Scheme Time!

Crossing my apartment I open the locked drawer and grab a handful of coins. Probably not the best idea to keep them out in the open, but I've always been a tactile planner. I need to "see" how I'm spending these coins. Plopping into the couch, I pull out my laptop. First things first, I start pricing safes and safety deposit boxes. Splitting the coins up into a couple piles seems like a great idea.

Next, I start planning who is going to get a coin. This is where I need to be deliberate. I cannot just toss them around. Hell, there's already one coin unaccounted for in the wilderness. Oof...there's that woman on the news all the time...the one who looks like an old leather couch became sentient. What would happen if she found it? Not only are there a finite number of them, but practical problems will rise exponentially the more women who join my, for lack of a better term, harem. But, if I'm smart, I can pick women who can help me solve my personal problems, as well as any that arise in the future.

The first one that comes to mind is Ellen. **** is good, but I'm not sure how much she can actually help me. As far as I understand it, the wheels are already in motion for the demolition of the building. Even if she wanted to, she might not be able to stop it. Still...the **** aspect might be more than worth it.

Speaking of ****...Dana. The bitch from marketing who is probably responsible for me getting pulled out of my presentation and sent home. She's good at what she does, but I'm pretty sure she sees my website revamp as an incursion onto her territory. Getting even with her is definitely worth a coin. Plus, she's hot. Hell, everyone at my work is. Including my boss Hannah. There's a world of difference between Hannah and Dana, however. Hannah's actually really nice. One of the better bosses I've ever worked for. While she's cool as is, I'll probably have to coin her as well. Otherwise, the new developments in my life might infringe on her business, and unless she's "on my team," that could be problematic. And truthfully, she's just drop dead gorgeous. Really, all the women I work with are.

Then there's the question of Mary-Jane. She and I were supposed to go on a date tonight, but she canceled right as I was getting sent home. Might be hard to hold it against her, I muse. If Dana was telling the office about all the "wicked things" I've done, bailing might have seemed like a good idea, at least until the dust settles. Hell, I should be thanking her. I might not have ever met the old guy in the park if she hadn't called the date off. Still, she is smoking hot. Mary-Jane goes into the maybe pile with Ellen. Wow...I've already got two confirmed harem mates, a potential third somewhere out there, and I've already decided on adding two, maybe four more. Might be time to put a pause on this. Strolling over to the fridge, I find that I'm out of beer. Karen...sneaky little...she must have helped herself. Guess I'm going to the store. On impulse, I decide to throw one coin into my pocket. Who knows? Maybe a supermodel will just happen to cross my path.

The trip to the store was...interesting. I was looking at every single woman there with a whole new perspective. Was the girl behind the flower counter worth a coin? What about that cashier there? The goth teen in the baggy clothes...if I gave her this coin, she'd be more than happy to show me what she had on underneath. Realizing I must have looked insane, I snapped myself out of it, and rushed through my shopping. While I waited to get checked out, a thought occurred to me. The old guy said it the coins would impact women, but what would happen if a guy got his hands on one. If they responded like Janet or Karen, that wouldn't be my cup of tea. Or...what if that erased the coin's power? It would suck to lose the potential of a coin, but it would be better than having to fend off some random dude.

Or...what if nothing happened until a woman touched the coin. If the coin just passed from hand to hand, waiting to turn some unsuspecting woman into Karen and Janet's newest harem-mate. It wasn't until I got back to my apartment building that an opportunity presented itself. Holding the door for me were a couple of college kids who lived two floors above me From what I knew, they were strictly roommates, and no one had seen anything to suggest otherwise. Nate was a good enough dude. I knew he had a bit of money, for a college kid. That might explain how he was able to cover the rent here. Amber, I knew less about, but I did know she played soccer for the local university.

"Hey Nate, Hi Amber. How are you guys?" I asked as we trudged up the stairs.

"Hey Mike! We're doing okay. Except for this whole getting evicted thing. By the way, thanks for setting Ellen off on the warpath. She was still swearing about you when she got to our door." Nate smiled.

"Man, she's a piece of work." Amber added. "Hey, it was great to see you Mike, but I need to make a dash to the little girls' room." Turning and sprinting up the stairs, Amber was gone. She must have really had to go.

Nate and I shot the shit for a bit, finally getting to our plans for when we all got kicked out of the building. He'd just finished his degree, and was heading back home to work for his father. "What about Amber?"

"She's got no idea. She still has a year left, and was hoping to go for her masters here as well. She kind of needs to stay in the area, but has no idea where she'll land. What about you?"

"Something just came up," I cagily reply, "I think I've got a couple decent leads. Hey, I need to get this beer in the fridge before it gets too warm." On impulse, I decide to take the risk. I'm really hoping the coin has no impact on Nate. It's a risk, definitely, but Amber is worth taking a chance on. I grab the coin out of my pocket and offer it to my neighbor. "Nate, would you do me a favor? Amber spotted me a dollar for the washers downstairs a couple days ago. Would you mind paying her back for me?"

"Jesus...I haven't seen a dollar coin in years. What are you, my grandpa? Sure, I'll get it to her. Talk to you later Mike!"

"What can I say? I'm out of two dollar bills. Smartass."

"Well...let's see how this plays out." I mutter to myself as I let myself in the apartment. I hadn't seen any noticeable reaction, but then again, the sample size I'm working with is very small. Once I've got all the groceries put away, and a beer cracked, my cell phone starts ringing.