imagine what they were. Finally, Jerod threw his hands in the air.
“I give up. Eat your omelet.”
She didn’t wait to be told again. Viola didn’t taste the first few bites as she shoveled them in. It was only after her stomach was well under control that she spoke.
“I’m sorry. You were trying to make a point and I ruined it.” Jerod eyes searched her face, a faint smile on his lips. “May I ask a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Why an omelet?” His voice softened as he spoke. A deep rumble, like thunder after a storm.
Viola’s body reacted, the beginning tingles of arousal building low in her belly. She remembered his touch from last night. How gentle he was. How he made her feel special.
Think about eggs!
Clearing her mind, she remembered the last time she’d had a perfect omelet. Her grandmother had made it one morning when her mother had been too drunk to cook for her.
“I don’t know. It’s comfortable. It makes me feel…” She wanted to say
safe
, but that didn’t make sense.
“Loved?” he offered.
“Something like that.”
Except it wasn’t something like that. It was
exactly
like that. “Why did you think I needed a lesson about exploring my options anyway?” Jerod stood and walked over to the window. “You seemed so unhappy this morning.
I thought you were worried about wishing for the wrong thing. I wanted you to realize that you can have anything at all. The most exotic or rare thing in the world is within your grasp. You only have to reach out and take it. I know that the human mind can be limited by your own experience.”
His back was to her, but she didn’t miss the note of sadness in his voice. She should have gotten up and gone to him, but what could she say?
Gee, I’d really like to pick you
because I think you’re hot, but I’m not quite sure what to do with a three-thousand-year-126
old genie.
“I guess Bill isn’t very exotic,” she said and sighed.
Jerod turned and leaned back against the wall. Viola let her eyes travel down his body, remembering every inch of his naked skin as she did. He was the most unusual man she’d ever been with. And she
did
want him. Badly. Her eyes returned to his face, but she found she couldn’t read his expression. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he crossed his arms across his chest.
“Is Bill your omelet?”
She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t know what to say. Did Bill make her feel safe, loved?
Hardly
. Bill had been her secret obsession, known only to herself and Beth.
Bill was a fantasy. Though after all that happened to her over the past few days, she realized he was a pretty boring one.
“No, he’s not,” she whispered.
They stayed frozen, staring at each other for what felt like forever. Viola couldn’t take it anymore. She pushed up from the comfy cushion and walked over to Jerod. She wanted to kiss him. Hell, she really wanted to rip off his clothes and do a little exploring of her own. Instead, she took his hand and led him outside.
“Where are we going?” he asked when she paused to put on her flip-flops.
“I’ve been in Mexico for three days and other than the hour I spent on the beach when I found you, I haven’t had a chance to enjoy the resort. We are going to reserve some beach chairs, order some rum punch and spend the day enjoying the ocean.”
“We? If this isn’t a part of your wish, I really should return to my bottle.” She waggled her finger at him. “Oh, no, you don’t. You’re not going to get out of it that easily. Genies deserve a day off every thousand years or so, I’m sure.”
“Technically, I’m cursed. I doubt the woman who stuck me in the bottle had vacation days in mind,” he said with a shrug.
“What woman?”
He looked at her intensely before shaking his head. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“Ah, I see. You’re a chicken.” She began to walk away.
127
Jerod was in front of her in a flash, his eyes narrowed and his hands on his hips.
“Pardon me?”
“Chicken.” She skirted around him and made a point of not looking back.
After a few minutes, he appeared beside her and quickly fell into step. “Please explain.”
“You tell me I need to explore my options. That I choose simple things over the exotic or the rare. And maybe you’re right. But at least I made a decision and I did something about it. You have the power right now to enjoy your life and the time you have out of your bottle, and you want to run back and hide?”
“I need to recharge my powers. I’ve told you that.” Viola stopped and faced him. “It’s not that and you know it. Last night you said you wouldn’t know how to be human again if you were. Well, consider this a thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I’d like to treat you to a day of being human.” Jerod raised a single eyebrow, but didn’t say a word. Viola took his silence as compliance and dragged him back toward the resort. The resort had beach umbrellas and chairs that could be rented. As they approached the attendant, Viola slipped her fingers through Jerod’s.
Better
.
“Excuse me,
por favor
. Can we rent a couple of chairs?” The young man turned and smiled. “
Sí
. I can charge it to your room if you’d like.”
“Excellent! Where are your two quietest?”
The young man’s smile grew wider. “Ah, romantic getaway. That would be those two chairs.” He pointed to a couple off to the side.
“What about those?” Jerod asked as he pulled Viola back against his chest with one hand while pointing off to his far right with his other one.
She relaxed into his chest and soaked in his warmth. Her toes tingled and she had the urge to kick her shoes off to let the hot sand soothe her itch.
“I’m sorry. There are no chairs…” the young man stopped mid-sentence. Off to the left of the grouping, two chairs and umbrellas stood a discreet distance from the others.
“Those shouldn’t be there.”
128
“Perhaps a prank. But you can leave them there for now. We’ll take them,” Jerod said and smiled at the man before leading Viola over to their new haven.
“Do you enjoy driving people nuts?” she said, wishing she could sound even a little upset.
“You’re the one who told me to enjoy myself.” Jerod chose the seat closest to the others, put his hands behind his head, and sighed.
“So exactly what does a modern couple do on vacation in Mexico?” 129
Some higher power truly existed, because this was shaping up to be the best vacation ever. Even Beth would have approved.
She went parasailing! Ignoring the fact she was with a genie, that had to have been the coolest thing she’d ever done in her life. Besides walking on water and sitting on a cloud, of course.
Viola even thought Jerod had enjoyed himself. He was certainly laughing enough to make it seem that way. And with the miracle of genie power, they were able to zip around and avoid lines so she could show him some of the gems that human life had to offer. When she’d gone to bed last night, she’d never felt so exhausted in her life. There was only one thing missing. One thing that would have made everything perfect.
Sleeping with Jerod.
The stubborn bugger wouldn’t do it. She’d almost dropped to her knees and begged him, but somehow managed to stop herself in time. She sighed, but wasn’t about to let herself get disappointed. Not when she had a plan. A most excellently delicious plan.
She was about to take some of her own advice. Again.
Viola quickly slipped out of the T-shirt she’d been using as a nightgown, and into the navy blue tank top and khaki shorts she bought yesterday at the little clothing shop at the resort. Jerod hadn’t said a thing when she’d picked it up, but she could tell he liked the clingy outfit. She didn’t want to disappoint him by not wearing it.
When Jerod finally popped into her room a half hour later, he looked more than a little surprised to find her up and about. Viola had been waiting for him, anxiously sitting in front of his bottle, trying to keep her hands still in her lap. She gave up on that quickly enough and instead decided to take a closer look at his bottle. She’d spent much of the past little while trying to see what exactly was inside.
130
“Hello?” he asked, sounding quite confused. He squatted beside her and looked from her to the bottle and back. “What are you doing?”
“Hi. I was trying to figure out what color it was in there. It’s hard to tell because of the glass, but I was thinking blue. Is it blue?” She looked up and smiled. Jerod cocked an eyebrow at her and gently pressed the back of his hand against her cheek.
“Are you feeling well? You might have gotten too much sun yesterday.”
“Me? Sure. I didn’t sleep much, but other than that right as rain.” She pinged her middle finger against the bottle. “Really thick glass. Is this reinforced with magic or something?”
Jerod dropped from his squat to sit beside her. She mentally willed him to reach out and touch her again. He raised his hand and just for a moment she thought he would. Her disappointment flashed through her when he drove it into his hair and scratched his head.
Not that anything could dampen her spirits for long.
She had a plan.
Jerod, much to his credit, looked exceedingly concerned for her.
“Have you eaten? We can go to the restaurant—”
“What’s it like in there?”
“Viola.” He buried his face in his hands.
“Seriously, I’m curious. Look you can either tell me or I can pester you all day about it.”
That convinced him.
“It’s oval with plush carpet and lots of pillows. Satisfied?” She picked up the bottle and held it very close to her nose. “Color?” Jerod groaned, plucked his bottle from her hands, and replaced it on the table. “The color depends on my mood.”
“Really? Like a mood ring. That is cool. Are the pillows round or big square ones?”
“Does it matter?”
Viola licked her lips. “Of course it matters. Different shapes change the entire 131
ambiance of the room. Does the color of the pillows match the room, or do you change them to contrast? Depending on your mood, of course.” He shook his head and Viola felt a thrill of victory when he rolled his eyes, his shoulders slumping forward.
“You’re not going to stop asking are you?”
“Nope.” She grinned.
“It’ll be easier if I simply show you. Then you can see your fill and sate your curiosity.”
“Deal.” She stuck out her hand and waited for him to take it. When he didn’t make a move to accept it, she rolled her eyes. “We’ll shake on it. Seal the deal. Come on, Jerod.” Jerod let loose a heavy sigh, before he finally reached out and took it.
“Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
The ride was over before it began as they blinked inside. It took Viola a few seconds to get her bearings, but once she did, she could barely believe what she was seeing. The destination didn’t disappoint.
“My God, I’d never leave,” she said, spinning around in a slow circle, trying to take in every detail.
The circular room was at least thirty feet in circumference, and sectioned off with hanging raw silk drapes. Row upon row of giant silk pillows, both round
and
square, lined the floor, each one a different shade of blue, grey or burgundy. The glass walls were a smoky color that swirled between dark blue and burgundy. Viola walked over to one and gently reached up to touch its smooth surface. It wasn’t cold like glass and seemed to radiate a low heat from within. She cupped her hands around her face and pressed against it to try to see outside.
“You can’t see anything.”
“You sound disappointed. It’s really not that bad. I can see my masters when they are near. And I can conjure various objects to amuse myself if need be. That’s all that concerns me.”
132
She frowned. “You can see me through this?”
Jerod walked over to one of the glass walls and touched it. His hand made it ripple like water and her face rose to the surface.
“As long as you haven’t made your final wish, I am bound to you. Your image used to glow far brighter, but that was before you made your first two wishes.” Looking around, she realized that most of the area was tidy, except a small corner where a collection of pillows were thrown together. Viola walked over and sat down on one of the larger ones.
“Is this where you sleep?”
Jerod nodded.
Viola smiled and ran her hand over the silk. “I never considered the fact that genies would sleep.”
“When I use a large amount of my power, it drains me. I come here to…recharge.”
“Like after our visit to the clouds?”
He nodded.
“And the other night when we…” She hesitated over the words
made love
. But it didn’t seem right to say they fucked or had sex. It had been more than that.
Jerod stared at her for a moment; his gaze seemed to look deep inside her. He frowned before he offered, “When we were intimate?” Her head snapped up and she looked at him. “Yes. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have been so demanding if I’d realized the toll these things took on you.”
“Don’t apologize. It has been a long time since I’ve had the privilege to…be intimate with a beautiful woman.”
Of course she’d blush after that remark. She’d never been called beautiful before.
Well, except by her dad, and he didn’t quite count. And that had been years ago, before he’d left her mom. She tried not to think of her messed-up family life, not when she had other priorities just then.
“When I use my powers for my own purposes, I am drained very easily. It’s one of the things meant to keep me in line.”
133
“So our relationship isn’t typical of how you spend your time with your other masters?” It still felt odd to say that. She’d never think of Jerod as hers, like a casual possession. God, over the past few days, he’d proven to both of them he was more than that.
Jerod linked his hands behind his back and stood smiling at her.
“Not at all. You, for example, talk to me. Most of my former masters demanded their wishes and then I would be on my way.”
That uncomfortable feeling began to creep back. And that was in direct conflict with her plan. Viola looked around quickly, grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him. He ducked out of its way with little effort and she felt an invisible hand lightly spank her ass.
A fit of giggles threatened to overtake her.
“So what do you do for fun around here? You must get to do some cool things.” Jerod snapped his fingers and a book appeared, floating in front of her.
“I read. I have access to all the books in the world, in every language imaginable.”
“Wow.”
“It keeps me busy.”
Viola plucked the book from the air and began to flip through the pages. It was written in French. Had she actually paid attention in school, she may have been able to read it. No such luck.
“Is it good?”
Jerod’s expression grew very serious. “It’s a romance.”
No way
. “You don’t strike me as the typical romance reader.” He shrugged. “I needed a change of pace.”
Not wanting to waste any time, Viola set the book aside and wandered around. While the room was spacious at first glance, she didn’t know how he could live here and not lose his mind. It was a bottle, after all.
“You’ve lived here for three-thousand years?”
“Three-thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven years.”
“Do you ever get lonely?”
134
“Sometimes.”
Something in the corner caught Viola’s attention. A large mirror stood propped against the wall, partially covered with a silk sheet. She barely recognized the woman standing there as herself, her looks had changed so dramatically. Jerod had helped her find that woman. Now, maybe she could help him.
Plus, she was feeling a little wicked. She might as well have fun with it. She didn’t know when she’d have an opportunity to be in a genie bottle again.
“A mirror, eh?”
“Part of my punishment, I think. It’s the only thing in here I can’t get rid of.” She walked over to it and pulled the silk away, fully revealing the mirror. “I like it.”
“You can take it with you if you want.”
“So, you normally control the way things look in here?” she said, licking her lips.
Watching her reflection was mesmerizing.
He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Up to a point. Why?”
“We need to do a little redecorating.” Viola turned her back to the mirror and walked to the center of the room. “A small stage right about here. Circular to match the room.” A small, black stage, about a foot off the ground, appeared under her feet.
“Did you do that? That’s perfect,” she asked.
“No, you did.”
Her head snapped around to look at him. “What do you mean I did that?” He shrugged. “The bottle has magic of its own. You’re in the bottle, so you can access the magic.”
“Sweet!”
For the next several minutes, Viola set about creating the perfect setup for her little show. A special treat to show Jerod how much he’d helped her and how much everything he’d done meant to her.
How much he meant to her.
Jerod didn’t argue, and instead chose to sit down on one of his pillows and watch.
Except for the occasional chuckle, he didn’t comment. Viola didn’t really notice, she was 135
so enthralled with her temporary magical abilities. Colors, pictures, lights, everything she could think of appeared as she thought of it. Power like this could get addictive. No wonder whoever had cursed him had placed restrictions on his abilities. A genie out of control would be a scary thing.
“There,” she said triumphantly, putting her hands on her hips.
“And what exactly do you think you’ve done to my home?”
“I’ve spiced it up a bit.”
Jerod rolled his eyes. “Well, you’ve done
something
that’s for sure. Now what is…” he waved his finger in her direction, “…
that
supposed to be?”
“It’s a stage. I’m going to give you a little show.” She paused and hoped the effect would be dramatic enough. “A strip show.”
It worked. Jerod’s finger seemed to hang in the air while he snapped his jaw shut.
Viola crossed her arms and put on her best impression of Bill’s smug look that she could.
“Oh yes, Mr. Three-Thousand-Year-Old-Genie-Stuck-In-A-Bottle. A strip show.
And do I
ever
intend to give you a good one.” Jerod had the presence of mind to finally react. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted up to a straighter sitting position. Viola couldn’t help but notice the growing bulge in his crotch.
“I didn’t know you knew how to…” he struggled to find the right words, “…well, do what you’re about to do.”
She really wished she’d borrowed Beth’s aerobic stripper workout DVDs now.
“I don’t. But as you said, this is a magic bottle. I intend to let my imagination take control and give you some memories.”
And then she did something she’d been longing to do since she’d met Jerod. She snapped her fingers and let the magic fly.
The lights darkened as a single spotlight shone on the stage, illuminating a black high-backed chair. Another snap and a slow, heavy music beat swirled around them, filling the room with rhythm. Viola’s quiet and sometimes frumpy attitude was on vacation. The new her, the sex kitten in hiding, was now unleashed upon unsuspecting 136