Chapter 4: Learning the Power
The pheromones that give me my power as an incubus are secreted through my sweat. In an office this is not a big deal, as writing computer programs is hardly strenuous. Skiing however presents a problem. Technical ski clothing like long underwear absorbs sweat to wick the moisture away from your body. While the moisture evaporates, the stuff that makes one smell, like incubus pheromones, stays behind. Before I got my power I would just stink and women would avoid me. Now, however...
Whenever I came inside to warm up or get something to eat I could see women looking at me; they would attempt to chat me up even in front of husbands and kids. Part of me always wanted to have fit athletic women eating from the palm of my hand. These fantasies, of course, did not involve my wife being there or the need to avoid altercations with irate husbands or kids asking "Mommy, who is that man?"
I managed to get through the weekend with no major issues, mostly because après ski drinks were in our condo.
I got to the airport early for my 6 AM flight Monday, thinking about how exactly I would pull off this sale. I had met the client's CIO, the person whose signature I had to entice, a few time and really thought she was a good person. Ritu was only 5 foot 2 inches of delicate Indian immigrant. She had the delicate pretty features of many Indian women and long dark hair, typically held up in a bun. She was very fit - I had heard she was into triathlons - but she rarely ever showed off her body with her business clothes. I could understand why, of course. Her boss, the company president, and his boss, the chairperson of the board, were very conservative about office attire. Their idea of casual Friday was allowing brown suits. What I truly loved about Rita was her smile. Her dazzling white teeth against her dark skin lit up a room. It was one of the few genuine smiles I had seen on executives at that level. When I see most C level executives smile I think sharks and crocodiles, but not Ritu. We got along very well. While I was attracted to her in the same way I was attracted to most good looking women, there was never any flirting with Ritu, just professional friendliness that caused her to light up the room with her smile. I considered her a friend, and now I would be testing that friendship.
The problem with thinking through how I would handle this meeting and manipulation, I was unconsciously releasing buckets of pheromones. Any woman who came within 50 feet of me was picking up o the scent. Monday morning flights are typically filled with groggy business people, almost all men. I got to the gate, saved seats for Aleska and Donna and cracked my computer to work through my presentation. While I knew why Ritu would agree to the contract, I had to keep up appearances. I was oblivious when the first well-dressed business woman asked it the seat next to me was occupied.
"Sorry. I'm saving those for two colleagues."
By the fourth woman doing this I got suspicious and looked up. Every chair in the area was occupied by a woman, all wide awake and looking towards me with various degrees of flirtation. A flight attendant licked her lips at me.
"I don't need this" I thought and went right back to heads down.
Aleska and Donna arrived at the gate only a few moments before the flight was called.
"Maybe we should find someplace to enjoy ourselves before the flight." Donna whispered to me as she sat next to me.
"They'll be calling the flight in 5 minutes boss lady." I replied. "Let's save it to celebrate tonight."
"Celebrate or no tonight, I cannot wait to get back at you." Aleska purred as she sat on my other side. Both women had dressed very conservatively for this client, but that did not stop Aleska from pressing the best boobs money could buy into my arm.
"Right... right, ok let's just get through this." I said, thanking the lucky stars that I had worn a suit. Any skin to skin contact and we'd have gotten arrested for public lewdness right there. The flight was called just then. Donna, as a VP, flew first class and boarded. Aleska, who flew frequently to meet with customers, went next to sit up front. I, who rarely travels, was back in cattle car class in the rear of the plane. The window seat was already occupied by a small, thin man who looked like he was a runner or long distance bike rider. We get lots of aerobic animals in the Rockies, as they move here to train. He was already fast asleep. I had the middle seat, so I stowed my bag, took off my suit jacket and I hoped my luck would hold for the person who got the aisle seat. I've learned that business travel gold is no longer an empty middle seat - the flights are always full. The standard now is seats next to really tiny people who will not crowd you. Ideally, I'd fly on flights with tour groups of anorexic midgets.
I scanned the people coming down the aisle thinking "Please him... not him... please her." I saw the person who would sit next to me and blanched. First, it was a she and I really did not want to deal with my little incubus problem on an airplane. Second, this woman was the poster person for America's obesity epidemic. I had been borderline obese and after losing all the weight I had developed an aversion to people who were truly obese. This woman was all of 5 foot 2 inches and 400 pounds if she were an ounce. She had curves, like an apple has curves. She smiled at me in a friendly way, stowed her bag and sat -- really overflowed is a better word - the aisle seat.
