by Penny May
Olivia finished her drink then smiled as Courtney did the same. “It is. I can’t imagine how this place would run without it. We could book things using staff and other systems, but the privacy that using the OCS offers is really what makes this place so alluring. I mean, imagine having to ask, in person, to have anal beads sent to your room. Or worse,” she made a face, “having to play twenty questions with a different partner every night to figure out what they like and don’t like in bed. Or out of bed,” she added thoughtfully.
Courtney laughed and set her drink down. After a moment of staring off into the depths of the pool, she asked, “Doesn’t this system kind of negate the idea of small talk and getting to know someone?”
“It could, I guess, if people didn’t bother with relationships outside the Temple. Then again, I might not have bothered with some of the partners I’ve had here if I’d had conversations with them first.” She jerked her head back at the bartender. “Like Sebastian over there? Great to look at, fun to touch, but not the sharpest tool in the shed.”
Courtney snorted in laughter and had to look away from the bartender. They sat for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet of the pool. It was a much-needed break after the noise and stress of traveling.
“Ready to move on?” Olivia finally asked.
“I guess so,” Courtney sighed dramatically, then smiled to show she was joking.
“What if there’s food involved?”
As if in response, Courtney felt and heard her stomach rumble. Olivia raised a brow to show she’d heard it too.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
A few minutes later, Courtney and Olivia sat at a table in a small public cafeteria. Olivia had walked Courtney through the process of grabbing a quick meal from one of the three food vendors or from the salad bar. They’d both started with salads and were now finishing their paninis.
“This area is usually only open to Temple staff, but Bo has made it clear that you can come here anytime it’s open.”
“So other guests don’t come here?”
Olivia shook her head, quickly finishing the last bite of her panini. “No,” she said when she’d finished chewing. “Bo feels it’s important to let staff truly be on break, so no other guests are allowed down here. Well,” She paused, wiping her mouth with a napkin, “that’s not entirely true. The other contest winner can come down here as well.”
Courtney had completely forgotten about the other contest winner. She started to ask about him but decided she had a more pressing question.
“So why make the exception for us?”
“The other guests aren’t allowed down here because they would most likely make demands of the staff who are supposed to be on break here. My guess is that Bo isn’t worried you’ll do that.”
Courtney nodded, thinking it over. He wasn’t wrong. She couldn’t imagine asking someone on their meal break to go back to work just because she needed something. Nothing was that pressing. It helped that she, herself, had been forced to deal with demanding clients and a horrible boss who never set boundaries when it came to employees’ breaks.
They bussed their own table, dropping the dishes off at a window for returns, then Olivia walked them back to the elevators. Once they were inside and the doors closed, Olivia turned to Courtney before telling the elevator where to go. “These next floors are what the guests really come here for. Most guests prefer to maintain privacy in their suites and partake in more intimate activities on the floors we’re about to visit. This is where people can fulfill their wildest pleasures—within reason, of course.”
Courtney held back a gulp, and Olivia scanned her card to take them to their next destination.
When the doors slid open, they stepped out into an area that was like no other Courtney had seen so far. Here, the walls were painted such a dark red that they almost appeared black except where the low lighting showed otherwise. It lent the space a permanent nighttime feel. Courtney noted a lack of windows and that the floor was black, making everything seem even darker. However, the gold of the light fixtures and wall trim somehow changed the ambience from scary to inviting and almost sensual.
Directly across from the elevator was a desk where an attractive woman in business casual attire smiled at them. A sign on the front of her desk proclaimed “Temple Pleasures” in gold lettering.
“Hey, Olivia!” She said with genuine enthusiasm before turning to Courtney. “You must be Courtney!” She stood to shake Courtney’s hand. “I’m Lisa, the manager of Temple Pleasures. It’s so nice to meet you! Congratulations on your win—I hope you’re excited to come stay here with us!”
“Very excited, thanks,” Courtney said as she shook Lisa’s hand and immediately liked the woman. She didn’t get that feeling of fakeness from her.
“Are you ready for Courtney’s introduction to the Temple Pleasure level and her SIDI test?” Olivia asked.
“Of course! I can take over from here. Do you have anything planned for her after the SIDI?”
“Nothing yet,” Olivia turned to Courtney. “Are you okay for dinner on your own?”
Though in truth, Courtney was a little nervous about not having Olivia by her side, she waved away the other woman’s concerns. “Of course. I’ll be fine. Thank you so much for showing me around today. I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” She tried not to let the note of worry show in her voice.
“Yup. I’ll let you sleep in a bit. You never know, maybe you’ll find something here you want to try out tonight.” With a teasing grin, Olivia got back on the elevator leaving Courtney with Lisa.
The manager called out another well-dressed staff member who took over her seat at the desk before walking Courtney through a door she unlocked with a keycard.
“Welcome to Pleasure Temple’s Temple Pleasures,” Lisa said in a dramatic voice that sounded like she’d said that approximately eight million times before. Then she laughed at herself. “It doesn’t really make sense, does it?”
Courtney smiled and wrinkled her nose. “Not really.” She was glad that Lisa was treating her as a friend or like a new employee and not like some elite guest. Though, when she thought about it, she had no idea how the woman might treat guests. Maybe this was her general spiel.
She led Courtney through another set of doors and then into a tastefully decorated office where Lisa sat on a comfortable-looking couch and patted the space beside her in invitation before picking up the tablet from the coffee table in front of her.
Courtney obediently sat and Lisa turned the tablet toward her.
“So, this isn’t as scary as it sounds, I promise. We have a lot of experiences to offer our guests. Some might be for you, and some might not be to your tastes. You are, of course, welcome to try any and all of them, or leave here today and never come back to this floor.”
Courtney couldn’t help but laugh. “Did Olivia tell you I was nervous about all this, or do I just look that scared?”
Lisa smiled warmly. “A little of both, actually. I’m sure Olivia has probably already explained that the point of Pleasure Temple is to truly enjoy oneself and indulge in whatever you desire. There are some guests who have never ventured to this floor, but they still have a great stay. However, if you decide to try out a few experiences here, you might find yourself opening up to new possibilities. I’ve had guests come back who have said their visit to the Temple Pleasures level changed their lives.” She shrugged. “What you do here is up to you, but it’s my job to at least let you know what’s available.”
She sat back and brought the tablet to life. Rather than the basic icons like the OCS system that Courtney was expecting, here the screen was filled with pictures of men and women in the midst of erotic trysts. They were by no means exclusive either and were a mix of options for different genders to partner up or for three or more participants.
Courtney tried not to blush and was suddenly glad for the low lighting.
“So, once you take the SIDI assessment, you’ll have a little
better idea of what activities you might enjoy as well as what we’ll put on the ‘not interested list.’ We can make that list public to other guests, too, so they know what you like. That way they can reach out if they have similar interests or desires. We can also keep your list of interests completely private. You can switch the settings to public or private at any time from the OCS in your room.”
Lisa handed the tablet to Courtney and continued speaking while scrolling through the list of pleasure experiences on the screen. There were also different tabs at the top for “Positions,” “Settings,” and finally, “Kink.” Lisa was currently scrolling through the options in the positions tab which ranged from the everyday missionary to the primal position with the man behind the woman to even more interesting positions where the woman was behind the man with a strap-on.
Oh my, Courtney thought but schooled her features so she wouldn’t seem like a prude.
“Each one of the options you’ll see here also show up on the OCS in your room so you can schedule a session from there. You can set up a session with our staff members as your partner, or you can put out an all call to let guests know that you’re interested in sharing that experience with another guest.”
Lisa switched to the “Settings” tab and began scrolling.
“Settings refers to the environment. We have quite a variety and even the appropriate costumes to go with them. Want to be a naughty librarian? You can pick the library setting and order an outfit in your size that matches that environment. Want to time travel and be a duchess who commands sexual liaison with her loyal and obedient subjects? We’ve got an entire throne room for that. Experiences also aren’t limited to what is listed here. If you have a particular fantasy in mind, you can just send us a private message with your OCS and tell us what you desire.
Courtney was sucked into the variety of environments on display. There was a beach, the throne room Lisa had mentioned, what looked like a jungle, the inside of a spaceship, an old western saloon and brothel, a graveyard, a locker room, a cabin with a roaring fireplace and bearskin rug…the options seemed limitless.
“Your room is also listed on here if you’d prefer that, but most of our guests prefer to keep their suite to themselves for downtime.”
“So Olivia mentioned,” Courtney said, still looking at the pictures on the screen.
“Role-playing is, of course, par for the course.”
“Of course,” Courtney murmured as Lisa selected the “Kink” tab. She wasn’t sure that was necessary. Courtney couldn’t imagine herself taking advantage of any of these things, let alone venturing into anything kinkier than the standard missionary or woman on top positions. Daniel had once complained that she wasn’t more adventurous, but he hadn’t exactly had any suggestions for what to do that would be more salacious either.
Here the screen shifted to some options with pictures and others just labeled with words. The first picture was of a man as a vampire, pretending to bite the neck of a buxom woman. The next was of a woman restrained on a bed and another of a man in the same position. Another had a masked man and woman. The next was just a picture of a whip.
“Since everyone has a different definition of what they consider ‘kinky,’ we’ve created a system with ascending levels of kink. Really, level one is pretty run of the mill stuff a lot of people do in their own bedrooms at home, but for others, level one is downright unspeakable.” Lisa shrugged. “As the saying goes, different strokes for different folks.”
Courtney watched as Lisa continued scrolling through the options on the tablet. One made Courtney’s heartbeat quicken with unexpected interest. It was of a shirtless man wearing a black leather mask and leather pants. He stood behind a blind-folded woman and pinned her hands against a stone wall with one hand while his other hand reached around to squeeze her breast. She wore a skimpy dress that was raked up to her thighs as the man took her from behind. Her expression suggested she was quite enjoying the role-play.
“You can get as kinky as you want here and can even select the level of kink you’re open to. So, if you just want to be lightly restrained, it’s a level one. If you want more role-play and more force, you can go up from there. It’s all up to you and your partner.” She paused. “Olivia helped you set up your safe word, right?”
“Yup. All set there…not that I think I’ll need it.” She smiled sheepishly at Lisa.
Lisa gave her a polite smile in return. “Perhaps. But like I said, for some, the Temple of Pleasures is all about exploring without guilt. If you decide you don’t like something, you can stop the experience at any time. You’re not here to please others—unless that’s your thing. You’re here to enjoy yourself.”
Courtney wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she just nodded. Lisa took that as a cue to move on. She hit another button on the tablet which brought up a welcome screen.
“Okay, time for part one of the SIDI test. It’s just a questionnaire, so no stress. When you’re finished with the questionnaire, just set the tablet here on the coffee table. Then, you’ll go through that door,” she pointed at a door Courtney hadn’t noticed at the back of the office, “to the changing room. There’s a robe in there that’s just for you. You can leave your bra and underwear on if you’d like, or you can be completely naked for part two. It’s up to you. But the second part will consist of a sensory test. I’ll explain it more when we get to it, but rest assured, no one will touch you without your permission. Okay?”
“Okay,” Courtney squeaked.
Lisa got up from the couch. “I’ll leave you to it then and will be back about fifteen minutes after you finish the test so that you have time to change.
Courtney nodded, and the other woman left the room.
Here we go, Courtney thought, then started the assessment. It took a good half-hour to get through and mostly consisted of questions using a numbered scale to ask how much she thought she’d enjoy something or how aroused she felt by thinking of specific situations or sensations. There was a section with pictures ranging from general sex to full on BDSM play. Courtney tried not to be squeamish or embarrassed by any of it and did her best to answer honestly.
She set the tablet on the coffee table when she was done. Her hands were suddenly sweaty, and her mouth was dry. Part one of the SIDI had been easy. Now she faced part two, and she wasn’t too sure about it. She followed Lisa’s instructions, though, and changed into the robe but decided to keep her underwear on. She left her clothes neatly folded on the same side table where she’d found the robe.
When she emerged from the changing room, Lisa was waiting for her as promised. She held out a glass of water to Courtney, who gratefully accepted it and took several sips.
“Good job completing part one. It wasn’t so bad, right?” Lisa asked. She was holding the tablet Courtney had left on the coffee table. Courtney nodded in response. “Okay, so for part two, we’ll go into another room.”
Courtney set her water on the coffee table and followed Lisa out of the office and down the hall to a room with slightly brighter lighting but not by much. The only thing in this room was what looked like a padded dentist’s chair that faced a wall-sized TV screen.
“It sort of looks like you’re about to brainwash me,” Courtney admitted, only partially joking.
“Not today. Maybe tomorrow,” the other woman said then smiled to show that she was kidding. “Go ahead and take a seat.” Courtney sat in the chair while Lisa did something on the tablet. A moment later a man and woman walked in. Both wore the same white robe that Courtney had on.
Once in the room, they took off their robes to reveal that they were stark naked underneath.
Well, that got weird quickly, Courtney thought.
“This is Franklin and Annie. They are both highly trained intimacy coaches. One of them will be administering part two of the test. It’s up to you to choose which one. My recommendation is to choose the person you’re most attracted to.” Lisa looked down at the tablet. “Your results indicat
e that though you are most attracted to men, you also have some attraction toward women, so I wanted to give you both options here.”
“Oh.” It was news to Courtney that she might be attracted to women. “Um…” She looked at the intimacy coaches. She wasn’t actually physically attracted to either of them, really, but if she had to choose, she’d be more likely to spend a night with Franklin than Annie. “Franklin.”
“Thank you for your time, Annie,” Lisa said. When the woman had gone, Lisa turned back to Courtney, who lay awkwardly in the chair. “With your permission, Franklin will touch you on different parts of your body to see what is the most arousing for you. Sometimes this can reveal unexpected things about ourselves, which is why we selected the best intimacy coaches possible. You’re literally in good hands with Franklin. I’ll just be outside.”
“Okay.” Courtney thought she did a good job of not squeaking at the idea of being left alone, mostly naked, with a completely naked stranger.
When it was just Franklin and Courtney in the room, he gave her a smile. “I get the feeling you’re not totally comfortable with this situation. Why don’t I put my robe back on while we get started?”
“That would be…helpful,” Courtney finished lamely.
He donned his robe then stepped up beside Courtney. “You can tell me to stop at any time, Courtney. This is a completely safe space. Why don’t we start with your hands?” He held out a hand for Courtney, and she placed her hand in his. “Good. Some people find it helpful to close their eyes and picture someone they’re attracted to as the one touching them. It’s what gets the most accurate sensory response.”
Courtney closed her eyes.
“Now, I’m going to move my hands on different parts of your body. Don’t worry. I’ll be above your robe the whole time for this part.” Courtney nodded. “You don’t actually need to say anything during this process since the smartwatch on your wrist will track all of your body's responses and feed them into your profile.”
“Okay.”