Page 7 of Voodoo Doll
“Think nothing of it,chère. Thank you for waiting as I finished my business.” He stopped right in front of me, and that sense of looming I’d felt yesterday returned. It made me feel small, vulnerable, and a little uneasy, like a mouse being watched by a cat.
No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I bit off a small yelp as I felt something brush against my leg. I looked down in shock to see a cat the color of a starless midnight sky, peering up at me with piercingly golden eyes as he wound around my feet. I giggled in relief and at how silly I was being.
“Please excuse Toulouse. He has a penchant for annoying my guests.” Sebastien said, bending down to pick the cat up and hold it in the crook of one arm, petting with the other hand. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that he positively enjoyed it!”?
I reached forward to scratch Toulouse on his forehead. “He’s gorgeous. I just wasn’t expecting him, that’s all.”
Sebastien grunted noncommittally and began walking back towards his desk. “So, Ms. Landry, what brings you back into my shop? Have you changed your mind about the Occult and Voodoo? Have you admitted to yourself that you want the power I can give you? Or are you simply seeking opportunities to further ridicule things so far beyond your ken you can’t even begin to grasp them?”
I gulped and looked down.Great, you DID upset him yesterday.“Oh no, Mr. Broussard. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this place since yesterday. I’m still not sure I believe in all of this,” I gestured around us and through the doorway to the reading room, “But I cannot deny that I found it fascinating. And a little frightening. I was hoping to, maybe, learn some more about what you do? Like, what’s amojo, or ajuju? What is anOungan, exactly? What’s so special about the little dolls?” I cut off, realizing that I was rambling. I winced, feeling like an idiot, but when I glanced over at him, he was smiling even wider at me.?
“It seems Ihavepiqued your interest in the deeper truths of Voodoo,chère. Some of the things you ask can be answered simply, and some touch on deeper, darker truths that I do not share with anyone not initiated into the faith.” He crossed his arms across his chest and regarded me. “Remain at my shop for a while today. Observe my work. Peruse what I offer. Perhaps you will begin to understand a fraction of the truth.”
He began to walk away, then turned back towards me for a moment. “Oh, and call me Bash. Sebastien, or Mr. Broussard, are both so… formal. Perhaps someday I will give you something else to call me, but for now, call me Bash.”
I nodded, suppressing the urge to run, to get away from this place. It was unsettling in a way I couldn’t quite put my fingeron. But somehow, it was also alluring, like a forbidden fruit. Like the thrill you get from cheating on a test and getting away with it. “Okay, S… uh, Bash. I’ll stay for a while. I promise not to be a bother.”?
Bash nodded and gestured for me to follow as he headed back towards the back of the shop where his desk was. We passed the beaded doorway that led to the reading room, and I glanced inside to see all the candles currently extinguished. It had to be a lot of work to light each of them when a customer came in.
“I must admit, a good portion of my day can be quite… mundane, shall we say? There are several things I have to take care of at the moment; brewing potions, enchanting charms and the like. I will be in and out for a bit. Look around to your heart’s content, but do not touch without permission.” I nodded, biting my lower lip, and he exited to the back room, leaving me alone.
Over the next couple of hours, Bash was in and out as he had said he would be, sometimes engaging me in conversation for a few minutes, and sometimes seeming to ignore me completely. At one point I watched him make somemojos, which he explained were charms meant to bring the bearer some specific success, such as getting accepted into the college of your dreams.
A few hours into the day, Bash looked at his pocket watch and clicked his tongue. “I am expecting a customer in a few minutes for a reading. I need to finish up here.” Feeling a twinge of regret, I nodded my acceptance.
“Today has been… interesting, Bash. I appreciate you allowing me to stay here for so long. You didn’t have to do that. I’ll get my things and let you get on with your business. I’ve taken up too much of your time already.” I moved to gather my things, but the feel of his long, surprisingly strong fingers on my shoulder made me stop and glance at him. His smile, sinister as it was, made something flip-flop deep in my gut.
“I’d like you to stay for a while yet,chère. No better way to begin to understand the finer points of the Voodoo religion than to see it in action, hmm? Wait here while I prepare the room, then come when I call you. Understood?”
Almost without thought, I nodded my agreement, clasping my hands in front of me and standing quietly while he left the room. Only a few moments later, I heard his voice calling me to join him. As I moved towards the beaded doorway and through it, I was shocked to see all the candles lit and burning merrily, casting that now familiar dancing glow. Sebastien motioned for me to come to where he stood in front of a large swath of cloth draped across one corner of the room.
“Here Luna, come stand behind this curtain. Listen and observe as I assist this customer in uncovering the truth they seek, whatever that may be today. Be still and do not make a sound. I want this to be our little secret, hmm?”
I suppressed a grin and nodded agreement, stepping into the little alcove created by the thick curtains and the corner of the room. After all, my curiosity had been piqued.?
And who could resist the opportunity to overhear someone’s dirty little secrets?
Chapter Five
Luna
“No!” My throat stung, the word clawing its way from the deepest part of me as my back arched, pulling me from my slumber clear up into a seated position on my bed. I panted heavily as my eyes darted around wildly. Clutching my chest, willing my heart not to pound itself out of my ribcage, I struggled to make sense of what had just happened. Disjointed images, half-remembered dreams of torture, pain, and intense arousal floated through my mind as I tried to remember where I was. What was happening to me???
Three days.?
Well, threenightsin a row now, I had awoken just like this, gasping, confused, and tangled in sheets. It was almost like any other nightmare I’d ever had, and yet these were different. Yes, I awoke sweating, panting, and terrified, but unlike the bad dreams I’d had before, I also awoke soaking wet between my thighs and aching for a touch I didn’t recognize.?
I fell back against the pillows with a soft thud, my legs pressing against each other, attempting to soothe the ache that lingered there, almost against my will. As my thighs moved backand forth, adding pressure to my clit beneath my panties, the dream began to come back to me in pieces.?
Dark, noir-like vignettes flashed behind my eyelids, tendrils of distant dreams that both scared me and made my pussy gush with need. Hands, binding me with ropes so I couldn’t escape. The feeling of being helpless and scared. And somehow, the arousal was stronger than the fear, even when the pain began.
Nails digging into the tender flesh of my inner thighs to the point of drawing blood. Whips and other things striking all over my body, leaving welts and imprints in their wake. Pincers, blades, needles; I could not recall all the instruments that had tortured me.?
But then… Lips moving down my ribcage, headed towards where I needed to be kissed and licked most. Fingers spreading me apart, touching and rubbing and thrusting with expert precision.
I could feel it. I swore I could feel those lips and fingers moving down over my body, even now. My hands moved down my torso in their wake, unable to refrain from giving myself the touch I needed so desperately. My fingertips danced along the skin of my inner thighs.?
I hissed, light stinging sensations exploding beneath my touch as I neared the crease of my inner thighs.?
