The Perfect Species

"There they are." The middle-aged manager said, gesturing to the cutting tools on the desk across the room.

"Thanks." Kurt responded with a smile.

"If there's anything else you need, just ask one of the girls and they'll help you out." The manager said as he left the large workshop to go about his own business, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Kurt turned to where the man had been standing and chuckled to himself. The manager's friendliness had been both unexpected and refreshing. He didn't know why he'd been so nervous about coming to the Wellesville Jewellers' to do some work. No, that wasn't true. He DID know why he was nervous, but it was a silly, silly reason.

Nearly two years of working as an apprentice jeweller under old man Adler had taken their toll on Kurt Foley. Adler came from that generation that believed young people were lumps of metal that needed to be beaten into the right shape. In Adler's case, that meant constant berating of Kurt and everything he did. Kurt often wondered if the way his employer treated him was even legal these days. It only took a month of working for the cantankerous old bastard to make Kurt seriously re-evaluate his choice of career. As it was, Kurt felt like he was on the brink of quitting, but he certainly would have quit long ago if the pay hadn't been so reasonable.

Kurt sat down and placed the fist-sized jewellery box he'd bought with him on the desk. He opened it to reveal the exquisite gem Mrs.Deveraux had bought in to Adler's Jewellery four days ago. It was a diamond about three-quarters of an inch in diameter. On first glance the gem appeared to be perfectly spherical, but it's shape was actually made by thousands of tiny cuts. Kurt had never seen such workmanship. It almost seemed a shame to honour Mrs.Deveraux's request to cut the gem down, so it could be placed in a brooch. Kurt sighed as he remembered that 'the customer is always right.'

As flawless as it seemed Kurt had serious doubts about the gem being a true diamond. When seen under a magnifier, all the light the gem refracted had a peculiar turquoise tinge the likes of which Kurt had never seen before. Even more peculiar was that the cutting tools in Adler's Jewellery couldn't make a dent in the gem. In fact, the tools had been ruined by Kurt's attempts. Of course, old man Adler launched a barrage of abusive criticism at Kurt upon discovering the state of his tools. Adler was adamant that the damage had been caused by ineptness on Kurt's part, no matter how much Kurt insisted that the gem was unusually strong. The old man examined the gem himself, but spoke nothing of his findings.

That night, Kurt posted magnified photos of the gem on the jewelers.net website (That's right! Even jewellers have their own forum community!), seeking answers. The responses he received generally agreed that there was something odd about the turquoise tinge and the gem's strength, but nobody could explain these features.

Determined to prove the asshole Adler wrong, and clear his name, Kurt made a few phone calls and discovered that the large Jewellery Store in Wellesville possessed extra-strong gem cutting tools. The manager of the store was more than happy to allow Kurt to come over and use their tools. The 140-mile round trip would be worth it if he got to prove Adler wrong.

Kurt placed the gem under the desk's magnifier and, with a deep breath, cast all bitter thoughts about the old man from his mind. He needed to concentrate. He scored the surface of the gem with painstaking care, preparing it for his first cut. Then he placed the sharp blade of the nearby jeweller's chisel on the score mark and gave it a strong tap with the mallet.

A bright blue flash surged from the diamond, momentarily blinding Kurt. It was accompanied by a sound not unlike that of a gas burner igniting, only much louder.

"What the fuck was that?" an edgy Kurt asked himself as he tried to restore his eyesight by blinking repeatedly.

When his eyesight did return to normal a few seconds later, the first thing Kurt did was check the diamond. Not only had it been cut, but it had been cut precisely the way Kurt had intended.

"Shows what you know, you old bastard!" Kurt chuckled to himself. It was only now that Kurt spied something out of the corner of his eye. He turned slowly to find a young woman standing a few feet to his right. And what a woman! The first thought that came to Kurt's mind was that this was the most gorgeous creature that he had ever seen! She was around five-eleven or six feet tall and looked as if she was in her early twenties. Her slightly-longer-than-shoulder-length hair was jet black, and perfectly framed her beautiful Mediterranean-looking face. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, each lined by long dark lashes.

Her most noticeable feature was her clothing. It could best be described as a skimpy bikini done in the style of a harem-dress. Only her most private regions were hidden from view. Two small triangles of turquoise silk completely covered her nipples, but concealed nothing of the shape of her luscious D-cup breasts. Her captivating mammaries sat firmly on her chest, sat, not hung. There was only the slightest fold at the base of the lovely orbs, and they were clearly given no artificial support by the skimpy bra. Another, larger, triangular piece of turquoise silk covered the lower half of the woman's mons, and tapered into a thin strip that dove between her legs and hid her valley of pleasures from wanton eyes. Behind her, a semi-transparent veil trailed behind her from just above her butt. The entire outfit was held together by nothing more than thin cords of gold.

Her legs were long, slender, and looked as if not a single hair had ever grown from their smooth surface. There was not a blemish to be seen on her tanned skin.

The extraordinary beauty stood with hands on her hips, staring at Kurt with a friendly smile on her face. She had an air of childlike innocence, but also of confidence and maturity usually only seen in older women.

Something in the back of Kurt's mind told him to be polite and greet the woman, but the sight of her perfect, exposed flesh was so distracting, all Kurt could manage to get out was the word "Um…". Although he did manage to get it out about a dozen times, so what his speech lacked in eloquence, it gained in duration.

"Greetings, Master." The young woman replied in a velvety voice, as if she'd understood the intended meaning of Kurt's mutterings. She bowed her head, respectfully and then smiled slightly wider, almost as if she'd been waiting her whole life to say those words.

"I…I'm sorry… What did you say?" Kurt asked, mystified.

"Greetings, Master." The beauty repeated eagerly, as if there was nothing at all odd about the question.

Kurt sat with his head in his hand, his mouth hanging wide open as if it were patiently waiting for his brain to ship out it's next sentence. What little of his mind wasn't mentally removing those small pieces of silk from her body was racing for an explanation. The only thing he could think of was that this was some sort of prank. But Kurt didn't have any 'wild' friends, so who would've organised something like this? There must've been some mistake!

"Look… I don't work here…" Kurt explained, sheepishly, "…So if this is some kind of gag between the staff here…" The mysterious woman stared at him quizzically, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. Kurt watched the woman, waiting for her to make then next move, but after a while, it became apparent that she was content to just stand there and smile at him.

"Excuse me, Mr.Foley…" One of the young receptionist girls announced herself as she opened the door. "I was just wondering if you would like a cup of… Oh!" The timid blonde receptionist became quite flustered upon noticing the strange woman, and her even stranger lack of modesty. "Forgive me… I didn't know that you had company!" The receptionist said, as she stepped back out of the room and closed the door behind her so quickly that poor Kurt didn't have time to say a single word in his own defence.

"Oh, Jeez…" a very embarrassed Kurt winced as he buried his face in his hands.

"Is something the matter, master?", The mysterious woman asked with concern, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"I'm sorry, but who are you? What are you doing here?" Kurt asked assertively. Despite his frustration, his tone was still polite. In the back of his mind, Kurt hoped that if he minded his manners, he might have a chance with the extraordinary beauty.

"I am your devoted servant, master. My name is Marella, and I am here because you set me free." The beauty explained.

"What do you mean, I set you free?" Kurt asked. Marella looked surprised by his question.

"You broke my magical prison, master and released me. As such I am ever yours to command."

"Magical prison… riiiight!" Kurt repeated sarcastically, nodding his head while silently asking the woman with his eyes just how stupid she thought he was.

"Yes, master." Marella confirmed, still getting the impression that her master did not understand the situation, for some unknown reason. "This magical prison, which you have broken…" As she spoke the two parts of the diamond that Kurt had cut levitated off the desk and towards Marella. They came to a gentle halt levitating two inches above her outstretched hand.

"HOLY SHIT!" Kurt exclaimed in alarm as he fell off his chair.

"Are you alright, master?" Marella asked with concern as she took a couple steps towards Kurt, seeming to forget all about the diamond segments and letting them drop to the floor. Kurt felt an unseen force lifting him up from under his arms and buttocks. In a couple of seconds he was standing upright. The pain in his right butt cheek faded away almost instantaneously. "I sense no injuries in you, master." Marella stated as she looked him over. "You should be fine." She smiled. Kurt simply stared at her with his jaw sinking towards his toes.

"What are you?" Kurt eventually asked. Marella raised her eyebrows, wondering why her master was still did not understand.

"I am your servant, master."

"Yes, but what…" Kurt began loudly, but stopped himself realising that if he kept asking the same question, he would keep getting the same answer. By now, he had dispensed with the pleasantries. "Can I still think about sleeping with this… thing, now?" he asked himself. "YES! YES! FUCK, YES!" The surprisingly adamant voice of his libido replied from the back of his mind. After thinking the situation over, Kurt seemed to have found an answer to his own question. An incredible one, maybe, but an answer nonetheless.

"Are you a genie?" He asked. It all made sense, at least as much as talking to a genie can make sense. She called him 'master', she had magical powers, she'd been imprisoned and then freed. Even her clothes were like an extremely risque take on what Barbara Eden wore in 'I Dream of Jeannie'.

"Gee-nee? What is that, master?" Marella inquired.

"You know, a genie? They grant wishes and they…" Kurt folded his arms and blinked, as Jeannie often did in the old sitcom, "You know? And they live in lamps and bottles… But you lived in a diamond, didn't you?" Kurt remembered, shooting down his own theory. Marella seemed quite interested in what Kurt was saying.

"I don't know of any gee-nee, master, but I am more than willing to grant your wishes!" She declared happily.

"Really?"

"Yes, master."

"So, what, I get three wishes?" Kurt asked.

"I am your servant forevermore, master. I will honour as many wishes as you care to make…" She answered hesitantly, as if she was not sure she understood the question.

"Unlimited Wishes!" Kurt thought to himself. With the realisation of this incredible power, a wish that Kurt had secretly held for so long came barrelling through his mind and out his mouth before he even realised what he was saying.

"I wish that old man Adler was mute!"

Despite his incredible hatred for the old bastard, Kurt could not bring himself to wish the death of another human being. At least this way the angry old jeweller would never again hurt anyone with his barbed words.

Marella closed her eyes and for a brief moment Kurt could feel her probing his mind, trying to identify who or what 'Adler' was. Then suddenly her eyes fluttered open and a look of sorrow crossed her face.

"This Adler creature is horrible, master!" She exclaimed. "I'm sorry master, but I do not posses the power to grant your wish. My magic cannot alter another life-force, or the physical form it inhabits." Marella lamented.

"Oh…" Kurt responded, a little surprised.

"But I can help you in other ways." Marella assured him, as if trying to atone for her failings, "You keep company with the Adler only because of the wealth he can offer you, yes? I can provide you with wealth, so that you need not suffer the Adler's presence ever again!" Marella smiled proudly as she cupped her hands together. With a flash of blue light they were instantly filled with gems of all types and sizes. Running a quick eye over the precious stones, Kurt estimated that Marella held about five million dollars worth of jewels in her hands. Then he suddenly remembered he was in a jewellery store.

"Get rid of those!", He snapped in a hushed voice, "If anyone sees us with those, they'll think we're stealing them!"

"I'm sorry, master" Marella apologised, as the pile of gems disappeared in a poof of light blue smoke. "I had no intention of causing a problem for you." A look of sadness crossed the beauty's face.

"I know, I know…" Kurt replied in frustration, "I know you didn't mean any harm… I need some time to get a handle on this… whole thing. It's gonna be hard enough trying to explain what you're doing back here if the manager sees you.". Big jewellery stores tended to frown on unexpected guests being in their staff-only areas. Kurt had had to verify that he was indeed a fellow jeweller before they allowed him into their workshop. "Some how, I have to sneak you out of here without anyone else noticing." The young receptionist who had seen Marella could be a problem, but it had been several minutes since she'd walked in on them and no-one had come in since. It seemed likely that the receptionist had decided not to mention what she'd seen to the rest of the staff. Perhaps she had been too embarrassed?

"If you would like, master, I can transport myself magically to other places. I can also become invisible and walk past other people without them knowing." Marella offered.

"That's handy." Kurt commented. Marella's smile returned to her upon see in her master was pleased. "All right, transport yourself out to my car. It's in the parking lot behind this building. I'll be out as soon as I can…" he commanded.

"Car?" Marella responded, with a puzzled look. Kurt was about to give her a concise description of his silver Ford falcon when he suddenly felt Marella probing his mind again. "Oh! You mean your iron carriage! As you please, master." She smiled and bowed her head before disappearing from the room with a bright blue flash, much the same way as she'd first appeared.

Kurt let out a deep sigh. He was finally alone again and had a chance think about the situation undisturbed. A sparkle on the floor drew his eyes to the two segments of the magical diamond, that still rested where Marella had dropped them. As he retrieved them he remembered that he had come here to do a job and for a brief moment considered finishing his task. But he quickly decided against it. Diamond cutting was very precise work. There was no way he could give his task the concentration it required with thoughts about his new 'friend' buzzing about his brain. He placed the two pieces of the diamond back in the box from whence they came, did a quick mental check that he had not left anything else of his in the room and then headed for the door.

As he marched through the front of the store he informed the manager that he had received a call on his cell about a 'family emergency'. He thanked the manager for his hospitality before walking out the front door. As he made his way around the side of the building, he began to worry that Marella might not have followed his instructions properly. To his relief, he could see her sitting in his car as he entered the parking lot, although she was sitting in the driver's seat. He shook his head as he contemplated the thought of a woman, who didn't know what a car was two minutes ago, driving the 70-mile trip home. As he neared the car, he made a 'scoot over' sign with his hands and Marella seemed to understand. Although instead of awkwardly negotiating the gear stick and handbrake, Marella simply teleported herself into the passenger seat with another blue flash. "I hope that doesn't damage the onboard computer." Kurt thought to himself. He used his key remote to unlock the doors, then briskly opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat.

After closing the door more forcefully than usual, Kurt exhaled a deep breath as he silently told himself to calm down.

"You appear a little agitated, master." Marella observed, "Is there something I can assist you with?"

"No… Thank you, Marella." Kurt replied, distantly.

"In that case, would you like me to calm you?" She offered with a kind smile.

Kurt had misgivings about what she meant specifically, but it was an appealing offer, nonetheless.

"Alright." He agreed.

"Very well. If you would just turn towards your door, master…"

Kurt did as Marella requested and turned his back to her. The beautiful creature placed her hands on the center of his back and began to tenderly rub it through his shirt. Kurt had never had a back massage before, but he found himself doubting that any human could perform one as good as Marella. It was if she had managed to tap into a node of stress the instant she laid her hands on him, and had drained it all out of his body in just a couple of seconds. As her hands crept up to his shoulders and neck, A warm sense of pleasantness began to radiate throughout Kurt's body. As he ogled her luscious form with his mind's eye, he began to ponder the extent of physical pleasure this creature was capable of bestowing, and let his imagination run wild.

"Was that satisfactory, master?" Marella asked as she lifted her hands from his body.

"That was amazing!" Kurt blurted, as he turned around.

"I could probably achieve a better result if you were to remove your torso garment…"

"That won't be necessary." He smiled as he inserted his keys in the ignition and started the engine. As tempted as he was to have Marella's hands rolling over his bare skin (and he was very tempted), he wanted to get Marella somewhere private so he could collect his thoughts.

For most of the trip, the car was filled with an awkward silence. At least it was awkward for Kurt, Marella seemed quite content. She only spoke when spoken to, but she seemed incredibly curious. Her gaze bounced to and fro, as she took in every ordinary thing they passed; power lines, traffic lights, a train they passed, even cows grazing in the fields and flocks of birds flying overhead. At first, Kurt found Marella's motions a little distracting, but he began to appreciate her fascination with this modern world when he pondered how long she had been trapped in that diamond. When Kurt questioned her about her imprisonment, her response lead Kurt to believe that she had never set foot on earth before. Every now and then he would ask her questions about herself, trying to deduce what kind of creature she was and where she'd come from. He was none the wiser by the time he'd pulled in to the parking lot outside his small apartment building.