The Sleeping Serpent:

by Luna Saint Claire

  After just staring at the phone for a moment, she took a breath and turned to Nico. “Let’s get this project done. I wouldn’t want you to think I don’t do enough for you.”

  By midnight, Luna was starving and parched. Nico hadn’t offered her a morsel of food, and she’d been too distraught to even get up for a drink of water. He had punishingly obsessed over every word she wrote. Exhausted, she finally pleaded, “Nico, I’m ready to faint. I’m so hungry and thirsty. I don’t feel well.”

  “Fine. Go home,” Nico glowered.

  Picking up her bag, Luna ran to her car, bursting into tears as she fled. She had driven about a mile when her phone rang. Seeing it was Nico, she pulled over to side of the road. He spoke softly, sounding a bit remorseful, “Thank you for staying. I’m sorry I was nervous. I’m under a lot of pressure. You know that.”

  “I’m sorry, too, Nico. I know you are, and I want to help you. I just don’t want to upset Tyler.”

  “I need this, Luna. I’m trying to get to the next level.”

  “I know. I understand…”

  Nico sighed, “So can you please come back tomorrow? We need to finish.”

  “Of course. I’ll be there early. See you tomorrow.”

  Neither one of them hung up.

  After waiting a few seconds, Luna asked, “Are you still there?”

  “Yes,” he replied quietly.

  She whispered, “I love you, Nico.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Tears welled up in her eyes, and she blinked to clear her vision before resuming the drive home.

  Pulling on a pair of boho style printed pants and a T-shirt, Luna went to the kitchen to make breakfast and read the paper with Tyler—something they enjoyed doing together almost ritually. After the stressful night before with Nico, she appreciated the comfort of being home, in her secure, safe haven with Tyler.

  When Tyler suggested a movie, she hesitated, thinking how important the business plan was to Nico. Shaking her head, she replied apologetically, “I didn’t finish last night. I was thoroughly exhausted and couldn’t see straight. I promised Nico I’d finish today, but he hasn’t answered the phone. I’m worried.”

  Tyler shrugged. “I don’t know, Luna…you do so much for him and he just keeps taking. Enough is enough, don’t you think?”

  She grew annoyed that her day had been left up in the air. She would much rather do something with Tyler, but Nico would flip out if he finally called and she wasn’t available.

  Embarrassed by Tyler’s on-target assessment, she nonetheless didn’t want to lose Nico. When she thought she had lost him, she’d been miserable. “He doesn’t have anyone else to help him. He needs me. We can go to the movies tomorrow…”

  “I know he’s your project Luna—and you like feeling needed. But you drop everything for him. No matter how much you do for him, it will never be enough. He uses you, and I hate to see you being taken advantage of.”

  Feeling defensive, she replied, “I’m not. Nico’s helped me, too. I’m feeling so much better about myself. Besides, we’re friends.”

  “I’m not so sure, Luna. Just be careful.”

  Around 4:00 p.m., Nico answered his phone, groggy, “I just woke up.”

  “Did you go out?” Luna asked the seemingly obvious.

  “Yeah, I got bored and was lonely, so I went out,” he replied casually. “Can you come over now?”

  “Sure, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She surmised the reason he hadn’t wanted her to leave and made her stay the night before was because he was lonely. It wasn’t the urgency of the business plan! It was that he couldn’t stand to be alone.

  Luna changed into distressed boyfriend jeans, threw a poncho sweater over her T-shirt, and with car keys in hand, found Tyler at his desk. Wrapping her arms around him, she gave him a warm, lingering kiss on the lips. “I’ll miss you today, honey. I would so much rather just cuddle with you and watch a movie here.”

  He returned the kiss. “Yeah, until something else comes up.” The terse reply revealed his hidden anguish that she was, yet again, putting Nico first.

  “I won’t be long—promise.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tyler replied, without looking up.

  The door to Amaru was unlocked, and when Luna didn’t see Nico in the studio, she became alarmed. Walking quickly to his apartment, she found him asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gazed upon his tranquil countenance. Seeing his long eyelashes resting on his high cheekbone, his full lips relaxed, and his black hair tumbling across the pillow, she almost couldn’t resist the urge to lay down next to him. Instead, she bent over and pressed her lips to his forehead, whispering, “Nico, I’m here.”

  His eyes fluttered open and he looked up with sexy, beckoning eyes. She wondered if he did that on purpose. “Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want me to climb on top of you?” she teased.

  “Yes, Luna, I do. Come here,” he purred, catching her hand and pulling him to her, his lips turned up in a wicked smile.

  Giving him an admonishing look, she sat up and gently squeezed his shoulder. “Get up. We have work to do, and it’s late. Go get in the shower.”

  Playfully, Nico reached both hands under the covers and pretended to jerk off, making an exaggerated moaning sound.

  Luna giggled, shaking her head. “Stop fooling around!” she jested.

  When he got up, Luna could see he was semi-erect, and her body instinctively responded with a twinge in her sex. He padded to the bathroom and closed the door. She heard him pee, then turn on the shower. In a few minutes, he emerged with a towel wrapped around his waist, his wet hair clinging to his neck. She had already cleaned up the kitchen and loaded the dishwasher, but knew better than to attempt making coffee because he would say she didn’t do it right—in that way he was a lot like Tyler.

  When he asked if she wanted eggs, she answered, “Nico, I had eggs almost nine hours ago!”

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  “Five thirty!”

  Nico looked at her in disbelief, and she just shook her head in amusement. Opening the laptop, she started working on the business plan and after a few minutes he sidled up to her with a second mug of coffee, reading and making comments.

  When she made ready to leave, Nico reached for her hand. “Luna, you’re the only one I have in my life now.”

  “Nico, that’s not true, you have lots of friends. And you have Erin and Alexa.” She tried not to sound jealous when she said their names.

  “They’re clients. I want a girlfriend…but I have no one.”

  Luna bit her tongue about them being more than clients. She felt certain he fucked them, although he would never admit it. “Nico, you’ll find the right girl. I know it.”

  There was sadness in his voice, “Yeah, but I don’t have anyone right now. Can’t you please stay and watch a movie with me?”

  Feeling him pull on her heart, she relented and texted Tyler that she would be home in a few hours, promising to spend all day Sunday with him.

  Like a puppy who had exhausted itself, Nico curled up on one end of the sofa with Luna on the opposite end and they watched The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich, one of his favorites. At the most memorable bits of dialogue, Nico would say the lines out loud. After watching with him many times, there were some phrases even Luna knew by heart. She liked the movie and never tired of the costumes. When the opera scene came up, she poked his leg with her foot. “Shhh. Just listen how gorgeous this is.” After the movie, Luna said with more conviction that she had to go.

  Nico pouted. “Here it is, Saturday night, and I’m all alone.” But he didn’t resist when Luna hugged him a bit too long. The Aqua di Parma scent still lingered, and she couldn’t resist pressing her lips to the side of his warm neck.

  Nico’s eyes landed on a very striking woman in his class. She had a killer body, lean and muscular, with flawless dark skin and thick, straight, jet-black hair. She reminded him of the women he�
�d known in Peru, descendants of the Inca. This wasn’t the first time he had noticed her. He had seen her several times over the past few weeks, but every time he looked for her after class, she was gone before he had a chance to speak with her. He walked up and down the aisles of mats, pausing a few times to adjust a posture or coach the Breath of Fire. At the exotic woman’s mat, he stopped and observed her breathing—it was perfect. He stayed there to address the class about the next exercise. Before moving on, he touched her long black hair softly, allowing his hand to lightly skim her spine all the way down. “Speak to me after class,” he whispered cryptically.

  A short while later, the class said “Namaste,” in unison after him. Maya rolled up her mat and waited in the back for Nico. As he walked toward her, she noticed his gait was fluid and graceful. Traveling up her body, his eyes glowed yellow in the darkness of the studio as they traveled up her body, reminding her of a jaguar. For a moment, she was mesmerized. Then suddenly, he was standing right in front of her. Suppressing the urge to break her gaze from his, she held eye contact. Being a trained fighter, she knew that even the slightest change in her demeanor would be telling to someone like Nico. She had been studying him just as much as he had been studying her.

  He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it off his face, and she was surprised to see he appeared a little nervous. Yet he was direct when he spoke. “We haven’t had a chance to meet. I’m Nico, of course.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Nicolás.” Her voice was soft and smooth, and for some reason it seemed natural for her to use his full Christian name. “I’m Maya Balam. I registered online. Did you get my payment?”

  “Oh, yes. I can tell you have taken yoga.”

  When he paused, Maya interjected, “I like yoga for the breathing.” She took it for granted he knew she meant using the breath to move prana, the Sanskrit word for “life-force,” but felt her response sounded too pat.

  Sensing her discomfort, Nico probed further, “What brings you to Amaru?

  Maya paused. Though she wasn’t surprised he had asked, she wasn’t sure she wanted to tell him.

  Intrigued by her silence, he quickly offered, “Will you stay for some tea?”

  Maya hesitated—her call time wasn’t until later in the afternoon. “Would you mind if I took a shower first?”

  Nico smiled broadly, an overjoyed little boy smile. “Not at all. Come into my office and find me when you’re done.”

  He watched as she walked away—her butt was perfect, round and high, and her legs were long and lean. He couldn’t help thinking how much he would like to fuck that ass.

  Returning from her shower, Maya called out his name, “Nicolás?” Her voice wasn’t tentative and girlish, it was full and clear.

  “Tea is in the kitchen. Come, we can sit more comfortably in there.”

  She followed him in and sat at the counter while he poured two cups.

  “Is this your first experience with Kundalini?” Though he suspected it wasn’t, he hoped to get her talking about herself. “You said earlier you like it for the breath…”

  Though always reluctant to open up, Maya found him charming and figured sharing some things wouldn’t hurt—especially since she was taking his classes. “I’ve taken Hatha and hot yoga like Bikram. They all raise awareness, but I like Kundalini Yoga best to unblock spirit energy using Breath of Fire and because it’s less focused on physical alignment.”

  He liked that she called him Nicolás. Her lips were full and dark and her eyes black, mysterious, and exotic. He continued probing, “Is there something specific you’re working on?”

  “I use the force in my profession,” she replied, expecting that would provoke more questioning.

  Nico nodded, taking another sip of tea and waiting to see if she would continue. When she didn’t, he asked, “What do you do, Maya?”

  She sipped her tea and gazed at him over the rim of the mug. She loved watching people’s reactions. “I’m a stunt performer.”

  For some reason, Nico wasn’t surprised. He nodded and raked his hair again, a gesture she found charming in its reflexive innocence. “Ah. Well, you have a great body, muscle tone, and graceful movement, along with perfect breathing. I should’ve guessed.”

  She smiled and chuckled out loud. He’d surprised her with his easy, charming explanation.

  He asked, “What are your specialties?”

  “I do mostly fight scenes.”

  “Cool! What movies would I have seen you in?”

  “Right now, I’m in a vampire movie. It’s pretty intense, with a lot of sword fighting. But I can handle it. I’m trained in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.”

  Suddenly, Nico blurted, “I just did a screen test.”

  She smiled, glad for the end of the interrogation about her. His proclamation didn’t surprise her; he was hot and this was L.A., after all—everyone is a wannabe actor. “What movie?”

  He shrugged, feigning indifference. “I forgot the name. My client is a studio head and she asked me to do it.” Nico made a mental note to press Alexa on that, then returned to querying Maya, “How long have you been in the business?”

  The tea must have relaxed her, or she would have bolted by then because there’d been too many questions already. Instead, she answered, “For about ten years now.”

  As if he’d read her mind, he asked, “Have you been injured much?”

  She wondered about the tea. Was it some kind of truth serum brew? The sound of the explosion, and the heat of the flames flashed in front of her. She had narrowly escaped before the fire engulfed the helicopter. “Yes, there was a fire…” she said quietly, the traumatic memory still vivid in her mind.

  He asked perceptively, “Is fear holding you back?”

  Taking a deep breath, she gazed at him while contemplating, then proceeded, “There are scenes where there is fire. I’m afraid I’ll freeze up.”

  Nico nodded, his eyes glinting enigmatically. With a hint of a smile, his words melodically tumbled out, “I can help you with that Maya Balam.” He said her name slowly, enunciating each syllable. “What does your last name mean? I know that word, but can’t place it.”

  “In the Mayan language, it means jaguar.”

  With no answer, he peered into her black eyes, an inscrutable smile on his lips.

  Luna read the Amaru news flash that the studio was closed and was astounded. Shooting a movie?

  If he was shooting a movie, then he was with Alexa Morgan. Hurt that she was informed along with the masses, Luna’s imagination ran away with her.

  When he called her a couple of days later, she couldn’t decide whether to be happy or indignant.

  Right away, he said, “I’m in Tulum looking at spaces for the center here.”

  Inadvertently, she came off as aloof. “Oh, you’d posted you were shooting a movie. Is everything going well?”

  “Not really. I’m with Alexa.” Obviously preoccupied and self-absorbed, he had either ignored or hadn’t heard the irascible tone of her voice. “She never does things the way I want her to do them. She set up a meeting with the investors and real estate people, and they want to open Amaru centers in several cities around the world.”

  “That’s great! So what’s the problem?”

  “Ugh. She’s rude and undermines me! She dismisses me in front of people, taking charge like it’s her project!”

  Luna wasn’t surprised. “Nico, I think that’s just her personality. So let her know how you feel. It’s your business!”

  “It’s more than that. She’s driving me crazy. I was at the pool and there were so many beautiful girls flirting with me, so I was having some fun. Then the bitch humiliated me. She showed up at the pool and made like she was with me. You know what I mean. What a buzz kill! She wouldn’t let me have fun and party with the girls; she was acting like she’s my wife or something! It’s so weird.”

  Though delighting in his dilemma, she still emphatically counseled, “That’s bad for your reputation
. It makes you look like a gigolo! You must tell her to stop it!”

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “I tried and she made a huge fight with me.” He paused, then anxiously added, “She’s calling me now. I’m sure she’s on her way. I’ll call you back later,” then hung up.

  Embarrassed when her phone blared during the production meeting, Luna silenced it, letting the call go to voice mail. At the end of the meeting, Luna headed back to Wardrobe and checking her missed call list, found Nico had called six times. Attempting to thwart his rage, she apologized as soon as he picked up, “Nico, I’m so sorry. I was in a meeting.”

  Rabidly screaming into the phone in the iciest tone he could muster, he replied, “That’s exactly why I pushed you out of my life, Luna. I can’t count on you when I need you!”

  “Nico, please. I’m always here for you. I was in a meeting. Besides, it was only a few minutes. What do you need?”

  Outraged, he huffed, “I was in a meeting with the investor, and he wanted the business plan. I needed you to e-mail it right then, but you didn’t answer. Now it’s too late.”

  His outburst triggered a wave of panic. It was as if he did it on purpose. Overreacting, Luna could hear the shrillness in her voice escalate with each sentence. “Nico, I’m sure it can wait an hour. Besides, why can’t you e-mail it? I gave it to you in Word and as a PDF. I even gave you a flash drive that you can keep in your pocket!”

  “Leave me alone, Luna. You’re not there for me when I need you.” He hung up.

  Later, when she thought he might have cooled off, she e-mailed him to apologize, blaming Alexa for his dark mood.

  Dear Nico,

  You know I love you. I’m sorry you think I let you down. It hurts me so much when you lash out at me and cut me out of your life. This business with Alexa is destroying you. You don’t have to have sex with her to get what you want. You are not an object to be purchased!

  xoxo Luna.