by Lacuna Reid
“There are smaller dwellings in the forest,” Theo continues, “where people come for retreat. A few people live on the grounds. It is a kind of community here.”
I practically want to lick him. What has gotten into me?
Instead, I look out at the forest on one side and the rest of the sprawling cement silos on the other side. The view is breath-taking. I didn’t think it was possible to love this place even more, but it just keeps getting better.
“Why is it so… lush… here?” I ask. “The land all around is much drier.”
“Certainly,” Theo nods, and smiles at me. “You are quite observant, Mira. Yes, when we designed the grounds here, we molded the earth around into a kind of horse-shoe shaped hill, creating a microclimate. The rest is just growing the right plants – those that give back to the land – and looking after the water, so that it cycles very well on the property. You should meet Helio, our main engineer. He can tell you all about it.” Theo gives me a long mysterious look. “I think you’ll like him.”
The inflection in his voice makes me squirm. Does he think Helio will be more my type? This guy doesn’t even know me and he’s making a pretty forward suggestion… Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. Part of me is disappointed that he could be suggesting I’m more suited to Helio than him… but I don’t know why I’m getting all tangled up on this guy who’s probably already married anyway.
“You looked away from me, Mira,” Theo says. “I apologize if I said something unusual. We share a very old and special bond; Gino, Helio, Elias, and I. Sometimes it’s hard for new people we meet to understand.”
“Oh…” I don’t know what to say. “Who’s Elias?”
“Well technically, he’s your new boss.”
“I thought you were my boss…”
Theo looks at me and this time I don’t look away. Something seems to pass between us that is indescribable, fueled by words we don’t dare speak.
“I was joking. We don’t really have bosses here, but Elias runs the kitchens.”
“He’s your head chef?”
Theo laughs, and the sound is deep and musical. “Not exactly. He’s actually a chemist by training and he tinkers with other projects but he loves to cook. You’ll find we are not much into hierarchy here. There’s no head chef.”
“But Gino said you needed a sous chef… isn’t that why I’m here?”
“Of course!” Theo says, sweeping me down the hallway, as if he’s trying to avoid saying too much more. “Your skills are exactly what we need…” Theo continues as he leads me down another flight of cascading stairs.
Gino knows nothing about my skills… I don’t tell Theo this in case he works out that this has all been a terrible mistake.
“Gino didn’t explain to you that we do things differently around here. That’s no problem. You will discover soon enough.”
I catch a glimpse of a large indoor swimming pool, set into the stone floor of the floor below the mezzanine as if it belonged there. It makes me wonder what the factory was like before Theo got his hands on it and made it so gorgeous. I wish I could go for a swim but I doubt staff will be allowed to use the pool. It’s probably just for rich guests.
We continue on, down a wide spiraling stone staircase, and then walk out the back of the lobby through some big majestic looking rooms with high ceilings.
“And here is the kitchen,” Theo says, throwing open double doors and revealing the most exquisitely designed set-up I’ve ever seen.
Instead of the usual imposing stainless steel and white, there are stone benches and brass fittings. It looks like someone has taken the kind of elegant home kitchen design that you’d find in a fancy interiors magazine and applied it on a much larger scale. All the appliances and hanging saucepans are gleaming copper. The whole thing makes me swoon so much that I barely notice that we’re not alone.
“Elias, this is Mira, your new chef.”
I blush. “I’m really just a sous chef,” I say, looking up into Elias’ clear blue eyes, offset against his tanned skin. Another gorgeous man.
Elias takes my hand and kisses me on both cheeks, which I’m starting to get used to already. “We don’t have a hierarchy here, Mira.” He says gently. “If you’re a chef, then you’re a chef.”
I smile. Compared to every other kitchen I’ve worked in, this place is totally upside down. I vaguely remember scrolling past Elias on the website, but there is something else about him that’s familiar.
“Have we met before?”
Elias smiles, and it’s like the world lights up. It’s almost like I just gave him a winning lottery ticket or something… he doesn’t respond to my question, and I get another strange feeling that they’re not telling me the whole truth, but it seems like the wrong time to bring this up.
Chapter Fourteen
Elias
I’m lost in the scent of rosemary and lemon, which takes me back to the kitchens of my childhood, when this woman walks into my kitchen, and it’s like the lights all switch on at once.
I’d never realized how dark my life had been until this moment. She’s the one Gino has told us about. She’s the one.
Her hair is dark like mine, almost black, and her eyes are green like emeralds, like the forest to my sky, the land to my ocean. Theo introduces us.
Mira. What a beautiful name…
As I kiss her smooth cheeks, I catch a whiff of her scent; it’s black pepper and rose geranium, reminding me of the roses that grew outside my grandmother’s house. I picture them now, deep red against the whitewashed walls and blue shutters.
There’s something about Mira that draws me to her, that makes me ache for everything I’ve lost, that makes me want to hold her and never let her go. I want to pull her close and inhale deeply, to lean my face against her neck and envelop her. The feeling is so intense that I can barely stand here, barely hold myself back from this enchantress. How can this be?
My mind drifts back to my dreams of the ancient world – the dreams so real they feel more vivid than my ordinary waking life
The warmth of Alfio next to me is spreading heat through my body. I’m barely keeping myself stable. I want to float away into the sky but I’m also terrified. Perhaps it’s the Mysteries Potion working the magic of the Gods on me, or perhaps it’s the touch of that woman, the priestess, who sends me to places inside myself that I’ve never known before. I have caught glimpses of her, around the temple, but we’ve only spoken once before when I helped with her wounded hand. She probably doesn’t think of me at all, yet somehow, she calls to my spirit and to my body in ways I’ve never known.
In my medical training, we focused on the subtle layers of the body, on the fluids that make up a human being, and yet there’s nothing that can explain this pull. It’s so much greater than a physical ache and so much deeper than a regular longing, and so thoroughly intense that in her thrall I can think of nothing else.
I slide my fingers over Alfio’s, remembering our old connection as the feelings for him flare back to life. He has eyes only for her – the priestess. So, it’s not just me.
The music around us becomes louder. Drumming starts up, and I know no one else will hear us. I turn my head and whisper to Alfio.
“Who is she?”
He looks at me with his wild blue eyes, knowing exactly what I mean.
“Her name is Mya,” he says. “She is our new priestess, and I see she has the same effect on you that she has on me, and we are not the only ones.”
“Others, too?” my heart sinks. I know priestesses are off limits, but at the same time there seemed to be something special passing between us in the short moments of connection we just shared.
“As far as I know, it is just you and I, and Amedes.”
“Amedes too… Wait, what sorcery of the Gods is this?” I ask. “She has power over us, and not the others? Alfio, you know how clearly I recall your insistence that there is a divine connection between us… Amedes and Teris too.”
I glance in the direction of my old friend, Teris, now the master blacksmith. His eyes are also fixed across the room on Mya.
“I told you.” Alfio smiles next to me, draping his fingers up the outside of my thigh. “There has always been something between us – a connection deeper than time itself, deeper than friends or lovers. And now that she has come along, I see that she is somehow part of it too, part of us.”
I sigh, feeling a tingling in my temple that is certainly from the potion.
“I feel it working on me,” I tell Alfio.
He nods and smiles at me. “Tonight, we surrender to the will of the gods,” he says. “And who knows where that will take us.”
The music quiets. Amedes stands on the raised platform behind the altar to speak to us.
“Welcome, initiates, to the Mysteries of Dionysus, of Demeter, and of Artemis. These gods honor us with their presence here, with their sacred mysteries, and with many blessings in our lives. We honor them tonight with our bodies and souls. You will feel the sacred potion working through your body as the gods claim you. You will freely act out their will and delight in the feasting, the dancing, and the performances of the evening. Now close your eyes, and allow the potion and the gods to work through you.”
I close my eyes, feeling myself slip away from this reality entirely. Only Alfio’s hand, hot against my thigh, is real.
I can feel something stirring through me, some wild god… one I don’t recognize. I’m not one to get in the way of the gods, but as it takes me over, I have one wish: bring me closer to Mya.
I’m jolted back to the present by Theo clearing his throat. I look at the woman in front of me now and know she is one and the same as my love, my Mya.
She is everything.
I push the thoughts away. I’ve just met her, and yet I know there is something special here – between us. I glance towards Theo. I know he can feel it too… they all can.
Gino found her but he’s not back yet. The thought of Gino dredges up the past pain between the two of us, and underneath it, I can feel my own despair and the grief I’ve been burying. The flood-gates are bursting. I try to submerge the feelings again and focus on the goddess in front of me.
She’s petite and curvy, and absolutely magical.
When she speaks, her voice is like the feeling of a fresh cool mountain spring water when I’ve been parched from the desert of my life.
Stop being so gushy, I tell myself. Pull yourself together.
I follow Mira’s gaze and she looks around the kitchen, taking everything in. I can tell she loves it as much as I do. Theo is standing close to her, perhaps a little too close, possessive.
Alarm bells are ringing in my head, even though Theo is smiling and being polite and kind. I know he has a dark side. His jealousy has failed us all before. It has been deadly. I catch his eye and give him a meaningful look.
Not this time… not again… this time we get things right between us.
Chapter Fifteen
Mira
“The kitchen is closed at the moment as you can see.” Elias says, gesturing around. “There are three helpers who do the prep, and we only run the kitchen for big meals and functions. The rest of the time, we eat in our own living quarters. There’s a form you can fill out if you run out of anything or want to order anything in, and it will be delivered to your room…”
“Calista also lives here,” Theo interrupts. “She’s our regular live-in cook, and you can ask her to make you food if you need… anything.”
I look at Theo in confusion. “Uhh… I thought it was my job to cook?”
“Of course, for big functions… for our important dinners…” Elias says. “And you can design the meals with me too. I’d love to have your input,” he leans in towards me and smiles again. He’s so innocent, charming, and clearly very, very attractive. Mira, get a grip! I tell myself.
It’s so strange. It’s almost as if they just want me to live here in luxury most of the time and do a bit of cooking on the side.
“We can explain more later,” Theo says, putting his hand on my upper arm, sending a jolt of desire through me. He begins gently guiding me away from Elias.
“Sure, how about you meet me back here at four, Mira?” Elias calls as we walk away. “We can do a practice dinner to get you used to using the kitchen.”
“Sounds good!” I call back as Theo whisks me out of the room and back up another staircase.
“I can see how everyone keeps fit around here,” I puff. “With so many stairs.”
“I have to apologize, Mira,” Theo says. His arm is still linked with mine, sending heat radiating down to my thighs, but his words fill me with dread.
He’s figured out this is all some terrible mix up and I’m not the person they thought I was… They must have got me confused with some celebrity chef or something… someone like them… They’ll be sending me back any moment… back to my old life where I can’t afford to pay rent on my shitty apartment… I don’t even have an apartment anymore… Maybe I can sleep on Lana’s couch… I should just quit now and save Theo the trouble.
It’s too much of a rollercoaster. I try to hold back the tears but I can’t seem to stop them.
“Hey,” Theo says, looking at me with his deep brown eyes. “Hey Mira… It’s okay.” He pulls me into a big hug. I feel so safe and secure in his arms and I want to stay here forever. It’s too bad this can’t possibly last. “What’s troubling you?”
“Go on,” I say. “You were apologizing. This has all been a mistake… I’m not anyone special. I’m just a sous chef with a messy life, who lost her job. I don’t deserve any of this…”
“I’m sorry Mira,” Theo says. “That’s not at all what I meant for you to think.”
“It’s not?”
“Come into my office.”
Theo pulls me into a large, sunny room. On one side are easels covered with architectural drawings, on the other side, there are wall-to-wall bookshelves. A large wooden desk sits in the center with more of those gorgeous curved windows behind it. Of course, his office is bigger and nicer than anywhere I’ve lived in the past five years, maybe ever.
“We forget that we live… differently here.” Theo says, walking towards the window.
I take the liberty of walking around the room as he looks out across the grounds. I run my hand over the back of the big green velvet sofa and my eyes over the bookshelves. Still no novels…. But I do notice a lot of books about souls; Journey of Souls, Old Souls, The Soul’s Destiny…
So, it’s Theo with the metaphysical obsessions.
“I’m so sorry to overwhelm you,” Theo says, “when you’ve only just arrived. It must take a great leap of faith to jump on a plane and travel to the other side of the world by yourself for a job you know very little about.”
There is something about Theo that is so solid, so reassuring. I just wish he wasn’t so distractingly sexy.
I sigh and pick up a book, trying to calm my breathing as Theo steps closer.
“It’s a good book,” Theo says, glancing down at the copy of Old Souls in my hand.
“What is it about?” I ask, trying to keep the tremor I feel out of my voice.
“It’s a comprehensive study in reincarnation.”
I laugh.
“What?” Theo asks, his mouth lifting in a half smile.
“I don’t believe in all that stuff,” I say. “I mean, isn’t it just a fantasy to keep people from the uncomfortable reality of death?”
Theo’s expression changes, darkens. There’s sadness in his eyes. “Perhaps,” he says. “Take the book. Read it. You might find it quite… convincing.” Theo takes a step towards me and I almost swoon into his arms. Instead, I place the book back on the shelf and steady myself against the sofa.
“Maybe another time,” I say, not wanting to offend Theo, but not really needing any metaphysical baloney in my life right now. “I’ve got plenty to think about already.”
“Again, Mira, I
apologize for overwhelming you.”
“It’s a lot to take in,” I say. “And I’m probably jet-lagged. I just don’t… I don’t know why you chose me… seriously.” I figure now is the time to clear things up. I can’t stand the uncertainty anymore. “I met Gino in a bar. I had one conversation with him over a terrible martini and an average margarita. He knows nothing about me except that I was a sous chef… nothing. He never even saw my resume.”
“It might seem hard to understand… hard to believe…” Theo says, taking a step closer to me. “Gino has an instinct for people.”
“An instinct?”
“Yes, he has many talents, and it’s why his company has done so well. Gino can tell a lot about a person just by looking at them and sharing a few words with them. He saw something in you. He could tell from that one conversation that you were exactly the person we’ve been looking for.”
Shivers run up my spine and I take an involuntary step towards Theo.
“And I can tell he’s right,” Theo says, closing the gap between us. He grabs hold of my forearms with his large, work-worn hands, and looks into my eyes. I can’t tell if this is a normal kind of contact for these emotionally intelligent Mediterranean men or if this is as intimate as the spark of desire running right to my clit is suggesting. My body is responding to him in ways that my racing mind can’t seem to resist. I lean forward just an inch.
Theo’s breathing deepens and then catches in his throat. Something is happening between us that I can’t quite understand. It feels as if something is flowing out from both of us and mingling together in the air that hangs between us.
“Theo, I…”
He looks into my eyes and there’s something deep… something painful… regret… guilt… desire. His lips collide with mine with burning intensity. His tongue claims my own and he pushes himself closer to me, reaching one arm around my waist to my lower back. The other grips at the base of my neck.