Vicki Thompson - A Fare To Remember

“Here we are,” Mario said.

Alec was surprised at how quickly the cab ride passed. Either Capelli was a terrific cabbie or Alec had been caught in a long daydream. He grabbed a twenty out of his wallet and handed it to the cabbie. “This may be over pretty quick. Wait ten minutes and if I don’t come out, you can leave.”

“Sure thing,” Mario said.

Alec grabbed his briefcase and crawled out of the cab, but without Karen’s help there was no way to carry it. Instead, he kicked it along in front of him, the rough sidewalk scratching the Italian leather.

The bell jangled as he stumbled inside, the briefcase making an entrance before he did. But he didn’t find Sabina behind the counter. Instead, he found the same salesgirl, her hair now streaked with blue. Alec drew a deep breath and balanced himself on the crutches. “Where is she?”

Chloe pointed up. “Second floor, apartment 2B. You can use the stairs. They’re right through that bead curtain.”

“Stairs,” Alec muttered as he moved to the back of the shop. It took him nearly five minutes to navigate the doors and stairs up to the second floor, throwing his briefcase from landing to landing, the air stuffy and warm. By the time he got to 2B, he was exhausted.

Alec reached up and banged on her apartment door, but the sudden motion caused him to sway on the crutches. He tried to catch himself, but there was nothing to grab on to, and a few seconds later, he was sprawled on the floor. The door opened and he looked up to find Sabina staring at him, wide-eyed.

“I want you to remove the curse,” he said, attempting to keep calm. “I’m willing to pay whatever you want. Just reverse it. Make it go away.”

“What happened to you?”

“Do you really need to ask?” Alec shook his head. “Per your orders to the spirit world, I fell in a hole and broke my leg.” His gaze fixed on hers and he couldn’t deny the joy he felt in seeing her again. She really was extraordinarily beautiful, even with her brow furrowed in concern.

“It’s broken?” Sabina asked.

“Severely sprained,” he admitted. “On top of that, two of my biggest deals went south this week and last night I had a dream that I married my eighth-grade science teacher…who happened to be a fifty-year-old man.” He shuddered. “So just do whatever it is you Gypsies do and get rid of the curse.”

Sabina bent down and helped him to his feet, but the moment Alec tried to straighten a dagger of pain shot through his lower back. He sucked in a deep breath and winced. “I-I don’t think I can move. My back is out.” He tossed the crutches aside. “I just need to lie down for a moment.”

Sabina wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped him inside. He expected her to lead him to the sofa, but instead she took him to her bedroom. “Lie down,” she said.

“Here?”

“No, underneath the bed,” Sabina said. “I’ll go get you something for the pain. I think I have some arsenic around here somewhere.”

“I’m not taking anything that isn’t in a clearly labeled bottle,” Alec called. “I don’t trust you.” He leaned back into the pillows and surveyed his surroundings.

Sabina’s apartment had all the charm of a turn-of-the-century building, coved ceilings and built-in cabinets. She even had a fireplace in the living room. Compared to his overdecorated house, her place seemed homey and comfortable…lived-in. Everywhere he looked he saw bits and pieces of the woman she was-a pretty pillow embroidered with a bunch of violets, a jeweled egg, an old photo of a beautiful woman surrounded by an antique frame.

These were her things, yet he had no idea what they meant to her. He wanted to find out. Alec wanted to know every little detail of her life before him, the dreams she’d had and the disappointments she’d suffered. He’d never be completely satisfied until he knew it all.

Groaning softly, he stretched his hands over his head, trying to work the kinks out of his back. There had to be a way to parlay a momentary twinge into a full night of spasms. Alec was exactly where he’d always hoped to be-in her bedroom. And he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

SABINA STOOD IN THE hallway outside her grandmother’s apartment, wringing her hands and glancing over her shoulder. “I-I don’t know what to do,” she whispered. “This was my first curse. I never thought it would work.”

“Well, I am glad it did,” Ruta said, her voice defiant. “You should have wished that his manhood would have shriveled up and fallen off. A broken leg can heal.”

“Nana! I never meant to hurt him. I was just angry. I said the first thing that came to my mind.”

“And I say a fine time for your powers to show themselves.” Ruta walked out in the hall and peered into the open doorway of Sabina’s apartment. “Where is he?”

“I put him in my bedroom,” Sabina explained.

A horrified expression suffused Ruta’s face. “The son of my enemy is in your bed.” With a long string of Hungarian expletives, Ruta stormed into Sabina’s apartment and headed directly for the bedroom.

Sabina chased after her, pleading with her to stop, but it was no use. She caught up to her beside the bed, where Ruta was standing over Alec, her hands braced on her hips, her mouth pressed into a tight line. “So you have a little problem with a curse?”

Alec glanced over at Sabina and she smiled weakly. “You must be Mrs. Lupescu.” He held out his hand to her grandmother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Ruta looked at his hand as if he’d just offered her a rotten fish. “There is no pleasure in it. Just this warning. As long as you are in Bina’s apartment, you will behave like a gentleman. If you do not, you will suffer the wrath of one of my curses. And I do not trifle with broken bones.”

She turned on her heel and stormed out, leaving a dumbfounded Alec in her wake. He drew a shaky breath. “Well, I think she likes me. What do you think?”

“Is your back really hurt or are you just malingering to get into my bed?”

Alec feigned shock and disappointment. “How could you think that?”

Sabina arched her brow. “You know, one of the benefits of being psychic is that I can spot a liar a mile away.” She tipped his chin up with her finger and stared intently into his blue eyes.

“Are you trying to read my mind again?” Alec asked.

“Yes,” Sabina lied, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t even figure out what was going on in her head, much less his. Her only thought was to kiss him, to lean forward and press her lips to his and see where it all led. Over the past week she relived every single second they’d spent together and it just hadn’t seemed like enough.

She wasn’t psychic, but she sensed that they were far from through with each other. There was more to be said, more to learn and much, much more to experience.

Alec grinned. “Good. Now, concentrate hard. Do you know what I’m thinking?”

“I do,” Sabina replied. But this time it wasn’t a lie. She saw the flicker of desire in his eyes and knew he was thinking exactly what she was thinking. How long would it take to get out of their clothes?

An instant later, his mouth covered hers. The warmth of his lips ignited her desire and heat raced through her like fire in her veins. It had been nearly a week since she’d been kissed by him, but she hadn’t remembered it being so wonderful.

She parted her lips so that he might taste more deeply. Alec pulled her down on top of him, his fingers furrowing through her hair. Wild sensations coursed through her body, tingling at every nerve and heightening every caress. Sabina drew back slightly, her dark hair a curtain around them.