Over and over until the wind whipped around her body, blowing her long, black hair in every direction. Zula stepped to the altar and laid the Athame horizontally above the bowl, and raised her hands above her head with her face lifted to the moon.
“Jana, Goddess of the Moon. Goddess of New Beginnings. Hear my plea. Jana, Goddess of Moon. Goddess of New Beginnings. Hear my plea.” Zula waited. She felt familiar heat coursing through her blood stream, indicating she’d reached the celestial plane that allowed her magic to flow freely between that which was, and that which would be.
With a smile, she continued to cast her spell. “Jana, Goddess of the Moon, I call out to you. Hear my plea, as I cast a spell for that which will be. A dream lover no more, I beg of thee, but instead a man, flesh and blood shall he be. Offering freely, his heart and love to me.”
Zula scooped the herbs and flowers from the air where they’d continued to swirl and held them up in both hands. “A petal of fox glove for a strong heart,” she said and dropped the flower in the saltwater. “Blue violet for faithfulness and heliotrope for devotion. Spanish jasmine for sensuality, and amaryllis for beauty. Forget-me-not and red rose for true love, and yellow iris for passion. Red and yellow rose petals for happiness.” Zula chanted as she dropped each flower into the water.
Next, she picked up the bowl of petals and held it high above her head. “Jana, Goddess of New Beginnings, hear my plea. Take this water of the sea, take these flowers as an offering to thee.” The wind whipped and keened as the bowl rose out of Zula’s hands and disappeared into the sky. Zula fell back onto the ground, exhausted and weak.
~ Two ~
Clogged Drains
“Damn it,” Zula said as the water from the sink refused to go down the drain. “Looks like we’ve got a clog, Thad. Where’s the plunger?” Zula attacked the stubborn drain with the plunger but no matter how many times she tried, the pipes remained clog. “I hate calling a plumber,” she told the cat as she picked up the phone book. “They’re so overpriced. But what else am I going to do? You have any ideas?” She looked at the cat, as he washed his face with one paw. She smiled and finished dialing the phone.
“Yes,” Zula said into the mouthpiece. “How soon could someone be here to unclog a drain for me?” She looked at the clock on the wall and sighed as she listened. “Yes, I suppose that will have to be alright. I’ll be here. Thank you,” she said and gave her address and phone number before hanging up. “Looks like we are without a sink for a few more hours, Thad. So let’s put away the Halloween decorations while we wait. What do you say to that?” She picked up the cat and nuzzled him with her nose, as she went to the porch and looked at the job ahead.
~ * ~
Zula worked for two hours when she finally put the last of the boxes of Halloween decorations in the attic and went back downstairs. She began sweeping the porch and glanced up as the Speedy Plumber truck pulled to a stop in front of her house. Zula smiled as the man came up the walk.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Connor.” He handed her a business card. “I hear you have a clogged drain.”
“Yes,” she said, taking the card. “It’s the kitchen sink. Follow me, I’ll show you the way.”
“This is a huge house,” he commented as they walked through the living room. “You and your husband must have a lot of kids.”
Zula glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “No,” she said. “No husband and no kids, either. Just me and Thaddeus.” Connor looked around. “My cat,” Zula explained.
“Oh,” Connor chuckled. “I have a dog. Roger. He’s a Black Mouth Kerr.”
“Big dog,” Zula said as they went through the dining room and she pushed the kitchen door open. “Here we are.”
“He’s an old dog,” Connor told her as he set his toolbox down. “I’ve had him since I was a teenager. He doesn’t get around like he used to, but he’s a good dog.” He paused for a moment as he looked at Zula. “I’ll, uh, I’ll try the snake first and see if that does it. If not, I’ll have to get under there and take the pipes off.”
Zula smiled. “Fine. You do whatever you need to do. Would you like something to drink? I have a new batch of sun tea.”
“That sounds great,” he replied.
“Sweet or unsweet?” She asked.
“Sweet, please.” Connor said as he reached for the drain snake and went to work.
Zula filled two glasses with ice from the refrigerator door and then poured tea from a glass container. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Connor was busy with his work, and then dipped her finger into his tea.
“Sweet,” she whispered, the spell working in her mind as she stirred the tea.
She turned around with the glasses in her hand and watched Connor for a moment. He had dark hair that fell into his eyes and over his collar, and she’d noticed his eyes were so dark they appeared to be black. He was very tall and broad through the chest, with muscular arms. His shirt had been tucked in at his narrow waist, allowing her a view of his ass, which looked awfully cute in his Levi’s.
“I’ll just set your tea right here so you can reach it,” Zula said.
“Thanks,” he said as he continued to work the snake through the drain. “I don’t think this is going to do it. I’m going to have to take the gooseneck off and see if something is caught in the pea trap.”
Suddenly feeling nervous, Zula quickly brought the glass of tea to her mouth and sipped. She watched Connor as he retrieved tools from the box and then lay under the sink to work on the pipes. He certainly didn’t look like the cliché plumbers she’d seen on television commercials with their potbellies and butt cracks showing. He moved gracefully, as if he was sure of himself and knew what he was doing. He didn’t appear nervous about being in her home and, of course, Zula knew he shouldn’t be. This was his job and he was in and out of people’s homes every day. But she couldn’t explain why she suddenly felt nervous. And very aware of herself.
She glanced down at her attire and grimaced. From cleaning up the Halloween decorations she had dirt on the knees of her jeans, as well as glitter and spider webs on her tank top. Ugh, she groaned to herself.
“I’ll be right back,” she told him.
With only a grunt for a reply, she hurried up the stairs. Zula pulled the top over her head and dropped it on the bedroom floor, then wriggled out of the dirty jeans. She didn’t want to appear as if she had changed just for him, so she put on clean jeans and another tank top and went into the bathroom to wash her hands. She glanced in the mirror and shook her head in disbelief. Her hair was in a Scrunchie on top of her head, and covered in spider web material and there were smudges of dirt on her face. “Great,” she said to the reflection. “What a catch you are. And a Scrunchie in your hair, no less!”
Quickly removing the Scrunchie, she ran her hands through her hair to rid it of the spider webs and then took a few swipes at it with a brush. She turned on the water, washed her hands and face, then dried.
“Okay, not great, but at least you’re clean.” She frowned at herself and then hurried back downstairs to find Connor putting his tools away.
“You’re finished?”
“Yes.” He gulped the tea from the glass and set it on the counter. “Good tea,” he said, “not too sweet. Anyway, there was a bunch of hair and grease caught in the pea trap, but see,” he turned on the faucet, “it’s flowing freely.”
“Thank you. How much do I owe you?”
Connor looked at his wristwatch and calculated. “Seventy-five even.”
“I’ll just write you a check, unless you prefer cash?”
“Whichever you want,” he replied. “It doesn’t matter to me. You do know you need to upgrade your pipes?” He asked as Zula wrote out the check.
“No. Do I?”
“Those pipes look like they’re about fifty years old and they’re starting to corrode. I’d recommend going with PVC. It’s a lot cheaper to install and if anything happens, a lot easier to fix or replace.”
&
nbsp; “How much do you think it would cost to replace them?”
“The whole house should be done at the same time, and considering the size, it’s not going to be cheap. How many bathrooms do you have?”
“Five. Two downstairs and one in each bedroom upstairs.”
“I can write up an estimate if you’d like and call you with the quote later, if that’s all right?”
“Of course. You have my number. Call anytime.”
“I’ll do that, Zula,” Connor said with a smile that hit Zula in the pit of her stomach. “You have a great afternoon.”
“Yes, I will. Thanks.” Zula shut the door behind Connor and then peeked out the window to watch him as he walked to his vehicle. Yep, he had a mighty fine ass.
~ * ~
His lips were soft and smooth as he kissed her and then tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth. His hands were everywhere at once, all over her body, exploring, exposing, and exciting her. She wanted to touch him, to rake her nails over his skin, but she was tethered to the bedposts, spread eagle and helpless. The only thing she could do was take what he offered her and writhe in the exquisite agony he caused her. His fingers felt like fire everywhere he touched her, enflaming her body, making her blood feel as if it were bubbling just beneath her skin.
“I can’t take anymore,” she whispered raggedly. “Take me now. I want you inside of me.”
His laughter was teasing and light as he sat up, straddling her thighs. His cock was hard and bounced against his stomach as he leaned over and grasped a tit in each hand. He pressed her breasts together and put his face between them, licking and sucking both nipples at once.
“Mmm,” he moaned as he suckled first one nipple and then the other. He placed a kiss on her chin, on each eye, the tip of her nose and then licked her lips. “I love your mouth. I love your tits. Tell me what you love, Zula. Tell me how to please you.”
“Touch me,” she said. “Run your hands over me body. I want to feel the rough calluses against my skin. Suck my toes and lick my legs all the way up until you reach my pussy and then dip your tongue inside of me. I want to feel you in me, your tongue, your fingers, and your dick. I want you all over me, in me, on me. Everywhere.”
As she spoke, his hands did as she instructed. He ran his rough palms over her silky stomach and down her legs to her perfect feet. He massaged her feet as he sucked each of her toes in and out of his mouth, and then licked around her ankles and up the insides of her legs until he reached her pussy. She was tied to the bed, unable to do anything but moan and squirm beneath his touch and he loved this feeling of power.
He buried his face in her pussy, sucked her clit into his mouth and then dove deep inside her with his tongue. Her hips bucked against his face as he squeezed the insides of her thighs with both hands and then inserted two fingers into the dark, wet depths of her body. She moaned louder and tossed her head from side to side as he finger-fucked her, and then slid one thumb deep into her ass. Her body clenched around his appendages as she reached her climax and the flood of juices from her pussy spilled into his hand. He lapped at her pussy, cleaning her and leaving her even wetter than before as he plunged his swollen cock into her.
She screamed again as his dick went inside of her to the hilt and he grasped her shoulders for leverage. He pounded her body over and over, unable to get enough of her, unable to be as deep inside of her as he wanted to be, unable to crawl into that hot, wet space and stay there. When he came, his own voice sounded as if it came from somewhere outside of him and he became lightheaded. His body dripped sweat and shook as he came, all of his energy spilling from him into her.
~ * ~
Connor sat straight up in his bed, confused by his surroundings for just a moment. He fumbled for the bedside lamp and switched it on, then looked around. He was in his own bed, and he was alone. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and raised the blankets to look down at himself. His boxers were stuck to his skin and there was a large wet spot on them.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “A wet dream at my age?” He threw the covers back and climbed out of bed to clean himself up and put on clean underwear. “It’s been way too long since I’ve been laid,” he muttered and went back to bed.
~ Three ~
Grandma Knows Best
Zula knew it was a dream, it had to be but somehow, it didn’t feel that way. She was in her own home, yet it wasn’t her home either. She walked down the stairs in the dim early morning light and looked around. She didn’t know what had woken her but she couldn’t go back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. And then she’d heard a noise. No, not a noise, voices. She heard voices coming from downstairs. They weren’t whispers as one might expect from burglars, they were happy, laughing voices. One male and one female, and it sounded like they were having a very good time.
Cautious as she continued down the stairs, she held the railing as she went. At the bottom, the voices grew louder and she could see dim light beneath the living room door. She knew she’d turned the lights off when she went to bed, and she couldn’t imagine who had made themselves at home in her house. At the living room door, Zula listened quietly as the two uninvited guests continued their gleeful conversation. Deciding she needed a weapon, Zula picked up the heavy bust of General Lee that had sat on the server bench for decades. Made of bronze, it weighed at least twenty pounds and would be a good weapon if Zula could actually lift it high enough to swing it with any force. Slowly, she pushed the door open and peeked inside. She dropped the bust as she covered her mouth with both hands.
“There you are, darling,” the woman said, as she came to the door and pulled it open all the way. “What is the matter with you? Come in, come in.”
Zula moved woodenly as she entered the room and tried to catch her breath. “Who? What?” she stuttered.
“Now, don’t be rude darling. You remember my gentleman friend, Mr. Devlin, don’t you?”
Zula tried to get a grip on her emotions as she stared into an exact duplicate of Connor. Yet this copy was dressed formally in an old fashioned style of clothing complete with watch fob. “Connor?” she whispered.
“Zula, you know better than to call a gentleman by his first name. I swear I don’t know what has gotten into you child!”
“Don’t bother yourself, Zula,” the duplicate said, speaking to the older woman.
“Great-grandma Zula?”
“I do wish you’d stop calling me that, dear. It makes me seem as if I’m ready for the grave.”
“Yes, about a hundred and fifty years ago,” Zula said, the disbelief in her voice evident. “I, uh, I need to sit down.”
“I was just about to show Mr. Devlin to the door anyway. I’ll be right back and we’ll have some tea.”
Zula nodded and watched the pair as they left the room. Zula looked around. None of her furnishings were in the room, and there were no electric lights, only kerosene lamps and where the gas stove should’ve been was a real fireplace. Zula didn’t remember there ever being a fireplace in this house. Since she was a child the place had been heated with gas stoves in every room. What was going on?
“There now,” Grandma Zula said as she came back into the room. “We have much to talk about dear. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to stay.”
“What is going on? How can you be here at all?”
“I’m your great-grandmother, Zula. Look at us, we are identical twins. Not only did I pass on my features to you, I have passed on my magic. You are so strong I can fairly feel it vibrating from your skin.”
Zula took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to slow her racing mind. “I can accept the fact that you’re here. I’ve always felt you close by all of my life, but who was that man? He’s not my great-grandfather and he looks so much like…” her voice trailed off.
“That is what we need to speak about. His name is Connor Devlin and he’s the only man I ever truly loved. He was a wild one and I was so young when we met. My father wo
uldn’t allow me to see him because he was much older, and had a reputation. In those days, reputation was everything, but I didn’t care. I fell madly in love with him and wanted to be with him.”
“Don’t tell me that my grandmother was his child because I’m afraid of what that might mean.”
“What are you afraid of, dear?”
“If he’s Connor’s great-grandfather, the Connor I met today, then it would mean he and I are related.”
“No, no. Listen to me, Zula. Your grandmother was not his child, although I would have given anything to have his child, but alas, it wasn’t to be. None of it was to be. I knew him for such a short time and we had a passionate affair. Then one night, I snuck out of the house as I had many times before to be with him and I met him at our spot. I expected him to take me to his home as he had on other nights, but he didn’t.”
Zula gently squeezed the other woman’s hand, as her great-grandmother dabbed at her eyes with a lace kerchief. “What happened that night?”
“He took me in his arms and held me, and then he kissed me and my knees nearly buckled. I was ready to lift my skirts right there, but he pulled away. He looked into my eyes and held my chin with his fingers and told me to go home. Just like that. Go home.
“I asked him why and he just shook his head. His eyes were so dark, I couldn’t see them but I could see the single tear that rolled down his cheek. I begged him for an explanation, but he just shook his head sadly and sent me away. Then he got on his horse and rode away. I never saw him again.”
“Oh, grandmother, I’m so sorry.”
“A week later, my father had me engaged to your great-grandfather, Edmond Price, and by Christmas, we were married. I never knew what happened to Connor, and there was no one I could ask either. My mother only pursed her lips when I asked about him, and she told me not to give it another thought. I didn’t dare ask Papa. It was then that I begin to take walks to go visit Bella. She lived on the outskirts of town and everyone whispered she was a witch. I became friends with her and soon, I was her student.
Ghostly Touch Page 2
