The next morning, Jennifer opened her eyes and peered over to the other side of the bed, expecting to see her husband there, but oddly, he wasn't still asleep next to her, like he should have been. She then turned and looked in the other direction and nearly had a heart attack. Michael was there, standing next to the bed, peering down at her, with this really strange look on his face. Maybe contentment? To tell the truth, it was kind of creepy.
"Honey, what are you doing? Why didn't you say something so I knew you were there?" she asked.
His small smile grew a little. "What can I do for you? I want to do something for you."
She was confused as to why he was acting so oddly, but then she thought back to that wild sex they had the previous night. Oh, that must have been it. He was paying her back. She gave him great sex, now he wanted to do something nice for her too.
"I guess breakfast would be nice right now," she said.
"I'll get right to it," he said, excitedly, then sprinted out of the room, in just his boxer shorts. Jennifer had never seen him so giddy like this. Maybe they should have sex more often.
She pulled the covers off and got a bit of shock. She hadn't noticed when she awoke, but she was topless, the red gemstone pendant from that new necklace she found yesterday resting in the cleavage of her C-cup breasts. She remembered that when she went to bed last night, she was naked, because they had sex and then went straight to sleep afterwards. But why hadn't Michael pointed it out when she woke up? He knew that Jennifer found nudity distasteful, especially her own. Being naked in a darkened room, at night, mostly under the covers - that was one thing. But in the morning, with sunlight coming in through the windows? What if one of their neighbors were somehow able to see her through the window. She knew that was impossible, given the angle and the shrubbery outside. Someone would have to be standing at the window to see anything, but still ...
Getting out of bed, she walked to her underwear drawer to put something on. She was about to just wear one of her plain white bras, but something about that color turned her off. After rummaging through the drawer, she came upon a navy blue bra. Better. She put that on. But what she really wanted was something in black. That was odd. She couldn't ever remember wanting that color before. She then found a pair of light blue panties. They didn't really match with the bra, but close enough. She'd have to go shopping for new underwear.
She started to head to the bedroom door to leave, but then stopped herself. She looked down. What was she thinking? If it weren't for the underwear (and the necklace), she'd be completely naked! She felt embarrassed, knowing that she almost ended up walking through the house like this, then grabbed her robe from the bathroom, putting it on. Okay, that was better. After all, she didn't know who was out there. She and Michael could have a guest, for all she knew.
======
Walking into the kitchen and taking a seat at the table, Jennifer saw her husband busy cooking breakfast - eggs, bacon, toast. He was really going all out. Usually she was the one who cooked, mainly because her husband was out of practice, but what she smelled so far seemed pretty good. She hoped it tasted just as great. And after a few more minutes, it was all done. He put everything on a plate and put it in front of her. It did look really good. But something was wrong. She realized that there was no more food than what was on her plate.
"Uh, you're not having some for yourself?" she asked.
"It wouldn't be right for me to have breakfast before my mistress," he said, gazing down at her with that same creepy look of contentment he had earlier when she woke up.
"Oh, well, you don't have to ... wait, did you just call me 'mistress'?" she asked.
He nodded. "Now, what else can I do for you?" he asked, eagerly.
"Nothing I think I want to be alone." Her husband was really starting to freak her out. At first, she thought he was just being nice to her because of that great sex they had last night, but now ... "Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"
"You're right. I better get going," he said, before rushing out of the room.
Jennifer looked down the hall that led to the master bedroom, her eyebrow rising in surprise. She had never seen him so excited to go to work, or make breakfast, for that matter. What was up with him this morning? And what was with that 'mistress' thing? That was just plain weird.
======
Sometime later, Michael was all ready to go, briefcase in hand. Jennifer kissed him, told him to have a good day, and then he did another weird thing. He bowed slightly, saying "I hope so, mistress," then he was out the door and heading to his car.
She just stood there, speechless, trying to figure out what was happening. It was almost like he was acting like her ... her what? Her servant? But why?
Little did she know, it was because of her. That stew she made the previous night was actually a witch's brew - a potion. And since she had eaten it (a third of the pot was more than enough), she now had a power that she didn't even know she had. Anyone she came in close proximity to would suddenly treat her with care and respect, not even realizing that they were even acting differently around her. Anyone she had sex with, as she had with her husband, would be enslaved to her will, adoring her to the end of time. Absentmindedly getting the ingredients from the store, making the brew, and then eating it were all influences caused by the necklace she was wearing, the same necklace worn by Scarlett over a century ago. The essence of Scarlett was doing everything it could to influence Jennifer, but it was hard. Being trapped so long in the gemstone had weakened her. But the essence of Scarlett knew that if her influence was subtle enough, then Jennifer wouldn't even notice (unlike the times when she was being more overt, liking persuading her to get a tattoo). And that's what happened. Now, Jennifer had the same power of influence that Scarlett had way back then. It was one of the reasons she was eventually put to death.
======
Later on that morning, at the office, Michael was supposed to be working on the Anderson project in the conference room, but found himself lost in thought.
"Hey, Michael. This work too boring for you? What's on your mind?" Cindy, a co-worker, asked.
He had a dreamy smile on his face, still spaced out a bit. "I'm just thinking of ways to please my wife. She needs my love and attention."
"Seriously?" Cindy asked, surprised. She had known Michael a long time. He loved his wife, sure, but she didn't think she had ever seen him like this before. Complete devotion.
"Hey, don't knock it," Helen, another co-worker, said. "I wish my husband had that kind of love and devotion for me."
