Dream Quest Read online

  The faint glow burned brighter within the amulet. A plume of exotic, musky smoke oozed from the back of the pendant and soothed over her skin like a gentle embrace. Sandalwood, she thought, lulled by the hypnotic scent. The seductive smoke teased her nostrils an instant before it filled her airways with a choking grip. In a panic, Amber struggled across the room toward the phone, gasping for air, but only inhaling more of the spiced vapor. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't...

  She fell unconscious onto the bed.

  She dreamed of a man, one with the rich exotic fragrance. He welcomed her with open arms and eyes that burned with desire. He wanted her, just her. She thrilled to his warm, smoky touch. He leaned close for a kiss. She pursed her lips in eager anticipation. But before his lips touched hers, he whispered with a multitude of voices, "Less filling, tastes great."

  Amber's eyes pried open to the chant of a beer commercial blaring from the television. She glanced at the clock: two hours had passed. Man, she must have been out cold. She couldn't even remember lying down to take a nap.

  "I need water,"she said, finding the sound of her voice reassuring. Slipping her feet over the side of the bed, she felt a gentle thump slap her chest. Oh yes, the amulet. She'd forgotten about that.

  She shook her head, hoping to clear the remnants of the dream, then stumbled to the bathroom sink. After splashing cold water on her cheeks, Amber filled a cup with water and brought it to her lips. She glanced up to the mirror and gasped.

  She had cheekbones! The cup fell into the basin splashing its contents down her front, but she didn't care. Raising her hands to the sides of her face, she traced its sculpted structure. Her eyes loomed larger and brighter than ever, her lips full and moist. She quickly surveyed the rest of her body. Her breasts rose more perky than ponderous. Her waist narrowed in a definable curve, her hips...My God! She must be at least two sizes smaller.

  She had to still be dreaming. No one loses weight that fast. Yet another splash of cold water didn't change the reflection. Her gaze settled on the amulet. Could the necklace have done this? Was the old man serious about trapped magic?

  She dashed to the phone.

  "Lynn? It's Amber. You have to come over. Right now."

  "Why?"

  "I'll tell you when you get here. Hurry."

  "I'm in the middle of my last hair cut. It shouldn't take long. Give me an hour or so."

  Amber paced the small apartment, checking her reflection in every available mirror. Yep, still thin.

  After the tenth visual confirmation, she pulled open her rarely used makeup drawer. Now that she had cheekbones, why not emphasize them a little with blush. And her eyes...she dusted a bit of color across the lids and a thin streak of liner at their base. Her pupils shimmered a vibrant green. Incredible! The doorbell rang. She smoothed on a bit of lip-gloss and ran to the door.

  "Okay Am, what's the big...WOW! Look at you!"

  Amber pirouetted in front of her friend. "What do you think?"

  "What did you do? You look great. When did you start wearing makeup?"

  So it wasn't all in her head. If Lynn could see the difference, others could too. She slid her hands up the sides of her face, lifting the heavy mass of her hair. It was all so exciting.

  "You know, you have such a pretty face, "Lynn said with a slight narrowing of her eyes. "Why don't you let me do something with your hair? I mean, you've worn it long ever since high school. Don't you think it's time for a change?"

  Amber checked the small mirror by the front door. A shorter look might accentuate her new slender face. Now that she had sculpted cheekbones, maybe she should flaunt them. "Do you have your stuff?"

  "It's down in my car. I'll be back in a jiff."Lynn spun on her heel as if granted the mission of a lifetime. "Why don't you pull out one of the chairs in the kitchen, we'll cut it there. If you have a sheet, we can use that as a cape."

  She paused by the front door and looked back with a grin. "You don't know how long I've waited to get my hands on your hair. Once I'm through with you, you won't recognize yourself!"

  * * *

  "I'm good, if I do say so myself."

  Amber just nodded in approval. The stylish image reflected in the hand mirror left her speechless.

  Lynn smiled, obviously pleased with her handiwork. "I think we should go out and test your new look."

  "Geez, it's already nine-thirty. Where could we possibly go?"

  "The place I have in mind is just starting to warm up."Lynn pulled her out of the chair. "Come on, it's Friday night. Let's go have some fun."

  * * *

  Music blared, lights flashed, the dance floor in the center of the club writhed with sensuous, undulating bodies. Amber nursed a drink in a dark corner feeling uncomfortably conspicuous. The last time she had shown this much skin, she had been six months old, lying naked on her mother's quilt.

  Although she had expected to need a drawer full of safety pins to keep her fat-girl clothes on her much slender body, everything in her closet fit perfectly. All part of the magic, she assumed, running a finger over the amulet. She had refused to remove it, even if it didn't go with her outfit. In the privacy of her bedroom, the black leather vest worn over bare skin had looked downright sexy. But now familiar fears of rejection drove her away from the bright lights and into the dark corner.

  "Are you hiding?"A man's deep voice by her shoulder caused her to turn. "Are you in need of rescue?"

  "No, I..."Her breath caught in her throat. From the lock of hair that drifted over his forehead, to his deep compassionate eyes and wide accommodating chest, he was gorgeous. A tremor of excitement tingled up her spine. No man this good-looking had noticed her before. She said a mental thank you for her transformation. "I was waiting for my friend. She's out on the dance floor."

  He placed his mouth near her ear. "Then why aren't you out there with her?"

  His warmth breath stirred her inner ear, triggering nerve endings like a fireworks finale. Goosebumps raised on her arms from the intense pleasure. "I'm not much of a dancer."

  He leaned back and surveyed her slowly from top to bottom. "I don't believe it."

  Amber gulped the remains of her drink needing to relieve her suddenly parched throat.

  "Show me,"he challenged.

  She accepted his outstretched hand in a daze. Whether caused by the sudden rush of alcohol or the seductive lure of his attention, she couldn't tell. But if he quirked his finger, she suspected she would follow him anywhere.

  She spotted Lynn on the far side of the dance floor and tried her best to imitate her friend's movements. Soon her hips and shoulders dipped with the rhythm of the music. She felt slinky, flirtatious and amazed she could pull it off.

  Her dance partner moved around her with ease. Just a whisper between them, their bodies moved in unison but never touched. The air separating them fairly crackled with merging auras. She sensed every delicious inch of his body. Unnerving at first, the sensation soon grew flirtatious, then downright intimate. She savored it all.

  "I'm Todd."He said at a break in the music. "We never really introduced ourselves. I'm Todd. Todd Fletcher."

  "I'm thirsty,"she replied, trying to catch her breath. "Do you mind if we took a breather?"

  "Not at all."He led her to a table in a quieter section of the club, ordered some drinks, and slid in next to her on the bench seat. "So tell me, Thirsty, why do I feel like we've met before?"

  She laughed. "My name is Amber Wilson."

  "Ahh...That explains this necklace."He hooked his finger beneath the chain, letting his knuckle lightly tease the sensitive skin near her collarbone. "It's very beautiful."

  "Yes,"she replied, enthralled by eyes that made her the center of attention. Her heart fluttered. She was instantly tongue-tied. Hiding in a dark corner, or in an office for that matter, was so much easier than trying to converse intelligently with such a devastating man.

  "Tell me about yourself, Amber Wilson,"he coached, his knuckle gently gliding up and down t
he chain, brushing her exposed skin. No man had ever seen so much of her cleavage, much less caressed it. She leaned slightly toward him, wanting more of the simmering heat that spread from the track of his knuckle to the very tips of her toes.

  With some expert prodding on his part, she found her voice. They talked about work, music, and college experiences. He worked with computers. She crunched numbers. Both jobs had similar struggles but also intriguing differences. She imagined she could drift into an easy companionship with Todd, if not for that spine-tingling sexual undercurrent that made her ache for less dialogue and more physical contact.

  Across the room, Lynn waggled a finger and pointed toward the exit.

  "My ride is leaving. I've got to go."Amber pulled back slightly, hesitant to break the connection.

  "I can see you home. You don't have to leave just yet."Todd's brows lifted to his hairline, reminding her of a lost puppy begging for a treat. She melted inside.

  She watched his lips, wondering about their taste. If she stayed a little longer she felt sure she would know. Liquid heat surged inside her demanding an outlet. Would a kiss quell the forces building inside? So many parts of her hungered for a man's touch. She leaned forward to initiate a kiss, however, her amulet hit the table with a clunk reminding her of the enchantment.

  What was she thinking! Todd could only see the slim, trim woman he met at a club, not the real Amber Wilson, not the fat Amber Wilson. How long before the princess turned back into a toad? Would he be interested then? She doubted it. Lifting her hand to his, she detached the chain from the crook of his finger.

  "Don't go,"he said. "We've barely met and I want to know more. Stay a little longer. Please?"

  Already she mourned the loss of his touch. She looked toward the door. Lynn was gone. She'd have to leave this very minute to catch her.

  "Tell you what--I'll take you home right now. We can talk some more on the way."He reached for her hand. "I'm just not ready to say good-bye."

  "Neither am I."The words slipped out, but she knew what she had to do.

  "I've got to go."She bolted across the floor.

  "At least give me your phone number,"he called after her.

  Several people turned and looked her way. Still, she ignored Todd's request and continued after her friend. Better for him to remember her thin than fat, she reasoned while wiping a tear from her cheek.

  * * *

  The next morning Amber physically explored her body with her hands before chancing a visual confirmation in the mirror. Although her new haircut had been squashed from the previous night's restlessness, and her face had lost its cosmetically enhanced sheen, she was still slinky. It hadn't been a dream. She grasped the necklace and squeezed, wishing now that she had accepted Todd's invitation.

  She used the morning and afternoon to do a little cleaning and run some chores, all the while daydreaming about what could have been if she hadn't deserted Todd. She even managed to forget about her modified appearance in the supermarket, until she carried in the groceries at home and caught her reflection. She busied herself around the apartment, pretending the twenty-four hour mark wasn't soon approaching. At one minute past six, she rushed to the mirror.

  Relief crashed into her with so much force she could barely stand. Amber flopped onto the couch and studied the amulet. How long would the magic last? Could her transformation be permanent? She never would have dreamed that the loss of a few pounds could make such a difference in her outlook, in her life.

  Amber reached for the phone wanting to share her good news, then hesitated. Who to call? Lynn had a date and no one else had witnessed the big change. Disappointment nagged at her. Even twenty pounds lighter, she was still alone on a Saturday night.

  She grabbed her car keys from the kitchen table and headed out the front door. Distraction. That's what she needed. Steering her car toward town, she veered into the parking lot of a video rental store. So what if she was alone? She'd been alone most of her life. There was nothing wrong with her that a soppy movie and a big bag of buttered popcorn couldn't cure.

  She took her time reviewing the selections and narrowed her choice down to the last copy of a new release. Just as she reached for the movie, another hand reached over her head and snatched the DVD off the shelf.

  "Hey!"She whirled around to confront the rude interloper. "Todd!"

  "Did you want to rent this movie? Too bad."He turned and walked away.

  She followed on his heels. "What are you doing here? Do you live close by?"

  He ignored her.

  "Look, I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry about last night."He wouldn't stop so she grabbed his arm. He spun back to face her.

  "I really had a good time."Her smile withered at his glare. "I wish I hadn't left so abruptly."

  "I'm not some pervert you couldn't trust with a phone number."His words hit her hard, but the pain in his eyes hurt her worse.

  "I know that--that's not why I left. I was afraid of--"She paused, unsure how to explain about the spell.

  "Of me."He finished.

  "No!"

  He stared at her from beneath lowered eyelids. She shifted her weight uneasily.

  "If you want to see this movie,"He challenged, holding the blue and yellow case just out of her reach. "It's going to cost you more than your phone number."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I don't live far from here. If you want to see this movie, you'll have to watch it at my place."His brow lifted with the dare.

  She hesitated, fingering the chain that supported the amulet.

  "Figures."He slumped and turned toward the cashier. "If you don't trust me enough to give me your phone number, I shouldn't have expected you to come to my apartment. Good-bye, Amber."

  "Wait!"She looked out toward the parking lot. "Can I follow you in my car? I'll bring the popcorn."

  His slow answering smile raised her heartbeat more than a cardiovascular workout.

  * * *

  Todd's apartment was masculine in its total deprivation of personality. Other than a wall-sized entertainment system, his decor consisted of a decorative beer stein and a poster of a classic sci-fi movie. He had explained last night that most of his income supported an elaborate computer system tucked away in his bedroom.

  At least, he had a comfortable looking couch facing the television in the wall system. Amber supposed that's all they really needed to watch the movie anyway.

  She followed Todd to the kitchen to nuke the microwave popcorn, while he retrieved a couple of bottles of beer from the fridge. He popped the disk into the video unit and settled on the couch, inviting Amber with a pat on the cushions beside him.

  With that small invitation, she snuggled next to him, drinking in his delicious body heat. Her cheek rested on his soft cotton T-shirt. With each breath, she pulled his scent deeply into her lungs. She smiled, soap combined with a vaguely familiar exotic fragrance.

  The movie soon forgotten, they fed each other popcorn, laughing while they tried to toss it into each other's mouth. Half the bowl of starchy kernels soon surrounded them on the cushions and floor. Todd placed a puffed kernel between his teeth, leaning toward her like an athlete looking to pass the baton.

  She laughed, shaking her head no. He pulled her closer, stroking her stilled lips with the delicate morsel. She accepted his offering as well as the kiss that followed with a greedy eagerness. He tasted of beer, salt and corn, but also of hot, moist lust. His tongue probed her lips for entry and she obliged, wanting to both please and be pleased by him.

  She eased backward until she lay on the couch, thrilling in the strangely satisfying pressure of his weight. Her hands slipped under his shirt and explored the muscular stretches of his back and shoulders. Mesmerized by his myriad stimulations and her own intense needs, she lost track of his hands, until a sudden release around her chest signaled his talented fingers had indeed been busy. She pulled back for a breath.

  "I'm jealous of this necklace."His hand slid around to her chest where h
e toyed with the heavy stone.

  "Jealous?"

  "It rests right where I want to be."He pulled her shirt up, exposing her breasts to his manipulations. She arched her back to give his tongue greater access. Waves of pleasure coursed from the tip of her nipples clear to her toes. A delicious warmth pooled between her legs. She ached to feel his flesh pressed hard against hers.

  He drew back, pulled his shirt off and smiled. "God, you're beautiful."

  She practically choked. She was the smart one, the funny one but never the beautiful one. It was all the spell, the magic. Todd was making love to a false image. If he could see her as she truly was, he'd never have invited her to his apartment.

  Amber glanced at the top of his head as he worked his lips down her stomach toward her belly button. This wasn't right.

  "I've got to go,"she said, pushing at his shoulders.

  "Oh no. You're not running away from me again."As if to prove his point, he slipped a hand up the leg of her shorts and explored beneath the elastic. She gasped. The tactic almost worked.

  "No silly. I need to go to the bathroom."To think, but she didn't mention that. "Could you let me up?"

  She hurried down a short hallway, then carefully closed the bathroom door behind her. She ran cold water in the basin and splashed her cheeks. Clear your head. It's not you he wants. He's never really seen you. She glanced up at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

  "NO! Not now!"

  It was back, all the fat and extra pounds. She glanced down at the amulet still nestled between her breasts. It couldn't be! Was there some time limit to the magic?

  "Is something wrong?"Todd asked from beyond the door.

  Her plump cheeks had returned. A quick inspection confirmed her ample hips, thick waistline and full bosom had followed suit. She grabbed the amulet, shook it, then repeated, "I wish I was thin. I wish I was thin."

  But there was no tantalizing smoke, no dizzying sensation, just the hiss of running water.

  "Amber, are you all right?"

  How could she face him now? How could she explain? "I'm fine,"she lied. "I'll be out in a minute."

  What to do? What to do? One look at her and he'll probably have her out the door as well. She turned off the water and rehooked her bra, carefully hiding all the offensive flesh under her T-shirt. With a deep breath, she braced herself, then opened the door.