She was almost hit in the face with a wayward elbow, and her ears rang with the cheers for their host.  But where was he?  Turning away from the platform, Cheri stumbled over feet and cloaks, robes and tails to reach the bar.  The room was a mirage of distance and merriment; she couldn’t concentrate on where she was or what she was doing, but all at once she knew she must leave.  Reaching for the front door, she was about to walk out when a hand touched her left shoulder, gently.

       “Where you goin’?  Surely you’re not leaving already!!”.  It was that damn butterfly again.  Before she could answer, she was swept over to a doorway on her far left.  She hadn’t noticed it there when she came in.  Strings of beads dripped and twinkled off its frame… beyond it was darkness.  As she timidly approached it, cool air brushed over her skin and reminded her of walking into a freezer.  She instinctively tried to pull away when she realized she had no idea where they were going, but she couldn’t free her hand!  Sucked unwillingly into a tunnel of cold, thick air, she held her breath against the shock to her lungs and trembled a little.  After she started to acclimate, she was dimly aware of the silence… the pure, unadulterated silence.  It rang in her ears, left her longing for something, anything, to remind her of what they had left behind.  Why couldn’t she hear anything?  They were just a few feet from where they started….

       “I knew there was something spectacular about you, from the first time I saw you.”, the butterfly said, still grasping her hand tightly.  “You’ve got something special going on… I think he’ll really like you.”.

       “Who?”

       She said nothing, but led her further into the darkness.  As their feet touched the marble floor underneath, tiny blue lights lining the hallway lit up, always a few feet ahead.  Soon they reached an imposing set of golden doors.  Heavily carved and detailed, it was a distinctly Asian-infused work of art.  The doors were identical, except the design – a slender, lithe dragon embossed with rounded jewels was flipped vertically on either side, reminding Cheri of a playing card. 

        “It almost looks like two dragons…oh, no….”, she murmured, giggling in embarrassment at her salacious thoughts.  The butterfly flashed her a devilish grin. 

        “Yes, I was right… he’ll be CRAZY about you!”, she squealed in delight.

        Turning to face the doors, she grasped the claw of each dragon and twisted them together.  A luminous glow bathed the hallway as the doors opened to reveal a much smaller room than what they had left behind, with a low mirrored ceiling and marble tile.  Stained glass sconces in every color and pattern imaginable lined the walls, their light splashed across the wallpaper flocked in scarlet and gold.  There were no windows.  Other than a ridiculously large canopy bed in the center of the room draped in gauzy silk and red velvet, the room was empty… their footsteps echoed on the marble bracingly as they walked inside.

         “So… what’s this all about?”, Cheri asked.  She was more than a little nervous and impatient.     “Where are we?”.

         “You’ll find out.  Very soon.  I can’t wait!”, the butterfly squealed before dashing out of the room, slamming the doors behind her. 

          It was a little creepy in there at first… no noise except for her heels and the bells around her ankles and wrists, nothing to do or look at.  After realizing the doors were locked from the outside, she began to feel that deep, familiar knot of panic in her chest.  She pounded with her fists, yelling and cursing, blindly hoping someone would hear and let her out, but no one answered… at first.

          “Hey.”

          She whirled around, her fists held midway in front of her.  “Who the hell said that?”, she hissed, her throat tight with tension.

          “Shhhh, shhh, shhh… it’s cool.  Calm down, or you’re gonna break a nail.”.  That voice.  It was coming from behind the gauze of the canopy.  In the soft burnished glow of the room, she couldn’t make out anything at first.  As she crept closer, she thought she saw someone lying on the bed.  Oh, yes.  There was definitely someone on the bed. 

          “Who are you?”, she asked, meekly at first.  When he didn’t respond, she found her strength.  “Who are you, and why do you have me locked up in here?  I don’t even know you people, and you’re dragging me around from room to room… where the hell am I and why are you keeping me here?”.

           “Baby, baby… just chill.  Don’t worry about it… c’mere.”.  His voice was smooth, coaxing.  Through the gauze, Cheri could make out a tall figure – long legs and arms but a solid build.  He was dressed completely in black, a surprising contrast from the wild colors everyone else was wearing tonight.    “You’re curious, aren’t you?  Have a seat… relax….”.  This guy was slick and charming, maybe overly so.  She didn’t trust him at all.

            "No.  I just want to leave.  Please.”.

             At first he made no move, his breath betraying him with a tiresome sigh.  Then, a soft chuckle.  “You’re gonna be difficult… good.  I like difficult.  Makes the reward that much sweeter.”.  He jumped up on his knees, straddling the mattress squarely, and pushed aside the gauze with a flourish.  Cheri nearly fell over when he made himself known to her.  Far from being a freak or a homely lecherous pervert, he was a startlingly handsome man.  Well-built, with broad shoulders draped in a black leather jacket, he flexed his powerful legs a bit to stay balanced on the mattress (which appeared to be a waterbed)..  She couldn’t help but gawk openly at him for a moment – his mischievous crystal blue eyes, his boyish smile with a pouty lower lip that begged to be sucked, and the thatch of dark brown receding hair on his head, adding ironically serious character to his otherwise buoyant personality.  With his chiseled face and gorgeous manicured hands, he was a good sight better than what she had feared would be waiting for her.

“Still wanna leave?”, he asked her with an exaggerated, comical wink.  Without waiting for an answer, he climbed gracefully off the bed and stood in front of her.  His pants, also black leather, were stretched taut over some very interesting parts of his body. She forced herself to look away to avoid embarrassment.  “Now that I’ve got your attention, let me introduce myself… or maybe you already know who I am?”

           Cheri shook her head shyly.  Damn, he’s gonna hurt someone with that thing!!, she thought to herself with a slight smile.

          “Ohhhhhh… okay…”, he replied, rubbing his chin thoughtfully while he glanced her over appreciatively.  He wore huge, chunky, flashy rings – on anyone else they would have been garish, but on him they looked regal and empowering.  “Well, let me ask you this… do you like to have fun?”

           “Huh?”

           “Do you like to party?  You know… wine, dance, merriment, all that…”.

            She thought for a few seconds, not sure where the conversation was going.  “Yeah, I guess… I haven’t done it in awhile.  This is the first party I’ve seen in years.”.

            He raised his hands up to his shoulders with the showmanship of a veteran game-show host, his face beaming mirthfully.  “Baby, you have no idea how much better it’s gonna get!  I have this shindig every year, and it just keeps feeding on itself, growing… sometimes I amaze even myself!!  How do I pull it off?  How do I do it?”, he asked no one in particular, his voice overflowing with pride.

           “This is your festival?”.  She was truly surprised… this hot guy with the leather fetish was the master of ceremonies?

            He nodded enthusiastically, never taking his eyes off her.  “We crown a Queen of the Grapevine every year.  You’d look ravishing in purple, I think… with little bunches hanging off you strategically…”.  His hands instinctively reached out to her chest, and she jumped back carefully. 

           “Hey!  I don’t even know you… and you still haven’t told me where I am!”

For a moment, his sensual eyes crinkled with bemusement.  “You really should learn to relax.  It’s not good to get all worked up like this.  You need to learn to let go and push your worries aside… give in to your basic nature.” 

            Cheri was dumbstruck… this stranger left her feeling vulnerable, and she wasn’t used to that.  Her life had shaped her into a woman of action, someone who could easily take care of herself and anyone else who came along – and she often had to do that.  Now this man was trying to tell her that she needed a change?

             He carefully moved towards her, his hands still reaching out, and began to massage her shoulders.  She had no idea what kind of control he had over her, but she wasn’t sure if she disliked it as much as before… she was letting this stranger massage her, violate her personal space and take liberties with her gentle nature.  But, oh, his hands were amazing.  Her headache, which had been slowly building up out of frustration and nagging apprehension, was gone… she could fall back into this man’s arms and forget everything.  What was it about him that could do this to her so easily?

             “Tell me what’s on your mind… it’ll make you feel better.  And that’s all I want to do… to make you feel better.”, he whispered in her ear, gently pushing away her auburn hair with his tongue.

Cheri had no idea why she did it, but she spilled her guts to him about everything.  Her loved ones, who were always in distress and in need of her help, her home which had ravaged by the recent hurricane… there was so much to tell him and so few words she could find to do it.  Instead of making her feel better, though, she found herself getting more agitated.  The glaring difference between her world and his magnified her troubles, made them even uglier. 

             “So it all goes back to the same freakin’ story, over and over again… I have to take care of myself and amuse myself because I sure as hell can’t expect anyone else to help out!”

            “Ohhhhhh… you’re so angry.  You’re not having any fun, are you?”, he purred, trying to soothe and placate her, but she turned to ice. 

            “Are you patronizing me?  I don’t appreciate that.  Really, I don’t.  Look, I have to go now… I’ve got other things to do.”.

            She reached for her purse and headed to the door, but he was already there… leaning against the wall on one shoulder with a playful smirk on his face.  How the hell did he do that?, she wondered and backed away slowly.

            “Please don’t leave!  You can’t leave yet… the party just wouldn’t be the same without you.  Come on!  You only have to stay for thirty minutes.. no, wait… fifteen minutes.  That’s all.  Just fifteen minutes, and if you’re not having fun you can leave and I’ll never bother you again.  I promise!”.  He moved closer to her, leveling his eyes on her… her first instinct was to step back and away from him, but her heavy soul seemed to drop down into her legs, holding them in place.  “Please trust me… I could change your life if you let me.”.  He gently brushed her hand with his, and it felt like satin… he had the most beautiful hands she’d ever seen on a man, on anyone.  Smooth manicured nails, long thick fingers, a fleshy underside that belied any hint of hard work or strife… his touch made her feel careless and hot.  “Do you trust me?”.

             “Yes.”, she heard herself say, and really couldn’t believe it.

             A sweet smile crossed his face.  “You won’t regret it.”.