#24 
“You are EVIL,” Val said, holding up the package.
“You’re going to love it,” Brandon replied, wiggling his eyebrows lewdly.
The box was gift-wrapped, clearly marked “Mistress Janna’s House of Seven Wonders” on the card.
“I was going to send it to you at your office,” Brandon said, “but I thought someone might get the wrong idea.”
“Or the right idea,” she said. She reached out and whacked him gently with the box.
“Nothing is too good for my baby on our anniversary,” he grinned. “Open it.”
“Oh no,” she said. “Not now. It’s not time to celebrate. That comes tonight. In fact, I think I’ll bring it to dinner with me and open it there.”
Brandon shrugged. Your choice.
“So … who is Mistress Janna?” she asked.
“That’s part of the surprise.” He replied. “It’s something new I found – you know, just out wandering.”
She frowned and shook the box, eyeing it warily. “That doesn’t sound promising,” she said.
“Trust me,” he replied.
She shook her head again, but laughed.
“Go. I have to get ready for work.”
Brandon slipped out of the room, and Val stared at the box again. She tried to picture in her mind where he might be going with such a gift. There were obvious answers to the question, of course, but one thing she’d learned over a twelve year marriage was that whatever seemed normal or obvious was probably not the answer when it came to Brandon. She shrugged and tucked the box into her purse. By the time she reached her office and got started on the day’s accounts, it was all but forgotten.
* * *
Brandon waited at the table in the restaurant impatiently. He pulled a folded paper out of his pocket and grinned. Mistress Janna had been quite a find – true magic – for a price. He examined the paper in his hand. It was a page torn from a catalogue for women’s clothing. In the picture, a tall, slender blonde model – much more well-endowed than most cover girls, smiled up at him.
Valerie entered the restaurant, and he quickly folded the paper and returned it to his pocket. He couldn’t get Mistress Janna’s words out of his mind as he watched Val cross the room.
“Whatever you wish, that is what she’ll find in the box. If you want her to be happy, I can do this. If you want her to go blind, I can do this as well, but …whatever you wish, be careful. Wishes have a way of working their own twists and turns into things.”
Brandon was sure. He’d been admiring the same model in the same set of catalogues for ten years. She invaded his dreams at night. He’d carefully weighed his options. He could have gotten Val plastic surgery, or a health-club membership, but why put her through all of that? He had a much better plan…
She sat down across from him and smiled. It was a nicer place than they usually got out to.
“Happy anniversary,” she said. She slipped him a small gift-wrapped box. He stared at it … Mistress Janna’s House of Seven Wonders” it read.
He met her gaze.
“You first,” he said.
Val winked at him. “Okay lover. I know you’ll wish something wonderful for me.”
She pulled the box from her purse, tugged loose the ribbons, and lifted the lid. A bright light flashed…bright enough that anyone nearby, and especially Brandon, lost focus on the room for an instant – like a camera flash. When he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped. The model of his dreams sat across from him, wearing Val’s smile. She didn’t seem to have noticed.
“Now you,” she said. “Then you can tell me what you wished.”
He stared at his box…took a deep breath, and tugged the string.
Moments later, two gorgeous models stared at one another across the table. Val blinked. Brandon stared down at himself in confusion.
“You bastard,” Val said. “I thought you’d wish me happiness, or wealth. I wished for you to have whatever you wished for me.”
Brandon looked up again…then he / she smiled. He slid around so that their chairs were very close together and brushed her knee with his. He leaned in and kissed her deeply. At first, Val was taken aback, but then she felt a sudden heat, and joined the kiss.
“This IS what I wished,” Brandon whispered. “My wish started last night.” As he spoke, he thought of the cameras set up in their bedroom and grinned. The wishes were supposed to wear off in twenty-four hours, but if they didn’t…he thought he could live with THIS.”
Then Val kissed him again and laid a catalogue page on the table.
“It’s going to be a hot night,” she said…but while I was at Mistress Janna’s, I decided I could be evil too…so I hope you’re up for tomorrow…”
On the catalog page was a darkly tanned man in a stripper costume.
She kissed him again before he could scream.
Written by David Wilson - Visit WebsiteFollow me on Twitter
