Shock Treatment by Greg Cox Read Free Book Online

laid her towel across Rita’s rear end in a token concession to modesty. “Looks like you’ve been working on your tan,” the masseuse observed, admiring the client’s evenly toned skin. “I’m jealous.”
    Rita appreciated the compliment, but was in no mood for small talk. A pang in her temple started to spread to her forehead. She sensed they were running out of time. “Hurry, please.”
    â€œOf course,” Heather assured her. “Coming right up.”
    Rita turned her head sideways to watch the masseuse in action. She braced herself for company as Heather slid open the lid of the vivarium and took out two large handfuls of hissing snakes. The serpents squirmed restlessly, trying to escape, but Heather managed to hold on to all of the tangled reptiles. Scaly coils wrapped around her wrists and forearms.
    â€œHere we go,” she said.
    Without further ado, Heather gently depositedthe snakes onto Rita’s back. Their cool, dry bodies undulated across her naked flesh. Agitated by their sudden change in location, they attempted to flee in every direction, but Heather deftly herded them back toward Rita’s spine, braiding them together to slow their escape. The larger, heavier snakes kneaded her deep tissues, while the smaller serpents fluttered across her skin like caressing fingers. Despite the heat lamp, their cold-blooded bodies were chilly at first, but she knew from experience that her own innate warmth would soon heat them up. A scaly belly slithered down her spine.
    â€œAh,” Rita sighed rapturously. “Just what I needed.”
    Serpentine massages were the latest therapeutic craze. According to Madame Alexandra, the practice had originated in Israel a few years back, but was slowly making inroads into America’s trendier enclaves. The sinuous motions were said to relieve tension, soothe sore muscles, and even cure migraines. As far as Rita knew, The Nile was the only salon in Vegas currently offering the treatment, but she’d heard rumors that some of its competitors, and even a couple of the big resort hotels on the Strip, were thinking of adding live snakes to their spas and health clubs. Seems like a natural for the Luxor, she thought, or maybe the Bellagio.
    She settled in to enjoy the experience, luxuriating in the unique sensation of the snakes writhing all over her nude body. There was something undeniably sensual, and maybe even a little erotic, about it. No wonder Eve had succumbed to the Serpent, she mused; Rita felt like she had snuck back into theGarden of Eden. A forked tongue tickled the back of her neck. She felt the pressure on her temple ease. Her eyes stopped hurting. Just as she’d hoped, the headache was already fading away.
    Maybe she could make that luncheon after all.
    Just as she was drifting off on a tide of bliss, however, she was jolted by a sudden sharp pain at the base of her neck. What felt like tiny needles pierced her flesh.
    â€œChrist!” she yelled out. “I’ve been bitten!”
    Her dreamy swoon evaporated. Her neck stung like blazes. Alarmed, she sat up abruptly, spilling the snakes onto the floor. The towel slid off her behind, landing unnoticed at Heather’s feet. Glancing down, Rita was horrified to see a banded red, black, and yellow snake still hanging on to her throat, its fangs sunk into her jugular. The snake bounced against her bare shoulder, swinging back and forth like a scaly pendulum. An angry popping noise emanated from somewhere inside the creature.
    â€œCrap!” she shrieked. “It won’t let go!”
    Heather’s face was pale. She backed away fearfully, like she was on the verge of bolting from the room, while the spilled serpents scattered across the floor in all directions. She jumped in fright as a thick orange corn snake slithered across her foot.
    â€œOmigod!” the girl blurted. “That’s not supposed to happen!”
    â€œI know that,