Landon hesitated outside the shop door, his gaze drifting to the unobtrusive lettering on its glass: Consultations, Readings, Guidance. Based on that description alone, one might have assumed the business provided financial planning. It was only the accompanying illustration, an uplifted palm with an eye nestled in its center, that indicated the real purpose of the place. 

Setting aside his skepticism, Landon stepped inside. A small reception area awaited him, as did the odor of incense. He tried not to grimace, though he was certain that smell would cling to his suit and accompany him home later on.

From behind a desk that looked antique, a young woman with a blonde bob stood. "Hello," she greeted Landon, her smile warm. Her wine-colored dress was accentuated by a long strand of what appeared to be carved jet beads. Vaguely, he recalled reading that such jewelry had been popular during the Victorian era. "How can I help you today, sir? Are you interested in a reading?" The woman's eyebrows lifted expectantly. 

Landon ran a hand through his dark hair. Never in his life had he felt so out of place as he now did here. "I'm looking for Selene. Is she in?"

The woman's smile slipped a bit, but her tone remained pleasant. "Do you have an appointment?"

"I didn't realize I needed one. Someone referred me to her." He pointedly looked around, as if to draw attention to the fact that the shop was otherwise empty. "I'll pay extra if I need to." His stare moved beyond the reception area to an illuminated doorway toward the back. Was Selene in that room right now? he wondered.

"Let me check her schedule," the woman said. 

Landon tried not to look too anxious as he waited; reeking of desperation would do him no favors, especially if Selene turned out to be a fraud. 

The woman studied an appointment book on her desk for a few moments, then started to speak. Before she could utter more than a couple of words, a tall man dressed in a fine suit emerged from a hallway off to the left. He'd obviously overheard Landon's brief conversation with the blonde, for he rushed to say, "Selene sees clients by appointment only."

As the blonde shrank from the hard stare he cast in her direction, Landon sighed in exasperation. "I've offered to pay extra if I can see her this evening." He'd headed here directly from his office across town, and he didn't care to make the trip a second time. 

The man's blue eyes narrowed slightly. His smile, decidedly condescending, made Landon bristle. "I'm afraid that's not possible, but Mara here will be happy to assist you."

"For Christ's sake." Landon didn't bother to hide his irritation. "Do you own this business?" 

The man folded his arms over his chest. He looked to be in his late forties, just a few years Landon's senior. Though his hair was silver, his face was relatively unlined. The combination made him seem both distinguished and formidable. His frame, a bit leaner than Landon's, appeared plenty strong. "I do," he replied. "And while I would normally do everything possible to accommodate your request, I must ask you to schedule an appointment for a later time. Selene had a lengthy consultation this afternoon, and she's quite exhausted—"

"Roger." 

The three of them looked toward the doorway Landon had noticed before. A slender brunette stood just outside it now, her expression one of mild amusement as she regarded the man. "I'm able to see our new client."

Landon knew his surprise was clear on his face. The woman was young, probably no more than twenty-five. He was old enough to be her father. This was the renowned Selene? Her outfit was equally shocking. He tried not to stare at the way her white dress plunged into a sharp V, revealing ample bare skin. She obviously wore no bra beneath that dress, and for a brief moment, he entertained himself with the thought of parting the fabric to expose her small breasts. 

Roger gave Selene a long-suffering look before closing the distance between them. While placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, he struck Landon as overly paternal.

"Are you sure?" Roger asked her. "We don't want you pushing yourself too hard."

Landon glanced at Mara, who didn't appear at all pleased by this exchange. Yet the moment she caught Landon studying her, she forced another smile.

"I'm fine," Selene told Roger firmly. Turning back to Landon, she beckoned with a beringed index finger. 

He quickly approached before Roger could intervene. As Selene led him into a small room which could have served as an office in a different kind of business, Landon felt Roger's glower like a palpable force. 

Once Selene closed the door, she gestured for Landon to have a seat. The room had built-in shelves which displayed a variety of crystals, bundled herbs, and small vials with decorative labels. He sank into a comfortable wingback chair, while she sat across from him, with a sturdy wooden table between them. Her long hair was tousled, as if she'd run her fingers through it numerous times and then forgotten to comb out the tangles. Her eyes were a striking hazel color, almost golden. 

"Do you charge by the hour?" he asked, already reaching for his wallet.

"I'm not a hooker."

Landon snapped his head up, fearing he'd offended her. "Of course not. I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

He might have kept sputtering apologies if she hadn't offered a wry smile. Leaning across the table, she offered her hand. "I'm Selene. And you are?"

He introduced himself, then mentioned the acquaintance who had referred him here. "I'm hoping you can help me find someone."

Selene held up a hand to stop him from saying more. He watched as she retrieved a deck of cards, wrapped in black cloth, from the left side of the table. When she fanned them out before him, he realized they weren't Tarot cards. His college girlfriend had dabbled in the occult, often doing Tarot readings for him and their friends. But this deck appeared to be illustrated by hand, and the meaning of their symbols eluded him.

"Which card resonates most strongly with you?" Selene asked, her expression inscrutable.

Landon felt his skepticism return full force. How the hell would choosing from a deck of cards help him find Alice? Still, it would do no good to challenge Selene over her methods. 

Finally, he selected a card featuring an ouroboros and withdrew it from the others. "Selene," he murmured, "the goddess of the moon." Looking up, he found her watching him closely. "Is that your real name?"

Instead of answering, she took the card he offered and set it aside. Then she circled her fingers around his wrist.

Though Landon offered no resistance as she studied the lines on his palm, he suspected her of playacting. Was this a joke to her? Did she take him for a complete fool? The esoteric card deck, the palm reading, it was all ludicrously cliché.

Without warning, Selene dropped his hand. "The person you're looking for... her name starts with an A." 

Landon tried and failed to conceal his astonishment. Immediately, he struggled to make sense of the revelation. Had his acquaintance, the one who had referred him to Selene in the first place, betrayed his trust? Had he tipped off Selene that Landon would be seeking her out? But he'd never told that man Alice's name. 

Unable to stop himself, Landon leaned forward, searching Selene's face. "Where is she?" he asked, his voice deceptively quiet.

Selene tapped a fingernail against the card he'd withdrawn from the deck. "I'm not at liberty to say."

"Why not?" Landon demanded. "It's urgent that I find her."

Mirroring his posture, Selene leaned toward him. "Because she doesn't want to be found."

Landon recoiled as though he'd been slapped. Grief and fury mingled within him, their power so strong that he struggled to breathe. To his horror, tears welled in his eyes. "I need to talk to her. One last time." He hated the pleading note in his words. "I just need to..." Clearing his throat, he managed to rasp out, "I need to know why. Please."

Only two months ago, he'd come home to the apartment he shared with Alice and found her gone. She left no note, no message whatsoever. Though she'd chosen to leave behind the jewelry he'd bought her over the course of their relationship, as well as most of her designer clothes, Landon noticed she'd taken the small teddy bear that used to sit on her dresser. It was old and worn, its stitching frayed, but Alice cherished it, for her father had given it to her when she was a girl. 

The absence of that stuffed animal made it clear Alice hadn't departed while under any kind of duress; she'd left of her own free will. Of course, the police were no help. They explained what Landon already knew: Alice was an adult who could come and go as she pleased. 

Landon reached out to Alice's parents, but they wouldn't return his calls. Seeing as how they lived halfway across the country, he couldn't easily show up on their doorstep and beg for information as to their daughter's whereabouts. 

The most maddening part of it all? The morning of the day Alice left, she kissed Landon goodbye. Her smile was as sweet as ever when she told him, "Have a good day, honey. I'll see you tonight."

Her cruelty gutted him. While pressing her lips to his for that final kiss, she was merely waiting for him to leave so she could do the same. 

Could Selene now discern the raw wound Landon carried inside him? He hoped so. He hoped this woman would have mercy and alleviate his torment.

Instead, she climbed to her feet. "I need to meditate on this. Sometimes, what we most fervently wish for isn't what's best for those involved."

Landon rushed to stand as well. He was so goddamn close, closer than he'd ever been, yet Selene refused to tell him the truth. He had to resist the urge to grab her by the shoulders and give her a hard shake. This woman—this girl!—not even thirty, and she dared to lecture him about what was best!

Fury simmered beneath Landon's skin, but he managed to dampen it. Selene was the key, one he couldn't afford to lose. "When do you think you'll be finished meditating about the issue?" he asked, his voice strained from the effort to sound polite.

"Oh, in a day or two." She opened the door, moving to dismiss him. "There's no charge for this session. However, if you decide to return to hear my decision, you should be prepared to pay three hundred dollars."

"Even if you don't give me any useful information?" 

Selene lifted an eyebrow. "You'll pay more than that for any useful information I might choose to provide. Now, if you'll excuse me, it's been a long day."

Landon clenched his teeth until his jaw ached. When he stepped past Selene, she didn't retreat an inch. As a result, he was forced to brush against her while passing through the narrow doorway. Again, his gaze dropped to her chest, then traveled downward with an unexpected hunger. Crazily, he found himself imagining how it would feel to slide his fingertips along that narrow valley of naked flesh.

Selene didn't follow him to the reception area. Landon was relieved to find Roger gone; only Mara remained. From behind her desk, she gave him a smile that seemed genuine. "Have a good evening, sir!"

Casting a dark look over his shoulder at the now-empty doorway, Landon muttered, "Not likely, but thank you, Mara." 

Outside, the last traces of daylight had given way to darkness, and the night soothed his flushed face with a balmy breeze. How did Selene know about Alice? The first initial of her name, the fact that she didn't want to be found. Landon could have been looking for anyone, and that person could have had a thousand different names. 

In that room with Selene, he'd been convinced she could see into his soul. And into Alice's as well. Now, a web of doubt wove itself through his mind, but those strands weren't strong enough to ensnare his abject hope. 

Landon would return in two days, and he'd be ready to pay whatever price Selene demanded.

In his car, parked a little ways down the street from the shop, he found that he couldn't simply drive away. He told himself it was because he was too worked up. After all, the woman had done an amazing job of offering a silver hook for him to swallow. Given a little time, she'd reel him in, if only to take him for all he was worth.

But that didn't explain why he lingered in the darkness, his stare fixed on that door. At nine sharp, Mara stepped out onto the sidewalk. Her dress swished around her legs as she strode toward a private parking lot at the side of the building, in the opposite direction from Landon's car. 

A few minutes later, Selene and Roger exited the shop together. Landon ducked down farther in the seat, though he was almost sure they wouldn't spot him. As Roger locked the shop door, snippets of their conversation drifted through the car's lowered window. 

"I told you... shouldn't..." Roger's tone was surprisingly harsh. 

"I'm fine!" Selene practically shouted. "You can't keep..."

Landon's eyes widened when Roger seized Selene's arm. As they headed toward the private lot, the man didn't release his hold. Selene briefly tried to pull away before seeming to realize it was no use. 

Without fully understanding his reason for doing so, Landon decided to follow Roger's luxury sedan at a safe distance. Though he told himself he was simply checking these people out to learn more about them before handing over a shitload of money, the explanation rang hollow in his mind. 

A short time later, Roger turned down a quiet residential street. Once his car pulled into the parking lot of a small apartment building, Landon drove a little farther, then pulled over to park on the side of the street. In his rearview mirror, he could see the couple making their way across the lot. All the while, Roger kept an arm around Selene's waist. The man no longer seemed like a father figure. Instead, he was behaving like a possessive lover.

As soon as they were out of sight, Landon hurried from his own car and toward the apartment building. During his approach, he studied the windows. One on the lower level, previously dark, suddenly glowed bright. 

Landon moved deeper into the shadows, hoping no one was observing him from one of the surrounding houses. His pulse quickened as he crept toward that illuminated window. From the side of the building, he could loiter in the darkness and see directly into a nicely furnished living room. The couch had the same vintage feel as the wingback chair he'd sat in at the shop. 

Despite himself, he started the moment Selene and Roger appeared in his line of vision. They were still arguing, with Selene gesticulating wildly. Were they fighting over her decision to see Landon that evening? It was clearly one she'd made against Roger's wishes.

As Roger stood before Selene, he bore the brunt of her anger in patient silence. They seemed to be covering old, familiar ground. Maybe Selene resented her boss for being so controlling. Watching the two of them, Landon thought they looked far more intimate than employer and employee. 

It was only when Selene started to turn away that Roger again grasped her arm. Spinning her around to face him, he planted a fierce kiss on the young woman's mouth. Once more, she briefly struggled, but all her fight vanished when Roger parted that V in the bodice of her dress.

An involuntary moan emerged from Landon's throat. Hadn't he ached to do the very same thing during their meeting? His stare was riveted to Selene's breasts. Those small mounds were capped by nipples of a deep rose hue. Roger now stroked those peaks, his touch serving to pacify Selene even more.

Soon, she was letting him blatantly fondle her, and as he lowered his head to suckle her breast, she held him fast. Landon imagined he could hear her pleasured moan. Despite his lingering resentment, his cock stiffened, and he couldn't resist stroking it through his pants. 

While Roger bestowed lavish attention on Selene's breasts, his hands slid down to her ass. Weaving her fingers through his hair, she guided his mouth back to hers. The kiss grew demanding, bordering on violent. It was the kind of kiss that would leave one's lips aching. 

And Selene clearly loved it, for she allowed Roger to strip her of the dress altogether before he guided her to the couch. He quickly had her bent over its arm, with her ass thrust toward him. 

The older man yanked down Selene's panties, which were surprisingly plain, made of simple white cotton. Landon's hand worked even more insistently at his groin, trying to milk out all the pleasure he could in his vulnerable position as voyeur.

Roger sank to his knees behind Selene. He removed her underwear, then briefly held them to his face. By this point, Landon's dick was pulsing, desperate to be free from the confines of his pants. He could only helplessly watch as Roger placed his palms on Selene's buttocks, spreading them farther apart.

Landon breathed hard and fast while witnessing the man bury his face between Selene's firm cheeks. She immediately started rocking back against her lover, eager for the stimulation his mouth provided. 

Landon knew it was wrong to secretly observe this erotic act, but that knowledge didn't compel him to leave. No, he stood right there, reveling in his own excitement. For the past two months, his anguish over Alice had made his sex drive practically nonexistent. Masturbation served as a mere physical release. 

Yet his arousal was fully resurrected now. When Roger stood and freed his dick from his pants, Landon felt a surge of jealousy, for he yearned to do the same. And when the man eased inside Selene, Landon grew wild with his own need to claim her.

Their coupling started off deceptively gentle, then quickly intensified. As Selene threw her head back, sending her long, dark locks fanning outward, Roger thrust into her with a brutal force. It was as if he wanted to fuck every argument, every ounce of disobedience, out of the woman offering herself to him. 

A smile twisted his lips, and he reached forward to grasp Selene's hair. She let him handle her roughly, in a way Landon never would have dared to touch Alice. Roger drew her upward until she was nearly standing upright. His free hand snaked along her skin before cupping her breast. His mouth was greedy at her neck while his hips kept up their merciless rhythm.

Selene's body was stretched taut, her frame shuddering. Roger moved like an inexhaustible machine, and Landon couldn't help but admire his stamina. He wondered how long he'd manage to last if his cock were pumping in and out of Selene's cunt at such a relentless pace. 

The woman's climax was unmistakable, for she writhed and quaked, her face contorted into a rictus of lust. Roger bared his teeth in an animalistic display. Still holding Selene mostly upright, he impaled the woman on his dick. 

Finally, Roger eased her back down onto the couch. As she draped herself across it, his rutting grew frenzied. Landon could so easily imagine the way Selene's tight flesh felt while surrounding the tip of Roger's cock. Were her muscles clenching around him at that very moment?

Roger's shudder, less dramatic than those which had gripped Selene, was still plenty noticeable. His lips now parted, and Landon wondered if he groaned or cried out while surrendering to his own orgasm. 

An age seemed to pass before Roger withdrew. Leaning forward, the man pulled Selene to him. With surprising tenderness, he held her to his chest. As he lowered his lips to her hair, she allowed him to rock her back and forth.

Only after she slipped from his embrace did the tension resurface between them. Roger's cock was still semi-hard, and he made no move to put it away. She didn't flinch when he took hold of her chin. 

Whatever he said while their eyes were locked caused her to wrench free. The slap she delivered to Roger's face did nothing to provoke his anger; instead, he laughed. Maybe that was just the reaction he'd wanted from her.

Without any fear whatsoever, Selene turned her back to him. As she strolled over to the window, Landon stumbled backward, retreating farther into the night. 

He expected her to draw the curtains, but she merely lingered behind the glass, her expression pensive. He had to remind himself that she couldn't possibly detect his presence. With the living room light behind her, she would see only her reflection while staring out.

Growing bold, even reckless, Landon again caressed the bulge in his pants. His gaze swept over Selene's naked body, settling upon the dark curls which concealed her sex from his view. How he would have loved to see her well-fucked pussy!

It was then that she lifted a hand, exposing the flat of her palm. The gesture could have been interpreted as a wave, but that wasn't how Landon saw it. No, he was instantly reminded of that illustration on the shop door. 

Selene remained motionless for several seconds. A smile played at her lips, almost mocking. That smile was the last thing Landon saw before she yanked the curtains closed.