A Most Graceful Life Ch. 07

Yet even as his mind went over it, all he could see was one face. One face, with piercing blue eyes, and light brown hair, and a mischievous smile shining through. Grace was all that mattered. A total testament to how much his life had changed in only a week. It was only because of her that he had grown so much in just a short period of time. It was only because of Grace that he felt, for the first time, his life had meaning.

Stephen rounded the corner to go back out into the store, but was nearly tackled by Grace as she first lunged into his arms, making him stumble back against the wall, before jumping up and wrapping her legs around him. Her lips descended upon his in quick succession, giving him the kind of kiss that made him instantly hard.

When she finally pulled away a whole minute later, she had a look of lustful desire piercing her blue gaze. "I love you, Stephen," she whispered, breathlessly.

"I love you, too," chuckled Stephen. "What was that for?"

"Don't be mad," said Grace, casting her eyes down in a shy manner. "But I was spying on you."

"Spying on me? Just now?"

Grace nodded.

"With Abby?"

She nodded once more. "I was watching the entire conversation. It only piqued my interest once I saw her go back towards the same doors that you did only a moment later. I heard the entire conversation."

"So is that why you are so happy right now?"

Grace bit her lip and nodded playfully. "Are you sure you don't want her? You know, I could get her for you. If you still wanted to... sample the wares." Grace winked at the end of the sentence.

He laughed lightly, "That's okay. I appreciate your awesome genie powers and everything, but I can well and truly say I'm over Abby. She's a good person, and she'd be a great girlfriend to someone, but that's not me. I already have my dream girl."

"Please say it's me?" Grace asked, with a hopeful inflection.

Stephen spanked her rear end playfully, earning a yelp, followed by a giggle.

"I do have an idea though, Grace," he said next.

"I'm all ears, handsome."

"With Abby, I want to make a wish. The same as what we did for Miguel. I want Abby to find someone. Meet a guy that just blows her away. Someone who can love her as she deserves to be loved. Nothing like Ram Doyle. Can you make that happen?"

"Done," replied Grace, snapping her fingers for emphasis. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were using my powers like a dating service," she replied, coyly.

"Great power, great responsibility," replied Stephen, giving her the old cliche.

"Every day you remind me why the magic choose you. The type of person you are," she said, giving him a brief kiss on the lips.

"All I wish for is that I'm worthy of you," he said in reply.

"Oh, you are. No doubt about that. And I think your selfless acts today have earned you quite a big reward," winked Grace, before reaching down to rub his shaft between his shorts.

"Right here?" Stephen swallowed.

Grace looked around and then made a face. "Maybe not here. Too dirty. Let's go home."

The little genie took his hand and together they walked back out onto to main floor. With their half gallons of ice cream, and box of cones, they made their way to check out, and left shortly after. Once out in the parking lot, they had not yet reached Stephen's car when an approaching car slowed to a stop, rolling down the window.

An older man, with practically snow white hair and an easy smile popped his head out, "Hey Stephen, what are you up to?"

"Oh, hey Eric. Just picking up my check and some ice cream for later," replied Stephen, showing him his bag. "Eric, this is my girlfriend, Grace. Grace, this is the main floor manager here at Price Chopper, Eric Gates."

"Hi Eric," chirped Grace, politely.

"Nice to meet you, Grace," smiled Eric, before once more returning to Stephen. "Tell me you are working later on tonight? I have too much to do and not enough good people to do it."

Stephen grinned, "Yep, I'll be here at 4 pm."

"Thank God. It's been nuts lately. Especially with Frank quitting two weeks ago," replied Eric.

Frank was another floor manager. There were a grand total of three of them, and they mostly split their duties on different areas of the store. While they all combined to handle the dry goods in the center of the store, they each had their own sections. Frank had been the manager of all dairy and frozen foods. The other manager, Kevin, had the bakery, deli and prepared foods. Eric, being the general manager, handled meats only, but added in quite a lot of other duties. With Frank being gone, both Kevin and Eric had spent a lot of overtime lately trying to keep the store running as usual. The stress of doing so was evident by the lines on Eric's face.

"I take it we haven't had anyone apply for Frank's position?" Stephen asked, already knowing the answer.

Eric shook his head, "No one worthy of the position. Frank had big shoes to fill, and the two people I interviewed for it already didn't have the leadership potential that the position requires."

"Ah, sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

Eric cracked a small smile, "Have you thought about interviewing for Frank's job?"

Stephen quickly shook his head, "No. I mean, not really."

"Not really?" Eric questioned.

Stephen hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully before responding, "It's just that, it seems like a position that requires a lot of experience. I wasn't sure if I was really qualified."

"Qualified? You've been my best stock guy for the past three years. You know the store, you pay attention to all the sales. You design the end caps every week and they are always mobbed quickly, which shows me you know how to advertise," replied Eric, ticking off his fingers after every point. "You should really consider it."

"Well, maybe," replied Stephen, thoughtfully. "Can I think on it?"

"Of course. Just don't keep me waiting too long. I'd like to quit working fourteen hour days soon," chuckled Eric.

"I'll let you know when I can," smiled Stephen.

"Atta boy. I'll see you tonight then. Nice to meet you, Grace!

"See you, Eric," replied Stephen, while Grace gave a polite wave after he began to pull away.

Reaching his car, Stephen sat down behind the wheel, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. Once Grace noticed that he hadn't started the car, she turned to look at him. "Thinking again?"

Stephen's face made several micro movements before the words came out, "I don't know what to do about that."

"About what? About applying for the manager job?"

"Yeah. I don't think I'm qualified enough to do it. I think Eric is just being nice about it, and I don't think I'd actually be able to get the job."

Grace reached out to touch his thigh, "Babe, he practically told you if you applied, you'd get the job."

"Sure, but it couldn't be that easy, though, right?"

Grace shrugged her shoulders, "For all we know, it could be."

"Hmm," mumbled Stephen, looking out the side window.

"Would you like the job?"

Stephen's head drifted back and forth, "It would be pretty nice. Especially to get an advancement after all the years I'd poured into this place. Managers make really good salaries here, so that would just about clear up all the money problems. But they are always here, too. They work their asses off for the store, and have to make tough decisions. They have to provide the business sense to keep this store running. I mean, trust me, if this store was just left to the owners, it would have been out of business a long time ago."

"Eric seems to think a lot about your experience and your qualities," noted Grace, quietly.

Stephen smiled, "He's always been like that. We've always gotten along well, and Eric is easy to work for."

"From the sounds of it, you'd be working more with him if you took the job," she said.

"Can you... can you see into his mind? Would he hire me if I applied?"

Grace closed her eyes and shook her head, "No. Not sexual enough, and not enough love. Sorry, that's outside my abilities."

"Oh right," Stephen chuckled, before slowly turning on the car.

"Tell me you'll think about it, though, okay?" Grace pressed, after they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Don't like the idea of being a girlfriend to just a stock clerk?" Stephen asked in a teasing matter.

Grace didn't seem to get the joke, "No, I want you to be happy. And I also know that you aren't entirely happy with being stuck doing the same job there. Especially when you have the qualities to make a good floor manager."

"You really think I'd be good at it?"

Grace nodded enthusiastically.

He pondered her answer for a moment before responding, "Hmm, okay. I'll think about it."

"Promise?"

Stephen laughed, "I promise."

"Much better, boyfriend," she grinned, triumphantly.

"Are you always used to getting your way?" He chuckled.

"Why yes, I am, babe. I would have thought you'd know that by now. Besides," teased Grace, reaching over to rub the crotch of his shorts. Stephen gulped as his cock sprang back to life. "You usually enjoy when I get my way," she giggled.

Stephen pulled back into their driveway in no time at all, mostly due to lead foot from his sexy genie and her teases from the passenger seat. Thankfully, at this time of day, his mother was still at work, and the twins were out, leaving a quiet house.

The pair made their way through the living room and into the main hallway, before completing the journey back to his room. Despite the overt attention Grace was giving him in the car ride, Stephen was still pondering going after the manager job. He knew the first step would be to submit a resume for it, even though that was a mere technicality since he was already working there.

Stephen sat down briefly at his desk and started to rummage around, looking for his last copy of his resume. Never an easy task to find anything on that desk, he began to open all the drawers to search for the missing document.

Finally, he found it, holding it clearly in both hands. It was the last copy he had made months ago, back when he entertained leaving Price Chopper for another higher paying job. He had put together the resume, but other events made certain that it was never shown. Stephen shuttered for a moment as he remembered the night of Danny's death.

Surprisingly, the resume looked decent, or as decent as one can look for someone barely into their twenties. Despite his lack of higher education, Stephen had a lot of experience at the store that highlighted why he'd be a good fit for more responsibility. Yet, there were a few simple errors his eyes had picked up, things that he would want to get fixed before submitting this copy. He took out a pen and began to circle a few items he wished to fix.

"Stephen?"

'Hmm?" He answered, without looking up, and while circling a bullet point he intended to completely re-write.

"What's this?"

Stephen looked up finally, to see Grace looking at something on his laptop. She brought it closer to him, where she had opened up a folder on his desktop. The folder was titled simply, "Novels".

"Oh, that," replied Stephen, resuming his attention back to his resume. "Just the drafts of a few books I've written."

"Wait, you've written these?" Grace asked, surprisingly.

Stephen nodded, "Yeah, in my free time. I've always liked to read. My favorite stories have always been the big fantasy type of novels. You know, the type that takes you to another world, or puts you on some grand quest for good. I'm kind of nerdy that way," he laughed. "But one day, I decided that I wanted to give it a shot myself and see if I could craft my own fantasy world, and my own story."

"So you've written all of these?" She repeated.

"Yeah, those four are all mine. The earlier works are much simpler, single sized novels. The last one that I'm still working on is the first book of what I envision to be five total. Basically a science fiction book."

"This is incredible," exclaimed Grace, her face pressing close to the screen to examine one of his earlier writings. "Stephen, this one from six months ago is over a hundred thousand words! That's not just a simple writing to be cranked out in a day or a week!"

"Yeah, that one took me a couple months to pen out," chuckled Stephen.

"A couple months?!"

"What? Something wrong?"

"Stephen, you created a whole novel of that length in just a couple months? That's seriously.. impressive!"

"Well, I'm not sure if it's any good," he replied, hesitantly.

"Your style is great. The prose is really good, I have to say," she said, examining the novel further, before looking up at him. "Have you thought about publishing these?"

"Maybe someday," he replied, abashedly. "That's a whole process in itself. Sometimes it's easier just to write it and be done with it."

"Be done with it? No way! Writing this good deserves to be seen by others!" replied Grace, practically bouncing off the bed.

"Grace, you've only read a couple paragraphs," Stephen chuckled. "Read the whole thing and tell me what you really thing then."

"My love seems to be forgetting about my powers," replied Grace, with a raised eyebrow. "I've already skimmed the entire story."

Stephen flinched, "The entire thing?"

"Mhmm!"

"And you still think it's good?"

"Yes! It's excellent! You have a few things that a decent editor could get cleared up for you, but the underlying story is very good," she replied.

"I don't know, Grace. I just feel like I'm not that good enough to be published," he answered, sullenly.

"Stephen, look at me." Grace got off their bed, and sidled her way into his lap. She rested her arms on his shoulders, and peered into his hazel eyes. "You have to have a little more faith in yourself."

"It's just hard sometimes, Grace. I'm not really used to having someone be my cheerleader. I mean, apart from my mom, but still... she's my mother," he chuckled, nervously.

Grace frowned, "I can't understand why such a great man has such issues with his self confidence. It truly confuses me. You're my entire world, but you don't see how much you're worth."

Stephen smiled softly, "I'm so glad you feel that way," he whispered. "I really am. It means everything to me. I'm just used to having a rather bad lot in life. With my Dad being the start of it. Not having enough money. Having to drop out of college, always being bullied. I could go on and on. I'm just not used to have confidence in myself."

"I know, baby," Grace nodded, pressing her face closer, and more intimately. "But you need to trust me on this one. My portal choose you. Even just the vessel itself is capable of great magic, completely apart from my own. That magic only responds to the master of the portal as well, such as I do. And it choose you, Stephen. It could never have opened for a man who wasn't worthy. Everything that you've shown me about you confirms that choice."

Stephen nodded absentmindedly, causing Grace to try a change in tactics.

"Master, listen to me," she ended, knowing she would catch his attention with the title change. Predictably, Stephen perked up. "I believe in you. I believe that you can do anything you set your mind to. I believe you deserve that new promotion to floor manager. I believe your writings are good enough to be published. I believe that you are the man I'm destined to spend the rest of my life with. I know these things in my heart. And I'm going to do everything in my power to try to convince you that every day, for the rest of our lives."

"I believe you, Grace," he whispered, finally.

"Every journey always starts with a first step," she smiled. "Whether that would be finding an editor, or polishing off a resume," she nodded in the direction of his desk.

"I'll try it. I promise," he replied, looking up into her shining blue eyes. "As long as I have you, I feel I can take on the world."

"As long as you have me, I'll let you," she giggled. Grace then kissed him longingly, before getting up off his lap and setting his laptop back on the table. Stephen resumed his attention back to his resume, using his pen to circle a few other items he wanted to update.

"Oh, Stephen?"

"Yes, love?" He answered, not looking up.

"I think it's time I gave you that reward from earlier," she replied in a throaty voice.

Stephen turned around, and his jaw almost dropped to the floor in amazement. Grace had changed outfits rather spontaneously, and this new one gave him a surge of lust.

She now looked like she was ready to go to work a day in a white collar office, but Stephen wasn't sure which office would allow her to get away with something this sexy. Her hair, which had been free and loosely flowing before, was now pulled back tight, and clipped in the back. She assumed a pair of glasses, which were riding just slightly further down her nose, giving her a very seductive look.

Grace wore a dark black blazer that covered up her torso and was buttoned once in the front. That poor button, thought Stephen, as it struggled to contain Grace's impressive chest. He could see underneath she was wearing a pink blouse with a very plunging neckline, enough to make his eyes bulge at the sight of her exposed skin.

Reaching her waist, she was wearing an extremely short black skirt. It was the type she would have trouble bending over, yet alone sitting down, without giving unintentional flashes to anyone who looked. Just when she turned the right away, Stephen caught a glimpse of something pink underneath before she shifted back into position.

Her long legs, always one of his favorite attributes on her, was capped in black lace stockings. The lace, intricately designed to go just above her knee, gave way to the rest of the material as his eyes made their way down, finally coming upon an arousing pair of three inch heels.

Grace looked like she was either ready to take on a board of directors, or fuck him senseless. He prayed it was the later.

"I'm here for the job interview, Mr. Willow," Grace smiled shyly, making casual steps towards him with an outstretched hand.

"Er.. job interview?" Stephen asked, looking around his shabby bedroom. The settings didn't quite fit her attire or roleplay.

Until... the next time Stephen blinked, and suddenly, before his eyes, his room had been transformed. Instead of sitting at his desk, he was looking around a small office. In front of him was a moderately done office desk, containing a computer, calendar, and several notebooks. The chair he had been sitting on, always a rather ragged old office chair, had been transformed into cool leather, more comfortable, and easily swivel-able.

Stephen tested out the chair, looking behind him to see the an incredibly large window. Stephen had never been to a really big city, but it was like they were transported to one. The entire wall was part of the window, and looking out, he could tell they were really high up, in an immensely large city. He could see nothing but skyscrapers upon the horizon. They were so far up that even the people on the very streets below looked no larger than common household insects.

He even looked down at himself. Whereas before, he had just been wearing casual attire from their trip to the store, he was now decked out in a white collared shirt, completely buttoned up in the professional manner, with a tailored pair of black slacks. He looked like he belonged in an office environment now.

"Is this real?" He croaked, still looking around.

"Mr. Willow? Are you okay?" Grace caught his attention once more, still wearing that shy smile.

"It's okay, Master. Just go with the fantasy," her words imprinted on his mind, letting him relax a little more. It was enough to catch his breath and begin to play along in return.