CHAPTER NINE: Cassandra
Lulu was right about one thing: driving through the massive iron and stone gates of Paradiso was a little like I would imagine driving into Heaven might be. Built into the side of the mountain, the main lodge was breathtakingly beautiful, like something you’d see in old Japan with its sandstone and heavy timber construction, stilted foundation, curved tile roofs, and brightly colored accents. Another reason it felt heavenly was that I could feel the weight of the world lifting from my shoulders as I drove through the gates. Sadly, I knew the world would be waiting for me when it came time to leave, but a few days without cares and woes would be a wonderful thing.
There were four young men standing at the circular entrance to the lobby, all wearing billowy, white satin shirts, white slacks, and white tennis shoes, like handsome young angels without wings. They smiled broadly as they watched us approach. One of them trotted around the car to open my door and offered me his hand. Another did the same for Lulu. We glanced at each other and grinned. A third angel unloaded our suitcases from the trunk. The fourth one gave us a little bow and directed us across a wide footbridge that spanned a stream filled with large koi. I paused on the footbridge for a moment, watching the colorful fish swimming beneath us.
“Beautiful, huh,” Lulu said, waving her hand toward the water. “This stream is fed from a natural spring further up the side of the mountain. We can hike up tomorrow if you want to see it. You could actually drink this water, though it would probably taste like koi shit.”
“You’re awful,” I said, letting my eyes follow the clear stream, which snaked its way around the lodge as far as I could see in both directions. “It is beautiful.”
“Come on,” she said, tugging on my arm. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Lulu pulled me across the bridge and I willingly followed, feeling a little mesmerized by it all. The air was so crisp and clean that I had to sigh as it filtered in and out of my lungs. The smell of pine and flowers hung in the air, the sounds of the wind in the trees and the birds on the branches. It was a little like stepping into an old Disney movie. I wondered if there would be talking mice in our room and chatty rabbits on the hiking trails.
Another handsome angel held open the ornate wooden doors and welcomed us inside. The lobby continued the Japanese motif with light bamboo walls, teakwood hardwood floors and accents, and floor to ceiling windows that looked out on three sides.
I remembered Lulu saying that Paradiso only had room for thirty guests at a time, which was part of the cozy appeal and probably one of the reasons it cost so much. There were several groups of women huddled about the lobby, chatting, pointing at the view, giggling. They all seemed thrilled to be there… even a little giddy… like high school girls on a field trip to the mall. I wondered if the place would have the same effect on me. I seriously doubted it. I had never been one given to giddiness. And you could not pay me to go to a mall.
As Lulu checked us in I walked around the lobby and looked out the windows at the surrounding woods and the mountain above us. I could see the villa’s dotting the mountain side, like colorful little Japanese huts that rented for ten-grand a night, each connected to the main lodge by winding staircases that looked like they had been there forever. The place was breathtaking, peaceful, serene. It made me just want to take a deep breath and smile. Maybe I’d end up giddy, after all.
“Okay, all set,” Lulu said, coming over with two cardkeys in her hand. She handed one to me and I slid it into my back pocket. “They’ll bring up the luggage. Want to see our suite and freshen up a bit? There’s an orientation dinner, but it doesn’t start for a few hours. I could give you the nickel tour in the meantime.”
“Sounds great,” I said, looking out the window, sighing again. “If it’s anything like this I’m going to be a very happy lady.”
“Trust me, you’re not going to be disappointed,” she said, hitching her head toward a wide staircase at the other side of the lobby. “Come on, there’s no elevator, so we’ll have to climb the stairs to the second floor.”
“No elevator? How… quaint,” I said playfully.
“I know, right!” she said, huffing playfully and rolling her eyes. “I know it’s a health spa and all, but I’m not sure who told them that climbing stairs was good for you. It wears my ass out!”
“Come on, old girl,” I said, offering her my hand. “I’ll hold your hand and help you up the stairs.”
As we were walking across the lobby to the staircase, I glanced up to see two men coming down the stairs from the second floor. They were both dressed like the valets outside and the concierge behind the front desk: billowing, white silk shirts open at the collar, white slacks, and sandals. It was hard to tell who was who since they all dressed the same. But these two men looked different somehow, older, in charge. As a lawyer, I was pretty adept at reading body language. The way they carried themselves with an air of authority as they descended the stairs told me these were not bellboys coming for our bags.
One of the men was shorter and thin, Asian looking, with coal black hair, olive skin, dark eyes, and just a shadow of a well-trimmed beard. The other man was tall, clean-shaven, with sweeping blond hair and a deep tan that contrasted against the whiteness of his shirt. He had a wide smile and eyes so blue I could see the color of them from twenty-feet away. I recognized him immediately. I felt the breath catch in my chest. My mouth was suddenly dry, but other parts of my anatomy were starting to moisten.
Coming down the steps toward us was Devin McMasters…
Yoni Master…
The man with the healing hands…
The man of my wet dreams…
Lulu looked up and when she saw them, threw her hands in the air and squealed. “Ben! Devin!”
They gawked at her, startled for a moment at the high-pitched squeal in the tranquil space, then they smiled and the Asian man held out his arms and pulled Lulu in for a big hug. Devin McMasters was much more refined. He cupped his hands behind his back and bent forward so Lulu could hug his neck.
“It’s so good to see you, Ms. Roman,” the Asian man said. He looked past Lulu to me and stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Ben Chin, Director of Paradiso.”
“Hi, Cassandra Casey,” I said, slipping my hand in his, trying to focus on his face rather than stare at the handsome man beside him.
Lulu turned and put one hand on my shoulder and gestured toward Devin with the other. “Cass, this is Devin McMasters. Devin, this is my partner, Cassandra Casey.”
“Partner?” Devin asked tentatively, one perfect eyebrow arching slightly. He kept his hands behind his back. I got the impression that his hands were reserved for far more important things than shaking the hands of his guests.
“Law partner,” I said quickly, as if I had to make sure he understood that we weren’t lesbians. That would have been about my luck. Come all this way to meet Devin McMasters and have him think I was gay. Wait a minute… Why would I care what he thought and why would he care if I was gay? It wasn’t like I had shot with him, for petesake. Christ… see what being giddy does to me…
“Ah, I see,” Devin said, giving me a smile that made my knees wobble.
“Ben, can you show me to our room?” Lulu asked, taking Ben’s hand and starting up the stairs with him in tow behind her. I supposed he knew Lulu well enough not to argue. He looked helplessly at Devin for a moment as his arm was being pulled from its socket.
“Go ahead,” Devin said with a smile, twitching his head toward the top of the stairs. He gazed into my eyes. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Lulu gave me a wink and tugged Ben up the stairs. I leaned against the rail and tried to force my heart back into normal rhythm. Devin’s hands were still behind his back. I resisted the urge to ask him about Yoni.
“Do we know each other, Miss Casey?” he asked, narrowing his blue eyes at me. His gaze was hypnotic. I felt myself being drawn into his eyes like wading into two dark pools.
“I don’t think so,” I said, my eyes drifting around his face, taking stock of it, searching my memory but coming up blank. There was something so familiar about him, so appealing, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what it was. I think I would have remembered that face… unless I was drunk, which I often was in my misspent youth.
After an awkward moment, he smiled and lifted his chin. “Well, perhaps we met in another life.”
“Perhaps,” I said with a smile.
“Will I see you at the orientation dinner tonight?” he asked.
“I hope so,” I said. He smiled at me again. I could feel the heat on my cheeks and the dampness between my legs. My nipples plumped in my bra, pushing against the thick padding. I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat and tried to shrug without looking like a nervous marionette. “I mean, yes, I’m sure we’ll be there.”
Before he could say anything else, Ben came down the stairs without Lulu. There was a look of urgency on his face. He was holding up an odd-looking cellphone. I glanced up to see Lulu leaning over the railing on the second-floor landing. She made a circle with the thumb and forefinger of her right hand, then slid a stiff finger of her left hand in and out of it. She grinned like a naughty child.
“Dev, it’s Genevieve,” Ben said, holding out the phone. He looked at me and smiled. “It’s a satellite phone. We don’t have cell service this far up. There’s always one of these at the front desk if you need to make a call.”
Devin frowned at the phone for a moment, as if he wasn’t sure he wanted to touch it, then took the phone and held it behind his back. “I look forward to seeing you tonight, Miss Casey,” he said officially before putting the phone to his ear and walking away.
I stood watching him walk away like a lovesick girl with my mouth open and my eyes dreamy. Ben patted me lightly on the arm and with an understanding smile, said, “Welcome to Paradiso, Miss Casey. I hope you enjoy your stay.”