All Bottled Up (16 page)

Jerod looked over his shoulder briefly before he leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. “We recognized each other.”

“He knows you? You didn’t look like you knew each other.”

“Not exactly, but we could sense that we were both…different?” Viola frowned. “Different? And that means?”

“Supernatural.”

She stopped short of her scooter and watched as he climbed up to sit down on his.

Jerod turned the key and the motor purred to life.

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“Supernatural…what is he?”

“A werewolf. You coming?”

“A
what
?”

When did my life go insane?
Viola jumped onto the back of her scooter and pulled up alongside his. Best to just let this go until she had a chance to think things through.

“Where are we going?”

“Scuba diving. It’s time you got up close and personal with the fish.” 150

Where had the time gone? Viola sat on her bed next to the now fully packed and zippered suitcase and sighed. She’d changed into a knee-length green skirt and a silk blouse, ignoring the fact that the weather had turned chilly back home. She was going to hold onto paradise as long as possible. Reaching out with her toe, she nudged her suitcase.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“It only takes a single wish and you can stay here forever.” Jerod was floating crossed-legged in the corner. He’d been there for most of the morning, trying to convince her to use her final wish. He even changed back into his genie outfit just in case she changed her mind.

“No.”

“
You
are a stubborn woman.” He threw his hands up into the air.

She closed her eyes and groaned. They’d had similar conversations over the past two days, each one more insistent that the last.

He wanted her to use her final wish, to let him move on. She wasn’t ready.

“What if I need you when I get home? I don’t want to squander my last wish just because you’re getting tired of my company.”

Jerod stepped down from his invisible seat and walked over to her.

“I could never get tired of your company,” he said in a low voice that washed over her. Jerod tipped her head back and looked into her eyes. “You don’t need me. If Bill doesn’t drop to the ground to worship you when he lays eyes on you, he’s an idiot.” She pulled her chin away. “Of course, I could just be deluding myself into thinking I’m the type of woman who he wants.”

And there was the problem.

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“Your wish was for me to show you how to win Bill over. I’ve done that and then some. He’ll be eating out of your hands in no time.” Viola stood up and walked over to the balcony to take one final look. The past seven days had been a dream. She was Cinderella and midnight had come and gone. She was still left with the task of seducing her Prince Charming. The only question was did she still want to?

She’d spent the better part of three years lusting after a man who didn’t have a clue she existed in any way as a sexual creature. In her efforts to make herself into the type of woman Bill would want, she discovered something—herself. It wasn’t a question of did she think she could win Bill, but whether she wanted to.

And why would she, when she could have a man like Jerod?

So what that he was an otherworldly creature who would disappear if she uttered the words
I wish
. As long as she could keep her mouth shut, he’d be forced to stick around.

That really wasn’t fair to him or her. He wasn’t real. Bill was. And as much as she knew Bill was a bit of a heel, she also knew that in the morning, next week, next year, he’d still be there. She needed that. Not just a want, or nice to have, but a bone-shaking need. Someone there, night after night, who she could count on. Not like her dad, and sure as hell not like her mom. Bill might not be perfect, but he was her best shot.

Somewhere in the back of her head, a little voice was shouting at her. There was another someone, a man she’d never set out to win, but who’d slowly worked his way into her heart. Jerod was a fantasy. But one she wasn’t willing to give up. Not quite yet, at least.

She turned around again and smiled. He cocked his head to the side and she knew he didn’t quite buy her act.

“You’re protesting this trip far too much. Don’t tell me you’re afraid of flying or something. Because I’m not going to buy it after the little cloud stunt you pulled a few days ago.”

His chin dropped to his chest and he sighed. “No, I’m not afraid of flying. I’m afraid of baggage check. My bottle is fragile.”

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“Bah, you survived a hurricane. Air Canada should be a piece of cake. Besides, I’ll bring you carry on.”

“It’s cold in Canada. I don’t want to go.”

She crossed her arms across her chest. “You sound like a child. Maybe I should spank you.”

At one time, if she’d said those words she’d have blushed. But the new Viola enjoyed the teasing. And maybe a good spanking would settle her unruly genie. Not that he seemed to mind the idea at all. After their trip to Tropics Haven the other day, they hadn’t seen much of the outside of her room. They even did a little role reversal and she played the servant to his master. He even tied her to a chair and licked every inch of her skin with his tongue until she came hard, screaming his name. Lessons, it was all a part of her lessons. Not that either of them really believed that little pretense any longer. Shit, Bill hadn’t really entered into her thoughts at all until today.

The day she was to fly home and face reality.

Viola sighed and buried her face in her hands. Life wasn’t supposed to be this complicated.

“I miss my dog.”

Jerod was beside her in a flash and brushed her hair away from her neck and placed a gentle kiss there.

“I didn’t know you had a pet.”

“His name is William. He’s been my baby for the last two years. God, he’ll be pissed at me when I get back.”

“William?”

She looked up at the tone of his voice. “Yes. What?” Jerod shook his head, his shoulders shaking in a silent laugh. “You named your dog after your boss?”

“No!”

“Yes,” he mimicked her.

“No, I named him after the name I
secretly
call Bill. William sounds more romantic.” 153

That set Jerod off. He laughed and laughed. The more he laughed, the angrier she became.

“It’s not funny.”

“No, it’s hilarious.”

Viola stood, marched over to the side table and snatched his bottle off the table.

“In.”

He didn’t move, but he managed to slow his hysterics to a dull roar.

“Get in the bottle.” She emphasized each word as she said it.

“What’s the magic word?”

“Now,” she ground out.

Jerod wiped a tear away from his face. “Very well, Mistress.” She could still hear his deep chuckle as she shoved his bottle into her carry-on bag, and yanked her suitcase off the bed. It fell to the floor with a thud, jostling her entire body.

“I’d be more help to you out there,” his disembodied voice teased.

“No…” she jerked the handle of the suitcase hard, “…thank you.” He must have realized he was pushing her buttons, because he thankfully remained silent the rest of the morning. Once she’d thrown her bags into the taxi, she didn’t feel quite so rushed. But the insanity of the airport security tested her patience more than it normally would have. And it didn’t help that every male she passed took great pains to stop and gawk at her.

For the first time in a week, she actually missed her old, baggy clothing. She wasn’t in the mood to attract this much attention. Getting home would be a relief.

She tugged down the hem of the shirt and silently wished for the millionth time that she hadn’t worn the stilettos. Sensible shoes, not these back killers, were what she needed for traveling. But a part of her wanted to make sure her transformation would be as successful away from the romantic atmosphere of the resort. And what better way than to see what kind of reaction she got on the plane and in the airport. At least she’d know it was a success.

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When she finally sat down in first class, Viola thought she was going to die. The flight attendant handed her a moist, heated towel and she quickly buried her face in it.

“You’ll ruin your makeup,” Jerod’s voice whispered in her ear.

“Shut up.”

“Pardon?” The smiling attendant turned back to her.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry. Talking to myself.”

Jerod’s chuckle quickly stopped when she tapped his bottle with her toe.

“Maybe I should have checked my bag.”

“But then you’d be lonely,” Jerod whispered and an invisible finger traced a path up the inside of her thigh. Thankfully, he took pity on her and left her alone for a few minutes.

Viola sighed and closed her eyes.
Why the hell am I so tense?
It wasn’t about Bill.

The more she thought about him, the less appealing life with him became. Especially after her time with Jerod, how he showed her how special she was. Still, a part of her hoped Bill would take notice, if for no other reason than to know she could actually do this. And if Bill didn’t pay her any more attention, and Jerod went running off, then who cares. She was a smart, sexy lady who could go into a singles bar with pride now.
Oh
Lord, no!
Online dating was more her speed. No matter how much she’d changed on the outside, she still couldn’t handle that kind of pressure.

“Oh lookie, a cute companion.”

Viola’s eyes snapped open and looked up into the face of a heavyset man. His round face was red around the jaw line and neck, and a bead of light perspiration had formed on his forehead. She’d so hoped the aisle seat was empty, but it looked like she wasn’t that lucky.

Viola smiled politely and closed her eyes again. Best not to encourage conversation.

He bumped against her leg as he shoved his oversized body into the less-than-comfortable seat. She tried to squish closer to the side of the airplane to give him more room, but it didn’t really help.

“Jacob’s the name. How are ya, pretty lady?”

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He stuck his hand under her chin and waited for her to shake it. She may be many things, but rude wasn’t one of them. Viola slipped her hand into his and tried not to cry out when he crushed her fingers in a deathlike grip. His hand was clammy and he smelled a bit like stale cigarettes. She wasn’t entirely sure where he was from, somewhere southern US?

“Nice to meet you, Jacob. I’m Viola.”

“Well that’s an old name. You must love the classics,” he said with a grin, leaning in a bit too close. “Or at least your mamma did.” Viola’s cheeks began to tremble under the strain of keeping the smile fixed on her face.

“Depends on the classic, I guess.”

“So you’re heading to Canada, hon? Me too. I’m going up for a business deal. A big one. Lobsters to Virginia. Gonna make a killing. Why are you headin’ up?”

“Going home actually.”

“Vacationing, huh? Well, that’s just great.”

“He wants to see you naked,” Jerod whispered in her ear. “I can read his thoughts from here.”

Viola nodded and bit her tongue, while Jerod laughed in her head. Only after she gained control of the giggle that threatened to burst out of her was she able to answer. “I can’t wait to get home, though I’ll miss the warmth.”

“Well, if all the girls are as pretty as you are, I’ll have to stay a while.” He patted her knee before he turned and did up his seatbelt.

Ohmygod no!

Takeoff didn’t do anything to improve Jacob’s conversational skills. He talked about wanting to try Canadian beer.

“I need to see if it’s as strong as y’all like to think it is.”

“I should spike his drink. That would be fun,” Jerod whispered.

Viola pinched her lips shut and turned to look out the window.

Jerod didn’t let up over the remainder of the flight. Viola had to do everything in her 156

power not to burst out laughing every few minutes. She even kicked his bottle so hard at one point, she thought she broke it. She wasn’t that lucky.

“That wasn’t very nice, now was it?”

The next thing she knew, Jerod’s invisible fingers began to skirt up her thigh. She crossed her legs, but that didn’t stop him. A light caress brushed the side of her breast and down over her stomach. She tried to scratch the spot, but it didn’t help.

“Didn’t anyone tell you not to upset a genie?” Over the next several hours of the flight, Jerod continued on, silently bantering with Jacob, with Viola as his captive audience.

Maybe I should have left him in Mexico after all.

“I tried to warn you,” he said, and she could almost picture his shrug.

He wouldn’t even let her sleep. Not that he did anything directly to annoy her. But when she eventually drifted off, her dreams were haunted by him. Images of them walking along the beach, making love under the stars and waking up in each other’s arms, wove in and out of her uneasy sleep. She wrapped her arms around herself and gave a light hug, sorry Jerod couldn’t be there with her now.

A clammy hand gave her a rough shake, sending Viola sitting bolt up. Both Jacob and the flight attendant were staring at her. She felt her face blush and quickly sat back against the chair again.

“Sorry to have woken you. We are beginning our descent. Can you bring your chair upright please?” the flight attendant said, truly sounding like she regretted waking her.

“Of course.” Viola scrambled for the button, but she couldn’t find it.

“Let me, sweetheart,” Jacob piped up.

He pushed the button hard and Viola’s backrest nearly sent her flying into the seat in front of her.

“Thank you.”

“Anytime.” He beamed and returned to his newspaper.

The landing went smoothly. But things were quiet. Too quiet. She wandered into the airport and made her way to get her luggage. While waiting for the rest of her bags to be 157