Chapter 1

Did the stars come into alignment? Or maybe a genie granted me a wish. Whatever it was that changed my life, started happening a few months after my new neighbors moved in.

Hi, I’m Mike Howard, and like most people, I considered myself to be just an ordinary guy. I definitely wouldn’t complain about my life up to that point, it was pretty impressive even before I met Lilly, but it was about to get a lot more crazy and fun.

For over a decade, I was a professional photographer based in New York. Shooting for various magazines during that time, I worked with some of the hottest models but also dealt with some of the most massive egos imaginable.

After spending over a third of my life doing this, I finally said, “fuck it!” It was a high-stress job, with deadlines and way too many hassles. So, I quit, packed up and moved down south. To a place where I can choose my hours, relax and enjoy living again.

Now here I am; 38, divorced and residing in a suburb of a large southern U.S. city. Yeah, I was married - to a model no less. So, I guess even that part of my life was already not entirely typical. We stayed together for almost 12 years and had a beautiful daughter that my ex-wife has custody of back in Manhattan.

I took a lot of my contacts in the industry with me when I left New York, and now do product photography and website design for clients all over the country. I love it! Doing most of my work at home, I rarely travel now and don’t even leave the house most days.

The subdivision I moved to is quiet, close to good shopping and schools and has very spacious backyards. Those things, along with a large in-ground pool and fantastic hot tub, sold me on my current residence. I occasionally do product shots on the patio when I’m in the mood to be outdoors, and swim laps for exercise almost daily. After a long hard day of work, I usually hit the spa or relax in a deck chair, enjoying the southern sun.

Several months ago, I was relaxing in front of the TV and heard some vehicles drive by my house. Not a big deal, but when they stopped, I got curious. Looking out the window, I saw a large diesel Mayflower Transit truck along with a compact car. They were pulled up in front of the vacant home next to mine. Curious as to who the new neighbors were, I put on some shoes and went over to introduce myself.

Walking off my porch, I heard the rolling door on the truck being pushed up; then watched two portly moving guys start the job of unloading it.

A light-brown-haired woman came out from the open garage of the formerly unoccupied dwelling. She appeared to be in her late 20s and was nice enough looking, but hey, I’d dealt with supermodels for ten years. Trailing behind her, though, was a stunning blond pixie who was positively gorgeous.

The mother was directing the movers where to put stuff from the truck, when I walked up to them, “Hello neighbors, I’m Mike Howard. I live next door. Welcome to the neighborhood!”

“Thanks for the welcome, neighbor. I’m Karen Williams, and this is my daughter, Lilly. We’ve moved down here from Cleveland and are eager to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.”

I looked up at the glowing orb in the sky, squinting, “Well, we do get plenty of sun down here, so you won’t be disappointed with that,” I laughed and said.

Karen was easy to talk to, and I helped with a few boxes and relocation chores after the movers drove off in their truck. Her young daughter seemed very skittish; always standing behind her mom, looking back at me with a bashful smile.

Over time, all three of us eventually became friends. They come over to use my pool, and we barbecue on the patio together sometimes on the weekends; when Karen is off work.

I don’t know a whole lot about Karen Williams; she doesn’t talk about her past or why she isn’t married. She’s not interested in a romantic relationship or having a boyfriend, but teases me, saying she loves having a friend with a big pool. It’s great having them as neighbors, and I enjoy their company.

Lilly’s small stature makes her look very young. It surprised me when I found out she was 14-years-old, the same age as my daughter. Karen told me Lilly was very tiny when born and never grew very fast. Being small caused her to be held back, not starting kindergarten until age eight. So even though Lilly is 14, she is only in the sixth grade.

Karen has a nice-paying job with great benefits, working for a company that has contracts all over the country, keeping office building complexes clean. She worked for the same corporation up in Cleveland; transferring to this area after finding out they had an opening down here. Her hours are consistent, but odd, working from 5:00 PM until midnight Monday through Friday.

Now that school is back in session, I sometimes talk with Karen during the day without her daughter around. Recently she confided in me saying Lilly’s grades at her old school weren’t good, and her daughter’s timid personality had kept her from making friends there. She hoped Lilly would somehow do better in this new environment.

Lilly being shy is an understatement; it was over a month after they moved next door before she said more than one quiet word at a time to me. I think the only reason she talks now is because of my daughter, Emily. During the summer break, Emily stayed with me for two weeks, and they both clicked together becoming fast friends.

Now most afternoons after school, Lilly can be seen in my backyard, when I glance out my kitchen window. Her mom always leaves by 4:20 PM to make it into the city to be at work on time, and Lilly likes to read and study while lounging around the pool. Lilly is an avid comic book fan, and I even gave her a big collection of my old stuff. X-Men, Spider-Man, Superman and the like, she loves them all. Oh well, if only I were younger. She would be the perfect girl for me.

Astonishingly cute is how I would describe Lilly. Imagine the best parts of Sara Jean Underwood, Zara Larsson, and Hayden Panettiere, but only four and a half foot tall. Since she’s finally started talking to me, I’ve found her to be a lot of fun and have been secretly lusting after her for a while now. She has this one-piece swimsuit that shows off her petite, B-cup sized chest and a perfect butt that makes it hard to take my eyes off her. I wasn’t expecting anything to come from my crush, but it’s nice to dream.

The fencing around all the backyards in our neighborhood is very tall and provides great privacy, but between my house and the William’s, it’s short and even has a gate. My guess is some family used to own both homes and put in the shorter fence and a gateway between them.

Today was yet another warm sunny day, and I was outside doing product shots. I had a little photo tent set up on my patio table. It’s a white pop-up boxy unit I place over items to help with glare and shadows. It disperses light all around onto things put under it and has a small opening I point a camera through to shoot them.

Lilly saw me working when she came out of their house into her backyard. Walking through the gate between our yards, she asked, “What are you workin’ on today, Mr. Howard?”

Looking up from my viewfinder, I pointed at the items around the table, “I’m taking product shots for a website.” I chuckled, then continued, “I used to work in New York, photographing big name models and making them look beautiful. Now I take pics of inanimate objects and make them appear good enough to buy.”

Her eyes took on a sad, longing look, “Yeah, when Emily was here over the summer, she told me about all the cool models she met at your studio when she was younger. It sounded so fun, and I must be a little weird. Because now, besides wanting to be a hero like in the comics, growing up to be a supermodel is a fantasy of mine now too. Being a model sounds so glamorous, but being around crowds terrifies me, and I’m so small and plain I could never be one.”

I pointed the lens at her and snapped a quick picture, “What? Sure you could, Lilly. You are a beautiful girl! If you ever conquered your shyness, you could positively be a top model.”

She blushed a bit, and softly asked, “Do you really think so?”

Even my spur-of-the-moment shot captured her unmistakable beauty. She looked incredible. Turning the camera around, I displayed the screen to her, “I sure do! Look at this. You are gorgeous!”

She stared down nervously at her feet, “Oh, you’re just saying that, Mr. Howard.”

I touched her shoulder reassuringly, “I swear, Lilly. I’m not lying to you. I know models, and you’re more beautiful than 99% of them.” My hand went up and ruffled her blond hair, “Heck, put on some fancy clothes and come over sometime. I’ll show you how to pose, and we can take some pictures of you to see,” I offered.

A big grin broke out on her face, and she clapped her hands excitedly, “That sounds like fun! I’ll be right back.” She exclaimed, then raced towards her house.

I smiled at her excitement as I watched her run up to their door and go inside. Gathering up the stuff I was shooting, I quickly folded up the photo tent and carried everything into my place; setting it all to the side in the kitchen to finish up later.

It was hot outside, and I was entirely out of soda in the fridge. I’d made a pitcher of unsweetened tea earlier in the day. Sitting down, I poured myself a large glass over some ice and was still finishing it, when Lilly knocked on my back door.

Opening it up, I saw her standing there in a short straight cut shiny green dress. It came just above her knees, and on her feet were a pair of her mom’s high heels. She looked a little unsteady on them but totally adorable.

I gave her a big thumbs up and smiled at her, “Wow, Lilly, you look incredible!”

She blushed at my praise, “Thanks, Mr. Howard.”

Inviting her in, I held up my glass, “I’m all out of sodas, but grab some tea out of the fridge. You could use a drink after all the running around you did to get ready.” Setting my empty cup down, I pointed, “Glasses are in the dishwasher. There’s ice in the freezer door, and I think I might have some sweetener for it somewhere.”

Getting up from my chair, I continued, “I’m gonna check my email. Come on back when you are re-hydrated, and we can go down to the studio.” Lilly nodded, and I saw her grab a glass as I went out of the kitchen to my office.

It never even crossed my mind at the time, but my longtime best friend, Bill Stewart, had recently called me. He was all excited over a mishap he had working on some projects in his home lab. After tinkering and failing with various formulas for years, he’d ended up pouring a bunch of random things together after coming home drunk from a company party; accidentally stumbling across something remarkable. He wanted to visit and tell me all about it in person soon.

I met Bill as a freshman in college. We were dorm roommates all through our time in school. He was the ultimate nerd, and I was a bit of a lady’s man. We helped each other out, he was an excellent tutor, and I somehow found a few girls to go out with him.

After we graduated, I went into the photography and modeling world, and he started working for a pharmaceutical company. Over the years, we have always joked about him someday developing a magic pill to get the ladies.

Bill finally got a chance to stop by yesterday while he was in the area for a conference, bringing me a sample of his accidental wonder formula. He expressed disappointment about being unable to reproduce it again, but assured me was a fast-acting hypnotic compound that would make anyone susceptible to suggestions for a while.

He chuckled while presenting it to me, saying, “You deserve some of it for being my closest perverted friend and always having faith in me. Enjoy!”