Sweltering summer heat was miserable for most folk, but Jack was too rich to care. Sweating proudly in his wool three piece suit the price of a new car, head held high, he strolled through the sun-scorched streets of downtown like he owned them, because he might as well have. Shielded by designer shades sitting on his thin, straight nose, his sticky wet face was radiating coolness unimaginable in the searing concrete desert. Jack's eyes darted sharply between things in his path: a man in his line of work was always on lookout for business opportunities.

An opportunity presented itself soon enough: a small corner store selling flowers, nice and dark, and bound to have proper air conditioning. Jack turned his dinosaur leather shoes towards it. There was urgency in his step, not because he was about to suffer a heat stroke, but because time is money.

As he pushed the glass door open, a refreshing wave of chilly humid air washed over Jack. A wooden door chime softly clattered above his head. Inside, he planted his feet firmly in a corner of the tiny customers area, hands in his pockets, inspecting his surroundings. The shop was as small as it appeared from the outside. All kinds of plants and pots, bags of soil and hand tools occupied every bit of free space. A sound of rustling came from what looked like a rain forest underbrush in the back of the shop, and towards Jack slithered a young woman.

Maintaining perfect balance on her tail, she seemed to be hovering above the floor, moving with captivating elegance and grace. Her regal black polo and skirt, with equally regal emerald apron over them, could hide neither her soft curves, nor the noble shine of her black and cream, with some yellow, scales. There was no crown upon her head, but it was clear from the first glance: she was the queen of everything around her. Taking place behind the polished wooden counter, the woman graced Jack with a dignified smile.

“Hi! How can I help you?” dragging words barely noticeably, she addressed him, her beautiful amber eyes somewhat unfocused.

Jack held onto his throat for a whole minute before he could gather enough moisture in his mouth for a stifled “Just browsing.”

“Oh, okay, no problem! Call me if you need me,” the girl turned around and slowly got back to the shrubbery she was tending to. The way her skirt-clad lower back swayed while she was going made Jack tense up. He let the building pressure out through his mouth, like he always did.

“Nice and dark in here.”

“Oh, it's, like, probably because of your shades,” suggested the girl from the back.

She's smart, Jack thought. Maybe even smart enough for a real talk. Jack hadn't had a real talk in months. It was worth a try.

“How's business?” he asked casually.

“Oh, I just, like, work here part-time. The pay's nice enough, but other than that, I don't know, like, anything.”

“I know a lot about business. Own a lot of business. I am very rich.”

The girl turned to Jack, her smile growing wider.

“Oh, that's nice! Well done! Like, good job!”

Jack has heard those word many times before, from all kinds of people and other businessmen, but never spoken quite like this, not even from his dear mother. When the lady of the flowers said them, the words gained meaning. They made Jack feel.

He felt that a fine velvet sheet that was thrown over the hole in his soul had been blown away. For the first time, Jack also noticed that the hole had an unmistakable shape of a pretty snake woman.

The girl was coming from the back once again, past the counter and straight at him. She was cradling something in her smooth, shiny arms.

“Here, hold on a sec,” she told Jack as she stopped well within his personal space limits. “This is, like, complimentary or something. A free sample.”

Saying that, she reached out for Jack's lapel. He saw that she was holding in her hands a small flower of bright pink. She was having real trouble securing the tiny thing in place.

“Wait... Hold on, I got this,” the plant queen giggled, still struggling. On instinct, Jack lifted his hands to try and help her. His hand brushed against hers for just a moment. Her skin felt like a freshly washed plum. Jack loved plums.

The flower had been secured on his lapel, at last. Somehow, looking at it, Jack felt like the richest man in the world, even though he wasn't. He read monthly business charts. He still had a long way to go. The snake girl had pulled away.

“There you go, a pretty flower for a handsome man! Oh, you smell kinda nice,” flicking her tongue, she added shyly, and giggled again.

“You smell great, as well,” returned the compliment Jack. Then added, “Baby.” Smooth, Jackie boy.

“Oh, uh...” the verdant monarch's face suddenly turned serious. “Is it, like... really noticeable?”

“Yes,” lied Jack. He could smell nothing but his own sweat and perfume. “And it's delicious.”

The snake looked at Jack with confusion in her foggy eyes. Before she could say anything, Jack reached down and took hold of her hand.

“Come with me. Be with me. You can have anything you want, anything! Even me,” the man said. All of a sudden, he felt like a dirty beggar, even though he knew it wasn't true. Confusion on snake's face gave way to a troubled look. Slowly, she pulled her hand from Jack's grasp, and looked away.

“Oh, this is, like, supper sudden. You seem fun, and you're, like, very, very good looking, but I, like, don't even know what to call you!”

“I'm Jack. Pleased to meet you,” Jack gave her a single finger gun.

“Jack. Like, just Jack?” a shy smile returned to the girl's lips. Jack nodded vigorously. A cheaper brand of shades would've flown off of him at such a motion.

“Jack,” repeated the snake, smiling. “I'm Petunia. Everyone calls me Tunie.”

“That's a very pretty name. Tunie, will you come with me now?” persisted Jack.

“Oh, I don't know,” Petunia looked around the shop, clearly torn. “I really want to, but all these flowers need tending, like, every other day... And also,” she lowered her voice to a whisper, and looked Jack straight in the eyes. “I've been a really bad girl lately.”

“What did you do?” Jack was unconvinced.

“I, uh...” the snake girl looked around nervously. “I borrowed some tools from the store without asking, and some soil, too. And, like, I'm growing in my wardrobe things I really, really shouldn't... Oh, and my neighbor's missing dog is actually buried under...”

“Those are very minor,” reassured her Jack. “I've been evading taxes for almost two decades. Also, I have over five hundred and ninety million's worth in undeclared assets.”

“Oh, this is, like... Pretty serious, I think,” Petunia smiled, relaxing. “But, like... Even with all this... I don't think I can make my move right now, 'know what I'm sayin'?”

“I'll help you.”

With that, Jack reached down, took hold of her back a bit above, as well a touch below her skirt, and lifted her up. Well, as much of her as he could lift. Most of Petunia's lengthy body remained coiled on the floor. The snake girl gasped and giggled softly at Jack's bold maneuver.

“Oh, you are strong!” she noted, looking at him.

“I exercise,” stated Jack proudly. “I pay a real military instructor to drill me every weekend.”

This caused another fit of giggling. The giggling was contagious. Without realizing it, Jack was doing something he thought a cool rich man like him would never do. He was smiling like the idiot he was.

Seemingly making up her mind, Petunia wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, and the rest of her body and tail – around his hips and waist. Needing no further encouraging, struggling to fit through the front door just a little bit, Jack carried her out of the darkness of the shop and into the merciless light outside.

“This is just like a fairy tale or something! But, uh... Where are we going?” Petunia wondered aloud.

“I was about to have lunch. What do you say?”

“Yeah, I'm, like, having a spot of munchies, myself!” the girl's coils tightened, squeezing the man affectionately. “Oh, can we, like... Have pizza?”

Jack loved pizza. The goal was set. The path was clear. A newfound smile on his face, Jack declared,

“It's pizza time!”