Scent of Love

by Cristina Grenier

  He walked over to Alex, cutting his eyes at Jerry in the process. Jerry took a few steps away from him as he walked closer to them and showed Alex the bottle. Albert held it up to the dim, basement light, “I call this, shangaza klumei klumei,” he said proudly.

  “Shangaza klumei klumei,” Alex curiously said as he peered at the bluish colored liquid.

  “Yes!” he snapped back, “is there a problem?!”

  “No, no. Not at all,” Alex quickly said.

  “Good. I would hate for it to be… a problem,” Albert said as he stroked the bottle as if it was Georgie. “Now, the price is $200,000 for this bottle here.”

  “$200,000? That’s a little steep, don’t you think?”

  “What? No! $200,000 and it is not negotiable!”

  “I don’t know if I can pay that, Doctor Rosenthall.”

  “$100,000 and I will not go a cent lower!”

  “Sir, that is still-”

  “Oh hoo, you think you will come in here and haggle me for a price, aye? Listen, I said $75,000 and I will not go anything under that! Anything under that is just crazy!”

  “Sir, I-”

  “Oh, you drive a hard bargain! I will say this and not a cent lower! $25,000!”

  “Wait, how do I even know this stuff works!?”

  “Oh?” he said, his eyebrows raised high, “Oh mother! Moooother! Would you come down for a minute,” he yelled up the stairs.

  Moments later, his mother walked down the stairs, but she was unrecognizable. The wrinkles on her face were as smooth as a pudding; her legs were long, and her body was shapely. Her breasts perked up under her bra, and she looked to be 50 years younger as she sashayed down the stairs. “Hey, boys,” she said, winking at them.

  “Dear God, Mother! I told you to stop using that potion! You told me you were all out!”

  She walked over to Alex and Jerry as they both stood with their mouths hung open, “I was. At least I was until I found some more of it that you left in a drawer upstairs. It’s a shame, you trying to hide this from your mother. You know, I did look like this once upon a time,” she said, slowly working her way over to Alex, running her hand across his chest.

  He backed away, even though he didn’t want to. His heart was set on Nicole and her only, however, if it were him in his former days he definitely would have taken the bait. Jerry, on the other hand, had no restrictions as he patiently waited and hoped that she would eventually make her way towards him. Albert had stepped between them before she had the chance, “mother, that is enough! You have ruined the test!”

  “What test?” Alex said.

  “I was going to show you that this worked. Well,” he said, recollecting the reaction Alex had towards his mom just now, “it still may work. Alex, are you not interested in my beautiful mother?”

  She stood, caressing her breasts and running her hand over every curve of her body as she licked her voluptuous lips, “I... I mean, she is beautiful, please don’t get me wrong. It’s just that I have my mind set on another woman right now, you know? It’s-” and suddenly, Doctor Rosenthall sprayed some of the content of the small bottle onto Alex. “Wow that smells good, “he said, “but as I was saying, I just have my eyes set on another woman, that’s all. Nothing against either of you, ok?” All three of them stood still as Doctor Rosenthall glanced at his watch. Alex looked confused as he tried to figure out why they were so quiet, “Um, what’s going on, guys?”

  “Sssshhhh!” Albert hissed, “twenty-eight, twenty-nine, and thirty.”

  He looked at Alex and then signaled to his mother, “Ok mom, try now,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest as he smiled. “And you, dog burner, you record this for his proof.” Jerry took his cell phone out and recorded a young Miss Rosenthall approaching Alex.

  “Hey, big boy,” she said as she put her arms around him.

  Alex smiled, “I’ve been waiting for you to talk to me,” he said as he embraced her, “what took you so long?”

  “I was just waiting for the right time.”

  He slid his hands down to her bottom, grabbing a handful of it as she leaned in to kiss him passionately. “Um, Mother!” Albert said, but she shooed him off as she put her hands on the back of Alex’s head, sticking her tongue inside of his mouth. She took his hand and moved it up and down her breast, “mother!” Albert yelled louder as she ignored him and kept going. Jerry recorded it all, silently wishing it was he that the young Miss Rosenthall was draped over. Moments later, the young Rosenthall began shifting back to her present state. Her breasts suddenly dropped back down; her behind seemed to deflate right in one of Alex’s hands. Her full, voluptuous lips were replaced by skinny, wrinkled pieces of flesh. Her stomach protruded from beneath her dress which was suddenly much too small for her size. Jerry almost threw up as he continued recording and Albert finally came over and pulled his mother off of Alex.

  “Why… why did I turn back so soon, Albert!?”

  “Because, Mom! You must have gotten the testing version! They are never as potent as the main serums!”

  “Albert Einstein Rosenthall, you are going to be in deep trouble! You hear me!”

  She turned around and stormed up the stairs like a snail as Jerry laughed, still recording every part of it. When Mama Rosenthall finally made it all the way up, Alex came back to. He looked around and saw Jerry laughing as Albert held his head in his hands, “What happened?” Alex said calmly, trying to figure out what happened the past few minutes. “Show him,” Albert said as he took the spray and headed to the back of the room.

  “What? Wait a minute; I said what? I… I did that, too!? Oh dear God, how!? Why!?”

  Jerry could barely control his laughter, “Wait a minute bro, just wait until the end!”

  Alex looked on in horror as Mama Rosenthall shifted back to her elderly age right before his eyes and he witnessed himself, caressing and kissing the body of a wrinkled, nearly 80-year-old woman. He looked as if he was about to pass out and then he promptly threw up. “Hey, hey!” Albert yelled out, “If he gets that on my beakers, I’m charging extra for this spray!” Alex passed out right afterward, almost knocking over a few experiments in the process. If it weren't for Jerry catching him before he tipped all the way over, there would have been a disastrous mess on their hands.

  It didn’t take him long to come back to reality. Albert gave him some custom made sniffing vapor that caused him to spring right back up. After Dr. Rosenthall had made him clean up his vomit, he handed him the spray. “Now,” he said, “This is a like a deodorant body spray. You simply spray it on the area of your desire just moments before you come in contact with the person of your affection. Now, make sure that she, or he if you roll that way, is around it for at least thirty seconds. Anything less than thirty and it will be a waste. There are no side effects whatsoever.”

  “Great,” Alex said reaching for it.

  “Wait just a moment,” Albert said, “After the first time she, or he, smells this, you have to apply it daily for one month. Now, they will not jump all over you and want to have sex with you or anything of that nature. This just provides a subtle kick to their emotions to make them more prone to fall for you that is it. Now, this is only a one month supply, and like I said, there are no side effects. However, if you use it consecutively for more than one month, you will risk the person losing some of their memory. Which parts, I cannot say. So, I recommend that you do not use it for any consecutive months. However, it is completely up to you. If you come back for more, I will not hesitate to give you more. Understand?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Alex wrote a check to Albert for $25,000, and he and Jerry headed out, doing their best to avoid Mama Rosenthall in the process. It was odd how, even though everything he was doing was unethical, there would be an even wider choice to make once the deodorant spray wore off. I will worry about that when the time comes; he said to himself as Shaun waited by the door for them. “Is it done?” he asked before Alex got into the car. Alex s
miled, showing him the bluish colored liquid in the small bottle, “I’ve got it right here,” he said, almost fumbling it and dropping it to the ground. He paused and took a deep breath as he looked at Shaun, “Well, if that exploded right here, I think it would have gotten pretty awkward between us,” he said, smiling. Shaun shook his head and walked to the front of the car.

  Before he could start it up, Jerry pulled his phone out of his pocket, “Shaun! Shaun, you have to see this, man! You have to!” Alex tried to swipe the phone out of Jerry’s hand, but he moved it out of the way just in time. He showed Shaun the video recording of them in the basement and when the young Miss Rosenthall transformed, Shaun’s eyes bucked open, and he burst out in laughter. “Dear Lord,” he said, “This must find its way up on YouTube. IT just must!” Alex smiled, not caring for one second what they were watching. He knew he was one stepped closer to being with the woman of his dreams and at the moment, nothing else mattered.

  Chapter 13: Love at 3rd sight?

  Alex paced back and forth in his office with the bottle of Shangaza Klumei Klumei in his hands. He swished the bluish substance around in the clear bottle as the anxiety crept into his bloodstream. It was nearly 8 am, and he knew she was on her way in to work. He had checked her schedule ever since he laid eyes on her when she stepped into his office. The sun beamed its first rays through his open window as he contemplated when he would go to her office. He thought to himself, if I take it early then we might be able to take lunch together. No, no, Alex, that would be too fishy, and people would know something weird was going on. I’ll do it towards the end of the day so that would give us the weekend to help make things more believable.

  He took the bottle and set it carefully in his top drawer and closed it just as Jerry strolled in with a big smile on his face, trying to hold in his laughter. “What’s up, my man?” he said, pulling out a chair as he sat down at Alex’s desk. “So, when are you going to put the love spell on Nicole?” he asked as he tossed a football up in the air to himself. “Later today,” Alex said as he sneered at him, “and stop saying that out loud! I don’t want anybody to know what’s going on.”

  Jerry looked around curiously, “uh, bro, nobody is in here but us.”

  “I know that! I just don’t want to take any chances, you know? This room could be bugged!”

  “If this room was bugged, then I would,” Jerry immediately stopped what he was going to say, “nevermind. So, about that recording I took of you yesterday.”

  “Jerry, delete it.”

  “Oh, no, no, no! I can’t delete that! It is epic! I mean, the way you were french kissing old Mama Rosenthall, that was stuff that legends are made of!”

  “Jerry, I promise man, if that video turns up ANYWHERE on the internet, I will hang you by your toenails from my office window.”

  “Relaaax, Alex. Nobody is going to see that video… I mean, at least not right now.”

  Alex grabbed the stress ball from his desk and applied pressure to it. He was nervously awaiting the time to use his deodorant spray and in his mind, he replayed several scenarios behind what could happen. All of them led to them living together happily ever after and no matter how they got to that point, he was ok with it because in the end he just wanted them to get there together.

  Jerry broke through his daydream, “Hey, Alex. What do you say about me using that spray on Bridgette?”

  “What? Why? You’re not even interested in her.”

  “I mean, I am a little. Besides, we could just give it a test run to make sure everything is ok. It wouldn’t hurt a bit. I would just use it for this one day and by tomorrow everything would be back to normal.”

  He thought for a moment, “Alright.” He took the spray out of his drawer and handed it to Jerry as it seemed to glow under the sunlight.

  “What time does she usually come in?”

  Alex looked at his watch, “she should be here any moment.”

  Jerry quickly sprayed the solution on his neck and passed it back to Alex as he spun around in the chair and waited for her to come in. Minutes later, she knocked on the door and entered. “Hello, Mr. Rawlings. Is there anything that you need me to handle today?” Alex leaned back in his chair, “No, Bridgette, I don’t have anything at the top of my list. If something comes up later, I will be sure to let you know.” She smiled, “Alright, sir. You have a great day,” she turned towards Jerry, “Hello Jerry.”

  He stood up just in front of her, and she noticed the smell of his deodorant right away, “My,” she said with a flirtatious smile, “that is an alluring fragrance. What is the name of it?” Jerry stuttered into a response, “it’s called um, Absolutely.” She smiled again, “Well, that is surprising because that is the one word that crossed my mind when I thought of you just now.” Jerry turned to Alex and winked as he answered her, “Really? Well, that is so nice to hear! What are you doing later? I thought maybe we could get a bite to eat together for lunch?”

  “Oh, for sure! I would love that, Jerry. I really would. Be sure to call me or just stop by my desk and we’ll decide on where to go.”

  “I sure will, Bridgette, I sure will.”

  Bridgette walked out of the office as Alex and Jerry looked at each other in amazement. Moments later, she gently closed the door behind her and Jerry spoke up, “Man, that stuff is lethal! She wouldn’t even look my way last week!”

  “I know! That Dr. Rosenthall is a genius!”

  “I told you! I told you!”

  The two slapped five in excitement as Alex became much more confident in the effectiveness of the deodorant spray. Before he knew it, lunch time rolled around, and he had built up enough nerve to go down to Nicole’s office. By the looks of her schedule, she was set to leave just before 2 pm today, so he had just about an hour to get to her office before she left. He took a deep breath after he got off the elevator with the small bottle in his hand. Alright, he said to himself, just spray it once and let the fumes do the rest.

  Just then, Charlotte walked out of her office and headed in his direction. He quickly slid it back into his pocket as she approached him, “Hey, Mr. Rawlings,” she said with a quizzical smile on her face, “I never see you on this floor. What’s the special occasion?”

  “Oh, uh. I just um, I just wanted to crunch with Miss Parker. I mean, get her number. No, I’m uh,” he snapped his fingers together as if he was recollecting some important fact, “crunch some numbers with Miss Parker,” he finally sputtered out.

  “Oh, I bet you would like to do all of the above,” she said as she stepped into the elevator, “You have a great weekend, Mr. Rawlings. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

  His corny smile was the last thing he flashed her as the elevator door closed between them. He took another deep breath and headed down the hallway and stood in front of her door, deathly afraid to knock. Glancing to the left and the right, he took the spray from his pocket and pressed down onto the nozzle, sending one short blast onto his neck. He was just able to place it back into his pocket when the door suddenly opened. Nicole nearly dropped the stack of papers that were in her hand when she saw him standing outside her door.

  “Dear God,” she said, catching her breath, “how long have you been standing there?”

  “Not long at all,” he said as the time clock started in his mind, “just maybe… five seconds or so.”

  She looked at him curiously, “five seconds, huh?”

  He laughed, “about ten now.”

  “Well, alright. Was there something I could help you with?”

  “Ummm,” he stalled as the clock continued in his mind, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, “numbers?”

  She waited for an explanation, “Mr. Rawlings, could you be more specific? I’m kind of in a hurry.”

  Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, “here,” he said as he pointed down to her papers, “this is what I mean.”

  She looked down at the figures he pointed at and just at the moment she was becoming irritated with him,
things suddenly began to change. She glanced up at him and for some reason, he wasn’t as annoying anymore. He was always attractive, but now, he seemed just that much more attractive to her, and it was almost to the point that she became shy. Even beginning to stutter into a response but she squinted her eyes, realizing the peculiar thoughts that were beginning to flood through her mind as she snapped herself out of it. “Mr. Rawlings, I’m sorry, but I have to get going. There are no numbers here. If you have any real questions or concerns, please just email me next time. It will be much more fluid than what it is now because I’m sure all of your thoughts will be concrete, alright?”

  Alex looked dejected. Maybe he didn’t spray enough, or maybe it wasn’t sprayed in the right spot, he thought to himself as he sighed, “Alright, Miss Parker. I will be sure to do that next time.” He hung his head and walked away as the thoughts began to flood back into Nicole’s mind but this time around, she didn’t have the will to resist them. He is so cute when he is sad; she said to herself as she locked her door. “Uh, Mr. Rawlings,” she called out in a much friendlier tone.

  He spun around with puppy dog eyes, “Yes?”

  She walked closer to him as he stood in the middle of the hall, “Didn’t your mother teach you never to give up so easily? Besides, you have to be just a bit more clever if you want to ‘find a reason’ to come down and speak with me. Pointing at random words on a paper and calling them numbers is just not the way to do it. Now, I’m just letting you slide this time because you’re so darn cute! Next time, though? Not so much, ok?”

  He smiled, “I got it. I hear you loud and clear.”

  They stood quietly by each other for a few moments as Alex stuck his hands into his pockets. Nicole put her hand on her forehead, “Oh my goodness, so are you going to ask me for my number or do I have to show you how to do that as well?” He laughed, “Uh, no. No! I was just um, waiting for the perfect time! So, can I um, call you? On your cell phone? Sometime?” She shook her head and took his phone from his hand, inserting her number into it flawlessly. “I’ll be free this weekend. It will be nice if I could get a call from you,” she said as she winked at him. Moments later, she walked away and got into the elevator, leaving him standing in the middle of the hallway with a smile on his face. He didn’t care how it happened; he was just happy that it worked, and he was going to do everything in his power to make her fall in love with him.