Claimed by Angels & Demons: Book 1 Read Online Free Page A
Mrs. Barlow look shabby. He was walking past the door but looked in as he passed and our eyes met, and he paused there in mid-step. He was the most gorgeous human being I had ever laid eyes on, and he, for some insane reason, seemed to be looking at me like he was thinking the same thing.
"Who are you?" I said, completely taken aback.
Mrs. Barlow glanced behind her, to where I was looking, "who are you talking to?"
"The man," I said, pointing. As if I needed to point, he was standing just a few feet away.
"Oh I see," Mrs. Barlow threw up her hands, "here come the theatrics. Didn't I tell you Donald, it's all a big show, they're a bunch of con artists!"
"You cant see him?" I said, becoming alarmed.
Donald looked back a second time, like maybe he had somehow missed a man standing right there the first time he had looked, "Layla there's nobody there."
Henry gripped on to Donald's leg and started to cry.
"That's quite enough of your theatrics," Mrs. Barlow said, "you're scaring Henry." Then she leaned down to Henry, "there's no need to be frightened dear, the young lady is only pretending that there's a ghost to scam money from your father and I."
I looked back at the man, who was completely fixated on me and seemed to be ignoring everything else that was happening. There was no way. He wasn't a ghost, that was impossible. Right? And then I knew what was going on. "Henrietta put you up to this didn't she?"
"I beg your pardon?" Mrs. Barlow said.
"Yea, haze the new girl right? Oh no a real ghost!" I said in mock surprise, then smiled, "I have to admit you had me there for a second."
"I'm confused," Donald said, looking at me like I had lost my marbles, "if there really is a ghost then shouldn't you be casting your spell on it?"
I rolled my eyes, "what, you want me to make an idiot of myself? Are you taping this for later, going to show it around the office maybe?" But Donald didn't say a word. "Whatever, fine." I stared the ghost down and pretended to get real serious, "Hocus pocus spiritus disappearus!" I did some jazz hands and then waved my arms in the air for added effect. "There, happy? Can we all just drop the act now?"
"If you think I'm paying you a dime for any of this," Mrs. Barlow said, pointing her perfectly manicured finger in my face, "you've got another thing coming missy."
"Whatever," I said, shoving her finger out of my face, "you people are nuts. This is the weirdest job ever. If I wasn't being paid so much I would be out of here so fast."
"I'm confused," Donald said, "is this some sort of prank TV show, or... ?"
Donald and Mrs. Barlow were both staring at me, completely at a loss, like big men in white suits should be coming to strap a straight jacket on me. "Fine," I said, starting to get really annoyed now, "you don't want to fess up, then how about this." I walked over to the man. They thought they were so damned funny, but I wasn't going to be the butt of anyone's joke. As I got closer I took a better look at the stranger. He hadn't said a word, just continued to stare at me like he was the one seeing a ghost. I had no idea what that was about, but it was definitely a little unnerving. He had a hard, clean jaw and wavy brown hair, and his suit hinted at a hard, 'V' shaped chest and broad shoulders beneath, but the thing that made me quite literally miss a step were his eyes. Deep and piercing, and iris' that were inky black. My eyes seemed to be locked on his, and it took a real effort to wrench them away from his gaze.
It was like the stranger's stare had temporarily erased my mind, and I tried to remember what I had walked over to him for in the first place. Finally it came back. I was about to expose their little hazing routine. "If he was a ghost, could I do this?" And I stuck my hand out to poke the so-called ghost in the chest but my finger just kept on going, right through his chest without the faintest bit of resistance. I snatched my finger back and gasped and looked again at the man
"Who are you?" I said, completely taken aback.
Mrs. Barlow glanced behind her, to where I was looking, "who are you talking to?"
"The man," I said, pointing. As if I needed to point, he was standing just a few feet away.
"Oh I see," Mrs. Barlow threw up her hands, "here come the theatrics. Didn't I tell you Donald, it's all a big show, they're a bunch of con artists!"
"You cant see him?" I said, becoming alarmed.
Donald looked back a second time, like maybe he had somehow missed a man standing right there the first time he had looked, "Layla there's nobody there."
Henry gripped on to Donald's leg and started to cry.
"That's quite enough of your theatrics," Mrs. Barlow said, "you're scaring Henry." Then she leaned down to Henry, "there's no need to be frightened dear, the young lady is only pretending that there's a ghost to scam money from your father and I."
I looked back at the man, who was completely fixated on me and seemed to be ignoring everything else that was happening. There was no way. He wasn't a ghost, that was impossible. Right? And then I knew what was going on. "Henrietta put you up to this didn't she?"
"I beg your pardon?" Mrs. Barlow said.
"Yea, haze the new girl right? Oh no a real ghost!" I said in mock surprise, then smiled, "I have to admit you had me there for a second."
"I'm confused," Donald said, looking at me like I had lost my marbles, "if there really is a ghost then shouldn't you be casting your spell on it?"
I rolled my eyes, "what, you want me to make an idiot of myself? Are you taping this for later, going to show it around the office maybe?" But Donald didn't say a word. "Whatever, fine." I stared the ghost down and pretended to get real serious, "Hocus pocus spiritus disappearus!" I did some jazz hands and then waved my arms in the air for added effect. "There, happy? Can we all just drop the act now?"
"If you think I'm paying you a dime for any of this," Mrs. Barlow said, pointing her perfectly manicured finger in my face, "you've got another thing coming missy."
"Whatever," I said, shoving her finger out of my face, "you people are nuts. This is the weirdest job ever. If I wasn't being paid so much I would be out of here so fast."
"I'm confused," Donald said, "is this some sort of prank TV show, or... ?"
Donald and Mrs. Barlow were both staring at me, completely at a loss, like big men in white suits should be coming to strap a straight jacket on me. "Fine," I said, starting to get really annoyed now, "you don't want to fess up, then how about this." I walked over to the man. They thought they were so damned funny, but I wasn't going to be the butt of anyone's joke. As I got closer I took a better look at the stranger. He hadn't said a word, just continued to stare at me like he was the one seeing a ghost. I had no idea what that was about, but it was definitely a little unnerving. He had a hard, clean jaw and wavy brown hair, and his suit hinted at a hard, 'V' shaped chest and broad shoulders beneath, but the thing that made me quite literally miss a step were his eyes. Deep and piercing, and iris' that were inky black. My eyes seemed to be locked on his, and it took a real effort to wrench them away from his gaze.
It was like the stranger's stare had temporarily erased my mind, and I tried to remember what I had walked over to him for in the first place. Finally it came back. I was about to expose their little hazing routine. "If he was a ghost, could I do this?" And I stuck my hand out to poke the so-called ghost in the chest but my finger just kept on going, right through his chest without the faintest bit of resistance. I snatched my finger back and gasped and looked again at the man
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