by Ciarra Sims
“We could be arrested for indecent exposure?”
“To say the least,” Grandmother cautioned. “You remember the dogs rutting in the streets scenario?”
“Grandmother! Like I would allow that!” Tabitha scoffed.
“Oh, allow it you would. You would kill for it. Considered yourself warned.” The older lady looked stern.
“Yes, ma’am,” Tabitha replied dutifully. “Two drops for me and two for him.”
“Yes. For the first dose. After two weeks you must administer a booster dose of two more drops each and then a month later, one drop each. Mix it in whatever liquid you wish. It takes twelve hours exactly, no matter the person’s metabolism, for the first dose to take effect. It is an exact science. But it is not to be taken lightly. You must be certain he is the one you want, child. The aftereffects are primitive and not for the faint of heart. He will want you and only you. In all ways.”
“Forever?”
“Follow the prescribed treatment plan and you will have his heart and body until you release him from the spell. Then if your love is true he will love you for all eternity.”
“Eternity? But what if our love isn’t everlasting and I want to break the spell? How?”
“No. I will not reveal the Sever Spell. It would be too easy to take this contract lightly if you knew how to break it on a whim. It is an involved process nonetheless. Think on it a day or so before you enter into a commitment that is unlike anything you have ever experienced. You are no longer an impulsive child, Tabitha. Think wisely before setting these events into motion. And follow my words precisely for the alternative is beyond your comprehension.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
“Now go on up and bid your sister goodbye. I have some work to do down here, yet.”
“Goodbye, Grandmother. I’m sorry I could not…” The guilt welled forth and Tabitha could not finish the sentence. Would she ever be able to visit her grandmother without these oppressive feelings?
“Your sister Seline is a fine apprentice. You were not meant to be alone and confined. I can see that now. Goodbye, my dear.”
Her grandmother was already humming to her potions and phials and Tabitha knew she had been dismissed. Back in the kitchen her sister waited.
“You are going?” Seline questioned.
“Yes. I must. Are you very lonely here with just Grandmother?”
“No.”
But Tabitha knew Seline was lying. “I’m sorry. I know it should be me here, alone and secluded.”
“No, it shouldn’t, so stop apologizing. It is my destiny. Besides, I am not alone, always. Gram allows me to visit Mother, and our incorrigible brother Tom comes and goes as he chooses. I think even Gram has fallen under his charm spell.”
Tabitha chuckled. “It figures. Tom can wrangle his way into any woman’s heart. I can’t wait for the day when he meets his match.”
Seline nodded agreement, then whispered, “I am to begin attending the covens very soon. Then I will be initiated.”
“Aren’t you frightened?”
“No. Though Gram won’t tell me what is to happen, I know I must remain pure until I am thirty so it can’t be too invasive.”
Tabitha wished she could reassure Seline, but the truth was she did not know what happened at the coven initiations. No one outside the circle knew. And it was forbidden to be revealed. Unable to offer comfort she bade her sister farewell and hugging the phial of precious liquid, folded herself into her Miata and drove back to the hotel.
Chapter Four
Tabitha took the elevator up to her room humming softly to herself. She was getting antsy to try her plan out. Anticipation was her worst enemy. A sudden jolt to her nerves could make her transform unconsciously. She smiled at Davey as he commented on her good mood on the ride up and pressed her floor button.
When she opened the door to her room her senses began to tingle. Someone had been there and it wasn’t the maid service. Tabitha knew their smell just as she knew the scent that wafted to her as soon as she entered her room.
Brenton had been there as sure as Tabitha breathed. But why? The room was empty now, but judging from the fading odor of his male scent mingling with Tuscany cologne spread throughout the suite, he’d not confined his presence to just the chair by the window, as he would have if he’d been sitting, waiting for her to return. The scent was strongest by the bed. Tabitha’s nose twitched. He’d touched the mattress. She smelled his finger oil residue, invisible to any but the sharpest of animal noses, both on the bed sheet and the mattress.
Why in the world would he even be in her room? He’d never come there before. Always Tabitha reported to him. There was no note, nothing to indicate he wanted to see her. Nor that he had been there at all. If it weren’t for her extraordinary sense of smell Tabitha wouldn’t have known she’d had a visitor.
She frowned as she placed the phial of potion carefully on the dresser. Twelve hours until it would take effect. She would take hers now in a glass of water, then she would find Brenton and find a way to administer his. Twelve hours would be the early morning, purrfect for Tabitha’s libido and metabolism. A rush of warm wetness pooled at the juncture of her thighs. She was going to find out things about Brenton and this sex thing that would make all the years of waiting worth it. And maybe if she could spare her tongue for other things, she would ask Brenton why he had been in her room.
Tabitha stripped and took a warm shower. It took all her willpower not to touch herself and bring about the release she habitually craved ever since she had met Brenton, but she wanted it all saved for him and their passionate encounter. She wasn’t sure how the potion worked but she had an idea it caused both her and Brenton to release a pheromone compound that their basic chemistry recognized on each other and no one else was aware of. And she wanted to make sure everything was perfect for their tryst.
Wrapped in a towel Tabitha took up the potion and uncapped the golden cork. She couldn’t help sniffing the phial. Nothing. No odor, not even a faint trace. Maybe it wasn’t potent any longer. There was no telling how old it was. Probably centuries as Grandmother had once told her some things in the locked cabinet were irreplaceable. She placed a drop on her finger and licked it. No taste.
Well she would just make sure if it had lost its potency to take a precaution and double the dose. So instead of two drops she dripped four into a glass of cool water and drank it down. Even if the potion was at full potency what harm could two minute extra drops do? And she could always get more from Grandmother to complete the treatment.
She felt fine so she transformed and groomed herself to perfection before taking a short nap before dinnertime. At four she dressed with a vengeance, choosing a body-conscious ribbed knit dress in periwinkle that looked sensational with her dark auburn hair, styled in sexy disarray. The platinum and black high-heeled pumps shaped her legs provocatively. This would be Brenton’s last chance to redeem himself and save his fate at the hands of the potion.
Tabitha took the phial and tucked it securely inside her small buttery soft clutch purse. She wondered if Brenton was busy that evening. No matter if he was. She would simply find a way to administer the potion then be on her way. In twelve hours he would be all hers…cock, stock and barrel.
This time when she took the elevator up to the penthouse she had the satisfaction of seeing Davey’s eyes open wide at her choice of outfits and he whistled appreciatively. “You look wonderful, Ms. Fenwick. You must have big plans this evening.”
Tabitha smiled sweetly, “The biggest, Davey. Did you take anyone else up to Brenton’s…uh, Mr. Calder’s this evening?”
“Oh, no, ma’am. He’s been up there alone, all day.”
“Really?” Tabitha thought that odd since she knew for a fact, he’d been in her room sometime earlier that day. Perhaps he’d taken the stairs. But why? Unless he didn’t want to be seen. This was most curious.
She used her passkey but it didn’t open Brenton’s door. He’d had the c
ode changed and even her master key wouldn’t open it! Another enigma. She knocked softly, fighting the urge to kick the door soundly. She was not a patient female or feline.
Brenton called out, “Who is it?” His voice was muffled through the door.
What was this nonsense? Why was Brenton exercising such caution? “It’s Tabitha.”
The door was opened and looking almost relieved Brenton smiled down at her. “Tabitha, you’re back! You were gone almost all day.”
“No. I’ve been back a few hours.” Her heart did a funny leap. Was he really glad to see her? His sexy half-smile said he was. Maybe the potion wasn’t going to be needed…if she was reading Brenton’s signals right.
“Didn’t you get the message I left at the front desk that I wanted to see you?” Brenton looked irritated and the smile was gone. “Maybe I should get you a beeper.”
Tabitha resented his tone. She was not a dog to be called to his side. She was dying to say, “Yes, I got the message but chose to ignore it.” But she resisted the impulse to further irritate him and chose the truth. “No. I was given no message.” Then to bait him she continued, “But you could have left one in my room, just to be sure I received it.”
“No. I don’t go into my employees’ rooms. It doesn’t look right.”
Tabitha tilted her head. He was lying, covering his tracks.
He continued, “Anyway, you’re here now, so it doesn’t matter. Have dinner with me, will you? We need to talk business.” He seemed to notice her appearance for the first time, but only glanced at her dress in a cursory appraisal. “Unless you have other plans?”
“No. I have all evening,” Tabitha purred. And I’ll have you very soon. The fact he hadn’t even had the inclination to flirt with her by telling her she looked nice sealed his fate. In twelve hours you’re going to want me so bad, you’ll be screaming how good I look underneath you. If I let you be on top.
“Good. I just now ordered from room service. Go ahead and call and add yours on. I was just dressing.”
Tabitha noticed his very expensive Enrico Venturi golden tan shirt was misbuttoned, as if he’d hurriedly donned it without stopping to check his appearance in the floor-length mirror he kept for that very purpose. This distraction was most out of character with her boss. Likewise, there was a wrinkle in the usually crisp espresso shaded, creased trousers he wore, and he was barefoot.
As Brenton disappeared back in the bedroom Tabitha called, “Do you have any wine?”
“In the fridge,” he yelled back.
Tabitha found an open bottle of white zinfandel. She didn’t even warrant an unopened bottle of expensive champagne such as Brenton lavished on his tall blonde companions he ritually kept company with. Without remorse Tabitha found two Baccarat crystal wineglasses and poured the zinfandel. She only poured a small amount into Brenton’s to ensure he would consume the whole dose. Then she added two drops of the potion, then two more. Then remembering the trouble she had gone through to look attractive for him and he hadn’t even noticed, Tabitha emptied the last of the potion into his glass.
Without compunction, she ordered braised chicken with creamed mushroom sauce from room service and charged it to Brenton’s guest tab. When Brenton joined her, he was properly clad, his feet stuffed into a pair of brown Ferragamo loafers and his sandy hair combed back and styled into place. The delicious smell of Tuscany drifted from his person.
Tabitha casually handed him his glass, as without a word he took a generous swallow. Tabitha watched him closely, but the potion must truly not have had any taste. Brenton took another swallow and drained the glass without comment.
They sat at the Louis XV dining table and ate their dinners after room service delivered them. Brenton seemed to be more at ease but he drank a lot of water and Tabitha too, found herself thirsty. As she sipped and tried not to gulp the cool liquid, Brenton casually remarked, “Too bad about Diamond Charlie.”
Tabitha paused, her glass halfway to her lips. “What about him?”
“You haven’t heard, then? He’s dead.”
“He was out of shape and begging for a coronary with all the junk food he ate. I’m not surprised.” Tabitha shrugged without sympathy.
“He fell twenty floors from the Granada Hotel balcony across town,” Brenton answered, his tone gruff. “I don’t think high cholesterol contributed to his death.”
“Someone must have caught him in the act of thievery and decided to finish him off,” Tabitha reasoned.
“Yeah,” was all Brenton replied. He sipped his water slowly, then hurried on, “When you were in his room and retrieved Agatha Winters necklace, you didn’t happen to find anything else, did you?”
“Like what?” Tabitha hedged.
“Like anything else. It’s a simple question, Tabitha. Yes or no.” His tone was low and forceful.
“He had some glow in the dark condoms and leather toys in the bedside drawer. You interested in those?” Tabitha teased. “I didn’t take you for a kinky man but you never know what secrets people hide.” Tabitha wished she had taken the sex toys. They might come in handy in a little less than twelve hours. If the potion worked and it was a very big if.
Tabitha figured she should be feeling something, extra body heat, the urge to rub up against Brenton and feel how hard he was. That was, if she excited him, which so far didn’t seem to be the case as he was regarding her intently but with less passion than a bowl of fruit.
“Tabitha, it’s important. Did you help yourself to anything else?” He was half out of his chair and reached with a snake’s speed to grab her wrist in an iron clasp.
“What’s the big deal? Charlie steals from others, so I stole from him.”
“What did you take?” Brenton’s voice was low and deadly.
Tabitha pulled her wrist but he didn’t release his grip. Instead he came around to her side of the table and pulled her to her feet. “Where is it?” His tone would brook no argument.
“It was only some cash. Nine thousand dollars. Chump change to Charlie.” Tabitha tried to pry his grip from her wrist but it was clamped like a vise.
“Where’s the money now?”
“It’s not in my room, as you well know!” She narrowed her eyes.
He had the grace to look uneasy before answering. “You are an employee and I can’t condone thievery. You have to give me the money.”
“The hell I do! If Diamond Charlie is dead then the money has no way to be traced. It’s mine, or rather charity’s.”
“You gave the nine thousand to a charity?”
“Not yet. But I’m going to.”
“I can’t let you do that.” Brenton sounded definite.
“Since when do you care about a measly nine thousand dollars that a two-bit thief stole in the first place? And you changed your door combo. What’s going on, Brenton?”
“I can’t tell you that either. Where is the money?”
“It’s safe. And that’s where it will stay until you tell me what’s going on.”
At the assurance that the money was still in her possession Brenton loosened his hold on her wrist. A bright red weal appeared. Almost ashamed, he rubbed at it, his fingertips brushing against her skin.
Tabitha watched his motions, wanting him to lick the weal, then continue to lick her whole body until she cried for more of what she had experienced earlier that week. She wanted to sink down to the floor and hike up her dress so Brenton could see her naturally burgundy bush and her equally alluring pussy that begged to be petted and stroked. Maybe the potion was working or maybe Tabitha was just horny for her chosen one to take her and penetrate her every which way imaginable.
But Brenton dropped her wrist and stepped back. “Is the money here in the Arpel?”
“No. But it’s safe,” she repeated.
“Tomorrow you will take me to it.”
“Not unless you tell me why and if it has something to do with Diamond Charlie’s 200 foot drop.”
“Tabitha, I can’t te
ll you that. It would be too dangerous. You have to trust me.”
“No, I don’t.” Seeing he wasn’t about to back down and knowing by tomorrow if the potion worked, the money would be the last thing on his mind, Tabitha suddenly acquiesced. “All right. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the money.”
He took her at her word and looked relieved. His face took on the easygoing smile she was accustomed to. “I’ll replace the money, if it makes you happy to give it to charity. Fine. Just not that money.”
Tabitha shrugged. It was no matter to her. But the fact that it was so important to him that he would search her room and lie about it was intriguing. “Can I go now? I have some work-related things to do since I took today off.”
He looked disappointed and Tabitha watched him scan over her shapely form in the body-hugging dress. Finally, she was getting some appreciation.
But his tone was all business. “Of course. I’ll expect you here at nine in the morning. We’ll go together to retrieve the money.”
Tabitha only smiled. He would see her hours before that for other reasons.
* * * * *
Tabitha spent the rest of the evening preparing for what was to be the most memorable of her sexual life. She set out her black lace Victoria’s Secret teddy and made plans to order a bottle of champagne and fresh strawberries, despite the early morning hours they would be requested. For Brenton, the hotel staff would jump as high as they were told, and catering to his requests was a requirement of employment.
Tabitha had planned on letting herself into Brenton’s penthouse at 4 a.m. and sliding into his bed for a few lessons before ordering the champagne and strawberries. But since he had changed the combination and her pass card was invalid she would have to wake him up to be let in. She was counting on getting close enough to let the potion take effect, but just in case it didn’t work, she had an excuse about being worried about the money, for visiting at such an unorthodox hour.