The Incubus Under my Bed

Aria slowly, lowered her naked form into the steaming sanctuary of her tub. She pressed play on her iPod dock, and the sweet, seducing sounds of Babyface’s Whip Appeal came pouring out. Henri observed her as he leaned against the bathroom sink. He loved bath time. Aria was her filthiest when she was getting all clean. He didn't know how he wanted to play this. They usually started off with some sweet romantic scenario such as; him being away for a long time, and her making some grand romantic gesture, upon his return. However, he wasn't in the mood for such. If only his little witch knew the things he could do once they were on the same plane of existence. He knew she was thinking about him by more than his presence in the room. That was how their relationship worked. She thought about him, and he 'serviced' her. In the four years he's come to know her; he could tell when she was reminiscing about their past encounters, by the way her smile turned up mid length on her face. He wondered what day she was think about. The hotel in Montreal was a good one. He remembered how he thrust into Aria as her cousin Stella lay next to her fast asleep. The thrill of them being caught at any moment excited his precious witch. For such a moral compass she dreamt of a lot of dirty things. Aria never wanted to think about Henri, but the harder she tried not to the more he was on her mind. It seemed like every minute she had alone she spent daydreaming about his ghostly touch. She was sure her resent break up with her real boyfriend, Tyrell, was messing with her mind. The last thing she needed was her invisible boyfriend back in her life. Henri entered Aria’s life when she decided to pleasure herself. It wasn't the first time she m*********d, but it was the first time she thoroughly enjoyed it. Aria wanted to see how it felt to have someone else touch her without giving her goodies to someone that wouldn't treasure them. And the consequence of being a witch is you’re every thought had power. She created her imperfectly perfect guy. Smart, caring, funny. Henri was everything she ever wanted and never had because of the constraints of his world, and the cruelty of hers. He was a sarcastic jerk, but he was funny and sweet, all the same. He wouldn't be a man without flaws and his were handpicked at the minimal to be tolerated. At least she thought they were minimal until he discovered that she was a witch. Aria slowly lowered her hand to her valley when she felt her muscle stiffen as if she were being restrained, "You're not starting without me are you?" She opened her eyes to see twinkling, green eyes drinking her up. Henri always wore a smug grin on his face, because he knew no matter what mood she was in he'd get his way. Henri's olive colored hand glided across the bubbles. He held a handful and blew them in her unamused face. "Go away." He simply licked his lips and smirked once again. He never got tired of the cat and mouse game they played, but today was the day he'd get his freedom. As a witch she could perform a spell to set him free. They'd get rid of each other almost instantly which was what she wanted. "Once again, there is only one way that is ever going to happen, and you refuse to do it. That leads me to believe you really don't want me to go away Ms. Davis," Henri said as he smiled down at her. "You're trying to manipulate me. How can I just let you into my world?" she questioned, still unable to move. He pouted. "I'll promise to be a good little boy. I'll do whatever it takes, wait however long I have to, in order for you to do this Ari." Aria closed her eyes tightly knowing if she focused hard enough, she could make him go away. Henri made himself invisible and loosened his hold on her. He wanted to mess with her a little more. She slowly opened one eyes and sighed when she didn't see his face. She relaxed in the tub and sunk in just a little deeper. Then she felt his body on hers and heard the water shifting. "Thought you got rid of me ay," he smiled down at her. She could feel his nakedness priced against her and his growth against her stomach. "Please leave me alone," she begged. Her eyes locked on his and they didn't have the same desperation her voice did. He loved that about her. She held no punches and took no prisoners. That was her mindset, at all times, even in this desperate hour. "You scratch my back and I scratch yours. That's how this relationship works," he said laughing against her neck as he kissed it. She struggled to gain movement in her limbs. She was completely at his mercy. "We can do this for real you know," he cooed in her ear. "I can really make you feel all of this," he begged. "Please do the spell for me?" Something in her broke. She needed to get rid of him, but her body or her mind wouldn't let her. For two weeks he's been popping up in her classes, at the gym, around her friends, and the dinner table on Sunday night begging her to release him for her imaginary purgatory. She had been good at hiding this from everyone, but her cousin Stella caught her yelling at him, and things were becoming complicated. She could do the spell and let him go. This is America where we spend more money on defense than we do education what is the worst that could happened? The best thing is him going away. Far, far away. "Fine," she said. He gently rubbed his thumb across her plump lips. "You mean it?" "Yes, but you have to leave me alone for the next twelve hours. I don't want to see you or hear you. Understand?" "I do but once again I only come when you want me to," he said and winked. She used to love his crude manner, now it made her skin crawl. "I won't think about you," she promised. "You always say that yet I'm always here," he laughed. "Look I know you can be here without me knowing. You just did it. Why not do it again? I want some space for the next twelve hours," she said. "To talk yourself out of it," he asked. “To breathe. I just need to breathe," she said closing her eyes and resting her head on the inflatable head rest on the back of the tub. He knew things in her life were stressful, at the moment, and that is why he chose this one. He kissed her cheek, "Enjoy your day," he said as he disappeared. -IUMB- Aria forgot what normal felt like the past few days. Henri's constant begging and seducing made it hard to be normal. Of course, she came for an admired family of witches this was still beyond her realm of normal. "We have to get Able from Burma's," Aria's mother Diana said as she mixed the biscuits for dinner. Burma Douglass was the most hateful little old lady in the world, but she was also her grandfather's wife. George Davis or Able as his family knew him (no one really knew why) was a cunning man. At the tender age of seventy-five he was still a quick stepping, silver-tongued, southern man of distinction. Able was a lot of things to Aria’s mother, but through the good and bad he was always her father first. "Why are he and Grandma divorced if they keep sneaking around with each other?" Stella asked from Aria's side. The girls were both making pies one sweet potato the other apple. -"Because I spent forty miserable years married to that man and I'll spend no more." Patricia Lemont-Davis was the personification of beauty. She like her counterpart Able didn't look her seventy plus years. It had to be something in the water, Ari's dad would say. "Hey Grandma," Aria said as she hugged her grandma. Patti was a tall slender woman with long slender finger the same Aria inherited. "Hey baby girl," Patti said as she hugged her. "We missed you in church today." "I've been having a really weird week, and I just needed to collect myself," Aria said. "Yelling at thin air is really weird," Stella mumbled. "Aren't you a fire starter today," Patti said after she hugged her other granddaughter. "Someone had to inherit that gene from grandpa," Stella laughed. The girls laughed as they continued to prepare their feast. "Where is your momma Stella?" "With whatever guy she's seeing this week. He should be here for dinner as usual," Stella said rolling her big brown eyes. Stella was the spitting image of her mother Stephanie and like her mother she could be done right saucy, and one hell of a gossip. Her heart shaped face and almond eyes were gorgeous and that soft light brown of everyone in the Lemont side of the family. The same light eyes Aria wish she had. Aria knew Stella hated how much time her mom spent looking for guys and how little time she spent home being a mother. Stella and her little brother Craig spent a lot of time at Aria's. They were more like sisters, than cousins. "Well I'm sure he couldn't be any worse than that guy Mike," Aria's mom Diana said from the stove. "I don't know what it is with your daughter and those Mike fellas," she said to Patti. Stella's dad was named Mike and so was Craig's. Aunt Stephanie had a thing for Mike's. Diana was an old-time beauty with the figure of a fifties pinup and the looks of a young Dorothy Dandridge. She had her mother's soft mouth and her father's small nose. "Girls go get Able," Diana ordered. "Ok," Aria said handing over her pie. "And grab some more milk for tomorrow." "Anything else?" Stella asked knowing there always was. "No and don't sass me." "Yes auntie," Stella smiled as the girls headed to the door. "And Ari wear a real coat not a hoodie its cold." "There's heat in the car," she protested. "And if the car breaks down and you have to walk back what are you going to do than," she asked. "You say that all the time, yet it never does," she complained as she grabbed her mother's coat. "I expect my coat back," she warned as Ari slammed the door. -IUMB- Aria and Stella waited outside of Burma's house for their grandfather to come out. "What's up with you?" Stella asked now that they were finally alone. That was a hard thing to be in this family. They practically owed a little over a third of their small Maryland town. Everyone knew the Davis clan in Cyprus Hill, Maryland. "Everything is fine, did you finish that homework for Collier? I need my TI83 for stats tomorrow," I said with a soft smile. "Ok let's be honest with each other right now. You don't have to lie to me," she said Aria turned and looked dead in her eyes. "I don't have to lie to you, but I went out of my way to, so maybe there is a reason," she said and added a soft smile. "You're always such an asshole," Stella grumbled under her breath. "Can't no one ever help your ass?" "Shut up you cry baby. It's my business so mind yours." The girls stuck their tongues out at one another. "That isn't attractive behavior," Able said. The older gentleman got in the driver's seat. Stella sat in front because she hated the backseat. Ever since they were kids Stella always got in the front so no one would have to hear her whining. "Hello grandpa," Aria said giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Hello baby girl. Telly what are you getting into to," he said calling Stella by her childhood nickname. "I'm an angel," she said as she kissed his cheek. "You're a wolf in sheep's clothing I'll tell you that," he said as he pulled out of the driveway and down the dirt road. "That's Aria. I'm the good, beautiful grandchild," Stella said evoking a snort from Aria in the backseat. "I am," she protested. "And I'm Michael Buble," Aria said. "Lady's don't have piety arguments especially my ladies," Able said interrupting the bickering girls. "How are you two doing in school?" he asked as they finally hit asphalt and civilization. Burma lived in the hick part of Cyprus Hill call Norcross on the opposite side of the railroad tracks, were you could barely make out the English in their thick Southern dialect. "Fine," Aria said. "No it’s not. I think Tyrell did a number on her GPA, she failed her Neuropsych quiz," Stella said becoming a bigger pain in Aria's ass. "I didn't fail I just don't do my best," Aria said giving Stella a look that could kill. "You don't have to lie anymore Aria. You can tell pop pop you wanna move to DC and go to George Washington U." I hate you, Aria said telepathically. Stella just smiled as they pulled into the drive way.