Three Day Djinn

by LetoSai

Lottie's found herself backed into a corner when a walk on the beach lands her with a beautiful bottle containing a Djinni with rough past. She had enough to deal with before the beautiful man started calling her master.

1. Findings

I wrote this story nearly ten years ago now, though it seriously doesn't feel like it's been that long. I took it down at one point for several reasons. Partly because I had always planned on improving it and partly because it had been giving me a lot of grief. People informing me of people plagiarizing the story was another reason. Frankly it pissed me off at the time and I took the story down in a temper tantrum, so positive that I would fix it up and make it better.

Needless to say, that never happened. I've moved on to dozens of other projects both original and fan fiction and I'm really not so hung up on this one story anymore. In fact that whole thing seemed a bit over dramatic, way to go younger self. I was fine forgetting about and leaving it be. Over the years I have quite a few messages of people asking me if I ever planned to repost it and I still never really felt inspired to do so.

I recently received a very lovely message about the story and I was floored that someone remembered a story I posted eight years ago. It was eye opening to me that this story could mean something to someone besides me. I promised that I would have it up some time in November and I am literally half an hour away from missing that deadline.

I have now reread it for the first time, probably since it was first posted and both laughed and cringed. My writing has shifted for sure, but I really fell back in love with this story. I definitely didn't remember how quickly it went from G rated to filthy. I did remember sobbing through writing the ending and I cried again rereading it now.

I haven't changed a thing other than a few spelling errors I caught. So here is the original fic, all in one go.

I hope it lives up to your memory.

Three Day Djinn

Lottie wanted to give it a chance, she really did, but she hated Georgia. Nothing personal, the place was beautiful—incredible even, but a girl couldn't grow up in Louisiana and expect to transition well to a new home. Different people, different towns, and even a different southern drawl took some getting used to. At twenty-three she had expected things to be a little different for her, but what was life without its surprises.

She'd come to Georgia for one reason, and that was to give her mother a hand and some peace of mind. After her father had had a heart attack there were things that needed to be handled, and handling things in the middle of a dilemma was a specialty of hers.

The moment she'd gotten word about her father she called her older brothers and assembled them all back to their parents' home. She didn't care what they had to put on hold in their lives; they would help their mother and like it.

The only down side was that even she hadn't realized how permanent such an investment could be. Thankfully her father recovered slowly but her mother gave her that doe-eyed look and begged her to stay close in case something happened. She'd tried and failed to get her parents to come back to Louisiana, they liked their new place too much to leave it.

It wasn't such a horrible arrangement but she had craved adventure when she was younger. Now she was currently craving a glazed pastry that taunted her from under the glass in the bakery that was her current place of employment.

How the damn thing taunted her.

"Are you done yet, Lottie?" Jillian asked, poking her head around the corner from the kitchen door. She came in after school to lend a helping hand and earn a tiny paycheck. She was Lottie's only sister and was still a junior in high school. They had the same long chestnut hair only Jillian took the time to straighten hers whereas Lottie just couldn't bring herself to care. Their hazel eyes were the same too, but whereas Jillian was the size of a string bean, Lottie had grown proportionately accurate to her somewhat tall frame.

"I would have been had someone been doing her job instead of sitting in the back on her cell phone for an hour."

Jillian flushed slightly and gave a small cheeky smile. "My bad. You know how important tonight is."

"Oh sure, cause you've never hung out at the beach before." Lottie muttered, shutting the glass case in front of her with a sigh, thus hiding the treats from her direct view. She was beyond thrilled it wasn't her night to close up. "Lemme grab my bag."

"A handful of times." Jillian countered, ignoring the latter comment. "Only a handful and most of those times were with mama and daddy. I actually get to meet my friends there this time."

Lottie raised an eye, grabbing her bag and waving goodbye to Daniel who was currently manning the register. "I didn't ask for your life story, baby doll. You got a ride home don't you?"

Jillian stuck out her tongue and nodded, tugging at her shirt that covered her bathing suit. "Yeah, I got a ride back."

"Delightful." Lottie muttered, twirling the keys to her Volkswagen around on her finger before shooing her sister out the door. Next time she was getting Jamie or Regan to cart the little princess around. She wasn't the friend or a sister of convenience Jillian was trying to turn her into.

"It wouldn't kill you to chill the hell out." Jillian sighed after climbing into the passenger seat. "As long as you're living here you could go meet some people, you know. Give you something to do on your day off. Daddy doesn't even need that much help anymore."

"Your concern for me warms my heart, baby doll, but I'm good as is, thanks." Lottie said, hoping she remembered the way to the friggin beach or she'd never hear the end of it.

She was proud that her little sister had made friends so quickly after the initial move but it was like freshman year all over again with the 'he said-she said' and she hardly had it in her to care anymore. It took about a half-hour to get there and already teens had swarmed the beach for the cook out and bonfire party that someone was throwing.

"Have a good time, don't die." Lottie said with a smile as Jillian got out of the car with a short laugh.

"Thanks a lot, love you too." She said before wandering off, apparently already seeing a group of kids she knew.

Lottie watched her with a sigh. She did miss her friends she'd left behind but that wasn't a reason to sulk. She was a grown up after all. She decided to park and take a short walk on the beach. There were so many people around that her sister would never know even though chances were high that she wouldn't mind even if she did.

The beach was lit up with the sun setting and it seemed like as good a time as any to take a stroll. She was already there for one and there was still some time before it got dark. Leaving her shoes in her car she walked barefoot in the sand, occasionally picking up a seashell.

The walk became nicer as she moved away from the ruckus making teenagers and she silently made a note to herself to come back more often. It wasn't much of an adventure but it was out of the norm for her. A break in routine would do her a world of good every now and then.

She continued picking up shells, wondering what she could do with them as she carelessly moved down to the water to let the water wash over her feet. This aspect of life wasn't so bad even when she wished for more.

"Ow, damn it all!" She cursed when she scarped her foot against something blunt. "Ow, ow, ow."

Reaching down to rub her aching toes and went to pick up the rock she nearly tripped over to toss it back into the water. No sense letting someone else trip over it. When it didn't simply lift up into her grasp she sighed, shoving her collected shells into her pockets and crouching down.

With a frown she brushed her fingers against the smooth object and couldn't imagine how it had hurt her so. She stared at the dirtied metal and dug if from the sand until she could pull it loose.

"How pretty." She muttered, wiping the sand off the opaque bottle that looked nearly ancient. Not being a history buff she had no idea what it was or where it was from or even how old it was but it looked like something that could have once been an incense bottle. It looked like a thick blue glass but it was swirled with dozens of other similar shades.

Lottie smiled to herself when she remembered being little and writing notes on scrolls of paper and shoving them in old coke bottles for her siblings to find. Each of them took turns in the game and it had been years since she had thought of it.

"Pretty" she repeated, holding onto the bottle as she turned back to walk to her car. She'd wandered off on her own enough and needed to get home before she was too tired to drive. At the very least, she was pleased it wasn't a total waste of a trip.

It was only just starting to really get dark as she got back to her car. She'd woken up way too early for a shift that wasn't technically even hers and loathed the fact that it was becoming a habit. She liked her job just fine but she just didn't want it to consume her.

It was.

She was already getting up early and staying later and she didn't always benefit from the hard work either. That was what was getting on her nerves. Only a few others worked there with her and they all had the same problem.

Working there for seven months had taught her the inner workings of a bakery and she was pretty sure she could handle the stress of opening her own if it came to that.

She had planned on stopping by her parents house at first to check up on her father but dubbed herself too tired and nodded to herself since she had the entire weekend to worry about it. There was plenty of time to think about it until then. Besides, with Jillian out it gave her parents a rare night to relax alone together.

Going home as planned gave her a small sense of relief. Her little two story apart was her place of peace and zen that she needed to remain sane. It was her happy place and possibly her favorite part about having moved.

Lottie took a shower and changed into short and a tank top before shoving a movie into her DVD player to pass the time. Sitting on her couch with the bottle she'd picked up she stared wiping it off with a cloth. Carefully, she cleaned the bottle and smiled a little at the way it gleamed. She couldn't imagine buying anything so pretty.

"What crap." She muttered after a moment, wanting to get into the bottle. If nothing else she could use it as a vase. Instead, there was a lead like stopper in the bottle that she was having a hard time prying out. It took her less than five minutes to get frustrated enough to get up and roam her kitchen for a pair of pliers she kept in the junk drawer.

"Don't be so difficult, pretty bottle." She muttered, working on the stopper diligently before it popped out with a 'thump'.

A gasp left her suddenly when water started over flowing the sides of the bottle. At first she tried to mop up the water with the towel in her lap but she cursed in a panic when it wasn't stopping. More and more water flowed down the sides of the bottle, more than it ever could have held. She tossed it down onto her coffee table and backed away quickly as the water rushed down the table and on to the floor beneath.

"Oh hell, what did I do?" She muttered softly, anxiously shifting from one foot to the other as she tried to figure out what was happening. This shouldn't have even been possible. Who could she call? What was going on?

"What indeed."

The voice was lightly accented and thick from nonuse. She felt the warm breath against her ear and nearly screamed. She would have screamed had a hand not clamped over her mouth.

Lottie swallowed hard, fear shooting down her spine as she was literally scared stiff. She was sure she locked the front door; it had become a habit to do so every time she came home. Whether she was there or not that door was locked.

"Mm..." His husky purr turned into a pleased sigh as he peered over her shoulder and down her chest. "Thank the sweet spirits. A woman."

She stumbled away from him awkwardly when he released her, landing in at least two inches of water. Her entire living room was being flooded from water still pouring out of the pretty bottle, but that couldn't seem to hold her attention the way the very naked man standing three feet in front of her did. He was tall, a little over six foot. His dark hair was pulled back into a loose braid that reached his hips suggestively. His skin was tanned to perfection and there wasn't an ounce of him out of place. He was prime and staring down at her with hooded brown eyes.

"Please don't rape me." Lottie said so quickly that it startled both of them. While else would a man have broken into her house stark naked?

His soft looking lips curved into a smile and he crouched in front of her, not showing a single hint of modesty, as he made no move to cover himself. "Well now sweet Lady. First off, rape isn't my niche. Second, if I wanted you, you'd enjoy it. Third—" He flicked his wrist and the water in the room disappeared. "I should have you enjoy it as a reward for freeing me."

She stared with wide eyes, hands trembling. "What?"

"Oh." He cooed, reaching out to grab a strand of her long curls. "You didn't realize? Even better."

Lottie tried to back away slowly but his grip on her hair tightened. She actually tried to consider a way of cutting off the strand of hair he held but had nothing sharp within arm's reach.

"I'm a Djinni little Lady, lawfully bound to whoever releases me from my captive state. Then there's that nasty three wishes agreement I don't necessarily condone." He mused, the words rehearsed.

"Genie?" She repeated slowly, "Genie? Like Aladdin?"

He tilted his head. Eyes scrunching together in confusion. "Should I know who that is?"

"It's a Disney movie."

He stared blankly.

"Okay." she muttered softly, trying to back away again. Her shaking only got worse as her panic grew. "I don't want wishes or whatever. You can go."

He looked surprised and let the silence envelop them. It was obvious those were words he'd never heard before and because of that he seemed to take their situation more seriously. "I wasn't going to give you wishes." He licked his lips slowly. "I'll give you three days."

It was her turn to blink stupidly. It was hard enough when her eyes kept trying to wander, but his gaze set a heat off inside of her. He was obviously a man used to being looked at.

"I'll give you that long." he grinned, releasing her hair and crawling towards her, "I am a Djinn of my word."

"Three days for what?" She stuttered, arching away from him as he pressed his face closer to hers, invading her personal space.

"To prove to me who you are and what you're capable of." he pressed closer. "Obviously."

"I don't..."

"Prove it to me." he purred, his accent making his words sharp. "Prove to me you're worthy enough to be my master."

A shiver ran through her and danced down her abdomen. "You...you're crazy."

"Maybe." he agreed, slowly cutting off her escape route. "Sitting in a bottle a couple centuries can do that to a guy."

Lottie stared with wide eyes. "A couple..."

"Centuries. Horrid, yes?" He smiled, brushing his mouth against her stunned and parted lips. When she inhaled sharply he all but pounced on her, devouring her in a long kiss he was in complete control of. Every tiny sound she emitted made him nearly hiss in pleasure. Centuries of captivity was far too long to go without knowing the touch or another and this pretty, dark hair, hazel eyed girl was too good looking not to touch.

He pulled away with a ragged breath when he felt her tense shyly. It was going to be a magnificent three days if nothing else. "Your name?" he smiled wide.

Lottie stared up at him, heat in her face and confusion still in her eyes. "Lottie."

His eyes rose. "That is a strange but oddly beautiful name." He sat up, pulling her with him. "My name is Eskil."

She swallowed and nodded. Best to not argue with the potentially crazy home invader. "You're seriously telling me you're a Genie?"

He purred instantly. "Would you like a demonstration?"

She hesitated. "What are you planning. You know what, nope. Never mind. I have to get you some clothes, and call the cops."

Eskil raised an eye. "An interesting turn of events but I'll accept them for now. Except perhaps that last bit. It sounds too negative for what I had in mind." he mused, glancing at the TV and giving it a strange, appraising look before appearing in clothes identical to what he saw on the screen, which happened to be a simple tee shirt and khakis.

"Oh..." Lottie said, standing up suddenly. "I need Tylenol and sleep. This isn't happening. I'm hallucinating something awful."

"Denial is one of my favorite reactions." Eskil mused happily from behind her. "It will be grand fun to convince you. To overwhelm your senses."

She tensed, turning back to him to see him lounging back on the couch, legs propped up. "Look, I don't really get where you came from and telling me you came from a bottle is nuts. You should leave before my sanity comes back and I really do call the cops."

His lips curved out slowly into a pout and the look alone was like a punch to the gut. This man was trouble.

"Would you like me to call you Master? It's not something I would do until the end of the next three days but if it would please you, I don't mind." He moved up to his feet effortlessly and moved towards her gracefully. "I am a Djinni, Lottie. I'll do what I want to do, when I want to do it of course, and I'm afraid you're going to be involved whether you like it or not. "

Lottie shook her head. "You don't belong here." She muttered, taking a nervous step back away from him.

Eskil smiled sweetly. "Of course I do, Master. You brought me here after all. You went through all that effort to release me. I really must find a way to repay you."

He easily backed her up against the wall and smiled sweetly when her eyes grew shy and timid. She was nothing like his previous masters and for that fact alone he could have fallen to his knees in thanks.

"You'll let me thank you properly, won't you?" he smiled tenderly.

No matter how innocent and sweet he tried to seem, Lottie already knew better. Eskil was trouble. He was up to something and possibly dangerous. He was slipping his hands up the front of her shirt…

"Eskil!" she narrowed her eyes and then her stern look gained his attention instantly. "Get back in the bottle or just leave."

He frowned and looked back at the bottle with disdain. "You're sending me to my room without supper. I haven't even been bad yet."

Lottie hesitated, brows scrunching together in confusion.

"You do not know about Djinns, do you, Master?" He asked, his hand reaching up to cup her jaw. "Normally, I wouldn't bother with this, but it will only cause me problems for you to remain so blissfully unaware."

She stared up at him, trying in vain to push him away. He grabbed her wrists and held them over her head with an amused look. "We're quite dangerous, you know." He spoke softly, his lips touching her ear, causing her to shiver. "Rather mischievous you could say. Silly wise men, priests, and magicians thought they could control us—we who are nearly omnipotent. Some succeeded but they we're greedy and couldn't handle such gifts. A Djinni can be a precious companion or nightmarish creatures that would make even the Underworlds devils cringe."

She shrank away as he spoke, wishing she hadn't gone to the beach at all.

Eskil scoffed and lowered his gaze back to hers. "Denied."

Lottie blinked. "What?"

"Your wish is denied." He purred, slipping one of his hands back into her hair. He loved the feel of her curls against his palm.

"You read my mind?" She swallowed.

"Mm mm." He shook his head and smiled a little. "I can't do that, but I know when you wish for something. Out loud or in your mind. If you didn't go to the beach, then you wouldn't have found my bottle. I'm quite content with the arrangement. Thus, your wish is denied."

"You said you were granting me wishes." She muttered, thinking she just should have used the damn things quickly to get rid of him.

Eskil leaned forward, brushing his lips down her neck. "I could grant you three wishes or three days. I've granted you three days. What I do now are my own are whims, mostly."

She hesitated, a dark blush creeping down her neck that followed the trail of his teasing kisses. "What's the difference?"

"You want to know?" he whispered, massaging his lips against her pulse tauntingly. "I could tell you perhaps, as an exchange."

Lottie's breath hitched in her throat and she had to actually remind herself how to breathe. "Ex—Exchange?"

"Mmm." He groaned softly, pressing her into the wall. "I'll tell you as part of your reward for freeing me."

"I don't want a reward." She attempted weakly, her hips jerking forward against his of their own accord.

Eskil smiled a little, massaging his fingers against her scalp. Not wanting a reward? He'd never heard of such a thing. "But I want to give it to you."

She shook her head back and forth, feeling light headed from her lack of oxygen. He seriously made her forget how to breathe.

"Where are your private room quarters?" he asked, nipping at her jaw roughly between kisses that nearly made her whimper.

"No." she shook her head, pushing at his chest. "No."

"Lottie." He sang, his hand releasing her wrists so it could slowly trail down her side. "We need it, the two of us."

"I haven't been in a bottle for centuries!" she said, getting sucked into his delusions. "I'm just fine, thank you!"

Eskil grinned. "Fine, I'll allow your denial because it is adorable and take on all the responsibility for myself. I need it, I want it. You're contemplating it hard, let's take out the middle man already and let me blow your gorgeous mind."

Lottie went red instantly and shoved herself back up against the wall. No guy had every talked to her like that before.

"I would think it's a winning situation for you." He purred, tugging at her earlobe lightly with his teeth. "You'll definitely enjoy it."

She sighed shakily. "Eskil…"

"Master." He smiled, enjoying the way she shivered when the words passed his lips. "Oh, you're thinking something dirty." He leaned down enough to kiss her neck. "I don't know how much more blunt I can become. I'm trying to imbibe on one of those fantasies."

She shook her head. "Eskil. I'm sorry. I can't believe you're a Genie."

"Fair enough." He smiled sweetly, his arms encircling her waist to lift her up into the air. When he set her down on her feet again a second later she was standing in the middle of her bedroom with the curious man looking around.

Lottie's eyes widened slowly. "How?"

"Very nice." Eskil muttered, spinning around a few times. "Eskil…."

He smiled wide. "Did you not understand the nearly omnipotent part?" he asked, moving towards her again. "Now, about that reward."

"I told you—"

For the second time he pounced, appearing with her under him on her bed, which he secretly admired. It was a far cry from the last one he'd slept him. One long kiss and quickly wandering hands were all it took to silence the protesting.

Lottie woke up with a tired groan as her alarm clock blared annoyingly. Her body was stiff and numb but there was something satisfying in being unable to move properly.

"Make it stop." Eskil groaned.

She tensed instantly, reminded of why she felt that way. She reached out to hit the snooze button and stared back down at the man that was lying comfortably between her legs with his head resting on her stomach. He didn't take no for an answer but she hadn't exactly been yelling at him to stop either.

"Get off, Eskil." she muttered, surprising herself with the roughness in her own voice. Even her throat hurt.

"I did get off." he muttered, lips curving into a wicked smile.

With a sigh she sat up, trying to wiggle out of his hold. The movement alone was enough to make him unhappy. His arms tightened around her waist and he stared up at her.

"Why are you getting up?" he asked, crawling up enough to press his lips between her breasts lightly.

"I gotta shower and go to work, Eskil." She muttered, gripping his long hair that had come out of its braid sometime in the night. It draped around his shoulders suggestively and she needed to look away from him quickly before he ended up talking her into another round.

He tilted his head cutely. "Work? Where do you work? What do you do?"

"Shore's Bakery. It's just a tiny little business." She said. Only a couple of people worked there at a time. "I sell and make the pastries and things."

"A bakery?" He smiled slowly, blinking his long lashes up at her. "Do you have to go? It seems like such a waste of day one, don't you think?"

She sighed. "I work Saturdays but we're closed Sundays and I have off Mondays. I'll have to find something to do with you."

"I can think of lots of things." he grinned, his implication clear.

"Ugh." She groaned, getting up. She'd never felt so sore. "Well they're not happening. You can stay here while I'm at work."

He smiled. "That sounds incredibly boring."

She sighed again, sure she was about to embark on a very long day. "You can watch a movie and eat and whatever. I don't know what to do with you yet." She wasn't even positive when she started believing she had a Genie in her home.

Eskil watched her with a tender smile as she tried to untangle her hair in vain, her curls clinging together. "You are very odd. Most would be begging me for wishes right now."

She shrugged. "Not much to wish for. I love my family; my home's all right. My jobs pretty cool. You're not my slave."

"Not yet." he purred. "You've yet to earn it but I am impressed and believe me, that does not happen."

"Just be good," she muttered.

"Can I bathe with you?" He perked up. "Since you're going to be abandoning me and all."

She winced. For some reason when he said it like that it affected her more the usual. More than it should have. "If you can be good," she said softly. It was unheard of. She was saying things she never in her life thought she would but after the night together then had just spent; she couldn't be such a prude. It was too late for that.

He was up in an instant, taking her by the hand and pulling her into the bathroom that actually had him hesitating. She had to assume that after so long, everything was new to him.

"C'mon." she muttered leading him over to the shower. He seemed pleasantly pleased when the water shot out of the wall on its own, and he didn't even whine about the more feminine smelling soaps.

"I want to stay here." he cooed, wrapping his arm snuggly around her waist so he pressed tightly into her back.

"You won't when the water turns ice cold." Lottie muttered, trying to get the soap out of her hair but it was oddly hard with him in the way.

"Hm, that's no fun." Eskil muttered, cupping her breasts from behind and nipping at her neck delicately. She nearly squealed and the shock only made him hold her tightly. "But I could keep it warm all day."

"And pay my water bill." she muttered, going red. "Now stop it."

He turned her around, drawing her back into a kiss as the stood under the water. It was strangely enticing to have a man's hands on her while in the shower, but distracting her seemed to be what he did best.

"Enough." she muttered.

"Have I made you late for work yet?" he mumbled against her lips, his tongue peeking out just a little to trail a slow line against her bottom lip. "Can you stay here now?"

Lottie shook her head tiredly, suppressing a shiver. "It's only eleven."

"And?"

"I don't have to be at work until twelve." she said, kissing his chin and shoving him back so she could finish washing off in peace.

Leaning against the wall he watched her intently, a growing look in his gaze as he drank her in. He wasn't used to being ignored and he hated it as much as he loved it. Most threw themselves down at his feet and begged him for a number of things. Magic, power, weapons, love, death, sex. Lottie seemed oddly at peace and that made him a very curious Djinn.

He ran his index finger down her spine just to watch her shiver and took it upon himself to lick the beads of water off her shoulders. Her reactions made it clear what she liked. "Does it take long to get to this bakery?"

"No." she muttered, throat parched and mouth dry. No doubt from his sinful ministrations. "About a ten minute drive."

"So you get up earlier then needed?" he asked, lips trailing towards her neck.

She shook her head.

"But you'd go early?"

"I might." she muttered, knowing it was true.

He squeezed her hips, his fingers kneading into her skin, making her jump. To him, there was nothing more delightful. He nipped at her neck again in full appreciation. "A perfectionist."

She didn't seem to hold any resentment towards that. "I can be." she shrugged half-heartedly as she turned the water off and grabbed her towel to dry off with. She did her best to ignore Eskil's searing gaze that left her feeling vulnerable.

"I need to find..." she paused when she looked back at him. He was out of the shower, and dressed in pants that were more than four inches too long for him and that appeared to be made of silk. On top of that, he was completely dry like he hadn't been in the shower seconds before. "…clothes."

"I'm good." He smiled, amusing at her invading gaze. "You know, you look at me more hungrily when I'm clothed than when I'm naked. I think you have a thing with undressing me."

Lottie tore her gaze away, making a scoffing sound. "Yeah, right." She wiped herself dry and wrapped her towel around her hair. "Could have helped me out though if you were already going through the trouble for yourself."

"And miss this view? I think not." He mused, eyes dancing down her form.

"Out."

"Lottie." He purred. "Don't be that way."

"Out." She repeated, holding a smaller towel to her chest. She should have been more timid but he brought out that inner confidence that had gotten crushed in her school years. He made her feel desired.

Eskil reached out, trailing his fingers across her thigh. "Fine." And vanished.

She blinked quickly; looking around her bathroom only to make sure he was actually gone. Him being able to be anywhere startled her and shook her nerves. Just the mere thought of what he was probably capable of had her heart thudding against her chest. It didn't help that she was still blissfully sore.

It wasn't like she was a virgin but she might as well have been with the way he made her feel, and for a man who was trapped in a bottle for the last couple centuries, he had amazing control. She shuddered even thinking about the night before and dried off to distract herself.

She kept in mind that she would need to leave soon and thoughts of what to do with him for the day didn't seem to be in a large supply. After dressing and drying her hair she made her way out into the living here where she found him lying on the couch comfortably, his leg thrown over the back of it.

"Making yourself at home?" Lottie muttered.

"This is my home for the next three days." He grinned, stretching out slowly for her benefit. He left so little to the imagination that she hurriedly made her way to the kitchen.

It was so unlike her to nearly get a nosebleed from her own thoughts. She certainly didn't have wicked thoughts about every attractive man she came across. It was almost making her think he was doing it to her but would be beyond mortifying to bring it up.

"Kinky." He breathed into her ear, scaring her with his presence. He nipped at her jaw and almost could have been purring.

"Eskil."

"That was a particularly good one." He said darkly, voice husky. "I do so love when your subconscious wishes something."

Lottie breathed out slowly. "Look, I gotta get going soon. I'll pull some movies out for you and I'll make you something to eat, okay?"

Eskil pulled back slowly, tilting his head in a fairly cute manner. "You're going to cook for me?"

"Sure, you eat right?" Lottie asked, her hands shaking as she moved away from him to open the fridge and peer inside. "You like lasagna?"

He gave her a puzzled look. "I will eat what you give me."

She nodded. "Well, it's almost lunch time I guess so I'll heat it up for you now." She pulled the plate out and set it on the counter. He gave it a curious look but said nothing. She had no idea if he'd even eaten in the last thousand years or so and that was a depression thought. Food was a pleasure.

"I'm way ahead on my hours today so I'm only working till five. You can occupy yourself for a few hours, can't you?" Lottie asked, heating the lasagna in the microwave as she turned to look back at him and was startled when he was closer then she thought.

His lips attached to hers and he pinned her hips to the counter with his own. "Oh I can occupy myself, but I'd rather occupy you. I'd rather be buried in you till that lush voice of yours moans for me. Begs me to hold you. To make you scream in sheer devilish pleasure."

Lottie nearly lost herself in that moment. Heat shot across her body, inside and out, and the knots in her stomach ached for release. She had the strongest need for him to touch her.

"But you're leaving me instead." Eskil murmured against her ear, his thumbs rubbing tiny circles over her hips.

"Eskil…" she muttered, feeling her heart thudding against her chest almost painfully. He had a way about him that shouldn't have been allowed to exist.

He smiled wide. "Lottie?"

She inhaled slowly and looked up at him. "I need to go to work now."

Eskil gave her a genuinely surprised look and stepped away. Had he really just been denied? He watched as she worked to get her breathing under control and the strongest sense of lust came over him. He'd been denied.

Lottie turned, pouring him a glass of lemonade and grabbing the plate out of the microwave. "C'mon, I'll set you up."

"I am an adult, you know." Eskil smiled, trailing behind her obediently. He loved the attention no matter what he said. "A magic Being at that."

"Just shut up and sit on the couch," Lottie sighed. "I'm gonna make sure you got things to do today that'll keep you here."

He smiled, enjoying the sound of the southern lit her voice took on. Sometimes it was more noticeable then others. "You know, I can understand wanting to keep me a secret but if you're going to lock me in, couldn't we make it your bedroom?"

"Nope." Lottie said, setting the plate and glass on the coffee table before she walked over to her cabinet to pull out some old movies. "You're gonna hang out here if you don't mind."

"If I do?" he raised an eye.

"Tough." She said, standing her ground as she refused to look at him. Looking at him would ruin everything. She already knew she couldn't be stern with him. "Let me show you how the DVD player works."

"I'll figure it out." He chuckled, "Or make it work."

"Suit yourself. Watch Aladdin, you might get a kick out of it" She sighed, setting a few movies on the coffee table. "There are books lying around everywhere and TV. Stay out of trouble, would you?"

Eskil smiled widely, appearing in front of her. "Of course. My very best behavior." He whispered, brushing his lips lightly against her cheek. The soft touch of his lips shouldn't have been enough to make her lightheaded but she was.

"I have to drive you know." She said, pushing him away. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Yes, Master." Eskil grinned, watching her shiver one more time before shutting the front door behind her.

It just wasn't right that he should be able to drive her so crazy. The unimaginable softness of his skin, the warmth from his body, the perfectly sculpted form that just didn't exist in real life.

Lottie drove to work and was still a few minutes early for her shift but just barely. She worked the front today instead of the back and that suited her fine. She wasn't much in the mood for baking when she could stand at the register.

Most days she didn't care but not having got the sleep she normally did, she was pleased with the outcome.

"Was wondering about you." Daniel commented softly, heading into the back now that she had arrived. "You actually sleep in or something, darlin? Maggie and I have a bet going."

Daniel was a nice guy, with sandy hair and blue eyes. He was just out of high school and had been working there for over a year. He had actually been the one to train her when she was hired. It was strange for her, having someone a few years younger than her train her for her job but he was just the sweetest boy.

Lottie made a face at him. "No, I just took my time."

"Damn." Daniel grinned, shouting into the back. "We both lost Maggie!"

"Damn it!" Maggie's voice carried out from the back where she was probably already baking. The bakery was her baby.

"What did Maggie think?" Lottie asked with a small smile, sliding her purse under the counter to hide it from view.

"That you got laid." Daniel laughed but stopped abruptly when Lottie unconsciously went dark red. He raised an eye. "Did you?"

"Like that's your business." Lottie said.

Daniel stared at her blankly before a grin spread across his face. "Never mind, Maggie! I own you ten bucks!"

There was an audible silence before Maggie squealed and came running out from the back, wrapping her around Lottie. "Really!? You found yourself a man?!"

"Jeez Mag." Lottie sighed; it was almost as hard to push Maggie away as it was Eskil "Would you stop freaking out. Don't you have work to do?"

Maggie whirled around to Daniel. "Switch with Lottie! Let her work in the back today."

"Nope." Lottie said before Daniel answered. "I'm sitting on this stool today."

"She got a work out." Daniel grinned teasingly. "Sorry Mag, but you'll have to deal with me today and let poor tired Lottie deal with the customers."

"I'm overjoyed." Lottie chuckled, shooing them away. Saturday's were iffy with customers. Sometimes it was packed and other times it was nearly dead. Today she was hoping for the latter. It would be easier to fall asleep against the register that way.

Customers came at a decent pace for the first two hours. It gave her time to read in between tending to them and of course having loud conversations with Daniel and Maggie in the back. They really needed to think about hiring others but the three of them were far too picky to have more than a few other part timers that came in.

"Have a nice day." Lottie smiled, handing an older woman her bag and change. The woman left and Lottie let out a sigh. A few minutes of peace was what she wanted more than anything. Almost more than anything…

She laid her cheek on her palm and sat at the counter. The problem with getting everything done quickly was that it left her with little else to do. The few people that were still in the bakery had already been helped and were sitting at one of the few offered tables that were for people to sit and chat. Today she hoped they would all leave.

The bell to the door sounded and she tense instantly, when a familiar feeling washed over her.

"Bitch." Eskil muttered under his breath as entered the bakery, spotting Lottie instantly. He walked towards the counter, hopping on top of it and sliding behind it to the employee section to face her.

"Eskil." Lottie muttered, her voice taking a frantic turn. Her hopes of him staying quietly in her home for the next three days were dashed. He pressed his face towards hers, his breath trickling across her jaw.

"I should be offended." He pouted instantly. His intimidating aura vanished and now he seemed like a child that demanded her full attention. "I've a list of discrepancies with that horrid movie. First of all, what Djinns have you met that are blue? That's not natural. It's messed up. Second, shackles. How dare any mortal think they have the balls to put chains on my wrists. Third—"

Lottie shoved her hand over his mouth, looking fairly mortified as he drew more attention to him. He'd gained his share of attention from on lookers already and the last thing she needed was others slipping into their conversation.

"Eskil. Hush."

He raised an eye slowly, her hand over his mouth still. He didn't pull away but looked down at her fingers with a glittering hint of amusement.

"Not here." She continued. "Not now. You aren't supposed to be here."

He tilted his head to the side and stuck his tongue out against her palm childishly. She whipped her hand away and glared at him half-heartedly,

"It was a just a movie, okay? Relax." she muttered quietly, staring up at him. Aladdin must not have been his thing. "We can't do this here."

"Why not?" He paused, taking a short look around. He raised his hand and everyone in the bakery paused, petrified as stone. "They're not bothering us."

Lottie froze herself; her eyes widen as she peered around her bakery. "What..."

"What? You were worried about them so let's take them out of the equation so I can bitch." Eskil shrugged. "I understand that it's not real but it's disgusting. Is that how you see me? That's degrading."

"It was just for fun." she sighed. "Could you relax? Put them back to normal."

"Why?"

"Eskil,"

He ignored her and instead looked down into the glass counter. "What are those?"

"Eclairs. I'll give you one if you turn them back and behave."

He frowned. "Behave?"

"Go sit at one of those tables." she pointed to the smaller tables against the walls. "Sit there and behave. Unstone everyone and I'll treat you to something."

His lips turned up into a smile. "What else?"

Lottie frowned. "Go sit."

"What's my incentive?" Eskil chuckled, "What my motivation to do that? Besides that." he gestured towards the éclairs.

"Eskil..." she frowned

"Lottie." He smiled sweetly.

She sighed heavily, reaching up to rub her right temple. "I really wish you would do as I asked this time."

He gave her a thoughtful look and smiled a little. "Very well, I'll do as you wish for this time, but it will cost you."

Lottie's eyes shot up to him. She hadn't realized she'd wished for anything. "What?"

He leaned towards her, nothing childish about him now. "A repeat of last night, but you're not allowed to be so coy."

She felt the heat and tension swim around in her chest and she nodded reluctantly. "If you behave and put them back to normal."

"It's a deal?" He raised an eye, challenging her to back out.

She swallowed hesitantly. "It's a deal." She was sure she'd just done something horribly stupid but if someone walked in and found everyone frozen in place she'd have some explaining to do.

Eskil reached out, cupping her face tenderly before drawing her closer into a small kiss. The one small action was enough to make her knees shake. It might have just been a preview but she knew just what those lips were capable of. What his hands were capable of. His body…

"Awe."

Lottie heard Maggie's distinct coo and pulled away quickly, only to realized the people in the bakery were back to normal and that apparently meant Maggie and Daniel were free as well. Maggie leaned against the door to the back kitchen with a knowing grin.

"Don't you start Maggie." Lottie said quickly, turning ten shades of red. "It's nothing like you're thinking it is."

"Oh sure, sweetie. Sure." Maggie smiled, stepping out to introduce herself. "My name is Maggie sweetie. I never thought I'd see a man get under Lo's skin. Nice to meet you."

"I've a particular interest in her skin." Eskil smiled sweetly. The implication was enough to make Maggie herself blush. "As well as everything else. I'm Eskil."

"Mm, honey you got just the sexiest accent I've heard in a long while. Where are you from?" Maggie asked.

Lottie froze, having not asked him that particular question before she couldn't be sure how he'd answer.

"I've been a lot of places." Eskil shrugged. "I spent a great deal of time in India. Also Bangladesh, Persia, Iran, Mongolia, Egypt. A couple others I suppose. I wandered around parts of Europe a very long time ago but it wasn't very interesting to me."

"Damn. What brings you here?" Maggie asked, in honest amazement.

Eskil grinned. "You could say I drifted here. But I do like what I've seen so far." His eyes drifted purposely to Lottie.

"Aah." Maggie smiled.

"Our deal, Eskil." Lottie muttered softly, her skin warm. It was hard enough to deal with Eskil but if he befriended Maggie then she'd never have a moment's peace.

"Yes, of course." Eskil smiled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek before turning to take his seat at one of the empty tables.

"Oh my God." Maggie mouthed and Lottie pushed her back towards the kitchen.

"Drop it." Lottie said quietly. "Just drop it."

She didn't need to turn around to feel Eskil's eyes on her. It was like a predator stalking its prey only the prey was bold enough to tell him to back off. She grabbed two éclairs from the case and walked them over to him. Normally she would have had called the customer up but that wasn't a good idea at the moment.

"Here." She sighed softly, setting them down for him. "I dunno if you'll like them but they're good."

"I trust you." He smiled up at her. "What you made for me earlier was very good." "The lasagna? Glad you liked it." She smiled a little. "And I'm sorry the movie pissed you off."

Eskil stared up at her with a tender expression she couldn't place. "It was a movie thought up by a dreamer. I can appreciate that. It was a fairy tale with a happy fairy tale end. It was pleasing to watch, but there is no way to free a Djinn. No matter how hard it is wished."

Lottie found her heart aching for him. The words where honest and heart breaking. For the first time his smug expression left him and he seemed to be really pondering the situation he was in. Being alone for so long must have really taken its toll on him. Leaving him alone had been cruel.

"Would you sit with me?" he asked, tilting his head as he peered up at her.

"Okay." She muttered, sitting across from him. The smile on his face was more then she anticipated. "I'll have to get up if someone comes in though."

"Okay." He said, picking up one of the éclairs and taking a bite out of it. Lottie laughed instantly when his expression turned to surprise and he stared at the éclair strangely, his lips covered in the filling.

"What's wrong?" she asked, still giggling softly.

He grinned, "It's really good."

"It was made fresh this morning, I bet it is." Lottie smiled fondly.

Eskil looked at her and took another bite. "Did you make it?" he asked after swallowing.

"Not today but I do sometimes." Lottie nodded, almost wishing he had been the one to make them today.

His smile grew faintly and she groaned.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes I did." His smile grew. "And I appreciate the thought. I could only like it more if you made it."

He took another bite, not caring that he was making a mess.

"Jeez, didn't you point out to me earlier that you were an adult." Lottie said, pulling a napkin out of the holder on the table and handing it to him.

Eskil looked at it and smiled, instead of taking the napkin he leaned forward to press his lips to hers, spreading the cream filling over her lips. At that moment she was glad they were in the corner. He slid her chair closer to his and wrapped his arm around her waist before their small battle began.

Lost and happy in the moment, Lottie licked the cream of his lips, only to be met with his tongue in a devouring kiss. The cream made the kiss more erotic and it wasn't something she had experience with though she doubted very much he could say the same.

His hand kneaded into her back and it was like the perfect massage. He always knew where to touch at what moment that would send her over the edge. Not even the bell to the bakery door brought her back to her more conscious thoughts.

Sliding her hands into his hair she wished it was let down instead of being braided. It would have made it easier for her but she couldn't say it was her top priority for the moment either.

Lottie sat up straight when a voice cleared their throat in front of their table. Jillian stood with her hand on her hip and her brow rose mockingly. "Sorry to interrupt."

"If that were the case then you wouldn't have." Lottie said tartly, grabbing the napkin to wipe at her lips.

Eskil masked his look of dislike quickly enough. The younger girl was pretty but he did indeed hate the interruption. It was one thing for Lottie to stop everything, but this little girl had just stopped his progress. He'd have done something about it too, had he not made the deal to behave. He had to uphold his side if he wanted Lottie to uphold hers.

"Hey, who am I to stop you from making friends." Jillian grinned. "Am I working in the back today?"

"Thank God, you are." Lottie muttered before turning back to Eskil. "My little sister, Jillian."

Eskil nodded his head in acknowledgement but didn't speak further.

"It's so nice to meet you, though I didn't know you'd found yourself a boyfriend. I'd have thought she would have mentioned it." Jillian smiled, obviously taking in Eskil's appearance the way most did.

Eskil smiled faintly. "Suppose we're not the type to advertise."

Jillian laughed. "Then you shouldn't be making out in public. I'll be in the back if you need anything."

Lottie frowned, watching her sister walk back into the kitchen. For some reason she really hated the way that sounded. Jillian was always full of energy and often looked for a good time. This time she was going to have to look somewhere else.

"That's a fun look." Eskil purred, brushing his lips against her ear. "You know, I can see the resemblance but you're much prettier."

Lottie went red and shook her head. "We can go home in a little while."

"Perfect." Eskil smiled. "She won't be coming with us, will she?"

"No freaking way." Lottie shook her head, standing up as more customers strolled in. She didn't need to be babysitting this weekend. Jillian was old enough to know better than to get in the way in this kind of situation.

"Absolutely perfect." Eskil purred, watching her move back around the counter. She was mouthwatering and delicious. He was far from done, but if they were interrupted again he was bound to have a temper tantrum.

"Sure as hell beats a camel or a horse." Eskil smiled as they walked back inside. He enjoyed the car ride immensely. Every little thing was fascinating to him and it was rather cute to watch. Even if she did have to slap his hand several times when he got it into him to press buttons.

"Can't you just poof places?" Lottie asked, she'd seen him do it often enough already. It was how he got too the bakery after all.

"I can, but much of the time I would have to travel with my master at his or her pace. It could become very tedious. Almost enough to make me want to go back in the damn bottle." Eskil said, shaking his head at the thought.

Lottie nodded slowly, understanding to the point. "You've really been all those places to told Maggie?" She asked, kicking her shoes off and dropping her purse.

"Yes, but it was a long time ago. The names of most of those places are surely different now. If they exist at all." He mused, watching her with a mild interest.

She made a face at him. "When was the last time you were out of your bottle?"

He gave a shrug. "The fourth century. The fifth century. Something like that." He made a gesture with his hand to say it didn't matter. "The last time I was out of my bottle I was in India. Chandragupta the second was the ruler at the time. Gold was finally being used, or well…properly." He sighed. "Whatever. It was a long time ago. Time for me sort of blends together."

"I guess it would. That's still a long time to be put away." Lottie commented, almost surprised to find the living room in good shape. It seemed he washed his dishes from earlier and nothing appeared to be out of place. "But you don't have to stick to me like glue."

Eskil smiled at her. "I've noticed. That's because you seem to be a very low maintenance master. Some of them were very needy and whiny. It's a serious pain I tell you. Spoiled people who became even more spoiled with my powers at their disposal."

"Sounds like it." She muttered, pulling her hair up off her neck. "So you really can do anything? Oh, and please don't freeze people like that again."

He laughed softly. "I can do nearly anything. I cannot bring back the dead. I could alter time, but I don't. It's a mess that way and fate is a funny thing. It always, always, always backfires. I can make people fall into lust, but not love. I cannot be killed by anything man made." He looked thoughtful, going through a checklist in his mind.

"Some of those were in Aladdin." Lottie chuckled. "What was the third one? Killing?"

"I could kill someone." He shrugged. "Not exactly my idea of a great time but it can be done."

Lottie nodded slowly. Did that mean he was admitting to having killed before? "That's a bit unnerving."

"Maybe so, but it's also nothing you would have to worry about." Eskil said, smiling faintly at her. "Most other things I am capable of."

"In the movie the Genie could turn into all this stuff. Different shapes and sizes. Can you do that?" Lottie asked, slumping down onto the couch.

Eskil raised an eye. "Need I remind you I came out of a bottle? Yes, I can do those kinds of things too. They don't have much of a purpose but I can't say they've never helped me before either."

"That's just so weird." Lottie muttered, unable to picture it herself. She was tempted to ask him for a demonstration but she wasn't sure she wanted to see it. She had enough to worry about. "You've had many masters?"

"A fair few." He chuckled humorlessly before switching topics, "What do you say I get you something to eat this time? It's supper time anyway."

Lottie nodded, noting the subtle change in subject. "You can cook?"

Eskil just grinned and an assortment of foods appeared on the coffee table in front of her. Most of which were fruits and other things she wasn't sure she could identify right off. Judging on the china they were served on there was no telling what goodies from centuries past he was treating her too and he depending she at least try everyone one.

It was easy enough with the fruits and the flat breads but not all of it was that recognizable.

"What is all this?" she asked, sliding down to the floor in front of the table. Just because she wasn't sure what most of it was didn't mean it didn't smell good.

"Just taste it." He smiled, sitting next to her. "I want to see you taste it."

"Don't be so creepy or I'll feel like you're trying to drug me." Lottie said with a faint smile. She reached out to pull a plate closer to herself.

"Don't be silly." He laughed softly. Sitting close enough that his side pressed into hers.

She became more timid with the rice dishes and curries. The lentil, chickpeas, potatoes and chicken dishes were easily identified and Eskil explained away the lack of beef dishes by saying he was used to his last masters tastes who, ironically, valued some aspects of his Hindu religion and ignored others.

It occurred to her then, that he was learning what she liked.

Dinner was a thrill between the two of them. For a moment Eskil appeared to be right at home eating the foods he was familiar with. The genuine smile on his face did something to her stomach and made her nervous.

She hadn't had fluttering butterflies since somewhere around her second year of high school. She had become more reserved after that.

"I like to share with you." He mused. "You need to trust me a little more, mm?"

"Not when you keep popping up and freezing people and all around coming onto me." Lottie scolded, turning pink. She already knew apart of her trusted him though it was hard to fathom the reason why.

Eskil nipped at her jaw with a smile on his lips. "It was for laughs and you know it. Besides, that's what led to our little deal to start with."

Lottie flushed and nodded faintly, looking away from him. She'd never come across someone as blunt as he could be.

"Now, now, you're not allowed to be coy. That was also part of the deal." He whispered, humor in his tone.

Now she felt like that was something she should have argued on. She didn't know how to flaunt herself and she had a feeling that was what he was looking for.

"It's alright." Eskil smiled, turning to face her. "You really can't help it, can you? That's fine, I rather like it anyway."

Lottie swallowed slightly, her nerves showing. "You're a strange man Eskil. To go so far to plan sex ahead of time."

"Just a forethought." He purred. "I don't think I'd have much trouble wooing you, and frankly I think I'd rather enjoy it. I'd like to watch you withering for me."

Lottie inhaled softly and scrambled to her feet quickly in a short attempt to put some distance between them. Distance he wouldn't have. He reached out, running his hand up her now bare thigh and she yelped from embarrassment the moment she realized both her clothes and his were gone. He'd seen every inch of her already but it didn't make being nude in front of him again any less nerve wracking.

"You are so lovely." Eskil smiled, rising to his feet slowly. He had that predator grace that intimidated her. His hair fell loose around his shoulders and her eyes followed the strands helplessly.

"Wish accepted." He whispered.

She cleared her throat meekly. "Wish?" She hadn't remembered making one.

"Mhm." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tighter against him. "In the bakery you had wished my hair wasn't pulled back. I'd have done it then had we not been interrupted."

Lottie reached out to touch his dark hair slowly and tried to ignore the satisfied smile he wore just for her.

"I really need to be careful what I wish for." Lottie muttered, actually having no problem with this particular wish.

Eskil nodded and wore his smile still. "You and I will worry about that later. Right now I have other plans for the two of us. They involve us naked and unaware of our surroundings."

She felt the heat in her face and shook her head. "Eskil, you're too much sometimes. That can't be all you want."

"At the moment? Yeah, yeah it is." He smiled, guiding her down the hall into her room. "It's in the front of my mind. Visions of you squirming in bliss. Yeah, that's really what I've been thinking about for a while now."

"Visions now." She rolled her eyes, attempting to not be as mortified as she was.

"Yes, can't you envision it?" He smiled, pressing against her back as he stepped into her room.

"No." She muttered, feeling a faint tightness growing in her body.

"Let me help you then." He crooned.

He forced her to stand in front of the long mirror that she had attached to the wall. It was bad enough he could turn her into jelly with just a few kisses, but to watch him touch her brought about a whole new set of urges.

"C'mon Master." He purred, leaning his chin on her shoulder as his hands roamed down her sides slowly. He kept her in place and it was her own wicked curiosity that kept her gaze on their reflections. Both seeing and feeling his hands make paths across her skin was enough to leave her breathless and panting. He had her quivering and he'd barely even begun to touch her.

"Don't be so shy." He whispered into her ear, his fingers circling her navel over and over. The feel of him pressed into her backside and his hands not touching her where she wanted to be touched was enough to make her scream. Instead she opted to bite her bottom lip and not give him the satisfaction.

Eskil's hands moved slowly, tracing up and down her stomach, outlining the rims of her breasts and breathing softly against her neck. He wanted to torture her with pleasure. He'd been too hasty the night before, too needy and impatient. Too insane from confinement and darkness. He wanted to savor her in every way possible.

"You'll make your own lips swell before I can get the chance to do it for you." He laughed softly, noticing every time she bit her lip a little harder. He stroked his fingers down the valley of her breasts. "Is it me? Am I not pleasuring you?"

Lottie shuddered, blushing so dark she was sure she'd have a fever. She wiggled away, hoping for distance between them. She needed a small moment to compose herself, to breathe and give the aching a chance to subside but he wouldn't allow it.

One of his hands rested on her belly, keeping her back pressed into his chest and for a moment her eyes stared at his long, masculine fingers and it pulled another shiver from her. It shot down her chest and rested in her abdomen where it sparked around and made her thighs twitch in anticipation.

"Eskil." Lottie breathed, moaning loud as his other hand massaged her breast slowly. She threw her head back and gasped silently before frustration kicked in. He was still avoiding those tender areas.

"Are you going to beg me?" he purred, kissing the back corner of her jaw. "Or will you make demands of me?"

A sharp cry finally passed her lips and he pinched her nipple savagely, rolling the sensitive bud around in his fingers until even her hips moved in the same rotating motion.

His own eyes rolled in the back of his head for a moment as he groaned quietly. The feel of her was exquisite. Her soft skin was ready and yearning for someone to take advantage of it. Her toes curled with every touch.

"Eskil…" She muttered again, only his name able to pass her lips.

His slid his hand up her side and pulled up both of her arms so they wrapped up behind her, around his neck. Her fingers laced together behind his head and it was now he was positive how willing she was. He emitted another small groan at the sight of her. With her arms raised above her head her chest was thrust out for this viewing pleasure.

His first hand went back to hold her belly and the other went back to teasing her perfect breasts. The sight alone made her breathing ragged. Her eyes were on the reflection of his hand on her breast but every now and then she would meet his eyes in the mirror and she was met with a hungry look every time. They're would be no way to escape from him, and she had no desire to flee.

"Beautiful." He muttered, taking the skin just under her ear between his teeth roughly. It brought a tiny squeal to her lips and he delighted in the knowledge that he made her make that very noise. There was a pride in pleasuring her.

Lottie squirmed again, unable to get her mind off the ache in her breasts, at least until she felt him pressing harder into her back. Her spine arched forward suddenly, allowing him to cup her breast easily and the moan that formed was louder than the others had been.

The heat between her legs was only bested by the moist wetness that suddenly coated her lower chestnut curls. No amount of foreplay had ever made her so ready before.

"Hurry." She whispered softly, wanting to be able to squeeze her thighs together but he'd slipped his knee between her legs, preventing her from doing just that.

"Will you beg me or will you command me?" he purred again, hand leaving her breast only to brush slowly down her hip. "Master."

The word alone made her body shudder in delight. There was something dirty and delicious about the word. She'd never thought so before but when it passed his lips it brought about all those scandalous and desperate thoughts she'd spent so long suppressing.

"You have to." She panted.

"Have to?" he repeated with a smile stretching across his lips. His hand drifted down between her legs and stroked the soaked curls, drenching his fingers purposely.

"Eskil!" she cried out suddenly, her hips jerking forward on their own, desperate for release.

He smiled still, his fingers grabbing a hold of that bundle of nerves that nearly made her scream. He rubbed circles across her clit tortuously, delighting in even being able to hear her wetness growing.

"Eskil, please." Lottie panted, going out of her mind. Every time she was even a little close he would slow the pace and make her start all over again. Her legs bent slowly, unable to support her fully anymore and only his hand on her belly kept her up right.

A long finger slid inside her and she screamed slightly, the sound unable to be fully formed because of her lack of air. His thumb still rubbed her sensitive nub and her legs twitched uncontrollably. He searched slowly, finding a spot inside that would make her jerk her hips from the bliss and then would move on to find another and another.

"I wonder how deep I could go, Lottie." He whispered and she shook, her hands gripping his hair painfully.

She panted hard, her breasts rising and falling in a rapid pace that held his eyes. His hand on her belly slid up to hold her breast while his fingers drove her farther to the edge. Every time he felt her walls close around him in an attempt to ready herself for her climax he would pull away slowly, ruining the entire pace once more to begin again.

"Eskil! Now! Please now!" Lottie yelled, her voice breaking. She could feel herself sliding slowly towards the floor and he knelt with her to keep himself pressed against her back.

"A begging command." Eskil said, his voice carrying on a groan of his own. He had wanted it to last. To continue their time together that he held so dear but it had become too much for even him. "Perfect. So perfect."

Fully erect himself he couldn't wait. Refused to wait. He'd had a taste of being buried inside her before and he wanted it again. He wanted to prolong it for as long as he could.

She felt her back press against her bedroom floor but it didn't register in her mind until he removed his fingers, ruining or orgasm again.

"Eskil!"

"I'm here." He muttered, capturing her lips as he lifted her hips to thrust inside her fully. She was so slick that even he was surprised at how easily he was able to push into her. She was hot and tight and the absolute perfect fit.

With a sobbing cry of pleasure, Lottie arched her back up, wrapping her legs around his waist and trying to force him into quickening his pace.

Eskil moved slowly and panted. He wanted it to last and it was going to last as long as he wanted it too. She felt impossibly good and he was going to make sure he blew her mind away. His lips trailed down her jaw to her neck where he kissed, nipped and bit to earn more sounds from her. Every noise was his own personal victory.

His hands massaged her thighs and with every thrust he felt a sense of self-worth. She needed this as much as he did and he would be the one to give it to her.

"Eskil!" Lottie cried out, breathy and impatient. Her moans got louder and blinding pleasure flowed through her after being finally allowed her first orgasm.

It was the first of many. There was no way of knowing if it was Eskil's doing or if he could really bring her to such a plateau but their play continued until the two of them were exhausted. Nothing else mattered to either of them until they both had one final release and theirs cries of pleasure mingled together erotically.

Each we're bruised and tired, and they actually ended up across the room from where they had started by the mirror.

"Eskil…" Lottie muttered, her voice horse and quivering as he pulled her up into his protective embrace.

"Rest Lottie." He whispered, stroking her sweat soaked hair and pushing it out of her face. "I'll hold you tight and close."

She nodded once, eyes already closed and he allowed her to snuggle against him. He'd move them when he got the energy to move again, until then…well, her floor was comfortable.

About an hour later he was able to move them onto her bed. Eskil smiled fondly when she kept her arms wrapped tightly around him. She'd fallen asleep almost instantly, curled up against his side. It was an oddly content feeling to have skin pressed to his with no obligations forming.

Eskil stroked his fingers through her curls and delighted in them. He'd never realized how attracted to curls he was before now. He massaged her neck and shoulders and smiled when a small sigh passed her lips.

He wasn't sure if he could remember ever being in such a situation. This was a first for him and he wasn't sure he knew how to handle it. An attraction to a kind woman was unfathomable.

He remembered the days where he laid back, reclined on silk pillows. The air humid and the sun blaring down ruthlessly. Even that was a vacation from the depressing darkness that was his bottle. His world was one of color and shapely patterns that told stories.

In his bed were at least eight women, most of them dancers. Their hour glass figures were coveted and they were in no short supply. Woman flocked to him with whimpering lips, sob filled stories and groping hands that begged him for his mercy.

"Grant my wish." His latest dancer begged in her best sedative voice, she stretched out against his chest and pressed herself to him intimately, shamelessly. "A wealthy man to call my own."

"Denied." Eskil smiled cheekily. "Silly girl, you'll be nothing but a slave with vague terms such as that. A wealthy man to own you will only last as long as your looks and then you'll be stuck with one another. You bring beauty to us with your dancing, find your husband that way."

The girls in his bed giggled, taking their turns pleasuring him in hopes that they would gain his full attention.

Even with so many women he was usually looking through the balcony doors, peering outside at the enchantments it held. How he longed to just go out on his own. But he didn't have a choice between solitude and polygamy. Solitude was only allowed when he was captive in his bottle, and when out of it, he was swarmed with both men and woman alike.

"Do a trick for us, Eskil." Another whined how he hated their whining. "Show us something. Show us your magic."

The girls would squeal in agreement. It was always that way. No matter how many opportunities he received.

"I do not feel like it." He said simply. "I will not be your puppet."

Their cries chorused and they retaliated by pinching him repeatedly and grew angrier when he didn't respond. He'd been abused to many times for their foul little tempers to harm him. The pain of a whip cracking against his back was always a heavy thought on his mind. He couldn't die but he could feel pain and know insanity on a personal level.

"Leave my room if you will be so troublesome. I won't deal with it. I'll find other woman to warm me if you do not want to be here." Eskil said simply, wishing for a moment himself that they drugs the mortal men imbibed on would affect him too. He needed time away from the touches of others. Even sex had lost its appeal.

"Don't be that way, Eskil." Laleh whispered against his ear. She was the daughter of his own current bottle holder and he knew the trouble he'd be in if she were ever discovered in his bed. She let her fingers slip down his chest and gave him the most wanton look she could muster before settling her lips against his to gain his attention.

She enjoyed making the other girls jealous and didn't respect her father enough to obey his commands to stay clear of Eskil. She was spoiled and happily so.

His own hips jerked upwards when the other girls took this as their invitation to play with him further. So many hands being on him at once should have been sensual and thrilling but beyond the tightness in his groin he felt nothing. He was growing cold with age and if they wanted to lavish him with their affection then he would let them.

Their playing led him to hiss, both from the pain of it and the pleasure. It was empty affection that began to make his skin crawl.

"Get back you leaches." Eskil said, shooing them away. "I have it in mind to prevent any of you from being able to bear a son."

The girls cringed away at the threat and bowed their heads to him. All except Laleh who knew there wasn't too much he could do to her with her father being his master. Anything she accused him of her father would believe. Honestly, there were times it was tempting.

"Eskil!" The large man threw the door open. Bijan was a large, wealthy man with an ego that was large and undeserving. The fool of a man didn't even see his own daughter spread out naked among the other dancers and servants that donned Eskil's lap. "Come with me."

"I will follow, Master." Eskil said, his garments materializing over his form as he stood up to trail after then man like a dog. It was sickening.

Eskil knew the man behind the man. He knew the fraud that Bijan was, how could he not when it was his own powers that granted him everything. The day Bijan became the owner of his own Djinni was the day he became a conqueror of sorts. It was the day he began to accumulate all of his wealth and power and crushed his enemy's for the pitiful sake of doing do.

Eskil could no longer remember where they had been when the man had first come across his bottle, but it didn't matter anymore. Bajin called himself a man of vision. He was too good for the caste he was born into.

He was born into the Vaishyas class, meaning that he was a merchant by name and trade. It was small trinket stuff at first as was his own fathers small legacy but with Eskil in his possession he had expanded his business. From fruits and vegetation he moved on to coral and pearls. He took whatever he wanted and moved on to selling sandalwood, gems and jewelry made of gold. His greed grew with his business.

They traveled to Puhar and stole ideas and products from the merchants there who had come from other countries. Bajin began dabbling in oils and perfumes and it wasn't long before that wasn't enough for him.

He didn't want to be a mere merchant. He wanted more and felt he was entitled to it after the hard work he'd put Eskil though. With the aid of his Djinn he ignored the caste system all together and changed his place in society. He moved up a stop to that one wealthy enough and deserving enough to own land.

Moving once more then landed in Somnath, where no one knew them and most wouldn't care to dispute what they were told. Bajin waved his wealth around him carelessly and nothing was questioned. He was convinced the world owned him everything and everything he received. All of it through deceit and trickery. Lies, manipulation, blackmail and death were handed out to anyone who crossed him, and Eskil was the messenger of those deeds that haunted him.

"You are in need of my services, Master?" Eskil asked, a neutral expression in place as he walked just a step behind the larger man.

Bijan nodded, setting himself on the throne he had acquired himself as Eskil sat on the floor just in front of him. He hated it but Bijan would insist on the close distance. He'd forced the Djinni to obey his every word and treated him as every one of his other possessions.

"They're will be certain changes. I will take a wife." Bijan announced proudly as if he expected Eskil would really care.

"Wondrous, Master." Eskil said, staring up at the man with indifference. He had four already, what was one more? How the man could pretend to preach the faith of the Hindu's made Eskil's stomach weak.

"She will be replacing the others and be the only one I possess." Bijan continued as if guessing Eskil's thoughts.

Eskil didn't openly approve, but also couldn't bring himself to care. "You will have the others killed then?"

"It has already been done." Bijan chuckled, stroking his chin in an amused way. Life held no meaning to him. "I will marry Marketa at sunset tonight."

"Marketa?" Eskil raised an eye. "Surely not, Master. They woman is a snake in the grass. Be wary of the warnings I give you."

Bijan waved him off. "You know nothing of these matters, boy. It will do you no good to lecture me on the matter. Leave it alone."

"As you command, Master." Eskil said, foreseeing the gruesome outcome that forced a smile to his lips. Free of this buffoon would be an almighty blessing.

"You will keep any harm from coming to my new bride and all disagreeable men from my daughter during the ceremony. Clear?" Bijan asked, mistaking the smile for congratulations rather than the mocking hope it was.

"Yes Master. As you say. If the ceremony is tonight, might I begin now?" Eskil asked, feeling the bile rise in his throat.

"Good. Stand." Bijan gestured and Eskil complied, resisting the urge to make a sound as if he had been punched in the stomach as the man cupped him inappropriately. He always felt a particular danger in these times, but he was unable to refuse the wishes of his Master.

"My new wife will only keep me occupied for a while before I become bored of her. You will be close by this night." Bijan commanded.

"Of course." Eskil bowed his head and felt the need to be sick. He turned to leave the second Bijan released his most tender area. Solitude was worth freedom from that man. He'd been a lap dog long enough. He wanted his power and home to crumble to the very ground, and he would see to it. The fool would regret not heeding his warnings.

Eskil wandered for over an hour before he made his final decision, a large smirk on his face. He summoned his bottle from his Masters chambers and delicately stroked his fingers across it. As much as he hated being trapped inside it, it was the only attachment to a material object he had.

He spent the better part of his day reshaping and configuring it. It was prettier now, something more fitting for a woman, and if he was lucky a woman it would be.

Normally his bottle would never leave his Master's person or chamber but with the excitement of a wedding celebration he would not notice.

"Riya." Eskil said, startling the young girl who was a mere blushing thirteen years of age. "I have a favor to ask of you, small one."

The girl looked up at him with large eyes and seemed to think she was in trouble. She worked around the estate and Eskil had taken it upon himself to keep her pure and away from his Master's acquaintances.

"Yes Eskil?"

He placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her away to keep anyone else from bothering them. "It seems the good Bijan will die tonight."

Riya's eyes widened a fraction but held no fear of the words. Eskil often told her when things would happen.

"That means my servitude will be over and I will return to my bottle." Eskil explained and the young girl nodded. "I am giving it to you to hold onto. I do not want you to say here tonight. Go home to your mother tonight no matter what excuse you must make. Tomorrow night you must take my bottle and toss it as far as you can into the Arabian Sea."

"This is your last day here then." Riya said softly in realization. "You will leave us."

Eskil cupped her face and kissed her forehead. The child was the only person here he had any care for. "You do this for me, little one, and I will make sure your dreams come true. You will marry a good man that will care for you and your mother both. A man that will pull you both out of servitude and poverty. Who will love you regardless of your station. Would you like that?"

Riya nodded shyly, blushing profusely. "I promise Eskil. I will hide it with me and toss it into the sea."

"My thanks." He smiled, passing his bottle over to her that he'd wrapped in a plain cloth so not to draw attention. "Run along, and go home. If someone bothers you, tell them I sent you."

"Yes, Eskil." She said softly. "I will miss you."

He patted her head affectionately and nudged her off. "Goodbye child." He said, knowing she would be the only one he said goodbye too.

With a knowing smile he wandered off again. Riya would come through for him and that was a huge part of his plan. As much as the solitude was horrible, it would be equally horrible to be summoned again so quickly. He yearned for something new.

"Marketa." He cooed as she slipped into her room. The women in the room who were helping her into her wedding attire all giggled with his presence and promptly ignored him as it wasn't their place. "How is the lady of the evening?"

"Very well Eskil." She smiled up at him, shooing the woman away to give them a moment of privacy. She was a beautiful woman who knew just how beautiful she was. It had succeeded in being a deadly combination and she knew just how to use it to her advantage. She was a temptress who never once fooled him.

"I thought you might be." Eskil held out a necklace of jewels that made the woman's mouth practically water. "A gift from my master to be presented to you tonight. You approve." He eyed her. He wondered how long the engagement had been being planned. She was already covered in traditional henna for the beginning ceremony. If he had things his way, they would not make it much further. Bajin was an impatient man and more than likely would not go the full traditional route.

"Very much." Marketa chuckled. "Put it on me, would you?"

Eskil stood behind her, taking his time with the clasp as he spoke gently against her ear. "You are a lucky one, lovely Marketa. Such jewels at your disposal are enough to make any woman jealous."

"Hmm..." she smiled wide.

"Very lucky." He continued in a whisper. "Even if the Master is getting older in years."

The thought alone was enough to make Marketa frown. Woman married for money and power. To do that, it was rarely a man their age they made commitments too.

"But old isn't so bad, is it? Old means an early death. Accidents happen. Illnesses. You shouldn't worry too much about his enemy's; they hardly ever show their face anymore." Eskil said, watching her expression change. "And just think, with you as his only wife everything he owns will be yours. His home, his money, power, status, jewels, servants. Such a lucky girl you are. And in time, you'll even be able to pick a new husband. A handsome one that swoons over you. A stupid one who is there to look pretty and not think, leaving you in charge of the entire vast estate."

Marketa nodded and her breath came out shallower then it had been. His presence aroused her enough as it was. Thinking about the number of men she could have with the wealth she would accumulate.

"Be careful tonight sweet Marketa." He said softly. "All the drugs that will be at the ceremony. The poisons that could be floating around. The abundance of wine. It could all lead to something most dangerous."

"Yes. Thank for you're the concern, Eskil." She said softly, her hand going to the jewels now around her neck.

"Indeed!" he said loudly, smiling wide. He'd almost forgotten himself about the other women in the room straining to hear the conversation. I shall see you at the ceremony. I wish for you the best."

He bowed to her respectfully before slipping from the room and laughing at how easily mortals were manipulated. A few planted thoughts and she would take care of the rest for him. He would be a whipping boy no more.

He made his way outside and let the humid air scorch his skin blissfully. At the moment the feeling was better than sex with a dozen women would ever be.

"Greedy Eskil."

He tensed at the voice, turning slowly to the lovely woman who he had come to think of as his mother. She nagged him like one. She was a pretty Djinni who was eons old and all knowing. She spoke like an oracle and that was also how he thought of her. Her hair was pale and her eyes were so incredibly dark blue that they could have been purple. Her skin was the color of milk and she was strange for a Djinn. Long ago had her hostilities washed away and left behind a levelheaded woman.

Stories were told of her and her brother who had always been chained together in some way. They were a manipulative pair and it came to their advantage one day when they gained thier freedom as few Djinn's had managed. They had come into possession of one another's lamps and their items shattered under their immense joint powers.

"Peony." He muttered, swallowing his curiosity and jealousy. "What do you want?"

"Don't you take such a tone with me, child." She said. He'd lived for so long and was still just a baby to her. "You are killing your Master."

"I am not."

"You've put ideas into their heads." She accused.

Eskil frowned. "How is that? If I put the idea of my freedom into their hands then I am a foolish boy. Hopeless. Helpless. But if I put ideas of their death into others minds then I am a bad boy." He scoffed. "I've not lifted a finger against my master. I've merely pushed things along to happen in a timely matter." Eskil shrugged, already making up whatever excuse he needed. "We are bound to eternal servitude and I cannot take it anymore. Solitude will be worth it to get away from here. Worth it, I tell you."

Peony gave him a sympathetic look and nodded. "There are hard times for us all."

"Every Master I have had has been awful. I do not know a single Djinni who would argue with me. But this man who callously has his way with me is enough. Five years I've spent doing his filthy deeds, being his whore and adding to his other list of whores. No more I tell you."

"So you will take to solitude? Ignoring the pleas of your Master?" Peony asked.

He shook his head. "There will be no pleas. Not with a woman like Marketa handing out his death note. He will be in ecstasy before he realizes what will happen to him."

"Greedy boy." Peony said sadly. She watched him helplessly, knowing there was nothing she could say that would change his mind. The motions were already set and he didn't seem to care that he was about to torture himself into darkness once more.

"I am. But only because I will not settle. I will do as I promised for one little girl at the rest of them can get on without me." Eskil sighed, looking up into the sky.

"You had options, Eskil. Three of them and you chose this to be your place of torture." Peony said.

"What were my options?" Eskil snapped. "To return to my bottle instantly? To not live? To not taste the fruits of the world. Freedom may be a dream but I will yearn for it until I find out what it's really like. I had no choice but the hellish option I took. Life is a tease to mortals and a joke to us. A painful joke that cannot be escaped."

"It pains me to see you pained, Eskil." Peony said softly, pushing a strand of hair out of his face. His expression was agonized and it made her ache for him. "I am sorry you cannot find what you're looking for. But you will not find it in your bottle."

"I will not find it here either." He whispered, voice rough. She realized now that despite his actions and his words, he was afraid of what he was doing to himself. A Djinn could still fear.

"Then I will wish hard for you, my sweet, and hope you find your freedom." Peony said, leaning over to kiss his cheek before she disappeared. Disappeared like everything else good in his life.

The ceremony was fast, loud and pointless, for Marketa surely did kill Bijan that night. She smothered him with his own pillow and came crying out after saying he'd passed out. Everyone was in a panic and Eskil felt the bonds around him disappear. It was the closest moment to freedom he would ever know. With the last of his powers before he was contained, he made sure that Riya would get what she was promised, a decent life.

Just before he was pulled away he created a horrendous earthquake; one that would demolish the estate that haunted him so. There were times where he hated what his powers created. This was one of those things that needed to be forgotten forever.

He opened his eyes and closed them instantly; the darkness of his bottle was almost enough to make him scream. He would sleep and pray it would be different, and be disappointed, as he was every time before. Eternal servitude was the only thing he had to look forward too.

The only relief that had gotten through to him was the sound of water and the slow rocking his bottle endured. If nothing else, Riya kept her part of the deal. Now he would have to deal with it. The empty, dark void that would swallow him.

Eskil jerked awake, sweat down his brow. Inhaling sharply he was almost surprised to see the room he was in. The light on from the hall and the gentle breeze from the open window. It was almost surreal to be in such a place. In his arms was a pretty girl with a mass of curly, chestnut hair. One that screamed for him alone. One that smiled at him tenderly and cooked for him even. She was a rarity to an immortal being and he'd never in his life been so thankful.

He repositioned them slowly, his arms locked around her in a tight embrace. Freedom was suddenly closer than it ever had been before.

"I hate you." Lottie whined softly when the phone started ringing. She was curled up under Eskil and had absolutely no desire to move. It was warm being pressed against a man's skin and she had never felt so good before. Sure she was sore, but it was perfect. The memory of his hands on her was enough to make her shudder and hope for a repeat performance.

"Mm, ignore it." Eskil muttered, his face pressed into her hair. He yawned wide and could easily pretend he didn't hear the ringing.

She agreed whole-heartedly with him until the ringing stopped and started again. With a disgruntled moan from them both she reached out onto her side table for the phone that she suddenly regretted putting there and squinted at the clock that read nine in the morning.

"What mama?" She answered grumpily, knowing there was no one else it could be. No one else would want to talk to her so early.

"Well aren't you just my little ray of sunshine, sweet pea." Her mother Gina laughed good-naturedly. "I woke you?"

"Obviously mama." Lottie muttered, her voice thick from sleep. She was still groggy and unable to squirm away when Eskil started rubbing her hips soothingly. Her southern draw became more pronounced when talking to her mother and he found it incredibly appealing.

"Sorry sweet pea." Her mother laughed softly. "But you weren't answering your phone last night and you know I just wanted to check on you. I swear your dad nearly sent both your brothers over there to check on you."

Lottie groaned loud. "No."

"I assumed as much." Gina mused. Lottie knew the smile that was on her mother's lips. "Jilly seems to be under the impression that you've made a friend. Was all I could do to calm down the boys."

"I may have to kill her." Lottie muttered, letting Eskil roll her over so she leaned against him. It also allowed him to hear her mother on the phone clearly. He found the phone interesting but had seen them enough already that he decided he didn't much care for the new technology.

Gina laughed softly. "Now baby, don't you go starting any fights today. I'm sure there will be enough talk about you at dinner anyway."

Lottie frowned, "What dinner?"

Her mother was up to something. "Well, Regan's time off won't last forever and Jamie's home with Trisha, so I thought how much I'd like to see all you kids together. If you wanted to bring your new little friend, you know we wouldn't mind."

"No!" Lottie gasped. "Mama, I'm not fifteen! You can't invite my boyfriend to dinner!"

She wasn't sure when Eskil became her boyfriend but it was better to protect him from the insanity her family could produce.

"Lottie, you remember what your gram used to tell you? If you won't do it in front of your mama then you shouldn't be doing it in public. Jilly sees you—at work mind you—closer to a boy then you've been in at least two years. Now I'm sure it's new and you don't want to rush things but if you got a boy in your bed you can bring that boy to dinner to meet your mama." Gina said, leaving no room for arguing.

Lottie laid there, her mouth slightly ajar. She wouldn't dare admit it but how did her mother always know? "Mama you know how they can be. It's not their business."

"Course not, sweet pea, it's a courtesy for your mama to meet the young man you like enough to risk your job."

Lottie scoffed. "Maggie wouldn't fire me for a one time only thing. She's more over the moon then you are."

"Besides the point, baby. There were customers present. Even if the boy is nice to look at that doesn't mean others want that glimpse into your life."

"Mama..."

"How long have you known this boy?" Gina interrupted. "Where did you meet him?"

"Mama, I'm not doing this with you. I'm not a little girl with a home coming date. You should be using this energy to monitor Jillian, not me."

Gina made a noise, "You let me worry about her. You think I don't know she tattled on you to get attention off her? She'll being for a surprise later. That doesn't change that fact that dinner is tonight or that I want you there with this young man."

Lottie shook her head. "This is so last minute mama."

"You make it work, sweet pea, I know you can." Gina laughed softly. "Dinner's at six."

"No promises." Lottie grumbled but her mother said a chipper good bye and hung up. With a loud sigh she let her attention fall back onto Eskil. "How would you feel about dinner?"

He laughed. "Your mama sound charming. I can't wait to meet her."

She made a face, trying not to comment on the fact that his accent momentarily sounded like hers. His accent was attractive but she wasn't sure she would be able to handle him sounding like a southern boy. "She's not the one I'm worried about."

"That's okay, I'm not worried about any of them." he leaned up to brush his lips against her cheek. "We don't have to get up yet though, right?"

"Mm mm." She agreed, closing her eyes slowly. "Did you even sleep much? Or did I only imagine you awake one of the times I looked up at you?"

"I was awake for a while." he muttered. "I wasn't sleeping well."

"Dunno how you had the stamina to stay awake." she smiled a little, heat in her face. It was hands down the best nightly experience she'd ever had, topping their prior intimate acts the night before.

Eskil chuckled, embracing her again. "Oh believe me, that wasn't the issue." No amount of women in his bed had ever left him so exhausted. "I'd like to spend the morning here, if it's all the same to you."

"Mhm." She muttered, looking like she could fall asleep again. She curled up closer, already accustomed to his presence in her bed.

He played with her curls and gave a content sigh. A dinner was nothing to him and it would be closer to sunset anyway. He had all of day number two to be with her. She was something all right, and he wasn't about to miss out on a second of it.

Lottie jerked away from him with a startled gasp so alarming that even he started worrying instantly.

"Oh...oh no."

"Lottie?"

She sat up slowly, eyes as wide as plates as she covered her mouth in a panic. "Oh no."

He reached out to grab her shoulder. "What?"

"I could be pregnant." she said in a rush. "I'm not on the pill or anything. Nothin'. Oh crap. We didn't do anything for that. I didn't even think about it. I'm so not ready for that."

"Lottie." Eskil sighed, relieved that that was all it was. "Impossible."

She stiffened, hands shaking from nerves.

"Djinns are not born in that way." he said, pulling her back down to wipe away the tears that had formed from her panic attack.

She gave him the most confused stare.

"Djinn's are born from a smokeless fire. We are born at the age, and with the appearance we will have always, already knowing our purpose." He kissed her head. "Really, I'd be shocked too if I got you pregnant. It can't happen. I do not have the powers to create or return a person's life."

Lottie nodded slowly, his calm seeping into her bones but along with it was an irreplaceable sadness. She didn't know if it was his or hers, but that didn't really matter. He led a lonely existence.

"Is there any way to get out of the bottle thing?" Lottie asked after a moment. "You're a Djinni forever?"

Eskil pulled her all the way down and stretched out next to her laying his head on her shoulder. "There are only two that I know of. Peony and her brother Ion. They are eons old and have somehow managed to free themselves. It would take two Djinns with incredible trust in one another. The rest of us are forever servants."

"Couldn't you just ask them how they did it? Or couldn't I wish it or something?" Lottie asked.

He laughed softly, warmed by the impossible idea. No one had ever uttered such a foolish idea to him before. "I don't have the power to free myself or I would have. One doesn't enjoy eternal servitude, you know."

Lottie blanched slightly and nodded. She couldn't imagine living such a way forever. Not that he listened to her exactly but he was still forced to be around her. Wasn't he?

"I didn't mean to make you feel badly." He murmured, watching her expression change slowly. He'd had many owners where he didn't care one way or another, but with as independent as Lottie was, he still saw her as being fragile.

She nodded once, looking unconvinced. "You can't just leave while you're here?"

Eskil smiled up at her and shook his head. "I don't have those powers. I'm bound to obey whoever releases me from my captivity."

"You don't seem like you'd obey anyone." She pointed out.

He grinned cheekily. "Not true. I am merely exceptional in finding loopholes that suit my needs entirely."

Lottie rolled her eyes. "I still don't get it. You said I had to prove myself to you to be your master, but how does that make sense. You don't technically have to listen to me so what keeps you here?"

"You are the owner of my bottle." He said softly, pressing his lips to the fleshy swell of her breast. "I am bound to you. There are two options. Either granting you any three wishes your little heart desires and returning to my bottle right away, or waiting—giving you three days to prove yourself to me. At the end of the three days I will either grant you one wish and return to my bottle, or I will bind my servitude to you to your life span."

She sat up slightly, looking down at him. "So I will get a wish and you'll leave, or you'll being staying permanently."

"That's right." He said, looking pleased with himself. "The wishes I grant you with in the first three days are to my own discretion."

"Which is why you can deny them or accept them." She muttered, nodding slowly. Whoever came up with those rules had a sick sense of humor.

Eskil reached up to touch her curls. "That's right. After the three days, if I were to stay, you could also ask me to grant other people's wishes but I could deny those as well. It's your commands I would obey, and I'd know if your desires were being manipulated."

"You know, I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I guess its good you'd know but I'd hate to think I could be so easily wooed by someone else's wishes." Lottie sighed, thinking a little harder on it. Was she the type to allow herself to get misdirected?

"Its how I've gotten myself out of my more nastier contracts. Greed has always been a weakness of most humans. They want more, more, more. More power, more wealth, more everything. A bigger home, a prettier wife. I had one who wanted me to make him taller. Taller. What a waste of a perfectly good wish."

Lottie stared; almost surprised he'd gone off on such a side rant.

"Maybe that's why I like you so much." He muttered, drawing her closer and kissing her tenderly, letting it linger until they both pulled away. "You don't seem to want anything. It makes me want to give you everything. To spoil you even. Spoil you until you can't stand it anymore. Pleasure you until you're satisfied." His lips pressed lightly against her cheek, the touch teasingly light.

"Should I be flattered?" She mumbled, her hand coming up to feel her still warm face.

"I think you are." Eskil said, smiling wide. "Perhaps I sounded so cynical that you didn't take it as the compliment I meant it to be. You are a lovely human being, Lottie. I will wish myself that it remains one of your personal traits that never changes."

She pressed her face back into her pillow. "You're babbling."

"Shyness was never something I found intriguing before you." He grinned wide, his hand rubbing her thigh to feel the growing goose bumps. Even after the night they'd spent together, and the fact that he was laying naked beside her, she was still oddly shy. It was so new that he wasn't sure he even wanted her to get over it.

He could recall many women that would strip on sight of him, Lottie was refreshingly perfect. He had to work to get close to her and it being a challenge was more than just appealing.

"Nu uh, you're not starting that again." Lottie muttered, getting up slowly, cracking her back in the process. She shivered just a little and went dark when she realized Eskil's eyes were watching her every move.

His licked his lips slowly and spoke slowly. "Why not?"

"Cause I'm sore as all hell and if you want any later, you'll wait." She muttered, almost wishing she hadn't said a thing when his laughter rang throughout the room. She'd never know it was a sound few had ever heard.

"You do my pride something good." He said, slowly moving up onto his knees as he watched her pull on pajamas straight out of the dresser drawer. "We really don't have anything to do today?"

She shook her head. "Nowhere to be till dinner at my parent's house. We have the day to be lazy I guess. C'mon. You put some pants on and I'll make you some french toast."

"How about you take yours off, and I'll make breakfast." He laughed, getting up to trail after her out of the room.

She sighed heavily, but couldn't get rid of her smile. "Eskil…"

Lottie had thought she could make Eskil behave for the day and she was wrong. He tickled her senses until she was dancing to his whims, but at least she knew it.

To be fair she was getting better at steering him around the same way he did to her. Their deals suddenly ended up with both of them grinning, or rolling around on the floor like kids. He brought out the spontaneous in her.

She'd spent a portion of the day filling Eskil in on her family. Making him promise to take it easy around her father do to his heart condition and to be polite with her mother. If her parents liked him then her siblings would have less to work with.

Her oldest brother Regan was going to be hard to please. He was older then her by eight years and she would always be that little girl to him. In the last few years he'd been traveling. He'd joined the Marines ten years earlier and was often sent around for various reasons. He'd been home off and on for the last two years checking on their father and preparing to take care of the family if it came down to that.

Her next brother Jamie was a little mellower, though that was only because he lived in his own little world. He was bold and naïve and frankly, it could be a dangerous combination. He was as clever as they came but the total lack of common sense was overwhelming. The one thing that kept him together was the fact that he was hopelessly in love with his High School sweetheart, Trisha. Lucky, she was still head over heels in love with them too. They'd all been waiting for the day he got the idea to propose.

Jillian was the youngest of the four of them and she was still blooming and finding herself. There were days when Lottie couldn't stand the air the girl breathed and other days where they got along like the best of friends. She was still in high school and annoyed with being the youngest of them. She was far too eager to be an adult. Either way, she was on Lottie's 'list' for the day since she ratted her out to their mother.

"We really shouldn't be doing this." Lottie muttered, shutting the door to her car as she walked towards the porch of her parent's house. Eskil followed behind her, actually looking nice and fairly dressy. Course, remembering the fact that he looked like he just stepped out of the modeling magazine; he could wear anything and look fantastic.

"It'll be fun." Eskil purred against her ear. "I've never really gotten to pretend I was human. It's something I should experience."

"Behave." She started.

He grinned. "Remember our agreement and I'll behave appropriately.

Lottie stopped just before moving onto the porch. "Oh no. You have that tone. There's a loophole in there somewhere."

Eskil gave her his very best attempt at looking modest. "You are so cruel master. I wouldn't dream of such a thing."

She inhaled, doing her best to ignore all the things she knew he was silently implying. His posture, body language, gestures, expression; she was figuring him out. "Eskil."

"C'mon." He grabbed her wrist, pulling her onto the porch and knocking on the door as she reached out to ring the doorbell. She had a key but this way she would hopefully force her mother into remember that they were guests.

A short moment passed before her mother opened the door. Eskil felt his breathe hitch in throat when he first set eyes on her. Lottie was the mirror image of her mother, only younger. Gina was lovely, with a short mess of wavy hair and a large smile that was probably used often. He couldn't imagine such looks running in one family.

"Oh, my! Darlin, you're just gorgeous." Gina gushed, stepping back for them to enter before holding her hand out to Eskil. "I'm Gina, but you can call me mama, I answer to it much faster."

Eskil laughed softly, smiling warmly at the woman. It was the look that made girls swoon but he really just wanted to seem like a proper escort for the woman's daughter. "It's good to meet you."

"Can we get in the door?" Lottie sighed, kicking her shoes off almost instantly since it was a habit she'd had since she was young.

"Don't be in such a mood, sweet pea." Gina smiled knowingly, linking her arm with Eskil's to pull him deeper into the house where Lottie was sure her entire family lay waiting to pounce. If he did decide to do something, they'd probably deserve it.

"Mama..." Lottie muttered, following them in. "You're being a bully."

"I don't mind, Lottie" Eskil smiled, and she knew him well enough to know that he was up to no good. He was a troublemaker by nature and she'd had him on a short leash up until now.

"See." her mother grinned childishly. She dragged him down the hall where her father was waiting with her oldest brother, Regan. "Lottie brought her friend along."

"Nice to meet you, sir." Eskil said politely, seeming almost unaware of the scrutiny he was under. He would be true to his word and be polite but no one had to know that it was him causing any disturbances that happened to occur.

"Glad you could make it." Her father, Roger said in the same polite tone though there was something behind it. Her father had been a proud, strong man in his prime and even though his illnesses had left him frail, he was still sharp. He sat comfortably, and everyone came to him rather than make him move. His hair line was receding somewhat but other than that and the wrinkles on his brow, one wouldn't have thought he was terribly old.

Regan on the other hand was staring at Eskil as if he were some kind of bug. One with hair that was too long that was only slightly interesting and too dangerous to be around his sister. He still felt he had the right to decide who she was allowed to see. He might have shared her hazel eyes but his dark hair matched their fathers and his hair cut gave away his profession.

"Daddy." Lottie greeted her father, bending down to kiss his cheek before shooting Regan a look. "Regan."

"Charlotte." Regan smiled cheekily.

"Oh behave you two." Gina said, finally letting go of Eskil. "And don't be rude, Lottie, introduce your guest before things get awkward."

Lottie shook her head, biting the urge to remind her mother that they were both her guests. "My beloved father and annoying eldest brother." she waved to them. "This is Eskil."

"Eskil?" Regan raised a brow at the name. "Where are you from?"

"We're leaving if they want to play twenty questions." Lottie stared.

"Have a seat, Lottie." her father smiled. "Regan will leave you alone."

Her brother chuckled. "I will?"

"At least until dinner is over." Roger smiled slightly, not missing Lottie taking Eskil's hand as she sat down next to him. It was only a short time that had passed but she was attached to him.

"How long before dinner, mama?" Lottie asked, and her mother walked out promptly to check. Any other time she would have offered to help but she was feeling particularly peeved.

"Where are Jamie and Jillian?" she asked after a moment, not sure she wanted to know.

"Jilly's upstairs and your brothers on his way. He should be here any second." Roger nodded, his fingers tapping the arm of the chair he sat in. "Regan, call your sister down, she's being rude."

"You can really leave her up there." Lottie muttered, but it only made her older brother smile and get up to find the youngest of them.

She hated to think they were all just going to sit around and stare at her, but then she knew better. They'd make it more awkward than that unless something happened to get attention of her. Her luck wasn't that good and she wished they would have something else to fuss over.

Lottie tensed at her own thoughts and looked to Eskil who was hiding his smile.

"Shit." She muttered.

"Something wrong, honey?" Roger asked, watching them.

"No daddy, just remembered something is all. I'll worry about it later." She lied. It would have been too hard to explain anyway.

He nodded slowly, appraising the two of them. "Where did the two of you meet?"

"Hey, no instigating without me!" Gina called from the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready in ten minutes."

Roger shook his head and smiled. His wife's energy more than made up for his lack of it. "Fine, we'll wait, I suppose it's best to only need to go through it all once."

"Or not at all." Lottie pointed out.

"Fat chance." Regan said, reappearing with Jillian following behind him. There was already a grin plastered on her face.

"Really nice to see you again." Jillian smiled. "Didn't get to talk to you much yesterday."

Eskil shrugged. "We had plans."

"Oh?" Regan raised an eye, almost challengingly.

"You know, dinner, movie. Date stuff. Try it." Lottie rolled her eyes. She rarely got defensive with her siblings but she hated the thought of being embarrassed just now, or worse, them finding out just what they were doing all night. "Both of you."

"Real jumpy, right?" Jillian smiled up at Regan who returned her grin. Lottie might have been his little sister who he loved dearly, but Jillian was the baby.

"Seems to be." He agreed.

Lottie slumped to the side, resting her cheek on Eskil's shoulder. What she had with him wasn't a permanent arrangement so she didn't even want to be there. When he returned to his bottle she would have to explain where he went so suddenly and that was more trouble then she wanted.

"I'll get it!" Jillian said the instant the doorbell rang. She zoomed from the room and Lottie was really hoping it was her brother. She didn't want to find out her mother had invited someone else to the little get together.

Eskil leaned over slowly, resting the side of his head on top of hers and squeezed her hand. He'd expected there to be a lot more yelling and disapproval but it seemed her family just wanted to embarrass her rather than frighten him. It was a strange reaction to have but then, he had been sealed away for quite some time.

"You have known each other for a while then?" Regan asked, watching the two of them. They seemed oddly content leaning against each other, ignoring everyone in the room.

Lottie glanced up at him. "Didn't daddy say we'd do the questions thing later?"

He raised an eye. "Was a simple question."

"For a while, yes." Eskil answered, staring at her brother directly. Regan could intimidate a lot of people but it only made Eskil smile. "We had already been discussing my coming here."

"Well I must say, that certainly makes me feel better." Roger commented. "I didn't like the idea of my little girl moving so fast with someone she hadn't known long."

Lottie raised an eye. "Moving fast? We're not moving fast at all." She lied. "Mama only makes it seem that way."

"That's right darlin." Jamie said, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss her head. His southern drawl was probably the thickest among them. He was tallest of the four siblings, on point with Eskil's height even. His dark hair hung just past his ears and it was clear he came to the defense of his sister as often as he could. "Mama can be so mean, and the rest of them too. Don't you be giving me that look, Regan."

Trisha laughed softly, following him and Jillian back into the living room. As his longtime girlfriend, she knew how these family gatherings went. She was short and blond but that didn't seem to hinder her opinions. "He's been ranting about how they better be treating you right the whole way here."

Regan shook his head. "We're not throwing them to the wolves. Don't be so dramatic."

Jamie held his hand out politely to Eskil. "Nice to meet you. I'm Jamie, that's Trisha." He nodded behind him to the blond who waved happily.

"Thanks, Jamie." Lottie chuckled softly. It wasn't the reaction she had expected from him but she couldn't complain seeing as how it was better. Jamie was usually easy going; she just couldn't imagine he'd be on her side this particular time.

"Alright, dearie's. Dinner will be ready in five." Gina smiled as she walked back in. "Oh, I do just love having all my babies in the house at once."

"That's funny, you used to hate that." Jillian mused, grinning at her mother.

"Small doses, sweetheart." Roger nodded. "That's all your mama and I can take anymore. Have a nice dinner and go to your own homes."

Lottie and Jamie laughed softly.

"Yeah, dad. We're complete pains. Can I go back to interrogating my sister?" Regan smiled, looking oddly relaxed.

"No, you cannot." Jamie said, coming to her defense. "Had you taken an interest before now you'd know all about it."

Roger smiled. "So you knew all about it?"

"Course!" Jamie smiled happily, and Lottie had to swallow down the sudden urge to laugh. She wanted to hug him so badly for lying for her.

"Nu uh!" Jillian pouted.

Jamie only nodded. "I was supposed to meet him last weekend but something came up for Trisha and me."

"He was real disappointed." Trisha nodded. That there was the kicker. They might see past an innocent Jamie lying but Trisha normally didn't have it in her to lie. They all knew that. She probably felt sympathetic for Eskil after being in the family herself for so long. She had to go through the same interrogation.

"Well then I'm just insulted." Gina said, having the nerve to pout. "I didn't know a thing."

"I guess Jillian's a bad spy." Lottie chuckled.

Regan made a face and looked at his baby sister. "You and I are working on your stealth skills." Jillian only rolled her eyes in response but smiled a moment later.

"Tell us about yourself, Eskil." Gina smiled.

Eskil smiled faintly. "Eh, well I don't know what much to say. I've recently traveled here from…Well a part of India I suppose. I've traveled quite a bit since I was born."

"Born where?" Gina smiled, folding her hands on her knee.

Eskil gave a half shrugged. "Around the Arabian Peninsula." Lottie didn't dare ask why no one asked him to elaborate and brushed it off as something he forced them to ignore.

"Is this your first time to the states? You're English is very good." Jillian smiled at him sweetly, she sat on the arm of the couch next to him.

"Most people don't realize it but English is a popular language." He mused, glancing up at her. "I've hand time to practice."

"Are you living together?" Regan asked, staring at the pair.

"She's twenty-three years old." Jamie said, interrupting her from answering. "Whether she is or isn't she is grown, you know. You can't ask that kind of thing."

Regan scoffed. "I sure as hell can."

"What's this?" Trisha asked, pulling a tiny velvet box out of her purse. Her eyes slowly went wide when she flipped it open to reveal an engagement ring. Her eyes went to Jamie instantly. "You…"

Jamie had the nerve to look confused but it was short lived.

"Damn, that's got a romantic vibe to it." Eskil grinned, manipulating the situation and again, certain questions were ignored.

Lottie felt her eyes widen almost as much as Trisha's were and she grinned. Eskil was good. She kicked Jamie's ankle and laughed. "You're proposing?"

He exchanged a small look with his sister and smiled softly. "I was going to wait, but I think I should. Trisha?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she nodded vigorously, her arms going around his neck instantly.

"Praise the Lord; I'll finally get to be a grandma." Gina clapped happily. "Oh baby, this is wonderful! I'm so happy for the two of you!"

Jamie smiled wide, hugging his fiancée tightly. It didn't matter much to him that he had no idea where the ring came from.

"Looks like we have something good to celebrate." Roger said, letting Regan help him to his feet. "Now I believe dinner is ready. I think we should drink to the occasion."

Eskil waited for the others to start out into the dining room before leaning forward and kissing Lottie's cheek gently. A large grin spread across his lips. "A distraction for get their attention off of us? Wish granted, Charlotte."

It was amazing how fast the celebrating dinner quickly turned into wedding plans that was full of family input. Gina had gone in the direction of grandchildren but everyone seemed to ignore those particular statements. Jamie was happy and Trisha was ecstatic and those emotions seemed to rub off onto everyone else to make a fairly pleasant evening.

Lottie left with Eskil a little after dessert, a dessert she was happy to see he enjoyed immensely. She had to remember to treat him an ice cream on another night.

"It sure is pretty when it rains here." Lottie mused as she pulled into her driveway and cut the engine off. It wasn't so much making conversation as it was speaking out loud. They sat for a moment and listened to the sound of the rain bouncing off the car and ground. She could hardly believe the look on Eskil's face. He watched the rain fall like it was his first time seeing such weather and was in complete awe. He had to have been because he had been silent nearly the entire ride home.

"Let's go inside." She said softly, stepping out into the rain and jogging to the door to keep herself from getting soaked. Getting sick wasn't in her plans and despite the warm weather, the rain was like ice.

The second she stepped inside her phone went off and she hoped it wasn't her mother telling her she'd forgotten something at the house.

"Hello?" She answered, wanting to get out of her damp clothes. She settled for pulling of her shoes, sweater and setting her purse down.

"Looottie." The voice sang.

"Maaaaggie." Lottie shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "You're not taking my day off away from me so don't even ask."

Maggie chuckled. "Oh I know better. Well, that's a lie really. If I wanted you to come in chances are good you'd cave for an hour or two."

"You see that, I'm just abused." Lottie said, flipping the light on in the living room as she walked in. "What can I do for you, sugar?"

"You can start by telling me how things went after you left work yesterday. You literally had a Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome following you. One that had great big eyes just for you and if you think I missed all the little comments he kept making throughout the day you're a crazy girl." Maggie laughed.

Lottie had to fight the urge to groan and prayed Jillian didn't have her ear pressed to the door the way Maggie had.

"You can't tell me that boy didn't weasel his way into your bed. If you tell me he didn't, I'll call you a liar." Maggie said, sounding highly amused.

"You can't ask me that." Lottie muttered.

Maggie's laughter rang over the phone. "I'm so excited for you, Lo! Was he anywhere near as amazing as he looks."

"That's—You can't ask me that." Lottie repeated, feeling the heat rise in her face. Even if Maggie knew it was true that didn't mean she was going to get a play by play narration of what happened. Mostly because she would have had a lot of explaining to do with Eskil being a Djinni and partly because it would have been entirely inappropriate. It was almost hard for her to decide which of those two things held a higher priority.

Advertising her newly revived sex life wasn't her idea of a fun time. It was more embarrassing than anything else she could think of right off.

"That must be a huge 'yes, it was fantastic. Let me tell you all about it'." Maggie coaxed. "C'mon, you don't need to give all the dirty little details but throw me a bone here. I've been waiting all day to call but I didn't want to interrupt anything."

"Mama did that for you." Lottie grumbled. "Apparently Jillian went home and told on me so Mama invited us both to dinner."

"Damn that girl, I told her not to get in the way of things." Maggie said, sounding almost as put out as Lottie did. "I know your sis is a good girl but the lil thing was sighing heavy every time she peeked out at him. Guard your man."

"First off, he doesn't need anyone to guard him. Second, Jillian doesn't stand a chance. He's not the kind of guy she's used to and if he is then I need to tell mama to lock her in the house." Lottie said, putting on water to make herself some tea.

"Ooh." Maggie said in a conspirator tone. "And what kind of guy would that be exactly. On the raunchy scale of one to ten, one being pathetic and ten being—"

"Maggie, please don't finish that." Lottie said, face beat red. "Let's just say it's a high number and leave it at that. That's not why he's here. He's—"

"There?" Maggie cut her off. "As in still there right now? He's staying with you?"

Lottie sighed softly. "Yeah, I dunno for how long but he's still here. Don't you go reading more into it then what's there."

"Now why would you think I'd go jumping to conclusions?" Maggie laughed softly, faking a sweet tone. "That's not like me at all."

"Oh, not at all." Lottie rolled her eyes. "I know you better than you think apparently. I can practically hear the wheels in your mind turning towards the dirtiest answers you can think of."

"Mhm, mhm, or you're just paranoid sweetie." Maggie said and Lottie was sure she was smiling like a maniac. "Which does make me assume you've got a reason to be paranoid. Really, all I asked was if he was good in bed, not the deepest darkest secrets between the two of you."

Lottie shook her head slowly, hating the fact that she'd gotten sucked into the conversation in the first place. She should have known better then to walk right into Maggie's verbal dance. "No prying."

"Fine." She sighed dramatically. "But I better get some kind of update from you on Tuesday. You're working in the kitchen with me."

"Just give me something to look forward to." Lottie said sarcastically, a small smile pulling at her lips against her will. Maggie had the kind of charisma about her.

Maggie laughed out right. "If you're gonna be like that then I'll just ask him myself. I might get a better answer out of him anyway."

"Doubt it." Lottie said, looking to up see what Eskil thought about the situation but he hadn't followed her into the room.

"Of course you would."

"What can I say, I'm like that." Lottie muttered, wandering around her house to see where he'd wandered off to. She even went as far as checking her bedroom and was surprised to see he wasn't there either.

Ignoring Maggie talk she suddenly felt nervous. Eskil had practically been glued to her side for the last two days and now he had vanished. She swallowed slowly and her nerves were beginning to get to her. Had he really left? Wasn't it too early for him to leave? Was it that easy?

Walking back to her still open front door she peeked outside to see him still standing in the rain, face tilted up towards the sky.

"I'll call you back Mag." Lottie said, interrupting whatever she had been saying.

"Distracted?"

"Call you back later." She repeated, hanging up and setting her cell phone down on the hall table before walking out the door. "Eskil?"

He very slowly turned to look at her. He was soaked, his hair plastered to his face and the softest smile lighting up his features. For the first time he looked completely at peace. Something other than afterglow of sex putting him in that state.

"Lottie?"

"You're getting wet." She said, leaning against the door.

Instead of coming in as she'd expected he held his hand out for her to come to him instead. His smile was almost childlike and eager, though she wasn't sure why the rain fascinated him so. She grabbed her umbrella that was propped up next to the door and popped it out before slipping outside with him.

"You're soaked." She said, smiling a little herself. It was hard to believe he was the same man that could seduce her so easily.

"I'm okay." He laughed softly. "I just can't pass up the opportunity."

She raised an eye. "Standing in the rain?"

"Exactly." His smile faded a little. "This feels amazing, you know? Hundreds of years of feeling nothing can really making you appreciate the sensation."

Lottie nodded slowly, holding the umbrella up enough that he could duck his head under if he wanted to. "It's a…scary long time."

"Yes." He smiled faintly. "But it was worth it to escape the hell I came from. I wanted a fresh start. I myself wished for something more than I ever had before. Honestly, I didn't think I would get it."

She stayed silent as he reached up to touch her face. "I didn't think myself particularly lucky. Maybe fate is finally giving me a break."

The touch was innocent and set her skin on fire all the same. It wasn't because he was being particular forward but because he sounded sadly sincere. "You've had a bad past?" She had told herself it wasn't her business but he was so different from when he first appeared in front of her. Different but the same. Different because he was opening up to her.

"Most Djinns do. At least all the ones I've ever met." He said, voice soft. It was almost hard to hear him over the rain beating down on the ground. "We are tools to gain success. That's how many see us. We are forced either into solitude or servitude. Last time I chose misery and a fool's freedom."

"I don't understand." Lottie admitted, reaching out to take his hand.

"It doesn't matter." He said softly. "We can't hide from what we are. We can't try to trick the fates into being kind to us. It doesn't work that way. I aided the death of my last master to gain freedom, when I only bound myself to him for freedom in the first place. Ironic, isn't it?"

Eskil pulled away from her and tilted his face back up to the rain and sighed deeply. "When inside the bottle, you wish to get out so badly that you'll do anything. Even bound yourself to a bad master. The yearning for freedom." He continued softly. "But then you're nothing but a servant to a mortal who thinks you are far less than human, and we are reminded that our real freedom is when we are in control of ourselves, lonely in our bottles. It's a horrid cycle."

Lottie bit her lip slowly and felt all of her emotions running around in circles. Even though he smiled, he was unhappy. He didn't have a choice in where he went or who he talked to. She had been guilty of trying to hide him and then when that didn't work she had to make up stories to explain his presence. She ended up spreading the lies among her family about their relationship. She didn't have the right to make those decisions for him. She didn't even know if he would stay.

She wished she could make it better for him

"I didn't mean you, Lottie." Eskil smiled, reaching out to take the umbrella from her to toss it on the ground way from them. He wrapped an arm around her, knowing in a matter of seconds she would be just as soaked as he was. "You are the kindest person I've ever met."

"Kindness doesn't make up for what you have to go through." She said weakly.

"You'd be surprised," he shrugged a little. "Last time I was let out I thought I'd made a good decision, if for the wrong reasons. I won't do that again. I have to think hard on it this time."

"I know." Lottie muttered, realizing there was a chance he would really leave. It was hard to determine when she had decided she wanted him to stay so badly but she did.

Eskil leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers and smiling at her drenched curls that stuck to her neck and shoulders. He took her hand and tugged her along with him to stroll around her tiny yard in the rain. "You know it's been a very long time, but I've finally remembered who you remind me of."

"I didn't know I reminded you of anyone." Lottie mused.

He nodded. "It was the brother of one of my masters. He was a very kind individual. Every time his brother would mistreat me either physically, or by using my powers for the wrong reasons, he would come to see me as if I needed comforting." His smile grew a little at the memory. "He was only around fourteen or fifteen but he was exponentially kind. I didn't think such a kindness existed and I never thought I would see it again. Perhaps it was passed to you."

"I just don't think you've come across many kind people, Eskil." Lottie said gently, the thought enough to break her heart. Sure, not everyone she knew was a sweet person but at least she could say she didn't know and evil ones. Eskil seemed to know more of those and it was sad to think about.

"That's true, but at least that way I never felt bad when I did something horrible to them in retaliation." Eskil said, immediately looking like he wished he hadn't said a thing when Lottie's expression shifted. "It's life Lottie. Karma always returns and sometimes, it needs a helping hand."

Lottie nodded, unable to imagine some of the things he was talking about and deciding there she didn't really want to know.

"What about the ones you like. Like that boy?" She asked.

Eskil looked thoughtful. "I don't know what became of him. He was sent away from me before I returned to my bottle. His brother was jealous that I was friendly with him. All I know for sure is that he did not meet the same fate as my bottle holder. I could only hope that he lived on somewhere else."

"Friendly?"

"Yes, friendly." Eskil smiled. "Around our masters, most Djinns seem to be stoic. Expressionless and neutral. It's not up to us to judge what our masters wish for and to be able to do that well; you can't flinch every time they make a poor choice in a wish. Around my master at the time I was doll like and stoic. Around his brother I was allowed to talk freely and smile."

"So he didn't like that you were nice to his brother." Lottie muttered, honestly having not cared one way or another how he acted around her siblings as long as everyone was polite.

"Right." Eskil chuckled. "So he sent his brother away to live with another sister or something like that. It wasn't my place to ask."

"I don't want you to feel like that around me." Lottie muttered. "Like you can't ask me something or tell me something."

Eskil tilted his head slightly to look at her with a smile. "You are very different, Lottie. I've had many masters, both men and woman. I have been many things to each of them and the core of most of their greatest moments. You are not like them. You are so much unlike them that waiting so many years to come to you doesn't bother me in the slightest."

Lottie smiled a little and felt the sudden tears rush down her cheeks. The only thing that hid them was the obvious fact that she was already wet from the falling rain that splashed against her face. He was going to end up leaving.

"How much longer do you have?" she asked, clearing her throat in a small attempt to hide her tears.

His eyes moved to hers and he reached out to wipe under her eyes, not at all fooled. "Tomorrow, a little after dark. That's when you summoned me two days ago. Just after dark tomorrow will be my completed three days."

She swallowed hard, feeling a knot in her throat. "Then I either get one wish and you leave or you stay?"

"That's right. I'm so happy you were listening." He said softly, unable to tear his eyes away from her.

Her face slid into a pout. "I'm a great listener, sugar."

Eskil started at her for a moment before a lazy grin slipped across his face. "I think I've been a bad influence for you."

"You probably have." She agreed, reaching up to wipe her eyes again. "Now can we go dry off now?"

"Nope."

"Eskil," she sighed, shivering a little.

"There's something else I want." He smiled wide.

Lottie shook her head. "No deals this time. Mostly because you don't really need them, do you? You sleep in my bed either way."

His grin grew and the sight made her uneasy, the fluttering in her stomach telling her to be nervous. "I didn't say a thing about sex. Now, if that's what's on your mind then I'll gladly participate but I was thinking of something else."

Heat flooded her body from embarrassment and she looked up at him suspiciously. "What?"

"I would like you to dance with me." He said, his voice reverting back into that smooth purr that drove her crazy.

She frowned. "In the rain?"

"In the rain." He nodded, tilting his head over so slightly to the side. He was too cute to be real. "Is that a problem?"

"We're sopping wet, we're gonna get sick." Lottie argued.

Eskil chuckled. "Well I can't get sick, and I can assure you that I won't let this rain make you sick, not even from the chill."

Lottie raised an eye. "And how can you promise me that?"

He mimicked her look. "I'm nearly omnipotent. As I have proven to you a few times now." He watched her. "Is there a reason you don't want to dance with me?"

She frowned. "I don't dance."

"You will with me."

"Pushy." She muttered.

"Yeah, I can be." He laughed softly, leaning down to press his lips against hers and let his arms wrap tightly around her waist, keeping them pressed against one another.

"Eskil..." she muttered against his lips as she felt him sway with her, his hands moving her hips along with his.

"Not like anyone's watching." He muttered against her ear. He pulled her into a slow dance and they lapsed into a silence where all they could hear was the rain. The dancing wasn't something either of them were used to but it was a calm, quiet moment that seemed to stretch for longer than either realized.

By the time either of them pulled away it was approaching eleven p.m. and the rain was slowly picking up.

"We can go in now." He said softly, having not pulled himself completely out of his daze yet. This time he let Lottie take his hand and lead him inside, only stopping for a moment to pick up her umbrella that was immersed in rainwater.

She dropped it by the door and pulled Eskil inside. When he made no moves to dry himself she wandered off to fetch towels for the two of them. She stripped off her clothes and pulled her fluffy robe on before heading back out to find Eskil. He stood in the kitchen still, dripping on the tile rather than the carpet, and stared back outside longingly.

"C'mere you." Lottie said, tossing the towel over his head and drying his hair. That seemed to be all it took to jerk him back into reality.

"You don't have to fuss over me." He laughed softly, taking the towels from her.

"Well the way you were acting I was thinking you had just lied to me and were sitting here getting sick. Get these wet clothes off already."

Eskil laughed softly. "You want me naked that badly?"

"You bet." Lottie rolled her eyes and gasped right after when his clothes disappeared altogether. "Eskil."

He grinned. "What? You said…"

"And here I was thinking maybe you didn't have such a one track mind after all." Lottie said, tossing a towel across his lap and using the other to dry him off.

He smiled softly up at her, not complaining again. He let her dry him off and reveled in the feeling of someone fussing over him. It had been a long time since he'd gotten that feeling from someone and he hated to think how he'd taken it for granted before.

"C'mon, I'll make us some hot tea and we'll curl up on the couch for a little bit." Lottie said, pushing back a strand of his hair that had fallen out of his braid.

"Movie night." He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll even let you pick the movie." Lottie mused.

"As long as it's not Aladdin I don't very much care." He mused. "No Djinns please. I don't need to see how they're depicted in the time."

"Well good." Lottie chuckled, getting up and putting the water on. "I can't think of another movie that has them in it anyway. You're kinda one of a kind to me, sugar."

Eskil laughed softly, watching her with a smile. "That is certainly a feeling I can relate to."

The third and final day of Eskil's stay came too soon for the both of them. As much as Lottie hadn't been thinking about it before was as much as it plagued her now. She might never wake up again to the feel of him next to her. It was unsettling and depressing.

She'd unplugged the alarm clock on her nightstand, hoping to get lost in time but it didn't work well when the sun shined brightly into her room, forgetting the rain from the night before.

"I want to grant you three wishes, Eskil." Lottie whispered softly as they both lay awake in bed. It was hours until sunset but it was approaching at a sickening pace.

Eskil looked up at her with surprise coloring his features. No one had ever said those words to him before. He'd never met a person who thought about his wishes over their own. It wasn't within the bounds of human logic. One did not offer to give things to a Djinni. One simply assumed they had everything they could ever want. "How?"

She rolled over onto her side and stretched slowly. "We'll do whatever you wanna do today." All night she'd been thinking about how this freedom spurt of his hadn't been very memorable for him. Other than the sex he instigated and the movies the night before he hadn't had much say in what went on. She tried to hide him and work, and when that plan failed her knees weakened to the thought of him coming to her. They'd danced in the rain and he'd met her family but all and all his time out of his bottle hadn't been good enough for him. She wanted him to remember his time with her forever.

A tender smile pulled at his lips as he blinked up at her, the thought alone warming to him, "Any three things I want?

"If I can do them for you, yeah. I'm not magic but I can try." Lottie smiled a little.

Eskil smiled and looked up at the ceiling for a moment, mulling over the thoughts in his head. He couldn't believe after all this time that making wishes really could be so hard.

"First, I would like to go to the beach where you found my bottle. I'd like to see it."

She nodded.

He paused. "Second, I want to dance with you again. I don't care where, or who watches or doesn't watch or how long we do it as long as we lose track of time. I want your hands clasped in mine, or my arms around you. I want that."

Lottie felt a smile curve her own lips as she nodded again.

"Third," he sighed softly. "I want to come back here with you and lay out on the living room floor. I want to watch the sun set with you and bury myself in you one last time."

"That's what you want?" she asked softly.

"Yes." he smiled. "I want those things very much."

Lottie smiled softly, leaning up to brush her lips against his forehead. Pulling away she didn't even comment on the slight color in his cheeks. She didn't really believe she could make him blush anyway despite the proof in front of her.

"Then I'll get ready to go now. It's not a real long drive to the beach but the sooner we go the more time we'll have to spend there." she said as she got up from the bed, not bothering to hold the sheet around her as she made her way to the bathroom.

He watched her closely with every step, a lazy smile on his face. Something close to happiness had just consumed him and he held onto it tightly.

Eskil inhaled deeply, loving the salt-water smell that filled his chest. The Beach fit him in some odd way and he was like all the other small children wandering about in awe. Lottie was sure it wasn't his first time being on a beach, but much like the rain, he wouldn't take the opportunity for granted.

"This is fantastic." he beamed, stomping around in the sand with his bare feet. Lottie half expected him the crouch down in an attempt to start building a sandcastle and deem it a worthy fort.

"It is pretty here, isn't it?" Lottie smiled, "I almost would have thought you'd hate it here after drifting in the water for so long."

"Hm." he smiled as the thought about it. "A little bit, but it was very soothing—the being rocked back and forth. It was almost easy to pretend to be in someone's arms."

Lottie nodded weakly, unable to imagine what he really went through. Being trapped in a bottle must have been pure hell, and knowing you would only be released to become someone's servant must have been a horror to them.

"Is that what you dreamed of?" she asked carefully, not wanting to stray into an unwanted conversation at that particular moment.

He turned back to look at her. "You could say that, yes. It's a part of the world's natural order to want what you can't have."

"The worlds order should be changed." she grumbled, making him smile a little more.

"Maybe you're too sweet for the world, Lottie. You see things a certain beautiful way and I hope you always will."

"Really? I was just starting to think my views were a little screwy." Lottie said softly, turning her back to the sun so she didn't have to squint.

"Never think that." Eskil said quietly, moving back up behind her to kiss the top of her head. His arms snaked around her and he fell backwards with her in the cold, wet sand. Grinning at her sudden scream. "You are a perfect you. A perfect Lottie. I don't want you to change and be like other people. Other people aren't worth being like."

"You know." she paused. "Sometimes you're almost childlike with your expectations, and others—well—I certainly wouldn't call you childlike at other times."

He gave her a falsely innocent coy look. "You may be right, but I don't see anything wrong with that. Perhaps I'm just comfortable with you."

"Perhaps so." Lottie said softly. "I think I like the sound of that."

Eskil smiled but didn't respond. The tide came up to their knees in a sudden 'whoosh' making him laugh happily. For some reason, he delighted in the beach. The atmosphere made him look less out of place.

"Should have just worn a bathing suit." Lottie mused, looking down at her now soaked pants.

"You should have worn nothing." Eskil said, a mischievous glint in his eyes as they lingered on the fabric of her jeans plastered to her legs.

"On a private beach with no other people around you could get your wish." She continued off hand, pulling her bag closer to her hip to search through it. When she looked up again he was staring at her with a dazed expression.

"Really?"

She shrugged, trying to ignore the blush that wanted to ignite her features. Instead she pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses. "What do you say to a little toast?"

Eskil reached for a glass and almost purred. "Sounds intriguing."

"Open it for me, please." Lottie said, passing it over to him. "I've a feeling I'd only lose an eye."

He barely blinked and the cork was gone. He poured them both a glass before sipping the liquid and deciding it was different from the last wine he had had but he did have a taste for it.

"Thank you." He said after the lapsed into silence. "This is...nice."

Lottie felt her pulse jump, hoping he was being honest.

"No one's ever offered me a wish before." he continued.

"Well." Lottie started, digging her heels deeper into the cold sand. "I know I can't give you what you really want but I could make now more enjoyable for you, you know?"

Eskil nodded, taking the time to sip his wine appreciatively before turning his dark gaze back on her. "Thank you."

"I don't want you to thank me." She admitted, not moving as the tide came back over their legs again. "It feels like it doesn't mean as much that way."

He shook his head. "No, it means that I can honestly thank you when I've never done such a thing truthfully before. Sure, others have done me favors but only while getting something in return. I feel how much you want this to be a good memory for me. I thank you for that."

Lottie smiled faintly and nodded. Arguing with him over it would be a waste of time and ruining his day was far from what she wanted. She took a large gulp of her wine and tried not to think about what the night might hold, or the lack of what it could hold.

"Come!" He grinned suddenly, grabbing her wrist and yanking her up. She nearly tripped right down to her knees in the water but he held her up and smiled at her warmly. "Dance with me now."

She smiled and shook her head. "Did that have to be so out of the blue?"

"It's spontaneous!" he argued his smile growing but the happiness there didn't reach his eyes. Much like her, he was trying not to think about the choices he would have to make. He couldn't make such a horrible mistake again.

"Fine then." She said, ignoring the self-conscious butterflies that rumbled around in her stomach. The beach might have been a little secluded but it was far from empty. Still, his second wish was to dance with her; the place and time didn't matter.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she didn't even have to wait for him to wrap his arms securely around her waist. For a moment she stared up at him, silently marveling at his perfect height to her stature before he began to sway. It was the same slow rhythm he had created the night before in the rain. He moved her hips along with his and it almost made her wonder if he was moving to a song in his head—something he'd heard long before in another time.

It was much different with sun beating down on them instead of rain but it didn't make the moment any less perfect. The crashing of the waves almost seemed to encourage them to continue and he kept his gaze locked on hers so she hardly had the time to worry about other people staring at them.

The dancing was slow and he took every opportunity to press her tighter to his body. There wasn't a second of their time he wanted to miss out on and dancing gave him at least a semi decent excuse. The thought made him smile a sad smile. He didn't want to need an excuse. He wanted to be able to touch her just because he wanted to. The urge she made him feel was enough for him to want to keep her in a bottle all to himself. He wished to be able to be greedy just once more.

"I must not be very good if you can't even fake a better smile." Lottie said softly, leaning up on her toes to kiss him chastely.

A smile returned full force just before he chuckled. Reaching up he cupped her jaw and neck to pull her back for another kiss, one a little more satisfying to the two of them. One that nearly had them falling backwards in the sand next to the bottle and wineglasses that laid momentarily forgotten.

"Forgive me for my neglect, master." He muttered against her lips, pressing close to her to be able to feel the wicked shiver go down her spine. "I'll do better."

"Don't call me that." She said, biting her bottom lip lightly to keep from showing how easily the word affected her when passed through his lips. "It's your day, remember?"

He buried his nose against her curls an inhaled sharply. Something about her own alluring aroma mixed with sand and ocean overwhelmed his scenes. "I remember." He purred. "I intend to make good on every wish I requested."

A second shiver wrapped around her and her form quivered against his, much to his delight. He nearly moaned from the power he was able to hold over her—share with her. Lifting her up, he spun around once, earning a laugh from the woman in his arms before slumping back in the sand.

"I want to dance with you forever." He mused, letting her lean against his chest. "I want—"

"Want?" she continued, looking up at him when he hesitated with no hurry to finish.

Eskil rested his head against hers and started out at the water as the waves crashed. "I want many things." He finally continued. "At least I thought I wanted many things."

"Has the list of things gotten shorter?" she asked softly, unable to determine what it was exactly he was thinking about so hard. She knew he had a choice to make tonight but it seemed to be more than just that. Something was frustrating him.

"Hard to say exactly." He admitted, watching as she refilled their glasses and handed his back to him. He had it in mind to make sure that bottle stayed full to see just how many glasses of it they could pour.

Lottie leaned back against him, bringing the glass to her lips as she stared up at him. The beach she could gaze at any time she wanted. It wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't entirely sure she could say the same about Eskil.

It was hard to imagine. Could you fall in love with someone in three days?

"I want today to stay with you forever." She whispered, lacing her fingers with his. She was happier they'd moved a little up the beach in their dance and were sitting in warm sand that the tide couldn't reach.

Slowly, he nodded. "I can assure you it will. This is one of those memories that can't just be forgotten. Not even time can take it away."

"You sound sure."

"I am." He smiled, tilting her face back up to his to press his forehead against hers. His lips touched hers once and his smile grew wide. He'd had woman swoon over him his entire life span. Had Lottie been one of them centuries before there would be no telling what would have happened to him. Even now it was hard to say where he would be in another hundred years.

There was pain in that thought that almost hurt worse than his current decision. Would he be able to handle such a pain when the time came? Would it even be worth it?

"Lottie." He started slowly, almost hesitating for a moment. "I'm happy to have given you three days."

The look of complete happiness that crossed her features was nearly enough to break his heart.

"I think I would have to agree with you. Even if we did get off to a bumpy start." She said. He wasn't so starved for sex and getting to know him as more than a seducing, magic wielding immortal being had been better for her then she would have anticipated. There were many sides to him and a lot of history. She couldn't judge so quickly anymore.

"It was a beautiful start, if a little rushed." He said with a small, cheeky smile. "But that was my fault I'm afraid, I was so relieved you were a woman."

Lottie laughed. "Relieved was it?"

"Yes." He chuckled. "I tried to make my bottle pretty enough that a woman would be more attracted to it than a man. I've had enough male masters for one life time and so few female."

She scrunched up her face at that confession. Honestly, she didn't want to know about his other masters. She didn't want to know which ones got the same 'greeting' she did. It was hard to say if she had the full-blown right to be jealous but she didn't want to chance it.

Eskil grinned, poking her cheek lightly. "Pretty color."

Lottie swatted his hand away and added a little more wine to her glass. "Tease."

He pressed his lips to her ear with a small laugh. "I didn't mean anything by that comment, Lottie. Don't get flustered."

"I'm not flustered," she defended a little too quickly and avoided gazing into his knowing eyes. He squeezed her hip to get her to jump and when she refrained from squealing he pouted.

"Now Lottie, I can't allow you to build up some kind of resistance to my teasing." Eskil cooed, hands sliding up her shirt until he cupped her breasts and she turned a shade darker.

"Eskil!" She gasped. Dancing in front of strangers on a beach she was able to overlook but not this kind of interaction. "There are—kids! Kids around here!"

"Perhaps they should learn when it is polite to redirect their gaze." Eskil whispered against her ear, his voice had gone husky and he made her already captured breasts ache. She squirmed uselessly and he was sure she'd had too much wine. "I would like to go home now, and spend the many hours we have left working out my third wish."

Her cheeks were inflamed and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Okay, but you need me to drive and I'm not gonna be able to do that with your hands on me."

He gave her another squeeze and released her with a bright smile. "While you're driving." He agreed, pulling them both up simultaneously. He gave the ocean one last long look as Lottie shoved the bottle and glasses back in her bag and turned slowly to take her hand once more.

Living as a mortal had so many perks and meeting someone like Lottie was a once in a life time opportunity. He knew that first hand. He had lived many lifetimes.

But would he be able to?

They walked back along the beach, back to where they had parked and he let his attention roll over the inhabitants of the beach for possibly the last time. If only they knew what the world really was. If only they lived long enough to know the wide array of emotions that it offered.

His eyes fell on one couple who were obviously elderly. It almost made a smile twitch at his lips. He didn't even know mortals could live so long but their hair was completely white and their skin was stretched and wrinkled. The man was a little hunched over from age and the woman clung tightly to his arm. The moved slowly, but he supposed they had all the time in the world to get where they were going.

He swallowed quietly and squeezed Lottie's hand tighter. Would he be able to?

Eskil sipped from the wine bottle that Lottie had given to him when they arrived home. He didn't have much use for the glass and he told her as much. She only shook her head, a small laugh escaping her.

Wandering around the living room he tossed all pillows and blankets on the floor that he could find. When he wanted more, he 'magic-ed' them there. He wanted to create the beds and rooms he'd had before in passed centuries. Something about lounging in a mound of pillows gave him a sense of familiarity and peace.

He slouched back against the pillows and would have purred in contentment had something not been missing. Lottie had walked in and gone to her room to change and make sure she wasn't tracking sand through the house. He was never one for acting that spoiled but she was taking too long.

"Lottie." He called through the house, waiting for a response before he yelled again and became obnoxious. There was something about her being out of his sight before he got a chance to decide his fate that was unnerving.

"I'm coming." She yelled back just as he was getting antsy enough to call for her again.

He sighed and shook his head at his own pathetic behavior. Sipping from the bottle again he tried to relax. It didn't have to be such an ordeal. He reminded himself of that over and over again. He was the only one making this out to be more then it was.

"Sorry." Lottie said, coming back out into the living room in what she would consider comfy cloths—cotton shorts and a tank top. It was nothing sensual but the sight went right to his groin. "Wow you had fun." She continued looking around at the lavishing bed he'd made himself.

"I'd like to." He laughed, setting the bottle down on the floor and holding his hand out to her. "Sit?"

She moved towards him, taking his hand and sitting down next to him. "Comfy." She mused, reaching up to push his hair back and grinning as sand fell down to his shoulders. "I told you, you should have cleaned up too."

Eskil shrugged, hardly flicking his fingers to get the sand to disappear. "Maybe."

"Maybe?" she raised an eye.

He grinned wide. "Well you wouldn't let me have my third wish on the beach; I could always make one right here."

Lottie rolled her eyes and smiled, "Oh, I'm sure you could."

He slid his hand up her thigh, his fingers slipping up her shorts before she could protest. He was close enough to press his lips against her neck, knowing it drove her crazy.

"I could, Lottie. I could cover your living room in hot sand and lay you against it to warm your skin all at once." He crooned, his hand sliding all the way inside the leg of her shorts. "I guarantee you wouldn't notice the difference. I could give you you're very on little beach."

Her face was red and she slowly let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Today's not about me." She whispered.

He laughed quietly. "That's right. Today is my day, isn't it?" He said, moving her into his lap. Tilting his head he kissed her throat gently, tugging in her closer until she leaned fully against him, her legs on either side of his waist.

"Yep." She said softly.

He nibbled on her collarbone and smiled softly up at her. "My third wish doesn't bother you does it? Being buried in you like my life depends on it? Waiting for the sun to set."

The wording didn't seem to help her nerves any. "Had it been day one, it probably would have. I have to tell you Eskil, I don't know how time can seem to short and so long at the same time. I can hardly believe it's only been three days but it's sad the third day is here. The wish doesn't bother me any. I don't think any other guy knows me like you do now."

He nearly hissed as the words left her lips. He knew her best. The words were perfect.

He knew her best.

The thought of another man touching her was—one he didn't want to think about. Not now. She was his now, and sharing was not in his agenda. He was greedy.

"Lottie." He groaned softly, his arms wrapping rightly around her hips. "I'm staying with you."

Her eyes went wide and she jerked away from him to be able to see his face as he spoke. It was hours from dark and already he made such an announcement. Honestly she had expected to be dreading the entire day, being put through overwhelming suspense until he'd finished his thinking.

"Staying?" Her heart was thudding against her chest so hard she was afraid to move.

"I want you so badly Lottie." He muttered, sighing softly. "I want—you."

"You want many things." She repeated softly, voice shaking.

"You." He said firmly. "I want to curl up next to you and wake up holding you. I want to bury my face in your curls. I want to dance in the rain and in the sun. This isn't about freedom anymore, and it isn't about sex."

She winced a little, her embarrassment growing.

"I will tell you that the sex is amazing but I can get sex anywhere. Me of all people—can get it anywhere. But it's nothing without you." He said softly, his hair slowly slipping out of its braid. "You are so special Lottie. Giving up a little self-freedom and binding myself to you is a fair trade."

"I don't want it to be a trade." She whispered.

"But is has to be." Eskil said softly, reaching up to stroke her cheek. "You cook for me because eating together is important to you. You've commanded nothing of me and instead ask for my thoughts. You sing to me even if you don't realize it. It's the hum of your voice I love, Lottie. You fret over me not because I have my uses but because you genuinely worry about me. You are caring and I can think of nowhere I'd rather be. I'd be a fool to give you up."

Lottie inhaled slowly, praying this wasn't all just too good to be true. "You're sure?"

He smiled wide. "Absolutely. I was determined not to make another mistake again but going back to my bottle, knowing I was leaving you behind—I would regret nothing more. I just can't have another master after you. I can't."

"Please stay." She said suddenly, her arms going around his neck to embrace him tightly. Still sitting in his lap she hugged him, scared he would suddenly disappear on her. "Please. I love you so much. I just don't know what I'd—"

"Lottie." Eskil said softly, pulling away only enough to press his lips against her chin. "I love you, and I'm staying whether you like it or not."

She sniffed back tears, smiling softly as he reached up to wipe them away.

"I'll be bound to you till the day you die." He whispered softly, kissing her tenderly. He leaned back slowly pulling her with him.

"You promise, Eskil?"

"I'd never lie to you." He said, running his fingers through her hair. "Now about my third wish."

Eskil finally knew was misery was. He thought he'd experienced true misery time and time again through his thousands of years of living but it didn't come close to this. This was pain pure and simple, pain he could hardly handle. His heart had been ripped to shreds and he was already sure that nothing would ever mend it again.

Life wasn't fair. Not for any creature. Certainly not an immortal one.

Life outside the bottle moved so much faster than life inside the bottle. It wasn't fair. Not to him. Not to Lottie. The night she had given him his third wish, he had never been happier. They watched the sun set and he could smile freely with the knowledge that things between him and Lottie would be forever perfect. It should have been forever perfect, but Lottie was outside of his realm of forever.

He stayed obediently by her side for eight years. Loving her more than he ever knew he could love a person. Being loved more than he ever thought he would be by another person. It was bliss. Pure bliss.

But bliss turns into hell when no one's looking.

Lottie slowly grew older, and he still didn't look a day passed twenty-five. She would continue to grow old—die, and he couldn't stop it; he would stay forever young. As much pain as it caused him, he couldn't do that to her. He couldn't bear to let her watch him stay the same while she aged. She never said a word about it, but she never had to. There was a look in her eyes and it stabbed at him. His Lottie would never complain, never say a word about it. It wasn't the kind of person she was.

But it wasn't just her he had to worry about. Her family—who had long since accepted him had begun to notice how 'good' he looked for his 'age'. Staying would have meant risking the inevitable chance that someone would figure out that something wasn't right with him. The world wasn't the way it was four thousand years before. He couldn't just announce himself as a Djinn.

He had known from the start this would happen. The moment he decided to stay with Lottie for her entire life he knew... He pushed the horrid thoughts away and focused on the present instead of the future. Eight years is what he gave her.

Eskil sat her down and told her what he had planned. She would always be his Master, that would never change, but he couldn't take away the best years of her life. She needed to find a husband. She had wanted a family and even knowing he couldn't give her one had never fazed her, but she didn't have to say the words for him to know. She wanted children.

Lottie wept, knowing even before he got the words out what he was talking about. She begged him not to leave her but that was exactly why he had to go. He wanted her to be happy for as long as she could. Forever and ever. She needed to remember their lives together as a beautiful memory and not something that got ruined because of time. He refused to let her turn their love into something bitter.

With one last long kiss, he said his good bye, but it was only a good bye for her. He told himself over and over again that she needed to move on, but that didn't mean he did.

He never left her, not really. Only she couldn't see him. He watched over her every day, sitting beside her when she was sick and making sure everything in her life could go as smoothly as possible.

There was never any car trouble, house damage, or threat of a midnight invasion. He took care of everything—he took care of her. It was the least he could do after selfishly removing himself so completely from her.

The day Lottie met a man was the first time in his life he felt wicked jealousy, and the first time he felt his heart shatter. It was what he wanted. This had all been what he wanted for her.

Eskil had been gone for over a year, and even though it was what he wanted, it was hard to take. She didn't love this new man. He knew she didn't, but she could admire him. She could learn to trust him as her own. She could let him provide as head of the family.

Against his judgment, he stayed put, watching her. Lottie married the man and was moderately happy, and it gnawed at him. The sight could have driven him insane.

That could have been him. He would have given up his immortality in a second to be with her. Every ounce of magic he had he would have passed on to someone else. It felt overly dramatic, but he had tried to do just that, only to find out that it wasn't something he was capable of. He was what he was.

In five years she'd had two children, a boy and a girl. Both of them just as precious. The boy had been a handful for Lottie. He often had ear infections and would cry through the night. When it became too much for his poor over worked Lottie he took a turn to play babysitter. Appearing in the house unnoticed he would rock the boy back to sleep before he could wake Lottie up. The twit of a husband wasn't what he would call a 'hands on' father.

For the first time in years, little baby Chris was the first one to see him. The second was baby Michelle. The two children never held any fear from on, only the comfort that he offered them.

Michelle was special to the Djinn. Eskil couldn't have adored her more than if she were his own. She had her mama's face and it made him swallow down the pain in his chest. The baby was a gift, and exactly what Lottie deserved. A baby was the one thing he couldn't give her and it killed him.

"I thought so."

Eskil had been startled when Lottie actually caught him one night, rocking a sleeping baby Michelle on his arms.

"Lottie." He whispered softly, heart beating faster. She shouldn't have had such an effect on him. He'd never meant for her to see him. Never like this.

"You know, I was sure you were the one putting Chris back to sleep, I could just never prove it." She smiled a little, moving into the room. "You've never quite gone far, have you?"

"I go where I want to go." He said softly, looking down at the sleeping baby girl. "Where and when I want."

Lottie nodded. It was a typical vague response she had become used to. "And always close enough to know when one of my babies was crying?"

He inhaled and nodded. "Such things are within my power."

"Oh, I know what's within your power." She said, kneeling down next to him to kiss his head affectionately. "Thank you for the help sweetie."

"Anything and everything, Master." He said softly, looking into her eyes finally. It broke his heart to know he left her. "I'm here for you."

She nodded, reaching out hesitantly to stroke his cheek. "You are, aren't you?"

He sat up straighter and handed her Michelle. He wanted to embrace her. To tell her how much he loved her and to take care of her forever. If he stayed any longer he'd do just that, and it would ruin the family she'd worked so hard to make.

"I'll see you Lottie." He said softly, turning to leave.

"You're always near me, Eskil." She said quietly. "I know that."

There was a time when his name on her lips brought him incredible pleasure, now it was only unbelievable pain. He turned slowly with a forced smile. "I love you so much, Lottie. Your children are… so beautiful." They should have been mine, he finished silently.

"Thank you, Eskil." She whispered, her voice breaking from unshed tears.

"I'll see you." He said, vanished quickly.

It was a rare occasion he was far away from her house. He needed to breathe deep before his panic and worry set in. How he needed her in his life. Pulling away from her so completely was a horrible thing to do. He shouldn't have! He could call her. He could see her when no one was home... He could baby sit the kids. Something!

His hands shook and his body ached. It had been nearly fifteen years since he knew a touch, but he never wanted to be touched again, not after her. Misery was his life.

There were days when he was sure life in his bottle would have been better than the hell he put himself through, but he couldn't bear the thought of missing out of a second of her life. She grew older and stayed so much the same.

He needed to protect her, and that feeling was reinstated in full the very night her husband decided he would be unfaithful. How anyone could cheat on the perfect woman was beyond him. He was suddenly filled with rage that he hadn't felt in centuries and took care of the fool. The night of his heinous affair he never returned home. The car accident that took his life was on the news and in the papers but it was better that way.

No matter how much he hated the arrogant fool, Lottie didn't need to know. It was better he died and she remembered him as a good man, rather than her finding out about the affair and it ruining a portion of her life. Eskil kept the disgusting secret in hopes that the pain would subside and Lottie would be all right.

Lottie was now the single mother of a thirteen and ten year old, and he still took care of them. There was never a need for anything they didn't have. The house was cool in Summer and warm in Winter. There was always food in the house and he haunted the hallways like a ghost. He was ashamed of himself but he couldn't let go.

"Eskil." Peony scolded. "You're making yourself ill with this business of yours."

"If only I could die." Eskil whispered, watching Lottie through the window. She was having dinner with her kids and had the largest smile on her face. He watched sadly, his hand pressed against the window as if that was the reason he couldn't enter.

"My sweet boy, your pain is immeasurable." Peony whispered. "Please let me help you sleep. I can manage that."

"I won't go back to my bottle! I won't!" He screamed, suddenly alarmed. He hadn't slept well in months and it was taking its toll on him. "Only Lottie can touch my bottle. Only her."

Peony looked at him sadly and nodded, leaving him to pine on his own. It broke her heart to see him so wounded. She knew Lottie would have been just as sad to see him now, letting himself wither away.

Grandchildren were a highlight for Lottie. She loved them dearly, but it was obvious she was glad she wasn't the one to spend every day with them. She was older well over sixty and just couldn't move as well as she used to. Five small children were hard to keep up with after all.

When they became too much, he stepped in to help her. Sometimes it was as easy as making is snow in winter, the wind blowing leaves around, frogs wandering into the yard to be played with or even just having nap time come a little earlier.

The youngest granddaughter Maria was his personal favorite. Her smile looked just like Lottie's and she was growing up to be just as beautiful as her grandma. He didn't even worry when she started talking about her friend Eskil. Her sister, cousins and parents all thought the little one had an imaginary friend, and only Lottie herself knew the truth.

The little one would come to tell him how her grandma missed him and his heart would throb all the more. He visited little Maria until she was old enough to realize that she shouldn't be seeing a man wandering around, and after that he had to worry about the little girl crying in her sleep at night for him too. He'd ruined another for the time being.

It bothered him badly until Lottie set the little one down to tell her that Eskil was never really far away. He'd always look after her.

He never wanted to disappear so badly before in his life. No, he wanted to run off with Lottie. He wanted to talk, just talk, but he wouldn't be able to leave her if he were to do that again. He couldn't let her see him yet. So he waited and watched.

Panic had finally set in his bones and he didn't know what to do with himself. He'd never wanted to die so badly before. Life was short outside of the bottle.

When he had decided to stay with Lottie he thought he could handle this. He thought he could, and he was so wrong.

He sat on the floor in the hospice with his head in his lap. His most precious love in the world was dying. He could feel it.

It had been over fifty years since he's left Lottie. Since he thought he was doing the right thing by letting her have the family she wanted. She was in her late eighties and old age was kicking in. Her heart wasn't pumping the way it used to and he was forced to remember the days when their hearts would beat rapidly together.

His Lottie was drifting away. She hardly had the energy to even speak let alone anything else. She wouldn't last the day and it was destroying him inside and out.

"Eskil." He heard his name softly and looked up to see a wide-eyed Maria. Lottie's youngest grandchild that he would visit when she was a child. She was closer to two decades old now but she stared at him with familiar eyes.

"Hello Maria baby." He said softly, reverting back to the name he would call her. He hadn't realized that he'd lost so much focus that he had allowed himself to be visible, sitting in the hall. Maybe he wanted to be seen.

"You're the same." She said softly, stepping closer towards him. "You're just the same as before. Are you here for gramma?"

He swallowed shakily and nodded. "Of course. There is no greater woman on this Earth or Heaven above like her. I love her so."

Maria knelt down next to him and smiled a little. "You know, I think I knew that when I was little. Only grandma ever believed me about you. You are her angel after all."

He inhaled slowly and nodded. Angel would work…

"Come see her." Maria said sadly, her eyes bloodshot from her own crying. "Please come say good bye to her."

"I can't." he whispered. "I can't do it."

"Please." Maria said, touching his hair the same way Lottie would. She tugged on his arm weakly until he got up on his own and dragged him into the room. The room was silent, filled with Lottie's two children and grandchildren. All of them saying silent prayers for her passing.

Eskil froze them instantly, leaving only Maria awake. She was a believer of his existence. She could carry on her grandmother's open-mindedness.

Lottie sat propped up in a large wicker chair, her head propped up against the back of it as she breathed softly. Her hair was still a curly mass, only thinned out and gray. She was thin herself, smaller then she had been and there was some machine he didn't understand hooked up next to her emitting annoying beeping but she was the only thing that concerned him. Even now, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

She didn't even seem to be aware of him standing there.

"Is everyone okay?" Maria asked hesitantly.

"I did that." He whispered. "She always hated it when I did that. Lottie…"

He took a slow step towards her and ended up kneeling at her feet before he burst into tears. "Lottie!" he let himself scream finally, resting his forehead against her thigh. Tears fell faster by the second and he hiccuped in pain from her loss. He'd been a fool and wasted so much time he could have been spending with her. That he should have been spending with her. "Master! Please don't die!"

His entire life he'd never wept. He was stronger than that and was nearly omnipotent after all. He could overcome anything and knew it. It was his very first time crying and he didn't care for it but it was the only way to let out how he felt. He wanted to scream out the over flowing pain.

"Please Lottie! I need you here!" he begged in vain, knowing there was nothing he could do to stop death. It wasn't with in the realms of his powers. "Please let me die with you."

Maria stood shocked with her hands over her mouth as tears streamed down her face. She'd never heard such pain in someone's voice before and could hardly believe there was a man that loved her grandmother so much.

"Hush Eskil." Lottie's old voice whispered. He barely heard her over his own sobbing.

"I won't." He cried, reaching up to take her hand that was bony and wrinkled. "Lottie I love you so much. What have I done but hurt us both? Forgive me, Lottie. Please."

Her fingers very slowly curled around his in an attempt to comfort him and he screamed louder. He didn't care if there was anyone in the world that heard his pain. He wanted them all to hear. The only thing good he'd ever had was dying and there was nothing to do.

"Maria." He said through his tears. "Lottie carried a bottle. Do you know where it is?"

"The pretty one?" Maria sniffed, point to the hospice dresser. "She took it everywhere."

"Good." Eskil whispered, wiping his eyes. "Are you burying her?"

"Yes." Maria said quietly, not wanting her grandmother to hear suck talk.

"Put that bottle in the casket with here." Eskil said. "Will you do that for me Maria? You are the only one I can ask."

"Yes, but why?"

Eskil smiled sadly, the look completely broken. "I'll be with her for all eternity. I'll never ever have another Master."

Maria's nodded hesitantly, not fully understanding but it didn't matter anyway. When a crying man desperately asked something of you, you were inclined to do it.

"I'll never leave you again, Lottie." He whispered, holding her hand and looking up into her half open eyes for one final look before they slide shut.

"Lottie I love you." He whispered, not looking back at the granddaughter. "Promise me, Maria."

"I promise." Maria said weakly, walking over to the dresser and picking up the pretty bottle that her grandmother treasured.

Time unfroze and everyone looked up to hear the flat line of the machine announce Lottie's death. When Maria turned back to look at Eskil he was gone, but a lead stopper appeared in the bottle she held that had never been there before. With fresh tears she cried both for her grandmother and for Eskil. Neither of whom she would ever talk to again.

Eskil laid in darkness for the first time in sixty-four years and was content to be there. It was quiet and lonely but it was worth it. He'd be with Lottie forever and that was what he had wanted all along. It was peace and a freedom. He would never be a servant again. He would belong to Lottie alone.

He had just closed his eyes to start his eternal rest when a crack of light entered his darkness. His breath hitched and he stared with dread.

"No! I won't come out!" he scream echoed into the remaining darkness. "Leave me be!"

The crack grew until the walls of darkness shattered around him and he fell onto the floor. He looked up at Peony, his face still tear streaked.

"What have you done?" He whispered, pressing his forehead to the floor as he was wreaked with sobs. "What have you done?"

She knelt beside him and stroked his hair. "My sweet little one. I can't harbor your pain any longer. Eons ago the love my brother and I had in order to protect each other was great and we used it to free ourselves. Now we protect our Djinn's rather than our humans. I can bear your pain no more. I've wished as hard as I could and you're finally free. You're emotions have shattered your walls of servitude. Now you must move past them."

"I don't want to be free I want to be dead!" he cried, unable to shy away from her stroking his hair.

"That would upset Lottie greatly I think." Peony said gently, treating him like she would a small boy.

"Stop, please…I can't…take it." He whispered; feeling completely crushed under weights he didn't know existed.

Peony kissed his head. "You'll pull through."

"How!?" He hissed.

"You're gonna have to manage somehow. I'm gonna need to you tell me how I'm here. I could swear I just died."

Eskil's eyes widened and he shot up. Standing only a few feet away was his Lottie, looking exactly like she did the first time he ever laid eyes on her.

"How…" he mouthed, getting up slowly as if she would disappear on him if he moved to quickly. When he took too long she raced to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck.

"Eskil, I love you too." Lottie said softly, hugging him as tightly as she could.

"How?" Eskil cried, not even caring. He buried his face into her neck and slumped to the floor with her in his lap.

"My powers are a little more vast then yours, my sweet." Peony smiled fondly at the two. "Her body died, and her family laid her to rest with your bottle. But I didn't need your bottle in my hands to bring you here, and she's a new body now."

"A new one?" Lottie looked up curiously after examining herself the best she could. "But I look like me, don't I?"

"Will I have to watch her die again?" Eskil asked softly, looking up at his 'mother'.

"No my sweet. I've bent the rules a bit. Her life if now connected to yours in most ways. So you best stay out of trouble or you'll drag her down with you." Peony chuckled, looking amused with that part of the agreement.

"Anything." Eskil muttered, kissing Lottie gently. "You've given me forever."

Lottie smiled wide, knowing there was always time for questions later. "I can finally stay with you? That's what I've been wanting, you know?"

"But your family." He whispered softly.

"I love them." She nodded, laying her head against his shoulder. "But I think my time with them is over now. I guess that means I finally get to be as greedy as I want and keep you all to myself."

"Please be greedy." He smiled wide, kissing her again. "Please be greedy with me always."

Lottie chuckled. "I don't have to live in a bottle, right?"

Eskil's eyes slid to Peony for confirmation.

"No." she laughed. "You are as immortal as he is; only now you are a permanent Djinni and Master pair."

"Wonderful!" Eskil yelled, bliss filling him. He kissed her hard, holding her against his body and positive he wouldn't be letting go any time soon. It was painful and it was worth it. He jumped up, holding her hand tightly. "I have so much to show you!"

He took off out off out of the room, Lottie laughing and allowing herself to be dragged in his excitement. They left Peony behind, a small smile on her lips. If anything she knew these two had a new chapter in their lives that was only just beginning.

Forever was a long time.