Amorous Goods: The Decision Maker

Prologue:

A lifelong collector of goods and objects from far and wide has passed and left the entire collection and the business built around them to the only remaining relative, a niece on a career path of her own. Vikki has taken on the task of administering the estate and liquidating the business and collection. However, she has come to find out that many of the goods have been cursed or enchanted with amorous powers that affect those who encounter them. These are the stories of some of those encounters with objects found at Amorous Goods.

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Tom liked to go for long walks when he was making a difficult decision. Right now he had been walking for two hours with no end in sight.

His girlfriend, Dorothy, had practically given him an ultimatum. He needed to propose soon or she was going to move on. While it was true that they had been dating for nearly a year, Tom was not convinced that she was a good fit. Dorothy was without a doubt a responsible driven woman, who would go far in the world. She was an executive assistant for one of the partners in the accounting firm where he worked. She always dressed sharp and was very attractive.

She was 5'7" and 24 years old, whereas Tom was 5'10" and 26. They met at work and started dating. Not exclusively at first, but for the last six months they had been monogamous. She wouldn't agree to sex until he agreed to stop seeing anyone else, which wasn't an unreasonable request. The sex was good, but not the best he'd ever had. Dorothy not only seemed reserved, she was distant during sex. Perhaps she'd had better sex before and was feeling the same disconnect he was. More likely, she just didn't like sex and was going through the motions to satisfy him. Of course, he just couldn't know.

He wondered if he was willing to spend the rest of his life with a mediocre sex life. On the other hand, she was driven and organized. She kept his apartment clean and organized, while doing the same for her own. She spent the night at his apartment most days of the week, while he stayed at hers during the weekends. She managed to give him some good advice on how to get ahead at the company, and was helping him with the process of establishing his own financial consulting firm. He had no doubt that with her as his wife he would become a very successful business owner.

But deep down Tom missed his old girlfriend, Samantha. Sammi was a real party girl who loved to fuck. There was nothing reserved or distant about Sammi in the sack. The two had met while he was in college. She had been a psychology major, and it was true what they said. Most psychology majors were trying to figure out what was wrong with them. Sammi had self esteem issues, commitment issues, trust issues just to start. She had more issues than The New York Times.

Tom dated her for three years, but Sammi could never be completely faithful. She never cheated on him, because she never promised him to be monogamous. Every time he wanted to be her only one, she told him upfront that it wasn't going to happen. She gave him the option to stay on her terms, or leave. He left a few times, but would inevitably end up back with her.

She liked him and he liked her, but she just kept allowing herself to be seduced by smooth operators. She sought validation through sex, and Tom couldn't provide enough. He tried to get her to settle for threesomes with the two of them and some other partner, but she would eventually break whatever rules he tried to enforce.

If Tom could have been satisfied with a relationship minus the monogamy, he would have been happy with Sammi, but that was a deal breaker. Sammi was a fun girlfriend, but would not be a wife for him. On the other hand, he could have Dorothy with all the monogamy he wanted, but none of the passion. His biggest concern was that he might marry Dorothy and cheat on her with Sammi. Could he marry Dorothy and risk turning into the sort of person who might cheat? Would he be able to settle for a lifetime of missionary position with a starfish after having sex in twenty different positions over the course of a week with Sammi?

And so Tom kept walking. He had started from Dorothy's apartment, ostensibly to clear his head with the intention of arriving at his own apartment. He left the familiar confines of the financial district long ago, and now he was in the eclectic neighbor of used book stores and antique shops. He was lost in his thoughts, when he pulled up short realizing he had no idea where he was. He pulled up his cellular phone to look at a map, only to find that his phone was out of power. He looked around him, hoping to find a familiar landmark or welcoming store front.

Across the street was a store named Amorous Goods. The seemed more welcoming the South Asian Herb market he was walking past. He looked in the window at some of the objects in the window on display. It reminded him of some of the sex shops that he and Sammi has visited, though this shop has a more refined air to it. He walked in the door and a bell sounded somewhere.

Tom wasn't really shopping as much as he was looking for a shop keeper who could give him directions back to civilization, but he felt an obligation to look over the display merchandise. A voice from somewhere in back of the store called out "Just a minute." Tom looked around at the various objects on the shelves. He recognized the Ben Wa balls, though these seemed to have a malicious shine to them. He saw a strap-on dildo that was emitting a low rumbling hum that he was afraid to touch.

On another shelf he saw a small clear box that held what looked like a Magic 8-Ball. The box was labeled as The Decision Maker. Just like one of those classic children's toys, it had a little window that displayed a small message inside. The current message said "Definitely, Yes". Tom began to reach for it, when a woman came down the aisle. "Hello, I'm Vikki. Can I help you find something?"

"Yes. Thank you. I'm looking for directions. I'm a little lost. I took myself for a walk and now I need to get back to Crenshaw Street."

"Oh. That's over a mile away. Do you want me to call a cab for you?" Vikki asked.

"No. I'm happy to walk, just tell me which direction to head and I'll be fine." Tom assured her.

"Well," Vikki began, "you'll want to turn right out of the store and go three blocks. That will take you to Jefferson Avenue. Turn left and in about a mile and a half, you should be in familiar territory."

"Right. Jefferson eventually runs parallel to Crenshaw. Okay that will get me where I want to go." Tom thanked her.

"Are you sure you don't want a ride? It's still a long way. I can get a cab here quick."

"No, the walk helps me think. By the way, what can you tell me about this Decision Maker here? How much is it?"

Vikki startled for a moment and looked where he had pointed. "Oh. I had forgotten about that piece. I suppose it would be harmless to let that one go." She thought for a moment. "Forty dollars."

Tom thought. That was more than he really wanted to pay. But she had been generous with the directions and maybe it would help him with his decision regarding Dorothy. Sometimes it's just useful having someone to help make the important decisions for you. "Deal!" he said. He paid the money and walked out of the store with his Decision Maker and headed for home.

He arrived safely at his apartment about half an hour later, but he was no closer to making a decision. When Tom arrived home he immediately plugged in his phone. It took a few minutes to come alive, but once it did it buzzed with message alerts from missed phone calls and text messages. Tom anticipated these were from Dorothy and decided he was not ready to talk to her yet.

He sat down at his kitchen table and stared at his Decision Maker. He shook it as if it were a Magic 8-Ball and asked aloud, "Should I marry Dorothy?" Immediately he felt a deep lassitude as if he had fallen asleep and he started dreaming.

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Tom was sitting at a kitchen table, but it did not look like his kitchen. This was a much nicer, much larger kitchen with a large professional grade refrigerator and stove. There were marble top counters and a large central island. The afternoon sun was shining in through huge vaulted windows looking out over a large backyard. He could see an outdoor hot tub and a pool house in his backyard.

That's right. That was his backyard. This was his house. Tom lived here with his wife Dorothy and daughter Delilah. It was a large six bedroom house with a three car garage and finished basement. They purchased this house eight years ago. Tom's company, Insight Investing, had taken off and the family was quite wealthy. Dorothy had informed him that they needed a bigger house because Delilah was going to be born soon. They bought a house big enough for a large family that never materialized.

Tom looked up to see his wife standing over him. She had an impatient look on her face that he knew too well. She had always been a take charge demanding personality, but it had served their marriage well so he never complained. She had good business contacts from working as an administrative assistant that she had steered his way over the years. While she had been only working part time since Delilah was born, she had been instrumental in Insight Investment being as successful as it was. Make no mistake, Tom had put in the long hours, working fourteen hour days and most weekends, but he depended on his wife to raise their daughter and manage the household.

Tom looked down at the table in front of him and saw the Dissolution of Marriage forms laid out on the table. His loving wife of eleven years had just asked him for a divorce. Tom was shocked and dismayed. He knew there had been cracks in their marriage for a long time, but he had always assumed that Dorothy was happy. He had spent their entire marriage trying to keep her satisfied. She had always been a cold fish in the bedroom, but he never pushed. They hadn't had sex ever since Delilah was born, because Tom never wanted to force the issue.

Dorothy said, "You know we haven't been happy in a long time. Just sign it and we can get this over easily."

Tom felt like he had been punched in the gut. "Can't we try counseling? Can't we try to make it work?" He tried to read the divorce papers in front of him. "Why didn't you talk to me about this?"

Dorothy signed. "I'm done. I don't want to discuss it. I just want out. This is as good a settlement as you will get. You've got unsupervised visitation with Delilah every other weekend. I already found you a two bedroom apartment close to your work."

Tom goggled. "What?!? You already found an apartment for me? How long have you been planning this?"

"Actually, I've been thinking about this for about a year. Things haven't been getting better. Delilah and I will stay in the house. The alimony is very affordable and will allow you enough money to live off of."

Tom growled. "Are you kidding me! You've been thinking about this for a year and you didn't talk to me about it? You ambushed me you fucking bitch! There's no way I'm signing this without having my own lawyer looking it over."

"You dumbshit! You don't have a lawyer. Our family lawyer is Jon's friend. We've made sure that any decent lawyer in a fifty mile radius has a conflict of interest. If you try to fight this, then you will find out just how nasty I can be. I've spent the last year documenting a history of abuse by you. Fight this and I'll destroy your reputation."

"I've never hit you. I haven't even touched you in years. Where do you get off accusing me of that!" Tom shouted.

"So what? I've been giving myself bruises and showing them to friends. I've been telling enough people at work and at the gym about it, that I'll be able prove it in court. If you fight this you will lose. Jon is sending four guys from work to help move your stuff out. They will be here in ten minutes, so sign the agreement and make it easy. If you don't sign it, I'll have a restraining order filed before the day is over."

Jon was Dorothy's boss. She had been his administrative assistant for as long as I had known her. Clearly he had known about this for a long time. "How long has Jon been involved? Why did you talk to him before you talked to me?"

"Jon has been involved since the beginning. I mean, he's been a big part of our lives for years. He's the reason your company has been so successful. If you make this easy, your company will stay successful. If you fight, you'll lose most of your biggest clients. He wants you to be successful so you can continue to support Delilah and I. Just go along with this and everything will be fine."

"Wait!?! Are you saying what I think you're saying? Have you been screwing him? Is he Delilah's father?"

Dorothy squirmed. "You are Delilah's father. You're the only father she's ever known. Don't talk like that. I'm just tired of living like this. We don't love each other. We need to move on. You've got your company and your daughter. Just let me go."

"Let you go! Look at this alimony you're asking for. Four thousand dollars per week! That's well over half my income and is doesn't include the house payments. How much is Jon contributing to his child's upkeep."

"Delilah is your child, not his. He has been steering business your way to make sure she is well provided for, but that's all he can do. He has his own family to take care of. Don't ruin it for him or us." She sighed. "Just sign the papers. Let's make this easy."

There was a loud knock on the door which immediately opened. Four large burly men let themselves into my home. "Ma'am? How can we help?" Tom looked at these thugs who were going to enforce these terms. No matter what he did, he was going to be out on the street in a hour. These guys were going to clear everything out that belonged to him. They might move it into this new apartment or they might just dump it in the gutter. If he fought, he end up with some broken ribs and bruises, but no doubt he would lose. He looked at his wife, soon to be ex-wife, with tears in his eyes. He picked up the pen and started reading the agreement, before he realized it didn't matter. He was completely screwed. He steeled himself to sign the contract. He took a breath. Just then his cell phone rang, and he startled awake.

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Tom looked at the Decision Maker. In its window showed one word, "No". His phone continued to ring. It was Dorothy. As a reflex he picked it up and answered. Dorothy started into him, "Where the hell have you been, Tom? I've been calling for hours ever since you left. We were talking and then you just walked out saying you had to think. Don't I get a say in what you do? Aren't you going to talk to me about it?"

Tom was still reeling from his vision. He was so unhinged he blurted out, "Are you sleeping with Jon?"

Dorothy spluttered on the other end of the line. "What?!? Why would you ask that? Who told you that? I mean, who gave you the idea that anything was going on? It's completely ridiculous. Where do you get off accusing me of that? Is this you trying to blame me for your indecision. Listen, you better get your head screwed on right if you think we're going to get married. Hell, I bet you wish you were still screwing Sammi and you're trying to distract me with this accusation. Now you get your ass back here so we can continue this conversation. Do you hear me?"

Tom hung up the phone. He had heard enough. The vision was starting to fade, but it was clear that he did not want to marry Dorothy. He was thankful that this toy had saved him from a potentially disastrous marriage. He sat there thinking about it a little longer, and finally he shook the Decision Maker and asked, "Should I marry Sammi?" Again his vision fogged over and he drifted off as if to sleep.

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Tom was sitting on the couch in his living room as the morning light was streaming in. He was tired. Tom had been unable to sleep and now he was staring blankly out his front window. He had been crying earlier, but now he had no tears left. Sammi had not come home last night from her night out with the girls. She had sent no text message telling him that she was okay. He felt like a complete afterthought.

Tom knew he had worked hard to convince Sammi to get married. She loved Tom, but she loved to party more. She would go out on the town, but she would always return to him. He tried to be a good husband, but that didn't seem to be enough for her. He had bought this house with his own money. He had started his own financial advising company with some of the guys from work. He was a good provider, and he kept hoping that she would finally get tired of the hangovers and the loud crowds.

He remembered their wedding day. She had promised to be true to him, and she had meant it. Of course, what she meant by being true wasn't what he had in mind. She still danced with other men. She still flirted and kissed, but no sex. That was what she promised. Well, 'no intercourse' she admitted later. She didn't consider oral sex to be cheating. And of course, she might give a fellow a hand job, but that was only fair since she wouldn't fuck him.

They fought all the time about that. She told him it was who she was. She couldn't give it up no matter how hard she tried. He kept waiting for her to grow up, but she never stopped going out. Of course, when they fought the make up sex was phenomenal. He would take out all his frustrations on her. He would pull her hair and call her names. She just egged him on, telling him to punish her, to hurt her.

He had to admit, the sex afterwards was the hottest sex he'd ever had, but he was getting tired of it. He wanted to settle down and start having kids. He felt like Sammi was just another child he was destined to spend his life taking care of. He needed to figure out how to get her to leave the party life behind. He was patient, but he wasn't going to wait forever. He kept pressuring her to grow up, but she only pushed back harder. She was treating him like a strict father she had to rebel against. And he was getting tired of it.

He heard a car pull up to the house followed by Sammi staggering to the front door. It was unlocked, but she still struggled to get the door open. Her hair was a mess. She was wearing a tight black dress that wasn't fitting right, as if she had gotten dressed in a hurry. Her eyes were bloodshot, either from alcohol or lack of sleep. It took her a moment to realize Tom was sitting there watching her, but when she did her face broke into a huge smile. "Hey, baby!"

"Where have you been? It's much too late to be getting in from a night out. The sun's already up. I was worried about you."

Sammi sashayed over to wear Tom was sitting. She knelt down in front of him and started rubbing her hands along his thighs. "I have a surprise for you." She looked seductively into his eyes. "You've been interested in starting a family. I decided, sure, what the hell. So I went off birth control a month ago. I decided last night it was time to start working on making a baby."

"What?" This was a surprise. Tom had not expected this. Although, it seemed odd that her idea of settling down and having kids started with an all night binge. "Don't we need to talk about this first? I mean, how is this going to affect our marriage. Are you sure you want to settle down like this?"

Sammi's hands had slid up and were massaging Tom's cock through his pajamas. He quickly hardened, but he was still distracted by what she was telling him. Kids? Really? He had discussed it with her before, but she had pretty much ignored him whenever he brought it up. Sammi pulled his pants down to his knees and immediately started slobbering on his knob. It was clear she was still sloppy drunk by the way she was devouring his tool. She looked up at him, "I got started tonight, but I wanted to give you a fair shot at being a daddy." She stood up and lifted her dress up to her waist. She wasn't wearing any underwear and her shaved pussy was encrusted with a variety of dried bodily fluids. She turned around and plopped herself down on Tom's erect penis. He slid in quickly and easily. She was wet and messy from the night's activities.