A.O.E.M.: Finding Magic Read online

  A.O.E.M.: Finding Magic

  Kate Douglas

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2005 Katherine A. Moore

  No part of this e-book may be reproduced or shared by any electronic or mechanical means, including but not limited to printing, file sharing, and email, without prior written permission from Changeling Press LLC.

  ISBN: 1-59596-185-2

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  Changeling Press LLC

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  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Sheri Ross Carucci

  Cover Artist: Bryan Keller

  This e-book file contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language which some may find offensive and which is not appropriate for a young audience. Changeling Press E-Books are for sale to adults, only, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.

  Prologue

  “Cut, people. That’s a wrap. You’ve done a great job on this film. Tomorrow is finito!”

  Amanda Carlisle didn’t acknowledge the cheers, nor did she join in. Head down, she rushed from the soundstage and headed for her trailer.

  Her personal assistant and bodyguard, all six foot six of big, black male, blocked her entrance. “What’s the rush, missy? That’s not the face I’m used to seeing at the end of a shoot.”

  Amanda curled her lip and wished she felt like smiling. “Who the hell do you think you are? Mr. Clean? What’s with the shaved head, Lester?”

  Les grinned and tugged at the big gold ring hanging from his left ear. “I thought it complemented the bling. You mean you don’t like the look?”

  “You look so damned sexy you make my teeth itch.” Amanda ran her hand down his bare chest. Everything about Lester Ondáge was perfect.

  Well, almost everything.

  “Ms. Carlisle? Over here!”

  A flash bulb momentarily blinded her.

  “Oh shit.” Amanda ducked her head and slipped around Les. He moved his big frame aside and she raced into the trailer.

  Les closed the door behind her, but she still heard his deep voice and the mumbles of disgruntled paparazzi.

  “No pictures of Ms. Carlisle, fellas. Now, how’d you get back here? This area is off limits to press.”

  “Is it true? Has Franklin dumped Amanda from No Love Again?”

  “What’s the deal, Lester? Rumors are flying fast and furious. What about the reports of all the dissent on the set of Tomorrow? Word’s out Ms. Carlisle is getting real hard to work with, that she put the film way over budget.”

  “Ms. Carlisle is always a professional. Word of her being replaced on the No Love Again cast is pure rumor. You know how it is in this business. Now, the lady is tired and she needs her rest. We’ll see you at the cast party, I imagine.”

  Amanda groaned and buried her head in her hands. She’d forgotten about the damned party. She heard the door close, felt the warm strength of Lester’s hands working the strained muscles in her neck.

  “Good Lord, Les. Now that’s magic.”

  “You’re tight as a spring, missy. Can I get you some Ibuprofen?”

  “I’d rather have a glass of brandy. A big one.”

  “You can have a small one and that’s it. As tired as you are, you’d be on your cute little ass by dinnertime. I’m sure those jokers would love a picture of that.”

  Les poured a small shot of amber liquid into a plastic cup, then squatted down in front of Amanda and handed it to her. He wrapped her small hands in his big ones, cradling hers as she held the cup. “It’ll be fine, sweetie. Relax.”

  Amanda leaned close and brushed her lips over Les’s extraordinary mouth. He kissed her back, his full lips caressing hers with just the right pressure to hint of more.

  “Damn you, Lester. You’re perfect. Why the hell are you gay?”

  He leaned back and grinned at Amanda. “That’s the way the good Lord made me, sweetie. Just like he made you the most gorgeous woman on earth with a heart so full of love you sometimes make me think of putting the moves on you, just to feel your glow.”

  Amanda snorted. “Yeah. Right.” She cupped the side of his face with the palm of her hand. “Thank you, Les. You always make it better.”

  Les sighed. “I can’t fix this, though, can I?”

  Amanda shook her head. “The magic’s gone. I felt it from the first line of the script. It was a damned good story and I blew what could have been an Oscar quality performance. Les, I don’t know what to do. Those guys were right. Franklin’s trying to force me off his movie. William said…”

  “William’s an ass.”

  “He’s also my agent, and a damned good one. He said Franklin’s people are planting the word all over town that I’m through, that I’ll kill the project.” She sniffed and took a sip of brandy.

  Les brushed her hair, bleached silver blonde for the film, back from her face. “You’re a professional, but you’re human. You’re tired. You’ve done three films, back to back, and you haven’t taken even a weekend break.”

  There wouldn’t be a break for her now, either. No Love Again was due to start shooting on Monday. In Chicago. Damn, she hated Chicago.

  “I’ve got an idea, but you might not like it.” Les stood up and reached into the overhead compartment where he kept her papers. He pulled a long envelope out of the stack then sat down in the small chair next to Amanda’s.

  Les didn’t open it. He sat there, tapping the envelope on his knee, staring at Amanda as if he were contemplating the end of the world.

  Amanda opened her mouth to ask him what the hell was going on, when he took a deep breath and held up the envelope. “You’re not going to like what I think you should do, but hear me out, okay?”

  Amanda frowned and nodded. This was so unlike Les. He actually seemed nervous.

  “I want you to have William contact Franklin, tell him you think Ashley Jenson would make a better Lisa than you. Pull yourself off the film. Don’t give him the chance to do it… it would hurt your career too much. You know Franklin would love to get out of the contract and…”

  Amanda sat back and blinked. No way in hell would… “I don’t break contracts, Les. You know that.”

  “I said, hear me out.” He stood up, paced a few steps away, then whirled around. “This is an invitation to a very special resort. I’ve heard of it but never knew for sure it really existed. I checked. This invitation is for real and it’s addressed to you. It’s an island called Chimera -- a Caribbean island smack-dab in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle. No paparazzi, no one who knows who you are, no make-up people knocking on your door at four in the morning, just a beautiful island where you can relax, regroup…”

  Amanda sighed, caught up in the mesmerizing cadence of Les’s soft words. He described heaven. Warm sands, endless miles of beach, an elite clientele completely disinterested in her Hollywood status.

  “Think about it, sweetie. It’s your chance to…”

  “Get the magic back.”

  Amanda’s whisper hung between them. She looked up at Lester and smiled. Suddenly it all felt right. “Maybe you’re right, Les. Tell you what, I’ll do exactly what you say, but there’s one condition.”

  Les blinked. Obviously he hadn’t expected her to give in so quickly.

  “I’ll drop out of No Love Again and I’ll take this vacation you’re so convinced I need, but only if you go with me.”

  The expression on Lester’s face was worth any contract for any movie ever made. “Close your mout
h, Lester. You’ll catch a fly.” Amanda reached across the small space between them and snatched the envelope out of his suddenly lifeless fingers. “I’m not trying to seduce you, Lester. Think about it. You work just as hard as I do. You’re just as lonely as I am. Separate rooms, we go our own way, but I’ll feel safer knowing you’re nearby. Will you come with me?”

  Les cleared his throat. “Uh, I’m not on the invitation.”

  Amanda stood up, feeling more energized, more alive, than she’d felt in ages. “You are now. Here.” She handed the envelope back to Les. “Make the arrangements and see how soon we can arrive. I think it’s time for both of us to find the magic.”

  * * *

  Prince Lorcan, heir to the Northern Realm of the Lands of Eldar, ruler of the Northern Eldar, direct descendent of the First Kindred, Dragon Clan and a man in his physical and mental prime leaned over the stone basin and puked.

  His manservant, Tady, stood beside him, holding a clean damp towel and a glass of minted water.

  Lorcan raised his head, took the towel from Tady and carefully wiped his face. “I swear, I am going to kill my mother. Where does she find these hideous females? I can’t do it anymore. By the gods, that last woman tasted of six-day-old fish! I will not kiss another, nor will I pick one of these damned fortune hunters to be my bride. My mother will not select my Chosen One.”

  He grabbed the glass of minted water, rinsed his mouth and spit.

  Tady nodded, his eyes downcast, his hands now folded over his chest. “As my Lord wishes.”

  Lorcan tossed the towel in the basin. “Cut the crap, Tady. I’m serious.”

  “I understand, milord. No crap. Your dinner awaits you.”

  “Ya know, Tady, you’d make a damned fine wife.” Lorcan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and sauntered over to the table, lifted a silver lid and sniffed the savory fowl simmering within a blend of mixed vegetables and sauce.

  “I’m perfectly willing, milord.”

  Lorcan’s laughter burst out of him. “I know you are, you twit. I’m the one who prefers the opposite gender. It’s merely that, other than the physical, you have all the qualities I want in a wife. You’re loyal, entertaining and a wonderful cook.” Lorcan patted his loyal manservant on the shoulder. “You’re not bad looking, either, but as much as I wish it, you just don’t turn me on.”

  “I’m sorry, milord.”

  Lorcan laughed again, shaking his head as Tady carefully pulled the royal chair away from the table and seated his master. “Join me? There’s more than enough.”

  “T’wouldn’t be proper, milord.”

  “Proper, hell… I’m in charge and I command you to join me for dinner. It looks delicious.”

  Tady sighed.

  Lorcan knew exactly what went through the smaller Elf’s mind. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get his master to act the part of the prince of the realm.

  So be it. Lorcan had made his decision. There would be no nuptials. No new Elven queen for the Dragon Clan. Not unless he found his Chosen One, a long shot by anyone’s standards. He’d been perfectly happy for all these many years cheerfully screwing whichever sweet young thing crossed his path. He’d not had any complaints, merely the occasional whimper from a wench who expected more than the princely cock thrust between her thighs.

  So, he’d make the decree himself, that he, Lorcan of the Northern Realm, should hereafter be known as the Bachelor Prince, a playboy among men… or Elves. If Tady read it, standing on the uppermost balcony of the castle while dressed in his finest livery, it should go over quite well.

  Or not. Lorcan stared at his plate, his appetite gone. Even the chilled mug of dark ale didn’t tempt him. What he needed was a break, a short vacation from his mother’s insistence that he wed, from the constant parade of horribly ineligible, eligible women.

  “Why is it,” Lorcan asked, raising his head to glare across the table at Tady, “that the word eligible equates with tedious?”

  Tady’s snort was surprisingly unprofessional. “Possibly, milord, because your mother determines who is eligible?” Tady lifted his mug of ale and took a long, slow swallow. He smacked his lips with obvious relish. “Have you thought of searching on your own?”

  Lorcan shook his head. “It’s not a bad idea. Unfortunately, can you see me running that one by dear old mom? Besides, I really don’t intend to wed.”

  “There’s always Chimera.”

  Lorcan raised his head and blinked. Now why the hell hadn’t he thought of Chimera? It was the perfect solution. A beautiful tropical island hidden in the midst of the Bermuda Triangle, accessible by humans -- appropriate humans -- only by invitation. Accessible by creatures such as Lorcan whenever the need for escape -- or a suitable mate -- grew strong.

  “I swear, Tady. I just might choose you for my bride. That’s a brilliant idea! We’ll leave in the morning.”

  “We, milord?”

  “We. Pack your bags. We’re going on vacation.”

  Chapter 1

  Tady set Lorcan’s bags down just inside the door to the prince’s private bungalow. One entire wall of clear windows opened to the gleaming ocean where the sun hovered just above the western horizon. Shades of gold and silver spilled across the calm waters. Lorcan stared out the window a moment, then quickly shed his lightweight jacket.

  “It’s a beautiful night, Tady. Get yourself settled and enjoy the evening. It’s yours. I’m going to take a walk on the beach… check out the women.”

  “Alone, milord?” Lorcan rarely did anything on his own. Tady knew he made an unusually small, but effective, entourage.

  “Yes, Tady. Alone. I told you, this is your vacation as well. You’re more than welcome to ignore me entirely.” Lorcan turned and stared out the window as a matched pair of gorgeous young women passed by on the beach just outside. Their long blonde hair swung in rhythm with their steps, brushing nicely rounded hips. Make that bare hips… Lorcan grinned. He did love a thong bikini…

  “In fact, Tady. I think I’d prefer you ignore me. Talk to you later.”

  Lorcan ran his fingers through his dark hair to cover his Elven ears, the only obvious feature that set him apart from ordinary human males -- other than his propensity to shift to Dragon form on occasion. Then he loosened the upper two buttons on his brightly patterned cotton shirt and nonchalantly headed for the beach at a perfect angle to intercept the two young women.

  Tady sighed. The concept of leaving Lorcan to his own devices for a full week on an island filled with nubile young women was enough to give any self-respecting Elf nightmares.

  Grumbling under his breath, Tady grabbed his bags and headed across the warm sands to his own bungalow. Only a few yards from the prince’s, it was just as secluded by thick palms and ferns, giving it a sense of total isolation.

  Tady laughed when he saw the size of the bed, designed to accommodate the largest of guests. At barely five foot two, Tady figured he could hold a party in the damned thing and have room to spare.

  As if he’d have the chance to share it with anyone.

  He sat heavily on the edge of the bed. Lorcan needed a wife, if for no other reason than to keep him out of trouble. Between the queen mother and his loyal manservant, the prince would eventually find the perfect mate, whether he wanted her or not.

  But what of me? Tady looked around the beautifully appointed room. Luxurious yet tasteful, it was the perfect setting for seduction. Chimera, however, didn’t seem like the best of places for a rather small, gay Elf to find that perfect-ever-after kind of love.

  Hell, he’d be happy for any kind of love.

  “It’s thinkin’ like that’ll get ya nowhere.” Tady shoved himself to his feet, grabbed his bags and began putting his clothing into the closets and drawers. The lower drawer on the dresser stuck. He tugged and the drawer flew open.

  It was filled to the brim with neatly packaged sex toys, floggers and shackles. Everything he needed for a night of hot sex, except the man. Tady poked th
rough the collection, chuckling quietly at the impressive array, then carefully shut the drawer.

  He left his empty bags stacked on two of the chairs and thought of going back to Lorcan’s bungalow to unpack for the prince.

  The sound of music drifted across the still night air. Tady’s stomach growled. It’d been a long journey and Lorcan was a grown man.

  Let him put his own clothes away. Tady straightened his shirt, ran his fingers through his short blond hair, taking care to cover his ears, and headed for the nearest restaurant.

  * * *

  Lester watched Amanda as she strolled slowly away from him, her long skirts whipping about her slim legs, her thick, honey blonde hair, so much prettier in its natural shade, falling heavily across her shoulders, spilling down her back.

  Damn but she was one fine woman. It amazed him, especially when he saw her like this, free of the cares of work and the pressures from an intrusive press, that he didn’t feel the slightest sexual attraction to her at all. She loved him. He loved her. There was nothing one wouldn’t do for the other… except that.

  Laughing, Les raised his hand to wave when Amanda turned around. He caught the gleam of her bright smile in the last rays of the sun as she returned his wave, then he turned away and left her on the beach. Amanda Carlisle might eat like the proverbial bird, but the flight had been long and there was a lot of Lester Ondáge that needed filling.

  * * *

  The restaurant closest to their bungalows was bursting with beautiful people. There was no other way to describe the mix of obviously powerful, wealthy men and woman who lounged against the long, polished teak bar or sat at small tables beneath a canopy of palm fronds. Candles cast a romantic glow on the faces of lovers bent over exotic looking meals.

  Les might have felt totally out of place, but his stomach growled again and he searched over the heads of the shorter patrons, looking for an empty table.

  He noticed a booth toward the back of the patio that appeared empty. There wouldn’t be much of a view, but it was close to the kitchen and food sounded more appealing than the ocean right now.