Her Secret Pleasure Read Online Free Page B

breasts and hips. There wasn’t a stylish, manicured bone in my body. I floated through college with a tote bag of books and laptop in one hand and an open book in the other.
    Sean, well, he drew people to him. They wanted to know him, to soak in his personality. He wasn’t just smart, he was ambitious and with his brother they were a powerhouse on the soccer field, in the classroom, at parties. Girls loved them, though Zach was the playboy while Sean disappeared when it came to actually choosing one. He dated some before we started sleeping together, but if he dated while we were together he was careful to never show them off.
    It was safe to say I wanted more, but at the time I didn’t have it in me to say so. I didn’t want to press my luck and lose what I had. Six years later and I wasn’t really sure I’d changed much in that department.
    In my head I knew I should have asked for more. Demanded it. It was one thing to love myself, another to believe someone else might want to, too.
    With Marcus and Sean it also didn’t help that they came from money and I’d never known what it was like to not worry about how to make it from paycheck to paycheck, at home with my mom or on my own.
    I left the couple at my subway stop and walked the wet streets home. It was after one in the morning and I was alone when I climbed the stairs to my little brownstone apartment building. I splashed my way up the steps, grabbed my mail, and headed to the second floor, trailing water the whole way. Ms. Glass from downstairs would have a fit in the morning.
    Molly, my little midget cat, hopped off the back of the couch and ran to greet me as I fell into the apartment, dropping my bags by the door and my mail on the table next to it. I gave her a pet and was about to make a beeline for the bedroom to collapse from exhaustion when something in my mail pile caught my eye.
    I don’t know why I stopped and pulled the glassine envelope from the others. I received advertisements sometimes for new restaurants or boutiques opening in my area. My neighborhood was trendy, filled with young out-of-college professionals, so we tended to be a plum target for marketing campaigns. I rarely went to any of the places and the adverts ended up in the trash more often than not.
    But there was something about this one. The foggy, almost transparent envelope hinted at gorgeous purple stationary hidden inside. It was hand addressed to the Residents of the Philomel Neighborhood.
    I broke the seal and removed the purple parchment. The words EAT ME. DRINK ME. were written in glossy black text at the top, surrounded by flourishes that wove down and around the rest of the invitation.
     
    Welcome to Wonderland, the newest, most arousing restaurant to make its home in the big city. Wonderland is an adult experience - a lush, decadent atmosphere paired with unusual dishes and exotic wines that will take you far from the real world into one of exploration, pleasure, and need.
    Every meal feels like dessert. Every ingredient uniquely picked with your desires in mind. Let us inspire you. Follow us down the rabbit hole and discover what breathless compulsions wait for you. All you have to do is say yes.
     
    My hands shook as I pulled the small, glossy postcard from the envelope. The restaurant, a dark, exotic looking building, was featured on the front. Metal laser cut trees grew up from either side of the doors, limbs curling long and fairy tale-like flourishes across the face of the building. Purple light glowed from beneath the wooden double doors. The advertisement promised luxurious decadence, fairy tale pleasure, and feverish infatuation.
    I turned the card over and my heart squeezed its way into my throat and threatened to suffocate me.
     
    Wonderland was dreamed up by brothers Zach and Sean Castle who wanted to create a world where adults could explore visceral pleasure - a place away from the noise of the city and demanding careers. Sean Castle is also