The Coffee Shop Pt. 05

'Fuck yes, sir. I'll do anything you say. Anything you want. Oh the pleasure. It feels so fucking good, sir. Oh Christ. Only you are important now, sir. I must do what you say, to feel this pleasure. Oh fuck. YES SIR!!" Tony screamed out the last two words as Brian's mental domination of Tony's mind was completed.

It was clear to me that Brian had used his super hypnosis powers to take complete and total control of Tony's mind in only a few seconds. Given that the two of them were on a city street in broad daylight in public, Brian had to be quick. Still I found his actions reprehensible to say the least.

Brian grinned wolfishly at his victim for a second or two before he continued speaking. "I am lucky that you're working alone officer. It has taken me over an hour for find a police officer like you, on patrol who is working alone. I need you to kill someone for me. When you kill that person, you will experience pleasure twice as intense as you are feeling right now and that pleasure will last only for a minute. To bring the pleasure back you'll have to shoot yourself in the head, Officer. Will you do that for me?"

"Fuck yes, sir!! I said I'd do anything for you, sir and I meant it! The pleasure is so great. Oh fuck I have to have it. I can't live without it, sir!" Tony cried out in both pain and joy.

"Exactly right, Officer," Brian said with a laugh. "When I let go of your hand you will stand there and wait for me to hand you a clipboard. On the clipboard will be a survey form with the name and address of the person whom you are to kill. A photograph of that man whom you must kill is at the bottom of the papers on the clipboard. When you return to your patrol car, you will call in sick at work and say that you need to go home. You will drop off your patrol car at the usual place and take a cab or drive your own car to the address on the clipboard. If the man is not home right now, you will keep trying at half hour intervals until he invites you in. Chat with the man for a few moments to get him to relax and let his guard down. When he is not looking, shoot him. Kill him. Once you have killed him, you will burn the papers on the clipboard as well as the copy of the ticket that you gave me. When you have done that you may shoot yourself in the head. Only then will you feel the pleasure again."

"Yes sir," Tony replied. "Oh fuck this pleasure it's so good. Please don't stop shaking my hand, sir. I'm begging you, please don't stop."

"One more thing, Officer. If you are not able to contact the man today, before 6 P.M., then you will go home and shoot yourself in the head, after you have burned the papers on the clipboard and the record of the ticket that you gave me." As Brian finished speaking he yanked his hand out and away from Tony's hand.

Tony's right hand and arm slowly moved downward until they were out of the picture. A minute or so passed. "Please, sir, hand me the clipboard so I may be on my way?" Tony pleaded.

"You norms are so easily used. You're not even a challenge anymore,," Brian said disdainfully as he bent over into his car and grabbed something. A moment later he emerged with clipboard in hand. "Here you go, boy. Go have fun, you mind fucked fool."

"Sir, yes sir! Thank you sir. I won't fail you, sir!" Tony said happily as he took the clipboard from Brian. Tony's gaze lowered as he looked at the clipboard and read the information there. A second or two later he flipped up the papers on the clipboard until a photograph was revealed. It was a photograph of me, taken when I was walking down the street somewhere in the downtown district. There was a red circle drawn around my head, to be sure that Tony knew who his target was.

The sight of that picture of me, sent a cold chill down my spine.

Tony looked up to see Brian's car pulling away from him. Tony walked back to his patrol car and climbed into it. He glanced about, as he started it and pulled into traffic. In what seems like only seconds, Tony was at my apartment door, ringing the bell. The door opened and there I was. I found it most strange to be seeing myself through someone else's eyes. Tony was invited into the apartment. I won't repeat the conversation that Tony had with me. Tony saw me turn and start to examine the survey on the clipboard. In a flash Tony's police gun was braced in his hands and pointed rock steady at me. I dove behind the sofa as Tony tracked my movements. There was a sudden jerk upward and back of the viewpoint and then slowly the picture faded to black.

I let out a sigh of relief as I realized that was when Andy had appeared behind Tony and grabbed him with a choke hold quickly rendering Tony unconscious.

"I think we have seen enough, wouldn't you agree?" Mary asked the assembled Council members.

"Enough to render a verdict and take the necessary punitive actions," one of the unidentified Council members said. "It is time to leave here."

Mary looked at me sharply for a few seconds, then spoke. "I see now why the Council Coin refused Brian Clark so strongly when he tried to claim it. The Council of Coins facilitates the protection of innocents from those gifted persons who would abuse their gifts. Brian Clark does not share this opinion of non-gifted persons, thus making him ineligible for membership on the Council of Coins. I suspect that he saw only the power that the Council Coin represented, and not the responsibility it entails. The irony is that had Brian Clark succeeded in removing you Paul Walton, he would never have been chosen by the coin that has chosen you. The glow that we saw earlier showed that Brian had the potential to become a council member. As you know, many people do not live up to their potential."

With that the world that was Tony's mind faded and I found myself back in the real world, still a member of the physical chain of people that were touching Officer Tony's head. Andy was standing beside me, his hands on my right arm. We shook ourselves free of the contact, and walked away from each other.

"Now what?" I asked of no one in particular.

"Now we bring in Brian Clark for questioning, judgement and punishment. This is a Council matter, Paul Walton and no longer your concern. You have brought this situation to our attention. As for the police officer, his mind repairs will be completed, his memory altered to fit the new facts and he will return to his normal life unaware of anything unusual has happened," Mary answered.

"What about his presence here? What about his supervisors at the police station?" I asked.

"A gifted person at the police station is taking the necessary actions. The records will show that this police officer did have to go home sick, though it was not serious. No further investigation of those facts will be initiated. As for the Coffee Shop, the patrons here who are not gifted will not even remember the policeman was here," Mary explained.

"What about me? Don't I get a say in what happens to Brian Clark? The son of a bitch tried to have me killed!" I demanded.

"Even if you were a member of the Council of Coins you would not have a say in his punishment. Your judgement would be suspect since you would not be considered objective," Mary answered in that calm all knowing voice of hers.

"She's right you know, Paul," Andy said after a moment's silence. "I too want Brian Clark to pay for what he tried to do to you. I would not be objective about the punishment either."

"What's to stop Brian from trying something like this again? Clearly the man wants me out of the way, so he can lay claim to that damn coin of yours," I said heatedly to Mary.

"We will inhibit his powers. He will become that which he appears to despise the most, a norm. A non-gifted person. Does that satisfy you, Paul Walton?" Mary asked.

I looked at her for a minute or so as I thought about her answer. "Yes, it seems a just punishment. Can you remove his powers or just block them temporarily?" I asked.

"You are asking about Council matters, Paul Walton. If you wish to know more about the Council of Coins and what we do, you know the price you will have to pay. The offer has been made to you, and it still stands," Mary answered. "Like any gifted person, you must trust in the Council of Coins, that our judgement is sound, just, fair and objective. The coins choose us, remember."

"Are you saying that you are infallible and all knowing?" I asked sarcastically.

"Infallible no. All knowing, of course not. In matters of moral turpitude in the actions of the gifted the Council is wise because we are able to obtain all the relevant facts, from any mind, gifted or not. We do what must be done to see that justice is served and the innocent, the non-gifted, protected. This is one of the prerequisites of being a member of the Council of Coins. This, Paul Walton, is one of the driving forces behind the coin's choice of you as a new Council member, you strong desire for responsible use of the gift," Mary answered.

"So what happens if I continue to refuse your offer?" I asked.

"It will remain open until the coin in question encounters another mind better qualified than yours. It could take years or even decades. We have time, we can wait," Mary said.

"Andy and I can leave now then? You do not need us for anything else?" I asked.

"You may leave. You need not fear any type of retaliation from Brian Clark. He will be made powerless, and he will be given a very strong compulsion making it impossible to harm you, Andrew Anderson or anyone associated with you in any way or by any form of proxy whatsoever. A part of his punishment is to know the price he must pay for the abuse of his powers," Mary said in response to my question. "Now we know why the coin rejected Brian Clark so strongly. He was unworthy, in the extreme, to be a Council member."

"Thank you, Mary. Goodbye," I said as I turned and walked away from her. I wasn't interested in her observations about Brian Clark's unworthiness to be a Council member. I was curious about why Tony had appeared as a small boy trapped in a pit, when we visited his mind. I decided to put my curiosity on hold. That little mystery could wait. I just wanted to get the heck out of the Coffee Shop and go home. Andy quickly caught up with me as I walked out the door. We walked back to Andy's car. Once inside he started it up and proceeded to drive me home.

"You know, Paul, the way that Mary said 'we have time and we can wait' gave me the creeps," Andy said without looking at me.

"Me too, lover." I agreed. "She's not telling us something. I'd bet my last dollar that I've not heard the last of her or of the Council of Coins."

"Agreed," Andy replied, while he kept on driving.

"It's none of my business, but might I ask why you did not accept their offer to become a member of the Council of Coins?" Andy asked me.

"When I touched that coin, I got a very bad feeling. I don't know that I can explain it beyond that. It is not that something is wrong exactly, but more along the line that something is most definitely not right. Sounds pretty stupid, I know, but there you have it," I answered somewhat lamely.

"It's not stupid at all, Paul. It's just you," Andy said with a small smile, as he kept his attention on his driving.

A few minutes later Andy turned and stared me for a few seconds before he returned his attention to the road. The look he gave me was inscrutable.

On a side note, dear reader, we had an uneventful, pleasant and enjoyable time for the rest of the evening.



Chapter 16 A Cowboy In The Rain

The sky was overcast with the dull gray clouds that cut off the bright sunshine and made all the colours appear muted and dull. A steady gentle rain was falling. There was no wind. A lot of people don't like days like this. I am not one of them. These days are among my favourites. I enjoy walking in the rain, wearing one of my cowboy dusters (leather or water proof cotton), with a felt cowboy hat (with a rain cover on it - felt cowboy hats are expensive), a pair of leather gloves on my hands and a pair of leather cowboy boots on my feet. (Yes, dear reader, I would we wearing clothes under the cowboy duster. I'm not in the business of catching a cold or getting arrested by the police for indecent exposure.)

There is something soothing and calming about strolling about in the park, with the rain gently falling down on your cowboy hat, and across your cowboy duster. I find I can let go of my troubles and worries when I do that. I can enjoy nature and the simple wonder of raindrops falling. Such days are few, especially in the autumn, so I treasure them. They always seem to come on a workday, instead of on a weekend, when I'm able to take advantage of them.

This was a Saturday morning, so you'd think I'd be more than happy to be out here in this park walking around. I wasn't though. Andy had left me a short letter in my apartment mailbox asking me to meet him here this morning at 11 AM. I phoned Andy to confirm that the letter was in fact written by him, although I recognized his handwriting. After my previous adventure in meeting Andy for dinner, I was a lot more cautious. The letter was from Andy, so here was I was walking around in the park looking for Andy. The letter had said to meet him on the south side of the lake (a pond would have been a more accurate term), but it had not stated a specific location.

I checked my watch. It was 10:55 AM. I looked around but could not find any sign of Andy. I turned to my right and started to walk down the path near the lakeshore, turning my head about and gazing at the few people who were about on this drizzle filled Saturday morning. No one stood out. No one grabbed my attention. I continued looking. Halfway down the length of the path I came upon a tall man standing near the lake shore. He appeared to be looking out over the lake. He was facing away from me so, I could not see his face. He was wearing a cowboy hat, though, and it appeared he was wearing a cowboy duster as well. I walked up to him.

"Is that you, Andy?" I called out as got closer.

The man did not respond. He did not turn around. I walked up and approached the strange man at a forty-five degree angle so that I would not surprise him. He would see me coming, out of the corner of his eye. When I was about three feet away I stopped. It was Andy. He had a far away look on his face, as if he were in some other world. "Hello? Andy?" I called out to him as I raised my right arm and waved my right hand.

Andy jerked his head once before turning his head to look at me. "Hi. Sorry about that, Paul. I was thinking."

"So it would appear," I commented. "So what did you want to talk with me about. Your note was somewhat cryptic. All you said is that it was important that I meet you here today."

"Do you like the rain, Paul?" Andy asked looking deep into my eyes.

The question caught me off guard. It seemed as if Andy was avoiding answering my question."Of course I do. You know that, Andy," I answered. "I would think that by now, you know me well enough to know what I like."

"Do you think being kissed in the rain would be romantic?" Andy asked. "Have you ever wanted that to happen to you?"

I blinked my eyes at Andy and didn't answer the question. I was at a loss to understand where he was going with this.

"Well?" Andy prompted me.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I answered cautiously.

"Paul, please don't hedge. Just answer my questions," Andy said with a hint of sternness in his voice.

"Then yes, I think kissing a guy in the rain would be as romantic as hell. In fact kissing you in the rain like this, right now, would be fantastic," I answered with a slight taunt in my voice.

"So why don't you do it then?" Andy responded.

"What? Here? Now? In Public? In front of everyone?" I blurted, the blood starting to drain from my face.

"Yes, exactly. Do you have the courage to do that, or are you a scared little pussy of a cowboy?" Andy said with a snarl.

My face flushed as a surge of anger boiled up within me. Andy knew me well enough to know what buttons to push to get a response out of me. In the back of my mind, I wondered why he was doing this here and now. I had made a lot of progress in my horse riding lessons, and Andy had told me how pleased he was with me. He said that I was turning in to a real cowboy. And now he went and said this. What was the deal here? I ground my teeth as I got more and more angry. My face was hot, flushed with blood. Andy had a knowing smirk on his face that only increased my anger. I'll show him, I thought to myself. Sometimes I let my anger get the best of me, and this was turning out to be one of those times.

I marched up to him, clamped my hands on either side of his face, and pulled his head down and slightly to the left, while at the same time I move my head up and to the right. I pressed my lips against Andy's and pulled his head down harder towards me. I thought about nothing but clamping my lips on his and giving him a kiss he wouldn't forget. I'd show him!

Andy's response was energetic to say the least. He responded full in kind. He pressed back on my lips just as hard as I was pressing on his. The sweetness of the moment overflowed into my mind and the world consisted only of my lips locked on Andy's. I was vaguely aware that Andy's big strong arms had found their way about my body and were doing their best to keep my body pressed close to his. Of their own violation, my hands had released Andy's face and had somehow snaked their way about Andy's torso, just below the level of his arms. My arms were doing their best to keep that magnificent torso of Andy's pressed up against my willing body.

It is said that the first kiss in the rain is the most romantic of all. Brother, they weren't kidding! I was on Cloud Nine, and it did look like I would be coming down anytime soon. My eyes were tightly closed as I drank in every second of this moment. A part of me was aware of the rain steadily beating down on Andy's cowboy hat, as well as my own. I could hear the rain hitting our cowboy dusters. I was safe and warm in Andy's arms, with his lips on my lips. Who the hell cared about anything else?

We'd kissed before, many times. This was clearly different. There was something deeper about this kiss, as if Andy was trying to make a point about it. Frankly, I was so caught up in the pleasure of the moment, I really didn't care to think about anything else.

Andy moved his lips as he opened his mouth slightly. "God you taste fantastic!" He muttered.

"You too," I answered somewhat stupidly. I was engaged in some heavy duty lip action, so my brain wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders, if you catch my drift. We didn't say much of anything for the next few minutes. I decided to let Andy decide when to finish the kiss, after all I'd started it.

Andy broke the kiss and unwrapped his arms from about me. I reluctantly released him from my embrace. Andy reach down and took my gloved hands in his. He looked up at me and smiled. "You're my brave little cowboy, Texas," he said.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked still lost about where Andy had been heading with his line of thinking before we'd become involved in our mega kiss. My anger had long since been boiled off by that kiss of Andy's. No man in his right mind, could stay angry at Andy after kissing him. Andy's magic, and he's all mine.

"This is the first time, Texas, that you've ever kissed me in public. You took one more step to coming out of the closet. Look around you. Everyone saw us," Andy answered. There was a soft smile on his face, and a glow in his eyes.

I blushed as I realized he was right. I quickly looked about. There were a few odd stares from some people walking by, but no one said anything. "You. You bastard! You tricked me!" I spat at him, as my anger welled up again.