Some Enchanted Season

Chapter 4

As she opened the sliding, rice-paper doors to her own personal space, Afton kicked off one heel and then the other. Hexaba, her blue-gray Russian cat, sat lazily on the sofa and barely gave her a glance as she entered the living area.

"Oh, Hexie," she lamented to her pet. "What am I going to do?" Taking a seat on the sofa, Afton gathered the cat in her arms and held her close, her chin resting on the feline's soft, furry head. "Why do I feel so lonely? I've always been alone and it never bothered me before. Why is tonight so different from any other night?"

The cat answered by purring loudly and nestling in her mistress's lap. Try as she might to dispel his image, Afton couldn't help but think of McKenzie Barrett. She hadn't been interested in a man for a long, long time and now when one finally managed to prick her interest, he already had plans for a Christmas Eve dinner with someone else. She didn't need that kind of irony just now.

She glanced at her artificial Christmas tree with its red ball ornaments and crystal lights on gilt branches. She bought it two weeks ago when she saw it shimmering in the store; but now, set up in here, it looked like a big gold cone with shiny polka dots and cheap rhinestones. Try as she might, she hadn't been able to get into the holiday spirit.

When Hexie had enough attention and began to squirm, Afton released her and then rose to take a shower. She might as well go through the motions of getting ready for a night out on the town. Maybe, If she thought hard and long enough, Mac would stop by the club, hopefully without his date.

But even if he did bring a woman along, she still had a chance to catch his attention and tantalize his imagination by using her own feminine charms rather than by invoking any spell or enchantment. She never used her magical talents unless absolutely necessary, figuring if she couldn't get a man the usual way than he wasn't worth the effort after all. Of course, starting a relationship with her new neighbor could be a bonus and a detriment, good for her love life with his close proximity but bad for her independence if he turned out to be the possessive, clinging type. But what would happen if they broke it off? It would be hard to avoid one another. Either way, it seemed a damned risky business, but if she never took the chance to find out...

At her bedroom closet, Afton pulled out her black sheath dress with its deep cleavage and slit up the side. She held it up to her while glancing in her full-length mirror, turning one way and then the other. Despite a bout of the blahs, she still looked good, her figure neat and trim, her honey-blond hair thick and luxurious, her face glowing with health, her eyes a clear hazel with green-gold highlights.

To complete her knock-‘em-dead outfit, she planned to wear her black cloak with the red satin lining, her long ebony evening gloves, and her red velvet stilettos. But before she finished dressing, she did her makeup and decided to pin up her hair in a chignon to expose her long, willowy neck.

When she finished, Afton nodded in approval and added a spritz of her special perfume that featured ginger lily, a flower that bloomed only a few months in the Himalayas. Merveille du Monde also contained hints of hyacinth, Neroli leaves, white amaryllis, cinnamon and pepper, making it a truly sensual fragrance.

Smiling, she added a thought: You better watch out, Mr. McKenzie Carlton Barrett, because here I come!