Kiss and Spell (11 Valentine's Day Paranormal Short Stories) Page 6

  This time she placed her hand over mine and shook her head. “Thanks, but really, I’m fine.”

  “Okay. But I’m here if you need me.”

  She tightened her fingers around my hand and stared at me. “Weird.”

  “What?” I popped a crab puff into my mouth.

  “Your energy, it’s a little heavier. Like—”

  “There you are!” Mary Ann Wasserman cried, hurrying toward us. She wore a bright, red-velvet dress and had diamonds dripping from her ears, wrists, and neck. She was the chairwoman of the board that was working to save the theatre. “I need to borrow Kat for a few minutes,” she said to Jade.

  “Of course.” Jade picked up her Champagne glass and drank half the contents.

  I stood. “What do you need, Mary Ann?”

  “Someone to get the dancing started after I make the announcements. Eros is asking for you.” She spun and hurried over to the small makeshift stage near the long rows of silent auction tables.

  “Who’s Eros?” Jade asked.

  I shrugged and followed Mary Ann.

  Chapter Three

  “Now that the silent auctions have been completed, it’s time to get this party started!” Mary Ann announced. “But remember, the cash bar is still open, and all funds raised will be donated toward restoring this beautiful landmark. So drink up.” She glanced around and then added, “But be safe. Cabs will be waiting when the ball ends.”

  A loud applause rose from the thickening crowd.

  “Now in the iconic words of Kevin Bacon, ‘Let’s Dance!’”

  I shook my head and laughed. I was willing to bet at least half the guests had no idea which movie she was referring to.

  And just like that, a shimmering disco ball appeared from the ceiling, and a short man in a familiar purple-velvet jacket was taking my hand.

  “Where did you come from?” I asked, staring at the gorgeous delivery man who’d brought me Lucien’s gift that morning.

  He gave me a mysterious smile and stopped in the middle of the dance floor, bowing with his hand out. “I’m Eros. May I have this dance, Ms. Hart?”

  “Uh…oh. Right.” Mary Ann had said Eros asked for me. How had it come to be that this unusual man was both my delivery guy and the master of ceremonies of this event?

  The man stared up at me, a gleam in his eyes. “I promise to not step on your toes.”

  He was so serious, I couldn’t help but laugh. I curtsied and inclined my head as if we’d been transported back in time. “It would be my pleasure.”

  Taking my hand in his, he placed the other on the small of my back, and with the ease of Fred Astaire, he proceeded to twirl me around the room.

  “So graceful,” he said. “Your husband is a lucky man.”

  I shook my head and showed him my empty left hand. “Boyfriend. But you’re right. He is lucky. Not many girlfriends would be so understanding after getting stood up on Valentine’s Day.”

  He frowned. “Stood up?

  I gave a tiny shrug. “He had to work.”

  “On Valentine’s Day?” There was disapproval in his darkening eyes.

  “It’s not a big deal. It happens.”

  “It shouldn’t. Not on this night. The night for lovers.” The music slowed, and Eros pulled me closer, swaying to the soulful tune. “Forget about him. I’ll be your date.”

  A tingle of warmth filled my belly, and for some reason, his words took all my worries away. I was at the ball in the arms of a charming man who knew what he was doing on the dance floor. It didn’t even matter that he was at least four inches shorter than me. What more did I need?

  “She’s too good for him,” Eros said, nodding to the blonde—Elle—and her married date.

  I raised my eyebrows, surprised. “You know them?”

  “I know he’s married. And that his wife is at home with a sick kid.” The derision in his tone was unmistakable.

  “Bastard,” I muttered. “He was a real ass when he came into my shop today, as well.”

  His eyes narrowed as he glared at the man. But then the rocker chick and her tattooed boyfriend glided past us, and Eros turned his attention to them, a pleased smile claiming his face.

  “You’re such a romantic,” I teased, patting his lapel.

  He gave me a wry smile. “You have no idea.”

  “Then you’ll love this couple.” I nodded toward one of my regular customers. Trish was a lifetime jewelry lover and stopped by my shop no less than once a month. Her boyfriend of the week was holding her tightly as she beamed up at him, the sapphire blue earrings he’d purchased from me only a few hours ago dangling from her lobes. He was wearing a seersucker suit and looked quite the southern gentleman. “They’ve only known each other a few weeks, but I think he might be the one.”

  Eros studied them, his eyebrows drawing together in concentration. “Not likely. The signs are already there. I’d give it another week at best.”

  “Huh? What signs?” It was true Trish hadn’t had any lasting relationships since I’d known her, but this one…he was into her. Totally. And she certainly appeared to be into him. Unlike the last two she’d brought into the shop.

  He shook his head. “Chemistry’s off.”

  “Well, I think they look wonderful together.”

  Eros twirled me around, and I realized we were closed in on all sides by the six women wearing my pieces and their dates. My pendant, the one Lucien had given me, heated up against my skin to the point of almost burning me.

  I let out a gasp and reached for it, but Eros grabbed my hands, stopping me.

  “It’s time,” he said.

  “Time for what?” I cringed back, trying to separate my bare chest from the burning pendant. What the hell was going on?

  “For the festivities to begin.” His arms tightened around me just as the music stopped. The lights went out, flickered back on, and then winked out again.

  A collective gasp went up around the room as I pulled back, trying and failing to get away from him. “Let go!”

  “Relax, Katrina. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  The smooth caress of his words calmed me, and even though in the back of my mind I knew everything should feel very wrong, it didn’t. Eros would keep me safe, no matter what happened. I relaxed into him, content and no longer bothered by the heat of my pendant.

  The din of the crowd grew louder the longer the lights were off, and then from across the room, I heard Jade cry, “Lucerna!”

  The ballroom lit with what looked like thousands of floating candles.

  The guests let out a collective gasp of delight, while I stared into the gleaming eyes of Eros. His grip tightened on my wrist, and the half-dozen women wearing my jewelry were now in a tight circle around us, their dates missing.

  I saw no one else except Eros and his all-too-willing harem.

  “Good,” he said, smiling into my eyes. “Are you ready?”

  “For?”

  His smiled widened as he snapped his fingers, and just like that, everything changed. The crowd, the theatre, Jade, everyone was gone, and the only ones left standing were me, Eros, and the six other women.

  “Welcome home, ladies,” Eros said, waving a hand around the old New Orleans home. The foyer had Italian marble columns and matching tile. It was as if we’d been transported to a villa in Tuscany. “I look forward to getting to know each of you and eventually choosing my new bride.”

  Chapter Four

  A squeal went up around me, and although there was a faint, nagging sense of unease still in the back of my mind, I smiled at him. “Why us?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  “Because you, my dears, are the loveliest ladies in New Orleans, the city of my heart.” He waved a hand and a gray-haired man dressed in a suit appeared with a tray of Champagne and a small bouquet of red roses.

  “Please make yourselves comfortable,” Eros said, leading us through the French doors out into the marbled courtyard. A gorgeous infinity edge pool with a wate
rfall was at one end while a white gazebo covered in lush vines was at the other.

  “Oh wow,” Trish said with a happy sigh, her sapphire earrings sparkling in the shimmering moonlight.

  “There are bathing suits in the pool house.” Eros strode over to the end of the pool and sat in a throne-like high-back chair that was covered in blooming jasmine.

  It occurred to me the flowers must be spelled because I’d never known jasmine to bloom in February, at least not in New Orleans. The fact that I realized he was magical in some way should’ve bothered me, or at least set a warning bell off, but for some reason it didn’t. We were in a beautiful house, with a charming host, and all I wanted to do was enjoy it.

  “Please get changed, and then we’ll start.” Eros plucked one of the roses from the tray and twirled it between his fingers.

  I followed the other girls into the pool house, happy to oblige our host. It was only eight o’clock after all, and hanging out in one of the fanciest homes in New Orleans was hardly a hardship. There were three racks of bikini bathing suits in numerous styles for us to choose from. They even still had the tags on them.

  I pulled a blood-red number and quickly changed, pleased I’d had a wax recently in anticipation of the holiday.

  “Don’t forget your heels, ladies,” a woman in a sleek, black business suit said. Her raven hair was piled high on her head, and she wore slim wire-framed glasses. She had a no-nonsense look to her, as if she was the house manager.

  I stuffed my feet into a pair of matching red, five-inch heels with red soles and thought I’d die of pleasure. The Italian shoes made my feet feel as if they’d been swaddled in the finest Egyptian cotton. “Oh, my. I could get used to this.”

  “I was born for this, honey,” Esme, the rocker goddess, drawled as if she’d just walked off the plantation. Her suit was copper with flecks of gold and so small, that if she made one wrong move there was going to be a major wardrobe malfunction. But her skin was honey-colored and flawless. If anyone should be flaunting the goods, it was her.

  The seven of us, led by the house manager, walked out of the pool house in a line and around the pool to where Eros was sitting, as if we were in the Miss America pageant.

  A slow smile spread over his face, and that gleam was in his eye again. He’d changed as well and was wearing deep-plum board shorts and flip flops. And holy geez, who knew he was sporting a six pack under that purple suit.

  He stood and moved to the edge of the waterfall, leaning casually against the stone border. “Now that we’re all more comfortable, maybe each of you can name one interesting fact about yourself as an ice breaker.”

  “What a lovely idea,” a curvy, raven-haired woman said. “Hi, I’m Mina and I’m a fashion model for Bianca’s Divas. The store specializes in forties and fifties fashion. I have a closet to die for. Actually three closets. All at half price.” She waggled her eyebrows and cast the rest of us a superior look. “I swear my dress collection is rivaling my shoe habit. My ex liked to buy my affection.”

  Esme gave her a tight smile, but the rest of us largely ignored her.

  “Thank you, Mina,” Eros said, frowning a little.

  “I’m the lead singer in a rock band,” Esme said, flipping her long dark hair over one shoulder. “Last summer we toured with Black Magic Witches. Thirty cities in thirty days. It was intense.”

  “Do you play guitar?” Eros asked.

  She nodded. “Also the drums. I could jam for days.”

  “That’s so cool,” I said to her, rubbing my temple. There was a pulse just above my right eye that was making me slightly nauseated. “I’d love to come see your show.”

  She frowned and appeared troubled. “Weird. I can’t remember when the next gig is.”

  Eros cleared his throat. “Ms. Hart? Can you tell us something about yourself?”

  “Sure. I’m Kat. I was born in Idaho, but moved to New Orleans for college and never left. I’m a jeweler, specializing in silversmithing. Creating is…well, it’s my first love.” I stared down at the marble tile, the pounding in my head growing stronger. A vision of a handsome male face with vibrant green eyes flashed in my mind, but I couldn’t place who he was. My unease grew, and without another word, I sat down in one of the wrought-iron chairs.

  The introductions continued, but I barely listened to the chatter. Something was very off.

  “Kat?” Eros stood in front of me, his voice soft.

  “Yes?”

  He dropped his warm hand to my shoulder and lightly caressed my bare skin. With his touch, my headache vanished and a small spark of energy rushed through me, perking me right back up.

  I stood, feeling awkward when I realized the other girls were all staring at me, their eyes flashing in… was that anger?

  He handed me one of the red roses and without any preamble, said, “Congratulations, you’ve made it to the next round.”

  My fingers closed around the stem automatically, but I stood there dumbfounded. “Next round of what?”

  But he moved on without answering me.

  Esme, holding her own rose, moved to my side and whispered, “We’re all in competition for Eros. At midnight, he’s going to pick his future wife.”

  Chapter Five

  The first round ended with Mina, the fashion model with the enviable shoe collection, eliminated. The remaining six of us stood there, awkwardly holding our roses, as Eros held out his hand to the dejected woman.

  Her bottom lip quivered, and a fat tear rolled down her face. “But, I’m the prettiest one here. Everyone else is… just average. I mean come on. Esme? What kind of name is that anyway? She needs a hair treatment STAT. And the redhead? The jeweler? Look at her nails. Do you really want someone with such ugly cuticles touching you?” A tiny shudder ran through her as she stared at me.

  Ouch. She wasn’t wrong. A manicure lasted less than twenty-four hours in my line of work, but that was no reason to put me on blast.

  “That wasn’t very nice,” Elle said, her lips forming a small frown that looked more like a pout. “I think everyone here is gorgeous. Including you.”

  “Oh, stuff it, blondie.”

  “Hey,” I said, holding my “ugly” hands up. “There’s no reason to be obnoxious.”

  “I’m obnoxious?” Mina gave Elle a look reserved for someone who’d been presented with dog crap. “She’s the one who dates married men.”

  “What?” Elle said, shock flashing through her wide eyes. “No I don’t. I’d never—”

  Mina flung her hands up and pushed Elle.

  The petite woman flew backward and teetered dangerously on the edge of the pool, and then, as if in slow motion, she plunged into the water. She came up sputtering, her mascara running down her face and her gorgeous jewel-studded shoes waterlogged.

  “Oh, my.” I rushed to the edge to give Elle a hand.

  “What the hell was that about?” I heard Esme demand behind us.

  “I don’t tolerate cheaters,” Mina said in a superior voice.

  “And I don’t tolerate bitches.”

  I turned around just in time to see Esme yank on Mina’s hair. The rejected woman gave a cry of rage as her luxurious head of raven hair flew off, revealing matted, mousy-brown locks plastered to her head.

  “I knew that hair was fake,” Esme said, holding the wig in two fingers as if it were a dead rat. “Just like those boobs and lips.”

  Mina slowly straightened, grabbed her wig, and started to stalk off into the house. As she did, the left side of her bikini bottom slid into the most unattractive wedgie, revealing a ghostly white buttock. Her almost-orange tan was so dark, the contrast was startling.

  “Someone’s been abusing the self-tanner,” Kari said in my ear.

  I did my best to not laugh out loud. She really did look ridiculous.

  Mina started wiggling her hips and hobbling, as if she was trying to de-wedge without picking the fabric from her crack. But it only made matters worse as the other side rode up and both b
utt cheeks jiggled in the slight breeze.

  “Talk about a full moon. Though this one has more dimples than—” Esme started.

  Her remaining words were drowned out by laughter, as Mina flipped us all the bird right before she vanished into thin air.

  “Oh, gods,” I gasped out, barely able to breathe. “Is she going to turn up at the ball like that?”

  Eros nodded, sending us into hysterics. He turned to the house manager. “Please take Mina her gown and make sure she gets home safely.”

  The woman nodded, her expression never changing. And with a snap of her fingers, she was gone, too.

  “That was… unkind, ladies,” Eros said, with an air of disapproval.

  I sobered, but wasn’t all that concerned about Mina as I wrapped my arm around a shivering Elle. “She deserved it. Poor Elle is freezing.”

  “She was a fake bitch,” Esme said, not pulling any punches. “You should’ve heard her in the dressing room when we were changing. Very selfish. And what she said and did to Elle was way over the line. I, for one, am not sorry.”

  The other girls nodded their agreement.

  Eros sighed, but didn’t disagree. “Let’s just move on shall we?”

  Elle’s teeth started to chatter as the breeze picked up. “Can we get a towel or something?” I asked him.

  “Come with me.” He grabbed Elle by the hand, but before they left, he gestured to the pool house again. “Get changed and meet us in the game room. I have a surprise for everyone.”

  Chapter Six

  The five of us changed quickly into yoga pants and form-fitting T-shirts that had been left for us, and then we shuffled into what Eros called the game room. Only it wasn’t a game room at all. It was a commercial kitchen that looked like a set out of a televised competition show, complete with stainless steel work stations and commercial stove-top ovens.

  “Welcome back, ladies.” Eros had his arm around a rosy-pink Elle. She was also dressed in yoga attire, along with a deep-purple hoodie sweatshirt. It practically swallowed her petite frame, leaving no doubt it belonged to Eros.