Author's Note:
This is the first chapter in the Desire Principle series to include NonConsent/Reluctance. I apologize to any members of my readership who do not enjoy these sorts of stories, as there will be several more before the end of the storyline. I hope that most of you will be able to read this objectively and enjoy it as what it is intended to be, a work of fiction.
Chapter 4: Perchance to Dream
Late in the day Jake pulled into his drive and turned off his car. He had thought that over the course of the drive home he would have been able to process his experience at the mall, but apparently that was not to be the case. While he was at this point quite certain that all of the strange occurrences - the bed, the pizza delivery, the shopping trip - had all actually happened, he did not feel any closer to understanding the
reasons
that they happened.
Jake took his one bag into his dark house, flicking on lights on his journey to the bedroom in an attempt to push back the nighttime. He left one lamp alone, still hesitant about his new bed despite his recent acceptance of it. Quietly he gazed into the room, a faint illumination trickling inside from the ambient light of the hallway. He allowed his eyes to adjust until he could make out the bed, disheveled blankets strewn about on its surface. He tossed his bag in, able to hear but not see it land in the corner. Having enough of the preamble, he stepped inside.
*****
The light of the sun predictably repeated its performance from several days prior, sneaking through the curtains to lazily fall upon Jake's bed. His shaggy mop spread out on the pillow, the light russet strands illuminated as if by a fading halo. Lazily he blinked his eyes open, yawned, and stretched all of his limbs as far away from one another as he was capable. He balled up his fists and wriggled his toes in sheer bliss. There were no cramps or aches to speak of anywhere on his body. The bed, soft and comfortable, had successfully alleviated any of the strain he had afflicted himself with from his accommodations on the night before.
Jake's eyes adjusted to his surroundings unhurriedly until he could distinctly make out his closet, smattering of framed pictures, and alarm clock that currently claimed that the time was eleven forty-seven in the morning. With very little concern he also examined the bed he was resting on, and was impassive when he found that it was the same one that had invaded his home so recently. Jake wasn't entirely certain of the cause, but when he arrived home last night he began to feel that all of his concerns over the Heart of Gold and the gifts it had brought him had been unfounded. With a clearer head over the whole ordeal he discovered that there was really nothing to fear at this point. The Heart seemed to only have his best interests in mind.
With a theatrical sigh Jake slowly drew himself up from the mattress. He looked about the room again and scratched at a few places on his body as he began to formulate a plan for the day. Embarrassed as he was to admit it, he wasn't immediately tantalized by the concept of going out and engaging in some new sex act. Over just the last two days he had quite effectively shattered any previous concepts he had about casual sex. It might be hard to keep things fresh at this rate, so he figured that caution was the better part of valor, for now.
In addition to his simple worry of not managing to retain an interesting and varied bouquet of sexual activities for himself to choose from, Jake was forced to admit that he still had utterly no idea what the Heart did exactly, or how. His wisest course of action might be to step lightly to avoid overusing it. If there were stipulations or requirements that he was not privy to, he might already have caused a good deal of harm. Finally satisfied with the fact that he was very likely not going to make any headway in his decision for the day's itinerary while in bed, Jake stood up and wandered to the bathroom to relieve himself.
As he moved past the medicine cabinet's mirror on his way to the toilet he caught a glimpse of himself, and was immediately reminded of the other reason that he seemed instinctively opposed to courting women. Jake wasn't an unattractive man, and in fact he was fairly typical for your average American. Of course that meant that he was carrying some extra pounds around the midsection and didn't pay much attention to his outward appearance beyond making certain that he didn't smell like a trash heap or appear visibly dirty.
While taking in his own body Jake couldn't help but have his gaze pulled to the Heart of Gold. He'd slept the night before in just a pair of boxer shorts, and the little golden trinket set out starkly on his bare chest. There were a few bruises still, and some yet healing cuts, from the night that Jake came into possession of the little mystery. Idly twisting the Heart between a thumb and forefinger, Jake surveyed himself again, this time with a new perspective.
Though clearly not perfect, or really even close, he realized that he had in his grasp an item with amazing powers that he simply couldn't understand. It wouldn't be a stretch to claim that the methods used by the charm could be magical in nature. Whatever the source of it however, it clearly had the potential to bring Jake whatever he wanted. Knowing this, he straightened up a little. He felt a surge of confidence run through him as he discovered that he didn't care if he looked like a model. Good looks and an impressive suit might turn a few heads, but with what Jake now wielded he could get more than a flirty glance from a pretty girl. With new eyes Jake appraised himself, and where he once saw a pauper, now he saw a prince. A smug smirk spreading across his face, he stepped into the shower and drew the curtain closed.
*****