Secret Goddess

"Got ya head in the oven again, I see."

She didn't realize it was so late. He was home.

"Well, it ain't gonna clean itself."

"Actually, Donna, I specially bought one a those self-cleanin' ones."

She did not pause from the rhythmic scrubbing, trying to reveal the shine underneath all that grime.

"Actually, Frank, it's so old, it don't work no more."

He stopped himself from saying anything more about the oven. His tone softened.

"The boys around?"

"Yeah. In their rooms. Everything got canceled this afternoon cuzza the big storm comin'."

"You still gotta work?"

"Yeah. Crazy people don't get no snow days."

"That's too bad. I thought maybe we coulda hung out tonight. All of us. Watch a movie or somethin'."

She slowly moved her head out from the inside of the oven to look at him for the first time. He was trying to smile at her.

"Sorry, Frankie. Can't do it tonight. Lotsa folks are gonna be callin' in sick, cuzza the storm, and I'm the closest one. So I gotta go in."

"I get it, Dee. I guess I should be thankful you got that job at the hospital, helpin' us out with bills and all."

"Yup, it's a good job." Her face didn't flinch as she thought, If only he knew...

"I think you and the boys could still have some fun tonight. I made those French bread pizzas you like."

"Thanks, babe."

On his way to the boys' rooms, he gave her bottom a little smack. It made them both smile.

She excused herself while the boys were all still eating to get ready for work.

A hot shower began to melt the layers protecting her from this life, lifting the reality of her body and soul closer to the surface.

The snow was falling hard, but had not yet begun to whiten the roads. It left only a wet, slushy trail that made driving more hazardous, but began the process of tightening her senses. The dullness of the day faded as she got closer and closer to work. By the time she stopped the engine in the nearly empty parking lot, her eyes could see twice as far and her ears picked up even the snowflakes landing on their small piles. She could smell the cigarette somebody was smoking somewhere in the alley.

The girls weren't allowed to park in the front, brightly lit by all the flashing neon, and instead left their cars in the dark, garbage-filled alley. She was never afraid, because even before she stepped out of the car, the transformation had begun.

The walk toward the back door lengthened her legs, put a curve in her hips and straightened the stoop of her spine. The body underneath her stained housedress grew sleek, supple and strong. Preparing for the shocking brightness of the industrial-white corridor, she held her breath. When the warmth and light hit her face, she exhaled.

The tight line of her lips softened into a ripe fullness that slid into a seductive smile.

"You're here early, Miss Dee!" The sweet doorman was preparing himself to leave after a long shift.

"Hi Manny. So great to see you. Yes, I wanted to miss the bad part of the storm."

She looked directly at him, standing eye to eye. "I can feel that you are especially strong tonight."

He couldn't help but flex his strong chest. "Kind and beautiful as always, Miss Dee."

"You be careful getting home, ok? It's slippery out there."

"Sure will, Miss Dee. Sure will. And you have a great night too."

"I always do, Manny. Thank you my friend."

As her hand connected with the coolness of the dressing room doorknob, a jolt of electricity filled the left side of her body. Her shoulders got broader, her waist curved in and her breasts sat higher on her chest. She stepped into the dressing room, her energy bringing the frenzy to an abrupt halt.

"Dee!! What are you doing here so early?"

All the girls, in various states of undress, got up from their mirrors to give her a hug.

"Hello darlings." The scratchiness of her voice had been replaced with a breathy lilt.

"I just wanted to beat the storm. How is the night?"

"A little bit slow. But I'm sure it'll be packed for you, Dee. Like always. Your guys would never miss a night."

She smiled to acknowledge the compliment.

"I'm so glad you're here, Dee. Could you help me with that move you showed Viva last week? She said it works better than anything she's ever done."

"Sure. Why don't we all try it?"

The girls excitedly gathered around her for the lesson. Hands moved down their bellies and thighs, lightly slapped their bottoms, and followed the undulation of their hips.

"If it feels sexy, it's going to look sexy."

She could see what simmered beneath the sadness and fear of these girls. The stories that had brought them to this place were almost always tragic. But here, with the community they had built, and out there, as objects of primal beauty and deep desire, they had begun to reclaim their power. The lives they could hardly control or manage, were completely theirs to own with every night they danced.

They told her about their lives, their problems, their successes. She was the wise one here, the master of pleasure, persuasion and sexual power, so unlike her life as the invisible servant to a house full of men and boys.

"Dee! Five minutes till showtime."

Aaaah. The best part of the night was about to begin. The beat of the music filled her body, even before it was translated by her ears, as she opened the stage door and sauntered to the front curtains. Here, on the darkened stage, the final change took place that set her skin aglow and her eyes ablaze. This was the moment that made all the others possible, the revelation, among grimy walls and sticky floors, of her true essence.

The announcer began speaking, with the pulsing drum beats in the background.

"Now, ladies and gentleman... the one you've all come to see, the goddess, the seductress, the Mighty Aphrodite!!"

The curtains opened but the stage remained dark as she tapped only the very point of her 5-inch stilettos. Everyone's hearts synchronized with that almost imperceptible beat - click, click, click.

The lights rose, following her own illumination, from the sparkle of her shoes to the gem-encrusted collar around her throat. The crowd burst into applause, as they always did.

The small sway of her hips grew larger and eventually became large figure eights while the black chiffon of her blouse fluttered like wings. When the beat grew more intense, she strutted to the front of the stage and squatted deeply, revealing just a glimpse of her jeweled thong. The crowd stilled in anticipation.

Here, she paused for several minutes as she made eye contact with every single one of the hundreds staring hypnotically at her. She lingered on the eyes of the women - more and more each night - letting them know that she saw them, fully and completely.

I see your Goddess.

Then, they too, began to move with her, the force in their hips taking their discomfort and uncertainty away. Each of the men grew taller, filled by the masculine energy they did not feel safe expressing anywhere but here. With her.

She stood up in slow motion, with perfect balance and strength, towering over the enraptured crowd. With a clash of cymbals, and an un-fastening of her blouse, her body was revealed. A gasp of pleasure moved throughout the room, paused in an unexpected span of silence, then fell with her own breath.

Her dance lasted only 6 minutes, but nearly everyone experienced an arousal that filled their bodies, and a release that filled the room.

The crowd was still on their feet, screaming and applauding when she sauntered off the stage.

"Fantastic, Dee! I don't know how you do it."

Drew, the club manager, had his arm around her waist as she walked toward the dressing room.

"There's a huge line of folks wanting a dance. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely, Drew. I'll be out in a second."

Wrapping a golden swath of chiffon around her like a sarong, she made her way out into the crowd. Just outside the VIP room, a few dozen men and women gathered, each holding their stack of bills in anticipation that this would be their night. The regulars were prepared for what would happen next, but there were several new people in the crowd, making their inexperience evident in their wide-eyed gazes.

"Listen, folks. Aphrodite can only take 5 or 6 right now. We've got lots of beautiful girls, here. If you don't get picked, we can find you someone else."

"We don't want anybody else!" She recognized that deep voice. It was Walter, one of her regulars. She knew nothing about him, and his life, other than his opening his heart to her and releasing his sharpened life into her hands and body.

This was the most difficult part of the evening... having to pick only a handful of people. As she gazed into their eyes, she could tell who was ready and who was not.

"Walter." His face burst into an ecstatic smile. "That couple there." She had seen them before, and the way they held each other bode well. "Derek. The man with the brown jacket. And..."

Which one would she pick? She closed her eyes and summoned her intuition, the wisdom from all the Goddesses before her, and around her. As her eyes opened, they landed on a man and a woman standing next to each other.

"Those two."

The woman looked anxious, and spoke up first. "But... we're not together." The group of women she had come with looked perplexed.

"I know. You will come together."

The man tried not to look as pleased as he felt, and gave the woman a reassuring nod. "It'll be ok. I heard she does this. She knows what she's doing."

"You two first."

The man tried to put his arm on the woman's back to escort her into the room, but was caught by doubt and pulled his hand away. He was scared.

"You," she said pointing to the man, "you first. Sit right here." A large maroon leather chair sat alone in the center of the simple room.

"Where should I sit?" The timid voice of the woman surprised them both.

"What is your name?"

"It's Lena."

"Well, Lena, you won't be sitting." She knew this would be confusing.

She could see the man's body relax as he released his weight into the soft chair.

Bending over him so he could see the full outline of her breasts, she asked, "And what's your name?"

"Tom. I'm Tommy. I've been here before, but never had the guts to come back here, and..."

She let the tip of her long pointer finger settle on his soft lips. Their eyes met and he smiled.

She straddled him, moving gingerly up and down so that he could get used to her body next to his. She understood that the sensation for mortals was often overwhelming. He was adapting quickly. Good.

"You're doing great, Tommy. When the music starts, take off my wrap."

All he could manage was a dazed nod. The high screech of a violin shocked him back into the moment. As the sounds of the piano began, he reached to untie the small not holding up her gauzy top. She skimmed her free nipples across each cheek, as he groaned.

The woman was pacing behind her, completely immersed in the scene.

Aphrodite let more of her weight come down on the man's lap as she circled them over him.

"Lena, come around so I can see you."

The woman moved obediently behind the chair, mouth agape.

"Now dance for me."

Although Aphrodite knew the woman was shocked by her demand, her body freed itself from its fear and began to move.

"Good, Lena. Very good."

She began to increase the pressure on Tommy's lap, and his groans became more insistent. He would be ready to release soon, but it was not time for him yet. Whenever he would get too close, she would ease off of him, and begin to breathe more slowly. He inevitably followed her.

They locked eyes for several long moments, as the intensity of the music grew.

Millennia of primal connection between male and female guided their connection as naturally as any other beasts. His whole body filled with her energy, arousing everything beneath the intellectual control he used to guide his life. He felt like a wild animal, freed from its shackles and he let himself growl.

It was time.

Holding her body's focus on him, she looked toward Lena, whose own ecstatic dance had softened and energized her, and said, "Now it's your turn."

Lena approached the chair, moving in curves and circles with every step. Yes, she was ready, too.

Aphrodite caught her hand, sending a bolt of current that opened the woman's eyes. With an unexplainable swiftness, she moved herself off the man, and moved Lena onto him. Their flash of confusion passed as quickly as it arose, and soon Lena fully took her place. The man growled even more deeply.

With no more guidance or urging, Lena began to remove her blouse. Tommy's hands slid up her thighs moving her small skirt around her waist so that her bottom was now grinding on his lap. They gazed in each other's eyes so fiercely, that Aphrodite feared the heat might consume them. But they had watched and learned, and they breathed over the peak of the moment to build another.

For minutes, these two strangers danced. He, in his stability and strength, and she, with her electricity and grace. He wrapped his hands around her bottom, and she put her breast in his mouth. They kissed.

Aphrodite whirled around them, creating a container for their energy. Both the music and the lovers would soon peak, and she did not stop.

Lena's moans of pleasure carried both of them into another realm, the violet light filling the space around their bodies. She drew him in, and he deepened his focus. They were magical to watch and it pleased Aphrodite an enormous amount.

The cycle completed itself as the bodies found stillness again. They all drank their breath in together, as if sharing an exquisite elixir.

Lena was the first to speak. "That was amazing."

"Unbelievable." He could not take his eyes off her.

As the energy settled, and the moment cooled, some of their timidity returned, as expected. Tommy helped Lena on with her blouse, neither of them speaking.

After they put their money on the small table near the door, they turned back to look at her.

"Thank you, Aphrodite." They spoke together.

"My pleasure."

She let them gaze at her immutable splendor in this moment, and she knew they could see the truth.

As the door closed softly behind them, Aphrodite let her head fall back, her chest rise and her body be re-filled. She would soon be with him.

She knew immediately who had opened the door by the feeling of her feet on the floor, and her flesh wrapping around her bones.

"Walter..."