Suddenly Sorceress (11 page)

“Look in the other bathroom!” I shouted in between kisses.

“You’re kidding, right? It smells like skunk and pee in there. You so owe me for this.”

“Hurry,” I said to Jack.

He nipped my chin. “You can’t rush perfection.”

“Try. Try
really
hard.”

“Oh, it’s hard, baby. It’s really,
really
hard.” His lips smiled against mine as he entered me, fast and deep.

Jack grinned as he buttoned his pants and ran a hand through his just-been-thoroughly-fucked hair. I had to fight the urge to grab him and have my way with him again. “Please let me help you, Ivie.”

“For the last time, how can you possibly help?” I yanked my jeans up my legs, zipping and snapping them quickly. “You’re a fake, remember?”

Despite myself, I genuinely liked him, and I wanted to believe he liked me too. How could I ever trust him though? How could I be sure what I felt was real and not just excess magic brimming over?

“Most magicians are just very skilled imposters, but I happen to know someone who’s the real deal. Surely you’ve heard of Jonathan Blake?”

“The famous magician? Who hasn’t?” A light went off in my head as it dawned on me why Jack’s name was so familiar. “Other than being the guy you stole your name from, what does Jonathan Blake have to do with anything?”

“Did you see his last TV special, the one where he transformed a woman into a tiger and then back again?”

“Yes, so what? He did a neat trick. Big deal. You turned a white dove into a python. Although I wouldn’t mind hearing how you did it, knowing won’t help me.”

“Maybe not, but Jon can actually do that trick. He doesn’t use smoke and mirrors. It’s real magic,” he said.

“How do you know it was real?”

“Jonathan Blake taught me everything I know.”

“Watching someone on YouTube doesn’t make them your teacher,” I snapped, shoving past him to fill a bowl of water for Karma. I contemplated pouring it over Jack’s stupid head before setting it on the floor where the cat grazed on scattered food.

He scowled. “I didn’t learn by watching him on YouTube. I actually studied with him.
Closely
. We were even in the same room. Listen, I’ve seen him do that trick. It looked a whole lot like your spell with the snake. There was no trap door, no folding screen.”

“How does that help me? We tried this last night, remember? You’re good at a lot of things”—I felt my skin flush—“but magic isn’t one of them.”

He cocked his head to the side and smirked.

“Okay, the dog is drugged and I’m ready to get the hell out of Dodge…” Chloe skidded to a stop as she stepped into the kitchen. Her eyes darted from Jack to me then to the cat feasting on the kibble I’d spilled. “What the hell happened in here? Why do you two look like you were just joyriding with your heads sticking out the window?”

Jack blushed as he tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear.

“I, um, dropped the bag, and Jack was helping me clean it up,” I said, feeling as if my face was as red as my hair.

“I’m not sure if you noticed”—she pointed to the mess—“but you didn’t do a very good job.”

“Yeah, well. I figured there really isn’t any point. Besides, that’s not important. Jack was telling me about a magician he knows.”

“Another magician? Do tell.” Chloe crossed her arms and leaned against the refrigerator, the same spot Jack had taken me the night before.

Jack glanced at me, his head tilted toward where Chloe stood, and I felt the blush spread. “I was just saying
I
might not be able to do real magic, but Jon could help. I could…
we
could go ask him together.”

Chloe pouted. “Jon?”

“Jonathan Blake.” We answered her at the same time.

“Why would world-famous magician Jonathan Blake want to help us?” Chloe beat me to the question, and my lips twisted into a resigned frown.

Jack pulled himself up to his full height, rolling his shoulders back. A grin split his face. “He’d better. Or I’ll tell our mom.”

Thirteen

A
cross town in Jack’s remarkably
spacious and impeccably tidy townhouse, I paced in front of the expansive plate-glass windows. My nerves were so shot, I half expected someone to slip
me
a few of the Benadryl pills that had knocked out the dog.

I’d managed to convince myself a squadron of police cars would pull up at any minute with lights flashing and a disembodied voice announcing the jig was up over a loudspeaker. Crossing my arms behind my back, I closed my eyes and imagined what it would feel like to have cold steel clamped over my wrists. Then the thought of Jack handcuffing me to the bed had me restless for an entirely different reason.

The whole sex thing had gotten out of hand. I felt as if I’d been reborn as a porn star or something. Just sitting in the front seat of his SUV on the ride over had brought back delicious memories. Keeping the magic at bay and my hands to myself took every drop of my will. Then my dirty mind raced with ways I could get Jack by himself… and out of his clothes. Unfortunately, Chloe’s constant presence made that next to impossible.

While my dog of a fiancé lay snoring and curled up over the heating vent, Chloe explored her surroundings. “So, Jack…” She fingered loose change in a shallow jar while picking through a stack of mail. “How is it a club magician can afford such a nice place?” She caught me watching her and smiled as she glided to the bookcase to fan through the pages of random novels, dislodging an occasional dollar. I’d seen Chloe’s snooping act before, and it was always amusing.

“I do all right,” Jack answered, startling me as he passed behind me. “I have a pretty decent day job.”

“Day job, huh?” Chloe abandoned the books to focus on Jack. “I don’t know why, but that disappoints me. Does that mean we’re not going to the magic club tonight?”

“No. I, uh, just do the Friday night show.” Jack carried Karma around like a newborn baby, stroking his fur and having what appeared to be a conversation with him. My traitorous cat seemed to be enjoying the attention.

I caught Jack glancing at me every few minutes, but I wasn’t going to let him off the hook so easily. I was still mad at him; at least, I was trying to be. I was glad he came back, but I would rather turn
myself
into a dog than admit that to him. My official stance was to stay angry until he found a way to make up for all his lies. I had to give him credit; he was certainly making a valiant effort.

“You never told me why you look so different.” Jack sank into the worn cushions of his leather sofa and motioned for me to join him. Instead, I leaned against the arm, trying not to look awkward. “It’s just, your hair…”

I knew exactly what he meant. I’d seen it.

“And your…”

I felt his eyes studying me, but he didn’t finish the thought. He didn’t have to. The once-waifish Audrey Hepburn look-alike appeared to be channeling Rita Hayworth. For the record, I didn’t love the new me.

“It would appear to be a ‘side effect’ of the magic,” Chloe piped in with a sour expression, making quotation marks in the air. She’d given up her treasure hunt and sat gracefully on the floor, her legs crossed at the ankles.

Her sarcasm didn’t get past my radar. My life was falling apart faster than a badly set-up game of Jenga. My best friend was annoyed she had competition in the “hot body” department, my ex peed in corners and ate kibble, I’d developed a moderate case of nymphomania, and my cat liked the stupid magician better than me. What more could possibly go wrong?

“Did you call him?” Chloe asked for the fourth time.

Jack groaned. “I already told you I left him a voice mail, three texts, and a message on his Facebook page. He’ll call me.” He shifted his weight, resting against the opposite arm of the sofa and still stroking Karma absently. “Jon doesn’t have the same sense of urgency as other people. He’s more of a ‘fly by the seat of your pants’
kind of guy.”

“Then what good is he? We’re sort of on a time crunch here.” Chloe flipped her blond hair behind her and turned to me. “Doesn’t your
magic man
understand we’re on a time crunch here?”

“Yes, Chloe, I get it. Time is of the essence.” He grinned at me, and I bit back a smile.

“Well, no one is acting like it. The police have called me three times this afternoon. Three times.” Chloe waved three insistent fingers and stood to pace around the room, wearing her own path in the carpet. “I had to turn off my iPhone. Did you hear me? I turned it off. I never turn off my phone.
Never
.”

“Chloe, believe me, I’m more worried than anyone. I’m afraid I won’t be able to change him back. What if he’s stuck like this forever?” I looked at Matt, sleeping peacefully as a little Scottish terrier. “How would I possibly convince anyone he just disappeared without a trace and I had nothing to do with it? I definitely get how bad this situation is, but I need you to be calm. If you freak out on me, I have no idea how I’ll hold myself together.” I slid down the arm to sit on the end of the sofa and covered my face with my hands.

“Oh, come on, don’t cry,” Chloe said. She came over to pat my shoulder. “It’ll be fine. We’ll figure out how to turn Matt back, and everything will return to normal.” I looked up just in time to catch her staring at my hair with an awkward grin. “Well, maybe not
everything
…”

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Jack said as he slouched deeper into the cushions.

Chloe pursed her lips and stared at him. “Maybe
you
can get all comfy and relax, but we can’t sit here all day doing nothing.” She turned to me. “You need to try again. Come on…” She pulled Karma out of Jack’s arms and shoved him at me. “Take the cat. I’ll get Matt. You”—she pointed at Jack—“take off your clothes.”

Jack snapped upright and did a double take. “Take off my clothes? Why?”

“I want to see you naked,” Chloe deadpanned, barely pausing before she fell into a fit of giggles.

“Very funny, Chloe.” I shook my head and put the cat down. “We’ve tried the spell so many times, I’m exhausted.”

Jack’s phone buzzed, and he whipped it out of his pocket.

“Is it Jonathan?” Chloe scooted to look over Jack’s shoulder as he checked his text messages.

“Yes, it’s him.” He scowled at his phone. “Damn it.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Chloe and I asked in unison.

He looked up. “He’s in Las Vegas through the end of next month.”

“Oh.” I plopped back down on the couch and played with a loose tendril of my hair. “Well, that’s that, I guess. Do you think the red will clash with the orange jumpsuit?”

Chloe swatted the hair out of my hand as though there was a bug in it. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s hardly the end of the world. We just need to hop a plane to Vegas.”

I stared at her for a minute before pulling my thoughts together enough to speak.

“Are you forgetting that little detail about me not being allowed to leave town?”

Chloe’s face split in a wide smile. “Trust me.”

Fourteen

“W
ould you please sit? And
stop fidgeting. You’re making me nervous.” Chloe lowered herself into one of the black vinyl airport chairs.

My eyes darted around the room as I folded my arms. “Too keyed up.”

“Ivie, no one will recognize you. I seriously doubt your own mother could pick you out of a lineup looking like this.” She motioned toward my vibrant red hair and new D-cups. “Although, I’ve got to say, I wouldn’t mind standing in line for one of your magical boob jobs. And my hair is desperate for a highlight. I was supposed to go this weekend, but as you can see, I won’t be making
that
appointment.”

I was in danger of being arrested and had been “advised” against leaving the city—which I was about to do with stolen airline tickets—and Chloe
wanted to whine about her highlights. I almost laughed, but I couldn’t relax enough to make the sound. I wouldn’t be able to relax until we were on the plane and taxiing down the runway. Scratch that… until we were safely in the air.

I’d reached a new low, and I feared I wasn’t at the bottom yet. Nervous energy and residual magic coursed through me, making me squirm.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this.” I shifted my weight and lowered my voice to barely a whisper. “I’m breaking the law just being here.”

“Please…” Chloe rolled her eyes at me. “You’re only breaking the law a little.” She brought her thumb and index finger together until they were almost touching.

“I don’t think there’s such a thing as breaking the law a little. That’s like saying someone is a little
pregnant. It’s all or nothing.”

“That’s ridiculous. Besides, you didn’t steal Matt’s airline tickets; I did. You just worked an itty-bitty spell to fix your ID.”

“Shhh. People can hear us, you know.” I forced a smile at an old lady with a neat helmet of blue hair and thick glasses sitting a few seats away. She scowled at me then went back to her book.

“It’s not like he was going to use them,” Chloe whispered. “They’re non-refundable tickets. And the little beast still
gets to go to Vegas.” She nodded toward the Scottie in the red carrier. “Which reminds me… Tell me again why
I
have to sit with him for five hours while
you
get to sit with Hottie Houdini?”

I’d lost count of how many times Chloe had complained about sitting with Matt. I’d tried to convince her to stay at Jack’s house and dogsit. Of course, she refused. It was her idea to bring Matt, and despite my objections, she did have a compelling argument. If Jonathan Blake were somehow able to help me change him back, it would be convenient if he were actually in Las Vegas.

Chloe had even splurged for the original Sherpa doggy carrier—approved for use on most major airlines—in red. It matched her Louis Vuitton luggage. For reasons unbeknownst to me, that was important to her. I didn’t really care either way. I’d stuffed my clothes into a leopard print overnight bag from Avon. It didn’t match anything.

Chloe elbowed my ribs. “You didn’t answer me. Why do I have to sit with the dog?”

I leaned in. “Because one, you had the bright idea to bring him. And two, I’m not the one sitting in first class.”

“We have to bring him. You can’t change him back if you leave him in Atlanta.” Her lips curled into a smug smile.

“What about Karma? He should be here too.” I felt my voice ratcheting up and had to force myself to whisper. “What if I can’t work a spell without him?”

“Oh, please. You said yourself the cat wasn’t even in the room when Matt went from a snake to a dog, and he was sunning himself in a window when you fixed your license. That proves you don’t need him.”

“It proves I got lucky. All the other times, he was right there.” Just thinking about the magic made my skin prickle.

“Well, we couldn’t have brought him even if we’d wanted to. They had room for one onboard pet, and Matt needs
to be on that plane.” Chloe nudged the carrier with her toe. “Though I don’t know why he needs to sit with me.”

“If you don’t want to sit with him, we could swap seats.” I didn’t really want to change seats with her, but I knew she would never agree. My seat was located in the only “coach” Chloe wanted nothing to do with.

“Never mind. I’ll sit with the stupid dog.” She sighed, eyeing him through the mesh panels on the carrier. “But he’d better behave himself, or I’ll let them stow him with the rest of the luggage.”

Matt barked an objection, and we both laughed.

“I need to run to the ladies’ room before they call the flight.” I glanced around the room. “Where’s Jack?”

“Since when do you need Jack to go to the…” Chloe’s mouth fell open. “You’re planning to have
sex with him in the restroom, aren’t you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m… That’s just…
gross
.” My attempt at righteous indignation was pitiful. “I just don’t want him to wander too far and miss the flight. That’s all.”

Chloe’s lips quirked up, and she settled back in her seat. “You keep telling yourself that.”

“There he is.” My hands trembled as I shoved my bag against her seat. “Just watch my stuff. Please? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Moving as quickly as I could without breaking into a full-on run, I crossed the crowded space, stealing an OUT OF ORDER
sign from a janitor’s cart, and hooked my arm with Jack’s. I dragged him toward the ladies’ room.

“Is something wrong?” Jack’s heavy brows furrowed as he looked at the plastic sign then at me. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” I said through my teeth as I gave a quick smile to a woman leading her young daughter out of the restroom. Once the two of them were safely out of earshot, I propped the sign in front of the door and pulled Jack inside. I spun him around and held his face in both hands. “That
itty-bitty
spell Chloe had me work has me wound up so tight I’m about to burst. I can’t sit still; I can’t relax. My heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest, and if you don’t take me into a stall and give me at least one orgasm, I won’t be responsible for what happens to the rest of the people in this airport.”

“Christ, Ivie.” Jack looked at his crotch and adjusted himself. “You can’t say things like that to me in public.”

“You’re right. I’d much rather do things like that to you in public.” My fingers gripped his shirt as I hauled him into the closest empty stall, locked the door, and shoved him onto the toilet seat. “Well? Take off your pants.”

Jack sucked in a breath. “You’re serious?”

My hands trembled as I unbuttoned the front of my jeans. “Hell yeah, I’m serious. Why do you think I dragged you in here?”

“As much as it pains me to say this, we can’t do
this in an airport restroom.”

I lifted one shoulder, trying to appear nonchalant. “Well, if you’re not interested, I saw this sexy soldier leaning against the wall near the newsstand. He might be—”

“Fuck that,” he growled just before crashing his lips against mine.

Once I’d shimmied my pants down my legs until they pooled around my ankles, I went to work on his zipper. Slipping a hand inside his boxers, I wrapped my fingers around his hardened length. “I knew you’d see it my way.”

He let out a hiss as I straddled his hips, lined him up, and sank down onto him. “This is so… wrong.”

“Shhh… Not wrong.
Good.” My lips trailed across his exposed throat. “But we need to hurry.”

“Mmm…” As I ground my hips into his, he curled his fingers around my shoulders for leverage, punctuating each word with a thrust up into me. “Always. In. A. Hurry.”

We’d barely made it back to the gate when they called our flight.

Chloe pushed my bag toward me. “You couldn’t have hurried?”

“Um…” I fiddled with a loose button on my shirt as a flash of heat spread across my face. “We did.”
They don’t call it a quickie for nothin’.

“They just called first class, so I need to go. I’ll see you on board.” She leaned in as if she was going to kiss my cheek. “You reek of sex.”

I bit back a smile, and she smirked at me.

“Who are you, and what have you done with my shy, kindergarten teacher friend?” We both laughed as she grabbed the dog carrier and skipped to the gate.

Matt had used his frequent flyer points to purchase one ticket in his name and one in Candy’s. Jack was flying with Matt’s ticket and Matt’s ID. They never gave the picture a second look.

I was flying with Candy’s ticket and my own ID. Like Chloe said, it was “just an itty-bitty spell” to change my name to Candy’s on my driver’s license, but pretending to be someone else had me on pins and needles. My pulse wouldn’t return to normal until we safely reached the ground in Las Vegas and stepped clear of the airport.

A few minutes later, Jack and I were settled into our seats waiting for the plane to taxi down the runway. After the flight took off, an attendant came around with a cart, and I gladly paid for a miniature bottle of rum to go with my miniature Diet Coke. The minute the Fasten Seatbelts sign went dark, Chloe’s head poked through the curtain separating first class from coach. As soon as she saw us, she marched straight to our seats.

“Is something wrong?” Jack asked her.

She folded her arms. “It’s Matt. He keeps staring at me and whining, and it’s pissing me off.”

“Don’t look at him,” Jack said. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back.

“I can’t just ignore him.” She looked at me, giving me the same pathetic expression I’d seen on the faces of my kindergarteners at the end of recess. “You know he never liked me.”

Jack popped one eye open. “Well, you could always put your sweater over the carrier so the bad doggy can’t see you anymore.”

“Whatever,” she huffed, spinning on her heels and stomping back to first class.

She was gone less than five minutes before I heard her shoes clacking toward me.

“She’s back.” Jack chuckled.

“I need your sweater.” Without waiting for a reply, she snatched it from my lap.

“What happened to
your
sweater?” I asked.

“It’s Michael Kors. I’m not putting
Michael Kors
over the dog.”

“Mine’s Ann Taylor!” I argued.

“No comparison,” she said, spinning around with my gray cardigan under her arm.

I couldn’t fall asleep. Even after two miniature rum and Diet Cokes, I just lay there, running through everything that had happened over the past few days. Jack was out cold, but based on his whimpers and the bulge in the front of his jeans, I felt certain he was dreaming things we’d try later.

I didn’t know how much time had passed, but I’d know Chloe’s breathing, even with my eyes closed. I turned my head to see her standing there, out of breath and wild-eyed, clutching the red dog carrier in both hands.

She was about to say something I wouldn’t like.

“You have to take him.” She thrust the carrier toward me. “I’m done with this… dog.”

“What has he done now?” I groaned.

“He has gas. I know he’s doing it on purpose. It’s horrible and disgusting, and I want nothing to do with him. People are going to think it’s me!”

I swallowed a laugh. “What am I supposed to do with him?”

“I don’t care what you do with him, but you have to take him.” She plopped the carrier down in my lap.

“Excuse me.” A flight attendant with jet black hair pulled back in a French twist almost as severe as her frozen facial expression interrupted my best friend’s mini-tantrum. I imagined the older woman was beautiful several face-lifts ago. “You can’t have your dog back here. You need to take him to your seat.”

Chloe opened her mouth to say something, and the flight attendant scowled, waggling a finger. My pissed-off BFF pouted before stomping back through the curtain with Matt.

I felt my seat shaking before I realized Jack was laughing quietly. “How do you do it?” he asked.

“Do what?”

Jack turned to face me. “She’s a handful, that’s all I’m saying. You’re a good friend.”

“She’s been a good friend to me.” I had no idea how I’d managed to put up with all of Chloe’s eccentricities for so long, but then again, she’d put up with mine. Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Things were bad for you even before all this hocus pocus stuff came about.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

“The
dog
?” He nodded toward the first-class curtain.

I had to laugh. Matt was a dog long before he was, well, a dog. “Yes. He hasn’t really changed much.”

“You deserve better,” Jack said with a little smile.

My lips tipped up slightly. I couldn’t have agreed more. “Meet me in the restroom.”

“What?” Jack’s head tilted, his expression wavering somewhere between excitement and confusion.

“Five minutes.” I shot a glance toward the lavatories in the back of the plane then brushed my knuckles against the growing bulge in his jeans. “Meet. Me. In. The. Restroom. In five minutes.” I climbed over him, with a quick kiss on his nose, to scurry down the aisle.

I hurried inside the empty lavatory and locked the door, pressing my ear against it to listen for Jack. I waited five minutes, then five more before I gave up, grumbling the entire way back to my seat.

Jack stood to let me in, and I glared at him.

“What happened to you?” I scooted past him and flopped into my seat.

He ran both hands through his already messy chestnut locks and sat down, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder. “The flight attendant.”

My mouth fell open. “What were you doing with the flight attendant?”

Jack groaned. “I wasn’t doing
anything
with the flight attendant. She saw me get up to head back there, and she stopped me.” He threw another glance behind him. “You’ve seen her. She’s scary.”