His White Rabbit

Ch. 3 - The gorgeous house

"Take the job, Rosie." He breathed into my ear, making shivers run down my spine. Something about him made me feel this way, even though I didn't think he could have this kind of effect on me. "I will show you magic." He smirks and suddenly pulls away with the same smirk. I found myself shaking lightly and I finally managed to get air into my lungs. I didn't even realize I had stopped breathing.

"Why do you want me this badly?" I ask, not wanting to give him the answer just yet. But I knew that I would take the job, even if it means extreme tricks. I feel like I can trust him.

"Because." He sends me a smile this time and starts walking away, leaving me to burn after what he just pulled out of his sleeve. God knows what he's got in store for me. "Are you coming?" He asks without turning around to look at me. He really is strange.

"Fine." I follow him and walk up to him. "I will take the job but I want to know m-..."

"Perfect." He says kinda happily and pulls out a Joker card and hands me a pen. "Sign here." He points to the card.

"On this?" I hate that he cut me off in the middle of the sentence but I kind of like how he is so... crazy. Part of me liked it but I couldn't understand some things. I will definitely have to learn more about him in the future. Without asking any more questions, I sign on the card and he smiles.

"Thank you, love." He winks at me and puts the card in his wallet. "And for a start, put a smile on that face. You can't be so grumpy all the time."

"I am not grumpy at all," I complain but surely it did make me smile. The way he was so relaxed made all of this feel less formal so it's kinda easier for me to accept the fact that I just got the weirdest job I could find. "You just confuse me, that's all," I say and shrug a bit but I make sure to keep smiling. It wasn't a forced smile anymore really.

"There, you already feel better, don't you?" William then takes my hand and kisses the back of it. "I want you to smile all the time, is that clear?" He says softly and takes a step towards me again.

I nod softly, looking at his eyes. My gaze slowly lowers to his lips that seemed so god damn soft. My attention also caught his breathing that got a bit heavier and faster, making me feel hot all of a sudden. Why do I feel this way with... my boss? With a complete stranger. I have known him for only one day literally.

"You have the most beautiful blue eyes I have ever seen." He says gently and puts his hands on my wrists, caressing them gently as his eyes follow along my collar bone. "You will make perfect assistance, my dear." He smiles and suddenly reaches for something behind my ear and pulls out a beautiful necklace. The chain was thin and in silver with a small pendant in the shape of a rabbit made out of white pearl. It looked absolutely beautiful. "While you work for me, I want you to wear this. Always."

"I can't accept it. I am sorry but... it's just so beautiful. And probably really expensive." I say, backing away a bit to have a better view of him. I didn't want to offend him in any way but I couldn't just accept such a gift.

"It's yours." He says with a grin and puts it in my hand. "You signed for this, so you will accept whatever I have in store for you, doll." That sentence sounded like something I should be aware of but I liked the thrill he was giving me. I kept the necklace in my hand and nodded.

"Fine. Thank you. It's really pretty." I realize that the smile has disappeared so I make sure to give him the best smile I possibly could, to the point where I was almost faking it. "Is that all for tonight?" He smiles back at me, beginning to walk towards the lake.

"Yes. You are starting on Monday. The address is on the card in your right pocket." He fixes his coat and looks at me. "But I don't want you to go yet. I want to take a walk with you." He says, this time with no weird expression on his face. For a magician, he didn't show off at all as I was expecting. I walk up to him and smile, kinda happy that he admitted he wanted me here.

"You know... you are very mysterious. I would like to know you a bit better than just your name. I don't even know your stage name." He chuckles and continues walking until we reached the lake. Then he stops and observes the calm surface of the water. We could hear frogs everywhere around and see the water reflecting the lights of the street lamps from the park.

"It's The Dazzling Dante." He says, keeping his eyes on the water. I took that chance to observe his face from the side, trying not to be noticed. I just now noticed a scar that went all the way from his ear to the end of his jaw. I decide not to ask him about it because scars are usually something that people are not so willing to talk about.

"Sounds awesome. Very... intimidating." I sigh softly, enjoying the view.

...

When I finally got home around 11 PM, I first took my clothes off and stayed in my underwear. Since I live alone, I enjoy walking around naked. No one can see me anyway. I poured myself a glass of red wine and grabbed my laptop, lying down onto the couch. I decided to do some research on my new boss because, honestly, I have never heard of him before. I know it's impossible to keep up with all that information.

I turned on some music to relax and turned off most of the lights, leaving a few candles to burn. I've always liked darkened atmospheres. Some of my friends call me a romantic and to be honest, they're right.

I sigh and start my research. I tried googling his name but I remembered that he never told me his last name. Then I tried with his stage name but I couldn't find anything. It was weird because... Wait, no. It isn't weird at all. He barely told me anything about himself and I couldn't even say that I know who I'm working for. If anything, I know his name. And nothing more. I don't know his age, or where he comes from...

Giving up, I decide to watch a movie on TV, probably a horror or some thriller. I have always been a fan of this kind of adrenaline so I didn't have trouble watching such movies on my own.

...

This autumn has been sunny so far but today they predicted a storm. It was raining by the time I left my apartment in order to get to my new job. The night before, I managed to find the place on Google maps so I just need to get there now. I took my car and soon I was on the road, driving slower than usual. It was a bit darkened outside because of the clouds covering the sun. There weren't people out here, probably because of the weather. It is a matter of time when downpour happens.

After about twenty minutes of driving, I managed to find the place. I parked in a garage, not too far, in case of a hailstorm. Taking my things, I opened an umbrella and quickly made my way to William's place. The house I arrived in front of was... old fashioned. Not in a bad way but in a good one. The house looked like one from the Victorian times but it was in a very good condition.

I climbed up the stairs and put my umbrella away, shaking it off to remove extra water that was leaking on the sides. I looked for a doorbell but didn't find one so I knock three times. I wait for about a minute or so, listening to the rain hitting the roof of the house. It was getting colder, the wind got stronger and the sky was completely dark grey. Finally, the door opens and I am met with William's crazily beautiful eyes and a charming smile.

"Welcome, doll. Hope you didn't get soaked." He lets me in and I shake my head with a smile.

"No, I got here with my car. It's shitty weather, isn't it?" I pull my lips into a small smile as he takes my coat along with my umbrella.

"I find it beautiful actually. Thunder has always been fascinating to me." He says and motions for me to follow him. "Do you like the house?" He asks and I nod quickly.

"Very much. It's gorgeous. How old is it?" He didn't reply to that but it kind of didn't surprise me. He's been talkative so far and I started to think that he wasn't going to be so mysterious anymore. But he is back now, I see. It didn't last long before he went to his silent mode.

"Now, Rosie... You remember when I said my tricks were extreme?" William kept his eyes on me when we stopped in the middle of a big hall that seemed like a small ballroom. I reply with a sign of understanding, nodding my head.

"Well, the deal is... you don't get to help much around those. You are the object I use in those tricks."

...