Alexander Ch. 04

Author's Note: All characters are well over the age of 18. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental.

Recap: Alexander has inherited a ring that seems to give him some kind of power of command. It doesn't allow him to command people's thoughts, but only their actions, speach, and sensations. He has largely made a mess of his first experiments. Ellie, his lesbian or maybe bi bartender as taken it upon herself to be his "manager." The night before this chapter, Alexander had a strange, almost mystical encounter with a woman who was not resistant to his power.

----

Sunrise in Brooklyn. At first the darkness faded out of the sky, deep night paling to dull gray. Only gradually did the world take on color, as a deep, dull mauve spread across the east. Later, streaks of gold and fiery red crossed a lavender sky. And then that brilliant spear from the first curve of the sun, rippling up through a wavering horizon.

Alexander watched it all from the roof of his building.

Then he slept.

He woke sometime before noon. He sat on the edge of his bed. Newly unemployed, Alexander had one job ahead of him. To start over.

The building was quiet. In the distance a helicopter thumped. Even so, his room had an air of stillness. Of quiet. Dim light made it around the edges of his heavy shades.

It was almost pleasant, in it's strange, cramped way. But he would not be sad to leave it behind. He would like to remember it this way: cool, quiet, dim. Pages of poetry on his desk, his books nicely arranged.

* * *

Uncle Bob's Odd Job Coffee Spot was kind of like a Starbucks where all the furniture had been picked off the street on garbage night, including the rattling, rumbling, hissing espresso machine that looked like it could double as a V8 for an old Ford.

He waited in line, but caught her eye before he got to the counter. A pleasing blush warmed her cheeks after their gaze met. He liked her style. It was casual, simple, but quirky. There was a modest sensibility, but also an expression of a whimsical personality.

When he came up to the counter he wordlessly invited her gaze, remembering the fascinating way Laia had held his visual focus the night before. He didn't say anything, and her blush deepened.

For an elongated pause, neither said anything.

Alexander broke the tension. "I'll take a black coffee. What time to do you get off work?"

"Two."

"You have another job in the afternoon?"

"Class."

"Can you skip class today?"

"Um..."

"I'll meet you here at two. Don't leave without me."

"Ok."

He tipped her well, but figured he'd better figure out exactly how much room he had left on that card.

He still didn't know her name.

* * *

He spent the next couple of hours working on his image with only one misfire. This time the person immune to his power was an older, heavy-set woman. Still, he extricated himself without involving the law, so that was good, and it was good to know that the immunity was not exclusively men.

But even so he was careful to select women, and he savored the erotic tension of knowing he could do whatever he wanted with them.

He came up with this test: "Tell me what you are thinking right now. Be honest. Stay calm."

Only the one hairdresser had told him to buzz off.

The others calmly informed him of interesting little details.

"I'm thinking you need a haircut."

"I'm stressed about this guy I am dating."

"I really need this sale."

He held off starting on his new wardrobe. He needed a consultant for that. But he got a professional haircut, a manicure, and a light meal.

When he returned to Uncle Bob's, the girl was standing outside. She brightened to see him approach.

"Come with me," he said.

"Ok. You're Alexander right?"

"That's me. And: tell me your name."

"Jenny."

"So, you're ok skipping class this afternoon then?"

"I really shouldn't. It's the last class before our final, and I need to do well in this one. But maybe you could walk with me."

Alexander walked. And thought. He was hoping to make it a shopping date, to get her advice on a new look.

"Tell you what," he said. "I am going to take you out on a date. A nice one. When would that work for you?"

"Oh! Aren't you forward!"

"That's an understatement."

"Here's the thing," she said. "I already have a boyfriend."

"You can tell me more about that on our date. Give me a time in the next four days that you can make work."

She laughed.

"Tonight!" She paused at the entrance to the subway. "You're a bit of a mystery, and I find myself kind of liking it."

"Then I guess you and this boyfriend aren't too serious."

She shrugged. "Maybe not too serious. Plus he lives in London."

"Unlock your phone. I'll grab your number."

She blinked at her phone until it unlocked and handed it to him. He sent a text to his own number.

"Great, you're free at eight?"

"Yes..."

"I'll send you instructions. Follow them."

She took her phone back. As she descended the stairs into the cool shadows of the subway, he heard her say: "My goodness!"

* * *

He saved her number as a new contact, and noticed there was another couple of texts waiting for him. From Ellie. How had she gotten his number?

The texts read:

"Hey dickhead."

"Ready to start making real money?"

Alexander remembered he had texted her before ringing up to Davon's place.

He texted back: "Where are you now?"

She replied almost immediately. "Working, but going off shift in thirty. I'm at the Crimson, you know it?"

Her next text was a map link.

"Ok," he typed. "omw"

* * *

By the time he got there, she was on his side of the bar, with what looked like a mint julep.

"Hey there, chickenshit bossman," she said. And then, appraising him. "You look better. Get some good news?"

"I got fired."

She smiled. "Oh yeah, that's always good. Well, you definitely didn't need that job. But here's the real question... are you ready to start making real money?"

Alexander held up a hand. He ordered a soda and bitters.

"Actually, the real question is... why are you even talking to me. I walked out on you, and left you with a massive clusterfuck on your hands."

She shrugged. "I walked out after you. Who wants to deal with that shit. Davon had been lying to me, so I figured, it's on him. Months of celibacy my ass."

Alexander looked at her in silence. Then he laughed.

"We are not good people," he said at last.

She pouted. "Speak for yourself. I was trying to do a solid."

"And Tanya? You left your friend there, in a boy-girl fight?"

Ellie shrugged. "Well, there is that. She's not exactly a friend, but, yeah, sucked to be her, probably, except she was too blissed out to even notice."

Alexander shook his head, sipped his drink.

"It was pretty hot though," Ellie said. "While it lasted."

Alexander shrugged.

"God, so jaded already. Well, moving on, are you also fabulously wealthy already, or shall we get moving on that. I hear you have some time on your hands."

'I was going to level up my wardrobe. Look the part. And then I was thinking about getting a job."

"A job? Are you stupid?"

"I mean, use my influence. Get like, a fake job, on wall street or something. Something that pays real money, but doesn't make me do real work."

"Oh, honey. Those poor bastards do nothing but work. You and I might not call it work, but all they do is stress out about money. And they get all their money from success in the market. It's not a paycheck."

"I looked it up, it's a pretty good paycheck."

"Maybe, maybe, but really you gotta aim higher. Why go through the hassle of even a fake job, which you know is going to get complicated, the more people are involved. You can make rich people give you money."

"I don't think they carry around big wads of cash. Maybe I can make drug dealers give me money, but that doesn't feel like a great bet."

"And that's why you need a manager. Look, I've got it set up. You don't need to worry your little head about a thing. And this time... no surprises! Tonight, you and I are going to make Big Green."

"Ah, can't tonight."

Ellie looked at him like she had just seen a cockroach.

"I told you. I have it Set. Up."

"You set it up without talking to me. Move it to tomorrow. I have a date."

"Do you want to get your dick wet? That's fine. That's part of the plan, bossman. I don't have Davon on hand to take care of business, and I assumed you would be up to the challenge."

"Look, Ellie, I appreciate what you are trying to do. I do. And I realize you, ah, have more contacts than I do. I'm not saying no. I just, not tonight."

"What would it take for you to move this 'date?'" She said the word like it was a worm she had just found in her salad. "Because, this might be a one-time opportunity. A convergence of good fortune. And when an opportunity like this opens, you don't fuck with it."

Ellie unbuttoned her blouse to show a little more cleavage. "You need some of this?"

"Damn, you're desperate for this, aren't you? How big is it?"

"It's effing huge. I didn't want to go into details, I don't want you getting into your head about things, but, yeah. It's really big."

"Tell me one thing," he said. "How did this opportunity fall into your lap?"

"Well, that's a funny question," she said. "Something kind of strange happened last night."

Alexander remembered his own strange evening. "Tell me."

"I had an opportunity to sub at an uptown cocktail bar. Dress up kind of place. Friend of mine had a family thing hit hard. So, I'm there and there's this one woman nursing an orgasmatron, reading a book. She gets a second, keeps reading, paying no attention to anyone. You gotta picture her: pearl necklace -- please, just pearls, mind out of the gutter -- and not the only necklace! Gold rings, gems that are intense rather than enormous, dark blond hair professionally done up, raw silk jacket over something discreetly satiny. You know I like to work the ladies a bit, but this one was buttoned up tight, and frankly, out of my league. But latish in the evening, things are quieting down a bit, I'm putting stuff in order, and I see her shudder. She looks like she's cumming right there at the bar, holding it in. I start thinking all the obvious, like she's got a remote control vibe or something, but she looks right at me, and says she needs a man.

"Well, we talk a bit, I'm sympathetic, and a bit disappointed she wasn't looking for a chick, cause I was ready. The book was something sexy, and apparently it just got to her. So, I tell her I know someone amazing and could maybe set something up, and we talk a bit more. I talk you up. We made a little date. I took the night off S tonight, we're going to get you cleaned up a bit, nice haircut by the way, and we're going to meet her at seven."

"Let me ask you one thing. What time did this happen?"

"It was probably around eleven. I know, I know, that's not late. But this was upper east side."

Alexander nodded. He didn't feel like he wanted to tell Ellie much about his night. There was something extremely private about that experience, something important that he didn't think she would get. But the timing was interesting. Right around eleven.

"Look, one thing you should know. It doesn't always work."

He described the two instances in which his power seemed to fail, and his technique for testing the waters. He still kept the ring out of it. He had the image of waking up in a bathtub with his pinky finger clipped off and a pair of bloody bolt cutters on the floor.

This didn't phase Ellie, "Look, we gotta try. This could be our break."

He nodded, pulled out his phone.

He texted Jenny. "Change of plan. Same time tomorrow. I'll give you the time & place."

He was pretty sure the ring didn't work its magic over text, but Ellie was right. He had the sense that she was usually right. This was more important; possibly more important than Ellie herself knew.

* * *

Ellie was not the best fashion adviser, but as his manager, she made sure to get the right advice out of the staff. Within a few hours Alexander had shoes, shirts, slacks, one sharp jacket, and some accessories. A three hundred dollar belt. Tom Ford Tuscan Leather cologne. A kangaroo-leather wallet. Suspenders. ("I don't know how to wear suspenders." "Shush, we'll figure it out. Can't be worse than garters." "Mmm. Garters.")

They didn't have the slightest difficulty with any of their forays. Even the men seemed ready and willing to follow Alexander's commands.

Periodically, Alexander snuck a look at his phone, but there was no response from Jenny.

Alexander and Ellie parted ways in the late afternoon, Alexander to stow his goodies and prepare himself for the evening. Ellie to "see to some things."

* * *

The appointed hour: seven post meridiem.

The appointed place: a private art gallery.

Alexander and Ellie met a few blocks away, looked each other over. Alexander found his mouth going dry, Ellie looked that good. Pale skin, full curves, large, dark eyes, a bit of a flush, a fulness to her lips. Christ, he could just tell her what to do and die happy. No worries about money at all.

She nodded her approval.

"Let's do it, my friend," she said.

* * *

Alexander stepped into the gallery. His new shoes (already chafing his heels) made a manly click on the marble floor. Dizziness momentarily overcame him. It was a vertigo of surrealism. Who was he, dressed like this, standing in a this private gallery on a quiet, tree-lined side street where buildings probably ran to the tens of millions. Or hundreds. He simply had no idea.

He didn't belong here.

"Ah, my dear friend, Elspeth!" A tall, queenlike figure glided to them in a flowing peach-and-cream gown. Dark, golden-blond hair, interleaved in a tight, complicated way. Pearl choker that stirred him. A gold pendant with a deep black stone nestled at the first shadow of her cleavage. Rings, earrings with brilliant gems and gleaming gold. "So glad you could make it. Please let me show the, oh! You brought a friend. Very pleased to meet you. Vanessa. Vanessa Crowther."

"Alexander," he said, held out his hand, looked her in the eye. Grey eyes, cold.

"Oh, please, I'm a hugger," she said. She did not look like a hugger.

Nonetheless, she gave Ellie a brief embrace and then Alexander. She whispered something as she pressed her cheek to his, but he couldn't catch it. He hoped he hadn't laid on the cologne too thick.

"I was saying," she continued. "You must see this, a Banksy. He painted it on a rail siding in Cardiff, they cut out the whole slab of concrete and brought it here."

Indeed, there was a slab of concrete, rusty rebar jutting out of the rough edges. A white and black drug dealer dressed like uncle sam, with a gold-leaf halo handing a red poppy to a black and white child in a turban.

"It's not for sale, yet," she said proudly. "They will put it up for auction at the end of the show, but it will go for well over a million, I should think."

"It's kind of calling us all assholes, don't you think?" Alexander asked.

"We are all assholes," Vanessa said. "Art must be true."

Alexander's sense of surrealism expanded to include this slab of concrete, seemingly even more out of place than he was. Or was it in the perfect place, trying to look like an outsider, while he was on the outside, faking his way in?

"So," Vanessa said, after an appropriate period of artistic contemplation. "I live in the neighborhood. Would you two like to swing by for a little drink? I have a vintage port that I've been dying to open."

Alexander felt her graze his shoulder as she glided past.

* * *

Her house was less ostentatious than many in the area, but it still had layers of security; an outer gate opened by Vanessa's palm, an outer door opened with an eyeblink, an inner door unlocked with a keycard. Carved stone and mullioned windows, grown with climbing streaks of ivy and arbors of wisteria. Inside: carved chestnut banister with polished wood stairs to the second floor and a wood-paneled hallway into the interior. To their left, a high-ceilinged receiving room with oriental rug, a cut-marble fireplace. And of all things a grandfather clock echoing through the empty house. Alexander glanced at Ellie. She smiled confidently.

"Please," Vanessa invited them in. She went to a cabinet that had a couple of crystal decanters on top. She opened it to pull out a black bottle.

She handed it to Alexander with an industrial strength corkscrew in her other hand.

"Elspeth, come with me. I need some special glasses for this."

Alexander opened the port, taking care with crumbling cork.

When they returned, Vanessa said, "It's settled then."

Ellie gave Alexander a significant look, as if to say, do your thing, wonderboy.

"Vanessa," Alexander said. "Stop where you are. Stand still. Don't move, don't speak."

She stopped. She didn't say anything. There was a sharp twitch of a smile on her lips.

Alexander asked Ellie: "So what's settled?"

"She finds you acceptable. I'm to run along now, while she makes good use of your skills."

"Ah." He looked at Vanessa. If she could shrug without moving, it seemed almost as if she might have.

To Ellie: "But, you have different ideas, I suppose?"

"I do. I thought... I'd watch."

"Why don't we just..." But Ellie interrupted him, shaking her head.

"Perhaps you should ask Vanessa what she wants," Ellie said.

"You can speak," Alexander said to Vanessa. "You can speak calmly, quietly. Be honest. You must do anything and everything that Ellie...Elspeth says as if the words came from my mouth. Answer her question."

"Ellie...Elspeth did not ask a question," Vanessa said, again that smirk on her lips.

"What do you want, Vanessa," Ellie said.

"I want a strong young man to dominate me. To take me in every way."

"And what will you do with such a strong young man?"

"I am a very generous woman."

"But only if he pleases you, right?"

"Only if he truly, truly, dominates me."

"How do you feel right now?"

"A bit strange, like I'm not sure who's in control."

That felt to Alexander like it was his cue. He knew what to do with this.

"Get on your knees," he said.

Vanessa dropped to her knees, her cheeks flushing.

He strolled up to her. "Feel your desire, now. Feel how this turns you on," he said. "Do you like to be controlled? Answer honestly."

"I do," she whispered.

"You can try to resist, but it won't be able to. Feel how I control your body. Feel your desire getting stronger. Notice it in your body. Notice what you want."

She licked her lips.

"In a minute, I am going to let you taste my cock. As soon as your lips touch it, your body is going to feel an electric pleasure. You are going to feel that desire become an absolute craving. How does that make you feel?"

"Mmmmm."

Vanessa was looking up at him.

"Anything you want, then, Ellie?"

"Oh, I'll watch for a bit. I like seeing this rich bitch on her knees. We'll deal with the other matter after we've... made her happy." She rubbed her fingers against her thumb in the universal sign of money to make sure he knew what the other matter was.

"Take it out, Vanessa," he commanded.

She looked at him with a smirk. "Take what out?"

"Take out my cock. You can touch with your hands, gently. Nothing more. But you can't stop looking at it. And the more you see the hornier you get. It is going to drive you wild."