All Bottled Up (23 page)

At last, he collapsed on top of her. Her breath came in gasps as his weight pushed her into the bed. She had to push against him twice before he rolled off onto his side. She wasn’t abandoned for long. He draped an arm around her and pulled her close.

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His shaft twitched against her back, as the blood slowly returned to the rest of his body. His breath cooled her skin as it returned to its normal steady cadence. She shivered and pulled his arm tighter, and pulled her knees into the fetal position.

“Cold?” he whispered near her ear.

“Mumm.” She snuggled her ass closer against him.

She heard a light snap of his fingers and they were under the covers, the duvet pulled up to her neck.

“God, I love it when you do that.”

He chuckled and tweaked her nipple.

“I thought you loved that?”

“That too.”

The night tugged at her. So much had happened in such a short time, a girl couldn’t expect to continue on after such energetic activities. Exhausted, Viola let her mind drift and carry her off to sleep.

Of course she dreamed.

She was flying through the air over the ocean. Jerod was beside her, showing her all sorts of amazing sights. They landed on an island out in the middle of the water, a soft breeze tugging at her skirt. She left Jerod’s side to explore a group of crabs that were marching up the beach a few feet away.

When she turned around to say something to him, he’d vanished. Confused, she searched the island, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Jerod,” she called out.

The only answer was the wind itself.

“Jerod?”

The island suddenly began to shrink, collapsing in on itself. Viola backed away from the pursuing shore until her back ran into the lone palm tree. Water licked at her toes and began to creep up her legs as the beach was swallowed by the ocean.

“Jerod!”

She tried, too late, to climb the tree. It too was being consumed by the ocean. As the 215

water rose to her chin, Viola tried to call out one last time, only to inhale a lung full of water.

Her scream reverberated in her bedroom as she sat up in her bed.

“Viola?”

Jerod was there. He wrapped his arms around her and she instantly felt better.

“Bad dream,” she managed to say past the tightness in her throat.

“It’s okay. I’m here,” he said and kissed her shoulder.

She allowed him to pull her back down into the bed. Her heart slowed its crazy beat enough that she didn’t feel as bad.

“Better now?”

She nodded. “I haven’t had a nightmare like that in years. Not since I first moved out on my own.”

“Tell me about it?”

A small part of her wanted to share her fears with him. But somehow she didn’t think he was ready to hear her insecurities right now.

“No. It was just a silly dream. I’m fine.”

Jerod smoothed her hair down away from her face. He kissed her temple, injecting her with a feeling of warmth. And maybe a little something more. Sleep began to tug at her mind again. Viola yawned and snuggled into the sheets.

“Can I get you anything? Anything at all?” he asked.

“You’ve given me so much already. I wish I could give you something to make you as happy as I am.”

Viola’s eyes flew open as soon as the words left her mouth. She spun around in her bed, but it was too late.

Jerod had vanished.

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The loud banging at the front door wouldn’t stop. Somehow Viola managed to drag her sorry ass off the couch and shuffle over to the door. A quick peek through the peephole caused her to sigh.

“Go away, Beth.”

“Not until you open this door. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for two days now.

Open!”

The imminent threat of her friend breaking through the aging wooden door overrode her desire to wallow in self pity. Against her better judgment, Viola flicked the deadbolt and opened the door a crack before turning and shuffling back into the house.

“About frigging time. What the hell have you been doing? I wanted to take you shopping and you’re suddenly not returning my calls? Rich best friend here, remember?” She heard Beth slam the door shut with her foot before kicking her shoes off.

William whined and Viola picked him up before flopping onto the couch.

“I haven’t been feeling very good.”

Beth stopped, planted her hands on her hips, and gave Viola a good, long stare.

“No kidding. You look like shit. Flu?”

No, a broken heart because I’m a moron and can’t keep my mouth shut.

“Something like that.”

Her throat was tight from repressed tears and the pent-up tension she’d felt since she’d wished Jerod away. It didn’t match the ache in her chest where her heart had been, but it was pretty close. If it hadn’t been for William, she wouldn’t have left her bed in the past two days.

Her throat tightened again and she had to close her eyes so Beth wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes.
God, I’m so stupid
. All she had to do was never wish for 217

anything as long as she lived and he would have been fine. They would have been together. Now, she didn’t know where he’d gone or what she could do to get him back. If there was a way to do that at all.

Viola felt the couch shift as Beth sat down beside her. Her fingers were given a squeeze and Viola opened her eyes and tried to smile.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Beth said, a deep frown etched on her face.

“You wouldn’t believe me.” A tear rolled down her face, which she quickly brushed aside and hoped Beth hadn’t noticed.

Beth wrapped her arms around Viola. Massive, soul-wrenching sobs began to push their way out of her body. She hadn’t cried yet, but now there was nothing to stop her.

She’d ruined her chance to be with the most amazing man she’d ever known. How was she supposed to go out and hit the dating arena after that?

When she realized that she’d made her final wish and he was really gone, she’d sat there in shock for the rest of the night. She’d hugged his pillow for hours. It was still warm from his body heat, his scent lingering on the pillow case. She doubted she would wash it. It was her last reminder that he’d been real.

It took a good ten minutes before Viola felt she could control the tears. Beth didn’t say a word and held her until Viola pulled away and gave her a shy smile.

“Sorry,” she croaked.

“Why didn’t you call me if there was a problem? Maybe I can help, eh?” Viola shook her head as she reached for the tissue. “You can’t. No one can.” Beth took one of the little pillows that had fallen to the floor and hit Viola on the arm with it.

“Ouch.”

“What’s with you? You’re not normally this fatalistic. Now tell me what the hell is going on before I’m forced to hit you with objects that hurt.”
What the hell do I have to lose?

“Promise that you’ll hear me out. The whole story, before you think I’m insane and call mental health.”

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Beth drew a cross over her heart. “On pain of death.” Viola sighed, closed her eyes, and said the words that she’d never said out loud before.

“When I was on vacation, I met a genie. I fell in love with him and now he’s gone.” She opened one eye a fraction to see the expression on Beth’s face. She didn’t look pleased.

“Look, we can play games like this all day. But I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Beth, I’m serious.”

“You can’t expect me to believe—”

“Exactly! I told you, you wouldn’t believe me and that there was no point in going over this. Please leave,” Viola practically shouted at Beth.

Viola needed Beth to leave before her self-loathing threatened to jump over and take itself out on her friend. Beth didn’t move, but Viola could see her friend settle and really look hard at her. When Beth slowly started to nod, Viola knew she would hear her out.

“Sorry, hon. Please start over,” Beth said and sat back against the couch.

It took the next hour and a half to relay the events of the last two weeks. She told her all about her first wish and wanting to win Bill. About her lessons with Jerod and how they’d laughed and teased each other at the Coral Reef Palace.

Between Beth’s smart-ass remarks and her questions, Viola didn’t think she’d be able to convince her. Beth only seemed able to focus on the little things, and made light of everything else. Finally, she snatched the pillow and threw it back at Beth before she launched herself from the couch.

“I don’t know what else to tell you. Either you believe me or you think I’m insane.

Whatever. I give up.” Viola marched into the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Beth called after her.

“Water. I’m thirsty.”

Viola yanked open her cupboard door and grabbed the first glass she touched without looking. What the hell was she thinking that Beth would understand? While the closest 219

thing to a sister she was ever going to have, Beth lived in the world of practical science.

She only believed it if she could see, taste, touch, or smell it.

The water tasted good and she gulped most of the contents down without breathing.

The glass made a hollow thunk when she dropped it into the sink. The last two days alone had been utter hell. She’d called in sick, but that hadn’t stopped Bill from calling her every hour. She’d finally had to turn the sound down on her answering machine so she could sleep. He desperately wanted to see her. Jerod had made sure of that.

God, I miss you, Jerod.

She couldn’t help but wonder if he was okay, if he’d gotten something to make him happy, or simply gone into some sort of genie hibernation until his new master took hold of the bottle. She wondered if he’d remember her, if he was thinking about her right now.

How they’d made love for the last time.

Viola didn’t know how long she’d been standing there lost in thought. It wasn’t until she heard Beth clear her throat that she was pulled from her thoughts. She turned around and saw Beth standing in the doorway, a strange expression on her face.

“What?”

Beth seemed to be thinking very hard about what she was going to say. When she finally spoke, there was something in Beth’s voice that’d changed.

“What did you wish for with your second wish?” Viola had purposely left that part out of her story, only telling her of her last wish.

She didn’t want her friend to feel she owed her something. Viola looked Beth in the eye, but couldn’t maintain it. She picked up her dish towel and dried off her glass.

“What does it matter? I made some wishes and they came true. Even the one that sent Jerod away.”

Her heart still ached at the thought, and the lump in her throat reared its head again.

Viola threw the towel aside and got herself another drink.

“I need to know,” Beth asked quietly.

She couldn’t face her, so Viola looked out the kitchen window at her neighbor sweeping the light dusting of snow from his steps.

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“My first wish was to learn how to make Bill fall in love with me.” Beth snorted, “I still can’t believe that one. What was wish two?” Viola sighed and closed her eyes. “For you to win the lottery.” Viola cringed at the silence. When she turned around, the expression on Beth’s face wasn’t readable.

“I knew you’d never take any money if I won the lottery. And with your ticket, half the money would go to help a charity.”

Realization dawned on Beth’s face. “The old resort in Mexico.”

“Jerod couldn’t directly help them, so we had to make something in the real world happen. You winning the lottery was the best thing all around.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Beth actually sounded hurt.

Viola walked over and gave her friend a hug.

“And tell you what? Hi, Beth, I met a genie on vacation and I’m going to fix it so you can win a shitload of money.” She shook her head. “You don’t believe me now, and I knew you wouldn’t have believed me then. So I figured it wouldn’t hurt a soul for me to do this one thing for my best friend.”

“I believe you.”

Viola shook her head. “You do?”

“Not sure if that makes me crazy or not,” Beth said and chuckled softly. “Thank you so much. I couldn’t imagine having a better friend.”

“You’re welcome.”

She hadn’t noticed that Beth had been holding something behind her back. She stepped into the kitchen and she pulled Jerod’s bottle out.

“Is this his?”

Viola was momentarily stunned. It couldn’t be his. Could it? She’d assumed his bottle had disappeared when he had. Shit, she’d torn the place apart looking for it, but with no luck.

“Where did you find that?”

Viola reached out and took the bottle from Beth, careful not to drop it. She ran her 221

thumb over the cool glass before she hugged it to her chest. The tingle she’d felt the last time she’d held it was gone. Maybe it was only her imagination.

“William dragged your bag over to me. It was sticking out of the top.” She walked over to the kitchen table and sat down to look at it. It wasn’t as warm as it had been when he was with her. She wasn’t sure if that meant anything or not. Having the bottle though somehow eased the pain of his leaving. Could he see her now?

“Is he, umm, in there?” Beth took the seat beside her.

“I’m not sure. It doesn’t feel the same as when he was here. I thought it would have vanished with him.”

Beth began to tap out a beat on the edge of the table with her finger. Viola’s nerves began to grate at the sound. This usually meant Beth was trying to work out a problem in her mind. Not that there would be a whole hell of a lot she’d be able to do here.

“How did he get in there?” Beth asked with childlike wonder as she reached out to touch it.

Viola quickly told her about the curse, the images she’d seen, and about the old woman.

“Did you ever look into this curse?”

Viola shook her head. “We got distracted.”

The memory of how they got distracted brought a blush to her face. If she’d only followed through with her promise to find out about the curse, and hadn’t let her hormones take over, there’d be a chance Jerod would still be with her.

“And you got him to come out the first time by rubbing it?” The two women looked at each other for a minute. Viola wasn’t sure if this was going to work, but if it meant seeing him again, she’d chance it. Slowly she pushed the bottle toward Beth.

“Take it. I rubbed my thumb over the side of the bottle. I was getting some sand off of it.”

Viola noticed Beth’s hands shook when she picked up the bottle. She took a single deep breath before she rubbed her thumb over the surface. They both held their breath, 222

but nothing happened. Beth tried again, harder this time. Nothing.

“I don’t get it,” Viola said, her frustration clear. “It was so easy last time.”

“Maybe because I was the recipient of one of your wishes, I don’t count?” Viola set the bottle back down between them and caressed it with her fingertip.

There wasn’t anyone else she trusted to try the bottle. She could only imagine what some of the people from work would do with a genie. Images of Bill surrounded by well-endowed women eating steak on a yacht flashed through her mind.

Suddenly, a wide smile spread across Beth’s face. “Hang on, I have an idea.” Beth got up quickly and stalked over to the phone. Viola frowned.

“Who are you calling?”

“There’s a shop downtown that I know about. The woman there knows a lot about weird shit. She may be able to help.”

Viola held her breath when Beth got through to the woman. She gave her the bare minimum in the way of facts and asked if she had any advice. Beth went silent for a few minutes, which just about drove Viola insane. When Beth hung up the phone, Viola stood up, grabbed Jerod’s bottle and held it tightly in her hands.

“Well?”

“She wants us to come down and see her. She said to bring the bottle.” Viola only waited for a heartbeat before she set the bottle down and ran into her bedroom to change. Before she knew it, they were bombing down Highway 102 into town, zipping in between cars as fast as they could.

“Beth, you’re going to get us killed.” Viola clung to Jerod’s bottle like a life preserver. Not that he could help much in the event of a car accident. Though, she had a feeling his bottle would survive just about anything.

“Will you chill out? I want to make sure we don’t miss her.” It took another fifteen minutes to navigate through the cars on Spring Garden Road before they pulled onto Water Street, downtown. Beth pulled into one of the pay parking lots and the two of them jumped out.

“Where is her place?”

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“It’s up a few streets. I stumbled on it completely by accident. I was looking for a book on mind reading and happened to see it in her window.” Beth laughed. “She’s a very interesting woman.”

“You make her sound crazy,” Viola managed to say in between breaths as they walked up the hill away from the harbor.

“Well, I thought she was. Until I heard your story that is. Now, I’m not so sure.” Viola’s heart was pounding, and it had nothing to do with the steep incline they were currently walking up. If this woman knew anything about Jerod’s curse, crazy or not, Viola wanted to talk to her. A cool breeze from the harbor encouraged them to pick up the pace. They turned a corner and walked down a quiet one-way street.