Magic in Her Touch

by Kate McLay

  Darby couldn't keep the disgust out of her tone, "No, thank you. That politics shit is not for me."

  The song switched to another slow tune that Darby had heard on the radio 100 times. It still hadn't gotten old, and she stood up and held out a hand to Mina. "Are we going to talk about our jobs all night? Because I'm dying for a dance."

  Mina put her hand in Darby's and stood. "Lead the way."

  They ended up shunted off to the side of the dance floor. If they truly wanted to dance, the placement would not have been ideal. But Darby had other ideas, and it seemed that Mina agreed.

  As the song went on, they drifted closer and closer together. By the end, it almost seemed they were one single unit rather than two individuals. Mina's hands dug into Darby's back, their hips pressing tight. Another song started, this one with a thumping country beat, but Darby wasn't letting go.

  Mina leaned into her and brushed her lips against Darby's neck. Darby shivered when she felt her teeth and was relieved that Mina wasn't a vampire. That would have made for an awkward night. Instead, desire pounded through her, coiling deep inside, making her wet and breathless.

  She backed up, wordlessly leading Mina off the dance floor. It could have been disastrous if Darby didn't know the place better than anywhere else. As much as it pained her, she stepped back from Mina and turned around, grabbing Mina's hand and leading her down the darkened back hallway.

  Darby lead Mina into a small office separated from the hallway with only a curtain of beads. They tangled together through the curtain and Darby's ass landed against the desk with Mina on top of her, their lips meeting somewhere in the middle.

  Darby laced her hands through Mina's luscious blond hair. She tried to dominate Mina with her kiss, caressing her tongue in broad strokes, marking this witch as her own.

  Mina hitched her onto her thigh, letting her ride it, as her hands quested under Darby's dress and up and up over her skin until Mina could feel that she wasn't wearing a bra. She must have noticed Darby's stiff nipples earlier, but Mina groaned and cupped one breast in her hand.

  Their tongues tangled and Darby reveled in the taste of her, hot passion arcing through her, making her wet. She nipped at Mina's lower lip playfully, smiling into her as Mina let out a frustrated growl. There was a predator hiding inside Mina, and Darby was desperate to bring her out.

  Someone stomped down the hallway, making a huge noise and ignoring them. But Darby realized that they could be seen at any time. That should have cooled her down, made her come to her senses, but instead she just wanted more, faster, now. Let anyone see her, she was ensorcelled by a gorgeous woman and a slave to pleasure.

  Mina's questing hands dipped south, exploring under Darby's panties and swirling around that hardened nub of pleasure. Darby whimpered, her pussy rippling with desire. Mina slid his finger over and around and up and back, not quite falling into a rhythm but exploring her slick folds, first with one finger, and then with two. But while her fingers quested, her lips didn't let up, exploring and tasting her mouth with the fervor of a starving woman.

  She could feel the peak coming, but just as she was on the verge, Mina stilled her hand, resting it mere millimeters away from her clit. Darby arched against her, a frustrated, lust filled sound escaping from her throat. She arched her hips up, trying, failing, to get the contact that she needed.

  Her eyes squeezed so tightly shut she saw shapes dancing behind them. And Mina took off again, circling her clit quicker and quicker as if she had done this to her a thousand times, knew exactly what she liked and how she liked it.

  Darby's breaths came in pants as she moved against her, helpless to do anything but urge her on. The crescendo built and built and exploded in a blinding wave of heat, leaving her shivering and her pussy convulsing with pure pleasure.

  She collapsed onto the desk, far more drunk from the satisfaction of her climax than from any alcohol.

  She looked up from heavy lidded eyes and saw Mina grinning, her lips swollen from Darby's kisses. And even in her boneless, satisfied state, Darby wanted more. She wanted it all. But, more importantly, she wanted to return the pleasure that Mina had given her.

  With satiated lethargy, Darby slid down the table to kneel before Mina. She flicked open the button of Mina's jeans and pulled them down. Mina wasn't wearing panties, and Darby nearly came from the sight. She'd never been so overcome before, never so desperate that she needed to fuck a woman in the back of the bar.

  But Mina brought something wild out in her.

  Darby used a flick of magic to push Mina back into the chair just behind her. Somehow, in their initial rush of passion they'd managed to avoid tipping it over. The desk was a mess, papers strewn everywhere, and the keyboard was half-falling off the table.

  Darby didn't care.

  She kissed up the inside of Mina's thigh, breathing in her earthy, feminine scent. "Spread your legs," she ordered. Mina offered no resistance, letting her legs fall even further apart. She rested a hand on Darby's head and moaned when Darby brushed her tongue against her sensitive flesh.

  Darby could do this for days. There was something seductive, something powerful in kneeling before Mina and giving her this pleasure. She might have been the one on her knees, but it was Mina who was under her power.

  She added her fingers to the mix, smiling at Mina's desperate moan.

  Distantly, she heard the song switch again. Mina was nearly loud enough, encouraging with both words and sighs, that Darby thought they could almost be heard out in the main part of the bar.

  Let them hear, so long as she could keep going.

  Mina's hips bucked and her fingers gripped tight, not quite hard enough to hurt, but enough to be insistent. Darby didn't let up, her tongue deftly stroking Mina to the heights of release.

  Mina's voice grew more keening, desperate, and high pitched as she got closer to climax. With a final yell she went limp, shuddering against Darby as all tension leaked out of her.

  Darby raised herself up enough to be nearly at eye level with the lax witch. "So do you want to get out of here?" She asked, sure that there was a wicked glint in her eye.

  Mina let out a sated laugh. "Keep this up and you'll be the death of me."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  The next morning, sunlight from an open curtain hit Mina in the eye and woke her up. She turned to snuggle into the sheets, and knocked into the warm form of Darby, lying next to her. Darby didn't seem to enjoy the warmth of the blankets, instead only covered from the waist down, her breasts bare to the warm sunlight.

  That was a pleasant way to wake up.

  Mina smiled and traced a path with her finger from Darby's belly button up her stomach and through the valley between her breasts. Darby shivered and turned towards Mina's touch, knocking away Mina's hand as she opened her eyes.

  "Good morning," said Mina.

  "What time is it?" Darby asked with a wide yawn. She pulled up the blanket to cover her mouth.

  Mina glanced back at the clock on her nightstand. "Just after nine."

  Darby groaned and curled in on herself, taking the sheet with her. "I feel like I got hit by a freight train." There was a three second pause where Mina didn't know what to say before Darby continued. "I mean that in the best way possible. Obviously."

  Mina laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Obviously." She let Darby have the rest of the covers and sat up. Her clothes had disappeared somewhere in the middle of the night and she couldn't see them anywhere on the hardwood floor of her bedroom. She stood up and crossed the room to open the door to her closet where she pulled on a cute nightshirt that she had purchased years ago.

  When the light hit it just right the material was sheer. Normally she didn't wear it, but now she had an audience and Mina wanted her to enjoy it.

  She could feel Darby's eyes on her, which only made dressing more intimate.

  "How do you feel about pancakes?" she asked.

  "Who doesn't like them?" Darby sounded truly perplexed. />
  "I've seen horrors." Mina laughed as Darby shivered at the exaggerated tone. But pancakes were one of the few things she could make very well, and a large part of her wanted to impress the woman in her bed.

  Darby did not remain in bed for long. She sat up and looked around, but her dress from the night before was nowhere to be found. "Do you have any idea what happened to our clothes?"

  Mina shrugged, "We might have vanished them to another dimension." She reached back into the closet and pulled out another set of pajamas. "I think these will work for now." She tossed them across the bed where they landed next to Darby.

  "I'm more of a Minnie Mouse girl," Darby examined the shirt and grimaced as she pulled it over her head. Donald Duck lay over half of her chest. Little ducks decorated the shorts that went with the top.

  "I suppose you can run around naked then," said Mina, leaving the room. She walked down the hallway and into the kitchen where she pulled out everything she would need to make them breakfast. Luckily, there was enough pancake mix left in the box to feed two hungry witches.

  She poured out the mix and followed the instructions. Darby joined her, sliding into a seat at the breakfast counter opposite the stove. In almost no time, the food was ready and Mina took a seat beside Darby, placing the plastic container of syrup between them.

  Darby squirted syrup onto her plate before cutting up her food into small bites and tasting it. She closed her eyes and groaned in pleasure once the flavor hit her tongue. Mina smiled, happy that her food had impressed. It felt good to sit there like that, next to a woman she liked, basking in the smell of sweet food and still feeling sated from a night of passion.

  She hadn't had sex in far too long, but the feelings that Darby roused in her made it worth the wait.

  Her phone beeped and Mina checked the message. It was from Sarah.

  Any update?

  Of course, life couldn't be put on hold for any length of time before it intruded once more. "Have you ever heard of Alexander Lotharian?" she asked Darby.

  Darby paused with a piece of pancake halfway to her mouth. Her face scrunched up as she thought. "He's some bigwig in Chicago, right? Or his family is? I recognize the name."

  "His family rose to prominence back during the twenties. They made a lot of cash helping rum runners and the like." And if that was the extent of his shadiness, Mina wouldn't have cared.

  Darby took her bite and shrugged, chewing quickly. "I don't really follow the ins and outs of Chicago witch politics."

  It was exactly what Mina wanted to hear, and exactly what someone working for Lotharian would say. And so it came down to exactly what Mina had known it would come down to from the first; instinct. And her instinct told her, screamed at her really, to trust Darby.

  "He's a bad guy," she said, trusting that instinct. "And he might be doing some bad shit to my friend's sister."

  "That sucks," Darby sounded concerned but confused, as if she didn't know why Mina would tell her this. "Bad how?"

  Mina could have written a dissertation on Lotharian's type. "He likes vulnerable women to worship him. And sometimes those women like what he does, other times they'll do anything to escape him. I don't know which way Chloe falls and I offered to talk to her. Unfortunately, the hired muscle is making that impossible."

  "Are you asking me to wrestle a three hundred pound man for you?" While Darby was apprehensive, Mina thought she was poised to agree.

  She smiled, "Not quite. I just need you to give him a little distraction. Will you?"

  "Hell yes I will." Darby didn't hesitate for a second. "When?"

  "Tomorrow." After a moment Mina thought to add "In Chicago."

  Darby nodded and sighed. "I'm going to need to bury myself in my work for the next twenty-four hours, but I can do that. Just call me when it's time to go." She finished up her food and stood. "I'm sure everything will be alright."

  Mina smiled, though she was sure it looked a little sad. "We'll do what we can."

  Darby stepped forward and cradled her face, leaning forward and kissing her gently. Mina's hands were on Darby's hips and pulled her in close. She could do this all morning.

  But apparently Darby was serious about the work. "I've got to go."

  "You're still wearing my pajamas."

  She looked down and laughed. "That I am. But I think I saw my dress peeking out from under your couch." She stepped out of Mina's embrace and scooped her clothing up from where she'd spotted it. In minutes she had changed and was out the door, leaving Mina alone with her cooling breakfast.

  Her phone rang and Mina glanced down. She scowled when she saw her mother's name on the caller ID. She knew that if she didn't answer, she'd either be hounded by calls all day or, if things got truly desperate, she could expect a visit from the woman. After ten seconds of trying to talk herself out of it, Mina answered the phone.

  "Hello."

  "I need you to attend a lunch next Wednesday." No introduction, a demand rather than a request. Mina truly was back home.

  But she wasn't a kid anymore. "Or I could not."

  "Mina."

  She sighed, "Why?" Already she regretted answering the phone.

  "The binding."

  "What binding?" She didn't know anyone who had entered into a binding recently, and she certainly didn't know what that had to do with eating lunch with her mother.

  And then she remembered.

  Before she had talked to Tommy, her mother had told her to bind herself to some witch from another family. The Guerins. She hadn't agreed, and she certainly hadn't gone on that stupid date. She opened her mouth to tell her mother as much when her mother spoke.

  "Tommy is coming with us, and she said she would like to see you."

  As far as bait went, the trap was obvious, but Mina wouldn't refuse if Tommy needed help or advice. She'd been in the younger girl's place before. "Fine. I'll go."

  "Good," Mina could hear the satisfied smile in her mother's voice and cringed. "Now, your father would like to speak with you."

  That was enough of being a good girl for one day. "No."

  "Mina," this was her mother's familiar tone, demanding with just a hint of cajoling. "He's your father."

  "I will hang up the phone." And Mina knew her own tone made it clear that she would not be moved.

  "Fine," clearly it wasn't. "We will meet at the Patagonia at 12 next Wednesday. Wear something nice."

  Mina rolled her eyes. Lewistown was feeling smaller by the second. "Go it." She hung up.

  Her pancakes were still warm, but when Mina tried to take a bite she discovered that she'd lost her appetite.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Darby wasn't lying when she said it would take twenty-four hours to clear up her work to be able to help Mina. She barely slept, typing through the night until she'd produced more than 10,000 words of well-researched content for three different websites.

  And so she ended up in Chicago with Mina, dead set on distracting a man nearly twice her size who Mina had assured wouldn't hurt her. Probably.

  It was a simple enough plan. "Try to hold him off for at least five minutes," Mina had asked. "Give me more time if you can."

  "What if he ignores me?" It wasn't an idle concern. Darby didn't make a habit of holding men's attention. "Or if he leaves after a minute?"

  "Then give me a sign." But she could tell that Mina didn't think that she would fail.

  The first part of Darby's job was easy. All she needed to do was be a klutz. Though she wasn't naturally clumsy, it wasn't a difficult task. She was stationed near the condiment table, drink in hand, waiting for Chloe Carpenter to enter. While she had never seen the girl in person, Mina had a picture. And most importantly, Darby knew to look out for a splash of bright red hair.

  After only a few minutes, she saw her. A sizzle of excitement went through her. She felt a little bit like a spy or a thief in some movie. She only wished she could be talking to Mina while she worked, it would have added an air of something special.


  Chloe got in the short line and ordered her drink. Darby kept eyes on her, trying to remain casual. It took another few minutes, but Chloe finally ended up by the creamers.

  It was Darby's cue.

  She walked in Chloe's direction, the lid to her pop loosened just enough to court disaster. And that disaster struck, just as planned, when she bumped into Chloe. The drink spilled all over the younger girl with barely a drop landing on Darby.

  "Oh my God, I'm so sorry," she gushed. The napkin dispenser was directly beside them and Darby grabbed a stack. She pressed them to the white of Chloe's shirt. "I'm such a klutz."

  Chloe was a saint, taking in Darby's ministrations with barely a shudder. "It's okay. No, really I've got it." She grabbed the napkins from Darby and took a step back.

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" Darby asked.

  "No, I'm good." Chloe looked towards the door and back at Darby. "I can handle this." She took off toward the bathroom and Darby smiled.

  Part one was a success.

  Now for the difficult part.

  She tossed the remnants of her drink in the trashcan and left the cafe. According to Mina's research, Chloe and her guard rode their bikes here most days. Darby would have expected something more extravagant from someone as rich as Alexander Lotharian, but it appeared the Chloe was too environmentally conscious to accept a chauffeured car.

  Darby had no time to prepare herself for her next task. She saw the man that Mina had described: six and a half feet tall, no neck, generally imposing, beside the bikes. If she didn't move fast, she would lose her window.

  She started running towards him and yelled, "Hey! What the fuck, asshole! That's my bike."

  The bodyguard did not turn around at first. As he was locking up his own bike along with Chloe's, he had no reason to think Darby was talking to him.

  So Darby made it obvious. She stepped around him and put her hand on the seat of the teal bike that he was locking up. "What the hell, dude? I go inside for five minutes and you try to steal my shit?"

  The man looked up, finally, his green eyes both confused and angry. Getting the full effect of him from the front, Darby saw why Mina had called him the hulk.