This Strange Witchery

by Michele Hauf

  The smell of her sex, the rough tear of her fingernails along my forearm, the heavy, deep pants gasping—until she ceased all sound—and then cried out. Face nuzzled against her breasts, I clutched her body against mine as her hips bucked and her body quivered in passionate release.

  So beautiful. So unfettered. I had released her from the cage, and I did not want to put her back.

  I’d forgotten something. What? Wasn’t sure…

  Like an angel landing, she sank into the bed below me with a sigh and a sexy smile. I daren’t touch her perspiration-bejeweled skin, but flickered my fingers above it, drawing in the heat, the electric energy glittering with hints of earth magic.

  Delicate fingers stroked the front of my rigid abdomen, and over my jeans. My cock strained. I was going to come….

  I made a high-speed dash for the bathroom.

  * * *

  The witch had stolen into the bathroom. I knew what he was doing. Poor guy. I’d come gloriously. And he, well, he’d been hard as steel; I’d noticed when he’d made his quick escape.

  But most troubling? He’d forgotten to speak the spell.

  I’d known he wouldn’t be successful. And it bothered me little.

  Deliciously exhausted from the climax, I stretched across the rumpled silk counterpane. Overhead a crystal chandelier glinted with moonlight, and I lay beneath a starry sky. Swimming in the blissful depths of giddy afterglow, I had an amazing realization. This was the first time I’d come and not immediately shifted to cat shape afterward. How cool was that? I’d just had almost real sex!

  “Mmm, I could get used to this.”

  And yet, while the thought excited me, at the same time it made me sad.

  I craved a lover. A man to take care of me, to love me, and to share his life with me. A man I could have sex with and share intimacy. Maybe even lie together in each other’s arms afterward and be quiet with each other. A man who would bring me to climax and expect nothing more—most especially, no demons.

  Tears watered my eyes and I sniffed.

  “Stupid kitty. You’re thinking fairy-tale stuff.”

  T.J. was a man who liked control. Why else cut out the middle man? He would be furious after jacking off. His well-orchestrated plan had failed.

  I eyed the envelope on the counter. Time to take the money and run.

  Sliding off the bed, I looked about for something to wear. Strewn across a chair was a pair of dark pants with a black leather belt. I slid them up and tugged the belt to the last notch. Still so loose I had to hold them over my hips. But if I wanted to nab the cash on the counter, I’d need to leave in human shape. Cats don’t have pockets.

  “Sorry.”

  I spun to face the man leaning in the bathroom doorway. Tousled jet hair spilled over his lean yet muscled chest. His jeans were unfastened and sat low at his hips, revealing the dark path of hair sweeping to his navel. No visible erection so, as I’d guessed, he’d taken care of that problem.

  “I knew you weren’t capable,” I said plainly, and picked up the shirt he’d been wearing to inspect it. Black with white stripes, it buttoned up. Smelled dark and sexy like him. “You forgot the spell.”

  “I didn’t forget it, I…wasn’t capable of speaking it in the state I was in. Hell, I’m sorry. I thought I could handle this. I think it was the newness of the situation. Jumping right into it like we did. I know if you give me another chance, Star, I can do this right.”

  “A professional familiar’s assistant trains for months before he is allowed to assist a demon conjure. What makes you different?”

  He sighed. I felt only a little bad for him. He had gotten my rocks off, after all. Aren’t I owed a little fun once in a while?

  I wandered to the kitchen counter, avoiding the glass, and claimed the thick envelope. Glancing at the disheveled witch, I wanted to snicker at his sorry state. Baffled and drained. Thrown from his element without a life jacket. Oddly sweet. He had been so determined.

  I wanted to give him a few pats on the head, ruffle his hair, and tell him he had been a good kitty. Seriously, the good-kitty thing did stroke my ego, so why shouldn’t it his?

  I wanted to hug him and tell him it wasn’t as bad as he thought. In fact, he’d rocked my world in a way I couldn’t begin to explain to him. To put my feelings out there would be too risky. I didn’t like being exposed.

  Wasn’t like walking around naked in front of a man, either.

  I tucked the envelope in the front pocket of the loose jeans. “I’m taking these clothes too, if you don’t mind.”

  “No problem. I should have had some clothes for you. This was an ill-planned venture.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Can you forgive me, Star?

  I patted the envelope of money. “Already forgotten. Nice working with you. Hope you have better luck with the next cat.”

  “No, please.” He grabbed my arm, and his touch scurried sensation to my belly. Never had a man’s touch so captured me. Made me want to surrender. Just like that.

  “I need to try this again,” he said. “Next time I’ll have clothes for you, and I’ll be in the right mental state. Promise.”

  It would never work. Not without the proper training. But a second session of almost real sex with Mr. Tall, Dark and Determined? How could I resist?

  “This is important to you,” I decided.

  “It’s the only way I’ll be able to conjure Navicrux.”

  I knew that demon’s name. He was a bad-ass. I shouldn’t ask. I wouldn’t ask. I didn’t care why witches brought demons to this realm, because the day I started to care, I could no longer do my job effectively. And I didn’t want to answer to karma for my participation in evil.

  “You’ve set a precedent for my wages,” I said, patting the pocket with the envelope. “I couldn’t do it again for anything less.”

  “You won’t have to because I’ll double your pay if you return tomorrow night. Do we have a deal?”

  I wanted the word deal actually to sound more like date. But I would never touch that dream. It wasn’t meant to be. But neither was this witch’s concentration when we got together under the pretext of ‘summoning.’

  It was a middle ground I could tread.

  “Sure,” I said, and forced a smile. “Deal.”

  Chapter 4

  I didn’t live far from T.J.’s place. Thoroughly Jones. I liked his full name. He’d been as thorough as a man with a raging cockstand could be.

  I smiled at the doorman of my building and patted the jeans pocket. “I’m here to stay.”

  “That is good to hear, Mademoiselle Star,” he said in his delicious Jamaican accent. “Perhaps you can now afford some new attire?”

  “You don’t like the baggy look?”

  “It does not accentuate your beauty, no.”

  I let that one go, because he was polite and always truthful. If ever I came home in the middle of the night looking like I’d partied hard, he let me know how pitiful I looked. Thing was, it wasn’t usually partying, but rather demon-conducting, that left me less than pretty and slightly out of sorts.

  This kitty didn’t party. Much as I’d like to, the job did take its toll.

  The apartment was old but cozy, packed ceiling-high in some places with objects I admired. Some, I didn’t recognize, like the odd art nouveau faery in the corner holding the green glass ivy. I assumed it had been obtained during one of my previous lives. I didn’t remember my past lives, which is why I had my address, name and bank account tattooed on my ankle. I’d learned that precaution from fellow familiar Aby, who currently lived in the States with a sexy demon hunter. She’d given up the profession after marrying him, and couldn’t be happier.

  Love was possible for my breed. Just not easy.

  I plopped onto the violet plush beanbag in the middle of the living room, sinking in and curling my legs to my body.

  He wanted me to return tonight to try again.

  I wanted to return. But not for business.

  Don�
�t be stupid, Star, he’s not looking for a girlfriend.

  I wished he was.

  Something about Thoroughly Jones had gotten under my skin, and recalling his hands touching me, exploring, intent on my pleasure, made me purr.

  It had been different from working with my assistant, Chris, and not because the situation itself had been unprecedented. I’d wanted to look into the witch’s eyes as I’d come, to see deep into him. To be touched only by him and not by his dark magic.

  I wanted to believe he’d been having the same thoughts about me—that he’d wanted to delve deeper, to really know me.

  How to find out if he had the slightest interest in me? Dare I dream this man could become more than business, possibly my first real lover?

  Perhaps a little seduction would loosen his staunch determination to stick to business?

  I shifted on the beanbag to stare out the window. The sun glittered on the tin roof across the street. With a sigh, I realized I had no idea how seduction worked. I’d never been the one in control, the one to take the initiative, the one who asked for what she wanted.

  How to do that?

  I might have to break my number-one rule to make the witch change his mind about conjuring demons and want instead to make love to a familiar.

  * * *

  “Contineo!”

  I paced the polished maple floor from bed to sofa, repeating the spell I’d memorized from the grimoire. I didn’t need to do this. I knew the spell forwards, backwards and inside-out. I could sing the French national anthem while also reciting the invocation for the nefari demon.

  I had never been more prepared.

  And I had never been more at odds with how tonight’s second try would go.

  Leaving the grimoire on the sofa, I pushed my fingers through my hair and paced to the window to scan the city. I could see Star’s building from here, but her apartment was on the opposite side, facing the rising sun. I wondered if she’d gone home and slept. Did familiars need a lot of sleep? I presumed they enjoyed frequent catnaps.

  Glancing at the cage I’d used to bring Star here, I shook my head. That had been cruel but necessary. Yet getting her to agree to an unprecedented pairing had been easier than I’d expected.

  Of course, the attempt at conjuring the demon had been a joke. And she’d known I wouldn’t be able to do it, too. Last night’s debacle had been easy money for her. But I would stand true on my promise to pay her double if she returned. I’d been a prudent investor over my one hundred and sixty years. And I liked knowing the cash was going to someone who truly needed it.

  Tonight I had to keep my eyes on the prize: the demon Navicrux. No sexy skin glowing under the moonlight was going to distract me. Not a whimpered moan of pleasure or the soft purr preceding her cry as she came beneath me.

  Her skin had been like warm silk moistened with rain. She’d smelled that way, too. Natural and sweet, an ineffable scent I couldn’t seem to chase from my senses.

  When was the last time I’d been so caught up in a woman? I’d never had a true love. That was my brother’s calling. He was gentle and unassuming, keeping his nose in the books as the days passed. I had always been the dark one, the one who must be watched with caution. The one who could lure the women to him, yet never keep them long enough because I’d never taken the time to care if they stuck around.

  I did care. I just didn’t care for disappointment, either.

  The doorbell rang, and I startled. Really? I’d expected a paw scratching at the door. Hmm….

  Peeking through the peephole, I was startled again, and quickly opened the door to a stunning vision.

  “Hey, witch.”

  Red silk swept about Star’s lithe form, dipping low to reveal the swells of her breasts and cut high to expose her legs, which weren’t long, yet appeared longer thanks to the violet shoes she wore.

  High heels? On a kitty cat?

  “Something wrong,” she asked and stepped forward to stroke a finger over my parted lips. “Cat got your tongue?”

  Yes, please.

  Mercy.

  “Why the fancy dress?”

  “Girl’s gotta make herself look pretty once in a while.” She strolled inside at a wobbly pace that made me wonder if she had ever before worn such shoes. “You don’t like it?”

  “It’s incredible,” I said, and followed with a sigh that again surprised me—and my rising hard-on. She was up to something. My senses tingled with warning. The air prickled with unseen glamour.

  I rushed after the sashaying feline and met her at the sofa. In a remarkable sneak attack, she pushed me onto the cushions and bent over me. The red silk fell loose and I could see all of her breasts, even the tight little nipples I knew she loved to have suckled.

  “We had a deal,” I said, sensing she had decided to change up the rules. “This…this—” Tease. Come on. Desire. “—is not what I want.”

  “It’s what I want.” She straddled my legs and sat on my lap, tilting back her shoulders to lift those provocative breasts high.

  Much as the witch in me screamed for focus, the wanting, needy man I am eased back a bit and put his hands on Star’s hips. My cock had already swollen in anticipation.

  “I thought we’d get more comfortable with each other tonight,” she said on a purry tone that stroked my hard-on to steel. “Maybe that’ll help you relax more.”

  “I don’t need to relax, I need to maintain sharp focus. Star—” Her fingers glided through my hair, tickling my scalp and stealing further protest.

  “It might help me,” she said, and leaned in to toggle my earlobe with the tip of her tongue. A thrilling shiver tickled down my neck and shot directly to my groin. “To get to know you better. To trust you.”

  “You don’t trust me?” I suppose not. Not after my masterful failure last night.

  Green eyes twinkled but inches from my face.

  “Maybe you know what you’re doing. You think we need to do this?” I slid a hand up her waist, my thumb stroking under her breast.

  “Mm, yes. I think so.”

  She guided my hand over her breast and the nipple was so hard I leaned in to suckle it through the silk fabric. Showing her satisfaction, she pressed against the back of my head. I slid down the silk strap and cupped both breasts. Touching her was like a gift I’d been granted and should use well to show my appreciation.

  “This is so right,” she murmured. “Don’t you think?”

  I nodded, murmuring a noise of approval.

  “Look at me, T.J.”

  Our eyes fixed and I wished I could look into her soul, as only another witch was able to do. Her soul shone brightly. And yet it was needy, like mine. We needed different things, or so I thought.

  She bent to kiss me and her lips barely touched mine. Testing, tentative, feeling her way into my desire. I wanted to pull her close and dive deep into her mouth, but respected her careful slowness. And then she did what I’d just imagined, tracing her tongue along mine and slicking in deep, giving me her taste, her breath, her moans.

  “Yes,” I muttered against her mouth and pulled her onto me, wanting to plunge my cock into her just as her tongue had plunged into me. “Your kiss. So good. So—no!”

  Breaking the wanton connection, I searched her jewel eyes, half-lidded and pleading. “Star, you kissed me. You said no kissing. You said it was the ultimate deal-breaker. What’s happening?”

  Her hand slid over my hard cock. “I want you, T.J. I want all of you.”

  I shook my head in protest, but my mouth wasn’t on the same page, because I pulled her in for another deep kiss and shifted my hips to allow her to push down my jeans.

  This wasn’t right. It wouldn’t lead to what I most desired. It was a distraction. It was…

  …the only thing I wanted right now.

  Chapter 5

  While T.J. protested—more a courtesy protest than anything—I worked his hardened shaft up and down with my hand, wanting to feel every bit of its length, measuring
its steely hardness, and cupping the swollen plum-like head.

  His kisses bruised my mouth and my staunch rules. I’d broken the number-one rule.

  And I liked it.

  I wanted this man. I didn’t want to be his slave. I wanted him to give me everything I deserved, and, in turn, I wanted to do the same to him—without a demonic party crasher.

  “Is this right?” I said, squeezing him to ensure the control was mine. “Tell me if it’s wrong.”

  “That’s…” He moved my hips above his cock, positioning me, I guessed. “Perfect. I need to be inside you. Please.”

  “I want that, too. We can summon demons later. Yes?”

  He nodded, unable to form words.

  “Make me yours, witch.”

  He pushed his cock against my slick folds, and I felt him enter me, solid and thick. I couldn’t believe a part of a man could be so hard, yet it pinched a little and I cried out. And then I was biting my lip and digging my fingers into his shoulder as the slide of him in and out replaced the tiny pain with incredible sensation.

  “Hell, you’re a virgin,” he gasped. “Star?”

  I’d found a sensual rhythm and moved upon his shaft to find my pleasure, despite him having stopped. The slide of his thickness and my position on top of him tugged at my clitoris. The delirious hum of climax neared.

  “Don’t stop,” I whispered. “Take the pleasure you need. I can feel it. You inside me. So good. Never like this before.”

  He clasped my hips and increased the rhythm. Jaw tight and eyes focused on mine, he winced in pleasure and I could feel his body begin to tremor.

  “Yes, let me see you come,” I said, leaning in and clutching his hair to keep his eyes on mine. “Take it, take it all.”

  He thrust deeply inside me, then held me still upon him as his body pumped and his muscles contracted, and the moan spilled from his throat. The air shimmered. The scents of his skin, the leather sofa and the herbs in the kitchen grew bolder.

  I’d never witnessed a man experiencing sexual climax. At once, every muscle on his face was tight, strapped across his skull, and then his skin relaxed and his jaw fell open. Eyes closing, he growled deeply with pleasure.