The Power of Crystals

Author's note: This is my first story, please enjoy, and any feedback would be much appreciated! Enjoy.

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There was a wedding coming that weekend, and Ryan had to get a suit. Otherwise, he would have been home in his apartment, drinking coffee to combat the cold November weather, and watching whatever didn't seem to be too awful on Netflix. No such luck for him though, yet the service was expedient at the shop, and the blazer, 44 long, did not need any tailoring.

"Another benefit of staying fit through the pandemic," Ryan mumbled to himself, standing in the mirror box at the suit shop. The tailor worked dutifully away with a tape measure and a fragment of tailor's chalk. Even with his pants desperately needing a hemming, he enjoyed the way he looked with when gussied up.

Ryan's hair rested helter-skelter on his head. "Windswept" would be a generous term for it, but the dark and thick waves were a highlight of his physical charm. It would need a trim, as would the short beard under his mask, before the wedding, though Ryan enjoyed his borderline wild-man look.

The door chimed as he left, just as it had when Ryan had entered the store, and he went to his vehicle after being told the alterations should take just about an hour. With that hour to kill, and the weather being too cold to take a walk around the numerous strip centers, Ryan's eyes were set on the shopping mall across the street.

The pandemic and general capitalistic decline had done it's work on the mall, but Ryan was surprised to see that it was not terribly empty. Aimlessly, he wandered the halls of the mall, occasionally attempting to smile (with his eyes if not his masked mouth) at any pretty thing he saw making their way through the mall.

Eventually, he found himself plodding though the sporadic aisles of what his parents would call a "hippie store", though the corporate backbone of this particular chain was probably nowhere near aligned with the radical ideas of the hippies. Still, the aesthetic was one Ryan enjoyed, if not dabbling in himself, but to see on others and to occasionally imagine an easy-going lifestyle like the one portended by the store.

He found himself perusing a vast selection of incense. There were cones, sticks, loose powder, holders, and all the possible accoutrements he could imagine. Sandalwood sounded nice, and it was a hell of a lot cheaper than the candles from the Bath & Body works that neighbored the store, so he picked up a box. The workers, which he hadn't payed any notice till now, were busy stocking the shelves and repricing the items, and the counter was maned by a young lady with a streak of green in her blonde hair, who was busy fumbling with a set of long and sheer dresses.

Ryan didn't want to seem rude, and gently called out. "Excuse me, could you check me out?"

The worker turned, but before she could answer, another worker came around the edge of the counter from behind Ryan. "You keep going, I've got this," she said to her coworker.

The new girl was short and petite, and her shoulder length dark hair also had a splash of color in it, this time a deep lavender. Her clothes was typical of most modern free spirits, with a dark eschew that Ryan often found he quite enjoyed. Above her green mask was a piercing that ran lengthwise just under her eyebrow line, and tattoos peaked out from numerous places on her exposed skin.

"Anything else?" said the tiny goth as she returned the change, making eye contact with Ryan for the first time. Her eyes were a gorgeous blue, subtly dark enough to be interesting, but made to pop from the army green mask. Ryan very nearly said "No, thank you," a mistake that would have haunted him if he could know what his night would end up becoming.

"Actually yes," he said slowly, trying to come up with something clever on the spot, and remembering a shelf of crystals that he had passed by. "I don't know too much about crystals, but I hear they can really boost quality of life. Is that true?" An open-ended question, good job, man, thought Ryan.

It may have been his hopeful imagination, but Ryan thought he saw the young woman perk up, and show a little more than a passing interesting in helping him, whether that be from a genuine interest in the crystal arts, or the chance to interact a little longer with him, though, he couldn't say... but he could hope. She rounded the corner of the desk, and Ryan got a chance to get a look at her. The woven cardigan she wore trailed behind her, revealing an ass that was more than pleasant to look at, and hips that swayed fluidly back and forth. Ryan followed dutifully.

At the shelf, the pale-skinned beauty went to her tiptoes to reach for a popup sign that gave a quick and dirty description of various crystals on display. Her eyes went to the paper as Ryan drank in the soft subtleties of the skin that trailed down a thin neck and was pulled taught over exposed collarbones. Further down, he could tell by the patterning of her tee shirt that she was wearing a bra with some lace, and that the bra held breasts that were not exactly large, but filled out well, especially on her petite frame.

"There are crystals for every kind of need. Love, dreams, hope," she traced her cranberry painted nail down the bulleted list in her hand. "Anything specific you'd like help with?" Her eyes rose from the paper, and Ryan thanked whatever force serendipity belonged to that he was looking for her blue eyes at the moment and not tracing the curves of her.

He took a beat, and switched his glance from one of her eyes to the other, and back again. "Confidence. Is there a crystal that would help with a boost of confidence?"

She did not break the eye contact immediately, but the smile lines at their corners deepened slightly before she glanced back down. "Let me see... Citrine, it says." Her voice was quieter, and it seems that a blush was growing in her ears as she tucked a couple locks of hair behind them after returning the popup board. She grabbed up a hemp cord that ended in an opaque beige crystal, palmed the stone, and presented it to Ryan sheepishly.

Wouldn't have pegged her for the shy type, blushing at just a bit of eye contact, thought Ryan. Not that he was complaining. He plucked the crystal from her palm between finger and thumb, and looked at it significantly.

"So, how does it feel?" said the sheepish voice behind the green mask.

"Oh, uh, wonderful." Ryan said, formulating his next few sentences. "In fact, I think it's working already!" he said with in such a way to make sure she could hear his smile. He nodded his head. "Oh yeah, definitely. Just what I needed. Hey, could I get your phone number?" Ryan produced his phone from his pocket and presented it to the woman whose lips he hadn't been able to see yet.

She chuckled adorably at the game he was playing, and with a quiet "Sure," she received the phone and deftly put in her name and number. Her voice was now so quiet Ryan took a half step closer. "I'm Missy, by the way," she said as the phone was returned.

Ryan reestablished eye contact and smiled. "I'm Ryan, nice to meet you."

"Um," said Missy, the blush now walking down her neck and into her chest, "so do you want to buy the crystal?"

"Nah, not this time," was the response, Ryan returning the crystal to its display, "I got what I wanted from it."

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Back in his apartment, Ryan tucked his new suit in his bedroom closet and started the kettle. He collapsed into the love seat as he placed an unshod foot on the coffee table, and pulled out his phone. It had been a couple hours now, and he was not one to plan out every second of interaction with the opposite sex, but to go with the flow and the feel, so he began a text line with his new acquaintance with a purple streak of hair and tight, attractive figure.

"Hey, this is Ryan. That citrine was damn powerful, I'm still reeling. What are you doing on Thursday night?" Ryan tapped send, and set the phone down. He could overthink texting sometimes, and refused to let it bother him this time.

The french press was plunged and his coffee had just gotten to a drinkable temperature when the phone vibrated on the table. Trying not to get his hopes up, he settled back into the love seat.

"Hey ;-) I have to be up early Friday, so that doesn't work... Friday night?" was the response.

"Out of town this weekend. I don't want to wait a whole week to see you again if I don't have to, though."

"Hahah, me neither!"

"Tonight? I know a putt-putt place that is an absolute rager. :)" Ryan thought for just a few heartbeats before sending a follow-up: "Or I could make my world famous carbonara. You will prlly fall in love though, you've been warned."

A nervous two minutes pass...

"I love italian! 8 work?"

"I'll make some pasta now! No store bought for miss pretty blue eyes."

"LOL, just say where :-)"

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The apartment was saturated in amazing smells, and soothing music played from the speaker by the television. Ryan checked his hair, now tamed by pomade, one last time and insured that any remaining pasta dough was gone from his hands. The sleeves on his button down were rolled up and he wandered back to the kitchen, barefoot but otherwise in an outfit appropriate for a date. The bacon chunks (guanciale be damned) was due for another toss before the final combination of ingredients.

A knock on the door as the oven clock said 8:07 brought Ryan back from his culinary revelry.

Ryan double checked that everything was set at the stove, and ensured the heat was set to low. The carbonara was absolutely divine to look at, and was one of those few dishes that Ryan spent the extra time to perfect to his own standards.

He looked over at his door. The glass window that occupied most of the area of the door showed the shadow of a familiar short-haired form. Not content to allow his date spend anymore time out in the cold, he approached and opened the door.

Ryan did his best to smile coolly, but she looked stunning. The as-of-yet unseen mouth that was hidden behind Missy's mask was full and wide, and the excited grin she had thrilled Ryan, and he enjoyed the deep and sultry red of her lipstick. He could see that she was somewhere in her early twenties, if he had to guess, a few years younger than him. Her top had billowing shear sleeves, and the small parts that were not transparent were tight to the skin and, as Ryan could clearly see now, had a pleasant hourglass shape. The skirt was short, but the leggings under them hid enough that it couldn't quite be called scandalous. In her hands, a bottle of red wine.

"Wow," said Ryan, ushering her in and removing the jacket draped across Missy's shoulders, "you look stunning." He noticed a few more tattoos, and her had the sudden desire to count them all, and see every inch of them.

"Thank you, and I figure that if your carbonara is really world famous, it wouldn't be complete without a wine." Missy sat the bottle down on the counter and began to work on the top, Ryan only stepping in to provide a corkscrew.

Ryan took a moment to lean back and take in the gorgeous woman who just waltzed into his apartment. In the store, he couldn't tell what Missy really looked like, behind the mask. In fact, it was part of the charm of the night, there was almost a blind date aspect to it. Luckily, she was beautiful. Her button nose and high cheekbones fit so well with her few piercings: the one across the top of the nose, and the ring on her nose. She gave the cork a tug, and the pressure released with a pop.

Her breasts seemed more generous than they seemed that morning, and Ryan wondered if she believed this date warranted a push up bra. Between them, a chord hung that ended sometime after entering her cleavage. But if her breasts were hiding secrets, her ass could not lie. It was a cute and plump little thing, and it was more than pleasant to watch her move around the kitchen. She procured a couple of wine glasses hanging above the sink, and Ryan offered to hold them while she poured.

When the wine was poured, Ryan stood just an inch or so closer than was necessary, testing the waters of being close to the practical stranger in his home. But she didn't back down, and moved closer with the glass now full, close enough for Ryan to enjoy the view of both Missy's lips and low top at the same time.

"Good choice," Ryan said after a sip, a bit sweet for his taste, but not overtly so.

"Thanks!" Missy said, shrugging her shoulders adorably at the comment. Ryan's eyes involuntarily traced down the chord on Missy's neck.

"Oh, before I forget!" Missy reached up and bundled her hair in a messy knot, then spun around to reveal the hook clasp that adorned the necklace she wore. Ryan felt the urge to place a kiss right then and there on the nape of her neck, where the sensation would be the strongest. "Will you unhook me? It's for you."

Ryan sat down his glass and freed the necklace. Missy' hair tumbled down as she turned around, and she said, "After your glowing review, I figured I'd try it." Her eyes were pure laughter behind winged eyeliner. "I used it to convince myself to wear this, and it worked pretty well."

"Well I'm excited to see it again." Ryan responded. He gazed down at the same citrine crystal he had used as a prop today, and had just been hiding in the center of Missy's ample chest. He took a step back after donning it himself and tucking it away against his bare chest.

"How do you feel?" She asked as her gaze ran up and down Ryan's person.

"Confident." Ryan said. "Well, confident that I'm hungry, at least. Let's dig in!"

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Dinner was superb, and conversation flowed easily. Wine was drank, but after an hour there was still a glass left in the bottle. The activity of drinking was not as exciting as the activity of conversation, and the two did not need any sort of social lubricant, save whatever effect citrine provided, as it seemed topics ebbed gracefully one into the other, never beginning or ending, but always just around the corner.

In time, Missy found a comfortable position on the love seat, her legs folded under her and stretching the shear fabric enough to let Ryan find a thigh tattoo that carried a floral theme. She sat facing Ryan, who occupied the ottoman, and her chin was out and chest puffed enough to give Ryan a generous view. Ryan noticed that blush from earlier had returned with a vengeance, as it came and gave away Missy's mood.

Ryan could feel the couple glasses or so he had consumed give him a bit of a blush as well. He felt activity course throughout his body as the conversation came to a comfortable lull and the couple took a few quiet seconds to analyze each other, deepening both of their grins.

Ryan couldn't believe how well the night had gone. Missy was incredibly interesting, and not in a way that cried for attention. Ryan learned that Missy got her first tattoo at sixteen, when a friend of hers was too scared of the needle, so Missy showed her how it was nothing to fear.

"It was stupid, but I ended up falling in love with the sensation. It was so relaxing, in a way, to give up a portion of my body to be art. And after a few tattoos and piercings, the clothes just fit too damn well." She laughed at her own observation, and it let her chest rise and fall enticingly.

Ryan enjoyed watching Missy very much, and just appreciating her grace. He was worried it was going to come to a close as Missy stood up and placed her empty glass on the coffee table.

"Well, I've had a great time, Ryan." Ryan stood to join her and smile.

"As well you should, I am have a stellar character and very entertaining stories." Ryan responded cheerfully, but he knew that his disappointment that the date may end was coming through in his manner.

Missy turned to face Ryan, and seemed to pick up on the disappointment, but responded with a mischievous smile. "Um, I've got to use the restroom," she pointed at the door beside the open bedroom door. "Through there, I assume?"

Ryan nodded as he snatched up the empty glasses. Missy stopped suddenly in the door frame of the restroom, and gazed back, biting her lip, which Ryan saw immediately had the double effect of holding the nervousness she was experiencing back and making her look sexy as hell.

"When I come back out," her voice had a sexy pitch that made her sound excited and eager, "I want you in the bedroom... uh, without all your clothes on." The door shut with finality behind her.

Ryan blinked. It was a couple of heartbeats before he could respond, and in that time, he felt his body chemistry become invigorated with passion. Was that real? Was it a prank? Ryan let out an audible laugh, then attempted to suppress it. He could not believe that this intelligent and coquettish woman would suddenly come out and say that, however awkwardly it was worded. At least this confirms all the looks I thought I'd been getting, he thought, as he sighed in contentment and headed for his bedroom.

When Missy emerged from the restroom again, making her short trip into the bedroom where Ryan had just finished lighting a set of bedside candles, both participants paused to drink in the sight of the other.

To Missy, Ryan had completely changed in aesthetic in the short time she was in the restroom. His shirt was gone, and his chest was completely bare. The downy hairs that peeked out from the top of his button down were now the only covering it had, except for a certain crystal. His shoulders seemed broader without fabric on them, and had a chiseling that made Missy want to bite them.

His only other garment he wore were his boxer briefs, and those had a rigidity to them that made Missy gasp aloud. They hid only enough to keep things interesting, and she could swear she saw a twitch that made her want to swoon.

Missy herself looked more confident than she felt. Her leggings were gone, and revealed now were her flower tattoo and shapely legs. She was barefoot but stood on her tiptoes in excitement, which accentuated her already fine ass even more, which was now almost completely exposed, hidden behind only a thin beige thong. Missy went for confidence, a recurring them throughout the night, but Ryan could sense her nervousness easily. To him, it seemed that she was aiming for control, and falling a bit short of the mark. For instance, her nipples were stiff as could be, and now hidden only behind a thin and lacy peach bando. Her legs were even a bit shaky, and her fingers danced back and forth when they were idol.

Ryan decided to capitalize on the opportunity, and maybe have a little fun testing her confidence. He approached smoothly, letting his arms sway and never breaking his gaze.

He's like a damn tiger, thought Missy unbidden. She tried not to reveal she was holding her breath as he sauntered over until he stopped to tower over her frame.

"You look amazing, I can hardly contain my excitement," he said huskily. She could smell the wine on his breath and feel the heat of his body, the arms of which could easily encompass her now. His eyes trailed to her mouth, and he gave a small pout. "I did love the lipstick though, too bad it had to go."

Missy had to strike now, before her confidence broke like a wave on the imposing and marble-hard figure before her. She got in a stance fit for a pounce. "It would have made it harder to do this," she said, as she steadily wrapped her hands around the back of Ryan's head and drew him in and herself up for a deep kiss.

Fireworks and sensation. Ryan's cock throbbed against his underwear as he took the final step to close the bodily gap between them. Missy held to Ryan tight, and her body easily rose in the air as Ryan stood to his full height, his left arm guiding her leg to wrap around him and his right wrapped around her to pull her in close, as close as two people can be with clothes on.