Wrong Questions

James couldn't take his eyes off her. She was gorgeous. He wasn't the only one staring at the tall brunette in line to get coffee.

James had come to this coffee shop every day since he moved into the apartment building down the street. Not once had he seen this great figure of a woman inside her.

The coffee shop was a hole in the wall, down the road from his apartment, but it was good, much better than the high-priced crap they served across the street with that big sign of whatever woman in green and white.

She got her order and sat down at one of the tables.

James sat at another table across from her. He laughed as many men approached her, spitting the same stupid pickup lines he had heard while he worked as a bouncer in his teenage years.

That was many years ago. Now James was thirty-eight, showing every sign of his age and much more. Most people thought he was in his late forties.

James finished his coffee and decided to leave. He had seen enough. It was obvious the lady wasn't interested in anyone's company.

"Excuse me," the lady said, "You forgot something."

The lady looked back at the table James had just vacated. There on the table was his cell phone. James went back and picked it up. He didn't remember taking it out. He was too memorized by her.

"Thank you," James said as he walked outside.

"They are our lives now," the lady smiled. "Some of us wouldn't know what to do without them."

James could barely say anything. All he could do was stare at her. She was drop-dead gorgeous. Her looks were something James had only seen in a magazine or one of those blockbuster movies.

She was perfect, from her brunette hair down to her high-priced heels.

"Stephanie," the lady said as she held out her hand.

"James," he said as he introduced himself.

"It was nice meeting you James," Stephanie said as she walked away.

James watched her walk away and stared at her perfect ass as it swayed back and forth under her gray pencil skirt.

"Lucky bastard," one of the men said as he pushed past James.

Stephanie was on James's mind the whole time he was at work. He barely got anything done at the grocery store. He worked as a stock clerk.

James had many pitfalls throughout his life; dropping out of high school, he got kicked out, but he told people he dropped out because it sounded better than getting kicked out for bullying other students.

James was one of the bad kids in school, he ran with the wrong crowd, and that followed him way into his twenties. When he finally picked himself up, it was too late; he had nothing to his name, so here he was, stocking groceries.

It wasn't a bad job, he had already made it to full-time, and the other managers had already promised him a lead position when it opened up. So as long as he kept his head down and pushed through, he might make manager one day.

"Holy shit!" James said as he turned down the breakfast aisle. It was her. She was shopping in his store.

He knew most of the regular customers that came into this small neighborhood store. Stephanie wasn't one of them. She must have just moved into the neighborhood or was visiting someone. James thought as he stared at her, then finally got the nerve to walk down to her.

"Hello again," James said.

"James," Stephanie smiled.

'Perfect,' James thought. Her teeth were perfect.

"You work here?" Stephanie said as she looked around.

"Yeah, it's not as bad...." James started to say.

"It's great," Stephanie said. "I love this place, we don't have a grocery stores like this where I am from."

"Ah, small town, huh?" James smiled.

"You can say that," Stephanie smiled.

James started talking to her, and before he knew it, he was flirting.

"Well, I better get going," Stephanie said, cutting one of his sentences short.

'Dammit!' James cursed himself.

"Of course," he nodded.

He cursed himself all the way home. He shouldn't have pushed it.

Everything was going so well, and then he had to push the envelope. All he had to was stick to the normal conversation.

James lived alone in a small apartment with no pets, friends, or family. He had burned bridges all his life, and now he was alone.

~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Again," James said as he got coffee the following day.

There was Stephanie in front of him. She got the same order and sat in the same chair.

"Hi," James said as he approached. "I don't want to disturb you, I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday."

"Oh okay," Stephanie smiled. "That's very nice of you. Sit."

James sat down, and Stephanie smiled at him. "I should apologize also, for leaving like that," she said.

"Oh, it was completely my fault," James said.

"No, not completely," Stephanie shook her head.

"We can both take part of the blame then," James said.

"Completely natural, they are all mine," Stephanie blurted out.

"What?" James said.

"You were thinking of my boobs," Stephanie said. "That's why I left yesterday, I can read minds."

'Holy fuck!' James thought.

"Exactly," Stephanie said.

"You can read minds?" James nearly yelled.

"We should go outside," Stephanie said as she looked at the other people that turned around to look at them.

They started walking out on the sidewalk, and Stephanie explained she had always had that ability since she could remember.

"That's amazing!" James said.

"Most men think so, until it gets in the way," Stephanie nodded. "Having a body like mine, most men can't control their impulses."

"I am one of them," James nodded.

"True," Stephanie said. "But I like you!" she said as she looked at him. "You make me smile."

James tried to hide what he was thinking.

"I am glad I can do that for you also," Stephanie said as she stared at him.

"Damn, thought I could hide that," James said. James said as he tried to hide his excitement.

Stephanie brought out many sexual thoughts, and James tried hiding them.

"See, it gets in the way," Stephanie shook her head. "People always try to hide things from me, but they can't, I can read it all."

"I can see how that could be troubling," James said.

"It can also be fun," Stephanie said. "Here," she stopped walking and held James's head. "Don't try to think, just look into my eyes."

James closed his eyes. Nothing happened right away. Then he saw himself in his bed with this woman. He saw her naked body on top of his, they were having sex, and she was smiling at him.

"Holy fuck!" James said as she let go.

James didn't just see it in his head. He felt every bit of that experience.

"See," Stephanie smiled.

"I felt it all, I mean it was like it was really happening," James said as he sat down on a nearby bench.

They had walked into the large park.

"There is so much more I can do," Stephanie said as she held his hand. "I can show you, if you like?" Stephanie asked.

James nodded as he felt her grip tighten on his hand.

James felt his body rush forward; he saw himself at work, putting up stock, greeting customers, and doing everything he usually did, and then he was home.

"No way!" James said as he stood outside of his house.

Stephanie walked up the stairs.

"How?" James said as he looked at her as she stopped outside his apartment.

"I pulled your mind out of your body and let it do what you would usually do," Stephanie shrugged.

"I remember doing everything, but it feels like we were just in the park," James said as he opened the door.

Stephanie stood outside the door, standing on his welcome mat.

"Come in," James said. "Unless you're some Vampire, Demon thing that's going to eat me."

"Do I look like a vampire?" Stephanie shook her head as she entered the apartment.

"I wouldn't know what a Vampire would look like," James smiled.

"Well, I am definitely not a Vampire," Stephanie smiled.

James couldn't believe this perfectly-looking woman was in his apartment. Then he looked around. His apartment was a mess, as usual.

"Sorry, I didn't know I would have company," James said as he picked up used fast food containers and beer bottles.

"James, it's okay," Stephanie smiled as she stopped him.

Immediately James felt calm. He stood in front of her, mesmerized.

"Bedroom," Stephanie said.

"This way," James smiled.

James had never had sex like he had sex with Stephanie. It was like she was in his head. Everything he wanted to try, she let him. Everything he wanted to do with other women who turned him down, Stephanie let him do them, and more.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

James woke up in his bed naked and alone. A note was on his pillow.

See you tonight at my place, don't be late!

"Yeah right!" Arnold said as James told him about the night he had with Stephanie.

"You don't believe me?" James said as they were unloading the grocery truck.

"A lady you met in the coffee shop two days ago, came to your apartment and had sex with you," Arnold said. "No, not at all," Arnold shook his head. "I have seen the inside of your apartment, and I have to say a pig would be very welcomed in that shithole!"

"She didn't care!" James said. "She did this thing with her tongue around my dick, that made me...."

"No! Didn't happen, can't convince me, so just stop with your bullshit story and help me with this pallet," Arnold said before James could open his mouth. "In silence!"

None of the other guys on the crew believed him, either.

James had the wildest sex he had ever had in his whole life. And he had it with a gorgeous woman, and no one believed him. They all said the same thing, who would have sex with someone that looked like James, walked like James, and talked like him.

James was overweight, pudgy, and whatever else people called people that looked like him. He knew it and didn't care.

In high school, he was tall and big all around. The bad kids used him to threaten the other students out of their money. Then he was a bouncer, and the club owner used him to threaten everybody that crossed him.

That's how James was throughout his life. He was that guy who thought with his size. He could threaten or push people around. He talked and walked and carried himself that way.

James pulled up to the address that night. He pulled out all the stops to look as good as he could.

"Holy shit," James said as he pulled up to a large two-story house.

"You're late," Stephanie said as she opened the door.

James walked in and saw marvelous pictures on the walls. Statues of what he thought were male models or famous people lined the hallway. Each statue stood upward, and James had an eery feeling they were staring at him.

"Thought you were from a small town?" James said, staring at all the expensive things lining this long hallway.

"I never said that," Stephanie said. "You did."

Stephanie kept walking, and James followed.

"What do you exactly?" James asked.

"I collect things," Stephanie said as they sauntered. She walked in front of him.

Her skin-tight blue dress hugged every inch of her incredible body.

"Wait," James said as he stopped at one of the gold statues. "I recognize this guy."

"You do?" Stephanie said as she turned to look at him.

"He was on one of those discovery channel episodes. I remembered it because I had lost the remote and the television was stuck on that channel," James nodded. "Yeah," James said as he looked back at her. "Supposedly he disappeared, without a trace a few years go. You must be a fan, huh?"

"Something like that," Stephanie said.

"Where are we going?" James said. "Feels like I have been walking for miles."

"We are here?" Stephanie said.

It was a large bedroom.

"I thought we would skip dinner and get right down to it," Stephanie said.

Her dress dropped to the floor.

James climbed onto the bed. Just like the night before, he was on cloud nine. He fucked the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. In every possible way.

"At it again are we sis?" a voice rang out.

"Yes," Stephanie said.

She was seated in a chair beside the bed while James rolled around on it alone.

He humped at an imaginary body that wasn't there.

"Don't you have some soul to torture?" Stephanie said as she got out of the chair and went to a large table with fruits and other food. She poured herself a glass of wine.

"Been there, done that," the man said as he appeared out of nowhere.

"Why are you here?" Stephanie said, slightly annoyed. "Can't you see I am busy?"

The man sighed and stared at poor James, rolling around on the bed naked.

"He's a bit of a fat one, isn't he?" the man said as he looked disgusted at James.

"Yes," Stephanie said, her eyes glowed a bright yellow for a second. "I will enjoy him for a very long time."

"And there lies the problem, oh sister," the man said.

"Spit it out," Stephanie said as she looked at her brother. "Why do you look like a book nerd?"

"This body belonged to a bookstore, sorry, comic store owner," the man said as he spun around. "Do you like it? His name was Jackson David, or was it David Jackson, one of the two, who pays attention to these meat puppets and their names."

"Well, it looks horrible," Stephanie sat down and stared at James writhing on her bed.

"And you, miss model?" Jackson said as he sat down on another chair.

"Stephanie Gail," Stephanie smiled. "She was a collector and an archaeologist. As you can tell."

"Uh-huh," Jackson sighed. "Boring!"

"What do you want!" Stephanie turned to her brother.

"Father," Jackson said.

Suddenly James stopped. "What happened?" James said as the body of the woman he was fucking in the mouth disappeared.

"Thought that would get your full attention," Jackson said. "He is calling us home; he wants to talk."

"After how many centuries," Stephanie said.

"Uh huh," Jackson said.

"Who are you?" James said as he got off the bed and stared at Jackson. "And how did you get your clothes back on so fast?" he stared at Stephanie.

"As if," Jackson said. "One of us would touch any of you!"

"It must be important, if he wants to talk," Stephanie shook her head.

"Who?" James said as he reached for Stephanie. "I want answers or else! Someone is going to get hurt!"

"Can you do something with that, before I do," Jackson said.

Stephanie quickly turned and grabbed James by the neck. She lifted him off the ground with one hand.

"What the hell!" James said as he tried to break himself free.

No matter what he tried, he couldn't break Stephanie's hand from his neck.

"What are you?" James asked as he looked at Stephanie's eyes and saw the faint glow of yellow.

"Demons," Jackson shook his head. "They never ask that beforehand," he said as he looked at James kick and try to break free. "Welcome mat?" he asked, looking at his sister.

Stephanie nodded while she tried to think why their father wanted to talk to them. She showed no signs of effort in trying to hold a man the size of James up above her head with one hand.

"Listen, never put a welcome mat outside your house, anything is able to walk inside," Jackson said.

"Apartment," Stephanie shook her head.

"Apartment!" Jackson yelled, "They still live in those things?" Jackson shook his head. "You don't own it! So, you can't tell one of us not to walk inside, that and a welcome mat?" Jackson turned to his sister.

Stephanie nodded.

"You are the dumbest meat puppet I have ever met," Jackson shook his head. "You can finish him now; I am bored again."

"When?" Stephanie asked as James's body slowly turned to gold.

James started to kick and scream as the gold liquid ran up his body, starting from his feet.

"That looks like it hurts," Jackson said as he looked on with a smile, he loved to see humans squirm.

"It's hot liquid gold, what do you think?" Stephanie said. "When!"

"Two days, so pack quickly," Jackson said as he disappeared.

"Idiot!" Stephanie snarled.

James made one final scream before the gold liquid covered his mouth and face. Stephanie carried her new statue down the hall and placed it in its final resting place.

"Don't look at me like that, I gave you a view of your friend," she said to James as his eyes stared at her. He was right across from the man James recognized. "Now the two of you can stare at each other forever."

James could still think and remember what happened to him. He could hear everything around him. He could even see the other man, and for the first time, he saw the eyes of the other man staring back at him.

James couldn't move any part of his body. He was trapped in this position. When he tried to say anything, nothing came out. His mouth and everything else were encased in this gold prison.

Stephanie smiled as she looked at the hundreds of statues that lined the hallway. Each of them stared at her with hatred as she walked past them.

Stephanie laughed at them. The gold they were encased in was part of her. While they were still alive inside there, the gold very slowly melted their bodies. Eventually reducing them to nothing but a thick liquid which she then made into wine and other foods.

She stopped by one of them. "Nearly done," she said as she tapped on it. "A few more years," she laughed before returning to her bedroom. She shook her head at the mess James had made on her bed.

"Now I have to get new sheets!" Stephanie said, annoyed.