A.O.E.M.: Under Your Spell Read online

  Niko laughed. “I would drink this nectar off your skin,” he said. “When we lie together, it will be my tongue cleaning your chest and cock until they are pure as snow once more. But then, you will be ready to go again, and again, and again. We will fuck many a night away, Jamie. Wait and see.”

  Jamie made a second grab for the tissues, catching hold of them that time. Slowly, still dazed from the unexpected power of his orgasm, he began to dab at his shirt and palm. Grinning, Niko waved at the mirror, turning the glass dark again. Ah, yes. His little foray into voyeurism had been… satisfying. More than satisfying.

  Sated as a cat who’d drunk a bowl full of cream, he leaned back in his chair, arching and stretching. Yes, it had turned out quite a good thing he had gone along with the others and come to Chimera Island. Otherwise, he would never have had the idea to summon a mate. He would have gone from one man to the other, never taking the time to train a pet for his every pleasure.

  Jamie belonged to him now. Jamie would be the one to bring him bliss every night.

  “Sprite,” Niko called sleepily, “when does my mate arrive? Soon?”

  It had been picking its way through alembics and mortars on his table, pausing to investigate whatever struck its fancy. Sex held no interest for the Elementals.

  “Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,” the fey voice chimed back, ringing like fairy bells from every corner of the room.

  “And my spell, it is a success?” He already knew the answer, but wanted to hear it out loud.

  “A success, a success,” the sprite answered, still not bothering to look up at him. His creature reported what need be, but pretended no interest in the news -- or did it? It looked up with a wicked little grin, and danced a pavane on the edge of a bowl. “Jamie is under your spell. He is yours. Do with him what you will, but only remember, whatsoever you do to him comes back upon you threefold --”

  “Bah! Be gone with you, if you have nothing else to say.” Niko banished the prite with a wave. His grandfather, also a sorcerer, had tried to teach him the threefold rule as well. He had died when Niko was still quite young, but Niko had grown to match and rise beyond the old man’s level of power. No threefold rule held him back.

  Soon, nothing would hinder him from taking his pleasure, either. Tomorrow, eh? Soon, so very soon, he would come to Jamie, and the man would welcome him with open arms.

  Niko grinned to himself. Ah, yes.

  He could hardly wait.

  Chapter Two

  It just figured. Didn’t it?

  How come no matter where you went, the airport vending machines all had the same crap in them? Jamie pressed the button to make the little shelves turn, gazing dispiritedly at browning bananas, limp salads, depressed sandwiches, and dried-out cake. His only other options were crackers or cookies from the other machine. At least with this one he had the choice of healthy food someone had made an effort to provide… a few days ago.

  Sighing, he took his coins and dropped them in the soda machine instead. His doctor had warned him to stay away from caffeine, so he couldn’t have a cup of coffee. He punched a button and a brownish-red can fell out. “Decaf Doctor Wild!”

  Well. That was nicely ironic.

  Jamie popped the top and took a swig. He made a face. Off-brands always tasted the same -- off. He’d been traveling for God knew how long by then, plane after plane, connection after connection, until at last he’d ended up in this small, house-like shack by a tarmac, waiting for a jet to take him across to Chimera Island.

  Chimera Island. Why did the place’s name make him feel so… odd… every time he thought of it? The invitation crackled in his pocket, carefully kept there in case anyone questioned him. To look at every time he questioned himself. Who was he, to have won an all-expenses-paid dream vacation? And what was up with Chimera, anyway? He hadn’t been able to find it in any travel guides, but the BBB said they checked out as clean.

  At first, he hadn’t planned to go. But his friends almost forced him into it.

  Well, his friend.

  Okay, his neighbor.

  “You work too hard,” she’d scolded, waving her umbrella under his nose as they stood at the mailbox and he stared at the letter. “No friends, no fun. A vacation is what you need, boy. You go ahead and take it. Promise me. Yes?”

  He’d buckled. No one could withstand Mrs. Romany’s Glare of Death. That very night, he’d made the call and started booking flights. He didn’t know why. Jamie wasn’t a man who went with his impulses anymore. Hadn’t been for a long time. So why now did he feel the urge?

  Jamie shook his head and took another swallow of the dark soda. Shoving his remaining change in the pocket of his jeans, he headed back out to the sole passenger terminal. It’d been empty of any living souls, including flight attendants, when he’d arrived. Maybe he could stretch out on the seats, get a little sleep, and --

  Huh. Funny. He hadn’t heard a plane arrive, but it looked like he wasn’t alone any longer. A woman sat out in the middle of the room, in one of the hard plastic chairs, swinging her feet. Short and slight, with a pixyish bob of fiery red hair that matched her nothing-to-the-imagination red sundress, she glanced around herself with serious, catlike curiosity.

  Jamie slowed his steps, not sure if he wanted her to spot him. Women like her were t-r-o-u-b-l-e, in his experience. She’d want to know everything about him, from his birthplace to why he was there. Maybe it’d be better just to hide out in the snack kiosk until her plane took her away --

  Oops, too late. Her roving eye had caught sight of him in the kiosk. She waved cheerfully. “Hi, there! I was beginning to think it was just me here!”

  “Um, no,” Jamie said, stepping out awkwardly. God, women of all sorts made him feel fourteen again, all feet and elbows. He’d known even back then he liked boys better, but they still had the power to reduce him to Jamie-Mamie, the Uber-Geek, even if the mirrors at the gym and over his bathroom sink told him differently. He’d worked hard at developing his muscles, and growing his hair out into the perfect style for his face. Gotten eye surgery to replace thick, cola-bottle lenses. Made himself over.

  Then he’d hidden in both magazine office cubicle and apartment ever since.

  “Uh… hi?”

  She grinned at him, eyes twinkling. “God, ease up. I’m not going to bite you.”

  “Sorry.” Jamie eased himself down into a seat across from her. Not too far away to insult, but not close enough for “Danger, Will Robinson.” He eyed her carefully. Okay… maybe he could handle this one. She radiated goodwill like the sun sent out beams, and didn’t seem to be judging him on what she saw on the outside. He could tell, sometimes, when a person started gauging him by external measures. Part of making yourself over to look decent meant you got all kinds of unwanted attention -- when mostly all you wanted was to be left alone.

  “Look,” she said, leaning forward, “I know you’re probably bugged out by this strange chick coming on so strong, but let’s face it, I’m bored and you’re a diversion. I don’t do bored very well. My name’s Ella. And you are?”

  “Jamie.” He reached out to shake her hand, slightly startled at her good grip. Not many women knew how to give a proper handshake, instead letting their cool fingers rest in his palm for a moment, or going too far in the opposite direction, pumping his hand like a jackhammer handle.

  She settled back and dug in a voluminous handbag by her side. “I know it’s in here…” she muttered. At last, they both heard a crinkle. “Goldmine! Corn chips.” She came up, dangling a brightly-colored bag. “Share?”

  Jamie eyed them. The pack looked a little travel-worn, and besides, he wasn’t really into junk food. “Sorry.”

  Ella shrugged. “More for me.” She tore open the bag and dove in, popping a few of the chips into her mouth. “You ever hear of low metabolism? Mine’s just the opposite. Too high. I have to eat a lot, or I’ll get too skinny. Makes women hate me. And I’m so loveable!”

  Jamie laughed despite himself.
“Might make a few men hate you, too.”

  She winked. “Yeah. Can’t ignore the tougher sex and their beer bellies. Not like you have one, of course.”

  Jamie blushed.

  “Oh, you’re shy. Sorry.” Ella ate another handful of corn chips, swallowed, and smiled at him. “So you’re gay, huh?”

  Jamie startled. “What? I mean -- you can tell?”

  “Easy. You’re dressed better than me, even if you do look like you’ve been pulled through a hedge backwards. You have manners, and your hair is styled, not cut. Gay.” Ella licked the salt off one finger. “It doesn’t bother me, mind you. I’m bi.”

  Jamie blinked. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Been a long time since I had a girlfriend, though. I’ve mostly run into men lately. Not to impugn your gender of choice, but can I just say: Holy Mother of God, deliver me from all testosterone-laden jerks?” Ella grimaced. “I mean, what is it with guys these days? If you liberate yourself and have a little fun, you’re a slut. If you cover yourself up, you’re frigid. Wear something to show it all off, and you’re just asking for a slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am. What does it take to satisfy a man?”

  She waved her hand. “Don’t feel like you have to answer all my questions. I’m just running off at the mouth. But seriously. What does it take to get you interested in a man? What makes a keeper for you?”

  Jamie swallowed. Truth to tell, it’d been so long since he’d found someone worth keeping past the first awkward drinks in a bar, or a one-night roll in his mattress, that he didn’t know. “Loyalty,” he said, carefully choosing his words. “Someone who doesn’t care if you don’t look quite as hot in your undershirt and sweats as you did on the dance floor. Someone who understands you have to work. Knows you love him, but you have other responsibilities, too.”

  Ella nodded, face thoughtful, eating still more of the chips. “I savvy. So looks don’t matter?”

  Oddly enough, Jamie felt himself relaxing under Ella’s influence. “Not as much. I mean, I like someone who looks… good. But a couple of the best guys I’ve met weren’t models, if you understand me. They still had better hearts.”

  “Mostly it’s the heart that matters to you, then?”

  Jamie nodded. “Heart. Kindness. Gentleness.”

  “Plus knowing how to have a damned good time in the sack?”

  Jamie turned fire-engine red. Ella laughed out loud. “Oh, we are gonna have fun together. You’re going to Chimera Island, right?” She pulled a crumpled invitation, exactly the same as Jamie’s, out of her purse, and waved the paper at him. “I figure, why else would you be here? I wouldn’t still be, but I missed the earlier flight. I was in the Ladies’, trying to get a piece of salad out of my teeth.”

  She made a face. “Stay away from the ‘fresh foods’ dispenser in the kiosk, by the way. I think they haven’t restocked it in a while.”

  “I figured.” He glanced back. “Wish I had something besides junk to choose from, though. I am kind of hungry.”

  “Hungry? You’ve come to the right place.” Ella went digging in her bag again and came up with a banana. Only a little bruised, it looked golden yellow and perfect to Jamie. “God only knows how I got fruit through Customs,” she said, turning it over in her hands. “I was saving it for later, but if you’re hungry, eat up now. I like to share.”

  She extended the fruit to Jamie, who took it. A smile warmed his face. “I appreciate this. I truly do.”

  “Bah!” Ella waved him off. “So. Chimera Island?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted, patting the paper in his pocket. “I’ve never heard of them before, but they checked out okay.”

  “You took the time to check them out? God. I just jumped right for it. I mean, the Bermuda Triangle? I go out there and make it back, I’ll be the envy of my friends.” Ella finished off her corn chips. “Go on, eat your banana.” She winked. “I hear fruit makes certain things taste better. Who knows, there might be a hunky cabana boy on the island who wants to play. You want to be in tip-top shape for him.”

  Jamie blushed a little, but couldn’t help laughing. There was just something about Ella that made a man feel at home with her, even a gay man with a slight woman phobia. He held the fruit in his hand for a long moment, savoring its firmness and weight. Slowly, he started at the top and unpeeled it in equal strips, each one carefully folded down. He slid the tip into his mouth and bit down, barely muffling a moan of pleasure as the sweetness hit his tongue.

  “God almighty,” he heard Ella say. “Are you eating that thing, or giving it a blow job?”

  Jamie laughed around his mouthful. He chewed, savoring the taste, and swallowed. “You say whatever’s on your mind, don’t you?”

  She winked again. “Yep. Saves time.” Glancing out the window, she rocketed to her feet. “Hey, look, boss! The plane! The plane!”

  Jamie glanced outside. Sure enough, a small jet was taxiing to a stop on the tarmac. “Think that’s us?”

  “Who else could it be?” Ella was already shouldering her massive bag and brushing her hair back. “Ready to hit Chimera Island? Sun, sand, cabana boys for both you and me?”

  Jamie swallowed the last bite of banana. “Ready.”

  Ella grinned. “Don’t worry, kid. I’ll take care of you.”

  * * *

  The jet proved as tiny on the inside as the outside advertised. No flight attendants, just a pilot with two days’ worth of stubble who’d grunted as he heaved their bags on board. He’d paused to give Jamie a startled look, but then shrugged and tossed his bags in the cargo bay as well. A jerk of his head had indicated they were to get on board.

  Once inside, they’d found a tiny aisle with two rows of two seats each. With another twinkling smile, Ella had let Jamie have his privacy, sitting up and across from him. As the plane took off, she plugged in her MP3 player. Soon, even over the engine noise, he could hear the sounds of something heavy metal pounding from her earphones. Something with a throbbing, pulsating, seething beat. Almost alive.

  Jamie squirmed in his seat. Music like hers wouldn’t take long to get to him. Seemed like everything turned him on lately. When Ella had asked if he were eating the banana or giving it a blow job, she’d been half right. Everything reminded him of sex. Ever since the Boner Surprise in his office, right in the middle of finishing up his last assignment before taking off on break, he’d had half a hard-on tucked into his jeans, pressing up against his button-fly.

  He hesitated. Ella was oblivious. The pilot had his attention fixed on flight. Surely no one would notice if he…

  No! God, what was he thinking? No! Face burning, Jamie yanked his fingers, already doing some walking, away from his waist. You didn’t jerk off on an airplane. Mile-High-Club notwithstanding, there were certain things you just didn’t do.

  Besides, he could just picture Ella shutting off her music on impulse, twisting around for some conversation and getting an eyeful.

  Some guys he knew wouldn’t have minded. They might have put on a show for her. Not Jamie.

  So maybe he was shy. So what? He liked to keep his business to himself for the most part. People knew he was gay, but they knew not to make a big deal about it. He lived his life, a quiet life, alone, as it pleased him best these days. Time was he’d have gotten off work a few minutes early and hit the bars, but those days were long past, part of his college years. He’d thrown himself into work since he’d officially been an adult, and he’d been happy living the celibate life.

  Really.

  Why, all of a sudden, was he so damned horny?

  As the plane hit a bump of turbulence, the jolt went straight to Jamie’s balls, setting them a-tingle. He sucked in a breath of air as his erection swelled a little. Any more, and he’d have to see if this little jet had a bathroom where he could have a quick jerk-off, just for the sake of comfort.

  He’d rather wait until he got into his room on Chimera, though. Somehow, the thought sounded… appealing. Cool sheets, crisp air from the A/C, a glass of wine from
room service, and his good right hand. He’d strip down, bare himself of any stitch, stretch out on the bed, and work off some of the tension he’d been building up.

  His cock swelled another fraction. Almost too much for comfort, but not quite. What was doing this to him? Usually, he could hold back the urge for days. Weeks. Not now, though. He itched -- ached -- burned -- with the need for gratification. No, not gratification. Sex. He wanted sex. Balls to the wall, someone buried in him to the hilt, pumping with a slick, easy, hard glide kind of sex.

  God. If he didn’t stop thinking with his cock, he wouldn’t need a bathroom. He’d mess up his jeans sitting right there.

  To distract himself, Jamie looked out the window. Clouds. Pretty clouds. Nice, asexual clouds.

  And a face.

  What the hell?

  He jerked back. Just for a second, a face had flashed across the sky. A man’s face. Dark hair and eyes, with pale skin. Watching him on the plane.

  Surely it’d been his imagination. Tired, he was just tired, and seeing things. He rubbed his eyes hard, turning away from the window. He rummaged for his own music player, loaded with soothing Mozart, plugged it in, and turned it on.

  The relaxing strains of the Moonlight Symphony on high drowned out Ella’s rock and the airplane racket. Sighing heavily, Jamie leaned back in his seat. Chimera Island, here he came. A plain gay man, just in search of relief from everyday life, plus some peace and quiet if he got really lucky.

  Maybe he’d find it. Peace, and not dark-haired men with a devil’s sexy gleam in their bedroom eyes. No matter how much it might appeal. He wanted peace more than he wanted sex.

  Really.

  Honestly.

  Jamie groaned and sagged in his seat. “Damn it,” he sighed.

  Once again, it just figured. Didn’t it?

  Chapter Three

  So much to do! Even now his mate flew toward him on Chimera’s private jet, and Niko had hardly had time to prepare things to his liking. Lax! True, he had been busy with magics for the other islanders and their mates, but still, he should not have let this most important matter wait for so long. Orders to servants notwithstanding, he should have seen to it himself. No one did a job so well as he, when a job there was to be done.