InstructionbySeduction

  Instruction by Seduction

  Jessica Shin

  You do not open the box. The box opens you.

  When Leah picks up an ornate box at a flea market she knows it’s special. But she has no idea how her life as a sexually disappointed college student and grocery store cashier will be transformed.

  Through forces unknown, the box summons Hale—a man who knows Leah inside and out. He uses their no-strings-attached sexual escapades—which include a hot threesome and light bondage—as lascivious lessons to teach Leah what she needs to succeed in her job, education and relationships.

  With each sexual encounter growing more and more extreme, Leah comes away challenged and questioning everything. But will Leah listen to her new instincts and embrace the life of her dreams or will she continue to hide in her old and comfortable but self-defeating ways?

  An Exotika® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

  Instruction by Seduction

  Jessica Shin

  Prologue

  The Flea Market

  The October morning of the flea market was overcast but not raining. Good thing too because half the tables weren’t under the protection of the tents. Leah shuffled along the tables huddled under her too-thin jacket, looking for something interesting. There was always something interesting at a flea market.

  Old toys, tools and made-in-China trinkets littered the long lines of tables. Leah paused to inspect a gargoyle statue, saw the price then moved on. Maybe someday. When that gargoyle isn’t half my paycheck.

  Leah pulled the jacket tightly against her body as a gust of Kansas wind swept through the market. She shivered. I should have looked harder at garage sales for winter coats, she thought wistfully.

  Rounding a corner to move on to the next line of tables, Leah noticed an elderly Asian man sitting behind his table, eyes closed, almost looking as though he were meditating. She neared the table, her flea-market-prize-find sensors going off. The most interesting stuff was always sold by unique people.

  Leah’s gaze swept a table filled with teapots, cups and a few jade pieces, all very nice even though clearly secondhand. She picked up a small plate and admired the painting of a lotus blossom. Then suddenly a curious sensation unraveled within her, as if she were somewhere familiar. Leah looked up and around her expecting to see someone she knew but the few diehards out this early in the day were none that she were acquainted with.

  Looking back at the table, Leah felt purposely led toward one small object hidden in the interior of the table behind a statue. She reached around and picked up the box resting there. Immediately the feeling of familiarity consumed her and she shivered.

  Mine, she thought fiercely before she could even inspect the box, then chastised herself. Not yours. Not yet.

  The old man opened his eyes and watched Leah as she ran her finger across the slivers of ivory inlaid in the box that rested comfortably in the palm of her hand. The intricate carvings in the dark wood were rough but done with care and purpose. This box meant something.

  “You like?” the old man asked.

  “Very much,” Leah said softly. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.”

  “Box very special. I will only sell to the right person.”

  Leah smiled. She’d heard that story before.

  “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.” She stared at the box then looked up to meet the old man’s eyes. To her surprise there was no sparkle of jest in his eyes or a smirk of humor on his lips. Instead there was only serious honesty about him.

  “Only to the right person,” he repeated. “Box very special. Box makes dreams come true.”

  Leah couldn’t believe the acceptance she felt of his words. Sure, it was a neat box but magical? Mystical? Please.

  “How much?” she asked.

  “Sixty-five.”

  Leah winced inwardly. That was every dime she had with her, including the bus fare for her ride home and some grocery money. Good God. Was it really that rare, that valuable? Just a little box?

  “Does that mean I’m the right person?”

  “You are the only person I sell box to.”

  Leah pushed up on the crease to open the box but it wouldn’t budge, almost as if there were no lid but just a square of wood cut to look like a box. She turned it around and saw the hinges that would allow it to open then tried it again. But still the lid held fast.

  “How do you open it? Ancient Chinese secret?”

  “You do not open box. Box opens you. Lid will come up only when you are ready for what is inside.”

  “And what is inside?”

  “Truth.”

  Leah paused, staring down at the enchanting piece of wood in her hands that she couldn’t seem to put down. Truth, huh? This old man is going to take me for a ride.

  “I’ll give you forty-five for it.”

  “Price is sixty-five.”

  “Fine, fifty. But no more.”

  “Sixty-five. No less. Box must be sacrifice.”

  “If I give you sixty-five I won’t be able to get home.”

  “Must be…sacrifice.”

  Leah met the eyes of the old man, his brown ones boring holes into her green ones. His seriousness struck her. He wasn’t just a salesman trying to get a better price for his wares. He believed every word of what he said. Leah couldn’t shake the feeling that he was looking into her, through her, knowing her with just a look. She wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already known exactly how much cash she had on her.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “Can’t do it.”

  Leah set the box back down on the table feeling like she’d ripped one of her fingers off to do it. She looked back up at the old man.

  “I hold onto box for you. You be back.”

  Leah turned away without trying to argue with him. The farther she walked away from the table the greater the torment raged within her. It seemed like she’d given something personal away when she left the box, as if it already belonged to her. Even more than belonging…it was part of her.

  The remaining tables were filled with useless junk. All she could think about was the box. She tried to distract herself with some antique books, a usual flea market favorite for her, but they were no more interesting to her than her college statistics book.

  An hour later it was midmorning and the rush of market-goers had arrived. While the usual suspects perused the various tables and jockeyed for position around the old favorites, all Leah could think of while she dodged people was the box. How it felt in her hand—like something she’d always had with her. How it looked like it really could make her dreams come true.

  A sudden panic seized Leah. What if someone else buys it? What if someone else is there at the old man’s table this very moment, convincing him it belongs to them? They probably have the sixty-five and more too.

  “Shit,” Leah said, drawing some disapproving glances from those around her. She put down the ornate candleholder she was pretending to look at and turned away from the table. She jostled her way through the crowds, her panic growing so badly she could taste it. She had to get back to the table and get her hands on the box before anyone else did.

  Leah ran into a fiftysomething man who cursed at her. She jumped over a woman’s dog. Her heartbeat pounded painfully in her throat as images of someone walking away with her box ran through her head. She slid to a stop in front of the old man’s table. He was busy taking money from a middle-aged woman for one of the teapots. Leah scanned the table for the box. No box. No!

  “Sir,” Leah interrupted, bringing a sour gaze from the teapot woman, who was chatting it up with the old man. She didn’t care. “The box? Where is it? I need it!”

  The teapot woman shook he
r head and turned away with her purchase muttering something about rude kids. Leah held back her usual I’m-older-than-I-look as she was holding her breath waiting for the old man to respond.

  “I told you you come back.”

  “Yes you did and yes I did. The box, please. Tell me you didn’t sell it to someone else.”

  The old man smiled and chuckled, surprising Leah. What could possibly be so funny? He leaned over and reached under the table. When he righted himself and she saw the box sitting in his hands, she exhaled a very heavy sigh of relief.

  “I told you I keep it for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  Without a second thought Leah pulled out her wallet and handed the old man two twenties, two tens and five ones. Every last bit of foldable money in her possession. She nearly dropped the cash on the table in her urgency to feel the box in her hands once more.

  As her fingers slid across the rough and smooth edges of the carvings on the box, she immediately relaxed. She felt whole again. She cupped the box and closed her eyes.

  “Don’t forget what I tell you,” the man said. “It opens only when you are ready. You cannot open box. Box opens you.”

  Leah nodded. She turned away without looking at him again. She had a long walk home.

  Chapter One

  Leah made her tired way through the crowded hallway toward her classroom. She’d had to work late the night before, closing up the FoodSmart where she worked as a cashier. The two morning classes already under her belt had drained her and she contemplated skipping her public speaking class. It was always such a stressful class anyway.

  She didn’t know if she could do it again but she found herself in the room, sitting her chair anyway. Her plans for truancy usually ended up that way.

  As the other students trailed into the room Leah suddenly felt very old. She looked young enough to fit in but she knew she was at least several years older than the oldest other student in the class. Putting off college for four years will do that to a girl. Going less than full time would make her older and older as each year passed but she could only take as many classes as her measly scholarship and family donations could cover.

  “Okay class, let’s get started,” the teacher said. Mrs. Larson was an amiable, pretty woman and even though she taught one of the most-feared courses at Wichita State University she was well-liked by the students. She beamed a good-morning smile that even Leah couldn’t resist returning.

  The class covered tactics for sharing personal experiences in a speech and Leah tried to pay attention. She didn’t see a career in public speaking in her future but she did want to get a good grade.

  As the class period came to an end, Mrs. Larson clapped her hands and said, “Okay everyone. Time for thinking on your feet.”

  The requisite groans ensued as everyone prepared to look anywhere but at the teacher, thinking that if they didn’t make eye contact they wouldn’t get called on. Leah was right there with them, busying herself with some lint on her jeans.

  “Tell me about a time when you felt very strongly about something and acted on that feeling…Leah?”

  Leah felt the air drain out of her. She could barely remember the question as she stood from her seat and looked around at the class. Something about a strong feeling… Leah racked her brain but all she could think of was the box.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Larson,” Leah heard herself say, speaking the rote words all students knew to begin with by then. “A time when I had a strong feeling and acted on it…was when…um…a few months ago…”

  “She got laid at a frat party,” some smartass said from across the room.

  “She’s too fat to get laid.”

  “Too fat to get frat.”

  Snickers ensued.

  Leah cut her eyes to the general area but couldn’t be sure which of the morons had said it. She blinked and swallowed, trying to remember the question again. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Mrs. Larson pointing toward the door. One of the students sighed, then got up and left the classroom.

  “Please Leah, continue.”

  Continue? I haven’t even said anything. Leah felt the heat of embarrassment creeping up her collar and was certain her face was turning as red as her hair.

  “Um I was at this flea market a few months ago…”

  Leah tried to ignore some more snickers and a comment about her wardrobe coming from a flea market.

  “And there was this old Chinese guy with a box and…and…”

  Leah faltered. She couldn’t express how she felt about the box to herself, much less to this group of hateful snobs. Even if she could express it, it was ridiculous. It made no sense. They would just ridicule her all the more.

  “So he was a really good salesman.” Leah hated herself. “And he told me all kind of mystical stories about this box and how it brought rain to a town in China that was having a drought. So I bought the box.”

  Leah sat down and stared at her desktop, feeling the sting of tears behind her eyes.

  “Have you called Jenny yet?” some jerk said.

  “Okay, that’s it for the day, class. See you all on Wednesday.”

  The class moved around Leah but she couldn’t lift herself from the seat. She was afraid that if she moved she would erupt into a Niagara Falls of tears. When the room was quiet around her, she heard Mrs. Larson say softly, “Leah, I’m so sorry.”

  Words of compassion were not what Leah needed to hold herself together. The tears sprang from her eyes as she launched herself out of her seat.

  “Leah, please, can you stay for a minute?”

  “I have to get to work.” Leah sniffed as she ripped open the door and ran out into the hall.

  The cold Kansas wind froze the tears in Leah’s eyes as she walked back to her apartment. It steeled her against the cruel comments of her classmates and got her home in one piece…until she walked inside and closed the door behind her.

  Leah leaned against the closed door and let the tears fall. She choked on them, not even bothering to wipe them away or cover her face.

  * * * * *

  “Did you find everything you were looking for?” Leah asked the customer as he began filling the conveyor belt with his groceries.

  “Yes, thank you,” he said.

  “Great.” Leah flashed him a smile. He smiled back. It was forced and Leah knew it but even a fake smile makes you feel better inside.

  “Is plastic okay, sir?” Leah’s coworker Kelly asked from the other side of the register.

  “Sure.”

  Leah and Kelly took care of the man and sent him on his way.

  “Slow day today,” Kelly said, pulling the band out of her long blonde hair and re-tying it to get all the loose ends.

  “Yeah,” Leah said absently.

  “What’s up with you today? You seem all distracted and not nearly as chipper as usual.”

  “I got all chippered out at class this morning. I think I’m going to switch to night classes.”

  “Why?”

  “More adults in night classes. Fewer stupid juveniles.”

  “True but it’ll put a monkey wrench in your schedule here.”

  Leah shrugged. “Kelly, do you think I need to call Jenny Craig?”

  “What?” Kelly asked with a laugh. “Why do you say that?”

  “Some kid said it in class this morning.”

  “Oh Jesus. Okay, I see what you mean. It would be shit to go through class with rejects like that.”

  “Watch your language—Bob’s here.”

  “Is he? Thanks. I’ve already been written up once.”

  “So do you think so?”

  “Think what?”

  “Jenny Craig?”

  “Oh Leah. You’re not fat. Sure, you’ve got a few extra pounds—who doesn’t? Just cut out the sweets for a few weeks.”

  “I’m more than forty pounds over my ideal body weight.”

  “Don’t listen to those assholes. Oops, I mean those jerks. Don’t measure yourse
lf against someone else’s standards.”

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “Don’t worry about them, Leah. You’re twice as smart as they’ll ever be.”

  “Is that why I’m working at the FoodSmart?”

  “Smartass.”

  Leah finished her shift, closed the store and made her way home on her aging bicycle. She carried it up the two flights of stairs to her government-subsidized student housing and wheeled it into the living room.

  The apartment was a good deal for a student. Small but functional, reasonably priced and close to the school. Leah had waited a year for a spot to open up and was overjoyed when she moved in. It was her first place to live in all on her own even though she was twenty-seven.

  Leah dropped her bag on the sofa and walked into the bathroom. A hot bath was in order after a day like that. As the water filled the tub, Leah stripped off her clothes in the bedroom. She wanted to jet past the full-length mirror on the way out but stopped and turned back.

  Her eyes moved across every curve of bare skin so intently she could almost feel a caress. Smooth, fair skin, a few ripples here and there that she didn’t really care for but she didn’t hate them. She didn’t hate herself. Why did they?

  “She’s too fat to get frat,” she whispered, then shook her head.

  Leah sighed a long exhale as she slid into the hot bath water. Who needs those losers? The real world isn’t like that. Or at least not that bad. Just a few more years.

  Sitting up, Leah pulled a bunch of bubbles toward her and rubbed them across her chest. They crackled as she crushed them and circled them across her shoulders and arms and breasts.

  “It ends now,” Leah said aloud. “I’m not going to take their crap anymore and I’m not letting anyone make me cry. Everything is a choice. And I choose to love me for me. I don’t give a fuck-all what anyone else thinks.”

  Wet and clean, Leah lifted herself from the bath water feeling renewed and strangely stronger. The wonders of a good self-pep talk. She wrapped a towel around herself, tucked the corner to keep it on and walked back into her bedroom.