by Rye Hart
The serious look that made Marie so nervous came across Madame Osei’s face again, “Do you understand the rules?”
Marie nodded but Madame Osei shook her head again, “Say it.”
“I understand the rules.”
“Very good. Now, in that packet there is also a handbook that details each of my employee’s specialties, inside and outside the bedroom,” she said, putting her hand on a glossy book. “This is for your eyes only and may not be shared with anyone, including other clients of Mystique.
“I understand,” Marie confirmed again, starting to feel like Madame Osei wanted everything verbalized.
Madame Osei nodded again and stood, heading toward the door, she swept her arm out to open the door and lead Marie back out into the main area with the girls who had been cleaning were now lazing around on the many pillows.
They came to the main doors of the warehouse and Marie had the folder tucked under her arm safely. She wasn’t going to lose it before she even got out of the facility. Madame Osei put a hand on her shoulder.
“I have done everything that I can do. The rest is on you. Take that packet home and review it. You will meet all of the escorts when you come back and receive your codename,” she said with a soft smile, “I know that you came here seeking something, Marie, and I promise you will find it. We all grow in different ways and at different paces. This is just another step in your journey.” She cupped Marie’s cheeks and kissed her forehead gently before two large, beautiful men in charge of the heavy door opened the door and closed it behind her once she exited.
There was a fluttering in her chest as she held the folder close. She was unsure if it was due to excitement or nervousness. She knew she wanted to return as soon as possible but she also knew that she needed to take some time to let all the information sink in. This was a big deal.
Chapter Ten
Marie was grinning from ear to ear as she walked through the cafe. Her mind was spinning pleasantly and she was already excited to come back and meet the escorts. There weren’t any pictures of them in the pamphlet and they were described like menu items. They book used words like ‘spicy’ and ‘exotic’ and it painted a better picture in her mind that she would have ever guessed.
She moved through the cafe and noticed that Marco was still behind the counter, rolling dough out onto a chilled slab. He slammed it onto the counter with a strength that made her giddy. Marie felt like a high school girl again and as much as it felt silly, she felt good about it. She didn’t feel guilty for wanting this anymore. Madame Osei had somehow alleviated all of her worries and now all she felt was excitement.
Marco noticed her watching him and smiled at her from behind the counter. He moved to one of the many cases and started to pull out the plate of caramels again. He offered her another piece, though she looked at it cautiously. He laughed, knowing why she was so hesitant, “Don’t worry about Madame. She just acts strict. She’s a huge sweetheart. But don’t tell her I said that,” he said with a serious look on his face.
Marie smiled but stepped forward and took the candy from him, settling it on her tongue with a sigh. It was the strangest mix of sweet and salty and it drove her wild. If her men were half as good as her caramels, Marie was in for a treat.
Marco smiled and watched her curiously, resting his chin in his hands, “I’m guessing it went well then? You seem much more relaxed than when you first came here,” he mused.
She smiled and nodded, licking what was left of the candy off her fingers. “Oh yes. I feel so much better. I guess I just didn’t know what to expect,” she said, pulling out some money to hand it over to him, motioning toward the caramels, “Can I have some to go?”
“Of course.”
He pushed off the counter and started packing the candies up, wrapping them in pretty wax paper and handing them over to her. “Most people are like that,” he admitted with a smile. “When you explain the nature of our business, no one knows what to expect. The idea is so foreign to people. Especially since it’s all about the women.”
Marie nodded and scoffed, “Yeah. Female sexuality wasn’t really encouraged where I was from,” she said with a sigh.
“It isn’t most places. Madame Osei knows that better than most people,” his voice sounded almost sad and she was about to ask when he changed the subject, smiling brightly, “But that’s why you’re here! To discover yourself all over again. The women who come here always seem to change for the better. That’s why we give out so few of the recommendation cards. She only wants the people who need to be here to come here.”
“Who are the people who need to be here?”
“People like you. People who need guidance to find themselves,” he said with a gentle smile that made her heart flutter.
She blushed and nodded, smiling as she took the candies, “Thank you, Marco. I’ll see you again,” she said, heading toward the door. He waved at her, his bright eyes crinkling in the corners when he gave her that boyish smile.
Marie settled into her car and leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes and trying to calm her racing heart. This was incredible. It was probably better that clients weren’t allowed to talk about this place. Even if Rachel had told her about the wondrous place, she wouldn’t have believed her. How could she? She’d never seen anything like this before.
Her eyes opened slowly and she couldn’t help but to think back to all the people who had told her she wasn’t going to amount to anything. They’d all told her she would be stuck in that tiny town and no one but her husband would love her.
All the cruel words that had stung so badly we're rolling off her like water now. She hadn’t even been there more than an hour and she was already feeling stronger. She tossed her head back and let out a laugh that had been bubbling up within her since she’d left the warehouse. She couldn’t explain why but she was happy for the first time in a long time.
All of the pain she’d suffered at her husband’s hands was draining out of her body. She sank against the seat of her car, relief washing over her. She stared out her window, trying to figure out if this was really real. Was this actually happening? Or was she going to wake up and find herself miserable and alone in her own bed? She didn’t want to wake up. She wanted this to be real and so she finally decided to stop questioning it. The universe had brought her hear for a reason and she needed to be happy about it.
Now all she needed to figure out was when she could go back and start her ‘journey’.
Chapter Eleven
Marie sighed as she settled in for the night. It had been a busy day, but she was more than a little eager to go back to Mystique. Richard was still gone, though she couldn’t say that she was too upset about that. This wasn’t abnormal for him. He would often disappear for days at a time when they had a fight. He would go hole up with his friends and ignore her until his friends kicked him out or he needed money. It was the same story every time, and somehow she always fell for it.
She knew she let him get away with things that she shouldn’t have and she let him take advantage of her, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t enjoy it, but at the end of the day, he was her baby boy and she loved him dearly. What did any parent in her situation do? How could any parent just turn their child away even if they were a drug addict with no redeeming qualities? No parent wanted to admit that their child was a lost cause, but sometimes in the lonely nights when there was nothing to distract her, Marie felt those very things and it broke her heart.
Her hand shook a little as she wiped away the tears that were starting to pool in the corners of her eyes. She’d been in such a good mood after leaving Mystique and now here she was crying again. She took a deep breath and shook her head, laying down for the night. She wanted to fall asleep with good thoughts, not thoughts of how she might be a failure as a parent.
The silk sheets settled over her pale, nude skin and she sighed at the feeling. She’d always enjoyed sleeping naked, but when she and Robert started living together
she’d stopped since he took her nudity as a sign of arousal, which was far from the truth. It had been nice to return to her old self over the last few years, even if it was something as stupid as being able to sleep naked.
As she drifted off to sleep she thought about the beautiful men that had been strewn about on the pillows at Mystique, and she thought about the woman who she’d sworn had a tiger’s tail. Her cat-like eyes burned into her and it made Marie more and more curious. There was something strange about that place and something strange about Madame Osei. The woman was interesting to say the least, but when she really started thinking about it, there were things that she couldn’t place. Things that seemed almost inhuman.
The thoughts were far too heavy for this time of night and so she eventually just let them go and began thinking about easier things. She began thinking about the beauty of the men and how badly she wanted to run her fingers down their smooth muscular chests.
Darkness took over as these thoughts ran through her mind and she finally drifted off into sleep. When her eyes fluttered open again she noticed that she was no longer on her bed. She was lounging in a deep pool of sweet, scented water. The room around her was decorated with a familiar Middle Eastern flair. Her hair was wet and pulled back out of her face, lovely flowers braided into her curls.
She looked down and ran her hands along her body, noting the sheer material that clung to her skin. It fell over the swell of her breasts, brushing her nipples in just the right way to make her gasp softly. She felt so sexy. It was a strange feeling that she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Marie looked around the room, trying to see if she was alone. There was a set of golden doors on one side of the room and they looked very familiar to Marie. She cocked a brow as they started to open and her jaw nearly dropped at the sight that emerged.
A tall man with tanned skin and golden hair walked through the archway. He was completely nude except for a golden ring about his waist with cloth looped over it to cover what Marie really wanted to see. He smiled and approached the pool, his long golden hair sweeping back and forth as he sank into the water. His skin was decorated with tribal looking tattoos that wound down his arm and licked at his chest. The sight took her breath away and for a long moment she couldn’t find words.
“Hello, beautiful.”
“H-Hi,” she stuttered, stumbling over even the most basic greeting.
He chuckled and reached out, strong fingers tracing the line of her jaw. His eyes were the color of honey and his skin was warm. He had to be at least 6’5” and his arms were strong and rippling with muscle. He wasn’t the type of man she would have immediately thought of for herself, but now that he was here, touching her and gazing into her eyes so intensely, she couldn’t help but want him.
“What’s your name?” she finally managed to get out.
“Toby,” he said, licking his full lips.
Man. Going to Mystique really got her imagination running wild. Her voice was hoarse and a bit rough as her eyes started to slip closed with desire. She could feel a heat building in her belly and her lips parted as he ran a hand over her thigh very slowly, strong fingers digging into the sensitive flesh. Her eyes fluttered and she whimpered.
“Oh,” she sighed.
“You are Marie, aren’t you?” he asked, his voice rough as he moved closer, dipping his head down to whisper in her ear. “They told me about you.”
Her eyes fluttered and her back arched, wanting to touch as much of him as possible. She had a moment of clarity where she considered asking him who told him about her, but she was afraid she’d break the spell and wake up alone in her bed. She didn’t have to think about what real life Marie would have done. She just let herself float in the dream, enjoying the way his firm body felt against hers.
“Yes, my name is Marie,” she murmured softly, looking up at him, her lips parted and her eyes hooded.
He smiled and leaned in, exhaling softly against the lobe of her ear. It made her shudder and she whimpered again, reaching out and putting her hands on his shoulders to stabilize herself. He was driving her wild and he hadn’t even really done anything yet. Toby chuckled and ran his lips along her neck, pausing to press a tender kiss there as the hand on her thigh wandered further and further north. She spread her legs to give him access and just as he started to pull back she could feel his fingers teasing her delicate, feminine folds.
“Choose me,” he whispered, his voice sounding far away.
Marie’s eyes snapped open and she found herself lying in her bed, panting hard, a hand between her legs as sun poured in from the nearby window. Her body was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and she was a bit dizzy from the experience.
Had that really just happened? She groaned softly and pushed herself up from the bed, picking up her phone to glance at the time. She had about fifteen minutes before she had to get up for work so she flopped back onto the bed and grunted a little, running her hand through her curls. Everything had seemed so vivid. Was it really a dream? Maybe she was just that desperate to be touched. God, that was sad.
Chapter Twelve
Marie put in her hours at work. She liked her job, but every day that passed was another day that she wasn’t making enough money. It was starting to put her on edge. It was becoming difficult to even afford rent. How was she going to justify paying for Madame Osei’s ‘services’? Actually, now that she was thinking about it, Marie realized that the woman never really told her how much it was going to cost. She made a mental note to ask Rachel that evening.
She wrapped up at work and went straight to Rachel’s. She loved Rachel’s condo, and in some ways she envied her friend’s success. Rachel had never been tied down like Marie and so she’d been free to follow her dreams without hindrance, and Marie often wished she’d been allowed to do that.
Marie knocked on Rachel’s door and when Rachel answered, she already had a glass of wine in hand, ready to offer it to Marie.
“Thanks,” Marie said, taking the glass and sipping from it. God that was good.
She wandered into the condo and set her things down, falling into the couch and sighing happily. Rachel chuckled and sat in an armchair across from Marie, putting her chin in her hand.
“Sooo? How did it go?”
“Oh my God, it was so weird Rachel!” she said, sitting back up.
Rachel chuckled and nodded. “It is a bit strange,” she mused, nodding as she sipped at her wine.
Marie looked at her seriously for a moment. “Can we talk about it? Now that we’ve both been there?” she asked, remembering the contract that had seemed so serious.
“I suppose so. I won’t tell if you won’t,” she hummed, grinning brightly.
Marie laughed and leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment. “I honestly thought I was in the wrong place at first. Either that or I thought you were lying to me,” she admitted, taking a deep drink of her wine. “Then that lady-”
“Madame Osei?”
“Yes! Her! She took me back to that warehouse building,” she said, waving her hand almost dismissively.
“She took you back to where all the magic happens,” Rachel said, waggling her eye brows playfully.”
Marie nodded and smiled. “Everyone in there was so beautiful and it was more than I ever expected. I thought it was just going to be a hotel or something!”
Rachel smiled knowingly. “It is a little bit of a shock when you first walk in.”
“More than a shock.”
“Have you gone through the book yet?”
Marie offered her a confused look and Rachel just chuckled. “The catalogue of all the people who work for her. The escorts.”
“Oh. No. Not yet. I figured the prices would be in there and I’m not sure I can take that hit yet,” she admitted.
Rachel just smiled. “It’s not priced per person. It’s basically a membership fee and I’ve already paid yours for the year.”
She gasped, her eyes widening at the news. She could hardl
y believe what she was hearing. “You mean, I can go there as much as I want for the next year and I don’t have to pay anything?”
“Not a penny.”
Marie felt a lump in her throat that she forced down, swallowing thickly. “Rachel, you shouldn’t have done that.”
“Listen, Marie, don’t start pulling that shit. You’re my best friend and you deserve this. I don’t have kids; I’m not married so I like spoiling you. You’re going to have to deal with that if we’re going to keep this up,” she said, motioning between the two of them.
Marie laughed and shook her head standing to throw her arms around her friend. She held the woman tight and kissed her cheeks. “Thank you, Rachel. You’re more than I deserve.”
“Ahhh I know I’m great but you’re pretty amazing too, lady. I couldn’t have patience with that boy you call your son.”
Marie sighed and rubbed her temple. “Sometimes I wonder how I even handle him,” she murmured.
“Well, don’t worry about it too much anymore. At least now you have a place to get away from it for at least a little while.”
Marie nodded and sighed, staring at her wine. Luckily, Rachel had learned to read her friend like a book and changed the subject quickly. “Do you think you’ll go home and take a look at the book now?” she asked with a little grin.
“Maybe. I’m not sure. Who’s your favorite?” Marie asked, cocking her head to the side.
Rachel smirked behind her wine lass just a little, her tongue darting out to lick her lips clean of the red wine.
“Stella.”
“Stella,” Marie repeated, blinking a little. “That sounds like a girl’s name.”
“It is.”
“RACHEL!”
Rachel laughed, covering her mouth. “What? Mystique is all about exploring your sexuality! Stella and Zeus are my personal favorites.”
