Pulled to the Dark (The Siriena Series)

by Julia P. Lynde

  I slipped out of my suit and hung it up, then wrapped a bathrobe around me. I went back to the kitchen and made a light dinner. Over dinner I watched the news, which I had learned years ago to record. TiVo to the rescue. Then I curled up in bed with a book and two contented cats. I was asleep by nine.

  Shopping

  I was flat on my back, naked, and I couldn't move. I heard a woman's voice, humming and speaking unfamiliar words. After a few moments, she came into focus. She was kneeling over me. When my eyes met hers, she smiled.

  They were Petra's green eyes. That was Petra's smile. And Petra's voice.

  I tried to ask her what was happening, but she raised a single finger to her lips. "Shhh," she said.

  She continued to hum and speak the words I couldn't remember. She reached out and caressed my cheek, sending electric tingles through my skin. I didn't want her to stop touching me.

  I never thought about women that way.

  She leaned over me, and her hair caressed my face. Her lips were inches from mine, and I knew she was going to kiss me. And-

  -I woke up.

  Both cats were on top of me. Chelesa was resting over my pelvis, purring. Dervish's nose was inches from mine. He reached out with a paw and pushed against my cheek.

  "Yeah, yeah," I said. "Time to wake up."

  * * *

  I arrived at work early. The receptionist hadn't arrived yet, but I used my card key. I dropped my purse off at my own desk and walked to Petra's. She was in. She looked up and waved me in.

  "You're early," she said, smiling.

  "You're earlier," I said. She grinned at me.

  "I might have a problem," I told her.

  "Already?" She didn't look too upset.

  "You told me I might go on business travel on short notice, suggesting I wouldn't even be able to go home first."

  "Right, although not for several months. Kelly will take care of Andrea for now."

  "So I have time to solve this, then. All right."

  I started to leave.

  "Will you share with me your problem? Sit."

  I took a chair obediently.

  "It's just the cats," I said. "When I travel, I board them. I don't really have anyone locally I can ask to stop by and check on them. But if I leave from the office, I don't know yet what to do. Don't worry, I'll find a solution."

  She smiled. "You won't have to. My apologies. I should have discussed this with you yesterday. We have a service we use. They're very good. They handle the homes of everyone in the company who travels. I have no pets, but they come in for my plants. It's the same people we use for cleaning services. Before you start traveling, Karen will get a key from you and get you all set up."

  "That sounds expensive," I said.

  She smiled. "Company perquisite. If you want to use them to clean your apartment, you pay for that. But pet-sitting service is a business expense. If your new work hours are too long, they can even stop by and feed your cats in the afternoon for you. Some of our employees have dogs, and they'll walk the dogs twice a day. All on the company dime."

  I thanked her for her time.

  "Not at all. That's why I'm here. I'll see you at lunch."

  I turned to the door, then turned around.

  "Petra?"

  "Yes, Felicia."

  "I thought I was going to hate the dojo. I didn't." I blushed. "I liked it. Thank you."

  She smiled. "I knew you would."

  * * *

  It was seven by the time I got home. The cats were not happy. They were waiting by the door, and the yowling started before the key was fully inserted into the lock.

  "I'm coming," I told them through the door. "I'm coming." I let myself in, dropped my bag off, and followed the annoyed cats into the kitchen.

  I turned on the oven to preheat then went into my bedroom and changed into a bathrobe. I made dinner and watched it in front of the news. I watched one of my TiVo'd shows then climbed into bed with a book, but I never opened it.

  * * *

  I was naked and couldn't move. The woman I had started to think of as Dream Petra was kneeling over me, humming her words. She smiled as she looked into my eyes.

  I tried to say her name, but she caressed her hand across my lips, silencing me. I couldn't have spoken anyway, but once her hand touched my lips, I no longer wanted to.

  I knew I was dreaming. I always wake the moment I realize I'm dreaming, but this time I didn't.

  Dream Petra reached down and took my hand. I felt both her hands on mine. She squeezed my hand, then pulled it up and cradled it to her chest, one hand stroking my arm.

  She was so amazingly beautiful, and I was completely lost in her eyes.

  She set my hand down, leaned over, and I knew she was going to kiss me. Just as her lips touched mine-

  I woke up.

  "Damnit, Chelsea," I said when she poked my face again. "I don't know if you're causing those dreams or ruining them."

  * * *

  In the dojo, Petra caught me daydreaming. "Penny for your thoughts," she said.

  "Oh, I'm sorry," I said. "I was just thinking about a weird dream this morning."

  "A good dream or a bad dream?" she asked.

  "A good dream." I blushed. "Someone tried to kiss me."

  She smiled. "Was it a good kiss?"

  I sighed. "I think it would have been, but my cat woke me up."

  Her smile broadened for a moment, then her expression grew serious. "Perhaps he'll kiss you again tonight. For now, let us focus on your form. That is entirely the wrong way to hold that sword."

  * * *

  Wednesday was an early night. I was home before six. I fed the cats and vowed to look into an automatic feeder for them. Both cats would eat all the food I could give them and then get sick and fat. I had to manage what they ate, or else I could just leave a big bowl of food for them.

  I watched the news over dinner then curled up with a book and read for two hours before going to sleep.

  * * *

  Dream Petra was kneeling over me, caressing me and humming. Her hands felt amazing. As soon as she saw my eyes watching hers, her smile grew. I loved her smile. I liked what her hands were doing, too.

  She continued humming, smiling, our gazes locked together.

  I wanted her to kiss me.

  I didn't want to wake up.

  Why wasn't she kissing me?

  Then she leaned closer and paused, our lips almost touching, our eyes as close to each other as they could be and still focus. Then I closed my eyes and our lips met. There was almost an electric explosion inside me.

  I startled myself awake.

  I sighed. "Dervish," I said. "You're heavy."

  I could still feel her lips on mine for a moment before the sensation faded.

  * * *

  Petra was not in the dojo over lunch. "You're working with me today," Karen said. "Petra is on a last minute trip. She'll be back late tomorrow." Karen showed me the yoga positions she wanted me to try, and we did them together.

  "Isn't this simple for you?" I asked her.

  "Yes," she said. "But it feels good to return to basics, too. I can work on perfect technique, and I shouldn't have a job as Petra's assistant if I don't enjoy teaching people now and again."

  * * *

  That night, Dream Petra didn't visit me. I woke Friday morning crabby and disappointed. I skipped my shower but packed a bag and went to the office early wearing grubby clothes. I went straight to the dojo, discovering I wasn't the only one who started her day that way. I changed into my workout clothes and practiced the yoga poses Karen had taught me on Thursday.

  I only stayed for about twenty minutes, but I felt better when I was done. I showered, dressed, and was at my desk shortly after seven.

  Kelly wasn't in yet, but Andrea was in her office. I waved to her before settling in. She immediately called me into her office.

  "Today is Kelly's last day to train you in," she said. "After that, she's moving onto other
duties, and it may be very difficult for you to ask her questions. If there is something you don't fully understand, make sure you ask her today."

  I nodded.

  "Do you like your job?"

  "Yes, Andrea," I said. "You're a lot better to work for than my old boss."

  "The asshole?" she asked, grinning. I blushed. She reached over the desk and patted my hand. "I went out with him. Once. He can be so charming, but I watched the way he treated the waitress. He didn't get so much as a handshake goodnight, and I took a cab home rather than let him drive me. He's an ass."

  I didn't have anything to say about that.

  "I have a list of tasks for you today," she said, sliding a piece of paper across her desk to me. "Some of them are personal errands. Your job is to make sure both that my professional life runs smoothly, but also that my personal commitments don't get in the way of my professional duties." She smiled.

  I scanned the list. "Birthday cards?"

  "Kelly will show you how to access the list. Typically she buys cards for me three months ahead. I write a personal note for each and sign them, but she addresses them and gets them in the mail. Some are personal, some are professional. They all get handled the same way."

  I nodded.

  "I'll be your trainer today in the dojo," she said. "Make sure that list doesn't get in the way. The dojo is never optional."

  I nodded, then went to my desk and began on the list.

  At lunch, Karen stepped over to me. "I heard you used the dojo this morning," she said.

  "Is that wrong?"

  "No," she said. "I missed you by about five minutes. I'm glad to see you settling in."

  * * *

  "Yes, yes," I told the cats. "I'm coming."

  I fed them then collapsed on the sofa for a moment. "Ah, Friday, blessed Friday!"

  I sat there for a few minutes then got up, changed into casual clothes, and made dinner. I skipped the news but watched a documentary about Mesopotamia I'd been saving for months.

  Before bed, I practiced some of the yoga stretching exercises. I felt really good when I was done and promised myself I'd thank Karen next week for teaching them to me.

  * * *

  I was naked, and Dream Petra was touching my face, leaning over me, and smiling me.

  "I missed you last night," she told me, then went back to humming.

  I tried to tell her, "I missed you, too," but I couldn't talk. She caressed my cheek gently.

  She lowered her head, and her hair caressed my stomach then my breast, then my cheek. She lowered her lips to mine, then her tongue caressed my lips until I parted them. Her tongue slipped between my lips and invaded my mouth.

  She tasted divine.

  I knew it was just a dream, but she tasted divine.

  My entire body felt alive from the kiss, and I didn't want it to stop, but she pulled away and looked down into my eyes.

  "Mine," she said.

  I woke up.

  * * *

  I started Saturday with more yoga exercises. I showered, dressed, then began chores and errands. I stripped my bed and threw the bedding into the washer. One of the few treats of the apartment was having my own washer and dryer. I ran the vacuum, dusted, cleaned the kitchen and bathroom, then shoved the bedding into the dryer and began a load of delicates.

  Once those were in the wash, it was time to head to the pet store. Yes, they had automatic feeders. The store was busy; pet adoption days were always busy. But I found a clerk and convinced her to teach me the differences between the automatic feeders. I bought two of the simplest they had; fill a bowl and set it inside. When the timer went off, a door opened and it pushed the bowl out where the cat could eat the food. It was actually pretty cute.

  I got home and set up the feeders. I wanted to watch them for two nights to make sure they worked the way I wanted and to see if the cats would figure it out.

  That evening, I saw that the feeders did work properly. It took the cats a while to realize they had food waiting for them. I saw Dervish disappear into the kitchen, but Chelsea was sitting in the window watching the birds fly by. Dervish would eat Chelsea's food if she were not there to guard it, so I carried her to the kitchen. Dervish was still working on one bowl, so I slid Chelsea's back inside the machine and pushed the test button.

  The machine made a little noise, then pushed the food out. Chelsea ran over to it and began eating.

  After having my own dinner I called my friend, Beth. We talked for hours. Beth and I first met in eighth grade English. We'd both rolled our eyes at something Wendy Haskins, one of the class prima donnas, had said, and we'd been best friends every since.

  "You sound happy," she said.

  "I am," I said. "I love my new job. I'm working like crazy, and they have some of the strangest company policies, but it feels like I'm finally in the right place."

  "Good," she said. "But that's not all, is it?"

  "No," I said, laughing. "But it's silly. It's just this dream I've had all week. But it's just a dream."

  "Uh huh," she said. Beth believed in dreams and wouldn't let me change the topic until I told her about it.

  "Someone has a crush on the boss!" she said when I was done.

  "She's not the boss," I said.

  "I didn't know you swung that way."

  "I don't," I said. "I like my men. I like 'em big and dumb."

  She laughed. "Yeah, right." Then she told me about her newest man. He was big and dumb, but he was sweet and treated her well.

  We talked for hours. I loved Beth.

  * * *

  Dream Petra was waiting for me that night. "A crush, am I?" she asked me between touches.

  I couldn't move and couldn't answer her. She smiled and kissed me, waking all my nerve endings. I wanted the kiss to go on forever, but as do all kisses, this one ended.

  With a cat breathing in my face.

  "Do you really have to do that, Dervish?" I asked him. "Seriously? It's Sunday. You couldn't sleep in?"

  I climbed out of bed, feeling really good. I caught a whiff of Petra's perfume, but then it was gone.

  The cats led the way to the kitchen. I filled their bowls, then put each bowl inside one of the automatic feeders and set them back on the floor. I pushed the test button. The machine whirred, and both cats were immediately sitting in front of the door. The door opened, the machine pushed the food out, and the cats went to town.

  Damned cats, they always knew where to find a meal.

  I did my yoga exercises, showered and dressed, then grabbed my map and blindly thrust my finger down on it. I then looked for the closest interesting point where my finger landed and said, "Oooh, I always wanted to go there."

  I filled the food dispensers then went for a drive.

  * * *

  I got home later than expected. I'd encountered road construction on the way home. It was after six. Neither cat was yowling. I checked the machines. Both had dispensed their food, and neither cat looked like he or she had missed out. Excellent.

  Sunday was dinner and a movie night. Erika, another of my best friends from school, and I lived across the country, but every Sunday we both rented the same movie. We used our computers to Skype with each other and hit play at exactly the same time. We even had identical DVD players so they would play the movies identically. Sometimes we invited local friends to watch with us, but usually it was just she and I.

  This week she had picked the movie. We were watching "Young Frankenstein". It was one of our favorite movies to watch together. We both knew all the lines by heart. Sometimes we each took a part and recited just those lines. I loved Terri Garr's line about "roll, roll, roll in ze hay."

  Erika and I cooked the same dinner while skyping, ate, made popcorn, then sat down and watched the movie. I had a great evening.

  * * *

  Dream Petra was smiling at me and humming. I watched her. Every night, I dreamt I couldn't move, but I could feel her touching me. That night she was kneeling at my feet, tou
ching them gently. My feet are normally very ticklish, but her touch didn't tickle.

  Then she began climbing up my body. Her long, black hair tickled me. She kissed my stomach then the spot in the center of my chest between my breasts. I wanted to arch my back to her. Her hair caressed my face. She kissed me.

  I didn't understand my reaction to her. But her dream touch woke every nerve in my body, and I ached in ways I'd never ached before.

  I woke up, smiling. Both cats were stretched out across my body, purring.

  * * *

  Monday was my first day without Kelly to guide me. Andrea had offsite meetings all day, and I shadowed her everywhere, using an iPad I'd been assigned to keep track of her schedule, her contacts, and to keep notes. Still, we arrived back at the office for lunch.

  "The dojo is never optional," she said.

  Petra was back. She smiled at me when I walked in and began stretching. I spent the entire time I was stretching thinking about Dream Petra's smile.

  After the workout session but before I could escape to the shower, she called me over. "Tuesday mornings are your time with me, for now," she said. "This week I'll pick you up at your apartment. Is seven too early?"

  "No, Petra. I'll be ready."

  After lunch, Andrea told me to bring my personal things with me. We spent the afternoon in more off-site meetings then she dropped me off at my apartment. The cats met me at the door, then the food dispenser rang for them and they dashed into the kitchen.

  * * *

  That night, she was kneeling at my head, leaning over me. Looking up at her, she appeared upside-down to me. She was caressing my hair and massaging my scalp. It felt nice. I closed my eyes and enjoyed what she was doing to me.

  I felt her lean down, our cheeks touching, and she nibbled my earlobe. I wanted to giggle. Her lips moved to my mouth and she kissed me, tilting her head, an upside-down kiss. She pulled away and giggled as I-

  Woke up. I had a cat on both sides of me, hunched up on the pillow with me. Stereo purring.

  I smiled, stretched. It would be a good day.

  I did my yoga exercises and showered. I was ready to go several minutes before Petra rang the apartment. "I'll be right down," I told her.