Mad About You

breathed.
    "Again, I’m not positive, b-but it appears we are unsuspecting hitchhikers on a magic carpet ride."
    "But that's insane!"
    "Jasmine," he said, pointing again. "Isn't that the Arco Arena?"
    "I'm not going to look," she shouted, hiding her face.
    "Hey! There's the Air Force Base."
    "This... is... not... happening."
    "I'll bet we can see all the way to Lake Tahoe!"
    "Ladden!" she yelled, on the verge of hysteria. "Listen to yourself."
    "I can't explain it, Jasmine," he said in her ear, then he dropped a kiss on her neck. "But I do know a lot of weird things started happening when I bought this rug."
    "Don't forget the lamp."
    "And the lamp. Look! There's my store!"
    Moving in millimeters, she turned her head to peek just as they banked. Her stomach pitched.
    "Whoa," Ladden said, tightening his grip on her. "Now look."
    She lifted her head and was rendered speechless.
    They were wrapped in a quilt in their underwear, flying on the carpet high above Sacramento. The long fringe on the ends of the rug buffeted in the wind, and her hair blew around her head. It was a moonless sky, but millions of stars twinkled above them. The air around them had a bluish cast and smelled fresh. Beneath them, white and neon lights glowed, outlining the grid of the city. Now that the airplane had passed overhead, all was quiet, as if they were watching a silent panoramic movie. The scene was glorious, amazing, and utterly unbelievable.
    Stupefied, she huddled next to Ladden and said, "Maybe there's something to this genie stuff, after all."

Chapter Fourteen

    THEY LANDED WITH A THUD.
    Jasmine's eyes popped open and she sat straight up, clutching the quilt to her chest and gasping for breath. Diffused light from the alley filtered in the high windows above the rear entrance. The wind and rain still howled outside. Next to her, Ladden sprawled on the carpet, snoring softly. Remorse hit her so hard, she felt dizzy with nausea. Tears filled her eyes and spilled freely down her cheeks. She pushed her hair out of her face, her hand meeting a rat's nest of tangles. Gingerly, she pulled herself to her feet, her chest heaving with sobs, her hand over her mouth to muffle the hiccupping sounds.
    She checked the time, her knees weak with relief to discover it was only nine-thirty in the evening. The gloominess of the storeroom and the general darkness of the storm had warped her perception of time... not to mention that incredibly vivid dream. Probably triggered by the mushrooms, she decided. Jasmine shook her head to clear her crazy thoughts and make room for the problem at hand—how to get out of the store undetected.
    But the enormity of the situation crushed her. What had she done? Sold her future—and possibly Trey's—for a few moments of pleasure with Ladden? Her hands shook uncontrollably as she pulled her blouse over her head. In the few seconds it took to find her slacks, she approached hysteria. At last she found the garment, entwined somehow with his jeans. She eased into them gingerly, already stiff and sore from their ardent lovemaking.
    Jasmine snatched a linen napkin from the table to wipe her eyes, but the very sight of their abandoned meal renewed her torrent of tears. Only one candle still burned, but it was fizzling out in its own wax, so she blew it out. The other half-burned candles must have extinguished themselves. Yet another careless mistake: they could have torched the entire block.
    As quietly and quickly as possible, she repaired her hair and makeup with the limited contents of her purse. God only knew who might be lurking outside in their car with a camera at this very moment, waiting for her to emerge. She slung her purse to her shoulder and glanced back at Ladden, who still hadn't moved. She had a terrible feeling the worst was yet to come.
    She took a deep breath and passed through the door to the fully lit showroom. If not for the rain, she would have been perfectly spotlighted for anyone watching from outside, but she could barely see her car across the street. Quickly, she unlocked the front door, then stepped outside and made a run for it.

    * * *

    A telephone rang in the distance, but by the time Ladden roused, it stopped. He sat up and surveyed the room, knowing Jasmine was gone. At least the rain had stopped. He sighed, passing a hand over his face. Her leaving without waking him was not a good sign.
    But as he pushed himself to his feet, he couldn't resist a little self-satisfied smile. What an