Blissful Awakenings Read online

  “Three years.”

  “Jesus. You should be sainted for putting up with her shit for that long.”

  Courtney smiled and tried not to get emotional about a complete stranger making her feel a little more understood. Working for Michelle really had been a shitty three years. Why had she put up with it for so long? Oh, yeah. Because she lived in New York and needed the money just to make rent, let alone have a life.

  Olivia carefully watched Courtney, then unslung a designer purse from her shoulder. “Is there somewhere we can sit to go over some paperwork? It’s nothing crazy. Just some formalities in regard to winning the contest.”

  “Oh, sure.” Courtney led them to the kitchen table which was thankfully clear of the junk mail normally piled there. They both sat, and Olivia pulled a stack of documents from her purse and set it in front of Courtney. It definitely looked like more than just a few formalities.

  Seeing Courtney’s expression, Olivia quickly reassured her. “I know. It looks overwhelming, right? But I promise it’s not that bad. It’s a fairly basic contest agreement that lays out your winnings.” She started flipping through the stack of papers and laying each sheet in front of Courtney as she did. “This one says you’ve won ten thousand dollars—and if I were you, I’d set some of that aside for the taxes you’ll get hit with. Not that I’m giving you financial advice, mind you.” She smiled, then continued on, setting another paper in front of Courtney. “This one is a nondisclosure agreement that says you agree not to tell anyone the identities of the other guests at the Temple.” She tapped the paper, and Courtney noticed that her fingernails were painted the same shade as her jacket and shoes. “This is a really big deal. You’re likely to rub elbows with some of the one-percenters.”

  “One-percenters?” Courtney interrupted.

  “They’re the richest people in the world. Usually the most powerful, too. They’ve also signed all the same paperwork here. Except the contest winnings agreement of course. But this paper,” she tapped the nondisclosure agreement again, “this one also protects you. It means people aren’t allowed to talk about their experiences at the Temple or who those experiences were with except for in the vaguest of ways.”

  Courtney gave Olivia a look, so the other woman explained, “When people talk about going to the Temple, they all sound the same right? ‘Oh, it was so amazing. It was ecstasy. I could live out my deepest fantasy, blah, blah, blah.’” She shook her head. “It’s all vague nonsense because they signed this form. What you do in the Temple stays in the Temple.”

  Courtney started to nod, then stopped, “Except, everyone already knows I’m going there, right? Because of the contest?”

  “True,” Olivia admitted, “but this paper keeps anyone there from talking about what they might see you doing. Or from talking about what happens if you decide to spend an evening with them. Honestly? You could go to the Temple and never touch or talk to another living being if you wanted to. No one would ever know.” She shrugged. “What you do while you’re there is up to you.”

  That sounded a lot more appealing to Courtney. She wasn’t a total prude, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to dive into the deep end of some of the crazier things she’d seen or heard about at Fantasy Island. It seemed like things would only be kinkier at Pleasure Temple since no one could talk about it.

  Olivia walked Courtney through some other documents: an agreement to get tested for STD’s, an agreement to remain on some form of birth control during her stay, and then some pretty standard rental agreements about how she’d be responsible if she damaged any property in the room she’d have at the Temple.

  When Olivia finished explaining the stack of paperwork, she put a pen on top of the stack.

  “Okay, if you’re in, and you’d like a free, three-month stay in one of the ritziest, most pleasurable places in the world, go to it.”

  Courtney looked at Olivia for a second. She’d only just met her, but she liked Olivia’s straightforward personality. Sure, maybe Olivia was just really good at schmoozing people, but Courtney didn’t think that was the case.

  Which is why, before signing anything, she asked, “If you were me, seriously, would you do this? Would you drop everything and disappear for three months to live at the Temple?”

  “In a heartbeat. I’ve worked for Bo for six years, first at Fantasy Island as an assistant to an assistant to an assistant—you know how it is—”

  Courtney nodded. As an ex-assistant to an executive assistant, she knew exactly how it was.

  “I eventually worked my way up the ranks, and now I’m one of two assistants who work directly for Bo.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome,” Courtney said. And she meant it. Working your way up the ladder to be an assistant for a billionaire CEO of several companies meant Olivia kicked ass at her job.

  “I’ve seen everything you can imagine at both Fantasy Island and Pleasure Temple, and, truth be told, I’ve been gifted a weekend here and there to stay at the Temple as a vacation. Do you know what I did?”

  Courtney shook her head, thinking that Olivia wouldn’t possibly give her details after going through the importance of the nondisclosure agreement.

  “The first weekend? I slept. I slept and read the whole damn weekend. It was amazing. Food and drinks were brought to my door. I had a balcony with an amazing view. It was one of the best, most relaxing vacations I’ve ever had.” She leaned in conspiratorially to Courtney. “But my second weekend staying there? I had wild, amazing, mind-blowing sex. And that was pretty great, too.”

  Courtney tried not to look shocked. She really didn’t even talk about sex with Claire, her closest friend. It just wasn’t something she felt comfortable talking about. She’d been raised to keep what happened between the sheets to herself.

  Olivia leaned back again. “So, if I had a chance to go for three months, all expenses paid? Absolutely.” She shook her head. “Look, Courtney, this experience will be what you make of it. If you want to hang out by yourself in your room, eat popcorn all day, and watch movies? That’s okay. The point of the Temple is literally pleasure. So, if that's the thing that makes you happy, then that’s what you should do.”

  When she put it that way…

  “Thanks. I think that’s what I needed to hear.”

  With that, Courtney picked up the pen and started signing the paperwork. When she was done, Olivia pulled one more sheet of paper from her purse, and Courtney almost groaned at the sight of another document to sign. Her hand was tired from all that work!

  “I saved the best for last. It wasn’t mentioned in the contest, but one of the prizes is an all-inclusive makeover by some of the most exclusive stylists around. Hair, makeup, nails—the whole shebang. You’ll also get a full wardrobe from a mix of different designers as part of the contest winnings.”

  Courtney’s mouth fell open. She had barely been able to buy nice blouses for work, let alone anything designer. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.”

  Once Courtney had signed the last document, Olivia gathered all the paperwork, tucked it back into her purse which doubled as a briefcase, and turned back to Courtney. “So, during the duration of your makeover and your three-month stay, Bo has assigned me to work as your assistant. Do you have an idea of when you’d like to actually come and stay at the Temple?”

  “Oh, uh. I was actually thinking of coming sooner rather than later, if that’s possible?” For some reason, Courtney felt embarrassed to be asking to go so soon after having acted insecure about going. She quickly explained, “I might have just broken up with my boyfriend.” Only, instead of making things sound better, somehow that made things worse. “I mean, I have somewhere to stay tonight, but—"

  Thankfully, Olivia cut her off before she could continue digging a pit of embarrassment.

  “Sooner is always better when it comes to getting to the Temple. We’ll need to make some appointments, but I bet we could get you out to the Temple in about a week. We might have to go with
designers who are little less in demand, though, since it sort of depends on their schedule.”

  It was a much faster timeline than Courtney was expecting. All she could say was, “Of course.”

  “In the meantime,” Olivia looked around just as Dot came to investigate why Courtney’s visitor hadn’t come to pet her yet. “Hello, kitty.” She looked up, “Bo says Dot is coming with you?”

  Damn. Olivia was good. Courtney hadn’t told her Dot’s name, but Bo must have prepped her before she came over. Impressive. And...it gave Courtney a warm and fuzzy feeling that Bo Ryans, billionaire and multi-business owner, had bothered to remember her cat’s name.

  “Uh yeah,” Courtney tried not to stammer. “If that’s okay?”

  “Oh sure. Just as long as she’s not part of the fun.” Courtney gave her a confused look, so Olivia explained, “There’s a strict no bestiality rule at the Temple.”

  “Oh my god, no! I’d never do that,” Courtney spluttered, face turning red in embarrassment.

  “You’d be surprised what people are into. So, some quick ground rules. No bestiality, no underage sex, and all physical interactions must be by consent of both partners.”

  Courtney nodded. Those all sounded like pretty good rules honestly.

  “I’ll explain more when we get to the Temple. For now, let’s plan out the next few days so we’re on the same page.”

  From there, Olivia did just that. It was a whirlwind of planning, and though Courtney insisted she could stay at Claire’s house until she left for the Temple, Olivia overruled her and set Courtney up in a posh hotel that Bo Ryans’ company would pay for.

  “It’s the least we can do since you lost your job over winning the Temple contest,” Olivia explained.

  They hammered out a time to meet the next day, and then Olivia left. Before she did though, she stopped and threw a quick look around the apartment. “You know, your rooms at the Temple will be fully furnished. The only things you really need are some clothes for the next few days and any personal items you can’t live without.” She looked back at Courtney and after a second, finally seemed to come to a decision before saying, “I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but I’m gonna give it anyways: Make it a clean break. Where you’re going, you won’t need any of these things. Except for Dot’s kitty stuff, of course,” she added as the cat wound around her legs.

  “What about after the three months are up?”

  Olivia smiled at her. “Things have a way of working themselves out.”

  She turned to leave, then stopped. “Oh my gosh, I almost forgot.” She pulled a credit card from the side pocket of her bag and handed it to Courtney. “Here’s your ten thousand bucks. Don’t spend it all in one place. And don’t forget what I said about taxes. Seriously.”

  She then disappeared out the door, leaving Courtney staring after her in open mouth wonder at what felt like a magic credit card in her hand.

  Once she’d recovered from her shock, she turned to inspect her apartment with fresh eyes. This morning, she’d woken up and gone to work feeling like she had little to look forward to in life. Now she’d just literally been handed a bunch of money and would soon be rubbing elbows (and maybe other things) with some of the richest and hottest people in the world.

  She thought maybe she should lie down for a moment, but when she looked at the time, she realized Daniel would be home in a few hours. She didn’t want to be there when he got home, so she needed to make some quick decisions on what she wanted to take with her.

  Room by room, she thought and stood looking in the kitchen for a moment. There were the pots and pans from college she’d gotten from her mom as hand-me-downs. None of them were family heirlooms nor were they antiques, so it would be no real loss to leave them. After a few moments of hesitation, she decided on the milk-glass vase that had been her grandmother’s and her favorite mug that was a gift from Claire. On the side was a hand giving the middle finger and writing underneath that cautioned, “Come back when I’ve had my coffee.”

  Courtney had never been brave enough to take it to work.

  Next up: the living room. Stacks of DVD’s and books waited for her there. She felt pretty overwhelmed at first, then realized she didn’t actually need to take any of that stuff with her. If she wanted to read her favorite books again, she could just download them on her phone. The same went for the movies. With that, she was able to mentally check the living room off her list.

  She moved on to the bedroom. First, she pulled a small roller suitcase from the back of her closet, threw it on the bed, and opened it.

  “Okay,” she said to Dot who had jumped on the bed and was trying to stealthily move toward the suitcase. “Yes, you’re going with me, Dot.” She touched the namesake dot on the cat’s head like a button as she always did, then turned back to the closet and chest of drawers before her.

  After a bit of hemming and hawing, she finally chose her ten favorite tops, two pairs of jeans, her only black dress, and a skirt she adored but rarely wore along with two pairs of dress shoes. She’d just wear her more comfortable work shoes to the hotel. As an afterthought, she chucked in a pair of newer running shoes she’d barely had the chance to use. Maybe they’d have a treadmill at the Temple? She hoped to get back into running, but college track seemed like a long time ago.

  She paused after throwing her everyday underwear into the suitcase. After a moment, she dug through the drawer and revealed a red, barely-there piece of lingerie that she’d bought to surprise Daniel with on his birthday.

  “What the hell,” she told Dot and threw it in with her other clothes. Maybe she’d change her mind and take a little walk on the wild side while she was at the Temple.

  After that, decisions were easy. Her toiletries went into the suitcase, and then she made up a bag of Dot’s toys, food, treats, and her favorite fluffy blanket. It was a fight to get Dot into the cat carrier since she usually only used it for vet visits. The trick was to put the cat in backwards. Once Dot settled in the carrier after a few annoyed meows, Courtney was pretty much ready to go.

  At the last minute, she cleaned out the litter box, then put the litter box itself into a garbage bag. She planned to toss it before going to the Temple since she could just pick one up somewhere there, but she’d need the litter box for however long she’d stay at the hotel.

  Throughout her whirlwind of packing, Courtney had been trying to figure out how she was going to get all her stuff over to the hotel. It wasn’t a lot, but it was more than she could handle by herself on the train or by bus. As she sat down, somewhat exhausted by her efforts, she realized the answer to her problem was in her pocket. She didn’t have to take the subway. She could call a car service to pick her up right outside the apartment.

  She pulled out the card and smiled down at it, feeling a little like Sméagol looking at his Precious. After scheduling a ride and paying with the card, she giggled. She could get used to this. Having money sure did make things a lot easier. Her spirits start to lift—

  —and then the front door opened, and Daniel walked in.

  Chapter 3

  “Well? What did you do then?” Claire asked, leaning in and listening intently as she sipped on a second mojito.

  They sat in the hotel bar, snacking on fancy hors d'oeuvre and sucking down cocktails. It was the first time Courtney had spent time alone with Claire in a long time. Usually either Daniel or Anya was with them. She realized that it was kind of nice just to have her friend to herself for a bit. It reminded her of what it was like when they were roommates.

  “What did I do? I got the hell out of there!” Courtney said and realized she was being a little too loud when the bartender and another guest at the end of the bar glanced her way. She lowered her voice as she continued, “Daniel said he had come home early to try and make up with me,” here she paused and made a face at her friend, “but what he was really trying to do was convince me not to go.” Courtney shook her head, pissed just thinking about how Daniel had tried
to make her feel bad for leaving when it had been his ultimatum that they break up if she went! “Honestly? I think he cares more that I won’t be there to cook and clean for him anymore.”

  “Probably, but I’m sure he’ll miss more than that when you’ve been gone for a while,” Claire said then quickly raised a hand to shield against Courtney’s raised brow. “I’m not defending him. God knows I’m the last person who would take up for him. I’m just speaking facts here. First, he’ll miss the stuff that’s visible like the cleaning and cooking thing, then he’ll start to notice he’s all alone with no one to talk to. Not to mention, the lack of sex thing.”

  Courtney rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. “Because we were having so much sex.” It made Claire laugh as Courtney intended but it was kind of embarrassing to admit anything about her sex life, even to her best friend. She swirled the fancy straw around in her cocktail for a moment before looking up at her friend again. “I kind of hope you’re right, that Daniel will miss more than me just acting like a cleaning service for him, but even if he does, I won’t be going back to him. I’ve just been so miserable, Claire.” Courtney couldn’t help but look back down at her drink, too embarrassed to make eye contact with her friend as she admitted, “I just refused to see that my relationship with him had fallen apart until I had the opportunity to get out of there.”

  Claire nodded. “You haven’t seemed very happy for at least the past year. Endings suck when it comes to relationships, and I know you loved him at some point—"

  Courtney could see how hard Claire was working not to say how much she’d come to dislike Daniel in the past year and appreciated her friend all the more for not saying, “I told you so.”

  “—but sometimes things just dry up and end. People change.” She shrugged but softened it with a smile. “I’m just glad you got the opportunity to make a clean break and start over with a trip to somewhere so amazing,” Claire finished, then added, “And you know, if you decide not to go to Pleasure Temple, you can always stay with me and Anya until you find a place. After all,” she said with a grin that ruined the moment, “it would be like having a celebrity stay with us!”