by Foxx, Nia K.
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Men of the Void: The Librarian’s Birthday Surprise
Nia K. Foxx
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright ©2007, ©2012 by Nia K. Foxx
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Dedication
Thank you all for making my dream a reality.
The Void. Somewhere between heaven and hell, neither dead nor alive, lost souls wait for someone to need them -- their only hope, to prove they are deserving of a second chance. One chance to find love…
Four unlikely friends are destined to find themselves and love. Sierra, Casey, Naz, and Vicki, were fated in their childhood to be best friends and in spite of their busy lives still get together for special occasions as adults, like Sierra’s 30th birthday.
Sierra is content with her neat, orderly life. Her career as a librarian fits her like a glove. She’s happy among the stacks and periodicals. With her birthday just around the corner she suspects her friends are up to no good. She just never imagined their meddling would involve one kick-ass conjuring spell and an oh-so-handsome Highland warrior.
Prologue
It’s no’ lost what a friend gets
-- Scottish proverb
Oregon
“So we’re all set?” Casey asked for the third time.
Masking her annoyance, Vicki only nodded.
“And your guy knows what time to be there?”
Vicki sighed. “You say ‘my guy’ like I’m dating him. According to the service, he knows to be there promptly at nine thirty.”
“Good. I want to make sure there are no mistakes.” Casey pushed herself out of the chair she’d just plopped into seconds earlier to begin another round of pacing.
“There won’t be. These are highly paid professionals. The retainer alone should ensure our little stud for hire will be leaning on Sierra’s doorbell at the appropriate time.”
“Damn, Vicki, not so loud,” the blonde woman whispered, as if someone might eavesdrop on their discussion.
“Okay, Casey, you’re losing it. There’s no one in here but us. Hell, our last patient left thirty minutes ago and Tina clocked out as soon as it hit six. I’m pretty certain if I yelled at the top of my lungs that we just bought our friend a certified A-One lay, no one would hear but us,” she said, her volume increasing. Vicki choked back a laugh at the way her fair-skinned friend and business partner turned two shades of red in embarrassment.
“All right, all right, you made your damned point. I just hope he’s worth the hell we’re going to pay once this is all over.” Casey moved across the room to stare out the window which overlooked their empty parking lot.
Behind her desk, Vicki snorted. “Girl, please. Sierra is about to get so royally fucked she’ll be thanking us until her next birthday.”
“Oh! I just thought of something.” Casey whirled, her expression less worried than it had been all afternoon. In fact she was starting to look downright mischievous. “How in Sam-hell are we going to top this present next year?”
“Honey, if this man is as good as they said, I think we’re in the clear for the next five years where birthday gifts are concerned.” Vicki twisted a lock of long shimmering black hair between her fingers as she spoke. The smile lighting her face was one of a woman who’d just successfully planned a major coup. In essence she had. After tonight Sierra Cessinger would owe her gratitude to her best friends, who’d shared every other milestone in her life. Sierra would no longer be able to complain about having never experienced the Big O with a man.
Chapter One
The seeking of one thing will find another
-- Irish Proverb
OCD. That’s exactly what Casey, Vicki and Naz would murmur if they saw her re-dusting shelves she’d just polished thirty minutes earlier. Sierra looked around her immaculate apartment in satisfaction.
She liked her two-bedroom duplex. It fit her quiet organized lifestyle with its sparse furniture and functional arrangements. She used her living room for entertaining the select few of her inner circle. Keeping its décor to one sofa and two overstuffed chairs allowed her to fit a modestly equipped entertainment center in one corner. The slightly outdated electronics suited her needs just fine since she seldom watched television or listened to music.
Her friend Vicki Lin had threatened to take her to one of the electronic emporiums and bring her into the twenty-first century, kicking and screaming. Whenever the woman began talking about high definition screens and MP4 players with surround sound Sierra’s eyes glazed over. Well, she’d continue to dodge that bullet as long as humanly possible.
Her small dining room and cubicle-sized kitchen were decorated much the same way, only housing necessary amenities. Instead of a coffee maker she kept a percolator for brewing her caffeinated treats. A single dialed microwave, water dispensing fridge and newly installed dishwasher were the tiny space’s tributes to modernity. Her bedroom, well, there was no point in going there. It served its purpose nicely each evening when she was ready to call an end to her day.
Sierra did have one room she’d splurged on, her second bedroom or ‘pleasure palace’ as Casey laughingly referred to it. The room was the larger of the two bedrooms and she’d spent hours measuring and picking out just the right pieces of furniture to maximize the use of her space. Customized mahogany-colored shelves made of the sturdiest oak were built on two walls. The units housed several volumes representing her love of history, philosophy, poetry, mythology, and religion. The lower shelves were lined with an assortment of her favorite romance authors for those days when she wanted to escape reality. In front of the large picture window sat a custom-made work area adorned with a state-of-the-art computer, all-in-one printer and a nineteen-inch flat panel monitor.
A plush chaise lounger was her favorite decadence in the room, in the entire house for that matter. There she spent numerous hours losing herself in everything from Plato to trashy romance. Needless to say, she spent a majority of her time at home in that room and as much time as feasible on the chaise. She sighed, thinking about her new purchases, which lay waiting on that very lounge.
She’d allowed herself a birthday indulgence after work, ducking into an obscure little bookstore she must have passed a hundred times going to and from her job at the public library. She prided herself on knowing all the popular and little known book spots in the greater Portland area. But if it hadn’t been for a young boy throwing one hellacious tantrum at the store’s entrance it would have continued to go undiscovered. The embarrassed mother scooped up the wail
ing child and deposited him in a minivan parked a few feet away. The red light Sierra sat at had afforded her the opportunity to watch the entire scenario without envy.
Reason number five thousand three hundred and sixty-four not to have children. It wasn’t that she didn’t like kids. She just had no intention of joining the parental masses. Besides, she was happy with her status as aunt to one little Miss Lindy Lin, a very vivacious woman in training.
Sierra spotted the bold lettering emblazoned on the store’s miniscule window, Book Exchange: The Gateway to Your Fantasies. Catchy. The minivan signaled to join the throng of other vehicles on their quests to parts unknown, and Sierra slipped easily into the vacated parking spot.
Man, had someone upstairs really liked her. After managing to get out of work a couple of hours early, she’d found her favorite Gershwin CD wedged between the passenger seat of her car. She’d given up on it weeks ago and planned to purchase a new copy on the way home. Topping off this lucky day, she’d discovered a new bookstore.
“Happy birthday to me,” she sang under her breath as she entered the tiny shop. The stale scent of old books and patchouli oil assaulted her the moment she stepped over the threshold and descended the five steps into the ill-kempt bookshop. Normally the sight of clutter was an instant repellant for her but this afternoon she barely noticed. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the variety of books that lined shelves and sat stacked haphazardly about.
After several frustrating minutes of looking around she realized there was no rhyme or reason to the cataloging. She found books from various authors, categories, and subject matter all intermingled as if they belonged that way. The librarian in her cringed at the chaotic arrangement.
She chalked another one up to her birthday luck when her fingers landed on a pristine compilation of E. E. Cummings’ poetry. She’d looked everywhere for the particular edition. Who knew it would be waiting for her in a place she’d passed daily. She opened the front cover expecting to see a highly marked up price scribbled in the corner, only to find the book devoid of cost. Flipping through the first few pages and then to the back cover revealed nothing.
Deciding to see if her birthday luck was going to hold out, Sierra put on her most stoic librarian face and turned in search of the storeowner. The woman suddenly manifested inches away, causing Sierra to jump.
“Um…” Damn, why did she have to start off sounding so unsure? “It looks as if this book wasn’t priced. Can you tell me how much it is?”
“Ah yes, prices.” The woman bit her bottom lip absently for several seconds as she thought. “How does sixty dollars sound?”
Like I’m being robbed, Sierra bit back, choosing to say instead, “That’s a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Is it?” The woman smiled up at her, showing perfect teeth. For the first time Sierra took a really good look at the clerk. The woman really was quite striking. “I know what will make this worthwhile.”
She twirled suddenly, squeezing between two rows of books, leaving Sierra no other choice but to follow.
“Here we are,” the clerk announced, coming to a sudden halt. Sierra stumbled as she caught herself from nearly crashing into the woman’s back. The clerk reached, with dainty fingers, for a leather-bound book just above her head. “What if I throw this in with your selection?” The clerk whirled around, thrusting the book on top of the thick volume of poetry.
Good Lord, this woman is an accident waiting to happen, flitting around without any warning, Sierra couldn’t help but think. She looked down at the heavy text. “I don’t know. What is it?” Already her eyes were taking in the aged leather binding. Except for the gold embossed symbol on the cover’s center it was pretty nondescript.
The woman let out a childlike giggle. “Well, it’s a book, obviously.”
“I know that. I meant --” Full-fledged laughter had Sierra looking up from the strange cover.
“You need to lighten up. I was just joking.” The woman nodded as if responding to a silent question. “Yes, I think this book will do you some good.”
“Now just wait a second, you don’t know me from Eve-,” Sierra began but was interrupted by the clerk.
“What do you say I let you have both books for thirty dollars? That’s fair, isn’t it?”
Apparently it was fair enough to make her forget her reprimand because she’d promptly bought both books. Once her friends left that evening she was prepared to snuggle up on her lounge and delve into her new acquisitions.
At home, she gingerly placed each item on the chaise, fingering the emblem of the unknown book. She froze as unexpected warmth shot up her fingers, engulfing her hand and stretching up in a gentle caress to her arm. A hand. It definitely felt like a large hand was stroking her skin.
“Aye, she will do quite nicely,” a disembodied voice said, filling the room.
The book slipped from her fingers, landing on the lounge with a thud. Sierra stared at it in stunned silence. There was no way in hell the book could have spoken to her. It was even less likely someone had touched her arm. However, try as she might, she couldn’t completely rid herself of the odd sensation.
The shrill sound of the doorbell brought her back to sharp reality. Six thirty. Her girls were right on schedule.
“Happy birthday to you,” the trio greeted in off key song as soon as she opened the door.
“Get in here.” Sierra smiled, shaking her head at the loud women she’d known since her first day at Spencer Orphanage nearly twenty-five years ago.
“I think someone is afraid we’re going to embarrass her,” Naz said, stepping over the threshold and leading the other two women into the living room. “I might be just offended enough to take this gift back.” She held up the perfectly decorated package that let Sierra know extra had been spent on having it professionally wrapped. While her friend might be the best gift selector this side of the Mississippi, it didn’t extend to her wrapping skills.
“You know I’m never embarrassed by you.” Sierra didn’t try to mask the mock sarcasm in her voice as she embraced each woman in turn. “Is that Chinese I smell?”
“Of course! You know I would never forget.” Casey winked.
So began the birthday ritual.
Sierra was certain she hadn’t seen any of her friends in over a month. She talked to all of them once a week, but the get-togethers were becoming less frequent. Between Vicki and Casey’s new pediatric practice, not to mention Vicki’s active three-year-old daughter, Naz making partner in her law firm and Sierra’s promotion at the library, their window of opportunity to just hang out together had narrowed dramatically. Last year, Naz had broken with tradition when her boyfriend complained about wanting to spend the weekend alone with her. The friends didn’t hide their pleasure when only a few weeks after the birthday incident Harry was kicked to the curb. Sierra’d never liked the jerk to begin with.
* * *
“I’m stuffed,” Sierra declared sometime later, setting her plate on the coffee table. The women had piled into her living room as they caught up on each other’s lives over the takeout. Several empty cartons littered the low-slung coffee table, a horrible reminder of their gluttonous appetites.
“Me too.” Vicki sighed before plopping the remainder of an egg roll in her mouth.
“I’ll just clean this mess up.” Sierra made to rise.
“Oh no you don’t,” the other women protested in unison.
“Why don’t you wallow in it for a while? We’ll clean it up, I promise,” Vicki added at her skeptical look.
“Naz, are you doing the alumni dinner for Spencer House?” Sierra asked as her friend poked through the white containers. The woman had the largest appetite she’d ever seen for someone so thin.
“That is coming up, huh?” she asked in between bites. “Yup, I sent you all email reminders last night.”
“I’m sorry. My stupid server is on the fritz so I have to access all of my messages remotely. Speaking of which, do you mind if I try an
d check from that cyborg you call a computer later?”
“Go ahead. So should I RSVP for you too?” Sierra wondered aloud.
“Of course. My mother would kill me if I didn’t go.”
“I know that’s right,” Casey chuckled.
Petra Singh had worked at Spencer House as program director for over thirty years, which was how Naz had become inducted into the group of orphaned girls. Now retired in Hadrabad, India, the elder Singh made sure to send her yearly donations via her daughter.
“I’m surprised Mom hasn’t called to remind me,” she said absently.
