Bottles Ch. 01

The walls of Eric's apartment rushed backward and the ceiling rose just as fast. His belongings stayed in place, but beyond them spread the foyer of a grand white palace with gleaming brass and silver fixtures and bright light. Well back from the previous boundary of his back wall, Eric found a broad spiral staircase leading to a promenade up above, with a waterfall at the center of the spiral coming down from the ceiling into a lush pool. Much like Amber's outfit, the décor was mildly evocative of Arabian styles, but also fantastical.

Somehow, he kept his jaw from dropping, but his eyes were as wide as could be. Eric walked past the small bookshelf now standing in the open to confirm all the open space he saw was real. "This isn't illusion? This is real? Oh god, I have neighbors on every side and up above me."

"They are fine. Their world has not changed," said Amber. "I created more space within your home. This is no illusion. It is also only as permanent as you wish. I can change it to anything you desire."

Eric picked up a small stuffed dragon from his bookshelf and tossed it toward the stairs. It fell short of the target, but much farther than it could have gone in his apartment. "Can you put it back while I process all this? It's kind of freaking me out."

"Of course, master." The walls and ceiling rushed back to their original shape, pushing the little stuffed dragon back along the way. Momentum left it tumbling along the carpet to bounce off his foot.

"There are several limits to my magic," Amber explained. "I cannot directly harm anyone. My magic is meant for your private pleasure. I am told it is common for mortals to wish for an end to wars or hunger, but my magic and its effects must go mostly hidden for many reasons. To that end, I can grant you fabulous treasures, but you could not sell them or give them away." Her smile turned flirtatious. "On the other hand, I am not limited to your home. I can help you pursue extravagant pleasures almost anywhere. Only my magic must remain secret."

"Those rules seem pretty open to interpretation."

"That's what I first thought," she shrugged. "It is possible to work around those limits. Some of that is fine and even embraced, but if it became abuse of my powers, I would have to leave you. I don't believe that will be a problem." Affection still poured from every word and look. "I awaited a worthy master."

"You said this was unexpected, though?"

"No. The enchantment of the bottle is part of the magic that lets a genie enter this world. It is part of our laws, and it worked as it should. But I don't believe my intended master proved worthy to release and claim me, and so I remained in the bottle...until you."

Eric had never had someone so beautiful look upon him with so much undisguised fascination and affection. Amber seemed just as moved by this meeting as he was, which only left him more stunned.

Ridiculous or not, he couldn't argue with his senses. His current woes weren't the sort of thing that would drive him to hallucinate, let alone skipping straight to a fully-formed imaginary woman and all these special effects. This was real. He decided, staring at the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen in person, to just get on board with this train. He had nothing left to lose, anyway.

Above all that, she was clearly happy with it. "You said you know you're safe with me?"

"And you with me, master. The seals assured me of your worthiness. My magic will protect us both from now on." He saw a smile beneath that veil. "I am unafraid, master."

"Okay," he breathed. "Okay." Dozens more questions popped up in his mind, but none of them could drown out the other screaming bit of urgency he felt. "We need to talk more about all this. All of this. Everything. Later. Not right now."

"As you wish," she nodded. "I am happy to explain. Is there reason to delay?"

"Yes. Yes, there is. I need to go somewhere right now and I don't want to leave you here alone. Can you change your clothes to look like mine?"

Amber bowed her head and closed her eyes for the briefest of moments. When she raised her head again, she wore the same faded blue jeans and short sleeve black button-down as Eric, though her figure filled out the ensemble very differently. Of her other outfit, only her veil remained.

"Wow," Eric blinked. On board with this fantasy situation or not, the demonstrations of magic were nothing to be blasé about. Still, his urgency propelled him on. "Can you take off the veil?"

"Yes. The veil is for you to remove, master."

That stopped him. "Is that as meaningful as it sounds? Look, we've got a lot of history and baggage in this country with people treating other people like property and there's a whole lot more with how men treat women. I get that it's different for you and this is magic, but... you see why I hesitate?"

"I see why you're worthy," Amber smiled.

"Yeah, that's all super basic. There's no credit for being on that page. That's expected."

"Then I should assure you I have thought about this far more than you have. I must be bound to a mortal to stay in this world. I must have a master. I want you."

Her confidence and her sincerity were as dead sexy as everything else about her. Eric took a deep breath. If he could take her at her word about everything else, he could trust this, too. He found the strand of jewels that hooked the veil over her ear and gently pulled it away.

Those eyes sparkled with affection and eager devotion all over again. He could only liken it to getting married, though he'd only ever seen other people do that. The reveal brought another shot of intimacy, too. She was breathtaking, naturally glamorous...and all too familiar. Embarrassing, in fact. "Did you take this face and body because it pleases me?"

"Yes, master," she said. "In our realm, we are more ephemeral than in this world. I am a woman there, too, but physical forms are less permanent. The same magic that matched and bound us gave me a form to match your desires. I know it was one of many. Does this displease you?"

"No. No, not at all. That magic totally worked. It's just...you look like someone sort of famous. People are gonna recognize you. It might cause problems."

"I can ensure that no one will identify me with another person if you wish it, master."

"I do," he said. "It's one thing if they notice a resemblance, but recognizing you is a little much."

Once again, she nodded and closed her eyes for a brief moment. She didn't change at all, but she said, "It is done, master."

"Good. Thank you." It was for the best. He couldn't remotely complain about how she looked, but he also didn't know how many people would recognize her as a stunning porn star.

"There is much I should tell you," said Amber. "I have many questions as well."

"You can ask anything you want on the way, but we need to go. I've got a million questions for you, too," Eric said, grabbing his keys, wallet and phone off the counter as he spoke. "I've got practical questions. I've got moral questions. I've got ordinary, reasonable, friendly questions. But we need to get right back to where I found that bottle without a minute to waste."

* * *

The car ride had her completely amazed. Amber made no effort to hide her wonder at the world as they drove. "It's just a short ride to where we need to go," said Eric as they drove. "Can you...are you going to be okay?"

The car ride had Amber completely amazed. She made no effort to hide her wonder at the world and seemed almost as happy to look at him. If she had any sense of how old or beaten-up his aging green Honda was, she didn't let on. To her credit, she didn't stare at herself in the mirror for more than a few seconds, either. "Yes, master, I will be okay. Better than okay. This is incredible."

Eric nodded, kept his eyes mostly on the road, but then his train of thought stopped once again. "So it's magic that lets you speak English? Do you know another language from this world?"

"Learning your language is part of bonding to you. I'd learn faster if you made it a wish, but I think I'm picking up more than just the words with this process," she said thoughtfully. "Some things feel obvious. But there's so much that doesn't. It may be part of getting to know each other better. It feels natural, but also magical."

"You're already sounding more like a local," Eric noted. "You sound less formal now."

"Is that bad? I don't want to be disrespectful."

"No, no, it's great, actually," he shrugged. "You don't need to be formal with me. Don't worry about being disrespectful. It's just a sharp change."

"Maybe the magic needs time to help me adjust."

Eric grinned. "I feel like a few minutes ago you'd have said 'perhaps' instead of 'maybe.' But maybe that means you're right."

"Maybe," she repeated, and mirrored his smile. "But there's still so much...Master, may I ask a question?"

"Anything, anytime. At least while we're alone." He came to a stop at a light, allowing him to look at her directly. "Listen, you don't have to be all super polite and subservient to me. And you really don't need to call me master. I'm just Eric."

"But you are," she said with surprise. "It is no shame. All of this is a privilege. I am yours completely. I can...maybe it's part of learning this language, but I'm starting to understand how odd it is to call someone master. But it also feels special between us. I will stop if you wish, but if you are worried about my feelings... I like it."

Eric swallowed hard. He would be floored to have an ordinary mortal even half as attractive as her show such an interest in him, even apart from her magical nature. "Okay," he decided, "we'll need to talk about this more. But definitely don't call me that in front of anyone else, okay? Because it is weird. Eric is fine. I like my name."

"Yes, Eric," she conceded with a smile. "I like that, too."

He tried to fight off the shiver of arousal. As much as he was still worried about treating her right and not taking advantage of her, the undertones of her demeanor were unmistakable. "Anyway. You have a question?"

"Yes! How do you know when to stop and when to go? And all these other cars?"

"Yeah, okay. You're right, it's not consistent. This is basic stuff you learn as a child nowadays."

Amber's eyes widened even more. "You learn to drive as a child?"

"No! No," Eric laughed, "but you learn some of how cars work so you don't get run over. Huh. You don't know how it works, but you know it's called 'driving.' Okay, we'll just go with it. Look, you see that light there? With the red? That means we stop. Red means stop, green means go. It turns yellow to warn you that it's about to turn red so you'll know with enough time to slow down.

"You have to be careful with driving. Most people do it enough that they get comfortable with it, but it's easy to have an accident if you get careless, and that can be very bad. Accidents can kill people."

"I would imagine. I don't think I've ever seen anything move this fast before. Birds, maybe."

"Well, so, about that. Tell me more about this world you're from."

"I lived in the land of Shabala, on the coast, near the sea. In my world, many things change constantly. Only the broadest and deepest things remain the same. The trees and landscape and wildlife would change, but Shabala is always a coast on the sea."

"Never even heard of that place," Eric murmured. "Do you have family there? How long are you supposed to be here?"

"Family is different there. When I was chosen to come here, I was given some education in our differences, but it's only now really sinking in. I have family, yes. We don't often hold tightly together in our world. I love my mother and father and our broader family, but we do not miss one another when we are apart like they tell me mortals do.

"We also have a different sense of time. I am meant to be here as long as I want. My parents were overjoyed when I won this role. They would welcome me home, but they are happy that I am here."

"Won this role? Were you chosen, or was it a contest?"

"I was chosen from among many who wanted this. Many would come here if they could, but not all should be sent here. We must be found worthy, too," she added quietly.

Eric couldn't help his grin. "You see how weird that feels?"

"Yes," she nearly groaned, laughing. "And that brings me back to why you are worthy."

"Great, now I'm blushing again." He came to another stoplight and tried to control his sense of urgency. Their destination was only a block away. "So when you say, 'pleasure genie,' how is that different from other genies? Are there other types?"

"In our world, we choose our own paths and our own roles. Those might change over time like so much else. In coming here, we are limited to a certain role to protect ourselves and to protect your world from too much magic. Some are meant purely for protection and some are a different kinds of companions. I don't know all the roles.

"Pleasure genies like me are brought into your world as gifts," she went on. "Those with magic and knowledge give us to mortals who have done great good. We are not meant to reshape this world, though, because it would cause chaos." She tilted her head curiously. "This bothers you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah! A lot! You're a person, not a gift," Eric explained. "It's not okay to treat people like objects or property." He shook his head. "I don't want to abuse you or anyone else."

"Your concerns are all for my sake," said Amber. Her smile softened.

"I've also got some interest in not being an asshole." He shrugged. "So you wanted this role? What made you want to leave home?"

"Shabala isn't a bad place. There is good and bad, but leaving isn't a matter of escape. As for myself, I had a nice life. With our magic, we don't have the sort of needs you have. We don't have money. We take on roles we enjoy. I served as a temple..." She blinked. "Oh no."

"What?"

"This language. Is 'whore' an insult here?"

Eric swallowed. Just like that, all the subtext he didn't want to guess wrongly about became clear and certain. He was suddenly so, so glad they were at a stoplight instead of moving right now. "It...often, yes," he admitted. "There's a lot to unpack with that."

"We are cherished in Shabala," she protested in shock. "My parents were proud of me!"

"We're good. It's not a problem with me, at least. I'm not—don't say it," he winced as she took on that look again even amid her personal offense. "Don't say it again."

"I know you aren't the problem. You are worthy."

"So much for doing whatever I want," Eric sighed.

"I believe I am, master," she said.

The light turned green. Again, his brain flashed right back to John Mulaney memes. "We don't have time to unpack all that, either," he muttered.

Amber folded her arms across her chest, looking out the window again with a frown. "How can that be a shameful thing? We brought joy. My friends envied me. Some wanted me to help them become temple whores, too."

"Yeah, it must lose something in translation. Different worlds. Sometimes this one can be trash. Okay, we're here. We should probably hurry." Eric parked, jumped out of his seat, and immediately came around to open her door and help her out. "Like I said," he warned gently, "we really can't have anyone overhear the 'master' stuff here, okay?"

"As you wish, Eric." She threw him a teasing smile. Any distress seemed to vanish when she could focus on him. "I like your name, too."

It could have stopped his heart. He wasn't sure how she hadn't melted him yet. "Thank you."

"Would it be easier if I kept our conversation private through magic?" she offered. "I can make sure no one will overhear us."

"That's—yes. Wow. Why didn't I think of that? Yes, that's better. Thank you."

She flicked a tiny dash of gold dust up from her fingers. It flew up and split in a line connecting them before vanishing into nothing. "It is done." Amber doubled down on her flirty, teasing look. "Master."

Without conscious thought, Eric took her hand and led her across the parking lot. It caught up with him when they neared the entrance. He and Karen hadn't been big on holding hands, nor had anyone else he dated, and it wasn't habit for him. Yet when he realized what he'd done and looked to Amber to apologize, he saw only a welcome smile. He kept her hand.

They struck an odd sight in the reflection of the glass walls of the store, given that their clothing matched so closely. It was too late to worry about now. "We've got a lot to talk about, obviously. A whole lot," he said as they headed toward housewares. "I'm not entirely comfortable with all this. Everything sounds consensual and happy but I want to make sure no one's taking advantage of you, least of all me."

"But you're not," she blinked.

"You say that, but you're also talking about enchantments and knowing only a little about this world before you're chosen to live here. You talk about being a gift, and around here that's got a lot of bad history." They deftly weaved through several customers in the aisles. "We've also got a saying here: if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. A beautiful woman showing up and saying she'll do anything for me with magic? A spell that will match you with the perfect mortal? Sounds a little like that, yeah."

"Eric," she asked, "is this world really so full of people who can't be trusted?"

The question stopped him right in front of the racks of pots and pans. He thought about how he came here today, and the rest of his day before he met Amber, and the rest of his life. "Yes. Yes, it is. Some people are good, and some people are okay, and there are just enough terrible people to make the rest of us miserable. It's a thing we all have to deal with." He turned to scan the shelves. "So on the one hand, I'm not gonna take anything for granted."

Amber listened and followed, coming to a stop with him while his eyes searched through the shelves. "But on the other hand?" she asked.

Eric looked up and down, left and right, almost becoming frantic. A couple of the older women in the aisle drifted closer, threatening him with competition for good thrift-store discoveries. He kept looking, and then suddenly thrust both hands into the shelves.

He turned to face his companion with a blue glass bottle with gold filigree in each of his hands and another tucked under one arm. They felt heavier than they should, and they made his hands tremble just like the first bottle had in his apartment. The genie looked back at him in awe.

"On the other hand, I'd be an idiot to leave these sitting here."

* * *

"I see no reason why you can't have three pleasure genies, master. That sensation you feel is the same match and the same bond we have. I want you to have us."

They sat in his apartment once again amid his boxes and things that didn't fit so well into those boxes. The futon in his bedroom was all the seating he had, so they shared it, sitting facing one another with two bottles between them. The third bottle did not seem to react to him at all, so he laid it aside.

He'd deliberately put off all conversation about magic and genies and her powers until now, wanting to make sure they were safely at home and alone before he got distracted. Now he had no such worries. He'd turned off his phone, left it among the boxes in the living room, and sat down with Amber to broach a number of topics.

"Why do you say that?" Eric asked.

"Because my purpose is to provide you with pleasure. And your safety, of course, but those enchantments happen without much thought. My role is to devote my powers and my attention to your desires. You would have all the more if you had two more pleasure genies."

"You're sure these are like you?"