Page 10 of Five Days of Christmas Spice

“Welcome!” A woman calls from behind a reception desk.

“Hi,” I say distractedly, realizing the beautiful glass ornaments are…I giggle and cover my mouth, wondering if Patricia would like a clitoris-shaped glass ornament or maybe the giant penis that I thought was a spiral at first glance.

The way the lights shine through the ornaments is so pretty.

Noel brushes by me to the reception desk and hugs the dark-haired woman who greeted me. “Hi Rosa, lovely to see you. That Dom of yours must be taking good care of you. You’re looking well.”

Rosa blushes, touching the collar at her throat and suddenly, the reality that this place is an adults-only resort where people come to engage their kinks is there.

Even if it looks like it could be off the set of Anne of Green Gables.

I force myself to move, passing the doorway to the dining room.

Beyond the reception desk is a winding staircase.

“This is Holly Burkholder. Holly, this is my good friend Rosa. She runs the place.”

“Nice to meet you,” I say.

“That’s my phone,” Noel mumbles. He takes the buzzing phone out of his pocket and frowns at the screen.

His frown is kind of adorable.

“Can you give Holly a tour? Holly, I’ll see you at seven in the dining room.”

“Sure. Thanks for the ride.”

Noel nods, brushes my arm and disappears behind the reception desk.

“Follow me to the Parlour. This is where I like to remind guests clothing is optional throughout the space, but you signed that acknowledgement when you booked. Our Parlour is a space where guests may come to socialize and read. There is no loud talking or electronics permitted.”

I stop at the doorway of the Parlour.

A man with a bushy beard casually lounges on a sofa, his hand resting on the shoulder of a man sitting on the floor, with his back to the sofa.

The simple gesture is so intimate that tears well in my eyes. I didn’t have that with Phil, and I’m not sure I’ve ever had that kind of casual intimacy.

Near the window, two women are lying on a chaise, their feet intertwined. Behind them, a man and woman are working on a jigsaw puzzle at a small table. Red candles on the mantle glow, and a piano is at the other end of the room.

“It feels soothing.”

“That is the point,” Rosa smiles and leads me to the dining room.

“In here is our dining room. The menu is posted daily. Of course, we’re also happy to provide room service.”

The dining room, with its soft cream walls and the fireplace at the centre, has tables with seating for two and four. A table on a raised platform in the room’s far corner makes me curious.

“Beautiful,” I run my hand along the wooden doorframe. It’s a place you want to eat in, and a swarm of nerves burst in my stomach, thinking of dinner with Noel.

“We think so,” Rosa straightens out a table setting and brushes by me.

“Down this hall is a games room, a library and if you watch your step–”

I look down to see a low step as the hallway veers off in a curve.

“This leads to our full-service spa. You remember, one treatment is covered with your stay?”

“Yes, a nice touch.” A stay at Vixen’s Paradise was almost a thousand dollars a night.

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