Chick with a Charm (33 page)

And she would . . . when it became obvious that’s what he wanted. She’d temporarily arrested the course of her adrenaline surge, but it wasn’t gone. Controlling it would be a constant battle.

She’d walked over to him, prepared for any reaction, and then he’d pulled her into that hug and all her good intentions had disappeared. She craved him all over again, wanted to make love to him for hours, even though she knew, she
knew
that was a bad idea.

As her family surrounded her with compliments and hugs, she tried to keep track of Griffin, who’d moved aside. She loved her family, but she wanted Griffin. She kept glancing his way but never seemed to catch his eye.

And then she did. His gaze locked with hers and no one else mattered. Anica and her mother were in the middle of a discussion about whether Lily should hire an agent and pursue bookings as a magician. Her father and Jasper were arguing about the best venue for her next performance.

With a murmured excuse she extricated herself from the group and walked over to Griffin.

His hazel eyes were filled with longing as he reached for her. “Dance with me.”

“Okay.” Technically speaking, they weren’t even on the dance floor, but she didn’t care. Technically speaking, they weren’t dancing, either.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and she wound hers around his neck. Pressed together, gazing into each other’s eyes, they swayed to the beat of the music. His body heat called to her as memories of all they’d shared swirled around them.

His grip tightened and desire burned in his eyes. “I need you so much.”

At that moment she knew that the spell was more powerful than she’d ever imagined it could be. He would beg her to take him home with her tonight and make love to him all night long. Even though Dorcas and Ambrose surely had given him instructions for breaking the spell, he wouldn’t be able to do it because he wanted her so fiercely. If she chose, she could have Griffin as her love slave forever.

Still on her adrenaline high, she struggled with her conscience. Ah, he was so warm. And she was so willing. And this was so wrong.

Sick with disappointment, her heart aching, she stepped out of his arms and backed away. “Griffin, it’s time . . .” The words wouldn’t come. She had to force them out one by one. “For you . . . to go . . . home.”

He looked confused, as if he’d lost his place in the middle of a book. “But I planned to stay until you were ready to leave. We’ll leave together.”

“No. You need to go now. You have to work tomorrow.” She reached for the cell phone clipped to his belt and neatly unfastened it.

He still looked disoriented, as if trying to remember what was supposed to happen next. “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling you a cab.” She was sure he’d forgotten whatever plan he’d had. She backed away from him as she flipped open the phone.

His gaze cleared, became more focused. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. I don’t need a cab. Give me that.” He made a grab for the phone.

“For
your
sake, I’m not doing that.” Dancing out of reach, she glanced up at the revolving mirrored ball and muttered a quick incantation.
“Mirror flashing to the max, stop this human in his tracks
.
”

Just like that, Griffin could no longer move his feet. His eyes narrowed. “Lily, damn it, what did you just do to me?”

“I’m keeping you from making a mistake.” She found the cab company among his stored numbers and quickly arranged for a cab to come to the Bubbling Cauldron. Fortunately the dispatcher said a taxi was parked a mere block away.

He watched her, disbelief shining in his eyes. “You’re actually sending me home?”

“Yes.”

He lowered his voice. “But you want me. I know you do. When we were dancing you melted against me. I know you, Lily. I can tell when all you really want is—”

“Never mind that, Griffin.” Sad to say, he probably could tell exactly what she wanted. He’d learned her responses well in the past few days. “It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t!”

Lily became aware of her parents watching the little drama, along with Anica and Jasper. Obviously they hadn’t decided whether to become involved, but that indecision wouldn’t last long. She’d have to work fast.

His voice rumbled with anger. “And what if I don’t want to take this cab you’ve called? What will you do to me then?”

“Take the cab, Griffin. Once you’re in it, you’ll remember that’s what you intended to do in the first place.” Gazing upward again, she drew in a quick breath.
“Mirrored ball, release his feet, send him out his cab to meet.”

Neither of her incantations was particularly strong. She’d linked each one to the mirrored ball, which retained traces of magic from being repaired earlier in the day. Such a spell could work only if the subject had an inclination to do the thing the magical person had suggested.

She was counting on the urge that had made him consult with Dorcas and Ambrose and the plans he’d made as a result. Those plans combined with her spell could send him out the door.

He gazed at her and finally spoke softly in surrender. “All right, Lily. Make my apologies to your family.” Then he turned and left the bar.

The magic-induced adrenaline rushed through her again, and she gripped the back of a nearby chair to keep herself from running after him.

“Lily?” Her father must have been designated as the emissary. He walked over, his Peruvian headdress bobbing, his forehead wrinkled with concern. “What’s the problem?”

If you only knew, Dad.
But she didn’t intend to unburden herself now, and probably never would. “Nothing,” she said. “Griffin just needs to get home. He has to be up bright and early for work.”

Her father didn’t look convinced. “I can understand that, but I thought the guy had better manners. He didn’t even come over to say good-bye.”

“He asked me to do that for him.” She turned and gave her dad a hug. He smelled like incense, which probably came from the ceremonial headdress. “Don’t blame him for leaving abruptly. He and I have . . . a few issues.”

“I was afraid of that.” Her father sighed and hugged her back. “It’s not my headdress that bothers him, is it?”

“No, certainly not! It’s a fine headdress.”

Her father smiled. “It is, isn’t it? Your mother says I look like an Incan god.”

“You most definitely do.”

“I hope he’s not upset about the magic.”

She was touched by how much her father wanted Griffin to approve of them. “Not magic in general.” Her magic, however, the magic she’d foisted on him—now
that
he wasn’t so crazy about.

“Well, that’s something, at least.” He pierced her with his dark-eyed gaze. “And he knows you’re a witch, right?”

“Oh yes. He definitely knows.” She’d now placed spells on him right in front of his face. He couldn’t doubt her magical powers at this point.

“I hope you can work out your problems with him, Lil. I always wanted you girls to end up with wizards, but now that I’ve met Jasper and Griffin, I’m becoming a fan of integration.”

If she hadn’t been so heartsick, she might have smiled at that. For all his virtues, her dad had been prejudiced against nonmagical people for years. She was happy to see him giving up his long-held belief that magical people were somehow superior.

She responded with forced gaiety. “Let’s drink to integration, then! Where’s your drink, Dad?”

“Your mother’s holding it. I was sent over to—”

“I know. And I seem to have misplaced my drink, too. Let’s go find ourselves some full glasses. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to party.”

“Attagirl.” His expression was approving. “I can always count on you to put a little life into the proceedings. By the way, your friend who runs that Hangout place, the café and late-night coffee shop, was asking me where you were. I guess he came in late.”

She’d forgotten all about inviting Brad. It was just as well that he’d missed the magic show, because he didn’t need any more reason to be fascinated by her. She could dance a few fast dances with him, though, and work out some of her adrenaline rush.

“I’ll find him in a minute,” she said to her dad. “First we need to locate our drinks!”

Her father laughed. “You bet we do, party girl.”

Arms around each other, they returned to her family, where her father assured everyone things would work out between Lily and Griffin, and now it was time to make this old bar rock. Lily backed him up with an enthusiasm that she didn’t feel.

Her mother beamed at them both. “I think this is the perfect time to open the gifts!” She put an arm around Lily and leaned close, laughter in her voice. “Aren’t you dying to see Fred and Janet’s reaction to the fertility symbol?”

“Mom, it’s going to be worth the price of admission.” Lily winked at her mother. “I can hardly wait.”

She was beginning to understand her role in this family, which was to be the life of the party. By Hera, that’s exactly what she would be, even when her heart was breaking.

 

Lily was right. Once Griffin moved out of her orbit he remembered the plan. He took Dorcas’s calculations out of his pocket and studied them.

In order to figure out how much time he should spend alone with Daisy, he’d have to recall every sexual experience he’d had with Lily and he’d have to estimate the amount of time they’d spent on it. The calculations were daunting enough, but the emotional toll would be worse as he relived each of those scorching sexual encounters.

If he tried to do that alone he’d crash and burn. He’d be over at her apartment, ringing her doorbell like a maniac and begging to be let in. Not dignified. He speed-dialed Kevin.

As Kevin’s phone rang, Griffin glanced at his watch. Ten twenty on a Sunday night. Kevin could be sleeping already.

But his buddy answered on the second ring and sounded wide awake. “So how’s the stone working? Are you still at the engagement party? What’s—”

“I’m on my way home from the party, but I have a spell-breaking assignment from a certified witch and wizard.”

“It, uh, involves doing some calculations. I could use some help.” Griffin decided not to mention what the calculations would involve.

“I’m all over that, buddy. Direct that cab straight to the home of the Kev-man.”

“Thanks.” Griffin felt the tension in his shoulders relax. “I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

“Is this a beer occasion or a caffeinated occasion?”

Griffin thought about that. “You got both?”

“Always. I just wondered whether to pop the top on the brewskies or put on the coffee.”

“Let’s start with the coffee. We may have to move to the beer before we’re done, but we’ll start with a couple of cups of coffee.”

Kevin sounded excited. “Should I call Miles? I think he’s still hanging out with the natural foods clerk, but I could call him. He helped on Friday, and he might want to be in on this.”

“Sure. I can use all the help I can get.”

Thirty minutes later the three of them sat at Kevin’s small dinette table, each with a steaming mug of coffee, a yellow legal pad, and a pen with BIDDLE, RYERSON & THATCHER printed on the barrel.

Miles tapped his pen on his legal pad. “How many minutes are we giving to that first blow job?”

Griffin ran his fingers through his hair and tried to think of this as a legal case. “Uh . . . maybe fifteen, maybe a little longer.”

“Can’t we make it ten?” Kevin punched in numbers on a calculator. “We have guidelines for ten, but not more than that, unless we start going into the addendums, which are way complicated. I don’t think this Lowell chick figured on a blow job taking more than ten minutes.”

Miles blew out a breath and threw his pen down. “I’m jealous as hell. Fifteen minutes, maybe longer? I’m dating a health food nut, for Christ’s sake, and I can’t get more than ten out of her. Who wants a beer?”

“Me.” Griffin put down his pen.

“I could tell,” Miles said. “You’re getting a crazed look in your eye.”

“I’ll get it,” Kevin said.

Griffin scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is tough. No matter how much I try to think of this in clinical terms, just talking about it makes me want to head straight to her apartment.”

“Hell, it makes me want to head straight back to my health food chick.” Miles sighed. “But I won’t. I’ll stay here and help.” He glanced over at Griffin. “Want me to tie you to the mast?”

“Excuse me?” Kevin returned, open beer bottles dangling from his spread fingers. “Are we taking this project out on the lake?”

“Nah.” Miles picked up one of the bottles Kevin set on the table and took a swig. “I was thinking about that Ulysses story we had to read in humanities, where the guy had to be tied to the mast so he wouldn’t be tempted by the Sirens.” He gestured with the bottle. “I thought we needed a little culture around here.”

Kevin pulled out his chair and sat. “We need a plan for Griff, is what we need. He’ll have to have a fair bit of uninterrupted time with Daisy when Lily’s not around to sabotage the program. Maybe while she’s at work tomorrow.”

Griffin had already thought of that. “She doesn’t work tomorrow. She has Sundays and Mondays off. There’s no way I can be alone with Daisy tomorrow.”

Kevin exchanged a look with Miles. “I’m feeling a guys’ night out coming on. We can monitor you at work, but after work anything could happen.”

Miles nodded. “Strip club.”

“Nope.” Kevin shook his head. “Too close to home for Griff. We don’t want him getting worked up. The Cubs are away, but I think the White Sox have a night game. We’ll do that.”

All that time without seeing Lily
. It stretched ahead of Griffin like the Sahara—featureless and frightening. “This feels like detox.”

“That’s because it is like detox,” Kevin said. “We’ll get you through until Tuesday. Assuming we do that successfully and there are no incidents—”