Page 8 of Dragon Her Heels

“A woman wanting to⁠—”

While Kanika beat the Devil, Malcolm reached over and placed his hand over Lucifer’s mouth. “Please stop talking. If you keep talking, we won’t get this done today, you will have to call and explain why we’re late to Darlene, and the only one she’ll leave unscathed is Kanika because she at least tried.”

Lucifer huffed before he shrugged. “Fine. You will be in no actual danger, but the owner of this estate will need to provide certain services.”

“Damn it, Lucy!”

Before Kanika could beat the sin out of him, the Devil raised his hands in surrender. “Non-sexual services. There, are you happy? He will need a secretary to help him adjust to modern society.”

I blinked. “A dragon needs a secretary?”

“He’s better than the other ancients; he already had someone teach him the fundamentals of technology. So yes, he needs a secretary to help him get settled. As you own this estate, you get the job. In good news, you don’t have to interview for the position. You hate interviewing.”

Truer words had never been spoken. “I might have thought about finding a new job already if not for the interviewing process. All right. I’m going to assume you are telling the truth. How many hours a day will this dragon need?”

“Three to six hours three days a week.”

Interesting. “That’s not bad. Do you know how much the pay will be?”

“I do. You will have several options for compensation. You can accept hourly wages or a salary. Both come with performance bonuses, health insurance, and other things humans tend to like.”

“Paid time off,” I prompted.

“Yes, you will receive four paid weeks off a year in your first year, you will be bumped up to five paid weeks off at the start of your third year, and you will get six paid weeks off a year at the start of your fifth year of service.” Lucifer snapped his fingers and a briefcase appeared in his hand, which he offered to me. “The details of the various offers are in there for you to peruse at your leisure. You will have room to negotiate. In fact, I expect you to negotiate. It would take you numerous years to sell this property and foist the job on someone else.”

“If I want to race my horse, could I work around the racing schedule?”

“Absolutely. You would be in charge of his schedule so you can adjust his work around your hobbies. As long as everything gets done, he won’t care.” Lucifer chuckled, and he paused to look over the grounds of my estate with an approving expression. “You bought potential and turned it into a refuge and a paradise. Most who buy this place end up with regrets. You aren’t about to let a dragon disrupt your happily ever after, are you?”

“Not a chance in hell,” I informed him, careful to keep my tone neutral. “But if the offer is good enough and it doesn’t get in the way, I’ll tolerate a dragon in my space.”

“It usually works the other way around, Crystal. The dragon usually tolerates those who live in the caretaker house.”

“Well, if he wanted to be the one doing the tolerating, he should have beaten me here. This is my slice of heaven on Earth, and I’m not about to let some scaly so-and-so get in the way. But if he needs a secretary, I can help him with that. I might not look like much, but once upon a time, I was good at my job, and it hasn’t been that long since I got out of that saddle.”

“Good. With that attitude, you’ll go far.”

I eyed the Devil, uncertain if he meant the statement to sound rather threatening. “What do you know that I don’t?”

“I know a great deal that you don’t. Now, come along. I will show you where the castle will rise so when it does show up, you’re resigned to the situation rather than terrified.”

I regretted having opened my gate for my unexpected guests. “Well, I wasn’t concerned before, but I am now.”

“That’s because you’re wise, my dear. Try not to worry. A new era of humanity dawns, and you will enjoy front row seats to the show.”

As Malcolm seemed the most sensible of the trio, I glanced his way. “How do I politely refuse an invitation to this party?”

He sighed. “I learned this the hard way, but you don’t. My advice? Make the most out of the situation and keep your eye on the prize. Good things tend to happen to those who have the guts to stand up to Lucifer. Just be careful: if he likes you, he will never leave you alone.”

I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds rather ominous and threatening.”

“It could be worse,” Malcolm replied with a grin.

“How?”

“Lucifer’s brothers could show up. Where angels go, trouble surely follows.”