Welcome to Capricious by Julie Cox, a Texan tale of love and magic. NSFW.

A new chapter appears every Tuesday. This week is Chapter Nineteen. Listen to the audio version at Nobilis Erotica here!

Chapter 19

There was no telling how many traffic laws Luke broke driving to Allison’s restaurant after work. By the time he got there, the sun was setting, and only Sally’s car was out front. He walked in to find Allison and Sally sitting in the far booth together, as smug and merciless as a cat with a whole nest full of canaries. Luke approached with caution.

“Hey girls,” he said. “Sooooo. How did things go with Mae this afternoon?”

Allison and Sally smirked at each other. Allison looked up and said, “Bitch has gotta die.”

Luke’s eyebrows shot up. “Do tell.”

“First she insulted my restaurant.”

“And Orson’s intelligence,” Sally said.

“And the honor of the entire south-central US region.”

“And my shoes!” Sally held up her feet, clad in steel-toed work boots.

“And she seems to think she has you wrapped around her little finger.” Allison pushed out a chair with her foot. “Have a seat, satyr-boy.”

“Well, she’s right on one count,” Luke said with a groan. “She’s a nymph. She can generate more sexual energy, more lust, in any number of targets than just about anything in the world. And for me, that’s a whole shitload of trouble. Sure, it’s like having a supercharged battery around, but it also means that if she plays it right, I literally can’t say no.”

The women’s faces fell. “How can you not say no?” Allison pressed. “Just tell the bitch to slag off.”

“Are you not hearing me? She. Can. Control. What. I. Want. It’s that simple. Away from her, I don’t want to touch her at all, she makes me sick. But when she starts throwing her metaphysical weight around, there’s nothing I can do to shut her out. It’s like she’s telepathic, just with me.”

Allison and Sally exchanged significant looks. Her eyes on the table, Sally said, “If she knows you don’t want to sleep with her, and she forces you to, even magically, it’s rape.”

“I know.”

A heavy silence fell at the table. Allison said it first, plain faced. “Did she rape you?”

Luke hesitated a moment before saying, “To call what happened rape would be an insult to anyone who’s ever actually been raped. But she blurred the line between consent and nonconsent, and more worrisome, she would do it again.”

Allison laid a hand on Luke’s shoulder. “If she hurts you, we will kick in her pearly-white teeth.” Sally nodded her agreement.

Luke smiled weakly. “Thanks.” The “we” in that sentence did not go unnoticed. “The truth of the matter is the only way for me to be safe is to be absent. I’m going to go talk to Orson about traveling to Tír na nÓg for one of the artifacts he’s researching.”

Sally’s face fell. “All right…. But be careful. We’ll keep an eye on Orson while you’re gone.”

“Thanks. Listen, Mae and Orson really loved each other for a while there. I was a big part of the reason they fell apart. She just couldn’t help herself around me.”

“That tempting, were you?” Sally bristled.

“Yes,” Luke said, his tone very serious. “I was too tempting a target. She can be good, when her motives are pure. I mean, hardly anyone is all evil. But Orson might as well have left her for me, because he picked his friendship with me over his marriage–for lots of good reasons. Like any relationship, it’s complicated. But you know what they say about a woman scorned. If she’s here, she’s gunning for bear. So don’t underestimate her, all right?”

The women nodded. Allison got up and collected their drinks and a couple of small plates that looked like they might have had something chocolate on them. As she walked to the sink in the back, Sally put her hand on Luke’s arm.

“I misjudged Allison.”

Luke smiled. “I’m glad you two struck a common chord today.”

Sally returned the smile. “Like she says. Nobody messes with our satyr.”

He decided to take advantage of her generous mood. “You give any thought to what I said over the phone? About–”

Sally raised a hand. “I know what about. All I can promise is to think about it.”

Luke nodded. “All I can ask.”

* * *

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About the author: Julie Cox is the author of Chasing Tail and numerous short stories in Circlet Press erotica anthologies. She lives in Texas with her husband, children, and ever-expanding menagerie of animals on their farm. She runs a small online yarn business and teaches yarn spinning. She has numerous stories published with Circlet Press and elsewhere.

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