Candy Kisses

Candy Kisses

Chapter Three

“And It’s Something Quite Peculiar
Something Shimmering And White
It Leads You Here, Despite Your Destination
Under The Milky Way Tonight”
--The Church

Pepper applied the last bit of lipstick, and then stepped back to admire her reflection. She’d used a bright red ribbon to tie back her hair, highlighting the sharp descent of her cheekbones, and allowing light to strike the clusters of red crystals which dangled from her earlobes. A red choker concealed her Adam’s apple. And, completing the outfit, a red corset dress hugged her body so tightly that it managed to create the illusion of feminine curves. She had to give her brother credit -- he made a rather beautiful woman.

Are you really okay with this?

Yeah, Marzi assured. Although, I must admit, I’m having some unorthodox urges. How many sins do you think I’m committing by lusting after myself right now?

Vanity, incest, and homosexuality. To name a few. I swear, big brother, when we get to heaven, I’ll need to create a diversion while you sneak in the back way.

Pepper felt Marzi laugh -- a sensation like sunlight rippling through her body. I’m sure you’ll do whatever it takes.

Twisting around, Pepper tried to see how she looked from behind. Nice. Marzi did have a great ass. And better legs than a lot of women, too. I just feel more comfortable like this. It’s what I’m used to, I suppose.

I’m not complaining. In fact, now that I know how good I look in drag, I may do this on my own.

Yeah? You think you can handle these? Pepper gestured at the five-inch stiletto heels on her shoes.

Anything you can do, dear sister...

Oh, this I have to see. As easily as drawing a breath, Pepper passed body control back to Marzi. Walk to the bed and back. I dare you.

Marzi took a few bold steps, but he didn’t know how to lift his feet, or how to keep his balance by swinging his hips. In no time at all, his swaggering dissolved into staggering. Then, the toe of one shoe caught on the carpet, and he lurched forward, only managing to reach the bed by falling into it. Pepper giggled as he lifted his face out of the pillows, and Marzi was quick to join her merriment.

Alright, alright. It’s possible that my technique needs a little work. If I go out dressed like this, I’ll probably spend most of the evening on my back. Just like always...

You’re incurable. Taking back control, Pepper got up, and straightened her dress. Well, I’d better get going. Or I won’t have time to stop at Sugar Hearts on my way to the ballet.

Sugar Hearts? I thought you’d finally decided to indulge in some leisure time. Don’t tell me that you’ve really been sneaking back to work.

No, no. This is Nicholas’s first night closing, and I promised him that I’d peek in, to make sure that he hadn’t missed anything.

That’s right. I’d forgotten about Nicholas. As if to make up for this oversight, Marzi conjured an image of their most recent employee -- naked, bound, and gagged with a candy apple.

Pepper rewarded her brother with a mental slap. Stop it! He’s probably never even kissed a girl and you’re already plotting how to deflower him.

I’m a very wicked man, Marzi conceded. Well, have a good time, little sister. You’re sure you don’t mind me skipping tonight?

Nah. I realize ballet isn’t your thing. And you’ve earned some extra rest.

Alright. Be careful. Take the candy.

Obligingly, Pepper picked up a cellophane bag filled with small, red candies. Unzipping her purse, she tucked the sweets inside.

And the gun.

While Pepper had been teaching Marzi how to use magic, he’d been showing her the finer points of shooting. But tonight, as she glanced over at the drawer where he kept his pistol, she felt her usual reluctance. Do you really think that’s necessary?

I understand why you don’t like it. But Kale’s still out there. And he can’t seem to take “no” for an answer.

Pepper hesitated. However, she knew Marzi was right, so she crossed to the dresser and retrieved his gun. I hope it doesn’t come to this, she admitted. Then she dropped the gun into her purse. For a moment, its emotional weight seemed like too much for her to carry, but Pepper forced herself to stop thinking about it. Instead, she lifted a small, tin charm, strung on a leather cord. That brought a smile to her face. Fondly, Pepper kissed the Medal of Saint Michael, and then placed it on top of everything else, before zipping her purse shut.

Goodnight, Marzi.

Goodnight, Pepper. Wake me up at the first sign of trouble. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow. Then, like a light turning itself off, her brother slipped into darkness, leaving her alone.

As Pepper drove toward Sugar Hearts, her thoughts tumbled about in odd directions. The last month had been quite an adventure. But, once she’d gotten used to it, she’d discovered that there were certain advantages to having a man’s body. Goodbye menstrual cycle, for one thing. That was something she wouldn’t miss. And no more worrying about menopause or breast cancer. Of course, she’d never gotten a chance to have sex as a woman, but judging by Marzi’s unending libido, sex as a man must be pretty satisfying. Really, when she considered it all, there was only one loss she deeply regretted. Pepper had always wanted to have a child. To feel it grow inside her womb, to share its blood, to hear its heartbeat like a tiny echo of her own. To feel her magic nourish another life.

Pepper sighed. Even as a woman, she hadn’t been making much progress toward that particular goal. Perhaps, one day, she and Marzi would find someone who wasn’t completely horrified by the truth of what they were, and they could start some sort of family. Perhaps.

Pulling into the parking lot behind Sugar Hearts, Pepper noticed that the store lights were still on. That didn’t seem right. Nicholas should have finished closing and gone home over an hour ago. Puzzled, Pepper switched off the ignition, and stepped out of her car. At first, only the humming of the store’s ventilation system greeted her, like the purring of some immense cat. Then she heard a cry for help. Automatically spinning toward the sound, Pepper noticed that the back door to Sugar Hearts stood open. And, illuminated by the light spilling through it, she saw Nicholas, down on the ground, with two large men towering over him. As she watched, Nicholas tried to get back to his feet. But one of the men kicked him in the gut, and Nicholas went down again, clutching his stomach.

Fury filled Pepper. Ripping open her purse, she snatched one of the red candies. At the same time, her other hand closed around the gun, all her former reluctance banished by the urgency of the situation.

“Hey!” she yelled, hurling the piece of candy in the direction of Nicholas’s attackers.

Both men started to turn toward her. But when the candy struck the pavement near them, it exploded, bursting into a fountain of flames. The man standing closest to the explosion suddenly found his jacket on fire. With a bellow of pain and alarm, he began to flail about, trying to extinguish himself. His partner, untouched by the flames, reached for his gun. But Pepper had used his moment of distraction to beat him to the draw.

“Go back to Kale,” Pepper hissed, holding Marzi’s pistol with a steadiness which surprised her. “Tell him that my brother isn’t coming back to his bed -- not now, not never. And tell him that if he EVER involves another innocent person in our little conflict, I’ll make sure he regrets it.”

The man who had reached for his gun glared at her without speaking. Then he grabbed his companion and the two of them took off, still trying to extinguish the burning jacket. Pepper kept the gun trained on the darkness that had swallowed them for another minute. But when it became apparent that they weren’t coming back, she rushed to help Nicholas.

“Are you alright?” she asked, as she knelt beside him.

“I—I think so.” Pushing himself up into a sitting position, Nicholas blinked at her with large brown eyes. “But who are you?”

At first, Pepper thought that a blow to the head must have given Nicholas amnesia. Then she remembered how she was dressed. And, rather than trying to explain to Nicholas why his employer was prancing around in full drag, she chose a different piece of the truth. “I’m Pepper. Marzi’s sister.”

“Pepper? Marzi said that you went away.”

“I come and go,” Pepper confessed. “What happened?”

Nicholas shook his head. “I’m not sure. Closing took a lot longer than I thought it would. I was just putting the last trays in the refrigerator, when I heard some noise out back. I guess I should have ignored it, but I was curious, and when I stuck my head out to see what was going on, one of those men grabbed me. Do you know them?”

“Not personally. But I have a pretty good idea who sent them.” Leaning closer to Nicholas, Pepper brushed a bit of grit off the young man’s face. Despite the innocence of her intentions, when her fingers touched his skin, Nicholas blushed, and glanced away. At the same moment, Pepper remembered Marzi’s image of Nicholas naked, and she felt her own cheeks burn as they turned red enough to match her outfit. For a heartbeat, neither of them could speak.

Pepper found her voice first. “I’m sorry you got hurt, Nicholas. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“I’m not really hurt,” Nicholas assured. “Just a little shaken.”

“Can you stand up?” Pepper still felt a bit shy after the strong reaction her touch had caused. But she couldn’t just leave Nicholas sitting on the pavement. Doing her best to appear professional, she got to her feet, and extended her hand to him. “Here, let me help you.”

Nicholas placed his hand in hers, and allowed her to pull him to his feet. But he winced when he tried to support his full weight. “I think I twisted my ankle.”

“Would you like me to drive you to a doctor?”

“No, it’s not that bad.” Attempting to prove it, Nicholas shifted his weight to his injured ankle. But the way he flinched only proved that it still caused him pain. “I’d better get back inside and finish closing.”

Nicholas took a step toward Sugar Heart’s rear entrance. But before he could get inside, Pepper slammed the door shut, and then locked it. “That can wait. I’m going to take you home so you can get some rest.”

“But Marzi said he’d stop by later, and I don’t want things to still be a mess.”

“I’ll explain the situation to Marzi,” Pepper promised. However, Nicholas continued to hesitate, so she fixed him with her most stern look. “It’s no good trying to argue. If Marzi has told you anything about me, he’s told you that.”

“He did say that stubbornness runs in his family.” For a moment, Nicholas met her gaze, and a shy smile formed on his lips. Involuntarily, Pepper’s hand twitched. She wanted to reach out and trace the fragile curves of his mouth -- she wanted to dust his lips with sugar and run her tongue over their sweetness. But again, Nicholas glanced away. As if afraid that he had dared too much, he swallowed his smile, and Pepper mourned its disappearance.

“So,” she demanded, “are you going to let me help you? Or do I have to knock you unconscious and carry you?”

“I’ll come along quietly,” Nicholas surrendered.

“Good. Wrap your arm around my shoulders. And lean your weight against me. I don’t want you putting any more strain on that ankle.”

Obediently, Nicholas allowed her to help him back to her car. Once she’d gotten him situated in the passenger seat, Pepper circled around, and sat behind the steering wheel. “You live near here, right?”

“Yeah. But how did you know that?”

“Uh.” Turning her key in the ignition, Pepper stalled for time. She was, she realized, going to need to be more careful. As far as Nicholas knew, she’d never met him before tonight. “Marzi must have mentioned it.”

“I guess that makes sense.”

Nicholas gave her a few brief directions to his apartment building, and then they pulled out of the parking lot. As Pepper drove, she couldn’t keep from stealing sideways glances at Nicholas, his face lit by the passing flashes of street lamps. Ever since he’d been hired at Sugar Hearts, she’d been around him a lot. But tonight, the details of his appearance -- his thick, expressive eyebrows and unruly curls of brown hair -- really struck her. Like a song she’d heard a hundred times without noticing, until that one perfect moment, when the lyrics suddenly seemed absolutely right, and the music tore into her heart. And, Pepper reflected, perhaps it made sense. Perhaps she could see Nicholas with new eyes because this was the first night he’d ever truly seen her.

Again, Pepper glanced over at Nicholas, and this time their eyes met. For an instant, they both blinked at each other, too startled to glance away. Then Pepper fixed her eyes on the road, and Nicholas fumbled around for some topic of conversation.

“That thing you threw, the one which exploded. That was amazing. What was it?”

Pepper sighed. When she’d seen Nicholas in trouble, she’d acted on instinct, without thinking about how she could explain those actions. Maybe it would be best to just tell him the truth. If he worked at Sugar Hearts for long enough, he’d probably guess. “It was a piece of candy. Marzi and I are enchanters, of sorts. We cast sugar spells.”

“Wow. So all the candy you sell, it really is magic?”

“Not all of it. But a lot is. Of course, we don’t sell the stuff that explodes. That’s something Marzi developed for our own private use. He’s got quite a knack for aggressive magic. Me, I’m better at the love spells.”

“Wow,” Nicholas repeated. “Oh, hey. My place is right over there.”

When Pepper looked in the direction Nicholas had indicated, she saw a stately building, built from a shiny black stone which resembled basalt. If she squinted, she could even make out the address printed on the front of it: 666 Abaddon Road. “That’s strange,” she murmured. “I thought I knew this neighborhood pretty well. But I don’t remember that being there.”

“It’s kind of new.”

“I guess so. Do you know a good place to park?”

Nicholas looked thoughtful. “Actually, I think it has valet parking.”

“You think?”

“Well, I don’t actually own a car.”

Pepper raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. After all, who was she to talk about eccentric lifestyles? Instead of saying anything, she pulled her car up to the front of the apartment building, where a uniformed valet did indeed hurry forward to greet her. Pepper surrendered her keys to him, and then helped Nicholas out of the passenger seat. With his arm once more wrapped around her shoulders, she supported as much of his weight as he allowed her to, while they made their toward the lobby entrance.

When they arrived, another uniformed man swung open one of the glass doors and nodded at Nicholas. “Good evening, Mr. Foster.” Nicholas returned the man’s greeting, but he seemed decidedly embarrassed by the whole thing. Then they were inside.

Pepper marveled at the lush lobby. Sugar Hearts made a good profit, so she and Marzi never lacked money. But this was out of their league. A gold mermaid spilled water into an ornate fountain, while white songbirds hung from the ceiling in gold cages, their soft trills mixing with the melody of the falling water. But still, Pepper resisted asking Nicholas about his choice of living spaces. Until she helped him into a gleaming glass elevator, and noticed which button he pushed.

“The penthouse?” she exploded. “You live in the penthouse?”

Nicholas’s embarrassment appeared to grow more acute. “It was the only apartment still available.”

“Um, Nicholas? You do have some idea what Marzi will be paying you for your work at Sugar Hearts?”

“Not nearly enough to afford this. I know. It’s complicated.”

The elevator came to a stop, and they stepped out into a hallway with a single door. Nicholas fumbled around in his pocket, before finally pulling out a key, which he stuck in the lock. Obediently, the lock clicked open. As Pepper pushed the door open, she braced herself, expecting even more opulence. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Nicholas’s apartment contained neither fountains nor songbirds. Instead, there were a number of partially unpacked boxes, a vacuum cleaner doing double duty as a coat rack, and a bookshelf constructed from boards and cinderblocks. The only thing differentiating the mess from a typical student’s squalor was the grand piano which stood in the middle of the room, like an island in the midst of a chaotic ocean. Pepper smiled. After all the luxury she’d seen, the interior of Nicholas’s apartment should have seemed jarring to her. But it was the only thing that felt right. The only thing that felt real.

Since it appeared to be the sole piece of furniture available, Pepper helped Nicholas over to the piano bench, and sat him down on it. “There. I want you to take it easy for the rest of the evening. And if your ankle still hurts tomorrow, don’t you dare show up for work. Alright?”

“Alright,” Nicholas agreed. Again, he smiled at her. And Pepper remembered that she was supposed to be attending the ballet. But she no longer cared. There was somewhere she’d rather be.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?” she inquired, hoping that there would be.

“Well...something to drink might be nice. There’s tea in the kitchen. You could have a cup, too.” Glancing away, Nicholas bit his lip, as if he’d just suggested something terribly scandalous. “If you want. If I wouldn’t be keeping you from other things.”

“Not a problem. I’ll be right back.”

The apartment kitchen proved to be only slightly smaller than the one in Sugar Hearts, but Nicholas was obviously making poor use of it. As she rummaged around, Pepper found the following items: a pot, a tea kettle, several chipped mugs, an economy-sized plastic tub of honey, at least ten packs of dried noodles, and an old yogurt container filled with loose teabags. Humming to herself, she filled the kettle with water, and set it on the stovetop to boil. Then she began to sort through the teabags. But Pepper found it difficult to focus on choosing a flavor. Instead, her mind kept wandering. She remembered the weight of Nicholas’s body leaning against hers, and the way he had trembled slightly, still shaken from the attack. She remembered how soft his skin had felt when she brushed away the piece of grit. And, lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice that the tea kettle -- touched by her gentle magic -- was emitting puffs of steam shaped like hearts.

The kettle whistled, calling Pepper back from her daydreams, and she finished preparing the tea. Then she carried the drinks back out to Nicholas, handing him his mug as she sat beside him on the piano bench.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Several minutes passed as they both huddled over their mugs, blowing currents of cool air across the hot liquid. Then Pepper took a stab at conversation. “Marzi told me that you’re studying voice.”

“Yeah.” For the first time, Pepper saw a hint of fierceness in Nicholas’s expression. A flicker of fire in his eyes. “I’ve spent my life learning to sing. It’s all that matters to me.”

“You must be very good.”

Nicholas laughed, and the bitterness in his mirth shocked Pepper. “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?”

“You’re not?”

“I am good. When it comes to the technical stuff, I’m perfect. There’s not a note I can’t hit.” Nicholas shook his head. “But when I go to auditions, they all say the same thing. There’s something missing. They can’t say what, exactly, but something. Do you know what that’s like? To have devoted your whole life to something, and then not be able to do it -- and no one can even tell you why?”

Sadly, Pepper thought of Marzi. Remembered his childhood spent trying to master the magic which always eluded him. “You may not believe me, but I do have some idea. It’s horrible. It destroys people.”

Nicholas’s eyes met hers, searching them for understanding. And Pepper opened herself up to him. Like a flower blooming for the first time, she unfurled her petals, and exposed her delicate center to the sun. Time seemed to slow down. Pepper would have thought that it had stopped completely, if not for her pounding heart. Slowly, afraid to even think about what she was doing, Pepper reached out, and brushed her fingers across the back of Nicholas’s hand.

But her overture seemed to startle Nicholas. Jerking back, he splattered tea on his shirt.

“Oh!” Pepper exclaimed. “Oh, I’m sorry!”

“It’s okay,” Nicholas assured, staring fixedly at the wet spots on his shirt.

“I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t apologize.” Nicholas lifted his gaze, and again, Pepper glimpsed the fierceness that had been present when he talked about his singing. “It’s just that...it’s just that every time you touch me, I really, really want to kiss you.”

Then, having made his confession, Nicholas hung his head, as if he expected her to flee from the apartment and leave him alone in his shame. Pepper set down her mug of tea. There were so many reasons why she shouldn’t do this. So many things Nicholas didn’t know. Opening her mouth, she tried to find the words to explain about Kale, about Marzi, about the odd state of her own existence. But there were no words. Not in that moment. So she lifted Nicholas’s face from the shadows, and kissed him.

A shudder of desire passed through Nicholas. However, he made no move grab her, or pull her closer. The kiss seemed to be all he wanted. It was not a prelude, not formality to be hurried through before the real sex could begin. It was the sex. It was the moon, the stars, the rain falling at night. It was his song, and he sung it to her softly, as his lips caressed the warm flesh of her own. Pepper closed her eyes, savoring the intimate secrets of his touch. She wanted the moment to last forever. But passion stirred a piece of anatomy she was not accustomed to having, and reminded her of all the lies which still lay between them.

“I have to go,” she whispered, reluctantly breaking away.

Nicholas nodded, temporarily unable to speak. But when she stood up, and started for the door, words seemed to burst from him, almost against his will. “Pepper. I need to see you again. Please.”

Pepper knew what she should do. She should run outside and vanish from Nicholas’s life, before he discovered more of the truth than he could handle. He was such an innocent. How could she expect him to understand about darkness? How could she expect him to accept the strange twisting of gender that made her neither entirely a woman, nor entirely a man? But for once in her life, she was weak. “Soon,” she told him. “I promise.” Then, she dashed out into the hallway.

As Pepper hurried through the downstairs lobby, it seemed to twist and distort. For a moment, the fountain water contained a strange reddish tint, and the birds beat against the bars of their cages with leathery black wings. But then Pepper blinked, forcibly clearing her vision. And the lobby was just a lobby again.