Ginger Bites
Crymsyn Hart
Copyright © December 2012, Crymsyn Hart
Cover art by Mina Carter © December 2012
ISBN 978-1-939151-08-7
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this novel are fictitious or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Sugar and Spice Press
North Carolina, USA
www.sugarnspicepress.com
Prologue
He licked a line along her throat, savoring the salty tang, but there was also another taste he could not quite place. It reminded Kevin of something he had not had in a long time, something savory that brought to mind the image of warm fireplaces and old, lumpy grandmothers who baked all day with smiles on their faces. Kevin paused and glanced at his date, pondering how he had landed such an amazing woman. Long, curly red hair framed a heart-shaped face. Her eyes were so green it seemed he could see Ireland in them. Her body was lithe and sculpted in all the right places. Her breasts were magnificent underneath the black sweater. When she bent over he saw a hint of the red satin bra she wore and he wondered if she was wearing matching panties.
“Is everything okay?” his date asked.
He nodded and felt his cheeks redden. “Yes. Sorry. It’s just you taste so good, and I can’t place it. What are you wearing?”
Ginger’s eyes brightened when she smiled. “Oh, that! I thought there was something wrong with me.”
He brushed a piece of hair from her face and his finger caught on something rough on her cheek. “There’s nothing wrong with you at all. What is that lovely flavor? It reminds me of something so familiar.”
She sighed and rolled her shoulders. “It’s gingerbread with a hint of vanilla.”
His eyes widened. “Yes. That’s it. Kinda like frosting.”
“I do work in a bakery.”
“Right, I forgot about that. You must be swamped this time of year.”
“Yes. We’re very busy with the holiday season. Things don’t stop from October through Valentine’s Day. After that, we get a little reprieve, but there’s only a slight one. The bakery’s been in business for over eighty years. Christian’s always elbow-deep in flour and using vanilla. I think I’m steeped in it.”
“It smells wonderful on you.” Kevin leaned in a little closer and noticed there was a crack in her skin. It was very faint. “That’s odd.”
Ginger’s luscious mouth turned down in a frown. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. It’s probably a loose hair, but you have something on your cheek. It wasn’t there a minute ago.” He pushed against the fissure and actually saw it widen along her flesh. When Kevin pulled his finger way, that small piece of skin, the size of his thumbnail, fell onto his lap. Underneath her pale, pink skin was a brown spot.
His date picked up the fragment and stared at it. “Damn it.”
Kevin’s heart fluttered. “What is it? Did I hurt you? Do you have some flesh eating virus you infected me with or something?”
Ginger laughed and flipped open a compact to stare at her reflection. She poked at her cheek. Kevin watched another hairline chink form. Another fleck fell off and that made him queasy. He jumped back against the sofa, feeling it glide across the hardwood floor. His date smeared a small pad from the compact across her cheek. The faint scent of vanilla wafted to his nose and made his mouth water. What brand of makeup did she use to get that particular scent? As she swiped it across her cheek, trying to blend it with the rest of her face, he noticed tiny lines had appeared across her brow.
“So what is it then?” he asked.
She paused reapplying her makeup and groaned. “It means I’m hungry. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen so soon. I was starting to get into you.”
“But we just ate a little while ago.”
“Yeah…that was really good, but I’m hungry for something else.” She grinned, showing him pointed teeth that only a moment ago were perfect and white. Now they were yellowed and jagged. Ginger snapped the compact shut and licked her lips. Her green eyes had gone blood red and had a glint of something sinister in them. She slid closer to him and walked her fingers up his leg.
Kevin shied away from his date, but there was nowhere to go. Ginger crawled on top of him and kissed his throat. The aroma of gingerbread overwhelmed his senses, worming into his brain so all he could think of was happy, childhood Christmas memories of his mother handing out presents and of sitting by the fire waiting for Santa Claus with milk and cookies on the table. He heard reindeer hooves clattering on the rooftop and not the screams that were torn from his mouth while Ginger ripped a chunk from his neck and swallowed the flesh. The last memory Kevin had was savoring his mother’s chocolate pecan pie and he died with a smile on his face.
* * * *
Ginger stared into her compact and grimaced at the sight. She removed a wet wipe from its packaging and daubed at the speckles of blood on her skin. Beside her, her date’s remains lay on the couch. Kevin had been a tasty one and she had really enjoyed his company, but going by way of all the others before him, she just had to eat him. If not, her exterior would have completely crumbled. It was all part of her curse. If she did not consume human flesh, then the real world would see her true nature. For years, she had yearned to be a normal woman, but she was never born that way. She had not been born at all. Only formed by an evil wizard who thought bringing her to life would be amusing.
She sighed and looked at the mess she had made. The walls and the furniture were splashed with bits of Kevin. Her dress was ruined. Ginger got up, gathered her things, and slipped out of the building. Once outside, she slipped into her car and drove the rest of the way home still trying to get the taste of blood from her lips.
Chapter One
A fresh blanket of fine snow lay across the ground. The sun was cresting on the cold horizon and she had slept through her alarm clock. Today they were rolling, cutting out, and decorating dozens of gingerbread cookies. Her favorite.
Ginger dabbed at her cheek, checking for any signs of breakage. Her worst fear was to wake up and see that her exterior had cracked, forcing her to eat a man again. But her skin was supple and her red hair fell in ringlets down her back. It was always the most luxurious after she ate. The wizard used to love watching her when she would feast. Her maker would even throw her men and command her to eat them when she was not hungry. Thankfully, she was out from under his thumb.
“How was your date last night?” Christian asked.
Ginger rolled her eyes as she stuffed her purse into her cubbyhole in the office and grabbed her apron from the hook on the wall. “Swell. How was your night?” She glanced at her friend who sported several smudges of flour across her face and a bit of brown sugar on her apron.
“You ended up eating him, didn’t you?”
She shrugged.
Christian wrapped her arms around Ginger’s neck and pulled her into a tight hug. Her friend smelled of cherries and anise. The owner was the third generation baker, her best friend, and the only one who knew her secret because she had been watching over their family for over ten generations. It had been Christian’s ten times great-grandmother who had given Ginger refuge from the wizard. Ginger had promised to protect the family from whatever hardships that arose. She had done her best and watched out for them. For the most part, they had all been successful. There were never more than two children born to a generation. Where they moved, she would go. Sometimes she lived with the family, and other times she stayed off in the distance. The family had come to her for funding the bakery and help. All the years of her life she had stashed things away and invested in stocks. Somehow she had a sixth sense ab
out anything to do with food and her hunches always panned out. She attributed it to the sorcerer’s warped sense of humor when he baked her. Ginger could feel pain and she bled. Over the centuries, she had been shot, stabbed, and even hung, but that had only ruined her perfect exterior and forced her to eat a couple of men so she could be human looking again. In the beginning, the wizard had tortured her to see how much pain she could endure and how quickly she healed. She swore when she found her freedom she would never be dominated by another person ever.
Ginger returned the hug firmly and pulled away. She could not look her friend in the eye. The guilt of last night’s activities rolled over her. It always did. She sniffled and wiped her tears away. “I couldn’t help it. My face cracked and he saw it. I tried the new concoction you mixed for me...but it didn’t do any good. Why won’t this curse just end?”
“Hmm... We’ll just have to try something else. Maybe I need to add more industrial plaster to the frosting mixture. Maybe Plaster of Paris this time will make it stick better. Sweetie, you can’t run around with your cookie showing. What would that say about you?”
She tasted the salt of her tears sliding down the back of her throat. “It’d say I’m a gigantic gingerbread chick who wants to be eaten.”
“Aww... You don’t want to be eaten, you just want to stop eating people and find someone to get a little nookie out of your cookie.”
Ginger snorted. “Nookie isn’t the problem. I can do that all day long and it doesn’t solve any problems. I’ve been trying for five hundred years to figure out how to escape this damn curse, but every witch, soothsayer, or magician I’ve come across all tell me the same thing. And...”
The bell above the door rang before she could finish her sentence. Christian poked Ginger. “That’s you, chickie.”
“You know I hate waiting on customers. What if it’s that creep who wants to jump my bones?” Ginger groaned.
Her friend rolled her eyes. “Sorry. That’s what you get for coming in late. Them’s the rules. And just eat him if he comes in again.”
Ginger stuck her tongue out while tying her apron around her waist. She checked her makeup, making sure there were no flaws before fluffing her hair in the mirror and then stepping into the storefront. When she did, the sweet scent of all the baked good assailed her senses. Ginger winced at the aroma. Although most found it pleasing to walk into a bakery and take in the wondrous perfume of cakes and cookies that took them back to their childhood, it did not do the same thing for her. On that first whiff of sugary sweetness, she was taken back to the first time she drew breath and smelled the fragrance of baked gingerbread and realized that it was her. Every time she had smelled it since, it made her cringe. However, she did not deny the bakery to make all those delightful treats that children loved to leave out for Santa with their glass of milk or make sheets of it when they built their gingerbread houses for the holiday shows. Gritting her teeth, she tried to put on a charming smile so she could sell whatever delicacies the customers wanted.
When she strolled into the front of the bakery, she was met with a man studying the front window display of gingerbread houses. He was short and stout. She recognized him immediately, always wearing a plaid shirt. As he turned, his eyes settled on her. He smiled.
“My, my, aren’t you a beauty this morning?” he said.
She gritted her teeth. “What are you doing here? You were told not to come back.”
He opened his arms. “I can’t help it. I’m drawn to you.”
What Christian said echoed through her mind. She could eat him, but that would not get her anywhere. “If you don’t get out, I’m going to call the police.”
The customer laughed. “There’s nothing they can do, darlin’. I’ll just eat them.” His grin widened. He stepped closer to her and leaned in so he was only inches from her ear. “Soon, I’ll come and pay you a visit.”
“You can come and pay me a visit, but you might not like what you find. Now get out of here!”
He grabbed one of her arms and squeezed it, pulling her close. “You have no idea what I am capable of. You should be nice to me.”
The bell rang again. Her visitor released her arm and flashed her a warm smile. “I’ll let you get to your customers. See you soon.” He exited the shop and Ginger was left with a woman and her child standing at the door, looking around.
“Mommy, can I have something?”
“Go look around,” his mother snapped.
Ginger watched as the small child pressed his face against the glass display case that housed their latest batch of cinnamon rolls, double chocolate chip scones, and peppermint cupcakes that were each topped with antlers and different reindeer names. Irritation rolled through her, but she quelled it the best she could. The mother of the little brat was waiting at the counter with an annoyed expression on her face. The clicking of her nails on the glass counter grated on Ginger’s already frayed nerves.
“Can I help you?” she asked, trying to sound hospitable.
“I’m here to pick up three dozen cupcakes for my son’s birthday party. They were supposed to be ready today. Can you go get them, please?” the woman ordered.
Ginger pulled out the book where they kept all larger orders. “What’s the name, please?”
“Wollman! I already paid for the order, or did you lose that too?”
She counted to five and weighed what she would say to the woman. “No. We have your receipt right here, ma’am. I was about to give you a copy and get your cupcakes, but your son has decided to reach into our display and help himself to the gingerbread houses. If you could get a better hold of the impish brat, I’ll go fetch your order. How does that sound?”
The customer’s mouth formed into an O and she huffed while Ginger turned and sauntered back into the kitchen. Christian was hiding her giggles. She went to one of the racks where they had placed the cupcakes in a box and gathered up the order. Ginger did not care if she had offended her or not. Her jaw ached. She licked her lips at the thought of what a tasty morsel the child would be. Ginger shook her head. She had not eaten a child since the wizard had forced her to and even then the remorse she felt about it devastated her, but this particular one had it coming. Or maybe the mother did because she was not paying attention to the little monster.
“Now, Ginger, be nice. We don’t want to scare off the clients. She paid for the cupcakes so just get her out of here before your teeth come out.” Her friend chuckled.
Ginger feigned a smile and pushed the door open with her back while carrying the box of cupcakes. Christian was only kidding about her teeth. They only came out when she got hungry and her cookie started showing. Back in the storefront, the mother was wiping the kid’s face so forcefully red streaks appeared on his skin. He whined every time she touched him. Yup. Definitely gotta eat the mom. I bet he’s raised by the nanny while she’s off at the tanning salon or the day spa with her friends. By the looks of her manicure and clothes she spends top dollar on everything.
“How many times have I told you not to touch things that aren’t yours? Now I’m going to have to pay for this mess. What is your father going to say?”
Large tears welled up in the boy’s eyes and his bottom lip quivered. “But, Mom…”
This time the woman slapped her child on the behind. “Don’t whine to me. I don’t want to hear it.”
Ginger coughed, signaling she had returned. The patron shot her a glance that would have intimidated others, but it didn’t deter her. She had seen worse. It was obvious this woman was used to getting her way and having others kowtow to her. Ginger was not about to do that.
“What?” the bitch snapped.
“Your cupcakes.”
“Fine. What do I owe you for the damage to your display?” She pulled out her wallet and her son was forgotten once more. The little kid cried silently by the door and it turned Ginger’s heart. All thoughts of nibbling on the boy left her and she was all about taking out the mom.
“Three hu
ndred,” Christian chimed in, coming through the door.
The woman’s face turned red. “Three hundred for some ugly window display that my gardener could have done better!”
Her friend crossed her arms over her chest. “That display took me six hours to put together, not to mention the time it took me to make the gingerbread. And I’m entered in a local contest, so now I have to repair it if I can. If you don’t take your kid and your snobby ass out of my lobby, I’ll charge you double.”
Ginger smirked as her friend put it to the shopper, who handed over her debit card. Christian ran the card while the woman started tapping her nails on the top of the register. Each time they came down, it made Ginger flinch. After the slip printed out, she signed the receipt and took her card. From there, the woman wrenched the cupcake box out of Ginger’s hands, turned on her Prada heels and left the store. The son stared at her for a minute and then raced out the door after his mother, but by the forlorn expression on his face, Ginger knew he did not want to go with her. As he ran out, the child brushed two men entering the store. One was taller than the other, by four or five inches. They could have been twins in appearance except for the height. Each had shaggy hair the color of corn silk. The one on the left wearing a red shirt had a crooked nose as if it had been broken one too many times and the other, the taller one in the black shirt, had a thin scar that ran along his left cheek. It marred the slight perfection of his face, but she reminded herself not to stare. When their gazes settled on her, one of them smiled and said something to the other. The one in the black shirt winced and turned to leave, but his companion grabbed his arm and urged him to remain. Maybe they were a couple. They were cute enough for it and she found herself attracted to them.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” Ginger asked.
The one in the red shirt smiled. The black shirted man remained by the door with a stoic look on his face. “Yes, we were hoping to speak to the owner about a catering job.”
Ginger Bites Page 1