All Bottled Up (4 page)

Well, one human and apparently one genie.

“This is amazing,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

“It’s a shame more people can’t see what you are seeing. It might inspire them to take better care of things.”

Words failed her. Viola stood and really looked at Jerod for the first time. His eyes had returned to their original crystal blue. But other than that, he looked normal.

“How is this possible?”

“Magic.”

Hard to argue against that.

“Do you believe me?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.

She took one last look at the ocean below, burning the details into her memory.

When she looked back into his eyes, she smiled.

“I do.”

As quickly as they’d arrived, they were back standing in her room. Viola took three steps away from Jerod, needing the air. It took a few minutes but her body stopped shaking once it realized she was back on solid ground. Jerod didn’t move or say anything.

31

Finally she thought she was able to speak without crying.

“Thank you.”

Jerod frowned. “Thank you for what?”

“Showing me such an amazing sight. I don’t think I could have imagined anything more beautiful.”

With his lips pursed, he looked like he was digesting her words. But instead of acknowledging them, he took a step forward, decreasing the distance between them. He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped. He shook his head and straightened his body.

“Now that you finally believe me, I think we have the small matter of your wishes.

So, what will they be?”

Rarely in her short life had anyone ever offered to give Viola something for nothing.

While she didn’t doubt Jerod’s powers, she had been around the business world enough to know there was always a price to be paid.

“So what’s the catch?”

She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for the other shoe to drop.

Jerod mimicked her arms, straightening to his full height, which was considerable.

God, he had to be over six feet.

“There
is
no…catch. Everything is as I told you. Three wishes and I’ll be gone.”

“I call shenanigans. There’s always a catch in the movies. You wish for money and you find a bag full of it only to be arrested for stealing. Or you ask for a cool car and the first time you drive it somewhere it gets stolen. So what’s the catch?” Jerod took another step forward and leaned in until his nose was close to her face.

Viola breathed in deep and the urge to swoon struck her again. Too much excitement for one day, and not enough rum punch.

“Very well, there’s a catch.”

“Ah ha!” she poked him in the chest. His skin was warm and smooth and she pulled her hand back quickly. No sense in upsetting a genie. “So what is it?”

“While I wield more magic that you can possibly imagine, when I grant your wishes 32

they must result from something of this world.”

“So if I wish for a million dollars it could be from a bank robbery.” This wasn’t going to end well.

“Only if I don’t like you,” he said with a grin that made him look devilishly wicked.

“Oh.”

“And I do like you, Mistress Viola. So I promise, on my honor as a magical otherworldly being, I will not trick nor harm you when I grant your wishes.” Before she realized what he was doing, Jerod had captured her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He didn’t kiss her immediately, but she felt him breathe in deeply, grazing his nose over her knuckles. Then, he brushed his lips over the top of her hand and placed a gentle kiss in the middle.

Viola’s body tingled from the point of contact on her hand, spreading slowly up her arm, and trickling through the rest of her body. Her breasts felt heavy and her toes curled into the carpet. She felt his fingers caress her wrist, a contact so light she’d question later if he’d done it.

Jerod raised his head but didn’t pull back from her hand. The blacks of his pupils grew so large they threatened to swallow the crystal blue.

“Now, I can’t go back on my word.”

“Why?” she whispered.

“Magic.” He winked at her.

Viola felt her head begin to spin. She couldn’t keep up with this. Jerod smiled as he placed her hand back at her side.

“What do you wish for?”

The phone rang. Viola jumped at the sound, but didn’t move. It rang a second time and all she could do was stare at it.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“A telephone.”

“What does it do?”

She looked up at him and shook her head in disbelief. “You talk to people.” 33

“I knew that, but I was wondering if you did. Going to answer it?” Her brain kicked in and she bolted across the room. She tripped over her sandals but still managed to answer it in time. She could hug whoever it was on the other end. Things had gotten way too intense for her.

“Hello?”

“How’s my favorite Way to Go gal?”

Who the hell…

“Bill!”

Viola’s heart did a flip and the rest of the world focused in on the phone. Bill was calling her.
Her!
Maybe he missed her. God, please let him have missed her.

“How’s the resort so far?”

She caught Jerod out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting on the ottoman again.

She had an awesome view of his abs.

“This place is full of surprises. What can I do for you? Is everything all right?” A pause before he coughed. “Well, I know this is supposed to be your vacation, but I had some questions about the Foster account, and I was hoping you could answer some questions for me. If you’re not busy that is?”
Oh no
. “Sure I can. What is it?”

“That’s my girl. It’s just a few things I need clarified.

She spent the next ten minutes explaining her comments on the account, trying to clarify what his next steps should be. Viola felt the flutter build in her stomach at the sound of his voice, the casual compliments he gave her on the quality of her work.

“I have to say I’ll be happy when you’re back in the office, Viola. I miss having your keen eye around here.”

“Really?” This was awesome! The fact Bill actually noticed she was gone, that he’d gone through the effort to call her when she was away, meant she was finally starting to make an impression on him. “I didn’t think you’d miss me.”

“Of course, I am. And I really appreciate this. Promise I’ll make it up to you when you get back. Deal?”

34

Oh yeah, baby
. “Deal. Thanks, Bill.”

“No, no. Thank you.”

Viola’s mind was racing when she finally set the receiver back down in the cradle.

“Yes!” She jumped in the air and landed facing Jerod. A sudden paranoia hit her square in the gut. “You didn’t do that did you?” Jerod rolled his eyes. “If I had, I would be as excited as you. This is the longest I’ve ever had to wait to grant a single wish in the past five hundred years.”

“So no?”

“No.”

“Yes!”

Viola proceeded to bounce up and down again. The sorry excuse for a bathing suit nearly fell off, prompting her to calm down. Her mind revved at a thousand miles an hour.

“This is big, you know. Bill doesn’t just call people when they are away on vacation.

He misses me.
Me!
”

Jerod rolled his eyes, snapped his fingers and began to float in the air. “I think the only thing he misses is the fact he doesn’t have someone there to tell him how to do his job.”

“That’s not fair at all. You don’t even know him.” That’s when it hit her. She felt a nervous shake zing though her, but she kept it together. Viola cleared her throat and smiled.

“I know what I want for my first wish.”

Jerod looked to the sky and sighed. “Finally.” Her hands shook from excited nervousness. “What do I say?” Jerod shrugged. “Simply say I wish for whatever it is you want.”

“Okay, genie, I wish for—”

“My name is Jerod.”

Viola stopped short. “Pardon?”

He placed his hands on his hips and Viola thought she saw a flash of annoyance on 35

his face before he seemed to regain his control.

“Jerod. Not genie, please.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Viola licked her lips, said a silent prayer that she wouldn’t say something else wrong, closed her eyes and let the words fall out of her.

“Jerod, I wish for you to show me how to make Bill fall in love with me.” 36

Viola hadn’t thought there was anything she could wish for that would surprise a genie, but apparently that wasn’t the case. The look on his face couldn’t be described as anything less than shock. He seemed to recover quickly, the muscles in his jaw clenching before a loud groan burst from him.

“I told you, I can’t make anyone fall in love with you,” he said as he threw his hands in the air.

“You did?” Her mind raced back to try to remember exactly what he had said.
Shit,
he had.
Viola crossed her arms and raised her chin a fraction of an inch. “Well, that’s not what I wished for.”

“No?” His half-amused smile returned to his face.

Viola licked her dry lips and tried to keep her gaze from slipping down to his chest.

“No. I want you to show me what I need to know to
seduce
Bill and make him fall in love with me. I’ll be doing all the work. Not you.” That didn’t seem to help. Jerod still sat cross-legged, floating in the air over to where she stood. The sight of his magically perfect body nearly took her breath away. His abs were tight, accented by the light as it glinted off the shiny fabric of his pants. His biceps were muscular, framed by the cuffs of his vest, revealing more than they hid. The sight made her mouth water.

“So you want to learn what it takes to seduce a man? Specifically William Clarence Roberts from Halifax, Nova Scotia?”

Viola crinkled her nose. “His middle name is Clarence?”

“Change your mind?” Jerod asked smugly.

“No. Jerod, please grant my wish.”

Jerod sighed and dropped his head to his chest. “Granted.” 37

“Woohoo!”

Viola felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her. This was it! She was going to get the man of her dreams to finally acknowledge she existed. Prove that she was the sexiest damned employee Way To Go Travel had. Her mind began to spin out of control, whizzing through the possible things Jerod could teach her.
What the hell did Bill want in
a woman anyway?
God, she hoped she wouldn’t have to waste one of her wishes on getting bigger boobs.

“Okay, so how do we start? What do we do? Tell me everything.” Jerod dropped his feet to the floor to stand before her. This time when he looked at her, she did squirm. As his gaze traveled over her body, Viola felt it like a caress on her skin. Her faced heated and she felt a quiver of sexual awareness deep in the pit of her stomach, traveling lower. He walked around her in circles several times, poking her side, flicking the back of her ponytail and pinging her bikini strap again.

“Hey!”

“I see we have a lot to work on.”

“Excuse me?”

He ignored her and lifted her arm up to examine her biceps. When he lifted his gaze to hers, Viola knew he was teasing her. She jerked her arm out of his grip and placed her hands firmly on her hips.

“Well?” She used the same tone on Jerod she’d learned when taking William through doggie school.

Unlike her dog, Jerod didn’t seem fazed. He took another step forward and, reaching out, tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear. Viola shivered, suddenly finding it very hard to breathe. They stood there, staring at each other for several seconds before Jerod stepped back, grinning, and continued his inspection.

“While I can make many suggestions to improve your outward appearance generally, it would be best if I knew about this man you are hoping to trap.”
Is this guy for real?

“Win over. I’m not going to
trap
him into anything. Good Lord, what kind of woman 38

do you take me for? And how can you know his name but not know anything about him?”

“Of course, no trap. Whatever was I thinking,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I was able to get an image of him during your conversation. That only tells me the basics of who he is. But I need to know more of William.”

“His name is Bill.”

Jerod waved his hand about, as if to dismiss her correction.

She couldn’t believe this. “Are you going to be a jerk the whole time you’re helping me? Cause if you are, I can release you from your duties and send you on your way.” Jerod stopped his walk-around. They stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes locked on each other. A small ping of triumph zinged through her when his scowl morphed into his tiny, amused smile.

“I forgot what it was like to deal with a forthright woman.”

“Is forthright a good thing?”

“Indeed.”

“So?”

Jerod sighed. “I will help you win your, what was his name?” Now she knew he was doing it to piss her off.

“Bill,” she said from between her clenched teeth.

“Your Bill. And I will make an effort not to be a jerk, as you say.”

“Thank you!”

The tension in the back of her neck began to fade away and she couldn’t stop the large grin on her face. If he could really help her pull this off, there was hope for her after all. She wouldn’t have to grow old alone. She would actually get laid. Maybe even more than once.

“As I said, it would be helpful to know the man you…hope to charm. With your permission, I’d like to explore your memories of Bill.” The idea sounded bizarre, but strangely she’d grown to trust Jerod over the past hour.

Well, maybe not trust, he was a genie after all. She nodded and waited for his direction.

39

His eyes grew wide, the crystal color almost beginning to glow. Mesmerized, unable to look away or focus on anything else, Viola almost missed what he said.

“In order for me to know the man who stirs your heart, I must know your heart.”

“How do you do that?”

Her tongue darted out and wet her lips when Jerod swayed closer to her. His gaze fixated on her mouth for a moment before he met hers again. For the first time since they’d met, she felt an undercurrent of something more than awareness tug her toward him. There was a timeless age to him, something
more
, deeper. She swore she saw his loneliness.

“Close your eyes.” His command was gentle but powerful.

Viola’s lids fluttered shut without her thinking, and she felt a sort of energy pulsing from Jerod. He smelled of exotic spices, something that resembled cloves, which warmed her from the inside when she inhaled. Every inch of her skin buzzed and tingled from his nearness.

The last thing she was expecting happened. She felt his body heat draw closer to her, surrounding her face and neck. His fingers caressed her cheek, brushing her skin until he massaged the back of her neck. The air in her lungs seemed to leave her and her heart raced. He didn’t tug, but she felt her body sway toward his. Into his warmth.

Her lips tingled when his touched them. The contact was barely there. She felt him inhale, her body instantly responded with a wave of desire snaking through her. She was so close to him, she couldn’t resist. Instead of pulling back, she leaned into him and kissed him. After all, if this was how he needed to read her heart to help her win Bill over, then who was she to argue.

Jerod made a strange noise deep in his chest when Viola opened her mouth. His goatee tickled her chin at first, but she quickly grew to enjoy the sensation. His body stiffened when she ran her hands up his arms. He didn’t kiss her back at first, so she flicked her tongue out in search of his. She hoped that was all the encouragement he’d need.

It seemed to do the trick. She felt his hands slide down across her back, warming her 40

skin as they went. Her body swayed into his, pushed against his rock-hard chest and held on for dear life.

Images of Bill popped into her mind. How he would look at her, the things he would say. She tried to ignore them, but couldn’t. Bill’s casual glance, the way he’d watch other women bend over to pick things up, all bubbled up from her memory. Everything.

Next came the emotions. Every insecurity she’d ever felt zipped through her head, overwhelming her with its power. She tried to pull away, but Jerod held her tight. All her heartaches were laid bare in that kiss, making her feel very small. If it weren’t for Jerod’s lips encouraging her, his tongue coaxing her inner vixen, she would have run.

When they finally stopped, it was Jerod who pulled back, breaking the kiss. Viola’s heart was pounding so loud and hard she thought she was going to pass out.

“Wow,” she whispered, not really aware of the fact she’d said it out loud.

Viola opened her eyes and looked up into the grinning face of her genie. He was up to something.

“Find out what you needed to know?”

Jerod shrugged. “I can read Bill from here. But kissing you helps with the…connection.”

She knew she was being played.
By a genie no less
. Somewhere deep down, the new, daring, totally in control and sexy Viola took charge. She matched his grin with one of her own.

“Well, I’d like to make sure the connection is really strong then.” Viola reached up and pulled Jerod back for another kiss. She really wasn’t sure what she was doing, but he didn’t seem to mind. Jerod relaxed into her and devoured her.

Images of Bill popped back into her mind, only this time something was different. They faded only to be replaced with a more powerful one. Jerod’s face flashed in her mind. She imagined herself in his arms, lying naked on a bed, making love. Their bodies entwined, both of them gasping from mutual pleasure. A moan escaped her and she deepened her kiss, grinding her hips against his leg.

Jerod pulled away suddenly and stepped back. He looked at her long and hard, 41

confused. Viola trembled, panting audibly as she stood there, not having a clue as to what had just happened. The strange tingle moved throughout her body as before, when he’d kissed her hand. Only this time it seemed to reach every nerve in her body, zapping her deep inside and revving her internal engines. She tried to ignore the fact that she was a little turned on. Who was she kidding? She was about to catch fire, she was so horny.

“Why did you do that?” he asked, sounding more annoyed than angry.

Viola frowned. “What do you mean? I thought that’s what we had to do?” Jerod stepped back from her and ran his hand through his hair.

“Did I do something wrong?” Shit, she didn’t want to screw this up before she had a chance to start. See, she shouldn’t have kissed him. She needed to play things safe.

He shook his head. “Not exactly.”

“What then?”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Jerod’s words were firm, but he reached out and caressed her arm with a featherlike touch.

“Yes.” But she lacked her confidence of only a short time ago.

“Very well. But remember, what I am doing is what you wished for. I will help you change into the type of woman Bill can’t resist.”

“I’m ready.” She so wasn’t, but neither was she a chicken.

The charged atmosphere between them calmed again. Jerod’s easy smile was back, playing across his lips. Her raging libido was relaxing, and she thought she’d actually be able to concentrate again. She’d have to do something later to take the edge off, though she somehow doubted Beth packed her a vibrator.

“First thing, lose this.” Jerod nodded as he reached up with his finger and tugged her ponytail until the elastic that held it broke. He dropped it into her hand, and pushed her mouth closed with his finger.

“He hates your hair like that. We’ll have to take you somewhere to get it fixed into a more flattering style. And we’ll need to get some clothing. Thankfully, there is plenty of sun here, so you won’t have to worry about remaining pale.” Viola took three steps back as she felt the blow of his words.

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Her stomach felt like it was churning an ocean of acid. “Is there anything he likes about me?”

“Your breasts. Though he prefers plumper ones.” That was pretty much the deflating prick to her dream. There was no way in hell this was going to work.

“Great.”

Jerod snapped his fingers and an outfit floated from her suitcase and shot for her. It hit her face before falling neatly into her arms. Glaring, Viola dropped her hands to her sides, squeezing the clothing as if it was Jerod’s neck.

“Put this on. We’ll work on your physical appearance today, and start the rest of your lessons tomorrow.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“I never kid.”

She looked down at the clothing and fought the urge to throw them back.

“I’m sure it’s not going to take that many lessons is it? I wanted to enjoy my vacation.”

Jerod shrugged. “It was your wish.”

“Fine,” she said, but then hesitated. “Turn around, please.” Jerod raised a single eyebrow at her.

“If you want me to get changed, I need some privacy.” She made a spinning motion with her finger. “Around. Please.”

A poof of smoke and Jerod suddenly had his back to her. She kept her eyes on him for a moment before turning around herself. She’d managed to undo the bikini strap in the back, when his disembodied face suddenly appeared before her.

“Need any help?” He grinned.