Chapter Nine A Curse and a Psychic
Chapter Nine: A Curse and a Psychic
~ Casey ~
‘At least that’s the last of it,’ Casey called after Alex as he went to the loo for the fifteenth time that day.
‘Gosh, I hope so,’ Alex called back. ‘This is awful.’
‘Hold on to that feeling for when I’m pregnant,’ Casey joked. ‘You’ll be able to empathise.’
‘I certainly will.’ Alex returned and wrapped Casey in a hug. ‘Whose turn is it?’
‘Yours.’ Casey pointed at the silver car on the Monopoly board. ‘And don’t you dare skip over my properties again, I’ll go bankrupt if you don’t pay me rent.’
Alex rolled the dice, and Casey relished the moment. They had been holed up at home ever since Alex had been released from hospital. She had surreptitiously changed the sheets and banished every reminder of that fateful night from the house. Alex was all right, and that was all that mattered. He had now taken the last of the prescribed course of diuretics, and he had certainly peed for England these past two days.
The first day back home, they had had ‘the talk.’ It hadn’t been a long talk, because there wasn’t all that much to say. Alex had explained why he had ordered the fateful powder, and they had both acknowledged, in actual words, the various tricks they had deployed to get each other excited. They were still at an impasse though as Alex was in no state yet to try out his Viagra. But they agreed that either way, it wasn’t a big deal. At least, that was what they said to each other.
‘We married for life and to make music, not for the love of sex, right?’ Alex had flippantly summed up the situation, and now they were both holding onto that thought.
The only thing was . . . Well . . . She couldn’t imagine a life completely without sex. It was important, no matter what they told each other. And it was rather necessary, too, if they wanted to start a family. She wished now she hadn’t made that joke about what it would be like to be pregnant. Alex had looked glum and miserable for a moment before he cracked a smile and rolled the dice.
They played on, and Casey was getting progressively more broke. Luck was definitely favouring Alex that day, and Casey tried hard not to bear a grudge.
She had just landed on Alex’s Park Lane yet again when her mobile phone beeped with an incoming message. Glad at the distraction, Casey pounced on it. The message was from Sasha, and it was cryptic and a little disturbing.
I figured it out! It’s the curse!!! I’ll explain in person. Be with you in half an hour.XXX
‘Sasha’s gone mad,’ Casey announced to Alex. ‘She’s talking about some sort of curse, and she’s coming over to explain.’
Alex laughed out loud. ‘I’ll look forward to hearing it. What kind of a curse? And who’s cursed, and why?’
Casey grew hot and cold. Damn it, she had nearly given herself away. Alex mustn’t know that she had told Sasha. He would be mortified. She opted for flippancy to hide her panic. ‘No idea. But you don’t believe in that kind of stuff, do you? Curses and such?’
‘Nah, of course not. But I can’t wait to hear what she’s come up with and who the poor cursed soul is. However, in the meantime, young lady, you owe me a shedload of rent . . .’
He didn’t get to enforce his payment though as the doorbell rang right at that moment.
‘That can’t be Sasha already?’
‘Not unless she flew across London,’ Casey agreed. ‘I’ll get it.’
She rose to answer the door and was thunderstruck when Liza and Myles burst into the house bearing beer, wine, and takeaway pizza.
‘What are you guys doing here?’
‘We wanted to surprise you,’ Myles blurted out. ‘Plus Liza here has something she wants to talk to you about.’
Casey looked from Myles to Liza and back. She had a curious sinking feeling in her stomach, a foreboding. ‘You’re not breaking up the band, are you?’
Liza exploded with laughter. ‘Why on earth would you think that? Besides, Alex calls the shots anyway. Can we come in, maybe?’
‘Of course, of course.’ Casey belatedly realised that she was blocking their entry. Hurriedly, she stood back and ushered them in.
Before she had even closed the front door, there was a hullaballoo of hellos from the lounge. Evidently, Alex was delighted to see their friends. Casey smiled. She was pleased too, especially as it got her out of an utter and shameful defeat.
By the time she stepped back into the lounge, Alex had put the game away. Myles was lounging on a sofa, and Liza was pouring drinks.
‘I didn’t expect to see you for another few days,’ Alex was saying to Myles. ‘I thought you’d gone on a bender to Brighton?’
‘I had,’ Myles confirmed. ‘But it got a bit cold, so I came back early. And then Liza called with this really important piece of news, so we thought we’d surprise you.’
He helped himself to a slice of pepperoni pizza.
‘What kind of news?’ Casey chimed in, looking at Liza. ‘Are you having a baby or something?’
‘No!’ Liza bellowed. ‘No, I’m not.’ She blushed and flashed a strange look at Alex. It was so quick, so surreptitious, that Casey almost thought she had imagined it. Almost. But before she got a chance to ponder the implications, Liza dropped a bombshell.
‘I figured out why you aren’t having a baby.’
‘You what?’ Alex and Casey replied in unison. Casey found it hard to say who was more shocked, her husband or herself.
‘It’s obvious that you’re not exactly jumping each other at the moment.’ Liza delivered this explosive insight with her typical insouciant air and with just a touch of — what? Satisfaction? I’m seeing things that aren’t there, Casey told herself. I’m being paranoid.
Alex played dumb. ‘What do you mean?’
‘She means,’ Myles clarified in-between mouthfuls of pizza and making comical doe-eyes at Casey, ‘that for weeks now we’ve been watching you two tiptoe around each other. You barely touch each other any more, yet there’s sexual frustration written all over you. Both of you.’
‘There is?’ Casey interjected weakly.
‘You’re joking, right?’ Alex asked at the same time.
‘No, we’re not joking, and yes, there is,’ Liza picked up the thread again. ‘You’ve been like two bears with sore heads. One of you in that state is bad enough, but both of you has been hell. So we’ve been thinking—’
‘She thinks you’re cursed,’ Myles cut in.
‘Cursed?’
‘Myles, dammit!’ Liza wacked the guitarist on the head with a cushion. ‘We were supposed to wait for Sasha before the grand reveal.’
Casey’s head was spinning. ‘You and Sasha? What grand reveal? What’s going on?’
Right on cue, the doorbell rang again.
‘Hold that thought,’ Alex instructed. ‘That’ll be Sasha. I’ll let her in.’
Casey, Myles, and Liza sat in an uncomfortable silence while Alex went to the door. Within half a minute, Sasha joined the group, her cheerful greeting freezing on her face when she took in the solemn faces in the room.
‘Hey, you guys. What’s going on?’
Casey shook her head. ‘I don’t know. Apparently you and Liza have something to tell us.’
Sasha swallowed hard. ‘Liza has told you?’
‘No! I haven’t a clue what you’re all on about,’ Casey grumbled. ‘I didn’t even know the two of you had become best mates somewhere along the line. This is driving me nuts. Will you please explain?’
Sasha sat down next to Casey, and Alex reclaimed his seat on the other side. Casey caught Liza and Sasha exchanging a glance. Liza nodded imperceptibly, and Sasha cleared her throat.
‘So you know how I promised you I was going to look into your . . . eh . . . question?’
Casey rolled her eyes. Damn it, now she had lost the moral high ground. Alex, however, remained oblivious.
‘Right. Um. Okay Your little question. I couldn’t figure this out by myself. I hit a real dead end. It’s not something you can exactly ask just anyone. Until one day, I bumped into Liza in Covent Garden.’
Liza shrugged. ‘We had coffee. I mean, it’s not like we’re strangers or anything. And we got chatting.’
Oh dear.
‘And Sasha mentioned that you’d said something about having . . . difficulties in the . . . ehm . . . sex department.’
‘She did?’ Casey was aghast.
‘She did?’ Alex sounded equally aghast, only he was looking at Casey rather than Sasha. It seemed he had only just understood the nature of the confidence that Casey had exchanged with Sasha.
Sorry, she mouthed into his general direction. He grinned and shook his head. Never mind, he seemed to say back.
‘Liza, as it turns out, knows a lot of cool stuff. She figured it out right away.’ Sasha beamed. ‘You’ll find this totally incredible, but I implore you to think about it. Everything will make sense then.’
Casey groaned. ‘I. Am. Dying. Here. Will you tell me what’s going on?’
‘You remember your wedding day?’ Sasha began.
‘Yes, of course I do.’
‘Well, when the speeches were made and you clinked glasses, you and Alex—’
Liza jumped up with excitement and shouted with glee, helping Sasha complete her sentence: ‘You didn’t look at each other!’
There was a stunned silence in the room while Alex and Casey tried to assimilate the importance of this statement.
Casey shivered. She caught Alex’s eye and saw nothing but utter confusion. Liza was still standing up, one fist raised in an air punch. Sasha had taken one of Casey’s hands into her own.
Eventually Alex spoke. ‘Maybe we didn’t look at each other. So what?’
Liza and Sasha shared another look. ‘The seven-years-bad-sex curse!’ they shouted as one.
Alex burst out laughing. ‘The seven-years-bad-sex curse?’ he repeated. ‘You’re taking the mickey, right?’
Myles was chuckling so hard, he toppled over sideways on the sofa and had to hold his stomach. ‘That’s why we had to rush over here? To tell them about a seven-years-bad-sex curse? I mean, I know you mentioned a curse, but . . . seven years bad sex? Haw, haw, haw, haw!’
‘Laugh all you want,’ Liza said calmly. ‘But you’ve been watching it in action.’
Casey swallowed hard. She didn’t believe in curses. They were nothing but delusory superstitions from the middle ages. Exactly the kind of stuff that Liza would get off on. It was in her Goth nature. But still, both Liza and Sasha looked utterly serious.
‘So . . . so what does that curse entail?’ Casey asked, her voice almost a whisper.
Sasha produced her smartphone and called up a website. ‘It says here,’ she said, ‘there’s a superstition in many parts of southern Europe about how not looking at each other when clinking glasses during a toast brings couples seven years bad sex.’ She angled her phone so that everyone could see the screen.
‘And you were in France when you committed this ritualistic mishap,’ Liza offered helpfully. ‘So that definitely applies.’
‘How do you even know we didn’t look at each other?’ Alex suddenly piped up.
‘Well, for one, we both had you in our sights when you weren’t toasting properly, I seem to recall,’ Myles said, exchanging a meaningful glance with Liza. ‘I think we were both feeling a small moment of shock that you two actually got hitched.’
‘You what?’ Alex frowned.
‘I mean . . . not shock, exactly . . . Obviously we were both overjoyed for you . . .’ Myles lowered his eyes and blushed. Casey didn’t know what to make of that. Sometimes she wondered whether Myles begrudged her relationship with Alex.
Liza mumbled something articulate that sounded like ‘despair’, but Casey was too confused to pay attention.
‘Anyway,’ Myles rallied, looking Casey squarely in the eyes. ‘Just to be sure, we went through the wedding footage on our phones, and we had caught that moment on camera. I didn’t understand at the time why Liza found this so significant, but you were definitely looking at the sky, Casey.’
‘I was,’ Casey agreed. ‘But whose fault was that?’
‘I didn’t know the love heart was going to interrupt your toast,’ Sasha defended herself. ‘Besides, you could have still smiled at each other.’
Alex shook his head. ‘You’re all nuts. Casey, you can’t be taking this seriously? So we didn’t look at each other, but that hardly means we’re cursed!’
‘But . . .’ Casey felt herself turning pale. ‘Remember the mini tsunami and all that? That was right at that moment.’
‘Classic presentation,’ Liza squealed. ‘Growling earth noises and other weird phenomena always accompany a curse being activated! And of course there was the flash of lightning, too. We all saw it. And I told you that you were doomed.’
Irrational tears pricked at Casey’s eyes. If Liza and Sasha were right, she and Alex were indeed doomed to seven years of misery, all because she had failed to make eye contact with Alex at the crucial toasting moment.
Alex’s voice pierced her consciousness. He sounded angry; as angry, in fact, as Casey had ever heard him. ‘Liza, shut up. This is ridiculous and upsetting.’
‘Sorry,’ Liza offered meekly. She held up her hands apologetically. ‘I thought you’d be excited to find the cause of—’ She caught the look on Alex’s face and didn’t finish her sentence.
‘Alex,’ Casey whispered, ‘everything adds up. And we haven’t — we haven’t since—’
Alex rushed to kneel in front of Casey. ‘Casey, look at me.’ Gently, he tipped up her face with his hand until she was forced to look him in the eye. ‘Casey, we don’t believe in curses. Right? This is . . . it’s ridiculous. Seven years bad sex, hah! Well, bring it on, I say. A toast! I’ll drink to that!’
He raised his glass of beer in a defiant gesture. Before Casey could stop him, he downed his drink with his eyes closed. Time stood still.
And in that moment, the lights dimmed. The room shook. Casey was certain that the room shook because one of the glasses on the table spilled over even though nobody had touched it. And there was that growling sound again as though the earth was passing a comment on everything that had been said. Casey felt lightheaded — and the moment passed.
‘Oh my gosh!’ Sasha gripped hold of Casey’s arms. ‘Did you feel that?’
‘That was awesome!’ Liza jumped around in glee. ‘I told you this is real! Just like on your wedding day. You’ve probably just added another seven years to the curse for your spiteful attitude.’
Alex rose to his feet. ‘You’re all delusional. This is some kind of mass hysteria. Come on, cut the crap.’
‘Did you see the glass?’ Myles chimed in from the sofa. ‘It spilled. And I swear I didn’t touch it.’
Casey shook her head in dismay. ‘That’s exactly what happened on the yacht.’
‘Oh my GOD!’ Liza suddenly screamed. ‘Does that mean we’re all doomed now?’ She, too, retrieved her smartphone and started scrolling through internet pages frantically. ‘Is there a curse by association?’
‘Calm down,’ Sasha instructed. ‘I don’t know what to believe any more. I don’t really believe in curses. You know I’m a facts kind of person.’ Casey grinned. Sasha used to joke about how law school had beaten all sorts of airy-fairy notions out of her brain, with the result that she was now a top-notch solicitor, although she rarely brought that up in front of her friends.
Sasha smiled as if she was reading Casey’s mind. ‘As I said, I’m a facts person, but I have to admit this curse is quite compelling. What I can’t figure out is how to break it.’
‘I don’t think you can,’ Liza wailed. ‘It’s like seven years bad luck after breaking a mirror. There’s no counter-jinx for that either.’
‘Well, there goes nothing then,’ Alex threw in sarcastically. ‘I worked for a house-clearance company in the summer holidays at Uni and also when I first started playing in a band. I used to break mirrors for a living. So my luck should be well out, but I’ve got a lovely wife, a great band, fabulous friends, and a nice home. I’m hardly unlucky.’
Liza opened and closed her mouth as if to say something but sat down heavily on the sofa. ‘Point taken,’ she mumbled at length.
‘But even we said we must be cursed,’ Casey reminded Alex softly. ‘Lots of times.’
‘Yeah, but we were only joking. We didn’t mean it, did we?’
‘But now we know there is such a curse—’
‘Casey, it’s a load of rubbish. Ignore it. What’s going on between you and me is not the product of some ridiculous superstition.’
‘Well, what is it then?’
Alex raked his hands through his hair. ‘I don’t know,’ he conceded. ‘I don’t know. But a “seven years bad sex” curse? Nah. That’s absurd. Besides . . .’
He poured some more beer into his and Casey’s glasses and handed her one. ‘If it’s a case of having omitted eye contact while toasting, we’ll easily undo that. Here goes. A toast to my lovely wife, and to a happy ever after.’
Liza, Sasha and Myles stood and raised their glasses. ‘To a happy ever after.’
‘To a happy ever after,’ Casey repeated. She fixed Alex’s eyes with her own while she clinked her glass to his, and took care not to break eye contact while she took a sip. She sipped, and sipped, and swallowed. Then she lowered her glass.
Everyone stood in expectant silence for a moment, but nothing happened. No growling, no shaking, no dimming of lights, nothing.
‘It didn’t work,’ Liza whispered softly. ‘I knew it wouldn’t. There’s no known reversal to this curse.’
‘Rubbish,’ Alex reiterated fiercely. ‘This doesn’t mean anything. None of it means anything. There is no curse. I was only playing along. Now let’s forget all about it.’
He pulled Casey into an embrace, and she relished the warmth and feel of him against her. She felt immensely reassured. Alex had to be right. There could be no such thing as a curse on their sex life. And if there was, surely they had just undone it, never mind what Liza said.
But somewhere at the back of her mind, she worried. She worried about the grain of truth in every cliché, every stereotype, every superstition. She worried about the earth-shaking moments. She worried: What if?
* * *
~ Alex ~
‘Come on,’ Alex coaxed Casey out of bed. ‘There’s something I want to do today.’ It was a Thursday morning in July. Alex had fully recovered from his little herbal episode, although he was still reeling from Sasha and Liza’s curse revelation a few days previously. This afternoon, Blue Heart was due for the dress rehearsal for their Apollo gig the following day, but the morning was free. Neither Casey nor Alex had booked in any music students, to give themselves time to prepare for the gig.
‘What?’ Casey grumbled sleepily. ‘I want to have a lie-in.’
‘You’ve had a lie-in. It’s nearly nine o’clock. Now come on, our appointment is at eleven-thirty.’
‘Our appointment?’ Now Casey’s attention was piqued. ‘What appointment?’
‘You’ll see. Trust me.’
He knew Casey was still brooding over that matter of the curse. Somehow, she seemed to believe it, even though she denied it. Alex instinctively understood that this wouldn’t help matters at all, so he intended to exorcise that particular demon. He had made a ton of phone calls and eventually located someone who had seemed to have his head screwed on in a sensible fashion, and he planned to enlist that person’s help.
Alex pointed at a little shop window almost directly opposite Tottenham Court Road tube station. ‘And here we are,’ he gestured.
‘Here we are, where?’ Casey didn’t understand.
‘Psychic Sam,’ Alex elaborated. ‘Psychic Sam will tell us the truth about whether we’re cursed.’
Casey stopped dead in her tracks. ‘Have you gone completely mad?’
‘No more than you.’ Alex refused to have an argument. ‘I know you’ve been worrying away about what Sasha and Liza said. Well, let’s see if that curse is in our aura. It either is, or it isn’t. If it is, I promise I won’t laugh about it any more. But if it isn’t, we’ll have to move on. Deal?’
‘I suppose so.’ Casey bowed her head. She looked entirely unconvinced.
Alex frowned. ‘I thought you’d be excited.’
‘I don’t believe in this stuff, and you know that.’
‘I thought I knew that. But your persistent worry about that curse has really thrown me. And anyway, what have we got to lose? We can always laugh about it afterwards.’
‘Did Liza put you up to this?’
Alex grinned. ‘No. This is all my doing. And Sam’s not short for Samantha, by the way. Sam’s a man.’
‘Ah.’ Casey chuckled. ‘And that makes a difference how?’
‘I thought at least you wouldn’t be able to accuse me of having dragged you to a run-of-the-mill Mystic Meg.’
‘Psychic Sam, eh?’ Casey grinned, good humour somewhat restored. ‘Let’s see what he has to say.’
The interior of Psychic Sam’s emporium looked more like a corporate headquarters than a clairvoyant’s lair. There was no flute music, no whale songs, no candles or incense, no ethnic throws or colourful wall dressings. Instead, Psychic Sam favoured pale green walls with clean lines, black leather sofas, and plenty of daylight.
Sam himself was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. He looked to be in his thirties, and he could have easily walked off the set of a popular soap opera. Alex shook Sam’s hand vigorously and introduced himself and Casey.
‘What can I do for you?’ Sam enquired solicitously. ‘Would you like a couple’s reading or individual readings?’
‘Err . . . um. As a couple, please. We . . . we just got married, and we want to know . . . it would be nice to get an idea—’
‘I get it,’ Sam cut in. ‘Kids, prosperity, what the future holds. Am I right?’
Alex cringed. He was experiencing an instant dislike for the man, and considering the extensive research he had done to find the right kind of psychic, this was a big disappointment. But there was no getting around the fact that Sam was too smooth, too smug, like he could really read them like an open book. Maybe coming here was a mistake.
Too late now.
‘Please, sit down,’ Sam invited. ‘Would you like anything to drink? Tea? Coffee?’
‘No, thank you,’ Casey replied. ‘If it’s okay with you, we’d much rather get on.’
Sam crinkled his brow but said nothing. He simply fixed them both with a piercing stare before he nodded.
‘Okay, so let’s commence.’
They were all sitting down now, Casey and Alex side by side on the sofa with the psychic opposite them in an armchair.
‘Let’s hold hands,’ Sam encouraged, taking Casey’s left hand and Alex’s right hand as he spoke. ‘Let’s form a circle of trust.’
Alex wanted to gag, but he didn’t withdraw his hand. In fact, Sam’s hand was nice and warm and oddly soothing to hold. Casey’s hand was trembling slightly, and Alex squeezed it to reassure her.
‘Good, good,’ Sam praised them after a moment. ‘Now I want you to close your eyes and breathe deeply.’
Oh God, Alex thought. I so can’t do this. I’ll laugh. Why did I come here?
He half closed his eyes and peeked at Casey and Sam. Casey’s eyelids were fluttering as though she was dreaming. Sam’s eyes were closed and still, and he looked completely at ease. Alex nearly jumped out of his skin when Sam addressed him.
‘No peeking now, Alex. Go on, relax. Close your eyes.’
How the heck?
Alex felt like a schoolboy caught cheating. He gulped a couple of times but obediently forced his eyelids together. There, that was the best he could do.
Psychic Sam started to hum. There was no other word to describe it. He seemed to hum from the inside out, with no discernible words coming forth, not even the obligatory ‘ohmmm’ that Alex had expected.
Alex could feel himself grow sleepy and relaxed almost despite himself. Silly though it was, the situation was comforting. He noted that Casey’s hand had stopped trembling.
‘Okay, so here’s your story.’
When Sam finally spoke, Alex was startled. How long had they sat there in silence with only the psychic’s humming for company? He resisted checking the time. They were still holding hands, and he didn’t want to be accused of breaking the spell.
Spell. Ugh. Ugly word. Almost as bad as curse. Banish the thought, quick, quick.
‘I know you wanted a couple’s reading,’ Sam continued, ‘but I couldn’t get to you as a couple without reading you individually first. So. Alex.’
Alex sat up straighter even though Sam had done nothing other than say his name. The man was intense!
‘Alex, I sense you’re in great turmoil. You’re unsure of yourself, and you’ve recently done some very unusual things. There’s a presence about you that suggests you’ve been in medical care, but I can’t get to the reason why. I hope it wasn’t anything serious.’
Damn it, he was good. How did he do that?
‘And Casey.’
Casey started trembling again, and Alex held her hand more tightly. Hang in there, I’m right here.
‘Casey, you’re desperately worried about having children. I’m getting lots of mixed messages from you, but I think you’d like children, if perhaps not right now. However, you’re worried about conceiving. No, don’t speak.’
Once more, Alex peeked through his eyelids and saw that Casey’s and Sam’s eyes were still closed. How had Sam known that Casey was going to say something?
‘As a couple, you’re in uproar,’ Sam continued. Every word hit home like a blow to the head. ‘You’ve only recently been married, but your relationship isn’t at all what you’d expected. You’re struggling to re-establish intimacy, although I can’t get to the reason why. It’s as if—’
Sam halted, and when he continued speaking, there was a hint of a tremor in his voice. He was breathing in short sharp bursts, almost as if he had been running. ‘There’s a dark cloak around that side of your relationship that I can’t penetrate. I can’t see into the darkness. It’s almost as if that side isn’t there. I’ve never seen anything like it.’
Alex’s heart plummeted. If he mentions a curse, we’re out of here.
The psychic was silent for a long moment, and his breathing gradually relaxed again.
‘This is now. However, I see light in the future. I see calm oceans and clear skies. I see sunshine, and I see . . . yes, I see children. Two — no, three. Two boys and a girl.’
Wow.
‘And now I’m going to have to ask you to leave please.’
Quite abruptly, the psychic let go of their hands and stood up. ‘I won’t charge you for this consultation. Just please . . . please leave.’
‘You did say light, though, didn’t you?’ Casey stood shakily. She was very pale. She looked drained, Alex noted.
‘I did, yes. Definitely light. Hold on to the light. And children.’
Sam avoided eye contact with Alex when he spoke those words. Casey, however, had his full attention, and Alex felt perturbed by the dynamics.
‘Never forget the light,’ Sam said one last time directly and only to Casey. ‘Goodbye.’
And he ushered them out the door.
* * *
~ Casey ~
‘What the hell was that?’ Alex asked when they were safely ensconced in a rattling, homeward-bound tube carriage.
‘He was odd, wasn’t he?’ Casey giggled. ‘But ever so clever, how he figured us out. How did you find him?’
Alex waved a non-committal hand. ‘On the internet. His website and Facebook pages are full of glowing testimonials.’
‘He’s certainly spot on, don’t you think?’
‘I’m not so sure. I feel like I’ve been had,’ Alex confessed.
‘How can you have been had? He didn’t even make you pay. How much was it supposed to have cost anyway?’
‘You don’t want to know.’
‘Oh. That much, huh?’ Casey smiled. ‘Did you get out of it what you wanted?’
Alex chewed his lip. ‘Did you?’
‘Oh yes.’ Casey laughed. ‘I found that whole “dark cloak” thing really disturbing, although at least he didn’t see a curse in our aura. A dark cloak could mean anything. Just a bad patch, for sure. Right?’
She looked at Alex for confirmation, and Alex obediently offered it. ‘Right.’
‘Right,’ Casey repeated. ‘But he was really positive on the light and the children. I meant to ask him when, you know, when we can expect . . . that . . . to happen, but I forgot.’ She shrugged. ‘Still, doesn’t matter. “Hold on to the light”,’ she chanted, copying Psychic Sam’s tone perfectly.
Alex muttered. ‘I know it was my idea, but it seems a bit mumbo-jumbo to me.’
‘The trouble with you is that you are confused, like the man said. You don’t know what to believe. You don’t know if you want to believe in any of this stuff.’
‘But I thought you didn’t either?’ Alex objected.
‘I don’t. But I’ve decided to follow the tried-and-trusted horoscope policy.’
‘Which is?’
‘I only believe in the good bits. So, no more fretting about curses but instead looking forward to “the light”. Job done.’ She smiled.
Alex shook his head. ‘In that case, my mission is accomplished. As long as you quit worrying about any—’
‘Don’t even say it,’ Casey begged.
‘Okay, I won’t.’
Casey leaned her head against Alex’s shoulder while she allowed her mind to freewheel. For some reason, she felt reassured. It was all hocus pocus, she knew that, but it was comforting to be selective. And even acknowledging the ‘dark cloak’ wasn’t so bad with the promise of light at the end.
Casey felt more optimistic than she had for a while. She looked forward to the afternoon’s rehearsal and the big gig the next day. And she looked forward to the day after, when perhaps they would try out the miracle medication. Who knew what would be around the corner? Casey was certain that things were on the up.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered into Alex’s ear. ‘I know this was a bit uncomfortable for you, but thank you anyway.’
‘You’re welcome,’ Alex said softly. ‘But please don’t tell Liza, she’ll have a field day.’
‘I won’t. I love you, Alex Morgan.’
‘I love you too, Casey Morgan.’
Casey felt immensely reassured after their visit to Psychic Sam. In her heart of hearts, she knew that this was ludicrous, but she was willing to let Sam’s positive vibes cancel out the negative vibes of the curse. There will be light, she reminded herself.
As a result, she breezed through the afternoon’s dress rehearsal. Her energy and drive surprised everyone, and she could tell that Liza was dying to ask questions. However, Casey had become very skilful at evading the bass player, and she managed to dodge Liza’s questions all afternoon.
The promotional gig the next day was a resounding success. Casey was on top form, and she whipped the crowd into a veritable frenzy. The two-hour set flew by, and Casey left the stage on a glowing high. She felt great. She felt invincible. This was what she lived for!
She and Alex gained the safety of the backstage area, retreating into a dimly-lit and empty side room. Alex wrapped her into his arms and kissed her deeply.
‘You look positively orgasmic, MrsMorgan,’ he whispered in her ear.
‘Speak for yourself,’ Casey whispered back. ‘I’m so glad we’ve still got our stage mojo. That was awesome!’
She gasped as Alex tightened his grip around her waist. ‘How’s about trying out that bedroom mojo later?’
Casey giggled. ‘Are you sure?’
She noticed Alex frowning and hastened to elaborate. ‘Silly question. Of course you’re sure. I’d love to. Of course I would. As long as we’re not both too exhausted.’
‘I’m a stallion,’ Alex assured her. ‘I’ll rock you tonight.’
Casey exploded with laughter. ‘I can’t believe you said that.’
Alex grinned. ‘But you liked it anyway, didn’t you?’
Casey grinned back. ‘I like the promise of it!’
‘It’s more than a promise. It’s a guarantee, remember?’
‘Be careful what you wish for,’ Casey intoned in a witch’s voice. ‘Who knows what other curse you may bring on yourself?’
Alex guffawed loudly. ‘Excellent.’ He kissed Casey once more, and she could feel his arousal against her thigh.
‘Someone’s home already,’ she chuckled softly.
‘Told you I’m a stallion,’ Alex growled. ‘And you’re killing me here.’
‘Am I?’ Suddenly Casey was overcome by mischief. Now was the time, right here. Why wait? Why risk everything dissipating again? So what if they were in a random room with an unlocked door. Big deal. Liza and Myles had disappeared to the green room, and they were bound to be otherwise preoccupied — most probably with the buffet. Nobody knew where she and Alex had gone. They had a few minutes. And a few minutes was all they needed.
With reckless abandon, she dug her hands deeply into the back pockets of Alex’s jeans and pressed him hard against her. She heard Alex gasp, but she quietened him with a kiss before he could speak again. He got her meaning.
Ferociously kissing her in return, Alex lifted her off her feet and sat her down on a nearby table. Casey moaned when he broke their delicious kiss to tilt her backwards until she was lying down, almost spread-eagled, on the table top.
‘I was enjoying that,’ she protested.
* * *
~ Alex ~
‘You’ll enjoy this a whole lot more,’ Alex promised with a suggestive smile. Deftly he unbuttoned her shirt and dedicated his mouth to ‘the girls’. He inhaled her sweet scent, and his universe became fuzzy. Yes! So good!
As though from far away, he watched Casey’s hands fumbling impatiently with the fly of his jeans. He stood very still so as not to make her job more difficult.
‘Why, hello,’ Casey murmured seductively when she had set him free. ‘Do you come here often?’
‘I’ll do my best,’ Alex replied hoarsely. He was panting heavily. His jeans slid off his hips and fell to his ankles. He tugged impatiently at Casey’s trousers, and she obligingly wriggled and squirmed until she, too, was free.
Alex bent forward to kiss her again. He entwined a hand in her hair and pinned her head down. Casey arched her hips, and he could hear her take a deep breath. He was dizzy with the urgency of his need, and he thought he would expire when he finally joined her.
‘Hmmmmm,’ Casey moaned softly, matching the exact rhythm of his movements. She wrapped her legs around his waist and forced him tightly to her. Overwhelmed, Alex closed his eyes. Lights danced behind his lids, and blood roared in his ears. He was so close, so close!
Dimly, he was aware of a commotion in the corridor outside. Voices and laughter became louder, rushed by, and grew fainter again. Casey never stopped moving, and Alex thought he had probably imagined the whole thing, until—
‘Perfect! You can set up in here for the interview.’
Without warning, the lights flicked on fully, and an explosion of sound filled the room. Alex opened his eyes, squinting in the sudden glare. He stared, aghast, as Emily stepped through the doorway, followed closely by a burly man holding a TV camera and a tall blonde woman with a microphone.
Alex stood frozen, unable to move, unable to speak. He was very much joined to Casey, naked from the waist down, and displaying his buttocks and more for all to see. The embarrassment nearly killed him. For a microsecond, the world stood still.
‘Oh my gosh!’ White as a sheet, Emily, at last, turned around, holding a hand in front of the camera and trying to force its bearer out of the room. However, the man merely lifted his camera above Emily’s reach. A faint voice in Alex’s head suggested to move, to get up, to protect his dignity and Casey’s, but his body didn’t obey the command — quite apart from which, Casey’s legs were holding him fast in place.
The blonde woman began talking rapidly into her microphone. ‘And here we get a real insight into the uninhibited backstage habits of the singer and drummer of up-and-coming rock band, Blue Heart. It seems that the rock industry’s most recently married couple very much lives up to—’
‘Arrrgh!’ Emily howled with rage and threw herself bodily against the presenter, toppling her backwards against the cameraman. ‘Out, out, OUT!’ She hit the light switch and plunged the room into complete darkness. An undignified scuffle ensued while the TV crew attempted to get more footage regardless.
‘Security,’ Emily yelled. ‘Get this lot out of here!’ Suddenly the door slammed shut, and Casey and Alex were on their own again. The whole interlude hadn’t taken more than ten seconds, and yet it seemed a lifetime.
Alex’s body sagged at the same time as Casey finally managed to sit up. Alex gathered her in an awkward embrace and buried his head in her shoulder.
‘Did that really just happen?’ he mumbled.
Casey trembled all over.
‘I’m afraid so,’ she replied. ‘I’m mortified.’
‘Caught in the act properly,’ Alex muttered. ‘Although this is worse than the builders. We’ll never live this down. We should be wary of those impulses of yours.’
‘Mine?’ Casey was indignant. ‘It takes two to tango.’
‘Yeah. I suppose so.’ Alex decided not to apportion blame for their mishap. He focused on more urgent matters at hand. ‘Emily will slay us.’
Casey emitted a sharp snort of laughter. ‘And Myles will love it.’
Alex bent down to pull up his trousers and sat down next to Casey on the table. Casey shrugged her shirt and jeans back on.
‘Why is it that women are always so much more exposed than men?’ she pondered out loud. ‘You were only half naked. I was, like, totally out there.’
Alex grunted. ‘Considering our respective positions, I’m sure the world got a better view of my private parts than yours.’
‘What are we going to do?’ Casey asked. ‘We can’t stay in here forever.’
‘Suppose not,’ Alex agreed. ‘However, I have a feeling that Emily will come and get us when the time is right.’
‘And give us a serious telling off.’
‘Yeah. That too.’
They sat in the dark in silence for a moment. Alex snaked an arm around Casey’s shoulder, and Casey leaned into him. Out of the blue, she burst with laughter.
‘What’s so funny?’
Casey cracked up completely. ‘Don’t you see? We’re the couple who can’t make love, yet we’re caught on camera doing just that. How’s that for irony?’
‘Pretty good.’ Alex reluctantly joined in her laughter.
After another few minutes, Casey hopped off the table. ‘Do you know what?’ she started. ‘I think we should go out there like nothing happened. Hand in hand and heads held high.’
‘Really?’ Alex was doubtful.
‘Really. We’re not going to make this go away, so we might as well face the music. It’s all about how we play it. I say we play it cool.’
‘Tricky.’
‘Sure. But we can pull it off. C’mon.’ She tugged at Alex’s hand.
Alex sighed. ‘Okay. But let me go first.’
He fumbled his way in the dark until he found the door. Cautiously he opened it and peeked out. The corridor was deserted.
‘Coast is clear,’ he announced. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Alex.’ Casey held him back for an instant.
‘Yeah?’
‘You know I . . . I . . . that was really great before . . . before the door opened. I can’t believe we got interrupted when we were doing so well.’
‘It’s our specialty.’ Alex grinned. ‘Maybe we’ll finish up later.’
‘Maybe.’
‘But first, let’s go see if Emily will forgive us.’
‘All right.’
* * *
The green room was full of people, including Myles, Liza, and Emily, but no TV crew. Emily saw them enter and rushed over to meet them.
‘Guys, are you okay?’ she whispered.
‘Err . . . yeah,’ Alex replied tentatively on both their behalf.
‘I get that you’re horny,’ Emily continued. ‘But why didn’t you lock the bloody door? I’ve had to threaten that TV crew with an injunction if they show the footage, and I’m in all sorts of hot water.’
‘Sorry,’ Casey offered, looking contrite. ‘It just . . . it came over us.’
‘Hm, yeah. That was pretty obvious.’ Emily grinned. ‘But we’ll use it to our advantage.’
‘We will?’
‘There’s no such thing as bad publicity,’ Emily reminded Alex. ‘I’ve agreed that I wouldn’t take action against a soft-focus, not-too-indecent still with a suitable caption as long as I can see it first, and as long as I get written agreement that no other footage will ever be released. We can spin this. You’re still in your honeymoon period after all.’
Alex and Casey stared at each other.
‘Wow.’ Casey grinned. ‘You’re amazing.’
Emily gave a little bow. ‘You might not think so when you see the image. It might not be entirely flattering, but it will cause a massive stir, and I’ll wring the “aw” factor for all its worth. We’ll sell albums off the back of this, but you’ll have to live with that image forever. You’ve been warned.’
‘We’ll be fine,’ Alex offered loftily before Casey could object. ‘We trust you.’
‘You’d better. And don’t ever pull a stunt like this again.’ Emily glowered at them.
Alex hung his head. ‘Yes, ma’am.’
Emily laughed. ‘You charmer, you. Right, let’s get on. We’ve yet to do a TV interview . . . yes, with that crew, deal with it. After that, there’s the party at the hotel, and I had word from at least two national papers that their showbiz editors are gagging for interviews, so best behaviour until those are done, please. Limos will be outside in half an hour.’
‘No rest for the wicked, then.’ Myles had sidled up to their group, and he was in a grumbly mood. Apparently he was still oblivious of Alex and Casey’s backstage antics.
‘It’s what you signed up for,’ Emily reminded him crisply. ‘You can get bladdered later. The night’s still young. But please make sure you keep that out of the papers.’
‘Yes, miss.’ Myles gave a salute.
Casey looked at Alex ruefully. ‘We’ll never finish it tonight,’ she whispered.
‘We might.’ Alex was unconcerned. ‘As Emily says, the night’s still young.’
However, one excruciatingly embarrassing TV interview, three journalist interviews, one photo shoot, four hours, and several drinks too many later, Casey and Alex returned home and collapsed into their bed, very much together but definitely not romantically active.
* * *
~ Casey ~
The next morning, Casey was woken by Alex snuggling into her back. His arms snaked around her, and his hands started caressing her breasts.
‘Morning, sleepyhead,’ Alex breathed. ‘Stallion at your service.’
Casey didn’t respond immediately. She was enjoying the sensation of being stroked, and Alex was awakening erogenous zones that had been lying dormant for far too long. He was definitely in the mood for love.
‘Mmmmh,’ she finally moaned. ‘You’re good!’
By way of response, Alex rolled her on her back and gently lay on top of her. He stroked her face, tracing the curve of her cheeks right down her neck and to the dip at the base of her throat. Then he kissed his way all the way back again until his lips connected with hers. Casey felt dizzy with excitement. This was the best they had done for months. She surrendered herself to the flow, banishing any thoughts of the outcome until Alex drew back.
‘Shall I take one of these?’ he asked, brandishing a blister pack of pills.
Casey rubbed her forehead. ‘Do you think you need to? You feel pretty ready to me.’
‘I’d rather be safe than sorry.’
‘So take one. Doctor’s orders, after all.’
‘Too right.’
Alex pressed one of the precious pills out of the pack and swallowed it down with some water. ‘Now we’re good to go.’
‘No rush.’
‘We’ve got all the time in the world today. No worries.’
He bent his head to Casey’s face and kissed her again, more deeply and more forcefully than before. Fireworks exploded behind Casey’s eyes, and her sweet spot danced with joy, ready to oblige at any moment. And yet, out of the blue, a question popped into Casey’s head.
‘How does it feel?’
Alex merely groaned in response.
‘I mean, does it feel any different? Than, you know, without any assistance?’
‘Now’s . . . not . . . the . . . time . . . to talk,’ Alex grunted. He shifted his body to get into the right position, and Casey lifted her hips to meet him.
Her mouth opened again with another question on her lips, but this time Casey overrode the urge. She bit down so hard that she caught her tongue between her teeth, and she could taste blood in her mouth.
Meanwhile, Alex was seeking leverage, but for some reason, he kept slipping and sliding. Ignoring her discomfort and the vile taste of blood in her mouth, Casey adjusted her own position time and again, but it was as though physics was against them.
‘Slightly . . . out . . . of . . . practice . . . I think,’ Alex muttered in between attempted thrusts. Casey didn’t reply. Instead, she stroked his chest and tweaked his nipples to keep his arousal on the boil.
Her mind, however, detached from the act. She didn’t mean for that to happen, but she couldn’t stop it. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her alarm clock, and she calculated that they had been in the throes of romance for the better part of an hour. There’s foreplay, and there’s too much foreplay, she thought. And I’m kinda foreplayed out here.
For a brief moment, she had an almost out-of-body experience as she imagined watching herself and Alex, all razzed up but once again foiled in the act. For no particular reason, they simply couldn’t make it happen. And it was quite funny, at a rational level, seeing themselves labour on.
Alex grunted and snorted on top of her, and Casey snapped to. She gazed in dismay as a tear appeared in the corner of Alex’s eye, detached itself, and slowly rolled down his cheek. Her heart threatened to break for him when unexpectedly Alex roared with laughter.
He sat back on his haunches, threw back his head and laughed. And he laughed and he laughed. More tears rolled down his cheeks; his whole body shook, and still he laughed.
‘I’m sorry,’ he finally gasped. ‘Casey, I’m really sorry. I had this out-of-body vision of us, and we are so funny!’
‘You too?’ Casey chortled. ‘I saw the same thing.’
Alex shook his head, trying to calm himself down. ‘It’s quite absurd, really. I’m so sorry. I really thought it was going to happen.’
‘Me too,’ Casey hooted. Her body brimmed with mirth.
‘We were so close.’ Alex positively howled with laughter.
‘I know!’
‘And still . . . it didn’t . . . happen!’
‘Tell me about it!’
Casey sat up too, and she clutched onto Alex for support as they guffawed together.
‘But look, MrHappy is still very much happy!’
‘I noticed.’ Casey stroked Alex’s arousal playfully. ‘What are we going to do about him?’
‘No idea,’ Alex chortled. ‘Absolutely bloody no idea. But man, look, he’s indestructible.’
‘Want me to—?’ Casey made a suggestive gesture.
‘Nah. Thanks all the same, but no. He’s . . . he’s . . . I think he’s overextended himself. He’s so excited, he’s gone beyond the point of action.’
‘He’s catatonic.’
‘Possibly apoplectic.’
‘Totally paralytic.’
Casey drew breath. ‘What a load of big words. We should play Scrabble, we’re on fire here.’
‘Great idea,’ Alex enthused. ‘Let’s see who can get the most naughty words in!’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Why, yes. I’ve got to do something to . . . to detumesce.’
‘There’s another potential high score right there,’ Casey sniggered. ‘Go on then, I challenge you. But how’s about we have some breakfast at the same time? I’m starving.’
‘Deal. You put on the bacon, and I’ll set up the board.’
So Casey and Alex ended up playing Scrabble over breakfast in their dressing gowns. When they had finished, amid much tittering over the words they put down — some official, and some very highly entertaining but totally unofficial — Alex was still engorged.
They tidied the kitchen and discussed dinner plans. They even braved the social media world to assess the fallout from last night’s debacle. The TV interview was great and portrayed no hint of the embarrassment that had gone before it. The unplanned photo of their tête-à-tête wasn’t great, but it was causing a wave of tweets and comments, and, as Emily had said, they would simply have to live with it.
And through all this, Alex remained engorged.
‘No improvement at all?’ Casey probed with her voice as she turned off her tablet, not daring to look or touch for fear of making it worse.
‘None at all,’ Alex confirmed. ‘It really is a miracle.’
‘Whatever could we do next to get you un-excited?’ Casey pondered.
‘I know!’ Alex smacked his forehead. ‘We’ve been putting it off and putting it off, but how’s about . . . tax returns?’
‘What, now?’
‘Why not? What else am I going to do? I can hardly go out like this, can I?’
At this, Casey couldn’t resist a sneaky peek.
‘Probably not,’ she concurred. ‘But tax returns? That’s a bit extreme.’
‘Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures. Just think how smug we’ll feel when they’re done.’
Casey sighed. How did they get from the promise of hot romance into tax return hell?
‘There’s a moral in here somewhere,’ she mumbled, ‘but I’ll be damned if I can see it. Still, you’re right. Needs must. Let’s do it.’
By the end of the day, their tax returns were done, the house was tidy, and Alex was back to normal.
‘There’s a turn up for the books,’ he joked over a glass of wine.
‘Indeed it is,’ Casey agreed. ‘And it’s good to discover that we’ll get a nice little rebate. We should celebrate.’
‘Totally. But what do I do with these?’ Alex waved the pack of pills at her. He had brought it down from the bedroom earlier to read through the instruction leaflet line by line and hadn’t found any answers to their questions — like why one could have heightened performance with totally no desire.
‘Bin them. You don’t need them.’
‘I don’t?’
‘Most definitely not. I think we can safely conclude that the drugs don’t work.’
‘They just made me worse,’ Alex hummed.
Casey hugged him hard. ‘And that’s the bittersweet symphony of life.’
Alex screwed up his face. ‘That’s certainly our life at the moment.’
‘It’s only a dark cloak,’ Casey reminded him. ‘But with light and calm oceans to come, remember?’
‘Yeah.’ Alex smiled. ‘Hey ho. So long, suckers!’
He opened the bin and disposed of the packet with panache.
‘Way to go,’ Casey cheered. ‘What’s next?’
‘Dinner. Let’s spend that rebate! And screw sex.’