Spell Checked

by C. G. Powell

  Beck wanted more than just a rest in the hot water. His desire for Mae was overwhelming and he was willing to give in to any of her sexual whims, unlike before. However, the sexual fire that normally lay within her was missing. It was almost as if the brash, lusting creature of the last few days had disappeared. He just sat there holding her naked body against his, feeling her pulse race across her neck. Had she not been a witch, he would have drunk from her out of the pure desire he felt for her at that moment.

  Several minutes later a tap on the door startled them, it was one of the servants. “Sir, Rose and Gia are here for your massage.”

  “Please tell them to set up in the lady’s suite and we shall join them shortly,” Beck shouted back.

  “Very well, sir.”

  Beck climbed out first then helped Mae, wrapping her in the robe. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around himself. Before they got to the door, he embraced her by the waist, picked her up and seated her on the counter. He pulled her closer as she wrapped her legs around him and melted into his kiss. She flexed her legs tighter around him, wanting to feel him hard against her own body. He moved his hand down the front of her robe, his fingers brushing across her breasts, making her moan with pleasure. But, just as before, he came to an abrupt stop, breathing heavily on Mae’s neck.

  “You were so still in the bath. I felt you lost all desire for me and I have to know if you want me as I want you,” Beck whispered out of breath in her ear.

  “I was trying to avoid what just happened. You have the most inept way of giving pleasure I have ever seen or more to the point felt. Is it so hard to just give in to what you feel? Because I really can’t take much more of your teasing, Beck!” she warned him, completely frustrated once again.

  “You are right Mae. We have unfinished business to take care of, but not like this. You deserve more than just a quick tryst in the bathroom,” he replied, setting her back down on the floor.

  “I deserve to be sated and the end justifies the means at this point. I just can’t get one vision out of my head. My dream from the night before last, I was wrapped around you and you drank from me. All I could feel is immense pleasure unlike any I have felt before; you and I screaming in ecstasy over and over again, until I doubled over in pain when it was done. It haunts me, Beck like a ghost reminding me of our unfinished business,” she sighed, letting all her emotions go.

  Beck appeared horrified by what she said. She had bonded with him before his little mistake and was reliving it in her head like an erotic fantasy she kept revisiting. How could he tell her that it was no dream she had? That it was some other woman he had drunk from? His stomach started to turn at the thought of it. He had to find out more about bonding and knew only one person who could provide those answers.

  Mae was concerned with Beck’s silence. “I hope I didn’t offend you.”

  “You could never offend me, Mae,” he smiled, hugging her and opening the door to the bedroom where the massage therapists had set up.

  “Beck, you were not lying about having the best massage therapists in County Kerry on your payroll. I am so relaxed right now, I feel like a noodle.” Mae looked away from Beck during his massage, jealousy welling up inside of her the moment the therapist put her hands on him.

  “How was your massage?” Beck asked her as he dressed.

  “Fantastic! I’m glad you suggested it. Where are you headed so quickly?” she asked, looking up from the table she was still lying on, face down.

  “I have some work to do and a teleconference this afternoon. That is if I can get someone over here to get everything working properly…” his voice trailed off, buttoning the last button on his shirt.

  “I can help you with that. It’s just happens to be right up my Cisco Certified alley,” Mae replied, jumping at the opportunity to make herself useful.

  “Do you not have lessons with Meredith this afternoon?”

  “Yes. But I’m looking for any reason to get out of it and you are as good an excuse as any.” Mae was not looking forward to making more mud.

  “Okay then. I will see you in the computer room in a few.” Beck kissed her on the forehead before he left the room and headed back to his office.

  Beck was at his desk on his laptop when she arrived. He got up from his seat and walked over to a small door a few feet away from his desk. “Everything is over here in the closet.”

  The closet was full of routers and switches. Beck showed her where the telecom equipment was set up. She looked everything over carefully, just in case the problem was something easy like a disconnected wire, before plugging her laptop into the switch.

  “I need the number for your IT person. I will need the password to get on to the switch and router. I suspect he has shut down your unused ports for security reasons. When you plugged everything in to the switch did he tell you which ports to use?” Mae needed more information before she could move on. Beck was just staring at her with a strange expression.

  “I do not recall if he did, but all that geek speak just made me completely randy,” Beck said, straining to contain the overwhelming urge to throw her on one of the beanbag chairs and screw the hell out of her.

  “Don’t change the subject,” she scolded, tapping her foot with her hands on her hip. “I need his number if you plan on doing this teleconference today,” she said in a business-like tone. “If I knew that’s all it took to get him excited, I would have read him a bedtime story right out of the Cisco manual a long time ago,” she thought.

  “I will get that number for you,” he said, checking his phone for the number.

  It only took Mae five minutes to get Beck’s IT person to do a ‘no shutdown’ remotely on the needed ports. The IT tech was glad he would no longer have to make the trip out there to fix it himself. In a short time, everything was up and running as planned.

  “Everything is working now. I need to get back to Meredith. She is most likely looking for me,” Mae sighed, reluctantly.

  “Thank you for fixing everything. I will see you at dinner this evening,” Beck said, kissing her before she left.

  ~~~***~~~

  Beck sat in front of a large screen waiting to chat with Nikola about the very subject that caused their falling out. He would swallow his pride to get the answers he needed concerning his bond with Mae. He and Nikola had been close friends once, a couple of mad geniuses on the cusp of discovering what made witches powerful…Electricity. Their experiments went as far back as ancient Egypt and ceramic batteries, but it was not until the nineteenth century that Nikola made advances far beyond what the rest of them could imagine.

  “Hello, my old friend, it has been too long. To what do I owe this pleasure?” Nikola asked, curious about Beckett’s cryptic message - Need your help. What do you know about witches and bonding? Teleconference at 5pm…Beckett.

  “I am in a quandary, Nikola and you are the most knowledgeable person I know in this area. Helen is back, but in a witches body and unable to surface. In the meantime, I have bonded with her host despite the fact that it is impossible for me to share blood with her. How is that even possible?” Beck questioned, knowing Nikola was sure to it throw back in his face as one big, long I told you so.

  “I see your dilemma. I have never heard of a vampire bonding with a witch, although I have seen a bond form between our own kind without the exchange of blood. It is very rare amongst us because it involves both parties falling in love with each other,” Nikola explained as though he were poking fun at Beckett and his love of Helen over the ages. Vampires are too logical for love, they tend to form partnerships for mutual benefits and never fall for all that emotional psycho-dependency dribble associated with love.

  “Are you saying I have fallen in love with a witch?” Beck questioned, knowing the answer already…He loved Mae and with this revelation now knew she loved him too. “But what of Helen?” he thought.

  “It appears there is something odd about this situation. Have you looked at her DNA?” Nikola was
becoming very interested in Beckett’s curious dilemma.

  “No, we are still waiting to find out the results. I know you have turned many. Is there a way to turn someone and not become bonded to them?” Beck knew that Mae was destined to live a long life, a very long life. At some point, she would see Gemma succumb to the ravages of time and age and ask for his help, just as Helen had for her brother.

  “Yes, I learned a long time ago that bonding was more of a hindrance than anything else. When you drink of each other, you will have to do it without bewitchment or any other erotic behavior that may compel you. Detach yourself from the situation fully.” Nikola was glad that Beckett was asking about bonding. It was the one thing besides his love for Helen that kept him dissociated from others of his kind.

  “Thank you for your help Nikola. I will let you know about the DNA results when I get them.”

  “It has been a pleasure and I look forward to chatting with you again soon.” Nikola was certainly very curious about Beckett’s little witch. With that said, they ended their conversation.

  ~~~***~~~

  “Alright Mae, I guess we will try this Aidan’s way since you and dirt don’t play well together. Maybe by removing the dirt from the equation you might succeed in growing something today,” Meredith sighed, looking back at Aidan with annoyance as she soaked the ceramic sheep in water, preparing it for seeds.

  Despite having bathed earlier, Mae was now covered in mud from her attempts to grow the plants Meredith started. Meredith was getting frustrated as well with Mae’s inabilities. Mae couldn’t wrap her head around all of Meredith’s explanations on the flow of nature and becoming one with it. To Mae, it sounded more like a pile of environmentalist psychobabble than a logical explanation of botany.

  Meredith placed the wet ceramic sheep on the table and they added seeds to it. Mae placed her hands over the sheep and concentrated on energy flowing to the seeds. Five minutes later, one of the countless seeds sprouted. She was so excited to finally have something grow, she concentrated even harder and that’s when it all went wrong. Seeds and water exploded all over her from the ceramic sheep, leaving her awash in mud, water, and seeds.

  “I give up!” she exclaimed throwing her hands in the air as Aidan burst out laughing.

  “It’s not that bad Mae, these things take time to master,” Aidan commented, hoping to make her feel better, getting up from the lounger he had been sprawled on moments before.

  Aidan walked up behind Mae and put his arms around her in a bear hug. Mae could feel his touch on her skin, making her tingle with excitement and leaving her confused.

  “Aidan! Cut it out!” Meredith yelled at him.

  When Mae looked down at herself, she could understand why Meredith was yelling. Aidan had sprouted all the seeds that had just landed on her in the moments before. “Not funny Aidan, not funny at all!” Mae exclaimed as he left quickly and went inside.

  “The seeds were not the only reason why I was yelling at him, Mae. I keep forgetting that you are new to all of this and might not understand some of our peculiarities. We witches have a natural attraction to each other, especially those of the opposite sex. Aidan is not blocking himself from you like he should be and now your confusion is written all over your face,” Meredith explained.

  Relief washed over her as Mae began to understand what Meredith was trying to tell her. “So, I don’t have feelings for him?”

  “Do you feel that way when he is not touching you?” She asked before answering.

  “No, I don’t,” Mae shot back, irritated by what had just happened.

  “Then you have nothing to worry about. But I think we need to put a stop to his shenanigans; it’s not right for him to mess with your emotions that way,” Meredith suggested.

  “I totally agree with you.” Mae did not like being toyed with, especially when it involved her emotions. Aidan was going to have to pay for his little prank.

  Mae entered the kitchen through the back door still covered in mud and green sprouts thanks to Aidan. Beck was at the counter fixing a cup of tea and started laughing the moment he saw her.

  “I am sorry. I did not mean to laugh. What happened to you?” Beck inquired.

  “Nature with a touch of Aidan is what happened to me,” she retorted, walking up to where Beck was standing.

  Beck laughed even harder when she mentioned Aidan. Mae threw her arms around him, sharing her muddy mess. “Still think it’s funny?” she asked, now that he was also full of mud and sprouts.

  He returned her hug and kissed her on the nose. “Yes, I still think it is funny and now that you have included me in your mess, I look forward to following you into the shower,” he smiled.

  Mae was glad to know that her feelings for Aidan were just a side effect of being a witch. She now knew without a doubt that she would lose her heart to Beck. She was just not ready to let him know that, at least not yet. For now, she would allow him to share the shower with her and a few stolen kisses before dinner.

  ~~~***~~~

  “Aidan, why must you make a joke of everything? You knew Mae had spent the whole day frustrated with all this nature nonsense and you just had to rub salt in the wound,” Gemma fussed as she and Aidan entered her bedroom.

  “I’m sorry. I just thought it would be funny,” Aidan replied to Gemma’s accusations.

  “Don’t waste your apologies on me! It’s Mae you need to apologize to and just to let you know, I talked to Meredith and heard about your little attraction trick. I am so not amused!” Gemma’s anger infiltrated her voice as she began to gather his clothes. “Not only were you flirting with another woman, that woman just happens to be my best friend, Aidan.”

  “Don’t be mad, Gemma. I didn’t mean anything by it,” Aidan explained as if it were nothing. He knew he had pushed Gemma to her limit. “Oh well it was good while it lasted,” he thought to himself.

  “I think you need to find another room to sleep in tonight. I’m too pissed to deal with you right now.” Gemma threw his clothes at him and pointed to the door. She was well aware of Aidan’s philandering ways and was unwilling to accept them. She planned to end her fling with him for good as soon as she left for home.

  Chapter 7

  The stress around there for the past few days had been unbearable. Mae was still struggling with plants and could only produce mud, lots of it. Meredith was about to snap. She was at her wit’s end trying to help Mae understand. Aidan and Gemma were constantly bickering and Beck spent much of his time working, which left him exhausted both mentally and physically.

  The morning did not start any better. Aidan put salt in the sugar dish, causing both Beck and Meredith to spit their morning tea back into their cups after the first sip; and Mae was in an all-around bad mood. Having been an over-achiever all her life, she was frustrated by her utter failure at growing plants. To make matters worse, Beck had pretty much abandoned her the past couple of days and she craved his attention. They were all gathered around the kitchen table finishing breakfast, when Meredith said in an exasperated tone, “I simply do not know why you cannot understand the basics of plant growth.”

  “I just don’t get it, Meredith. All this talk of energy flowing and allowing the spirit of the plant to enter me doesn’t compute. It’s not your fault my mind can’t process what you’re telling me. Can’t we just move on?” Mae pleaded, not wanting to spend another minute on nature.

  “I wish it were that simple as just moving on, but it is imperative you learn this first,” Meredith sighed, not looking forward to another day of total frustration.

  “What seems to be the problem?” Beck asked, dumping the salt into the garbage and refilling the sugar dish with sugar.

  “No matter how many times Aidan and I explain how to do it Mae can’t grasp the concept and put it to use,” Meredith explained, rising to put her empty plate in the sink.

  “All they tell me is a lot of nature mumbo jumbo that I just don’t get,” Mae offered in her defense, as she leaned bac
k in her chair.

  “I think I know the problem. The witches keep treating you like a witch and not the creature of logic that you are, Mae,” Beck explained as if he suddenly solved the mystery.

  Meredith looked puzzled, “I don’t understand.”

  “Let me work with her this morning. I think I know how to get her to understand,” Beck looked forward to spending some time with Mae. He had spent most of the week buried in his computer room/office and needed a break.

  “I hope you’re right Beck. I don’t think I can take much more of this nature crap,” Mae retorted as she finished the last of the eggs on her plate.

  Beck followed Mae on to the patio, his arms laden with books about plants. They walked to the table where the pots still sat, right where she and Meredith left them the previous day. Beck dropped the books on the table and started to thumb through them.

  “I think you just need a more scientific explanation for you to process the information and use it,” Beck said, handing her one of the books he scanned.

  Mae started reading about seed germination and how the three main parts of a seed work. Beck sat in a chair next to her reading something similar. She was happy to have him here helping her. “I’ve missed you the last couple of days,” she smiled, looking up at him from the book that was sitting in front of her.

  “I missed you, too. That is why I plan on spending the whole day with you today,” it was not his intention to neglect her these past few days, but he had been working so hard, it had become inevitable.

  “I would like that. Now let’s see if your theory works,” she said, ready to try again on whatever Meredith left in the pot.

  She focused on the seeds, visualizing the water and oxygen permeating the seed coat causing the endosperm to swell up and the embryo to grow. She could feel the radical emerging from the seed coat growing downwards to form the roots and the hypocotyls and cotyledons reaching up to form the stem and leaves. The pot was now full of tiny sprouts waiting to absorb morning’s first light.