Blissful Awakenings Page 6

  Chapter 4

  The flight to Vegas was pretty uneventful other than the experience of taking a cat through security and then sitting in first class for the first time. Dot wasn’t exactly happy about being stuck in her carrier for the five-and-a-half-hour flight, but her yowls quieted once the flight reached cruising altitude. Courtney was ridiculously grateful to have Olivia helping her through the trip. She seemed able to defuse any situation.

  When they arrived at the Vegas airport, Olivia directed them to a car outside, then they both waited as a hired porter brought their bags out. This was a level of luxury that Courtney wasn’t used to.

  “Do you always travel like this?” Courtney asked.

  “No. Usually I ride with Bo on his private plane, but he had a meeting he had to fly out early for this morning. We couldn’t catch a ride with him since your dresses weren’t ready.”

  “Oh. Sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. If he hadn't had that meeting, he would have waited for us, and we’d have ridden with him. It would probably have been a whole lot easier for Dot, that’s for sure.”

  Courtney wasn’t so sure about this sudden meeting. She had a feeling it had more to do with their almost-kiss, but she kept it to herself. Maybe she was making it out to be more than it was. What would a freakin’ billionaire want with somebody like her anyways? She was just a tourist, really, when it came to the life of the rich and famous. In three months, she’d be gone from the Temple and his life.

  In fact, there really wasn’t any reason to think she’d actually run into Bo again during her stay at the Temple. The place was huge. She could only assume that her room would be far away from his.

  For some reason that just made her feel depressed. To distract herself, she kept her face glued to the window, looking at all the Vegas sights as they passed.

  “Ooh, Caesar’s Palace!” She said, suddenly feeling a little more excited. She was on vacation, damn it. Why not enjoy it?

  Olivia looked up. “We have a room set up like that. People in togas pretending to be gods and goddesses. It’s more a group kind of thing though…I’m not sure you’d like it.”

  Courtney wrinkled her nose. “Yeah. Maybe not.”

  “Don’t worry,” Olivia said, “if you do decide to take part in anything, we have some pretty sophisticated ways of figuring out what you may or may not like without throwing you into a room full of dicks, whips, and chains.”

  With a laugh Courtney said, “I guess that’s good to hear.” She was nervous about this big move and what it was going to be like at the Temple. The rest of the scenery outside flew by as she daydreamed.

  Before Courtney felt she was ready, they’d arrived at their destination. Rather than stopping out front like Courtney had expected, they drove into a parking garage at the bottom of the Temple.

  The driver parked near a bank of elevators where two men in black bellhop uniforms and another man in a tailored suit waited for them. The man held a tablet and gave Olivia a smile as they got out. The two bellhops immediately began unloading the bags from the back. Courtney hauled Dot’s carrier out from where it had been at her feet and followed behind Olivia, who paused in front of the man in the tailored suit.

  “William. Everything in order?” Olivia asked, holding out her hand.

  William handed her the tablet then waved a key in front of a scanner on the wall above the elevator call buttons. This caused the buttons to light up, and he hit the up button. The elevator doors slid open, and Courtney followed Olivia and the man inside.

  “Everything is in order,” he said and waved the card in front of another scanner in the elevator that was next to the bank of buttons. Like outside, the buttons lit up, and he punched one of them before handing Olivia the key card.

  Courtney caught Olivia’s eyebrow quirk in surprise at the floor William had selected. She watched with growing curiosity as Olivia looked questioningly at the man. He shrugged as if to say, “I don’t make the rules here.”

  Olivia gave a small shake of her head, then the moment of silent communication between them seemed to have passed. The elevator doors slid closed, and suddenly they were whisked upwards.

  What was that about? Courtney wondered.

  As if the moment had never happened, William picked the conversation back up again. “I mean, the dragon lady decided to peek in on me to make sure everything was being taken care of,” here he rolled his eyes.

  That was the second time Courtney had heard Diana being referred to negatively. She was starting to dread actually meeting the woman.

  Olivia’s only response to that was to shake her head before glancing back down at the tablet again. “Everything looks good.” She looked back up and gave William a genuine smile. “Thanks for keeping an eye on things while I was gone. Keep this up and you’ll take my position in no time.”

  He scoffed, “Hardly. You know Bo’s never going to take on a man as his personal assistant.” He suddenly leaned around Olivia to acknowledge Courtney. “You must be Courtney. Pleasure to meet you. Olivia’s told me so much about you. It’s really a pity she couldn’t talk you into that lime dress.”

  Courtney made a face and he laughed.

  “I’m just kidding. It sounded hideous. Whoever did that to that poor piece of fabric should bear the punishment of wearing it.”

  He shook Courtney’s hand, then whipped out another keycard that he waved in front of the scanner before hitting the button for floor twenty-two. The elevator stopped a moment later, and William turned to Olivia.

  “I’m off to prep the siddie room for you ladies. See you later!” He waved as the elevator doors shut.

  Courtney had been researching Pleasure Temple and had read one account that said the higher up the room was in the Temple, the more money that patron had. Her eyes found the top floor, level forty.

  Was that where Bo’s penthouse was? She wondered and noted that the button under that for floor thirty-nine was the one William had hit when he’d first gotten on the elevator. Surely that wasn’t where her rooms were? Maybe they were going somewhere else first.

  Olivia interrupted her worried thoughts. “The men downstairs will take care of our bags. I want to show you your room and get Dot settled. Then, if you’re feeling up to it, I’ll show you around.”

  “Sounds good. Could we maybe grab a coffee before the tour?”

  “You read my mind. The coffee on the plane was terrible, wasn’t it? You’ll love the coffee here. Bo has it flown in from the island.” When Courtney just raised an eyebrow in confusion, Olivia explained, “Oh, the island as in Fantasy Island. There’s more going on there than just orgies. Bo purchased several coffee fields there before they could be snatched up by the big coffee companies. He wanted to keep the local economy going so that it didn’t just depend on the tourism industry that Fantasy Island created. He kept the staff there local and pays them about three times what they would get from other coffee farms. He also gives all their kids scholarships.”

  Courtney couldn’t tell if Olivia was just used to rattling off positive PR blurbs for her boss or if she was just proud to share Bo’s work.

  “Nice. I look forward to trying it.” She hesitated, not sure what kind of questions she was allowed to ask. “Um, William mentioned something about a siddie room? What’s that?”

  “Hopefully we’ll get to that today. It’s actually SIDI and stands for Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory. Basically, it’s a few different tests that help determine what kinds of activities you’ll enjoy while you’re here. Everyone just calls it SIDI for short.”

  “Oh.” Somehow that wasn’t quite as exciting. In fact, tests to figure out what she might enjoy sexually sounded downright terrifying.

  The elevator continued to rise. Courtney was about to ask just how high up her rooms were going to be when the elevator stopped at floor thirty-two. Olivia frowned.

  The doors opened to reveal Bo standing there in a button-down shirt and khakis. He s
eemed surprised to see Courtney. She wondered if he felt that same tingle she did when their eyes met.

  “Olivia, I see you two made it to the Temple.” He stepped onto the elevator and leaned back against the wall. “Welcome, Courtney. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay here.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Courtney quickly said around a neutral smile. She stole a glance at Olivia and was surprised to find the woman was still frowning at her boss.

  “What’s got you on level thirty-two, Bo?” Olivia asked.

  “A little something new I cooked up while you were gone. Oh, come on. Don’t be mad. I can have ideas without you. Hell, you might even like it.”

  “What is it?”

  Courtney thought Olivia was trying hard not to cross her arms in annoyance at her boss. She kind of liked the way these two worked together.

  “Go to level thirty-two on your vacation and you’ll see.”

  “My vacation? You know I don’t have one of those lined up for the next few months, Bo.”

  “Actually, after you show Courtney around, I’ve scheduled you to take a sort of mini vacation on the house. Courtney might still have questions, so I’d like you to be available for her, but other than that, your time is your own.”

  Olivia looked like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. “What if I want to go somewhere else for vacation?”

  “Then by all means, go. I can always assign Diana to help Courtney with whatever she needs.”

  Olivia gave Bo a look of obvious distaste. “That’s blackmail.”

  “Is it?” His smile was deliciously mischievous.

  “Fine, I would have just vacationed here anyways.”

  “Are you sure?” Courtney asked. “I’m sure I could get along by myself just fine. And I could probably survive asking this Diana woman for help.”

  Olivia and Bo both looked at her, then laughed. It stung a little, but Bo quickly sobered. “I’m sorry. We’re not laughing at you. Just trust us that you don’t want to deal with Diana.”

  “You could probably handle her,” Olivia added, “but she’ll still try to swallow your soul and then eat Dot as dessert.”

  Courtney unconsciously clutched Dot’s carrier closer to her chest. The cat was the only real piece of her old life she’d brought with her, and she loved Dot dearly, even if the cat did occasionally throw up in Courtney’s shoes when she was mad about something.

  “If you dislike her so much, why don’t you just replace her?” She asked.

  “She’s the best in the business,” Olivia said at the same time that Bo said, “She’s great at her job.” They looked at each other and grinned.

  “Alright, enough bullshitting,” Olivia said. “Are you going up to your office?”

  “Yes, I was on my way there, mother.”

  He swiped his card against the scanner and hit the button for floor forty. The elevator started up again, and this time they continued all the way up to the second-to-the-last floor uninterrupted.

  That meant Courtney’s rooms were one level below Bo’s office. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that. What did it mean that her rooms were so high up in the Temple? Shouldn’t they have given her rooms to someone who could actually pay for them? Was that why Olivia and William had shared that silent exchange earlier? Because her rooms were so high up or because she’d been placed so close to Bo?

  The elevator finally stopped, and she was thankful to be released from the tight space.

  “This is us,” Olivia told her.

  Courtney turned to Bo before following Olivia off the elevator. “Thanks for the welcome. See you around.”

  The doors closed on his smile.

  Now by himself in the elevator, Bo quietly murmured, “Yes, I hope you will.”

  Oblivious to Bo’s wishes, Courtney followed Olivia down a white, sterile yet inviting hallway all the way to its end. So far, the building looked like what she might have expected the inside of an iPad to look like: sleek, sophisticated, and expensive.

  Courtney hoisted Dot up a little where the cat carrier was starting to slip.

  “We’re almost there,” Olivia reassured her. “You won’t have to take this route every day. There’s another elevator near your room that will be easier for daily use. The one we took was just one that goes all the way down to the parking garage.”

  Courtney almost asked if Bo took those other elevators as well or if he just took the one they’d been on, but she bit her tongue. She didn’t need to put her feelings on blast like that. Honestly, she wasn’t even sure what those feelings for Bo were other than lust. Maybe she was just bouncing back from Daniel.

  “Here we are.”

  Olivia stopped in front of a sleek white door that was so similar to the surrounding walls that it was almost camouflaged. The only things that made it stand out were that it was recessed into the wall and it had a small white box to its right. Olivia swiped the same card under the box that she’d used in the elevator.

  The door slid into the wall like a futuristic spaceship. As Olivia stepped through the opening, lights automatically came on to reveal a small foyer with a modern wooden table.

  Carefully enunciating, Olivia said, “Control: Lights on, one-hundred percent. Curtains, open.”

  The rest of the “room” lit up to reveal a not just a room, but a full-sized apartment, complete with a small kitchen.

  Courtney followed Olivia in, doing her best to keep her mouth shut rather than gaping in awe.

  “Welcome to your home for the next three months!” Olivia said, twirling dramatically toward Courtney.

  Courtney stepped further into the suite. It had an open floor plan, high ceilings, and seemed filled with natural light. It was tastefully styled with understated decor that didn’t look that exciting until you looked a little closer. A light blue sofa broke up the living room from the kitchen space. Facing the sofa were two beige reading chairs that Courtney felt ready to sink into with a great book. Behind the chairs was a small electric fireplace. A cat bed sat in front of it.

  The bed reminded Courtney about Dot, and she put the carrier on the floor. A glance at the front door reassured Courtney that it had closed behind her, so she let the poor cat out of her carrier.

  Dot darted out and then slammed to a halt at the unfamiliar surroundings. Hesitantly, the cat began to slink around the room, sniffing everything and inspecting her new home.

  “She seems to be doing alright,” Olivia said. “Here, let me show you the bedroom.” She turned right and walked through a short hallway that had a little storage closet. Past that was the bedroom door which Olivia threw open.

  It was just as airy and light as the rest of the suite. The bedspread was white with a giant yellow flower printed on it. Courtney thought it would be interesting to sleep in a king-sized bed by herself. Maybe she wouldn’t end up with Dot smashed against her side or putting her arm to sleep by laying on it.

  Probably not though.

  In the corner was a vanity table with a bright yellow chair where she could put makeup on. To her immediate right was a full-size walk-in closet, and past that was the door to the bathroom. Olivia took her in the closet first, flipping on the light and revealing the bare shelves.

  Courtney wasn’t sure what to say. The closet seemed bigger than her bedroom had been in the city. Did she really have enough clothes to even start filling it?

  Perhaps worried that Courtney was quiet out of concern for the empty state of the closet, Olivia explained, “It’s empty now, but all the clothes and accessories we bought in New York will arrive later and will be put away by staff.”

  “Oh, I can put my clothes away. It’s not a problem. Plus, that way the staff won’t have to worry about Dot trying to escape.” Courtney said.

  “Nonsense,” Olivia spun to Courtney. “You’re living a life of luxury now. And people who live a life of luxury do not put their own clothes away.” She softened her statement with a smile. “Besides, all of the staff who are assigned to your room are a
ware of Dot. They’ll be careful not to let her out of the room when they put your clothes away and when they visit for turndown service. And if she does somehow manage to escape, she’d only make it to the hallway.”

  Before Courtney could respond, Olivia had moved on to the bathroom.

  The floor and walls in the large bathroom were all marble shot through with gold. A long marble counter with cabinets underneath and two sinks above an almost wall-length mirror took up the left side of the room. A deep soaker tub sat on the other side, and an enclosed space held the toilet. Courtney noted that the toilet was also a bidet. On the far wall was a large, walk-in shower with multiple showerheads on both the ceiling and walls of the marble stall.

  “The shower is digital, so you turn it on with this.” She picked up a remote from the counter. “It’s also a steam shower which makes things a little more fun when you’re not alone.”

  Courtney was glad Olivia didn’t add any jokes to that last bit. She’d tried showering with Daniel once thinking it would be sexy, but he’d just hogged all the hot water leaving her cold and shivering. Not exactly a pleasurable experience.

  “Everything else in here is self-explanatory,” Olivia said, breaking Courtney out of her reverie. “Towels are in here.” She opened a cabinet on one side of the sink. “You can store your toiletries in that one.” She pointed at the other stack of cabinets on the opposite side of the sink.

  As they returned to the bedroom, Olivia continued explaining, “Staff will come in twice a week on a day and time of your choice to clean the whole suite and provide you with clean linens. They’ll also set up any equipment you’ve requested.”

  Olivia stopped in front of one of the tall dressers and opened the top cabinet. “The bedroom TV is in here, and you can also access the apartment speaker system and On Call System or OCS from here as well.”

  “On Call System?” Courtney asked, finally finding her voice while she watched Dot enter the bedroom and start examining the bed. That didn’t take long, she thought.