“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.