0 comments/ 74167 views/ 9 favorites The Talisman Ch. 1 By: Ebonvoice tal-is-man (n) - Something supposed to produce or capable of producing extraordinary effects; a charm. "Dear Rick, I think you're a really nice guy. And I can't tell you how much I loved going to see Barbra Streisand the other night. But I don't think a weekend in Catalina is really appropriate. I just don't see us as being anything more than friends. (I guess it's that office thing, ya know?) Anyway, I'm sure I'll see you around. Maybe we can hit that Italian place on the Promenade again for lunch. Sincerely, Melissa" Rick folded the laptop gently against the steering wheel, closing it with a "click" that seemed to punctuate the story of his love life. "Friends", "Buddies," "You're like a brother, father, uncle, to me", all echoing in that little "click". Rick pushed the seat back and leaned over to slide the laptop into its case under the passenger seat. Laying back, he stared through the smoked glass moonroof of his Jeep Grand Cherokee. He could almost swear that one of the clouds in the sky resembled a clown's face, smiling, almost laughing at him. "Damn. Rejection by e-mail. That's got to be some kind of first." Rick raised the driver's seat and started up the Jeep. As he pulled out of his parking space, he turned his head to take a last look at the couples and families ambling toward the Catalina Island ferry before driving away. Rick's drive along the freeways toward his home in the Hollywood Hills seemed more like that of a homing pigeon subconsciously beelining his way to a coop. After a taunting string of oldies hits on the radio, "Love on a Two-Way Street", "Donna", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore", Rick switched off his radio and finished the ride home in silence. Rick pulled into the driveway behind his Eclipse and switched off the car. Closing his eyes, he pictured Melissa at the office, the air-conditioning working it's magic against her sweater and his libido. The chilled air always caused Melissa's nipples to poke out, barely restrained under her bra, even more so on Fridays when the dress code was more lax and she tended to forgo an undergarment. He imagined what color they were-- were they a rose color, or a deep brown? How they would feel in his fingers, or on his tongue, in his mouth? How would she breathe if her nipples were sucked gently, rhythmically with the sound of the Catalina surf gently swooshing in the background? He looked down and saw a spot growing halfway down his pants leg. "Damn. I've got to take care of this." Rick adjusted his erection and started up the Jeep, pulling back out into the street. The sex store was only a few blocks away, it shouldn't take long to grab a video and get back home. The sex store stood at the mouth of an alley just off Hollywood Boulevard. There was a heavy plastic covering draped over the door, blocking the view of the mildly curious. Rick parked a half-block from the sex store and stepped from the Jeep, casually jaywalking across the street. When he reached the doorway, Rick was caught by the scent of incense (was it sandalwood? Patchouli?) coming from the alleyway. He wondered if there was a homeless man selling incense or oils there, and stepped into the alley to take a look. Near the back of the alley was a storefront, one he hadn't noticed before. The storefront glass had no lettering and was blacked out, as was the door. (What kind of store is this?) On the door was a piece of paper taped to the glass, flapping in the wind. Rick's curiosity bested his sexual frustration, and he walked further into the alley to check out this mystery. As he closed in on the storefront, Rick's erection flared again, pushing out from under his slacks, accompanied by the almost irresistable urge to masturbate. "What the fuck?" he thought. The spot of pre-come on Rick's pants spread and looked as if he'd lost control of his bladder. Embarrassed, Rick pulled his shirt out from his pants, covering the spot. Smoothing his shirt down, he brushed his hand against his penis, and it throbbed, almost as if he was coming, followed by the sensation of dizziness and addictive disorientation that comes from an orgasm. He leaned against the brick wall on the side of the alley and took in the smell of urine, a disturbing, acrid smell that made him lose some of his hardness. But it was what was written on the taped paper sign on the door, that made Rick's erection totally deflate. "Come in, Rick. The door's open." To Be Continued... The Talisman Ch. 2 Rick's heart felt as if it was beating right against his breastbone. He took the paper from the door, snapping it off the piece of tape that held it against the glass. The smell of incense again wafted through the crack in the door, and enveloped him as he pushed his way inside. On the store's walls were shelves with pillar candles on three tiers, each of them different shapes, sizes and at different stages of melting. The candlelight blazed the small room with light that shifted, flickered and moved like angels against a mirror. As his eyes adjusted to the light, Rick noticed a space in the far corner of the room where there were no candles, but a doorway draped shut by a maroon velvet curtain. "Have you found anything you like, Rick?" chimed a voice from behind the curtain. "I... um... who are you?" Rick asked. From behind the curtain stepped a woman, petite, Asian, with short cropped hair. She wore a black crepe skirt and a thin violet, somewhat iridescent blouse that clung to her torso, outlining breasts that swelled only slightly from her chest. The skirt seemed to hang from her hips, holding on to each leg as she walked toward him. The candlelight played along her face, casting shadows here, then there. She could have been in her thirties, maybe even her fifties, Rick thought. It was hard enough to tell the age of Asian women under normal circumstances, let alone these. "My name's Sun Li," she said. Her voice was gentle, almost a whisper, but sweet, lyrical, like wind chimes. "You might want to look over at the display case over here," she pointed to a small, waist-high showcase along a wall near the right-rear of the store. "I think you'll find what you need, there." What I needed, Rick thought, was a two hour porn video and some Wet. Being stood-up by Melissa this morning was a far gone memory, and a far gone cry from what was happening now. Now he was inside some strange store that seemed to appear overnight. Now he was peering through candles and garments hung from the ceiling, to make his way toward a blue-glass case near the back of the store. Rick wondered about the rice-paper Kama Sutra murals that adorned the walls, moving three-dimensionally in the candlelight. Sun Li followed behind Rick, and slipped in front of him to position herself behind the case. She reached inside, and removed one of the shelves, placing it on top of the case. On the shelf sat stones of various sizes and colors. Of those that caught Rick's eye, there were a dark grey stone set as a pendant, an octagonal sand stone with a Yin/Yang symbol set in the center, and a rose quartz stone that almost resembled a woman's genitalia. "Try the one you like, Rick." said Sun Li. "Wait," replied Rick. "How do you know me?" "Women know all men who are frustrated the way you are, Rick. It's in the way you walk, the way you smell. Some women are attracted to this frustration, for it offers them the gratification they want without the involvement of a relationship." "Whoa. Are you saying that women are dogs, too?" Rick asked. Sun Li continued, barely noticing his question. "Some women are repulsed by this. They perceive this frustration as a sort of desperation. Desperation is poor aphrodisiac." "No shit. But you haven't answered my question". "The answer to your 'question', is here, Rick." Sun Li gestured again toward the shelf. "Try the one you like." Rick pointed to the grey stone. "What's this?" "Hematite," she replied. "It's useful for grounding the spirit, when in meditation." Rick grunted. I don't need meditation, he thought, I need a woman. He picked up the sandstone piece and cradled it in his palm. This is cute, he thought. I could probably use this as a paperweight at the office, or something. Sun Li bent her head slightly, looking into Rick's eyes, as if trying to read his thoughts. She looked down at the rose- quartz piece and picked it up, placing it in front of his face. "What about this?" she asked. Rick looked at the vagina stone, wrinkling his brow. "You know, if I'm hungry, I don't want to watch some guy cooking a steak. That thing's only going to remind me of what I'm not getting. No, thanks." Sun Li placed the stone gently back on the velvet. She peered into his eyes again, trying to read him. Suddenly, Rick's cock started to stir again, and he felt it grow between his leg and the fabric of his boxers. He looked at the stone in his palm, and saw the symbol moving, changing form. "What's this?" he asked. "It is Yin and Yang," Sun Li replied. "No, it's something else." Rick stared at the stone in his hand as the forms shifted, animating in his palm. Sun Li looked again at the stone. "No. That is Yin and Yang." Rick continued to stare at the stone as the symbol changed, forming a couple, a man and a woman, copulating. It looked as if they were making love on a circular bed, undulating, pushing, spooning each other. Rick's arousal waxed and his dick rose under his pants leg. Sun Li looked down at his erection, and looked back at his face. Rick appeared mesmerized by the stone, watching this man and woman spin and fuck in his hand. He placed the sandstone back on the velvet, bracing himself against the case. "Damn, I think I just came. Um... I'm sorry. Could you get me a tissue, please?" Sun Li stared at his cock, backing into the doorway and disappearing behind the curtain. Rick felt a trail of semen snaking down his thigh and pulled his pants leg away to keep the fabric from getting wet. What did I just say? he thought. Oh God, this is embarrassing. He brought his hand up to his face, pinching his nose and massaging his forehead, dizzy from his orgasm when he caught a familiar scent: pussy. It was sweet, tangy, syrupy, and the scent was in his hand, where he held the sandstone. Looking into his palm, Rick looked and saw a pool of wetness, drying in his hand. Sun Li returned from the back with a wet washcloth, stopping across the showcase from Rick. She looked at the sandstone, and picked it up, examining it. Sun Li replaced the Yin/Yang stone and took Rick's hand, smelling the puddle receding into the folds of his palm. Dropping the washcloth, she brought his hand closer, running the tip of her tongue along the center crack in the middle of his hand. Rick noticed her nipples become erect under her blouse, forming small points at the crest of her breasts, as she brought his hand fully to her lips, licking and slurping the liquid from his hand. She breathed deeply into his palm, pressing it into her face, until his hand was clean. Sun Li then stepped away from the showcase and walked over to Rick, her skirt clinging to her hips and legs. She knelt in front of him, undoing his pants and bringing them down to his ankles. Sun Li brought her lips to his knee, kissing the pearl of semen that formed at his kneecap. "Oh, my god." Rick said. Sun Li grabbed the back of Rick's thigh, lick/kissing the trail of come on his leg until he felt only her cooling saliva where his come was. She pursed her lips at the head of his cock, partially covered by foreskin, and licked the head of his cock clean, tonguing the inside of the skin covering his glans. Straightening herself, Sun Li sucked at the silk of Rick's boxers, tasting his fluid and licking her lips before pulling up his pants and re-doing the zipper. "Damn," was all Rick could say. His head swirled again with the heady sensation of just having come, hardly noticing Sun Li as she wrapped the sandstone octagon in tissue paper, and placing it into a black paper handlebag. "This is your answer," she said as she handed Rick the bag. "This talisman is intended for you." "Thank you. I mean, thank you." Rick said. "Your luck is going to change," Sun Li predicted. Damn right it's going to change, Rick thought as he brought the talisman home, and set it on his nightstand next to his bed. That was incredible! On top of that, she just gave me this thing! Damn, that was great! next morning, Rick strolled through the street market on Ivar, ate a tamale for breakfast and picked up some fresh flowers for Sun Li, as a thank-you. He jogged the two blocks over to the alley where the storefront was, only to be greeted by empty brick. The store was gone, if it was there at all. Bewildered, Rick drove back to his home, certain that he had dreamed the entire encounter. He rinsed out a vase to keep the flowers in, and brought the vase to his bedside. The talisman was still there! And, if he stared at it long enough, Rick could still see the man and woman twisting, turning, making love in the stone. "Your luck is going to change", she said. What the hell is going on? To Be Continued... The Talisman Ch. 3 Rick moved to the other side of the bed, picked up some old mail and magazines, and set the vase down, arranging the flowers in the sunlight. All the time, he kept an eye on the strange sandstone sculpture given to him just the day before. Sun Li said that it was "meant" for him, or some such. Could that be why only he saw a man and woman making love in the stone? And what was the pungent liquid that secreted from the charm into his hand yesterday? Rick rolled across the bed and picked up the talisman, cradling it in his left hand. As he stared, the yin/yang symbol in the stone swirled, congealed, morphed again into a woman and her lover fucking within the circle. "Oh, baby, fuck me." Rick felt the words in his mind, like a whisper. A woman's voice, somewhat familiar and arousing. The arousal swept through his arm, snake-like, behind his shoulder through his heart to between his legs, rushing blood to his cock. Rick zipped down his pants to free his erection, where it jerked loose of his shorts and twitched wildly in the air, pre-come leaking from the tip as if he hadn't had an orgasm in years. Looking back at the stone, the lovers entwined and coiled together as Rick's right hand tightened over his dick, jerking it slowly from root to tip. As the clear seminal fluid coated his prick under his right hand, a similar rivulet began to travel down his left wrist, out from under the stone. Rick stopped. He took the stone out of his hand and examined the underside-- it was bone dry, but the wetness on his left hand was unmistakable. Bringing his hand to his face, Rick smelled the scent of a woman's heat, sweet and addictive. He licked at his hand, the way Sun Li did yesterday at the store. It tasted... like a lover. He rolled onto his stomach, replacing the stone on the nightstand and buried his face into his left hand, sipping and licking all traces of fluid, reveling in its sweetness. What was left on his hand, he wiped under his nose and on his lips, content to lay there and breathe in the smell of a wet pussy until the doorbell rang. "Oh, shit," Rick said, examining his pants. They were messy from what seemed like a cup of pre-come all over the front. Rick ripped the pants off and threw them in the hamper in his closet before fumbling in a drawer for a pair of jeans. "Just a minute!" he shouted toward the door. Rick padded downstairs and through the living room, buttoning his jeans as he made it to the door. Looking through the beveled glass of his front door, he saw a woman with red hair wearing a white mock-turtleneck shirt. She looked upset for some reason. Opening the door, Rick asked, "Hey, are you okay?" "Oh, thank god you're home," the redhead screamed, jumping nervously in place. "My cat's stuck on your roof and he can't get down. I've been looking for him all morning." The woman's statement was punctuated sharply, almost comically, by a plaintive "miaow" just overhead. Rick looked up, and saw a black Burmese staring down at him from the roof. Upon making eye contact, the cat made another "miaow" sound as if to say, "What's your problem? Come up here and save me." Rick placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder to calm her. "Don't worry, this won't take long. I've got a ladder in the back. Come on." Ten minutes later, Rick met the source of his masturbatory interruption. The Burmese sat placidly at the edge of the roof waiting to be picked up. "miaow," the cat said, which Rick interpreted as: "about damn time." He cradled the cat in his arm and walked over to the ladder, climbing down slowly to the ground and the cat's owner. "Oh, Simon, are you okay, baby?" the redhead examined the cat's neck and belly, and, assured that he was all right, turned to Rick. "Oh god, thank you..." "Rick. My name's Rick." he said, extending his hand. "Moira. Moira Mc Fadden." The redhead shook Rick's hand, holding it for a moment, staring at him. "Have you eaten?" she asked. "A little something for breakfast, I'm fine. Thanks anyway." Moira tightened her grip on Rick's hand. "Something to drink, then? I have to say 'thank you' some kind of way." "Your luck is going to change." Sun Li's words echoed in Rick's mind, as he looked in Moira's eyes. He saw her pupils grow large and her cheeks flush, deepening the appearance of her freckles. "Something to drink would be fine, Moira." Moira's apartment opened into her kitchen, where two other cats waited patiently next to empty food bowls for her arrival. "This is Jason and that one there is Galore." She set the burmese next to the other two cats, poured some kibble into their bowl and led Rick to her living room. "A pussy named Galore?" Rick smiled. "You a James Bond fan?" "Yes. My favorites are the Connerys." "Mine too, though Brosnan's not too shabby." Rick said. Maybe Sun Li was right. After all, how many women like James Bond? Moira poured a Pellegrino into a two glasses, offering one to Rick, and sat on a plush leather couch, patting the cushion next to her as an invitation. Rick sat and leaned over to kiss her. "Excuse me." "Hm?" Rick said. "What are you doing?" Rick turned beet red. "Um, I was going to... uh I ... I'm sorry. I guess I got the wrong signal, and there was this woman I met yesterday who said..." "What, a fortune teller or something?" "Something like that." "Oh. That's okay. You know my horoscope told me I should be more impulsive, you know?" "Um... yeah." Rick sat back. "I guess it's just different in practice as opposed to just reading it," Moira said. "Let's try this again." Moira leaned over to Rick and lightly pecked at his lips, looking at him. She then closed her eyes, and kissed him more fully, slipping her tongue between her lips and his, licking his teeth and swirling around his tongue. Rick held his drink out, trying to hold her without spilling. As she leaned closer and kissed more passionately, some of the water sloshed out of the glass, splashing along her back. Moira broke the kiss, screaming. "Oh, Jesus..." Rick stammered. "Shhhh, it's okay," Moira placed a finger on Rick's lips and pulled the turtleneck off, over her head. Her breasts were creamy, dotted with freckles. Rick could see the pink circles of areola just underneath the beige lace, and the impressions of erect nipples poking out from under the satin cups, as she took the glass from his hand. "You're beautiful," he said. "My breasts aren't too small?" she asked. "No, they're perfect." Rick closed his lips around one of the nipple impressions and breathed hot air through the satin. He then felt a hand press against the back of his head, pushing it closer to her breast. A moan traveled from Moira's throat down her chest, reverberating under her breast bone. Rick tugged at the cup of her bra, freeing her nipple, and sucked softly, rhythmically. "Oh, that feels good, honey," Moira moaned. She swung her leg over, straddling him, and ground her pelvis against his dick. The action, and their kiss, brought Rick's erection back to the point where he was licking pussy juice from his hand. Moira ground harder into the bulge, and Rick could feel her tremble under the breast in his mouth. The hand behind his head dropped, and Moira's full weight fell onto Rick. He responded by circling his arms around her back, feeling for hooks to undo her bra. Moira straightened slightly. "Wait," she said, then: "here," as she unclipped the snap in the front of the bra, spilling her breasts into his hands. Rick wet his fingers in his mouth, then pinched at Moira's right breast, continuing to suck her left nipple. Moira ground her sex into Rick's pants even harder through the fabric, shaking and tensing her legs over his hips. She then dropped her face to his, kissing him with need, with hunger. Her legs slid along his right thigh, moving back and forth before squeezing again. She broke their kiss again, gasping and whispering. "You make me come so good." A trail of clothes lay like breadcrumbs from the living room to the bedroom, ending with a pile of socks and beige satin panties at the foot of the bed. Moira lay back, guiding Rick's head between her legs. The scent of her sex mingled with that of strawberries and apples as he touched his tongue to her clit, causing it to protrude slightly. Rick pulled her lips apart and continued licking along the inside of her labia, down, up and circling around her clitoris. Each time he sucked her clit, her come became thicker, tangier, as she ground her pussy into his face. He stepped up his pace until he just stayed at her clit, sucking it between his lips and flicking his tongue against it. Moira answered his efforts with an alternating string of endearments and curses. "You need to fuck me, now," she said. Moira slipped out from under Rick's mouth, skipping over to her dresser. She turned, and faced Rick, with her hands behind her. "Lay back, honey," she said. Rick scooted up the bed, watching Moira crawl between his legs. She cradled his dick in her hand, enjoying the way it twitched when she licked it. "Close your eyes, darling," she said. Rick saw imaginary lights under his eyelids, feeling a warm sensation on his cock spreading, getting warmer, accompanied by sucking. His cock grew harder and throbbed. The sucking continued until he felt a constriction at the head of his cock. Rick cracked open his eyes to peek. "Oh, my god." Moira's lips were stretched around the base of Rick's cock, her nose brushing against his skin, lost in his pubic hair. The sucking alternated with the grip of a gulping sensation at the tip of his dick, massaging it, bringing it closer to eruption. "Oh, fuck," he said. Moira looked into Rick's eyes and lifted her face from his cock. Rick looked down, and saw a rubber rolled on to his cock, as it waved up and down urgently. "You're going to fuck me, now." Moira said. Moira brought her pelvis up, aligning her pussy with this man in her bed. Rick looked down, watching her take him, feeling her wetness through the rubber as she settled fully on his root. He closed his eyes and thrust upward, pushing as deeply as he could into her womb. Moira pushed back, then lifted, sliding his dick almost completely out, before crashing on it again. Every few minutes, she would stop-- stop moving, breathing. She would grip his arms tightly and grind her pussy on his manhood, making a high-pitched wail in her throat. When she relaxed, her nipples hardened and her pussy got wetter, and she fucked Rick harder. "Oh baby, fuck me," she said. Rick closed his eyes and remembered the voice he had heard in his bedroom. He heard himself scream as he came into the rubber, and throbbed in Moira's pussy. Moira screamed in accompaniment, biting his neck and licking his ear. "You make me come so fucking good, darling," she said. "You feel so good". "...so good, so good..." she repeated, as she drifted to sleep. Rick lay spent, and subconsciously held Moira closer, feeling her warmth, taking in her scent. As he relaxed and began to doze, Rick saw Simon over at the doorway, making eye contact. Simon meowed as if to say, "Thanks, she needed that," before padding out of the room. To Be Continued... The Talisman Ch. 4 Rick had never cared much for Africa. He imagined the vast continent to be little more than just desert-- way too dry for his taste. But as he slept, he dreamed of an African sun beaming relentlessly on his face and chest. He dreamed of sinewy thighs caressing and flexing along his legs, a tongue licking a snake trail from his nipple to his earlobe, warm, tropical wetness dribbling along his cock, and dripping from his balls. The woman in his dream looked lost in her orgasm, reaching for another as if she were climbing a ladder. He felt her pussy squeezing and drooling around his dick. In his dream, Rick came continuously as his lover cooed and collapsed on him-- her hips moving of their own accord, her teeth grazing his chest, signalling another come. Rick came again inhaling sweet, clean air with the hint of patchouli, the sweat of his woman and the liquor of their sex. Rick awoke to a pool of semen cooling in his navel; he looked over at the talisman. The lovers fell apart from their embrace on the shifting surface of the totem, once again resuming the yin-yang symbol on the face of the sandstone. The office was always quiet when Rick arrived. He flipped on the lights and the copier, and, while the copier warmed up, made a pot of coffee. There was a strange sense of empowerment to this ritual, as if it were he who brought the office to life. Today, however, was different. Starting the office up just didn't seem as important as it was last week. Rick ambled over to his desk, and switched on his computer. He sipped from his coffee, his eyes popping open, involuntarily. He made a mental note to go easy on the grounds for the next pot. "Rick?" a female voice lilted and swerved from around a corner. "Yeah?" "You okay?" the woman was short, mousy, and rather plain. She peeked in from the side of the door, eyebrows arched with concern. "I'm fine, Roberta. Why?" "I was in the ladies' room on Friday when... when I heard..." Roberta's cheeks flushed a deep red, and suddenly found a new interest in her shoes. "Bobbie, don't worry about it. The weekend worked out all right, anyway." "There's more than that. Melissa was going out with--" Rick raised a hand to cut her off. "Bobbie, I'm really not interested. Thanks for your concern, but it really wasn't that important." Roberta looked up and smiled. "Okay," she said. "Coffee?" Rick raised his cup to her. "Oh, okay," Roberta said. "Um, what are you doing for lunch?" "Working. I've got a report due tomorrow." Rick lied. The truth was that he just wanted Bobbie to go away. "Okay. Well, see you... okay?" "Oh - kay." Rick said, tersely. He thought Bobbie to be very sweet, but her "okays" were sometimes irritating. It seemed to him that she was always looking for permission to just speak. As a result, he treated her very dismissively. Their discussions always left Rick with a tinge of guilt at the end. He made a silent resolve (again) to be nicer to her. "Got a second, buddy?" Rick looked up at his next visitor-- Clifford. Clifford had the body of an obsessive gym rat; his bleached crew cut contributed to an almost Aryan appearance. Where Bobbie was sweet, Cliff was smug, swaggering. He was, in short, an asshole. "What is it, Cliff?" Rick asked. "I got into the 'mile-high' club last weekend, my friend," Cliff continued. "All it took was a quick flight to Vegas, baby." "Who's the lucky lady, Cliff?" Rick hoped that humoring Cliff would make him go away sooner. "Melissa, baby! You know, the bitch with the..." Cliff held his fingers apart in front of his chest, indicating Melissa's nipples. "Fuck, you know, she, like fuckin' adores Wayne Newton? Fuckin' A, baby!" Cliff walked from Rick's office chuckling, fucking his right thumb into his left fist, making little "pwt pwt pwt" sounds as he walked off. "Oh, fuck," Rick said, returning to his report. Some hours later, Rick pored over endless spreadsheets, collating and formatting their presentation for the Harris Project. He took a sip from his third coffee, setting the cup next to the phone, clear of the reports. In the background, he could hear Cliff's "pwt pwt pwt" in the opposite corner of the office, and he rose to shut the door. The door was almost closed when a set of fingers curled around the edge. "Rick?" He sighed in exasperation, then caught himself. "Yes, Bobbie?" "I.. I just wanted to see if you might have thought again about lunch..." Rick cracked the door open, and waved Bobbie in. "I don't know," he answered. "I'm just having a bad day, and I want to minimize my contact with other people right now. "I'm sorry..." "Hey, Rick?" came a voice crackling from his phone. "Hang on, Bobbie... Yeah, Terry?" "Pick up the phone, man." Rick reached behind him for the phone, knocking over the coffee instead. A pool of liquid spread almost in slow motion over his work. "Oh, great! Terry, I need to call you back." Rick draped the morning paper over his desk, blotting the mess. The result was a ruined report and a wasted morning. "So much for my luck changing," he said. "It's just an accident, Rick," replied Bobbie. "What?" "Didn't you say it was 'fucking strange'?" Rick looked at Bobbie quizzically. "No. I said something about my luck changing." "I'm sorry!" Bobbie turned a deep crimson in her cheeks, finding yet another nuance in her shoes. "I thought you said something else." Rick noticed her discomfort, and offered a chair. "Hey, don't worry about it-- this thing really doesn't have to be finished until the end of the month, and it just needed a little tweaking, that's all. Look, let's go to lunch, okay?" Roberta raised her head with a weak grin. The Pelican's Pouch was a worn little shack just off the Santa Monica pier, but the scent of fresh fish hung in the kitchen air, and sunlight shone through the windows papered with old British newspapers, making the restaurant bright, but without a glare. Rick usually came to the "Pouch" alone, often to read a book a paper, or to cram some research in for a media study, so throughout their lunch, Rick was more than a little uncomfortable, sharing his spot with Bobbie. "Are you okay?" Bobbie asked. "Yeah! I'm fine," said Rick "Guess I had just a litttle too much coffee, you know?" "Yeah," Bobbie said, her voice trailing off. "You know I'm real--" "Bobbie. Don't apologize again... okay? I knocked over my own coffee, and Melissa can go out with whomever she wants..." "Even if it's 'Cliff the Shit', huh?" Bobbie interjected. Rick laughed, and in that laugh, his calamitous day fell away. "Oh, man, I needed that. So, how long has Cliff been 'the shit'?" Bobbie's face brightened at Rick's reaction, and for the first time he could remember, Rick saw Roberta smile. It transformed her-- she was very attractive when she smiled. "Oh, Cliff's never been 'the shit'... he sure IS A 'shit' though," she giggled. "And he's been one ever since he came out of the mail room-- or maybe that's when we noticed." Rick and Roberta walked lazily across the street back to the office, laughing and chuckling after their lunch. It was then that Rick noticed how hot it was that afternoon... almost like Africa. The laughing stopped abruptly at the the doorway to Rick's office, where they were greeted by the sight of a coffee-stained computer printout on Rick's desk, and a huge Black man seated in Rick's chair. "Terry," Rick said, quietly. "Um, I was supposed to call you back, wasn't I, boss?" "Um... yeah," said the Black man, rising from Terry's chair. "I need to know your progress on the Harris Literacy project. The meeting's been moved up to tomorrow morning and the Mayor's going to be here to see this. But, I suppose if the illiteracy rate on this city's high-schoolers in fact, hasn't dropped, then all this coffee on the report is really of no real consequence, right?" "I'm pulling an all-nighter, aren't I?" "Got a change of clothes in your car?" "I think so." "Good. Cleaned and pressed?" "I don't know." "Then you may have a problem. Finish it. 8:00 tomorrow," Terry said, stepping past the couple and into the hallway. Rick turned to Bobbie. "I'd better get going. Thanks for lunch, okay?" Roberta tip-toed up, kissing Rick on the cheek. "Sure thing," she said. "Seeya, okay?" "Um... okay. Uh, yeah! Seeya." Rick sat back at his desk, shaking his head, but the report was the furthest thing from his mind. When Bobbie kissed him, he could swear that she smelled like the woman from his dream. To Be Continued...