The Muse (2 page)

“May I come in?”

Kate nearly stepped back to let her inside, no questions asked, before regaining some semblance of rationality. “Who are you?”

“My name is Erato.” The woman bowed deeply, scooping up the bags at her side. “I come bearing lunch. And lemonade.”

Erato strolled through the front door, and Kate moved aside as though she had extended an invitation. She was almost positive she hadn’t. “I appreciate that, but…I’m sorry, who
are
you?”

Erato set the grocery bags on the wooden island in the center of the kitchen and began to unload items. She handed over a large container of Kate’s favorite brand of lemonade. “I’m a muse. Put this away, would you?”

She did as the woman asked, trying to decide if she’d heard correctly. “A muse? You’re
amused
?”

Erato chuckled. “I am now.” She pulled out a container of hummus—once again, Kate’s favorite brand—and set it on the counter. Then she took Kate’s hands and squeezed them gently. “No, Kate McMannis, I’m
your
muse. You’re blocked, in a big way. Worse than ever before.” She broke into a grin so radiant Kate had to return it, her heart pounding that the most exquisite woman she’d ever seen was
holding her hands
. “And I’m here to help you finish that book.”

“Help?” A horrible thought occurred. “Wait, did my publisher send you?”

Erato’s laughter was as rich and warm as her touch. “No, don’t worry. I’m a freelancer.” She shot Kate a playful wink that weakened her knees. “This is between you and me.”

Kate frowned. “That sounds expensive.”

“Not at all.” Turning back to the groceries, Erato opened a package of pita bread and turned the oven on low. “My compensation is the sensual, erotic story you’ll create. The beauty of the words you’ll choose.” She poured one glass of lemonade, then another, then put the second container of lemonade inside the fridge beside the first. “The emotions you’ll stir in your readers. That’s all the thanks I need.”

Clearly this woman was a lunatic. A strangely flattering idea began to form, one more than a little unsettling. “Does that mean you’re a fan?”

“Your stories are lovely, Kate. Just lovely.”

Hardly effusive praise, coming from an obviously obsessive stalker. Who else would track her down and present herself as Kate McMannis’s own personal muse? Kate edged toward the knife block, images of Kathy Bates in
Misery
flashing through her mind. “Why do you assume I’m blocked?”

“Because it’s my job to know these things and help those who need it.” She put a couple of pieces of pita bread on a baking sheet and slid it into the oven. “And honey, let’s be honest. You need my help, do you not?”

“Okay…” Now standing next to her full collection of cutlery, Kate wondered whether to brandish one and demand that the woman leave. She hadn’t done anything overtly threatening yet—except be crazy, of course—and she
had
brought groceries. “Who told you I was having trouble?”

“Nobody had to tell me. I’ve felt it for weeks now—and I can’t take it anymore!” Erato leaned against the counter and folded her arms under her generous breasts. “The angst, the self-loathing, the worrying about your deadline. If only you could channel all the energy that you put into self-flagellation toward your novel, you wouldn’t need me at all.”

Defensive in the face of such judgment from a total stranger, Kate said, “Who says I need you now?”

“If I walked out the door right this minute, you’d go back to your computer and write something?”

Kate didn’t answer, somehow knowing Erato would call her out for lying. “How exactly do you plan to help me?”

“To start, by making you lunch.” Erato pulled the tray of now-warm pita bread from the oven, which let Kate admire her form-fitting red dress. The skirt clung to her utterly delicious ass, tantalizing Kate with the promise of what lay beneath. Erato’s dark hair came to just below her ears, cut in a bob that straddled the line between adorable and sexy with head-spinning ease. Standing in the middle of her kitchen fixing her favorite snack, the woman was heaven personified.

Had Kate fallen asleep or hit her head while showering? Whether this was a dream or a delusion, she just hoped it ended in sex. She drank some lemonade to hide her lascivious smirk.

Erato flashed her a white-toothed grin. “Let’s wait until after we eat. You’ll need your energy.”

She nearly choked on the tart liquid. Surely she hadn’t voiced her dirty thoughts aloud. “Pardon?”

“You want to make love with me.” Erato cut the pita bread into wedges, then put them on a plate and pushed them across the counter. “It’s a wonderful idea. That usually helps the creative juices flow. But you need sustenance before we begin.”

For the first time in her life, Kate pinched herself to check that she was awake. And…she was. So either this gorgeous, free-spirited woman was a lunatic fan, or else she was involved in some shenanigans designed to make Kate look foolish. Who would pull such a stunt? Her best friend? Her sister?

She couldn’t imagine any of her friends and family coming up with something like this to break her out of writer’s block. Or to make fun of her for being mired in it. Kate frowned. She had to get to the bottom of this, because she was
way
too tempted to see if Erato would actually go upstairs with her. Sleeping with this woman was almost certainly a bad idea. But she had to know for sure before she would feel comfortable brandishing a knife or calling the police.
Or
turning her down.

“I
am
harmless,” Erato said smoothly, once again seeming to pick up on her thoughts with ease. “Promise.”

Kate tried to quiet her internal narrative, just in case. But Erato couldn’t read her mind—could she? Covering, she ate a couple bites of pita and hummus while she searched for what to say next. “I just don’t understand where you came from.”

“Greece, originally.”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, I get it. Muse. Erato. From Greece.” Whoever this woman was, she was clearly stuck deeply in her delusion. Kate took another bite of hummus anyway, because damn, it was delicious. “So why visit me?”

“Why not you?” Erato scooped some hummus onto a piece of pita and took a bite. Her moan of pleasure sent the most obscene fantasies racing through Kate’s mind, which she tried desperately to quiet on the off chance her visitor really could read her thoughts. Erato smiled broadly. “Listen, I’ll leave if you want me to. Just ask. I’ll walk out that door and never bother you again. But if you let me stay, I’ll do my best to…
inspire
you.”

Though this was absolutely insane, Kate was unable to eject Erato from her life. She seemed harmless enough, after all. And hot.
Very
hot. No risk in at least sharing a snack with her, right?

“I sense you’re having second thoughts about making love.” Erato tilted her head and regarded Kate curiously. “We can just fuck, if that’s more your style. But one way or another, it’s a good idea to end as many dry spells in your life as possible. It’s how we’ll get the words flowing again.” She walked around the counter to stand within touching distance. “No reason to be shy.”

Kate fisted her hands at her sides. Damn, she was tempted. Was Erato unbalanced? Did it even matter if she was, when she was the hands-down sexiest woman Kate had ever had the opportunity to sleep with? “I’ve just never jumped into bed with someone so quickly.”

Erato chuckled. “Your characters do.”

“Because they’re fictional.”

“Surely you’re projecting your own fantasies onto them.” She traced her fingertip over Kate’s wrist, then dragged a blunt nail up the inside of her arm. “Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted sex with a stranger.” Erato’s fingers closed around her bicep, and Kate instantly became wet. “Or imagined being taken up to your bedroom by someone you aren’t certain you should trust.”

Kate shivered. “I don’t even know you—”

“Take this leap with me, Kate. It’ll be worth it.”

Unsure whether it was the deep conviction in Erato’s voice or simply the prospect of bedding a woman who put most supermodels to shame, Kate let go of her reservations and leapt. It wasn’t like she’d get any writing done today, anyway. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

They had only to cross the threshold of her bedroom for Kate to lose her nerve. The incredible sexual fantasy she’d enjoyed downstairs in the kitchen evaporated into cold reality at the sight of yesterday’s dirty panties lying on the floor beside her bed. What the hell was she thinking? She wasn’t prepared to host a woman. Her legs weren’t even shaved. She’d been holed up in her apartment for weeks, doing a whole lot of nothing while pretending to chase her ever-elusive word count. This had involved plenty of sleeping, masturbating, and eating, but not as much personal hygiene as she’d normally practice when actually preparing to have sex with another person.

And then there was the little matter of Erato being slightly south of sane—

“Would you like to freshen up?” A soft hand touched the small of her back, startling her. “I did just drop in on you suddenly.”

This was the perfect opportunity to back out of the most unusual sexual encounter she’d ever considered pursuing. Sleeping with a most-likely mentally ill—but possibly supernatural—woman really was the kind of thing one of her characters might do. Unfortunately, for all the erotic adventures she’d imagined for her stories, she’d never come close to experiencing anything much out of the ordinary in real life. The wildest thing she’d ever done was a little public sex with her college girlfriend. And nothing
too
public—the threat of discovery had always been enough to get them off. She’d never even had a one-night stand.

Yup. Going through with this was insane. Kate cleared her throat. But instead of asking Erato to leave, she said, “Thank you. Freshening up would be nice.”

Oh, well. Maybe insane really
was
what she needed. For the sake of her writing.

Erato sat on the bed. “I’ll wait for you here?”

She stared at Kate with vibrant blue eyes that brought to mind cerulean skies and distant green meadows. The mental imagery stirred something deep within Kate, a desire to travel to that far-flung place in her imagination and then to stay a while. For the first time in months, she felt a mild pull toward her laptop. Writing had always been the best way she knew to escape her daily life and explore worlds more beautiful than her own. She loved taking those creative flights of fancy more than almost anything in
this
world.

So why the hell had she stayed away from it for so many months?

A quiet giggle broke her out of her musing. “That is, unless you wanted to work for a bit,” Erato said. She raised an eyebrow when Kate shook her head swiftly. “You had that look you writers get. The gazing-into-the-distance-while-visiting-another-place stare. I don’t want to interrupt anything.”

“You’re not!” She couldn’t believe her immediate panic at the thought of not going through with this absolutely insane liaison. Five minutes ago she was ready to call the whole thing off. Obviously her libido had overridden her good sense. “I mean…I can write later.”

“Are you sure?” Erato uncrossed her legs, offering a tantalizing glimpse of what lay between her thighs. “We could always do
this
later.”

It had been almost two years since she’d had sex, and now that she had the opportunity, she realized she wanted to take it—
immediately.
Consequences be damned. “I’m sure. Just give me ten minutes to get ready, okay?”

Erato stood and pivoted in place, then shot a flirtatious smile over her shoulder. “Unzip me before you go?”

Feeling as though she were in a dream, Kate crossed the room to stand at Erato’s back. Her hands hovered over the smooth olive skin between her shoulder blades for agonizingly long moments while she tried to convince herself that this was okay—and that it was really happening. Erato couldn’t have been clearer about her intentions. She
wanted
Kate to touch her. With that thought in mind, she tugged down the zipper and exposed the tanned expanse of Erato’s delicate flank.

Kate exhaled in a rush. “You’re beautiful.”

Erato giggled. “And to think, you’ve barely seen me.” As though emphasizing her point, Erato turned to face her while allowing the top of her dress to fall down over her shoulders. Cleavage that had been merely hinted at before now spilled over.

Kate dragged her eyes away from the curves on display. It didn’t feel right to ogle a half-naked woman while she was still fully dressed. “Ten minutes.” She took a step away, toward the bathroom, before Erato caught her wrist. She stopped but didn’t look back at her gorgeous visitor. She was too afraid of what she might see.

“Relax, Kate.” Erato’s low voice had an instant calming effect. “You don’t need to be nervous with me. I’m here for
you
.”

That didn’t exactly erase all her doubts, but something about the woman was soothing. Kate drew in a deep, steadying breath, then met Erato’s gaze on the exhale. She wasn’t entirely certain what to say.
Thank you
? The whole situation felt strange. “It’s…just been a while.”

Erato gave her a sympathetic smile. “I know.”

Of course she did. “And you have to admit, this is kind of a weird way to meet a woman.”

The sweet smile never faltered. “I suppose so.”

Kate made the mistake of allowing her eyes to drift lower, where she noticed that the very edge of one dark nipple peeked out over the top of Erato’s unzipped dress. She licked her lips, aware of the action but unable to stop her instinctive response to the sight.

“Ten minutes?” Erato murmured, drawing Kate’s attention back to her amused face.

“Ten minutes.”

*

Ten minutes later, Kate returned to the bedroom showered, shaved, trimmed, and smelling of her favorite vanilla-scented lotion. She half expected to find the room empty and her visitor gone, but Erato was almost exactly where she left her. Except now she was completely naked—and Kate’s bedroom was suddenly,
amazingly,
tidy.

“You cleaned?” Kate stood dumbly in her pajama bottoms and tank top, not sure whether she was more shocked by the spontaneous burst of housekeeping or the fact that Erato had apparently straightened things up in the nude.