Forbidden Quest
Hypnotic Journey, Book 1
By
Alaina Stanford
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to my cover artist, Jack Martin.
Thank you Hypnotic Proofreading.
Special thanks to my sons for their inspiration.
Chapter One
“You’re not going? You know what I’ve got invested in this project, and you’re not going?” Nicole asked. A crimson glow rushed across her face. She thrust her free hand out to her assistant and shook her head so viciously her short brown hair whipped from side to side. The assistant disappeared quickly through the office door. Nicole plopped down in her desk chair clutching the receiver with fury. “The deposit is non-refundable, we can’t cancel, and we can’t reschedule. Dr. Strong said it had to be this weekend, Tom. There are no other slots available.”
The raspy voice of her latest romance, Tom Norton, answered calmly, “Niki, I’ve got viral meningitis. You don’t fool around with something like that.” Nicole suddenly imagined him lying in his bed, still wearing his musk cologne that was part of his morning routine as much as brushing his teeth. Her tone began to soften at the thought of his sweaty dark brown hair making his deep brown eyes even more prominent.
Tom rolled over to grab the bottle of painkillers his doctor prescribed, “Dr. Maan said to go to bed and forget about the rest of the world for the next week. I am surprised at your response and hurt that you don’t seem to care. You sound more upset about losing the deposit instead of missing out on the weekend with me.”
Resisting the guilt that threatened to wash over her, Nicole took a deep breath and shifted her chair so she could reach her computer while they talked. “Tom, it’s not the money and you know I like spending time with you. It will take months before I can manage to weasel another free weekend out of my boss. Besides, we must have four members on our adventure team. If you drop out, then the whole thing is off. Sarah and Todd have gone to a great deal of trouble fitting this trip into their schedule. We will not get another shot at this. Dr. Strong said he was pulling out of Landon and moving to Miami in a few weeks. He is the only hypnotist in the country offering these group fantasy sessions. It’s the next big trend in discount vacations.”
“We can afford a trip to Miami. St Louis is in the middle of the country, Nicole. You can get a low-cost flight to almost anywhere from here,” Tom said, sinking back into his pillows
“Contrary to what you might believe, I don’t get a bonus when I win a case. The District Attorney would prefer to take his best Assistant DA to bed rather than give me a bonus or time off.” She thought of how similar the DA was to her father, a man who chases anything in a skirt, even her college roommate.
“Ok, ok, I’ve heard all this before.” Tom winced, “I asked Jack to take my place. He was bumped off his flight to St. Thomas this morning and has some spare cash.”
“Absolutely not!” Nicole dug her pink, perfectly manicured nails into the keyboard.
“Come on, it won’t be that bad. You’ll be under hypnosis all weekend.” Tom sighed as his eyelids began to close.
“Anyone but him, Tom.” Nicole moaned in resignation and shoved hard against the desk. Her chair slammed into the wall behind her with a sharp whack. “I know he’s your friend,” she said tapping her fingernails against the arm of the chair with such force Tom could hear the clicking on his end of the call. “But the man is a complete washout. He has no ambition, no ethics, and no morals. If you think he’s going to pay you the money you put down on this trip, you are out of your virus infected mind.”
“Niki, he was just here. He took me to the doctor this morning because I couldn’t drive. He paid for my share of the deposit and headed home to grab his bags,” Tom answered running his palm over his face. “Give him a break, he’s a free spirit. He didn’t have wealthy parents to pave the way or get a full ride to Yale as you did. He’s doing the best he can with what he’s got.”
Looking out the tiny cracked window of her small, dreary office, she could smell the nauseating grease of the nearby fast food chain. Her foot began to twitch as she envisioned a weekend with Jack’s annoying smile. “Maybe we should cancel. I’ll throw a few things together and nursemaid you through the weekend.”
Tom chuckled at Nicole’s monotone attempt at compassion, and immediately regretted it as pain shot through his temple. “I appreciate your offer, Niki, really I do. I know it would kill you to sit here all weekend and watch over me. So let’s not pretend your heart is in that gesture.” Tom smiled through the pain, keeping his eyes closed against the blinding sunlight that crept through the drawn blinds. “The bed’s starting to float and I haven’t had any sleep in about 32 hours, so I better go. Jack will fill my spot nicely. He and Todd are practically brothers; we were the Three Musketeers all through middle school. Take it easy on Jack, brown eyes, he’s a good guy. It’s surprising how complicated he is, you’d find that out if you gave him a chance.”
“I did that once, remember? He made a pass at me,” Nicole snapped.
“He was drunk, and it was a joke. That’s just his way. He’s like a brother to me, and it’s important to Jack to approve the women I date. If Jack didn’t like you, he would be over here every possible minute trying to run you off. I’ve told you before; you’re the first girlfriend of mine in years that he hasn’t given a hard time.”
“If how he treats me is nice, then I’d like to see it when he’s mean.”
“Just relax for a change and try to have fun.” Tom yawned loudly as the painkillers began to work their magic.
“Right,” Nicole sighed, surrendering to a wrecked weekend. “Do you need me to drop anything off before I head to the airport?”
“No . . . and I canceled the flights, Jack’s borrowing a friend’s plane,” Tom added faintly. “He’s a pilot.”
“What?” Nicole jumped from her chair. “Oh no, Tom! I am NOT riding in a plane that he is flying! Are you insane?” Nicole’s answer was silence, followed by deep snoring.