Hi Everybody, Those of you who've been around the newsgroups for awhile may remember me. It's been a looooong time since I've posted anything. I never totally gave up my love of writing, but circumstances have kept me from completing anything enough for posting online. But I've finally gotten one little piece of fluff cobbled together. Hopefully some of you will enjoy it. I've always hated it when a story I was enjoying suddenly died, either through the author's loss of interest or loss of ISP, or pressures of life, or loss of computer, or... whatever. I have to say I really admire Vickie Tern, Tigger, and Waldo (and others, but those three come to mind most readily) for the self-control they display since they never seem to post serials or anything until it's **finished**. As I also admire Stephanie and Christopher Leeson and Alan Hassel and Eddie Glover (and others too numerous to mention without sounding like a bad imitation of an Oscar acceptance speech - PLEASE don't feel offended if you're an author and I didn't mention you!) for cracking down and finishing serial stories rather than leaving us hanging mid-plot. Which leads me to my own heinous sin - Class Project. Within the upcoming weeks I hope to have the time to pick up where I left off oh those many moons ago (18 months ago? More?!) To those who've written me concerning my previous stories, thanks, and to those who've asked if I ever intend to complete Class Project, I apologize that it's taken so long. And before I step down from my little soap box, I want to thank Nostrumo for the absolutely fabulous (hmmm, catchy title) job he's doing with this list. Since the newsgroups are so inundated with spam this is one of the last refuges for those of us who like to read and write stories of this kind. As always, I welcome any and all comments, I try to answer all email so feel free to tell me what you think. As long as you're polite, of course -- flames will be ignored. Disclaimers seem silly, but necessary I suppose. This work is intended for adults only. This is a work of *fiction* and if you can't deal with that then get a life. The work is copyright 1997 to me, Janice Dreamer. Permission is granted to post, repost, and otherwise distribute electronically, but please don't try to make money off my efforts -- write your own instead. Enjoy! The Pixie's Promise by Janice Dreamer Jack Moore leaned back from his desk, stretched, and stood up to work the kinks out of cramped muscles. At 6'2" his head and shoulders easily rose above the partitions that formed the walls of his cubicle. He looked around the cavernous office filled with hundreds of similar cubes. He thought he was the only one in the building but he couldn't be sure. Although not a soul was visible from his office near the front windowed wall all the way to the bank of elevators at the back, there might be dozens of other cube dwellers hunched over their computers within a few feet of Jack, completely hidden in the maze of cubicles. Small noises might be the muted sound of keyboards being caressed by other late evening workers or nothing more than the ruffle of blinds stirred by the breeze from the air vents. Working long hours and weekends had become such a habit for Jack that he seldom questioned it any more. But recently at times like this, with the main lights dimmed and the office nearly silent, he was acutely aware of the oppressive dreariness of his office, his job, and his life. The sprawling 5 story office building was organized like those drawings of an evolutionary tree, with a multitude of lower creatures huddled down near the roots. The higher life forms seemed to instinctively seek altitude. The lower floors were all the same, a labyrinth of cramped cubicles filled with junior engineers and gofers. Jack's office on the third floor actually meant he was among the elite of the cube denizens. He was "management", albeit at the most junior level possible: a section leader on a project team. His position earned him a more spacious cube near the windows but he ruefully thought it wasn't much of a perk for being a "manager". The true upper management resided at the top where they had more room to grow. The next floor up from Jack's contained real offices instead of cubicles, except for a few open work stations for the secretaries. That was where the corporation's middle level managers worked, and everything from the light fixtures to the carpeting was better quality than down below. And the fifth floor, at the top of the building, was even better yet; it held large luxurious office suites for the senior management of the regional headquarters. At that level even the secretaries had private offices. Jack still had hopes that someday he might have an office on the fourth floor but he'd long since given up on any dream that he might ever make it to the fifth floor. He glanced at the clock: 9:30 at night and he was still in the office. Just a few loose ends to wind up and he'd call it a day, he promised himself. He had a report to present at the morning staff meeting and he prided himself on always coming through with whatever management expected of him. Mr. Reliable, that's Jack Moore. So what if he had to stay late to keep up with the workload. It wasn't as if he had anything to go home to, in any case. He knew he must be going through some kind of mid-life crisis. His wife had divorced him five years ago and he never got seriously involved with another woman since then. It wasn't that he was unattractive, women generally found him rather sexy - he had the same kind of rugged good looks as Harrison Ford. But he was disillusioned with women in general and had no desire to ever put himself in a situation where he would be vulnerable to be hurt by a woman again. Gradually he spent more and more of his energy in work. He wasn't overly happy as a junior level manager - section leader hardly qualified as management at all - but he thought if he worked hard and did a good job he'd be promoted to a more satisfying position. So his life had numbingly ground along with him spending 60 or more hours a week in the office and bringing work home on the weekends as well. His social life had slowly devolved until it became an event if he even spoke to a woman outside of the office. His sex life was an occasional masturbatory session late at night when he couldn't sleep. His 40th birthday was approaching rapidly and he'd almost unconsciously become resigned to spending the remainder of his years working doggedly away at a job that bored him, punctuated by solitary microwave dinners in front of the TV. And then Mary was transferred into the office. He sighed and settled back down at his desk to finish the report. He resumed cross-referencing data from the other section leaders on the Acme project. He paused when he came to the email from Mary with her estimates. His mind drifted to a favorite fantasy, as it almost always did whenever occupied by thoughts of Mary. He pictured her in her tailored business suit suddenly kneeling down in front of him. He imagined her confessing that she couldn't take the pressure of the corporate world. She'd strip naked and plead with him to take care of her, she'd do *anything* for him, all he had to do was command her. She was tired of pretending to be an executive, she only wanted to please him and for him to make love to her and make her feel like a girl ought to feel... Mary O'Connell was one of the new kids on the block. She had only recently transferred in from the Chicago office to work on the Acme project. Mary wasn't the only employee transferred on to the project but she was definitely the most noticeable. It was the biggest project ever undertaken by the company and many reputations and future careers were riding on its successful completion. So it was no surprise that every ambitious person in the company lobbied to be assigned to the project and a whole flock of new faces had appeared in this, the regional office responsible for coordinating the job. With the increased workload and extra pressure everyone associated with the project had naturally banded together to form a tight little office social clique. For the most part the people newly transferred to the project deferred to the "old timers" who'd worked in the regional office longer, but Mary had emerged as one of the social leaders of the project group. She was tall, just a bit less than six feet, very slender and graceful, willowy rather than buxom. Her most memorable feature was her great mop of flame red hair that cascaded down her back in rebellious waves and curls that no comb or brush could ever tame. She had the complexion to match, a visible testament to her Irish heritage. Milky pale skin was the canvas for a constellation of orange freckles that were sprinkled so liberally they nearly blended together to form a uniform whole. Her mouth was wide and sensuous, with dimples that appeared when she flashed one of her frequent smiles. Her blue eyes sparkled with amusement and glittered merrily as that smile spread across her face. She was, physically, Jack's idea of the perfect woman. Mentally, however, was an entirely different story. Most people took to Mary immediately. She seemed to have a quality of making everyone at ease with her winning smile and quick wit. But not Jack. Haughty was how Jack thought of her. Early on, Jack had made the mistake of letting her know he was interested in more than a business relationship. Since then, every encounter Jack had with Mary left him feeling stupid and clumsy and completely defeated. Her attitude toward him seemed to be one of detached amusement, as if his attempts to talk to her were a show being put on for her entertainment. Although others never seemed to notice, Jack thought she was derisive toward men in general and him in particular. She was always ready with a joke or witty comment no matter what he might say to her. Often her jokes seemed to have a biting edge to them, making him feel as though he personally had been put down smartly. But then she'd smile and giggle, or wink conspiratorially as if she were letting him in on the joke and there he'd be, feeling vaguely snubbed, but unable to respond without seeming an overly sensitive asshole. From the start Mary and Jack had been thrown together. They were both section leaders on the Acme project. Mary was responsible for technical liaison with the Client's personnel and Jack was in charge of logistics for outside contractors. Nominally they were equals. But Mary was the brash young rising star, bright and efficient with fresh ideas and a growing reputation for working well with clients. She was a natural-born negotiator, always managing to maneuver the various factions in any situation into accepting her compromise solutions. Jack was almost exactly her opposite. Almost 15 years older, he was the tried and true workhorse, knowledgeable of the intricacies of company procedure and the realities of the business world. He had more experience with large scale projects than anyone else at the section leader level, and had worked with nearly everyone associated with the project at one time or another. His work was solid and he had a reputation for reliability unmatched in the company. But he was pushing 40 and had never been promoted above section leader. While there were no complaints about his work, he just never demonstrated the type of inspired brilliance that got noticed by upper management when it came time for promotions. So he'd watched in frustrated silence as people he'd trained got promoted over him until Mary arrived on the scene to wake him from his dull existence. Immediately Jack thought Mary was the sexiest woman he'd ever seen, even including magazine centerfolds. In Jack's opinion, the closest thing to physical perfection in a woman had been Angie Everhart, until he'd met Mary. She seemed to be even more beautiful than his imagination could dream up in masturbatory fantasies, and he was instantly stricken. Suddenly thoughts of work became secondary and he found himself thinking in terms of a social life for the first time in years. He did everything he could think of to get her to notice him but nothing seemed to work. At first she was friendly enough but she never picked up on any of the subtle overtures he made toward a more personal relationship. Finally he abandoned subtlety completely and asked her out directly, making no secret what he wanted from her, but she somehow managed to turn it into a proposal for an after-hours business meeting and invited the entire project team along. That was when Jack began to feel that she was mocking him every chance she got. Since that fiasco Jack was slowly going crazy from his pent-up desires and frustration. Part of his obsession with Mary was due to the new pattern their working relationship had assumed since their "date". She seemed to instinctively know his weak points and how best to unsettle him and maneuver things so she always managed to get her way. She manipulated him into agreeing with her even if he was determined at the outset that he was going to stand firm. It rankled him that he was such putty in her hands, but no matter what he did to resist her, the results were always the same, he'd end up allowing her just what she asked for even while amazed at himself for giving in to her. That was when he had first begun fantasizing about dominating her. Every time she scored a victory over him at work he'd imagine giving her a command to strip and service him. Lately these imaginary domination sessions had been growing ever more frequent. Aware of the dangers of sexual harassment, he publicly espoused the company's policies on equal opportunities for women but privately he thought a woman with Mary's looks had no business in corporate life. She should be a model, or a dancer, or even a secretary, but certainly not an executive. If there absolutely had to be women executives then let the dowdy Margaret Thatcher types do it. They were nearly indistinguishable from men anyway. But girls with Mary's looks and charm shouldn't be wasted pretending to be corporate managers, they should be doing the things they were better suited for physically. Unfortunately it was only in his fantasies that Mary performed the duties which Jack thought she was best suited for. A sudden shift in lighting coming from the monitor snapped him out of his dream world. He must have been woolgathering for a good five minutes in order for the screen saver to kick in. He guiltily realized he'd been stroking his erection through the material of his trousers. With an effort of will he moved his hands back to the keyboard and tried to concentrate on his work. He sighed. If he didn't get his daydreaming under control he'd be here all night trying to finish up. ***** When Jack got into the office the next morning there was a message to see Mr. Thornton immediately. Thornton was the regional vice president. As a section leader on the Acme project, Jack had attended several meetings which Thornton had presided over. The Acme contract accounted for 40% of the bookings and 70% of the profit margin for Thornton's region. He necessarily watched its progress most carefully. But Jack had very little direct contact with Thornton, he normally reported through his supervisor, Mr. Bruckner, the project manager. So it was with a bit of trepidation that Jack headed to the elevator to ride up to Thornton's top floor office. When she saw him coming, Thornton's secretary waved him toward the inner office before Jack said a word. "Go right in, Mr. Moore. Mr. Thornton will be with you shortly." Jack entered the richly furnished corner office. He automatically focused on the large mahogany desk and prepared to take a seat in one of the visitor's chairs in front of the massive desk. "Not a good move, Jack. Always pick your battlefield if given the option. If you want to negotiate on equal footing, avoid that desk. All the power is channeled to the person sitting behind the desk. You're nothing but a petitioner sitting over there." Startled, Jack turned and saw Mary seated on a sofa facing a floor to ceiling window giving a magnificent view of the city. She looked calm and self-assured. As if she was naturally in her element in these rarefied surroundings. Quite a contrast to Jack's self-conscious nervousness. She casually picked up a coffee cup from the low table before her and sipped, taking her time to allow him to drink in the sight of her relaxed poise, the entire time her eyes seemed to mock him over the rim of the cup. "Now over here," she continued while gesturing expansively at the comfortable furniture arranged to form an intimate conversational grouping. "We can have a discussion as equals." What the hell was Mary doing here? Jack was thrown off balance by her unexpected presence. It didn't help that she was obviously right about where to sit. She had him totally out-gunned in dealing with people, and Jack knew she knew it. She was just flaunting her superior tactics in the art of negotiation. Somewhat nonplused Jack moved over to where Mary was sitting. Mary took another sip of her coffee. She pointed towards a credenza. "Coffee's over there, Jack." Automatically Jack went to get himself a cup. When he returned Mary smiled and held her cup out to him. "Would you mind, Jack?" she said sweetly. "Black. With one Equal, please." Jack was seething at being treated like Mary's personal butler but what else could he do, act like a macho jerk and refuse? He took her cup and filled it. As he was pouring, Thornton came bustling in. "Oh good, you're both here. Morning Mary. Morning Jack. Mmmm, coffee. Great! While you're at it, Jack, I take mine black. Thanks." Jack's face was burning as he served coffee to both Mary and Thornton. Mary's eyes sparkled in triumphant amusement as she accepted her cup. Jack felt he'd been played for a fool. He didn't think Mary could have orchestrated Thornton's arrival so accurately, but the incident seemed to emphasize how she managed to capitalize on every opportunity to advance her position, even if it was only in the way her superiors perceived her in relation to others. Jack tuned out the conventional pleasantries, responding automatically to the comments on weather and health. He was trying to analyze how Mary had managed to outflank him so handily. If he could just learn what it was she did, how she managed to spot opportunities in seemingly mundane events and turn them to her advantage. Or conversely, if he could figure out what it was he was doing wrong, how he left himself open to her tactics then he could give her some of her own back. That would really be something! To see *her* squirming uncomfortably for a change. This line of thought led naturally to imaging Mary rubbing her body against him and begging for his cock. "...so Frank Bruckner's taking over the L.A. region. He'll be in the office a day or two later this week or next to clear up any details he can't handle by phone but he's effectively out of the picture," Thornton was saying. Jack came instantly alert. This was big news! "I need to replace Frank as project manager as quickly as possible," Thornton continued. "And with minimum upset to the project in the transition. I don't have to remind you that the Acme job is the biggest thing going in this company - ever. I could assign the job to one of the other project managers, but there's nobody available who's up on all the details. I could also promote someone already working on the project to take over, but this is such a major undertaking with so much riding on its success that I'm reluctant to turn it all over as the first assignment for an unproven new manager." Jack felt his hopes fade. Thornton as much as said the job opening wasn't going to be filled by promoting from below. So why was he telling all this to Jack and Mary? Did he want their opinions on the subject? "So what I've decided to do is assign the job to a team of two project managers. You'll have equal authority, equal responsibility. But you'll be able to consult each other and support each other on touchy decisions. If you have a dispute that you can't resolve among yourselves then I'll settle it. But I have to warn you that if you call on me to intervene, even once, I'll be rethinking the arrangement. You both know the project better than anyone else in the company and I have confidence in your ability to do the job. It'll mean a full promotion to project manager for each of you with salary commensurate to the position. You'll have full authority over the project - it won't be a training exercise. Your first task will be picking your replacements to take over your respective sections. Then I want revised schedule and budget estimates by the end of the week. So what do you say? It's a big job but I have confidence in you both. Are you willing to accept the responsibility? Willing to work together as a team?" Jack stared at Thornton for what seemed an eternity. It was just now sinking in that he was indeed being offered promotion to project manager. The job he'd been working to achieve for years. A lot more money. And to top it off, being in charge of the glamour project of the entire company! But... he'd have to share it all with Mary. By all rights he should be her boss. He was the one with the experience, she was only 27. But apparently Thornton didn't see it that way. Then everything seemed to fall into place. With a sudden burst of clarity he realized that Thornton's first choice was actually Mary. But she was so young that Thornton didn't want to risk the most important contract in the whole company on her, alone. So he was making Jack her stooge. Jack knew all the procedures even if he was an uninspiring stiff. Jack would know if she were neglecting some detail and prevent the whole deal from going south. Then once Mary got established they could move Jack out on the pretense of needing him elsewhere. He'd end up "managing" cookie cutter projects that didn't require originality, merely attention to detail - a talent he'd demonstrated often enough. The joy he'd fleetingly felt at finally being made a project manager was ashes in his mouth. "...I really appreciate this, Mr. Thornton," Mary was saying with apparent sincerity. "I'm sure I speak for Jack when I say we can work well together. We won't let your faith in us go unrewarded. Right, Jack?" she pointedly stared directly at Jack's astonished face. Mary's eyes flashed a warning. Jack could see she already considered herself the senior partner in this "equal partnership". That fired his fantasy of Mary as his squirming slave girl. So she thought she was better than him? Well, he didn't have to just accept it. He could prove himself the better man. He had the experience. He'd show this little bitch who was in charge. And from there it would just be natural to move on to showing her who was in charge in bed. He was certain that women like Mary reacted to power as an aphrodisiac. He'd have her following his lead in the office and begging for his touch in bed. "Um... yah, Mary. You're right. We won't let you down, sir." They spent the next hour discussing details of the arrangement as well as going over some of the more sensitive aspects of their new project. Jack felt he'd brought up some great points for discussion but Mary had somehow managed to brush over them as mere details. And much to his chagrin, when they finally left the office at midmorning, he noticed that Mary was on a first name basis with Bob Thornton, while he still stumblingly called him "Sir" or "Mr. Thornton". Later in the day, through a series of circumstances that Jack wasn't quite clear on, Mary wound up moving into Bruckner's vacated window office on the fourth floor while Jack was installed in a much more modest accommodation near the lavatories among the junior project managers. Oh well, it wasn't much better than his cube but it was an office with a door. He'd finally made it to the fourth floor. ***** Several weeks later, Jack stormed into Mary's sumptuous office. Mary's secretary followed in his wake uttering a mixture of protests to Jack and apologies to Mary. "It's okay Betty. I'll handle Jack." Jack dropped a stack of printout down on Mary's desk without waiting for the secretary to leave the office. He then flopped down on her sofa and insolently put his feet on the coffee table. "Care to explain that?" Mary hardly even glanced at the papers. She knew what they were. She'd been expecting this blow-up for some time now. "These're the invoices for the photo etching from Micro Tech, Jack. What's to explain?" "What's to explain?! God, Mary! We agreed to use Opti Systems for that work." "No, Jack. *We* didn't agree on anything. When *I* suggested going to Micro *you* started spouting corporate policy and said Opti was the jobber we've always used. I said yes we always have used them and let the matter drop. But I sent the work to Micro because they've got a new process and they're young and hungry for business. They gave us a firm price 30% under Opti's best rate, *and* they delivered the product 6 weeks ahead of schedule. So what's the problem?" "What's the problem? The problem is you didn't consult me! You took one hell of a risk..." Mary chopped him off mid-sentence. "That's right, Jack! I took a risk. A *calculated* risk that I felt confident in because I backed it up with research into Micro's new technology. I didn't consult you because I knew you'd blow a gasket and I just don't have the time to wheedle you every time I have to break with precedent. I saved the project a load of money and even more importantly a lot of time. That's what they pay me for: to make informed decisions that might involve calculated risks but have the probability of increasing that figure at the bottom line. So why don't you go back and do what you do best, handle the routine crap for me so I can be free to do the risk taking?" Jack was livid. He leapt to his feet and paced back and forth. Damn the bitch! Why couldn't she act like a real woman? He wanted more than ever to put her on her knees and stuff his cock down her throat. But he tried to control himself. He reminded himself that he couldn't win against Mary by thinking with his dick. "You're forgetting we're supposed to be equal partners on this project." "Oh Jack, do you *really* believe that crap? We both know the only reason for that partners farce is because Thornton is a chickenshit male chauvinist who doesn't trust a woman under 30 with his golden goose project. It's only a temporary situation until I prove myself to the boys upstairs, and then you'll be reassigned to a new project and I'll be given official recognition for what's unofficial fact already. The glass ceiling still exists, my friend, but you can bet your ass this is one woman who's heading through the roof. Why do you think I got Bruckner's old office while you ended up in that damn broom closet? Don't you think everyone knows who's first among equals in our little partnership? Hell, Jack, you've got me to thank for your promotion in the first place. Thornton's first choice was Smith but I asked for you." Jack's face went white. "You... you... *asked* for me?" "Now don't take it that way, Jack. Yes, I requested you. Because I like your work. Because I knew I could work with you. I knew we could come to an understanding. And we can, can't we Jack?" "What if I say no?" "Jack. Oh Jack, think about it. You don't really want to put it to the test with Thornton, do you?" "So I'm supposed to be your yes-man? Let you make all the decisions, run the project all by yourself? You're saying I'm worthless." "No Jack. That's not it at all. You're not worthless. Far from it. We each have our strengths. Yours is handling the mountain of details in the routine management of the project. Nobody's had more experience at it than you. My strength is in seeing opportunities and capitalizing on them. Don't make waves on this and your position is secure, Jack. I'll be taking all the risks and I'll accept full responsibility for the consequences if one of my deals goes south. You're a project manager now and a damn good one. You'll have other projects where you'll be fully in charge. But this is my trial by fire. I need you, Jack. I need your experience. Work with me, Jack. We make a great team." "As if I have a choice? If I raise a fuss I'll be an ex-project manager. I can't go back to the third floor, and you know it. You win, Mary. You always win." Jack left work early for the first time in years. He went home and masturbated furiously while thinking of Mary and reliving a completely different outcome of the afternoon in his fantasies. ***** Jack sat by the window and idly stared out at the falling snow. This winter had been extremely harsh. It looked like another foot or more was on the way. Not a damn thing to do but wait it out until the snowplow made it down his road. Another weekend shot to hell. He had planned on going into the office to catch up on some of the backlog. He spent even more time on work now that he was a project manager. Ironically, work took his mind off Mary. She hadn't consulted him on anything ever since their big show-down. Actually it was his wimpy back-down he had to admit if he were being honest with himself. Mary had next to zero contact with him, all communication was through her executive assistant now. Jack dutifully handled every boring little nit-picking detail that Mary sloughed off on him. As long as he didn't question any of her decisions in running the project he could maintain the illusion in public that he was her equal. Sometimes he even managed to forget that she was his de facto boss. He was fidgety. He needed something to take his mind off Mary. He'd gotten so accustomed to filling his hours with the diversion of work that he didn't know what to do with this enforced idleness. Times like these, his thoughts turned to Mary. He hated himself for being so weak and allowing her to treat him as she had. His fantasies had grown more and more obsessive on the image of Mary totally submissive to his desires. Masturbation had become less effective at relieving his tension. He sometimes toyed with the idea of hiring a hooker to act out his fantasies but so far had resisted that temptation. In dark moments like this it seemed nothing would help but actually living out his fantasy, having sex with Mary, but that was utterly impossible so he forced himself to stare out the window and think "not Mary" thoughts. Birds hopped across the yard searching in vain for anything edible. On impulse, Jack opened the window and tossed out the remains of his lunch. The yard was suddenly black with birds. Almost as if a message had been sent telepathically: Food! They squabbled and squawked over the crusts scattered on the snow. Jack watched a few moments in amusement until all the food was consumed. Wanting to see more of this show, he went rummaging for something more to offer them. He found a box of caramel popcorn and tossed a handful out for the birds. They didn't disappoint him. Once again a great flock arrived almost instantly and began picking over the sweet kernels. He tossed a second handful a little away from where the crowd was still cackling over the first. He waited to see how long it took the birds to discover this second offering. Suddenly there was a raucous screeching and every last bird took flight in terror. Jack looked around to see what had frightened them off, expecting a cat or maybe a fox. But there was nothing to be seen. He used the sleeve of his sweater to wipe the condensation from the window and get a better look. Narrowing his eyes against the glare from the snow he could just barely make out what appeared to be a swarm of insects flitting about the popcorn. How strange that birds should be frightened off by a bunch of bugs! Jack stared closer and was even more surprised to see tiny flickerings of light coming from the creatures. At first he thought it must be the sun glinting off the snow but the longer he watched the more certain he became that the flashes of light came from the insects. This was growing stranger and stranger. He thought lightning bugs all died off by the end of summer. More and more of the creatures continued to arrive as Jack watched. There seemed to be hundreds of them, perhaps thousands by now. Very carefully, trying not to alarm them, Jack inched the window open again and gingerly tossed out another handful of the popcorn. He intentionally threw the kernals much closer to the window so he could get a better look at them. He was rewarded shortly as groups of the fireflies flitted over to investigate the new source of food. Now that they were closer he could see they were different from normal fireflies in that when they lit up their entire body glowed, not just the lower half. And the air seemed to retain the glow for a moment even after the insect had flown off, as if an afterimage stayed behind or perhaps the creature had emitted a phosphorescent substance and left it still glowing suspended in the air behind as it left. He also realized that they weren't eating all the popcorn, but seemed to be eating just the caramel coating and leaving the corn untouched. He got an idea and slipped away to the kitchen. Quickly he searched the cabinets until he found what he needed: a jar of honey and an old mason jar he kept for storing odds and ends. He dumped the contents of the mason jar into a dish and went back to the living room, hoping that his activities hadn't driven the insects away. They were still there but the popcorn he'd thrown out for them was nearly denuded of caramel. He threw out another handful of corn, aiming it so that a substantial amount landed directly underneath his window. After a bit when the creatures started gathering at the fresh offerings, he dribbled out some honey directly on the ledge of the windowsill. It didn't take long for the fireflies to discover this new largesse. Jack watched in rapt fascination as the first midge hovered over the pool of honey. This close up he discovered that it emitted a thin high-pitched thrumming sound as it flew. He held his breath in tense anticipation, waiting for it to land. His hand was poised with the mason jar just below the level of the windowsill. The tiny creature slowly settled in for a landing at the edge of the puddle of honey. Instantly Jack struck. He slammed the mouth of the mason jar down over the insect, trapping it inside. With his other hand he quickly closed the window on the off chance the bugs might try to sting him if he got them agitated - after all, the birds avoided them so they must have some natural defenses. Then he carefully scraped the upended mason jar over to the edge of the sill and quickly slipped it onto the lid, screwing it closed. Success! As soon as Jack had captured the firefly all the others had reacted like an angry nest of hornets. He could hear high pitched buzzing even through the closed window and occasionally soft thumps as one or another of them threw its tiny body against the glass in an effort to get at Jack. He smugly congratulated himself for his quick thinking in closing the window. Jack carried his prize into the kitchen where the light was better and sat down at the table to examine it. He watched in mild amusement as it fluttered ineffectually against the glass sides of the jar. It made a very angry buzzing noise which he could even feel if he rested a finger on the jar. He couldn't get a very good look at it because it was fluttering about so frenziedly but it didn't look like any bug he'd ever seen before. Finally it appeared to wear itself out and settled down to a landing at the bottom of the jar. Jack hunched in closer, hardly believing his eyes as he finally got his first look at the... well, he couldn't call it a bug. Impossible as it seemed, the creature looked like a tiny nude girl with wings! He blinked, rubbed his eyes and looked again. It - no, she - she was standing upright with tiny hands on tiny hips staring up at him. "Holy Shit!" Jack sat up straight and shook his head. If he was dreaming it certainly was a vivid dream. He got up and fixed himself a stiff scotch, drank it down in two gulps then poured another. Before returning to the table he hunted up a magnifying glass. Using the glass he could make out more details. She was only a half inch tall but perfectly proportioned for a human woman - well, a human woman with wings anyway. Her breasts were voluptuous, her waist narrow, and her ass wide and round. Her legs were gorgeous and tapered down into dainty microscopic feet. She had a miniature mop of short dark hair that framed her face but ended just at the nape of her neck, a pixie cut, he thought ironically. Probably so it wouldn't interfere with the beating of her wings, Jack realized. From points just above her forehead two hair thin antennae sprouted out about half an inch above the height of her head. In the middle of her back, just below her shoulder blades, wings grew out of her body. They were nearly identical to a dragonfly's wings, two long narrow oval airfoils on each side of her body. Each wing was transparent but caught the light and threw it back in rainbow iridescence. She was human in every respect - other than the antennae and wings of course - with the exception that she quite literally lit up every few moments. In time with her breathing, her skin burst forth in glowing luminescence and the air expelled from her lungs seemed to retain a glow for a second or so after it left her mouth. She was absolutely captivating. Jack thought she looked for all the world like a dark-haired version of Tinkerbell from Peter Pan. Of course, the Disney version had always worn some clothes. She was perfect in every detail. Jack could even make out tiny brown nipples and a miniature patch of black pubic hair. After a few moments of this inspection, she proved that her actions were very human also. She stamped her foot and shook a fist at him. Then her mouth moved and he heard a tiny high pitched sound. He leaned in very close and could just barely make out her words. She was shouting at him... in *English*! "How dare you treat a high Faerie clanswoman with such disrespect?! To freely offer provender then ensnare me in a trap even as I partake of your false hospitality. Manners most foul indeed! Release me at once, you impudent human!" Jack noticed an interesting effect. Her speech was punctuated by flares of light that accompanied each word she spoke. She was quite agitated and the colors ran the gamut from pure white down to fiery orange, apparently depending on her emotional state. Jack briefly wondered if she'd glow blue or green when she was calm or happy. "Wow!" Jack whispered in fascination. "Is that all you can say for yourself, you ignorant spawn of savages? Explain your actions immediately or incur the wrath of all the kith and kin of Faerie!" "Who *are* you?" Jack asked, still wondering if he were dreaming. "I am the Lady Kirathamon, mistress of the sylvan glens, highborn clanswoman of my people." "Huh. Nice to meet you, Mistress Kir... Kiratha... whatever. I'm Jack Moore, master of the projects engineered." Jack felt quite proud of what he thought was a witty little reply and nearly choked trying not to laugh before he continued. "So why don't you tell me, who are your people?" "Beware how you mock me, human. Your ignorance is manifest if you know not of my folk. Is *none* of the old knowledge taught in these times? My clan is the Donai of the Faerie. Your folk have called us by 'pixie' or 'sprite' or 'fairy' at differing times. And in fairness to those that have shown my kin a kindness in times gone by, I must warn you, human, you risk grave danger keeping me here against my will." A fairy? Yeah, right! But how else could he explain a conversation with a half inch tall woman? He tried to remember various legends and myths he'd heard about fairies. He was at a disadvantage because he'd never read the traditional stories. When he was a kid he enjoyed Star Trek and James Bond much more than the Brothers Grimm. He used to think that mythology was all... well, fairy tales. His limited knowledge was mostly based on Disney movies and Fractured Fairy Tales on Bullwinkle and Rocky, and he was fairly certain those sources were inaccurate, to say the least. He had a vague notion of stories about how people left offerings of food, mostly milk or sweets, for the "little people" and they would do them a favor in return. He thought that sounded authentic, so he decided to pursue it. "If you're a fairy then shouldn't you give me a wish or something since you ate my food?" "Nay, human, for the victuals were not given freely. You used them as bait to capture me." "Well then maybe I'll just keep you in that jar. I could probably take you on a tour of the talk shows and make a fortune. Rosie O'Donnell would *love* you, and Sally Jessie would probably do an entire week on you and the people who say they've met your kinfolk. How does that grab you, little miss Kira?" The fairy girl looked about to explode, then she seemed to consider the wiser course of action and calmed herself. "Verily human, that prospect holds little appeal for me. I shall make you a bargain: if you release me this day I shall swear my solemn promise to do you a service." "A service? You mean like grant me a wish or something?" "Aye, something like that. If it be within the purview of Faerie art." Jack's mind considered the possibilities of a magical wish. Like every kid that ever lived he'd debated the proverbial question and devised the perfect answer, but he figured that "three more wishes" would not be looked on favorably by the pixie - she didn't seem to have much of a sense of humor, or a very forgiving nature. But he could ask for wealth. Or youth. Maybe even immortality. Or maybe become a famous rock singer. Or... Mary. He could have Mary. He could make Mary love him. There was no question. All the other choices faded in comparison. He wanted Mary more than anything else in the world. "Okay then, Mistress Kira, you've got a deal. Now about my wish, there's this girl..." ***** Jack stood on the doorstep to Mary's townhouse waiting for her to answer the doorbell. Somehow he'd managed to drive there through the snowstorm. He felt such a rush of optimism that nothing seemed impossible now. He just needed to get Mary to come out with him for a few minutes. The pixie had explained to him that they needed to be outside for her magic to work. First he would free the fairy from the jar, then he must make his request out loud. Then he'd get his wish. That was the deal. "Jack! What in the world...?" For once in the entire time he'd known her, Mary was the one caught completely off guard by his unexpected arrival. "Hi Mary. Will you come outside for just a minute? I need to talk to you." "Well come inside and talk, Jack. It's *freezing* out there!" "Oh Mary. Just for a few minutes? It's wonderful out here. The snow makes everything look so beautiful. It's like there's magic all around." Jack mentally congratulated himself on such a sly pun. He touched the bulge under his coat made by the mason jar, reassuring himself it was still there, like a devout Catholic might touch a crucifix pendant as an act of faith. "It's cold out here, Jack!" Mary whined. She hated the winter, hated being cold, and was in no mood to make snow angels. "Just give me three minutes, Mary. You never know, you might actually enjoy it." Mary hesitated a moment, then grabbed her coat from the closet and followed Jack. She never even considered the possibility that he might attack her. She was certain Jack wasn't dangerous, just dull and a wimp. Although this stunt might be crazy, Mary decided to humor him. She'd come to appreciate the convenience of having him to handle all the drudge work on her project (she never thought of the Acme job as "their" project). She'd even begun to toy with the idea of getting Thornton to appoint him as "junior project manager" or some such position for her next assignment so she could continue to benefit from Jack's grinding devotion to detail. Yes, Jack was an important stepping stone in the career path she'd plotted out for herself and she wasn't ready to alienate him totally - at least not at this stage. Besides, she was certain of her ability to control Jack - she'd been successful at it so long it was almost second nature to her now, like knowing a loyal dog would come when you called. Mary cursed the cold under her breath as she trudged off through the deepening snow behind Jack. She lived in an upscale townhouse development that had been planned to retain somewhat the flavor of a rural setting. There were jogging trails, open spaces, a swimming pool, and other recreational facilities interspersed among the buildings. Jack led her a little way off to the side where he'd noticed a small stand of trees. Once they were among the trees Jack stopped and glanced all around. It wasn't really private since they were in a heavily populated suburb and he could see houses and roads through the trees in several directions, but he figured it was as good a spot as any. He reached under his coat and pulled out the mason jar. The glass was clouded with condensation making it impossible to see what was inside. Jack unscrewed the lid and something flew out of the jar, traveling very fast. It moved so rapidly that neither of them got a look at it before it was completely gone in the swirl of falling snow. "Okay, I've done my part, now you have to keep your promise," Jack said in a half whisper which Mary barely heard. "Jack, what the hell is going on here? Why are you acting so crazy?" Mary felt she had let things go on far enough and she needed to take control. Jack turned to her and smiled. After months of fantasizing, he finally felt he had the power to make his fondest dream come true. He'd rehearsed this scene thousands of times in his fantasies. He wouldn't ask, he'd command. And Mary would obey. That's how he'd always imagined it. "Mary, make love to me." Mary nearly choked in shock, then she started giggling. Then chuckling. Then out and out laughing. She laughed so hard tears came to her eyes. She doubled over and put her hands on her knees, hooting with laughter. It was several seconds before she gained enough control to speak. "Make love to you? Now why in hell would I want to do that, Jack?" she gasped, out of breath from laughter. Jack felt like the universe had come to a screeching halt when Mary started laughing at him. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. The pixie had promised him a wish. This wasn't his wish, this was disaster. When Mary finally stopped laughing enough to speak he couldn't think of how to respond to her. He stood rooted in place for what felt like an eternity, just watching her stare at him like he was crazy. Finally he threw his hands up in frustration. His face turned bright red in embarrassment as he blurted out what he'd been holding in for months. "Goddamnit Mary, I've been going crazy thinking about you! You can't tell me you don't know that. You've been strutting around me, flaunting yourself at me ever since I met you. All I want is a chance. One chance! Just to see if maybe you might..." Jack's voice trailed off. Hearing his whiney plea for her attention, he realized how lame he sounded, even to himself. What would Mary want with an old stiff like him? But worst of all was that delusional crap about the pixie. How could he, a grown man, believe in something like that? Little tiny fairy girls? Shit! He must be going crazy. He glanced down at the empty jar in his hands. Maybe it was the scotch he drank before coming here? Or stress from overwork? He must have imagined the whole thing. He sighed, then continued in a defeated tone. "I don't know what I was thinking, Mary. It's just... well... you're so beautiful Mary... I... I... I guess I just wish you were as attracted to me as I am to you..." There, he'd said it. He'd given it his best shot. He hung his head in resignation. He'd just have to forget about ever being more than a business associate to Mary, and a junior one at that. That is, if she'd even work with him anymore after he made such a fool of himself. More likely she'd go straight to Thornton and have his ass kicked back to the third floor. Or worse, have him fired for sexual harassment. Shit. Shit. Shit. Jack put his hand up to his eyes, rubbing his fingers over his closed lids to cover the tears welling forth. Mary heard the sincerity in his voice and sensed the hopelessness. She turned away to collect her thoughts. She'd really stressed him recently at work, maybe she'd pushed him too far. She was lost for words momentarily, trying to think of some way to defuse the situation - she had to work with him after all. Hell, she had to admit that he was a valuable asset at work - who else was going to do all the grunt jobs. She thought she'd put an end to his infatuation with her long ago when she'd purposely misinterpreted his clumsy attempt to ask her out on a date. She thought they had a decent, if somewhat strained, working relationship that benefited them both, allowed both of them coveted advancement, even if her advancement was a bit more lofty. But now it seemed he was determined to dredge up all that past baggage. Why did he have to go and say all that shit? Now things would be so awkward. She sighed and turned back to him, trying to think of something to say... and saw the air sparkling with hundreds of tiny flashes. From all directions, tiny fireflies zoomed in and began to dance a complex pattern all around Jack. They buzzed about until a luminous dome formed in the air surrounding him. The air inside the dome filled with a sparkling glow that looked to Mary like Christmas glitter tossed into a fog bank. Mary could faintly see his body through the glow and she could swear that he was now totally naked and standing as if frozen in place. Soon a ghostly shell formed around Jack, coalescing into a sparkly ethereal sculpture that was a perfect likeness of Jack in the nude and about ten feet tall. The tiny creatures then swooped a little distance away from their handiwork, flitting about in new patterns that seemed to exert an influence on the glowing shell surrounding Jack's body. The luminous replica of Jack began to change, swelling in places and constricting in others until its resemblance to Jack was entirely gone. Time seemed frozen as the glowing figure swirled and mutated around Jack's body, then suddenly it seemed almost to solidify and began to shrink very rapidly. It contracted all around Jack until finally it made contact with his skin. As the glow touched his skin it appeared as if Jack's body assumed the altered shape of the figure. The effect only lasted a split second then the luminescence seemed to be absorbed into his body and was gone, leaving behind a fully clothed and quite normal looking Jack standing inside the dome. Almost as soon as the glowing form was fully absorbed into Jack's body, the dome simply blinked out of existence, as if turning off a light switch. Before Mary even realized it was over with, the little fireflies swooped off in a thousand different directions and she and Jack were alone once more. The entire process had taken less than ten seconds to complete. Mary blinked. She realized her mouth was hanging open and she abruptly closed it. Wow. Her first thought was concern over Jack. How would he take it? Would he start to freak out because of what just happened to him? But strangely, he didn't react at all. He showed neither fear nor startlement. Apparently he'd taken no notice of the glowing lights in the air, even though he'd been the focus of it all. Possibly, since he'd covered his eyes after his embarrassing little outburst, he might not have seen anything at all. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She wondered if anyone else had witnessed what had just gone on. She looked all around, checking for any physical signs that magic or a miracle or whatever had taken place, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to be seen. In fact, she realized there wasn't *any* evidence whatsoever to prove that anything unusual had happened. Even if someone else *had* seen the strange event the most likely explanation was that it was just a trick of the light and an active imagination. Everything looked just as before. Even Jack. She studied him carefully for several seconds. He didn't seem changed at all from the strange phenomenon. Then she noticed a weird kind of bluish glow coming from the exposed portions of his skin. It was so faint as to be almost invisible unless she really concentrated. But once seen, it became distinctly obvious. Something strange was definitely going on and it wasn't over yet, but she couldn't deal with it out here in the snow. "Jack, I can't stand it out here. Let's go inside before we freeze." Jack was feeling strange. He tingled all over his body and felt light headed. After making such an incredible ass of himself he didn't care what happened now. All sense of self-will had left him, he felt no need to do anything. He would have gladly stood in the freezing cold until the falling snow covered him up. When Mary took his arm and turned him toward her house he didn't resist, it was much easier to just go along. He simply allowed Mary to lead him back inside and take his coat off. Mary steered Jack over to a couch and eased him into it. He moved like a zombie or like one of the mental patients in movies who's just gotten electroshock. She sat beside him and tried to think what to do. He still looked like the same old Jack, an aging guy with a chip on his shoulder. But there was something else. That blue glow. The light seemed to come from inside of him, as if his skin was a translucent covering of a bright blue light. It pulsed, glowing visibly then fading away, but each pulsation seemed slightly brighter as if it was growing in strength. She noticed that the pulsations were in time with his heartbeat. She could see a vein in his neck throb slightly and each time the glow from within flared brighter. She watched the vein for several minutes. Neither of them spoke. Jack slumped listlessly, looking down at his hands folded in his lap. Mary perched beside him, all senses alert, staring at Jack in rapt fascination, sensing something was about to happen. Finally, she reached out and tentatively rested her fingertips against his skin where the vein pulsed in time with the radiance. Warm. And surprisingly soft. Strangely, she felt an urge to kiss the spot, and no sooner had the thought occurred, than she leaned in and pressed her lips tenderly to Jack's neck just below his jawline. Briefly, she felt a mild annoyance at the scratchy sensation of his stubble, but then his skin didn't seem so rough anymore. She inhaled his scent and as the thought flashed through her mind that his choice in aftershave wasn't the greatest, she realized that it was really very nice, sort of light with a hint of flowers. "Mary?" somehow Jack had found the will to speak. His tone was tentative. Uncertain of what was happening. Jack gasped slightly as she touched her tongue to his skin and delicately tasted his neck. Mary pulled back a bit, her expression showing confusion over what she was seeing and feeling. She stroked her fingers lightly along Jack's neck where her lips had so recently been. Silky soft to the touch. The blue glow seemed stronger than ever, or perhaps that was just his heartbeat accelerating. "Shhh. It's okay, Jack." She whispered to him gently. Mary looked at his face, now turned toward her. Craggy and weathered. Not a pretty-boy face. A middle-aged man's face, who'd led a fairly active life reflected in the worry lines accumulated over time. Many women found that sort of face very attractive, it had character. Character be damned, a pug dog was more beautiful in Mary's opinion. But then she noticed Jack's lips. They literally pulsed with fire. Drawing her in. Unable to stop herself, she leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. Mary fleetingly thought his lips were thin and hard, very masculine. But as the kiss lingered it didn't seem to matter any more. In fact, his lips were soft and warm and moist, fuller than she'd originally thought. Sensuous hungry lips. Lips she could kiss for an eternity. Perfect lips. Jack surrendered himself to Mary's kiss. He was completely taken aback by her unexpected advances. In all his previous sexual experiences he'd always been the aggressor, it just seemed the natural role for him. But now he felt a strange sense of acceptance of what was being done to him. It was a very curious feeling he'd never experienced before. He felt a strong desire for Mary's touch -- he *loved* the sensations she was eliciting in him. But he felt no need to take control or even verbally request Mary where and how to excite him. It was as if his will was overcome with a lassitude that made independent action impossible. It was so much nicer to simply accept Mary's lead and enjoy. Insistently she pulled him to his feet and led him into the bedroom where she began undressing him. Mary continued to kiss Jack and snuggled closer, fumbling impatiently with buttons and fastenings. She took his hands, suddenly soft and smooth hands, and guided them to assist her in removing their clothing. Jack obediently followed her directions and soon they both were nude. Mary didn't fully understand her sudden urgent desire for Jack but just at that moment making love with him seemed the most necessary thing in the world. Jack luxuriated in a wealth of new sensations. He seemed to be experiencing touch for the first time in his life. Everywhere on his body that Mary's fingers touched exploded with thrilling sexy sensitivity. It was like his nerves were dead or sleeping and Mary's fingers brought them to full wakefulness. He shivered with pleasure - literally shivered - for the first time in his life. He moaned out loud as the pleasure became so intense he found himself incapable of maintaining his customary stoic silence. In the past he had never been one for making noise during sex. He always considered it "unmanly" and had developed the habit of keeping a tight clamp on his mouth during lovemaking. Tenderly, Mary ran her fingers through Jack's hair, thinking it was a shame that most men had hair much too coarse and cut too short to be very much fun to play with. But Jack's hair was longer than she'd realized, much, much longer than it appeared and actually quite soft and silky. She loved long sexy hair, loved feeling it on her skin, inhaling its clean fragrance. She kissed her way down Jack's throat, nipping his neck, tickling with her tongue. Ever so slowly and teasingly she meandered toward his nipples. She was pleasantly surprised to discover satin smooth skin and firm yet softly swelling flesh where she'd been expecting rough hairy flatness. How silly and pathetic a man's nipples always seemed to her, tiny flat mockeries. And yet, Jack's nipples swelled to her gentle suckling, growing firm and hot and so very sensitive to her slightest touch. She lingered over his chest, alternating kissing and sucking with gentle caresses and teasing pinches. She felt a loving sense of accomplishment as Jack moaned aloud, pleased that he was enjoying what she gave to him. Jack gasped, stunned by the raw pleasure coming from his nipples. His nipples had never been very sensitive so he'd never really understood the erotic possibilities of having them stimulated. Now he squirmed and arched his back, eagerly presenting his chest for Mary's delicious manipulations. He felt his cock throbbing, straining to full erection driven by the sensual delight radiating from his tingling nipples. Mary was stirring such a sweet aching desire in him, along with a frustrating demanding need for more, a need to be touched, caressed, driven onward to release. He'd never felt this way before, so vulnerable and open, the sensations and emotions he was experiencing seemed to be under the complete control of Mary, all he could do was accept what she chose to offer his senses. The feelings were so intense he couldn't contain himself and cried out in joyous agony. "Ohhhhh Mary!" Mary smiled at the effect she was having on Jack, while at the same time feeling mild irritation at the deep guttural sounds. She loved it when her lovers gave voice to their passions, but she preferred softer, more sexy tones over Jack's animal-like grunts. Although when he moaned again she realized his voice wasn't so harsh after all. In fact he had a quite melodious tone, very sweet and high, almost like the tinkling of fine crystal. It was a joy to hear such lovely tones. She began tracing her fingertips down the silken skin of Jack's belly toward his crotch, intending to inspire him into further exclamations of delight. Jack's cock tingled in anticipation as Mary's hand drew closer. He whimpered in frustration when she brushed it with her cool fingernails only to glide lower and gently stroke the tops of his thighs. Automatically he eased his legs apart, hoping to lure her hand upward for more intimate contact with his desperately throbbing penis. She continued to tease him, keeping him on the brink of satisfaction. Her hand cupped his balls, fingers tenderly gliding over the skin of his scrotum. He involuntarily raised his pelvis, pressing himself into her hand, but she had already moved on, stroking the crease where his leg met his hip. She continued this blissful torture for an immeasurable time. All the while one hand or another teased his crotch she continued kissing and stroking his belly, chest, neck, lips, and face. His hands had moved above his head of their own accord, clutching at the headboard as if physically clinging to his sanity. He was awash in a sea of pleasure, totally beyond his control, no way to even know where or when the next loving caress would come. Eventually Mary's roving touches around his body became more lingering and focussed on his pubic region. Jack felt her stroking his scrotum. Her finger gently traced a line upwards from near his ass to just below his cock. She circled his cock, sending shudders through his body as her hand lightly brushed against the head. Then her finger retraced its path back downward and repeated the whole process. Jack arched his body, humping his hips in rhythm with her stroking finger. She must have gotten some kind of oil from her nightstand for he could feel its slick warm moistness spreading over his crotch and inner thighs. Her finger glided so smoothly, it was an impossibly erotic sensation. Then, incredibly, she seemed to press inward on his scrotum near the base of his cock and he could feel her cupping the underside of his shaft with her finger - from *inside* his body!! Oh what a feeling! She began stroking her finger up and down - or in and out? - the underside of his cock - or what felt like the underside of his cock - pressing somehow inward and upward. He was now so liberally doused with the slippery oil that he began hearing a liquid squishing noise as she stroked him faster and faster. He had a momentary flash of embarrassment as he realized that it sounded like a very, very moist vagina being rapidly fingered, but the thought only lingered for an instant as the intense sensations of pleasure were too much to allow him to concentrate on anything but the tingling in his body. Jack was transported. He had no notion of time or space or his surroundings. There was only Mary's wondrous touch. He bucked his hips into her hand compulsively. White hot jolts of pleasure seized his body, momentarily petrifying him in a rigid paralysis. Then his entire body began spasming in shivering convulsions of joy. He screamed out in high-pitched tones of ecstasy. "Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh Mary! YES! YES! Oh God!!!! YES!!!" Mary continued her loving ministrations. She kept him focussed on the pinnacle of climax for long seconds. She played him expertly, like a child blowing gently to keep a soap bubble aloft. A touch, a pressure, a gentle stroke in just the right spot, at just the right moment, prolonging the delicate lifespan of the bubble of his orgasm. Until finally he simply collapsed, overloaded by pleasure, becoming a limp moistly glistening rag doll. And even then she continued caressing him tenderly, drawing him slowly back into the world. Jack sighed. Total contentment mingled in his thoughts with amazement at the most wonderful experience he'd ever had. He couldn't have imagined sex this good, and he hadn't even fucked her yet! Mary was still kissing and touching him in delightful ways and Jack began to become aroused again. She slid her body along the length of Jack's own body and he was amazed at how smooth and silky the sensation was. His skin seemed to glide over Mary's, soft and sensuous, warm and erotic. They lay entwined with Mary's breasts resting on his chest and her mound pressing into his hip. Mary began lazily humping her body against Jack. She slid one leg in between his thighs and he felt the soft smooth skin of her upper thigh press against his crotch. Ever so slightly, she began rubbing her thigh up and down between Jack's thighs. Jack closed his eyes and moaned. The feeling from his crotch was wonderful but not quite like anything he'd felt before. He felt very much like his cock was erect, yet there was no resistance to Mary's smooth skin gliding over his crotch. It felt like she was gently stroking his balls and pressing against the head of his cock at the same time, although he had no sense of contact with the shaft of his cock. Also, he was still soaked with slippery oil between his legs and it felt like even more was being added as Mary rubbed against him. Altogether, it was a completely unfamiliar feeling yet so deliciously sexy that Jack couldn't worry about it. Now Mary rolled over and pulled him on top of her. His chest seemed to sag down to touch her breasts. The contact of his nipples against her soft skin was exciting. Honey blonde hair spilled down around the sides of his face and pooled on the pillow around Mary's head, forming a curtain that enclosed their two faces in an intimate little tent. Jack barely even noticed these anomalies. Ever since catching the pixie, events had become so surreal that he simply stopped worrying and accepted things as they came. He kissed Mary tenderly then pulled back slightly to look into her eyes. "Mary, that was fantastic! I never felt anything like that in my entire life!" Mary grinned broadly. Triumph and possessiveness and lust and playfulness all danced together in her eyes. "Shush. Now it's my turn. Make love to me, Jack." Jack's earlier feeling of lassitude dissolved. Now he felt a desire to satisfy his lover, give her more pleasure than she's ever felt before. He wanted more than anything in the world to hear her shrieking with joy as she orgasmed. He began to make love to Mary, starting by kissing her eyelids. Mary lounged back and basked in being the center of the universe. Jack was proving to be the most adept lover she'd ever known. He seemed to know precisely how to please her... ***** Jack stirred. He squinted against the light streaming through the window. He was snuggled up against a soft warm body. Mary. Beautiful, wonderful Mary. His head was pillowed on her shoulder. One arm thrown across her ribs, hand gently cupping her breast. His crotch was pressed to her hip, his leg slightly cocked and intertwined with Mary's. He gently moved his leg, rubbing it against her, soft smooth flesh against soft smooth flesh. Sprawled as they were, Mary seemed much larger. He could just barely extend his foot down to Mary's ankle and her chin was nearly above his head. He moved his arm slightly and stared at it, a small delicate limb with long feminine fingers. He noticed long silken hair tumbled over their bodies. Some of the tresses were Mary's fiery red but there were also long strands of golden blonde. With a start, Jack sat upright in the bed. He glanced down. Two firm luscious breasts tipped with large pink nipples bobbled before his eyes. Curly blonde hair shimmered in the morning light, tumbling in waves from his shoulders down past his breasts. And on his back he could feel the soft tickle of more hair brushing against his skin all the way down to his ass. His skin was soft and hairless, an unblemished perfection of pale alabaster. Leaning down, he looked between his legs and saw a fine tuft of blonde pubic hair crowning the soft cleft of a vagina. "Mary! Mary! Wake up! Something's happened!" Even on the verge of panic, his voice was soft and sweet, high pitched and dripping sex, like a nymphomaniac bimbo doing her best to sound seductive. God! He couldn't believe this was happening to him. Mary slitted her eyes sleepily and stretched. She smiled when she saw Jack. "Mmmm, hi Sweetie." "Mary! Look at me! I'm a woman!" Mary lazily ran a hand over Jack's slender body, gave his breast a tender squeeze, and dropped it to rest on his thigh. "Yah. And beautiful too. Wasn't last night *wonderful*?" Jack got a faraway look on his pretty face. Last night *had* been incredible. He'd had more orgasms than he could have possibly imagined in one night. They had touched and sucked each other to climax over and over again. They had kissed and fondled each other nearly continuously until eventually falling asleep. But they hadn't fucked. Jack hadn't even noticed things were changing but now he realized his body had been transforming itself into a woman all the while they'd been making love. "But... but... it wasn't supposed to be this way! I... I... caught a fairy. I made a wish!" "A fairy? Well, how quaint, Jack." She smiled like an indulgent parent humoring a child's invisible companion. "But anyway, you *did* get your wish, love. The last thing you said was that you wished you could be as attractive to me as I am to you. And you are Jack. Oh, so very attractive. Don't you know that by now, lover? I'm not exactly a lesbian but I love women, quite a bit more than men. Oh, men are okay on occasion but women are so beautiful. I guess you'd say I'm bi." Jack just stared at her in shock. Bi? That must be why she never seemed interested in dating. She must not want anyone at the office to find out. Might make it difficult to achieve her career goals. Probably hated the thought of all those men making snide little comments about her behind her back. But where did that leave him? He was a fucking woman now! "What am I going to do now? I can't go to work like this. Everybody knows me as a man. I don't exist as a woman. I have no job, no clothes, no life." Mary smiled as she saw the truth sink in. Jack's face had gone slack, then surprised, and now looked very distressed, like a little lost girl. She stood and took Jack in her arms. Mary was a head taller than Jack now - after all, she liked being the physically dominant partner. She kissed Jack tenderly and turned them both to face the mirror over her dresser. She nuzzled Jack's neck, gently squeezed one soft breast, traced a hand downward, running fingers through silky blonde pubic hair, and possessively cupped her hand over the soft mound of Jack's vagina. "It's okay, Jack. Hmmm... Jacqueline? That's nice. It's okay, Jackie. You're mine now. My little Jacqueline. I'll take care of you. You don't have to worry about anything." Jackie looked at Mary. She could feel Mary's breasts pressed soft against her back, the nipples firm nubs on her smooth skin. Mary's hand on her own breast felt wonderful, and she felt her nipples tighten in response to Mary's gentle touch. The touch of Mary's palm against the damp smoothness of her new pussy brought memories of last night and how they'd pleasured each other endlessly. Her knees were weak and she felt warm moisture beginning to flood her vagina. She felt a familiar sense of helplessness. With a sudden sense of realization the thought occurred to her that Mary wasn't attracted to just any women - she was attracted to *submissive* women. "I'll teach you everything you need to know about being feminine, little Jackie. I think I'll send you to cosmetology school so you can learn to be my maid. You'll be such a help to me! It's so much work keeping up my image, but appearances do count you know. Of course I'll miss you at the office. You really were an asset on my project team. I may even have to bring home some work for you at first. At least until I can train a replacement. But don't worry, my little darling, that will only be temporary. A pretty little thing like you shouldn't be troubling herself over business - certainly she shouldn't be wasting herself trying to be what she isn't, an executive. No, a little beauty like you should be doing something more appropriate, like modeling, although now you're much too short to be a model. You could be a dancer but then you wouldn't be here for me when I come home from the office, and besides I don't know if I like the idea of sharing you with all those drooling men - at least not when I'm not around to enjoy it. Maybe something where you can exercise your talents at personal service? Perhaps we'll find you a job as a manicurist at one of the finer salons, that'd give you something to do during the day. But don't worry, sweetheart, I'll think of something." Jackie stared at her in the mirror. She was forming a picture of her future life. A frilly little attendant to Mary. Incapable of even voicing an objection. Mary's finger busy at her pussy was driving all thoughts of rebellion away. Mary always won anyway, so why fight it? "Oh we'll have such fun!" Mary cooed into her ear. "We'll go shopping and to aerobics classes and to the beach." Mary gave her a sly look. "We'll go clubbing and have a total blast! The guys will want to eat you up! Just wait till you feel your first cock pumping away inside you. Don't worry, I'll make sure he's sweet and gentle so your first time will be special. But you can relax, it won't be anytime soon. You're my little lover. My perfect little girl and I'm not going to share you with just anybody." They made passionate love. For several hours. Afterwards they showered together. While Jackie was still struggling with her hair, Mary went off to start breakfast. As Jackie approached the kitchen she heard Mary talking to someone. She held back, not wishing to interrupt, and peeked around the edge of the doorway to see what was going on. Mary had the window over the sink raised a few inches and a cold draft was blowing in. She had placed a saucer of milk on the window sill. A group of pixies flittered about, some drinking from the saucer, some darting through the air at random and some standing on the sill waiting their turn. Mary was talking with one fairy who was standing a little apart from the others. "Oh Lady Kirathamon! What a *brilliant* stroke of inspiration! You always catch me by surprise when you choose to gift me with one of your services." The pixie spoke something but Jackie was too far away to hear. "I know!" Mary giggled at some joke of the fairy girl's. "Just what he deserved. Imagine thinking one of the high Faerie could be *commanded* to grant a favor? Bargaining for something that must needs be freely given." Mary listened to the tiny woman again. "Oh yes! Jacqueline is absolutely *lovely*! Just the kind of girl I've always longed for. Thank you so much, Milady! And please accept this meager offering as a sign of my friendship and gratitude. There shall always be a full dish for clan Donai on my stoop. I pledge that to you, good Mistress. Many of my people may have forgotten the old knowledge but I shall never forsake you, my friends." "And your service was most helpful, Lady. My position in the company is secure for now. Although some day I may request another service of you. You see, there is a man called Thornton..." ---The End (for now)