The Final Veil: Who had kidnapped America's favorite belly dancer? by Powers Pat

Author:Powers, Pat [Powers, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Hottitude Press
Published: 2016-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Strange gurglings of passion

I drove to Lady Astra's place, a pretty older home in Midtown, small but in exquisite taste. The walls were hung with tapestries, the floors were covered with Oriental rugs, and the seating was provided with throw pillows rather than chairs. It was all very comfortable-looking.

Lady Astra did not look comfortable, she looked great, and I told her so. She was dressed in a filmy silk number that left her shoulders bare and revealed some nice cleavage.

She also wore a knee-length green silk skirt that was slit up almost to the hip on one side, beautifully displaying the curves of her dancer's legs. Her hair hung down to her shoulders, her neck was set off by a simple gold band necklace. With her huge, luminescent green eyes she looked striking, and my compliment was entirely heartfelt.

"It is so nice to see you, John," said Astra. "I was afraid your investigation might not permit you time."

"I am on a short leash as far as time goes," I said, "but it was important to me to see you, and besides, I have to eat sometime, and the chance to dine with a beautiful woman is what makes everything else worthwhile."

"You are very kind," said Astra.

"I am kind, but I still am very happy to be going out with you," I said.

"Very well," said Lady Astra. "I have a suggestion as to where we might go, if you are interested in hearing it."

"Of course I would," I said.

"Very well," said Astra. "I have been invited to a night of Gorean slave dance tonight," said Astra. "Refreshments will be served, they say. Would you find that of interest?"

"Sure," I said. "Sounds like fun." But my mind was racing. Was Lady Astra Gorean? Why had she been invited to a Gorean dance performance, and why was she inviting me? I mean, it was hardly first-date stuff, if I knew my Goreans.

Then again, it might well be first-date stuff for a Gorean. But it wasn't necessarily true that she was Gorean. She knew the Goreans through April.

I escorted Astra out to my van. It occurred to me that there was a lot I didn't know about her. Her first name, for starters.

"Lady Astra," I said as we started out, "since we're going out to dinner, I was wondering if I could ask what your first name is? I'll continue to address you as "Lady Astra" if you like, but if you have some more familiar form of address you prefer, I'll be happy to go with that."

"My first name is Sybil," said Lady Astra, "My real last name is Forster. I took the name Lady Astra as part of my dance identity. When I opened my academy, I used that name, and now it is as much my name as Sybil Forster ever was."

"I'm familiar with the concept of folks having more than one name," I said, grinning, "though it rarely has much to do with the performing arts."

"I'm surprised you didn't already know my real name, with the skills you must have," said Sybil.

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