genies everywhere.
A snap of her fingers and a shake of her body was all it took to change from her T-shirt and shorts into a tight black dress.
Oh, I could get used to this
. When she set her foot on the stage, her three-inch stiletto heels clicked on the marble floor.
With each beat of the music, she walked slowly across the stage. As long as her heart kept beating, she’d get through this with her dignity and maybe leave a lasting impression on Jerod at the same time.
The music began to grow. The heavy drum beat was joined by a woman’s throaty hum and a base guitar. It was sexy, hypnotic. Viola closed her eyes and felt her body begin to sway to the beat. Her hips swiveled as her knees bent, and she dipped into a grind.
She tried to picture some of the women dancing in the latest music videos. It seemed to help as her hips took on a life of their own. The chair became her toy. She imagined Jerod sitting on it and danced to it as if it were him. She squatted in front of it and opened her legs enough that, had he been sitting there, he would have seen the black lace panties she wore.
Next she turned the chair around so the back was away from her and placed her foot on the center of the seat. Viola looked at Jerod for the first time since her performance began.
He was sitting stone still, his eyes fixed squarely on her. She ran her tongue over her lips and watched him suck in a breath, his hands balling into fists on the pillow. God, he looked like he would explode. Viola chuckled and felt her spirit soar. This was what she’d been missing all her life. She’d spent so much time hiding under layers of clothing she’d forgotten that she could be sexy. That she
was
sexy.
With her leg still propped on the chair, Viola slowly pulled one of the black straps of her dress down. She felt the fabric pull, revealing the swell of her breast still encased in a black lace bra. She cocked her head to the side, exposing her neck.
Jerod moaned and squeezed the edge of his pillow. He didn’t take his eyes off her and Viola felt herself blush under the intensity of his gaze. She was putting herself on 137
display for him, but there was still a small part of her who felt self-conscious. Instead of giving in to the fear, she winked at him and leaned back so her breasts thrust up into the air.
“Touch yourself,” Jerod whispered.
Heart pounding in her chest, she raised her hand high up in the air until she couldn’t reach any farther and then slowly bent her arm at the elbow until her finger tip touched the dip of cleavage between her breasts. She traced a blazing path down the now-moist path until she was able to hook the neckline of the dress and tug it down.
Standing straight once again, the dress fell to her waist. A single tug and it pooled to the floor at her feet. Viola kicked it toward Jerod and smiled when it hit his legs. Next, the chair poofed off the stage and was replaced by a stripper’s pole that slowly emerged from the floor and rose high into the air.
At that particular moment, Viola wished she’d taken Beth up on that dare a few years back about going to a strip club. She had absolutely no idea how to look sexy swinging around a pole.
Thank God for magic.
Being far enough away, Viola took a running start and threw herself at the pole. She managed to catch the pole with her arm and hook her leg around it. The momentum brought her swinging around the pole over and over until she came to rest lightly on the floor. Not too shabby for an amateur.
The music was pounding now and Viola became slowly lost to it. She stood, leaned back against the pole and unhooked the black lace bra. She didn’t remove it right away, instead teasing Jerod with the promise of seeing her naked flesh. Inch by inch it slinked down her arms, barely hugging her skin. Viola turned at the last second so her back was to him as the garment fell silently to the floor. She threw him a sultry look over her shoulder.
God I hope I look sultry.
“Turn around.” His voice was gruff and impatient.
She pouted but had no plans to disappoint him. She crossed her arms over her chest, covering her breasts, and turned to face him. She bent at the waist, letting her ass stick 138
high in the air, and touched the ground with her hands. Her breasts fell forward, swaying as she moved to the rhythm. Bending her knees to bring her ass closer to the stage had her squatting. Once again she opened her legs wide, but this time there wasn’t a chair to hide her from him.
Jerod was able to see her now-naked breasts and her wet panties. She looked directly at him and licked her lips. He couldn’t hide the bulge in his silk pants anymore. And it was all for her.
“Touch your breasts,” he said as he dug his fingers into his thighs.
She closed her eyes and reached up with both hands lightly pinching her erect nipples. It was her turn to moan. Who knew stripping was such a turn on?
“Lick your finger,” he said.
When she opened her eyes and put her finger in her mouth, she made sure to look straight at Jerod, let her eyes travel down his body to rest on his crotch. She then took her finger, slick with her saliva, and pushed it inside her panties. Her clit was completely engorged with blood, her desire ripe.
She rarely touched herself like this, even when she masturbated. If anything, she’d use her vibrator, but never her fingers. It wasn’t something she did. But with Jerod watching, it became the most natural thing in the world. The new Viola was daring, bold, could touch herself anywhere.
As she continued to tease her body into a frenzy, she decided Jerod was getting off entirely too easily.
“Your turn,” she whispered in a breathless voice.
“Tell me.”
“Grab your cock. I want to watch you.”
There was no hesitation on his part. He squeezed his shaft through the silk pants, and began to stroke himself. Nice, but not entirely what Viola had in mind.
With a single thought, his pants disappeared. For the first time, it hit her just how big and perfect his cock was. Her knees buckled and the wetness between her legs increased.
The sight of his naked body, his hand slowly pumping his cock, was more than she could 139
take. What had started out as lighthearted play had now turned into a real burning need.
And what she needed right now was him.
Viola pulled her hand from her panties and dropped both hands to the floor in front of her. She then proceeded to crawl across the stage and carpet on her hands and knees toward Jerod. The closer she got, the slower his strokes became until he wasn’t moving at all.
“I can take it from here,” she managed to whisper.
She rose to her knees and took in everything about him. She wet her fingers on both hands and grabbed the base of his cock, squeezing hard. Jerod’s loud moan echoed in the room and enflamed Viola’s desires.
When she lowered her mouth to his balls, she inhaled his scent before she ran her tongue around their bumpy surface. They immediately tightened, pulling close to the base of his shaft. She continued to lick them, paying particular attention to the purple vein that ran in the middle of the sac.
Jerod’s thighs began to tremble and he ran a hand through her hair and massaged her scalp. Viola began to make her way up his cock, licking and tasting the salty sweat that now covered his skin. The slit in the tip of his head was covered with a bead of liquid.
She licked it up and moved around his tip with her tongue. It was intoxicating.
Her teasing was too much, she could tell, but Jerod didn’t pressure her to move on.
He let her explore, taste him, touch him as she wanted. And she wanted him. Viola abandoned his cock for the time being and rose, half naked, to her feet. She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of the delicate panties and sucked on her bottom lip.
“Should I take these off?”
“Yes,” he barely managed to say through his clenched teeth.
“Pardon? Yes, what? You have to ask properly now.” He managed a shaky breath. “Yes, Mistress.”
She threw him a saucy grin. “I was thinking yes
please
. But mistress works.” A gentle tug and the panties fell to the floor on their own. She stepped out of them, caught the edge with her stiletto and flicked them at Jerod. He pulled them from his face, 140
smiled and tucked them under his pillow.
“A reminder for another day.”
“I’ll give you a little more than my underwear.” She carefully stepped on either side of his legs, completely opening herself up to him. Her pussy lips were hot and dripping wet. She could smell her desire in waves as the scent rolled up her body. Now, she needed him now.
Careful not to lose her balance, Viola grabbed Jerod’s shoulders as she lowered her body onto his waiting cock. A low moan that quickly became a growl escaped her when she reached the bottom of his shaft. He was buried to the hilt, completely consumed by her body.
It was the most amazing feeling in the world.
Though the muscles in her thighs began to protest, Viola stayed in her squatting position, using her feet to leverage her movement up and down. When she didn’t think she could go on any longer, she felt his hands cup her ass, holding her, assisting her with her movements. The pain receded, leaving nothing but the pleasure of their bodies coming together.
Viola squeezed her innermost muscles, clenching around his shaft. The pressure increased her pleasure, her body melting around him. She felt the blood pulse in his cock, growing in size, filling her even more. His hands squeezed her ass. His finger, moist from her sweat, teased the crevice, dipping into the crack and pushing against the opening.
When he slipped a finger inside, she stopped breathing. She’d never felt so filled before. The movements were opposite to the in and out of his cock. Viola began to thrash her head from side to side, the feeling was so overpowering. Jerod bent forward and captured her taut nipple with his mouth. He sucked hard, teasing her with his tongue. It was too much. She felt the pressure build, suddenly aware that she couldn’t stop it.
“I’m going to come. I can’t stop—”
The warmth of her orgasm started somewhere deep inside her, but quickly raced to rush through her body. She screamed. It pounded through her, knocking all of her senses into blackness. Nothing in the world existed except for the pleasure.
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She began to cry, the pressure of it all was too much. It wasn’t enough. Viola continued to drive her body hard on Jerod. She needed him to finish, bring them both home. To give them a sense of peace.
She honed in on his lips and kissed him hard and deep. Her tears rolled down her cheek and mingled with their kiss. Jerod buried his hand in her hair, pulling her closer, kissing her deeper. She didn’t need air, or to breathe. Only this and she could live forever.
Jerod’s other hand squeezed her ass cheek hard and she knew he was ready. She dropped to her knees and rode him as hard as she could, careful not to break their kiss. A sharp intake of air and he thrust hard, uncontrollably into her. She drank up his cries of pleasure.
Whether she came again or it was simply a continuation of her first orgasm, she didn’t know. It seemed to last forever, each thrust of him into her, pleasure coursing through her, until they collapsed in a heap on the pillows.
Viola lay gasping for air, naked on top of Jerod. His cock still twitched with life inside of her. Already she could feel his juices trickling out of her, mixed with her own.
She felt sore, tired and absolutely wonderful.
Neither of them said anything for the longest time. The only sound was the slowing of their breathing, until they settled into a steady rhythm.
“You’re amazing,” Jerod whispered into her hair.
“Thank you.”
She laid her hand on his chest and let the sound of his heart lull her to sleep.
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“Why did we come out here again?”
Viola laughed at Jerod as he kicked a rock out of his path with his foot. It had taken more than a little convincing to get him to come with her to Tropics Haven this morning.
Hell, she didn’t think she was going to get out of the bottle ever again. They’d made love a second time, but it was slower than the first. Her mind wandered back, her body remembering the feel of his hands on her ass as she rode him, squeezing her cheeks when he came. After that, she’d collapsed against him and spent the rest of the day and night in his arms. Her body settled comfortably against his muscular chest feeling absolute contentment. She shivered and tried to focus on the purpose of their little trip.
“I told you, I wanted to let Ryan know that some money was on the way. These people have a right to know help is coming.”
“I’d rather have you be the one to come,” he whispered in a low voice and ran an invisible finger down her back.
Viola felt her face flush. “For three-thousand years old, you’re such a kid.”
“And you have a talent for understatement. Some money?” Jerod smiled at her and kicked another rock.
She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him right there. “Okay, a shitload of money. I can’t wait to see the look on his face.” Viola giggled. Her heart pounded from the excitement, the mere thought of helping these people, actually making a difference, a
real
difference in their lives, was the greatest rush she’d ever felt.
This time when she approached the resort, there were only a few people around. Two women were on their hands and knees in front of the cracked walkway that led to the front door. She could hear a faint melody coming from one of the upstairs rooms, the only indication that anyone else was around. Ryan was nowhere to be seen. A few quick 143
questions and they learned Ryan was out, though sure to be back any time.
Viola looked up at Jerod and frowned. “Do you mind if we wait?” Jerod shook his head. “We can go for a walk if you’d like.”
“We won’t be very long. Can you please let him know we’re here and would love to talk to him?”
The woman nodded and returned to her weeding. Viola and Jerod strolled away from the woman toward a well-worn path. Viola didn’t hesitate and slipped her hand into Jerod’s, squeezing it gently as they walked. She didn’t let go even when the path narrowed and they were forced to walk single file. Not that he seemed to mind. The air was warm, making her skin slick with perspiration. The breeze from the ocean didn’t seem to reach them on the path.
Before long, the trail wound around and came to a clearing. Ahead of them, a large gated area held what looked to be dozens of small buildings, each glowing in the sunlight. Viola sucked in a breath when she realized where they were. “It’s a cemetery.
Beautiful.”
Jerod didn’t say anything, which caused Viola to look up at his face. His teeth were clenched and she could see that his breathing had become slow, deliberate. She gently ran her hand down his arm and tugged lightly at his hand.
“Want to leave?”
He didn’t respond at first, but finally shook his head. “Let’s go pay our respects.” They made their way across the well-manicured lawn toward the main entrance of the gate. Viola could see the highway off to her right and realized they hadn’t passed it on their way here. It was on the other side of the resort, past Tropics Haven.
Who in God’s
name would build a resort near a cemetery?
No wonder it went out of business.
The gate was shut and held closed with a slightly rusty lock. Jerod wrapped his fingers around the gate door and gave it a light tug. Nothing. He closed his eyes for a second and Viola heard the lock squeak open. Jerod gave the door a shove. This time it swung open effortlessly. She wanted to make a joke, some sort of off-the-cuff comment, but the words didn’t come. She was frozen in place, her legs feeling suddenly cold, 144
numb.
This is such a bad idea
.
Jerod went in several steps, before stopping and turning back to face her.
“Coming?”
She took a deep breath and quietly fell in step beside him as they walked past row after row of colorful crypts. She’d only heard of cemeteries like this, or seen pictures on the Internet and on TV. Now, being here, Viola couldn’t shake the feeling she was being watched.
“You said there was no such thing as ghosts, right?” He nodded his head. Not that his confirmation added much in the way of comfort at the moment. Viola walked past where Jerod stood and peeked inside the crypt.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Jerod said softly as he reached out to run a finger down one of the bars that protected the coral-colored crypt in front of them.
Not quite the word choice she would have used. Viola clasped her hands behind her back and stared back out toward the road. It felt wrong to be here.
“You have no idea how lucky you are.”
When she looked back at him, Jerod’s face was an unreadable mask. But he was staring right at her and his eyes told her everything she needed to know.
He wanted to die.
Viola didn’t know what to say. She took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“How long will you live?” Somehow her voice didn’t betray the sudden swell of emotion in her.
He took a step closer and ran a finger down her cheek. “Until the end of time. Or until my curse is broken. Whichever comes first.” Viola shuddered. She’d never been comfortable with the idea of her own mortality. It had always sent her into a panic attack if she thought too much about it. But not once had she considered the alternative. How painful it would be to see all your friends and family grow old and die, leaving you behind. She didn’t think she’d be able to handle it.
“I’m so sorry. You must be so lonely.”
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His gaze slipped from her, locking on a point over her shoulder. “My life isn’t so bad when you think about it. I get to see the march of history unfold before me. Meet men and women who would be unknown to me, beyond the normal stretch of my mortality.” He paused and sucked in a shuddering breath. “Of course, I’ve had to be there through wars, unspeakable atrocities, helped generate a few of them for my masters. I’ve watched everything and everyone I’ve ever known wither away and die.”
“Jerod, I—”
He pressed a finger to her lips. “Don’t apologize for something you have no control over. I just wish…well, it doesn’t matter does it. Genies don’t get wishes.” Jerod straightened and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Enough of this. We can’t have all this serious talk of things we can’t change. We should get back and talk to your friend so we can be on our way. We don’t want to waste the entire day.”
He scooped her into his arms, eliciting a yelp from Viola. She giggled from relief and the sheer silliness of the situation. Before they made their way back to the path, Jerod secured the gate so no one would bother the cemetery. It wasn’t until they reached the path that he set her back down.
“Later I will take you to the ruins of San Gervasio. We can go see if X’cel is home,” he said as they picked their way over the uneven ground.
“Who?”
“Rain goddess. Lots of fun, really. You’d like her.” Viola giggled again and felt better. “I’d love to meet any friend of yours.” Though she had a feeling he wasn’t telling her everything.
When they emerged from the path, the young woman who’d greeted them earlier was still there. This time she was busy dropping a beautiful plant into a large hole in the ground.
“Señor Ryan isn’t back yet,” she said as soon as they were close enough.
“Crap.” Viola really wanted to tell him in person. “I guess he’ll get a big surprise in a few weeks then.”
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“You can give it to me now, pretty lady.”
Viola and Jerod turned around as Ryan sauntered down the long driveway toward them. He was wearing a faded blue ball cap that lacked any sort of logo or design. His navy blue shirt was only done up halfway, exposing the corded muscles of his chest. She couldn’t help but stare at him. He must be strong to be built like that.
“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Jerod muttered under his breath.
Ryan’s gaze instantly snapped to Jerod and his eyes narrowed. He stopped for a second, but quickly resumed his progression toward them. He didn’t say anything until he was beside them.
“What’s interesting?” Ryan asked, his attention centered fully on Jerod.
Something
so
wasn’t right. The hair on the back of Viola’s arms began to rise. She wanted to say something but she couldn’t quite force the words out. All she could do was watch the silent exchange unfolding in front of her. Jerod looked ready to whisk her away on a moment’s notice, his arm hung protectively around her waist. Not once did his eyes leave Ryan.
“I forgot, you didn’t meet last time I was here.” Viola struggled to keep her uneasy annoyance down. “Ryan, this is my friend Jerod. Ryan is the man I was telling you about.”
The two men didn’t move to shake hands or exchange any pleasantries at all. Ryan balled his hand into a fist, but released it almost instantly.
“Answer my question, please,” Ryan said, the
please
almost an afterthought.
Jerod didn’t seem fazed at all by Ryan’s rudeness. He shrugged, but tightened his grip around Viola’s waist. “The quality of your timing was interesting. Not many people are that lucky.”
Viola caught the slight emphasis he’d put on the word
people
. If it had been a slight, Ryan didn’t seem to care. He broke out into a wide grin and turned to the woman standing with them.
“Thank you, Cierra. I’ll show our guests around.” Ryan led them away from the resort, down the driveway a short distance. He waited 147
until they were far enough away before he turned back to them. “So what can I do for you? I didn’t expect to see you back.”
Her heart began to race. Every ounce of excitement she’d ever felt came pouring out of her, barreling past her initial disappointment.
“I have the best news!” She proceeded to tell him about Beth’s winning prize. As she revealed each detail, Ryan’s grin slowly melted until his frown carved deep lines in his cheeks.
“So Habitat will receive half, specifically to fix this place up. Isn’t that wonderful?” Her cheeks were sore from smiling so much.
Jerod squeezed her hip and Viola couldn’t help but lean against him.
Ryan didn’t say anything at first, his gaze traveling from Viola to Jerod. He finally crossed his arms across his chest and leveled a heavy stare at Jerod.
“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be excited,” she said, but couldn’t quite keep the disappointment from her voice.
“Did you have anything to do with this prize?” Ryan jerked his chin at Jerod.
Viola felt her mouth drop open. Why the hell would he think Jerod had anything to do with it?
Unless he knows.
Jerod didn’t give her a chance to ask. He shrugged, but she could feel his body tense beside her ever so slightly.
“It’s all respectable. I made a promise. Not that it should concern you.”
“If it has to do with these people, then it is very much my concern.”
“I would be very grateful for the gift and move along if I were you,” Jerod said between clenched teeth, his words sounding very much like a threat.
“Well, you’re not me. And it damn well better be without strings or I’ll fucking kill you. They’ve had enough shit happen to them in the past two years for something else to go wrong.”
“I doubt you could even touch me. Are you saying my word isn’t good enough for you?”
Their voices were rising with each passing second. Viola couldn’t take much more.
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“Holy shit.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you two just want to whip it out and measure?
This is supposed to be
good
news remember?” Ryan took a step backwards and stared at Viola before slowly nodding his head and grinning. “Just making sure everything is on the up and up. These people are important to me.”
No one moved until Jerod returned Ryan’s smile. “This is a good place for finding people.”
Viola’s head was pounding from the sudden tension around her. Now that the moment had passed, she finally felt she could breathe again.
“And Beth is really excited about helping them. She was even talking about coming down to see Haven. I know she’d love to meet you.” Ryan cocked a single eyebrow and shook his head. “I look forward to it.” Ryan nodded toward the building. “I had better get back in here. I’ve been away for a few days and I’d like to share the good news. Everyone will be very excited by your friend’s generous gift. I wish you both the best.”
Ryan winked at Viola before he faced Jerod. The two men nodded to each other and, before she could say anything else, Jerod was leading her away back toward their rental scooters. Jerod chuckled a few times but didn’t let her in on the joke, which instantly grated on her nerves.
“What the hell was that all about? I thought you two were going to pound the shit out of each other.” She pulled her arm out of his and crossed her arms across her chest.