Jess texted Marlowe she wanted to get coffee and catch up. They met at her apartment.
After a few minutes of chitchat, Jess brought up what she really wanted to talk about. She looked down at her mug and then across the couch at Marlowe. Jess said, "I've had a recurring dream, and I want to tell you about it."
Jess blushed once she started describing it.
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In her dream, Jess worked at an antique jewelry store, and her good friend Marlowe came in, carrying a piece of jewelry: a jeweled necklace inside a wooden box.
He opened it and showed it to her. Jess loved it right away. It made her think of some of the stuff she saw in an art museum.
She mostly ignored Marlowe while he talked. It was made of silver and had blue and green gems all around. Marlowe said something about how it was from an ancient civilization and perhaps was a gift from an old sorcerer king to his favorite concubine four thousand years ago.
Jess's eyes could not look away from the necklace. She begin to pick it up to try it on, but Marlowe stopped her. He put his hand over her hand, with her hand touching the necklace. The necklace was cold enough to make her notice his warm hand.
Marlowe said she can't wear the necklace because it was magic. It would drive her wild with lust. "I know it sounds ridiculous."
Jess laughed. Of course she didn't believe him. Marlowe had a ridiculous sense of humor and this was exactly the kind of thing he would say.
But at the same time Jess thought about how absurd Marlowe was being, she really wanted to try on this necklace. She stared at in the box.
Then she looked at Marlow and said, "But you know I'll look gorgeous wearing it."
Jess saw in Marlowe's eyes how he thought the same thing.
Jess distracted Marlowe by pointing outside the window and saying "Hey, look at that!" and when he looked away, she picked up the necklace and stepped back a little.
Marlowe warned her again, "Don't do it, Jess!" but she had already turned sideways to admire herself in the old mirror while she put it around her neck.
"It's really heavy!" she said, closing the tiny clasp and then tracing the necklace with her fingers, "but not in a bad way."
Next Jess felt the skin on her neck get tingly, and then the tingling spread across her whole body. She blinked and the colors in the room were more vivid now.
Everything looked amazing. All the art and jewelry all around her sparkled and glowed. So much beauty surrounded her. Even the soft music playing through the record player sounded wonderful.
Marlowe had stopped walking to her and now watched a little nervously. He said, "how do you feel?"
Jess looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She was absolutely gorgeous. She grinned at herself. This necklace made her look and feel like a goddess.
She said, "this looks so good on me" and naturally she started unbuttoning her top. The necklace needed more skin nearby. A bare torso was the best way to show it off.