The genie turned back into mist and went into the bottle. Beth picked it up and peered into
it. “Hello?”
A voice came back to her. “I have to go back after each of the first two wishes. When you
need me again, just rub the bottle.”
Beth woke up the next morning...
and stretched her arms over her head. She had slept well,
and she felt refreshed. What an interesting dream! A gorgeous genie, three wishes. She got up,
took her shower, and headed into work where she was a video game designer. The dream had
given her a great idea for a new game. Before she had left the house, she looked inside the bottle,
and there was no red mist and no genie. The dream had seemed so real!
When she got to work, there was a note to meet in the conference room. When she got there,
she poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table where her boss was speaking with a drop dead
gorgeous man. Beth’s mouth went dry, and she took a gulp of her coffee. The men turned to
her and the good-looking one smiled at her. It was a good thing she was sitting because her legs
wouldn’t have been able to hold her upright if she’d been standing.
Her boss, Don, said, “Beth, thank you for joining us. This is Bradley Randolph, the owner of
an online company that is looking for new products to sell. Right now, he’s interested in some
video games, and I told him I would have him meet with my best game designer. Mr. Randolph,
this is Beth Starnes, the very best I have.”
“Call me Bradley,” he said, holding out his hand. Beth stared stupidly at the offered
appendage until he withdrew it.
“Beth, are you okay?” asked Don.
“Yes, of course,” she said when she finally found her voice. “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling up to
par today. Forgive my rudeness, Bradley.”
The Adonis smiled at her. “No problem. We all have off days. Would you like to go to lunch
and talk about a project I have in mind?”
“That sounds great.”
“Good. I’ll stop by your office at eleven thirty.”
It sounded like a dismissal, so Beth left the room. She was sure her boss had some contracts
or something to go over with Bradley Randolph. She was just the computer geek. At eleven
thirty, she had just refreshed her lipstick when Bradley knocked on the frame of her open door.
“Are you ready to go?” he asked.
He had picked the best and most expensive restaurant in town. When they were seated,
Bradley started outlining the project he wanted her to work on. They worked out the details, then
the conversation turned more personal. At least more personal for him.
“I started my company from the ground floor with very little working capital. I built it up
from nothing to a very successful business. I think you and I could work together well.”
The whole lunch was dedicated to his success, his net worth, his health routine. By the time
lunch was over, Beth was disappointed. He hadn’t asked a single thing about her. He was so
good-looking, though. Maybe she could overlook some of his little faults.
When he deposited her back in her office, he said, “I would like to see you again. I think we
hit it off beautifully. How about dinner tomorrow night?”
She accepted, willing to give this sexy man another chance. He was so perfect on the
outside; surely there was more to him on the inside.
When Beth got home, she picked up the bottle and looked inside. There was no mist. She
had a nagging little feeling in the back of her brain, though. She had wished, in her dream, for a
gorgeous man to fall in love with her. Was it just a coincidence that she had met someone like
that today? She shook the bottle and nothing happened. She was afraid to rub it. If this had really
been true, she needed to wait until she knew what her next wish would be.
The next night, she dressed carefully in a black dress and heels. She checked the mirror and
was satisfied. When her doorbell rang, she opened it and saw Bradley standing there looking
even better than he had yesterday. Instead of the business suit, he had on tight black jeans and a
charcoal gray button up shirt. His clothes showed off his perfect body, and Beth found herself
trying not to stare.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
When they got to the restaurant, he ordered for both of them, something that always irritated
Beth, and then he looked at her with a dreamy expression on his face. He took her hand in his
and said, “I know we just met, but there’s something about you I find irresistible. I see a long,
interesting future for us.”
The feel of his hand wrapped around hers should have sent butterflies fluttering in her
stomach, but for some reason, that didn’t happen. Maybe it was the way he, again, talked nonstop
about himself. When the date was over, and he had walked her to the door, he pulled her
into his arms. Bending his head and moving slowly toward her, she realized he was going to kiss
her. Before she had a chance to decide if that’s what she wanted, he mouth was on hers, his
tongue shoving into her mouth. What should have been mind-blowing left her cold instead. She
was almost repulsed by this man who should have been desirable to her.
Beth pushed him away, but he went for her again, and she had to shove him to get him to
stop.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a puzzled voice. “I thought this was what we wanted.”
“It might be what you want, but I’m not ready for that.”
“Come on, now, women can’t resist me. You’re just playing hard to get.”
“Seriously?”
Beth turned to the door, unlocked it, and slammed it in Bradley’s face. She couldn’t believe
it when she heard him call through the door. “Okay, Beth, the game’s over. Let me in. “
She rushed over to the bottle and rubbed it hard. The red mist poured out and soon the genie
was there. Grabbing him by the arm, she said, “Please, get rid of him!”
“That would be your second wish. Are you sure you want to use it this way?”
“Yes! I was wrong to wish for something so shallow. Just make him go away!”
“Granted.”
Soon, the yelling through the door stopped, and she heard him walk away from the door.
Beth turned to the genie. “Thank you so much!”
“I’m just doing my job. But you do realize you only have one wish left, right?”
“Yes, I know. I hope my boss isn’t too mad about losing that account.”
“Oh, don’t worry. Bradley Randolph was going to buy video games from your company
anyway. All I did was make him fall for you. When you go into work tomorrow, everything will
be fine.”
“I really messed up. Hey, what’s your name, anyway?”
“You couldn’t pronounce it. Just call me Jai.”
“Okay, Jai. So what do I do now? How do I know what to wish for?”
“That’s up to you. I can’t influence you. I do hope things go better for you next time.”
“Me, too. At least you’ll be free, right?”
last part coming tomorrow*
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