Skeleton Key of Desires

Every man wanted her, and every woman wanted to be her—the cliche sentence we have repeatedly heard. Unfortunately, for Jewel Swanson, this saying holds true. She hated the way pairs of eyes would follow her as the long chocolate locks would sway back and forth across the small of her back when she would walk down the hallway of the office building. They saw her as a delicate rose that would surely lose her colorful petals at the slightest touch. But what lay beneath her soft exterior were the sharp thorns that always adorned the stem of a rose. They would make sure to pierce the skin if ever in need of the occasion. These thorns surfaced through her mouth, stabbing the victim with the words she spoke. Sometimes the event would call for some "EXTRA" help. Today's victim was Henry from accounting. Jewel sauntered her way down the long hallway like she did every day, ready to retrieve the coffee for Ezra Gunner, when a chubby hand grabbed hold of her wrist and yanked her into the janitor's closet. The process alone twisted her right ankle as she was caught off guard. Henry slammed her up against the wooden door; the smell of cigarettes and bacon wafted into her nose from the short, corpulent man. "I can't stand it anymore," Henry said, his voice low, and drool formed in the corners of his mouth, "I need you," Jewel stayed calm and in control, batting away the chubby hands that tried to roam her body. "It's not me you want," Jewel said. She tried to turn the knob behind her to make her escape, but it was of no use. Though Henry was short, he was stronger than her. He pressed his body into her, smashing her between him and the wooden door of the janitor's closet, making it impossible for her to open the door. "You can make my desires come true," he breathed into her ear. This stupid key has been a curse ever since the day it was placed into the palm of her hand. A precious family heirloom her grandmother told her before she passed away. It was a shame she never told her how it worked or what the point of it was. Not seeing any other way out of this, Jewel unhooked the shiny necklace from around her slender neck. "Your right, Henry. I will make your desires come true." She held on tight to the antique silver key and had Henry lock his hands around hers. As long as there was a door with a lock, the key would fit inside it. She slowly turned the key while Henry's hands stayed on hers, mesmerized by her actions. "You see, everyone has desires, and everyone has a place they want to be let into," Jewel said. With that, the door unlocked and opened widely; brilliant white light escaped from the room. Henry, unfazed and wide-eyed, walked in, striping articles of clothing along the way. Jewel never liked looking at the deep desires of others except for when they put her into dangerous situations. Then she believed it was fair game. One peek in before the door slammed shut. Topless mermaids, huh? A man with simple fantastical desires. One thing Jewel learned from using this key was that no one ever desired the person they were with. At least from her experiences. She retrieved the key from the lock, clipped it around her neck, and straightened out her clothing as best as possible. Henry will be a happier man in an hour when his fantasy is over, and it spits him back into reality, she thought. The heel on her right shoe was broken, so she snapped them off and limped her way out of the janitor's closet. She went on about her business, acting as if nothing had happened. But multiple pairs of eyes were on her. They were staring slightly different this time as they noticed her limp and disheveled hair. Her eyes narrowed at them and a grimace formed on her mouth as she made her boss's coffee. "What?" Jewel said. Her co-workers took the hint as they turned and left her alone in the lounge. Maybe they saw her thorns rise to the surface. Jewel limped her way to the corner office where the plaque above the doors read CEO Ezra Gunner. One knock was all it took before the low voice grunted out... "Come in," She silently slipped into the office, setting the hot black coffee with one packet of sugar down in front of him, and was silently slipping her way back out when she heard it... "Wait," Jewel stopped dead in her tracks but did not turn around. "Come back," Now she had no choice. Jewel turned around and limped back to Ezra's desk. "Yes, sir," she said. His eyes roamed her entirety, not leaving an inch unseen. She pressed her legs together and squirmed under his gaze. "What happened?" Ezra asked. "I tripped and broke the heel of my shoe," Jewel lied. "Hmm," Ezra said. He stood up from behind his desk and walked over toward her. His six-foot-three frame towered easily over her five-foot-one stature. He motioned for her to sit on the leather couch, which she hobbled over to. As much as she wanted to protest, fighting with the boss was out of the question. She made that mistake once when she first started the job. Lunch was too much of a bother when she was engrossed in her work. Ezra told her one too many times to leave. The volcanic eruption the exploded from his third demand frightened everyone in the office. The fiery explosion from that day was something that she never wanted to see again. Moments later, he returned with some spray and a bandage. Gently, he took off her heels and placed her small foot on his lap. When he started to spray, Jewel whipped her head to the side in anticipation of the oncoming pain. A smirk rose on his face as he saw the inner child reveal herself to him-if only for a second. Ezra, making it as fast as possible, wrapped up the injured ankle and gently sat it back on the ground, handing her a pair of slippers. "I refuse for my employees to be uncomfortable all day," he said. "Thank you," Jewel said, placing her feet inside the slippers. "Are you sure you don't need the rest of the day off?" "No, sir. I'm fine, especially after your treatment." Ezra raised an eyebrow in her direction. "I mean, thank you for helping me," Jewel said. "You're welcome." Ezra muffled a laugh from the embarrassment Jewel was suffering from. Though Ezra was known for being cold and distant- a man of few words. He took amazing care of his employees, being the reason he exploded when lunch breaks are not taken in a timely matter. She liked this more gentle side of Ezra than the intimidating combustible one. Jewel stood to return to her desk outside of his office when she felt his eyes on her. Not you too, she thought. For once, It would be nice to have a man treat her well because he wants to, not because of a key. She hung her head in defeat and exited out the double glass doors. Jewel had once used the key for herself. It was after she had opened a door for Lily, her best friend. She was surprised when she saw on the other side a shirtless Harry Styles waiting for Lily. After an hour, the fantasy dissipated and the closet spat a worn-out but grinning from ear to ear Lily. Jewel, being an excitable eighteen-year-old, was ready to see what fantasy was waiting for her, but when she turned the key and opened the door, only her clothes in the closet greeted her. A couple more times she tried it and nothing. She figured the key did not work for the bearer of the curse. She gave up a while ago and realized that the only reason people gravitated to her was none other than the key. "Jewel, I need those papers," Ezra said. Jewel gathered the papers that were spread out across her desk and placed them inside the metal folder. She hurried inside the office before the booming voice could radiate through the area again. The heavy glass doors were enough to break her tiny wrist as it folded over upon her entry into the corner office. Ezra sat at the desk, never once glancing up at her. She walked over to him and sat the folder down on the desk, but as she did, a large, strong hand wrapped around her tiny wrist. Jewel looked up and saw the fiery gaze only his ice-blue eyes could give off. Her wrist gave away the quickening of her pulse as his grip slightly tightened around it. "This ridiculous key, it's all your fault!" was the only sentence running through her mind. She knew a man like Ezra Gunner would never be attracted to her. "How's your ankle?" Ezra said. When the words finally flowed from his mouth, they sounded as smooth as silk. Jewel swallowed loudly. "I...I...It's fine, thanks," Jewel said. He had to know he affected others this way. Not removing his gaze, he let go of her wrist. "Go home and rest," he said. "Yes, CEO Ezra," The tension was palpable in the air, and Jewel felt the need to escape the area. Ezra's behavior was out of the ordinary, even for the silent, distant type like him. As she trudged out of his office, she felt the key heat slightly upon her chest. She gazed around the room and saw Henry coming down the hallway toward her. The key has never been heated before. Did Henry and his mermaids break it? Jewel hurried and packed her belongings, hoping to bypass the confrontation. Too late... "Jewel!" Henry shouted. Waving from across the room. The short man seemed to stumble over thin air as he hustled his way over to her. "Hi, Henry," Jewel said. "I just wanted to thank you for earlier," He reached out to grab her thin hand, but Jewel yanked it away and wiped it on her pencil skirt. She nodded her head in his direction and started to walk off when Henry reached out for her. "Can't you at least say you're..." Henry started but was interrupted when a disgruntled Ezra loomed over him. "She is off the clock and needs to go home," Ezra said. Jewel whipped her head back, not realizing the muscular man was standing inches behind her. Any faster and her head would have been buried in his large chest. Not wasting any time, she scurried out from between the two men to exit the building. Jewel took off the necklace and placed it into the box beside her bed, locking it. She hated the key. She hated what it had turned her reality into. Once stood a person who believed in true love, but after unlocking the deepest desires of humanity's true mind stood the shattered remains of a person who believed in...nothing. No one longed for something that was real, and no one craved something they already had.