by Jade Alters
Nathan nods thoughtfully and says, “What was the spell for?”
“It was…” I rub my temple. This part is embarrassing. “It was a spell to attract love. True love. Because, well—because I want love, and dating sucks. And my mother won’t leave me alone, and I really need a date for Beth’s wedding. There it is. I did a stupid love spell, and it royally backfired. I don’t know. But the guy I thought it would attract treated me like absolute dirt today. Like he was enraged. I’ve never seen him like that.” I take a big breath, having rambled quite enough. “Anyway. Yeah. That’s what happened. I was warned about the roseheart weed and...I fucked up with the roseheart weed. So if there’s any way you magic shop guys can help me...that would be cool of you.”
I hadn’t really noticed but, now, as I look up, all the guys look sort of fondly amused, except Brett who just looks sympathetic. He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “It’s really easy to have a spell go wrong for any number of reasons. Please don’t be embarrassed.”
“More embarrassed by the type of spell,” I murmur. I smile gratefully. “Thank you though.”
“I don’t think it’s embarrassing to do a love spell,” Grant says, shrugging. “Who doesn’t want love? I want love. We all want love.”
“The world is a rough place,” Nathan says gravely. He’s looking right at me and my heart is pounding. They’re being so sweet, but all I can think about is how Nathan could throw me over his shoulder in one arm. The guy is a brick house. He also has that sexy lantern jaw going… “It’s only natural to want comfort and understanding. A partner.”
“Thanks for understanding,” I say, but I can’t help blushing.
Nathan grabs a notepad nearby and Brett hands him a pen without him asking. Nathan scribbles some notes down. “I’m going to want the name of the spell but, for now, why don’t you tell me exactly what happened? How do you know what went wrong?”
“So the morning after I cast the spell, I went to work. I’d sort of assumed the spell would be working on this guy, Ted? We’ve flirted before. I always thought maybe there was something there, even though lately he’s been a little moody. Then this morning, he yelled at me over nothing. The phone rang, and he was so angry because I didn’t pick it up as it was ringing. And later, I went to confront him about it, and he was even worse.” I shake my head, just remembering how awful that moment in Ted’s office was. “No one’s ever spoken to me like that at work. He said I was trying to seduce him or something. And I wasn’t, guys, you have to believe me. Even the love spell, it doesn’t force anyone to fall in love with you, it just reveals feelings—”
“It’s alright,” Brett says softly, patting my hand. “We believe you.”
“Interesting,” Jesse murmurs. “What can you tell us about this Ted?”
I tell the guys whatever I can think of. It only serves to make me realize how little I truly know about Ted. He’s always been that guy I chat with who I think would make a good match. But what do I really know about him? It’s hard to say. I see the guys looking amused as I describe Ted. I don’t think they’re very impressed by him just based on my description.
“So he’s a lawyer, and he likes golf,” Jesse says, raising an eyebrow. “Is he hot?”
“Um…” I swallow and look around at them all. If I’m being objective, Ted doesn’t hold a candle to any of them. Maybe because Ted is good-looking but in a boring way. He looks like he came off a conveyor belt of handsome lawyers. “He’s good-looking,” I say, but my voice goes up at the end, and the guys chuckle.
“So not hot,” Nathan says, smirking as he makes a note.
“Well, I can understand why you thought this guy was the one,” Grant says dryly. “I mean he’s a lawyer, and he likes golf. Clearly, you guys are meant for each other.”
“Okay, okay.” I flush horribly, yet I find myself smiling. I don’t mind getting teased. I don’t feel as if they’re shaming me anyway. “I think he has a dog. But I’m not sure. He mentioned a dog once.”
Grant actually stifles a laugh at that, and I roll my eyes. “Okay listen, you don’t understand what my mother is like. She’s the worst! To hear her tell it, if I don’t get married and start popping out babies inside a year, I’ll just shrivel up and die.”
“She sounds super annoying,” Jesse mumbles.
“She is.” I shudder. “My dad is cool. He could probably actually help with the spell, but I don’t want to get into a whole conversation about it with him. Like, ‘Dad, help me out with this messed up love spell.’ Yikes. That’s not to mention, he’ll definitely figure out I did it because my mother was pressuring me. And then he’ll yell at her, and they’ll yell at each other. And my mom lives two minutes away from me, and I do not need her coming over to yell at me for him yelling at her!” I finally breathe, half exhausted from my little rant and see all four of the guys looking very amused.
“You’re cute,” Grant declares.
“I’m ridiculous,” I say, rolling my eyes.
“Yeah,” Jesse says. “But in a cute way.”
“Well, we all agree on that,” Nathan says under his breath.
Somehow, I manage to look calm, which is quite a feat considering all four of these men are being flirtatious. And yet, somehow, it doesn’t seem as if they’re competing for me. It’s like they’re all on equal footing. The possibilities that implies make me feel warm all over, but I shouldn’t even think about it. What are the odds of that? I especially shouldn’t think about it right here and now, while I’m surrounded by them. I’m not good at hiding what I feel. If my mind starts getting pornographic, they’re going to see it right on my face.
But I’m not above thinking about it later, when I’m alone in bed with my vibrator, that’s for sure.
“Why don’t you tell us exactly what spell it was anyway?” Nathan says now. He looks a little chagrined. I wonder if it’s because I’m not really responding to their flirting. I’m just not sure how. I’m not used to this much attention from a bunch of men all at once, especially not men I find absurdly attractive.
“Spell to Attract Love,” I say, shrugging. “That was the name of it. Pretty generic.”
“Might be difficult to track down,” Nathan says darkly.
Grant grabs the notepad and pen Nathan is working with and slides them over to me. “Why don’t you write down whatever ingredients you remember? That could help us find the spell.”
“Hey, do you want to stay for dinner?” Brett says quietly. The guys all look at him, and then they look at me.
Something about the invitation seems very important. I feel as if I’m on the precipice of the rest of my life if I say yes or no. But I can’t tell if the other guys want me there or not, which might be as easy to read on my face as anything else because Jesse immediately says, “Yes, yes. Please stay for dinner, Dora. Brett’s cooking. Shepherd’s pie. It’s our favorite.”
“Do you like shepherd’s pie?” Grant says. He’s smiling so seductively. It’s like he’s talking about going down on me and not about what they’re eating for dinner.
Wish they were eating me for dinner, my traitorous brain says. My cheeks heat up immediately, and I shift in my seat.
“We would really love to have you,” Nathan says. He has the kindest eyes. Everything about him makes me think he could beat the crap out of He-Man, but then his eyes are so kind… “Please stay and eat with us. If you like, that is. Your mother puts you under enough pressure. We’re not going to add to it.”
“That’s good to know.” I run a hand through my hair and see Nathan’s eyes follow the motion. A thought barges into my brain; Nathan manhandling me. For sure, he could carry me around with one arm, and then toss me onto a bed. “Although… Sometimes I need a little pressure, I guess. Or I doubt people’s intentions.” I don’t even know where that thought comes from. I feel hypnotized. This is what happens when I have dirty thoughts right in front of people. Now I’m imagining Nathan being dominant, and it’s making me hot as hell.
Nathan looks at me steadily, and I see his mouth part. It’s as if he knows exactly what I’m thinking. “In that case, stay,” he says in the same voice he might use to direct me to strip naked. I swallow and press my thighs under the table. I can’t help imagining how the other three guys would react to Nathan being like that if all five of us were in bed together…
All five of us…
Down tiger!
“Okay, I will,” I say, my voice cracking slightly.
The others look very pleased by that, and Grant winks at Nathan. “Thank you, Nathan.”
I imagine Nathan making Grant doing something in bed. My brain seems to be out of control. My breath is short. I hope they don’t notice… I think of Nathan ordering Grant to get on his knees and eat me out. Then Grant would thank him…
“Could I have something to drink? Just a water?” I say, my voice a little too shrill. I’m wet in my panties and nothing has even happened yet. “Please. It’s a little warm in here.”
“Grant,” Nathan says. “Get Miss Langley an ice water.”
“Thank you, Nathan,” Grant says. It’s cheeky, but it’s still way too close to my fantasy, and I make a chirping noise that has Nathan looking at me funny. I purse my lips, hoping they don’t ask me what on earth is wrong with me.
Oh nothing, just fantasizing about group sex while I try to make casual conversation.
Sadly, no group sex actually happens. I’m far too vanilla to ever actually initiate such a thing, and I’m certainly not assuming that’s what they have in mind. Instead, I write down all the ingredients of the spell that I can think of and have a lovely dinner full of sparkling conversation. They seem so interested in my life. I find it surprising. Maybe it’s because I’ve been on enough bad dates with guys who didn’t seem at all interested in my life. But they ask questions, and I ask them questions about their work and their lives and what they liked to do. And when it’s late enough that I really need to be getting home, I’m sorry to leave. But they end up giving me a necklace to wear that’s supposed to protect me, and I’m grateful for it. Every time I reach up to fidget with the silver pendant on the chain that Nathan clasped around my neck himself, I think of them.
Dora
That night, I end up busting out the vibrator just like I thought I would. It’s the best time I’ve had alone with my fantasies in a long time, and when I fall asleep, I’m feeling pretty contented about things. I guess that’s the power of a decent orgasm. Yet, in the morning, when I wake up, Ted’s strange behavior is fresh in my mind. He’s so much more powerful than me. What if he reports me to Human Resources? They’re much more likely to believe him than me, even if the department is usually pretty solid.
I find myself fidgeting with my necklace as I roll out of bed and get ready for the day. This time, I dress down instead of up. I wear hardly any make-up, just a little BB cream, mascara, and a tinted lip balm. I wear a conservative sweater, a long skirt and a scarf. By the time I leave for work, I look like I’m going undercover with the Amish.
My mind is swimming, wondering how this will all resolve. For all I know, this stuff with Ted doesn’t even have anything to do with the spell. But maybe my new magic shop friends can find out.
At work, I don’t talk to anybody. I don’t waste any time either. I just fill up my coffee thermos for the day, sit at my desk, and immediately dig into my backlog of emails and requests for files. I’m totally on top of the phone. I feel anxiety like I don’t often do at work. I tend to enjoy my work fine, but now I’m terrified that Ted is going to read me the riot act over nothing or accuse me of something. When I’m particularly nervous, or if he walks by, I reach up and press the cool silver of the pendant between my fingers. Who knows if it will actually succeed in protecting me from anything, but at least it makes me feel a little better.
The necklace helps me feel better, but it doesn’t really help me focus when I have to do some problem-solving. Most work I can do while almost turning off my brain. It’s nice to be able to listen to music on my phone or an audiobook while I’m typing or doing data entry or answering emails or looking up information in files. But occasionally, I actually have to think, and it’s hard not to let my thoughts stray to this thing with Ted and the spell...And the four hot men I just spent the evening with.
My mother calls at exactly the wrong time. I’m doing four things at once, and Ted’s just requested files that haven’t been scanned into our paperless system yet, and I’m starving for lunch. But when I ignore her call on my cell, she calls my work number, like she always does. The woman really can’t take a hint, that’s for sure. I make her wait until I’ve found the files and scanned them in an email to Ted, which takes another twenty minutes. It’s not even all the files. I don’t know where the other ones are yet. I’ve just finished my coffee, and I’m just so hungry. This morning already sucks.
My mom calls two more times, and I heave a sigh and pick up her third call.
“What?” I bark into the phone.
“Well, good morning to you too,” my mother says, acting all offended.
“Mom, I’m working,” I say, my voice tight. I really want to blow up at her because I’m absolutely positive that whatever she has to say is not important. She does this all the time. “Please tell me someone is dying?”
“Why on earth would you want someone to be dying?”
“Because then your call would be justified. But I’m guessing it’s not.”
“No one is dying,” my mother says. I can hear the roll of her eyes. It’s really annoying to think that she’s the one rolling her eyes at me. “It’s not an emergency. I just want to give you some news.”
“Please learn to text.”
“Oh, Dora. I’m not texting! Those buttons are too little—”
“That’s bullshit,” I say, and now, I do roll my eyes. “You type stuff into your phone all the time. You just refuse to text like everyone else. Why did you call anyway?”
“I wanted to tell you that I solved your little problem,” my mom says happily. “I may have a date for you for Beth’s wedding. Assuming the first date goes well and you don’t manage to scare him off.”
Everything in me tenses up. Oh God. A set-up. She’s done it before. It’s always when she’s decided I’m completely hopeless and that if she doesn’t step in and start controlling my love-life, I’ll end up a barren old maid. As if anyone should be judged for not getting married or not having children. You’d think the arrival of the twenty-first century would have put an end to that. But not for my mother.
“Mom—”
“His name is Ryan.” She sounds so happy with herself that I kind of want to punch her in the mouth. “He’s a lawyer. I know you like those. He’s a junior associate at a very good firm. He wants to move to Manhattan someday, go big time. And he’s very good-looking.”
“Well, why don’t you date him?”
“Very funny, sweetie.” My mom sighs like I’m the biggest bother in the world. “Listen, I met him through a friend—”
“Whose son is he?” I say wryly.
“Pat’s.”
“Ew. Pat’s so bougie.”
“I’m bougie, dear,” my mother says. “According to your definition. Apparently.”
“But Pat brags about it all the time,” I mumble, doing data entry as I talk to my mother. It’s just typing numbers from paper forms filled out by the lawyers for billing, and everything tabulates automatically. I could do it in my sleep. “She’s always like, ‘Ooh, my diamond ring cuts my hand when I’m pouring champagne.’ She’s the worst.”
“And her son will have a nice inheritance,” my mother says. “Don’t you want someone with some money?”
“Not really my first priority,” I mumble. But then I wonder if my mom’s gotten into my head more than I’d like to think. One of the reasons Ted seemed so desirable was because he’s a lawyer. Maybe I’m just as shallow as she is. The thought makes my bloo
d run cold.
New goal: Don’t be as shallow as my mother.
“Anyway, dear, you’ll be going out with him this Friday.”
God, I hate how she just assumes I’ll go along with this even though I’ve told her a hundred times to please not set me up. I swear she doesn’t hear a single word I say.
“So buy something cute to wear,” she says. “You look like a schoolmarm lately.”
“If I wear something cute, you say I look like a prostitute,” I say, biting off the words. “How about you cancel this thing, and then I won’t have to worry about what to wear?”
“I will absolutely not cancel,” she says smugly. “I went to a lot of trouble, and I really think this would be a perfect match for you. You don’t know how exhausting it is to always be worried about your daughter’s future—”
“Mom, if you don’t cancel I won’t be showing up. If you send him to the house, I won’t be answering the door. I’m not going on this date. I didn’t ask you to worry about whether or not I get married. What if I never get married?”
“Oh my God, don’t say that.”
“Cancel it!” I bark into the phone.
“You don’t have to yell at me!” My mom sounds like she’s crying now. This is another one of her last ditch attempts to win me over. The stupid thing is, it totally works on me. My mom’s gotten really good at cultivating a pretty sensitive guilt complex in me. If she acts hurt enough, I’ll fall for it every time.
“Please cancel it,” I say a little more calmly. Then, I impulsively start lying because I’ve been on a personal call too long, and if Ted comes out of his office any time soon and is in as bad of a mood as he was yesterday, then I’m really screwed. “The truth is, I’ve met someone new.”
“You’re lying.”
Alright, yes. But I’m not going to admit it if it gets her off my back. “No, I’m serious,” I say, keeping my voice down. “I met someone just the other day. I just didn’t want to say anything because it’s new. But maybe it will be a date for Beth’s wedding. I’ll do my best.”
