Prophet Seeking Pt. 04

Author's note- This is an anthology series set in the same location of a mysterious dreamy Greek inn, yet the characters and plot differ so they can be read separately or in any order the reader chooses. Enjoy!

~Upon Reflection~

"I don't know what you see in the guy." Mia repeated for the umpteenth time.

"Hmm, maybe cuz he's hotter than a 5-alarm fire at a siracha factory." Echo had an answer ready.

"And he'd be the first to say so." Echo's best friend gestured towards the subject of their discussion.

Nick was six feet three inches of tanned, toned perfection. He had the eyes of Zac Efron, the abs of Ryan Reynolds, and Henry Cavill's jawline. It was as if Doctor Frankenstein took various parts of celebrity thirst traps and made a monstrously hot mashup. He was busy preening his Kit Harington-like curls in the reflection of his sunglasses, although the primping was totally unnecessary. Somehow he still managed to look like a Rocky Horror wet dream under the horrendous lighting of the lobby they found themselves in.

How they had ended up in that remote Grecian inn was a matter of sheer chance. When the sun set faster than expected on their hiking party a local farmer on the side of the road stopped his reaping long enough to tell them about it. Well not tell exactly, more like pointed a dirty finger in the direction of an aging cream-colored structure that seemed to be built into a rocky cliff. From the outside it looked like an ancient temple yet on the inside it was like any other low budget inn, complete with the wood paneled desk, the wilted ferns and the cheap polyester carpeting.

Echo turned her attention from the lackluster decor back to something a lot easier on the eyes. Nick. She had been carrying an Olympic sized torch for him since his family moved into the house next door in the eighth grade. That was ten years ago and though she had grown up quite a bit in the subsequent decade, he still seemed to look at her as that pimply preteen who got car sick on their school field trip to Colonial Williamsburg. That was when he looked at her at all.

So when their mutual circle of friends all decided to go backpacking through the Mediterranean she jumped at the chance of spending some time with him amongst romantic historic vistas. Unfortunately, he'd also brought his latest in a seemingly endless line of girlfriends. So much for catching his eye. It was hard enough to compete with world wonders. Never mind a bleach blonde bombshell who wore nothing but crop tops and skintight yoga pants.

At her side, Mia was cocking her head of spiky hot pink hair to appraise the goods from across the lobby. "Sure he's pretty sexy. Fine. He's Sexxxy with a capital S and three Xs but you could do so much better. Someone who actually knows you're alive for starters."

Echo tamped down a pang of jealousy as she watched Nick wrap his thick arms around his girlfriend and squeeze her lululemon clad ass with both hands. "Maybe once he's done with Amber he'll notice the right girl has been right in front of him all along."

"Or maybe he'll just move onto the next flavor of the month. I hear mint chocolate chippie is all the rage. Echo hunny, wake up! You're smart, gorgeous, generous, you've got magnificent sweater puppets..." Mia rattled off a list of her good qualities while Echo concentrated on melting right into the ugly crimson carpet. "If I wasn't strictly dickly I'd snap you up in a second. Until you find a guy who can appreciate how rockin' you are you're better off alone. Well not entirely alone. Every girl needs BOB in her life."

"Who may I ask is Bob?"

"Battery operated boyfriend." Mia announced loudly to everyone in a 10-mile radius.

"Mia, please! Keep your voice down." Echo urged.

Although she was occasionally embarrassed- ok frequently embarrassed- by her BFF's utter shamelessness, part of her envied Mia's ability to captivate an audience. Echo wished she could command a spotlight like that. Sometimes she felt like she was in danger of blending right into the wallpaper.

"You could borrow mine. I call him SpongeBob because he's always ready."

Echo crinkled her nose at the prospect. "I'll pass. We're close but we're not that close."

Just then a tiny old lady popped up from behind the reception desk. Odd. Echo swore there was no one there a second ago. Guess she wasn't the only one good at blending in.

"Greetings weary travelers." The woman's grainy voice was tinged with an indistinguishable accent and spilling out a mile a minute. "Did I hear someone say battery operation? The big guy upstairs would probably roast me on the spot if he heard me say this but the old ways aren't always the best. Sure, there were crazed sex cults, self-flagellating monks, and the rack. But it wasn't all good. Let me tell you, the double A drawer drill has been the best innovation in the field of DIY for a few thousand years. Far better than Cleopatra's box of bees. Sure, you'd get quite the buzz but there was always a chance of anaphylaxis."

Echo tried not to gawk as she took in the eccentric lady who was currently making buzzing noises under her breath. As bizarre as her lesson on the evolution of sex toys had been, it was nothing compared to her outfit. She wore a loose-fitting dress covered in stars. Her slight frame looked like it would topple over from the weight of her jewelry. A giant Flavor Flav clock set to the wrong time, a gold medallion that said PRINCESS in rhinestones, both halves of a best friend heart locket, a cluster of candy necklaces. There was also a snake chain, at least Echo thought it was a chain. She was a lot less sure about that when a soft hiss reached her ears. The old woman's muttered exclamation of "hush now, Steve," only confused the matter further.

"What you think that cuz I'm older than Methuselah's grandmother I can't still do the two fingered tango? How do you think I went blind?" She waved a wizened finger towards her sightless eyes and smirked, showing off a set of ancient yellow teeth.

Echo had no follow up to that. She glanced over to Mia who looked on the verge of hysterics. No doubt they were thinking the same thing- that this lady isn't playing with a full tarot deck. Before the laughter could burst forth from Mia's lips Echo clapped a hand over her mouth and gave her a hard glare.

The ancient concierge showed no such restraint, however. She doubled over into a belly laugh and slapped her thighs, clearly tickled by her own joke. "I wish you could see the look on your faces. Heck, I wish I could see the look on your faces. I'm only yanking your chain. I sacrificed my sight to the gods for mystical powers but we've all been there. Am I right ladies?" She raised her hand for a high five and got the fichus instead. Then she cleared her throat and her giddy smile turned more businesslike. "So how may I help you ladies?"

"Yes, we'd like to che-"

"Oh darling, that was a rhetorical question. I already know just how to help you." She whipped a key from under the counter and tossed it at Mia who caught it just before it hit her square in the face.

"And for you my dear..." Without skipping a beat she reached around her neck and began fumbling around amongst the nest of jewelry, through the tangle of brightly colored mardi gras beads and the backstage pass for a Pee-Wee Herman concert. She brought a necklace up to her mouth and started chewing. Sure hope that was a candy one. Echo didn't have much time to wonder before she was on to a plastic lifeguard whistle. She lifted it to her lips and gave it a sharp toot before dropping it with a shake of her head.

Finally her grizzled fingers curled around a tarnished bronze chain. With a nod of approval, she slipped it over her head to place it on the chipped Formica right in front of Echo. At the end of the chain hung a key. It gleamed in the light. Echo couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was just a normal key but it looked unusual. Special.

Echo's fingers itched to reach for the key but first she took out her wallet and counted out the rapidly thinning stack of euros. Working for a charity was rewarding in many ways, just not financially. "Actually we'll just take one room please."

"C'mon Echo." Mia piped up. "You never treat yourself. Beside, as much as I love the feeling of your ice-cold feet against my back every night I wouldn't mind sleeping in my own bed for once."

"What about you? With your snoring it's like sleeping next to an air raid siren." Echo teased back.

"Why thank you," Mia battered her long lashes and pouted her well-glossed lips, "I've always fancied myself a siren."

Echo rolled her eyes and then looked back at her wallet with a frown. "Still it's too extravagant."

The innkeeper chimed in. "In honor of Ruth Bader Ginsburg's birthday there is a special slashed rate for shy young ladies who always put others first."

Surprise held Echo in place for several seconds. Was she really so transparent that a blind lady could see right through her?

Mia's elbow jabbing at her ribs snapped her back to the present. "You hear that, it's a sign. Just take the damn room. You can go back to being a self-sacrificing saint tomorrow."

Echo eyed the key longingly. "I suppose I could use a night away from your, uh, siren song."

Mia clapped her hands excitedly. "That's the spirit! Meanwhile you can get some one-on-one time with your own Bob for a little trip to Bikini Bottom." She added a wink for unnecessary emphasis.

The old lady pushed the key towards her. As she reached for it the tip of their fingers touched and a jolt of static electricity shot up Echo's arm. She drew Echo close and in a hushed, secretive tone, said "Heed my words. A woman who knows how to love herself is an unstoppable force of nature."

In her haste to end the bewildering interaction Echo took a giant step backwards and her backside butted up against something firm and round and luscious. Her hand reached back to confirm. Yes, very luscious. Almost like- Holy moneymaker, say it isn't so!

She turned slowly to find that her worst fears had been confirmed. She never imagined that the sight of Nick's perfect posterior would be an unwelcome one. Yet here we are. Echo felt her cheeks turn ten shades redder than the carpet. Before she could run for the hills Nick spun around to glance down at her briefly. Judging by the bored expression on his face he was unfazed by her little game of accidental grab-ass.

"Oh, I didn't see you there." He stated matter-of-factly as he pushed past her.

No surprise there.

"I didn't see you there either." She parroted lamely and then tried to think of something dazzling to say, but he was already halfway down the hall before she could stumble through word one. Smooth. By the time she thought to look back towards the reception desk the old lady had vanished.

A few minutes later she was dropping her backpack down on the floor of the Themis Suite. The lingering feeling of abject humiliation stung worse than a solo session with Queen Cleo's bee box. Or so she imagined. At least the room seemed nice especially for the rock bottom price point. The vase of vibrant yellow flowers that greeted her from the nightstand was a particularly thoughtful touch. Definitely a step up from the hostels they had been staying at. The kind where you had to take flip flops with you into the bathroom. Yuck.

Then she saw the bed and her estimation of the room rose higher still. It was enormous and, best of all, all hers. Longing to sprawl out across the mattress like a starfish, she shuffled on her pajamas and hurried through her bedtime routine as usual, with thoughts of Nick running through her head, as usual.

Most nights it took hours to fall asleep. Maybe it was because of the soft sheets or the lack of Mia's snoring. Whatever the reason, the moment her head hit the pillow the tension in her limbs seemed to melt away. She was feeling so good she briefly considered taking Mia's advice to have a little ménage a moi but she could barely keep her eyes open. Perhaps it was the soothing smell of the flowers. She turned on her side to gaze at them through half lowered lids, watching a lazy bee buzz around the bright trumpet shaped flowers until her eyes drifted shut.

Ω

Echo swatted away a bothersome bee as she peered out from the mouth of her lonely cave. She had chosen the property not for the atmosphere (or lack thereof) but for the view that overlooked a small clearing with a tranquil pool at its center. There Narcissus sat by the water's edge. Full lips pursed in concentration. Broad shoulders lowered. Breathtaking buns raised slightly as he leaned towards the surface of the pool. His eyes, an unearthly shade of lavender-blue, focused fully on his reflection. Completely motionless like some kind of sexy garden gnome.

Echo had plenty of time to memorize every angle of his face as she waited for Narcissus to look up from her pond. Yet he never looked up. He was far too busy staring at his reflection to notice anything past his own perfect nose. Hour after hour, day after day, he did nothing but gaze into the watery looking glass, admiring his masculine beauty. Which put her in the unfortunate position of envying a water feature.

The situation was hopeless. Her fate had been sealed the moment Narcissus wandered into her neck of the woods. One look at his flawless face and glorious body and she felt the blow of Eros' stinging arrow. There was only one small problem- Narcissus only had eyes for Narcissus. He paid her about as much mind as Poseidon might give a guppy.

All the while Echo was left cooling her heels from her secluded one cavern, zero bath grotto with no natural light. Distastefully decorated and crawling with, well, crawly things. There she sat pinning away until she forgot the feeling of sun on her skin. Until she forgot the taste of ambrosia. She even forgot the sound of her own voice.

Glorious as it was, Echo suddenly couldn't stand to look at Narcissus' face for a second longer. She turned away and slumped back onto the cool grey stone of her dank dark hole in the ground. Hole sweet hole. Sometimes she felt like a shrinking violet destined to wither on the vine, unseen and unappreciated. With that dark thought an overwhelming wave of self-pity threatened to overtake her.

Why couldn't Narcissus see the prize he had before him? She may not be the loudest or flashiest nymph in the forest but there was plenty about her worthy of a second glance. Her trim waist for one, and the curvaceous hips just below. Her full round breasts. Before she even realized it she was touching those breasts. They responded almost instantly by growing heavy and tingly. Just a few strokes of her woefully neglected nipples and they stood straight up. Tendrils of excitement unfurled like quicksilver through her veins stirring a long-forgotten need.

Echo couldn't remember the last time she had touched herself. Suddenly it felt like far too long. Impulse drove her as she stripped out of her tattered tunic so that her whole body could be explored at her leisure. The bronze braziers on either side of her responded by spontaneously bursting into life, casting her sumptuous body in the light of greenish flames.

Echo's breath hitched. Moisture pooled between her legs. All at once the already humid cave felt downright steamy. Even the cool stone beneath her could not soothe her fevered flesh. There was only one way to alleviate the burning need. Her hand seemed to know just what to do so she let it take the lead, moving from her breast, down past her taut stomach to the place where the steady throbbing originated. The pad of her thumb brushed over her clit and found it swollen and hard as a pearl. The electric sensation from the little bundle of nerves was too much to handle so she skittered away to take a less direct route to satisfaction.

From there she took a self-guided tour of her various points of interest. The column of her neck, the dip along her collar bone, the delicate underside of her knee. Even the parts she didn't explore tingled with awareness. Is this how Narcissus would touch her she wondered as her fingers wend their way up the supple skin of her thighs until they reached the main attraction. When they closed over her sex she threw her head back as soft moans spilled from her rusty throat.

Teasing at first, her explorations eventually grew more determined as she parted the inner lips to open her up like a flower to the morning sun. It was dripping with dew. She made her way through the thatch of damp curls and between the pouting lips to dip one long finger deep inside. That felt so good it was quickly followed by a second digit. As she began a slow, sensual in-and-out the sound of her wetness reached her ears, making her feel bold and daring.

Taking advantage of her newfound boldness, she brushed a thumb across the sensitive surface of her clit, making leisurely figure eights over the tight bud. With her other hand she continued to massage her breasts, squeezing and kneading the smooth swells of flesh. The world around her faded into the background. Her focus was entirely on herself and her own pleasure. Not something she was in the habit of doing but something she could definitely learn to get used to.

Soon her hips were dancing off the ground, rocking hard against the heel of her palm to increase the exquisite friction of her pumping fingers. Discovering sensitive spots she didn't even know she had, she moved sometimes fast, sometimes slower to draw the pleasure out for as long as possible. Lost in in the wild pulsing sensations, she shut her eyes tight and luxuriated in the joys of self-love. Her breath now came in excited, halting gasps and tiny beads of sweat formed between her breasts, adding a dewy luster to her skin.

Vivid fantasies flitted through Echo's head and for once they were not fueled by thoughts of Narcissus. Instead her mind conjured visions of anonymous hands, petting, pinching, caressing. Above all, striving to please her. The thrill deepened as the fantasy evolved so that she was centerstage before a sold-out crowd. Though she could not see them in the darkness she would feel their eyes upon her, watching her, scorching her with their gaze. Perched on the edge of their seats, hanging on her every gesture. Her every sigh.

She continued to tease herself, leaving her body on the brink until she was panting with the need to come. Yet she was in no hurry to bring the show to a close. Echo had found her voice once more and she used it to call out her pleasure. Her throaty moans reverberated off the lofty cave walls. The ringing of her cries answered her back in a sensual chorus. All the while she carried on strumming her clit as if it was a lute string and her ode to joy was reaching a crescendo.

No longer able to hold back, Echo picked up the pace, setting the punishing rhythm that her body increasingly demanded. If she could make herself feel this good who needed a selfish lover like- like... What was his name again? Oh well, it didn't matter.

Her hips bucked harder as the tension rose to the stratosphere. The strange archaic symbols that were scrawled onto the cave walls glowed and flickered so brightly she could make them out even behind her tightly shut eyelids. Thrusting another finger, she stretched her pussy delightfully wide, taking her that much higher. Echo gasped as she felt the walls of her passage beginning to flutter with the first signs of release. This time she let it hit.

Pleasure more acute than she had experienced at the hands of another tore through her. Echo's eyes flew open. Her body undulated with ripples of delight, her spine arched lifting her off the hard ground. The feeling was everywhere from the points of her breasts to the tips of her toes. On and on the waves of bliss rippled and resonated like a gong that wouldn't stop ringing.