2. Too much wine
The lazy smile stretched across my face as I awakened to a warm sensation over the length of my back. My first thought was this was the body heat of a big sexy man lying next to me. My second thought was, “Get real, girl. The only man you have is the one in your dreams.” What should have been a gentle return to consciousness was a series of sharp sensations that made me want to shove my head under the damn bed. Why the hell did I drink so much wine, knowing damn well anything over two glasses gave me the worst damn headache? I tried sitting up, but my head felt like water circling the drain.
With the bright sunlight pouring into the room, there was no way I was going to get over the mind splitting pain. The first thing I had to do was close the damn curtains. The second thing was to find the pain killers, guzzle some water, and go back to bed.
“Alright, girl,” I muttered to hype myself up to trek across the room. Damn me for wanting a large master suite that put my window a nauseating ten feet from my bed. It was only me in the damn house. I didn’t need that much space. “You can do this. Just a few measly tasks, and then back to bed.”
I took a deep breath and then rocked my way out of the bed and onto my feet. The moment my feet touched the floor, I gasped as the throbbing soreness between my legs kicked in.
“What the hell?” I pressed my hand against my pussy to ease the pain. “My period just ended. I know damn well it ain’t coming back again.”
But then, I realized this wasn’t period pain. No, this was something else. It’d been so long since I’d had sex that I hardly remembered what the aftermath felt like—the wobbly legs, the remnant throbbing, the need to pee!
I’d had dreams that felt real before, but this was another level entirely.
“No dream is that good,” I muttered, and despite the mysterious discomfort lingering between my legs, I focused on the goal. Close the damn curtains. I wrapped the sheet around my naked body and forced myself to move.
Moving like a calf fresh out the coochie, I’d just about made it to the window when my knee slammed against the edge of the decorative table I’d sworn a hundred times to get rid of. Damn me for accepting the eyesore just because my friend got it for me. I loved Nevia, but her taste was terrible.
The thing was a pepto pink, with blue and green stones down each curved leg. The top was a mosaic stone with unfinished edges that had left several marks on my knee. It clashed with everything in my house, so I hid it in the bedroom where no one could see it. At least with the dark blue accent wall, it didn’t look as terrible. That’s what I told myself, anyway. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by tossing it in the storage closet. People pleasing only hurts the one doing the pleasing.
“Son of a bitch!” I cursed and jumped back on unsteady legs, which landed me flat on my ass. “Ouch!”
“Are you always this clumsy?” the deep voice spoke, and I froze. It sounded familiar, but I didn’t know why. No matter how familiar it was, no one was supposed to be in my damn house.
Not only was there an intruder in my home, but they’d made themselves comfortable and apparently had the audacity to comment on how clumsy I was. Fear and anger were all I needed to force the effects of the hangover to the side. I sprang to my feet and snatched the closest thing I could find to defend myself: a calf-high boot with a chunky heel.
Sure, the boot may have done some damage, but I could hardly think of ways to wield it after seeing who was in my home. I turned around, and there, in all his glory, with his dark, purplish-black skin, was the damn demon from my dream. Instinct told me a lot of things—run, get a better weapon, puke—but what I did was scream. The loudest, gut-churning scream I’d ever produced in my life. If I’d ever cared to make friends with any of my neighbors, one of them might have come running to check on me.
And then, flashes of the dream returned. Images of me jumping into his arms, pressing my tits in his face, and holding onto his horns while riding him were sharp reminders of what I’d done. I slapped my hand over my mouth to cut the sound and then over my pussy as I recalled him prepping me for his tool.
“That was a dream.” I shook my head and whispered to myself. “This must still be a dream. You’re not real. I’m still dreaming. How much wine did I drink?”
“You’re not dreaming.” His words cut down any hope I had of explaining away what I hoped was a fucked-upside effect of drinking too much wine. “You called me here, and I came.”
“Called you here? I didn’t call you here!” I thought through the night before. “I went out, came home, drank, danced, and then-”
“Then what?” he asked.
“The book. Oh shit. I read the spell from that book, but that was fake. Not real!” I dropped my hands to my side, and the boot smacked against my calf. “There is no way any of that really happened. I’m dreaming. I have to be!”
“I don’t know how many times you’re going to make me say this, but you are not dreaming.” He crossed his arms, and those plump lips twisted with his frown.
“Oh yeah, the hell I am.” I pointed at him with the boot. “Because if I’m not, you’re really a demon. A demon I summoned with a made-up spell and then had wild and unusual sex with.”
“That part is true.” He nodded, and the collar of his black button-up shirt shifted around his neck, revealing more of his purply black skin.
“This isn’t real. This isn’t happening. You aren’t real!” I screamed, waving the boot in the air.
“I can assure you, I am,” he grunted. “And yelling that I’m not, won’t change that fact.”
Determined to prove him wrong, I chucked the boot at him, using his horns as targets, and it made a satisfying yet terrifying thud as it hit him on the head. I swear, I expected it to fly right through him, that his body would just fade away like in the movies. That didn’t happen. There was no cool effect or relief to come with the realization that I just had an overactive imagination.
“Why would you do that?” He rubbed the side of his head, and his face turned into a mask of annoyance punctuated by his furrowed brow.
“No, nope, nah. This isn’t happening.” I pinched myself as the last resort of breaking what had to be a dream, but I didn’t feel the numb sensation of fake contact I expected. The pain shot through my flesh, and I cringed. “Fuck! That hurt!”
“I’m not sure what you expected that to feel like,” he grunted, still rubbing the sore spot on his head. “Or why you insist on harming yourself and me?”
“I expected it to feel like nothing because this is a dream!” I whispered, my eyes darting around the room. “Because you know, in dreams, things don’t hurt. They feel oddly unreal.”
“Did last night feel oddly unreal?” He smirked, his brows raised with his question.
“I-” I choked. “Last night, shit.”
“This is not a dream. You can keep saying it is, but that won’t make it true. Neither will it make the bite mark you left on my neck any less real.” He pointed to the impression of my teeth on his dark flesh.
“Shit, I did that?” I leaned forward slightly, just enough to see the marks on his skin. “Damn.”
“Once you grabbed my horns, you went a little wild,” he huffed. “Can’t say I’ve ever been told to, ‘Giddy up, boy’ before.”
“You’re a demon.” I disregarded his comment as more images of the night flashed through my mind. “A demon with horns and a rotating dick. And I fucked you?”
“Sounds about right.” He nodded. “Though I don’t know where you got the spell from. We didn’t do much talking.”
“Wait.” I looked at his forehead, where moments ago there were two horns, but was now smooth flesh making him look much more human. “Where are your horns?”
“Safely tucked away.” He rubbed his forehead. “I can hide them when I want, and I didn’t want to set you off again. You seemed to be turned on by them, and I thought it would be nice if we actually had a conversation about what’s happening here.”
“I wasn’t turned on by your horns!” I defended myself.
“Are you sure? I could have sworn your eyes lit up when you first saw them, and then you couldn’t keep your hands off them.”
“It was a dream!” I stomped my foot in protest.
“No, it wasn’t.” He smirked. “And you know, our dreams are where our deepest desires get to shine. Do you think it says anything significant about you that when you thought you were dreaming, your response to a demon and his horns was insatiable arousal?”
“Who the fuck puts a spell like that in a book if it actually works?” I couldn’t debate with him anymore. I felt like my chest would explode. Soon, I was struggling to remain calm, and every glance at the demon made it harder to keep my lungs functioning. “That’s insane!”
“Someone who probably didn’t think it would work.” He leaned against the wall behind his back and crossed his arms over his chest. “Authors are studious creatures. The best ones really do their research. Doesn’t surprise me that one might stumble across an incantation, think it’s a dud, and pop it in a book.”
“This is sick. This is. Oh my God.” My breaths became shallow struggles for air. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Calm down.” He held a hand out to me but remained on his side of the room. “Just breathe. I don’t need you passing out on me.”
“Nope, definitely sick.” I ran past him, clutching the sheet wrapped around my body.
He grunted as I pushed him out of the way and headed for the bathroom. I nearly missed the toilet as the contents of my stomach shot out, splashing into the water. After what felt like an hour of puking, my stomach was finally empty. I sat on the floor of the bathroom and wiped my mouth with the sheet. I’d have to burn them anyway. No way I could keep sheets I’d had demon sex on.
When he appeared in the doorway with purplish black skin and a wide grin, I looked up at him and never felt so much regret in my life.
“Oh shit. Okay. That was real. I actually fucked a demon.” The hollow sound that crawled up my throat was half sob, half dry heave. “I’m never drinking wine again!”
“You fucked a demon,” he chuckled, nodding slowly. “I doubt that’s going to keep you off wine, though. If anything, I’d suggest you look into some support groups. Are there any other addicts in your family?”
“Great, I fucked a demon who thinks he’s funny. What do you want from me?” I asked. There had to be a reason he came and still hadn’t gone back to hell. “Not my soul, right? Please say you’re not here to drag my soul back to your underlord.”
“Underlord?” He scoffed. “Look, I’m not the one who summoned you.”
“Fine—go.” I waved my hand, shooing him away.
“Excuse me?” He cocked his head to the side. “You’re sending me off?”
“Summoned, fucked,” I cringed. “Job done. You can go now.”
“Right. Well, I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.” He winked at me, and then his horns appeared, as if he thought they would trigger something in me. When he didn’t get the response he’d hoped for, the pressure built in the room. It felt like invisible hands wrapping around me, pressing in on every side.
And then the demon disappeared.
Turns out, my stomach wasn’t completely empty. I vomited for another twenty minutes after that.
“I’m so sorry we didn’t make it,” Keri started her sad apology as soon as I stepped across the threshold to her newly-painted apartment. The smell was nearly as overwhelming as her blabbering. “There was just so much going on. You know how it can get. I-”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” I waved her off as I scanned her apartment for any anomaly.
There was nothing out of place, no demon visitors standing in the corner waiting to taunt me. It was still Keri’s boho style with the large rustic area rug, tall plants, massive oil paintings that covered the wall, and patchouli incense burning in the corner on a glass shelf. It was her favorite scent. She’d recently done an accent wall in Castleton Green, which I knew because she’d called me talking about how every green she’d found before had too much army to it.
“Girl, what are you doing?” Keri closed the door and followed me. “Are you okay?”
“Keri…” I turned to her, whispering like a kid about to be scolded by the principal at school. “You will not believe the shit that happened to me last night.”
“Damn it. What happened? Please don’t tell me some perv slipped something into your drink. Is that why you stopped responding last night?” Keri put her hands on her hip. I could already see the legal side of her mind gearing up. “We’ll find them. They have security everywhere. I didn’t get this law degree for nothing. I may not be able to throw hands anymore, but I will throw their ass in jail for fucking with my friend!”
“No, nothing like that. And I stopped responding because I was pissed about being stood up!” I paused, mentally comparing an attempted assault to an actual round of midnight acrobatics with a demonic entity. Which one deserved more outrage? “Actually, I think this is worse. I mean… yeah. It’s way worse.”
“You’re freaking me out. What happened?” Keri grabbed my arm and pulled me to the couch to sit next to her.
I stared at the new piece of furniture that looked out of place with her stuff. She’d thrown a few fuzzy pillows over the modular nightmare, but it still didn’t feel like it belonged there.
“Is this his couch?” I tried to keep my tone from edging toward critical as I ran my hand across the grey material. “Doesn’t really seem like your normal style.”
“Rayna,” Keri snapped her fingers, “focus. Tell me what happened.”
“Right. Okay, so I’m sitting there pissed off about my friends standing me up and leaving me alone in lonely single land.” I shot Keri a side eye. “So, I go home, crack open a bottle of wine, and start vibing on my own. And you know things are good. I’m not exactly happy about being by myself, but as a single girl, you figure out a way to make it work. Anyway, do you remember that book I told you about? The one about the girl who says a spell and magically creates the perfect boyfriend? Well, I may or may not have opened that book, let the moonlight into my crib, lit a few candles, and performed the spell.”
“So what? That’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Ray.” Keri’s eyes widened as she locked onto a distant memory. “Remember when we used to get together and do that thing at sleepovers? The spell that’s supposed to let us lift someone with our fingertips? What was it? Light as a feather, stiff as a board. That never worked.”
“Okay, but…” I felt my face warm with embarrassment. “This may sound insane, but I think it may have worked.”
“Maybe it’s the lack of caffeine in my system, because that three-hundred-dollar piece of junk espresso machine I just got crapped out on me, so I may need you to correct me. Did I just hear you say you did a spell, and that spell created a man for you?” Keri looked at me with those mothering eyes. Whenever she felt concerned for me, which happened far more than I care to admit, she would get those eyes. The expression meant she’d be ready to call my therapist. Luckily, she didn’t have the number. “Please tell me I’m trippin’ and that is not what you just said.”
“You’re not, and that is what I said.” I felt the knot form in my throat. Was I really telling my friend this? For a moment, I thought I’d lost my mind, but what I felt was real. “Only, I wouldn’t exactly call that thing boyfriend material.”
“Girl, what the hell are you talking about?” Keri slapped me on the shoulder. “Stop playing around, Rayna.”
“Keri, the spell worked!” I stood from the couch and paced circles around the bulky coffee table that Keri said she never wanted. She hated furniture that broke up her open spaces. “That dumbass author I usually fawn over put an actual fucking spell in her book. I did it, and it worked!”
“Right.” Her word trailed off as she watched me. That concern grew more prevalent in her expression as the corners of her lips dropped and her eyes narrowed.
“Don’t look at me like I have one foot in the white room.” I pointed at her. “I know that look.”
“I’m not saying that, but maybe it’s time to see your therapist?” Keri stood and met me at eye level. “I mean, it sounds to me like you may have had a little too much to drink, and that inspired some vivid dreams.”
“Dreams that spilled over into this morning? I woke up, and he was still here!” I pointed to the floor as if we were standing in my home instead of hers.
“And where is he now?” she asked, that gentle counselor voice in full effect.
“Gone,” I whispered.
“Gone? Where?” She looked at the door, as if he would appear there.
“That’s the thing. The man, the thing I conjured, was…” Suddenly, I couldn’t say it. It was ridiculous. No wonder my friend was so concerned about me. Maybe I’d finally lost it. Sir Booty Juice had broken me.
“Was what, Rayna?” Keri pulled me back to sit down on the couch. She positioned herself between me and the door, like she was afraid I would take off running.
“Never mind.” I brushed it off. “Let’s just talk about something else.”
“You know damn well that’s not gonna fly with me.” Keri touched my shoulder. Her voice took on that familiar quality of a caretaker concerned for her patient. “Ray, you can tell me anything, no matter how insane it may sound.”
“Remember what you just said.” I pointed at her, and she nodded. “I think, I mean he was a demon, and he went back to, I guess, hell.”
“Rayna,” she said. And there it was: pity. Pity for the sad single friend dreaming up demons to fill her time. Keri’s shoulders dropped, her lips pouted, and her eyes said, my sad single friend has lost her mind.
“Don’t look at me like that!” I fussed and moved further from her on the couch.
“Look, I’m sorry we ditched you, but girl. You can’t possibly believe what you just told me.” Keri shook her head.
“I swear, Keri. It sounds insane. I know it does. Just think about how it felt for me.” I took a deep breath to calm my stomach. There should have been nothing left to expel, but the way she looked at me made me feel sick again. “Anyway, I told him I wanted nothing to do with him. He disappeared. I puked and passed out.”
“Puked and passed out?” Keri sighed. “Sounds to me like a terrible hangover and your insanely active imagination. Look, I’m sorry for bailing on you last night and I will make it up to you. I really think you should call your therapist. You’re still seeing the same one, right?”
I didn’t know what I expected to happen. Keri wasn’t the type to jump on a crazy story without proof. It made her a good lawyer. The problem was, I’d dropped this in her lap, and I had no way to validate what I told her. Looking my friend in the eye, I gave up. I’d have to deal with this on my own. Keri was my best friend. If she didn’t believe me, no one would.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right.” My shoulders slumped with defeat. “It felt so damn real, though.”
“I’m sure it did.” Keri shook her head. “How much wine did you drink?”
“Maybe a bottle?” I tried to recount the night again but couldn’t see past the images of me grabbing onto horns with one hand and twirling my towel over my head with the other. “Maybe more?”
“Let’s not do that again.” Keri patted my knee then stood. “Now, I’m dragging you with me. If I don’t get another coffee maker, I’m going to scream. He wanted that damn thing with all the bells and whistles. I asked for a simple machine with a timer. That’s not too hard. No, he had to get the coffee machine from hell, and after it spit hot milk all over the kitchen, it stopped working!”
I should have known better than to think Keri would stop after picking out a new coffeemaker. The woman went from department to department, each new aisle sparking a memory of some other random thing she needed for her home. When the first store crapped out, she forced me back into her car so she could cart me to the next. I should have driven my car, but I just wanted to get away from my thoughts, and I figured Keri’s eventual chatter would keep my mind occupied. Even her constant conversation wasn’t enough to keep images of those dark eyes and purplish black flesh from invading my mind, though.
Four hours later, we were back at her house. After promising Keri I would get some rest and check in with my therapist, I was allowed to leave. Back in my own car and starving because Keri was on a strict diet and surviving on smoothies and celery sticks, I headed for my favorite taco spot. I smacked the steering wheel when I pulled up to see the line of people standing outside. It was my favorite spot for a reason, and Saturday afternoon was always a busy time.
I parked, but instead of jumping in line, decided it was best to take a walk. The restaurant wasn’t far from a cute little park with paths that led to a nice-sized pond. It was a spot I often went to whenever I wanted to eat my tacos and clear my mind in peace. It was the perfect place to wait for the crowd to die down.
It felt strange walking the path without three steak tacos in hand, but I was sure the effect would be the same. The sounds of nature, of animals rustling, and birds swimming in the pond, would clear my mind. No more thoughts of demons. As I reached the end of the path that opened to the hidden gem, I sighed.
“Get it together, girl. Clearly, it was a dream,” I muttered as I tried convincing myself that tall, dark, and horny was a figment of my imagination. He had to be.
My preferred bench was open. It was the only one that wasn’t under trees, so it wasn’t covered in bird poop like the others. Sitting down, I dropped my head back, stared at the cloudy sky, and filled my lungs with slow breaths as the cool breeze moved across my skin. I had to slow my breathing if I was going to gain any control of the rising anxiety. The strangling sensation had been building ever since I left Keri. It was a dream. It had to be. There was no other logical explanation for what I experienced.
“Maybe the wine was expired,” I mused aloud, and a snorty laugh that quickly made me self-conscious trumpeted from my mouth.
I scanned the area to see if anyone heard the embarrassing sound. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized I was alone. It wasn’t uncommon to find the secluded area empty, but the complete lack of activity suddenly felt nauseating. There were no geese or ducks to watch from the corner of my eye, because I didn’t trust the damn things. No squirrels battling over fallen nuts, no sounds of children playing at the park just on the other side of the hidden area. It was totally silent. I looked at the water, and even that was still, undisturbed by the breeze that brushed my skin moments before.
“What the hell?” I muttered, and as the words crossed my lips, a chill moved across my spine. “Alright, time to get the hell out of here!”
One thing I’d learned in my thirty-something years was to listen to my damn instincts. That gut punch that followed the chill told me to get out of dodge. I stood from the bench, casting one last worried glance at the water, and then turned to leave. I made it exactly one and a half steps before my eyes found the source of the sudden concern. Standing at the edge of the path was an unmistakable beast, a demon.
The thing locked eyes with me, lowered its head, and laughed!