Bowing at the waist, I towel-dried my hair quickly and threw the towel over the handle on the front of the shower door to allow it to dry. I ran a comb through the length of my hair to loosen any knots that had formed. Letting my hair air dry, I walked out of the bedroom toward the kitchen. I was suddenly starving. I had, after all, given everything inside my stomach to the porcelain gods as a sacrificial offering earlier that morning.
I had learned to take it easy when I ate over the last few weeks; carefully choosing food items that didn’t taste as bad coming up. For example, I found that things like yogurt, oat meal and toast, although sometimes clumping together and sticking in my throat, causing me to wretch again, tasted the same in both directions. I opened the refrigerator and scanned the contents on the shelves. Finally deciding on toast and scrambled eggs, I removed a dozen organic eggs, a cube of real butter and a loaf of whole wheat bread from inside.
The eggs tasted heavenly. Scrambled, lightly salted, extra pepper, the way I liked them. My stomach thanked me as I took small bites of egg and toast and sipped the coffee I had brewed to go with my meal. I silently wondered if I should be cutting out the caffeine. Dismissing the thought, I continued to enjoy my solitary breakfast.
From across the apartment, I heard the familiar chime of a message coming in on my cell phone. Practically racing across the floor, I retrieved it from my night stand and touched the screen that came to life when I pressed the button to access its contents. My heart skipped a few beats. Gordon had not contacted me in nearly a week. Finally, my phone indicated he had sent me a message. I fumbled with the phone a second before pressing the screen to open the message.
* * *
Leila,
Oh, how my world suffers without you. I cannot put into words how hard it has been to be apart from you. I wanted you to know I do love you; I am just having difficulty accepting our current…circumstances. To prove my feelings for you are true, you should expect a delivery sometime this afternoon. I know it will not make up for my absence, but I hope it will put a smile on your face.
Gordon
* * *
I stared at the screen, slightly confused. He has missed me! The voice inside my mind intruded loudly into my thoughts. I read the message several times before deciding not to reply immediately. It was difficult not hearing from him, but two can play this game. Instead, I placed the phone back where I found it and returned to my meal. Polishing off the rest of the eggs and coffee, I washed my dishes and placed them in the dish drainer next to the sink. As I cleaned up from breakfast, my mind wandered and I was beside myself with emotions.
It was hard being away from Gordon. It was hard being away from Matthew. My heart was conflicted and I was in a situation I doubted even Goddess could free me from.
After I was finished, I returned to my bathroom where I carefully applied natural shades of makeup to my face. By the time I was finished, it was nearly 11:00 AM. I pulled my hair back into a loose ponytail at the top of the back of my head, pulling some strands down to frame my face. Nodding in satisfaction at the reflection that stared back at me, I turned the light off as I went back to the end table and picked up my phone again.
For a brief second, my finger hovered over Gordon’s message again before I scrolled down and found Liliana’s text from the day before. I pressed the screen and crafted a message to her letting her know I was ready early. I added that I thought we could meet at her place before going out. I pressed the send button and waited for her to reply.
Almost instantly, my phone chimed and I glanced at the screen. A short preview of the message on the screen indicated that Liliana had replied.
* * *
Dearest Goddess,
That would be wonderful! I would love to have you. When you leave, let me know and I will send you my address.
Liliana
* * *
Instead of brooding over Gordon, I had decided to move forward with my life. I could not sit around and lament his sudden distancing. IT would drive me absolutely crazy. Focusing on other things was definitely a good thing. Starting with the masquerade at the Red Velvet Room tomorrow. I needed to surround myself with people who genuinely cared for me, to fill my time with other things besides fear, anguish and the thoughts that plagued my mind every day. I welcomed the distraction.
As I headed out the door, I checked my messages again to find that Liliana had sent me her address as promised. I secured my apartment and made my way to my car. Once inside, I plugged her address into my cell phone’s GPS and hit the green “GO” button. It flashed to life, indicating which direction to go. Pulling away from the curb, I glanced over my shoulder before merging into traffic and pointing my car in the direction of the freeway.
Liliana lived in a well-to-do neighborhood in Glendale. It should have been a hop, skip and a jump from my apartment, but, as was often the case, I was subjected to 5 miles per hour traffic on the 405 North before coming to a complete stop at the merge. I sighed out loud, turned up the radio and settled in for the wait.
I was beyond grateful when I finally reached the exit my GPS told me to take. Carefully exiting the freeway, I waited at the light to make sure no cars were coming across the overpass before turning right and heading toward my destination. My phone told me to turn right, then left, then right again. I snaked my way through a residential neighborhood before coming to a stop in front of a large brownstone. Checking the address on the mailbox to make sure I was in the right place, I put my car in park and killed the motor.
As I approached the door, I marveled at the expansive home before me. Three-stories high with large openings plugged with ceiling-to-floor glass-paned windows. The eyes into her world. The thought made me smile. I followed the sidewalk that curved its way through a carefully manicured lawn, cutting through the field of green before opening up to three large steps that suddenly stopped at the front door. Along the sidewalk, bright orange and gold marigolds were planted, perfectly spaced with tufts of white low-growing flowers in between them. On either side of the stairs, large flower beds that appeared to have been recently mulched housed beautiful snapdragons, lavender and finally rose bushes that lined the front of the house on either side. Beautiful. Their fragrance filled my nose as I reached out and pressed the doorbell .
A drawn out, low bell sounded from the other side of the door. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other and waited. Finally, the door swung slowly open, a slight creaking sound as I was greeted by a short, pudgy woman. She wore a dark blue dress that barely covered her buttocks from behind. A crisp white apron tied to her waist in stark contrast to the color of her dress. She looked at me inquisitively, waiting for me to announce who I was.
“Hello, I am Leila,” I started to introduce myself, the woman simply stared at me, waiting for me to finish, “I believe your Mistress is expecting me.” She nodded curtly and stepped aside, allowing me to enter, shutting the door swiftly as soon as I had crossed the threshold. The woman said nothing as she gestured for me to follow her to the right of the foyer I now stood in.
Black, marble floors with white accents scattered across the floor seemed to draw the eye toward the walls where magnificent paintings graced the surface. Gold frames surrounded thick oil strokes of an artist’s brush. Swirling colors melting together to form abstract human forms. If you stared at them long enough, the figures appeared to be in positions of submission. Appropriate .
We entered a parlor on the other side, the walls painted a dark burgundy. Sconces held platforms on their scrolled arms. Candles centered on each one. The flickering light caught the gold crown molding that circled the room at the top of the wall. On the far wall, a large fire place was carved of dark oak, figures of naked women carved into the wood on either side. Their arms were tethered over their heads where their hands came together to support the beam that formed the mantle. They reminded me of the console tables at the Red Velvet Room. I distantly wondered if Mistress Liliana was responsible for their presence there.
Facing each other on either side of the fireplace, two white leather sofas gleamed in the candle light. A stark contrast to the overall darkness of the room. As my eyes traveled from one couch to the next, I started a bit. A figure was kneeling down in front of one of the couches. I recognized him immediately.
John was frozen on all fours, arms locked, muscles shaking slightly from his effort. On his shoulder blades rested a large, marble ash-tray. A few cigarette butts were crushed into its surface. The top of his hips held a vase with a single red rose in an inch of water. I watched fascinated as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his head, suspended itself from his chin before leaping to its demise on the carpet below. It was obvious he was being punished for some untold offense. A large red ball-gag was forced between his teeth and tightened behind his head. He struggled to look at me out of the corner of his eye, turning his head slightly as he tried not to be noticed moving.
“Dearest, Goddess!” A gleeful voice found its way to my ears from behind me. As I had walked around the parlor, taking in its various wonders, Mistress Liliana had found her way downstairs and was standing in the center of the entryway when I turned my head to return her smile. She rushed toward me, stopping just in front of me, clapping her hands together quickly. That time, she couldn’t help it. She gave in to the urge to jump up and down as she did so.
“It’s nice to see you, Mistress Liliana,” I greeted her with a short hug. Before I could release her, she turned her head and grazed my ear with her lips. Her breath touched my skin, goosebumps erupted. Planting a slow, lingering kiss on my cheek, she finally released her grip and pushed me away slowly. My eyes met hers, electric excitement shooting toward my groin before settling again. She smiled and moved away from me toward the human table. With a slight gesture of her hand, she indicated to follow her.
We crossed the room. I watched fascinated as she seemed to glide across the marble, her long, black robe ended at the floor and flowed around her ankles. Her hips swayed back and forth, the black corset I could see beneath the nearly sheer fabric of the robe hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her tiny waist and ample hips. I found myself picturing her lips on my ear again, only this time, she let the tip of her tongue wander out of the opening between them and licked me lightly. A tingle erupted again. I dismissed the thought quickly and stopped just short of the “table.”
Mistress Liliana retrieved a box from the table on the far side of the couch on my left. A medium-sized box of gold leafing wrapped in deep red velvet ribbon. The bow that sat on top almost consumed the box itself. Along the edge of the ribbon, gold lined length and swirled around as the bow looped over and over itself. It was a masterpiece itself.
She held it out to me, both hands clasped on either side of the box. Once again, she was bouncing up and down in anticipation of me accepting her gift. I smiled at her and bowed my head slightly as I took the box from her hands. Begrudgingly I took the beautiful bow off, the ribbon trailed to the floor. A splash of crimson against the dark area rug that covered the floor beneath John’s hands and knees. Carefully I pried the clear tape from the corners that held the gold paper in place revealing a black box beneath.
I held my breath slightly as I opened the box. My eyes met dark red tissue paper that matched the ribbon that now lay carelessly discarded on the floor. Digging through the paper, my fingers carefully peeling back the layers, I discovered a mask lay at the bottom of the box. Its surface was covered with black velvet. Swirling corded trim surrounded the entire mask. Black feathers jutted out of the side at intervals. Black sequins surrounded the eyes bringing attention to the rhinestones that made a final pass over the top of each eye on top of the sequined eye-hole. Lining the bottom was a row of dangling, black beading finished by a black tear-shaped stone in half-inch intervals. It was absolutely breath-taking. I looked up at Liliana, a smile stretching across my lips. She returned my smile before returning her attention to the mask.
Lifting the mask to my face, I fastened the ties behind my head. A small gesture to show my appreciation for the gift. I lowered my gaze toward her and she smiled wickedly at me from the other side of the barrier. The mask curved around my face and surrounded me in comfort again. I felt the energy of Goddess well up from within, warming me to the tips of my fingers. An energy that manifested in a tingle at the very end of my limbs surged through me as I regarded her from behind my veil.
My heart pounded in my chest as I looked at Liliana through the eye-holes of the mask she had gifted me. It was a perfect fit and I was grateful for her forethought. She returned my gaze with her usual jovial stare, once again clapping her hands together in delight and bouncing up and down. I could not help but notice how her breasts almost leaped out of her corset each time she jolted upward. For some reason, this time, instead of being annoyed as I normally would have been, her movement drew my attention to her chest and the heat I had felt earlier returned immediately.
Suddenly, Liliana leaned forward and brushed her full lips against mine. I tasted her sweetness. It lingered as she closed her lips around mine. A soft flick of her tongue against my lips, trying to part them gently. I allowed them to part, inviting her inside my mouth. Her tender strokes filled me with mixed emotions as our tongues wrestled together, a tender dance of passion and heat. I felt her hand run up my side and find my breast. She circled my nipple with her thumb and fore-finger in a gentle and rhythmic motion. I moaned into her mouth.
My eyes rolled into my head as she used her hand to massage my sensitive nipples. Her mouth was all over me. My neck, my lips, my collar bone. A dark seeded desire welling up between my legs with each stroke of her tongue. I could hear my heart beating in my ears when suddenly a sound of someone clearing their throat loudly broke through our moment of passion.
I looked toward the entry and blinked several times to clear my vision and my head simultaneously. A tall gentleman was standing across the room in the doorway. He looked at us with shielded eyes, obviously embarrassed by what he had walked into. I could feel the blood rushing to several places of my body at once. My nipples still erect and throbbing, begging to be touched but were being denied by the sudden interruption.
Liliana rolled her eyes slightly at him. A loud sigh escaping her lips as she peeled herself away from me, seemingly to her dismay. She barely regarded him, her eyes fixed upon me. Her tongue trailing across her teeth, apparent desire on her features.
“Mimosa,” she barked the order over her shoulder, her eyes burning into mine. “Goddess?” Gin and Tonic?” her eyes locked onto mine as she waited for my reply. Still breathless and reeling, I struggled to shake my head gently in contest.
“I will take a water with a slice of lemon, please,” I added that last part mostly for good measure. Those kinds of formalities were not necessary for me in my alternate universe. I gave orders, not took them. Out of the corner of my eye, I observed Liliana regard me with the tilt of her head and a raised eyebrow. Just one eyebrow, which made her look delicious. My loins suddenly responding in a throbbing sensation between my legs.
“A little early for me,” I lied. I knew damn well why I was avoiding alcohol. Plus, I was getting hungry again, I suddenly felt the desire to consume a million grams in carbohydrates at once. I imagined another me inside myself, tiny, pulling on a cord and demanding sustenance. My stomach rumbled in response. In my mind, I envisioned myself pushing the thought into a dark corner for later .
The man nodded curtly and disappeared quickly from sight. Was he embarrassed by what he had interrupted or was his face reflecting slight annoyance with the level of questionable circumstances he had witnessed? His fast pace in removing himself from the immediate vicinity spoke volumes to that effect. I watched as his coat tails literally disappeared out of sight.
Liliana fixed her stare on me again. Hunger lingered in her gaze and I felt myself melting, helpless to the sudden power she seemed to hold over me. My stomach lurched with the numerous emotions I was processing at once, my mi
nd a whirlwind of sudden turmoil. I wondered inside my head if I could take the surge. When she patted me on the thigh instead of diving head first, I almost sighed out loud. Relieved that she had chosen to back off, but yet, somehow disappointed at the same time.
The air between us was electrified. A surge of energies slamming together, intermingling and then suddenly torn apart in front of our helpless figures. I imagined Liliana’s tongue running along my neck, along my collar bone, and even down toward my breasts before the image dissolved in front of my mind’s eye. The image pixelated in front of me before disappearing from my mind and I shook my head to clear the urges from my awareness. A knot of disappointment settling in my stomach before reluctantly retreating into the recesses of my psyche.
Shoes tapping on marble excised me from the trap my mind was setting for me. The man had returned with our drinks. I grabbed my glass, beads of moisture had formed on the outside of the glass by the time he returned with his tray. He turned her direction, allowing her to retrieve her beverage when she looked at me again, her lips closing over the straw seductively, her tongue flicking the tip before her mouth closed over the opening and she sucked the contents of the glass through the opening and into her mouth.
Her mouth. It had been sweet, her tongue softly nudging its way in, breaking through my barriers and filling me with unfamiliar desire. My mind began to sway again as I gently shook my head to clear the image. Mistress Liliana regarded him with disdain. Disrupting her chance to implant me with the desire for her too. If only she knew, my curiosity would always be on what would have happened if he would not have interrupted her .
We passed a few hours by engaging in idle chit-chat. Distracting. Disappointing. I could have very well had her on her knees as well, I was sure of it, and part of me was fearful that I was slowly eroding away the chance at it. I somehow knew better than to tread that path, however. It would not have a very happy ending.
Leila: Goddess The Second Coming Page 7