Author's Notes: This story includes elements of the following: anal sex, BDSM play, group sex, lesbian sex, mind control, and nonconsent/reluctant sex. This story does not present BDSM in a realistic manner - it's fantasy folks. I want to thank my editor, HalfPear, for her guidance, insight, and suggestions.
Layla Sergeant hovered over a beat up, second-hand coffee table strewn with bills and pay stubs. "Where did I go wrong?" she muttered to herself, as she examined the prices for courses she wanted to take this spring semester. She stared at her laptop spreadsheet, listing the pay from three part-time jobs, the cost of her studio apartment, electric bill, insurance bill, and numerous other expenses.
She combed her fingers through her shoulder length curly black hair. She tightened her full, red lips in frustration as tears pooled in her chocolate brown eyes. "I guess it's either stripping or prostitution for me!" she said with a bitter smile. She threw the papers she was holding. "Either that, or quit school."
Her family simply wasn't an option. At the age of eighteen, her parents kicked her out of their house. They were staunch Southern Baptists and her Iranian-born father still held onto the belief that the actions of his family reflected on him personally. Her father had enough trouble with her interest in the occult. Finding a copy of the Satanic Bible under her bed had shocked and disturbed him, but he agreed to not speak of it to her mother. However, when they learned she wanted to take another girl to her prom by another in their congregation, they gave her until the end of the school year to leave.
Layla grabbed a few books from the edge of the table. She checked her email and saw that the library had sent her notice of overdue books a couple days ago. "Today. Better get these back before the fine gets too large," she whispered to herself. "I can't afford it." She got into her Ford Fiesta and checked the gas gauge, which hovered right above "E". Layla shook her head and started the car.
The drive to the college library was a short one. No traffic. Layla went up to the door and pulled on it; it was locked. "It's Sunday, Layla! They're closed on Sundays, loser," she said to herself. She turned around to look for the return slot and saw Ms. Caine, the librarian, walking up the sidewalk. She had long gray hair, hazel eyes, and was wearing a black long sleeve blouse and blue jeans with black heels. On her chest rested a pendent - an inverted pentagram in silver.
"I remember you - you're Layla, right? Business major? Just started this past August?" she asked as she walked up to the doors.
"Yes - exactly!" Layla said as her eyes drifted to the pendant. "I came to return these books, but they're overdue..."
Ms. Caine saw where Layla's eyes fell and touched the pendant on her chest. "Damn, I forgot to take it off," she whispered. "If you don't say anything about this, I won't charge you."
"Say anything about what?" she answered with an exaggerated sweet smile.
"Good girl," Ms. Caine said. She unlocked the door and immediately took off the pendant as they walked inside.
"It's not like I'll be on campus to talk about what I saw..." Layla muttered behind Ms. Caine.
"Why's that?"
"You heard me?"
"I hear everything, child," Ms. Caine said with a smile. She stepped around the front desk and took Layla's books from her.
"I'm, uh, dropping out. I don't have enough money to go to school and eat. I might not have enough money for car insurance this month, either." Layla bit her lip and shifted between her feet. " I'm sorry Ms. Caine. I don't mean to lay this all on you, it's just the only thing I can think of right now."
"Please, call me Lilith," she said as she checked in the last of the books on business management.. "You know, you seemed unfazed by my choice of jewelry. That's rare in a town like this; how much do you know about the occult?"
A broad smile spread across Layla's lips. "I've... dabbled. I may not look it right now, but I used to be a goth girl; books on witchcraft match the boots. Not that I still own any..."
"I see. Well, I've got something I think might help you out; it's a grimoire," she said with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, I've already tried money spells - they've only managed to help me limp through the next month. I don't think this would help..."
Lilith opened her mouth as if to say something, but then shook her head. "Take it anyway," she said, reaching under the counter. She pulled out a red leather bound book with silver edge pages. "You may find it useful and can return it to me at your leisure. The address of my shop is on the inside cover."
"Your shop?"
"What can I say? I love books," Lilith gave a wicked smile and held the book out to her, "and I have a soft spot for pretty young witches."
Layla bit her lip and took the book. "Thank you. I'll return it," she said walking backwards. She stumbled a little then turned away from Lilith. 'Oh My God - did Ms. Caine just flirt with me?' Layla thought.
When she got into her car, she flipped open the book just to look inside. It was written in white ink on black paper. "Cool," she said. It was filled with diagrams and written notes about a demon named Caliban. "Like in The Tempest?" She rolled her eyes and started the car.
She drove home feeling a little bit better about life than she did before she left. Something about the way Ms. Caine looked at her - almost like a predator sizing up her prey - made her skin tingle with anticipation. She wondered what it would be like with an older woman. Part of her felt it was a bit creepy, but she was also a little excited by the idea.
She made herself instant ramen noodles for dinner, sat down and ate while reading the grimoire. Layla turned the page and came across a crude sketch of the demon; mostly human with horns and cloven hooves. The creature was drawn with a unreasonably large cock.
"Could they make the demon any more stereotypical?" She shook her head. "Caliban: Demon of Wealth and Sex... Insatiable sexual appetite ... Satisfies all carnal desires... Showers his love slaves with gold and silk..." Layla wiggled on her used sofa. "If I'm going to sell my body, it might as well be a good hard fuck for a lot of money," she said with a smile.
She knew from her previous experiences with the occult that summoned spirits didn't manifest physically. She knew that magic ritual was a process through which the practitioner reached alternate states of consciousness while sending a symbolic message to their higher consciousness. She knew that most descriptions in grimoires were figurative and not literal. And so, when she saw that the spell called for thirteen black candles, she knew that the white candles she already owned would work fine. When she saw that the spell called for a silver chalice filled with six hundred and sixty six drops of her own blood, her squeamishness got the better of her and she decided that a chalice filled with the cheap red wine she had on hand would be okay. When she saw that the ritual called for chanting in a language she didn't look familiar, she figured it was glossolalia meant to drop her further into an altered state of consciousness and didn't consider what those words might actually mean. Then there was the 'sacrifice;' her orgasm to occur at the time of the final invocation.
She moved her furniture to create room for a summoning circle in her studio apartment, and wrote along the outside of the circle:
Lucifer, Mephistopheles, Baphomet, Diabolus
. "They couldn't be just a little more inventive? I mean, I get that he's a demon, but you don't have to hit me over the head with it," she said.
She lit the candles, turned off all the lights, and opened the windows so that the light of the full moon shone on the summoning circle. Layla placed the chalice in the center of the circle, stripped her clothing, and began chanting. As she chanted, she snaked her hand down to her sex and teased herself to arousal.
