Lotus (Spell Library Book 13) Read online

  Lotus

  Spell Library Book 13

  Nikki Jacks

  Copyright © 2021 by Nikki Jacks

  This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art J.E. Cluney 2021

  All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in any reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without the prior written consent of the authors.

  This is for my husband and sons. They will probably never read this particular story, but if not for them and their steadfast belief I could write a story as good as all the ones I read, I wouldn’t have stepped out and entered a contest.

  Thank you, guys – I love you so, so much.

  C – you have always been the greatest fan of my life, even if I sang the song first.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Need more?

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  1

  Lotus

  Silver Springs was a pretty place. Freaking cold, but great! It was a small community with a small-town feel, something I was used to and comfortable existing in. I was hoping I’d be able to hide here since I would be hundreds of miles away from Franklin and Grace. Knowing what they wanted for my life, I couldn’t stay in New Orleans anymore. I needed to get away before they could put their plans into motion. I loved New Orleans and being a girl from the Crescent City, but there was no way I could continue to live there anymore.

  As I walked down the street, I saw the cutest hand-lettered sign stating pumpkin spice lattes were in. Being a Southern girl through and through, I had to have one. I stepped over to the little coffee parlor, Jewels Café. The sign was a real work of art. I wondered how much work went into keeping it looking fresh. A flash of jealousy shot through me at the thought of someone being able to use their magic on something so simple.

  I stepped inside and was greeted by the smell of coffee. I loved the smell of coffee, especially with chicory. When it was roasted and brewed correctly, it offered such a complex and rich smell. When syrups were added, it became something new.

  Under the scent of coffee, I could smell baked goods. Sugar and butter were in the air, and my stomach reminded me that I needed to feed it. I swear I could hear my stomach demanding I feed it, the way it always seemed to want food. Audrey, the singing, man-eating Venus flytrap from Little Shop of Horrors, flitted through my mind.

  I stepped up to the counter, and the cutest blonde woman smiled at me.

  “Welcome to Jewels Café. I’m Amber, what can I get for you?”

  “Well, I would definitely love to try one of your pumpkin spice lattes. And if you have any, could I get a muffin as well?”

  “Our PSLs are awesome, so you’re gonna love it! Are you new in town? I don’t remember seeing you around before and your accent is just adorable. You from the South?”

  “Oh, I’m from New Orleans, but I’m just visiting. Thinking of starting my adult life and looking for a change. Silver Springs would be a big change from Louisiana.”

  “Wow, you’re right, that would be a big change. You okay with blueberry for your muffin? Or something a little more seasonal like pumpkin cranberry?”

  “Blueberry is fine,” I reply with a grin.

  “Great. What’s the name for your order?”

  “Deli—uh… Lotus.” I really needed to remember I couldn’t use my real name if I was trying to disappear from my old life.

  “Oh, that’s a pretty name! And the flower is pretty too!”

  I made my way over to a table and sat down. I pulled my phone out and started looking at the information I’d bookmarked on Silver Springs. I wanted to get a feel for the town and see what I might be able to do with myself if I did move here.

  College hadn’t been a thing for me. I wasn’t a fan of school, but I did like earning my own money. So instead of a degree, I’d spent time taking training courses on things that caught my interest. Like flavor pairings for foods and how food and drinks complemented each other.

  I’d taken a fourteen-week course on color and its use in home design and its effects on things like customer engagement in food presentation. A lot of the courses I’d taken had to do with food in some way. I mean, I loved to eat.

  My absolute favorite food, though, was ice cream. I couldn’t get enough of it.

  Rocky Road was my number one favorite, but I also liked simple flavors that blended well together like strawberries and cream. I’d tried a lavender, wild berry, and mascarpone ice cream a couple months back and found Heaven.

  The berry flavor was the base, with lavender mixing its way through. The mascarpone was the right balance to the tart of the berry and lavender’s heavier taste, but the genius had been adding small pieces of mascarpone to the ice cream. The little bites were perfect!

  As I scrolled through Silver Spring’s webpage, I perked up. Silver Springs was home to Flying Horse Ice Cream! While I’d only had it a few times, Flying Horse was my absolute favorite ice cream brand. And just like that, I knew what I could offer Silver Springs: an ice cream parlor that sold Flying Horse exclusively!

  I was startled out of my reading when I heard, “Lotus, your PSL and blueberry muffin are ready!”

  I rolled my eyes at the loud announcement when no other customers were present and walked over to the counter. Amber was beaming at me. I smiled at her and took a sip of my drink.

  And then moaned.

  Out loud.

  In what could only be considered an extremely sexual manner. I couldn’t help it, though; the drink was just that good!

  “Amber, this is fantastic! It’s a little bit of fall in a cup! I’m so in love with this drink!”

  “Well, I’m glad you like it. It’s a blend unique to our parlor. Juli—I mean, Julian, my partner—came up with it.”

  “He did a great job. The flavors are balanced nicely. I can taste all the spices, and there really is a hint of pumpkin. It’s not overpowering, but you can taste the unique sweetness of the pumpkin. It’s so good!”

  As I made my way back over to the table I’d claimed, I pulled my phone back out so I could do some more looking at Flying Horse Ice Cream.

  I wonder if they do tours? With samples!

  There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to see how the ice cream was made, especially if it got me some tasty treats at the end.

  I found a contact number for the marketing and public relations department and called. The
call went to voicemail, but I left a message detailing my desire to tour the factory while I was in town and the possibility of setting up a meeting with someone about a business deal.

  As I ended my call, Amber walked over. “I couldn’t help but overhear your call. The head of marketing at Flying Horse is a friend of mine, Sapphire. She usually comes in every morning. If you’d like, I can introduce you to her once she gets here.”

  “Really?! Amber, that would be fantastic! I’ve been thinking about moving to Silver Springs and wasn’t sure what I could do, but then the thought of opening up an ice cream parlor hit me. Silver Springs doesn’t have one, but it’s the home of Flying Horse, which is my favorite! I would appreciate you introducing me. Do you mind my hanging out here?”

  “Not at all. Here, why don’t you read this while you wait. The author is local, and the book has been making the rounds. It’s been pretty popular.”

  “Thanks, it will definitely help pass the time. I’m so excited about the idea of maybe owning my own business, but working with food and my favorite ice cream is just so thrillin’!”

  I glanced down at the book Amber had placed on the table and almost choked on the mouthful of coffee I’d just taken. Staring up at me were four guys in various states of undress surrounding a woman wearing flowers for panties! The cover was definitely outrageous, but looking at it, there was no way I could resist opening the book and reading.

  2

  Lotus

  I could feel the low hum of magic connected to the book. I knew there was a spell connected, but I didn’t have the magical training to delve the book and figure out what type of spell was in place. I didn’t think Amber would give me something malicious, so I started reading.

  I couldn’t help laughing at some of the antics of the princess and the men who were forming her harem. The responses of the people making up her kingdom had me bustin’ a gut as I read.

  Taking a break, I looked up at Amber and stated, “Oh crap, Amber! This book is great. The situations are pretty funny, and my goodness, it sure is heating up!”

  “I’m glad you’re liking it. It’s a great little read, and I love that it has action… And steam!”

  “Well, you definitely aren’t lyin’ on that part.”

  “So, what did you have in mind for your shop?”

  “Well, like I was saying earlier, I want to open an ice cream parlor that exclusively sells Flying Horse Ice Cream. I figured we could keep the popular standards in stock and then rotate their special or limited time flavors. We could do sundaes, banana splits, milk shakes, you know, the standards.”

  I’d noticed the chime signaling someone entering the parlor, but hadn’t paid attention to the new customer who’d walked in. Amber made her way over to the counter as I kept talking. While she got ready to take a new order, I looked back down at Love Blooms.

  “You know, you could have fresh-made cones and bowls for your ice cream. And you could offer accessory items that pair well with ice cream like macarons.”

  Hearing a gravelly voice tinged with excitement had me glancing up.

  And then my jaw dropped.

  A delicious guy was standing in front of the counter. He had to be 6’3”, with caramel-colored hair and gray eyes. His skin was sun-kissed, and he looked like he belonged on a magazine cover.

  Good gracious, I was making a fool of myself with the staring, but I couldn’t help it!

  Once I got it together, I swallowed—gulped, really—and replayed his comments in my head.

  “I do like the sound of that! I’ll have to look into it. I noticed a bakery while I was walking around town. I’ll talk to the owner and see what we might be able to work out.”

  “No need to do that! I’m a pâtissier; I could totally create those items for you. Maybe we could work together.”

  “Oh, I’m Lance, by the way! Lance Anders. Sorry to totally railroad your conversation and stuff, but I am a trained pâtissier and could make that stuff for you no problem. I’ve been looking for a way to put my training to use, and with Buttercup having opened her bakery, I’m kind of at a loss.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Anders, I’m… um… Lotus. I think we may be able to work things out. I mean, right now it’s just a dream. I’m not sure how everything is going to play out just yet, but we might be able to come to an agreement.”

  “Well, my brother, Drake, is a real estate attorney. He could probably help you find a location and make sure that it’s sound. You can talk to a loan officer at the bank about a loan. I know it’s fast and crazy, but I like your idea and would really like to work with you.”

  The more Lance talked, the more my body sat up and took notice of him. His voice was music to my ears, and my lady bits were starting to quiver something fierce. More than that, I had this unmistakable feeling of rightness being around Lance.

  He made me feel safe and warm. And that was a problem. I’d escaped to Silver Springs to gain my independence. I didn’t need to let the first hot guy I met derail things. I was more than a pampered, Southern belle. I had to get myself established, and maybe then I could think about a man.

  Lance picked up his order from Amber and stopped by my table.

  “It was great to meet you, Lotus. Be sure to talk to my brother; I know he’ll help you find a

  place to set up your ice cream shop.”

  “Thanks, Mr. Anders, I appreciate the lead. And listen, I would like to talk with you more about your idea.”

  “Perfect! I’ll talk to you soon!” We exchanged numbers and Lance grabbed his order.

  As he was leaving, a woman walked into Jewels Café and approached Amber. She slammed a credit card onto the counter. “Give me the usual bucket of coffee with whipped cream, ice cream, caramel, chocolate sprinkles, hot chocolate, and you know, maybe throw in something extra to surprise me.”

  As the order got longer, I couldn’t believe all the things the woman was adding to her coffee. But it did sound a little tasty.

  “Sapphire, I’m glad you’re here. There’s someone I want to introduce you to. This is Lotus and she’s planning to move to Silver Springs. She loves Flying Horse Ice Cream and would love to talk to you about some things.”

  “Who doesn’t love Flying Horse? It’s ice cream! You can’t hate ice cream!”

  “Lotus here would like to talk to you about it.”

  “Talk about ice cream? Who? What? Where?” She turned in a circle until her gaze landed on me.

  “Hi, Ms. Sapphire, I’m… ah… Lotus, Lotus Culcannon. I really want to open an ice cream parlor in Silver Springs, and I’d like to exclusively sell Flying Horse.”

  Sapphire leaned in close, a bit too close. Her eyes blazed with heat, and I took a step back.

  “Tell me everything about this shop,” she said.

  “Well, like I said, I want to sell Flying Horse exclusively because I think it’s the best ice cream there ever was. The flavors are great, and it’s so smooth and creamy! I have a pâtissier who is willing to make in-house cones and bowls as well as some accessories that pair well with ice cream.”

  She nodded. “Someone with sense! Of course you can sell our ice cream: Blood Orange, Chocolate Chunk, Vanilla à la Bob, Jizz Cream, Dicksicles—”

  “I’m sorry, Jizz Cream? Dicksicles? I’m not familiar with those flavors. But we could offer flavored bowls and macarons to go with Vanilla à la Bob!”

  Sapphire waved a hand. “Sure, macarons, bowls, great. But you really need Jizz Cream and Dicksicles. They’re new.”

  “What exactly is Jizz Cream flavor, and what’s a Dicksicle?”

  Her eyes lit up. “They’re the best things I’ve ever thought of besides that secret sex position—never mind that! Jizz Cream is specially designed by our flavor scientists to taste like jizz. You know, cum. Dick cream. Banana puree, but banana in this case is a penis. Dicksicles look like realistic cocks, but they taste like any flavor you want. When you eat them, it looks like you’re going down on a big juicy peen. All the
fun of sucking without the trouble of a dude.”

  I could feel my cheeks heating as Sapphire described these items. “I’m not sure how well those will go over with families. Wouldn’t I get in trouble displaying things like that?”

  Sapphire frowned. “Families? What does that have to do with ice cream?”

  “I guess we could have a line on the menu board about our adult flavors.”

  “Pfft, there should be a sign on the door to keep kids out…” She paused and thought. “Though, it is important to get them hooked on the icy goodness young. Hiding the sexy creams is a good idea!”

  “You know, I’m a witch; I could try to work out a spell so that each order of Jizz Cream would taste like a person’s partner? I mean, no one wants to taste general jizz. If they’re eating it, they’re thinking about their guy, right?”

  Sapphire grinned. “That’s a fantastic idea! Custom Jizz flavors. Perfect for break-ups.”

  “For break-ups? Why would someone order Jizz Cream if they just went through a break-up?”

  “Because ice cream makes you feel better, and you get to pretend you still have that guy you dumped.”

  “I can see that. About the Dicksicles, do they come in a particular flavor or flavors? Does the packaging explicitly say what they are or show pictures?”