ZenithRising Read online

  “Maybe. And maybe before too. Back on the beach. When we reached the end of the cleared sand. I didn’t say anything because you were kissing me…”

  He rose and grasped her hands. “What happened?”

  “I felt tingling, or maybe it was more of a shimmering, different from what I felt on the trail this morning. It started at my feet and moved up my body.”

  “Do you think you experienced an energy shift?”

  She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know it if I did. It was just…weird and then it went away. But there’s something else. When Reynard was telling us where, or rather when we are, I was filled with an absolute certainty that he was telling the truth. I’ve always been pretty good at telling if someone was lying. I just never thought of it as a gift. What he told us sounds crazy. I don’t understand how someone could be transported through time, except in a novel or a movie. And yet, I don’t have a doubt in my mind we’ve been moved back in time.”

  “Well, I don’t see anything here that suggests we’re being punked. But before we cross over the impossible line with both feet, let’s go to the lobby and see if we can find some hard evidence there.”

  It took a while to review their clothing options. The female underwear alone was enough to keep them from dressing quickly. There were no bras or panties as Maggie was accustomed to but there were silk bodice pieces that laced up on the side and flattened the bosom, silk drawers with wide legs, chemises and a variety of slips. Garter belts and stockings with black seams were in abundance. It all made Maggie frown and Noah grin.

  The array of dresses ranged from lightweight shifts made up of layers of pastel chiffon to brightly sequined and fringed flapper numbers. Her only other choice seemed to be a dowdy, navy-blue pleated skirt and long jacket with a selection of silk blouses and striped jerseys.

  Noah had much less to choose from—brown, gray or white wide-legged trousers with high waists and cuffs and a matching suit jacket for each. There were seven starched white and pinstriped shirts and two tuxedos, one with long tails, and lots of ties and suspenders. Much to Maggie’s amusement, there was also a pair of plaid knickers and a pullover sweater.

  “I’m pretty sure that goes with my navy ensemble…maybe for when we go golfing.”

  Their moods rose another notch when they discovered the cache of hats, shoes, accessories and jewelry, all of which looked very expensive…and very old. Whether this all turned out to be a hoax or they had really been transported, it seemed to have a fairly substantial fun factor built in. They had noticed how dressed up everyone was and chose accordingly so as not to stand out in any way, at least until they figured out what was going on.

  They both agreed Maggie looked adorable in the sleeveless gold fringe over black silk. She had accessorized with a gold sequined headband, a long black pearl necklace and several bracelets. Noah especially liked the dark, seamed stockings but he wasn’t crazy about the bright red lipstick or the kohl eye shadow even though Maggie insisted it was part of the look.

  Noah, on the other hand, was drop-dead gorgeous in the black tuxedo with the shorter jacket and gold brocade cummerbund and bowtie. Taking Maggie’s makeup lead, he used some goo from the Murray’s Superior Pomade jar to slick back his hair. Before leaving the bedroom he grabbed some bills out of the jewelry cabinet and stuffed them in his pocket.

  He started to close the cabinet but stopped to take one more accessory—a gold pocket watch with an ornate cover and a gold chain with a clip on the end. He flipped open the cover and his look of admiration turned to a frown. He squinted at the inside for several seconds. “It’s showing eleven thirty. That seems about right. I think it was around ten thirty when whatever happened, happened. But this is really strange.” He handed her the watch. “Am I seeing things or do these two people look an awful lot like us?”

  She held the watch closer to the light. Inserted opposite the timepiece was a small round wedding photo of a couple who looked just like them. “Funny but I don’t remember posing for this.”

  He shrugged and gave her a wink. “Not remembering doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Maybe it was taken in one of our past lives. Or maybe we’ve been here before. Remember, anything’s possible.”

  Rather than get into a theoretical discussion that would only delay their getting to the truth, she stood back and gave him a head-to-toe inspection. “Wow. I bet you could pass for Rudolph Valentino.” Maggie gave his tie one last straightening. “Now that I think about it, you do make me swoon.” She gave him an air kiss so as not to smear her ruby lipstick.

  He flicked the loose fringe hanging over one of her nipples and grinned when the thinness of the material let him watch the peak tighten even under the tight bodice. “If memory serves you were about to prove that to me right before some supernatural power whisked us away.”

  Her eyes widened. “Are you starting to believe it now?”

  He leaned down to kiss her lips then pecked her nose instead. “The idea is definitely growing on me. Must be these great costumes.” He put his arm around her. “Let’s go see whether we can find some grounded proof. If your bellhop buddy told the truth, we may only have a week to figure out what we’re here to do and do it.”

  In her mind Maggie heard Reynard’s voice repeat, After that it will not matter what you do, you will be here to stay. The shiver that ran down her spine could have been one of confirmation…or a reaction to the icy fear suddenly flooding her soul.

  * * * * *

  Noah leaned down and murmured in Maggie’s ear. “Satisfied?”

  His question and his breath both tickled her. It shouldn’t have made her think of sex but it did. Apparently the chemistry between them hadn’t been diminished by time travel. “We’ve seen today’s newspaper, the calendar on the concierge desk and the registration book. The lobby furnishings aren’t the same. People are smoking cigarettes and cigars. Indoors. A hoax of this magnitude would take more than a few hours to set up.”

  “And we really can’t ignore one more major thing. Look up. The glass panels in the dome seem different, less clear. I remember reading that they were replaced in the nineties. That absolutely could not have been accomplished while we were outside.”

  “Maybe this is all a dream,” Maggie ventured with no conviction in her voice or expression.

  “A joint dream? I’m voting no on that guess. What’s your gut feeling?”

  She sighed. “It’s not a dream.”

  “Well, I’m convinced we’ve traveled through time. I can’t explain it but I can’t refute it either.”

  “Same here.” Maggie shifted from one foot to the other. “These heels are killing me.”

  “Ah, the high price of fashion.” He placed his arm under hers to give her a little support.

  “As fascinating as all this is, maybe we should go back to the bungalow and start focusing on what we need to do to get back.”

  His expression indicated how little he liked that idea. “I think we should approach this as a book I want to write, which means a walk-around comes first. We need to observe the natives. I don’t know about you but I could sure use a drink. Let’s go see what the Amethyst Cave looked like, er, looks like now. You can get off your feet there.”

  They walked directly to where the lounge was but were faced with a bamboo-paneled wall camouflaged by tropical plants in huge clay pots. Noah studied it for a moment then laughed. “I can’t believe I forgot the most important thing about this era. I think we’re in for another treat.”

  He held her hand as he walked up to the only completely unobstructed spot on the wall and knocked. A moment later a very small door opened just above Maggie’s eye level. A man’s eyes and nose appeared and he gave them a quick once-over. “Who sent you?”

  Noah squeezed her hand and replied, “Teddy Roosevelt.”

  The small door closed and a full section of paneling slowly opened inward. Instantly live jazz music reached their ears and Noah gave her a nudge forward.

  “Oh my god,�
�� she said as quietly as she could over the music. “It’s a speakeasy! It really is 1927.”

  Except for the large crystal formations looking exactly like they had last seen them, they never would have recognized the Amethyst Cave. It was at least three times the size, had a bandstand and dance floor and full-size dining tables as well as cocktail rounds. An excited shout rose from a crowd of people gathered at the far end of the room but Maggie couldn’t see the cause.

  Noah’s greater height gave him an advantage. “It’s a casino,” he told her with delight. “I’ve never been much of a gambler but—”

  “Will you be dining this evening?” a tuxedoed man holding menus asked them.

  Maggie looked to Noah. She was feeling totally off balance while he seemed to have slid right into this alien world.

  “We may have a little something,” Noah said to the maître d’ and they were guided to the only available table for two near the dance floor.

  As they perused the menu, another man brought them two champagne glasses and filled them from an open bottle with a French label. “Courtesy of Al Jolson and Warner Brothers Pictures. They are celebrating the opening of The Jazz Singer and hope you’ll make a point of experiencing the miracle of Vitaphone.”

  “Is Mr. Jolson here tonight?” Noah asked with obvious fascination.

  The waiter nodded toward the crowded dance floor but Maggie’s gaze was glued to the man with the champagne bottle. His face seemed familiar, as though she had recently seen him somewhere else. Her gaze dropped to his name tag. Kent. She had a mental flash of a picture frame but it slipped away. “Do you see him?” she asked Noah.

  “I wouldn’t know if I did. The only photo I remember seeing of him he was in blackface makeup. Anyway that just sounded like a movie plug. But geez, wouldn’t it be incredible if we actually got to meet someone famous?” He chuckled as he picked up his champagne glass and held it toward her. She raised hers and lightly clinked the crystal rims. “Here’s to anything being possible.”

  They each took a sip and Maggie held up her glass for a toast of her own. “And to mysterious bellhops without whom we’d be in real trouble right now.”

  After another sip, Noah had another toast ready. “Here’s to Maggie Harrison, my best friend from the past, my adventurous partner in the present, and always, my heart’s desire.”

  She blinked at him in awe. Did he really mean those words or were the outrageous circumstances to blame for such an emotional declaration? Nothing she was thinking would equal his words so she just smiled and took another sip that drained her glass.

  When another waiter came by, Noah ordered an assortment of appetizers and a bottle of the champagne being passed around.

  She was overwhelmed by the glitz and glamour filling every square foot of the high-class speakeasy. Reading a novel or watching a movie set in the Roaring Twenties only slightly prepared her for the real thing. Everyone seemed to be trying to be wilder and more flamboyant than the next person. The only thing really negative for Maggie was the amount of smoke in the air. They had barely been there half an hour and her eyes were already burning.

  “Shall we?”

  Only when Noah spoke did she realize he was standing with his hand out, asking her to dance. The band had just begun a slow song and the lights were dimmed to a romantic level. Once she confirmed the couples on the floor weren’t moving in any way she couldn’t emulate, she placed her hand in his and rose as gracefully as possible with burning feet and a head full of champagne bubbles.

  The moment he drew her into a proper yet clearly possessive embrace, she forgot all about her feet. This was all it took to light a fire in her core—him touching her. It didn’t have to be sexual. They didn’t need to be kissing. They certainly didn’t need a perfect place or time.

  The room seemed to darken even more and the other couples faded from her vision. It was only the two of them swaying to the sinuous tendrils of a saxophone’s tale of forbidden love. She felt her breasts straining against its compression garment, swelling with the need to be fondled by his hands. Her gaze lifted to his and she thought she saw her desire being mirrored there.

  With the merest pressure on her lower back, he brought their bodies together and her thought was confirmed as she felt his erection as blatantly as if they were naked. He made a small adjustment to her position so her cunt was against his thigh as they continued dancing. With each step he teased her with the possibility of being intimately stroked without being able to follow through.

  “I can’t stop thinking about what you’re wearing under this dress,” he murmured in her ear. “There’s just something about a garter belt and silk stockings that makes me want to take them off with my teeth.”

  She instantly felt her juices ooze onto her inner thigh, the boxy drawers doing little to catch the flow.

  “But first I want to see you take this cute little thing off very, very slowly so you feel it slithering down to your feet. Then I’m going to free those beautiful breasts of yours and massage them until they’re big and soft again. Would you like that?”

  She swallowed hard and nodded. And when he stopped dancing she was ready for him to carry out his promise right then and there. But the lights abruptly glared and the band lurched into a lively number with a familiar melody. Noah led Maggie off the floor, along with quite a few other couples, and the polished wood floor was taken over by Charleston-dancing flappers and their partners.

  It was amazing to watch but not quite enough for her to ignore her extremely damp pussy as they made their way back to the table. Appetizers and champagne had been delivered in their absence and her stomach growled at the sight. It was the only part of her not thinking about sex.

  Noah squeezed her hand and leaned close. “I’ve heard waiting can be a kind of foreplay.”

  She gave him a half-smile. “And I see oysters on that platter. They’re supposed to help too.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, like we need a lot of help. Okay, let’s not skip any of this experience.”

  “Well, maybe we could skip one or two.” She pointed to the energetic dancers as they took their seats.

  The music was much too loud to have a discussion so they gave up the attempt. It turned out they were hungry enough to finish off every appetizer in a short time and the champagne was the perfect accompaniment. But the third time he tried to refill her glass she stopped him.

  “I’m already past my limit. We still have some brainstorming to do tonight.”

  “My brain does not storm after the sun goes down.” His hand slipped under the hem of her dress and fingered a garter. “We have something more physical to take care of tonight.”

  Her clitoris twitched in instinctive response and she was back to being ready for him again.

  A horse-drawn carriage was waiting outside the rear exit of the lobby but Reynard was not the driver. All Maggie cared was that she wouldn’t have to walk to the bungalow. As soon as they were settled in the passenger seat, Noah hugged her close and his mouth pressed to hers. Her hand clutched his nape to hold him still for a deeper kiss but their tongues had barely begun to tangle when the carriage stopped at their destination. Noah quickly helped Maggie down and handed the man a dollar, which, based on the man’s delighted reaction, was much more than necessary.

  The moment they were inside the bungalow, Maggie took Noah’s hands and led him into the bedroom. A little nudge got him to sit on the edge of the bed. “I believe you had a request,” she said and turned around. Smiling seductively at him over her shoulder, she slid down one strap of the dress and pulled her arm through the opening. While holding the material in place, she freed her other arm. Then, very slowly, she raised both arms over her head, swayed her body like a dancing cobra and let the silk and fringe slide down to the floor. Though it didn’t follow the routine he’d suggested, she hooked her thumbs in the waistband of the drawers and eased them down over her hips and naked cheeks, purposely bending over in front of him.

  By the time
the shorts were at her ankles, she heard Noah’s breath catch and knew he was captivated by the rear view of bare ass, garters, seamed stockings and heels. She took her time straightening up then stepped out of the puddle of material before turning around to face him.

  His eyes filled with lust as he took in her thatch of blonde pubic hair framed by the black garter belt. It gave her more than enough confidence to keep going with her striptease.

  He yanked off his jacket and bowtie.

  She bent forward, which helped her bosom almost escape its prison, and dragged her fingers up one leg as though she were smoothing that stocking but at the top edge she continued up over her inner thigh and combed her fingers through the tight little curls before bending again and repeating the routine with the other leg.

  Noah bolted off the bed and tore off the rest of his clothes as she continued to play with her pussy hair. The moment he was nude, he roughly grabbed both of her hands, trapped them behind her back and jerked her against his body.

  His cock was already hard as it moved against her cunt while his tight hold kept her in place. She felt his shaft find its way through her defenses until it was rubbing back and forth directly against her swollen clit.

  She turned her head and found his mouth, wet and open for her assault. She caught his tongue, bit the tip and sucked it hard into her mouth.

  He escaped with a feigned moan of pain. “Brat,” he murmured. “Just for that I should make you stay in this contraption…but I’d be depriving myself.” He released her hands in order to untie the lacings of her bodice and throw it across the room. Without explaining, he moved her to face the mirror over the dresser and stepped behind her.

  She watched his hands palm her breasts, squeezing and kneading them back to fullness.

  “Touch yourself again,” he whispered and kissed her neck as he continued his massage. “I want you to see how beautiful you are when you do that. And I want to watch you make yourself wet for me.”

  Maggie was already aroused but as her hands moved to obey his order her pulse raised with anticipation. With her first downward stroke he pinched her nipples and her body shivered in response.