Channie had no idea how long they talked before she fell asleep, but the last time she checked her alarm clock, it was after two in the morning.
Her phone was open and stuck to her cheek when Momma shook her awake and said, “Rise and shine sleepy-head, you’re gonna be late for school.”
Channie yawned and stretched then forced her eyes open. “When did you get back?”
“About an hour ago.” Momma was grinning so wide Channie could see her back teeth.
“Did you and Daddy win any money?”
“You would not believe how much money we won.”
Channie’s mouth was instantly dry. “Did you get enough to pay off Daddy’s debts.”
“Not quite. We’re going to go again next weekend.”
~***~
Channie was about half-way to school when her phone played Josh’s ring-tone.
“Hey, you got your phone back.”
“Where are you?” Josh’s voice was slightly higher pitched than normal, tense.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s my shield. The girls are going nuts.”
How could she have forgotten about the aphrodisiacal effect of Josh’s shield? There were a lot more girls at school than there had been at the races. At least she hadn’t super-charged it with her own lust recently.
“Are you safe?”
“For now. I’m in the boy’s bathroom next to the gym.”
“Stay put until I get there.”
Channie didn’t even bother to lock her bike when she got to school. She raced to the gym and cast a moon-curse at the crowd of girls gathered outside the boy’s bathroom. They all clutched their bellies and scampered into the girl’s bathroom. Channie knocked on the door and said, “Josh? Are you in there?”
The door creaked open and Josh peeked his head out. “Are they gone?”
“Yeah, but we better get you somewhere safe and figure out a way to fix this.”
Josh looked both ways like he was getting ready to cross a busy street, then slipped his arm around Channie’s waist and made a mad dash for the south door. They made it outside without incident, but there were too many girls hanging around in the court yard and they honed in on Josh like heat-seeking missiles. Channie cast curse after curse, but the girls kept coming.
“Josh, I’m running out of power. Can you give me a little boost?”
He seemed to know exactly what she was hinting at and slid his hand from Channie’s waist to her back-side and gave it a little squeeze.
Chastity’s power-well went from nearly empty to overflowing in an instant. Channie took care of all the girls and still had power left over. If she didn’t dump the excess soon, she was going to light Josh’s shield up with so much energy, she wouldn’t be able to resist him either.
The marching band was still practicing on the football field. It was a large group and far enough away that no one in their right mind would believe she’d tasered the entire bunch. But when she released Chastity’s excess energy, every single musician hit a sour note. One of the color guard tripped and fell against the drummer standing next to her. The entire front row, and half of the second, stumbled into each other like falling dominoes.
Josh snickered and said, “Sweet! Did you do that?”
“Actually, I blame you for that one.”
“Me?”
“I said a little boost. Grabbing my butt was not a good idea.”
He said, “Sorry,” but the grin on his face proved he wasn’t the least bit remorseful. “You want to go to my house? My mom’s at work.”
“I thought you were grounded.”
“I am, but you’re not.”
“Your momma’s not going to be happy to see me.”
“She doesn’t even get off work till five.”
Channie knew better than to go to a boy’s house without a chaperone, but she trusted Josh. Besides, they had to do something about that shield.
~***~
Josh opened the door and said, “Mom and Dad sold our house after the divorce so now we have to live in this crappy little townhouse. But Dad and Liz have a huge place in Boulder.” There was a slight trace of bitterness in his voice. “They even have an indoor pool and hot tub. I’ll take you there sometime.”
Channie didn’t know what he was talking about. The place wasn’t any smaller than the house she was living in and a heck of a lot bigger than the cabin back home. Everything was new and clean. “All your furniture matches.”
Josh looked around as if he’d never seen the place, then glanced sideways at Channie and blushed.
If he was feeling sorry for her, Channie was going to turn around right now and go home. She scanned his energy field but all she found was embarrassment and humility. No pity. Good.
She followed Josh into the kitchen. The first thing that caught her attention was the fancy refrigerator. It had an ice and water dispenser in the door. Josh followed her gaze and said, “Are you hungry?”
“No, but I’m a little thirsty.”
He dug around inside the refrigerator then handed her a diet Pepsi and shut the door.
The drink Josh had gotten for himself was not sugar-free. She narrowed her eyes and said, “You think I’m getting fat or something?”
“No. Of course not, but most girls I know won’t drink any kind of soda unless it’s diet.”
Channie handed it back to him and said, “I’m not like most girls.”
Josh laughed and said, “Sorry, you can say that again. What would you like to drink?”
“You got Dr. Pepper?”
“Hell no, that stuff’s nasty. It tastes like carbonated prune juice. We’ve got regular Pepsi, root beer, ginger ale, Sprite and Mountain Dew.”
“I’ll take a ginger ale, please.”
Josh twisted the top off the glass bottle and stuck a straw in it. “Come on, I’ll give you the tour.”
They wound up in the basement in a dark room with a huge flatscreen television on the wall and sound speakers in every corner. Josh called it an entertainment room and made a point of demonstrating the fact that with the door shut, it was completely soundproof.
Josh flopped into the middle of the sofa and draped his arms over the back. He obviously wanted Channie to sit next to him, but he was practically lying down. She sank into a black leather chair across the room.
Josh pushed his lower lip out a bit. “So, do you have any idea how we can keep the girls at school from attacking me?”
~***~
There was no way Channie could cast a moon-curse on every girl at school that wanted to get her hands on Josh. Even if she had the energy, they only had one class together. She couldn’t protect him if she wasn’t there.
She attached an itching spell to Josh’s shield and used her own lust to create a trigger. Neither of them wanted an accidental bump in the halls or a friendly touch to curse an innocent bystander.
Josh rubbed his arms and said, “I don’t feel any different. You sure this will work?”
“If any girl lays hands on you with less than pure intent, she’ll feel as if a thousand fleas have infested her sorry hide.”
“Ha! Itches for bitches. I like it. Call it IFB for short.”
Channie rolled her eyes and said, “Are you ready to go back to school?”
Josh smirked at her. “I’ve got a better idea.”
Channie clamped down on Chastity’s energy. “That IFB spell affects me too.”
Josh made his sad puppy face. “Even through cuddle clothes?”
“Afraid so.” Channie had made damn sure that clothing would not interfere with the curse. She didn’t want anyone touching Josh but her, no matter how many layers of fabric were between them. “But it should only last a few hours. Long enough to protect you until we get home from school.”
“You want to go get something to eat? My mom carpools on Mondays. We can drive her Toyota.”
“Aren’t you supposed to babysit Elijah when he gets home from school?”<
br />
“We’ll be back way before then.”
Josh tried to talk Channie into eating at a fancy restaurant, but she insisted on McDonald’s. “Abby told me that if I ever got the chance, I had to try their fried potatoes. Please? I gotta try ‘em, at least once.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather eat at The Waterloo Ice House on Main Street? They have french fries there too.”
“I’m not dressed up enough for a fancy restaurant.”
Josh laughed and shook his head. “Alright, McDonald’s it is. But the one on West Dillon Road is going to be too crowded. We’ll go to the food court at the mall.”
Channie had never been to a mall before. It was even better than Walmart. And a lot less crowded. But the few teenaged girls that were there definitely noticed Josh. It was hard to keep Chastity’s energy in check, but Channie needed to see how well the IFB spell worked on its own.
The first girl that touched Josh thought she was having an allergic reaction and used an epi-pen on herself. Her friends were loyal and managed to conquer their lust long enough to whisk her away and that was the end of that.
Josh accidentally-on-purpose brushed against a mom dragging a couple of squalling toddlers behind her. She said, “Hey, watch where you’re going,” but didn’t so much as twitch.
He apologized to the woman then leaned closer to Channie and whispered in her ear, making her heart race. “I’d say the experiment’s a success. Let’s go get something to eat.”
When they got to the food court, a medley of exotic spices tickled Channie’s nose.
Josh walked right past the McDonald’s counter and got in line for The Mediterranean Grill. “I’ll still get you an order of fries from Micky D’s but I want you to eat something healthy first. Besides, I can’t eat too much junk food. I have to stay in shape.”
Channie used Josh’s comment as an excuse to let her gaze travel over his lean, hard-muscled body. “You’re not gonna get fat no matter what you eat.”
“I’m not worried about getting fat.” Even without the self-satisfied smirk spreading across Josh’s face, Channie knew he felt her lustful energy pouring into his shield. “I’m worried about getting enough protein to maintain the small amount of muscle mass I’ve managed to build over the last year. I need to bulk up before Grands.”
“What’s Grands? It sounds important.”
“It’s sort of the Superbowl of BMX racing, so yeah, it’s really important. It determines your ranking for the next year. If I want to race in the 2012 Olympics I need to do well at Grands from here on out.”
“I’d like to see you race at Grands. When is it?”
“Thanksgiving, but since it’s in Tulsa, we leave as soon as school’s out on Wednesday afternoon.”
Thanksgiving was a big deal in Channie’s family, at least it had been, before they moved. It wouldn’t be the same without all the aunts, uncles, and cousins—or Abby. Channie tried not to think about her sister. She and Abby hadn’t been close for years—not since she’d gotten pregnant and shut everyone out of her life—but that one conversation after Channie had kissed Josh had given her hope that they could be friends and confidants again. False hope was worse than no hope at all. Channie pushed all thoughts of Abby into the back of her mind. “What about Thanksgiving dinner?”
“My family’s eaten Thanksgiving dinner at Mimi’s cafe for the past four years. Before that, Mom tried to cook it in the trailer. Mimi’s is better. We don’t even take the trailer anymore. We just stay in a hotel. If you want to come, I’ll rent you a separate room.”
“That sounds expensive.”
“You’re worth it.” Josh laced his fingers behind his head and tipped his chair back, balancing on two legs. “But if you’re worried about the expense, you could always share a room with me.”
Channie’s mouth fell open, but she was speechless.
Josh slammed the front legs of his chair onto the floor, grabbed the edge of the table and laughed.“I’m sorry, but you should have seen the look on your face.” He continued to chuckle as he stacked their trays together and gathered up their trash. “Why don’t you let me make it up to you? I’ll buy you dessert.”
Chocolate raspberry crepes had to be the most delicious thing Channie had ever tasted in her entire life. They were better than Momma’s oatmeal cookies. Better than Nana’s blueberry pancakes. Better than McDonald’s fried potatoes.
A middle-aged woman moaned and said, “I swear, these crepes are better than sex.”
Channie choked, snorting a piece of raspberry up her nose.
Josh chuckled and said, “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but her eyes were still watering and she couldn’t stop coughing. Josh started to pat her back, but Channie twisted out of reach and shook her head. If she got hit with his IFB spell on top of everything else, she’d probably choke to death. Josh waited until she quit coughing then offered her a sip of water. “We gotta get home before Elijah.”
Neither of them spoke as they threaded their way through the parking lot. Every third car was a dark blue SUV identical to Mrs. Abrim’s. How Josh managed to find it without a seeking spell amazed Channie. He opened the door for her then slid in behind the wheel and filled the car with lustful energy. He bit his lip and pulled it, ever so slowly, through his teeth. Didn’t he know what that did to her? Of course he did. He’s doing it on purpose.
“Stop that.”
“Stop what?” He smirked at her and did it again. Licking his lips afterwards and letting his eyelids drift to a half-closed-come-hither expression.
Even though Channie knew he was teasing her, she couldn’t stop the whole-body shiver his little display inspired. Apparently, he needed a taste of his own medicine. She mimicked him—exaggerating everything, from the slow drag of teeth across her bottom lip to the low sigh as she exhaled. She decided to improvise a little and ran her hands through her hair, lifting it off her back then letting it slide through her fingers and drift back into place.
When she finished her little demonstration, Channie tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned sideways to gaze at Josh.
He stared back at her with dilated pupils and gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Seeing the effect she had on him, gave Channie a rush of pleasure. “It’s not so much fun when you’re the one being teased, is it?”
“Do it again.”
~***~
When Mrs. Abrim got home from work at a quarter ‘till six, she seemed genuinely pleased to see Channie...although she made a point of leaving the media room’s door open. Josh rolled his eyes and shut it as soon as she went back upstairs.
Channie worked on Josh’s shield every day. By the end of the week she could fine tune the spell so it lasted exactly as long as she wanted. A three hour spell before school—so she could sit on his lap during lunch without breaking out in hives—and another spell afterwards that lasted until they got home from school.
Channie and Josh were watching “Shrek” with Elijah after school on Friday when Channie’s phone rang. It was Daddy.
“Hey, baby girl, I hate to bother you, but your momma and I are ready to head back on up into the mountains. We need you to come home and keep an eye on the boys.” Daddy always shouted into the phone, as if he didn’t believe in the technology and it was all up to him.
Channie held the phone away from her ear to keep from going deaf. “I’m going to watch Josh race all day tomorrow. You and Momma can go gamble after I get back.”
“We need you to come home now.”
It sounded like Daddy needed another demonstration of Chastity’s power. “No.”
“How about if I pay you to babysit?”
“Seriously?” Daddy had never given Channie so much as a dime. She leaned forward and said, “How much?”
Josh slid his hand off her back and folded his arms across his chest.
“How much would it take to get you to come home right now?”
&
nbsp; “A hundred dollars.” Channie smirked. She might as well ask for a million.
“Done. Now get your butt home.”
“What? Really? You’re gonna give me a hundred dollars?”
“If you’re here within the next thirty minutes I’ll give you an extra fifty.”
Channie closed her phone and stared at it for a few seconds. She was so stunned by Daddy’s generosity she didn’t notice Josh’s resentment until it seeped into her power-well.
“Josh...I really want to go to your race tomorrow, but—”
“I understand.” The tone of his voice was anything but understanding.
What was his problem? “I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Whatever.” He shrugged his shoulders then walked her to the door.
Usually, Josh tossed Channie’s bike in the back of his momma’s Four-Runner and drove her home around ten o’clock, but it was only three-thirty and his momma wasn’t home from work yet. He couldn’t leave Elijah alone, but he didn’t even kiss her head or say good-bye or anything.
By the time Channie got home she was in a foul mood. She hadn’t even gotten off her bike before Momma started up the bus—filling the garage with an oily cloud of black fumes.
Channie banged on the passenger side window and said, “Hey, Don’t you dare leave without giving me my money!”
There wasn’t enough room to open the door, so Daddy removed the folded cardboard that held his window up and said, “I’ll give you your money when we get back.”
“I ain’t in no mood to mess with you, Daddy. You promised me a hundred and fifty dollars and I want it now.”
“Alright, alright, don’t get your drawers in a bind.” Daddy shifted his weight to his left hip and pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. He handed Channie three fifty-dollar bills and said, “There you go, baby girl. We’ll see you in a few days.”
“Hold on just a dang minute. I want you to leave the boy’s car seats.”
“What for? You don’t even know how to drive.”
“In case there’s an emergency and I have to ask one of the neighbors to drive us to the hospital.” Or in case Josh talked his momma into taking her and the boys to his race tomorrow.
Channie waited until Momma pulled the bus out of the garage, then called Josh.
He answered on the first ring. “Did you make it home in time to get your fifty-dollar bonus?”
“Yes, I did.”