All Bottled Up by Christine D'Abo

walls.”
    44

     
    She felt her face grow hot. “Jerk.”
    “You are too easy to tease. We’ll work on that as well, help get you a thicker skin.
    Shall we be off?”
    He held out his arm and waited for her to take it. The desire to hit him, knock that smug look right off his face was almost overpowering. Instead she slipped her arm through his and proceeded to walk down the hall toward the elevator. She began to march full steam ahead, but Jerod held her back, slowing her pace. After a few minutes of silent struggle, she gave up and relaxed. The down button depressed magically by itself as they approached.
    “Lazy,” she quipped.
    When he didn’t say anything, she bumped him with her shoulder. Jerod sighed and Viola caught a glimpse of his naked chest under his vest. The man was too sexy for his own good.
    “You need to change your appearance. People will stare at you.”
    “You mean people will stare at us . Does that bother you?” She hadn’t thought about it before. Bill certainly liked to stare, but never at her.
    She’d never really sought out the limelight. She was more comfortable doing her thing quietly in the background. But she wasn’t about to admit that.
    “I’m fine with it. Love it in fact. I just thought you wouldn’t want to attract too much attention. Considering what you are.”
    The elevator chimed its arrival. The doors slid open and they entered. Jerod met her gaze in the mirror.
    “No one would fathom that I am what I am. They’ll simply think I’m your eccentric new boy-toy.”
    “Boy-toy?” she laughed. “That doesn’t sound right coming from a…how old are you?”
    “Three thousand, one hundred and thirty-seven years.” Viola opened her mouth to repeat his age but gave her head a shake. “That’s old.”
    “I prefer mature.”

    45

    “You’re changing the subject.”
    He shrugged. “I do need to keep with the times. Otherwise it becomes challenging to grant wishes. I have gone many years between masters, but can see the world change from within my prison. It only takes a little magic.” The elevator chimed their arrival on the spa level of the resort. A pile of giggling high school girls waited to enter, so Viola couldn’t question him further. She slipped past them quickly, but realized Jerod wasn’t moving as fast.
    “Ladies,” he said and bowed his head as he sauntered past.
    As he reached her side, she heard the girls whispering. The door started to close until one of the bolder ones held it open for a second and shouted, “If they can’t fix her up for you, mister, come visit us on floor eight.”
    They all burst into laughter and disappeared behind the metal barrier.
    Viola winced. Nothing like the brutal honesty of youth to put things into perspective.
    This was a colossal waste of time.
    “That was very rude.” Jerod scowled at the door.
    “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been told worse. Let’s go see if the hairdressers have some magic to rival yours.”
    He didn’t move, focused intently on a spot on the ceiling.
    “Jerod? Come on,” she said and walked a short distance ahead.
    Only after he smiled did he join her. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.
    “What did you do?”
    He turned and gave her a look of pure innocence. Not that she bought it for a second.
    “What makes you think I’ve done anything?”
    Viola looked at the spot he’d been staring at and then back at him. “Lucky guess.
    ’Fess up.”
    He shrugged. “I simply put a rat in their room.” Viola’s hand flew to her mouth as she tried to not giggle.
    “You didn’t.”
    “They need to learn about karma. It will help them later on in life. Shall we?” 46

     
    Jerod held out his arm and waited for her to take it. Viola shook her head and slipped her arm through his. “Remind me not to piss you off.” They walked through the beveled French doors that led to the spa. Most of the basement level was occupied by the massive beauty operation. A light perfumed mist filled