Dance of Desire (1001 Dark Nights) Read Free Page B

There was about as much love between you two as a rattler and my front tires.”
    “Which one am I? The snake or your Bentley?”
    Belinda laughs.
    She leans against a bookshelf, studying Amber with an expression Amber can only describe as serious. In another moment, the arch grin is gone and replaced by a look that seems both intent and faraway. Belinda’s mind had traveled to another place. She’s wondering if she should take Amber there with her.
    “I know it hurts like hell,” her boss finally says. “You married that man because he was handsome and charming and full of big promises. But when it came down to it, he wasn’t very much at all.”
    “I didn’t need him to become some big country music star.”
    “Of course not. You needed him to be a good husband, and he couldn’t even do that before he cheated. It’s hard to say, so I’ll say it for you. Nod if you know it’s true. You’ll have to admit it someday.”
    Amber nods.
    It makes her head feel heavy and her neck feel like it’s got a spike in it, but she nods because it’s the truth and Belinda’s right; nodding is easier than saying it out loud. And now, for the first time since her marriage ended, she’s crying in front of her boss. There’s no denying it. Joel has been a man of broken promises for their entire marriage, he was just good at distracting her from the last broken promise by making a new and even bigger promise over the pricey champagne he’d bought her as an amends. This time, however, champagne's not going to fix a damn thing.
    “It may not seem like it, but this is your moment, Amber.” Her hands come to rest on Amber’s shoulders. “This is your moment to decide what you really want, who you really are. The thing about you, girl, is you give all of yourself to people. It’s just your nature. Personally I love it because it makes you a great assistant, but it’s not about me right now. It’s about you. And this is about the fact that whether you believe it or not, you’re in a much better place than you think you are.”
    “How’s that?” Amber croaks.
    “You thought Joel was just second-rate and he ended up being last place. So it’s not like you tried for the brass ring and fell flat on your face. Hell, you don’t even know what kind of ring you want yet. Gold, silver, brass? It’s up to you, babe. They’re all yours to try for. Yours to discover. And I am gonna send you someplace that will make the whole discovery process easier.”
    “Like a spa day?”
    Belinda cackles. “Oh, honey. It’s a lot more than a spa day.”
    “Rehab for divorced people?”
    “Nope. You got any plans in the next few weeks?”
    “You mean aside from making sure my hu— Joel doesn’t get the bar?”
    “Two days. That’s how much you’ll need. Two days to get away. I’ll give you the time off soon as we get your…appointment set up.” Belinda hesitates over these last three words, as if everyday business terms don’t apply to whatever she’s talking about without really talking about it.
    “No offense, Belinda, but I’m not really a seminar person.”
    “It’s not a seminar. It changed my life for the better, but it’s not a seminar.”
    “Well…what is it?”
    Amber’s startled by the seriousness in Belinda’s expression.
     “It’s an experience,” she whispers. “And by the time it’s over, you’ll have a much better grasp on who you really are. On who you really want.”
    “This experience …does it have a name?”
    “The Desire Exchange,” her boss answers.
    “A sex club?” she cries before she can measure her tone. “You’re sending me to a sex club?”
    “It’s far more than that.”
    “How much more?”
    “A million flat. That’s the price of admission. Which I’m gonna cover for you along with any other expenses related to the trip.”
    “I don’t understand,” she says because thank you seems premature.
    Sure, it’s a lot of money, but what the hell is it for ?
    “And you