Kelly was beginning to regret bringing up her sex life with Taniesha. For one thing, Taniesha was not keeping her voice down at all, despite the fact that they were walking through the city in the middle of the day. Thankfully, they weren't on the busiest street, but still...
"C'mon, who doesn't like to get spanked or tied up once in a while? I know from your books you aren't
that
basic." Taniesha was referring to the trashy romance novels that Kelly wrote for a living. Her husband's accounting job was steady enough that she could stay at home and write. While she spent some time every week working on her epic fantasy series, she spent most of the time cranking out bodice-rippers under a pen name.
"It's not that I don't think it's hot, it's just physically uncomfortable. It just takes me out of it, no matter how worked up Mark gets me." Kelly gave a heavy sigh. "I know we're plenty active, but I'm still worried that if I can't do this for him, he'll find..."
"Don't even finish that sentence. No man in his right mind is gonna leave
that
," Taniesha admonished, gesturing at Kelly from head-to-toe.
Despite her modest demeanor, even Kelly had to admit that she was attractive. It was a point of pride that she was fit in her early-forties. Despite her tall, slim figure, her breasts had managed to keep the large-ish size they'd grown to during pregnancy. While she couldn't compete with Taniesha's bubble butt, Kelly's trunk was certainly not devoid of junk. Between that and a face that still had girl-next-door vibes, she knew she was a catch. The only things she hated about her body were how much effort it took to keep tangles out of her wavy brown hair and her long nipples that just refused to hide under anything shy of a winter coat. She knew Mark had no complaints there, or anywhere else for that matter.
Before Kelly could reply, Taniesha pointed down the alleyway they were passing. "Has that place always been there?"
Kelly turned to see, with just as much unfamiliarity as her friend, a small shop. The handmade wooden sign hanging above the door read
Madame Kasmira's Mysteries: Fortune Telling, Charms, and Potions
. "I've never noticed it before."
Taniesha scrunched her hands and shoulders with glee. "Girl, we 'bout to get our palms read. I love these places," she gushed. Then, in a mischievous tone, she added "ooh, maybe there'll be a 'potion' to spice things up with you and your man." She had already thrown her arm around Kelly's shoulders and dragged her up to the door when a notification popped up on her phone. Taniesha stared daggers at the device. "Are you for- I
told
this boy a hundred times..."
Taking things down a notch and turning to Kelly, Taniesha said "that new kid on helpdesk just touched something he shouldn't of and now I'm gonna have to go back and spin up the domain controller VM before- I don't know why I'm telling you this, you don't speak I.T." Already starting to jog back, Taniesha called back to Kelly "You go check that place out for the both of us. Tell me how it is tomorrow!"
Kelly didn't get a chance to reply before Taniesha turned out of view. She didn't particularly buy into this superstitious stuff, though she loved the aesthetic. With Taniesha gone, her lunch plans were shot anyway. Kelly sighed, pulled open the creaky wooden door, and stepped in.
* * *
The bell on the door announced her entrance as Kelly squeezed in. The shop was cramped, with a narrow path between absolutely packed shelves and tables. It reminded Kelly of a used book store, but the shelves held all sorts of vials, talismans, animal bits, and all other manner of occult paraphernalia. The shop was tiny though; it couldn't have been bigger than a convenience store in an airport terminal. There were myriad scents in the one-room shop, but a sweet incense was doing its best to overpower them. Even if she didn't buy anything, Kelly could definitely find some inspiration here for her fantasy novels.
She had only a brief moment to take this in before an old woman came through a door in the back. "Welcome, dearie! I'm Madame Kasmira. How can I help you today?" The woman looked well beyond 80, though she had clearly done her damnedest to keep in shape. She had her grey hair in an intricate braid and her outfit was reminiscent of your average renn faire shopkeeper.
"Hi, thanks, just browsing," Kelly replied.
"Oh come now, no one goes through that door without something worrying them. What's on your mind?" The gleam in Madame Kasmira's eyes almost made it look like she already knew the answer.
The two of them were alone in the shop, and it wasn't big enough to wander off. Whether it was the drive to break the awkwardness, the relaxing incense, or a desperation to vent, Kelly relented. "I'm... looking to spice things up in the bedroom. I guess you'd have... oils or something? I don't know exactly what-"
The old woman chuckled. "Sweetie, we have all kinds of things for that. A potion that makes your nethers taste like your partner's favorite dessert, piercings that glow whenever you look at someone who's attracted to you, half a dozen different ways to make a penis larger..." Madame Kasmira leaned forward and locked eyes with Kelly. "But if you tell me what the trouble is, I can help you find what you need."
Kelly deliberated a few moments, trapped in the matron's seemingly-all-knowing gaze. Finally, she took a deep breath and mustered some courage. "My husband has always wanted to be... rough. He's always enjoyed being dominant, and he wants me to bind me, slap me, and such. I think that's hot, and I'd love to do it, but every time we try, the pain and discomfort just... shuts me down. The only foreplay that actually does anything for me is gentle touches."
Madame Kasmira pondered this. "So you want to be able to enjoy it when your husband gets rough. Well, I have a couple of things. The first is this amulet that allows a succubus to possess your body whenever you wear it, but it's pricey and you wouldn't actually feel anything or be in control of your body while wearing it. Also, you've gotta be sure he'll take it off when he's done, or you've got to wait 6 hours until the charge runs out. Next, we've got a potion that will block all pain but still let you feel pleasure. That's $50 for a bottle that'll get you 15 doses, 20 minutes each dose. He can do whatever he wants, but it'll still feel like normal sex for you, for better or worse."
The elderly woman took out a book and began flipping through it as she continued to speak. "Now I've got a spell that would be more permanent, but I think it's a better option for you. It sounds like you want to be able to enjoy pain and bondage, right?" Kelly nodded, blushing at her deepest insecurity being dissected matter-of-factly. "How would you like to have the pain and discomfort feel like gentle touches? You'd still be able to feel it, but it would feel good."
Kelly was still not quite believing that any of this was possible. Hell, at this point, she wasn't even sure this wasn't a dream. But she was feeling remarkably relaxed and honest at the moment. "That sounds perfect."
"Wonderful. Now all my permanent spells have a 1-month return policy. This one will cost $450; half now, half once the month is up. Do we have a deal?" The younger woman nodded. Madame Kasmira smiled and began to walk around the shop. "Good! Now, I just need to get some things ready. I've got the components I need here, but I need you to give me a drop of blood, a lock of hair, and that first $225. Check or credit?"
* * *
About ten minutes later, the two women sat on the floor of the back room. Kelly was naked in the middle of a circle of sigils and bowls of various powders, feathers, and other ingredients she deliberately did not investigate. The old woman had drawn strange patterns and foreign text all over Kelly's skin, in a hot pink paint that she assured would disappear when the ritual was done. With everything in place, it was finally time for Madame Kasmira to place her hands on the magic circle and speak the words. Kelly thought she heard the old woman chant something in a different language, but she definitely heard a stanza in English:
For every touch, strike or scratch
Instead feel intimate caress
Except a partner deep inside
Feels intensely as desired
Kelly thought she felt something washing over her as Madame said the words, but it could easily have been a hot flash. The scrawling on her skin glowed briefly, then faded away as advertised. She didn't feel any different afterwards.
The older woman misconstrued Kelly's confusion, clarifying "the rhyme is better and more nuanced in the old tongue, but you get the gist. Go ahead and get dressed." She waited in the front of the shop for Kelly to finish, then began guiding her towards the exit. "Now, wait at least until nightfall, and you should start to feel the effects as soon as you start getting frisky with your man. After that, it should work every time. I'll check back with you in a month to see if you want the refund or to pay the rest to make it permanent. Would you like anything else?"
Kelly gave a soft "no thanks," as she lazily pushed the door open.
"Alright, enjoy!" waved Madame Kasmira as the old door clattered shut.
Kelly absentmindedly began walking home, staring briefly at the spot where she'd pricked her finger to give blood for the ritual. She was still dazed from the events of the last half hour, but her head began to clear as she walked back to the bus stop.
Did I just get scammed out of $225?
Kelly thought to herself. A suspicion began to arise about how suggestible she'd been in the shop.
Maybe I should've bought some of that "incense" she was burning instead.
* * *
All throughout dinner, Kelly had been at war with herself. On the one hand, she was trying to manage her expectations; magic isn't real, and they were going to ruin another night by trying and failing BDSM just like all the other times before. On the other hand, she couldn't help but be a little excited at the slim chance that this was going to work. There was also the question of how she was going to explain the charge on the-
"Ok, Kelly, what's going on?"
"Huh?" Kelly started at Mark's gentle, but sudden, voice. She straightened her back and moved her hand away from her thigh; a hand that she didn't remember putting there.
"You've hardly said a word," Mark explained "and you've been staring at me all evening. What gives?"
It wasn't exactly hard for her to stare at Mark. He had a gentle face, but with a strong jaw and intense eyes. The bony boy she snagged in a shotgun-wedding all those years ago had turned what little fat he had into muscle, making a lithe, wiry man. The streak of grey that was creeping into his black hair had only made him look more distinguished as time went on. Kelly knew she was a catch herself, but she still counted herself lucky to have landed Mark.
