Blissful Awakenings

by Penny May

  After the video hit the internet, the lawsuit disappeared shortly after.

  “So, what does Kitty have to do with Bo asking me to this event?”

  “Word is that she’s going to be there…as Ace Lockhart’s date.”

  “Oh.” Did Bo just want her as arm candy to make Kitty jealous? It seemed unlikely. Courtney might feel good about herself and her body now, but she still wasn’t a super model. Bo would be better off asking one of his former girlfriends to go with him.

  She pushed these thoughts away though and instead said, “That sucks. Why does Bo even plan to attend then? Can’t he just donate and skip it?”

  Olivia sighed. “This is Bo we’re talking about here. He’s gone to this event every year. If he doesn’t go the one year that Lockhart does, it’s like giving up more territory to the man.”

  Courtney rolled her eyes. “That’s so stupid.”

  “I couldn’t agree more. But it doesn’t change Bo’s mind. He’ll still go.”

  Playing with her water glass, Courtney looked away from Olivia and decided to voice her thoughts from earlier. “Maybe he should pick someone who would, I dunno, make better arm candy?” Now she looked up. “Isn’t there some model he could take who would do a better job at making Kitty jealous? That’s the point after all, right?”

  “Yes and no. You’re looking at it from the wrong angle. Bo broke up with Kitty because she’s the one who leaked that tape. Kitty is going with Ace Lockhart to make Bo jealous. Kitty still wants to be with Bo. The day he kicked her out of the Temple?” Olivia leaned back and whistled. “Let’s just say, I’m glad I was busy elsewhere. I heard it was quite the shit show, though. Tears, screaming, broken glass—the works. The thing is, I’m not sure Kitty really ever had feelings for Bo, though. She definitely liked the status that being Bo’s girlfriend gave her. But she didn’t realize what she was losing until it was gone.”

  “I mean, she probably shouldn’t have leaked the tape then, right?”

  Olivia shrugged. “I think Kitty is one of those women who craves attention and power. And by making and leaking that tape, which I’m pretty sure was a suggestion from Ace Lockhart, she thought she’d get both. But Bo doesn’t play those kinds of games, and once she realized how her actions affected her relationship with Bo and as a result, her lifestyle, only then was she sorry. Not for what she did to Bo, but for what she’d pissed away.”

  “Damn.” It all Courtney could think to say about such an underhanded play for attention.

  Olivia began gathering her empty dishes onto her tray, and Courtney did the same before they both stood and headed for the dish return area.

  “Okay.” Courtney said as they walked, “But that still doesn't explain why Bo would want to take me to the event.”

  Olivia turned to catch Courtney’s eyes. “You really don’t pay attention to any of the tabloids, do you?”

  “No. Should I?” Courtney’s stomach suddenly clenched.

  “Courtney,” Olivia blew out a sigh of exasperation. “Pictures of you and Bo are plastered all over them like you’re trying to infiltrate the royal family or something.”

  “What?” A spike of fear hit her.

  “Bo hasn’t really dated anyone since Kitty. So, when the paparazzi saw him out with you—twice—they decided you must be his new girlfriend.”

  “Okay. That’s…that’s not so bad, right? I mean, I’m not, but still…”

  “Courtney,” Olivia sounded like she was struggling not to chide Courtney for her naivety. “They’re saying that you didn’t ‘win’ the contest, but that Bo picked you, specifically. So that he could take you here…to be his sex toy.”

  “What?! That’s bullshit, Olivia!”

  “Shhh,” Olivia gestured for Courtney to calm down, then led her into an alcove that held a small bench for a slightly more private conversation. “I know that, and you know that…but to the rest of the world?” She shrugged. “I mean, you’re not the only person who won the contest, but you don’t see Bo taking Galin Hammer to dinner or the theatre just because he’s the other contest winner, do you?”

  Courtney made a noise of protest and plopped down onto the bench. She couldn’t disagree with Olivia’s statement. And it wasn’t like the tabloids were entirely wrong. Bo was interested in her, but not as a sex toy, for heaven’s sake.

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “I thought you knew. It’s why I was concerned about you going out by yourself. I thought the paparazzi would follow you or that the public would heckle you like that guy at the food court.”

  “I didn’t know.” Courtney tried to keep the anger from her voice and failed. “I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you. I just…I thought I could have three months here, get the social media certificate, then get an entry level job somewhere to kind of start over, you know? But now,” she gestured at the window across the hall from them as if to take in the outside world, “how the hell am I supposed to have any semblance of a normal life if the tabloids keep plastering my face everywhere? How will I know that the next job I get won’t be because some guy thinks I’ll help him get his rocks off?”

  Olivia sat down on the bench next to Courtney. “I’m sorry. I really am. There’s not much we can do about the tabloids. Any kind of official statement of denial is seen as a sort of admission of guilt.” She put a hand on Courtney’s shoulder. “But we might be able to help on the job front. Remember that Bo has holdings all over the world. I’m sure one of them could use someone in their marketing department to help build up their social media presence. Or whatever you decide to do next.”

  “Don’t you think that will just confirm their theories? It would almost be worse because they’d say I got the job because I’m sleeping with Bo—which I’m not.” Courtney quickly clarified then stood. “I need to go think about this, I guess.”

  “I understand. But don’t forget to let me know if you plan to go with Bo to the charity event.” Before Courtney could argue, Olivia held up a placating hand. “I know, I know. But honestly, going with him won’t make things any worse. The tabloids have already decided what the story is on you. Avoiding Bo isn’t going to change that.”

  Courtney nodded and made an excuse to leave, but as she made her way back up to her suite, she thought that another reason for not accepting Bo’s invitation to the event was that she didn’t want him to think she was leading him on. She felt like she was only scratching the surface of learning what she liked and what she didn’t like. She wasn’t ready to be exclusive and potentially cut off this sudden self-discovery.

  Hell, she’d actually been considering branching out even from Raife and having an encounter with someone new. Now that her interests and desires were public, she’d had several other invitations that she’d turned down. Now Courtney wondered if some of those invites had been due to her being in the papers.

  Gah.

  It felt like she’d have to start questioning everything now.

  Back in her suite, she picked up Dot from where she had been sleeping in a chair and then sat down with the cat on her lap.

  After a moment of prickly annoyance at having been disturbed, Dot settled onto Courtney’s lap and began to purr. Courtney stroked her soft cheek.

  She turned on the TV and tried to forget about what Olivia had told her, but it was no good. Annoyed with herself but unable to escape the needle of curiosity poking at her brain, she stood and put Dot back on the chair and picked up the tablet before dropping cross-legged onto the couch.

  The cat sniffed in disdain before standing to stretch and stare at Courtney in reproach. Then she jumped off the chair and stalked into the bedroom so as not to be disturbed.

  “Sorry, Dot,” Courtney murmured, “I’ve gotta know.”

  She pulled up the first tabloid she could think of and caught her breath.

  At the very top of the page was a picture of her and Bo from their second dinner date. It was the moment that Bo had put his hand on her waist to steady her on their way to the car before
the show. His hand was circled in bright red ink next to the headline, “Is Bo Ryans Getting Too Handsy with the Pleasure Temple Contest Winner?”

  “Shit,” Courtney breathed.

  She scrolled down to see another picture of Bo as he caught her when she’d stumbled out of the SUV on their first date. Further down was an older picture of Bo and a different woman with large print below shouting, “Is Bo Really Over Kitty?”

  The woman was a beautiful petite blond with perfect features, perfect makeup, and the perfect figure.

  “Ugh. This is such garbage.” Courtney had to stop herself from throwing the tablet across the room.

  She’d seen ridiculous tabloids before, usually sitting at the beginning of the supermarket checkout lanes. They’d seemed laughable then. Of course, she’d never thought she’d be gracing their covers. Other people clearly read them and might believe their lies.

  “Oh no,” she moaned as she realized she knew exactly who read that kind of crap.

  She called her mother, dread sitting in her stomach as it rang through. Finally, her mom picked up.

  “I see you’ve decided you have a mother after all, huh?”

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve just been…busy.” Her eyes flicked to the tablet, and she realized she’d given her mother just the opening she needed.

  “Busy, huh? Busy getting into bed with Bo Ryans, I see.”

  “Mom!”

  “What? I’m not blind you know. I’ve seen the papers.”

  “Those stories aren’t really real, Mom. You know that.”

  “So, you and Bo aren’t dating? Because those pictures of you two together look real enough.”

  “No, Mom, it’s…agh.” Courtney dropped her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. “We’re not dating-dating. We just went out a few times. That’s all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I mean, he’d like it to be more—"

  “But you don’t?”

  “It’s complicated, Mom. I just broke up with Daniel. And, c’mon, why would Bo Ryans be interested in someone like me?”

  There was a moment of silence before her mom said, “If he’s not interested, why would he want more than a just a few dates? And what has you saying no to that?”

  “Well, for starters,” Courtney spluttered, “my face is splattered all over the tabloids! I don’t want that.” It wasn’t the real reason, but it was what she was currently pissed about. Plus, should she tell her mother that she was getting bent over by Raife almost every night and reaching the pinnacle of orgasms at his hands? And tongue…and other things.

  “Oh, give me a break, Courtney. You wanted to try something new, and you went to Vegas. Now that new thing is scaring you, so you’re backing down.”

  “N-no, that’s not it.”

  “Then what is it?”

  Courtney sighed. She didn’t want her mother to think she was sex-crazy or a nymphomaniac, but she also didn’t want to lie to her. “He wants to be exclusive. And if I’d met him at any other time in my life, I would be totally fine with that! But this is my chance to kind of find out who I am. I don’t want to just jump from one guy to another. I want to be on my own for a bit.”

  “Hmm.”

  Courtney couldn’t tell if her mother was judging her or agreeing with her, so she added, “He invited me out again to something more public. I don’t know if I should say yes. I already told him I didn’t want to be exclusive, but he invited me anyways. What do you think I should do, Mom? If I go, I’ll just create more fuel for the tabloids.”

  There was another silence, and then her mom asked, “Do you like being with him?”

  Courtney sighed again. She thought of Bo’s warm smile and how he genuinely seemed to listen to what she said. She’d enjoyed their conversations and there was definitely a spark between them. It would be fun to get to know him more…but not if it meant losing her current independence.

  “Yes,” Courtney finally said in a tone filled with self-disgust. “I do.”

  “Then if he knows you don’t want to be exclusive and he invited you out again anyways, then it’s his fault if he gets hurt. He’s a big boy. I think he can take it.” She chuckled. “Besides, I’m getting sick of seeing the same pictures of you and him over and over in the papers. Let’s give them something new to post for a change.”

  Courtney couldn’t help the choked laugh that escaped her throat. They spoke a bit longer, catching up. Her mom was all for Courtney pursuing training in social media management and thought it was a good idea to pursue a new career at the end of the three months.

  “It’ll fly by, Courtney,” her mom said just before they got off the call. “Enjoy it while you can.”

  When Courtney hung up, she blew out a breath in resolve, then picked up the tablet to message Olivia.

  Courtney: Looks like I’m going to the ball.

  Olivia’s response was almost immediate: Charity Event. I’ll godmother-up some hair and make-up artists. It’s time for a touch up on your nails, too. I’ll book you an appointment at the spa for tomorrow. I recommend the white cocktail dress or the black and white diamond one.

  Courtney looked down at her fingernails and shrugged. She hadn’t noticed that the polish on them had become quite chipped in spots. She’d never really been a nail polish kind of gal after high school. Now it seemed to be some kind of necessary evil while she was here at the Temple.

  Ah well, she knew she shouldn’t complain. She just didn’t want to get too used to all the pampering. It would only make it all the more difficult to go back to the real world when this was all over.

  Chapter 10

  Courtney spent most of the next day at the spa. She started with a mud bath, then an amazing massage, followed by a not so amazing waxing session. It helped that when she arrived for the waxing torture, the technologist handed her a mimosa as soon as she walked in and said, “For the pain.”

  That was followed by an eyebrow shaping session, then a pedicure, and finally a manicure. By that time, she was ready for a break and escaped to the staff area for a late lunch.

  She’d missed her window to have lunch with Olivia, so she sat alone, enjoying a slice of a personal cheese, basil, and mushroom pizza while she read articles on her phone about how to break into social media management. Pursuing her interest in social media felt like the right move, but she was nervous that she wouldn’t be able to get a job without a degree in marketing.

  She still had a little over seven thousand dollars left from her contest winnings even after purchasing the laptop, paying for the online academy, and buying a few clothes to restock her basic wardrobe, but she wanted to hold enough cash back to use as a down payment wherever she ended up moving. Not to mention she’d need to furnish a new apartment. There were also the taxes she’d have to pay for the contest winnings and all those dresses and accessories. It was hard to give up having that safety net in her bank account, but the reality was that though the money was there now, it was mostly already spent.

  As she pondered her best path forward, a sudden voice behind Courtney startled her, making her jump half out of her chair.

  “Courtney! There you are!” William, Olivia’s assistant, strolled up to her, all smiles.

  Courtney was unable to dredge up a return smile when she saw the person trailing behind him, looking around like he was at a theme park and was taking in the sights.

  “Look who I found in the reception area!” William said. When he saw Courtney’s clear surprise and, what she hoped wasn’t too much annoyance, he paused. “This is your boyfriend, isn’t it? He said he was.” The assistant looked between Courtney and Daniel, suddenly unsure.

  “He was my boyfriend. We’re just…friends now, William.”

  “Oh. Uh…” He trailed off, clearly not sure how to fix the situation.

  “I’ve got it from here, William,” Courtney said with the ghost of a smile. “Thanks.”

  He gave her a half-reassured smile in return, then retreat
ed like he couldn’t get away fast enough.

  “Daniel. What are you doing here?”

  He stepped forward as if to hug her, but she put out a hand to stop him. “I told him we’re friends so that he wouldn’t feel bad for letting you in here, but you and I both know that we’re not. So? What are you doing here?” She bit off the last words then dropped her unfinished pizza onto the plate.

  He backed off with a frown but took the liberty of taking a seat across from her.

  “I missed you, babe.”

  “Babe? Since when do you call me that?” She stopped, realized she was getting sidetracked, and waved away her own question. “What are you really doing here, Daniel?”

  “I told you. I missed you, Courtney. I really did. I wanted to come out here to apologize. I realize now that I shouldn’t have asked you not to come here. This place is…great,” he breathed, looking around in awe.

  But as Courtney watched him, she realized he wasn’t looking at the building, he was looking at the people. Specifically at a group of beautiful women who were eating together a few tables over. Courtney recognized one of them as a staff member from the Pleasure level. The woman, Annie, looked up and smiled at them. Courtney smiled back, then looked at Daniel.

  “Hey. Earth to Daniel.”

  His eyes snapped back to her. The moment they did, Courtney got a weird feeling. She didn’t buy for a minute that Daniel missed her. He’d already tried that spiel over the phone. It seemed totally unlike him to fly all the way out to Vegas just to repeat their conversation. Courtney narrowed her eyes as she began to wonder if Daniel was here of his own accord.

  “Sorry, I was just distracted,” he said, then quickly covered up his lapse of attention by saying, “Listen, can we go somewhere more private? I’d like to be able to talk to you without a crowd around. You’ve got a room here, right?”

  “You know I do, Daniel. And no,” she sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. “We can stay right here and chat.”

  Daniel leaned forward. “Courtney, come on. Don’t be like that. Don’t you trust me anymore? Or are you afraid that if we’re alone you’ll maybe realize how much you missed me?” His grin was an attempt to get her to smile, but she wasn’t taking the bait.