considerable height down to her level. Despite the boost of her heels he towered over her. His breath, warm and sweet, tickled her neck as he whispered in her ear. “I helped unload it earlier. You did a beautiful job.”
The way he said beautiful, with just a hint of foreign flavor on the tongue, had Alyssa’s heart racing. Walker stepped up beside her with a cocky, devilish grin. Taking her hand, he settled it on his bent arm. “Come now, you can play with the help later. Your hosts are waiting.”
With her insides quivering, stilettos shaking, she giggled as they walked up the red carpeted stairs and through the massive, carved wood double doors of Castle O. She made sure to give a little extra wiggle to her walk, hoping the Adonis was checking out her ass.
CHAPTER 2
Alyssa stepped through the large doors onto the polished marble floor of Castle O’s cavernous entrance hall. The tap of her heels, and her nervous gasp, was masked by the echoing noise of over a hundred people. Her sculpture rose out of the human masses, carefully concealed in red silk, filling the hall like an erupting volcano, red lava spilling and pooling on the polished floors. Red velvet ropes hung from gold posts, a luxurious bracelet ringing the base of the sculpture.
Alyssa’s nerves kicked into hyper drive. Castle O was home to an elite group of people. People who had discerning tastes, and were not afraid to speak their minds. The application process alone kept all but the most exclusive couples outside of its walls. These people always impressed and demanded to be impressed in return. Her piece was in the heart of Castle O, and if they didn’t like it her career would be over.
Gripping Walker’s hand tightly in her own sweaty palm, she let him drag her into the crowd.
Everyone was dressed in stunning, attention drawing outfits. Clothes that enhanced shapes, flattered, and left little to the imagination. Alyssa giggled, a tight sound born of nerves. This was some of the best people watching she had experienced in years. She loved to study people, always looking for inspiration. Here, they put their bodies on display, and Alyssa knew that later in the evening many of those clothes would be on the floor, giving her what her artist’s eye craved the most, the naked form.
She had never attended an event at Castle O, but Walker and Kali had told her stories. And during the modeling sessions that served as inspiration for the sculpture, she had seen for herself what happened at the Castle. The Castle’s clientele consisted of couples in open relationships who enjoyed playing with, and having sex with, other people. Often with their partner either actively participating or at least watching. The idea intrigued her, but also left her confused. She could not understand why Kali had chosen her to create the sculpture. Yes, Walker had made the recommendation, but Kali should have seen his judgment was clouded by their relationship. How she thought a young, very sexually naive woman, who had been with only one man, and had not lost her virginity until she was twenty-three years old, could capture such an erotic image and feeling for the Castle’s feature piece was beyond her. In the end she followed some advice Walker had given her, “follow your heart and your gut”. She just hoped she had done Castle O justice.
The air buzzed with voices and the rustle of movement as they worked their way through the room toward a set of curved stairs at the side. They stepped up, giving them a clear view of the vast, crowded hall.
Walker released her hand, slipping an arm around her waist, pulling her in close. His own excitement coming off him in waves as she squeezed her into his side. “Everyone is waiting for you. This is your night. Your celebration. I am so damned proud of you. That sculpture is amazing. This crowd is going to go wild when that red silk goes flying.”
She moved forward slightly, too nervous to say anything as she studied the
Stephanie Beck
Tina Folsom
Peter Behrens
Linda Skye
Ditter Kellen
M.R. Polish
Garon Whited
Jimmy Breslin
bell hooks
Mary Jo Putney