Skeleton Key of Desires

Unexpected

A big hand came slamming down right beside her head, producing a thunderclap in her ears. The memory replayed like a broken record in Jewel's mind. How could Ezra do such a thing when he was hypnotized by her actions? Everyone goes under a spell when a connection is made between their eyes. She just has to have the key. Her hand caressed the cold metal of the key around her neck as she racked through the files of memories trying to find the precise one that could have broken her key. She kept being led back to Henry and his mermaids. Everything changed the day she opened the door for him. Jewel knew she would have to seek out that man later.

With sweaty palms, she laid the final touches on the demo project. She added the final slide to the PowerPoint presentation and adjusted her notes quickly on her note cards. Her hands were shaky as she added every material needed onto the flash drive. Those emerald green eyes double-checked every minute detail and then she turned to walk down the long hallway.

Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she pulled on the hem of her jacket, making sure every detail was perfect before it was presented. She stopped and stared through the glass conference room, taking in the ten business people that surrounded the oblong wooden table. She knew they were the investors and board members. Without stepping into the room, she could feel the arrogance that occupied it. She took a deep breath and exhaled it in a long sigh, letting all of her nerves dissipate, then proceeded into the room.

"Jewel Swanson, I presume," said an elderly man sitting next to Ezra.

"Yes, sir,"

"We don't have all day, so let's see it."

His egotism was palpable. This rudeness was not the greeting that Jewel was expecting and her confidence wavered slightly. Her eyes glanced at Ezra, who was too busy looking at his phone to bother sticking up for her. She was on her own. These tiny fractures in her plans would not ruin the perfection of her presentation.

"Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, thank you for giving me the opportunity to stand in front of you today to present my idea," Jewel said.

She placed the flash drive onto the computer and pulled up the slides. One after the other, she presented her idea to the silenced room.

"Since this is a mobile game about making choices, instead of having one romance room, why not have multiple rooms to choose from?" Jewel continued.

"I have three doors to choose from. The first door holds the fantastical world of the ocean floor. The second door is a romantic bedroom with candles and rose petals. The third room is all white."

"Why is the third room plain?" a woman with short red hair asked.

"I'm glad you asked that," Jewel said. "The room is plain because that is the artist's room. If you have your characters go into that room, they will paint the room differently with their 'lovemaking."

As the presentation came to a close, Jewel was no longer nervous but stood proud. She didn't mind that no one said a word to her. Ezra leaned over and whispered into the elderly man's ear. Jewel packed back up her materials and waited to leave.

"You will hear our decision soon, thank you," said the elderly man, and he went back to whispering to Ezra while looking at some papers.

Ezra glanced up from the papers to give Jewel a wink. The corner of his mouth lifted with a small side smirk. Jewel slightly smiled back as she exited the conference room door. She wasn't sure she was going to receive the promotion, but regardless, she was proud of her work. She walked down the hallway enough to be out of the sight of prying eyes and leaned her back against the wall. Darkness surrounded her as she shut her eyes to get rid of the throbbing inside her head. All of the stress caused an unexpected headache to sneak up on her. The buttons on her blazer were smothering her, so she undid them, letting more oxygen into her achy lungs. She needed to rest for a few minutes before returning to her desk.

A sudden pressure formed around her wrist and tugged her violently in a forward motion. Her eyes burst open as she was shoved into a small room. Her hand raised and connected with the face of a figure standing in front of her. The culprit was Henry.

"We never got to finish our conversation," Henry said, out of breath and rubbing his reddening cheek.

"What do you want, Henry?"

Jewel knew she needed to use the key with Henry again to figure out why it was acting funny. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Aggravation was setting in. She was going to find him, but not in this way. He was being rude, yanking her around like that.

"Can you do what you did last time?" Henry asked. "I just felt so happy afterward."

"Look, Henry. I'll help you as long as you promise not to yank me into any more closets."

Henry looked down at his feet and stuck his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"But if I asked you, would you help me?"

"As long as it is not every day,"

"I just want to feel good, Jewel."

"Everyone wants to feel good, Henry. You are no different than the rest of humanity."

Jewel rubbed her temples, the headache worsening by the second. She unclasped the necklace and held on tightly to the key. Henry stepped closer to her. His eyes darkened and connected with her emerald ones. She tried to turn away, but it was too late. Henry lunged at her, hands roaming her body. He ripped the front of her blouse, exposing her white bra underneath. A wild boar unleased, snorting and snotting trying to get a piece of her. Jewel, still gripping the key, raised both her arms and shoved him across the room.

"Henry, control yourself!" she said.

When he calmed down enough, she held her hands out and instructed Henry to place his hands on top of hers. Jewel placed the antique key into the lock, turning it until the distinct click hit both of their ears. Henry was focused on every movement Jewel made. The door popped open, revealing the blinding white light. Jewel turned her head to the side so her eyes would not burn and Henry once again stripped off every article of clothing as he entered the room. It was time to see what Henry so desperately was after. Jewel peeked inside. There she discovered a tropical rainforest. Colorful parrots flew through the treetops singing their mating calls. Rain tapped lightly on the leaves. The environment that lay inside Henry's mind was surreal. Henry, already naked, was surrounded by beautiful women with curly hair hanging to their knees. They were feeding him, pampering him, catering to his every need. Then the door slammed shut.

"I don't think Henry knows what he wants," Jewel said as she buttoned up her jacket to cover up the ripped blouse and walked out of the closet back to her desk.