Fiorella.
It was always the same. The type of guy she thought was sexy looked straight through her. Now this one knew she had a kissing deficiency as well as a tendency to spill tea and sugar over herself. He probably thought she was a secret drinker with a morning hangover.
‘Everybody ready? Remove your shoes and lie down comfortably.’ Fiorella darted about pulling blinds as she spoke, reducing the light to cool, dim shadows. Gentle, tinkling music interspersed with birdsong and wind in treetops trickled into the room. ‘Close your eyes and allow yourself to relax. Give yourself permission to be here in this moment, calm and peaceful.’
Tiffany lay on her back and closed her eyes. Put him out of her mind . She was here for her own benefit. After this weekend she’d be gone from Birrigai and never see him or any of these people again. Concentrate.
Fiorella’s voice was soporific. Tiffany’s mind absorbed the gentle directions. She floated. Perfect peace. A tingling warmth began flowing through her fingers and toes. Wonderful sensation. The music flowed around and about caressing her with sound. She was heavy, she was light, she was soaring...
‘Slowly open your eyes.’
Tiffany’s eyes reluctantly flickered open. She sat up and rubbed her hands and face. Next to her Nathan/Boris did the same. His mouth curved lazily and she couldn’t help but smile back. She’d never felt such a marvellous sense of peace and well-being in her life.
‘We’ll begin our first exercise with partners,’ said Fiorella quietly. ‘This is where we learn to give our partner pleasure with our touch in a non-erotic way and we learn to receive that gift from another. If you would like to be partnered with someone for the whole day that is your choice. But as I know you’re all strangers to each other, I’ll draw names for each exercise.’ She indicated the two small polished wood bowls on the table.
‘Andrew and Wanda.’
Wanda crawled across to Andrew and sat on his sleeping bag.
‘Boris and Rosemary.’
Surf shop guy was Boris. Rosemary flushed brick red. A pang of disappointment knifed through Tiffany as Boris got up and strolled across to Rosemary’s pink arrangement.
‘Domenic and Marianne. And that leaves Josie with Nathan.’
Domenic scooted over to perch on the edge of Tiffany’s blanket before Fiorella had finished speaking and before Tiffany had time to rearrange her features from dismay to neutral.
‘Marianne,’ he said. ‘I knew we were meant to be. I can save time and tell Fiorella we’ll stay together all day.’
‘Better not, Domenic.’ Tiffany made herself smile. ‘The other girls might be disappointed.’
‘We’ll start by giving each other a foot massage,’ announced Fiorella. ‘Come and collect a bottle of perfumed oil.’
Tiffany jumped up before Domenic could move. ‘Boris’ was already taking his bottle from the table. He paused while Tiffany chose rose-scented oil and said softly, ‘Fiorella says who you are paired with is destiny. Sometimes, quite by chance, people are partnered with the same person at each draw for the whole day.’
Tiffany glanced at Domenic sitting smugly waiting in her nest. ‘Do you believe that?’
He shrugged and smirked. ‘We’ll have to wait and see. Domenic may be your destiny.’
Miles turned his attention to poor bewildered Rosemary.
‘Just relax,’ he murmured. Rosemary’s leg twitched involuntarily each time he rubbed her toes.
‘It tickles,’ she said, just like a four-year-old.
Miles grinned and continued but his attention wandered to where Domenic was vigorously rubbing Marianne’s foot as though he were polishing his car. She’d have no skin left the rate he was going and despite the smile plastered on her lips he knew she wasn’t enjoying it at all. What if Fiorella’s prediction was correct and some names did come up together each time? How could he rig the draw? They should be paired at least once in this small group but