Cursed-epub (7 page)

He began to rock behind her, pulling her body into the music. Keeping her gaze on the floor, she relaxed enough to let him lead her movements. The way he became one with the drumbeats was amazing. He led her in perfect rhythm, as if his body was an extension of the music. Her heart pounded as his hips brushed against her bottom, and she felt his erection. Hard and impossible to ignore, she bit back a moan as his desire wrapped around her.

This is what she wanted, what she had been missing without even knowing it. She anticipated his movements, rolling her body against his. Closing her eyes, she let herself get lost in the music and Sean.

They moved together, blending perfectly into each other. She turned in his arms, laying her head on his chest and listening to him hum along to the song. The aching points of her nipples pressed against him, and she stroked down his arms. Here, in the darkness behind her eyelids, she could pretend they were alone in some perfect place where time had no meaning.

He stroked over her back in a light touch that sent tingles through her. Emboldened, she pressed her hips to his and let him dip her back, the hard bulge of his erection pressing against her. When one of his large hands gripped her thigh, she willingly let him slide it over his hip so that his cock pressed against her wet pussy. His groan blended into the music as she rocked against him.

More. She wanted more of this pleasure that chased the darkness from her soul, and brought sunlit warmth to the icy prison around her heart. Threading her fingers through his hair was pure decadence. The warm strands felt like silk beneath her hands. They continued to rock together, to follow the beats of the music and each other. The feeling of his cock pressing against her swollen clit had her gasping, and his growling response shot through her like a drink of strong tequila.

He woke her sensual side, coaxed it to burning life with his body and music. Her eyes almost opened as he lifted her other leg so both her legs were wrapped around his waist with his big hands cupping her bottom. So strong, he held her as if she were nothing, as if he could hold her for hours and wouldn't tire. Running her hands through his hair, she lifted her face to his in a silent invitation.

Some strange language rolled off his tongue before he closed the distance between them. The moment their lips touched, her world came undone. A wild pleasure roared through her, and she ground herself against him as she moaned into his exquisite kiss. He tasted like the ocean, clean with a slight hint of salt and cold wind. Lips firm yet soft brushed against hers and sent sparks of pure lust straight to her throbbing pussy

Pulling him closer, she rocked her hips against his, their lips mimicking the movements of their bodies. He was impossibly hard between her legs, and big. Each thrust had her slit running the length of his cock until she was making little pleading noises against his lips every time he ground into her clit. She couldn't remember the last time she’d had an orgasm, or even wanted one. Her body was starving for release.

He licked at the seam of her lips, and she eagerly opened for him, sighing into his mouth at the first stroke of his tongue. His kiss was just like the rest of him, made for her. His hands moved lower, curving beneath her bottom and changing the angle of her hips so that he hit her clit dead-on with every thrust of his hips. The seam of her pants were soaked with her desire, and she wondered if he could feel it. She could certainly smell her musk as he teased her body into an even higher state of arousal.

The world narrowed down to him rocking between her legs and his lips against her mouth. Closer now, her body tensed against his with her orgasm just out of reach. Never in her life had she been this out of control with desire, but she didn't care. This was right and so very good.

The ache in her body increased until it bordered on pain and Sean seemed to sense that. He broke his kiss and trailed his lips down her neck, placing little bites that had her shuddering against him. Just a little bit more and she would be there, bursting with pleasure like an over-ripe peach.

Arching back, she sighed and rolled her hips into him in a move that had him stumbling as his cock jerked between her legs. A cold sensation brushed against her just before the door to the practice room banged open and a high-pitched female voice yelled, “Carmella, what the hell are you doing?”

A bucket of icy sewage couldn't have had more of an effect on her than that voice. Dropping her legs from around Sean's waist, she stared in horror at the sight of Dianta and three of her pet instructors glaring at her from the doorway. Dianta wore a bright pink mini-skirt coupled with an almost transparent white top. It was obvious she wasn't wearing a bra beneath.

“I—” The words choked off in her throat as shame and humiliation came crashing down on her soul, killing her joy and desire.

“How dare you act in such a manner at my school?” Dianta said in disgust. “Sean, I'm so sorry she threw herself at you like this.”

Sean pushed her behind him so he stood between her and Dianta. “She didn't throw herself at me. I—”

“Your father would have been ashamed to see you acting like this,” one of Dianta's pet instructors said in Portuguese so Sean wouldn't understand. “Acting like a whore where anyone could walk in on you. I'm glad it was us and not some of our innocent young students that had to see you grinding yourself on him like slut. He looks so humiliated to have been caught with you.”

Shame slammed into Carmella, and she pushed away from Sean. She couldn't look at his face, couldn't see the embarrassment there. They were right; she was acting like a woman with no morals. He must think she did this with everyone. She dodged his hand and slunk past him. The coldness that accompanied Dianta's arrival crushed the warmth that he had given her, ate it up and left her shivering. She was no one, nothing, and would never be good enough for Sean.

His yells to come back fell on deaf ears, and she ran down the hallway with tears streaming down her face.

****

Working under the harsh glare of the florescent lights, Carmella stood back from the dress dummy and evaluated the headdress of the Snow Queen costume. Small white feathers fastened to a glittering white cap that would be secured to the head with bobby pins. Most of the glitter and the neon blue rhinestones were glued on the cap itself. A carefully spread series of plumes made the crown of the piece.

The headdress had to be worn for hours at a time. If it was too heavy, it could injure the wearer. Not that she would mind if Dianta's head popped off, but it might scare the children. Her lips curved in a humorless grin as she glued another rhinestone to the base of a feather.

It was a wonder she’d gotten any work done. Over and over her mind replayed her time with Sean as she tried to resolve what she was feeling. One moment she would be filled with a bright joy that made her glow with happiness, and the next, cold ice would kill off the warm happiness and leave her bleak and shivering. It felt as if her mind was at war against itself, and her body paid the price. She ached deep in her bones, and her heart actually hurt.

Every time she thought of Sean, a vicious headache would begin behind her eyes, and she would have to sit and breathe until it passed. As long as she didn't think about him and all of the carnal pleasures that she wanted to sample with him, her head was fine. But one thought about the strength of his shoulders or the way his hair had felt beneath her fingers had that sharp agony back with a vengeance. She was so confused and tired of being cold.

Different ways to sabotage Dianta's costume seemed to be the only thing she could safely consider. Not that she actually would—she was too big of a believer in karma—but it was nice to imagine the peroxide blonde falling off the float and into a convenient pile of dog poop. Her blood still boiled after the revelation about Dianta being responsible for her being a seamstress and the way she treated her in front of Sean today. What was wrong with her? Why didn't she stand up for herself and stop letting Dianta push her around? It was as if her self-respect had died the day Miguel inherited the samba school.

High heels clicked, and cheap perfume filled the air.
Speak of the devil
, Carmella thought as she checked her watch. Odd, Dianta was usually long gone from the samba school by now. Maybe she was back to yell at her again. Dianta had made it clear that if she ever caught Carmella so much as looking at Sean she would be fired. A row of blue and green drummers' costumes swayed as Dianta shoved the rack to the side.

Carmella froze with the needle in her hand. Behind Dianta stood Branco, gripping his black wooden cane in his gloved hands. Scars ran down the side of one cheek and disappeared into the collar of his dress shirt. Though he was past middle age, his body was still strong beneath his expensive black suit. His dark eyes locked with hers as he said, “
O sono agora e esquece
.”

****

Branco watched as Dianta brushed past Carmella's frozen form, making little cooing sounds as she admired the headdress. “Are you sure she can't hear us,
meu amor
?” Dianta asked as she held up the top of her costume.

“Not unless I want her to. She's in Guaricana's power now. The spell makes her as helpless as a bug trapped in amber.” Branco watched Dianta with a dead smile.

“In that case…” Dianta purred, and she slid to Branco, running her hands over his dusky cheeks and kissing him as though his throat held the secrets of the universe.

Carmella remained frozen, the rise and fall of her chest and the occasional blink the only disruption of her still state. Her mind slept, and she remained unaware of everything around her.

Branco traced a gloved hand down Dianta's cheek. “You were wise to call me. My spell should have been strong enough to kill any attraction to a man, to squash any self-esteem that would allow her to think he might like her back. We need her to remain a virgin.”

“You should have seen her with that DJ. They were all, but fucking in the middle of the room. Thankfully I managed to break them up before anything happened. I thought we didn't have to worry about her when she started dressing like a boy. The only man she has had for company is that fag, Tian.”

Giving Dianta's butt a pat, Branco turned and looked at Carmella. “Be careful of Sean Kalmus. He is…a special favorite of his god. Much like I'm a special favorite of Guaricana. I can't be here on the days Sean visits. Only call me when you are sure he's not coming.”

Dianta gave him a disbelieving stare. “What can a stupid DJ do to you? You're a voodoo master, a High Priest of Guaricana. You have spilled oceans of blood for his glory.”

“It is best to strike from the dark, Dianta. To be the knife in the back. A betrayer. You should know this better than anyone,” Branco replied lightly.

Dianta's face twisted into an ugly snarl that no amount of plastic surgery could make pretty. “I told that little bitch,” she said and pointed at Carmella, “she would rue the day she stole the samba crown from me.”

“Yes, my dear. Now you have her business, her family is destroyed, and she's a broken seamstress making your clothes. You were well rewarded for bringing her to us. Guaricana enjoys using a favorite of a god of Creation for his bait.”

Slightly appeased, Dianta let out a huff. “When she's no longer of use to us, what are you going to do with her? Can I have her?” Malice glittered in her eyes.

“I'm afraid not. I have a better plan for her.” Using the edge of his cane, Branco lifted a lock of Carmella's long hair and let it fall. “Why, our little Carmella is going to be famous. She's going to take the blame for us in a spectacular fashion.” Branco flicked through a rack of costumes and checked to make sure they were still alone. “The death count is starting to get too high. The papers are calling on the police to do something about whoever is whipping all these young men to death.”

Dianta snorted. “As if Guaricana would ever let them harm us.”

Branco gave her a humorless smile. “We need just a few more men to complete our spell.” He stroked a hand over Dianta's face and whispered, “Immortality.”

A shudder ripped through Dianta's pin-up body. “Then we must be careful and keep her pure for a little while longer.” She kissed his hand. “If we play our cards right, we could be famous. We could do tours of the samba school where the murderess planned her killings.”

Branco held his hands out. “All of those poor men found whipped to death in the alleys will be her victims. The press will have a field day with it. And Guaricana will make sure there is never a question of her guilt. After all, she's the last person all these men have been seen with. The mysterious woman in the red dress.”

Dianta laughed and clapped her hands. “Perfect. We should have her start targeting wealthy tourists. The police don't give much of a rat's ass if the low-class locals disappear, but if we tell her to feed on only wealthy foreign tourists…well, they'll step up their efforts to find her.”

Strutting around Carmella, Dianta stuck her tongue out at her in a childish display of temper. “I had better start planning what outfit to wear when the news breaks.” She gave a theatrical sigh and clasped her hands together. “Such a tragedy. I knew something was wrong with our frumpy little seamstress, but I had no idea she was the biggest serial killer in the history of Brazil.”

Branco nodded and stepped toward Carmella. “I will strengthen the spell. It will remind her how worthless she is, how undeserving of attention and love. She'll avoid that DJ like the plague. Tomorrow night, we will send the succubus out again to hunt. Perhaps for the last time.”

Dianta sat down in the frayed lawn chair with a pretty pout, batting her fake eyelashes at Branco. “It would be so much easier if we could use a non-virgin.”

“Yes, but Guaricana's succubus can only take over a virgin's body. We need to keep her chaste until we are done with her.” Branco looked into Carmella's vacant amber eyes and began to chant softly.