Merman's Kiss (Merman's Kiss, Book 1)

by Dee J. Stone

  I tap my foot. “We have many people waiting for a table. Can you please order?”

  The guys laugh loudly and eventually order, making sure to sneak in obnoxious remarks, which I ignore.

  Screw this job. Except, I can’t. How else am I going to pay for culinary school? When I applied for a job here at Inferno—a restaurant known for serving spicy food—I wanted to work in the kitchen, but they wouldn’t hire me because I had no experience. The only other choice was to be a waitress. I took it because it was better than nothing. The more experience in a restaurant I can get, the better.

  The guys laugh and whistle when I return with their food. The blond raises his eyebrows and points his thumb toward the back doors. I pretend he’s wallpaper.

  When my shift is over, I go to the dumpster to throw out all the trash. A shadow sprints away. Looks like it was someone dumpster diving. We get that a lot.

  I’m about to hurl the garbage into the dumpster when something shiny catches my attention. It’s buried deep inside, and I plow through all the smelly trash to get it out.

  It’s a lamp. A golden lamp. Not the kind you’d have in your bedroom, but the kind from Aladdin. It looks similar to the genie’s lamp. It’s bigger than a football, and has these swirly designs all over that make it look exotic. Like something from a fairytale. Some kid must have had it for a Halloween costume and dropped it in here. It’s a shame to throw it out like that. It’s really a beautiful lamp, but I’m not going to keep it. I’ve learned to never take something from the trash, no matter how gorgeous it is.

  I toss it back in the dumpster, except it won’t fall. My fingers are curled around the end of it, and no matter how many times I try to pry them off, it’s like they’re glued. What the hell? I shake my hand, but no luck. The thing won’t come off. Some kid must have put glue on it as a joke, and lucky me got caught. I’m having such an awesome day.

  I look to my right and left. No one’s around. How ridiculous am I going to look when I walk into Inferno with a genie lamp attached to my hand? There’s no hiding it, so I figure I’ll just add this incident to the “sucky things that happened to Lily today” list.

  When Macy sees me, she smiles. “Finally time to go home.”

  I hold up my hand. “I found this in the dumpster. There must be glue on it or something. Can you help me get it off?”

  Her eyebrows knit. “Get what off?”

  “The lamp.”

  “What lamp?”

  I stare at my hand. “The genie la—you don’t see it?”

  She gives me a look like I fell from Mars. “All I see are fingers that need to be manicured.”

  How can she not see the lamp? Am I completely losing it? I rub my eyes. The lamp is still there.

  “Lily, you sure you’re okay?”

  No. I’m not sure about anything. There is a lamp attached to my hand. I’m not crazy. Am I? “Yeah. Just tired,” I lie. “I need to go home. I haven’t been sleeping well.”

  “Have you called your mom?”

  “Twice, but no luck.”

  Her face softens. She opens her mouth to say something, when I change the subject. “So what are your plans with Andy for tonight?”

  Her boyfriend got an internship over the summer with a great company in Boston and is in New York for the weekend. He and Macy barely see each other.

  She knows I don’t like to talk about my mom, and never pressures me. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, but after everything that happened four months ago, we’ve drifted apart. It’s my fault, not hers. She’s been trying really hard to be there for me, and I appreciate it. I just can’t deal.

  “He’s going to surprise me,” she says with a smile.

  “Have fun,” I say.

  “Thanks. Are you absolutely sure you’re okay?”

  I force a smile. “Totally.”

  We hug before I leave the restaurant and walk through the July heat to my apartment. I live in Brooklyn, five blocks away from work. The people passing by don’t seem to notice anything wrong with my hand. Do they not see the lamp, either? I give it a tug to check if it’s real. It is. What the hell is wrong with me?

  After throwing my front door open, I go straight to my room for Vaseline. I put some on and try to yank my fingers off the lamp. They won’t budge. This is crazy. I’ll have no choice but to try to smash the thing. In the kitchen, I’m about to slam it down on the granite countertop, when it suddenly flies off my hand and drops to the floor. It rolls around like it has a mind of its own. A second later, smoke starts to shoot out of it. It’s so thick that it fills up my entire kitchen. It has a strong smell of exotic spices.

  The smoke enters my lungs and I fall to my knees, clutching my chest and coughing.

  “State your wish,” a voice says.

  The smoke disappears from my lungs and I can breathe again. When I look up, I see a tall guy standing above me with his arms crossed over his chest. I scramble back. He looks about my age, has long dark hair that falls into his blue eyes and an expression of annoyance, yet respect at the same time. He has golden skin. My gaze dips to his chest. His naked golden chest. He has nothing on except for long, black pants. No shoes, either. My eyes spring back to his chest and my breath gets caught in my throat. He’s beautiful. Exotic looking.

  “I said, state your wish.”

  I tear my gaze off his chest, my cheeks warming up. “W…what?”

  The smoke is completely gone from the kitchen. The lamp is still on the floor, but it’s no longer moving. Did this guy come from it?

  “State your wish so I can get out of here.”

  I get up. “Wish? What are you talking about?”

  He makes a face like he’s done this a million times and is bored out of his mind. “You rubbed the lamp. I’m here to grant you three wishes.”

  I back up into the counter behind me. I won’t believe this. I can’t. My head spins. “You’re a…genie?” That’s impossible. Genies don’t exist.

  “Uh huh. Here to grant you three wishes. So let’s get this over with, Master.”

  His chest gleams under the strong kitchen light. As he crosses and uncrosses his arms, his muscles flex.

  He sighs loudly. “When you make up your mind, give the lamp a rub.” Smoke appears once again, surrounding him.

  “Wait!”

  But it’s too late. He’s gone.

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  About the Author

  Dee J. Stone is the pseudonym of two sisters who write young adult and adult novels. The Keepers of Justice series, The Cruiser & Lex series, The Merman’s Kiss series, The Genie’s Love series, Emily’s Curse, and Chasing Sam are now available on Amazon. You can check out Dee J. Stone here: https://deejstone.wordpress.com, email them at deej.stone@yahoo.com, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  Stay tuned for more titles, coming soon.