Larry Vaughn (owner and manager of the Pussy Kat Klub - a strip club on the outskirts of town) rolled over towards the other side of the bed and looked at the clock. 10:51 AM. He grabbed his head, feeling a killer headache coming on. No doubt he was having a hangover, but it was worth it. That bitch he fucked the previous night was totally worth it. They partied until the small hours of the night and didn't fall asleep until after they were both thoroughly exhausted. And man, she could go through a lot before she got worn out. Larry, on the other hand, wasn't as young or fit as he used to be, so he wore out before she did, but he still tried his best to keep up. Because she was worth it.
He looked over at her. She was still there and still fast asleep. She was a little on the skinny side for his tastes (not much of a rack), but she was feisty, something he loved. If only all women were like that.
Larry sighed, then turned his attention back to the clock. 10:54 AM. He typically opened the club up at noon, although people only started coming in around six or seven at night. He always wanted to get the place cleaned up before the next day's crowd arrived and it gave him time to brainstorm on new routines for the girls. He was always looking for new ways to make his club more attractive to customers. After all, it was how he made his living.
He sat up on the edge of the bed and opened his nightstand drawer. Inside was the box he received through the mail the previous day. He hadn't opened it yet. He was too busy with other things, like having incredible sex with ... Dana? Daphne? Well, whatever her name was. He picked up the box and looked at it. There was no return address, but it was addressed to him. His residence was at the club. He had a room in the back. In fact, that was where he was right now. It was about as glamorous a cheap motel room, but it was his.
Larry turned the package over in his hands once more, then began to open it. Inside was a plain-looking stone and a note. "What the hell?" he muttered.
Behind him, the bitch he had sex with the previous night stirred but then went back to sleep.
He took out the note and read it:
*Hey Larry, you know how you said you wanted a piece of my next score? Well, here you go. Enjoy!
- Vinny*
"That son of a bitch," Larry uttered. "I didn't want some useless rock." The score that his "friend" was talking about was the spoils from a precious stone heist. When Larry said he wanted a piece of the score, he thought Vinny would send him a diamond or a ruby, something valuable. Not a piece of shit like this. But what did he expect? It wasn't the first time that his "friend" had stabbed him in the back, so to speak. Larry didn't have very many friends that he could trust.
He reached into the box and took hold of the stone, meaning to fling it across the room in anger. But before he did, he said something that would completely change his mind about what his "friend" had given him. In fact, he would discover that the stone was more valuable than any diamond or ruby, or even Vinny's entire score.
"I wish this was something valuable." To his surprise, the stone glowed, causing him to look away. When he looked back at it, it looked normal again. "What the hell?"
"What was that?" the bitch murmured, waking up. "Larry, turn off the light."
So it wasn't just him. She saw the light too. He looked at the stone and thought back to what he said right before it began to glow. I said "I wish", then ... he thought, as it occurred to him.
"I wish to know what this stone is," he said. After it glowed again, he got his answer. It was a wishing stone. It granted wishes. Any wishes. Larry smiled, thinking of the possibilities.
