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I
Dream of Eugene
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from
Midnight Showcase
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When
Macy Green discovers a dusty old bottle at Madame Zena's
Mystical Shoppe, she never imagines it might actually be
magical. The handsome genie that appears offers her three
wishes, but Macy soon discovers it will only take one--one very
special wish--to fulfill her heart's true desire.
(m/f, contemporary erotic
paranormal romance)
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Dream of Eugene is also available as part of the e-book/print
anthology
Romp
Fantasy digest 1
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Excerpt:
The dusty
little store appeared crowded with merchandise, if not shoppers. Macy
Green looked over the eclectic collection of oddities in Madame Zena's
Mystical Shoppe, amazed at the various loads of crap the old woman tried
to pass off as antiques. She eyed the dozens of brass items, all badly
in need of polish, and a collection of old oriental rugs.
"Suppose these carpets fly?" She fingered one and looked up at her
friend Tina, browsing on the other side of the counter.
"Yeah, you bet." Tina chuckled absently, digging through a small jewelry
box. She held up a pair of dangly turquoise earrings. "Hey, Mace, look
here. Don't these look like real silver?"
"Let me see." Macy took the earrings and studied them closely. "Nah, I
don't think so. But they're pretty, and you look good in turquoise. You
should get them."
Tina took the earrings back and held them up to her ears, looking at
herself in an old mirror on the wall. "I do like them. They make me look
like Cher, circa 1970." She flipped her long black hair over one
shoulder and raised her eyebrows. "Whadaya think? Gypsy, tramp, or
thief?"
Macy laughed at the old song and nodded. "Definitely gypsy. I like the
look a lot."
"Okay, I'll get them. But you have to buy something, too."
"Uh, gee, Teen, I don't know." Macy looked skeptically over the rest of
the items on the counter. She glanced at the old woman sitting up front
and said quietly, "I don't really see anything that's my style."
"Keep looking." Tina wandered through the small store and stopped when
she got to the back, where a half-drawn curtain attempted to close off
the storage room. "Oh Macy, look." She marched into the back room and
grabbed a blue bottle off a table.
Macy followed her to the back room and whispered harshly, "What are you
doing?"
"This is so cool!" Tina held up the bottle. "Very retro." "Totally,"
Macy agreed, secretly admiring the bottle. It was cornflower blue with
silver accents, and reminded her of a genie bottle from the days of
Aladdin.
"It looks like Jeannie's bottle from the TV show!" Tina waved it at her.
"I loved that show. I have to get this."
"Ezz not for sale." The woman from the front counter appeared in the
doorway to the storage area. "You not allowed back here. Out! Out!"
"I'm sorry." Tina turned on the charm, and Macy smiled. Her friend was a
public relations agent for a very big company in Chicago. If anyone
could talk the old woman out of the bottle, Tina Brewster was the woman
for the job. "I spotted this beautiful bottle here on the counter, and
it just called to me. You have such lovely things in your shop. I'm
having trouble deciding what to buy!"
"Ezz not for sale," she repeated and reached for the bottle.
Tina smiled and held it just out of reach. "Madame Zena. . .you are
Madame Zena, aren't you?" The woman nodded, and Tina continued, "I have
a real love for things from this era. I'm sure we can agree on a price
that will make both of us quite happy."
Madame Zena looked in Tina's eyes and then seemed to study the bottle in
her hands. After a moment, she looked back up at Tina and shook her
head. "Ezz not for sale." She reached for the bottle, but Tina jerked it
backwards.
"Tina," Macy said, embarrassed. Persistence was one thing, but sometimes
too much could be foolish. "She doesn't want to sell the bottle. Let's
get the earrings and go."
Tina smiled through gritted teeth and said, "But I want it." Macy
gritted her teeth and smiled right back. "You're acting like a spoiled
brat. Put the stupid bottle down, and let's go."
She reached for the bottle, and it practically jumped into her hands.
"What the hell?" Macy held on firmly with both hands until the bottle
stopped shaking. "That was bizarre."
"What?" Tina asked, irritated. She obviously hadn't noticed the shaking
that Macy felt.
Perhaps it was all in her mind. Macy gave the bottle a little shake, and
it shook back at her. She glanced up at Tina, who seemed oblivious to
anything unusual.
"Ah ha." Madame Zena smiled widely, exposing several missing teeth and a
chaw of chewing tobacco. She nodded and winked at Macy. "For you, twenty
dollars."
"For her, twenty dollars?" Tina screeched. "You'll sell it to her but
not me?"
The old woman closed her eyes and shrugged.
Tina looked at Macy and smiled, nodding her head quickly. "Buy it."
Macy looked at the bottle thoughtfully, wondering exactly what was
inside.
Tina nudged her. "Come on."
"Okay," Macy agreed and pulled a twenty from her purse. She handed it to
the old woman who took it and grabbed Macy's hand.
"For you, right? No one but you."
"Yeah, sure." Macy nodded nervously.
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