Unseen Servant

By Dawn Michelle

Unseen Servant stands alone in NY Times bestselling author Dawn Michelle's paranormal romance universe.

Tessa's boyfriend died of a sudden and unexpected heart attack. Well, he was her ex-boyfriend, but he'd been in great shape for a steamy encounter to cause cardiac arrest. Steamy and illicit, actually, given his partner had been an almost random side chick and not the trophy-wife-gold digger he'd left Tessa for.

Kevin's death was the final puzzle piece she needed. It was time to move on. Time to stop waiting for him to come back and realize everything he had— everything he'd built— had been because she had been in his life. Behind every great man was a great woman, and once she wasn't behind him anymore, look what happened.

Curt was a new opportunity for her. He had dreams and goals that she could help with. He had aspirations to be something more. She wanted that for him. For them. All she asked in return was to be treated right.

If he wasn't, well, one thing Tessa could count on was that bad things happened to bad people. Sooner or later something always happened to the men that hurt her. She didn't plan it or want it, but happened all the same. As unfair as the world was, she knew deep down inside there was something lurking in shadows and in the places she hadn't dared to look. Something that only understood justice as dark and swift and merciless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Novel Concept Publishing LLC
• Release date: Oct 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393308928

Dawn Michelle

Dawn Michelle is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author that started out as a girl next door turned mother of two and household champion. After years of watching her husband write novel after novel and not trying to write the stories she was interested in she decided it was time she showed him how it was done.

Book preview

Chapter 1

The smell of all the product Cate put in her hair brought tears to my eyes. My nose tickled and I was about to sneeze when she asked me, That’s her, isn’t it?

I followed her gaze to the strawberry blond bimbo in the black dress with the plunging neckline. Her bulging tits weren’t even a month old yet and they still had the swollen porn star look to them. Boobs bought by Kevin. My Kevin...

Yeah, I admitted. One of them, anyway.

One? What the fuck, Tess?

Shh! I hissed as her voice rose. We were at a funeral, for crying out loud!

Cate shook her head. Oh no, that bitch took your man from you, I am not—

I grabbed her arm and yanked her back. We weren’t in the front row but we were close enough that people were turning to look at us. As I turned I caught the eyes of a stunning black woman that was standing in the second row near the foot of the casket. I kept moving because I had to, but the way she’d looked at me made me forget all about Cate causing a scene...

Until I remembered I was moving because Cate was about to cause a scene. I pulled her back out of the crowd and headed for the closest tree I could find. Anything I could disappear behind.

Tessa Shepherd, you have got to stand up for yourself! Cate lectured me after we cleared the tree and I slowed down.

Stop... just stop, I begged. Please... this isn’t making this any easier.

Girl, I watched you build that man up from the gutter you found him in. He could have done more than dumping your skinny ass as soon as Blondie McBigTits showed up.

I rolled my eyes. Her boobs are new.

I know! But even back then they were bigger than yours.

Gee, thanks, I muttered. So I’ve always been a loser.

Stop that, Cate snapped. Stop doing that.

Doing what? Giving up?

Yes!

He’s dead, Cate. Undiagnosed heart condition. I kind of have to give up.

She shook her head hard enough I was worried she'd mess up her weave. No, I meant stop giving up on yourself.

I sighed. I can’t afford bigger boobs... even if I wanted them, I mean.

Shit, girl, this isn’t about your titties. It’s about you realizing you are not the white trash you think you are.

That’s racist, I muttered.

I’m black, I can do that.

I don’t think you can anymore.

Well, I did. You don’t live in a trailer so what else am I going to use?

Now you’re trailer-ist too.

Stop changing the subject!

I’m not, just—

Shit, the funeral’s over.

I’d wanted to get out of there before they were done. My plan had been to be a long ways away. One more plan that fell apart. Maybe if I started planning on my plans not working things would start working out for me.

Tessa, I’m surprised you showed up.

I cringed at the sound of her voice. It was Rachel, aka Blondie McBigTits. Cate stiffened too and started to open her mouth. I turned before she could help me turn bad into worse. I didn’t need help with that, I could ruin a funeral on my own.

Rachel, I greeted her. And by greeted her I meant I daydreamed jumping on her and clawing out her eyes with my dollar store fake nails.

Rachel looked me up and down. She had a dress on that probably cost a few hundred dollars and shoes to match. Mine... didn’t. You look well...considering everything.

Cate took a step up beside me. I had to speak before she did but I didn’t know what to say. Thanks, I mumbled. You... you too. I mean, with the surgery, and all.

Rachel’s cheeks darkened under her expensive makeup. Kevin had spoiled her better than he’d ever spoiled me. It didn’t matter that I wouldn’t let him spend that kind of money on me, it’s that he never even offered.

This is hardly the last thing I want to remember about him, she gestured at her chest.

Hell of a parting gift, Cate managed to slip in.

I cringed. I... I should be going, I said. I just... I wanted to see him one last time.

Rachel’s cheekbones stood out with how hard she clenched her teeth. She refused to look at Cate. He left you, you shouldn’t even want to see him anymore.

I can’t even, Cate sputtered. You’re sugar daddy wasn’t even screwing you when he died! He was fucking some other gold-digging pussy when his heart gave out!

I turned on Cate and pushed her back. She was taller than me, outweighed me, and of course she had bigger boobs than me too. I still pushed her back. Come on, Cate, this isn’t helping.

Rachel’s eyes were wide open at that. She was too stunned to retaliate until I managed to get Cate far enough away that she didn’t dare. We were both silent until we climbed into her Honda. She started it up and would have roared out of the cemetery if a Honda could roar. She threw a little gravel at least, but I don’t think that made her feel better.

You should have let me at her, Cate finally said.

You’d break your hand on her makeup, I said. Did you see how thick that was?

My friend snorted. Please, that skinny bitch couldn’t handle me.

I believe that.

So why not—

Because it doesn’t help, I interrupted her. I was tired and I was starting to tear up. The first tear fell before I could speak, so I turned and looked out the window instead.

She was quiet, which surprised me. It didn’t last— it never did with her. Maybe it would. Help, I mean.

I shook my head.

We drove in silence the rest of the way to my apartment. The building was in bad shape and there was always someone hanging around out front, today it was Tony. He liked to make it sound like he was protecting us from other, worse people. He even had a gun shoved into the waist of his low riding cargo shorts. The truth was if he hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t need protecting. If he kept his drugs and his gang shit off our porch the building might not be a nice place to live, but it would be a lot closer to it.

Rachel pulled up to the curb and looked at me. It’s been two months, Tess. You got to move on.

I know, I mumbled. Don’t got a choice now.

Rachel winced. Yeah, well, you got a good heart. You keep giving people chances they don’t deserve. I swear girl, sometimes I thank the good Lord for things like Kevin dying. I know it ain’t kind and Christian and all, but did you ever think that maybe someone is looking out for you? You got to learn to call it quits, girl.

I sighed and opened up my door. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a hopeless romantic.

Not hopeless, Rachel said. You just got shit for luck.

I couldn’t ignore her smile and returned it to her. I got to work, get out of here.

She leaned over as I backed away so I could shut the door. You good to start at two thirty?

Yeah, we close at midnight, I should be home by then, I’ll text you to come pick me up.

Don’t be late, I ain’t cleaning those offices by myself again!

I rolled my eyes and waved her off. One time I’d been too sick to get out of bed so she had to do it on her own. One time in two months. As long as they were clean by six am it didn’t matter and she knew she could do it on her own. Still, it was nice to be needed. Nicer if she’d been a halfway decent guy that was interested in me, but—

Hey baby, where you been? Usually you’re heading out now, not coming back in. Early for you.

I cringed at Tony’s sweet talk. Had some errands, I mumbled. Excuse me.

That your friend in the car? She looking fine! Next time you introduce me? I mean, since you keep turning me down you gotsta throw me something, right?

I rolled my eyes. You’re a dog, Tony.

He flashed his teeth, only one was gold, and faked a woof.

I shook my head and hurried through the door. The lock hadn’t worked since I moved in shortly after Kevin dumped me. My apartment had a chain lock on it. It might stop a raging child from breaking in, at least. Sometimes, when my nerves got the best of me I’d wedge a chair under the doorknob too.

I didn’t have time for that now though. I had to get changed and get to work. I used my phone as I walked and ordered up an Uber before stopping next to my wardrobe. I had my clothes strategically placed on the floor. Jeans in one pile, shorts in another. Skirts in a third. Long sleeve shirts were here, short sleeve shirts there. My underwear kept getting mixed together and eventually my socks joined the pile. That was about as organized as my life got. I needed a dresser or at least some plastic crates, but I kept telling myself this apartment was temporary. The longer I didn’t waste money on it, the longer I could get out of here into something nicer. I just had to meet the right guy and—

I turned and stared at my window. Out the window, actually. The fire escape was rusted and broken, but that wasn’t what I was looking at. My shirt was in my hands and I was on the second floor of the building. On the far side of the road a man with tight cornrows turned away and started walking. Had he been watching me? Why else would he stop? I held my shirt to my chest and watched him walk to the corner and make the turn around it. Then he was gone.

I stepped away from the window and shook my head. The only interest I got was pervs on the street doing some window shopping. I really needed blinds.

I adjust my bra and felt the cloth give at the same time the underwire poked into my finger.

Fuck! I yelped. It didn’t hurt much, but it meant my bra was broke. This was my last really good one, too. I looked at my wardrobe and cursed again. It was my only clean one left. Laundry day was supposed to be today but I had the funeral instead. Who does a funeral on a Sunday, anyhow? Somebody that can afford it, that’s who.

I swore again— third time’s the charm, right? — and started digging through my dirty clothes bag until I found another bra that didn’t smell and didn’t have any obvious stains. No wires in this one, which meant I wasn’t likely to get tipped as well.

It was true, sex sells. I learned early on the girls with the tighter shirts and perkier boobs got the better tips. Sure, attitude was important too, but working customers the right way and looking the way they wanted you to look was the secret to success. After the past couple of years I could use a little success coming my way. Kevin left me with nothing but the clothes on my floor and a hole in my heart after everything I did for him. I paid for his night school. I paid for our food, rent, and even his clothes while he worked his way up from cleaning up after the mechanics at a garage to getting promoted to taking orders and then managing the place. He rose fast, using his charm and good looks to strike a deal with the owner and branch out. He’d opened up three more shops and bought out the old owner before he was twenty four.

The world was his, he figured. And that meant I wasn’t needed anymore. I caught him a couple of times with other girls, but he’d apologize and I’d take him back. He’d swear never again... until the next one. Then, one time, he realized he didn’t need me anymore either. That’s where Rachel came in. She was the trophy he wanted. His prize for all the hard work he’d done.

I let out a heavy sigh. A few more tears fell with it. I didn’t miss him anymore, really. I missed having someone. Even if it had been a lie for the last year or two, I could let myself believe it. Now I was alone and had nothing. Not even a clean bra.

I shook my head. My Uber would be here soon! I scrambled into my Margaritaville uniform and stuck my face in the freezer to make sure my eyes weren’t puffy from crying. My phone chirped; my ride was here. I went through a quick checklist in my head: Uniform, shoes, hair, deodorant, underwear, makeup. All good except makeup.

I grabbed my makeup and shoved it into my purse. I had time to fix my face in the car, depending on the driver it could be half an hour from Knoxville to Pigeon Forge.

* * * *

I worked two jobs, lived in a shitty apartment, had to fend off a drug dealer that wanted to date me, and my ex-boyfriend was dead. Nobody told me adulting was going to be this shitty. Oh sure, mom had warned how I would never be able to take care of myself once I was out on my own, but I’d thought she was trying to scare me. She’d had a rough life too though, so I guess she had a reason to be bitchy. She’d been proud of me in the end. Right up until the cancer she'd been fighting right after I was born took her last breath and her hand went soft in mine.

Thank god she couldn’t see me now.

Tess! Can you grab table nine?

I jumped a little and forced a smile on my face. It had been a few years and I didn’t think about mom as much. Dad even less, but he’d been gone a lot longer. I turned away from the glasses I’d been washing at the bar and caught a flash of bright yellow through the glass doors. A beautiful car rumbled past heading for the parking lot. The license plate was one of those personalized ones from out of state that read, B00k1n. Sports car, Bookin, I got it. It was cute. Expensive too, I’m