Sabrina
"I don't intend on sharing…."
That was the last thing I heard before my eyes flew open, the sunlight that streamed across the curtains lit up the room. My head pounded as my eyes darted across the room, I didn't remember walking into this place, I didn't remember lodging in a hotel, then it hit me, I gasped immediately, and fragments of memories rushed into my head like adrenaline.
I remember my laughter drowning the room.
Even though last night was a blur I can't forget those gorgeous blue eyes that gazed into my soul or that smile that charmed me more than the liquor did.
You are the most beautiful lady I've seen in a long time and you are incredibly smart too. Clearly, there is much more to you than just a pretty face.
He had said, as he leaned close, pressing his lips against mine, even in my drunken state I still remember that they felt so soft, then it dawned on me. I had initiated this, so I let him lead me here.
Damn! I cursed under my breath shutting my eyes tight trying to stop the flashbacks from coming: his tongue diving into my mouth, his strong hands gripping my butt as though it belonged to him, or the way I pushed him onto the bed I almost feared he hit his head against the wooden headboard, my face turned pink immediately, not entirely out of shame.
I managed to sit up and turned to my side hoping he was around, but the man I had hooked up with was nowhere to be found, leaving me wearing nothing but my g-strings.
I was going to fondle the daylight ring on my finger like I always did until I realized it was gone too.
I wrapped the sheets around me as I walked over to the table where my clothes were arranged neatly, this stranger had left with my wallet, my ID. Everything I came with.
"Damn it!" I yelled, slamming my hand against the wooden table.
I have been duped.
Doomed. That's what I was.
If my father ever found out about this. If he even suspected, well, that would be the end of my claim to his throne.
My phone was gone too so I reached out for the hotel phone typing in numbers with trembling fingers.
"Please pick up Kali!"
She was the only one I trusted to tell, I couldn't even tell my brother, he would either rat me out to father or mock me forever.
Finally, she picked.
"Hello?" Her high-pitched voice was filled with sleep.
"Hey Kali, it's Sabrina," I croaked. "I need your help. Now!"
"What's going on?" She asked, sounding concerned.
"It's complicated, but I've been swindled, my daylight ring is gone."
There was a fleeting silence at the other end of the line.
"Jeez! How did that happen?"
"Like I said, it's complicated, I don't have time to explain over the phone, just prepare me a temporary daylight ring, or whatever. Just bring it to…." I lifted a pamphlet from the table. "Fantasia hotel and suite, you know if I try to step out I'm going to burn."
Kali hesitated before clearing her throat. " You know my spells aren't stable yet, I'm not even that strong…."
"You are the strongest witch I know Kali and that's a fact because you are my best friend, please do this for me or I'm locked up here till dawn and my time to find the twins decreases."
There was a brief pause, "Fine, I'll do what I can."
After almost an hour of waiting, the knock came. I didn't think she would be this fast, so I opened the door and threw myself into her arms in a tight embrace like a scared little girl who had just seen her mommy.
Kali hugged me back, her chest heaving from so much running, when I pulled away she lifted the silver ring in her hand. "This will only last you for a few weeks or less," she pleaded. "If you don't get your real one back soon, this will be useless so we can't rely on it forever."
"Half a loaf is better than none," I slid the ring on, finally feeling at ease once again. "You are an angel, that tarot reader was right, you are my protector."
We giggled, then she hit my chest playfully.
"Just be careful with this one and no hooking up with…."
"Shut up!" I cut her off playfully.
"But was he hot though?" Kali teased.
"Stop it, you perv!"
We checked out together. The smell of disinfectant and air freshener wafted into my nostrils as we waited at the lobby for the receptionist to look up my room number on the system.
"You are free to go, the bill has been taken care of!" she chortled.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked my whole body in a frenzy.
"Well, the handsome man you came with paid in cash he even tipped us ." She said with a smile on her face.
Of course he did. Swindlers always find a way to cover their dirty tracks. And must she highlight the fact that he was handsome?
I leaned against the counter as if relying on it for support, "You don't understand, I have been swindled by Mr Handsome so please, I need his information, his name, anything you have on him."
The female receptionist's smile turned into a frown so quick she cleared her throat, nodding vigorously as she scanned her records. "He gave us his identification…Joseph Butler."
"Thanks," I muttered, still not satisfied. What was I supposed to do with a name?
Kali stared at my face, raising a brow, "Hmmmm, Joseph Butler? That's who stole your heart?"
"Oh please spare me the lectures, at least I didn't have a crush on my teacher in high school!" I growled.
She clapped her hands softly, her lips turning up. " No offense, just saying if you're going to get robbed at least let it be by a guy with a hotter name."
But that name was a little helpful because we filed a police report anyway. I gave the officer every detail I could remember; his jet black hair, piercing blue eyes, sharp jaw, and that grin that made me lose in his world. The officer stared at me suspiciously as he punched Joseph Butler into their system.
He then looked up at me in surprise, "There's no record."
"Huh?" I snapped, staring at him in shock.
"No address, no plate number or driver's license, nothing, okay, hold on, I've found something…." He squinted at the screen, "The only Joseph Butler with a double L died three years ago in a car crash with his wife and three children, tragic!"
No! That can't be!
My stomach twisted. I was scared it might drop.
Had I…. Had I made love to a ghost?
No this can't be possible.
Kali squeezed my hands softly; she knew I was about to have a panic attack right then. "This has to be a mistake, is he the only Jo…."
"Yes he is, I'm sorry, this person you are looking for doesn't exist."
Before I can say another word, I catch a movement outside the station. Through the frosty doors across the street, a man walked out of a coffee shop with two cups of coffee in his hands.
Damm!
It was him.
He had the same eyes, the same smile, and that damn jawline.
He was alive, breathing, and walking freely on the road like he hadn't just robbed me of everything I had.
"Are you alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Kali asked.
I pushed past her, almost breaking into a speedy run but then I froze instantly.
Because what I saw him do next made my blood run cold.