Casting a Spell

"You're not eating?" I asked her, since she always seemed to be on a diet, though I always thought she looked great. I worried sometimes that she was a little too worried about keeping her weight down. She was curvy, but in a good way, and with a head full of dark curls, and a bright smile and infectious laugh, she had no problem turning heads.

She squeezed my hand and promised, "I'll get something soon."

Pierre wrapped my hand in his and walked us outside around the big kidney shaped pool where a few were in swimming. And when we walked inside, the long white tent was just filled with amazing smelling food.

"Anything you don't like?" he asked, handing me a plate.

I shook my head. "No, I'm pretty easy."

When he cocked an eyebrow, wearing a little smirk, I realized what I'd said and laughed.

"To clarify -- I mean I'm pretty easy as far as food is concerned. And I'm not overly fussy about what I eat."

Then we noticed two blonde bunnies walking around in front of us with empty plates, muttering, "Ew," and turning up their noses at every food station. And Pierre and I just rolled our eyes.

Since I'd grown up with a single mother in a household with little money for extras, she'd raised my brother and me just to be glad that we had a warm meal to fill our bellies every night. So, I'd never been the type to balk at eating perfectly good food.

And I actually laughed when the bunnies left looking disappointed with nothing but a few carrot and celery sticks on their plates.

Especially since the selection was amazing; roast meats, grilled veggies, different types of rice, a few kinds of pasta, and Asian noodles, all kinds of fresh salads, seafood, cheeses, cold meats, and loads of really yummy looking desserts, along with a veritable mountain of artfully displayed fresh fruit. Like her parents, Kayla loved to put on a good spread.

And since the party was used to raise funds every year for different charities, everyone was happy to contribute.

Once we'd got what we wanted, Pierre and I found a quiet table away from the pool and the noise of the party. After he'd pulled out my chair for me, he said, "I'll be right back," and he soon returned with a bottle of cold white wine and a plate just brimming with sweets.

I looked at the plate and then back up at him, trying not to laugh. "I'm guessing you've got a bit of sweet tooth?"

Smiling, he just shrugged. "No, but I figure I'd better have a taste of each of these, since they ordered them from my bakery."

I looked at him surprised, finding it hard to imagine him in an apron, covered in flour. "So you're a baker?"

Chuckling, he shook his head as he poured me some wine. "No, I don't actually do any baking. It's just one of the businesses I own, mostly catering to weddings, conferences and events like this, so I like to make sure that what we're producing tastes as good as it looks."

"I could understand that," I said, admiring the plate of sweets, already trying to decide which one to have.

"Enjoy your dinner," he said, as we dug into our meal.

That was not a problem. Everything was just so good, I had to fight not to moan, and the way Pierre was rolling his eyes as he ate, smiling over at me, I had a feeling he felt the same way.

And the wine was amazing, too. "Oh, that's nice," I said, pointing at the bottle. "Probably the nicest white I've ever had."

I tried the scrumptious Singapore noodles that were perfectly spiced, with just a nice hint of heat. Noticing he hadn't tried them, I said, "You've got to try these noodles." And without even thinking I scooped a forkful and gave him a taste. Pierre nodded as he swallowed. "Wow. That is good." And he didn't seem to mind that I'd fed him, in fact, he seemed kind of amused that we were bonding as fast as we were.

"If you like Asian food, I'll have to take you to my favorite Vietnamese place, it's got to be the best in the city," he said, as he reached for his wine.

I gave him a little smile, delighted to discover that he was already planning on seeing me again.

Smirking at each other all through dinner, I realized that he was pretty easy to be with, and that he didn't take himself too seriously, since I'd discovered that he had a fun sense of humor, that mirrored mine.

Once we finally pushed our plates away, I muttered, "Silly bunnies," and he laughed. The food was outstanding and the fussy little ninnies didn't know what they were missing.

We both thanked the young man who was coming around offering coffee or tea as he poured us each a cup of dark, rich coffee, that I noticed both of us sweetened with one sugar and a healthy dash of cream.

"Now," Pierre said, putting the dessert plate between us, "you have to try at least a taste of each and tell me what you think."

I decided as I eyed the array tempting little treats, that I could always work out a little longer at the gym, because everything just looked so delectable, that I wasn't about to say no. But I still tried only little tastes of each one. And the way I kept telling him, "Wow!" after every bite, had him smiling.

Pierre was trying them, too, and he seemed pretty pleased with everything. Finally he wiped his mouth with a napkin and asked me, "So, which is your favorite?"

"Honestly, I just can't decide, they're all so good." I pointed at the Portuguese custard tart. "Those are amazing, but so's the cherry cheesecake and the Black Forest, oh, and the crème caramel is really good, too. And the baklava's definitely the best I've ever had." I shrugged when I looked at all the others. "Actually, they're all really tasty, so you should be proud of what you're making."

Pierre chuckled. "Looks like I'm not the only one with a sweet tooth." He had that right, it was my one downfall, I did like my sweets.

When we'd finished dinner, he draped his arm over the back of my chair, and nodded his head at the beautiful formal garden with a meandering flagstone path that wound away from the house toward an expansive green belt at the back of the property. "How about we take a little stroll to help walk off what we've eaten?"

I blew out a breath and nodded. "After what I've just had, I think I'll need a lot more than a stroll." And he just chuckled.

About to get to my feet, suddenly I thought of Kayla, inside, partying her heart out, and I had a feeling she hadn't eaten since who knows when, maybe even yesterday, knowing her.

"I'll just be a minute," I told him, and patted his hand.

Then I rushed into the food tent, grabbed a plate and some cutlery and hurried around to try and find things that I knew she'd like.

When I came back out, Pierre looked at me confused, when he saw that I had another plate piled with food. I pointed at the house. "For Kayla."

He nodded that he understood and gave a smile.

Luckily I found her sitting at the bar, giggling and flirting with the bar tender. So I put the plate in front of her and said, "Here you go, got you some dinner."

She looked back at me and rolled her eyes, but I was glad when she heaved a breath and muttered sarcastically, "Thanks, Mom," but still picked up the fork and started eating.

When I stepped back outside and looked over at where I'd left Pierre sitting near the pool, I saw the busty bunny with the bright pink hair that I'd noticed earlier, had her hand on his shoulder leaning in to whisper something in his ear, practically smooshing her big fake boobs right into his face.

I don't think I'd ever been jealous before, but now all I could think of was throwing her slutty little ass right into the pool.

About to turn around and head back inside to leave Pierre with his new playmate, when he looked up and saw me, I could see how relieved he looked when he said, "Ah, there's my date now." He gave her a little wave goodbye as he got to his feet and walked over and took me by the arm, leaned in and murmured, "You came out just in time, I was afraid she was going to hop right into my lap."

I grinned as I took his arm, glad to be leaving the noise of the party, and the flirty little bunny behind as we wandered away from the crowd.

As we walked together arm in arm, he tipped his head, looking me up and down. "So, looking at you in that alluring little witch costume, I'm guessing you're involved in the arts, maybe a model or an actress?"

I laughed. "No, nothing that glamorous, I'm afraid. Though, I've always liked to paint and sketch, and I've taken some photography classes, that's about as artsy as I get. Actually I work with Kayla in gene therapy research to try and find cures for things like macular degeneration, which we're working on now. My grandmother is afflicted with it, so I'd love to discover a way to prevent people from losing their eyesight."

He blinked, looking surprised. "Wow. Beauty and brains, I'm impressed, and now I feel humbled. You're doing such noble work, where I just work at feeding the masses, with frivolous things like pastries and bread."

I shrugged. "Well that's pretty worthwhile, since everyone has to eat, so providing them with something a little tastier to enjoy is a good thing, too."

We'd been walking and chatting together for a while, and I stopped to look at one of the big fall floral displays. "I just fall flowers, the colours are so warm, the yellows, the reds, the golds." He nodded, "Yeah, they're really beautiful."

Walking on for a bit, we had nearly reached the forested area at the back of the property, and we both turned and looked back at the house, all lit up, it looked pretty impressive, with people still milling all around in all kinds of crazy costumes having fun.

"That's quite the place, isn't it?" he remarked.

"It really is. I grew up in a townhouse that was probably smaller than their kitchen."

He turned and looked at me. "So did I. I was four when my father died and my mother had to raise my brother and me on her own, so we lived pretty carefully in a tiny apartment."

I tipped my head and looked at him, hardly able to believe my ears. "Well, my dad died when I was only six and mother had to raise my younger brother and me on her own, too."

Then it was his turn to really study me, finally he nodded and said, "Seems we have a lot in common."

I was looking at him like I was seeing him for the first time, since I just assumed from the way he carried himself and how put together he looked that he came from money. But knowing that he'd had to make his own way, made me like him even more. I know my mother pushed both my brother and I to get all the education we could, telling us it was the only way we'd ever get ahead, and I was glad I'd listened, or I wouldn't have the career I have now. And I had a pretty strong feeling that he'd had to work just as hard to get where he was.

His eyes warming on mine, he slipped his arm around me, and pulled me into his arms, brushing back my hair. I actually shivered, realizing that he was about to kiss me.

And seeing as this would be the first time I'd kissed anyone other than Mark in over two years, I wondered how it would feel.

I liked how he touched his lips to mine, and slowly finessed me into parting my lips, with a few soft, teasing little kisses, before he slid his tongue along the crease of my lips to gently coax me into to opening up. And I decided when he finally sank his tongue into my mouth and began mating with mine, that he was the perfect man to show me how just amazing a kiss could feel.

"Mmm," he murmured against my mouth, "You smell amazing, and you taste even sweeter."

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I smiled against his lips. "So do you." I could taste coffee and a hint of strawberry on his tongue, but mostly just red hot male.

As he worked his hands up along my waist, I could feel my nipples growing hard as his fingers brushed back and forth, gently teasing the underside of my breasts. And my blood felt like it was heating up to the boiling point as it pooled between my thighs.

All I knew was that I'd never felt as turned on, especially from just a kiss. But then again, I'd never been kissed quite like this before.

As he tipped his head to deepen the kiss, both of us breathing hard, clinging to each other, I just couldn't get enough of him.

Urging him even closer, tangling my hands in his hair, I could feel him growing hard against my belly, the heat flaring inside me had me nearly burning up, desperate to know what it would feel like to be with him skin to skin.

Still plucking at his lips, stroking my hand along his jaw, I looked into his eyes and murmured, "You know I'm staying here tonight, in my usual room."

He smiled against my mouth. "Really?"

As I nodded, we both started to grin.

I didn't really think I'd have the courage to hook up with anyone tonight, no matter what I'd told myself when I first got here, but now I knew there was no way I could resist him. From the moment I first set eyes on him, he had me under his spell, and since it was a night for magic, I had to know that this was really happening, pretty sure that I'd found myself the sexiest vampire a witch could ever hope for.

Skirting around the crowd, I led him around to the far side of the house, so we could make our way back inside the front doors without having to broadcast to everyone that we were going up to my room to spend some alone time together.

With Pierre's hand in mine, I led him up the wide Scarlett O'Hara staircase that dominated the front entryway. When we reached the second floor we turned left and headed down the hallway toward the suite I always used whenever I stayed over.

Looking up, when he noticed the long row of framed family photographs lining the hallway, he stopped to look at one of Kayla with me smiling and laughing beside her, out by the pool in our bikinis, probably taken about seven or eight years ago when we were both in our late teens.

"So, you're part of the family?" he asked, looking surprised.

Smiling up at the picture, I shook my head. "No. But they make feel like I am. Kayla and I hit it off the first day we started college, probably because we're both science geeks that got taunted a lot as kids, we kind of bonded right away. And when her parents found out that I had to commute two hours each way, because I couldn't afford to stay in residence, and pay for my tuition. The college is only minutes from here, Kayla's family suggested that I stay with them during the school year. So they took me in like one of their own."

"That was nice of them."

"I know. They're so down to earth, they don't act like people who are super rich, they're just a really nice family. And Kayla, Zeb and I have grown so close, we're almost like siblings."

He nodded and checked out a few more pictures. Then, deciding we'd had enough of looking at old family photos, I took his hand and led him to my bedroom.

And the moment we stepped inside, he closed and locked the door behind us, gave me the sexiest smile and slid his hands onto my hips and pulled me in for a kiss.

Desperate to feel him, I wrapped myself around him, like a second skin, sinking my hands into his hair. As he groaned into our kiss, all I could think of was getting our clothes off. I needed to feel him, touch him and taste him, so badly. He had me so wound up I was trembling right down to my toes. And I knew I'd never wanted anyone as much as I wanted him right now.

With his heated gaze locked on mine, I ran my hands up over his firmly muscled chest, sliding them up to his shoulders, I pushed off his coat. Then I smoothed my palms back down over his abs till I was tugging his shirt out of his pants, desperate to feel his flesh under my hands, I tugged his bottom lip with my teeth and sucked it between my lips, making him growl.

Spreading my hands under his shirt over his chest, our breathing getting choppier with every breath, I could feel his heart under my palm, beating hard and fast. He reached behind me and unhooked my skirt, letting it drop to the floor. With his eyes burning hot as coals, I could actually feel the heat of his gaze raking over me in just my body-hugging bustier and heels. "God, you're beautiful," he murmured.

I couldn't even say why, but I wanted this with him, even if I never saw him again, I just had to know what it would feel like to make love to a man as amazing as he was. "Pierre..." I whispered as I ran my hand down over his chest to his fly.

He pulled me against him, his chest hard against my breasts. As he watched me beginning to shiver, he smiled -- a very dark sexy smile.

Keeping my gaze on his, I let my hand travel lower, smiling as he sucked in a breath when I cupped him through his pants. Hard as steel, pulsing between my fingers, his eyes darkened and his breath caught as I began to stroke him, feeling him grow thicker in my hand.

His lips trailed a path along my jaw to my ear, his hot breath sending delicious little zips down my spine, like an electric current. "I need you so badly right now," he whispered, "I have got to get inside you."

My heart pounding, my breath coming in tight little gasps as his fingers worked the zipper down the front of my bustier, slowly exposing me inch by inch. His eyes flared once he'd gotten it off me and cast it aside, baring my bare breasts to his hungry gaze. Staring at me in just my black silk panties and heels, he murmured, "Good god you've got an amazing body."

I could hardly breathe, speak or even think, he had me so wound up.

Tugging me roughly against him, he sank his tongue into my mouth and kissed me hard, sliding his fingers into the sides of my panties, as I worked at getting his fly down. My pulse pounding in my ears, I felt my panties drop to the floor, pooling around my ankles as Pierre squeezed my ass in his hands, letting out a feral groan.

I had to get him naked, needed to feel his body on mine, but even more I needed him inside me, filling me up and making me feels things I'd only ever dreamed of.

He cupped my sex in his hand and slid a finger inside me. "Damn, you're soaked," he murmured, smiling against my lips.

With one tug, I shoved his pants and his black silk boxers down over his hips and let them fall to the floor, then it was my turn to smile when his erection reared up and slapped against my belly. Nipping at his chin, encircling him in my hand, as he worked his finger in and out of me, every inch of me on fire, I slid my thumb over the pre-cum weeping from his big mushroom tip, and smeared along his shaft, sliding my hand up and down on him, squeezing and stroking him.

Groaning deep in his chest, Pierre clamped his hand over mine. "You've got to stop, or I'll come all over your hand. I need to get you in bed. Now."

I smirked, and touched my lips to his, glad I wasn't the only one about to lose it as he lifted me off my feet and set me down on my back in the middle of the bed.

Kneeling on the mattress beside me, he ran his fingers through my hair. "At first I thought this was just part of your costume, and it was just a wig." He wrapped a fistful in his hand and rubbed it between his fingers. "But I'm so glad that all this beautiful thick hair is really yours, so I can run my hands through it every time we make love."

Ooh, I was onboard with that, seeing the heat in his eyes as he fisted my hair in his hands, I could feel my sex clenching like crazy as my head filled with visions of us exploring each other to the fullest. I don't know why I felt like I could trust him, but I just did.

He got down between my legs, smiled and shook his head when he parted my thighs and got his first look at my pussy. His smile turned wicked as he slid his hand over the heat of my slick folds. "Just so pretty, so hot and so wet, I can hardly wait to feel you squeezing around me."

I bit into my lip, hoping I wouldn't come just from his naughty talk, before he even got inside me.