“She’s drunk out of her mind, she can’t consent.”
“Then we’ll confirm in the morning when she sobers up,” he said. “But you were worried about her freaking out. I thought maybe if she saw me in my true form now, the alcohol would kind of, I don’t know, protect her brain. Make it slide off a bit, so she has time to get used to the idea.”
“This is wrong.”
“It’s better than you ending up in the light fixture.”
Morgan didn’t want to end up in the light fixture. But as much as she had never liked Hayley, she couldn’t justify taking advantage of someone like this.
“Let me introduce the idea,” Luke said. “We won’t ask her to sign anything, we’ll let her sleep on it, get her subconscious used to it.”
“Just make sure she really understands what she’s agreeing to,” Morgan fretted.
“She just told us how little she’s argued with any of the other stuff she’s consented to.” Luke said, frustrated. “If you can’t help yourself, at least let me help you!”
“I win!” Hayley crowed, successfully turning the key. “I have defeated Mr. Door. The Doorman. The man who is a door, that is who I have defeated.”
“Let’s go inside Mr. Door,” Morgan said. “Before all your neighbors come looking to see why you’re this loud at 6pm on a Thursday.”
Hayley stumbled in. They glanced at each other.
“We need to at least make sure she doesn’t try to sleep on her back,” Morgan said reluctantly.
“Why’d you ask what I’d do to get another job?” Hayley asked, trying to balance on one foot to take off her shoe. After missing her foot twice, she leaned against the wall.
“Because I have an offer for you,” Luke said. Before Morgan could protest, he continued, “That you’re too drunk right now to accept but I want you to think about it, OK?”
“Aww, sweetie, you’re really cute but Morgan would have dibs if it were OK to sleep with the interns, which I think I’m supposed to tell you it’s not, but it’s not like we’re paying attention to any of the other stuff we’re supposed to do to not get sued anyway,” Hayley said, patting his cheek.
Luke very gently caught her hand. “I’m serious. I can get you out of this job, but it will cost your soul.”
“You don’t have to make any decisions tonight,” Morgan interjected. Luke threw her an exasperated look.
Hayley giggled. “Are we going to go stand at a crossroads at midnight? That’s what my granddaddy would have told me to do, or not to do. I dunno where there are crossroads in New York, though. All the roads cross.”
“We don’t have to stand at a crossroads. Here will do fine,” he said, and changed.
Hayley’s eyes grew wider and wider as the illusion peeled off, leaving shimmery purple scales behind. Her breath hitched and her mouth worked soundlessly.
“I can make your dreams come true,” Luke said in a voice like black silk. He took a step toward her.
A thin wail finally made its way out of Hayley’s mouth. “You—you—you—nooooooooo…”
She scrambled backward. “Stay away, stay away from me!”
“Hayley, it’s OK, he’s not going to hurt you,” Morgan said, trying to sound reassuring.
“I’m not touching you. I’m not going to do anything you don’t want, I promise,” Luke protested.
“Granddaddy said Jesus loves me no matter what!” Hayley grabbed a half-full mug out of the kitchenette sink and threw it at Luke. He ducked, but cold tea and soap suds splatted across his shirt. She grabbed a Walt Disney World fridge magnet and threw that, searching for anything loose. She’d caught sight of the knife block, to Morgan’s horror, when her foot slipped on the suds, her shoes went up, and her head went down. It bounced off a cheery decorative Hello Kitty tea towel on the oven handle. Hayley slid to the floor.
“Oh my god, Hayley, are you OK?” Morgan rushed next to her.
Luke knelt beside her. “She’s breathing. That’s good, right?”
“But she hit her head,” Morgan fretted.
“OK, OK, don’t panic,” Luke said. His face looked strained. “I can fix this.”
