Black Magic: Book 3 of The Black Butterfly Series

by Nika Michelle

  It looked like she had put something in his drink, but even with a closer view I couldn’t really tell for sure. If she’d drugged him that could explain why he seemed to be sloppy drunk and confused. Was it possible that he’d been set up some how? That’s when Dean’s confession to the scheme on Frankie crossed my mind. If he was capable of pulling that one off he may have orchestrated the whole scene between Rah and that bitch. I was furious as I watched him return to the bar. He seemed to be thanking the heifer and she just smiled in his face like she was so innocent. After he took a couple large gulps of the drink he seemed to stagger when he stood up. She grabbed his arm and led him off. I could imagine what happened next as the two of them disappeared from the camera’s view.

  Stunned was not even the word to describe how I felt as my heart pounded. All I wanted to do was choke the shit out of Dean. I didn’t know exactly what his plan had been, or if he had anything to do with it, but it was obvious that things weren’t the way they appeared. Before calling Samara to thank her, I called Raheem. He answered on the first ring. Well, it was more like half of a ring.

  “Baby, thank God you called,” he said sounding out of breath. “I’ve been calling you all day. Where are you? I went to the loft, but you weren’t there either. I thought you’d go there since it’s already furnished and the electricity’s on. Then I went to your parents’ house and Marie told me that you weren’t there.”

  I sighed before I spoke. “Samara got everything on video last night at the club. That bitch must’ve drugged you with something and I believe Dean was somehow involved. You didn’t happen to see him at the club did you?”

  “No, I didn’t and I figured something wasn’t right. That slick muthafucka. It came to me later that she knocked my drink over and got me another one when I was in the restroom. After I drunk that shit I was fucked up just like that. At first I thought the drink was just strong as hell, but then I must’ve passed out after she helped me to the office. I can’t say what happened after that baby. I’m so sorry you had to see that, but I’m glad you know that I wasn’t cheating on you. I told you before and I meant it. I’ll never cheat on you. I love you Tay,” he said sincerely. “I should’ve known that nigga Dean had been too fucking quiet. He must’ve been planning that shit all along.”

  I was so relieved to know that he’d been faithful, but the threat of Dean was still looming in the air. A feeling of uncertainty swept over me because I didn’t know what he would do next. “I love you too Rah and I came to the club because I needed to talk to you.” I filled him in on the email that I’d received right before I went to the club.

  “What the hell babe? Am I the only man you’ve dealt with that’s normal? I mean, you got that good good don’t me wrong, but this shit’s getting out of hand. Do you have any idea who it could be?” He asked.

  “No, I have no clue. I don’t have an ex who was destroyed by my family. Well, at least not that I know of, and good pussy has nothing to do with any of this Rah. Nafis was just trying to expand his criminal drug empire and Dean is obsessed with the thought of being with me. It’s not like I ever fucked him. This person seems to have some kind of score to settle with my family and I don’t know why.” I was so frustrated and Raheem seemed to be taking the situation a little bit lighter than I’d expected.

  “Where are you Tay? You didn’t answer that question.”

  “I’m in New Orleans at my grandparents’ house,” I said as I grabbed my mug of hot chocolate. My tropical bred ass couldn’t stand the chill any longer, so I went in the house. The fireplace just wasn’t doing enough. I was grateful that the place was almost as huge as my parents’ home. Although there were plenty of people there for the holiday, I found a quiet, empty bedroom to talk in.

  “What made you decide to go there all of a sudden?” He asked.

  “It’s a long story,” I said, not in the mood to explain it.

  “Well, I guess I’ll hear it when I get there,” he said.

  “Huh?” I asked. “No Rah, I’ll be back before New Years.”

  “No, I’m coming,” he said adamantly. “I’m getting ready now.”

  “But babe, it is Christmas and you won’t be able to get a flight out at the last minute,” I protested.

  “I’m gonna drive. It’ll take about fourteen hours if I stop a couple times. I have to see you baby okay. Just leave it at that.”

  “Okay.” I knew that his mind was made up and there was no arguing with him.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I’m in the car,” he said.

  As soon as I ended the call I called Samara.

  * * *

  Seandra

  I woke up to my grandmother standing over me. “It’s a little after seven pm and you need to eat something. How did you sleep?” She asked.

  I yawned and propped myself up against the soft down pillows. “I slept well actually, thanks.”

  “No bad dreams?” She asked.

  “No bad dreams,” I confirmed. “What did you give me?”

  She smiled slyly. “A valium,” she laughed. “Nothing special at all my dear, but it was the praying oil that kept the bad dreams away.”

  “Thanks grandma.” I cleared my throat. “I don’t know what I believe right now. When we used to visit during the summers as children I remember hearing you refer to some things that seemed to be rather…odd. Like that time I overheard you say that a lady put something in her husband’s spaghetti to make him be faithful to her, or the time I saw you give that woman a sack that smelled like potpourri. You told her to boil it to keep the evil spirits away. I looked around the outside of my house like you told me and I did find something strange,” I said nervously. I was starting to believe Kristie’s crazy ass really had been dabbling in the supernatural realm of black magic.

  “I told you that it would look different than the sand, so describe what you saw to me,” she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “I can do better than that. I brought some of it with me. Don’t worry. I didn’t touch it. I wore gloves and scooped it up with a spoon. It’s in a Ziploc bag with my things. Just like you said it was darker than the sand. It looked more like ashes and it had been sprinkled around my whole house. I didn’t even know that she knew where I lived, but she probably followed Ahmad over.”

  My grandmother sighed as she looked into my tired

  eyes. “What do you know about her?”

  “Only what Ahmad’s told me really. I mean, I met her before, but she didn’t really seem to be the social type. She would usually just stay to herself and seemed very guarded. She’s from…Baton Rouge actually. Yeah, Ahmad did say that she’s originally from Louisiana, but she moved to Miami after she graduated from LSU,” I recalled.

  “Hmm,” she said thoughtfully with her hand under her chin. “Do you happen to know her maiden name?”

  “No, I don’t. All I know is that her last name is Cruz now. Why is that important?”

  Grandmother stood up and wiped her hands on the apron she had on. “I know some people in Baton Rouge, that’s all. You should be okay through the night and you’ll sleep soundly if I give you another Valium. We’ll start working on getting to the bottom of what this hex is and how it can be reversed. Let me check on this banana pudding my baby Seantay begged for,” she said as she walked toward the bedroom door.

  “Who are we and why do I feel like I’m about to have an exorcism done on me?” I cringed.

  She actually smiled as she reached for the doorknob. “It’s not that serious sweetheart. I will be seeking some experienced help that’s all. I’ll check the contents of the bag tomorrow evening and we’ll go from there. With God’s strength and will everything will work out and life will be back to normal for you in no time.”

  “Okay,” I nodded. “I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  She nodded and left the room closing the door behind her.

  I just sat there and stared into the dark space. Part of me was still skeptical, but anothe
r part of me believed whole heartedly that Kristie was trying to destroy me using evil forces. In my twenty four years I wouldn’t have ever imagined that the folklore I’d grown up hearing about could possibly be real.

  * * *

  Seantay

  Raheem had called to let me know that he had made it to New Orleans at about six the morning. He’d just checked into Sully Mansion Bed and Breakfast. It was located in the Garden District and wasn’t far from my grandparents’ home.

  “I’m on my way to get you. Pack an overnight back. I’ll bring you back tomorrow,” he said. “I already told you that your Christmas isn’t over. As a matter of fact you have eleven more days.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Baby, I just got up. You have to give me at least an hour to get ready.”

  “Okay. I’ll get my shit settled in the room and take a quick shower. Call me when you’re ready. Oh and text me the address so I can put it in the GPS,” he said.

  “I love you Rah.”

  “I love you more. See you in a little bit.”

  “Kay.”

  After we hung up I jumped up to get in the shower. It was a good thing my grandparents’ home had a restroom in each bedroom. My aunts and uncles were there as well and I didn’t want to run into any of them. I already knew that my grandparents were early risers and didn’t look forward to explaining my early morning outing to them. Why did older people have to get up so early? It would be nice if I could just sneak out, but of course it wouldn’t be that easy.

  After a long, hot shower I checked the weather. It was crazy that it had gone from forty nine degrees the day before to sixty degrees. I decided to put on a pair of black, skinny Prada jeans with a cute lavender sweater and lavender and black knee high Prada snakeskin boots. The heels were high as hell and sexy of course. My hair had been straightened a few days before with a Keratin protein treatment. I was trying my best not to get a relaxer and so far the smoothing treatment was working. The best part about it was the fact that I could go back to my natural curl pattern if I wanted to.

  I grabbed my black leather P Coat, my overnight bag and purse after Raheem called to tell me that he was outside. I tried to tiptoe down the stairs, but even in a big ass house my grandparents knew what was going on. My Gramps walked up just as I got to the front door.

  “Where are you going this early sweetie?” He asked with a huge smile on his face. It was like he knew what I was up to.

  I felt uncomfortable and it got worse when my grandmother walked up. “Good morning Angel. Where’re you off to?” She asked.

  “Uh, well, my uh, my…my boyfriend Raheem drove down from Miami. We had a disagreement and it’s the holidays and all. I guess he wants to make it up to me.” I forced a smile on my face as I walked to the door.

  “Well invite the young man in. How is he going to come all the way here from Miami without coming in to say hello?” My grandmother asked with a shocked look on her face.

  “Okay,” I said feeling uneasy about the idea of him coming in. I knew how long winded my grandparents could be. As I pulled my cell phone out of my bag it rang.

  “Hello,” I answered knowing that it was Rah.

  “What’s up babe? What’s taking so long?” He asked.

  “I was talking to my grandparents. Uh, why don’t you come in and meet them,” I said hoping he wouldn’t be caught off guard. I knew that he hadn’t expected to be entertained by my folks, so I had to tread safely.

  “That’s no problem. Actually, that’s cool. I’d love to meet them.”

  A satisfied smile involuntarily spread across my glossy lips. “Okay, well, come on up then,” I said pressing the button to open the gate.

  A few minutes later the doorbell was ringing. I let him in and we joined my grandparents for coffee and breakfast. After about an hour of conversation and laughter we were finally in his car.

  “Your grandparents are really cool,” he said when we were on our way to his room.

  “So, why’d you choose a bed and breakfast instead of a room at my father’s hotel?” I asked.

  “A bed and breakfast is more romantic and that was what I’d planned on doing before you had the accident. Don’t you think that’s more romantic than a room at your father’s hotel?” He looked over at me with a smile on his face and then I felt his hand on my knee.

  “I’ve never been to a bed and breakfast actually,” I admitted as I glanced at him. He was so fine and I wanted to just jump on his ass. However, there was still a tension between us. Although I was aware of the truth, I still felt that something was off between us. I wondered if he felt it too.

  “What’s wrong baby?” He asked as he massaged my leg gently.

  “I was so mad at you Rah,” I said as I looked out of the window. The huge trees, green lawns and luxurious homes didn’t faze me at all as we cruised by.

  “I know you were, but it’s not like you don’t know what really happened. Don’t you think I wish I had just waited for that nigga to bring the papers for me to sign? I should’ve been there for you when you got that damn email. If I wasn’t at that fucking club that bitch made nigga Dean wouldn’t have been able to do that bullshit. Tay, at the end of the day, I should’ve been at the crib with you, point blank period.”

  We pulled up to the bed and breakfast in less than fifteen minutes. Of course it was elegant and I couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction when he opened my door for me. As he took my hand, I grabbed him and pulled his face down to mine for a deep, passionate kiss.

  “I want to fuck you,” I whispered in his ear.

  He chuckled. “How is your crippled ass gonna fuck me?” He asked as he helped me out of the car.

  I playfully nibbled on his earlobe. “I’m going to show you crippled when I ride your dick like a horny ass cowgirl.”

  He chuckled, grabbed our bags and led me to the front entrance. It was just a white, simple mansion on the outside, but the inside was extremely beautiful. Rah had already informed me that there were only eight rooms and that ensured our privacy in such an intimate setting.

  “This is so lovely,” I said breathlessly as I marveled over the sophisticated, but gorgeous décor as we ascended the stairs.

  “Just like you,” he said as he grabbed my hand and led me up our suite.

  I couldn’t help but blush as I felt something like an electric current travel over my flushed body. “It’s so old fashioned, but luxurious at the same time. I bet it’s a deep, claw foot tub in the bathroom and I can’t wait to take a long bubble bath.” I was smiling all big when he stopped in front of the door.

  I looked around and took in the beautiful shade of light blue on the walls. Each piece of artwork displayed a peaceful, country scene with huge trees and magnolias. It was almost as if I could smell the sweetness of the fresh, sweet-smelling air.

  “Come on baby,” Rah said standing there with the door wide open.

  I reluctantly tore my eyes away from such a tranquil scene and stepped into the suite. The first thing I noticed was the smell of lavender and chamomile. The aroma was so familiar because my grandmother used those very scents in her home to create a relaxing ambience. It worked because I immediately felt the stress of the previous day release from my mental.

  As Rah closed the door behind us my eyes did a sweep over my surrounding. Just like the rest of the inn, the suite was impeccable. The romantic atmosphere was just right. I would describe it as the epitome of serenity.

  “How about you take a look around or get comfy. I’m going to order us a bottle of wine.”

  I nodded before giving myself a tour. As I expected, everything was so soft and pretty. When I peeked into the bathroom I noticed that everything was a mixture of antique and modern. There was a deep, claw foot tub, but there was also a closed in shower with two water heads. As I took it all in, I felt Raheem wrap his arms around me from behind.

  “All I want to do is lock those doors and hold you hostage in that bed for days. Mmm, like Maxwell said, ‘till th
e cops come knocking.”

  When I turned around his lips gently swept across mine and I could feel my knees buckle. Damn, he had my ass gone for real. As I closed my eyes and enjoyed the taste of his tongue, I felt his arms fold me up tightly in an embrace. When he pulled away my eyes were still closed. His wet lips found mine again and he covered them with soft kisses. He pulled away again and I opened my eyes.

  “Why are you staring at me like you want to eat me alive?” I asked slyly.

  My heart pounded as he looked me up and down without saying anything. A moan softly escaped my lips as his fingers lightly brushed over my hardened nipples. “I am going to eat you. You can bet your life on that.”

  “Damn,” I whispered as his warm hands found their way under my sweater. My skin immediately warmed up to his touch and I watched him attentively as he pulled my shirt up to expose my white, lacey bra.

  There was a serious look of passion on his face as he took my nipples into his hot, wet mouth. While he sucked he stared up at me with a challenging look on his face. Without a word he suddenly stopped and unbuttoned my jeans. After unzipping them he gently pulled then down exposing my white, matching thong. His fingers found my wet, tightness after he pushed the soft, moistened fabric to the side.

  “Mmm.” I closed my eyes and sucked my finger seductively as two of his fingers slid inside of my velvety softness.

  I felt his body gently press mine against the wall as

  he whispered in my ear, “Gotdamn, your pussy’s wet as hell baby. Listen to that shit, mmm. I can’t wait to feel it wrapped snugly around my dick.” The smacking sounds of my gushiness filled the quiet space as his fingers explored my pussy’s inner depths.

  The mist that his breath left on my skin felt hot at first and then cool. I was definitely turned on to the fullest extent of arousal. “That’s what you do to me,” I whispered.

  When his tongue ignited the sensitive skin of my neck there was a knock at the door. He stopped his sexy assault on me and leaned over to pull my pants up. As he zipped and then buttoned them, he softly kissed me. “I’ll take care of you and my sweet pussy later.” As he walked backwards to the door, he didn’t take his eyes off me. “Mmm, you’re one sexy ass woman.”