This story is dedicated, respectfully, to Martin Amis, who I doubt would want to be acknowledged here, but is anyway. He wrote the first, and greatest 'Vernon' story, called 'Let me Count the Times' which is a brilliant piece of writing, and one of the very few short stories I am very jealous I didn't write. Hunt it up if you can.
Here's to you, Martin!
Vernon is a man like any, and every other man, and that's appropriate.
To look at him, you would think Vernon was like any other man. He gives off an aurora of 'ordinary'. Mid-height, average-weight, (which to Vernon's mind, was a little over what he'd like), he had a paunch that curved like a muffin top, swelling over the top of his belt. It was noticeable, but not as bad as, say, John in advertising, (Vernon thought), who was Vernon's age, and therefore comparable.
As with many men in their late forties, Vernon had the developing bald patch on the very top of his head. This was suitable and to be expected for his age. Vernon looked very appropriate, which Vernon thought was all right.
It works to be appropriate when you're an accountant.
Vernon worked for a document-scanning firm. He had a small, undecorated office that sat down the other end of the management area from the boardroom and reception. This was also appropriate. After all, nobody wants the money discussed in front of the potential customers. At least, not straight away, and Vernon was very good at social convention. Except for his little secret, convention was how Vernon lived his life.
His office had light gray walls that held no mark, a light gray desk that his black computer sat on, and two cream file cabinets.
On his desk top stood:
1 stapler
1 hole punch
1 caddy for paper clips
1 caddy for:
1 black pen
1 red pen
1 green pen
1 Paid stamp
1Enterd stamp
There used to be a picture of an idyllic ocean scene with the phrase, "It's the choices we make not the chances we take that create our destiny." But Vernon had it removed because he felt it gave the wrong impression, since neither choice nor chance had anything to do with accounting.
The remarkable secret Vernon held didn't show on his face or in his features, though the right people seemed to pick it up very easily. Vernon knew, while he wasn't a handsome man, he wasn't an ugly one either. He was a normal looking, ordinary accountant. The kind of man you'd never look at twice. At least, most of us wouldn't look at him twice. Those who could see Vernon's secret looked at him many times, and usually followed him.
Vernon's secret was: He was a master seducer, and a perfect lover.
Now, many men think they are brilliant with women. Usually this is false bravado, tacked on to give them an ego boost. Either that, or they learn one or two tricks in bed, and think this qualifies them to be a virtual Casanova.
Many women are well aware that if a man boasts about his prowess in bed, she is to smile and pretend to look impressed (men are such fragile creatures, one must always care for their flailing egos) and either politely refuse (citing marriage, religion or an STD) or give him the chance to show her his stuff. Either option usually ends up with the same result; the woman feeling alone and neglected in a big bed β man or no man.
But Vernon wasn't one of these men. His sexual prowess was in his essence, and, as a result, women approached him. It was almost as if they smelled him. Vernon preferred not to pursue women. Number one, he didn't have too; and number two he rarely had enough time in the day to satisfy the women making their demands on him as it was. He felt it was rather crass to approach a woman. He felt sure, she would come to you, if your pheromones appealed to her, and that was the important thing.
And Vernon's pheromones seemed to appeal to many women.
This is how a typical day played itself out in Vernon's life.
He woke at about seven, to a special kind of alarm, that was a woman's voice seductively telling him to wake up. Vernon lived alone (it had never occurred to him to become exclusive to one woman, and he rarely experienced loneliness) and so had no one in his bed to take care of his morning boner.
Now the woman's voice, was not a clever alarm clock, it was his neighbor, Jane, who made sure her work out was complete by seven, mostly so that she could take care of Vernon's boner for him.