The Darker Side of Pleasure (39 page)

EXOTICA

ON SALE JANUARY
2008

PART ONE

SEVEN DAYS OF KAMA SUTRA

CHAPTER ONE

LIVE THE FANTASY

EXOTICA. An exclusive fantasy resort set in the sultry warmth of Palm Springs. The place for a woman to experience her most secret desires in a safe, discreet environment, surrounded by sheer luxury.

Choose your dream theme from among our five Ultimate Fantasy worlds:

*Casa Blanca: Live the glamorous and seductive era of the 1940s.

*Wild, Wild West: Guaranteed to be the wild experience of a lifetime.

*The Castle: The romance of medieval times brought to life.

*Pirates’ Cove: A pirate adventure you’ll never forget.

*Kama Sutra: The ultimate in exotic fantasy.

**And coming soon: Arabian Nights: The sensual luxury of a sultan’s palace.

Relax in absolute privacy at one of the world’s finest luxury resorts. Come to EXOTICA, and live the fantasy…

T
HE LIMOUSINE SPED
through the desert, the sleek length of it gliding like a snake across the hot sand. Heat shimmered on the highway, the glare of the sun warming the darkened windows of the limo, even though the air-conditioning kept the car at a comfortable seventy-eight degrees inside. Still, Lilli’s hands were damp as, for the tenth time that morning, she looked over the brochure her friend Caroline Winter had sent her.

She and Caroline were old friends from college. They’d hardly spoken over the years, but they’d found each other through the college alumni association last year, just as Lilli was going through her divorce. They’d talked a bit through e-mail, and then by phone. Lilli could hardly believe it when Caroline had admitted what it was she did for a living, managing Exotica. But the idea had become more and more intriguing, until finally, Lilli hadn’t been able to resist Caroline’s repeated invitations.

Was she really going to this place? Was she actually daring to do this?

She shifted on the leather seat, the smooth surface sticking to her bare legs beneath the linen skirt she wore. She felt naked, somehow, just reading about Exotica, imagining what might happen to her there. Gloriously yet shamefully naked. But then, her life was full of contradictions lately, wasn’t it? Had been since she’d found out what a sham her marriage was all these years. But that was behind her now, and coming here was a step toward making her new beginning. From now on, her life would be of her own creation, her own choices.

Still, she had to stop and wonder if she’d been completely insane when she’d signed on for this adventure. Or was it simply old habit, one instilled by Evan, to question herself, to worry?

Staring out the window, Lilli took in a deep breath, and tried to calm her racing pulse. Long stretches of sand dunes swept past, punctuated by tall, stately date palms clustered around the entrances to beautifully landscaped homes. She’d always loved Palm Springs; she found the desert soothing, serene. Why did she have a feeling after this adventure, she’d never see the desert in quite the same way again?

The driver’s voice came over the intercom. “We’re here, madame.”

A pair of enormous iron gates rolled back in front of the car. There was no sign here. The resort was far too exclusive, too discreet for that. Nothing more than those imposing gates closing it off from the rest of the world. Almost another world in itself, she thought, as they drove past sweeping lawns with peacocks wandering beneath the palm trees. Gorgeous hedges of blooming bougainvillea in shades of red and pink climbed the high stone walls on either side. Her heart beat faster as they pulled up in front of a long, low building, done in the same stone that seemed to blend naturally with the jagged mountain peaks in the distance.

The car came to a stop and the brochure fluttered from her hand as the driver opened the door and helped her out. She was breathless suddenly, standing in the heat and the brilliant sunlight. Dazed.

“Lillian DeForrest! You’re here at last.”

“Caroline.” Lilli looked up to see a woman approaching her, an attractive woman with long brown hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She was dressed in a chic, simple summer dress of white linen. The same beautiful, striking blue eyes Lilli remembered. Caroline had hardly changed at all.

Her friend leaned in and gave her a hug, enveloping her in a warm, spicy scent. She stood back, and Caroline smiled at her. “Welcome to Exotica.”

“It’s so good to see you. You look wonderful.”

“So do you. All that curly strawberry hair of yours; I’ve always loved it. You haven’t aged at all, Lilli. But, come inside. It’s too warm today to stand out here in the sun.”

She followed Caroline up a wide, shallow staircase and into the cool interior of the building. Inside, it was all sparse, calm elegance. High ceilings made the space feel airy. Polished tile floors led to a high, curved reception desk made of some light-colored wood.

An attractive young woman greeted Lilli from behind it. “Welcome, Ms. DeForrest.”

“Samantha, please see that Ms. DeForrest’s luggage is sent to the Kama Sutra suite.”

“Yes, Caroline. Right away.”

“Would you like to see a little of the grounds before I take you to your suite?”

“I’d love to. This place is…intriguing.”

Caroline smiled at her. “Come with me, then.”

She led her across the cool expanse of tiled floor, beyond the reception desk, down a wide hallway, and through a pair of French doors at the back of the building.

Dazzled by sunlight, Lilli pulled her sunglasses from her purse and slid them on her face. In front of her was the brilliant green of a wide, sweeping lawn with meandering pathways twisting beneath the towering palms. In the center of the lawn was an enormous rectangular pool of calm, sparkling water. Bronze statues of male nudes done in classical Greek style stood sentry at each corner. They were graceful. Erotic.

Bordering the lawn were high walls, punctuated by gates in various styles.

“It’s like an adult Disneyland, isn’t it?” Caroline asked her. “Each of our fantasy suites are really tiny cities done in different themes, complete with servants’ quarters, background players, the appropriate architectural details. See there? You can see the tower of the medieval castle over the wall.”

Lilli followed Caroline’s gesture and saw what appeared to be ancient stone parapets that could have belonged to King Arthur, with colorful flags flying in the slight breeze.

“It’s beautiful.”

“We do everything we can at Exotica to make the fantasy as real as possible for our guests, to make it all come alive. We want you to immerse yourself, to enjoy all that we offer here to the fullest. That’s why our companions work on bimonthly rotations, with thorough medical checks in between. Condoms break the fantasy far too easily. All of the men here are clean, so our clients never have to worry.”

Lilli shook her head, her pulse fluttering. “It’s so…strange that you can talk about such things so matter-of-factly. And I can hardly believe I’m here. That a place like this exists.” She laughed. “That you work here, run this place.”

“Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself.” Caroline shrugged. “But it’s just my life now. And after your first night here, you’ll hardly be able to remember your life anywhere else.”

A small shiver went through her at Caroline’s words. What was she so afraid of?

Caroline put a hand on her arm. “Don’t be nervous. Our companions are highly trained. He won’t do anything you don’t want him to do. We guarantee it.”

“Oh, God. That word:
him
. That makes it seem all the more real, for some reason.”

“Would you like to come back inside and have some iced tea before you meet him?”

“Yes, I think I would like that. Do you have time to sit with me? Talk with me?”

“Of course. We can get caught up. And I’ll answer any questions I can. Come.”

Caroline led her back into the artificially chilled interior of the reception building, but this time she took her into what Lilli supposed was Caroline’s private office. It was as open and airy as the reception area had been, with tall banks of tinted windows overlooking the lawns. Caroline gestured to a pair of beige leather couches, but too restless to sit, Lilli paced the floor, gazing out the window, as Caroline went to the intercom on her sleek glass-topped desk to ring for drinks.

“Lilli, come sit down with me on the sofa and tell me what I can do to make you more comfortable.”

“I…I’m not sure. This sounded so wonderful when you first told me about it. Okay, a little…fantastical, maybe. But after you explained it to me, after I thought about it, I realized it was exactly what I’ve needed. But now that I’m here it’s a bit intimidating. Just…letting go, you know?”

Caroline nodded and said quietly, “I think I do.”

“Do you…have you ever become involved with any of the men here?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Why ‘of course not’?”

Caroline shifted in her seat. “I have to maintain a certain professional distance. It helps me to do my job with a clear head.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Lilli paused. How could anyone work in such a place and remain so unaffected by what went on here? “Is it because…of what happened with Jeff? That ability to distance yourself?”

Caroline blinked, looked away.

“I’m sorry, Caroline. It’s not my place to bring that up.”

“No. It’s fine. There’s no one else anymore who even knows about that, other than you. It’s been five years. It’s long behind me. And I think I get that ability to detach from my mother. You know how cold she was.”

Lilli could see the belying flush on her friend’s cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “Yes, I know how your mother was. It’s just that, after that…episode with Jeff, you kind of shut down. And…I suppose it’s none of my business, but it seems to me that maybe your detachment from what goes on here generates from that experience. Because I know I couldn’t be so cool, so removed, working here. Surrounded by all of this. By the men, frankly.”

Caroline gave her a wan smile. “Well, maybe that just makes me the perfect person for the job.”

“Maybe.” But Lilli wasn’t so sure of that.

A soft knock at the door and a uniformed maid brought in a tray with two tall glasses of iced tea, a small bowl of sugar and another full of lemon slices.

“Thank you, Marcy.” Caroline held a glass out to Lilli, then took one for herself, squeezed a lemon wedge into it.

Lilli sipped her iced tea. “I just wish I could calm down and relax.”

“It’s perfectly natural to be a little nervous. This isn’t the sort of thing most people do every day.” Caroline grinned at her, her cheeks dimpling.

Lilli couldn’t help but grin back. “You can say that again. But how do I do this? How do I let go and just…experience whatever’s offered?”

“Rajan will help you. He’s one of our best.”

“Rajan?” Her pulse sped up, her stomach clenched. She hadn’t even seen this man, yet she was suddenly overwhelmed with anticipation. “Is that his name? The man who will be my…companion?”

Caroline nodded. “Your Kama Sutra lover.”

Lilli took a long drink from her glass, trying to cool the blood racing fast and furious through her veins. “Oh, God. I’m really doing this, aren’t I?”

Caroline nodded, smiling at her. “Are you ready to see your suite? To meet him?”

“I think so.” She pulled in a long breath, blew it out. “Yes. I’m ready.”

Caroline stood, offered Lilli a hand. “Good. I’ll take you to the Kama Sutra suite. To your fantasy.”