By Lloyd W. Fredericton
On the commons of Eastern State University, The Tau Alpha Sorority held a fund-raiser for the victims of the recent Nicaraguan earthquake. Baked goods. Carnival games. Used books for sale.
And a Kissing Booth.
Brad observed the occupants of the booth from a distance. Four of the sorority’s hottest sisters: Beth with her platinum blond hair; Caroline, the statuesque volleyball striker; Wendy, who waitressed part-time at Hooter’s; and Lorelei.
Lorelei, captain of the cheerleading squad, homecoming queen, and president of the student senate.
Lorelei, the girl who made the pressure build in Brad’s pants every time she passed by.
Lorelei, who Brad had been crushing on since his first week as a freshman.
This would be Brad’s only chance to talk to Lorelei, let alone kiss her. He was too nervous to approach her in class and attempt to strike up a conversation.
He walked up to the booth, pulled out five twenties, and slapped them down. Money wasn’t a problem. Brad’s parents were loaded. “One ticket for Lorelei.”
Beth raised her eyebrows. Caroline collected the money. Wendy handed him a ticket.
“Lor, you’re up.” Beth said.
Lorelei was sitting in a folding chair, tapping her phone. She wore a pink polo shirt, monogrammed with the sorority’s letters, khaki shorts, and strappy sandals. She stood, tucked her phone away, and locked eyes with Brad.
“Brad Raffensberger, right?”
He swallowed hard. Lorelei knew his name? In a millisecond, Brad constructed an imaginative fantasy where this would be the moment his life changed. His kiss would win over Lorelei. Afterward, she’d insist he stay. They’d make small talk, discovering some common interests, like their love of John Carpenter movies. She’d invite him to lunch, and that would lead to h—
“Ahem!” Lorelei cleared her throat and pointed to her watch. “Time is money.”
“Sorry.” Brad handed her the ticket.
She tore it in half. Returned his stub. She stepped in front of him, running a finger across his chest.
“Ready to get your mind blown, Brad?” Lorelei flashed a mischievous smile.
“Uh, sure.” Brad extended his arms awkwardly.
Lorelei grabbed his hands and slipped them around her waist. She looped her arms around his neck and pulled close, pressing her body against his.
Brad almost squealed when he felt Lorelei’s hot breath on his neck. Her lips brushed his ear, and she whispered, “Showtime.”
Lorelei kissed Brad, parted her lips, and pressed her tongue against his. Brad thought he tasted blueberries. For more than a minute, she continued to explore his mouth, her fingers caressing the back of his neck, her breasts pressed against his chest.
Brad was running out of oxygen. He thought he might pass out, but no way was he ending this. Lorelei finally did, breaking the embrace, stepping back with a satisfied look on her face.
“That’s certainly worth more than a hundred, don’t you think?” Lorelei said.
“Huh?” Brad’s mind spun. He couldn’t comprehend her words.
“That kiss. Most guys would pay a lot more.” Her voice took on a low, sultry quality. “Plus, don’t you care about earthquake victims?”
“Uh, sure.” Brad pulled out his wallet and handed her another two hundred. “Is this okay?”
“Sure.” Lorelei flashed a dazzling white smile. “For now.”
Brad’s heart pounded and the pressure in his pants was painful and embarrassing. He noticed the other girls pointing at him and whispering.
He flushed red, excused himself, and ran off.
As Lorelei watched Brad disappear around a corner, her lips curled into a knowing smile.
***
Brad fantasized about Lorelei, dreamt about Lorelei, obsessed over Lorelei. He’d always been attracted to her, she was unarguably the hottest girl on campus. But ever since they kissed, she literally occupied his mind every waking—and sleeping—moment.
He walked into Materials Science class, dropped his bookbag, and took his seat. He watched the door, waiting for Lorelei to enter the lecture hall, wondering what she’d be wearing today.
Two minutes later, male students craned their necks to watch Lorelei as sauntered across the room in a fitted ESU green T-shirt and ripped jeans. Brad’s heart pounded like a jackhammer as Lorelei approached and dropped into the seat next to him.
“Hi Brad,” she said in a breathy voice.
“G—Good morning, Lorelei” Sweat drenched his body, and the pressure built in his pants.
“I was wondering if you could do me a favor?” She leaned closer, and he got a whiff of her perfume, like a bomb exploded in a florist shop. Her lips brushed his cheek in a soft kiss. “Can I have twenty dollars for lunch?”
“No cash.” Brad shrugged.
“Haven’t been to the ATM, since I cleaned you out at the kissing booth?” She grinned. “No problem. I take Venmo.” She grabbed the phone from his hands and tapped. “I’m thinking fifty instead of twenty.”
This wasn’t the lunch date Brad imagined, but it was better than nothing. “I have Differential Equations at eleven. I could meet you at the Stu—”
“I have plans.” Lorelei returned his phone, stood, took the stairs up a few rows, and sat next to Derek, the Captain of the Lacrosse Team. She pointed at Brad and covered her mouth as she spoke in a hushed tone.
Brad’s face burned bright red. He knew Lorelei was laughing at him, telling Derek what just happened. Brad was furious at himself, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel excited about the way Lorelei had used him.
***
Brad eased his Dodge Challenger onto the third floor of the parking deck. He got out of the car and stopped in surprise. Lorelei was standing right there.
“I’ve been looking for you, Brad.” Lorelei was stunning in all black: low-cut blouse, satin shorts, and knee boots.
She smiled, and Brad felt the pressure in his pants building. But he wouldn’t be the pushover that he was last time. He focused on how she humiliated him in the lecture hall. He avoided her gaze and tried to walk around her.
“Brad?” She reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.
He stopped, frozen by her touch.
She stepped in front of him. Her lips curling into a smile. “I wanted to ask for another favor.”
Brad felt his will melt. He resigned himself to Venmoing her another fifty.
“I want to borrow your car.”
The Challenger!
She traced her finger across his chest. Yes, he wanted to do this for her, wanted to please her. But the car was a high school graduation present from his parents. They made him promise to never let anyone else drive it.
Brad dug deep down inside, summoning all his resolve. “Sorry, but I c—”
She kissed on the cheek, and his resistance melted like snow in the spring. He fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her.
“Thanks, Brad.” Her smile was a mixture of smug satisfaction and enchanting wickedness.
Brad gaped as she got into his car, still fuzzy on what just happened.
She rolled down the window. “I’m going to need this a few days. You don’t mind, do you?”
Brad, still in a daze, shook his head slowly.
Lorelei blew him a kiss. She gunned the engine, squealed wheels, and tore out.
He rubbed his hand on his cheek. A faint red residue on his fingers.
Her kiss!
***
In the Material Sciences Lab, Brad scraped a sample of Lorelei’s lipstick from his cheek, placed the residue in the glass vial, and prepared the sample. He powered on the mass spectrometer and waited for it to warm up.
Every time Lorelei kissed him, Brad went weak, felt compelled to please her, found it impossible to resist her commands. Almost as if something—some mind-controlling drug—was infused into her lipstick.
Lorelei made the Dean’s List every quarter and was one of the top Chemistry Majors. It wasn’t impossible to believe that she’d developed some potion that allowed her to manipulate emotions and thoughts.
A series of beeps. Three green lights flashed. The machine was ready. Brad inserted the sample and pressed start. In a few minutes he’d get a graphical readout of all the compounds in Lorelei’s lipstick, then he’d know if he was right.
***
Brad compared the composition of the sample to a list of commonly used chemicals in cosmetics. Nothing suspicious. Nothing out of place. Nothing but lipstick.
How was Lorelei doing it?
How was she manipulating him into doing whatever she wanted?
Was it really her good looks? Was she simply so beautiful that Brad had no choice to do what she said?
Brad closed his eyes and visualized her. Lorelei was certainly the most stunning girl he’d ever met in person. She rivaled models, actresses, NFL cheerleaders. No, she was more than their rival. She was their superior.
Everything about Lorelei was perfect.
Her fiery red curls cascading down to her shoulders.
Her green eyes, the color of the commons in spring.
Her cheekbones, sharp enough to slice a pizza.
Her curves, like a mountain highway.
Her legs, long as th—
No!
He had to force himself to stop obsessing. As Brad’s mind filled with rage and frustration, he could feel Lorelei’s hold over him weakening. He imagined himself telling her ‘no’, taking back his car keys, walking away from her.
That was the answer. Anger, fury, and other powerful emotions could overwhelm his attraction and desire for her.
Brad was free.
Now he’d make Lorelei regret ever trying to control him.
***
Brad marched across campus to Fletcher Dorm. Up three flights of stairs. Down the hall to #313.
He stood before the door, calling up every unpleasant, spiteful, and nasty emotion he possessed. When his rage completely consumed him, he pounded on the door.
The door swung open.
“Yes?” A blonde, cute, but nowhere in Lorelei’s league.
“Where’s Lorelei?” Brad growled.
The blonde rolled her eyes. “Hey Lor,” she called. “There’s another simp for you at the door.”
The blonde disappeared into the room, and a moment later Lorelei stood in her place, wearing a tight blouse, the shortest skirt imaginable, fishnets, and four-inch strappy heels.
“Hi Brad.” She flashed a dazzling smile. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Brad felt his anger weaken a bit as Lorelei grinned, but he remembered how she used him, and his fury returned to full force.
“I bet,” he said contemptuously. “I’m over you. And all your tricks. And I want my car keys back.”
“Oh!” Lorelei said in mock surprise. “Then you better come in.”
Brad followed her into the common room. The blonde was nowhere to be seen.
“Keys!” He held out his hand.
Lorelei bent forward, deliberately displaying her cleavage, and grabbed the keys from her purse. She sashayed across the room and dropped the keys in his outstretched hand.
“I guess I should thank you for use of the car.” She leaned close and kissed him on the cheek.
His rage disappeared. Gone. Like it had never existed. Lorelei looked more beautiful than ever before.
Brad’s body trembled. “B—But how? I analyzed your lipstick. There’s nothing in it.”
“Clever boy.” Lorelei arched an eyebrow. She spun and grabbed a heavy tome from the coffee table. “I found this book mis-shelved in the library.” She held it so he could read the title.
“Witchcraft and Spells from Ancient Times?”
Lorelei giggled. “That’s right. I bent your will with magic, not chemistry. I enchanted my lips for the fundraiser. And with repeated applications”—she kissed him again—“it’s literally impossible to resist falling in love with me and obeying all my commands.”
Brad could feel her magic inside of him, invading his brain, infecting his heart. He knew Lorelei’s words were true. He loved her, and he’d do anything for her. Knowing that he was under her spell didn’t help. In fact, it made her allure over him even more enticing.
“I’m actually glad you stopped by.” Lorelei grinned cruelly. “I wanted to talk to you about your parents.”
“M—My parents?”
Lorelei shrugged. “Well, I’m mostly interested in your father. He runs that hedge fund, right? I’ve read he’s worth millions. Once I plant my enchanted kiss on your father’s lips, he’ll forget all about your mother, his supermodel wife.”
Brad struggled against her spell, reaching down for his anger, for his willpower, for anything to fight back against her.
“Won’t let you,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Won’t?” Lorelei arched an eyebrow. She stepped forward, fiddling with Brad’s collar, letting her flower garden scent engulf him. She looped her arms around his neck, pulled her body to his, and kissed him again, this time on the lips, exploring his mouth, pressing her tongue against his.
Despite knowing what she was doing, what was at stake, Brad couldn’t help but kiss her back.
She broke the embrace, slipped her hand into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and thrust it into his hand.
“Go ahead.” Lorelei caressed his cheek. “Call your parents and tell them you’re bringing home your new girlfriend this weekend.”
Lorelei’s last kiss had obliterated Brad’s will. He was consumed by her magic. He loved her and would do whatever she commanded. Even if that meant financial ruin for his family.
“Hey, Dad, good news. I’m coming home to visit this weekend, and I’m bringing someone special I want you to meet…”
13 Black Cats Publishing Company 