Chapter Three

Aliya sat up straight and looked around. Finding herself alone, and in her own bed, she lay back down and laughed loudly.

Just a dream. A nightmare, actually.

“Thank the heavens above,” she said softy. “No Djinn. No demons. Just me wondering where the hell that dream came from.”

“Do you not have food in this house?”

She sat up and stared at the doorway.

Matuse stood there, holding a grapefruit up for her to see. “This wouldn’t satisfy a third of my hunger right now. Is this how you feed yourself? No wonder you have no meat on your bones.”

“No! Get out. Get out!” She pointed toward the front of the house, recoiling when he took a few steps toward her.

“That’s no way to speak to me, now is it? Remember, you’re mine for thirty days.”

“Screw your thirty days. Get the hell out of my house. Now. Before I call the cops.” Aliya kept her voice as calm as she possibly could, fighting back memories of last night, of not being able to get the door open at the club. Of feeling trapped. At least now she was in her own home. She was in control.

Or was she?

“I’m so hungry,” Matuse replied. “I have to have fuel for my body, and unfortunately, you have none. Not that it would matter because I’m not much of a cook. It’s really very sad.”

“Did you hear me? Get out.”

“Paran! I’m hungry.”

Aliya scooted to the other side of the bed as the dark-headed man appeared, wearing nothing more than a pair of low-slung pants.

He grinned at her wickedly, then looked around. “Goodness. Not what I expected at all. It’s very feminine. And very… pink. I expected something darker, to match your nature.”

Aliya held a pillow to her face, muttering into it, hoping her chant of “it’s not real” would make them disappear.

“You must learn to cook, Matuse,” Paran said. “And if you’re going to use me for this, you know that I get to play later, too.”

“Shut up,” Matuse replied. “I only called for you because I know everyone else is on assignment. I’m hungry. Very hungry. Pancakes and bacon, with eggs, too. And some sausage.”

“Your wish is my command,” Paran replied. “This time.”

Aliya lowered the pillow in time to see Paran wave his hand. A stove appeared, as did a refrigerator. She buried her face again as the sounds of pots and pans moving around filled the air.

Her mattress dipped with added weight. She withdrew the pillow to focus on Matuse, who now sat on the bed, propped against the footboard with his legs stretched out in front of him.

He studied her as if she were the appetizer to the meal he’d just ordered. “Are you read to talk, and to accept your situation?”

She thought about arguing, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. Then, an image of Nicholas popped into her mind. “Work! I’m late.”

“You’re fired, remember?”

She glanced between the two men in her room, then snatched her phone off the nightstand, hitting the speed dial for the office. The receptionist put her through to Nicholas, who answered her greeting with a curt, “What do you want?”

“Nicholas, listen. Last night was a…”

“I’ve already boxed up your things. A messenger will bring them to your house this morning. You will give him your key when he comes. End of story.”

The phone went dead. She stared at it, and then at Paran, who stood next to her, offering her a plate of food.

“I’m not eating that.” She scowled at the plate full of pancakes dripping in butter and soaked in syrup. Three slices of bacon and two large links of sausage sat to the side. “I’ve gained five pounds just looking at it.”

“But I slaved over it. You have to eat.”

“Oh really? If you’re both these powerful Djinn, or demons, or whatever, why do you have to cook like normal people?”

“Do normal people wave their hand and make a stove appear?” Paran extended the plate again. When she didn’t take it, he placed it next to her, held out his hand, and a second plate floated toward him He took it and sat down next to Matuse, who was already eating as if there were no tomorrow.

“Delicious,” Matuse said around a mouthful of pancakes. “My compliments to the chef.”

“You’re welcome,” Paran replied. “And you are, too, little she-devil. Now eat.” He took a bite.

Aliya watched them as they calmly chewed and swallowed, neither of them looking directly at her. When she reached for her own plate, Matuse gave her a wink. She held it over the edge of the bed, turned it over and let the food fall to the floor before dropping the plate.

He sighed. “How old are you again? Twenty-eight, or eight?”

“All my hard work,” Paran complained. “Such a waste.”

“You never did answer my question,” Aliya said. “If you’re all powerful genies, how come you have to cook?”

“We’re not genies,” they responded in unison.

Paran narrowed his eyes at her and a plate containing exactly the same food as before appeared in front of her.

“Magical food is good, but not as good as that which is hand prepared,” Matuse said. “And you’re cleaning that up.”

She picked up the second plate and gave it the same treatment she’d given the first, dropping the plate with enough force that, when it hit the first one, the sound of breaking pottery filled the room.

Aliya sucked in a deep breath when a third plate appeared on the bed.

“Eat.” Matuse’s voice was stern.

She turned an evil glare on him. “Get out of my house,” she ordered, keeping her voice as hard as his. “You’ve already cost me my job. What more can you do to me?”

Matuse stared at her, then turned his gaze to Paran and nodded before turning back to her. “Thank you, Paran. Again.”

“I recognize a dismissal when I hear it.” Paran stood. He waved his hand and the stove and refrigerator disappeared. “At least let me stay and watch you spank her. After all, it was my food she destroyed. I deserve that small bit of compensation.”

Matuse continue to stare at her, then gazed again at Paran, who swore softly.

“Your Djinn side makes you too soft. She needs a firmer hand, like mine.” He disappeared.

She continued to stare at Matuse. When he made a move to stand, she rushed off the bed, her foot sliding on pancakes and syrup, grinding the food into the carpet.

“Wait! I want to talk to your boss. You tricked me into this. There’s got to be some Djinn rule about that.” She couldn’t believe those words came out of her mouth. But how could it be anything other than magical? The appearing stove and refrigerator, and the way he’d hovered off the ground last night. The way Paran appeared and disappeared.

“You stroked the lamp of your own free will. No one forced you.”

“But you left it there for me to find.”

“You could have ignored it. You could have just touched it, and nothing would have happened. It was when you stroked it that the contract became valid.”

His voice was calm and steady, even though she knew he was angry. They stared at each other for several seconds, and then he cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Clean up your mess. Do I make myself clear?”

She nodded, afraid that if she didn’t obey him, he would take up Paran’s suggestion of a spanking. She gazed down at the food and broken plates.

“You know,” she said, trying to sound sexy. “I’m sure one wave of your hand would clean this up.”

The look he gave her made her shiver.

She went into the bathroom, quickly returning with a trash can and several towels, both wet and dry. She picked up the plates and food, tossing them into the trash before putting the wet towels over the mess and pressing down gently. She tried not to move it around, afraid to ground the mess in further. When she thought most of it was absorbed, she got another wet towel, placed it on top of the stain, blotted it and then covered the spot with a dry one.

She looked at Matuse, who hadn’t moved from his spot.

“Now, eat,” he said.

“I don’t eat things like that. Seriously, give me my grapefruit and I’ll eat it, but I’m not eating that.”

“A few bites won’t hurt. And you’ll make me very happy.”

It was the last words that made her sit down and pick up the plate. If he was happy, he wasn’t thinking about spanking her.

She took a bite, moaning softly at the wondrous taste. It had been forever since she’d eaten anything with syrup on it. “It’s still warm,” she said in surprise, taking another bite.

Matuse gave her a sheepish grin, and before she knew it, she’d finished half the plate.

She set the plate aside and held her stomach. “I can’t eat anymore. I’m stuffed.” The plate disappeared and she stared at the place it had been. “So this is real. All of it. Tell me what’s happening. Please.” She added the last word quickly, then looked at him.

“Djinn are an ancient race of magical people who can spread happiness, and pleasure.”

“I can’t say I’m very happy right now.”

“Give it time,” Matuse said. “Over the years, we have evolved into what your world would call societies. The group that operates in this part of the country is called the Desires of the Lamp Djinn. Through our lamps, we come into people’s lives, men and women, to help them sort things out and learn to feel pleasure.”

She snorted. “So, you’re making me feel pleasure by making sure I’m unemployed? How thoughtful.”

“Some cases need more work than others,” Matuse replied. “Certain individuals who do their best to spread evil, like yourself, need to be taught the error of their ways. That’s where I come in.”

“Because you’re not a Djinni, you’re a demon.”

“Only half demon. But as I said, it does come in handy. If you prefer, I will hand the reins over to Paran, who will spank you nightly for thirty days, I’m sure.” He stood and she held up her hand.

“Wait. No.” Maybe this man was the lesser of two evils. “So, your job is to make me right my past wrongs?”

“Exactly.”

“Then let’s do it. Give me the phone and I’ll call these women and get it over with. Then, you can go back and torture someone else and I can go look for a job.”

“It doesn’t work that way. You have to mean it. Right now, you don’t. And, as I’ve said, you’re—”

“I know. I’m yours for thirty days. Well, twenty-eight now, right? Minus yesterday and today.”

“Nice try.” There was humor in his voice. “Yesterday doesn’t count.”

She studied him as he stood by the edge of the bed, his hands on his hips. He really was the most gorgeous specimen of man she’d ever seen. His eyes darkened as she watched him, and she saw desire flickering behind them. That was an emotion she could deal with–an emotion she was used to.

She got on her hands and knees, crawling across the bed toward him, stopping when her mouth was right in front of his crotch.

Aliya lowered her eyes, then licked her lips as she looked back at him. “I’ll make a deal with you.”

“I’m listening.”

She ran her hands up his rippled stomach to his smooth chest, flicking his hard little nubs as she went. When her hands were on his shoulders she leaned over and licked a nipple, snaking her tongue across to the other one and sucking it hard. His sharp intake of breath made her shiver in pleasure, and with power.

She ran her hands down his biceps to his hands. “I’ll make you come harder than you’ve ever come before. If you’ll cut my sentence down.”

“Sentence.” He shook his head, his lips curling into a wicked grin. “Is that what you think this is?”

“One week. I’ll fuck you any way you want. I’m very good at it.”

Her hand moved to his groin and she stroked his cock, which was hard and ready for her. Her hand cupped him and she murmured in delight as she stroked his shaft, moving the top of the pants. The head of his cock appeared, rising up under her tender touch.

She placed her hand inside his pants, grasping him tightly. “What a big boy you are. It’s nice to see you want to come out and play.”

“You’re used to this, aren’t you, Aliya?” His voice was deep with desire, but she could hear something else there, too. Something that made her insides shiver. It wasn’t disgust in his voice. It was regret. “Using your body to get what you want. You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“It’s obvious you want me. Make a deal with me. Bury yourself deep inside me. Let me have it all. You can fuck me anywhere you want.” She leaned over and licked the tip of his cock, triumph burning into her as he hissed in pleasure. Then, he turned away from her slightly, and she lifted her gaze to his.

“No. Thirty days, no more, no less. That’s the only deal we have.”

Aliya pulled her hands back as if she’d been burned.  She then tumbled back as he pushed and climbed on top of her.

“Get off me.” She wiggled beneath him, fully aware that his hard cock pressed into her belly.

“Don’t worry, little she-devil. There will be a great deal of pleasure exchanged between the two of us. But not quite yet. First, we need to talk about that spanking you so desperately need.”