Chapter 1: Elevator
I met Mari in a Minneapolis hotel elevator. I still don't know exactly what she was doing there, but I was attending an AI conference and had to pass through the lobby several times over three days. I saw her, one other attractive young woman, and several other people near the entrance to the hotel spa. She seemed to notice me. Some sort of concierge? Regardless, on one post-luncheon trip up the elevator, I found myself alone with her. She looked me in the eye, lifted the back of her hand to my cheek, allowing me a sidelong view of her long, clear, pointed fingernails, which seemed to have some sort of red-gold tracery embossed onto them or perhaps even inside them. She had a strong, aristocratic face, pale rosy white skin, sleek black hair curled in waves past her shoulders, a colorful tattoo on each toned upper arm, a tight stretchy skirt that came to the top of her knees and showed off her strong legs, and a riveting gaze. She looked like she spent time in the gym and her smell hinted of exertion. The tops of her breasts and cleavage showed over her chemise. In 3-inch heels she was over six feet tall, though her penetrating eyes were still a couple inches below mine. Her rich lipstick was blood red.
"I like this," she said several seconds later, before lowering her hand from my cheek. She reached for my wrists and began raising them. "I like this even more," she said.
This was a bit unexpected, to say the least. Her grasp was gentle yet firm and I let her raise my arms to shoulder level. "I don't think ..." I began.
"I'm just measuring, nothing crazy is happening," she said softly. "Just humor me a minute and let me look into your eyes ... there's something I need to ask you about them." I allowed her to raise my arms above my head. She came in close. Then closer.
Her eyes were blue-green with an orange-gold pattern surrounding the pupil, a hazel splotch at two o'clock, a green splotch at six. It seemed like there was motion, too, flowing slowly outward, holding my gaze. But the truth is her eyes were blurry this close up since I wasn't wearing my reading glasses.
"Um ..." I said.
"I know. You like my eyes, don't you? They're fascinating and you could look deep into them for hours," she said, but seemed puzzled at my reaction, like it wasn't quite what she'd expected. Then she noticed the glasses in my shirt pocket and smiled. "I bet you'd like to see them more clearly, wouldn't you?" She gathered my wrists together, still above my head, and held them with her left hand, revealing a little more of one breast. She lowered her right hand to place the glasses over my nose and it was like a strong breeze or even an ocean wave hit me. Sure enough, it was easier to see the details of her eyes now and I couldn't help but look deeper. They were amazing, that orange-gold pattern around the pupil appearing like a 30-point flower, the motion making it slowly change shape. I tried counting points but kept losing track.
"It's hard to look away, isn't it?" she asked, her tone triumphant, her look even more predatory.
"Yuh ..." was all I could manage. My tongue felt thick and slow.
"The tattoo on my right arm is a tigress, did you notice? You won't be able to look now since all your attention is on my captivating eyes, where it belongs, but I wanted you to know," she said. "The tattoo on my left arm is a secret only I know right now, because I'm sure you didn't notice on your own, did you?"
"Nuh ..." was all I could manage.
"I'm a little bit of a tigress myself, in case you couldn't tell," she said. "And there's something about you I want to know, but can't quite put my finger on ..." She placed her right hand against my cheek again, alternating the front and back every few seconds, letting me feel the warmth of her fingertips, the cooler touch of her nails, and a barest hint of sharp points at their ends.
"Goooooood," she said, our eyes still locked together. "Now try to describe my eyes. It'll be difficult because you're feeling sleepy from that delicious lunch. Your eyes want to close into a nice nap, just for a few minutes."
My mouth opened but nothing besides a little breath came out. My eyelids were indeed feeling heavy.
"You can nap on your feet, I know you've done it before," she said. "And I'm very strong, I can hold you up if you start to ... slide down. It feels so good to be like this with me, so relaxed, losing yourself to the motion in my beautiful, boundless eyes. So relaxed, so soothing, so sleepy, so safe."
My eyelids closed. The elevator seemed to have stopped moving.
