by Linda Mooney
Booey and his boob fetish. Rick nodded slightly. “What about her?”
“She picked up a beer bottle while she was dancing, and she started pouring beer out of it!”
Rick snorted. “So?”
“I mean, it kept pouring beer! One guy grabbed an empty pitcher and put it under her, and she filled up the fucking pitcher with beer!”
“So?”
“A whole goddamn pitcher from one fucking bottle?”
“Maybe it was a bigger bottle than you thought. Or maybe it was some kind of trick bottle.”
“Or maybe you're just too fucking stupid to see the truth,” Booey shot back.
Rick frowned at him, but the man continued.
“No. I know what it is. Your pecker is doing all of your thinking for you, isn't it? You're so busy trying to figure out how to get laid by that witch, that you can't see her for what she really is.”
“Awright, awright, awright! ” He sat up on the edge of the bed, knowing it was futile to try and get any sleep as long as the subject remained open. “Awright. Let's say for the sake of argument that Kim and her sisters really are witches. Let's say witches really do exist. What's so bad about trying to date them?”
Booey looked as if he was about to go apoplectic. “Are you shitting me? Isn't it obvious? They could turn you into a-a-a toad or something!”
Nope. No toad. Kimberly already said she doesn’t have that kind of power, Rick mentally informed the man. He snorted. “Yeah. Right.”
Booey narrowed his eyes at him. “You're really smitten with that girl, aren't you?”
Smitten? That’s probably the understatement of the year. “I think she's hot. And we hit it off,” Rick admitted.
“I don't believe it!” Booey threw his hands up in the air in shock and disgust. “I don't fucking believe it! You're willing to risk everything over a piece of ass!”
“Booey.”
“And what's going to happen when the newness wears off, and you break off the relationship?” Booey demanded to know. “What are you going to do to protect yourself when she and her sisters cast a spell on you?”
“Booey, stop it. Will you listen to yourself? You sound like some kind of witch vigilante!”
“Hey, man, don't you remember what they used to do to witches, back in the olden days?”
“Booey, the Salem witch trials took place in the sixteen hundreds. And their victims were all innocent townsfolk who got caught up in superstitious nonsense, the same way you are now!”
There was a rare moment of silence until Booey spoke again. “You really think it was all a magic trick?”
“Booey, tomorrow's Halloween. We're two newbies in town. Do the math.”
The silence stretched for several more minutes. Rick laid back down and was nearly asleep when his friend broached the subject one final time.
“Are you planning on seeing her again?”
“Yeah. We're meeting after I get off work tomorrow,” he managed to mumble.
“Aww, man.” The guy was definitely perturbed over the fact that he hadn't been able to dissuade his friend from having anything to do with the Blakeney woman.
It didn't matter. After Kimberly kissed him, Rick knew his fate was sealed. If ever there was a little voice sitting on his shoulder, telling him he'd reached a crossroads in his life, it was now.
With a grin on his face, and the sound of the nearby ocean in his ears, Rick quickly slipped into unconsciousness. If Booey said anything further, he never heard him.
Chapter Six
Her whole body felt a-buzz. Tingling.
Her sisters must have sensed the change in her because talk was pretty subdued all the way back to the farm. It wasn't until they were nearly to the Coniff farm that Penny voiced what they all must have been thinking.
“I'm so jealous of you, Kimmy.”
“Don't be. Your time is coming,” Kimberly reminded her.
“That may be,” Sandy said. “But considering you're not the firstborn, and to have already found your intended...”
“Now, we don't know that for certain,” Tammy interjected as she drove their van around the potholes in the rutted road. “Remember, Kimmy. You thought twice before that you'd found the right man, but the sex hex proved you wrong.”
Oldest sister was right. The sex hex was the final exam meant to show them whether or not the person they'd found was meant to complete them, and it was never wrong.
A shiver of anticipation raced through her. Kimberly felt her skin grow taut. Tomorrow night was Halloween. If Rick was meant to be her true one, she had to perform the sex hex on him before midnight.
“Aww, look at what Daddy did!” Amy cried, pointing out the windshield.
“How sweet! Look, Kimmy!” Sandy told her twin.
She was looking. Daddy had called down thousands upon thousands of ice crystals from the clouds to spell out Congratulations across the front lawn. The letters glittered like diamonds.
Penny giggled. “He seems to think you've found your man.”
“If anyone would know, Daddy would,” Tammy responded, and pulled the van around the house.
They piled out and stumbled into the house, going to their individual rooms to sleep off the alcohol. Instead of following their lead, Kimberly walked into the kitchen where she knew their father would be waiting.
She stood in the doorway, watching him wash the bowl he'd used for his potion, and prop it in the drain board to air dry. She smiled when, instead of using a dishtowel to wipe his hands, he swiped them across his pants legs. It was a habit that used to irritate her mother. When he was done, he turned to her and smiled.
“Thank you, Daddy,” she said.
He held out his arms, and she readily walked into his embrace. A kiss was pressed to the top of her head. “He's the one,” she murmured against his chest. “I feel it, I smell it, I hear it, and I taste it. I can't explain how I'm so sure, but my body feels like it's no longer mine. My brain is numb, but everything inside me...”
“Your heart is calling,” her father told her. “Don't ignore it. It's your truest voice.”
“So you think Rick is meant to be?” She could hear his breathing, like two giant bellows inside his immense chest. His own heartbeat was a steady, comforting sound.
“All I can sense is how your body is reacting,” he told her. “It makes me remember how I felt when I first met your mother. When can I meet this young man?”
“Tomorrow.” She leaned back and looked up at him. The years had not been cruel. Manderly Blakeney was as dynamically handsome now as he had been twenty-eight years ago when he and Bianca had married, and there were family photos to prove it.
“I have to do the sex hex with him tomorrow night.”
“Before midnight.”
“I know,” she nodded.
Her father narrowed his eyes at her, then tilted his head. “You haven't told him about the sex hex yet?”
“No,” Kimberly admitted. “He thinks we're going trick-or-treating.”
“Some trick or treat. I suspect there will be more treating than tricking going on tomorrow evening,” her father rumbled, and she laughed. “Go to bed, Kimmy. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, and we all need our rest.”
She kissed his cheek. “Good night, Daddy. Thank you.”
He grunted in reply, and she left for bed, but not before she heard him whisper, “Sleep well, Kimmy. After tomorrow, our family will never be the same.”
Chapter Seven
Rick spent the whole day trying to immerse himself into his new job. When he didn't, all he could think about was his date with Kimberly, and the seductive promise she'd left him with.
“I think tomorrow night will be our night, Rick.”
Halloween night. With a witch. The timing couldn't have been more appropriate.
“I think tomorrow night will be our night, Rick.”
If he stopped to think about it, everyone would notice his hard-on. Of course, if it was just him and the gu
ys, he wouldn't be so conscious about his erection, but there were women working at the plant. Women of all ages, from Cassie who sat at the front desk, to Mrs. Shaffer in packing, and she had to be all of seventy. A dude didn't flaunt his wood in front of other women, especially the grandmothers. So he kept busy, unloading the incoming boats, hauling heavy boxes and bins. Working on the loading dock, and helping with the hoist and crane. In short, trying to make the hours go by as quickly as possible.
He rarely saw Booey throughout the day. His friend had been assigned to work in shipping. They hadn't said much when they'd gotten up that morning to get ready. It was a rare instance of little conversation that Rick savored all the way to the plant.
While taking a quick break to run to the restroom, Abrams grabbed his shoulder in passing. “Hey, Carr. Planning on staying the night?”
“Huh?”
The old man gave him a crooked smile. “Quittin' time was ten minutes ago. I thought you would have been out of here on the dot.”
Rick glanced outside and for the first time noticed the gathering sunset. “Oh, geesh. It is. Thanks, Mr. Abrams.”
“Your mind has definitely been on other things today, I'll say that for you.”
Rick stared at him without replying, afraid that if the old man didn't believe he was giving his all, he'd be canned. And on his second day on the job.
“Going out trick or treating? Yeah, I know it's a kid's holiday, but sometimes I know you young people like to go out. Maybe to a party. Kick up your heels.” Abrams gave him a little wink.
Rick smiled. “I will say it makes for an unusual date night. A different alternative to burgers and a movie.”
Abrams chuckled. “Get out of here and go enjoy yourself. I'll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Say, has Booey left yet? Do you know?”
“Yeah. I think I saw him heading out earlier.”
Well, hell. That meant he would have to hoof it back to the inn, but it was no biggie. He still had plenty of time to shower and shave before meeting Kimberly out in front.
Walking the four blocks to the inn helped to revive him. The weather promised to be clear, and the temperature was expected to drop near freezing. The encroaching cold made him walk faster to get his blood pumping, so that by the time he got to the room, he was mentally and physically psyched up for his date with Kimberly.
Booey was not in the room. Neither had Rick seen any sign of the guy's car outside. He'd told Booey that morning that he and Kimberly were planning on having dinner together, and maybe go running around afterwards. Rick figured his friend had gone off to grab a bite to eat on his own.
Walking by the window, Rick looked out at the beautiful sunset and the way the light played on the white caps in the distance. A cry of laughter drew his attention downward where a mother and two kids dressed in costume passed by on the sidewalk. The revelers were already going from door to door.
Stepping inside the old claw foot bathtub, Rick glanced at his cock. His erection had flagged slightly, but it had never disappeared. He grabbed himself, lightly pulling at the skin, teasing himself. He closed his eyes as the warm spray from the shower struck the extended head like little teeth gently nipping the surface. All day he had caught himself wondering how experienced Kimberly was in lovemaking. Was she the sort who wanted it missionary only? Or would she go for a little doggy action? Did she give head? Would she allow him a bit of anal play?
Whoa, dude. Hold off. Take it easy tonight. Remember, she may not want to push that envelope yet. Give her time. But at the first sign she gives you that look that says “Come on, big boy...”
He finished up with a shave, and got dressed, noting he'd have to find a laundromat pretty soon. Which reminded him that he needed to ask someone at the plant when pay days were.
Kimberly was waiting for him outside. She turned upon hearing the front door open, and Rick paused to see her standing there with the sunset framed behind her. She smiled as she looked at him curiously.
“What?”
“You look... I wish I had a camera so I could take your picture right now. You're very beautiful, Kimberly.”
“Kim. Call me Kim. Or Kimmy. My teachers were the only ones who called me Kimberly,” she giggled. “And thank you for the compliment.” She reached up to touch his cheek as he leaned in to kiss her. “Mmm, you shaved.”
“Trust me, I looked like shit when I got back from the plant. Probably smelled like it, too.” He snaked an arm around her waist and drew her next to him. Her hair was silk against his face.
They kissed again, letting their lips linger, until she pulled away. “Umm, Rick?”
“Mmm?”
“Instead of going somewhere to eat, would you mind if...” She looked up at him, and he found himself smiling into the dark depths of her eyes. “I fixed us a picnic dinner.”
Rick paused. “A picnic? In this weather?”
“What? You've never gone on a picnic when it's cold?” she laughed.
“Frankly, no.”
“Well, come on!” Grabbing his hand, she tugged on it to lead him down the steps toward the old microbus sitting at the curb.
“Don't tell me that's your van?” he chuckled, letting her lead the way.
“All right, I won't.” She left him by the passenger side door, and skipped around the vehicle to get under the wheel. Rick hopped inside. She drove them away from town and out into the countryside, taking a narrow two-lane blacktop without any identifying signs to tell him where he was, then turning onto a single lane dirt road. It was full dark when they reached a gate attached to a barbed-wire fence. Kimberly got out to open it. Once they drove past it, she kept going. Rick pointedly looked back.
“It's okay,” she told him. “We're on our property.”
“This is your land?” He tried to peer out past the headlights, but couldn't make out much, other than the fact that they seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't long before they were passing plowed rows filled with withering vines. And pumpkins. In fact, as far as he could see, the field was littered with pumpkins in varying shades of orange, and in all shapes and sizes.
The van slowed down. Up ahead was an enormous old-fashioned wagon already partially filled with the gourds. Kimberly pulled around and stopped beside it. “We're here!” she chipperly announced, cutting the engine and lights, and getting out. Rick crawled out on his side where she had opened the sliding side door and was pulling out a thick quilt.
“Here. Let me do that,” he offered, taking it from her. “Where do you want me to put it?”
“This way.” She closed the door, and everything went almost pitch black. They waited for their eyes to adjust before Kimberly went ahead, leading him directly into the field. Rick watched the seductive sway of her hips, acutely aware of the fact that his boner was just as attentive as ever. Good thing he could use the quilt to hide the bulge in his pants.
They were about fifty yards away from the microbus when Kimberly stopped to point at the ground. “Here. Here will be perfect.”
Her breath expelled in misty clouds of vapor in the chill. Rick shook open the quilt and laid it on top of the area that had been smoothed out. Maybe in preparation? He glanced back over his shoulder. “Do you think one quilt will be enough?” he laughed. Come to think of it... “Didn't we forget something?”
She dropped to her knees, pausing to look up at him. “No. This blanket will do just fine. What did we forget?”
“Our dinner? I don't remember seeing a picnic basket in the back. Are we being catered?” he joked. The cold was beginning to seep through his jacket and his jeans, wilting his erection. Rick dug his hands into the pockets, wondering what was next.
Kimberly sighed as she sat back on her heels. Clouds moved across the three-quarter moon, casting a pitiful amount of light. He could barely make out her face.
“Rick, it's time I was honest with you,” she said softly. He could hear her hesitation.
“Honest about what? That you're a witch
?”
She giggled. “It has to do with that, yes.”
“Does it have something to do with why we're out here, in the middle of the night, on Halloween night, for that matter?” He sat on the quilt in front of her.
“Uh-huh. Rick...” She scooted closer until their knees touch. “Maybe it's best if I start at the beginning.”
“The beginning is good,” he smiled. She returned it, encouraged by the fact that he was being patient with her.
“Did you know there are several different kinds of witches?”
“What do you mean? Like good witches and bad witches?”
She giggled. “That, too. But some of us are more rural. We're more closely connected to nature. To the animals and plants. Are you following me so far?”
He nodded.
“Daddy is a warlock. In fact, he's a tempus warlock, which means his spells all revolve around certain times of the day and year. My sisters and I were all born on specific dates on the calendar. Because we're all tempus born, everything we do in life is specifically dictated by that time of the year.”
“Let me guess. You're related to Halloween?”
“Yes.” Her smile grew wider. “In fact, today's my birthday.”
“Oh, Kim! I wish I'd known. I would have gotten you a card or something. Or, I could have brought you a fish.”
His comment made her laugh, which he had hoped it would. She also seemed less agitated when she was ready to continue.
“I'm still waiting to hear why we're out here freezing our butts off in the middle of a pumpkin field,” he reminded her.
“Rick, a lot of men have tried to put the moves on me and my sisters. They've all failed. You know why?” She didn't wait for his answer, but plowed on ahead. “Because we're what Daddy calls heart call witches. We heed the call of our hearts when that one true person steps into our lives. When we discover who that person is, we have to put them through one final test to verify that he is the one person destined for us.”
“A heart call witch? Never heard of such a thing.”