Taste of Grief (Just One Bite #3) (3 page)

Adrian blushed, making her start a bit with surprise.
"That's a bit difficult to explain, Ms. Malone," he said, clearing
his throat. "You see, I'm a Wiccan…"

Diandra cut in. "Excuse me?"

Adrian blushed furiously now. "This is always
awkward," he mumbled, more to himself than to her. "Wicca is a
religion, a form of witchcraft."

Diandra jumped up and snatched Rae away so quickly that the
baby instantly burst into tears. She rocked the baby, fixing him with a nasty
stare.
"Oh Hell no!
Get the Hell out of my
house." She marched towards the door, throwing it wide.

Adrian stood up hurriedly, eager to defend himself.
"No, it's not what you think. I'm a white witch, bound by the rule of
three. 'Ever mind the rule of three, what you give out comes back to
thee,'" he said quickly.

Diandra stared at him, her eyes narrowed, but she was
listening. "Go on," she said slowly.

"I would never harm anyone. It's kind of like karma- if
I were to hurt someone, do something evil and wrong, it could turn back to me
three times more severe than anything I'd done. That's the rule of three. I'm a
white witch, and vowed to harm no one, ever in life." His green eyes were
wide and sincere. Seeing he had her attention, he breathed easier and continued
to explain himself and his religion to her. "Wicca is based upon pre-Christian
religion. It's an earthy religion, worshipping gods and goddesses, the Lord and
Lady, the Sun and Moon. Nothing evil- we name what we worship to give it power,
just as by not giving a name to evil we refuse to invoke it with power."
He searched her face carefully, looking for what, she did not know.

Diandra shut the door slowly and returned to the parlor. She
set RaeLynn down on the floor and the baby instantly darted back towards her
new friend. While this did not make Diandra very happy, she also made no
attempt to stop the budding friendship, either. Adrian's smile widened as he
once more lifted the baby into his arms and sat in the armchair.

Dia sat down on the loveseat reluctantly. "All right,
Adrian. Tell me more."
 

"As I said, I'm a witch. I sometimes get… feelings,
about various things, not just one thing or another in particular. I picked up
my newspaper and knew there was something in there I needed to see. I closed my
eyes and flipped pages, following the pull until it led to the classifieds and
your ad about a housekeeping position. I knew I needed to interview as soon as
possible. I don't know why, but this is the job I was meant to take."

Diandra was extremely skeptical, but judging by her life
lately, was what he suggested any crazier than a gifted baby, vampirism, or
shape shifting? "Okay, Adrian. How much are you looking to be paid?"

Adrian looked up and blinked in surprise. "Um, I don't
really care. I have a trust fund to live off of, enough to last me for life if
I'm careful with it. The money is unimportant. I work because emotionally I
need to, not because of financial reasons." Diandra stared in shock a
minute before shrugging and naming a fair salary. He agreed without hesitation
or bargaining.

Diandra sat back on the loveseat and studied him in silence.
The struggle she felt was evident. Finally reaching a decision she stood up.
"If you'll fill this form out authorizing the background check Lizbeth
wants to run, we'll get back to you. I'm willing to hire you on a provisional
basis. There's a room off the kitchen you can move into, as we want our new
housekeeper to be live-in. It prevents the need for dealing with early and late
comings and goings. Is that going to be an issue for you?"

Adrian smiled. "Well, I do have my own apartment, but
it's quite a distance from here and very small. I don't mind moving in here, I
suppose, as long as I have permission to fix my room up the way I want it. I
don't mean painting and such, but my own furniture and things. Does that meet
with your approval?"

Diandra stared at him, worrying at her bottom lip with one
slightly pointed canine. The tooth looked human, although before she was
changed her canines were squared off evenly with the rest of her teeth. "I
don't think that'll be a problem. There's a twin bed in the room already but
it's large enough to hold a king-sized bed, a dresser, and a nightstand and
still move comfortably. Did you want to see it now?"

"That won't be necessary, but thank you. If I can store
the twin bed elsewhere to make room for my queen-sized one then that would be
wonderful. I'll save you the trouble of the form, however. I'd really like to
take it to the station in person and meet Ms. Snyder if she's available."

Diandra nodded slowly. "That should be fine. I'll call
ahead and let her know. And we'll get back to you shortly. Thank you for your
time."

Adrian filled out the form, shook her hand, and gave her one
last deep stare that made her feel he could see inside her soul. Wishing her a
good day, he got into his car and left. Diandra stood in the doorway for a few
minutes after he left, both hoping he was the employee they sought, and praying
he wouldn't pass the background check.

Lizbeth came home from work to find Diandra pacing the
parlor, mumbling to herself. Shaking her head, she dropped her briefcase inside
the door and went to her lover. This behavior was very unlike her, and Lizbeth
wondered what could have possibly gone wrong from this morning until now. She
winced a little, hoping it wasn't a problem between the two of them. She was so
sure they'd worked things out before she went to work, but maybe the air wasn't
entirely cleared after all.

"Hey, love," Lizbeth said, causing Diandra to
jump. This was also unlike her as she was eerily attuned to her environment.
She knew Diandra heard her come in, but she seemed surprised to be spoken to.
Lizzie grasped her hand and led her to the loveseat, encouraging her to sit.

"Did Adrian come by for his background check?"
Diandra blurted out.

Lizbeth raised her eyebrows slightly. "Yes, he did.
He's wonderful, isn't he? Very bright, and not a hint of trouble anywhere in
his background- and believe me, I checked him out thoroughly. I still haven't
heard back from one of his personal references, but everyone I called had
nothing but positive things to say about the man."

Diandra jumped up and started pacing once more. "Yes,
yes, he's nice enough. But he's young, and male. What's wrong with hiring a
woman, say middle-aged? Wouldn't that be better than some trust-fund baby
who'll grow bored and quit?" The words sounded casual enough but Lizbeth
could hear the underlying tension in the tone.

"Yes, I suppose he's young. Everyone else has either
had something pop on their background or just doesn't suit personality-wise.
He's intelligent, he graduated high school at 16, and he worked with the Peace
Corps after that. He's never even had so much as a parking ticket,"
Lizbeth stated sensibly, hoping to put Diandra at ease. "I really liked
him, and was hoping to hire him. Is there something specific wrong with
him?"

Diandra shook her head but spoke quickly, as though the
words were so silly she wanted to get them out in the open and out of her
thoughts. "He looked at me like he could see right through me. Rae acted
all weird with him. I don't like it. I don't think it'll work."

Lizbeth sat up, tension filling her body. "What do you
mean? What did RaeLynn do?"

Diandra stopped pacing a moment, and a slight blush rose in
her cheeks. "She went to him, arms wide open. She wouldn't stay away from
him the whole time he was here."

Lizzie's breath left her in a rush, her body relaxing as the
fear and concern fled her. "Oh, damnit Dia, I thought you were going to
tell me something horrible happened, or she was terrified of him, or, God forbid,
she disappeared in front of him. If Rae trusts him, don't you think that means
he's a good bet? With everyone else who interviewed for this position, she
watched them distrustfully. No matter how nicely they shaped up in the
interview, RaeLynn's instincts were on the money when it came to the background
check."

"I don't want him here!" Diandra burst out.
"I think he's creepy."

Lizbeth stood up and took her arms. "He does charity
work in his spare time, in addition to donating a lot of his trust fund
investments. I think he's perfect, and I want to give him a one-week trial run.
If it works, we'll extend that to one month. And he has to agree to move in
here. I don't want to deal with an off-site housekeeper anymore."

"He was fine with moving in," Diandra said dully. "I
already told him that was part of the arrangement if he wanted the job and he
said that was fine." All the fight had gone out of her- she was moving her
way towards acceptance of their soon-to-be-hired housekeeper.

"It'll be fine, Dia. You'll see. I'll call him in the
morning." She looked around the parlor, finally broadening her scope from
the situation she now considered to be resolved. "Where's RaeLynn
anyway?"

Diandra smiled, shrugging off the problem as well.
"She's in her crib upstairs, taking a nap. Why? What do you have in
mind?" Her tone was teasing as she lightly ran one hand over her breasts.

Lizbeth's eye hungrily followed the path Diandra's hand was
taking. A glint of want, a hint of need, filled her sky blue eyes and she licked
her lips in anticipation. "Well, it started out as mere curiosity but now
I've got plans, lots of hot, sweaty plans. Are you up for some fun and
games?"

Diandra's eyes were wide, her pupils dilated with
excitement. "I'm always up for fun and games. Lead on."

Lizbeth gestured for Diandra to wait where she was a moment.
Trepidation filled her as she carried her briefcase upstairs with her, walking
into their bedroom and shutting the door quietly behind her. She took a deep
breath before opening the case. Nestled inside were neckties- five of them, to
be exact. Four of the ties were red, and those she tied around the bedposts of
the bed. The last tie was white, and this one made her the most nervous of all.
All five were made of the finest silk, soft to the touch and glistening as the
bedroom light caught and reflected off the material. She didn't think she'd
ever spent that kind of money before, not on something like this, but she
wanted this to go smoothly. And really, it wasn't about the money but the
quality of the product. She wanted them to last, and she had a feeling in this
case that the cost reflected the durability.

Sighing, she placed the white tie across the pillows at the
head of the bed. She lit candles, and the musky scent of sandalwood filled the
bedroom. The candles were placed randomly around the room, until it was lit
with softly flickering light. Only then did she turn off the room's overhead
lights. Normally candles were more Diandra's thing than Lizbeth's, but this
night was for the two of them, and if Dia liked them, Lizzie would light them.

The final step was removing her work clothes. She caught a
glimpse of her body in the full-length mirror on the back of the bedroom door
and stopped, entranced. Her skin gleamed like moonlight in the dim glow. Her
hair was getting darker now that it was no longer exposed to the elements like
it had been when she was on the streets. It was such a dark shade of brown now
that it was nearly black. Her body was slim and toned, her breasts small and firm,
just the right size. She didn't look flat-chested, but her breasts were small
enough that she could wear a camisole instead of a bra and she didn't sag. Her
hips weren't quite rounded, but neither did her body appear boyish. She looked
like a slender young woman, and most importantly, she finally looked healthy.

Satisfied with her appearance, she decided not to put
anything on. Instead, she opened the door, shut it behind her once more, and
padded towards the staircase naked. Diandra was at the foot of the stairs where
she'd left her, and Lizbeth gestured for her to come to her, holding her hand
out and waiting for Dia to take it. They walked slowly towards the bedroom door
and Lizbeth stopped. Turning to face her lover, she echoed the words, unconsciously,
that she'd used their first night together. "Do you trust me?"

Diandra searched her face, trying to read what lay there. As
she had that night so long ago, she merely nodded her head in answer. Lizbeth
stepped aside, allowing her to open the door and walk in. She hesitantly turned
the knob, pushing the door wide with agonizing slowness. Her breath left her in
a whoosh, and she breathed in deeply, startled to smell the sandalwood. That
was Dia's favorite scent, and Lizbeth didn't care for it quite as much as she
did.

Her eyes focused on the bed next and she felt her thighs
quiver a bit with excitement. She'd never tried soft bondage, but it looks like
things would change tonight. She was nervous, but she trusted Lizbeth like
she'd trusted no other. She realized that if Jonah had suggested this to her
during their marriage she probably would have said no. Lizbeth took the time to
set it up so it looked gentle, peaceful, and very sensual. No, she'd not turn
Lizbeth down.

Without a word, Diandra stripped off her robe and dropped it
to the floor. She climbed onto the massive bed and lay down in the center of
it, arms and legs spread without a word. Lizbeth climbed up next to her, but
didn't reach for the ties. Instead, she leaned over Dia, hands gently caressing
her face and long, coppery tresses as she moved closer and pressed their lips
together. The kiss was soft, gentle, and searching. Dia strained, attempting to
deepen the kiss, but Lizzie retained control and kept it teasingly light. She
pulled back to look into those lilac eyes.

"Tonight isn't about rough, fast, hard sex. This is
about gentle lovemaking, taking the time to explore every inch of you. You see
only the ties, and how they'll bind you down," Lizbeth said. "Me, I
see an opportunity. They're silk ties, not handcuffs. They're merely to hold
you still under my attentions, not keep you prisoner." Lizbeth laughed as
she added, "Besides, with your new strength handcuffs wouldn't hold you, either,
if I were determined to keep you."