Caught By the Dragon: Maiden to the Dragon, Book 1 by - (first e reader .txt) 📕

“Weekend at last!”

That was my cry as I stretched my arms above my head. Around me were throngs of my coworkers. We left the fifty-floor office building in a giant herd of tired and eager humanity.

“Amen!” one of them called out.

“Anybody seeing the game?” another one asked.

“I’m just seeing my eyelids,” a hefty guy quipped.

That got a laugh from we office-dwellers, a laugh that extinguished much of the exhaustion from a lot of faces. I stepped out onto the wide, busy sidewalk and glanced around me. The front doors spilled out onto a major intersection, and all around me bustled a humanity eager to get home to family and dinner. I only had the dinner part, but pizza awaited me.

Still, being among such a large crowd of my fellow humans was a bitter reminder of how normal my boring life was.

“Hey, Mir!” I glanced to my left. My friend from the office, Heather, waved to me. Beside her was a cute guy I’d seen in our office, a recent transfer from some other large company. My heart sank. “Over here, Mir!” I slapped a smile on my face and walked over to them. Heather turned to the guy and jerked her head toward me. “This is the sexy woman I’ve been telling you about, Blake.”

Blake looked me over. There was something dark about his eyes that I didn’t like. He held out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

I shook the hand. His fingers were clammy like his skin didn’t quite fit. “Likewise, and don’t let Heather tell you about my bed life. It’s practically non-existent.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “Come on, do you both have to be so old-fashioned with the handshake? I’m trying to hook you up here.”

Blake laughed. “I don’t think this is going to work, Heth. She’s on to me.”

Heather blinked at him. “On to you?”

He shook his head. “It’s nothing. Anyway, nice to have met you.” He waved and walked off.

I turned to my friend. “This is the third time this month, and it’s only the seventh day.”

She sighed and shrugged. “I’m just trying to get you hooked. You’re too nice not to deserve a good man and reproduce.”

I glanced at Blake’s retreating back and pursed my lips. “Then stop trying to help me. The guys you keep showing me are getting creepier.”

Heather followed my gaze. “I don’t think he was that bad. A little strange, yeah, but who isn’t?” She turned back to see me ten feet away and gaining ground. “Hey! Wait up!” She hurried after me and came up to my side. “Wanna get a bite to eat before you hole yourself in your apartment for the weekend?”

I grinned. “Only if you’re buying.”

Heather rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, but I expect to get a dance out of this.”

I cringed as we walked side-by-side down the sidewalk. “You know I hate that.”

“The only way you’ll dance is with someone you know, and I’ll probably be the only one you know,” she pointed out.

“Then how about we skip the dancing?”

“Nope. I need the exercise.” Heather stepped onto the street and raised her hand. “Taxi!” She glanced back at me. “Besides, it’s good practice for when you get married. The bride’s gotta dance at her wedding, you know.”

I sighed as a taxi drove up. “You’re