by Shona Husk
“You did all this for me?”
“It was what you wanted. And I would like to have dinner with you, but if you’d rather go out…” He looked at her, waiting for a response. His face was so serious—like he was expecting to be told off.
“No, this is perfect. You are perfect.” She had to blink away the tears that gathered on her eyelashes. This was the date she had asked for, with the man she’d always dreamed of. Kind, thoughtful and gorgeous. Men like that did exist; they just came out of bottles.
Kede relaxed and took off the oven mitts. “Thank you. You are also perfect.” He kissed her cheek as he walked around to the table and picked up the bottle of wine. “Would you like some?”
She nodded, too stunned to speak. He thought she was perfect. And he’d said it without a hint of mockery. Her cheek retained the heat of his lips. That hadn’t been a kiss designed to elicit lust, but one of unconcealed attraction. The lump in her throat grew. How was she ever going to be able to say goodbye?
Kede poured himself a glass. He sipped the wine, and then stared at the contents. A faint tint of pink coloured his cheeks. “I ate all your chocolate.”
Her laughter bubbled up, breaking the confessional silence. “That’s okay, I bought more.”
From one of the bags she pulled out a box of handmade truffles from her favorite chocolatier. Today wasn’t the day to skimp on luxuries.
He smiled, the white of his teeth visible. “Would you like me to put on the other clothes?”
“Only if you want.” He looked good in anything. Kede didn’t need fancy clothes to be a man.
He took the bag out of her hand and went into the bedroom. The fabric of her pajamas stretched tight over his ass. She was never going to be able to sleep in them again without thinking of him. Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t be able to sleep at all without dreaming of Kede. Josie sipped her wine and waited, hoping that she had bought something close to the right size. She spun the stem of the glass and waited.
Out of her bedroom came a man in jeans and an untucked, unbuttoned white shirt. Her mouth opened as for the first time she was able to see what he’d look like in her life, as her boyfriend. He truly was perfect—everything a woman could want in a man, except temporary.
“Is this acceptable?” Kede turned. His bare feet took the outfit from restaurant to bedroom.
“Yes.” She breathed out the word. More than acceptable.
The timer on the oven beeped. He picked up the oven mitts and opened the door. She got up to help serve, but he waved her away. In minutes he presented her with chicken, sweet potatoes and beans. Spices she didn’t know she had flavored the dish, and sultanas peeked through, adding sweetness. It was like nothing she’d ever had.
She raised her glass for a toast. He copied, and the glasses chimed.
“To first dates.”
“First dates,” he echoed, but there was a catch in his voice. A reminder this would end. There would only be one date.
They ate to fill the weighted silence. The chicken fell apart in her mouth, buttery and rich. He cooked better than she did.
“If you promise to cook every night, I’ll keep you forever.” She meant it, right to the centre of her soul. She wanted him to stay.
Kede moved the beans around his plate. “That isn’t possible.”
Could he not live the dream for just one moment? It wasn’t fair for The Universe to tease like this. Maybe she should have been more specific: She wanted a man on a permanent basis, not for a weekend. Josie chewed and thought, why did he have to go back? Why couldn’t he stay? “Has no one ever escaped the bottle?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe.”
“You don’t know how to escape.”
His lips thinned. “If I did, I would’ve got out long ago.”
Her flat was getting warm. The air was heavy. “Are you conscious in the bottle?”
He took a drink of wine and watched her over the rim. “I’m aware but not aware of time passing. You ask a lot of questions.”
“That’s what you do on a first date—you get to know someone, decide if you want to see them again.”
“Would you like to see me again?” Hope flickered in his eyes as if this were truly a date and he wanted another one.
“Maybe.” Josie tilted her head. “Would you like to see me again?”
“I would.” There was no trace of deceit in his voice.
How could a man like him be interested in her? She was good-old Josie. There was nothing exotic or exciting about her. The things he must have seen, the women he must have been with. Her heart gave a stutter. How many others had come before her?
“Have you been brought to life often?” she said with a smile, hoping to make the question seem light and part of the conversation.
Kede saw through her. “Do you mean frequently, or how many women?”
Did she really want to know? What number would make her happy? None. She didn’t want to know. She didn’t want to think about them, or the ones that would follow, so she shook her head and changed the question. “When was the last time?”
“Napoleon was fighting the British. I got to experience life on both sides.” He gave her a wicked smile. “Ladies wore corsets and far too many clothes.”
Josie ducked her head and tried to concentrate on the food he had so carefully cooked for her. The curiosity bubbling in her brain couldn’t be ignored. He had lived history. Seen things she could only read about. “Is it always the same?”
“I have never arrived tied down,” he said with a grin that would’ve put the sun to shame.
Warmth coloured her face. She blamed the wine and heat. Surely she couldn’t be the only woman to have wanted him tied? What did that say about her?
“You’ve never been tied?”
“That’s not what I said.” He placed his fork down, finished with his food. “I’ve been tied down plenty of times.”
“Do you like it?”
“Sometimes.” He shrugged. “Depends on the other person.” He caught and held her gaze, the meaning clear.
With her he didn’t mind. If that was what she wanted he’d let her do it again. Josie focused on her plate. Maybe she liked it just a little, but only if he could get free.
She ate her last bite. “Thank you, that was delicious.”
“The date isn’t over.” He offered his hand.
Her body tightened, but she couldn’t refuse the invitation. He led her to the cleared area in her living room and turned up the music. It was one of her favorite CDs, with enough slow songs for it to be dangerous. She wondered how many he’d listened to before picking this one.
He pulled her close in his arms. No space between them. Every move he made, her body had to mirror or their limbs would tangle. Each sliding contact was like electricity traveling beneath her skin, sparking in her heart and in her belly. She placed her arms around his neck. The bristles on his cheek tickled her face.
Josie laid her head on his shoulder and let him lead, content to move with him. To sink in the illusion he had created. Her lungs filled with his scent, now mixed with the crispness of new clothing. Clothing she wanted to peel piece by piece from his body. He was right—he didn’t need clothing.
“Do you ever dream of being free?” she murmured against his neck.
His hand slid to her hip. The touch arced through her, and the current coursed in her veins instead of blood. His lips searched for hers in a kiss that seared her lungs and left her with no breath to fight his advances.
“Sometimes. But it doesn’t matter.”
She drew away from him. “It matters to me.”
He gazed at her, desire mixed with yearning, an unquenched wish that would never be hidden by sexy smiles and careful caresses. “I’m here for you. My job is to please you.”
She broke free of his arms, stung by his touch and burned by his words. “I don’t want to be a job. A chore you have to complete before your time runs out.” She was trying to turn
him in to her boyfriend by dressing him and playing house. Kede wasn’t a boyfriend. He was a man who bided his time in a bottle between affairs.
“Josette, wait.”
She ignored him and stomped into her bedroom and slammed the door like she was fifteen. Her eyes stung, filled with acid tears. Damn him and his sweet temptations. And damn her for falling for them.
For him.
Chapter Seven
The hourglass was still, as if time were frozen. No sand fell. Impossible. She kicked and rocked the drawers trying to make it run, to bring an end. To stop the torture of tasting a dream but never being able to hold on to it when daylight came. This was how Cinderella felt. One dance with her prince, then it was over. At midnight everything would return to how it was and she would be alone.
Josie ran her hands through her hair and paced the length of her bedroom. Cinderella wouldn’t be wasting time, waiting for the clock to strike. She sighed. It wasn’t his fault; Inanna had made him this way as a gift for women. More like a cruel joke on everyone. How many women had mourned his disappearance from their bed and their life? And Kede—he didn’t like his life, what he got to live of it. The least she could do was spend some time with him so he would remember her and being treated like a man, and she would remember him as her perfect boyfriend.
She cracked open the door. He was sitting on the replaced sofa watching television. As relaxed in clothes as he was naked. In the kitchen their dinner date was packed away, the dishes done.
She sat on the sofa next to him but with a safe distance between them. “Sorry.”
He reached to put his arm around her, but she leaned away. Overly aware that every move he made was a step towards completing his mission.
Kede fiddled with the remote in his hands. “Being with you isn’t a chore. I like what I do.” He glanced at her under his killer lashes. “Sometimes more than others. But like any caged beast I long for a chance in the wild, no matter how ill-prepared I am.”
“You are fine. Women would snap you up like a half-priced Gucci handbag.” If she could hold on to him, she would. She liked the way he didn’t want to change her, how he didn’t make her feel stupid, and how when she looked into his eyes she could see into his heart.
He frowned, then smiled. “Women like sales and shopping.”
He took her hand, and she let him. His thumb circled on her skin. Did he realize he was trying to seduce her, or was it so ingrained in his cells he couldn’t do anything but try?
“You like shopping. You bought me clothes when you didn’t need to.”
“I wanted to pretend.” She shook her head and glanced away so he wouldn’t see the longing in her eyes. “I got carried away and forgot this would end.” She’d thought they would have longer, but she knew that wish wouldn’t be granted. The sand was running. They were on clock from the moment they’d kissed.
“Sometimes it is good to forget the rules and the reality. Do you ever enjoy the moment, or are you always searching for something else?”
Josie looked down at their linked hands, fingers entwined like they belonged together. She was always chasing the next dream. Kede tugged on her hand, and she let herself be drawn down so she lay along the sofa, head in his lap. He stroked her hair, and no hidden meaning designed to pull her into bed lingered in his moves. His fingers trailed through her hair for no other reason than he wanted to. She closed her eyes and let herself sink into the warmth his touch offered. He wanted her for more than sex. He liked being with her. The realization was more potent than any planned seduction or spell that needed completing. The walls she had built around her heart trembled like jelly, but it was already too late. When Kede left, a hole would be ripped in her life.
His words broke into her thoughts. “Would you like a chocolate?”
“Did you leave me one?” She focused on him and smiled. He wasn’t gone yet.
His eyes widened. “I waited for you.” He opened the box of truffles and placed one in her mouth.
The white chocolate melted on her tongue. He’d picked out her favorite. Orange-centred.
“Shall we watch a movie?”
She closed her eyes. The illusion of a date persisted, building bonds that would be broken. Was it any different to any other one-off first date she’d been on?
Yes.
If it were possible, there would be a second, and a third. They would never break up. She opened her eyes to gaze at him. He watched and waited for a response, the heat from his legs seeping into her back.
“That would lovely.”
Kede pressed play and the film started. The woman in his lap delicately took each chocolate he offered. Her lips brushed his fingertips, and she’d steal a glance. Through the jeans she’d bought him he felt every sweep of her thumb on this thigh. Such a small touch that meant nothing by itself. From Josette it was everything, because she was touching him. She wasn’t touching him for any reason other than she wanted to. He twirled a strand of her golden hair around his finger. He couldn’t remember if anyone else had ever done that. There had always been something they had wanted from him in return.
As his hand traveled over the curves of her body, she responded with a slow burn that would ruin them both. They could lie here and drag out the final moments, but time would run out too soon. Sand poured like a flood through the timer. He was helpless to halt its flow as he wormed his way closer to Josette. Even though he liked being with her, he wished she’d pull away, run, refuse him, anything to stop the sand from pouring through the hourglass. She wouldn’t do that. She trusted him with her body and heart.
Josette shifted in his arms. She twisted and tugged until they lay side by side, squeezed close so she didn’t tumble onto the floor. His hand held her bottom. Soft and round, the right size for a man to grab and hold on to, like she was made for his hands. He didn’t want another man to have her. She should be his. Without his urging, his shaft stiffened, straining against the rough confines of the clothing. Tonight the timer would run out. Tonight would be the last time with Josette. Tonight he would break her heart and betray her trust. He had no choice. He was Inanu.
How would she be when he left?
The answer would be the same for both of them.
How could he go back, when he’d learned so much more? That endless nights of lust and sweaty passion were insipid ghosts when every glance and touch held a truer meaning. He’d thought it was impossible, but he was falling in love with Josette. With Josette he was more than Inanu. He was her man.
He placed his lips over hers. The need to finish, to end his service, was a siren’s song that promised to kill him in the process. Freedom would be kissing Josette without the sand tearing at his thoughts.
She gasped for air, eyes bright. “Did you want to…”
He looked at the bedroom door. He couldn’t refuse a desire when voiced. If she hadn’t spoken, he could’ve dragged out the night a little longer until need became acid in his blood and corroded his veins. Inanna had made sure that her sons never overstayed their welcome.
Josette rolled off the sofa and took his hands. She led him to the bedroom, not knowing how fast their time was running. She didn’t understand the way the magic worked. He wasn’t going to waste precious seconds explaining what she would figure out after he was gone.
Chapter Eight
He tasted like forbidden fruit, the promise of eternal knowledge, the kind no one should possess. The secrets of love. Their tongues tangled, teeth nipped. The urgency to make up for lost time swept over her skin, replacing the clothes that fell unnoticed to the floor. Wearing lingerie was too much. She was overheating, melting from the inside.
While she wanted everything now, Kede restrained the fever until it shone only in his eyes. She pushed open his shirt, kissed his chest, flicked her tongue over one flat brown nipple. For one weekend she’d lived the dream. Whatever heartbreak followed would be worth it. Because now that she knew what was out there, she wouldn’t settle for safe. She worked her
way lower, following the dark hair that arrowed down into the too-loose waistband of his jeans.
Kede pulled her up and shook his head. “This is about you.”
His lips trailed down her throat, and she rolled her head as his teeth scraped the skin at the base of her neck. He slid one bra strap over her shoulder, following its path with kisses. Through the silken fabric his mouth found her hard peaked nipple. Her back arched, but his hands kept her from falling. Why hadn’t they held her heart safe?
Her bra fluttered to the floor. This time she didn’t try to hide her body from him. He touched every curve without criticism. If she had to lose five kilos to get a man, she was better off without one. Her fingers worked open the button fly of Kede’s jeans. The denim slid down so he was naked. The same way he’d arrived. The cold terror that had been stalking her pounced. Its razor sharp talons pierced her heart and sent it reeling, wounded towards the ground.
“This is it, isn’t it?” Her hand lay against his cheek.
He looked past her to the sand timer. The red sand was hemorrhaging, pouring into the base of the hourglass.
“Everything is as it should be.” His words were choked, like they’d cut his throat on the way out.
She didn’t believe him. But her doubt was swallowed by a kiss and she tumbled to the bed beneath him. His thick shaft pressed against her tummy. A teasing promise that denied her any pleasure.
“Take the ropes,” he whispered on her skin.
Josie twisted her head. The red silk ropes were still attached to her bed by whatever magic had conjured them. What would he do to her if her hands were tied? What if the rope trapped her? What if she would then be the one trapped in the bottle?
“No.”
“Do you trust me?” His eyes were dark and smoky, soothing away her fears of being vulnerable and hurt again. Kede wouldn’t trick her. He’d told her nothing but the truth so far, and she had no reason not to trust him.
“I do.” She made no move to grab the tails that lay on the bed. Trust was one thing. Letting him tie her down was another. She wasn’t that brave. Maybe, if they had more time.