Chapter 6
Pool Party
The starry sky above Los Angeles was still, cradled by a single breath of cool air.
Beneath it, the water of the penthouse pool sparkled brilliantly, illuminated by submerged LEDs casting unnaturally vibrant colors.
A faint rustling was the only harbinger that something was about to happen, then the starry black slightly rippled, vibrating as if a wave of heat had warmed the air.
A segment of the sky detached from the rest of the night and took on the shape of a human face.
Like a Venus rising to the water's surface, Azuki's face appeared first from that dark mimesis, followed by the rest of her body as the veil that had hidden her from view slipped over her.
The wings with which she had flown over the buildings morphed into a large cloak, still merged with the heavenly dome, and made her descent a delicate whisper in the evening air.
When she was a breath away from the terrace, the cloak folded in on itself and then flowed onto her, simultaneously changing appearance and dressing her in a sensuously skimpy, deep purple slingshot bikini.
Her supple legs touched down effortlessly, immediately taking an elegant stride; the catwalk-crossed step was made even more provocative by a pair of 12-inch stiletto slave sandals, a complete ode to her vanity, as they moved direct and agile toward the edge of the pool.
Sliding away from her body, the substance covering her brought the vaporizer hidden among its folds to her hand; the gesture with which she brought it to her lips and took a distracted drag made the feat of landing in stiletto heels on the roof of a building seem like a simple routine rather than the miracle of coordination and agility it was.
But above all, it gave her the appearance of someone coming home. Finally.
As soon as the thermo-optic camouflage completely vanished, making her detectable by the motion sensors, the house's digital assistant responded to her presence by playing the track "
Supernova Dreamsicle
."
From the first notes, the saxophone coupled with electronic melodies resonated with her soul with a calm she had longed for too long.
It was the perfect melody: it spoke of a journey that had finally come to an end and the promise of a serene and spectacular landing at the same time.
Under its influence, finally, the wonder of that place managed to breach even Azuki's dark mood.
She was on the umpteenth floor of a fifty-million-dollar penthouse. The night was warm and calm. The pool water was heated and illuminated with a dreamlike light show. Around her, the skyline of the City of Angels was breathtaking, and from her privileged vantage point, she could drink it in as if it were Ambrosia: a nectar not permitted to mortals.
Only a handful of people on this planet could savor such an intense and gratifying experience. And it was all for her.
And she was home.
Here, high almost above the clouds, wrapped in opulence so lavish it made her seem immensely distant from ordinary mortals, she could finally slip away from the world.
Forget what the day had brought and would bring.
Make her heart beat softly yet vibrantly, as if from that dreamlike night she would never awaken. And, as her heels tapped the song's very rhythm on the pool tiles, Cassandra made her entrance right on cue.
With the regality befitting the high priestess of a temple, she slid the patio doors aside, revealing herself in all her sensuous elegance, her perfect form wrapped in a scandalously erotic swimsuit, worn with the unabashed confidence of one who knows their own beauty.
As the doors continued to open, her slender legs proceeded along the poolside with a firm, majestic stride befitting one embarking on the most sacred of rituals.
By her side, a step behind and in perfect sync, with their gazes fixed on the horizon like obedient vestal virgins, Brittany and Ulrika followed suit. They held their chins high, pride in their eyes for having been chosen for this ritual, their provocative bodies encased in bikinis as indecent as their Mistress's. On their feet, in deference to their host's lasciviousness and in contempt of all caution, were high-heeled sandals that gave their eager stride a swaying motion, purposely designed to flaunt their perfectly sculpted, restless hips.
As the beat of the song strengthened alongside the beating of their hearts, the three women moved in unison towards their eagerly awaited host, their steps so perfectly coordinated they seemed choreographed, their eyes growing more passionate with every inch they closed the distance between them and their profane deity.
Azuki, upon seeing them, was struck even more by the force of that enthralling vision than by the opulence of such an exclusive setting. Her own walk took on their frenzied rhythm, shifting her aim from the pool waters and putting her on a collision course with her three worshipers.
She felt their desire beneath her skin. It beckoned her more than any wealth could. It warmed her more than any earthly warmth. It made her feel at home more than any place could. It made her feel wealthy and safe more than any palace or fortress could.