A Taste of Spice and Splendor

by Lacuna Reid

  Instead, I stand back and take her in – everything about her seems to glow, and I am mesmerized, like a moth to a flame. I’ve always felt a connection with Gino and Elias and Helio. They were like long lost brothers as soon as I met them, but I’ve never known a magnetism as strong as this. I want to crawl on my hands and knees and submit to her even though it’s not my style; I prefer to be the dominant one. This woman flips my world upside down and I’ve barely spoken five words to her.

  I can tell she feels it too – the connection.

  Welcome home, Mira.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mira

  “I’m Theo,” he introduces himself to me. His voice is so deep and velvety that I just about melt. In my mind, I’m already imagining this man telling me bed-time stories in that rich sexy voice while he strokes his hands all over my body…

  Earth to Mira… stop fantasizing about your new boss! I’ve never experienced guys affecting me this much before… First Gino, now this!

  His accent sounds French… just like my old boss. And despite how gorgeous he is, I can tell he’s just as arrogant as all the other French men I’ve known. That should be enough to put me off, to stop my attraction in its tracks, but Theo wears his arrogance so well… like the expensive cologne I can smell on him.

  Theo holds out his arm towards me, as if to shake my hand. As our fingers touch, a shiver runs through my entire body, but instead of shaking my hand he pulls me in and kisses me on both cheeks. I feel a jolt, right down between my thighs. I know this man is at least a decade older than me, but everything about him is delicious. He draws me in, and I want to know what he’s like in bed.

  Then, Theo turns and introduces me to an older man behind him, “Victor is the retreat manager, here. Please ask him anything.”

  Victor is tall with short grey hair. He smiles at me, but it’s not a real smile. There’s something about him that I don’t like, something off-putting, but I can’t put my finger on what it is.

  “And this is Marina,” Theo gestures to the beautiful woman behind the reception desk who comes out to shake my hand. I’m instantly jealous of how stunningly gorgeous she is with that caramel colored hair and those golden-brown eyes.

  For a moment, I wonder if she is Theo’s girlfriend, or Gino’s… but of course, neither of them belong to me, and Marina seems lovely. She takes my hand in her warm, soft palms and kisses me on both cheeks, too, in that overly familiar European way. “Welcome,” she says, in a genuinely inviting voice, and I let go of my jealousy and smile at her.

  I turn back to Theo. “Yes, welcome to El Cielo, Mira,” he says.

  I almost melt into a puddle on the floor when he says my name. There’s something about his voice, deep and resonant like a cello. I want to listen to him all night. I want him to tell me stories while I fall asleep and sing me lullabies. I want to wake up to the sound of his dulcet words.

  “We very much hope you’ll enjoy it here,” Theo continues in that voice.

  “Thank you,” I say, trying not to give my thoughts away. “It’s so beautiful...”

  Theo smiles and gives a small nod of appreciation.

  “We have poured our lives into creating El Cielo – shaping it to be what it is today.” Theo waves his arm around him, gesturing out towards the forest gardens and around at the baronial high-ceilings of the rooms adjoining the lobby. “We each play a role. As you will know from the website, this place functions as a kind of luxury retreat, and also as a function center, which is why we need proficient chefs in our kitchen. We are not open to the general public and bookings must be made well in advance. In fact, most of our functions are related to our own various businesses and networks.”

  Theo looks at me, and there’s something in his eyes I can’t place, a deep affection that I haven’t earned. Something about this moment reminds me of the dreams I’ve been having. There’s a connection here with this complete stranger, and I don’t understand it.

  “Gino sends his apologies,” Theo says. “He regrets that he could not be here to welcome you himself. He has been held up in New York with work projects but hopes to be home soon.”

  Another thrill runs through me when I think of Gino – the man I met in the bar… and the one from my dreams… are they connected somehow, or is it just my imagination running wild?

  “It’s late, so I won’t give you the full tour now. I’ll show you to your living quarters.”

  “Okay,” I smile gratefully. I am feeling tired and woozy with jet-lag, and I can’t tell if ‘living quarters’ are code for something fancy or some kind of sub-standard servant housing.

  Theo leads me up a grand spiraling staircase into one of the silos towards a green door marked 27. He takes a key from his pocket and turns the lock before passing it to me. As our fingers brush, a shiver of electricity flashes through me. I have to stop myself from gasping.

  Theo pauses, lifting his hand to graze against the salt and pepper stubble on his chin, he gazes at me thoughtfully. I’m frozen to the spot, petrified that I’ve somehow already embarrassed myself in front of my new boss.

  Theo looks as if he’s about to say something but then shakes his head. He turns his attention back to the door.

  “These are your rooms,” Theo says. “I hope you like them.”

  The door opens out on a large rounded space. It’s a whole floor of the silo, with a bedroom and bathroom artfully sectioned off.

  The furnishings are simple and yet somehow also elegant and lavish. A green velvet sofa, armchair and chaise-lounge sit overlooking the large cathedral windows, out into the forest below. Long white curtains hang around the room, and I notice a couple of stylish lamps. The bed is a carved wooden four-poster and the bath is claw footed. I almost swoon in delight, although it could also be the jet-lag or the very attractive man standing next to me.

  This is paradise.

  Theo excuses himself before I can think of a way to get him to stay longer, which is probably for the best since the self-control side of my brain is clearly in a different time zone and has already gone to sleep.

  “I hope you have a wonderful sleep, Mira,” he says. “Meet me in my office at ten tomorrow morning and I will give you the full tour, and show you the kitchens.”

  Kitchens… of course… I’m here to work in the kitchens, that’s all. This isn’t some kind of romantic fantasy, just my same old life in a nicer setting… with much nicer eye-candy.

  “Goodnight,” Theo says.

  The door closes before I have a chance to answer.

  I collapse onto the chaise, bending my knees and stomping my feet against the velvet in child-like exhilaration.

  Oh my god… or should I say gods? I think of the temple – of the gods and goddesses we chanted to in all those dreams… I close my eyes for just a moment and find myself surrounded with people. Flutes are playing, and there’s dancing. The ringing of an old-fashioned telephone cuts in, and I wake from my beautiful dream, expecting to find myself back in my messy apartment. Then, my brain catches up with me again. I’m still on the green velvet chaise. I answer my phone.

  “Mira? What’s happening? Tell me everything!”

  “Oh my God, Lana. It’s perfect – better than perfect… is that even possible? It’s impossible.”

  “You’re not making any sense, honey.”

  “It might be the jet-lag,” I mumble. “But basically, it’s everything you saw in the brochure and more. It’s the best place in the world, and I get to live here – rent free… I get to work here and cook and be paid for it!”

  “Whoa… Settle down!” Lana says. “That does sound amazing, and I’m amazingly jealous. I don’t want to spend all my money on this international call, just checking you’re okay. Get online and we can video-chat tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay, talk soon.”

  “Bye.”

  I lie here for another moment looking out into the night. Then I get up, pull the curtains closed, and get ready for bed. I feel too disheveled
to get into those clean white sheets without taking a shower. I’m delighted to find the water pressure is like being under my very own heated waterfall, and by the time I’m out, the bathroom is a cloud of steam, and my head is a hazy mess.

  I dry myself with the soft white towels, wrap myself in the fresh robe hanging on the bathroom door hook, and collapse onto the gloriously soft four poster bed. It’s like I’m in a fairy tale castle crossed with a fancy hotel room. It might be crazy that I’ve moved to the other side of the world after a brief conversation with a guy I just met, but I’m so glad I did. This is exactly the fresh start I need!

  I go to bed that night in the beautiful four-poster, feeling like I must have just about died and gone to heaven. Outside, I can hear the sounds of insects and night birds, singing softly. Then, there’s the sound of something else… the gentle pattering of rain, a sound so soothing to me that sweeps me up in a veil of contentment.

  I can smell the scent of it as it saturates the dry earth outside and I remember Gino’s favorite word: petrichor.

  I’m so comfortable, it’s almost as if I have always belonged here. It’s not long before I drift into more intense dreams.

  Chapter Twelve

  Mya

  It’s a hot day. I’m running an errand, carrying a basket of fruit from the market, sweating through my light robes, when I notice him. The Priest. He’s on the steps of the temple, resting his head in his hands, as if he's tired.

  “Can I help you, sir?” I ask.

  He raises his head, lifting his eyes towards me. I feel a flash of recognition even though I have clearly never met him before and I’m sure something similar passes over his face. I admire his light olive skin, his green eyes, his tall and lean body, his hair with flecks of gold, his temple robes that are much more elaborate than mine and must surely be hard to bear in this heat. There is something about this moment that stops time.

  “I’m Amedes,” the priest says, “and I do not need your help but I do ask your name.”

  “Mya,” I say, bowing slightly. I don’t know the protocols for meeting a priest since we don’t have any back home.

  Amedes looks at me then with a kind of intensity I’m unfamiliar with.

  “You live in the city?” he asks me.

  I nod. “I have moved from our village, nearby to help my aunt and uncle.”

  There is a moment in which we both gaze up at the Temple. My eyes take in the marble pillars and the engravings. I long to step inside.

  “She draws you, doesn’t she?” he says.

  “What?”

  “Artemis, she draws you to the temple. I can tell.”

  “I do feel drawn here,” I admit, “ever since I first saw the temple as a young child.”

  Amedes nods. “She is calling you to her service as a Priestess. One day you will join us.”

  A thrill shivers through my entire body. Try to stay calm. Try to seem mature, try not be an idiot…

  I lower my gaze from the temple to Amedes, trying not to squirm in excitement.

  “May I?” I ask, excitement still obvious in my tone, but at least I’m not jumping.

  Amedes stands and my head only reaches his chest. He looks at me with those piercing green eyes.

  “Mya,” he says my name and a different thrill melts my insides.

  “Yes?”

  “I can tell you are destined to join us and I can tell you want to, so take your time, discuss this with your family, and when you are ready, we will have a space for you.”

  “Join you?”

  “As a priestess of Artemis.”

  I never knew I could want anything so much in my life. The wanting mingles with the new kind of desire, pressing up my thighs under the gaze of the priest, etching its way around my hips and into my bones, caressing my neck in the gentle breeze. I want Amedes in all those places, and more. I want to fall into him, priest robes and sweltering heat and all. I want to fall into those green eyes and drown but I hold myself together.

  “Yes,” I say finally, “I’d like that very much.”

  I thank Amedes and tell him I will be back.

  As I walk away from the temple I’m soaring in joy, my body feels unbearably light. This is my destiny… and I can’t tell what I want more, to be a temple priestess or to have Amedes as a lover. I don’t know if priests at this temple were even allowed lovers. I’d heard it varied depending on the sect, and that some were celibate, but even still, there was nothing I wanted more than this temple and this priest.

  I go home and tell my aunt and uncle that I’ve been invited to train as a priestess at the temple. I see the flicker of concern in my aunt’s eyes even as she expresses her joy at my excitement. My uncle is more reserved, but I can see pride in his face. I decide to take a few days to think it all over just as Amedes told me to but all I’m doing is fantasizing about the temple and about the priest.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mira

  I open my eyes after the best sleep I’ve had in months to streaming bright sunlight and birdsong. It’s like waking up into a very good dream. The fancy sheets feel so good, and everything around me is gorgeous… but I did dream again last night – another dream of that temple. It’s almost as if my subconscious mind is trying to tell me a story, but I don’t know what it means and I’m not about to check myself into therapy to find out. A shrink would probably tell me that it’s all to do with my mother; she was obsessed with Ancient Greece, even to the point of collecting artifacts. My mother has been dead for too long for me to be getting hung up on grief now.

  I check the time. It’s only eight thirty and I don’t have to meet Theo until ten. My tummy growls, and I realize I’m starving, so I search the kitchenette to find the fridge full with olives, cheeses, and spreads, among other things. I find a loaf of fresh sourdough bread in the fully stocked pantry. The gesture is so thoughtful it almost makes me cry.

  I slice some of the bread and pile delicious things onto it while I make myself a coffee with the French press I find in one of the cupboards. I carry my plate and cup out to the small balcony to the side of the living space and enjoy it in the morning sun.

  How did life get this good?

  After breakfast, I take another long shower. I put on a black shirt and slacks – work clothes – because I don’t know if I’m working today. Then I remember my contract doesn’t officially start for a few more days, and it looks like such a nice day, so I change into my gold wrap dress instead. It’s something I hardly ever wore, since Lana convinced me to buy it from a vintage clothing sale, but for some reason I want to wear it all the time now.

  It’s almost time to meet Theo, so I head down towards the lobby area, hoping someone is there who can give me directions to his office. I wander through a large open lounge with tall, arched windows, hanging white curtains, and enormous bookshelves. I can’t help but run my hand along the spines.

  I love books. As a child, books were one of my few escapes from my father. After my mother died, he barely let me leave the house, controlling my every move. I wasn’t allowed television or pop music. Hell, my father didn’t like any music at all, but he let me listen to my mother’s classical music collection and read her books. I read every single book in our home library and asked for more every birthday… even if my father would only buy me heavily censored titles that he approved of, classics mostly.

  I notice a lot of occult sounding books on the El Cielo shelves and wonder if that’s due to an interest of one of the owners here. There are no novels, and so I lose interest pretty quickly and continue my search for the lobby.

  I manage to find my way by heading in the general direction that I came from last night. Even in the day, the lobby gleams with golden light, probably because of all the brass. No one is behind the desk but there’s a large and unusual display of flowers. I stop to examine them. They look a bit like pink furry alien pine cones and I can’t help but reach up and brush my fingers against them.

  “Mira.”

/>   His voice is deep, rich, and silky behind me; it’s unmistakably Theo. I drop my hand from the flowers, embarrassed, and turn towards him.

  “Sorry… I.”

  Theo raises an eyebrow.

  He’s standing a few feet from me, wearing a cream linen shirt and brown corduroy trousers. I can tell his clothes are expensive, but their casualness is so inviting. There’s something about the combination that makes me want to dive into his arms and lose myself in those deep brown eyes, even though I barely know the guy… and I’ve been examining his flowers.

  “Are the flowers up to your standards?” Theo asks.

  There is arrogance in his voice, and I can tell he’s the kind of guy who’s always right – who always has things under control. It equally repels me and turns me on.

  “I was just…”

  Theo waves a hand, dismissively.

  “Follow me,” he says and leads me up a different staircase. I follow, trying not to stare at his very nice ass as he walks. It’s strange because I’ve usually been turned off by wealthy, arrogant men – my father and Cliff certainly put me off but they didn’t really do casual. Even their pajamas were oddly formal. My father would never wear corduroy, and Cliff’s idea of casual was wearing a polo shirt with tan golfing pants. How did I ever fall for him?

  Theo leads me up to a kind of mezzanine floor at the top of the main building. He reaches for the handrail overlooking the large window panes and leans out, surveying the view. I follow suit, acutely aware of how close our hands are on the railing.

  “From here you can see the grounds of El Cielo,” Theo says in that chocolaty voice. “From a piece of previously barren land, we have created paradise.”

  So arrogant… and yet, it’s hard to disagree with someone so delicious and commanding… I have to rein in my thoughts again before they wander somewhere totally inappropriate.