The gentle lapping of waves against sandy shores was the first crisp sound to fully rouse Blake from his deep, dreamless slumber. As consciousness steadily trickled back in fuzzy increments, he became aware of the pleasantly cool sheets enveloping his body and the comforting scent of ocean breezes wafting through the open windows.
Slowly blinking the bleariness from his eyes, Blake took stock of his new surroundings with a furrowed brow.
The spacious bedroom itself radiated luxurious opulence and tranquility from every carefully-curated detail. Plush ivory curtains framed the wide double windows, billowing languorously with each balmy ocean zephyr meandering inside. The high vaulted ceiling stretched over a canopy California king bed appointed with silky white linens and a mountain of plump pillows Blake currently lounged amid.
Even without straining his senses, the tantalizing aromas of fresh-brewed coffee and savory breakfast fare teased his nostrils from someplace just beyond these ornate double doors. And painting the environment in rich morning hues, the blazing summer sun streamed through the glass to bathe every polished hardwood surface in buttery golden warmth.
Just where the hell was he...some sort of lavish resort villa? A distant coastal paradise?
Before Blake could properly gather his swirling thoughts and dredge up any semblance of recollection over arriving here - wherever "here" even manifested on a map - a subtle motion in his peripheral vision made the confused man's breath hitch momentarily in his throat.
There, standing in a casual yet regal silhouette framed by the panoramic windows gazing outward, was arguably the most breathtaking feminine vision he could ever recall beholding.
Even merely drinking in the elegant slope of her shoulders and subtle hourglass curves draped in that silken robe wasn't enough to immediately dispel the notion he'd somehow stumbled into another plane of reality entirely.
As if sensing the weight of his fixated stare, the statuesque beauty slowly turned to face him, those stunning emerald eyes shimmering with patient affection and the faintest undercurrent of mystery. Blake felt his mouth go dry and palms turn slick beneath the bedsheets, momentarily robbed of any higher brain function beyond pure aesthetic appreciation.
The woman's plump burgundy lips curved in a reassuring smile that somehow managed to appear both radiantly warm yet retaining an edge of simmering intensity, perfectly framed by those exquisite cheekbones and cascading flaxen tresses. When she took a single step closer, Blake thought his heart may seize in his chest from the staggering feminine perfection on display.
Did God work overtime on this one?
"Good morning," she husked in a rich velveteen cadence that heightened the bizarre sense of rapturous disorientation weighing down his senses. "I trust you slept peacefully and are ready to enjoy the splendors of our little present paradise? Hopefully you don't fall unconscious...again" her words drifted off.
Paradise...the word caused a vague bloom of warmth to emanate through Blake's consciousness, eliciting flickers of soothing nostalgia. Yet any attempt to latch onto those familiar threads only resulted in fragmented snatches of sensations and recollections dangling just beyond mental grasp.
And she did say something about being unconscious. Was he unconscious? Had he not just woken up from a normal sleep?
This lady - for Blake, now had something more tangible than siren beauty by which to identify this sublime hostess - waved one graceful hand in casual dismissal.
As her eyes locked with the man's porcelain-hued gaze, Blake sensed the undercurrent of some unspoken command thrumming through their shared look.
"Thank you kindly, Drake. We shall avail ourselves fully of the arrangements in just a few minutes' time."
The slightest incline of Drake's jawline was the only indication of deference before pivoting in one seamless motion to recede back the way he'd come. At this proximity, Blake's chest tightened with something indefinably unsettling and primal over that chiseled visage and ghostly light tread unable to be properly rationalized in his current mental fog.
No sooner had the apparition departed their company than the lady returned her captivating scrutiny to Blake's vaguely discomfited profile outlined against the vista's blazing scenery.
"Come, my love," she coaxed in those rich burgundy tones while curling one hand around his elbow in proprietary fashion. "Let us indulge our feasting amid such opulent comforts first, then measure where your enquiring memories guide us outward from there."
As Blake shuffled willingly toward the lavish dining spread arranged along the open terrace, he couldn't deny the primal lure of this regal woman's intrinsic dominion and confidence holding inexorable sway over his psyche.
Nor could he rebuff the seductive allure of such an opulent paradise sanctuary unfolding before them in vibrant waking dream lucidity...even if countless lingering shadows and veiled mysteries remained cautioning from the brambled recesses of his gnarled subconscious.
For now, Blake opted to surrender himself to the luxuriant delights this sanctuary - and its radiant mistress - had provided so far. Every glimmering second spent here seemed to steadily erode whatever ghosts and phantoms had comprised his existence prior to awakening. Each successive pang of recollection was chased away by reassuring comforts and intoxicating pleasures currently taking precedence.
Eventually the tides of this idyllic refuge would unspool their secrets in due cosmic timing alongside whatever intriguing confidantes populated this secluded world...Blake silently vowed to himself while drawing up to the tantalizing feast.
Until then, oblivion beckoned to this temporary paradise to indulge itself fully amid succulent flavors and rapturous sensations presently assembled all around them.
**********
*Author's note*
The mass release has begun!!!