Worlds Apart Ch. 02

"You must be tired from your journey, Mr. Johnson. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask," Jace offered as he led them across the lobby of the building.

The lobby was already filled with several of the workers, and Eddy couldn't help but notice the whispers. All eyes seemed to be on him, and it was making him uncomfortable. He leaned over to Claudia to ask a question, but she beat him to it. "Ignore them for now. I'll explain everything when we get into the car," she whispered as she slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow. Even with her heels, Claudia wasn't quite as tall as Eddy.

The pair followed Jace to the black stretch limo parked in front of the building. It was the first time Eddy was in the back of a limousine. Most of the kids in his high school class went to prom in limos and spent a bunch of money. Eddy never went to his prom. When Eddy looked out the window, people were still staring. Since they were in the car Eddy could finally ask, "Why are those people looking at me?"

"It's to be expected," Claudia answered, pressing a button causing the windows to tint. Jace pulled the car out and started driving. "Edward Johnson has been absent from the public eye for five years. There have been no reports of him whatsoever."

"He hasn't been seen in five years?" Eddy asked. "How has the company survived without him?"

"I'm the co-CEO of Tombstone Technologies, and I was able to deal with the day to day. Of course, Edward told me what he wanted for the company," Claudia reminisced, her voice carrying a hint of sadness. "But ever since the accident, he's never been the same."

He was never good at finding the right thing to say when someone was obviously upset. No one ever confided in him like Claudia did just now. So, Eddy did what he normally did when a situation got awkward. He stayed quiet and just observed.

Claudia's stocking clad legs were crossed and she rested her chin on her knuckles. She looked out the tinted window at the world whizzing past them. She didn't seem to mind that the car was filled with silence after what she said, like she was used to quiet car rides.

Before long, the car pulled up to a store with expensive looking suits displayed in the window. Jace opened the door and ushered them out of the car and there was a shop attendant waiting for them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, thank you for coming," the attendant said, with a nervous smile. He looked Eddy once over before directing his attention back to Claudia. "We have a few options for Mr. Johnson set aside already. Would you please see our assistant Jennifer so she can get some more precise measurements."

The attendant brought them to a private room to meet Jennifer, who had a measuring tape ready. Eddy could see that the smile on her face wasn't forced like the attendant's, it was almost infectious. "Hi! My name's Jennifer and I'll be taking care of you folks today." She walked over to Eddy and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder to bring him in front of a mirror. "I just need to take a few measurements to make sure your new suits fit you perfectly."

"Sure, go ahead," Eddy muttered, raising his arms up.

"Thank you," Jennifer chirped as she wrapped the tape around Eddy's chest. She got the measurements and jotted them down in her notebook. She then knelt down, "I just need to get your inseam."

Eddy spread his legs to give Jennifer room to work. But as she brought the measuring tape halfway up Eddy's leg, she bumped into his cock. The sudden contact caused his cock to harden and a larger outline could be seen through Eddy's khakis. Eddy could see Jennifer's eyes widen at his length, but she quickly suppressed her surprise and finished her job. This didn't go unnoticed by Claudia.

"Okay, Mr. Johnson," Jennifer said as she got back onto her feet, her smile wider. "It will take us some time to readjust some of the lengths of your suits."

"That's fine," Claudia said. "We have other errands to run. We'll be back soon."

Next on Claudia's list was to get a haircut. She brought him to a fancy looking salon much to Eddy's objections. Claudia simply brushed Eddy off by saying, "A man's hair is his identity. You're going to need a nice haircut to impress your board of directors."

Defeated, Eddy simply sat in the chair and let the stylist do his job. The stylist moved Eddy's head around as he cut away tufts of black hair. Once the stylist was finished, he applied styling putty onto his hands and ran them through the rest of Eddy's hair.

Eddy walked into the waiting area feeling different, not sure if he liked it or not. Claudia was typing a text on her phone when she saw him. "Very nice," she said, impressed. "You can really pull of that side part." She got up from her seat and ran a hand through Eddy's neatly styled hair, making it a bit messier. "But I think keeping it a little messy suits you more."

"Are you sure the directors will approve?" Eddy joked, his first one with Claudia.

"Please, those old farts wouldn't know style if it bit them in the ass," Claudia laughed. "C'mon, let's go pick up your new suits."

When Jennifer handed Eddy his altered suits, he could have sworn that her hands lingered on his for a moment longer than necessary. She flashed him a smile before handing him the receipt and saying, "I hope to see you soon."

Eddy couldn't help but smile as he entered the limo. When he studied the receipt, he saw Jennifer's phone number written on the bottom. This was the first time he ever got a woman's number and he didn't have to do any work!

Seeing Eddy smirking, Claudia went to burst his bubble. "You know she gave you her number because she thinks you're rich, right?"

"A guy can dream can't he? It's not like I was going to call her," Eddy said. "Plus, it's pretty bad that she handed me her number when I was obviously with my wife."

"You definitely don't want to associate yourself with a homewrecking gold digger," Claudia chuckled, her infectious laugh caused her huge breasts to bounce from under her tight blouse.

"I never thought I'd be doing this," Eddy sighed as he turned to his new wife. "The last time I spoke to 'you,' you were giving me a hard time and basically telling me that I shouldn't be in art school. It wasn't as enjoyable as this."

Eddy's confession triggered Claudia's memory, and she gasped in embarrassment. "I remember having that meeting with Edward. I was trying to convince him to stay in the art program, but he was adamant on transfering. He was an amazing artist and I knew he'd go far."

There was a glimmer in Claudia's eye that reflected her love for Eddy's counterpart. It was a love that he never experienced from anyone in his home dimension. His heart swelled and he felt a blooming camaraderie with her. "I'm not sure if I can be as reliable or talented as Edward, but I'm going to try my best to be his stand in."

Claudia reached over and placed her hand on his, "Don't worry, Eddy. I'll be there to support you every step of the way. You're not alone."

"Thank you," Eddy whispered, a comfortable silence falling between the two as they held hands.

"So," Claudia asked, breaking the silence. "How'd you end up with that thing on your jaw?"

Eddy was surprised she hadn't asked earlier. "I got it from my world's Jace. He didn't really like me."

"You're just like Edward," Claudia laughed. Eddy sent her a confused look, not seeing any similarities between them. "When he first started his night job, he'd come home with bruises because he couldn't control his suit completely."

The rest of the ride back to the Johnson Building was spent showing Eddy the sights of Ripple City. Claudia pointed out banks, shops, and other companies that Tombstone Technologies dealt with. When the car finally pulled up in front of the Johnson Building, Jace opened the door and made room so the couple could exit before grabbing their bags. Eddy scooted out first and offered his hand to Claudia and assisted her out. They walked into the building and most of the workers were either on their way to grab some lunch or just coming back. Claudia produced the key to their private elevator and the three of them packed themselves in.

Once they hit the penthouse, the familiar announcement played, "Welcome to the penthouse, Mistress Claudia, Master Edward."

The doors then opened, revealing Stephanie sitting on the couch with a magazine in her lap. Still in the same outfit from this morning, Eddy could see her erect nipples through her tank top. Her legs were tucked under her and she perked up at the doors opening.

Claudia exited first and greeted, "Hi Stephie! What are you up to?"

"Honestly, I was just vegging out until you got back," Stephanie sighed as she tossed the magazine onto the coffee table. She pointed one of her dainty fingers at Eddy. "Edward wants you in the Cathedral as soon as possible."

"For what?" Eddy asked, still not comfortable being with his alternate self.

"He wants to explain what you're going to be doing from now on," Stephanie added. She hopped off of the couch and stepped over to Eddy, slipping her arm through his. "C'mon, I'll bring you down there."

"Don't have too much fun," Claudia called back as she motioned for Jace to bring the bags to Eddy's room.

The Cathedral hummed with the sounds of activity. They found Edward at a desk, tinkering with a device. He turned back and waved. "Hi Stephanie, thanks for bringing Eddy down here."

"No problem," she shrugged as she stepped away from Eddy and hopped onto the desk, her slipper-clad feet dangling over the side.

"So, how was shopping with Claudia?" Edward asked. "She didn't give you a hard time did she?"

"It wasn't too bad, but you could have told me that you were married to Professor Ellsworth!" Eddy yelled in mock anger.

Edward let out a hearty laugh as he placed the device he was working on onto his desk. "And miss your reaction? Never." Edward got up, his mechanical limbs filling the air with their hum. "You didn't get a chance to see yesterday, but let me show you the Jumper."

The "Eds" walked over to the large arching gate that was built in the center of the Cathedral. The connecting computers read several measurements and smaller monitors displayed some other readings. Eddy stared at the contraptions, unsure of what he was actually looking at. "So, this is what you used to bring me from my dimension to yours?"

"Exactly," Edward answered. "I was just tinkering with the Warp Transmitter. It's a remote device that I used with the Gargoyle armor to activate the Jumper. It blew out after our mission yesterday, I'm glad that we were able to pass through the portal."

"What would happen if we were trapped between dimensions?" Eddy asked, not enjoying where his imagination took him.

Edward brough his mechanical hand to his chin, rubbing the light stubble. "Hmm, I could only predict that if an individual was stuck between dimensions that their body would be pulled apart due to the instability. It wouldn't be a pretty end." Edward then gave Eddy a smile that probably was supposed to assure him, but didn't. "Don't worry, you don't have to do any traveling. Just leave dimension hopping to me."

As Eddy was about to ask another question, an alarm went off in the Cathedral. Edward quickly ran to the station where the Gargoyle waited and raised his arms above his head. The armor was assembled onto him and the red eye lenses powered up. "Duty calls, Eddy. We'll talk more later," Edward called out before he fired up his jets and flew through the Cathedral's exit.

"Is he going to be alright?"

Stephanie hopped off of the desk and walked over to many monitors that covered the wall. She inputted a few codes and, with a few clicks of the mouse, the news appeared on the screens. There was a holdup downtown, with several armed robbers holding up a bank. The cops set up a perimeter around the bank, but they couldn't do anything due to the gunmen having several hostages. The cameras then went to the sky, showing Gargoyle arriving at the scene. He raised his hand and released an energy wave from his palm, jamming all of the guns in the vicinity.

The camera was able to pick up Edward's altered voice. "Release the hostages and I'll guarantee that I'll only break a few of your bones." Edward then dove through one of the bank windows.

Stephanie explained, "This has been everyday for Edward. The petty crime around the city has skyrocketed these past couple of months. But don't worry, even if he didn't use the jammer, those guns wouldn't penetrate the Gargoyle armor."

Eddy nodded, amazed at Edward's accomplishments. Seeing the Gargoyle in action gave Eddy the courage to become Edward Johnson.

After watching Edward finish up with the bank robbery, Stephanie suggested, "Once he gets out there, he doesn't stop until early in the morning. There's always someone that needs help. Let's head back."

He let Stephanie lead the way, taking this chance to stare at her juicy ass. To his disbelief, her shorts rode higher into the crack between her cheeks, showing more of her perfectly smooth skin. Eddy was broken out of his admiration by Stephanie suddenly stopping in her tracks. He was caught red handed.

"Are you staring at my ass?" Stephanie asked with a raised eyebrow. Her pouted lips drove Eddy crazy. He would kill to taste those juicy lips.

Embarrassed, he answered, "Yes, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Stephanie chirped as her fingers fixed the cloth wedged between her cheeks. She gave him a playful little shake that caused her ass to jiggle. "Why do you think I wore something so short?"

"You mean, you don't mind?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and grabbed Eddy's meaty hand. She led him through the Cathedral and back up to the penthouse, her ponytail swaying delightfully. As she held his hand, Eddy could feel her palm start to sweat.

When they reached the penthouse, they couldn't find Claudia or Jace anywhere. Deeming the couch to be safe, Stephanie took a seat and patted the cushion next to her. "We should talk, Eddy."

His stomach was in knots. Was he staring too much? Was she going to talk about seeing his cock this morning? Did she actually have another boyfriend in this world, too?

"We haven't had a chance to really talk since the party," Stephanie said, crossing her legs.

"Oh yeah, not much chance to talk when your boyfriend was pummeling me," Eddy sighed. Then he thought, "Do you miss him?"

Stephanie shook her head violently. "No!" she almost yelled. "Your Stephanie was dating Jace before she died. This world's Jace was so nice, so I thought your world's would be the same. I was so wrong, he was an asshole."

"Then why did you stay with him?"

"To protect you," Stephanie whispered. "If I broke up with him then saw me hanging with you, he definitely would have started giving you shit."

That made sense. Jace never liked him, and the only reason Eddy was tolerated was because Stephanie was there to talk Jace down. "But why did you waste so much time? If you needed me to come to your world, why didn't you just find me and pull me through a portal?"

Stephanie was conflicted and small wrinkles formed on her beautiful face. She bit her lip, not sure if she should reveal everything to Eddy. "I had to wait until your powers awakened."

"Powers?" By now Eddy realized that he was basically living in a comic book. It was a matter of time before he got his own gimmick.

Stephanie pulled a throw pillow onto her lap and began playing with the pieces of frayed fabric. "Since his accident, Edward's spent most of his time looking into dimensional travel and the possibilities of alternate versions of himself. He's found other 'Eds'-" making air quotes "-and they all have some sort of power. Whether it be being super smart, insanely strong, or being able to transform into a wolf form."

Eddy interrupted, "You're telling me that there's a werewolf 'Ed' out there?"

"Apparently. That's what Edward told me," she shrugged. "I was supposed to wait until your power manifested, but we were running out of time."

Eddy sat there, letting everything sink in. The only reason Stephanie seemed to care about him was because Edward told her to keep an eye on him. She must have thought he was a lovestruck puppy. He shook his head and asked the question that was on his mind, "So did you even care about me?"

The question struck Stephanie like a ton of bricks. "What did you say?"

Emboldened, Eddy stood up with clenched fists. "I mean, you were just doing your job right? Acting? Making sure I stayed out of trouble? Did you really care about me? About my feelings for you?"

The slap came so fast, he didn't even see Stephanie's hand hit him. What he did feel was the sharp and throbbing ache from his bruised jaw. He let out a curse and he closed his eyes until the pain dulled. When his eyes met Stephanie's, he found hers glossy from the tears she held back. Her bottom lip quivered and she took a deep breath before speaking. "You're such an idiot, Eddy."

Before Eddy could answer, Stephanie's lips were over his, her arms wrapped around his thick neck. The sweet taste of her lips woke Eddy from his stupor and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Stephanie, resting his hands on the small of her back. He could feel her large breasts pressing against him and her nipples poking him. His hands traveled lower, grabbing handfuls of her juicy ass. His fingers kneaded the soft flesh, trying to memorize every inch.

Stephanie let out a moan at Eddy's ministrations, but that didn't distract her. She took the lead, her kisses slow, allowing Eddy to get accustomed to it. Her lips tasted like spearmint, as if Stephanie was chewing gum before the kiss. As if she planned it. She then moved from his lips to his cheek and then to his bruised jaw. "I'm sorry," she whispered between each kiss.

"It's okay," Eddy whispered, understanding. "I was being a dick, both times."

"Yes, you were," Stephanie joked as she pulled back, her lips breaking into a smile. She placed a kiss on his nose and brought her arms down from his neck. Her hand slipped into his and she squeezed tightly. "I like you, Eddy. It took me a while, but I finally said it."

"I like you too. But you already knew that," Eddy replied, smiling. His heart could have burst out of his chest. He never thought he'd end up here, staring at the most beautiful girl in two worlds. "So, what now?"

"Well, there are some things we need to talk about," she said seriously. "We obviously can't be public about us. If you're going to stand in as Edward, you can't be seen with a woman other than your wife. It'd destroy your public image."

"If the only way we can do this is if we keep it a secret, then my lips are sealed," Eddy whispered, tightening his grip on her hands. He just got his dream girl, he wasn't going to let her go so easily. Even if some of his dreams and desires wouldn't come true. "Do you think Claudia will be fine with it?"

"Definitely," Stephanie nodded. "She'd want the both of us to be happy, and I know she'd help us out."

This time, Eddy was the one made the first move. Even though he was inexperienced, he imagined this moment several times. He brought his hands to her face, cradling her cheeks in his hands as if she was as delicate as glass. He rubbed his pudgy thumb over the apple of her cheek, savoring the moment before his lips descended onto hers.

The kiss ignited a spark inside of Eddy. This was what love felt like. Warmth spread through him as their lips moved in sync. Eddy then felt Stephanie's lips manipulate his own before she took his bottom lip between her teeth and giving it a playful tug. Her tongue pushed against him, invading Eddy's mouth and caressing his own.

As Stephanie's tongue explored Eddy, she melted into his chest, her hands feeling and learning Eddy's body. Once she finished with his chest she dragged her fingers down his tummy, tracing them over the inky black and blue welt then over his stretch marks before moving them down towards his belt. Her fingers fumbled to undo the buckle and she let out a muffled chuckle between kisses. Eddy went to undo the rest of the buttons of his shirt as his lover finally undid his belt, letting his loose pants fall to the ground. He stepped out of them, kicking off his shoes in the process. His hands then went to cup Stephanie's ass and he lifted her from the ground, causing a playful squeal to escape her lips.