Serious Leigh (Literal Leigh Romance Diaries Book 2) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Praise for Melanie James

  Hot Reads By Melanie James

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Praise for Melanie James

  A Valentine’s Surprise - “It was one of the cutest and hottest novellas I've ever read. It's rare to have such a great mix of cute and hot, but this author does it perfectly!” ~ Willow Star Serenity Reviews

  A Valentine’s Surprise - “This is one of the best short stories I have read in a long time!” ~ HeadTripping Books

  A Valentine’s Surprise - “This little love story is capable of getting your juices going and turning a dull afternoon into a page turning glorious day.” ~ Aubree Lane, Author of Sierra Mist & Early One Morning”

  Conjuring Darkness - “I was already a huge fan of author Melanie James so I expected her to write another amazing book. Even I didn't expect how incredible Conjuring Darkness would be. I couldn't put it down!” ~ Kelly Cozzone, Author of Tropical Dreams

  A Valentine’s Surprise - “Kuddos to Melanie James for throwing a good romance our way. I want more!” ~ Jennifer Theriot, Author, Out Of the Box Series

  Conjuring Darkness – “Conjuring Darkness captivates your attention right from the start and never let's go. The adventure packed into this supernatural thriller only keeps you on the edge and turning the page. It definitely was one of those books that was hard to put down.” ~ Angela Ford, Author of Closure

  Conjuring Darkness – “This book is captivating from the first page, I could not put the book down. I was so surprised by all the twists, turns, the unexpected. I could not wait until I was through each chapter.” ~ Angie at I Heart Books

  Hot reads by Melanie James

  Literal Leigh Romance Diaries

  Accidental Leigh

  Serious Leigh

  Hopeful Leigh

  Haunting Leigh

  Éveiller – Coming August & September

  Ava & Will

  Kara & Dave

  Laura & Alan

  Jamie & Brad

  Ashley & Jeff

  Valerie & Greg

  Stand Alone

  Beautiful Betrayals – TBD

  Darkness Series

  Conjuring Darkness

  Hour of Darkness – TBD

  Seasons of Love Series

  A Valentine’s Surprise

  A Summer Love

  The Paranormal Plantation

  TBD

  Edition License Notes

  This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you wish to share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should delete it from your device and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is coincidental.

  Copyright

  Serious Leigh

  By Melanie James

  Copyright © by Melanie James

  Editing: Black Paw Publishing

  Proofreading: AVC Proofreading

  Cover Artist: Dreams to Media

  ISBN-13: 978-1500613877

  ISBN-10: 1500613878

  All rights reserved

  Published in the United States of America

  Acknowledgements

  For all of my readers, you are the best! Thank you!

  Stephanie Mae – I seriously love you…that is all!

  Monkeys – Old and new, thank you for always being there for me!

  PTCLS – The continual support, love, and laughs you all provide is amazing. You girls have become my sisters. I don’t know what I would do without each and every one of you!

  To my kiddos - Thank you guys so much, for not staging a rebellion and giving me the time I needed to get this book finished and out!

  To Ron – You are amazing and I love you more than life!

  Alicia – Thank you for taking the time to clean everything up!

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to all women, no matter where you are in the world. Be Strong, Stay Strong! You are worth it!

  Chapter One

  The Witches Union Local 1313

  The cloud of smoke began to clear and my coughing fit finally settled down. Luna was tight against my chest with her claws piercing my arm. We looked around and saw we had been transported to a room in an old building. It reminded me of a bank or post office from the late 1800s. It appeared to be a reception area that had a completely Victorian look. In front of me was a large ornate wooden desk that had a beautiful young woman seated at it. She couldn’t have been more than thirty years old. Her long red hair was pulled up and off the shoulders of her pinstripe business suit. Her thick, black frame glasses were really the touch for the naughty librarian look, and she sure nailed it. It helped that her tight fitting suit coat had only two buttons barely keeping the thing on.

  “Hello, Leigh. Hello, Luna. My name is Esmeralda. Please, have a seat until you’re called.”

  “Hi—Esmeralda. I can’t say I’ve heard that name before. So, what exactly is this place?”

  “The Witches Union, Local 1313, of course. And the note you received wasn’t just an invitation, sweetie. Think of it more like a summons.”

  I was thinking she looked a little young to be referring to me as sweetie in such a condescending tone. She sounded like my mother.

  “Since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you. I’m 326 years old.” She scrunched up her face and then added “sweetie.”

  “What! You can read my mind? And I don’t know what’s more incredible! The fact that you can hear my thoughts or that you look so young for a 326 year old. I don’t know what beauty products you’re into, but you need to share the secret.” I paused to gauge her reaction and I was happy when she smiled at me. “Also, what exactly am I walking into here?”

  “Listen, Leigh. I’ll give you some advice. When you go in there, be polite and respectful. Those are some real old-timers in there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are going before the review board. They are going to check you out to see if you are worthy of being a witch, but don’t worry. You never would have made it here if you didn’t have something they wanted. God only knows what that could be.” With her hands on her hips, she looked me up and down. “Just remember, despite what they look like, they are several centuries old, and they aren’t always very nice to young—rookies.” She looked me over once more, and she seemed less than impressed at what she saw before adding a snarky little quip.
“Like you.”

  “Okay. I’ll remember that. Now, where in the world are we? It’s hotter than hell in here.”

  “New Orleans. Yes, it is hot. And you are far too underdressed for hell, my dear.”

  “Uh—of course.” I started to think that perhaps I fell and cracked my head, hard. So hard that I was actually lying unconscious in my living room, dreaming all of this.

  “No, you’re not dreaming, and it looks like they are ready for you now.”

  I stroked Luna’s fur and spoke softly to her. “Well, the crazy train is about to leave the station. Might as well enjoy the ride.” Esmeralda opened a heavy wooden door and ushered me through. It was a very upscale boardroom. The kind of room you could imagine seeing extremely rich and ruthless Wall Street types plotting their next financial calamity. Instead, three women were seated at a long wooden table. It’s not like they were in the stereotypical witch’s costumes. These ladies wore little black cocktail dresses and looked quite elegant. Elegant and stunningly beautiful women, no more than forty years old. They looked as if they should be milling about in an upscale art gallery on opening night. I imagined them strolling around with the cream of high society, saying things like, “Thank you, dahhling.” You know, saying the word darling in a way that just made them seem snooty. I glanced down at my summer ensemble of a tank top, shorts, and worn but comfortable old slippers. I chuckled out loud when I realized how underdressed I was. I felt slightly awkward, but it’s not like I had a chance to prepare for the meeting. Trust me, I’ve been dressed worse for a midnight run to Walmart and I wasn’t going to let this phase me.

  The woman in the center flashed a comforting smile. She had long flowing curls of red hair and emerald green eyes. She introduced herself.

  “Hello, Leigh! We are so happy to finally meet you! My name is Hilda, this is Isabel, and Marie.” She nodded to the women on either side of her.

  The woman to her left had a full head of long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Her curvy look screamed sexiness. She was very beautiful, and her little dress strained to contain her huge boobs. Holy cleavage! And those look real! I thought. She laughed and said, “Hi, Leigh, nice to meet you. And yes, they are all natural.” She winked at me. Thank God, she had a sense of humor.

  On the other end was a tall and slender African woman, she looked at me with a very stern gaze and then smiled warmly. It took me a minute to place her accent. Creole?

  “Ah, Leigh. Our new young writer. I am so pleased to meet you. We all are. I must say, we have been waiting a long time for a writer. Isn’t that right sisters?” She looked at the other two.

  “Yes, we certainly have. We’ll talk more about that in a bit. First things first. Leigh, I know you had no idea that we exist or that all witches belong to a union. So, we have decided not to reprimand you for the unapproved use of witchcraft. However, we will require you to join the union and pay dues.”

  I began to sweat a little. A teacher’s salary isn’t exactly the gravy train. I hadn’t been very good at balancing my checkbook either. I was to the point where writing a check made me hesitate to hand it to the cashier at the grocery store, and I always breathed a sigh of relief when they ran it through the little verification gadget in the cash register. “Dues? How much are we talking about here?”

  “Well, if we go back to the point where you got the desk, it comes up to six dollars and thirty two cents.”

  My mouth almost hit the floor. “That’s it? Really? You had me worried for a minute.”

  “Well, these rates were set a long time ago, a very, very long time ago. It’s really just a matter of principle. I’m sure you understand.”

  “Oh, yes! Of course.” I was more than agreeable to their dues.

  Hilda spoke up. “Let’s cut to the chase here, shall we? You are the first witch in decades that has the writing power. We all have our specialties, and you happen to be one of the few that can make the magic desk work.”

  Isabel added, “Yes, Leigh, it’s a very important power for us. We got a look at that story you have started. Let’s see—I have the title written down somewhere.” She shuffled through a small notebook. I cringed with embarrassment, because I wasn’t sure if they were going to laugh their asses off at the title I had chosen. “Ah ha! Here it is.” She cleared her throat and then announced it loud and clear. “Four Bitten Fangtasy.”

  There was a crazed cackle and a snort from behind me. I turned my head to see who it was and there was Esmeralda, the Naughty Librarian. I had no idea that she was still in the room. “You’re kidding, right?” Asked Esmeralda.

  “No. No, that is the title she has. I’m sorry you don’t approve, Esmeralda, but we love it.”

  “Umm, is there any special reason that you are interested in my story? Because, seriously, it is nothing more than a sort of fan fiction. Well, more like payback against the author of my favorite series. I never intended for it to be anything substantial.”

  “Oh, we are all fans of paranormal romance books. I mean, why wouldn’t we be?” They all chuckled.

  “Yes, I just love the werewolf books, personally. I can only speak for myself when I say I am hoping for a book that finally gets it right. And let me tell you something, honey, once you’ve tried werewolf, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for the word stamina!” Isabel said.

  “Seriously, Isabel? Werewolves stink and all they want to do is doggy style. Now, let me tell you something when it comes to fucking around with a werewolf, protection has a whole new meaning.” Marie chimed in.

  Hilda joined in, “You’ve got that right, sister, a flea collar, that’s the protection you’ll have to insist on. And don’t even get me started on how they lick their own furry balls. Disgusting creatures. They should all be muzzled—and castrated.”

  “You witches are harsh! I’m sorry, but I just can’t resist those puppy dog eyes.” Isabel cooed.

  I was shocked at the conversation playing out before me. “Wait! You’re saying werewolves are real? What else? Fairies? Vampires?”

  “Besides werewolves, it’s just us old witches, sweetie, there hasn’t been a vampire around in centuries. Enough of this silly talk. Now, back to your book. We’ve discussed this at some length and from now on we want you to consider us your creative editors, so to speak.” Hilda explained.

  “Well, I—I don’t know, really. I just started this and to tell the truth, I am doing nothing more than dabbling with writing a story.”

  “Oh, dear! No, don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got it. We just want to help out once in a while. Maybe provide you with some plot ideas. Rest assured, we know what makes a good story and let’s just say, it is highly advisable that you consider our suggestions. In fact, we insist you continue writing your paranormal romance. You can back out, but only if you can find another witch that has the power to use the desk.” Isabel tauntingly smiled.

  I knew right then the reason why the desk was given away for free by the odd old woman. She must have thrown in the towel. Before I could make any decision about it, I had some questions. I was still thinking that if I could get a grip on this magic, I could really do some great things for people, as well as have some fun with writing. “Excuse me, but is there any way I can get some training for my new witchcraft power? I would really like to get a grasp on what it is that I should or shouldn’t do. I’ve had a few—incidents, you could say.”

  Isabel answered, “Oh yes, of course. I almost forgot! Your training program. We are sending a witch to spend a little time with you. She will be able to help you hone your magic and answer all of your questions. So consider yourself an apprentice right now, and no magic unless it is approved by your new mentor.”

  Esmeralda snickered in the background. I was a little unsure why she did it. It left me with an unsettled feeling that things weren’t quite right. To make things worse, the other witches had sly smiles plastered to their faces. I had to tell myself—that’s just how witches are. Of course, if you really think about
it, when you refer to someone as a witch, it generally isn’t a compliment.

  The witches each added their parting comments as they surprisingly ended our meeting a little earlier than I expected.

  Hilda was the first one who started to shoo me out of the door. “Now, please pay Esmeralda your dues on the way out.”

  “No more willy-nilly magic spells off the internet,” Marie added.

  Isabel wanted just one thing, her werewolf. “Just concentrate on a delicious werewolf story for me, doll! Mama needs some alpha male!”

  “Okay. I guess it would be good to have somebody show me the ropes. Now, how exactly do I get home? And please don’t tell me by riding a broom. I have no desire to go rocketing through the sky with nothing between my ass and the earth but a cheap Dollar Store broom. That’s another thing. Why the broom? Why not fly on something a little more comfortable? Maybe a recliner?” With that little slip of sarcasm, I had triggered a telling response from the witches. Their shocked expressions were so apparent, you would think they had just witnessed an alien tap dance across the floor.

  Surprisingly, Marie scolded me. Her voodoo priestess accent made it seem more of an ominous warning. “Leigh, you are now a young witch. Please don’t carelessly disrespect one of our most cherished symbols. The broom is a timeless and honored reminder of our past. Karma is a bitch, and it appears from your recent spell-crafting, that wicked bitch has you on her radar. So choose your words carefully.”

  Isabel called back to Esmeralda, “Dear, would you take care of Leigh’s dues and arrange for her and Luna to get back home?”

  “Of course. Come on, Leigh. There is someone in the lobby already waiting for you.”

  Chapter Two

  Meet Gertie O’Leary