A Witch and Her Man (Jeff and Gail) (6 page)

She slid out of bed and padded into the kitchen to make the coffee, naked. He watched her as she gracefully strode out of the room. He lounged in bed for a while and listened to her busy around in the kitchen. When he heard the coffee start to perk, he got up leisurely, slipped on his boxers, picked his holster up from the nightstand and went to join her.

He sat down at the table while she poured two cups. He watched as she sauntered across the kitchen floor to the table, each hand carrying a steaming cup of coffee.

"Careful, you don't want to burn anything," he teased.

Gail set her coffee on the table and walked over to give him his cup. She turned around and strolled back to her place on the opposite side of the table. As she did, she swayed her hips in an exaggerated motion causing her backside the move in a seductive fashion.

"Yeah, yeah it looks nice, Gail. It does make me rather uncomfortable though, seeing you this way over a cup of coffee," he laughed.

"Why, Jeffery? Do I look different this morning?" she asked and batted her eyelashes as she sat down. "I didn't hear you complain last night when this naked body was wrapped around you," she said with a lusty laugh.

Heat rushed to his cheeks. "Gail, you really enjoy teasing me, don't you? Please don't call me Jeffery. My mom called me that when I was a little boy and in big trouble."

"I think I've behaved myself admirably over the weeks you've been here. I figure now that we have, well, been intimate…"

"Behave? That would be a first for you. The scanty outfits you've been wearing are as much torture as seeing you naked. Do you have any idea how much seeing you that way bothered me?"

"In a good way, I trust. At least you seeing me dressed that way finally worked."

"You're a little scamp. As for last night, it was amazing. "

"Good, because I thought it was too." She winked.

"And by the way, what did you mean when you said 'don't worry, I'm a witch'?"

"I said, 'don't worry' because being a witch, I have full control over my fertility. I won't get pregnant unless I want to. Now, if my being naked really makes you uncomfortable, I'll go put some clothes on but I have to say, going without clothes comes natural to me. Our kind calls it skyclad. It lets me feel unrestricted and thankfully, the coven I belong to encourages it, maybe more than most." She changed the subject abruptly. "Speaking of uncomfortable, do you always have that gun near you?"

"Always. It's always within arm's reach, so I guess you'd better get used to it if we're going to have a relationship." He hoped the sober expression on his face showed there would be no compromise on this.

"So we're in a relationship. I like the sound of that. At least I know you're not just using me. Maybe we can compromise. I like to go au-naturale and you want your gun in easy reach," she laughed.

"Gail, I'd like to take you out to dinner tonight, if it fits into your hectic schedule. Oh and one more thing, I don't think the restaurant I have in mind is clothing optional so you'll have to be dressed." He cocked his head and smiled.

"I'd like that. I'm sure I have some old rags around here I can throw on. I warn you though, I'm not going to eat all day so don't think you're going to get off as cheaply as you did last time." Gail returned the smile.

"Only thing though, I didn't bring any dress clothes over here and I don't want to leave you alone."

He watched the smile on her face fade. "What, so you offered to take me out and then waffle on it?"

"It's not that simple. I just don't want to jeopardize your safety."

"I'll tell you what. How about if I have a girlfriend come over and stay with me while you're gone? Would that satisfy you?"

He thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess that would be okay for a few hours."

She grabbed the phone and ran to the other room. "Don't you dare change your mind. I'll be right back." She returned a few minutes later. "Stella will be over in a little bit. She only lives ten minutes away. Go."

"I'll just wait."

"Go, damn it. Go before you change your mind. I'll be fine for ten, maybe fifteen minutes tops. I'm getting hungry already thinking about tonight."

"I guess it would be okay. There've been no phone threats or attempted break-ins in weeks so I think it'll be safe if I go to my apartment to do some paperwork and get ready. Maybe when I wounded one of them and shot their car full of holes they got the message that you weren't the type of lady to mess with. At least I hope."

"Will you just go already? I'll be fine." She shoved him toward the door.

He turned on the doorstep. "Okay. Lock the doors, set the alarm and don't answer the door for anyone except Stella or me. Is that understood, Gail?"

"Yes, sir. Mon Capitaine, sir," she said sarcastically, giving him a mock salute. Even though she joked, she would heed his words completely and they both knew it.

"Bye, see you later." She shut the door.

He waited until he heard the door locks click in place before going to his car.

****

Stella arrived a few minutes later. Gail let her in and hurried her to the kitchen.

"So where is this mystery man you've been telling me about?" Stella asked.

"Gone to get ready for tonight. He's going to take me out to some fancy restaurant. Oh Stella, he's fantastic and I'm feeling as nervous as a school girl going out on her first date."

Stella chuckled. "I can see that. So, where'd you meet him?"

"He's looking into Marla's death for me. Things have kind of progressed from there." She knew this was an evasive answer. It wasn't a lie, she could never lie to her high priestess, but it was far from the entire story.

Several times during the day he called to check on her. Each time the mere sound of his voice made her stomach do flip-flops.

****

"It's so nice doing rituals with a fellow witch. Thanks, Stella," she said while they both got dressed again. Gail had thanked the Goddess silently for bringing Jeff into her life. She cautiously avoided thinking about the circumstances that had brought him there in the first place.

"I enjoyed it too," Stella replied.

After Stella stopped her exercise routine, she watched Gail finish up hers. "I'm a little jealous. I can't last as long as you."

"I do it every day. I push myself. One of the benefits to having my home gym."

Gail fixed lunch for Stella while restricting herself to a sports drink. "So, when am I going to meet this new man you're so hot on?" Stella smiled. "You've told me a lot about his appearance but nothing about his occupation."

"Soon. We just started dating. Actually, tonight will be our first date." She carefully steered the conversation to another subject. "So, when is the next coven ritual?"

Later, Gail started going through her closet, looking for the perfect dress to wear. Contrary to the old rag she had talked about, she wanted to look her finest for him. Although she had never been there, she had heard of the restaurant Jeff described. It was both exclusive and fancy.

She finally decided on what every woman has in her closet, a little black dress. Gail spent the rest of the day getting ready with Stella's help.

Just before 7:00 pm, the phone rang. She felt a smile tug at her lips at the sound of his voice.

"I'm on my way. See you soon," he told her.

"I'll be here waiting… handsome," she added at the last moment and re-cradled the phone.

"Okay, you can go home now, Stella. He's on his way."

"Maybe I should wait and meet this guy."

"Stella, please. You'll meet him soon. I promise," she said as she guided Stella out the door.

Gail removed her robe and slipped on her dress, then, after completing her final preparations, sat down to wait.

At seven-thirty on the dot, the doorbell rang.
I like that, very punctual.
She glanced at the wall clock. Jeff had taught her and insisted she adhere to looking through the peephole before retracting the locks and opening the door, and she complied.

He looked even more yummy than usual. Gail took just a second to compose herself and taking a deep breath, opened the door to usher him in. Jeff usually dressed well, always in a pair of nice slacks, shirt and the ever-present sport coat to cover the holster he always wore. Tonight though, he was wearing a shirt and tie. He had on a pair of dark blue sport pants, a sky blue sport coat, white shirt and a tie with alternating colors that were the same blue as his pants and coat.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. I think I've got the wrong house. I'm looking for Gail. You might know her, she has a dislike of clothes; avoids them whenever possible" he teased her. He brought his hand from behind his back and handed her a bouquet of flowers. "You look fantastic, delicious and beautiful, Gail."

She had wanted to put her hair up on top of her head but she knew Jeff preferred it loose. Compromising, she had placed it in a ponytail, draped over her left shoulder. This left one of her shiny, silver, dangling earrings with an emerald stone at the end exposed. She wore just a touch of pale green eye shadow that accented her green eyes, red eyebrows and eyelashes. Her stomach did flip-flops, which had nothing to do with hunger. The look in his eyes and his words of flattery made it obvious he appreciated her efforts. Gail squelched the temptation to do a happy dance.

"Do I look presentable enough to go to your fancy, shmancy restaurant?" she asked, and did a pirouette for him revealing the dress was cut low, leaving most of her back bare. Turning her back also allowed her to hide the smile of pleasure that stretched her lips.
He's pleased and impressed. He called me beautiful.

Jeff gulped. "Damn girl, you clean up well. You're stunning."

"Good, let's go. I'm starved."

****

While they dined, Jeff scanned the room for threats out of habit and caught more than one glance of approval directed at Gail from both men and women. He noticed one woman in particular undress Gail with her eyes. He grinned at Gail. "I see both men and women find you attractive. It must be an aura you give off. I'm flattered to be in your company, but I must confess, I'm a little jealous at the same time."

"I'm with you. Please don't forget that. Besides, if they knew I was a witch, their looks wouldn't be so complimentary. On the other hand, you know of my beliefs and accept them. That means a lot to me."

"You're entitled to believe in whatever you wish. Who am I to judge? I have a dark past I haven't shared with you, and you accept me too."

"About that past of yours, I know you're an investigator and bodyguard. You've told me about some of your past jobs. I'd like to know more."

"Maybe someday I'll tell you. I'd much rather talk about you. I know you and Marla were close. It's none of my business and you don't need to answer if you don't want to, but how close were you?"

For the first time, he saw Gail blush. Her eyes clouded and she hung her head. "If you're asking if we had sex, the answer is yes. I loved Marla. She is… was, my only close friend here. She moved here with me from where I used to live. She held my hand and comforted me after… after my boyfriend, Nick, broke up with me. Neither one of us are… were," she corrected, "lesbians and we were both attracted to men, but we found each other attractive too. The first time we made love was after a ritual. It just happened. It wasn't the last time, but it wasn't on a regular basis either."
 

He watched her eyes start to glisten with unshed tears.

He reached across the table, placed his hand on her arm, and said, "Please don't cry, Gail. I hate to see you cry. I will find those responsible for her death and I promise you, they will pay."