Short Story Saturday: The Ace’s Folly #amwriting #book

What’s an asexual incubus? Behind his quota, that’s what. But one woman changes his entire point of view, and just maybe, his life forever.

Kalen dragged his feet, dreading the upcoming meeting with his boss. He was below his quota again, and he knew the big man would rip him a new one, again. Kalen never made his quotas. He just didn’t have the drive, the motivation, to pull it off. Sometimes, he just wished he’d been born another type of demon. Why’d he have to be born an incubus?

As he walked down the deceptively ordinary, corporate-style hallway, his mind remained preoccupied on his most recent trip to the human world. He laughed at himself. It had all just clicked, like the final pieces of a puzzle falling into place, making the picture whole again. For the first time, he saw a truth that he still didn’t completely want to accept. After all, how could a sex demon be asexual?

The woman had been ordinary enough. A little short, hair that drew his attention for just being so wild, and a heart pendant around her neck in purple, grey, white and black. Kalen had intended to seduce her. That was what an incubus should do, but they’d ended up talking. She’d been open about her sexuality, and instead of wanting to take advantage of her, he’d listened raptly, soaking in every word.

And it all made perfect sense to him. He’d never understood sexual attraction. He didn’t feel it, didn’t understand it, even if he was hardwired to produce it in others. His job always made him uncomfortable. If he’d had another option in life, he would have run a long time ago. The attention always made him want to run.

Which was probably why he was always behind his quota. Sure, he tried. He really tried, but as often as he managed to do his job, he often ended up chickening out, fleeing in the face of all that intensity.

He’d been miserable for a long time. Stuck in a job he hated, lonely, trapped by his very physiology, and no end in sight. He spent a lot of time on his own, partially because it was the only time he ever felt truly comfortable in his own skin. No women plastering themselves all over him, no demons laughing at his numbers, people making him feel like a freak, somehow inferior.

In that moment, with that woman tonight, he’d finally felt a connection, he’d finally felt like maybe there wasn’t something wrong with him. A light bulb had gone off in his head, giving a name for his proclivities and telling him they were okay. He was okay.

As he reached his boss’s door, uncertainty bloomed in his gut, making him hesitate on this threshold.   But it was more than just a physical doorway, it was a spiritual one as well. Here, he had the opportunity to change his life forever. He knew what he was now, who he was, and there was no going back.

Kalen opened the door, and his boss yelled, the words not even intelligible. He flinched, but moved forward.