The tall birdlike guy with the goatee looked like he immediately regretted his decision. He wrung his long gnarled fingers together and nervously looked around the unlit comic shop, anywhere, but at James. "I, uh, I dunno, man. Maybe this isn't such a great idea. I mean, uh, Karl did kinda exactly say for me to never let you back in."
"C'mon! That was two years ago - - " James began, but Owl Eyes cut the shorter guy off in mid sentence.
Neither Josie nor Michelle could imagine ever doing that with James now that he held the power over what bodies they would have for the rest of their lives. In that moment they were both intensely jealous of a ugly geek they would have been laughing at and cracking jokes about just earlier today.
"No, James, you listen, man!" Owl Eyes hissed in a stage whisper after looking back into the gloom to make sure no one came up behind him from the crowded depths of the store, obviously not wanting to be overheard, "You didn't just get you fired, man. I mean, y'know, I almost got fired too! Working here is all I got!"
Josie could feel the smouldering resentment washing off of James, but thought it might just be because she was pressed up against him, his arm around her slender waist. When the pizza guy finally spoke it was in an overly calm, very measured tone, "Omar, I know, I get it okay? But I covered for you, even after you threw me under the bus and acted like you had zero idea what was going on. So are you going to help me out or what?"
Omar blinked those big watery eyes of his and swallowed hard, obviously weighing his options. Josie could tell he was going to fold and let them in. She wondered if it was because of her newly accquired female intuition and almost laughed. The molly and the shots and the joint were all hitting her pretty hard, but she managed to keep composed, rightly guessing James would be bad pissed off if she accidentally spoiled whatever grand entrance he was trying to make here.
"Did you, uh, bring it?" Omar said said a little eagerly. James smiled and let his eyes drift over to Josie. Obviously, he had known how all this was going to go because he had coached Josie on this part.
Putting on as sexy a look as she could, which was mostly guesswork on her part since she knew what a sexy chick face looked like, but had never had to make one before, Josie let her hand drift up to the diagonal cutout in the front of her dress, the one half exposing the upper slope of one breast and the underboob of the other. Omar's eyes followed as she slipped her fingers inside and fished around a little. Pulling out one of the joints James had told her to roll up for the road she passed it to the gawky gatekeeper. Even in the dimly lit doorway she could tell the skinny guy was blushing.
"Cool!" Omar lifted the joint to his nose and sniffed it. Josie hoped he was checking for quality and not trying to be sexy."Is it good shit?"
"Bad ass shit. My girls here got the hookup," James chuckled.
"And you're sure Karl won't be mad you're here?" Omar had already put the offering away so quickly Josie wasn't quite sure where he had hidden it.
"Positive. He won't be mad," James looked from Josie's face to Michelle's, flashing them an evil grin and jostling both of them a little, eliciting an tiny, uncomfortable mew from Michelle, "I mean, look at the birthday presents I brought him!"
Both of the newly transformed females realized what James probably meant by that and their stomachs clenched up slightly, worried and frantic and excited all at once. Completely unrehearsed, both of them let go with nearly identical girlish laughs of nervousness. Then James laughed so Omar, wanting to be in on the joke, joined in.
Well, okay, man, I guess it will be alright," Omar turned and led them further back into the store, but Josie and Michelle both wondered if anything would ever be alright again.
