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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I'd been living in the city for a few years, I had a good paying job but I worked a lot of hours and it made it hard to really meet someone. There were a few attractive single women in my building but I never knew how to approach them or say anything more than 'good morning' or something in the elevator.
I always made a point to stop and talk to the building super whenever I saw him though, he was an older guy, always had a smile on his face and I could spend days listening to his stories. He was a merchant sailor for most of his life so he could tell you a joke or a story about anything and everything that always left me smiling too.
One Saturday afternoon he stopped me as I was headed out for a walk, the door to his office was closed so I hadn't seen him as I passed.
"Oh, sorry Marcus, didn't mean to startle you there," he said, noticing me jump when he called my name.
"Oh is okay Jack, mind was in the clouds," I replied.
"You mean you were too busy watching Amber's ass in those yoga pants, I saw you," he said quietly, playfully poking my arm.
"I... I am not going to deny that, you see everything," we both laughed.
"You could just ask her out, you know, either her or the other 3 you just gaze at."
"I don't know a thing about her though."
"Well that's why you take her for coffee and ask questions. You know, it's actually her birthday next week, you should get her a little something and use it as an icebreaker, 'Happy Birthday, I got you this, want to come to lunch?' I won over my first wife that way, losing her to cancer at such a young age broke my heart, why I joined the Merchant Navy all those years ago but I told you that story. Go check out Amorous Goods, it's almost out of town, 52nd and Broadway, but tell Vikki that Jack sent you, she took over the place from her wonderful Mother. Tell her what kind of thing you're looking for and she'll put you right."
"And you think it'll work, just here's a gift, come to lunch?"
"The rest would be up to you young man, what do you have to lose?"
I enjoyed my walk, I spent most of the time planning what I was going to say to her, I figured a nice pendant or something, she always wore such pretty ones and liked green crystals so I planned to get one and try Jack's suggestion. I showered, ordered a cab and made my way to the store.
The store itself was small, one of those old, can't believe it's still around antique looking places but it was very clean on the outside. I made my way inside, the door ringing the little bell at the top of the frame as I walked in. A woman called out from the back 'Be right with you' so I looked around as I waited. There was a small table with a sign right at the entrance too, 'Please put on gloves' with several sealed bags that contained white cotton gloves.
I muttered 'fucking Covid, bite me, my hands are clean' and ignored it and started to wander around looking at stuff.
The store's name started to make sense as I looked, a lot of the items were sexual in nature, ornate glass and other materials sex toys, clothes and many other things you'd associate with love and sex. I looked at one item, appeared to be a butt plug and looked like it was made of marble with what looked like a ruby at it's base, I touched the stone to see if it was just glass and suddenly I was watching a vision in my head, a beautiful woman sliding it into herself then dressing in business clothes, snippets of her taking many different men as she wore it.
I pulled my hand away and the vision was gone but I was intrigued. I looked at a beautiful ornate Basque, deep red velvet and adorned with black laces, when I touched that, a vision of a man being helped into it, he was then dressed in a full drag queen outfit before snippets of him singing on stage before a cheering audience.
My curiosity got the better of me and I touched a plain looking vibrator in an ornate box, the vision from it made me dizzy and I almost blacked out, I was the woman being double penetrated while the vibrator buzzed away on her clit, the sensations overwhelming and before I collapsed, I felt my hand being taken and a woman held me on my feet as my vision cleared.
"Sorry I wasn't out here, the gloves stop you experiencing those visions, just glad you didn't touch the silver nipple clamps, it's owner really did like pain," she said.
"I... I th... thought they were for..." I stammered.
"Yes, 'fucking covid' as you put it, it's okay. Here, drink this and do please put on gloves, you'll feel better. I'm Vikki, is there something I can help you find?"
Jack didn't tell me that Vikki was breathtakingly beautiful. She had long red hair, beautiful green eyes, the body of a supermodel and her voice was angelic.
"I... I'm Marcus, Jack said to tell you he sent me."
"Oooh, how is that handsome old man, still always smiling?"
"I've never seen him without one."
"Good, he was a very good friend of my Mother's, really looked after her when she got sick. Anyways, what is it you're looking for?"
"I need a gift really, something small I guess, a woman in my building is really nice, I'd like to give her a gift to break the ice, ask her on a date."
"Aren't you supposed to go on the date then get her a gift? You are taking love advice from Jack?" Vikki said with a laugh.
"Well, I uhm, I get kind of shy when it comes to these things and I, you know, it's not really funny," I replied, I was getting flustered.
"Oh come on, I'm kidding my dear. I have something you should try on, I know people say these copper bracelet things don't work but mine is different, it will help your confidence and more. Call it a gift to go with your future purchase, if Jack sent you I know you're good people," she said, winking at me.
Vikki put the bracelet on my wrist, it felt amazing, like it gave me a surge of confidence and more, I was astounded.
"It comes with these instructions, read them on your cab ride home. When you know what you want to buy for your lady, come and see me again and we'll find something unique and wonderful that she'll just love," she said, handing me a folded up piece of paper.
"I can't buy something now?"
"You could but it wouldn't be perfect, you have to sleep on it. Buying her a brooch or pendant she only wears to work wouldn't be a great gift."
