All Bottled Up (9 page)

doing most of the lifting and everyone else was making a good show of helping. One of the others saw Viola and said something to him.

The young man looked up at Viola, waved, and made his way over to her.

He was cute, but not as good-looking at Jerod.
Bill!
She chastised herself.
He’s not
as good-looking as Bill
. Viola pushed all thoughts of Jerod from her mind, instead concentrating on her approaching companion.

“Hello.” His voice was deep and smooth. He sounded like he belonged on the radio, reading the top news stories of the day.

“Hi there.” She waved back. “I take it this place isn’t open for business.” The man spun his faded ball hat around so the rim now shaded his face.

“Actually, it is, in a way. I’m here to help some of the locals fix up their home.” Viola must have looked as surprised as she felt, because he chuckled.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too when I discovered this place a month ago.”

“The hair dresser at the resort mentioned that some of the older places were used as shelters. Even said they needed repair, but I didn’t think they’d be this bad.” She flicked the kickstand to her scooter and made her way over to the building. The closer she got, the more damage she saw. This place wasn’t fit for rats, let alone people.

The roof sagged in several places. The concrete pillars were cracked, large chunks having fallen off and crushed the flowers and shrubs underneath.

“Apparently it wasn’t this bad a year ago. But after tropical storm Dora last summer, a lot of the weaker parts of the building were damaged. I’m Ryan, by the way.”

“Viola.” She smiled as they shook hands.

Ryan was a handsome man. And if she wasn’t in love with Bill, she’d consider asking him out to supper. Even though blond hair wasn’t normally her thing, she’d make an exception for his blue eyes.

She definitely had a thing for blue eyes.

“How many people live here?” she said and turned away, feeling a little silly for staring.

“About twenty. Four families and a few singles. The owners of the resort have pretty 78

much forgotten about this place. In fact, I’m surprised you’re here. Not many people remembered it when I was asking around about it.”

“Actually, I just happened to spot the sign as I was driving by. Wasn’t intending on finding this place, but I’m glad I did.”

“Well, it’s nice to see someone take an interest, regardless of how you got here.”

“So why are you here helping?” she asked and hoped she wasn’t blushing too much.

“I do some work for Habitat for Humanity. I was on the island, scouting around, seeing what I could find, when I ran across this place.”

“Scouting out build sites in Cozumel. I think I work for the wrong company.”

“Well, you’re here aren’t you?”

Viola told him all about her contest win and the vacation package clause. By the end of it, he was grinning as wide as she was.

“Well, for our sake, I’m glad it was you who made the trip and not your boss.”

“So am I.”

Ryan turned around and looked at the building. “I’d love to have the funds to fix this place up, but things are so tight with our chapter right now. We only have enough to build two houses this year, and nowhere near enough to do right by these people.”

“I would love to do something to help.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew exactly what that something was.

“Well, if you happen to stumble across a spare million, let me know.” He grinned a big, wide smile.

Viola returned his smile and stuck out her hand. “You’ll be the first to know if I do.” They shook hands and she watched as Ryan disappeared back into the structure.

Viola jogged back out to the scooter, her mind turning over possibilities of what she could do to help, and began her journey back through the bushes to the road. When she popped out, she did a quick double check to make sure no one could hear her.

“Jerod?”

Nothing.

“Jerod?” This time she made sure to be louder.

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“You rang?”

As if nothing ever happened, he was standing with his shoulder leaning against a nearby palm tree.

Viola felt a hidden weight lift from her shoulders.
Finally
. She marched over to him and punched his arm.

“Are you okay? You had me scared half to death.” He glanced down at the impact mark left on his shirt before he brushed it away with his hand.

“Just a little genie thing. No need to worry about me.”

“What little genie thing?”

He looked up to the sky and sighed. “I have the power of the universe at my fingertips. But if I use it for my own purpose, I become drained.” He reached out and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“Kind of like a security measure. Keep you from dipping into the company piggy bank.” It made sense, in a strange sort of way. “But you’re okay now?”

“Perfect as can be.”

“Then no more showing off. Got it?”

Jerod straightened and gave her a bow. “Of course, Mistress.” Viola sighed. “Good. I’d hate to think what would happen on my first date with Bill if I didn’t finish our lessons.”

“Is that why you called? Are you ready to continue?”

“Actually, no.”

With her heart pounding, she proceeded to tell him the plight of the locals living in the old resort. For his part, Jerod listened and genuinely looked interested in what she was saying.

“I want to help them.” She was vibrating, she was so excited. “Do you think you can?”

Jerod didn’t say anything for a while. He seemed to search her face, looking for something she wasn’t sure was there.

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“What?”

He shrugged. “It’s nice to find someone interested in helping others.” She opened her mouth to respond, but there was something in the way he looked at her that had her snap it shut again. If she didn’t know better, his expression looked a little bit like respect. And adoration.

Shit.

“Viola, I need you to think long and hard about this wish, and exactly how you want to word it. I’ve seen more than my fair share of good intentions go bad.” Viola dropped her head so it rested on Jerod’s chest. She took little comfort in his warmth this time. What a decision she had to make—be selfish and ignore the plight of these people and keep the wish for herself, and see them get thrown out of their homes.

Or try to help them and potentially ruin the lives they’d created for themselves by making the wrong wish. So either she was a selfish bitch, or a pathetic schmuck with bad grammar.
Great
.

“You don’t have to make the decision now, you know,” Jerod said and she felt him stroke her hair. “Give it a day. Nothing bad will happen to them in a day.”

“Promise?”

She felt him tug her chin and looked up into his eyes. The entire world melted and it was just the two of them. That strange little tingle was back with a vengeance, this time shooting straight to the sensitive spot between her legs. Viola tried to ignore the sensations, but it was a hopeless battle.

“Promise.” The one word held his absolute certainty.

“Okay. I’ll think on it. The best way to help them.” Jerod walked her over to the scooter and watched as she climbed on board.

“Now what?” she asked, her mind still preoccupied with her decision.

“Your lesson for the day, of course.”

Viola couldn’t help her excitement. After her first two lessons, she was looking forward to what he had in store for her next.

“I can’t wait. Any place in particular you’d like me to go?” 81

Jerod’s boyish grin was back. “The resort, if you please.”

“Ummm.” She looked around the small vehicle. “Are you going to zap back? I don’t have a lot of room for you to join me.”

“And you think that will stop me?” He shook his head and snapped his fingers.

The scooter morphed under Viola, the seat extending and the wheels pulling further apart. Jerod swung his leg over the seat and snuggled in behind her.

“Perfect fit.”

“I’m never going to get used to this whole magic thing.” She didn’t bother to wait for his response, knowing it would be something sarcastic.

She turned the key and the scooter purred to life beneath her. They headed out toward the beach and drove up the coast. The sun warmed every inch of her and the wind made her feel alive. She made a mental note to get out for more walks when she got home.

Jerod sat tight behind her. His hands around her waist made her even more aware of his potency. His fingers were long and gripped her in a firm but gentle manner. Images of what those hands could do to her body flashed through her mind, making it very difficult to concentrate on the road. She let out a sigh when the resort finally drifted into sight.

They pulled into the resort rental area as a loud chorus of cheers reached them. A loud beat of music drifted through the air, making her want to sway to the rhythm. She grabbed the attendant and pointed in its direction.

“What’s going on?”

“Dance thing.” He shrugged, frowning momentarily at the magically altered scooter before jumping onto the back of it to return it to the stands.

She turned to face Jerod and almost laughed at the bored expression on his face.

“Wanna see?”

Jerod shrugged a little too causally. “You’re my mistress. I will follow you to the ends of the earth until you make your final wish.”

“And then what?” she asked with a sick sense of curiosity.

His smile melted away, but he didn’t look away. “Then I return to my bottle and disappear until I’m discovered by another.”

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The idea of him poofing away into nothingness, never to be seen again, made her cringe. She was just getting used to him being around. They stood like that for a while until another chorus of cheers drew their attention back to the small building.

Jerod took her hand and gave a tug. “Let’s go see.” When they walked into the room, Viola shivered and squinted instantly. The blasting air conditioner and dim lights of the large entertainment building were a stark contrast to the outside. So much so, it took Viola a few minutes to see what the crowd gathered around. The blaring music was a song she didn’t recognize, and was over before she had a chance to figure out what it was. As they approached the crowd, she was finally able to see what was going on. Two young men, maybe in their early twenties, were standing on two separate metal pads in front of a large screen.

“Are you ready?” the computer voice blared out.

The group around them cheered. The two men both leaned back and grabbed a large metal bar that came about halfway up their backs.

“Oh, this is that dancing game,” she whispered to Jerod.

He only raised an eyebrow in response.

“It’s called Dance Dance Revolution, lady, now shut up,” a young teen with dyed black and purple hair hissed at her before turning back around.

The music began again, a fast Japanese song she wasn’t familiar with. Arrows filled the screen and the men moved their feet in response. Viola gasped at how fast they were able to move. Her brain couldn’t reconcile the timing of the fast-moving arrows with the movement of her feet. These guys weren’t missing a beat.

Impressive
.

In two minutes the song was over and one of the young men threw his arms up into the air and let out a loud whoop.

“Still undefeated.”

Two young women cheered and both threw their arms around his neck to kiss either cheek.

“Any other takers?”

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No one jumped to take the cocky young man up on his challenge. Jerod snorted loud enough that Mr. Cocky turned his attention to him.

“Who the hell are you?” Mr. Cocky nodded his chin in Jerod’s direction.

“We came to play the game,” he said with a bored air.

“We did?” she whispered as the kids in the crowd laughed.

“Lesson number three. Attitude.” He winked.

“Well it’s taken. You and your girlfriend will have to find something else to do.” Viola tugged on Jerod’s arm. “Let’s go,” she whispered.

Jerod didn’t move. “My girlfriend wanted to try the game. We’ll wait until you’re done.”

She looked at him, completely surprised. He called her his girlfriend. The little thrill of excitement traveled down her spine, making her stand a little bit straighter. If this lesson was about attitude, then she needed to get ready to play her part. When she caught one of the boys in the crowd staring at her chest, Viola winked at him. He turned quickly away, his face beet red.

“The only way I’m getting off this pad is if someone beats me. And that hasn’t happened yet.”

The group laughed. She felt Jerod stiffen.

“Don’t zap him or anything okay?” she said under her breath.