She did as he directed and noticed that she did feel a tad weak. She remained in place for a few moments until she felt composed enough to walk.
“Let’s go up front and get you scheduled out. From now on, dress the part, and also bring a granola bar or something. Eat a big meal beforehand, as well. Water too. We are going to shoot for six hour sessions. Your sugar level will drop and you will need to stay hydrated.”
He led the way down the hallway and escorted her to the front desk. Rebecca’s ears were ringing slightly, but she knew she would be fine.
Sawyer held out his hand. “It was very nice to meet you, Rebecca.” He shook her hand. “I look forward to the next one. Tell Caine I said hi.” He then turned and walked away.
And, just like that, Rebecca’s journey had begun.
43
The chimes rang in her ears as sweat dripped in her eyes. “How freakin’ hot is it in here?” Rebecca asked Coley, as they sat in some sort of spiritual hotbox of a room.
“Shhh, you are supposed to be focusing on the toxins leaving your body,” Coley chided.
“I agree with Rebecca. It’s hotter than hell in here,” Neely said.
They were all three drenched from head to toe, as if a bucket of water had been poured on them—which wasn’t the case. Mascara smears marked all their eyes, and their nude bodies slumped limply on the slated wood benches.
Somehow, Coley always had a way of convincing the girls to do these crazy holistic, spiritual, and really far out there things. Today’s choice had been to go sit in what appeared to be a sauna… the difference being the loud chimes that banged against the inner walls, and the piped in chanting of monks.
“It’s supposed to be hot, or it won’t work,” Coley explained. “You guys are just feeling the negativity leaving your body.”
“No, I’m feeling the sweat between my ass cheeks,” Neely said. “And why do we have to be naked? I feel weird sitting here without even a towel.”
“Towels are man-made. We are supposed to remove as much of the outside world as possible.” Coley closed her eyes and began to hum, or moan, or whatever it was supposed to be. Rebecca couldn’t help but laugh, and Neely joined in. Coley stopped and rolled her eyes. “Just think of something else. I can’t believe that Kendall is in rehab. I mean, she needed it, but I’m still surprised.”
“I didn’t think she would do it. She was pretty adamant that she had no plans on changing,” Neely said as she tried to fan her face with her hand.
“Well, until she met Matt,” Coley offered. “Matt has a way with that gal. How long is she going to be there?”
“A month or two is what she told me,” Rebecca answered. “I’m happy for her. It will be interesting to see how she is when she gets back.”
“So tell us about getting your tattoo,” Neely said, looking as though she was two steps away from melting like the wicked witch of the west.
“Yes, about getting my tattoo,” Rebecca retorted as she glared at Neely. “Why in the hell did you send me to one of your spanko friends?”
Neely shrugged. “He’s the best.”
“So you knew!” Rebecca was going to stand up to punctuate her distress, but she was naked. Standing naked before her friend wouldn’t exactly make her look powerful or anything. She would just be the crazy friend who stood naked. Sweaty and naked.
Neely shrugged again and tried to act like it was no big deal, but the smile on her face gave away her amusement at her little secret. “Most of Caine’s friends are into it. I can’t help that.”
“You could have told me.”
Neely just laughed.
“I should call Caine and tell him to spank your ass!” Rebecca crossed her arms, about to pretend to pout, but it was too hot. “Jesus, Coley, can we get out of here? I’m dying.”
Coley shook her head. “No, just allow all the negative energy to leave your body. See? You already are letting it all out on Neely. Be free with your feelings and emotions.”
“Well, from what I can see, the man knows what he’s doing. Your tattoo looks great so far,” Neely complimented.
Rebecca smiled. “He’s good. I’ve had two sessions with him already and he’s getting really far.”
“Do you like him?” Coley asked.
Rebecca nodded as she tried to wrap her hair into a bun. “Yeah, he’s really nice and easy to talk to. I felt out of place at first, but he put me at ease after a while. My next session is in a couple of days. I start getting some color at that point.”
“What’s he like? I haven’t met him before,” Neely said, as she, too, tried to keep her hair off her neck.