Chapter 7

Randy felt completely ridiculous one moment and then elated the next, as she spent more time in the bathroom preparing for the most rigidly non-physical date ever planned. She paused every few minutes and walked out into the other room to see if she could sense Jareth nearby. She had to talk to that man about clocks and being on time. Simply guessing his meanings in reference to time was exhausting. She glanced out the window and then turned quickly back into the bathroom.

Standing back, she appraised her attempts in the mirror on the back of the door. If her friends could see how she’d dressed up, they would faint dead on the floor. Randy rarely dressed up. Slacks and a plain top were the fanciest she usually got. But for a certain sexy pirate, Miranda Rose Story was pulling out all the stops.

If only this were a date with a man of flesh and blood and not a two-hundred-and-eighty-year-old half ghost pirate. She shook her head and crinkled her nose at her reflection. “You’re nervous about something that can’t happen.” She admired the fact that her hair, which rarely obeyed her, was staying back from her face and hanging almost neatly to her shoulders for once. “Screw it!” she hissed with a big grin. “No man alive, that I’ve ever met, makes me feel half as good as Jareth does...so here’s to the weirdest non-relationship ever.”

She smoothed the silky skirt down over her hips and decided she liked the way the white material clung to her body and ran in a complimentary way to the floor. It rode low enough on her hips that a few inches of toned tummy showed. She tilted her head and looked at her own abdomen, so far so good; no serious exercise was needed, yet, to keep those muscles from getting flabby. Best of all, her belly ring showed, and she knew what that did to the proper pirate gentleman.

Her outfit wasn’t dressy, but nice enough for a warm summer evening. She couldn’t remember when she’d even bought it, but was thrilled to find it hanging neatly in her closet. The top showed off most of her shoulders, and she’d always liked that part of her body.

With a short build she had to fight to find clothes that accented any part of her she deemed nice, and this top did just that. It had thin straps that crossed just below her collarbone and then dropped down over her shoulders to below her shoulder blades, where they met up with the material wrapped around her chest. She couldn’t wear a bra with this top, but it wasn’t as if she had huge breasts and needed to harness them in. The material was tight enough it kept her B cups from bouncing around too much.

She studied the material across her chest. What the hell—she had nice boobs, too. Not too big, not too small, just right...if anyone were to ask her opinion. She leaned closer and checked her makeup one last time. It had actually worked out the way she wanted, another rarity. Then again, she had barely spent more than ten minutes primping, ever, and this time she’d been in the bathroom for an hour. She hadn’t overdone the makeup, just lightly dusted her eyelids with a deep mauve shade and added a bit of eyeliner and mascara. She didn’t need foundation or powder and blush and was so glad the days of her teenage acne outbreaks were finally behind her.

The phone ringing brought her out of her mental wanderings. She sighed and headed to answer it. She looked all around the room and was disappointed she couldn’t sense Jareth. It was almost dark; when was he coming? She grabbed the phone without checking the caller id. “Hello?”

“Randy! Oh my god, you finally answered the phone! Where the hell have you been?”

She smirked to hear her friend Jody’s squeaky voice on the other end.

“I’ve been busy figuring out some stuff. What’s up?”

“I heard this morning that you got fired! And that Ralph broke up with you.”

Randy smirked to hear his name. Jody had always managed to make his name sound like a disease. “All true. No biggie, though, on either account. It was time for a change in my life. I’m ready to move on.”

“Oh good! You should have called me; I’ve been losing my mind worrying. If all of that had happened to me all at once like that, I would have been suicidal.”

Randy laughed. “Seriously Jode, have I ever taken anything that hard? I’m good. I’ve got a—” She felt that familiar tingle across her neck. Turning slowly, she saw Jareth standing beside her kitchen door. His eyes were moving painstakingly slowly over every inch of her body. She smiled at him. “Jode, I need to go. I’ll call you tomorrow.” It seriously wasn’t fair, she thought, that a man who could look at her like that was one she couldn’t actually fling herself at.

“Oh, is everything okay?”

It took a moment for Randy to realize her friend was talking in her ear. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. I just— I’ll call you tomorrow, we’ll grab dinner or something.”

“Okay, call if you need me, Randy.”

Nodded she moved the phone to the cradle as she answered. “Will do.” She hung up and looked back over at him. “Hi.”

He continued to stand there and look at her, as if he was memorizing every inch of her. She felt captured in his eyes when they finally moved to hers. He made a motion with his hand for her to spin around. She turned slowly and then stopped so she was facing him again.

Uncertain if his voice would even work, he whispered, “Breathtaking.” Seeing her look so tempting robbed him of air—all over again, much like he'd been run through with a cutlass. He took a few slow steps toward her, unable to not look down her womanly form again. “I am not certain I can focus on words with you looking so alluring, Miranda.” His words were spoken softly, and he knew his voice had thickened with lust, but he couldn’t see how it would not be so.

Randy felt her cheeks heat. “I wanted to look nice.”

“I believe you surpassed that attempt and proceeded on to divinity.” He stopped in front of her. If he had been a man of real form he would have kissed her wrist, lingering long enough to taste her pulse. As it was, all he could manage was to hold his hands close to the side of her head and run them down over her hair. The tingling was electrifying, quite possibly because his own body felt on fire from the inside out.

“Thank you,” she whispered unsurely. The man was turning her into puddles of lust without even touching her. Please, please, please, let us figure this out soon, she sang to herself silently. Just for an hour let him be real again; no, definitely at least a day...okay, a week tops, maybe a month of being able to be with him, and I promise I’ll be a good girl for the rest of my life.

She realized they were standing there staring into each other’s eyes. He needed to speak soon and break this charged moment. Think of something to say, she scolded herself. “Uh, did you want to sit outside or maybe go for a walk? Oh, wait, I guess that’s all you do, huh?”

Jareth watched her mouth as she spoke. “Never with such a lovely companion have I wandered.”

“Is it still warm out?” Not that she really cared.

His eyes skimmed over her. “I cannot be certain, as I do not feel it, but the dragonflies were out on my way here, so it cannot be too cool.”

“I’ll chance it then without a jacket.” He motioned toward the door. She smiled again and walked toward it.

h Jareth walked far enough behind that he could look his fill, as the skirt caressed her form beneath it. He knew well enough how her form was shaped from looking at the trousers she’d worn the last few days, but he still had to swallow at the cloth sliding over her figure made her more appealing than ever.

His eyes wandered adoringly up from the sway of her bottom to her almost entirely exposed back. He could see faint traces of freckles across her smooth skin and wanted nothing more than to place teasing kisses along their path.

As she stepped through the door, he followed her, his eyes moving over her where his hands wished to be. “Miranda, you are a vision of utter loveliness,” he whispered, leaning down closer to her ear.

Turning, she smiled at him. “I think I’m beginning to see why the ladies never complained about your way around them. You speak every word like it is a seduction.”

He looked down at her as they walked along slowly. “My words merely reflect how looking upon you makes me feel, Miranda. If my tone suggests seduction that is a reflection of how appealing you are to me.”

She blew out a slow breath and fanned her face as she looked at him. “And you do all this just by being honest. Wow, you could teach classes to men. The women would pay you thousands to teach their spouses to act a quarter of the way you do.”

He grinned down at her. “I am certain you are exaggerating the facts to make me feel good.”

“Oh no, I’m not! Spend a little time lurking near some couples and just see how ungentlemanly men of today are.”

Watching her in the fading light of dusk, he wondered if she truly knew how close to an innocent seductress she resembled at this moment. Although it had been literally a few hundred years, he could not recall a woman appealing to him the way that she did. “I will consider your suggestion.” He watched the light play across her face as she looked up at him. “I feel that perhaps it is good that I am not of flesh at this moment, for if I were I would not at all live up to the depiction you seem to have of me.”

She searched his face. “Then you are not a gentleman?”

“Indeed, I am ashamed to admit to you that my thoughts are running closer to my pirate side than the proper gentleman you seem to see me as.”

Randy stopped and gazed at him with an odd look. “Jareth, seriously! If you’re purposely trying to make me pant after you, then stop because I am so there right now.”

He took a step back toward her and frowned. “I did not mean to offend—”

“I am not offended.”

“Your tone tells me you are,” he said softly, trying to understand what her words implied.

Sighing, she dropped her head for a moment. She took a deep breath, let it out slowly and then looked back up at him. “What I meant was, you do not have to try to get my attention. You have it. One hundred percent of it! I am so hor—” She exhaled loudly. “I am so completely aroused right now that if you were solid, I would be climbing all over you, begging for you to take me.”

He hid his smirk behind his hand as he studied the ground for a moment. Inhaling, he looked back at her, knowing amusement was still showing in his eyes. “I understand now. You believe I am purposely trying to arouse you when I cannot do anything to ease it?” She nodded. “It was not my intention, little one.”

He stepped closer to her, close enough that if he did have his body they would be touching. “I cannot change how I speak, Miranda, nor curb my tongue from speaking the truth to you.” He paused and studied her attractive face. “However, let me clear this small bit up for you.”

Leaning down closer to her ear, if he’d had a breath it would have whispered against her hair as he spoke softly to her. “If I set out to do nothing aside from arousing you, then you would absolutely know for certain that was what I intended. You would think of nothing apart from my person and my body.” He leaned closer still and could feel the tingle against his cheek from her hair. “I would end your frustrations, little one, and sate all your yearnings in the most pleasing ways a mind could picture.”

Straightening a few inches farther from her, he looked down to see her eyes closed and lips parted. Her breasts swelled against the confines of her attire as the hard nubs pushed against the thin cloth, enough to make his mouth water with want. “Raise your face to mine, Miranda.” He could not lose one more moment without seeing what could not be.

She lifted her chin, still with her eyes closed. Jareth’s eyes moved over her face, committing it to his memory.

He placed his hands behind his back, so he would not disappoint his heart by trying to touch her and failing. Lowering his face closer to hers, he watched until he knew he was close enough. He moved his mouth across her inviting lips as if he were real and their flesh could meet. The tingling warmth spread over his lips and he heard her sigh, knowing she had felt it also, pushed him to do it one more time.

Lifting his head, he realized his hands were but mere inches from her arms. He was not even certain when he had moved them. “Now, stop tempting me beyond the confines of this curse and speak to me of...anything.” He stepped back and watched her eyes slowly open. He forced his look to travel no farther than her face. Which, he discovered, made it just as hard to stand there and gaze upon as it would have had it been her delicious little body.

She touched her fingers to her lips and looked at him. “I hate gypsies,” she stated quietly.

He chuckled and felt the awkwardness of the moment fade. “I’ve no fondness for them either, now.”

She took a deep breath. “Okay, enough of the hormone-enhancing walk at twilight. Let’s go back into the brightly lit house.” She turned around and headed for the door.

He took a few long strides to catch up to her. “Do you feel the lights in the house will help our situation?”

She sighed. “Not likely. You ooze sexy in any light.”

He laughed. “An odd compliment, but thank you the same.”

Randy smirked at him. “You’re welcome.”

Stopping at the door, she turned to look up at him. “We’re going to find a way to break this curse, Jareth. I am not stopping until we do.” Her voice was hard and blunt, but she didn’t care. “I rarely feel a strong attraction to a man, and when I do they are complete jerks that I shouldn’t even look at! I’ll be damned if I’ve found an instant attraction to a man, not to mention one who is so friggin’ hot I’m close to going up in flames every time I’m near him, and I don’t even get a chance to touch him.” She shook her head and opened the door. “It’s just not going to happen! The bloody gods owe me a lot of paybacks for the crap they’ve thrown at me my entire life, so they’re just going to have to pay up and let me have this.” She didn’t even bother to look and see if he’d followed her into the house, as she marched into the study to her computer.

Jareth stood inside the door and watched her silently. He didn’t have any favors owed to him from any gods that he knew of, but he more than agreed with her determination. If there could be a way to have her and have the curse broken as well, he was more than interested in finding the means.

He studied the screen as she went to make herself something to eat. This World Wide Web thing was completely fascinating. Regardless of what questions she typed into it, it gave her answers. Of course it was not the immediate answers she wanted, and he’d had to stifle a few laughs as she had come close to growling at the list.

He leaned over the letter board and looked down at it. Life was so quick now; no inkwells and blotters, just tap a letter button on this board and it appeared on the screen above. Simply wondrous! Miranda had taken the time to answer his queries concerning the machine. Of course, his mind still felt foggy at the very notion that one could write, no, type, a letter to another, click a button, and send it vanishing off to the person it was addressed to. A marvellous creation, indeed!

Looking at the door quickly, he checked to see if she was returning; she was not. He furrowed his brow with deep concentration and hovered one finger over the letter board. He moved it across until it was over the letter J. He checked out of the corner of his eye to see if he was still alone in the room, then looked back to the beginning letter of his own name. Moving slowly, he lowered his finger toward the letter. He might have moved the button ever so slightly. Was it possible? He looked quickly to the screen and searched for the blinking mark.

A faint feeling came over him when he found it in the spot beside the word search. There, inside that space, was the letter j and the blinking mark after it. Was it possible? Careful to not remove that single letter he hovered his finger over the board again, searching for the A button. Why ever they had not made this letter board in order, he didn’t comprehend. Miranda made it look so easy and normal to make complete words faster than he could speak them. He found the button finally and took a deep lungful of air. Letting it out a trickle at a time, he lowered his finger toward the button, again slowly. Feeling as if he had moved yet another button, he looked up at the screen. Gads, he had! The letters j and a now sat by the blinking mark.

Straightening up, he wanted so much to go find Miranda and show her. Would she find him childlike to feel such pride?

“What are you doing?”

He spun like a guilty child and watched her come into the room. “Miranda, you must see this! I can hardly trust my own eyes.”

She gave him a curious look and went over to the desk quickly. “What is it?”

Jareth pointed to the screen. “Is there not the beginning and second letter of my own name in the search place?”

Miranda leaned on the desk and looked at the screen. She nodded. “There is...but...” She looked back at him. “How did you do it?”

“I cannot comprehend how.” He leaned back over the letter board and whispered, “Watch.” He moved his finger around and was pleased he quickly found the R button. Letting out a slow hissing breath, he moved his finger toward the letter as he had done with the previous two. When he felt that ever slight sensation, he looked up at the screen to see the r was there. Without lifting his head he hunted down the next letter of his birth name next to the r.

He repeated the motions until he had finished his given name and then straightened and looked at her. She stood there with her hand over her mouth looking from him to the screen.

“Jareth, that’s awesome!” She frowned. “I don’t know how you did it, we’ll figure that out later, but right now that’s totally amazing!” She dropped her hand from her mouth. “Uh, and I can’t even hug you, can I?”

He blinked and studied her; she was sincere. Frowning, he held out his arm and watched as she slowly tried to place her hand upon it. He felt the warm tingle and was glad for that, but her hand made no contact with him.

Randy waved her hands around. “That doesn’t matter now. I mean, come on. Have you ever gotten something to respond like that before? In all this time?”

Jareth grinned, not completely sure if that was the right thing to do, but he couldn’t help himself. “I have not.”

Her eyes widened. “So, hey, this is some sort of progress then. Awesome!” She stood there smiling up at him. “We can figure out the why and how later. Let’s just be happy for the result.”

He nodded. He closed his eyes, then opened them again to look at her. “I’ve a want to kiss you something fierce right now.”

She groaned. “God, don’t even tease me by saying it.” She looked at his mouth and then sighed. “The day we make you real again I am kissing that mouth for an hour without stopping.”

“Truly?”

“Truly. Now sit down in that chair and you can try it some more.”

His eyes went to her mouth again before he sat down as instructed and held his hand over the letter board. “What shall I type?”

She sat down beside him and leaned her chin onto her elbow. “Try Tortuga.”

“Tortuga is in this World Wide Web?”

Randy laughed. “Everything is on the Net, even things that shouldn’t be.”

“The Net?” Her words had lost him again. There was a net? What did it catch?

She motioned to the screen. “The World Wide Web is also referred to as the Net, as in the Internet. It’s all connected together.”

“Ah. Then, yes, let’s see what the Net has to say about Tortuga.” He watched as she reached and removed his name from the screen. It was odd to watch it vanish from his sight. Focusing, he leaned over and began the work of asking the Net to show him Tortuga.

~

He looked up from the screen to show Miranda the pictures he had just discovered, but she wasn’t next to him. He looked around the room; she wasn’t there. Where had she gone? Getting up, he left the screen opened on the pirate lore he had found. The Net might know almost all, but it had not captured the essence of being on the depths of the sea... Shaking his head, he wandered into the kitchen, such an odd word to a man used to a galley.

“Miranda?” he called out softly. He paused outside of the wash closet and listened. Not a sound. He looked toward the stairs and quickly followed them up to the next floor. She was not in her art room.

He moved to her sleeping quarters and stopped by the door to see her curled on top of her bed. He must have lost sense of the time. Although not having to stop and let a body rest may have him slightly foggy on keeping track of time. Her womanly form was still wrapped in the stirring white cloth, and in sleep she appeared as a virginal offering. He sighed and went over closer to the bed.

Standing there, he looked down at her and wanted nothing more than to lie down beside her and pull her into the shelter of his arms. Looking up, he noted the window was ajar; it had to be quite cool this night. Knowing better than to give in to his wants, he chose to ignore it and went over to the far side of her bunk. He stretched his body out next to her as if he were lying down with her.

He searched her sleeping face for a long silent moment, not believing she could still seem so appealing to him even while asleep. “Miranda,” he whispered only a breath from her face. “Miranda, you must wake and close the window so you do not catch a chill.” Sleepy eyes opened to look at him. He was certain the soft look in her eyes caused his heart to cease beating. He smiled at her. “I did not want you to catch a chill. The window is ajar.”

Randy sighed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t sit there anymore. I needed to rest for a bit.”

He shook his head. “Do not apologize. I have outstayed my invitation.”

“No. Stay. I’ll just have a quick nap.” Her eyes drifted shut briefly before opening again.

“I would cover you myself, little one, but we know I cannot.” His eyes strayed to her mouth as her tongue appeared to moisten her lips. “I cannot, it seems, do any of the likes I wish to.”

Reaching back behind her, she pulled the side of the cover over her back. “There.” Her eyes drifted closed again. “Stay,” she whispered sleepily.

“I shall, for a time.”

“Kiss me before you leave, Jareth.”

“My fondest wish,” he whispered, keeping his voice hushed enough to not disturb her.

~

He did stay and watch her sleep. It had been too many years since he had felt he had some sort of use, and now he felt watching over her was purpose enough. He could have stayed just like this for years and not tired of looking at her. Every movement she made, or even lack of movement, appealed to all he was.

A sad fate from the gods to be sure, that he had found such an interest in a woman while he was not able-bodied, quite truly, to act upon it. He sighed and glanced toward the window. The earliest signs of dawn approaching were now apparent.

He should leave her for now and return at a time when she was aware of his presence. He turned and was to rise from the bed when he remembered her husky request. He moved back closer to her small form and looked at her closed eyes. “Sleep long and restful past the dawn, little one.” He moved his mouth closer to hers and felt an unfamiliar tickle across his lips as he kissed hers. Lifting his head, he looked down at her and sighed. If he did not know otherwise, he would have believed their lips had truly touched.

Sighing, he got off the bed. It was more likely that he had just wanted it so greatly that he had created the entire thing inside his own head. He turned from her and went through the door as if he were still a real man.