Just a Little Magic Ch. 08

There's nothing like the topic of vomiting or diarrhea for killing the mood. Truth be told, it wasn't all that easy to turn Janine down. She was still hotness incarnate. I just had Sophie on my mind. Even though the terms of our relationship weren't well defined, I wasn't interested in another woman.

We followed our stay in the desert with a series of shows in northern California. Then it was on to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver. Then we worked our way back east, playing a couple of dozen gigs before we got to Ontario.

Sammy was done. He was pining for Trish.

Janine was seriously ticked off. She'd hinted several times that she wanted me in her room. My excuses were growing pretty threadbare by the time we got to Winnipeg.

I didn't really care. I phoned Sophie the moment we got home.

- "I want to come see you." I said.

- "That's wonderful. When?"

- "The day after tomorrow. Whenever you want."

She laughed. "That sounds wonderful, too. How long can you stay?"

- "Three days - or three weeks. I'll stay for a few days, if that's all you have time for. But I have nothing on my plate until September. I'd love to spend as much time with you as I possibly can."

There was silence for a moment.

- "You have no idea, Pete, how glad I am to hear you say that. But ... I only have a couple of days' holidays left."

- "Sophie, I will make you breakfast every day. While you're at work, I'll clean your apartment. I'll do your laundry. I'll pick up groceries, and have dinner ready when you get home."

She laughed again.

- "You don't know how to cook."

- "I'll learn."

- "You're serious? You want to come and stay with me for three weeks?"

- "More than anything." I said.

- "Three weeks?"

- "As long as you'll have me."

I didn't tell Sophie, but there was an additional reason that I wanted to spend an extended period of time with her. As I'd told Sammy, I'd never seen her angry, or even cross. Every time we'd been together, she'd been damned near perfect.

No, I wasn't expecting to unearth some deep, dark secret. I was the one with the dark secrets. But I wanted to see Sophie at her worst - well, maybe just less than perfect. I figured that after a couple of weeks at close quarters, I'd get to know the real Sophie.

She welcomed me with a huge smile and a bear hug.

- "I can't believe it. I'm so looking forward to this!" she said.

- "Having someone clean your apartment?"

She grinned. "That too."

I arrived on a Friday night. There was nothing urgent - except our lovemaking. Evidently she'd missed me as much as I had her.

On Saturday, she took me shopping at the grocery stores. Instead of one-stop shopping, though, we visited a bakery, a butcher's shop, and a delicatessen. It was fun.

I know. Never in a million years would I have expected a shopping expedition to be enjoyable. I have to point out that it wasn't for clothes. Everything we bought was something that we were going to eat or drink - together. Given my cooking skills, we were going to have to prepare it together, too.

We unpacked the groceries, and then I undressed Sophie and ate her on the couch. She insisted on stripping me in return, and riding me to orgasm.

Then I discovered one of Sophie's secrets. She could cook.

- "My mother taught me. And my Aunt Anna - Mom's sister. You'll have to meet her sometime - she's been really good to me."

I made a minor error, that set us back a bit. It was a bit of a mess, too.

- "I'm so sorry, Sophie. I'll ... make it up to you."

She just shook her head. "There's no scorecard, Pete. You don't have to make up anything. Just try not to do it again, okay?"

We ate a darn good meal, and then Sophie asked if I wanted to watch a movie with her.

- "Whatever you like." I said.

She picked out a rom-com from her collection, and played it on her laptop. It was ... bearable.

- "Did you like it?" she asked, when the suffering ended.

- "It was ... okay."

- "I know." she said. "I used to enjoy it, but now ... now, that line 'You complete me' just makes me gag."

- "It does?"

She looked me in the eye. "In case you missed it, Pete, I'm a whole person. Not perfect - far from it. And some of my parts may not work as they should ... but I'm okay, you know?"

- "You're better than okay, Sophie. You're amazing."

- "I'm glad you think so. But it took me years to figure out that I'm reasonably good. And I'm getting comfortable with that."

We made love on her couch again. Then we moved to her bedroom, for a repeat performance.

On Sunday, we made love in the morning. Then Sophie decided to prove to me that Montreal smoked meat was the best in the world.

After lunch, she took me for a walk.

- "You know," she said, "there's another version of 'You complete me' that bothers me." She was still thinking about the movie that we'd watched last night.

"It's 'You're my everything'. Who could be that?"

I wasn't sure what she meant. She could read my confusion.

"You and Sammy. Batman and Robin. I don't need to step in and become Batman."

- "Umm ..."

- "I have friends to go shopping with. You don't have to suffer through that. I belong to a book club, that you don't have to join - unless you really wanted to. Believe me, I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to hang out with the guys and talk sports. You don't have to include me in everything you do, either."

I was looking at her in complete disbelief. My mouth must have been hanging open.

"What?" she said.

- "That's ... you've really given this some thought."

- "A little."

- "No, seriously - you could give advice. Like in one of those advice columns."

- "Dear Sophie? Or Sophie's Lonely Hearts Club?"

She was so smart - way smarter than me. Better-looking than me. A nicer person, too. But I could try to improve in that last category. Maybe if I made an effort to be a better person, I could measure up a little more - in my own estimation, at least.

Sophie went off to work Monday morning. I leapt out of bed while she was showering so that I could get started on breakfast.

- "How do you like your eggs?" I asked, when she came out of her bathroom, wrapped in a towel.

- "Look at you!" she exclaimed, with a big grin that showcased all of her dimples.

- "Look at you." I replied, admiring her bath towel, and everything that it didn't conceal.

- "This is really sweet of you, Pete. But you don't have to go to so much trouble. I usually just have coffee and a croissant in the morning."

- ""Fair enough." I had her show me how she liked her coffee, so that I could make it for her in future. "And what do you do for lunch?"

- "I just grab something in the cafeteria, if I have time."

Sophie dressed very casually for work. It didn't really matter what she wore, because she'd be putting a lab coat on over that.

I kissed her goodbye.

Three hours later, I let myself out of her apartment (she'd given me a key), and went shopping. I'd done some research, and found a few specialty shops within walking distance. I bought way too much stuff, and had a tough time lugging it all back to her place.

When she came home from work, I had the windows open, to let out some of the remaining smoke. But I did have a glass of wine ready for her.

- "What's going on?" she asked.

- "Well, I kind of messed up the fries. But I had a backup plan, so it's okay."

Sophie inspected the work in progress (either that, or she was appraising the damage to her kitchen).

- "Mussels? You bought mussels?"

- "I had them in Belgium, and really enjoyed them. It was supposed to be mussels and fries. Now it's mussels and garlic bread."

Sophie's big grin was all the reward I needed. I gladly accepted her offer to help out (so that I didn't screw up the mussels as well).

She was absolutely delighted. Apparently, 'It's the thought that counts' really works in some situations. We ate, cleaned up together, and then made love on her living room carpet. After that, we moved to the bedroom for a slower, longer session.

The next morning, she was smiling again. I had her coffee going when she came out of the bathroom, and a chocolate croissant from the nearby bakery to go with it. Sophie leaned her head against my chest, and wrapped her arms around me.

- "You're going to spoil me." she said.

- "Impossible." I said. "But there's no harm in trying."

For the rest of that week, I alternated between ordering food and having it delivered, and cooking something that I thought I could manage. After dinner, we watched a movie, or listened to music while we talked.

She finally told me about her parents' divorce. It had been fairly ugly: her mother and father had competed for her affection and loyalty - and they'd both reacted angrily when she refused to take sides.

- "They're better now." she said. "I think that I could introduce you to my Mom and my Aunt when I come down for Thanksgiving."

- "You should meet my folks, too. They're going to love you." Even as I said it, I wondered how I could avoid having Sophie meet Janine. Somehow, I didn't expect that to turn into a mutual appreciation society.

We made love two (and sometimes three) times a night - every night.

On the weekend, Sophie took me to one of her favourite places, and also introduced me to some of her social circle. Her female friends were pretty cool; I didn't care for the males at all. One guy was okay; he was dating Sophie's friend Theresa. The other guys all lusted after Sophie, to one degree or another - even one or two who had girlfriends.

On Monday, she went back to work, and I resumed cooking (an adventure) or ordering food (much safer). By then, I had cleaned her apartment from top to bottom.

On Wednesday, Sophie seemed a little down.

- "My period started last night. And ... my flow is pretty heavy for the first couple of days."

- "That's okay." I said.

- "No, it's not. I mean ... I just don't feel comfortable ..."

I knew what she was trying to say. "Don't worry about it. A couple of nights off won't kill me. Hey - I can probably use a break to recharge my batteries."

- "There's nothing wrong with your batteries." she said, with a smile. "I just feel bad about leaving you hanging."

- "You're not!"

We watched a movie that night, cuddled up together on her couch. Being so close to her, with her butt nestled in against my crotch, had the predictable result: she felt my erection pressing into her ass.

- "See?" she complained.

- "It's no big deal, Sophie." I said.

Apparently, though, it was to her. She immediately slid off the couch and began pulling down the zipper of my jeans. I wasn't about to fight her of - she went down on me, and brought me off with her mouth.

While I tried to resume normal breathing, she crawled back onto the couch.

- "You didn't have to do that."

- "I know." she said. "But I enjoyed it - and I think you did, too."

After the movie, we went to bed, where she insisted on spooning with me - which led to the same involuntary, yet entirely predictable reaction from me.

- "Ooh." she said. And then she proceeded to blow me again.

- "You don't have to -"

- "Shh ..."

Sophie went off to work the next day with a smile on her face.

When she came home, though, she had a curious look of determination on her face - and a small plastic bag from the drugstore in her hand.

- "My flow is still heavy." she said. "I'm sorry."

- "There's nothing to be sorry about." I said.

- "Well ... that doesn't matter. I thought ... if you want to, we could ... try something else."

- "Something else?"

Sophie revealed what she'd bought at the drugstore. A bottle of lube.

- "If you want ..."

My lover was (shyly) offering me anal sex - something she'd never done before. I took her in my arms, and kissed her.

- "Are you sure?"

- "Of course I am. You think I go and buy lube every weekend?"

We showered together. Sophie wanted us both to be scrupulously clean. We almost didn't make it out of the shower, because the sight of her wet, glistening skin, and her soap-coated breasts and ass nearly finished me off right there.

I was incredibly, ridiculously hard by the time we got back to her living room. Sophie put a pillow under her knees, got down on all fours, and handed me the lube.

- "Lots of it, I think. In me, and on you." she said.

How incredible was she? Two or three nights of abstinence would hardly have killed me. But Sophie was willing to suck me off repeatedly, and even to offer me her ass. You may find it hard to believe, but my overwhelming feeling at that moment wasn't lust - it was love.

I toyed with her nipples, which always got her motor running, and then began applying lube. She didn't seem to mind a finger in her ass at all. Two, though, got her attention.

- "We don't have to do this, Soph." I said.

- "I know. But let's try it." she said. "Lots of lube - and go slow. I'll let you know if it's too much."

I followed her instructions - especially the part about going slow.

"Okay - you can push a little harder." she said.

It might have been the excessive quantity of lube I'd used - or the unnatural hardness of my erection, but I felt the incredibly tight ring of her anus give a little .. and the head of my cock was suddenly lodged inside her rectum.

She didn't say a word; but I heard her gasp. I immediately stopped pressing forward.

- "Are you alright?" I asked.

- "Yeah." she breathed. "Wow ... that's ... wow."

- "Am I hurting you?"

- "N-no. You can ... push a little more."

I did. I would like to be able to tell you that Sophie loved it - that I fucked her ass hard and fast, and that she had multiple orgasms.

Truth is, though, that I slowly and carefully inserted a little more than half her length into her bowels - and then I suddenly came in her ass.

That part she liked. Sophie felt me shooting my seed into her. She patiently waited until I'd finished coming, and only then did she turn around and kiss me.

- "I love you." she said.

***

I had an incredible stay with Sophie.

I continued to shop, clean, and cook (or have food delivered). We had precious hours to spend together, making love several times every day, but also talking about anything and everything. I learned so much about what she liked, and what she cared about.

On the second weekend, she was happy to take me on a tour of her favourite spots in the city. Bakeries, cafes, restaurants and eateries, but also a grungy dive bar that she and her friends had frequented as students. She was a bit of a foodie - a food enthusiast, if you prefer - but she wasn't snobby or pretentious about it.

There was one odd moment, that Sunday, when I did a double take.

- "You okay?" she asked.

- "Yeah. Sorry - I thought I just saw somebody I knew."

- "You know people in Montreal?"

Other than Ginette and Helene - who I wasn't about to mention to Sophie - the answer was no. But I thought I'd just seen a familiar head of red hair. I'd only caught a glimpse of her face before she turned away, but that woman looked an awful lot like Lillian.

But what would Janine's Mom be doing in Montreal?

Sophie continued to make love to me twice a day, if not more. I made it a point to go down on her as often as she would let me (though I drew the line at letting her stick anything in my ass).

We also paid return visits to most of the cafes and eateries she'd pointed out to me. And on the third weekend, I took her to the spa and treated her to the full package.

- "Are you sure?" she asked. "It's awfully expensive."

She wasn't faking it. Sophie wasn't after me for my money. Nor was she 'high maintenance'.

- "Three weeks of free accommodation." I said. "I owe you a lot more."

- "Don't start that again." she warned. "There's no balance sheet. Besides ... we haven't discussed your wages, considering that you've been cook, busboy, cleaner ... and sex slave."

- "You could get plenty of volunteers for that position." I'd only been joking, but I regretted it immediately as Sophie's face changed.

- "I'm not looking for anyone else, Pete." she said.

- "I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to say. I don't want you to look for anyone else, either. I love you, too, Sophie."

She smiled, and kissed me. Then she happily went off to enjoy her spa treatment.

I never did get to see Sophie angry, or in a foul mood. She assured me that she could and did have 'bad moments' - I just had to take her word for it. If she was hiding any dark secrets, I had no idea what they might be.

The three weeks were like a glorious low-budget honeymoon. The sex was fantastic, but so was the feeling I got just from being around her. I couldn't remember the last time that I'd been angry.

- "I'll see you at Thanksgiving." she said. "Will you be able to come over and meet my Mom? And my Aunt?"

- "I'm looking forward to it."

- "Thank you for doing this, Pete. It was ... absolutely wonderful to have you here."

- "Best three weeks of my life." I said. That was no lie.

- "Mine too." she said.

***

I thought about her all the way home. I had no idea what the future held for us. She was tied down by her new career. I had commitments, too, which would keep me on the road for the foreseeable future.

Could I manage a long-distance relationship? I didn't even want to think about a few years from now. For the moment, I was only hoping that I wouldn't screw up this relationship, the way I had with Michelle and Danielle.

Once I got home, Sammy wanted a full update. I had to see Mom and Bill. And I got a curious text from Janine, the day after I got back.

- 'Are you free Friday evening? We need to see you. Important.'

I knocked on their door at 7:00. Janine let me in.

- "Have a seat." she said.

Lillian was already sitting down, in her armchair. I sat on the couch, facing her.

- "Would you like something to drink?"

- "No, thanks. I'm fine. What's going on?"

Lillian took a deep breath. She look tired.

- "Peter, what were you doing in Montreal? Who was that girl you were with?"

- "You saw me? Were you there? I could've sworn that I saw you -"

- "Yes. I was there. Now please answer my question: who was that girl?"

- "Sophie? She's ..." I was struggling to find a description that would be fair to Sophie, without upsetting Janine. There was no such word.

"She's my girlfriend."

- "Shit." said Janine.

Lillian shushed her. "Peter - this is very important: how serious is your ... relationship?"

Well, the cat was definitely out of the bag. I might as well go with the honest answer. Lying to witches was probably not the best route to take. Besides, I found that I didn't want to deny how special Sophie was to me.

- "I'm in love with her." I said.

Lillian's reaction surprised me. She simply nodded.

- "I thought so." she said.

- "Shit." said Janine.

- "Listen to me carefully." said Lillian. "You have to do everything in your power to keep that girl happy. You have to be the ideal boyfriend."

- "What?"

- "You cannot break off with Sophie. You cannot allow her to break off with you. Do you understand me?"

- "No." I had absolutely no clue what Lillian was talking about.

- "Peter: Sophie is on the list. She's one of the 13."

*****