A Tease - A Castle O Quickie Read Free Page A

talon nails on her crystal champagne flute as she stepped up to the glass podium.
    The Adonis flashed his perfect teeth as he led Alyssa to the place of honor beside Kali, taking her now empty champagne glass. It occurred to Alyssa she should ask his name, but as she turned to thank him he had stepped to the back of the stage and the hall had gone silent. She turned back to the audience, twisting her fingers together nervously, wishing she had kept the glass, just to give her fingers some sort of purpose. Her arms suddenly felt like useless, heavy, ape like appendages.
    Below her the sea of people waited. Their attention focused on the illustrious Kali with her natural ease and magnetism, Alyssa noted with envy. Only the whisper of clothing and of lovers sharing hushed secrets drifted through the room, like a breeze rustling leaves in the forest. From the elevation of the stage, her sculpture looked even more impressive, rising up from the crowd still sheathed in red silk, that shimmered and reflected the warm light from the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling above it.
    A shiver went through Alyssa’s body.
    Kali set her champagne glass on the podium, then spoke, her voice clear, crisp and loud. “Good evening! Welcome to this very special celebration. As you all know, one of our passions at Castle O is great art. The first time I stepped through the front doors of Castle O, I knew I had to have a very special piece to welcome our guests. A piece that would provide a spectacular first impression, and tease them with what awaits inside our walls. Castle O is about fantasies, this piece needed to be the stuff of fantasies.”
    Kali paused, taking a sip of her champagne. “It took me a long time to find the right artist for the job. Someone talented enough and able to work on such an immense scale. At Castle O we like things big. On this criteria alone many didn’t qualify.”
    The crowded laughed, a few whistling, at her joke.
    Once they settled down Kali continued, “I also needed someone who could embrace my vision and distill it into a piece that would prove timeless and tantalizing. Someone with a fresh and open mind, who could see the beauty in passion and desire, just as we do every day, here at Castle O. I found all of that and so much more in the incomparable Alyssa Roy.”
    Kali turned, smiling as she raised an elegant arm towards Alyssa as the crowd clapped.
    Alyssa smiled, not sure what to do with her hands as she raised one in a fumbling wave. The champagne was making her feel a little giddy and brazen. She stepped forward, taking a shaky breath as she followed Kali’s cue to take the podium, gripping the edges to steady herself. She did not recognize her own voice, an octave higher than normal as she said her well-rehearsed words, “I would like to thank Kali and Kent, and the people of Castle O, for trusting me to create this piece. It has been an absolute pleasure working for you. I truly hope you enjoy what I have created. Thank you. Thanks.”
    She stepped back with a quick nod as Kali reached out, putting her hand on Alyssa’s back, keeping her front and center.
    “Alyssa worked tirelessly, with some very enthusiastic models,” people snickered, “to ensure that her piece was the perfect embodiment of Castle O.”
    Kali took another sip from her champagne, keeping her hand on Alyssa. “And, if I do say so myself, she nailed it. This piece is fucking hot, just like Castle O.” More cheers. “So, without further ado, I present to you Alyssa Roy’s masterpiece, aptly called, A Tease !”
    Kali snaked her arm around Alyssa’s waist, pulling her close. She smiled down at Alyssa, her face alight with excitement.
    Alyssa smiled back tightly, her heart racing and pounding painfully in her chest as the entire hall erupted into cheers.
    “Count with me everyone. One, two, three!” On three Kali swooped her arm up into the air, and, as if connected, the red silk whipped up off the