Only in your arms

Chapter 1 - Manic Mondays

A Monday morning is viewed by many as one of the worst days of the week. Liana agreed with most even though she tried to keep a positive disposition. Waking up in the mornings was hard; it was harder still if it was your first day of week. She had dragged herself out of bed this morning and ate a delicious breakfast of bacon, eggs, cheese and pan fries which was a weekly ritual on Mondays. Once she was done she went to the bathroom to begin her daily bathing ritual which was very important on a manic Monday.

She stared at her naked body in the mirror while the bathtub was being filled and concentrated on each of her features. She had a small pert nose, a trait inherited by her mother, Jet black naturally curly hair down to her shoulders that was both a blessing and also the bane of her existence. She had large piercing blue eyes that were lined with long thick eyelashes. Her eyebrows were perfectly plucked and she had a sprinkle of freckles on her cheeks that were a gift from her Irish descent. Her breasts were nice soft globes topped with rosy pink nipples. Men had always loved her nipples. Her pubic hair was shaved leaving only her soft skin. Her body was luscious with rounded hips and long legs. She had been told by a jealous woman once that if it wasn’t for her height distributing her weight, she would be fat. She had shaken it off easily enough finding the good inside it. She smiled in the mirror and repeated her mantra that she said everyday, a boost for her once lacking self confidence. "I am beautiful, I am a gift created by the mother goddess, perfect in everyway." She smiled at herself and acknowledged only the things she liked about herself and listed them off. Her sense of humour, her eyes and her smile, her eyes, her breasts. She absorbed the positive thoughts into herself to keep her warm during the long day to come. Turning towards the bath she added herbs to the tub.


Breathing in deeply, the mixed smells of lavender, carnation, rosemary and basil wafting from the bath she had just drawn, she couldn’t wait to sink her body into the warm inviting bath. She had chosen these ingredients to give her the energy she needed to get through this possibly trying day. She let her soft satin robe slide off her shoulders and pool on the floor before dipping a toe into her bath. She would pick up the robe once she was done. Slowly sliding into the tub she let out a large sigh of ecstasy. She closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply, in through the nose and slowly out of the mouth. Deep meditative and healing breaths. When she felt she was ready she reached for the soap. New smells wafted through the air as she rubbed it gently over her arms and torso massaging it gently into her breasts, taking deep breaths as she did. The smooth cake of soap was one of her own making. A mix of vetivert, orange, nutmeg and orange flower for luck and positive energy's which once again she desperately needed on Mondays. Once she was clean she rested her head back on the rim of the tub and envisionned white light wrapping her up in a calm soothing cocoon of warmth and love.


Once the water turned cool she drained the bath and padded down the hall with a soft blue towel around her head and her robe on once more after brisk towelling.

Inika rubbed her lanky feline body around her legs demanding attention. The White fluff of fur had been her companion for a year, today, after Lianna had saved her life. She had found her by chance. A little white kitten abandoned in a box on the side of the road. Its destination had been the dump. She had heard a little mewling sound coming from it and her instincts had told her to open the box. A filthy yellow matted ball with eyes looked back at her, mewling pitifully, voicing her hunger and fear. She had taken her home, washed her, fed her, and took her to the vet. And a year later, here they were, inseparable.

"Hello there." She murmured as she stroked her soft silky fur. "Did you enjoy your birthday Salmon?" She smiled as the cat mewled and started to rub her head against her calf in fervour. "You had your fair share you little glutton. The rest is for my lunch today." She never gave her cat table scraps but today she had cooked it especially to be safely eaten by both her and her feline companion without negative effects to either of them. Just lightly fried in the pan with some spices. Vegetables for her, none for Inika.

She stepped into her bedroom and once again shed the silk robe as she looked around for what she would wear. First she headed to her Antique dresser, an old mahogany piece with fleur-de-lis etched into it. She took out a pair of underwear and a bra. Both burgundy in color with black lace. She never dressed for a man, She dressed for herself and this particular pair made her voluptuous form look very nice, if she didn't say so herself. Next she turned to her closet and picked out a nice dress. It had a tight bodice and a flowing skirt. It was very peasant in style. Eclectic like her. She pulled it on over her head and sat down at her vanity table and pulled on her black shell cameo earrings and stared at her huge collection of pendants, trying to pick which one to wear to work. She had Serpentine, Sodalite, citrine and amber just to name a few. She reached for her triple moon goddess pendant; which depicted the three aspects of her goddess. The maiden for enchantment, inception and expansion, the mother for ripeness, fulfilment and stability and the crone for wisdom retrenchment and repose. It was a gorgeous pendant with a waxing moon a full moon and a waning moon. The two crescent moons were silver and the full moon was made of amber which she also associated with the sun god. So she had both her god and goddess with her wherever she went. She smiled and clasped the silver chain, holding the pendant, around her neck. Next she slipped on her hematite ring and got up and went to her full body mirror and looked at her reflection. She was a full figured woman but she looked good. Her curls were just starting to dry and it gave her a sultry look. Her hips were accented by the skirt and her breasts didn’t look half bad lifted up in the bodice showing off a bit of cleavage. She turned around and grabbed her purse and slipped on her sandals and left the house, locking the door behind her.

She walked down the street, smiling as the glorious sun shone down upon her, blessing her with its warmth. She looked upon the park, Dogs being walked, children playing, and the trees lush with gorgeous green leaves. The park was blossoming with flowers and greenery, the birds singing their songs. Nature was beautiful. She leaned against the bus post and absorbed the sunlight while waiting for the bus that would get her to work. She considered herself lucky to be living near the park. It sometimes made her forget that she lived in a city. The bus slowed to a stop in front of her and she climbed in and made her way to work.

*********

The day surprisingly went by rather fast. Working in a call center the days could go both ways. Good or bad. She loved the people she worked with but some days were harder to get through than others. The clients hadn’t given her too much grief today. She had just finished a call and was staring out at the fading day when she heard her name called. "Lianna! Just the person I wanted to see!". She smiled at the petite woman. "Hi Kelley. What can I do for you?" Kelley had been in her training class when she first started to work here and they had become very good friends. The petite woman was full of fire and spunk and always making her laugh with her antics. "I’m having a party tonight and I was wondering if you would do tarot card readings" Lianna thought on it for a second and then smiled to her friend. "Sure why not. Did you want me to dress up for the occasion?" Kelley laughed and shook her head. "Darling you already look like a gorgeous gypsy. You’re perfect."


Kelley turned to walk away then stopped and turned with a cheeky grin. “Did I mention my cousin will be there? You have to meet him. I'm sure you guys would hit it off." Kelley waved and walked away without letting her say a word. Lianna had a sinking feeling that she was being set up, quite literally.