A Wicked Beginning Read online

  Looking up into her rear view mirror, she smoothed her eyebrows and picked apart a couple of mascaraed eyelashes that had stuck together. No clumping eyelashes for her. She sucked on her cigarette thoughtfully. Letting out a slow exhale, she glanced at a chipped nail on her perfect manicure. Damn it, she would have to make an appointment with the manicurist to have that fixed. She hated it when things were out of place. Perfection was something she strove for. Perfection and…him. He would be hers, oh, yes, indeed.

  Finishing her cigarette, she stubbed it out in the ashtray, and then emptied the ashtray contents into a piece of foil. She carefully folded the foil in half and half again; then put the entire thing into a zip lock baggie. She pulled a moist wipe from the little box on the floor, opened the packet, wiped out the ash tray and put the soiled wipe into the baggie as well. Then she placed the baggie in her glove box. There, she thought, everything in its place.

  She glanced over at the small bundle on the seat and found that she was quite aroused. Looking right and left, she saw no one looking and reached down between her legs. She began pleasuring herself. Oh yes, she thought. This is what it felt like when HE was inside of her. Closing her eyes, she sank into the erotic pleasure. Then a sharp rap on her window brought her back to reality. One of those damn blue-clad police men who rode bikes around the city had stopped. He waggled a finger at her and told her to move along. Instead she rolled the window down. “Can I help you?” she said in a smooth, polished voice.

  “Miss, you’re going to have to move along or I am going to have to cite you for indecent exposure.” He whipped out a pad of tickets.

  “Are you?” she replied elegantly. She silently repeated one of the magical chants Mrs. Primcott had taught her and watched his eyes glaze. “I don’t think you really want to do that.”

  The officer looked perplexed. “Can I help you? You seem distressed.”

  “Why, yes, officer, I was distressed a minute ago. But now that you are here, I feel safe again.” She lowered her eyes demurely.

  “Okay, well, you be careful. There are plenty of unsavory characters out here. A pretty woman such as you can’t be too careful.”

  Angela batted her lashes. Then she cooed, “Oh, thank you, officer…” She looked at his name tag. “Officer Barrington, thank you for helping me feel safe. I greatly appreciate you being on the job.” She batted her lashes again. “I’d best be on my way now.”

  “I think that’s best,” Officer Barrington agreed. “You take care now.”

  “Oh, I will,” she gushed, starting up the BMW. She waved gaily to the man as she took off down the street. Looking back in the rearview mirror, she saw the police man shaking his head, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Reaching for another cigarette – if he could chain smoke, she could too – she laughed. Then, she repeated the instructions Mrs. Primcott had told her to use with this batch of magic. She had to perform the ritual at just the right time, when her next menstrual cycle was happening. This would be a blood magic spell…a powerful blood magic spell. She felt giddy with excitement. Oh, this was going to be easy getting him to be hers. It was just a matter of time, now, just a matter of time. Pressing the gas pedal, she sped down the street, eager for her changes to manifest.

  Chapter 14 – Cam

  Cam had spent a grueling hour and a half on the walls at the climbing gym before going home. As a result, he was drenched with sweat when he got back in the car. And, same as before, he took a cigarette out of the pack and played Russian roulette with his addiction. Chit… Chit… Chit… Fuck. He flicked the unlit cig out onto the parking lot, put the key in the ignition, and jacked up the car stereo. Some weird rapper song was on. He didn’t care, as long as it was loud.

  When Cam got back to the house he was still wired…still pumped. He tossed his wallet and keys on the dresser and stalked towards the kitchen for a beer. Twisting off the top, he took a long pull, and headed into his room to take a shower. No use messing around with himself, he thought, as he glanced at the gouges in the door. He wanted to be with Chérie…badly. His cock stirred just thinking about her. A twist of pain shot through his thigh as well. Shit. What the fuck? It was like he was being punished for even thinking about having sex with her. How in the world was he going to take care of this gnawing need? The desire to join with Chérie was growing by the minute. It was getting stronger, like a snow fed river cascading in violent waves. And he could do nothing…fucking nothing…about it. He twisted the faucet towards a shrivel and shrink temp and stood under the frigid water until his arousal had subsided. Then he toweled off, dressed, and paced back into the kitchen, brew in hand.

  “Hey, brother...” Mano was wiping off the countertop as Cam stepped through the doorway. “You look a bit…tight…what gives?”

  “Ah, nothing…everything... Guess I’m in a mood.” He used his favorite mocking voice when he uttered the word ‘mood.’

  “Huh,” Mano replied, ignoring Cam’s mood. “I want to take you to see the Grandmothers. I think it would help them decipher this mystery if they could see you. You’ll have to prepare for it though.”

  Cam took a swig of his beer and set it down on the granite countertop. He’d chosen a stout which tasted as dark and bitter as he felt right now. He crossed his arms over his chest with his hands jammed in his armpits. “I see. What do I have to do?”

  “We have to do three nights of preparation. You’ll be the Fire Keeper on the first two nights. On the third night you’ll be invited into the sweat lodge. After that, you’ll be taken to the Grandmothers. The rest is up to you and the spirits.”

  “Okay,” Cam replied dubiously. “Don’t forget, I don’t believe in this shit.”

  “This is an honor, Cam, not shit. I met with the elders to arrange this. They said that you had to be purified before the Grandmothers will even see you. Normally you have to apprentice before participating in this ritual. But they agreed a force of immense power is upon you, and they have made exceptions. Your sacred duty will be to tend the fire under the guidance of one of our elders. Then you will carry the Stone People one at a time into the lodge and place them in the center. You must pray a lot and be mindful of your every move. The elder will guide you.”

  “Huh…” Cam said. He didn’t know what else to say. This wasn’t really his kind of thing, but then neither was a star dreamling stalking him.

  “You’ll also have to refrain from sexual intimacy with Chérie.”

  “Shouldn’t be a problem,” Cam uttered, wiping the blond stubble on his face with his palm. No sex with Chérie? Sure, why not? He couldn’t do anything anyway…not with these damn claw marks scoring his leg.

  “Unless you do it with a pure heart…and I don’t know if you’ve ever had that experience. Few have…” Mano continued.

  Cam stretched his face into a cold smile and nodded. “Alright…when does this…purification event…when does this take place?”

  “Tomorrow evening, my brother. We have to act fast.”

  Cam felt chills spread up over his scalp. He did not comment, but gave a curt nod of his head to indicate that he heard Mano. Then, he tipped his head back and poured the last of the beer down his throat.

  “No more beer, either,” Mano added. “You have to abstain for at least twenty-four hours before entering the sacred space.”

  “Right…got it…” Cam muttered. Walking back into his bedroom, he closed the door and called Chérie. She answered on the first ring.

  “Cam…” she sang into the phone, her voice all melodious and bright.

  Hell, she sure sounded happy. “Hey…” he replied, glowering.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I don’t know…everything, I guess.” Shit, he sounded like a first grader, talking to his mother, all boo hoo, poor me. He made an attempt to sound more mature. “I went to see James today.”

  “How did that go?”

  “Okay…it went okay. I told him about my new friend, the star fuckling.” He laughed at hi
s joke.

  Chérie giggled, too, before responding. “Did you? That must have been a bit of a risk.”

  “I don’t know…it just flew out of my mouth. You know me and my hot temper.”

  “I remember something like that.” She got quiet for a moment. “That wasn’t my favorite part of our relationship, you know.”

  “I know. I used to be a bit of an ass. Now I’m a smidge of an ass.” He laughed again.

  “You’re funny today, Cam.”

  Cam knew she was smiling. “So…want to come over and eat, or…better yet…I’ll take you out somewhere. Lest we get any ideas…”

  “Sure, Cam... I’d love to go out with you. I’d love to just be with you.”

  This warmed his sullen mood. “Great. I’ll pick you up…I’ll head right over…if you’re ready, I mean.”

  “Come and get me, baby.” She laughed.

  His evening suddenly brighter than his afternoon had been, he headed out the garden door, back to his Land Rover beast of a machine.

  Chapter 15 – Cam

  Cam was whistling when he roared up the driveway to Chérie’s. She ran right out and hopped in the car, looking as captivating as ever. She wore a light green jacket, tennis shoes, and right up to the top of the thigh shorts, revealing her sumptuous, sexy legs. Cam felt an animalistic, possessive growl deep in his throat upon seeing her. Where the fuck did that come from? He was actually taken aback by her…er…energy, if that was the right word. “New Age mumbo jumbo,” he murmured softly.

  “What did you say?” she asked sweetly.

  “Nothin’…it was nothin’…just happy to see you, that’s all.”

  Settling into her seat, she radiated a calm poise, as well as an irresistible erotic sexiness.

  “You look amazing. What did you do…?” he began, full of curiosity.

  Chérie interjected, “Where do you want to go…?” before he could finish his sentence.

  “I don’t know…what are you in the mood for? I’m kinda not up for the wine and dine kind of meal right now. I actually thought about a picnic. I thought about picking up some food and heading out of town…seeing if we can find somewhere outdoors where I can restore my sanity. How’s that sound to you?”

  “That sounds great, Cam. Why don’t we head out towards Shelton…you know, southwest of Seattle…or down that way? There are some pretty places out there.”

  Cam stopped for a second before continuing the conversation. “Jesus, Chér, I sure want to kiss you right about now.” He clenched and unclenched his hands. She looked so goddamned tempting. Without further hesitation, he cupped her neck, brought her face up close to him and connected lips to lips. His tongue entered her mouth, and her response was like a lightning storm, filling his head with erotic sensation. Holy shit…he had an instant hard on, but those fucking claw marks started to sear and burn his skin. He endured the pain in his thigh for as long as he could before wrenching away from her. “Jeeeeeeee-sus…” he howled. “Okay, okay, okay…” he said through gritted teeth. “Fuck…” He gripped his glowing thigh.

  “Gosh, Cam, are you alright? You kind of took me by surprise there.”

  “I couldn’t help myself. Just thought I’d try to sneak one in,” he said. “Star fuckling had his usual dampening effect. It was kind of worth it, though. You’re electric this evening. No pun intended.” His breath caught in his throat. He struggled to deal with the pain, like small razor sharp knives plunging through the tissues over and over and over… “Whoo…there…that wasn’t so bad.” He gave her a sidelong glance and then remembered what Mano had said. “Shit…”

  “What?”

  “I forgot…I’m not supposed to ‘engage’ with you…intimately, I mean…Mano has invited me to speak with the Grandmothers, whoever they are. I have to be the little fire tender boy at a sweat lodge or some such. He told me that I could not be intimate with you unless it was pure, whatever that means.”

  “Really? Cam that gives me an idea…”

  “What is it?”

  “I’ll tell you when we’ve reached our picnic site.” She reached her hand towards the glove box. “Do you have any good music in here?”

  Shit. Here we go, thought Cam.

  “What’s this? I thought you quit.”

  “I did…” Cam replied, snatching the pack of Camels out of her grasp and tossing it back into the glove box. “That’s an experiment…haven’t smoked a one.” He clicked the latch shut.

  “Okay, okay, Cam. You’re such a tough guy sometimes.”

  “Brutal upbringing can do that to a guy,” he remarked.

  “Yeah, but you have a juicy tender spot inside, I know you do. I’m counting on that for our experiment to work.” She stroked Cam’s arm, causing a strange sensation to curl up towards his shoulder. It felt better than the usual pleasure he got out of touch…there was something different to this kind of sensation. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but it sure as fuck felt awesome.

  “How do you do that…?”

  “Do what…?”

  “That…” He nodded towards his arm.

  “Did that feel good?”

  “I’ll say.”

  “Well, let’s just say this is my experiment.”

  “What is…?” He didn’t want her to stop touching him.

  “This…” she said, snaking a fingertip up his neck.

  A wave of something he could only describe as wet current assaulted his senses…yeah, that’s what it felt like…like warm water rushing over and through his skin. “Shit, Chér. That’s intense. I have to drive, you know.” Chérie just laughed and rolled down the window, letting the wind tousle her hair. Watching her sure as hell stimulated his imagination. He could think of about 15 things he wanted to do with her right now; none of them had to do with driving.

  “Just you wait,” she assured him.

  They purchased sandwiches, chips, and drinks at Spader’s Deli downtown before heading out towards Shelton. They kept up a friendly conversation the whole way, delighting in getting to know each other all over again. After about an hour and a half of driving, they found a quiet spot in one of the inlets off the Puget Sound, spread a blanket, settled in, and consumed their meal.

  The air was cool and moist as big cumulous clouds made their way through the sky. A light wind made the blue-gray water choppy. Still, they were in their element – the great outdoors. The two of them never minded the weather much as long as they were able to connect with the environment they loved. The weather was just part of the experience.

  Once they had packed up the wrappings and remains, Cam asked her, “So, babe…you said you had an idea… I’m all ears.” He stroked a hand lazily down her silky leg.

  “Well…” she began. “I had this experience once…when you and I had split up, I mean.”

  Cam snorted. “Go ahead and say it – with Fabio.”

  Chérie gave him a pointed look. “You and I weren’t together, Cam. And you were otherwise engaged yourself. Do you want to hear my idea or do you want to discuss the past?” she added tartly.

  “Idea…” he replied. “Definitely idea...” He held up his hands, palms outward. “Forgive me…”

  “Done,” she said, smiling. “Soooo….what I learned was that keeping an innocent heart while intimate…”

  “With Fabio…” Cam growled.

  “For Pete’s Sake, Cam, do you want to hear my idea or don’t you? I’ll stop right now.” She folded her arms over her chest.

  “When did you become this bossy?” Cam couldn’t help but laugh. This, the new and improved Chérie was way more fun than the meek young woman he’d met and fell in love with. “Okay, tell me your idea,” he urged, tracing circles on her inner thighs.

  “Okay.” She sat up eagerly. “So Manoko said that you could engage with me if you do it with a pure heart, right?”

  “Right…” he replied, his attention on the tiny lights spreading across her skin when he touched her. All this glow stuff was crazy-strange
.

  “Okay, then…try to remember what it was like the first time you touched a girl.”

  Cam chuckled. “I was ten-years-old, my dad was drunk and probably high, my mom was wailing, and the girl next door and I were outside…um…exploring.”

  Chérie frowned. “Did you feel…innocent?”

  “Babe, at that time of my life I felt so goddamned old already…nope, can’t say that there was much innocence in me at that point.”

  “Hmm... Can you recall a time when you did feel innocent?”

  Cam thought a moment. “How about this…when I was eight-years-old my grandpa took me to look at puppies. His neighbor’s dog had just had a litter. I think the bitch was a black Lab. I thought I might get one. I was really excited. We got to the farm, and I got to sit in the middle of all these squirming black puppies. They were climbing all over me and licking me. I was laughing so hard I nearly peed my pants. One of them had a white blaze along his nose. That’s the one I wanted. I was going to name him Snowflake.”

  “That sounds sweet, Cam. Did you get that puppy?”

  “Nope, my goddamned father said I was useless at taking care of anything.” A cloud of hurt formed on his face. Cam gazed out at the small white caps forming along the water. He watched a seagull overhead that was scoping out the food scraps below. Leaning over, he found a bread crust and pitched it in the bird’s direction. Three more gulls suddenly appeared, screeching and squabbling for the tasty treasure. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Chérie staring at him with a look of concern. Shit. This did not feel good. This was not the way he wanted the evening to go. “What’s your next idea?” he retorted.

  Chérie did not react to his snappy comeback. Instead she offered a soothing reply. “Gee, Cam. You really did have a brutal upbringing. The puppy memory was a good one. But we need to find a memory that is not attached to a painful one.”

  “Good luck with that,” Cam shot back. He crushed the paper sack with all the food wrappers into a tiny, white ball. “Sorry, babe, but this idea feels like therapy and that sucks. I’m not really up for dredging up my past. You got any other great notions?”