Chapter Five

For the second day in a row, Aliya fell asleep at the Cave of Pleasure, and woke in her own bed. This morning, though, Matuse was nowhere to be seen. She listened carefully, and could hear no sounds.

But she could smell food. Heavenly food. Something dripping in sugar from the smell of it.

She closed her eyes and willed her stomach to be quiet. After eating the pancakes for breakfast the morning before, she’d starved herself for the rest of the day to make up for the calories. She and Matuse really needed to have a talk. She had twenty-eight days left with him, and there was no way she was going to eat her way through them.

She sat up, pulling the sheet closer around her when she realized she was naked. Shaking her head, she walked to her closet to find her robe, stopping and staring at the barren space with her mouth wide open. It was empty. All her clothes were gone—every last stitch. Even her shoes were missing from the floor.

She ran to her dresser and opened it, finding it in the same state. No bras, panties, hose… anything.

“Matuse!”

“Breakfast is ready,” he called sweetly from the other room. “Come and eat.”

“Where are my clothes?”

“Paran has outdone himself this morning,” Matuse said, appearing beside her. “Crepes, filled with strawberries and topped with whipped cream. So delicious.”

“No!”

“You prefer blueberries? Or maybe blackberries? How about raspberries?”

When Aliya’s stomach growled, Matuse gave a grunt of satisfaction. “Raspberries it is.” He took her hand and headed for the bedroom door.

She tugged out of his grasp. “My clothes? Just one more way for you to control me, hmm?”

“You’re so smart. I can’t pull anything over on you, can I?” He waved his hand and she looked down. Shimmering red harem pants rode low on her hips. A demi-cut bra held her breasts in place. “Very nice. Although we need to put some curves on you.”

“I have curves, thank you very much.”

“Not enough. You’re much too thin. I’m thinking about twenty pounds this month.”

She guffawed in disbelief. “I don’t think so.”

“I do. You’d be good as a size eight, or even a ten. Puff out your cheeks a little, and get you to eat more than a grapefruit or a slice of dry toast.”

“Do you know how long it will take me to get rid of twenty pounds once you’ve released me from this prison?”

“You didn’t think it was a prison last night when you were begging me to fuck you.”

She took a step back. “That was only because you closed off all other avenues. It wasn’t an inability to resist you.”

A knowing smile lit up his face. “Right. Besides, if you have more meat on your hips, it will give me something to hold onto while I’m taking you from behind.”

Aliya shivered as he recaptured her hand pulled her into the dining room. She sat down at the table, looking up as Paran set a plate with two crepes in front of her.

“Raspberries, as ordered.”

She turned an angry gaze on him “Do you listen to everything?”

He appeared to consider her words. “Yes.” He then put a glass of orange juice in front of her. “I hate to be in the dark. But you’ll be happy to know I didn’t watch last night. Well, not all of it. You flush so beautifully when you come.”

As if on cue, Aliya felt a blush spread over her face. She looked down at the plate and picked up a fork, stabbing the food hard and cutting off a piece, which she shoveled into her mouth. The sweet taste of raspberries in syrup mixed with the crepes and she moaned in pleasure.

“This is good,” she whispered as she took another bite. “Thank you.”

“Finish it all,” Matuse said in-between bites. “And she’s right, it’s very good.”

Paran muttered his thanks, then sat down opposite her and began to eat from his own plate.

They ate in silence. It was only when Aliya had finished the first crepe, and was halfway through the second one, that she noticed the stacks of books on the far end of the table.

Her high school yearbooks and a few telephone books seemed to mock her.

Her appetite immediately disappeared and she pushed her plate away. “I’m full.”

“Very well. As long as you’re full because you’re belly doesn’t want anymore, and not because you think it will add to your hips.”

“Yes, I’m full, hunger-wise.”

He finished off his own food, then stabbed the other half of her crepe with his fork. “Don’t want to waste it.”

The empty plates disappeared and Paran stood. “I’m off. I’ll see you two for dinner, right?”

“Yes,” Matuse said. “Something very filling, I think.”

“Enjoy your travels, and I’ll see you here tonight.” Paran disappeared.

“Our travels?”

“Yes, I’ve found Rebecca Stevens. She’s married with two children and lives in Atlanta, Georgia.”

Aliya held out her hand. “Give me the phone and her number. I’ll call her.”

“Oh no, we’re going to visit. A face-to-face meeting is so much more effective in these matters. But first, we’re going to talk about what happened and why. Remember what I said. You’re apologies have to be heartfelt, or they don’t count.”

He clasped his hands together on the table and gazed at her. “Tell me what happened between you.”

“I just, um, well… you know what happened.”

“You insulted her at your senior prom.”

“Her dress, yes.”

“Why? It seemed like such a beautiful dress for a beautiful woman.” Matuse waved his hand and an image of Rebecca appeared. She was tall, with just a few extra pounds. The dress was green and hugged her beautifully, showing off her figure and complementing her dark hair.

“Just because.”

“Not good enough. Tell me why. She seems like a very nice woman.”

Aliya stared at him, then looked toward the window and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Tell me,” he pressed.

“No, you tell me something. If we get all these done this week, will you leave me alone? Will you let me get on with my life without you in it?”

“Thirty days, remember? And you have to feel each apology. Now, answer my question.”

“I was eighteen. I was just a kid.”

“To quote an American phrase, bullshit.”

Aliya pushed back from the table, sending her chair flying back to land on the floor. “What do you want me to say?”

“I want you to tell me why. It’s a simple thing to do.”

“Fine! I was angry because my date told her the dress was pretty. He said she looked ‘lovely.’ There, are you satisfied? I waited until she went to the bathroom and I followed her in there and I let her know what I thought about it.”

Matuse’s eyes darkened. “Are you so insecure?”

“What? No! But I worked hard on my looks that night, and he had no right to be checking out another woman.”

“So, you struck out at her because of something your date said. How churlish of you.”

“Screw you.”

“Why do you think you did it?”

“Because it made me mad. Why else?”

He stared at her for a few minutes, then stood. “We’ll leave it at that for a while, but before the month is out, I want to discuss the reasons for your insecurity. Before you apologize, I want you to think about how your words made her feel, about how you hurt her simply because your own ego had been bruised.”

“I’m not insecure. I know I’m beautiful and I’m not ashamed of it.”

In response he held out his hand. “Shall we go?”

“In this?” She indicated her scant clothing. “I don’t think so.”

Matuse examined her, then moved his fingers. In seconds, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a red pullover blouse that didn’t hug her curves.

She looked down at the sneakers on her feet, then shot him a sneer and shook her head. “I’m not comfortable in this, especially if we’re going to be on a plane. I might see someone I know. I’d prefer one of my business suits.”

“You look beautiful, nice and relaxed.” He took her hand in his, stroking his thumb over her palm before giving her a mischievous grin. “Besides, who said anything about a plane?”