“Well, you’re freaking us out a little,” he said, getting out of the chair to stand behind Genevieve, like a little boy hiding behind his mom so she could fight his battles. Their reaction confused me. I had expected shouting and cursing and throwing shit and tears, but this was just weird, almost like a scene from a bad play.
“Why do you want to quit?” Genevieve asked, lifting her elegant chin to stare down her nose at me. “When we spoke on the phone yesterday you were fine. You sounded tired, but fine.” She spread out her hands and tried to frown, though her Botoxed forehead forbade itself to wrinkle. “Now, today, you stroll in here with a smile on your face that would choke a clown and announce your retirement. I’d like to know why.”
“He’s met someone,” Ben said, folding his arms over his chest, assessing me with his eyes. “It’s that woman you were with last night. Cassandra Casey. I knew something was up the moment you asked me about her. And then you chose her to be The One at the orientation dinner. The entire thing seemed very contrived to me. I knew something was up. I also know she spent the entire night in your villa. Who is she? What is she to you?”
I forced myself not to react at the mention of Cassandra’s name. I stared at Ben for a moment, then lowered my gaze to Genevieve and locked it there. “As I said, I’m just very tired,” I said with a heavy sigh, rubbing my eyes for effect. “I’ve been going hard at this for a decade now and, as Ben said, I am burnt out. If I have to put my hands on one more flabby socialite or horny soccer mom I will scream. It’s as simple as that.”
“What about the guests we have booked who expect a session with the Yoni Master?” Ben asked, obviously more concerned about the business than me, which was his job, after all. “If we have to refund deposits because you’re all of a sudden too fucking tired to do your job!“
“Careful, Ben,” I said, narrowing my eyes at him, harsh words nipping at the back of my tongue. “You’re my best friend, but you’re also an employee. You do not want to blur those lines by being an asshole.”
“Fuck you,” Ben snapped, spitting the words back in my face. “I helped build this place. I introduced the two of you. I have a stake here whether you’ve ever seen fit to make me a partner or not.” He threw up his hands and shook his head. “My god, man, you’re really willing to throw all this away over a fucking woman?”
“Who is this woman you keep talking about?” Genevieve asked, again trying to frown though her face resisted the command from her brain.
“It’s not about a woman,” I said quickly, although the crack in my voice hinted otherwise. Genevieve stared at me, calmly, coldly, like a jungle cat watching a baby deer munch on grass, waiting for just the right moment to pounce and rip out its tender throat. “It’s not about a woman. I’m just tired.”
Genevieve gave a long sigh and held out her hands. “All right then, you’re tired. You’re burnt out. I understand. I suppose there is nothing left to do but figure out how to ease you out of the operational side of things without disrupting our clientele and having to refund a million dollars in Paradiso deposits.”
“What do you have in mind?” I asked warily, suspecting that something was percolating in her brain. Genevieve was not the type to be caught off guard without a plan.
“You simply can’t just abandon ship and disappear. You have too many people relying on you. Not just Ben and I, but the employees and clients of Paradiso, and those who work in our spas and manufacture and distribute our products, and the women who use them. Your departure will affect thousands of lives, my darling. Surely you are not so selfish that you would just turn your back on those who have not only helped build your empire, but also rely on it for their livelihood and well-being. You can’t… what is it they say here in America… go cold turkey?”
“So, what do you have in mind?” Ben asked, moving back to the chair.
Genevieve looked at me for the answer. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine. I’ll attend the next four sessions over the next two months,” I said, formulating the plan in my head as the words came from my mouth. “During that time, I’ll personally train several of our top masseuses on Yoni and certify them to be Masters just as the Maharishi did for me.”
Ben chimed in, speaking directly to Genevieve. “We can force them to sign a non-compete agreement so they can’t leave and setup their own Yoni Massage spa for at least five years.”
Genevieve held a long finger in the air and added, “And the more Yoni Masters on staff, the more Yoni Massages we can sell.”
I suddenly got the idea that they had already played all this out, that up until that moment I had been the cork in the dam. Perhaps they had wanted me to loosen the reins all along and this was their opportunity to do so with me thinking that it was my idea. Before, I would have refused to even consider adding more Yoni Masters to the fold. Now, it seemed like their idea was coming out of my lips.
“Yes, that’s right,” I said. “They will take over the Yoni Massages here at Paradiso and can offer them in the spas in L.A. and San Diego.”
“So, we’ll increase revenue there, as well,” Genevieve said, dollars dancing in her eyes. “We’d never offered Yoni in the spas before because you were dead set against it, Devin. Perfect time to offer it now.”
“What about the idea we bounced around a while back about doing a series of training DVDs for home use?” Ben asked, still speaking directly to Genevieve, as if I was not even there. He glanced at me with devious eyes. “You’ve always been against the idea of teaching Yoni for couples and personal use. Are you willing to do those DVDs now that you’re not going to be performing Yoni yourself? They would sell in the millions.”
I could almost hear the cash registers ringing in their heads. I gave them a suspicious look. “Why do I get the feeling that this is what you guys have wanted all along?” I asked. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No, Devin, we do not want you to leave,” Ben said. “But we’ve known this moment was coming. It’s been clear for a while now that your head and heart was no longer in the game. For the sake of the business we had to be ready.”
“Devin, are you sure this is what you want?” Genevieve asked. “As Ben said, we would prefer that things continue on as they are, but your health and happiness are important, as is the health of the business and the happiness of our clientele.”
“Is this really what you want, Dev?” Ben echoed, looking at me with soft eyes, the anger all gone. “Can you really leave all this behind?”
I blinked at him for a moment, then glanced at Genevieve. Their faces were awash with compassion and doubt, as if they were witnessing a loved one make a terrible decision they could not talk him out of. It was like a failed intervention and I was the one who would ultimately suffer from my own addictions.
“No… I mean… yes… this is what I want,” I said.
Genevieve asked once more. “Are you’re sure?”
“Yes,” I said, giving her a definite nod, even though the sharp teeth of doubt were already biting at my soul. “I’m sure.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Cassandra
The moment I opened the door I recognized the woman standing there as Genevieve St. Claire; Paradiso cofounder and world-renowned sexologist who had penned the online article I’d read about Yoni Massage.
The picture that I’d seen online did not do her justice. She was tall and thin, beautiful, elegantly dressed in a designer pants suit and silk blouse, adorned with diamonds and pearls that probably cost more than I made in a year as an attorney. She gave me a polite smile and stuck out her hand for me to shake. Even in the California summer heat, her hand was cold as ice.
“Miss Casey, I’m Genevieve St. Claire,” she said in a French accent that only served to make her more regal. “May we speak?”
I blinked at her for a moment, then let go of her hand and stepped aside to let her in. “Yes, I’m sorry, please, come in.”
I closed the door and followed her into the suite and offered her a seat on the sofa, which she politely refused. I forced a smile and said, “I’m sorry, you just surprised me. I didn’t expect to meet—“
“I don’t mean to be rude, Miss Casey,” she said, holding up her hands to cut me off. “And I regret the need to be blunt, but time is of the essence. We have a problem that only you can resolve.”
“Me?” The smile faded under the weight of a frown. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“You were chosen to be The One last night,” she said, narrowing her blue eyes until they burned into mine like tiny laser beams.
“Yes… I… I’m sorry, what is this about?”
“You’re being used, Miss Casey,” she said flatly in perfect English. “And I’m concerned how that will affect the rest of our guests and the reputation of Paradiso. And the credibility of Devin himself.”
The little hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Bad news was ahead. The lawyer in me could feel it coming from a mile away. I set my jaw and gave her a nod. “Please, be as blunt as you need to be, Miss St. Claire. I assure you I can take it.”