Dark and Stormy: Sacred Hearts Coven Read online

  Reddick found himself cataloguing her features. He’d always found her attractive, but something had changed. It was like someone lifted the fog and he could see her for who she really was.

  Her skin had significantly darkened over the summer months. He wasn’t sure about her ethnic heritage. He had a slight recollection that she may have been part Native American. Her dark hair was always pinned up, but a few pieces hung down just past her shoulders. There was an unruly wave to them from being tied back most of the day.

  The condition of her hair elicited images of what she might look like in the morning when she woke up. He pictured her lying beside him with little to no makeup and her hair slightly disheveled from a sleepless night.

  He watched as she stroked a red felt-looking bag. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined her stroking his inner thighs, teasing him with the hope that she might stroke him where it mattered most. Regina gently rubbed the bag across her cheek, enjoying the soft sensation he knew his freshly shaven cheeks could provide her with.

  She placed the red bag on Serena’s desk before delicately revealing the cherry-red pumps that were stowed away in the matching box. She examined each shoe carefully, admiring every little stitch.

  Placing the box on the desk, she took the left shoe in hand, leaving the right one in the box. She unhooked the clasp of the strap. Bending over, she carefully slid her toes into the front of the shoe. Reddick watched her tiny toes poke through the front opening. The precision of her French-manicured nails were moments ago in his hands. Her feet were softer than his niece’s bunny.

  Reddick had a thing for toes. Not just any toes. They had to be just right—not too short, not too long. Her feet were symmetrical and shaped like an artist sculpted them out of clay. He licked his lips at the thought of pressing them against the tips of each toe.

  With her foot in the shoe, she secured the left one by threading the strap through the tiny gold buckle. Both her hands glided over the smooth patent leather, and she didn’t stop there. Her hand continued up over her ankles and halfway up her calf as she extended her leg into the air to admire her shoes.

  Reddick knew he was enjoying himself a little too much. How could he help himself? Regina was just the right amount of woman. She wasn't thin and she wasn't plump. Her legs started with thin ankles and worked their way up past a slightly muscular calf muscle. Her skirt came down to just above her knees when she was standing, but with her leg extended her dress lifted slightly, he could see a bit of her thighs. He imagined the soft roundness of her thighs and how they led to a very nice round ass. He always made sure she walked up the stairs ahead of him so he could get a good view.

  Reddick left his jacket and tie at his desk, but he needed to release another button on his tailored shirt. Watching this woman have her affair with these red heels was elevating his body temperature. He wanted to keep watching her, but knew it was time to excuse himself.

  As she clasped the buckle on the right shoe, he hung up his fake phone call. When he stood up, he realized he needed to adjust himself. He was definitely giving his briefs a run for their money. He scooped up the rest of his protein bar and bottle of water.

  Regina stood up and looked down at her new shoes. Her legs seemed to go on for miles beneath her skirt. He started to walk around the desk to go back upstairs, and she started to spin around the room. A smile spread across his face, his heart suddenly warmed by her happiness. He never saw her smile like that before.

  REGINA SPUN AROUND feeling like she just won the lottery. She was thrilled to be wearing the very expensive pair of luxury shoes. To boot, they were comfortable too. Double bonus.

  Regina picked up her cell and called Serena. The phone rang three times before Serena picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Are you crazy? Wait, don't answer that. You are crazy!” Regina's voice was quivering as she playfully yelled at her boss and friend.

  “Hello to you, too.” Serena laughed. “I am not crazy. Well, maybe a little, and crazy about you. You work too hard. Don't get me wrong—I don’t want you to stop working hard. I would hate to fire you.”

  “I can't believe you bought these shoes.” Regina almost couldn’t catch her breath she was so excited.

  “I know. I saw them and they called to me. The shoes told me they belonged to Regina. I said to them, you sure do.”

  “They are gorgeous—and comfortable. I might not ever take them off.” Regina pointed her toes and gazed at them with a smile from ear to ear.

  “Listen, sweetie, you wear those shoes and they will walk you in the direction you need to be. Do me a favor?”

  “Yeah, anything,” Regina said. She couldn't take her eyes off the shoes.

  “Wear them tomorrow so I can see them on you,” Serena requested.

  “Of course.”

  “Good, I know you’re excited, but the mister is waiting for me. Don't forget to put that stone under your pillow tonight and bring it to work tomorrow and put it on your desk.”

  “Okay, have a great night. Tell Michelangelo I said hi.” Regina hung up the phone.

  Even though she had work to do, Regina was too wound up to concentrate on work. It had been a long and strange day. She grabbed the red velvet bag, placed it back into the red box, and the red box back into the silver bag. She grabbed it fast and ran back upstairs to grab her keys.

  Regina moved quickly. Her boost in energy came from the rush of receiving a gift she would never give herself. The office was very quiet except for the noise she was making pulling open her desk drawer to grab her purse. It too was red, but Regina took note that the shade was off and she would need to invest some time searching for a new bag. She shuffled around the papers on her desk, looking for her keys, before she remembered she’d tossed them in her bag after lunch.

  Without looking over at Reddick, she zipped by, yelling, “Goodnight.”

  Just as she was about to round the corner to the stairs, she heard him holler back. “Don’t forget your sky stone.”

  “Oh crap,” she murmured to herself. “Moonstone, thanks.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  R & R's Morning

  THE NEXT MORNING, Reddick woke up extra early. He knew after the night of dreams he just experienced, he would have to hit the gym hard before work. Normally he would take a shower after his workout, but on this instance, he decided a cold shower before and after his workout was in order.

  He decided to grab his favorite suit and a lavender pinstriped shirt. He remembered getting a complement about the color from Regina last month. He chose a grey tie to match his suit. Although it was a solid color, the inside lining of the tie was covered in hearts. He almost didn’t purchase it because he thought it was a bit feminine for his tastes, but he couldn’t deny the perfect match.

  His gym bag was already in his car with all of his necessary toiletries. He grabbed his wallet and his nicely stuffed money clip and threw them in the pocket of his suit. A bottle of water and a protein bar would have to do until he had breakfast after his workout. He was cracking the door to leave when he remembered the stone.

  He ran back into his bedroom and lifted his pillow. Before he picked up the stone, he noticed that the light seemed to dance across the surface. He remembered yesterday how the light shone through the stone, almost illuminating the blue flecks inside. He blew off the thought and snatched it up. He placed it in his suit pocket with his wallet and cash.

  After a hard workout, Reddick’s appetite was in full effect. He also had an extra bounce to his step and was feeling generous. On his way into the office, he stopped at Swanson's Bakeria. He ordered two bagel platters, one for each sales team, and an egg white omelet with green peppers for himself. While he waited for his to-go order, he browsed the confection counter and remembered his conversation with Regina about the chocolate-covered bacon.

  He was amazed at the assortment of choices Swanson's had. He couldn’t wait to let Regina see he was more than right. He asked the girl behind t
he counter if she could put together a two-pound box of the chocolate-covered bacon, making sure to tell her each and every one he wanted included. “I will take at least two of each: white chocolate with a dark drizzle, a dark chocolate with a toffee dusting, plain dark chocolate, plain milk chocolate, a mix of milk and dark chocolate with crushed candied pecans, and that one spiced with cinnamon and red pepper flakes. And you can fill it up with whatever else you think.”

  There was a small sign that said they cured and baked the bacon on premises. He knew there was a reason their bacon was unlike any he had anywhere else.

  The girl handed him the box of chocolates, all weighed out. “Your eggs and bagel platters will be ready in a minute. If you want, I can ring you up now.”

  “Okay, great.” He walked over to the register and put the box of chocolates down on the counter.

  The girl moved her out-of-place hair away from her eyes as she pushed some buttons on the cash register. “Just to let you know, we do custom orders on our chocolate if you ever need them for a function.”

  “Oh yeah, like what?” Reddick handed her a credit card.

  “All kinds of things.” Her eyes lit up at the opportunity to tell him about what they could make. “We have a catalog of shapes, for starters, so if you want something themed, we can try to accommodate most shapes. Of course we can make any combo of chocolate candy you want. Our website has a list of what we offer on a regular basis.”

  The young lady handed him a card and showed him the web address for the store. “We’re always open to new suggestions. Maybe I should say I am open—to the suggestions, that is.” Her cheeks suddenly flared a dark shade of pink. “I help make up new chocolates all the time.”

  “Well, the chocolate-covered bacon is out of this world. I promised some to a coworker yesterday. I had to bring enough to share with everyone. Let me ask you a question…” He paused as he looked over at the confections counter. “Do you happen to have any chocolates in the shape of a high heel?”

  The girl almost bounced off the floor. She wiped her hands down the front of her pink-and-white polka dot apron. “I will be right back.”

  While he was waiting, a short man with a funny mustache came out from the kitchen with two large covered platters and a bag on top filled with cream cheese and butter. He held a small paper bag in the other hand that contained his egg breakfast. “Sir, can I help you to your car with this?”

  “Um, yes. Thank you. I’m just waiting on the young lady to show me something.”

  Before he was finished explaining the delay, she was back with a large, silver baking dish. “We just made these last night for a bachelorette party.”

  The tray was covered in an assortment of different-colored high heels. Reddick looked up at her and smiled.

  “They are milk chocolate in the center. We dip them in a white candy shell so we can paint on the decorations. Is this what you were thinking?”

  He spotted a red shoe at the center of the tray. “What is the possibility of getting that red one there?”

  The girl looked around and frowned. “We only take custom orders ahead of time, and this is for a party tomorrow.”

  Reddick was above all else always a salesman. There wasn’t a deal he couldn't close. He wasn’t about to let this young lady stand in the way of him and one chocolate shoe.

  He reached in his pocket and pulled out a fifty. He folded it up and leaned in close to her.

  “This would be a very special treat for someone who is in need of a little sweetness in her life.” He slipped the fifty into the pocket of her apron. “If you could find it in your heart to wrap it in a separate little box, I would be very grateful.”

  “I will be right back.” She turned with the baking sheet and disappeared back into the kitchen.

  Reddick took out some extra cash and his keys. He handed both to the short man quietly waiting beside him, holding his food order. “My ride is the dark-grey BMW parked two spaces away from the front door. Please place the food on the floor in the back seat.”

  “Yes, sir, thank you.” The little guy backed out through the front door. The bells jingled as he bumped them with his back.

  The young chocolatier came back from the kitchen, holding a small white bag in her hand. “Consider this a sample. We look forward to helping you create something special in the future.”

  She handed him the bag and winked at him. Reddick took it and peeked into the bag. There was a small white box wrapped up with a red piece of string tied in a bow. It was perfect.

  Reddick gave her a proud slap on the side of her arm. “Knew you could make it happen. See you soon.” He turned and scooped his box of chocolate-covered bacon from the counter and went to find his way to the office.

  REGINA WOKE FROM a long night of erotic dreams. On more than one occasion, she woke in the middle of an orgasm. She desperately tried to remember whom it was in her dreams that could make her feel that way.

  Try as she might, a face didn’t show itself to her. All she could grasp at was the sensation of being filled by a man both physically and emotionally. She couldn't complain too much. It was the most action she had since her breakup with Paul. Regina kept herself so busy with work that she was too exhausted to even take care of herself at the end of a long day.

  She lay in bed a few extra minutes, hoping to either fall back to sleep or remember enough of her dream so she could rewind it and play it back throughout the day. With no such luck, she opted for a hot shower and a cup of strong, black coffee.

  It must have been all the excitement over her new shoes. At least that’s what she told herself. If she didn't know any better, she may have had those cherry reds on in her dreams.

  Looking through her closet for more time than the clock had to offer, she decided on a white dress that had splotches of red and black evenly spaced across the skirt. The dress had a very wide neckline. It almost went off the shoulders, but there was enough material to cover her thin, lacey bra. It was a touch edgier than what she normally wore to work, but it was conservative enough to get away with.

  It was a comfortable dress because it was easy to get on. Red buttons lined the front, allowing plenty of room for her to step into it or pull it over her head. Once buttoned, it fit snuggly around her waist. Regina was in good shape and her stomach was flat, but there was still a softness to her. This dress accentuated her naturally curvaceous body.

  The weather had been warm the past few days, but cool enough at night to feel fall was approaching. She decided to skip the hose. The truth was she really didn’t need them. Her sun-kissed tan legs were too nice to cover up. Perhaps she was just that eager to get her feet into her new Valentinos.

  She rubbed her long legs with an oil-rich lotion, careful not to get any on her feet. She made that mistake once and kept slipping around in her shoes. Regina loved the sheen she got from this lotion; it looked like she rubbed them with a little baby oil, but without the greasiness.

  She grabbed the red velvet bag and took out her new shoes slow enough to look at every detail before slipping them on. Regina admired herself in the mirror. Actually, she mostly just stared at her feet in her reflection.

  She was so enthralled with the shoes she almost forgot to put up her long, dark brown hair. Time had escaped her so she just put it in a quick French twist and pinned back her bangs. She made up for the lack of effort on her hair with a little extra black eyeliner.

  Looking over at the clock, she realized she should have left twenty minutes prior. In the three years Regina had worked for Serena, she had never been late, not once. In fact, she might not have ever been on time. She was always early. I guess there’s a first time for everything, she said to herself.

  Just as she grabbed her keys and her purse, Crunch started barking at her. How could she forget? She ran back to her bedroom. Her unmade bed would have to wait until she got home. She reached across the bed and grabbed the moonstone from under her pillow and tossed it in her bag. As she sped past Crunch,
he barked and cried a little more.

  “What’s wrong, boy?” She stopped and crouched down to give him some loving.

  Crunch nuzzled his snout up under her chin. He looked at her and then back at the kitchen.

  “Oh my goodness. I am so sorry. Where is my head?” Regina rushed to the kitchen.

  “I can’t believe I almost forgot to feed you. What is wrong with me today?” Regina was feeling off. She put two scoops of food in his bowl and gave him some fresh water. “Missy will be here in a few hours to walk you. Gotta go. Love you.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  The Office

  SOMEHOW REGINA MANAGED to not hit any red lights, and the traffic was almost non-existent. She was actually still going to make it in a few minutes early. As she pulled into the parking lot, her cell phone rang.

  After she parked, she grabbed her cell from the passenger seat. It was Serena calling. Regina got nervous for a second and worried that she had disappointed Serena by not arriving early.

  How could she not be here working extra hard to show her appreciation of these over-the-top amazing shoes? Regina was beating herself up before she even answered the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Regina. How was your night last night?”

  “Good, I did and didn't have a great night of sleep. I woke up several times, but I can't complain about the reasons.”

  “Oh yeah? Did you have company? Do tell.”

  “Ha, ha, ha. If only. But I did have some pretty sexy dreams. I’ll tell you all about it later. Where are you anyway?” Regina asked, noticing Serena’s car wasn’t in her spot.

  “Well, we decided to take a drive inland. Have you watched the weather report for the next few days?”

  “No, why?” Regina looked up at the sky for a sign of inclement weather.