Can I ask you something? she said softly. Needing every intuitive, people-reading skill shed ever learned, and any that might be floating through her genes, she forced herself to relax and open her third eye. She scrunched her forehead, not feeling anything special there and settled for just relaxing. And will you promise me youll be honest?
Her eyes locked with Calebs. His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to read her mind before he committed. His shoulders were back, in honesty? Or braced for a hit?
She waited for him to tell her that she didnt have the right to ask for such a promise. She knew she didnt. Just because they were having a mind-blowingly sexual affair in her imagination didnt mean that in reality he owed her a damn thing.
But she couldnt risk her heart, her reputation or her fragile self-esteem on a man who broke the law. And even though she didnt trust her intuitive skills enough to believe shed know if he lied, she needed to ask the question anyhow.
Finally, just as she was about to start fidgeting again, he nodded. Then he qualified his nod with, You can ask whatever you want.
Good enough.
Do you, um, are you into She bit her lip, wishing her cheeks werent burning, then blurted out, Do you do drugs?
CALEB HAD BEEN ASKED that question plenty of times. And hed always answered yes. More often, he didnt even have to answer, his image spoke for itself.
But this time? He stared at Pandora, her hazel eyes wide but wary. He could still taste her, sweet and tempting. He was here in Black Oak for a reason. He had a crime to solve. And hed never, ever, broken cover before. Not for anything, and especially not for a woman.
But with those pretty eyes staring at him, he saw only one option available.
Tell the truth.
No, he answered. Im clean.
He watched her face, waiting to see the doubt. He told himself it didnt matter if she didnt believe him. After all, hed spent six years crafting his image as a badass with drug connections. An image that had held up to South American drug lords, to the FBI and to L.A. street-gang leaders. An image that was based on the reputation hed had growing up here in Black Oak.
Her sigh was so deep, the tips of her breasts singed his chest. Talk about a sweet reward for copping to the truth.
A part of him wanted to pull her close, just to wrap his arms around her and revel in the closeness. There was a sense of peace in Pandora, like a calm lake of serenity, that he craved desperately. At the same time, she made him want to strip her naked and lick her body from head to toe, seeing how many times he could make her come before he got to her feet.
Baffled by the conflicting emotions, both in direct opposition to his training and his own reticent nature, Caleb took a step back. He immediately missed the warmth of her body, the heat of her breasts against him. But he needed room to think. And to make sure he didnt screw up. His life might not be on the line this time, but his fathers reputation was.
For what that was worth.
Calebs mind raced, wondering whether hed just made a major mistake. Time to do damage control.
Not that I believe in aphrodisiacs, either, he told Pandora, needing to get them back on track.
And he might as well keep up this honest trend and see where it went. It was like following an unfamiliar road. There might be a treasure at the end. A very delicious, very sexy treasure. More likely, though, hed slide right off some damn cliff.
She just laughed, though.
Believing in aphrodisiacs is like believing in evolution. Some buy into the idea, some dont.
Sure, but the theory of evolution has been around for, well, ever. Sex food, though? Isnt that a by-product of the seventies?
Amusement flared in her eyes as Pandora gave a shake of her head that indicated that he was a sad, misinformed man.
Their history can be traced back centuries, she pointed out. My great-great-great-grandmother was a wisewoman who created aphrodisiacs for royalty. Those were the kind of people who beheaded fakers, you know.
Caleb remembered Pandoras mother. Flowing dresses, fuzzy headpieces and huge jewelry glinting through mounds of long red hair. Her granny was a little fuzzier. He wasnt sure what the woman had looked like. His only impression was granola.
But Pandora looked Well, normal. Not that that was saying much coming from a guy who spent most of his life around women who thought a G-string was ample coverage. Her hair fell in a smooth curtain, warm and sedate. She wore makeup, but nothing like the showgirl look he remembered her mother sporting. She wore a crystal on a chain around her neck, but her jeans and thick purple sweater seemed ordinary enough.
He looked around the café, noting the display of candles, pretty statues and chunks of rocks on the bistro tables. Circling the perimeter were bookcases, decks of cards and yes, a few crystal orbs and glittering things. He didnt know what most of the stuff was, but it didnt look that weird to him.
It looked pretty. Inviting, interesting and unthreatening. Word on the street, and his own impressions, said that was Pandoras doing. From what hed heard, the store had been sinking to its death before shed come along. Which just proved that she was a smart businesswoman. Not that she was weird.
And yet, she believed in aphrodisiacs? Really?
This is all an act, though, isnt it? he asked with a tilt of his head to indicate the most obvious New Agey thing he saw, a statue of a half-naked woman riding on the back of a flying dragon. Youre not telling me you really buy into all that Crap? stuff? Psychics and aphrodisiacs and woo-woo? Isnt it just a part of the show? Something to help sell a few candles and rocks?
Woo-woo? she echoed, sounding as if the magical effects of his kiss had pretty well worn off. Did you know the art of divination dates back to Greeks and Romans? Tarot cards to the Renaissance? Cleopatra used aphrodisiacs. This isnt a New Agey sales scam to buy into or not. And while these methodologies might have cultural stigmas, its wrong to dismiss them as being part of a show.
Caleb mentally grimaced. He was usually better at gauging his quarry before he opened his mouth. But Pandora had a way of short-circuiting his brain.
Im not saying its all bullshit. But you have to admit therere a lot of scams associated with this type of thing. And you dont come across as naive, he prevaricated. I mean, your granny danced naked around the old oak at the base of the mountain, and your mom Didnt your mom tell the future for dogs and cats?
Her lips twitched, but she didnt let him off the hook. My grandmother only danced naked on the full moon, and that was for religious reasons. And as for my mom What? You dont think cats and dogs have futures?
Do you?
I do. She nodded, her hazel eyes wide and sincere. Caleb sighed, disappointment pouring through him as he revised his seduction plan. Then Pandora grinned. But I doubt their thoughts and feelings can be scryed in their water dishes.
So used to being tense, he barely noticed himself relaxing under her smile. He did pay attention to the stirring interest his body felt, though, when he shifted a little closer so he could smell her sweet perfume again. It was a warm scent, making him think of a dark, mystical forest.
So? Whats the real deal? Are you a believer? Or are you just here to make a living?
She narrowed her eyes, obviously sorting through his words. He liked watching her think. Hed just bet she had mental lists and a brain like one of those supercharged computers thatd calculate, analyze and summarize in seconds flat.
He gave in to temptation and reached out to rub a lock of her rich, thick hair between his fingers. It was as silky as it looked. Hed bet itd feel even better sliding over his thighs.
Theres bullshit out there, sure, she acknowledged with the tiniest of nods. Theres a group, the Psychic Scenery tour bus, that stops here twice a year. These people travel all over the West Coast, visiting metaphysical stores and psychics, readers and healers. You could say they are the experts on the subject. Believe me, theyve seen it all. And they never visit anyone or anywhere more than once if they deem it bullshit.
How many times have they visited Moonspun Dreams? he asked, both amused and impressed at how strongly she defended her store and her beliefs.
Every spring and autumn for the last ten years, she said with just a hint of triumph in her smile. Our store is one of the highlights of their tour, a selling point they use in their brochure.
Because of the aphrodisiacs? Tension hed thought was gone returned to poke steely fingers in Calebs back at the idea of hordes of people swarming into town looking for a sex fix. It was the perfect cover for moving drugs, and it pissed him off that Pandora was ruining his comfortable assurance that she was innocent.
Oh, no, she told him. I just opened the café two months ago, after the last tour. But Im sure the regulars at Psychic Scenery are going to be over-the-moon excited when they visit in April.
Okay, so youre popular with these people and theyre going to go crazy over your cookies when they visit. What does that have to do with whether or not you believe in all this? he prodded.
He had no idea why he cared so much. Maybe it was the result of growing up the son of a clever con man. Itd taught him that people could sell a whole lot of things with a big fat smile on their face, even as they handed over a shopping bag filled with nothing but hot air.
That wasnt criminal. Not like selling drugs. But itd sure as hell ruin the sweet image he had of Pandora to find out she was happily invested in selling lies.
What that does is prove that were time tested and cynic approved, she said. I think theres a whole lot of stuff out there that we cant explain. I think some people tap into it more easily than others. And I think that believing has a power of its own.
Isnt that the same thing as gullibility? Caleb asked.
Do you think that all this- she waved her hand to indicate the store filled with the promise of magic -is based on the power of suggestion?
Calebs brow shot up. She didnt sound offended. More like Satisfied. Wasnt that interesting? Pandora was more intriguing by the second.
Isnt most everything based on the power of suggestion? he mused. For instance, if I suggested that Id like to kiss you again, youd think about it, wouldnt you?