Letting out an exaggerated groan, Lissa rolled her eyes at Daria.“Please tell me you didn’t send another reel of monkeys jerking off?”
Daria laughed.“No, not this time.That one was hilarious though, right?”
Lissa rubbed at the spot on her forehead where she was pretty sure a new wrinkle just settled in.“Uh, sure.I might never want to see a human penis, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good primate dick.”
Eyes narrowing, Daria scanned Lissa’s face.“You’re joking right?”
“Of course, I’m joking!”
Daria held her hands up in protest as she started backing toward the cafe.“Just asking.Seriously, though, check out that vid.It might be exactly the thing you need right now.”
Lissa scoffed.“I highly doubt that unless it’s an advertisement for a vibrator that can also balance a budget.”
Daria just winked and disappeared through the back door of the cafe.
Slumping into a chair, Lissa pulled out her phone to see what new horror her unhinged bestie sent this time.She tapped the button and leaned back to watch.
White twinkling words gradually drifted over a red velvet backdrop.
Searching for love?
Need destiny to give you a nudge in the right direction?
Maybe you need a little magic in your life!
Lissa snorted at the cheesy lines but kept watching.The combination of music and sparkling graphics was definitely captivating.Her studio had a social media page, but she’d been more than happy to let Becky handle that.She’d rather suck on a hot blowpipe before spending her day clawing for likes and follows.
In the video, the words faded away as the background dissolved to reveal a woman sitting cross-legged in a garden.Lissa squinted at the screen.There was something so familiar about her…
“Hello, my wonderful followers,” the woman said.“Most of you know me as Ria the Elixir Enchantress, bringing you all the best witchy potions for whatever ails you, but today I’m here with something new.For a limited time, I will be offering destiny love spells.And before you all hit me in the comments with ‘love spells aren’t real’”—she held up her fingers in quotations—“let me instead offer you this.If love spells weren’t real, then would I be offering a one hundred percent guarantee or your money back?You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.So before you surrender to another summer of lathering up your own legs, send me a DM, and let’s find your destined match!”
The woman blew a kiss at the camera, and the video broke apart into a million butterflies that flew around the screen before disappearing into a puff of smoke.
Well, the Elixir Enchantress at least made pretty videos even if witchcraft was a bunch of garbage.Lissa fully accepted that Wiccans and Pagan were a valid religion, but actual spellcasting witches?
She tapped on the reel and let it play through another time.She couldn’t shake the feeling she’d met this woman somewhere before.Something about her voice and her smile…
Mercer Marketing!
Lissa nearly dropped her phone on the table when it finally registered how she knew this self-proclaimed witch.She was the assistant on the campaign that was supposed to save, but ultimately destroyed, her studio.She’d only seen the woman once on a video call with that smarmy asshat Jim Ginatti, but it was definitely her.Lissa had been taking notes for Briggs off camera and missed half the things she was supposed to write down because she kept staring at the gorgeous woman in the background.
How did this person go from a major marketing firm to hawking fake potions online?Was she the reason the company dropped them as a client days before the campaign was supposed to go live with no explanation?She’d tried to fight their decision, but dumbass Briggs had signed a contract without reading it.One that included a very straightforward “we reserve the right to terminate with no notice at any time” clause.
Lissa toyed with the ends of her pink hair.The strands were starting to hit her shoulders, and she was due for a cut, but that had been the least of her worries lately.She had under four weeks to figure out how to save her studio, and this woman might know exactly how to do that.
Her finger hovered over the message button.
Was she really going to pretend to be interested in a love spell just to grill this woman on Mercer’s secret marketing ideas?
Yes, yes she was.It didn’t matter how cute Lissa thought the witch was, she owed her nothing, and she owed her less than nothing if her new little potion business was the reason Smooth Expressions got dumped out of the blue like a blind date with halitosis.Her and Briggs all but begged Mercer Marketing to tell them what they had planned for the campaign so they might execute it themselves, but all they got was stonewalled by the company saying they reserved the right to use the idea for another business.This might be Lissa’s only chance to get someone from there to spill the beans, so no, she wouldn’t feel bad about a tiny bit of subterfuge.
Well, not much, anyway.
All right, Ria the Elixir Enchantress, Lissa thought as she began composing a message.Let’s see what you got.
Chapter Five
Ria
