is up to my friend to decide how the wishes are to be fulfilled.”
    â€œTypical.”
    â€œWhat do you mean by that?”
    â€œI mean, this is just the