All Bottled Up (3 page)

He opened his eyes again and Viola gasped. They changed from crystal blue to dark blue.

“I said I hate this part of the relationship.”

“Relationship?” she stuttered.

“Convincing mortals that I am who I say I am is getting harder and harder. My master before you didn’t believe me, even after he’d made his first wish. He thought he’d lost his faculties. I don’t have the patience for this any longer.” Viola took a step back. This conversation had officially moved into the realm of
not
fun.

24

“Well, I…”

Jerod took a step closer and all memory of what she was about to say flew from her mind. An exotic scent of musk and spices washed over her, sending her head into a spin.

He was only an inch or two from her now, but he still didn’t make any contact. He didn’t need to. His eyes held her motionless. She watched as their color blended back from dark to crystal blue. Her body instantly responded to his. Her nipples hardened, pressing against the silky fabric of her bikini top. A shiver of longing washed over her and pooled in a puddle of heat between her legs. She wanted her heart to stop pounding, but there was no way to calm it.

“I am a genie. You are a mortal. Please make your wishes so I may return to my bottle in peace.” His voice was rich, like a sweet dessert.

Viola tried to ignore the little flip her stomach gave at the sound of his voice. Oh this really was bad, she really shouldn’t be reacting this way to a complete stranger, handsome or not. She had to get out of here. Now.

“Look, I’m sorry you don’t enjoy your job. But I didn’t ask to be a part of your game.” She saw the other resort guests playing beach volleyball up ahead. “I’m going to head back now. Please don’t follow me. I promise I won’t say anything bad to your bosses.”

She didn’t wait to see how he’d react to that one. Viola scrambled to grab her beach towel that held her hat and room key. With the bottle now covered by her towel and pressed between her breasts, she jogged as best she could on the sand toward the resort.

Her calves were screaming from exertion when she finally reached the closest gathering of people. It didn’t help her heart though. It still pounded like mad.

Rule number one.
Don’t
wander the beach alone again.

A group of high school students cheered as one of the boys in the volleyball game made an impressive dive. Viola noticed several of the girls giggled as they passed a very large water bottle filled with a drink that looked surprisingly similar to her glass of rum punch this morning. Her stomach lurched at the memory.

Rule number two.
Don’t
drink large quantities of alcohol on an empty stomach then
25

wander off alone.

She stood in the middle of the group of students and felt very small and very much on her own. What made her think she could come to a tropical paradise solo and have a good time? A group of adults sitting off to the side caught her eye. They were chatting and laughing in a very civilized manner. Viola took a deep breath and made a few steps in their direction to join them. She stopped when a man wearing a faded Yankees cap and Hawaiian shorts shouted at the group of students. The teacher.

She had about as much in common with these people as she did with the crazy actor down the beach. No, her room was looking very nice at this point. Maybe after a nap she’d be able to try this again. Go out for a late lunch or an early supper and see if she could meet any interesting people.

She walked through the lobby toward the elevator and tried to ignore the whistle and catcall of a hairy, overweight man with a heavy accent.

Rule number three.
Never
wear this red piece of floss again.

The elevator doors were starting to slide closed when Viola ran up and stuck her arm out to catch them. The cleaning woman inside pressed the open door button for her.

“Thanks. Really hot out there today.”

“
Sí
.”

The woman kept her eyes forward and didn’t react to the fact that Viola was standing there clutching an unusual bottle.

“Excuse me? Does the resort hire actors to role play characters? Say…like a genie?” The woman shook her head. “No, ma’am.”

Shit
. Viola’s stomach turned and she suddenly needed to lie down. She’d have to call security once she got back to her room. And then bolt the door shut.

Some vacation. She’d been here one day and she’d already attracted the attention of a few high school students and an apparent stalker. Why were all the really good-looking ones completely nuts? And there was no denying the fact that
Jerod
was unbelievably hot. She was cursed.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened on the fourth floor. Viola checked to make 26

sure the corridor was empty before bolting down the long hallway to her room, the last one on the right.

In continuation of her excellent luck, her electronic room key didn’t open on the first or second pass. She drove her knee into the door in frustration, almost crying from the pain after the impact.

Viola closed her eyes and tried to calm down as tears welled up in her eyes. With a slow, deliberate stroke, she slid her key card through the reader. The click of the lock as it released was the best sound in the world. She ducked into the room and turned the deadbolt, the tension in her body finally able to give. Still, she flipped the sliding lock over and only then did she feel able to calm down.

Viola rested her forehead against the door and closed her eyes. She was getting too old for this. She’d resigned herself to the idea that she wasn’t couple material a few years ago. Not that she was old, but at twenty-nine, time was starting to speed up for her in the other world known as relationships. She hadn’t had a lot of luck making any progress in that department recently. And while Beth’s advice to get laid was tempting, it wasn’t what she wanted. Viola wanted a relationship, to be part of a couple. Make a difference in someone’s life. Hell, maybe have kids one day.

Okay, getting laid was part of it too. She wanted to be sexy. She’d been very unsexy for most of her adult life. Wouldn’t even know how to be sexy if someone walked her through it. Not like there was anyone out there who could do that for her.

Her stomach chose that moment to make an ear-splitting growl that she felt all the way to her head. A quick peek at her watch announced it was after lunch. She rubbed her tummy.

“Room service,” she sighed.

“Would you like to wish for some food? I can fill the room with delights beyond your imagination.”

She screamed and dropped the bottle to the floor with a thud. When she spun around, Jerod was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed.

“How did…when…” Her brain couldn’t form a complete thought. Picking up the 27

bottle, she held it upside-down and hoped it wouldn’t break if she had to hit him over the head with it.

“I told you. I am a genie and you freed me from my prison. I am bound to you until you use your wishes. And please be careful with my home. I will need that back.” Anger overcame her fear and Viola swung the bottle violently in his direction.

“No. You are a crazy stalker who somehow figured out where I’m staying. I’m getting security.”

However, when she tried to open the door, it wouldn’t give. The slide lock was jammed and she couldn’t push it open.
Time for plan B
. She started to make her way toward the phone on the nightstand, but didn’t want to get too close to Jerod. Instead, she made a beeline to the bathroom where there was a second phone.
Thank God
.

When she turned the corner and turned on the light, Jerod was standing there.

“I am unable to harm you in any way, Mistress. It is part of the code I live by.” Viola promptly fainted.

The next thing she knew, she was stretched out on the bed, the bright flowery comforter pulled up to her neck. She kept her eyes squeezed shut. With any luck, he hadn’t dismembered her, tied her up, or whatever it is stalkers do to their victims.

“Jerod?” she said his name so softly, she barely heard it herself.

“Yes, Mistress?”

She squeezed her eyes tighter. How the hell was she going to get out of this?

“I told you, I won’t hurt you.”

No way was she going to open them to check either. Best just to stay cocooned here in bed, protected by ignorance.

“Please open your eyes, Viola.”

His gentle request was so unexpected, her eyes opened on command. She peeked above the mountain of comforter, and found him sitting cross-legged on the oversized ottoman. He had that amused expression about him again. His bottle sat on the coffee table beside him, looking unharmed.

“We won’t get very far with your wishes if you choose to hide all day in your bed.” 28

She lifted the covers to see she still wore her tiny, weenie, way-too-small thing that masqueraded as a bathing suit. Apparently her body had been enough of a deterrent to protect her from his advances.

Using the protection of the comforter, she leaned over and grabbed the one over-large T-shirt Beth had allowed her for a nightgown. Once it was safely secured on her body, she stood up and padded her way over to face him.

Viola leveled him with a steady stare and crossed her arms over her chest.

“What can I do to make you leave?”

“Make your wishes,” he said without missing a beat.

“There’s no such thing as genies—”

“I’m one—”

“Just like there’s no such thing as vampires—”

“They exist too—”

“Or werewolves—”

“Wrong again—”

“Or ghosts!”

“Okay, I’ll give you that one.”

Their voices echoed in the room.
Is this guy for real?

“So you’re trying to tell me that genies, vampires, and werewolves are real, but not ghosts?”

“In a manner of speaking. That’s why I’m not able to bring people back from the dead.”

In a very strange way, it made sense to her. She frowned, driving her fingers into her hair.

“You are something else.” Viola rolled her eyes and marched over to sit on the edge of her bed.

“I can prove to you I’m a genie, if you’d like.”

“Oh this should be good. Will it use up one of my wishes?” She made sure to inject enough sarcasm into her voice someone with ear plugs could hear it.

29

“Of course not. Are you ready?”

“What do you plan to do?”

Jerod shrugged. “Something dramatic I assure you.”

“Go for it, buddy.”

Jerod snapped his fingers. Instantly Viola was standing next to him. Instead of being in her room, they were standing on
top
of the ocean waves, the resort and its beach a small dot on the horizon. The water crashed over her feet and legs, cold enough to jolt her from her disbelief.

“Oh shit!”

Viola threw her arms around Jerod and tried to climb up into his arms.

“See. There is no way I could bring you here if I wasn’t indeed what I say I am.”

“Bring me back, please, now,” she pleaded, tears flooding her eyes and spilling over her cheeks. “Don’t let me fall. Oh my God!”

“I won’t hurt you, Mistress. I wanted to prove to you—”

“Please bring me back,” she said as a sob escaped her.

“Viola, it’s okay. I’ll protect you.”

Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it was about to burst through her chest.

The rest of her body began to shake and she felt the nausea that usually preceded her passing out creep up her throat. Her eyes were squeezed shut so all she could hear was the waves, squawking of the seagulls and her heart pounding. Jerod’s hand stroked her hair as he made soft, reassuring sounds. Slowly, she felt her nerves begin to settle.

“You are perfectly safe. Look,” he cooed into her ear.

He lowered her until her feet skimmed the surface of the cool water. He kept his hands around her waist until she felt the surface hold her. Viola squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Her grip increased on his arm and neck.

“Trust me. Open your eyes.”

She couldn’t. But after a minute or two of listening to the waves and Jerod’s quiet reassurances, Viola’s body began to relax. Another minute and she was able to open her eyes, if only to look at him.

30

He was smiling at her.

“That’s better. You wanted me to prove my powers to you. I believe I have. Look around,” he said as he wiped a tear from her face.

She’d pushed him into this. Now that she was here, she couldn’t chicken out. Viola forced her body to relax some more and slowly looked down at her feet. The view was breathtaking.

The way the light cut through the water, she could see an amazing amount of life beneath her. Blue, green, and yellow tropical fish swam together in a type of choreographed pattern. They came close enough she could almost reach out and touch them. Several dolphins broke the surface of the water off to her left, their clicks and squealing chatter bouncing off the waves toward her. There were other animals too, but she couldn’t put a name to them. They all passed by without a second look at the two humans standing on top of the waves.